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Mises Daily by Edgardo Tenreiro | Posted on 4/30/2009 12:00:00 AM
Experts agree that our healthcare system is unsustainable and in need of reform to promote better coordination, accountability, outcomes, and cost effectiveness.[1] Regrettably, they also seem to agree that we need a robust central-planning authority — a health czar — to make this coordination happen.
But as economist Ludwig von Mises proved in his 1920 treatise "Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth,"[2] under central planning any rational economic calculation, that is, any method to efficiently allocate resources, is practically and theoretically impossible — not just of higher cost, lower quality, and reduced innovation; not just uncoordinated, inefficient, and ineffective; but literally impossible. FULL STORY.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
As GM and Chrysler goes, so goes Michigan.
We have all heard the woes that GM and Chrysler are having problems. The biggest problem is the great benefits that the unions demanded for the workers, to many brands, and not enough money to keep going unless they cut back. But the one thing I heard was that these companies cannot afford to continue to cover the huge health care and both retirees and workers must agree to take cuts if the companies are to survive.
Is the state of Michigan and it's state and municipal employees any different? State employees enjoy Blue Cross Blue Shield with Dental, Optical, and hearing. In 2005 BCBSM raised rates and on average, the cost of a policy for someone with full coverage under 25 is $118.50 and goes up to 55+ at $945.84.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/bcbsmnongroup_&_grp_conv_order_114722_7.pdf
Under the States contract with the State Employees Union, WE, the employer pays 90% and the employee pays 10%.
According to the 2008 CAFER Report, the state has some 50,799 employees not counting the retirees of the state that continue to get health care benefits.
If we take the middle age and amount for an average of what the state pays in health care it would be the 40-44 age group at $218.81 per person.
50,799
x $218.81
_________
$11,115,329.00 per month
- 10%
= 10,003,797.00 per month
Not only does Lansing need to address cutting waist in spending of each agency but Lansing needs to address the cost of health care to employees, their spouses, children, and retirees which far exceeds the example above. Here in the private sector, you know, those of us who are expected to pay our fair share, also have to pay 100% of our health care because we either own a small business, are self-employed, or we are on un-employment because of the high taxes in Michigan driving jobs away.
Is it fair for State Employees to expect to live better than their employers? It's time for the selfish self-serving employees and their UNION to join the real world with the rest of us.
SOLUTION
Michigan needs to offer it's employees the option of choosing their health care provider which would lower the cost if Blue Cross had competition. State Employees should be required to cover at least 50% of the cost of the policy they choose.
This would result in helping to reduce the State Budget without RAISING TAXES or amending our state Constitution to allow the so called FAIR TAX which isn't Fair at all.
Maybe we should use our Guaranteed Right to INSTRUCT our legislators on what we feel is a fair benefits package for our employees. We could send them all a Constructive Notice of Instruction.
STATE CONSTITUTION (EXCERPT)
CONSTITUTION OF MICHIGAN OF 1963
§ 3 Assembly, consultation, instruction, petition.
Sec. 3.
The people have the right peaceably to assemble, to consult for the common good, to instruct their representatives and to petition the government for redress of grievances.
History: Const. 1963, Art. I, § 3, Eff. Jan. 1, 1964
Former Constitution: See Const. 1908, Art. II, § 2.
Is the state of Michigan and it's state and municipal employees any different? State employees enjoy Blue Cross Blue Shield with Dental, Optical, and hearing. In 2005 BCBSM raised rates and on average, the cost of a policy for someone with full coverage under 25 is $118.50 and goes up to 55+ at $945.84.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/bcbsmnongroup_&_grp_conv_order_114722_7.pdf
Under the States contract with the State Employees Union, WE, the employer pays 90% and the employee pays 10%.
According to the 2008 CAFER Report, the state has some 50,799 employees not counting the retirees of the state that continue to get health care benefits.
If we take the middle age and amount for an average of what the state pays in health care it would be the 40-44 age group at $218.81 per person.
50,799
x $218.81
_________
$11,115,329.00 per month
- 10%
= 10,003,797.00 per month
Not only does Lansing need to address cutting waist in spending of each agency but Lansing needs to address the cost of health care to employees, their spouses, children, and retirees which far exceeds the example above. Here in the private sector, you know, those of us who are expected to pay our fair share, also have to pay 100% of our health care because we either own a small business, are self-employed, or we are on un-employment because of the high taxes in Michigan driving jobs away.
Is it fair for State Employees to expect to live better than their employers? It's time for the selfish self-serving employees and their UNION to join the real world with the rest of us.
SOLUTION
Michigan needs to offer it's employees the option of choosing their health care provider which would lower the cost if Blue Cross had competition. State Employees should be required to cover at least 50% of the cost of the policy they choose.
This would result in helping to reduce the State Budget without RAISING TAXES or amending our state Constitution to allow the so called FAIR TAX which isn't Fair at all.
Maybe we should use our Guaranteed Right to INSTRUCT our legislators on what we feel is a fair benefits package for our employees. We could send them all a Constructive Notice of Instruction.
Article I § 3
STATE CONSTITUTION (EXCERPT)
CONSTITUTION OF MICHIGAN OF 1963
§ 3 Assembly, consultation, instruction, petition.
Sec. 3.
The people have the right peaceably to assemble, to consult for the common good, to instruct their representatives and to petition the government for redress of grievances.
History: Const. 1963, Art. I, § 3, Eff. Jan. 1, 1964
Former Constitution: See Const. 1908, Art. II, § 2.
Convene a Round-the-Clock Emergency Session TODAY! Michigan Budget Crisis
$1.3 billion in red ink with a balanced budget requirement in the Constitution and only half the fiscal year remaining to make the cuts.
Dear Lansing- the fun and games are over.
We could look back over the last few years and analyze how we got here and there's a time and a place for that, too, but this is not it. It is time to look forward. FULL STORY.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
US Senate at Arms is taking notice of Alaska jury Legislation
Look who's taking notice of what Alaska is doing.
ISP U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms
Location
Continent : North America
Country : United States (Facts)
State : District of Columbia
City : Washington
Lat/Long : 38.9097, -77.0231 (Map)
Referring URL http://www.google.co...islation&btnG=Search
Search Engine google.com
Search Words informed jury legislation
Visit Entry Page http://hellomichigan...duced-in-alaska.html
Visit Exit Page http://hellomichigan...duced-in-alaska.html
Out Click jury nullification
http://en.wikipedia....i/Jury_nullification
The state of Alaska may be the first state to finally undo the complete and utter defiance of the courts, especially the federal courts, to the right of Due Process and a TRUE trial by jury. VIEW HOUSE BILL NO. 140
Many people’s first reaction to the concept of jury nullification is that criminals will be set free. While this is an understandable concern, it ignores the fact that under our legal system, the defendant is afforded the right to be tried according to ‘due process’ if brought before the law, and is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Furthermore, justice – not punishment is - the ultimate goal of our legal system. Jury nullification recognizes that statutes cannot be crafted to address every conceivable situation, so a jury of one’s piers must be the final arbiters of the application of the law as well as the facts of the case.
Why is this so important?
Jury Duty and the history of jury duty used to be taught in elementary school history. Children used to learn about the Magna Carta ( THE GREAT CHARTER) as well as the story of William Penn's famous trial by jury. I didn't realize that back when I was a child in grade school in the '50s, public schools had already dropped this education. I was fortunate to have attended a private school that still taught this very important civic education.
Without this education, we have what can only be described as INJUSTICE in our courts today. Because of legal precedence set by Federal Court Appellate rulings, we now have the standardized
Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions.
Did you catch that? The courts know that we, as a self governing people, not only have retained the right to determine the facts involved but we also have retained the right to judge the law as well.
We, as a jury, are the checks and balance to keep our elected employees in line. It isn't enough to just be involved in the political process, although, I highly encourage it.
We aren't going to vote our way out of this mess we find ourselves in. Just take a look at how our prison population has exploded over the last decade. Then do a little research into your state Prison Industries and UNICOR Prison Industries.
Why are we sending our children to prison for possession of drugs when the same lawmakers who criminalize this behavior refuse to stop the flow of drugs into this country. Just ask any boarder patrol agent, like the two who were sent to prison for stopping a drug dealer. Ask anyone who lives along our southern boarder.
When the government own's and operates a for profit business of manufacturing and services, they need employees. When the same government can project growth and profit, they must be assured that the required number of convictions take place or they won't be able to meet their projected growth. Think about that for a minute. In order for a company to grow, it must also employ more people to produce the product.
Share this information with everyone you know. Especially high school and collage campuses. Become an active Fully Informed Jury Association activist. Don't forget to Twitter about this post. Blogs are a great way to reach people, but only if you share this with them.
Download and share these Jury Duty Education Videos with others.
How A Jury Is Chosen: Jury History
Listen to this interview of a woman who sat on a jury.
ISP U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms
Location
Continent : North America
Country : United States (Facts)
State : District of Columbia
City : Washington
Lat/Long : 38.9097, -77.0231 (Map)
Referring URL http://www.google.co...islation&btnG=Search
Search Engine google.com
Search Words informed jury legislation
Visit Entry Page http://hellomichigan...duced-in-alaska.html
Visit Exit Page http://hellomichigan...duced-in-alaska.html
Out Click jury nullification
http://en.wikipedia....i/Jury_nullification
The state of Alaska may be the first state to finally undo the complete and utter defiance of the courts, especially the federal courts, to the right of Due Process and a TRUE trial by jury. VIEW HOUSE BILL NO. 140
Many people’s first reaction to the concept of jury nullification is that criminals will be set free. While this is an understandable concern, it ignores the fact that under our legal system, the defendant is afforded the right to be tried according to ‘due process’ if brought before the law, and is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Furthermore, justice – not punishment is - the ultimate goal of our legal system. Jury nullification recognizes that statutes cannot be crafted to address every conceivable situation, so a jury of one’s piers must be the final arbiters of the application of the law as well as the facts of the case.
Why is this so important?
Jury Duty and the history of jury duty used to be taught in elementary school history. Children used to learn about the Magna Carta ( THE GREAT CHARTER) as well as the story of William Penn's famous trial by jury. I didn't realize that back when I was a child in grade school in the '50s, public schools had already dropped this education. I was fortunate to have attended a private school that still taught this very important civic education.
William Penn
Despite heavy pressure from the Lord Mayor to convict Penn, the jury returned a verdict of "not guilty". When invited by the judge to reconsider their verdict and to select a new foreman, they refused and were sent to a cell over several nights to mull over their decision. The Lord Mayor then told the jury, "You shall go together and bring in another verdict, or you shall starve", and not only had Penn sent to jail in loathsome Newgate Prison (on a charge of contempt of court), but the full jury followed him, and they were additionally fined the equivalent of a year’s wages each.[53][54] The members of the jury, fighting their case from prison, managed to win the right for all English juries to be free from the control of judges.[55] This case was one of the more important trials that shaped the future concept of American freedom (see jury nullification) and was a victory for the use of the writ of habeas corpus as a means of freeing those unlawfully detained.
Without this education, we have what can only be described as INJUSTICE in our courts today. Because of legal precedence set by Federal Court Appellate rulings, we now have the standardized
Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions.
The jurors have the power to ignore the court's instructions and bring in a not guilty verdict contrary to the law and the facts. Horning v. District of Columbia, 254 U.S. 135, 138, 41 S.Ct. 53, 54, 65 L.Ed. 185 (1920).
But they should not be told by the court that they have this power. United States v. Krzyske, 836 F.2d 1013, 1021 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 832, 109 S.Ct. 89, 102 L.Ed.2d 65 (1988); United States v. Avery, 717 F.2d 1020, 1027 (6th Cir.1983), cert. denied, 466 U.S. 905, 104 S.Ct. 1683, 80 L.Ed.2d 157 (1984); United States v. Burkhart, 501 F.2d 993, 996-997 (6th Cir.1974), cert. denied, 420 U.S. 946, 95 S.Ct. 1326, 43 L.Ed.2d 424 (1975).
They should instead be told that it is their duty to accept and apply the law as given to them by the court. United States v. Avery, supra at 1027.
Did you catch that? The courts know that we, as a self governing people, not only have retained the right to determine the facts involved but we also have retained the right to judge the law as well.
We, as a jury, are the checks and balance to keep our elected employees in line. It isn't enough to just be involved in the political process, although, I highly encourage it.
We aren't going to vote our way out of this mess we find ourselves in. Just take a look at how our prison population has exploded over the last decade. Then do a little research into your state Prison Industries and UNICOR Prison Industries.
Why are we sending our children to prison for possession of drugs when the same lawmakers who criminalize this behavior refuse to stop the flow of drugs into this country. Just ask any boarder patrol agent, like the two who were sent to prison for stopping a drug dealer. Ask anyone who lives along our southern boarder.
When the government own's and operates a for profit business of manufacturing and services, they need employees. When the same government can project growth and profit, they must be assured that the required number of convictions take place or they won't be able to meet their projected growth. Think about that for a minute. In order for a company to grow, it must also employ more people to produce the product.
SOLUTION
Share this information with everyone you know. Especially high school and collage campuses. Become an active Fully Informed Jury Association activist. Don't forget to Twitter about this post. Blogs are a great way to reach people, but only if you share this with them.
Download and share these Jury Duty Education Videos with others.
How A Jury Is Chosen: Jury History
Listen to this interview of a woman who sat on a jury.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
DRAFT KOKESH for US Congress~New Mexico
If you don’t know Adam Kokesh, please watch this speech in front of 10,000 of the Ron Paul Grassroots, on July 12th, 2008, at the r3VOLution march: http://draftkokesh.com/
Sunday, April 26, 2009
More Pain Ahead, Especially for Europe
by Bryan Rich 04-25-09
The IMF released its Global Financial Stability Report this week. And it’s projecting total losses from the global financial crisis to reach $4.1 TRILLION. That’s four times the amount projected in last year’s report.
Meanwhile, the only indicator improving across the globe seems to be tied to confidence. Stock values have climbed, and with it, so has confidence. But the hard data, the real underpinnings of global economies, are going the opposite direction. And the IMF agrees:
“The global financial system remains under severe stress as the crisis broadens to include households, corporations, and the banking sectors in both advanced and emerging market countries. Shrinking economic activity has put further pressure on banks’ balance sheets as asset values continue to degrade, threatening their capital adequacy and further discouraging fresh lending. Thus, credit growth is slowing, and even turning negative, adding even more downward pressure on economic activity.”
—IMF, April 2009
Remember … the official record on identifying the magnitude of problems, the reach of those problems and projecting recovery has been littered with underestimations, miss-steps, flawed theories, and empty optimism.
And now, the IMF is taking a hard line on the severity of the damage — the most aggressive public projection. Four times more aggressive to be exact.
If the IMF is right, we are nowhere near the bottom of this economic downturn. And there will be significantly more pain to be felt in the financial sector. FULL STORY.
The IMF released its Global Financial Stability Report this week. And it’s projecting total losses from the global financial crisis to reach $4.1 TRILLION. That’s four times the amount projected in last year’s report.
Meanwhile, the only indicator improving across the globe seems to be tied to confidence. Stock values have climbed, and with it, so has confidence. But the hard data, the real underpinnings of global economies, are going the opposite direction. And the IMF agrees:
“The global financial system remains under severe stress as the crisis broadens to include households, corporations, and the banking sectors in both advanced and emerging market countries. Shrinking economic activity has put further pressure on banks’ balance sheets as asset values continue to degrade, threatening their capital adequacy and further discouraging fresh lending. Thus, credit growth is slowing, and even turning negative, adding even more downward pressure on economic activity.”
—IMF, April 2009
Remember … the official record on identifying the magnitude of problems, the reach of those problems and projecting recovery has been littered with underestimations, miss-steps, flawed theories, and empty optimism.
And now, the IMF is taking a hard line on the severity of the damage — the most aggressive public projection. Four times more aggressive to be exact.
If the IMF is right, we are nowhere near the bottom of this economic downturn. And there will be significantly more pain to be felt in the financial sector. FULL STORY.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
SWM Lawmakers Talk The Fair Tax
Andrew Green Reporting
Most of the Southwest Michigan lawmakers we've spoken to about the idea of a Fair Tax have indicated reluctance at the implementing such a system here. It's basically an increased sales tax, which would replace the state income and business tax..and at lest one group is pushing to get the concept before voters in 2010. State Representative John Proos says that he doesn't sense much enthusiasm for the concept in Lansing:
While Proos says that all ideas should be on the table when addressing Michigan's revenue problems, he thinks that if Michigan were to go it alone with a Fair Tax, businesses could be scared away. State Representative Sharon Tyler agrees:
Congressman Fred Upton points out that previous attempts to pass a Fair Tax have failed. He said that such a move would have to be up to voters. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AUDIO.
CFR Corporate Members Get Lion's Share of Bailout Funds
So why is no one asking questions about why most of the funds are going to the former employers of our Treasury secretaries? Perhaps because many of the entities who should ask "why" are also CFR corporate members. Among the financial press, the CFR counts among its members Bloomberg, General Electric (NBC, CNBC, MSNBC), News Corporation (Fox, Fox Business), Standard and Poor's, ABC News, Time Warner (CNN, Time magazine, etc.), Moody's, and McGraw Hill (book publishers).
Somebody should ask the question why the same people who brought us this financial crisis are now bringing us the "cure," and why that cure necessarily involves financing former employers of the people making the decisions. FULL STORY.
Somebody should ask the question why the same people who brought us this financial crisis are now bringing us the "cure," and why that cure necessarily involves financing former employers of the people making the decisions. FULL STORY.
Report: Democrats Refuse to Allow Skeptic to Testify Alongside Gore At Congressional Hearing
'House Democrats don't want Gore humiliated'
Washington, DC -- UK's Lord Christopher Monckton, a former science advisor to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, claimed House Democrats have refused to allow him to appear alongside former Vice President Al Gore at a high profile global warming hearing on Friday April 24, 2009 at 10am in Washington. Monckton told Climate Depot that the Democrats rescinded his scheduled joint appearance at the House Energy and Commerce hearing on Friday. Monckton said he was informed that he would not be allowed to testify alongside Gore when his plane landed from England Thursday afternoon.
“The House Democrats don't want Gore humiliated, so they slammed the door of the Capitol in my face,” Monckton told Climate Depot in an exclusive interview. “They are cowards.” FULL STORY.
Washington, DC -- UK's Lord Christopher Monckton, a former science advisor to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, claimed House Democrats have refused to allow him to appear alongside former Vice President Al Gore at a high profile global warming hearing on Friday April 24, 2009 at 10am in Washington. Monckton told Climate Depot that the Democrats rescinded his scheduled joint appearance at the House Energy and Commerce hearing on Friday. Monckton said he was informed that he would not be allowed to testify alongside Gore when his plane landed from England Thursday afternoon.
“The House Democrats don't want Gore humiliated, so they slammed the door of the Capitol in my face,” Monckton told Climate Depot in an exclusive interview. “They are cowards.” FULL STORY.
China Increases Gold Reserves 76% to Fifth-Largest (Update4)
April 24 (Bloomberg) -- China boosted its gold reserves by 76 percent since 2003 and has the world’s fifth-biggest holding by country, said Hu Xiaolian, head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.
The nation increased its reserves by 454 tons to 1,054 tons through domestic purchases and refining scrap metal, Hu said in an interview with the Xinhua News Agency today. The amount is more than Switzerland’s 1,040 tons, World Gold Council data show, and is worth $31 billion at current prices.
China has the world’s largest foreign exchange reserves at $1.95 trillion as of March 31, according to state administration data. The holdings have climbed about sixfold in the past six years as the country had record trade surpluses and inflows of foreign investment. Gold prices have almost tripled to more than $900 an ounce from $337.
“Chinese foreign-exchange reserves have absolutely exploded in the past few years,” said Jan Lambregts, head of Asia research at Rabobank International in Hong Kong. “We shouldn’t be surprised that they’re adding a lot of all asset classes. I don’t think they’re shifting away from U.S. dollars into gold.”
Gold climbed to a record $1,032.70 an ounce on March 17 last year and traded 0.9 percent higher today at $912.08 an ounce at 3:18 p.m. local time in Singapore. FULL STORY.
The nation increased its reserves by 454 tons to 1,054 tons through domestic purchases and refining scrap metal, Hu said in an interview with the Xinhua News Agency today. The amount is more than Switzerland’s 1,040 tons, World Gold Council data show, and is worth $31 billion at current prices.
China has the world’s largest foreign exchange reserves at $1.95 trillion as of March 31, according to state administration data. The holdings have climbed about sixfold in the past six years as the country had record trade surpluses and inflows of foreign investment. Gold prices have almost tripled to more than $900 an ounce from $337.
“Chinese foreign-exchange reserves have absolutely exploded in the past few years,” said Jan Lambregts, head of Asia research at Rabobank International in Hong Kong. “We shouldn’t be surprised that they’re adding a lot of all asset classes. I don’t think they’re shifting away from U.S. dollars into gold.”
Gold climbed to a record $1,032.70 an ounce on March 17 last year and traded 0.9 percent higher today at $912.08 an ounce at 3:18 p.m. local time in Singapore. FULL STORY.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Make 'Em Eat It - Personally
From Bloomberg:
April 24 (Bloomberg) -- The Federal Reserve took on more than $74 billion in subprime mortgages, depreciating commercial leases and other assets after Bear Stearns Cos. and American International Group Inc. collapsed.
....
In its biggest disclosure of the securities accepted to stabilize capital markets, the Fed said yesterday it had unrealized losses of $9.6 billion on the assets as of Dec. 31. The bonds, swaps and notes were taken in from Bear Stearns, once the fifth-biggest Wall Street firm by capitalization, and AIG, which had been the world’s largest insurer.
...
“The numbers basically confirm that Treasury is going to have to take some TARP money and reimburse the Fed,” said Whalen, whose financial-services research company analyzes banks for investors. “It is essentially up to the Treasury to get the Fed out of this.”
No it doesn't.
Indeed, Treasury can't - at least not lawfully.
Why?
Because what The Fed did is illegal, that's why. FULL STORY.
Reserve took on more than $74 billion in subprime mortgages, depreciating commercial leases and other assets after Bear Stearns Cos. and American International Group Inc. collapsed.
In its biggest disclosure of the securities accepted to stabilize capital markets, the Fed said yesterday it had unrealized losses of $9.6 billion on the assets as of Dec. 31. The bonds, swaps and notes were taken in from Bear Stearns, once the fifth-biggest Wall Street firm by capitalization, and AIG, which had been the world’s largest insurer. FULL STORY.
The Federal Reserve is watching the backs of U.S. banks. But sometimes I wonder, “Who’s watching the Fed’s back? Is the Fed our next troubled bank?”
You see, all of this garbage paper that’s going bad — the troubled residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS), the commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS), the asset backed securities (ABS), the Fannie Mae bonds, the corporate loans, and so on — hasn’t just gone “Poof.”
Instead, more and more of it has been landing on the Fed’s doorstep — either through direct ownership or as collateral against Fed loans that keep getting rolled over.
The result? The Fed’s once pristine balance sheet is starting to look more and more like the balance sheet of a troubled financial institution. FULL STORY.
So what is the BIGGEST THREAT to this country???
THE FEDERAL RESERVE PRIVAT BANK!!!
END THE FED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 24 (Bloomberg) -- The Federal Reserve took on more than $74 billion in subprime mortgages, depreciating commercial leases and other assets after Bear Stearns Cos. and American International Group Inc. collapsed.
....
In its biggest disclosure of the securities accepted to stabilize capital markets, the Fed said yesterday it had unrealized losses of $9.6 billion on the assets as of Dec. 31. The bonds, swaps and notes were taken in from Bear Stearns, once the fifth-biggest Wall Street firm by capitalization, and AIG, which had been the world’s largest insurer.
...
“The numbers basically confirm that Treasury is going to have to take some TARP money and reimburse the Fed,” said Whalen, whose financial-services research company analyzes banks for investors. “It is essentially up to the Treasury to get the Fed out of this.”
No it doesn't.
Indeed, Treasury can't - at least not lawfully.
Why?
Because what The Fed did is illegal, that's why. FULL STORY.
Bear, AIG Dumped $74 Billion in Subprime, CDOs on Fed (Update1)
Reserve took on more than $74 billion in subprime mortgages, depreciating commercial leases and other assets after Bear Stearns Cos. and American International Group Inc. collapsed.
In its biggest disclosure of the securities accepted to stabilize capital markets, the Fed said yesterday it had unrealized losses of $9.6 billion on the assets as of Dec. 31. The bonds, swaps and notes were taken in from Bear Stearns, once the fifth-biggest Wall Street firm by capitalization, and AIG, which had been the world’s largest insurer. FULL STORY.
The Fed: Our Next Troubled Bank?
The Federal Reserve is watching the backs of U.S. banks. But sometimes I wonder, “Who’s watching the Fed’s back? Is the Fed our next troubled bank?”
You see, all of this garbage paper that’s going bad — the troubled residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS), the commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS), the asset backed securities (ABS), the Fannie Mae bonds, the corporate loans, and so on — hasn’t just gone “Poof.”
Instead, more and more of it has been landing on the Fed’s doorstep — either through direct ownership or as collateral against Fed loans that keep getting rolled over.
The result? The Fed’s once pristine balance sheet is starting to look more and more like the balance sheet of a troubled financial institution. FULL STORY.
So what is the BIGGEST THREAT to this country???
THE FEDERAL RESERVE PRIVAT BANK!!!
END THE FED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sociopaths in charge~~Fraudulent loans are profitable...for crooks
How bad is the current banking crisis?
Just one bank alone - IndyMac - generated as many fraudulent loans as the entire Savings and Loan scandal of the 1980s.
How did it happen?
Oakland - The foreclosure crisis is causing more problems than lost homes, it also is deteriorating the health of individuals and communities, according to housing advocates and East Bay officials.
"We know where people live has a lot to do with how people live and how long they live," said Sandra Witt, deputy director of planning, policy and health equity for Alameda County's Public Health Department. FULL STORY.
This story hits straight at the heart of how the fraudulent fiat-debt monetary system is destroying "The American Family" which is THE heart and soul of America. Incredibly, the consideration for this heartless act was JUST ONE (1) FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE!!
If you don't believe World Bankers are not heartless criminal monsters let me show you the some facts I found today while witnessing a court filing for a friend and reading his pleadings at his request.Then going to court with him today. FULL STORY.
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Just one bank alone - IndyMac - generated as many fraudulent loans as the entire Savings and Loan scandal of the 1980s.
How did it happen?
Foreclosures Take Health Along With Homes, Report Says
Oakland - The foreclosure crisis is causing more problems than lost homes, it also is deteriorating the health of individuals and communities, according to housing advocates and East Bay officials.
"We know where people live has a lot to do with how people live and how long they live," said Sandra Witt, deputy director of planning, policy and health equity for Alameda County's Public Health Department. FULL STORY.
Fanny Mae throws 5 babies into the street for $1.00
This story hits straight at the heart of how the fraudulent fiat-debt monetary system is destroying "The American Family" which is THE heart and soul of America. Incredibly, the consideration for this heartless act was JUST ONE (1) FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE!!
If you don't believe World Bankers are not heartless criminal monsters let me show you the some facts I found today while witnessing a court filing for a friend and reading his pleadings at his request.Then going to court with him today. FULL STORY.
The Sturvant Family
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Thursday, April 23, 2009
Cuomo questions TARP, pressure on BofA's Lewis
NEW YORK (Reuters) - An investigation of Bank of America Corp revealed facts that raise questions about the transparency of the U.S. government program to help banks in the financial crisis, New York's top legal officer said in a letter made public on Thursday.
The letter, to senior members of congressional panels and the head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, also said former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke pressured Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis not to pull out of a merger with troubled Merrill Lynch & Co.
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo also released details of testimony by Lewis to his office in February, which stemmed from a probe into the circumstances of $3.6 billion of bonuses paid to Merrill executives before the completion of the Bank of America takeover in January.
"We have uncovered facts that raise questions about the transparency of the TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) as well as about corporate governance and disclosure practices at Bank of America," Cuomo wrote in the letter, dated Thursday.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Lewis testified that Bernanke and Paulson told him the acquisition of Merrill needed to go through and that failure would "impose a big risk to the financial system" of the United States.
The newspaper said Lewis also testified that Paulson and Bernanke pressured him to keep quiet about losses at Merrill. FULL STORY.
The letter, to senior members of congressional panels and the head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, also said former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke pressured Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis not to pull out of a merger with troubled Merrill Lynch & Co.
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo also released details of testimony by Lewis to his office in February, which stemmed from a probe into the circumstances of $3.6 billion of bonuses paid to Merrill executives before the completion of the Bank of America takeover in January.
"We have uncovered facts that raise questions about the transparency of the TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) as well as about corporate governance and disclosure practices at Bank of America," Cuomo wrote in the letter, dated Thursday.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Lewis testified that Bernanke and Paulson told him the acquisition of Merrill needed to go through and that failure would "impose a big risk to the financial system" of the United States.
The newspaper said Lewis also testified that Paulson and Bernanke pressured him to keep quiet about losses at Merrill. FULL STORY.
The American Criminal Injustice System
WWW.CHRONICLESmagazine.org
by Paul Craig Roberts
March 16th, 2009
Ronald Cotton spent 11 years in prison because Jennifer Thompson provided eyewitness testimony that he was the person who raped her. On March 9, National Public Radio revisited the story.
It turned out that Thompson was completely wrong. DNA evidence indicated that it was not Cotton but another man who had bragged about the rape.
The criminal justice (sic) system has nothing to do with justice. It is a massive producer of injustice. The agenda is to clear court dockets and produce high conviction rates.
These high rates are achieved through coerced plea bargains.
Strong still believes in America and that justice will win out. I hope he is right.
Law and order conservatives think of the police in godlike terms as “public defenders.”
Conservatives could gain more perspective if they watch some of the videos on YouTube of gratuitous police violence, such as one of a police officer delivering a brutal beating to a 15-year-old girl.
A Google search for YouTube videos of police violence lists 485,000 entries, and these are just the acts captured on camera. How many cops are psychopaths who constitute a greater danger to the public than do criminals? SWAT teams are notorious for breaking down doors at the wrong address and murdering innocent citizens.
Cops are also notorious for framing people, as it is easier than doing serious investigation of crimes and collecting evidence. Even the guilty are often framed, as that is easier than convicting them on the evidence. FULL STORY.
by Paul Craig Roberts
March 16th, 2009
Ronald Cotton spent 11 years in prison because Jennifer Thompson provided eyewitness testimony that he was the person who raped her. On March 9, National Public Radio revisited the story.
It turned out that Thompson was completely wrong. DNA evidence indicated that it was not Cotton but another man who had bragged about the rape.
The criminal justice (sic) system has nothing to do with justice. It is a massive producer of injustice. The agenda is to clear court dockets and produce high conviction rates.
These high rates are achieved through coerced plea bargains.
Strong still believes in America and that justice will win out. I hope he is right.
Law and order conservatives think of the police in godlike terms as “public defenders.”
Conservatives could gain more perspective if they watch some of the videos on YouTube of gratuitous police violence, such as one of a police officer delivering a brutal beating to a 15-year-old girl.
A Google search for YouTube videos of police violence lists 485,000 entries, and these are just the acts captured on camera. How many cops are psychopaths who constitute a greater danger to the public than do criminals? SWAT teams are notorious for breaking down doors at the wrong address and murdering innocent citizens.
Cops are also notorious for framing people, as it is easier than doing serious investigation of crimes and collecting evidence. Even the guilty are often framed, as that is easier than convicting them on the evidence. FULL STORY.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Bernanke To Attend End The Fed Rally???
I just received from a very reliable source that there's a good chance that Ben Bernanke is going to attend the Philadelphia End The Fed Rally.
Get Involved! Join the End the Fed! Network
Acting Freddie Mac CFO commits suicide
VIENNA, Va. -- David Kellermann, acting chief financial officer of Freddie Mac, committed suicide in his Hunter Mill Estates home Wednesday morning. He hanged himself.
Fairfax County Police spokeswoman Mary Anne Jennings tells WTOP police responded to the Kellermann home after family members called police at 4:48 a.m.
"We were called from inside the house to come investigate an apparent suicide," Jennings says.
"We're not going to give you details of the condition of the body, except to say it was an apparent suicide." FULL STORY.
Fairfax County Police spokeswoman Mary Anne Jennings tells WTOP police responded to the Kellermann home after family members called police at 4:48 a.m.
"We were called from inside the house to come investigate an apparent suicide," Jennings says.
"We're not going to give you details of the condition of the body, except to say it was an apparent suicide." FULL STORY.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Citibank, Wells Fargo and More Than 1,800 Other Institutions Believed to Be at Risk of Failure Based on Fourth Quarter
New Data Topic of Audio Press Briefing
JUPITER, Fla.--(Business Wire)--
Several of the nation`s largest banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Citibank, Wells Fargo, Sun Trust Bank, HSBC Bank USA, plus more than 1,800 regional and smaller institutions are at risk of failure despite government bailouts, according to Martin D. Weiss, Ph.D., president of Weiss Research, Inc., an independent research firm.
The analysis is based on Fourth Quarter 2008 data from TheStreet.Com and the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). Several large institutions received significant ratings downgrades from the prior quarter, including Citibank, downgraded from C- to D; Wells Fargo, downgraded from C- to D+; and SunTrust Bank, downgraded from C- to D+.
To discuss the new data and his analysis, Dr. Weiss will conduct an audio press briefing tomorrow, as follows:
Date and time: Tuesday, April 7, 11 a.m., Eastern Time.
Phone # to call: 1-866-228-9900; Overseas +1-719-359-4032.
Conference name: Weiss
Participant passcode: 721451
In addition, Dr. Weiss will provide updated commentary of his white paper issued on March 19. Titled "Dangerous Unintended Consequences: How Banking Bailouts, Buyouts and Nationalizations Can Only Prolong America`s Second Great Depression and Weaken Any Subsequent Recovery," the white paper names U.S. banks and thrifts believed to be at risk of failure, using that data to demonstrate that the U.S. government greatly underestimates the scope of the debt crisis, while overestimating its ability to effectively save troubled institutions without severe adverse consequences.
The debt crisis is much greater than the government has reported, according to the white paper. The FDIC`s "Problem List" of troubled banks includes 252 institutions with assets of $159 billion. The updated review by Weiss Research, however, shows that 1,816 banks and thrifts are at risk of failure, with total assets of $4.67 trillion, compared to 1,568 institutions, with $2.32 trillion in total assets in prior quarter. FULL STORY.
JUPITER, Fla.--(Business Wire)--
Several of the nation`s largest banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Citibank, Wells Fargo, Sun Trust Bank, HSBC Bank USA, plus more than 1,800 regional and smaller institutions are at risk of failure despite government bailouts, according to Martin D. Weiss, Ph.D., president of Weiss Research, Inc., an independent research firm.
The analysis is based on Fourth Quarter 2008 data from TheStreet.Com and the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). Several large institutions received significant ratings downgrades from the prior quarter, including Citibank, downgraded from C- to D; Wells Fargo, downgraded from C- to D+; and SunTrust Bank, downgraded from C- to D+.
To discuss the new data and his analysis, Dr. Weiss will conduct an audio press briefing tomorrow, as follows:
Date and time: Tuesday, April 7, 11 a.m., Eastern Time.
Phone # to call: 1-866-228-9900; Overseas +1-719-359-4032.
Conference name: Weiss
Participant passcode: 721451
In addition, Dr. Weiss will provide updated commentary of his white paper issued on March 19. Titled "Dangerous Unintended Consequences: How Banking Bailouts, Buyouts and Nationalizations Can Only Prolong America`s Second Great Depression and Weaken Any Subsequent Recovery," the white paper names U.S. banks and thrifts believed to be at risk of failure, using that data to demonstrate that the U.S. government greatly underestimates the scope of the debt crisis, while overestimating its ability to effectively save troubled institutions without severe adverse consequences.
The debt crisis is much greater than the government has reported, according to the white paper. The FDIC`s "Problem List" of troubled banks includes 252 institutions with assets of $159 billion. The updated review by Weiss Research, however, shows that 1,816 banks and thrifts are at risk of failure, with total assets of $4.67 trillion, compared to 1,568 institutions, with $2.32 trillion in total assets in prior quarter. FULL STORY.
HR20-New Mother's Mandated Mental Health Test-JUST PASSED HOUSE!
This is the most absurd thing that I have yet to see come out of Washington DC. Now I know for sure the rummers are all true about those people up on the HILL who are reported to be our representatives. We are under the control of a bunch of DRUNKS and DRUG ADDICTS.
No rational person would vote for this insane Mothers Act!
http://www.govtrack.us/co...
A sweeping government policy for all new births in the United States has just passed the House of Representatives and is now headed to the Senate. The Mother's Act, if passed, will mandate that all new mothers be screened by means of a list of subjective questions that will determine if each mother is mentally fit to take their newborn home from the hospital. Just imagine that after your child is born, you are told that you can't take them home since a multiple choice questionnaire wasn't answered correctly. Just imagine being told that the only way you can take your child home is if you or your spouse goes into treatment or on anti-depressants which we know causes psychosis, delusions, and even homocidal thoughts. It just doesn't make sense. Unfortunately, this bill is on a fast track--No public debate, no public disclosure of the broad impact on our society and that is why we need you to act now! FULL STORY.
No rational person would vote for this insane Mothers Act!
http://www.govtrack.us/co...
A sweeping government policy for all new births in the United States has just passed the House of Representatives and is now headed to the Senate. The Mother's Act, if passed, will mandate that all new mothers be screened by means of a list of subjective questions that will determine if each mother is mentally fit to take their newborn home from the hospital. Just imagine that after your child is born, you are told that you can't take them home since a multiple choice questionnaire wasn't answered correctly. Just imagine being told that the only way you can take your child home is if you or your spouse goes into treatment or on anti-depressants which we know causes psychosis, delusions, and even homocidal thoughts. It just doesn't make sense. Unfortunately, this bill is on a fast track--No public debate, no public disclosure of the broad impact on our society and that is why we need you to act now! FULL STORY.
9th Circuit upholds the Second Amendment TODAY
Important ruling came down today for gun owners today!!!!
FOR PUBLICATION
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
FOR PUBLICATION
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
Daily Digest
Fed Up! USA
NEWS & INFORMATION ON THE ECONOMIC CRISIS
Dobbs On Garofalo Tea Party Comments: “She’s Just Nasty — Nasty Piece of Business”
April 18, 2009
The Freedom Fellowship
It was Fox News against the world about tea party coverage, but CNN “Lou Dobbs Tonight” host showed he’s just as disgusted with some of the coverage as many conservatives are.
Dobbs, on his April 17 radio program, criticized comedian Janeane Garofalo on his April 17 radio show for her vitriolic attack against the April 15 tea party protests.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Every Penny You Own Is In Danger… Join Me On May 7th As We Say “Enough is Enough”!
Dateline: April 20, 2009
Dear Newsmax Patriot,
Our country is in dangerous hands. Over the last year and a half you’ve seen your 401k obliterated…your investment portfolio drained and the value of your home demolished. And despite the recent rally, I promise you dark times are ahead.
Instead of helping the 3.3 million people that have lost their jobs over the last 5 months (5.1 million since 2007)…President Obama is taking great effort to grant amnesty to 12 million illegal immigrants.
How can that possibly help your friends, family and neighbors that are getting laid off, forced to leave their homes, or even worse – left homeless altogether.
America has become the land of corporate welfare checks…taking money out of your pocket and handing it to greedy Wall Street crooks who ask for their bailout and then go cash a 7 figure bonus check.
To this point, your voice has landed on deaf ears in Washington, D.C. Today, I need your help to change this.
I’m angry . . . and I’m guessing so are you.
But before today there wasn’t much you could do about it. How could your voice be heard over all of the cheering and celebrity praise for our “Rock Star” president?
No longer will our message fall on deaf ears.
Today I’m calling out for you to join me as I set forth a plan to retake the money and financial opportunities that have been stolen from you.
At noon, on May 7th, I’ll be hosting a National Webcast to reveal a blueprint for how you can save your nest egg and investments from utter oblivion.
I’m gathering the Nation’s best (and unbiased) minds on finance and together we’ll hand you a free roadmap to financial recovery. Former CNN anchor, Bob Losure will join me to help moderate this ground-breaking event.
This won’t be some retread of the garbage “solutions” you are fed by the mainstream media . . . I’ll be sharing specific points you can implement into your portfolio immediately to start to gain back everything you’ve lost.
And on this webcast, I will be making an announcement that will absolutely shock you into action . . . I promise it.
Attendance is free. I owe it to you for being a loyal Newsmax follower. I read your emails. I understand your fears of the future. I want to help. CLICK HERE.
Dear Newsmax Patriot,
Our country is in dangerous hands. Over the last year and a half you’ve seen your 401k obliterated…your investment portfolio drained and the value of your home demolished. And despite the recent rally, I promise you dark times are ahead.
Instead of helping the 3.3 million people that have lost their jobs over the last 5 months (5.1 million since 2007)…President Obama is taking great effort to grant amnesty to 12 million illegal immigrants.
How can that possibly help your friends, family and neighbors that are getting laid off, forced to leave their homes, or even worse – left homeless altogether.
America has become the land of corporate welfare checks…taking money out of your pocket and handing it to greedy Wall Street crooks who ask for their bailout and then go cash a 7 figure bonus check.
To this point, your voice has landed on deaf ears in Washington, D.C. Today, I need your help to change this.
Take Action and Save Your Money From Destruction!
I’m angry . . . and I’m guessing so are you.
But before today there wasn’t much you could do about it. How could your voice be heard over all of the cheering and celebrity praise for our “Rock Star” president?
No longer will our message fall on deaf ears.
Today I’m calling out for you to join me as I set forth a plan to retake the money and financial opportunities that have been stolen from you.
At noon, on May 7th, I’ll be hosting a National Webcast to reveal a blueprint for how you can save your nest egg and investments from utter oblivion.
I’m gathering the Nation’s best (and unbiased) minds on finance and together we’ll hand you a free roadmap to financial recovery. Former CNN anchor, Bob Losure will join me to help moderate this ground-breaking event.
This won’t be some retread of the garbage “solutions” you are fed by the mainstream media . . . I’ll be sharing specific points you can implement into your portfolio immediately to start to gain back everything you’ve lost.
And on this webcast, I will be making an announcement that will absolutely shock you into action . . . I promise it.
Attendance is free. I owe it to you for being a loyal Newsmax follower. I read your emails. I understand your fears of the future. I want to help. CLICK HERE.
Big bank profits are bogus! Massive public deception!
by Martin D. Weiss, Ph.D.
A big bank CEO on a mission to deceive the public doesn’t have to tell outright lies. He can con people just as easily by using “perfectly legal” tricks, shams, and accounting ruses.
First, I’ll give you the big-picture facts. Then, I’ll show you how big U.S. banks are painting lipstick on some of the fattest pigs ever raised.
As we have written here so often … as we documented in our recent white paper … as we showed in our presentation to the National Press Club … and as we explained again with new data in our follow-up press conference, the nation’s banking troubles are many times more severe than the authorities are admitting. FULL STORY.
The Turner Radio Network has obtained "stress test" results for the top 19 Banks in the USA.
The stress tests were conducted to determine how well, if at all, the top 19 banks in the USA could withstand further or future economic hardship.
When the tests were completed, regulators within the Treasury and inside the Federal Reserve began bickering with each other as to whether or not the test results should be made public. That bickering continues to this very day as evidenced by this "main stream media" report.
The Turner Radio Network has obtained the stress test results. They are very bad. The most salient points from the stress tests appear below.
1) Of the top nineteen (19) banks in the nation, sixteen (16) are already technically insolvent.
2) Of the 16 banks that are already technically insolvent, not even one can withstand any disruption of cash flow at all or any further deterioration in non-paying loans.
3) If any two of the 16 insolvent banks go under, they will totally wipe out all remaining FDIC insurance funding.
4) Of the top 19 banks in the nation, the top five (5) largest banks are under capitalized so dangerously, there is serious doubt about their ability to continue as ongoing businesses.
5) Five large U.S. banks have credit exposure related to their derivatives trading that exceeds their capital, with four in particular - JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, HSBC Bank America and Citibank - taking especially large risks.
6) Bank of America`s total credit exposure to derivatives was 179 percent of its risk-based capital; Citibank`s was 278 percent; JPMorgan Chase`s, 382 percent; and HSBC America`s, 550 percent. It gets even worse: Goldman Sachs began reporting as a commercial bank, revealing an alarming total credit exposure of 1,056 percent, or more than ten times its capital!
7) Not only are there serious questions about whether or not JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs,Citibank, Wells Fargo, Sun Trust Bank, HSBC Bank USA, can continue in business, more than 1,800 regional and smaller institutions are at risk of failure despite government bailouts! FULL STORY.
A big bank CEO on a mission to deceive the public doesn’t have to tell outright lies. He can con people just as easily by using “perfectly legal” tricks, shams, and accounting ruses.
First, I’ll give you the big-picture facts. Then, I’ll show you how big U.S. banks are painting lipstick on some of the fattest pigs ever raised.
Six of America’s Largest Banks at Risk of Failure
As we have written here so often … as we documented in our recent white paper … as we showed in our presentation to the National Press Club … and as we explained again with new data in our follow-up press conference, the nation’s banking troubles are many times more severe than the authorities are admitting. FULL STORY.
LEAKED! Bank Stress Test Reults !
The Turner Radio Network has obtained "stress test" results for the top 19 Banks in the USA.
The stress tests were conducted to determine how well, if at all, the top 19 banks in the USA could withstand further or future economic hardship.
When the tests were completed, regulators within the Treasury and inside the Federal Reserve began bickering with each other as to whether or not the test results should be made public. That bickering continues to this very day as evidenced by this "main stream media" report.
The Turner Radio Network has obtained the stress test results. They are very bad. The most salient points from the stress tests appear below.
1) Of the top nineteen (19) banks in the nation, sixteen (16) are already technically insolvent.
2) Of the 16 banks that are already technically insolvent, not even one can withstand any disruption of cash flow at all or any further deterioration in non-paying loans.
3) If any two of the 16 insolvent banks go under, they will totally wipe out all remaining FDIC insurance funding.
4) Of the top 19 banks in the nation, the top five (5) largest banks are under capitalized so dangerously, there is serious doubt about their ability to continue as ongoing businesses.
5) Five large U.S. banks have credit exposure related to their derivatives trading that exceeds their capital, with four in particular - JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, HSBC Bank America and Citibank - taking especially large risks.
6) Bank of America`s total credit exposure to derivatives was 179 percent of its risk-based capital; Citibank`s was 278 percent; JPMorgan Chase`s, 382 percent; and HSBC America`s, 550 percent. It gets even worse: Goldman Sachs began reporting as a commercial bank, revealing an alarming total credit exposure of 1,056 percent, or more than ten times its capital!
7) Not only are there serious questions about whether or not JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs,Citibank, Wells Fargo, Sun Trust Bank, HSBC Bank USA, can continue in business, more than 1,800 regional and smaller institutions are at risk of failure despite government bailouts! FULL STORY.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Tapping your cell phone
13 Investigates explains how your cell phone can be secretly hijacked and used against you - and how to protect yourself.
Congressman Gresham Barrett booed at Greenville Tea Party
Asheville Tea Party - Bernard
Bernard Carman speaks at the Asheville Tea Party on 4-15-09
I hope everyone has had a great week!
Our Asheville April 15th Tax Day TEA Party was a great success with somewhere between 1000-2000 folks in attendance. all the speakers and most of the signs stayed on focus with the theme of mandating government economic responsibility and accountability.
I focused primarily on Constitutionally limited government, specifically the First Amendment's Accountability Clause, Petitions for Redress of Grievances, and the 2009 Continental Congress.
Brian Umbarger, a local fellow LibertyAsheville patriot, filmed the event and has uploaded my speech on YouTube:
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Meet Jack - New member to our family.
I have been getting emails wondering what happened to me. Am I alright? Am I still alive? I lost a very special friend. His name was Pettie.
Pettie was a very special dog in my life. He was my constant companion but also very protective. He was known to even bite my husband Bill from time to time. Even though Pettie was only 5 years old, he came as a rescue dog and had health problems. I had to put him down on April 6, 2009. I was so heart broken that I want to share this slide music presentation of Petty at the beach of Lake Michigan in January of 2006.
My Birthday was yesterday, April 16. My husband Bill wanted so much to make my Birthday Wish come true. To find a puppy that would fill the void left by my Pettie's passing.
Pettie was a very special dog in my life. He was my constant companion but also very protective. He was known to even bite my husband Bill from time to time. Even though Pettie was only 5 years old, he came as a rescue dog and had health problems. I had to put him down on April 6, 2009. I was so heart broken that I want to share this slide music presentation of Petty at the beach of Lake Michigan in January of 2006.
My Birthday was yesterday, April 16. My husband Bill wanted so much to make my Birthday Wish come true. To find a puppy that would fill the void left by my Pettie's passing.
Meet Jack!
Baptist pastor beaten + tazed by Border patrol - 11 stitches
I told them I was a US citizen.
I told them I was on a business trip.
I told them I had no drugs or humans in the car.
That wasn't enough. They wanted to search the car, and I invoked my 4th amendment rights.
I DID NOT RESIST OR FIGHT BACK. YET I WAS TAZERED REPEATEDLY AND SHOVED IN BROKEN GLASS REPEATEDLY!
I was IN the United States!!! I had crossed no international border!!!
This occured on the night of April 14/15, 2009
Abusive Border Patrol Agents w/ Nun Chucks at NM Checkpoint
Chicago Tax Day Tea Party
Screwed Again: How the national media ignored Ron Paul and why it will be their undoing
Once again, Ron Paul deserved to be in the headlines and once again the national media totally ignored him. Wednesday, the nationwide “Tea Party” protests of big taxes and big spending was the number two story in the nation on most television networks and number one on some. And how could they avoid it? Thousands showed up from coast to coast to express their dismay. What is Obama doing? How can we keep printing paper money? Doesn’t he know that a wave of inflation will hit the shore?
The fact is that the first, notable, Tea Party since Boston was launched at a Ron Paul campaign rally in Austin, Texas in December of 2007. The second was the famous “money bomb” fundraiser for Ron Paul on the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party in the middle of the 2008 presidential run. And most of the crowd and organizers of yesterday’s event were Ron Paul supporters. But congressman Ron Paul, the Nostradamus from Texas, who predicted the crisis we now face, was not mentioned once by the national media.
So the Tea Party was a protest by some of our more informed citizens who think that the biggest budget in history is a little too big. And Ron Paul, who was virtually ignored, except when the networks interviewed ordinary citizens and found that they all couldn’t stop talking about him, is the man who started this protest. FULL STORY.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Deputy charged in GVSU shooting
The Ottawa County Sheriff's Deputy responsible for shooting a Grand Valley State University student will be formally charged with a crime.
According to Ottawa County Undersheriff Gregory Steigenga, the department was informed this afternoon that the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor's office had concluded its review of the case and has authorized a charge of careless discharge of a firearm causing injury or death against deputy Ryan Huizenga.
Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeffrey Fink believes Huizenga will be arraigned on the charge sometime next week. Classified as a "high court misdemeanor," penalties could include a mixture of probation, incarceration and the possibility of a fine up to $2,000, Fink said. FULL STORY
Rallies at University of Michigan and Michigan State to join GVSU in protesting shooting of student
GRAND RAPIDS -- Students at University of Michigan and Michigan State are joining Grand Valley State University students in protesting the shooting of Derek Copp.
Copp, a 20-year-old GVSU student, was shot in the chest by police last week during the execution of a drug-related search warrant at his off-campus apartment. FULL STORY
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Leaving Michigan Behind: Eight-year population exodus staggers state
Outflow of skilled, educated workers crimps Michigan's recovery
Ron French and Mike Wilkinson / The Detroit News
Joe LaCross drives American cars. Always has. Born and raised in the blue-collar suburbs of Detroit, this son of a welder wouldn't dream of rolling past his autoworker neighbors in a Toyota. But not long ago the 38-year-old pulled into the driveway of his Sterling Heights home in a vehicle wreaking even more havoc in his home state.
A moving van.
"We're home-grown," lamented Dave Stefanic, a former Ford engineer, who with his surgical assistant wife, Cindi, moved to South Carolina in January, leaving behind the dream home they built in Brownstown Township. "To have to leave Michigan because of the economy ... it's depressing."
Dave and Cindi both have college degrees. Dave was laid off from Ford six months ago, but didn't put his house on the market for four more months, hoping to find work in the area. "All the offers I got were out of state," he said.
Gina Damuth's husband, Fred Damuth, was laid off from Pfizer in 2007. Later that year, they moved from Farmington Hills to North Carolina.
Now, Gina Damuth has convinced her parents to move to North Carolina, too.
"I feel so bad for the people stuck in Michigan," said Damuth, 34. "I was in the Detroit area recently and I didn't realize the number of people who walk with their head down. You can see it if you pay attention -- nobody smiles, everybody looks depressed. My dad says it's scarier now. People are talking about how they don't know if Michigan is going to recover this time." FULL STORY
Ron French and Mike Wilkinson / The Detroit News
Joe LaCross drives American cars. Always has. Born and raised in the blue-collar suburbs of Detroit, this son of a welder wouldn't dream of rolling past his autoworker neighbors in a Toyota. But not long ago the 38-year-old pulled into the driveway of his Sterling Heights home in a vehicle wreaking even more havoc in his home state.
A moving van.
"We're home-grown," lamented Dave Stefanic, a former Ford engineer, who with his surgical assistant wife, Cindi, moved to South Carolina in January, leaving behind the dream home they built in Brownstown Township. "To have to leave Michigan because of the economy ... it's depressing."
Dave and Cindi both have college degrees. Dave was laid off from Ford six months ago, but didn't put his house on the market for four more months, hoping to find work in the area. "All the offers I got were out of state," he said.
Gina Damuth's husband, Fred Damuth, was laid off from Pfizer in 2007. Later that year, they moved from Farmington Hills to North Carolina.
Now, Gina Damuth has convinced her parents to move to North Carolina, too.
"I feel so bad for the people stuck in Michigan," said Damuth, 34. "I was in the Detroit area recently and I didn't realize the number of people who walk with their head down. You can see it if you pay attention -- nobody smiles, everybody looks depressed. My dad says it's scarier now. People are talking about how they don't know if Michigan is going to recover this time." FULL STORY
Saturday, April 4, 2009
663,000 U.S. Jobs Lost in March -- 138,000 More Foreign Workers Given Work Permits -- White House & Media Noticing?
For months of shouting the numbers (jobs lost and foreign workers imported), we couldn't seem to get any news media to mention American unemployment in the same stories that talked about immigration policy proposals. It was as if the journalists of America couldn't grasp (or weren't allowed by their cheap-labor-loving publishers to grasp) that immigration numbers are directly related to labor force issues.
But while hundreds of thousands more Americans were losing their jobs in March and another 138,000 foreign workers were allowed to take U.S. jobs, we began seeing more and more media including in their immigration stories that the unemployment situation might make it difficult to pass "comprehensive immigration reform" this year. FULL STORY.
But while hundreds of thousands more Americans were losing their jobs in March and another 138,000 foreign workers were allowed to take U.S. jobs, we began seeing more and more media including in their immigration stories that the unemployment situation might make it difficult to pass "comprehensive immigration reform" this year. FULL STORY.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Layoffs rise despite hope recession is easing
(AP:WASHINGTON) Employers are laying off workers at a faster pace despite a few hopeful signs recently that the recession _ now the longest since World War II _ could be easing.
The Labor Department on Friday is slated to release a report expected to show that a net total of 654,000 jobs were lost last month. That's more than the population of Baltimore.
If economists are right, it would mark a record four straight months that job losses topped 600,000. FULL STORY.
NOTE: Isn't it time for Government to start cutting payroll? Instead of raising taxes on the few left working and the unemployed, Cities, Counties, States and yes, even the Federal Government needs to start pink slipping as well.
The Labor Department on Friday is slated to release a report expected to show that a net total of 654,000 jobs were lost last month. That's more than the population of Baltimore.
If economists are right, it would mark a record four straight months that job losses topped 600,000. FULL STORY.
NOTE: Isn't it time for Government to start cutting payroll? Instead of raising taxes on the few left working and the unemployed, Cities, Counties, States and yes, even the Federal Government needs to start pink slipping as well.
America’s Independence Day Tea Party
RE TEA PARTY GRASSROOTS CENTRAL
AIG: Before Credit Default Swaps, There Was Reinsurance
The Institutional Risk Analyst
April 2, 2009
"What do many corporate buyers of insurance have in common with American International Group? Perhaps more than they would like to admit. Like AIG, many companies in the past few years have bought finite insurance, which transfers a prescribed amount of risk for a particular liability. What regulators now want to know is, how many companies, like AIG, have used finite insurance to artificially inflate their financial results?"
Infinite Risk?
CFO Magazine
June 1, 2005
"In the regulatory world, a 'side letter' is perhaps the most insidious and destructive weapon in the white-collar criminal's arsenal. With the flick of a pen, underhanded executives can cook the books in enormous amounts and render a regulator helpless."
Fraud Magazine
July/August 2006
In fact, our investigation suggests that by the time AIG had entered the CDS fray in a serious way more than five years ago, the firm was already doomed. No longer able to prop up its earnings using reinsurance because of growing scrutiny from state insurance regulators and federal law enforcement agencies, AIG's foray into CDS was really the grand finale. AIG was a Ponzi scheme plain and simple, yet the Obama Administration still thinks of AIG as a real company that simply took excessive risks. No, to us what the fraud Bernard Madoff is to individual investors, AIG is to the global financial community.
As with the phony reinsurance contracts that AIG and other insurers wrote for decades, when AIG wrote hundreds of billions of dollars in CDS contracts, neither AIG nor the counterparties believed that the CDS would ever be paid. Indeed, one source with personal knowledge of the matter suggests that there may be emails and actual side letters between AIG and its counterparties that could prove conclusively that AIG never intended to pay out on any of its CDS contracts.
The significance of this for the US bailout of AIG is profound. If our surmise is correct, the position of Feb Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner that the AIG credit default contracts are "valid legal contracts" is ridiculous and reveals a level of ignorance by the Fed and Treasury about the true goings on inside AIG and the reinsurance industry that is truly staggering.
Does Reinsurance + Side Letters = CDS?
One of the most widespread means of risk shifting is reinsurance, the act of paying an insurer to offset the risk on the books of a second insurer. This may sound pretty routine and plain vanilla, but what most people don't know is that often times when insurers would write reinsurance contracts with one another, they would enter into "side letters" whereby the parties would agree that the reinsurance contract was essentially a canard, a form of window dressing to make a company, bank or another insurer look better on paper, but where the seller of protection had no intention of ever paying out on the contract. FULL STORY.
Government Bailouts...
Good for America?
Here are the results!
The Total Number of people who voted in this poll: 233972
1) Who is most to blame for America’s current economic crisis?
72% voted: Clinton Administration and the Democrats in Congress
10% voted: The Bush Administration
2% voted: Wall Street
12% voted: Banks and sub-prime lenders
2% voted: Real estate and mortgage professionals
0% voted: Investors
1% voted: Home buyers
2) Do you agree government bailouts are the answer to America’s financial crisis?
6% voted: Yes
89% voted: No
5% voted: Undecided
3) Do you believe the American taxpayers should have to foot the bill for our financial systems mistakes?
7% voted: Yes, we have to or we’ll end up in a prolonged recession or worse a depression.
22% voted: No, America is too far in debt already.
69% voted: Absolutely not, the American people should never be responsible for bailing out the private sector.
2% voted: Undecided
4) Do you believe the government bailouts will ultimately rescue our country's financial system?
7% voted: Yes
87% voted: No
6% voted: Undecided
5) Do you believe Barack Obama was the best choice to handle the country's future economic policy?
11% voted: Yes
86% voted: No
3% voted: Undecided
Thank you for your participation.
Audio: TSA thugs illegally detain and threaten Ron Paul supporter
St. Louis Airport TSA thugs threaten Ron Paul supporter and campaign employee Steve Bierfeldt for carrying cash. In a covert audio recording made by the victim TSA agents become angry when he refuses to grovel at their feet and threaten him repeatedly.
Steve Bierfeldt tells Judge Napolitano he was concerned for his safety since Missouri law enforcement had just issued a warning that anyone involved in conservative politics should be considered a threat to national security.
Full 23 minute recording of TSA interrogation available HERE.
Steve Bierfeldt tells Judge Napolitano he was concerned for his safety since Missouri law enforcement had just issued a warning that anyone involved in conservative politics should be considered a threat to national security.
Full 23 minute recording of TSA interrogation available HERE.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Red Beckman Seminar covers our civil duties and jury duties
Icon Red Beckman on Alex Jones Tv:"Power of The Jury"pt1
Icon Red Beckman on Alex Jones Tv:"Power of The Jury"pt2
Icon Red Beckman on Alex Jones Tv:"Power of The Jury"pt3
CLICK HERE FOR REST OF INTERVIEW
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