The Midterm election thoughts.....

Voting for whom ?
incumbents I guess...

The Midterm elections for both "parties" are in the worrisome stage right now. I recently picked up my weekend WSJ reading Peggy Noonan's Declarations opinion for September 27th . In her article piece she made for me what going down as a summing up . It's titled  "Republicans Need a Direction" . She said as in the first "The Democratic president is unpopular" . Second she reasoned as well " But Republicans aren't achieving lift-off ".  I can't imagine what Americans will be voting for . If the Democrats lose seats in the house , as it looks like it . The “real” Democrat direction that we all know of and which they’d never be honest about. I mean the Democrat “direction” that seems to be common knowledge among the masses, as nobody in the media ever bothers to ask what the Democrat “direction” is. You can see that President Obama's fundraising did not pay off as well. GOP’s  big brand problem. Everyone knows about it and is tired to saying it; the Democrats continue exploiting it because it’s almost all they have. The GOP over the last 8 years has been so outta touch with the average American that they are no better as the Democrats . Both Parties are incredibly weak. So I am paying attention how the midterms will be like. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas , Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, for example both spoke this Friday to the Values Voter Summit, an annual gathering of social conservatives that has been an important ticket punch for Republican presidential candidates. The "faith and Values" thing that mixes church and state politics , but the gathering of these "conservatives" is far behind what the younger Americans are looking for . I call them the "religious right" for short, they have been playing this same game in America,  "hoping" for a faith-values turnaround for the last two decades . I am assuming that the average American is leaning for a more "liberalizing" approach that has nothing to do with values preached from a pulpit. Ted Cruz for instant "preached" that “These are dangerous, radical times,” Cruz said at the conservative conference, where he received multiple standing ovations during a 30-minute speech that touched on everything from gun rights, Obamacare and abortion to the persecution of Christians around the globe & accused Democrats Friday of being an “extreme, radical party” intent on taking away the rights of Americans. I find that Cruz speech  just as "extreme" , if the Dem's are the bad guys , just how extreme will the GOP be if they take over ? My thoughts on this is I don't trust either party , they are both bought by the "rich special interests" . Taking a look at the Obama fundraising recently ,*** I saw a vast number of Millionaires contributing just as much as the GOP fundraisers ! Here the reality sets in as based on the number of Polls While the Republican Party is poised to make major gains in red states in the battle for the U.S. Senate, the situation is flipped in governors’ races, where Republicans are facing a tough time defending chief executives who won office in blue states in the Obama backlash of 2010.The toughest races for Republicans are in Maine and Pennsylvania, followed by Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan, where incumbents who won in the tea party wave four years ago are struggling.It’s the opposite case for the Senate, where Democrats who rode to victory on President Obama’s coattails in 2008 are facing growing fatigue with his agenda. I would like to comment more on this subject , may be  later . I though find that curious  that  Holder’s resignation came close to the midterm elections . What’s forced Holder into early retirement? Perhaps it’s that the Ferguson, Missouri case may not go the way the DOJ wants and public fall-out will be too messy. His exit could also be part of a larger deal cut between the opposition and the White House involving a scandal threatening to explode.  As it seems right now there are HARD CHOICES for the voters in November .

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

***  Gary Younge wrote this in thegaurdian recently summarizing the American mind set:   First, people will be looking over his shoulder at candidates for 2016. With more than a year to go before primaries, the media class is already obsessed by who’s eating steak in Iowa, breaking bread in New Hampshire or throwing rubber chicken fundraisers in South Carolina (three key early-voting states). Moreover, those Democratic candidates will have to both distinguish and, arguably, distance themselves from the unpopular incumbent. Hillary Clinton has already started. Last month she berated the administration for failing to back the Syrian rebels earlier in the civil war, which, she argued, facilitated the rise of Islamic State: “The failure to do that left a big vacuum, which the jihadists have now filled,” she said.

Russia and Putin , an opinion .

 The RUSSIANS are Laughing , the RUSSIANS
are laughing . Here is why.....

The Russians have been having a field day , recently this Thursday  proved a bit pivotal . ***President Obama, speaking at the UN world headquarters  issued a tough assessment of Russia’s incursion into Ukraine as part of his General Assembly remarks, calling for a stand-down to the military mission — but Russian delegates weren't exactly respectful. The United States has as  I believe wrongfully accused Russia of "invading" Ukraine .  (2) >There were NEVER any RUSSIAN TROOPS in Kiev . There is so much politically stupid rhetoric coming from Washington D.C . I just don't know if any Americans are believing it . The fact are first is that no western media has presented is that the Russians and Ukrainians have for a number of weeks have been in negotiations regarding the "breakaway" eastern part of Ukrainian territories , they have been "ratifying" treaties on oil production as the same time John Kerry has been spitting out  attacks against  Russia and Putin. Is this a bit moronic of our government ? It "scares" me that President Obama is so misinformed , he goes on with his speech saying “path of diplomacy and peace” and said that if the recently forged cease-fire in place in Ukraine lasts, “then we will lift our sanctions and welcome Russia’s role in addressing common challenges,” (1)>  NO WONDER THE RUSSIANS were laughing at our President! They aren't not just laughing at Obama.. they are laughing at America's hypocrisy. I can understand the laughter.... considering that the U.S. has been bombing Mid-east nations for over 25 years now. It's vary troubling that our nation can just poke it's nose all over the world , but when any other nation like China or Russia does the same thing  obviously  our nation's leaders act like real hypocrites . I am a bit irritated as I write this article for my blog . I am mad that we have a stupid cold war again with Russia , if I were a high level American government official I would have "advised" President Obama against sanctions against Russia . It's none of our " Business" in the internal affairs of other nations , we ( USA) can't police everything in this world UNLESS it actually threatens our NATIONAL SECURITY . Putin......Here is another trivial news that is a bit . You my readers might find a bit "disturbing" and it shows how are our fellow Americans view Mr. Obama, Americans are more likely to view Putin as a strong leader.A new poll finds Americans think Vladimir Putin was a far more effective leader than President Barack Obama in the Syrian chemical weapons crisis, an Economist/YouGov survey showed Wednesday. Frankly as a American . For this "reason"  I like Putin, my  reason is he stood up against the "morass" of misguided nonsense that has been coming out of Washington D.C. these days . The fact that Vladimir Putin has dared to stand up to the Western Powers and America's Pax Americana has created the present Ukrainian Crises. The West, in all its arrogance, dared to push into Ukraine, a Russian red line, and Russia (as should have been predicted) rose to the occasion...thanks to Putin. Few countries have the guts to oppose the USA. Russia has always shown the grit and ability to suffer consequences in order to protect their lands. They are long-suffering, indomitable, and never give up. To underestimate them is at your own peril. I don't think that Russia wants any war with America . I know deeply after watching Russian Television on the internet that Russian Culture has been westernized over the last 3 decades since Gorbachev . Russia is a economic power house that in any capitalist sense is tied to the global economy of the US. Sanctions won't work . Russia is a big country and has so many resources. Deputy Editorial Page Editor of the Wall Street Journal who wrote in his weekly column Thursday that, “sometime in the first Obama term, opinion polls began to report that the American people were experiencing what media shorthand came to call “fatigue” with the affairs of the world. The U.S. should “mind its own business.” The America-is-fatigued polling fit with Mr. Obama’s stated goal to lead from behind.”  “Vladimir Putin with a speech this week talking about Russian nationalism and humiliation, he had people openly weeping in the crowd and I don’t remember a time that any of us have been moved to weep based on a speech about America.”

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

*** Mr. Obama said: “Russian aggression to Europe recalls the days when large nations trampled in pursuit of territorial ambition. We call upon others to join us on the right side of history — for while small gains can be won at the barrel of a gun, they will ultimately be turned back if enough voices support the freedom of nations and peoples to make their own decisions.” (1)> Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin can be seen on video covering his mouth, laughing, and tapping the arm of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who also is laughing. (2)> IF Russian troops were in Ukraine do you really think the Rag Tag Army of Kiev would stop them? NATO is blowing hot air to get more Boys Toys to play with that will mainly be made in US factories. So in essence, the citizens of Europe will be paying for armaments when the money would be better spent on infrastructure at home. All this to threaten Russia which has no military ambitions in Europe anyway. (SEE this web site : http://www.globalresearch.ca/obama-is-a-liar-fake-nato-evidence-osce-confirms-that-no-russian-troops-no-tanks-have-crossed-the-russia-ukraine-border/5399457 )

Obama, Climate Change at the UN . Opinion .

Climate Change is serious business,
but ..............

President Obama addressed the United Nations today , and in simple terms it was about global warming.President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the U.S. and China have a special responsibility as the largest carbon-dioxide emitters to lead a new effort to curb emissions, as he sought to enlist nations around the globe to combat climate change. The BIG QUESTION arises is Are we going to FINALLY *** sign the Kyoto protocol? You'll pardon me if I don't expect much of a pep rally. Even if you get a new treaty, America will refuse to sign it, along with China and India, and where does that leave us? All this hype is nothing but blah , we want other nations to do what we ( America ) refused to do. I have ALWAYS believed and I once blogged about "Our strange weather" lately , yes we have had vary unusual things happen to a degree that will have every one jumping . I HAVE always said that WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD THIS KINDA WEATHER. Science has the  Carbon Dioxide evidence to show  ,  The truth is, it’s actually the other way around: as CO2 has increased, deaths from extreme weather have increased.  President Obama's challenge on climate change  for me is a bit confusing,  since most of the carbon emissions were coming from only a few geographical locations on Planet Earth . (2)>  ( Name the guilty nations : America , Mexico  Russia , India ,  China and Europe EU ). Mr. Obama Specifically, he called out China, saying that the most populous country on Earth, with the fastest increase in carbon pollution, must join the United States to lead the rest of the world in carbon reduction. OK, let's go back to the (1)> Kyoto protocol that Under Bush the United States refused to sign. A Pew research poll conducted earlier this year found that 29% of respondents listed "dealing with global warming" as a top policy priority -- and that number has remained virtually unchanged since Obama took office in 2009.And a Gallup poll conducted in March 2014, found that a little under a fourth of Americans -- 24% -- list climate change as a national problem that they worry about "a great deal."However, when it comes to addressing climate change, polling indicates most Americans back action. A Gallup poll from June found that 65% of those surveyed support the government tightening pollution regulations on businesses.Obama said the US will continue to lead the way? He's unbearably out-of-touch. What about the emissions created by the war machine Mr President? We have to count that and lead the way on what? In America we are still behind in using alternative energy sources , BLAME the energy companies who have a monopoly with the American congress.  There could be a coming price war where Utility cost could get caught in a spiraling vertex of increasing cost. GE's, at its new pilot fuel cell plant, and many others are working to produce generators that are 65% to 95% efficient with No NOx, SOx, CO, and particulate to be installed initially at commercial office bldg's, then grocery stores, small businesses, etc., that need generators, cost effectively reducing their electricity usage/demand resulting in ever increasing Utility cost for those without these type generators (home owners).  Better Utilities are working now to increase their generation efficiency (reduce carbon emissions) in an effort to reduce the potential usage/demand cost increasing vertex impact of high efficiency peak shaving generation coming online. Obama gave no specific commitment to the Green Climate Fund—a fund to help poor countries adapt to climate change—and that's seen as key vehicle to facilitate climate negotiations in the next 15 months leading up to a potential binding global treaty on emissions in Paris. The fund arose from the Copenhagen Accord in 2009 with the goal of channelling $100 billion annually to poor countries by 2020. So far, at about $3 billion, it is nowhere near that target. Yet still we have no GREEN ENERGY, The biggest fallacy was that solar and wind generated electricity are a replacement for oil.  Oil is rarely used to generate electricity and not a single journalist has ever pointed that out.  Even dumber is that solar and wind cost more than the regular sources, so the most viable way to even try to replace oil with electricity is to use the cheaper sources, not the more expensive ones. While government subsidies finance inefficient technologies and government obsesses about emissions goals, Germany has ramped up its coal use to 45 percent of total electricity generation, the highest level since 2007.To compete in today’s global marketplace, any country – be it the United States or Germany –needs a sound energy policy, grounded on proven science and tested by the open market. Misguided executive branch overreach and regulatory attacks on energy industries are hardly the way to achieve this policy.Under this administration’s policies, American energy producers are suffering from vertigo as confusing regulatory intrusion throws our healthy market-based energy industries into a spin. Every economic activity involving energy and transportation, which is to say the entire American economy, will be negatively affected. Thirty percent of America's electricity is generated by coal. Many plants will be forced out of business, and with 12 million Americans who already can't find a decent full time job today, you can add to that the many thousands of hard working miners, in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, who voted for "Hope&Change" at their Unions direction. President Obama famously stated in his first campaign in 2008, "My plans make electricity skyrocket."

NOTES AND COMMENTS:
*** The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which commits its Parties by setting internationally binding emission reduction targets.Recognizing that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of GHG emissions in the atmosphere as a result of more than 150 years of industrial activity, the Protocol places a heavier burden on developed nations under the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities."The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February 2005. The detailed rules for the implementation of the Protocol were adopted at COP 7 in Marrakesh, Morocco, in 2001, and are referred to as the "Marrakesh Accords." Its first commitment period started in 2008 and ended in 2012. No binding treaties will be drafted at Tuesday’s summit, and no one expects any countries to make major commitments to reduce carbon emissions. Instead, the stated purpose of the Climate Summit is to provide a space where international luminaries can share ideas and familiarize themselves with the threat posed by man-made environmental change. The hope is that this summit will help motivate global leaders to craft an effective and legally binding treaty when they convene in Paris next year for the UN Climate Change Conference. (1)>  U.S. President George W. Bush said in a Danish TV interview back in 2005 , that adhering to the Kyoto treaty on climate change would have "wrecked" the U.S. economy, and called U.S. dependence on Middle East oil a national security problem. oho! Yes he was right then , and goes on to say : "We're hooked on oil from the Middle East, which is a national security problem and an economic security problem," Bush said . "Kyoto would have wrecked our economy. I couldn't in good faith have signed Kyoto," Bush said, noting that the treaty didn't require other "big polluters" such as India and China to cut emissions. (2)> Top world leaders from these countries chose NOT to be there.- China- Russia,- India,- Japan,- Australia- Canada.

Respiratory Virus maybe a Mole Planted in America.

Could this come home to
a school near you?

Conspiracies and theories lurk in every news tale. ***While the nation is sending troops to Liberia ( about 3000 estimated ) to "combat" the Ebola virus , right at our door steps is a serious puzzle .The rapid explosion of (1) > mystery virus (3)>  EV-D68 is sending hundreds of children to hospitals across Missouri, Colorado, Kansas, Utah and eight other states. "In Kansas City, about 475 children were recently treated at Children's Mercy Hospital, and at least 60 of them received intensive hospitalization," reports CNN. (1) Officials aren't sure why we're seeing such a rapid spread of Enterovirus D68 right now, or why it's so widespread. BUT the MYSTERY may have something to do with in other words, as of 2013, one year prior to the Obama administration encouraging and facilitating an influx of children from Latin America (primarily Central America) across the border, the U.S. government was well aware that when these children arrived they would be carrying with them a pathogen that accounts for a “substantial proportion of respiratory viruses identified in young people” living in Latin America, as well as a whole host of other viral maladies. Dr. Jane Orient, Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, reported that the government has been “real tight-lipped” about the mysterious respiratory illness that has struck children in the United States, expressed concern that the illegal immigrant minors from Central America could be the source, and argued that the government should devote more resources to border security to combat the spread of disease on Wednesday’s “Laura Ingraham Show.” When asked whether illegal immigrant children who have been sent to various locations around the country could be the cause of the virus, she responded “Yes, they could be. We don’t know for sure the government is being real tight-lipped about this, and it only takes one infected child to infect the whole classroom.” HOW CONTAGIOUS is THIS? . (2)>  If you remember the H1N1 virus of a few years ago and SARS doctors at Columbus Public Health in Ohio said respiratory symptoms that typify this virus were the chief complaint of an average of 52 patients per day  the hospital's emergency department.A good deal of the children hospitalized in the past few weeks due to this virus have tended to be those who have a history of asthma or wheezing. That's not true in all cases.The chief symptom of the virus is trouble breathing. If your child ever experiences difficulty breathing, it is urgent to get them to a hospital immediately.Though there is no anti-viralmedicine forEnterovirus-D68 and no vaccine, doctors across the country have said it is effectively treated in most cases through supportive care, including the administration of oxygen. Calling it a "rare" virus and a "mystery" virus", might be a good propaganda as in fear mongering , when it is neither. It was identified in 1968, which does not mean it was new then, only that it was identified then. It's probably been around in one form or another practically forever. This new "invasion" is most likely a little mutation, something viruses seem to do now and then, It is transmitted the same way that colds are – through droplets of fluids from infected persons and surfaces they touch.This virus, which has no vaccination. No antiviral medications have been shown effective in its control. Chances for severe illness increase if the person has other respiratory illnesses or conditions, such as asthma, tuberculosis, or others.The virus can be contagious before the infected person realizes that they are sick!

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

***This corrupt gov't thinks we are too stupid to figure this out on our own! I mean who wouldn't think of this first thing? Now our military is going to be exposed too EBOLA. What could possibly go wrong? How much more will we take???? (1) >As the Ebola outbreak rampages through Africa scientists are privately concerned the virus could mutate to become airborne, one expert has warned.So far 2,300 people have lost their lives to the disease with more than 4,300 cases recorded in West Africa in the last six months - the worst outbreak since the disease was discovered in 1976. The World Health Organisation has warned there may be thousands of new cases each week in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria by early October.Fifteen countries could be hit by the outbreak - putting the lives of 22 million people at risk, a new study has revealed.But behind closed doors, virologists fear what we have seen so far may be just the tip of the iceberg. (2)> Looking back I found another "curious" reference of another similar respiratory virus that was lurking in the Middle-east like Saudi Arabia : MERS is the viral respiratory illness caused by MERS-CoV. It was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, and CDC, along with global health partners, has been closely monitoring it ever since.In May 2014, the first 2 imported cases of MERS-CoV were confirmed in the United States.[1] These cases were not linked, but both were healthcare workers who traveled to the United States from Saudi Arabia, where they are believed to have been infected.All reported cases to date have been directly or indirectly linked through residence or travel to countries in and near the Arabian Peninsula. Given the level of international travel, and based on the incidence of MERS-CoV in the Arabian Peninsula, imported cases in this country are not surprising! (3)> First, some simple facts. The “EV” in EV-D68 stands for “enterovirus.” The “D” signifies that this particular strain is in the enterovirus D genus, and the 68 means it’s the 68th such virus identified. So the scary sounding name is really just an identifier for what exactly we’re dealing with, not some super-secret code name or government designation.

Quo Vadis : Scotland & England ?

Let's all pray for the Unity of
England and Scotland.

With the Scotland referendum it vary possible that it will be the " end of Britain" With only eight hours to go until polls open in a referendum that could transform the 307-year-old union of Scotland and the rest of the UK, the yes and no campaigns have been gathering for a series of emotional final rallies across the country.Be in no doubt ,Britain could cease to exist. The polls are evenly split, and the momentum is with the separatists. Scotland is on the brink of walking out.But it's a bad idea driven by bad arguments. Together, the four nations that form the U.K. — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — have achieved extraordinary things. The union between Scotland and England, more than 300 years old, has been a global beacon of solidarity, a lesson in how to live well together, so much more than the sum of its parts. Again what happens to the English monarch ?  Does Scotland become a "republic" or a "kingdom" after all 307 years ago there was a Kingdom of Scotland? At this moment, a majority for independence looks unlikely.  ***Opinion polling has found the no vote consistently ahead since last year. Last month, the gap narrowed to single digits, though it’s opened up again. It may seem strange that Scotland is contemplating breaking its constitutional connections with its neighbors  at a time when economies are becoming more integrated, when public recognition of the interdependence of nations is increasing, and when the power of people – through social networks and non-governmental institutions – is challenging the old nationalist fixation with the trappings of state power. One of the strangest aspects of this Scottish referendum is that Queen is not an issue. Who bound Scotland to England? None other than King James I. But do not presume that the Scots now wish to express their freedom from England by getting rid of the Queen. No, says the Scottish National leader Alex Salmond, she will from henceforth be the Queen of Scots. Yet the Queen in Scotland lives an almost feudal life, mistress of a great house, with a vast estate, and lesser houses in which other members of the Royal family live –- including the heir to her throne, Prince Charles. He lives in Glams Castle where his granny, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, lived. Huge chunks of the Scottish Highlands are in their collective hands. The fights for freedom down the years in Britain have been to free the land from the hands of the aristocracy.  (1)> The Queen made a rare intervention on the political stage when she expressed the hope that voters will "think very carefully about the future" before the Scottish independence referendum on Thursday. If voters back independence on Thursday, a hugely complex negotiation will begin between Edinburgh and London to carve up resources and assets for Scotland, which would become a separate country on March 24, 2016. Curiously  the United States  "tweeted" a message , Talking of Barack Obama, the White House just sent this tweet out from him. The US government’s position against Scottish independence is well-established.

The UK is an extraordinary partner for America and a force for good in an unstable world. I hope it remains strong, robust and united. -bo

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 17, 2014

NOTES AND COMMENTS:
*** A series of opinion polls confirmed the two campaigns are in effect neck and neck. An Opinium poll for the Observer found that no was six points ahead with 53% to 47% for yes. A further poll by Panelbase for the Sunday Times put the two campaigns only two points apart at 51% for no and 49% for yes. A further ICM poll for the Sunday Telegraph gave yes a more dramatic lead of 54% to 46%, but its significance was played down since its sample was only 700, under the normal threshold of 1,000 voters. (1)> In 1977 when there were calls for a devolved parliament in Scotland, the Queen used a speech to issue a blunt warning against breaking up the Union.She said: 'I cannot forget that I was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and of Northern Ireland. Perhaps this Jubilee is a time to remind ourselves of the benefits which union has conferred, at home and in our international dealings, on the inhabitants of all parts of the United Kingdom.'

California Politics .

Mr. Kashkari would be my first
choice to replace Jerry.

California Politics was on my mind this week . Watching the debate between Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA) and challenger Neel Kashkari (R) debated various issues, including immigration, education, and infrastructure, in their first and only debate before the November 2014 gubernatorial election. KQED-TV, the Los Angeles Times, the California Channel, and Telemundo California sponsored this debate, which was held in the Sacramento studio of the California Channel. The Debate alone was hardly noticed , more than a whimper . I have to say that  Mr. Kashkari needed another reminder of the challenge he faces, a Field Poll released Thursday morning showed Mr. Brown leading him by 16 points, 50 to 34. Perhaps even more troublesome for Mr. Kashkari, the poll found that nearly 60 percent of respondents did not know enough about him to offer a favorable or unfavorable opinion. With Mr. Brown in mind I can't help thinking that when I was an elementary school student in the 3rd ,or 4th grade it was Mr. Jerry Brown was governor , he was also governor while I was a freshman in high school. Gov. Jerry Brown, already the longest-serving governor in California history, and he's now  running  for an unprecedented fourth term. The BIG DEAL with this is as a political commentator myself  is that in politics the "gene" pool of potential politicians is at an ultra low , this ALSO speaks for the rest of the NATION as NOVEMBER rolls through. It's a problem when incumbents are reelected over and over again. A political novice, the 41-year-old Mr Kashkari is unlikely to oust the 76-year-old Mr Brown, who has far more money, far more experience and a 20-point lead in the polls. But he has longer-term aspirations: he is trying to rebrand the Republican Party in a state where it holds no statewide offices, is outnumbered two-to-one in the legislature and is shedding supporters fast as elderly whites die or move to Las Vegas. California’s gubernatorial election is just two months away. Currently leading by 21 points among likely voters, Democratic incumbent Jerry Brown holds the edge over Republican challenger Neel Kashkari. The odds, due to everything from finance to experience, are stacked at staggering heights against Kashkari, but the public shouldn’t be too quick to dismiss him as nothing but an underdog. Though he might lose this election, Kashkari’s win will be in reviving an ailing Republican brand.

California Propositions .

While the Governor's race is the main concern . California is going to get the sucker punch in November , and it all depends on the voters. Worrisome should be these : California wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020. In order to do that, the state passed a law, known as AB 32, that is the first of its kind in the U.S. Beginning in 2015, the law's penalty on carbon emissions will also apply to transportation fuels, including oil and gas. That means if your car runs on gas or diesel, you’ll pay more.Exactly how much more? Nobody knows. Apparently state legislators felt compelled to approve the law first and do the math later. They don’t believe they need to share the pesky details with the folks who elected them. Based on input from various industry organizations and consumer groups, it’s estimated that the cap and trade "tax" on carbon emissions has the potential to increase California’s retail gasoline prices from 16 cents to 76 cents per gallon. Most expect at least a 15-cent increase beginning in 2015. ANOTHER which could undo Obamacare is Prop 45 , Prop. 45 would change that, giving the commissioner the power to intervene if an increase in rates was judged to be excessive. In July, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones sought to promote passage of Prop. 45 by highlighting the jump in insurance rates (22% to 88%) in Obamacare's first year. As the insurance industry pointed out in response, those increases were an intentional part of the design of Obamacare. They are the mechanism to balance out the cost of covering those who are older and less healthy. Rate increases in California averaged a relatively modest 4.2% this year. That is partly the result of the risk corridor program built into Obamacare's first 3 years and, perhaps, concern by insurers that larger increases might lead to passage of Prop. 45. Insurers havereportedly put $25 million behind an effort to defeat the measure.

NET NEUTRALITY . An Opinion .

Net Neutrality is like Cable Deregulation ,
the losers are you and me.
My bandwidth is slow today
I wonder why?

The issue of NET NEUTRALITY for Americans and other nations is much  like the Bill if Rights . The right of free speech , or religion .  On Jan. 14, 2014, the *** U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., struck down the Federal Communications Commission’s Open Internet Order.And on May 15, the FCC voted to propose a new “open Internet” rule that may let Internet service providers charge content companies for priority treatment, relegating other content to a slower tier of service. The ruling was a blow to the Obama administration, which has pushed the idea of "net neutrality." And it sharpened the struggle by the nation's big entertainment and telecommunications companies to shape the regulation of broadband, now a vital pipeline for tens of millions of Americans to view video and other media.For consumers, the ruling could usher in an era of tiered Internet service, in which they get some content at full speed while other websites appear slower because their owners chose not to pay up. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is pushing a plan that would allow rampant discrimination online. (1)> If approved, this proposal would kill Net Neutrality.Wheeler’s plan would let Internet service providers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon create a two-tiered Internet, with fast lanes for the few who can afford the extra fees and a slow dirt road for the rest of us. These companies would have the power to pick winners and losers online and discriminate against online content and applications. And no one would be able to do anything about it.So far more than a million Americans — a record-breaking number — have filed comments slamming the FCC's proposal. I have to support Net Neutrality. (2)>  I dreaded the decision of " Cable Deregulation " which did the opposite that it was supposed to do .  Protesters are in favor of preserving net neutrality and an Open Internet which would reclassify broadband under the Title II common carrier laws that regulate phone services. In January, the Open Internet rules were struck down by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that required broadband providers to treat all Internet traffic equally. Government control of how packets are sent across the Internet is a terrible idea. Net neutrality is wrong. It's simply about government control. It sounds good in theory but in the end, the government wants to control what you can say and what you can do on the Internet, and that's what this is about. This ruling is a disaster. I am old enough to recall the early days of the internet. The old "Ma Bell" phone system charge a price per bit for computer communications and delayed the internet for the better part of a decade. all of whom complained bitterly how the Bell System was blocking the development of a key economic capability. Fortunately the Supreme Court broke the control and monopoly pricing of communications in time for the Internet to develop in America. Now we are returning to the past. Price per bit is the holy grail of internet service providers and htis represents around the tenth assault by the ISP's to get a stranglehold on the information circulation system of our country. Computer networks are as much a public utility as electrical networks. The nations lifeblood depends on them.To place network traffic under monopoly control and pricing will slow the flow of information, the response time of our economy, and the ability of individuals to obtain training and information on the Net. Universities and training centers will suffer and be restricted to those able to pay what the rentiers charge. It is a regressive step and the US no longer has the luxury of time to wait since our competitors are moving faster and more efficiently in the information economy.

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

***If you are thinking about blaming the courts for their decision, don't: Legal experts, even those in favor of net neutrality, have said the court made the correct ruling. Why the ruling is correct harkens back to March 2002, when the FCC decided to reclassify broadband Internet accessfrom a telecommunications service to an information service. By deregulating those offering broadband Internet access, the FCC had hoped the Internet service providers would increase their investment in infrastructure. An unforeseen byproduct of deregulation was that ISPs began exerting god-like control over traffic on their network, which Comcast did in 2007 when it disallowed BitTorrent traffic on its network. (1)> The political implications for the demise of Net Neutrality are simple: The deep pockets buy all the bandwidth to push their message. The Republicans feel this is their message anyway, so they want the commons of the Internet turned into a toll highway whose prices will keep out hoi polloi, i.e., everybody else. You and me. (2)> The Net Neutrality issue is virtually a copy of the 1996 Cable Deregulation act, Since enactment of the 1996 Act that deregulated cable rates, consumer cable prices have been rising at three times the rate of inflation and even faster for basic and expanded basic service, which is the choice of the overwhelming majority of cable subscribers. These rates have risen by more than 50 percent. Individual markets have suffered much larger increases. For example, New York consumers have been particularly hard hit. In the few years since enactment of the 1996 Act, New York City cable subscribers have seen their bills for the most popular programming tier soar. Cablevision customers in New York City have experienced a cumulative increase of 93.7 percent - nearly doubling monthly bills. Even on the "low" end, Staten Island Cable customers have seen their bills rise 52.5 percent.

Ray Rice controversy .

Sport's athletes on steroids . There has been much hype to the Ray Rice beating his wife in an elevator , and dragging her. THERE is no EXCUSE for domestic violence , even beating your wife . For Rice he got nothing but a slap on a wrist . He beat her up. There's even a recording of it. And what happened? A plea deal so generous that the abuser's arrest record will be expunged -- totally clean, as if the whole thing had never happened -- if he receives some counseling in the next few months. "it was a minor incident" says his FEMALE lawyer. I wonder how she will explain this video. ***The NFL has in the past covered up players bad behavior but in these times of instant footage it becomes hard to do and even harder to explain away the very bad behavior of its players. He should be fired. According to police, Kelli Fuller had cuts to her mouth and forehead and she told them her husband had thrown her to the ground, pulled her hair and kicked her after she confronted him over an alleged affair with a law clerk. After  (1)> TMZ released the video of the elevator assault, Janay Rice released a statement of support for her husband, on Instagram. "To take something away from the man I love that he has worked for all his life just to gain ratings is horrific," she wrote, "If your intentions were to hurt us, embarrass us, make us feel alone, take our happiness away, you've succeeded on so many levels. Just know we will continue to grow & show the world what love is." The video would appear to contradict earlier claims by Rice's attorney that Saturday's incident was just a ‘very minor physical altercation.’ (2) >The couple were both arrested soon after on assault charges at the Revel Casino and police say they have separate unreleased footage which proves both parties attacked each other. President Obama also got into the act with his statement 'The President is the father of two daughters. And like any American, he believes that domestic violence is contemptible and unacceptable in a civilized society,' said the statement which denounced Rice for his violence towards Janay, who is now his wife.'Hitting a woman is not something a real man does, and that's true whether or not an act of violence happens in the public eye, or, far too often, behind closed doors. SO THUS FAR ,Ravens running back Ray Rice is done in the NFL, according to Patriots owner Robert Kraft. You know what's real stupid about this whole thing? Why should the video change anything? We knew what he did to her, we knew he knocked her out and dragged her out unconscious. He admitted that. The video just confirmed exactly what was known. Did they think the punch wasn't a vicious hit? So they suspended him two games for knocking out the girl. But when there's video of him doing that months later they boot him because there's a video of it? What does that say? It's a minor offense to hit your girl as long as there's no video of it.

NOTES AND COMMENTS: 

*** The incident took place Feb. 15th at the Revel Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City.Still bringing up this OLD story that has not only been resolved by the court and the couple, but also the league? They have revamped the leagues policies(6 games for 1st offense and a year ban for 2nd) on domestic violence and as you stated...they got married a month later and held a press conference to address the media and fans(which they didn't have to do since it was a personal matter). Did you see Jay Z and Beyonce hold a press conference over their incident? NO ONE OWES YOU ANY EXPLANATION. (1). Why does everyone think it was so easy to get the tape? Many media outlets likely tried and couldnt get them. TMZ finally got it AFTER 7 months and probably tens of thousands of dollars! It’s not common practice for a company like a casino fo give away their survailance tapes to anyone outside of the police.Any employer cant just ask for another company’s survailance footage because they want to punish their employee. The correct response would be, “the police have the tape… Ask them for a copy”. Which is apparently what the NFL says they did. (2). Ray Rice admitted to domestic assault on his then fiance, even apoligized pubicly, paid a fine, got a league 2 day suspension and was ordered to get counseling…So the league already knew he was suilty of hitting her and all of the suddent now that the video ‘leaked’ out they have to cover their asses.

Obama's Action Plan .

Time for an Action Plan.

With September 11th coming up as it does every year, One day before the thirteenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks  . I not trying to be paranoid , but there could be things at work here? *** King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has recently warned that the West will be the next target of the jihadists sweeping through Syria and Iraq, unless there is "rapid" action. If it's not all connected then? Earlier this month, the  Saudi country’s top cleric described the Islamic State group and Al Qaeda as Islam’s No. 1 enemy and said that Muslims have been their first victims. State-backed Saudi clerics who once openly called on citizens to fight in Syria can now face steep punishment and the kingdom has threatened to imprison its citizens who fight in Syria and Iraq. Yes, it could be fear mongering. *** Sure enough could the Saudi king be knowing more of a "possible terrorist attack " ?   President Obama now has to  address the nation  on how he will combat the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria Wednesday evening at 9 p.m. ET,.Obama will  Outline a plan that includes continued U.S. air strikes, counter-terrorism actions, aid from other nations, and military training and assistance to moderates in Iraq and Syria, according to aides and a White House statement issued after the meeting. It's all at politics and the polls with Obama. Why should the American public be sold on a war plan? They shouldn't even know the war plan because that means the enemy does too.The speech will attempt to redress criticism that he has been slow to respond to the militant group's seizure of a haven in Syria and Iraq, amid fears fighters armed with Western passports could train their sights on the US homeland.Obama met the bipartisan leadership of the House and Senate in the Oval Office to discuss his plans, which officials say will involve a broad international coalition and efforts to choke off IS funding and the flow of foreign fighters to the group, as well as military action.This should be interesting as he's never actually tried to do a bipartisan attempt at building a coalition in Congress. Think about it , here's a President that after 6 years has never tried for a real bipartisan push so this should be interesting. 

NOTES AND COMMENTS:
*** the Saudi King warned against IS terrorism attacks against the US. How does he know, is he in bed with those folks? And what are the Saudis, our allies(?), going to do? How much money is the royal family supplying the IS organization, like they did with Osama Bin Laden? I sincerely hope that IS sees his warning and turns on the Saudis for once. Anyone else notice that they are the only country in the area that isn't being threatened, and never has been. Must be nice to have all that oil money and not have to use it to defend your country in such a volatile region.

High Risk Journalism.

Freelance reporting is dangerous .

The militant group Islamic State has  releasing  videos which appear to show the beheading of a U.S. journalists  in as many weeks. Steven Sotloff is seen wearing an orange jumpsuit similar to those worn by foreign prisoners at Guantánamo Bay.  The be headings of Journalists are horrific , but it DEMONSTRATES THAT ***JOURNALISM CAN BE  A HIGH RISK JOB.  While I my self have criticized our American President about his "weak kneed " and no "strategy" approach which I've posted in this blog . My next level of criticism which with all apology is aimed at the journalists themselves. The sad truth is, in the long term, Foley's death was in vain. The majority of people don't want to be told, or read, anything contrary to what they already know. Every war reporter is doing a thankless job, and the majority of readers will not notice or care about their reports unless they uncover a war crime or die. Going to a war zone first of all dangerous.  I know it's not the fault of reporters like James Foley or Tom Peter, but the organizations who publish their work have betrayed and misled their readers time and again. They were utterly complicit in the deceptions used to build public support for the invasion of Iraq, and despite apologizing for that episode, absolutely nothing has changed.   In Syria, Iraq and Libya, widespread violence, the threat of kidnapping and the collapse of the rule of law make human rights work difficult and sometimes lethal for local activists. In June, gunmen in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi murdered the Libyan rights activist Salwa Bughaighis, who had been a fierce critic of Libya’s Islamist militias. In July, the (1). Syrian government announced an amnesty for prisoners, but scores of rights activists and peaceful political opponents of the government remained in prison in atrocious conditions. Even the grotesque recent murders by IS are not unprecedented. In 2002, a British citizen affiliated with Al-Qaeda beheaded the Wall Street Journal’s South Asia bureau chief, Daniel Pearl, after he was abducted in Pakistan. Like IS’s recent killings, the murder was videotaped. The role of freelancers, who make a living by selling individual stories, photos and video to multiple outlets, has expanded across conflict zones in recent years with the spread of technology and social media, which provides a ready canvas for their work. Some are cautious and well-trained; Others take major risks. And they often lack the institutional support staff journalists receive if they get into trouble in a conflict zone. This climate is making many journalists think twice about reporting from the conflict. With most major news agencies pulling their staff journalists out of Syria, the burden is increasingly falling on freelance and citizen journalists, though it may now be too dangerous for freelancers to work in the country. Freelancers are often more vulnerable to the surrounding violence in conflict-stricken areas, and have limited access to resources such as protective clothing or training on how to report safely within a war zone. It shakes us. It angers us. And then we consider that unfriendly fire in Afghanistan has killed more reporters than American soldiers. We should be angered when a journalist is killed , but we should also hold accountable the journalists who took the risks ,  Sadly, the death of a journalist isn’t unusual. Last year, at least three dozen reporters were killed for doing their jobs. They asked questions, looked at records, and reported what they found. They didn’t put on a uniform or carry a weapon, but they, too, were fighting for freedom.

FOR A FULL REPORT ON STATISTICS on Journalists  killed see this web site :
http://cpj.org/killed/2014/

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

*** Steven J. Sotloff, a 31-year-old freelance journalist, self-described “stand-up philosopher from Miami,” immersed himself in the tumult of the Middle East for years, repeatedly venturing into some of the most hazardous conflict zones. He reassured friends that he knew the risks as he wrote for publications that included Time magazine, The Christian Science Monitor and World Affairs Journal. (1). FOR EXAMPLE- we need to help the ''rebels'' 'liberate Syria' and they're the good guys and Assad is terrible and blah blah blah. The FAKE rebels in Syria are the same people in ISIS that killed these men, it has been well known from EARLY on that the people starting the 'civil war' were NOT EVEN SYRIAN and that a huge number of militants from a group in IRAQ were a huge part of the foundation impetus of this 'war'. IF WE HAD HELPED ASSAD EARLY ON 10's of thousands of Christians would not have been systematically searched out and murdered. The mayor of one town in Syria said well over a year ago that he had not seen a single Syrian in the 'militia' who 'freed' his town and had murdered every Christian in the village. They were from Qatar, Pakistan, Bahrain and even the Caucuses, right? Effing Chechnyans, hard core seasoned mujahadeen who really love killing. In addition, Sharia Al Nursra the same group responsible for the american embassy attack in Libya were there from the beginning. The entire lie is that this was a civil war, when in fact it is a terrorist occupation that seeks to systematically destroy all non-Sunnis - and perpetuating the lie and cover up of heinous massacres at the hands of the rebels is what OUR reporters are being killed in their effort to report.

Fast Foods Day of Judgement .

Nation wide protests against McDee's  is an attempt
to unionize fast workers .

One of the freedoms Americans have is the right to freely assemble in protest . That "freedom" is a bit precarious these days with signs of social unrest , with military style police squads cracking down  . The people are taking action across the nation to demand that fast Food Chain  McDonald’s .U.S. fast-food workers staged protests in some 150 cities on Thursday in a fight for higher pay, and organizers said more than 450 were arrested from Manhattan's Times Square to Los Angeles.About 400 protesters clogged Times Square during morning rush hour in the latest of ongoing actions aimed at raising their wage to $15 an hour.They hoisted placards reading "Stick together for $15 and union rights," and some held a sit-in at a McDonald's restaurant, prompting 19 arrests for disorderly conduct .  I agree that with the cost of living in the nation has gone up . We do need to "raise" the level of  the quality of living in the nation . Example of this is that I heard today that when the first President Bush was in office  the cost of a gallon of gas was 1.69 $ (nationwide except Ca)  a stamp was 25 Cents . True things are costing more , looking at those little things we take for granite like stamps , gas . It shows that we have had a runaway inflation   that is part of the economic disease  . SO the cure of the sick economy MAY NOT be WEALTH DISTRIBUTION , but more simplistic . Let's give everyone a chance to earn more , and afford more . Way back in the 1980's I was working , and going to school at the same time . My first job was at McDonald's washing dishes at closing shift every Friday . ***The best I got for 3 hrs was 3.35 an hour with no breaks , and I was not then entitled to a meal either . TIMES have changed . I can understand the frustration of the protesters , but LOGICALLY McDonald's can't pay it's workers any higher than the state's minimum wage , but another notice my readers WALMART pay's better , and it pays benefits after the hires worked past their probation periods . (1).  Here in the U.S., protesters are fighting to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $15, arguing that wages often don't even meet the basic costs of living. With the median wage for front-line fast food workers at $8.69 per hour, about 52 percent of American front-line fast food workers also rely on government assistance programs to meet basic needs, according to a recent study by the National Employment Law Project. This ultimately costs tax payers $3.8 billion to subsidize worker pay from the 10 largest fast food companies and $1.2 billion from McDonald's alone. The other issue is that "...The downside? McDonald's food [in Denmark] is significantly more expensive; a Big Mac there set you back $5.18 as of January 2014, compared to $4.62 in the U.S...." In the US the costs of food production has gone up . Taking notice to this I found that In the debate over what fast food workers are paid and what health care and other benefits they receive, McDonald’s has contended that its franchisees – the owners who operate individual restaurants – are liable for labor and wage issues, not the parent company.But a ruling by the National Labor Relations Board in July rebutted the argument, when the board’s general counsel found that McDonald’s could be held jointly liable for violations by franchise operators.  There's no easy solution. The cries about raising the minimum wage are exactly the same that we hear every time the minimum wage is hiked -- it will drive prices sky high, businesses will fold . Obama raised the minimum wage of federal workers to $10.10. (About a dozen states have raised the minimum above that, without businesses folding or fleeing.) That figure -- $10.10 -- wasn't arbitrary. It what the current minimum would have bought if it had kept up with inflation. NO WONDER our American economy is weak , here is the awful truth.  These low-wage industries are among the fastest-growing job sectors in our economy. The number of home health aide jobs is expected to grow by 48 percent in the next 10 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fast food is expected to be the fifth-fastest-growing occupation during the same period, according to Demos, a think tank focused on low-wage workers. "Fast-food workers are the public face of our part-time, low-wage economy. " 

NOTES AND COMMENTARY:

(1) .McDonald's in western Auckland  which in New Zealand is $14.25 NZD, or roughly $12.35 in U.S. dollars. ***  Back in the 1980's I would have loved the minimum wage  of $8.25 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, fast food workers are at just about the very bottom of American earners. Worst of all the fast food "business" is  made up out "part time workers" , so 15 dollars an hour for 3 hours may not pay off your mortgage . You are not getting $15/hour Burger Jockeys. Sorry. These jobs are temporary positions, not CAREERS. Want a better job fry cooks? Get off your ass and go to school or learn a trade that makes you more valuable.