WHOOSH, THERE GO ALL THE GOOD JOBS!

(International Business Times/Frazer Chronicle)

Don't ya just get sick of all the talk about the economy, job loss, higher taxes and the stagnation of the American way of life. Hell I get tired of writing about it, and even though I've had a modicum of success in my writings, and the U.S. economy does give a guy like myself a fountain of material, I'd rather write about something else, like beach babes.

I read a report by John Schmitt and Janelle Jones, staffers for the Center for Economic and Policy Research, and now have more and better-er ammunition on the subject of what is really wrong with America in this global economy that we all most deal with to varying degrees. And once again, the  experts  seem to have it mostly wrong.....at least from my perspective.

The work I am referring to by the 2 above mentioned people is an essay titled Where Have All the Good Jobs Gone?  It starts out by saying the "America's workforce is substantially older and better educated then it was in the 1970's. It further states that the "typical worker in 2010 is 7 years older then in 1979. In 2010 over one third of U.S. workers had a 4 year college degree or more, up from just one-fifth in 1979.

That said, a reasonable person might think that being better educated would translate into a higher wage.....right, actually no, you'd be wrong. A workforce stocked with older employees for management to take advantage of, free from all the child-like hang-ups of sewing wild oats, drinking like there's no tomorrow and racing around the city streets like maniacs, would be.....a natural, right, again.....wrong.

Oh make no mistake, American business does take advantage of a workforce stocked with educated, more mature candidates. Actually the present attitude from management's prospective is to take advantage any way possible. It's the American way, the free market, competition.....capitalism at it's finest.

What is a "good" job, what does it pay, more important, "what are the benefits," how long before I start getting vacation days, and which national holidays are paid "off days?" $18.50 an hour, "about $37,500 annually," with health benefits, paid holidays and some kind of retirement plan, that's a good job, or considered a good job by the report that I read from the economist's point of view.

WHAT IS AN ECONOMIST?
A person who likes numbers, enjoys sitting in front of a computer screen all day, wears horn rimmed glasses, was a nerd in high school, and has ink pens in his shirt pocket. Well actually not really so, maybe in the past, but today's economists are a highly trained bunch that are highly educated and are experts in their field.

Economists study finance, market structures, historical trends, globally as well as domestic and econometricians use math, such as calculus and regression analysis and other math theories to investigate all areas of economics, using these techniques to explain business cycles, inflation and other types of economic occurrences.

In  my opinion, economists view national and global economies and their trends as one would a child growing up. First they are born, grow through their single digits, arrive at teenage-hood, are unruly, however in the process get a basic education, go to college, get a degree, and wonder through life, along the way acquiring a wife, 2.5 children, and a dog.

Economists point to trends in the marketplace, from which they form opinions, they look at consumer pricing, the buying power of vast portions of a countries citizens, and hypothesize what has happened, what is happening, and what is going to happen.

If their education, analogies and the perceived trends don't quite fit into those tiny boxes they use to explain financial happenings, they take "shots in the dark," to explain current conditions. Economist talk about decline in the economy's inability to create jobs, how this single act causes a deterioration in the bargaining power of works, especially those workers at the middle and the bottom of the income scale.

Economist use the standard excuse that workers inability to keep up with their education and skills is the reason the workplace does not create new, better paying jobs. But wait, hold onto your shorts Betty, education levels have made significant inroads to the education question over the past 30 years. Remember the number of college graduates over the past 30 years, their skills acquired through that higher education, that should translate into better, and higher paying jobs, if that's the way you think, you would be wrong.

The share of workers with "good jobs" fell from 27.% in 1979 to 24.6% today, what happened to cause this "trend bucking" happening. It defied every economists logic, it threw everything that an economist had learned.

       

FLASH.....HIGHER EDUCATION DOES NOT MEAN HIGHER PAYCHECKS:

The United States at the present time is in a surprising time, at least for economists, on the one hand you have more potential workers with a higher education, and on the other hand, these book-worms and geeks are hard pressed to make a living wage, way harder then back in 1979.

It boils down to the fact that  a vast majority of workers in the United States are having a tough time to make ends meet, and in many cases are just as mystified by the economy as economists. It's not supposed to be this way, a better education is supposed to equate into better job opportunities and a higher pay scale.

With the exception of the last half of the 1990's, a much greater emphasis was placed on controlling inflation then achieving full employment. These policies and decisions were rooted in politics and "according to some experts," are the explanation for the decline in the economy's ability to generate good jobs.

Some of the statistics released with the essay are startling and show exactly what is really going on with regards to paychecks and the earning power of the American worker. In 1979 19.7% of workers, in the 18 to 64 age range, had a college degree, in 2010, the same age groups has a 34.3% rate of college educated people.

The median age for workers in 1979 for workers 18 to 64 was 34 years old, in 2010 it was 41. Capital for work, in 1979 was 100% productivity, in 2010 the average work output for an employee was a whooping 151.4%, meaning through retirements, down sizing and work-load shifting, the average worker was producing over 50% more then in 1979.

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PAY SCALE FOR WOMEN ARE BETTER.....RIGHT!
Actually the answer is no, women were so far down back in 1979,  in working conditions, job opportunities and pay, any kind of change was an improvement. It still didn't get women into a slot where there were good jobs to be had.

Starting in 1979, for women, there has been an almost continuous  growth, from 12.4% to the present 21.1% for women and good jobs. During this 30 year period, women were less likely then men to be in good jobs. The gender gap shrank steadily as the labor-market prospects generally improved for women.

CONCLUSIONS!
So, does this meandering blog give you a new insight into what the American work place has become, I hope so, but if it hasn't.....well, there's nothing that I can do about that. Economists approach their profession as one would a living, breathing person, complete with it's own individual personality, wants and desires, just like anyone of us.

It's much the same approach as politicians feel about corporations, you know, "aw look, isn't that a cute little corporation, let's call him corp. until he grows into an adult." Corporations are businesss' not living, breathing people, and as such do not, I repeat not afforded the same rights as people.

Simply put.....and you all know I'm for simple, the work-place has always been, is and will be a battle ground of competing forces, both actually driven by the same forces of nature.....greed, a better position, more money and more power.

Sure these are simple terms, like greed, position and power, but they hit the bull's eye every single time. Until we, as a people realize that business is not and never has been an agent to create more jobs, we will struggle. Until we understand that the bottom line mentality in industry is to make money.....any way possible, we will struggle. Until we quit depending on business to give benefits, "paid health insurance, holidays and vacation," we will struggle.

There are really few issues that we need to concern are selves with, and address, they are basic needs, they are needs that make common sense and can be used in approaching business with. Safety in the work area, one thing business does not want to lose is an experienced worker, especially in today's market of highly educated older workers.

It probably is the least expensive investment for business to make, it protects workers, management, and when a worker either retires, moves to another job or leaves the company, the safety mechanism is still in place and the initial cost to the company is over.

Safe working conditions means so much more then guards on a motor,  sanded steps or railings, it also means workers do not have to worry about a co-employee going "postal." You'd be surprised at the number of work related fights, knifing and shootings that go on across America. So security has to be a part of any equation with regards to work-place safety.

Pay rates.....by far the most important issue for any employee can be a confusing and complicated issue. But remember....."my middle name is simple," and this word can also be used when it comes to individual pay scales. The power of the unions, at the present time is about 8% of all industry workers, no matter the job, the position, or the company. In 1979 unions were responsible for almost 34%  of all workers in the United States, for their pay scales, vacation time, paid holidays pensions and health care insurance.

Worker skills have kept up with new technology in the work-place, so that argument by business cannot be used. If however that were the case, educated workers would be substantially payed higher wages and that's not true.

Actually what has happened is that the Federal Government has rescinded, or deregulated all sorts of rules that in the past has held in check what business is really about about in America.....money. Deregulations have hit several large industries, including trucking, airlines and telecommunication, and with each deregulation act, it has cost the worker.

A much greater emphasis has been placed on controlling inflation then achieving a fuller employment figure in the United States. It is my view that these deregulation policies, rooting in political gain are the main problem with generating more and better paying jobs. Without the deregulation, business would be much more aware of their employees wants, needs and desires.

The best way to control this runaway purge of business over employees is to cut off the helping hand at it's source, state capitals all over the country and the White House itself. Until we raise up as underpaid and under-appreciated individuals, things will remain the same. In addition we need to be more vigilant  of government and their actions at all times. If we don't, we will be nothing more then some ignorant "crack pots," running around blowing opinionated air up somebodies skirt.

WHY DO WE KEEP VOTING THESE JERKS INTO POLITICAL OFFICE?

WHY DO WE KEEP VOTING THESE JERKS INTO POLITICAL OFFICE?

(Frazer Chronicle)

Caught several e-mails today from people that I have never met, have never wanted to meet, and am pretty sure I never will meet. One was from Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the other was from Eric Hovde, a business man from Wisconsin who is running for a Senate seat as a Republican. Both wasted little time letting people know how they felt about Paul Ryan being named as Mitt Romney's running mate on the Republican ticket which the nation will vote on in November.

Both were typical in their views.....right down the party line, saying exactly what their individual parties’ stance is on Ryan. I can't figure it out, here I am, this little, short, balding, 68 year old, with a few too many pounds around my generation gap, getting e-mails from two high powered fellows, one a mayor of a major Midwestern city, and the other a multi-millionaire who has made his mark in the Hedge-fund business.

I feel honored, why just yesterday, Sunday, August 12th. I was outside sanding my house, preparing the siding for a new paint job. Through the sweat and dust, and the occasional swear words, I felt I wasn't making fast enough progress, and am really worried that I won't get the paint on the "old shack" before snow flies.

After several hours of sanding, (I have a disc sander) I retreated into my "man cave" to read my e-mails and check up on the current online news. Imagine my delight and surprise when I discovered the two e-mails from such high powered people. I wanted to devour the morsels of intellect, and glory in the fact that I was important enough to be able to actually converse with these 2 paragons of leadership.

Imagine my deflated feeling when I read the messages; it was like the same model car, just a different paint job. If you’re looking for either of these jokers to "take you down to the waters and wash your illusions away," well.....you can just forget it, it was business as usual.

FOR THESE TWO GUYS, I'LL SPEAK:

Paul Davis Ryan is a good looking Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 1^st district. Born in 1970, educated at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, Ryan has spent his entire adult "working" life as a political animal. Now before you get your shorts in a bunch, I really don't have a single thing against a person "working" as a politician, we need competent people to represent us in either the state capitol, or in Washington.

I guess I would call Ryan the "blanket man," he makes blanket statements, which, at least in his mind are true. Ryan is also a disciple of Russian born Ayn Rand, which he is more than welcome to advocate.....as long as he's a private citizen. However, he doesn't work in the private sector; he is a highly visible member of the United States House of Representatives, and as such, needs to have an open mind.

One simple building block of the Ayn Rand philosophy is that she advocated reason as the only means of acquiring knowledge, and rejecting all forms of faith and religion. Another of Rand's ideas was that a Laissez-faire, "French for (let them do)" atmosphere of no trade tariffs, no government subsidies, and enforced monopolies, with only enough government regulations sufficient to protect property rights against theft and aggression.

Of course, it was predictable, the more Ryan's star shined, the more he distanced himself from the teachings of Rand. For me, for a brief moment, I thought Paul Davis Ryan might sweep in, and with his like minded "new" members of elected politicians change things. Sadly it didn't take long for me to be put down by these people's antics.

Ryan and his buddies, "by and large" are quite the same as their predecessors, eliminate, eliminate, eliminate. There is a reason for big government.....and we are that reason, as a people, we can't seem to get it right. I'll bet Paul Davis Ryan sat around the old Ryan Ponderosa when he was just a young sprout, and made up budgets just to practice what he would be doing 15 or so years later.

Paul Ryan isn't a bad man, or evil, he's just another misunderstood conservative who happens to be in the political lime-light. Oh make no mistake; Ryan is absolutely where he wants to be, thus far, at the pinnacle of his political career.

And some of Ryan's desires and stated reform programs have merit; however some are also full of crap. To tackle all of his listed "wish list" reforms, you'd have to be super human, and in addition numbers of people would be thrown into harsh austerity situation.

Ryan lists problem areas as health care, Medicare/Medicaid, social security, tax reform, work force re-training and budget reform. Without exception, each of these issues need addressing, and dealt with in a common sense attitude. But all at once.....come on Paulie, "ain't gonna happen, you must know that, somewhere deep in that conservative mind of yours."

Is Paul Davis Ryan good for the Republican ticket.....only time will tell, but one thing is for sure, the United States didn't get to where it's at today.....overnight. It's going to take more than one term in office for any meaningful changes to happen.

Paul Davis Ryan and Mitt Romney will learn this fact, I'm sure Romney already has come to terms with this fact. The United States is made up of breathing, walking, talking human beings, who feel joy as well as pain. We are a funny lot, capable of tremendous achievements as well as huge blunders; after all.....we are just human.

It's the silly season out there....."in the political world," and the whoring is really just beginning, you just wait until the witching hour is upon us, about the 1^st of September, that's when these jokers really warm up to the task at hand, and really start making outrages comments. "Bon-appetite."

  

AMERICA'S STAND-IN!

AMERICA'S STAND-IN!

(Asian Times/ Common Dreams/Frazer Chronicle)

"My man".....I'm so glad that there are people out there who will take the heat, are willing to slay the dragon, defending our country, and all that goes along with that effort. I'm well past the defending age, having reached the "age of majority" almost 3.5 times ago, and anyways, I have my television schedule to consider.

I however can understand the attitude of a substitute, and the purpose of one, having been one off and on for well over 40 years. A substitute is kind of like a utility player on a baseball team, he's not real good at any position, but can play almost any position fairly well.....kind of like a "stop gap" guy, somebody not as good as the starter, but tolerable.

A proxy.....a stand in, the man/group who, for a price, is willing to deflect all sorts of crap, and among other things will take the losses that come with the territory of what a proxy stands for. For the purposes of this blog, the proxy I'm talking about is military, all military and nothing but the military.

Proxy's use all sorts of clandestine operations to achieve goals and objectives that the "agent" of an "event" wants. It's been going on for centuries, these proxy conflicts and wars, all the way back to biblical times, and the achievements garnered have help build nations, tear them down, and mold history, and effected the lives of almost every single human being that ever lived on face of the earth.

I guess a person might say that Blackwater Security Consulting "might" be viewed as a proxy entity, members of their "consulting team," possibly thousands, were in Iraq where the "shooting and body bag counts" happened on a daily basis.

It is estimated that the military contracted forces in Afghanistan now made up of a little more than 50% of all United States personnel. Contractors, security consultants, or whatever the Pentagon likes to call them operate under vastly different rules then the United States military, what they do often times is outside the parameters of what either the United Nations forces, or American forces want to do or accomplish, or do they!

And the raise in non-military personnel "employed" by the United States is at its highest rate ever, this according to the Pentagon. Sadly under President Barack Obama's watch, there has been an increase of 23% in the number of these "private security consultants or contractors that work for the Defense Department.

During the time that the United States was waging war in Iraq and Afghanistan there was a whopping 242,657 contractors working the two stages. And now, with U.S. forces (mostly) out of Iraq, and war efforts focused on Afghanistan, there still remains????? in Iraq, and over 100,000 in Afghanistan.

CHANGING WITH THE TIMES:

Some would argue that the employment of security consultants or contractors is nothing more than the changing times of how wars are fought in the world of the 21^st century. I seem to recall a Secretary of Defense, one Donald Rumsfeld wanting the U.S. military "meaner, sleeker, and smaller." Gee Don, I don't think your vision worked, unless you call what is left of Iraq, and what seems a never ending war in Afghanistan.

Rumsfeld didn't initiate security consultants or military contractors, but he sure did bring the idea into the 21^st century. Under his command, there were more private personnel fighting, doing security, rebuilding, and feeding our troops then at any other time in America's history.

Wars have always been waged for ideals, for land, for a way of life, for treasure, and out of fear, they have never been fought because it was fun. The weapons might change, but the face of war has never, nor will it ever change.

The face of war is a bloody, lacerated mess.....and nobody wins, that's right, nobody ever has won while waging war. It's funny, but most people will tolerate war if it's to help the oppressed, or to defend a "homeland," but everybody hates a bully boy attitude when it comes to waging war, no matter the size of the country, it must be a just war.

PROXY WARS ALWAYS GET OUT OF CONTROL:

Proxy wars are always based on deviate ideas, do not consider morals and rarely care about the overall results. Proxy wars might start down one path and then might change several different times during the course of the battle.

Proxy wars are always about a hidden agenda, they are always about our own interests, and what will do the United States the most good. President Obama is new at this proxy war game.....but he is learning. All over the Middle East, his administration has scrapped "for the moment" full scale invasions; he seems now to be embracing a multifaceted, light-footprint brand of warfare.

The fact of the matter is that the United States is a war-mongering imperialistic country, intent on world domination, the likes of which has never been seen during the entire history of the world. It's all about the money, the minerals and control.

Both Afghanistan and Iraq are perfect examples of how the United States supports proxy wars, unless you figure that the Pentagon didn't support both countries back in the 1970's and 80's. And guess what, the Pentagon is funded by us, the American taxpayer.

War is never the answer to any question, or actually any problem, no kind of war is ever devoid of mess, of cost, of rape, of pestilence, and of death. It's funny, as a people we figure that we have come so far; yet, we are really just inches from where we were 2000 years ago.

   



PANICS DEPRESSIONS AND RECESSIONS!

(Crisis Helper.com/Philly.com)

(Frazer Chronicle)

A funny thing happened on the way to the bank the other day.....the windows were shuttered, the doors were locked and there was a sign that read, (bank failed.) You think I'm kidding, well.....your right, at least today, August 10, 2012, but back-track 82 years ago, and you just might see that sign on your favorite lending institution, or where you put your hard earned cash, it's the reason many people kept their cash under their beds.

Money, the American dream, stature, owning a home and having a "nest egg" for a rainy day or retirement have all been a part of what we as Americans have dreamt about during our lifetimes in varying degrees. Some of us have attained what we "shot for" during our travels through life, others have failed. But you know something, it really didn't matter, whatever it was that we were reaching for, it was almost worth the thrill of being able to reach, dream and try. Actually it's what living in America is all about, and I've loved it.

It almost didn't matter from whence we came, in the beginning we were all foreigners, America has been the great melting pot of the world. Most of us immigrated to the United States to better our lives, and the lives of our loved ones. The woolen and fabric makers of the eastern seaboard, the coal, gold, and iron miners of  Pennsylvania, Colorado and the upper reaches of the Midwest. And the dock hands, or Stevedores on the New York harbor docks who unloaded freight and people, they too were hopeful of a better life.

America has had it all, and really still does, sadly what we "still have" seems is being shipped overseas. Steel, oil, coal, and other mineral treasures are on ships, bound for exotic ports all over the world, places that we only read about, or see on television, places that we will never actually visit.

So is another treasure going overseas from the United States, places that we read about, but never really want to visit. I'm talking about the jobs that are being spirited away by the very industries that depended on the United States for decades. Villages, towns, cities, states and the Federal Government helped all manner of business to grow from their infancy to the lofty positions and outsourcing  that they hold today.

ABOUT AMERICAN COMPANIES MOVING ON OUT!
When I say that "American companies moving on out," I mean literally thousands of big to small companies are leaving the United States for greener pastures overseas.  Countries like China, the Philippines, Korea, Israel, Ireland, India and Mexico. Asia is generally the country of choice for many other small to medium business ventures.

Over the past several decade or so there has been a remarkable migration of American companies moving overseas, resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the U.S. economy. Major manufacturing companies have been taking advantage of lower overhead costs by going overseas for years, but now many, many more companies are taking advantage as well.

The reasons for American companies moving their operations overseas can really be equated to a one legged man entering an ass kicking contest, "he can't win." Low wages, no employee benefits, American companies are usually exempt from environmental and safety regulations, and finally these American companies have no obligation to remit taxes upon exporting their products to the United States.

Either outsourcing jobs, "lower wages, no benefits," or moving entire operations overseas has immense income,  property and corporate income tax advantages that American companies fall under, and the hefty tax rebates are opportunities many companies simply can't refuse.

The bottom line here is laughably silly, if a person takes a long serious look at the pros and cons of moving offshore with a business. Lower wages, no benefits, little or no regulations governing environment or safety rules....."hell, where do I sign up," and I don't even have a business.

There are in excess of  1500 American based companies that are on the outsource "hot list," way to many diverse companies for any kind of boycott to use. From 3M Alamo Rent A Car, to Bank One, to Bechtel, Travel Lodge to Honeywell.....the list goes on and on.

WHERE DOES THE AMERICAN WORKER FIT IN?
"A good question," and there is a long and a short answer, the short answer is.....you don't, unless you are willing to work 10 or 12 or 16 hour days, 6 days a week, and get paid a "buck" an hour. There would be no overtime, no benefits of any kind, and really no "vested" interest. You would come in before dawn and leave after dark.....over 300 days a year.

The great American dream would be gone, life expectancy would drop, "through the floor," illness would be on the rise, and the core belief in America, "of the family circle," would be a thing of the past. No family car, no life insurance, little health care and no retirement "nest egg". You would work until you die.....like in the old days.

The long term answer for where the American worker would fit into the new landscape of  employment in America would be lower pay, more work production with less people to do the jobs. Everything would be in a "downsizing" mode, automation would be the rule and watch-word of the day.

Incentives would be a thing of the past, wages would stagnate, "as they are today," and there really won't be any reason to reach for that higher plateau, because your already there.

America would become a nation of just two levels of people, the "haves and the have-nots," the upper middle, middle, lower middle and the low class would be replaced by the "class,  and the no class." It's how it was centuries ago and how it's going to be again.....unless!

HOW DID WE COME DOWN TO THIS?
How.....by swallowing all the crap that we are told, by not thinking independently, by not questioning, and by not being informed. How many times have we been told, "collectively" that the rich business-man will re-invest in his business, pay a better, and more livable wage, and offer better benefits....."well, I'm waiting." It's what I thought, more times then anybody knows.

The United States has lived under a democracy for more then 200 years, a land of laws that governs the citizenry. We also have lived under a free market society, where  demand regulates prices, and wages rather then the government. Of course free markets are associated with capitalism, free markets have been advocated by socialists and have been included in various different proposals for socialism.

According to Murray Rothbard, a free market economy refers to an economy were by buying and selling of goods and services is conducted without restrictions regarding price or valuation. The market players allow the market forces to determine the prices and value of the commodities and service that they offer.

Government regulations.....according to these "market players" is a bad thing and will in fact curtail the very concept of a free market. It works like this.....can anybody remember the "gas wars" that used to help regulate the price of gasoline at the pump. Well I do, and they were great, if one station had a price of .39.9 cents a gallon, the guy across the street would go down to .36.9 cents a gallon and everybody would go across the street for gas. That was the free market.....it helped save the consumer money.

Now gas prices are virtually the same at every station and the inducement to fill up are a lower price for milk, soda pop, or those belly bomb sandwiches that taste great, but do really bad things to the lower tract. However, lost in all the advertisement promotions is the fact that gas has remained the same, high, high higher.

The United States has seen more then it's share of hard financial times under the current programs that we subscribe to.....namely the free market with little or no governmental regulations. The first financial upset came way back in 1797 and lasted for 3 years and was caused by the deflation of the Bank of England across the Atlantic Ocean.

After that, there were panics, "recessions or depressions" in 1807, 1819, 1837, 1857, 1873 to 1893, 1907, 1918 and 1921, pre and post World War 1, 1929, 1945, 1948, 1953, 1958, 1960, 1969, 1973, "oil crisis," 1980, 1990, and finally 2008. Bet you didn't know that one.....a total of 20 listed recessions, depressions or panics.

Some of these "depressions" lasted just a few months while others lasted as long 23 years, "long depression, 1873-1893. There also were depressions within depressions, which happened at least 5 times over the history of the country.

THE AMERICAN DREAM TODAY:
The American dream today, the one where the country picked itself of the floor after December 7, 1941, or the America that has picked itself off the financial floor 8 different times not including the 2008 bubble buster.....it's still here, just harder to see, and becoming more of a trail for us to get up from.

Innovation is what has made our country strong, innovation is what we're all about, it's why we've been a world leader, and it's being taken away each and every day, we are becoming a 2nd. class society and a banana republic of a country.

Politicians talk on Capital Hill, industrial leaders talk in the board rooms of America, the Pentagon maps out war encounters and the C.I.A. conceives new enhanced ways to bring foreign countries in line with our hopes, desires and our needs.

There is a small group out there, a well heeled minority ready,  willing and sadly able to get their message across to the American public. I'm not talking about some silly conspiracy like a Mel Gibson movie, no, this is real, and if people got their collective heads out of where they sit, it would be easy to see.

With so many corporations moving overseas, how long do you figure it's going to take them to wise up to the fact that they don't need the classes of people in the United States. With the world as the market place, exactly how important is one consumer group to these elite people?

Make no mistake my friend, we are in trouble here in the land of the free and the home of the brave, we have only begun to struggle. It's not Democrat or Republican, most of them are already controlled by.....lobbyists, or don't you believe in them.  They are a slick lot, doing the bidding of the few so that they can control the masses.

It's going to be a mighty struggle, are we up to the task, can we band together and fight the good fight? I sure as hell hope so, I don't want my Tru-T.V. taken away in my twilight years.  

 


     

  

HERE SOME OIL, THERE SOME OIL, EVERYWHERE SOME OIL!

HERE SOME OIL, THERE SOME OIL, EVERYWHERE SOME OIL!

(Sympatico/Marquette Mining Journal/Reuters/Frazer Chronicle)

Gas prices are going up, here in Green Bay more than 20 cents in the past 10 days, we are in a gasoline crunch, people are once again lining up at the pumps to avoid the "pump job" that they will get at their local gas-filler-up station. Is it OPEC, hedge fund speculators, is there a conspiracy afoot to take more of our hard earned money.....is anybody immune from the greed?

The answer(s) in order are, yes, yes, yes and no, whenever there is a spike in gasoline prices, usually OPEC has something to do with it, speculators always drive the prices sky-ward, everything is a conspiracy, and nobody is immune from the greed that oil people seem to be driven by.

That said, the current raise in gas prices in mid-Wisconsin north, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan can be blamed pretty much on a pipeline break in Grand Marsh, Wisconsin. 1200 hundred barrels or 64,000 gallons of Chicago light crude unto the ground on Friday, July 27th.

The crude was coming from Canada to refineries based in Chicago, who in turn supplied much of Wisconsin and parts of Michigan's Upper Peninsula with the finished product.....regular and premium gasoline.

The owner of the pipeline is Enbridge Energy Partners, and they have a tremendous history of safety with regards to their pipeline installations around Canada and the United States, NOT! In 2010 Enbridge shut down pipelines capable of pumping 930,000 barrels of crude a day in New York state. The spill helped to prompt U.S. crude futures to month-long higher prices.

There was a busted pipeline spill near Kalamazoo, Michigan in July of 2010, again owned by Enbridge Partners; this time however, the spill contained almost a million gallons of the heavy sticky goo. The spill is still being contained, and clean-up efforts continue to this day.

Since the spill, some governmental officials and federal investigators have blasted the Canadian based pipeline company, citing numerous steps that could have been taken to prevent or minimize the spill. But skirting safety rules and regulations seems to be what Enbridge Partners is all about.

Since 2002, Enbridge Energy Partners has suffered 10 major spills involving more than 42,000 barrels of oil, or 1,764,000 gallons of oil, and that's just the major spills, what about the ones that nobody ever hears about.....like the 5, 10, or 20 barrels.

Enbridge is used to being fined; they figure that the fines are simply part of the cost of doing business in the United States. PHMSA, "Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has proposed $3.7 million fines against the company.....it's the largest in the agency's history.

The supply of crude oil and the manufacturing of gasoline are probably at a crossroads in the industry's history. As more and more sand oil comes into the United States from Canada it's abundantly clear that new and tougher safety rules need to be implemented to save us and our children's children from the pollution caused by these spills.

Gas prices do not reflect current prices; they reflect future prices, like what will a barrel of crude cost next month. Whenever future crude prices go up, the price at the pump goes up accordingly, but the prices aren't based on last month’s crude prices, rather next month’s prices. It's a "buffer" so that gas distributors won't get gouged.....but we will, and do.

NOW WE HAVE A GOUGE:

We here in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan are in a gouge time, the wildly raising prices of summer, I knew it was too good to be true, "if $3.42 a gallon is a good price for a gallon of gasoline." You see, we have been conditioned for the "really" ever raising prices in this most precious of commodity. In today's world, it's pretty hard to get along without an automobile, in fact, damn near impossible.

We know it, gasoline distributors know it, foreign oil knows it, and companies like Enbridge know it, it's like they say “They’ve gotten us by our collective short hairs." Without gas, we pretty much don't go anywhere, and that's a scary fact.

Whenever something happens in Iran, or Iraq, or any of the other Middle-East petroleum producing countries, like a sheik getting heart-burn, or the runs, our foreign oil prices suffer. The same can be said of Canada, we need to watch what we say and do with all of these "producers," unless we want to make war with everybody.

I believe that the petroleum industry has programmed us to except higher gas prices at the pump, and it's been going on for years. I remember the gasoline shortage in the early 1970's, ya, right, and a shortage of gas.....huh.

What the gas crisis of 1973 was, was an oil embargo, laid on those countries that supported Israel, like the United States. Members of OAPEC, (Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries) who were the Arab members of OPEC, (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) decided to refuse to sell petroleum unless you were in favor of OAPEC.

It never was an oil shortage, it was all political, and it was all about posturing by the Arab nations in their quest to defeat Israel. These Arab nations were shred, calculating that higher gasoline prices at the pump would fuel recessions around the world.....and they did.

Actually the world over has been programmed to except higher gasoline prices, in fact some people talk about "how good Americans have it," and site Europe as a prime example. People in European countries can pay as much as $8 a gallon for their petrol. I only have one thing to say to these "blow-hards," (quite already) don't you realize how stupid you sound.

PROBLEM SOLVED!

For all the problems that we have as a country in paying for our gasoline to power are automobiles around so that we can get from point A to point B, we still put up with the prices. I rented a car several weeks ago, drove it almost a thousand miles and spent about a hundred dollars.....that's right; I averaged almost 36 miles per gallon.

The car was a mid-sized, snazzy little Chevy, with plenty of pick-up, lots of room, and to top it off, it was comfortable and easy to drive. My point is simple, with regards to automobiles, "size does matter," a mid-sized economy car gets a person where he wants to go, in comfortable fashion, and like McDonalds, you get money back for your purchase.

Or, for a small price, a person can buy a small refinery machine, go around to all the oil leaks that happen almost on a daily basis, scoop up the spill.....and get to cracking, I'm sure it won't take that long to refine yourself a gallon or two of gas in nothing flat, and zoom.....you’re on your way.....to the next spill.

Really, the problem with gasoline powered automobiles isn't being addressed by any government in the world today. I know, I know, European countries are way ahead of the United States with how they are attacking the problem, but still they have $8 a gallon gas.

Alternatives are the answer, and I feel that we'd better get at the problems as soon as is possibly practical. As a nation, as a global community, we need face this petroleum problem head-on, and understand the problems that we, as a people face if we continue to rely on petroleum products as our primary mode of fueling our transportation.

 

  

DON'T USE THE "E" WORD!

DON'T USE THE "E" WORD!

(Frazer Chronicle)

So you think your pretty smart huh.....you know what the "E" word is all about, maybe you think it's EAT, or ENOUGH, or even ERROR, like in the game of baseball, well, you'd be wrong on every guess. You see, that's one of the perks with writing your own blog, you can string people along so they have to read the blog to get the answers.

No the “E" word I'm talking about here is enemy, as in the number of enemies that the United States has today in the world. For most of us, we rely on the Federal Government to keep us informed about which country or region we have to watch out for, today, which means today, Arab countries.

With a budget of more than $700 billion dollars in defense, we'd damn well better have some sort of enemy to justify all that money, man-power, weaponry research and stockpiling of materials that are earmarked just for the enemies that are lurking just over the horizon, around the bend, or behind those trees and shrub.

Some people are born for military service, while others have it thrust upon them, and yet others are in the military just to pass the time, you know, "to fill an empty space in their lives." Military service does several things to those who volunteer and some of those things are actually good.

Of course the down side is getting your head shot off, or actually worse, a soldier loses an arm, a leg, an eye, or the ability to move around on his own. And of course there are the injuries that nobody can see, the fractured minds, and an inability to communicate with civilians on the level playing field of life.

Tanks, planes, helicopters, gunships, radar plans, the M4 assault rifle, drones and stealth bombers, these are just a few of the items that have been, and are being developed. There are over 100 defense contractors in the United States, from Acutronics, to Allied Container Systems, to General Dynamics Electric Boat, these people, their staff and their production lines are ready, willing and able to produce whatever the Pentagon deems necessary to "protect" the American people from their "enemies."

The United States defense contractors on the Federal Procurement Data Systems list are upgraded every day. The Department of Defense announces contracts valued at $6.5 million or more each business day at 5:00 P.M. All defense contractors maintain CAGE (Commercial and Government Entry) Codes, and are profiled in the Central Contractors Registry.

So who is our enemy, where is the list, and which hostile nation has designs on us, our treasure, and just "hates us" for our lifestyle, technology and what we stand for. Well, since President George W. Bush, that list has dwindled down to a precious few.....if you are a soldier, a defense contractor or a political hawk on Capitol Hill.

RIVALS AND COMPETITORS:

A funny thing happened on the way to the war, it was discovered that the United States, with all of her great military strength, and some of the best fighting soldiers on the face of the planet, didn't really have an enemy! Nobody with the same kind of weaponry, the same kind of fighting soldier existed, where would all these beautiful innovations be used, and who would the best fighting soldiers on the face of the planet shoot at?

The simple answer, manufacture an enemy, and make war against that perceived enemy. If you read the news, or listen to it, or watch it on television, there is always talk about the enemies, enemies, enemies everywhere, but never any attacks, we must be fighting a "stumble bum" of an enemy.

The fact of the matter is that the United States doesn't really have an enemy, just rivals, and competitors, much the same as the New York Yankees or the Green Bay Packers in their respective games and leagues.

With so much tied in by the global economy, business and trade, people can't afford to have war, and sadly not have war. Oh sure, countries around the world have all sorts of problems, live different life styles, worship different Gods and have different Gross Domestic Products, but making war simply costs too much today.

INVENTING A WAR, A CAUSE, AND AN ENEMY!

What to do.....as a war loving people, our leaders invent a war, they trumpet a cause, and they build an enemy. It really isn't very hard to do, if you have the technology, the man-power and, most importantly, the money. You've got to have money.

If you have money, everything, like a game of dominos falls into place, and presto, you have yourself and nice little war to fight, guns to build, and all sorts of other weapons to manufacture that makes the Star Wars movies look like child's play.

President George W. Bush struggled to rally Americans around "his" Iraq war policies, but was more successful at influencing public opinion about America's enemies in the world, more generally. Bush used North Korea, Iran and Iraq as an "axis of evil," threatening world peace. In a Gallop poll it was found that back in 2008, people really did view the "axis of evil" a threat to U.S. peace as well as World peace.

Today, Republicans are greater in numbers than any other political party view Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan as America's greatest enemy. Even without proof of any nuclear weapons, Iran is still viewed by "most" military experts as the greatest threat the United States faces.

Now when I talk about "inventing a war," using patriotism, I do not mean to imply that American soldiers are involved.....noooooooooo, it's the Pentagon, politicians on Capitol Hill, with the effort going as high as the President of the United States. The military industrial complex rakes in billions in government contracts, and it stands to reason that they, "the military complex" has way more to lose, (financially) than anybody else.

THE PLAIN SIMPLE FACTS:

It isn't complicated, complex, or hard to understand, although the Pentagon, politicians and most on Capitol Hill would tell you the issue facing the United States is "extremely complicated, complex, and hard to understand.

If anyone simply takes the time to look at the facts on the United States "stance" regarding the Middle-East, many understand the U.S. has opponents, rivals, and people that really, really dislike the country and what we stand for. But enemies, hardly, they aren't organized enough, haven't the technology, and in many cases, do not have the will to destroy the "infidels."

Finally, without an enemy to hate and be weary of, those in the United States who are serving their country won't have anyone to shoot at, to make prisoners of, and to torture whatever information they deem important and necessary out of.

The United States today, do not really have a rival, any country, or group that is equal with regards to the United States fire-power. It's almost like playing a baseball game, and all the opponents aren't allowed to use baseball gloves, there wouldn't be any competition.

For whatever reason as a nation, we seem to need war.....maybe war is our sustenance, our most tasty chocolate cake, and God knows most people like cake.

JUST A CRACKPOT WITH AN OPINION!

JUST A CRACKPOT WITH AN OPINION!

(Frazer Chronicle)

I am opinionated, always have been and hopefully always will be, you know what they say, "opinions are like butts, everybody has one." But a crackpot, mostly never, a crackpot to me is somebody who says that they were abducted by little green men, and treated in a hostile way on their space-craft. I haven't been abducted by aliens.....at least as far as I know.

We're coming dead into the silly season, the presidential race, when the outlandish is the rule of the day, where the unexpected happens, the unusual is usual, and at least one sex scandal bubbles to the surface. Sadly this race does not include any Sarah Palin’s or Michele Bachmann’s, one never really got into the race and the other for all intents and purposes put herself out to pasture.

I have opinions about those two women, but they really derailed themselves by their own actions, and almost whenever they opened their mouths. I have absolutely no problem with a women president, in fact I would campaign for one, if she were the right one, but neither Palin or Bachman were right for the job, and never will be.

I'm at the point, politically thinking, where it almost doesn't matter which flavor of politician gets the White House "hot seat," both will fail miserably, both men are power hungry photo-opsters, and with the exception of the country's foreign policy programs, next to nothing will change on Capitol Hill.

Government.....man am I sick and tired of government, I guess the only thing I'm sicker of is those whack-jobs out there who throw around their opinions before they look, listen and think; before they open that pie hole of theirs and utter a bunch of nonsensical opinions.

THESE ARE MY OPINIONS, AND THEY ARE FACTS:

Government, local, state and federal look upon us as a herd of cattle, or small children, or worse, dimwits, unable to think for ourselves, make knowledgeable decisions by ourselves, protect ourselves, and generally are not able to take care of ourselves.

It's called a paternalistic approach to governing, you know, government without rights, like the government is our "father." The government, here in the United States gives us stuff, but retains the right not to give us responsibilities.....for anything but to pay.....taxes.

I live in Wisconsin, Paul Ryan comes from Wisconsin and baby, he's a beauty, in case you don't know, and he’s the author of the rebuttal to President Obama’s budget and health plan. Congressman Ryan has written a "Path to Prosperity" and attacks Medicare, Medicaid, wants to lower the tax rate to those making the most money, and scrap other aspects of government programs to the needy.

Of course most of the junk that Ryan proposed fell by the wayside, but that really isn't the point.....the point is, it'll be brought back at a later date, Ryan's "Path to Prosperity" won't die, it'll just fade in and out, always waiting in the wings to see which party has the upper hand.

Speaking of taxes, did you ever read who pays their "fair share," well I have, and the results are actually pretty astounding. I really didn't know that there was that many ways to weasel out of paying taxes. No wonder many, many tax dodgers aren't caught, to catch most of these high tech thieves, you'd have to have an IRS office and every street corner in America.

It's funny, "not ha-ha funny," but the more you make in a year's time, the less you actually pay, percentage wise. I make $100,000 a year, while Joe Blow makes $42 grand, I pay 29.5%, or take home roughly $70 grand, while Joe Blow pays, on average 25.2%, which means the Mr. Blow brings into his household around $31,000. Now I ask you, why I really need to bring 70% of my wage, while poor old Joe pockets just $31,000?

And it gets worse, a millionaire pays 29%, while somebody making $147,000 pays 30.3%.....a higher percentage rate then the daddy big bucks. How that fair, how is is that proper, and what sense does it make.....I don't get it.

Those making the lowest pay, $13,000, about 20% of all taxpayers still have to pony up about 17% of their pay to the Fed. The bottom part of income, about 80 million people live from pay to pay, are in constant fear of not being able to make their monthly obligations, and suffer from a lack of health care.

There is a big misconception out there about the bottom tier of U.S. taxpayers, that misconception is that the 80 million people that are at the bottom rung of income earners do not pay taxes.....and it's not true. These people pay payroll taxes, and all the other taxes on a daily basis.

GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES:

Now comes the time when the following will open some reader’s eyes, others will already know about some of these silly subsidies, and yet, a small number won't care, the following is dedicated to those people who don't care!

INK REMOVAL:

A California congresswoman got $50 grand to remove tattoo ink in her home district.

FUELING CRAP FUEL:

A $225 thousand dollar grant was awarded to study chicken crap to determine whether the crap could produce fuel, surprise, surprise.....it actually can!

ANGER MANAGEMENT:

People do get angry, some lose control, and really, really do need help, but a $250,000 grant to implement a pre-school program seems a little "over the top."

INNER TURKEY HUNTER:

$234,000 federally funded program to help people increase their desire to hunt turkey.

THE BIG NUT GRAB:

About 50% of all peanuts produced in the United States are grown within about 100 miles of Dothan, Alabama. Since 1938 there has been a "nut festival" every year to celebrate the harvest of the chewy little pea shaped fruit, "I love peanuts," the difference from other communities that celebrate in the same way, and for the same reason is that Dothan gets a $202,500 government subsidy to help defray the cost of their festival.

SHIELDING THE RICH:

It is amazing sometimes how the rich are coddled and provided for by the taxpayer, as in a $10 million subsidy, called the Intercity Bus grant program to improve driver protection, passenger screening and overall safety for passenger-transport companies.

Well there you have it, the opinions of what some people call a "crackpot." I however do not get any governmental subsidy money, and only speak to those of you who take the time to ready the Chronicles. Now I ask you, who's more of a crackpot, me.....or the government official who got almost a quarter of a million to help people shoot turkeys?