Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Crazy 5.17.11
I don't know where to start. Last few weeks have been crazy. First after Bin Laden was killed I was initially very happy about it. I do believe, obviously, he deserves justice for what he did, but I rethought exactly what we did. Ron Paul made a great point about this on a radio show last week. The media is all up in arms about what he said without really listening to it. It strikes me as somewhat odd that we have captured all of the other terrorists yet we had to kill Bin Laden. I am not saying he is innocent or anything like that, but I do think we have to be consistent with our legal system. The evidence should be presented in a court of law. In this country you are innocent until proven guilty. 9/11 or any other excuse DOES NOT CHANGE THIS. I believe that several of the terrorists who planned 9/11 should be tried in civilian court. Another thing that is bothering me is that people seem to be giving Obama a free pass when they did not give one to Bush. If you look at his record: 1. We are not out of Iraq 2. He tripled the troops in Afghanistan 3. He increased predator drone attacks in Afghanistan 4. He has not closed the prison facility at Guantanamo Bay Cuba 5. We do not know for sure if he has ended illegal torture practices or as Dick Cheney likes to call it"enhanced interrogation" in other words we can't call it torture. The people need to start seeing through the BS of the establishment. The media never properly questioned the Iraq War and they continue to give a pass for Obama on almost everything. Obama is fundamentally a tool of the elite establishment. He is nowhere close to the figure he ran on in 2008. He is a supporter of big government in every way. He has increased militarism and wants to expand the government in almost every area. He is definitely not a man of the people. If anything he is more closely aligned with the special interests than any president in history. He gave Wall Street everything they wanted in order to "save the economy". This really means he stole taxpayer dollars and gave it to rich CEOS and billionaires. Isn't that "socialism". I guess the corporate elite love socialism when they are bankrupt. Smoke and Mirrors 101. Tired of this stuff
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Daily Dose 4.12.11
Ok it has been a while. This is long overdue, but it is time for another rant. What I have seen in the last few weeks has been nothing short of stunning.
As everyone knows Congress passed their big "budget deal" Friday night to avoid a government shutdown. They produced a whopping 38 billion dollars in cuts! We are running a 1.6 trillion dollar debt this year so this whole debt debate is a political sideshow. The democrats wanted to blame the republicans for shutting down the government and the republicans want to blame the democrats for not wanting to cut any spending. The fact remains the fiscal crisis lies largely in defense spending and Medicare. We could not touch Medicare very much if we ended the three wars, closed 50 percent of our bases overseas and slashed defense spending across the board by 10 percent. That would save at least 500 billion dollars and you would not have to go after the social programs as much. Medicare must be cut a little bit because it is just running too much of a deficit, but defense is a more political viable way to cut spending. The fact remains there is not leadership in Washington on this issue and each side is trying to position itself to attack each other for the 2012 election. I am tired of the political games because it is obvious that both sides remain controlled by corporate interests. The unwillingness to touch any defense spending tells me that the defense contractors still have a firm grip on Congress. Obama promised to run the most "transparent" government in history and go after lobbyists. His empty promises are not surprising yet reveal him to be another typical politician. I would like to see some bold decision making and no more decisions purely based on politics.
I do not hear much out of Libya largely because Kadafi is still in power and it makes our operation look weak in my view. No one knows how it will turn out so it is not really practical to comment on it.
Gas prices continue to sky rocket. It is being caused largely by inflation, but also by speculators. The fact that we are still so reliant on Middle Eastern oil is stunning and gas prices have hit 3.99 a gallon here in Michigan. They will go close to 5 because there is nothing being done about this. We have no other sources of energy and the oil companies want to keep it that way. The CEO of Wall Mart is also warning about inflation this summer and this could stall any economic recovery. What we need to do is simple:
1. Cut defense drastically
2. Consider increasing taxes on the top 1 percent of Americans making over 250,000 dollars a year.
3. Confront China and address their continued manipulation of their currency.
4. Increase taxes on any company that ships jobs overseas.
5. Break the political establishment's favor of trade organizations like NAFTA and CAFTA.
Doing these things will take increased pressure on all politicians and right now I do not see it.
As everyone knows Congress passed their big "budget deal" Friday night to avoid a government shutdown. They produced a whopping 38 billion dollars in cuts! We are running a 1.6 trillion dollar debt this year so this whole debt debate is a political sideshow. The democrats wanted to blame the republicans for shutting down the government and the republicans want to blame the democrats for not wanting to cut any spending. The fact remains the fiscal crisis lies largely in defense spending and Medicare. We could not touch Medicare very much if we ended the three wars, closed 50 percent of our bases overseas and slashed defense spending across the board by 10 percent. That would save at least 500 billion dollars and you would not have to go after the social programs as much. Medicare must be cut a little bit because it is just running too much of a deficit, but defense is a more political viable way to cut spending. The fact remains there is not leadership in Washington on this issue and each side is trying to position itself to attack each other for the 2012 election. I am tired of the political games because it is obvious that both sides remain controlled by corporate interests. The unwillingness to touch any defense spending tells me that the defense contractors still have a firm grip on Congress. Obama promised to run the most "transparent" government in history and go after lobbyists. His empty promises are not surprising yet reveal him to be another typical politician. I would like to see some bold decision making and no more decisions purely based on politics.
I do not hear much out of Libya largely because Kadafi is still in power and it makes our operation look weak in my view. No one knows how it will turn out so it is not really practical to comment on it.
Gas prices continue to sky rocket. It is being caused largely by inflation, but also by speculators. The fact that we are still so reliant on Middle Eastern oil is stunning and gas prices have hit 3.99 a gallon here in Michigan. They will go close to 5 because there is nothing being done about this. We have no other sources of energy and the oil companies want to keep it that way. The CEO of Wall Mart is also warning about inflation this summer and this could stall any economic recovery. What we need to do is simple:
1. Cut defense drastically
2. Consider increasing taxes on the top 1 percent of Americans making over 250,000 dollars a year.
3. Confront China and address their continued manipulation of their currency.
4. Increase taxes on any company that ships jobs overseas.
5. Break the political establishment's favor of trade organizations like NAFTA and CAFTA.
Doing these things will take increased pressure on all politicians and right now I do not see it.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Daily Dose 3.29.11
Been a couple days. Finally got around to updating.
Well the action in Libya continues. President Obama gave an address last night and said that the mission was humanitarian and had nothing to do with getting rid of Kadaffi. This does not sound like a plausible explanation to me. How can you invade a country to stop a mass killing then leave that same dictator in power? It does not make sense to me and it leads me to believe that we will not leave Libya until Kadaffi is somehow out of power either by rebel action or our own actions. This action is very troubling to me at a time when we have so many problems here at home. It feels as though the Middle East is beginning to implode. There is unrest in Syria, Bahrain and Yemen. Are we going to invade those countries if those governments kill rebels? I don't think we are being told the truth about this mission. Something doesn't feel right. I can see this as potentially becoming another quagmire. I hope not, but I can see it. I also ready a story that said we spent 600 million dollars in six days. That is ridiculous. We can't afford this type of military spending anymore when we have so many problems here at home. Here is an easy solution: Get out of the Middle East and close overseas bases. Do it now.
Gas prices continue to remain high and it doesn't look like they are going down anytime soon. I can see them hitting over 4 dollars easily this summer which will put a major drain on consumer spending which drives the economy. There is also a good article in the Washington Examiner about potential inflation. Food and gas prices could take a huge toll on the economy and plunge us back even further. I seriously worry about the possibility of a higher standard of living. http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/nation/2011/03/inflation-worries-push-consumer-confidence-lower
Later
Well the action in Libya continues. President Obama gave an address last night and said that the mission was humanitarian and had nothing to do with getting rid of Kadaffi. This does not sound like a plausible explanation to me. How can you invade a country to stop a mass killing then leave that same dictator in power? It does not make sense to me and it leads me to believe that we will not leave Libya until Kadaffi is somehow out of power either by rebel action or our own actions. This action is very troubling to me at a time when we have so many problems here at home. It feels as though the Middle East is beginning to implode. There is unrest in Syria, Bahrain and Yemen. Are we going to invade those countries if those governments kill rebels? I don't think we are being told the truth about this mission. Something doesn't feel right. I can see this as potentially becoming another quagmire. I hope not, but I can see it. I also ready a story that said we spent 600 million dollars in six days. That is ridiculous. We can't afford this type of military spending anymore when we have so many problems here at home. Here is an easy solution: Get out of the Middle East and close overseas bases. Do it now.
Gas prices continue to remain high and it doesn't look like they are going down anytime soon. I can see them hitting over 4 dollars easily this summer which will put a major drain on consumer spending which drives the economy. There is also a good article in the Washington Examiner about potential inflation. Food and gas prices could take a huge toll on the economy and plunge us back even further. I seriously worry about the possibility of a higher standard of living. http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/nation/2011/03/inflation-worries-push-consumer-confidence-lower
Later
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Daily Dose 3.24.11
Well the airs strikes continue on Libya. I posted several times for a few weeks that some steps were needed to stop the carnage in Libya, but I never advocated using missiles and weapons. Somehow arming the rebels and dropping food and supplies would have seemed to be an easier way to go. Getting involved directly in another military conflict seems to be the wrong way to go. We are already involved in two other countries. We have high unemployment (probably 17 to 18 real unemployment), a mortgage crisis, a crumbling educational system and a 1.6 trillion dollar deficit and a national debt of over 14 trillion dollars. President Obama has yet to articulate exactly what the mission in Libya is. Is it to get rid of Gadaffi or is it a humanitarian mission to protect the rebels? Picking sides in these conflicts is always difficult. Killing by a leader on his own citizens is never an easy thing to watch, but to be honest we did the same thing during the Civil War. Those comparing it to Rwanda or Sudan are being far fetched in my view. Just because there is a problem in the world does not mean we should always act with military force. Many Congressman have raised the point that the President should have gotten Congressional authority to launch the attack on Libya. This is a valid point, but under the War Powers Act of 1973 the President has 60 days to carry out the necessary mission without that vote. Some may argue that the War Powers Act may not be constitutional since the Congress is supposed to declare war and be a coequal branch of government. It is a complicated situation, but it is clear that the President has not clearly articulated the mission. The larger point is what are we doing in all these countries? He has tripled the number of troops in Afghanistan and we have not gotten out of Iraq. With all of our economic problems it is troubling that the focus is firing cruise missiles. The White House referred to the action as a "Kinetic Military Action" (http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/03/white-house-libya-fight-not-war-its-kinetic-military-action). So let me get this straight..Firing 200 cruise missiles into another country is not a war? Give me a break. It is a war and the White House is failing to admit that. This country needs to get its priorities straight. I have never seen things so out of sorts. We need leadership badly and it is clear we are not getting it.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Daily Dose 3.21.11
Been a few days. A lot of has happened. Here is my long awaited take on what is going on in Libya:
So I posted a few times on Libya before saying we had to do something in terms of humanitarian assistance. I still believe we have to help the people of Libya in some way, but doing it this way strikes me as utter stupidity. The problem is that based off of Obama's statement that "Kadafi must go" we are now engaged in a military action that cannot end until he is removed from power or killed. When I said provide assistance to Libya I meant possibly dropping medical supplies, food and water and maybe some arms to help them defeat Kadafi. Now what we have done is that we have put ourselves smack dab in the middle of the conflict. I said in my first post that it is about oil and IT IS. The reason the British and French are so eager to step in is because of their oil interests in Libya. They will not say this on TV and keep to the it's a "humanitarian mission" jargon. I don't know what humanitarian mission involves firing 112 missiles into a country for starters. Let's be blunt about it: WE ARE AT WAR WITH LIBYA. It is now too late to turn back since we are involved. If we cared so much about innocent civilians dieing why didn't we do anything in Rwanda or Sudan? It is because they do not have the oil Libya does. That is plain and simple. In Bahrain in Saudi Arabia protesters are being suppressed quietly because that is our #1 oil kingpin. The government of Saudi Arabia is as corrupt as they come, but yet we do nothing about them. Our hypocrisy and double standards are breathtaking. Does anyone really believe we will not have ground forces in Libya? Of course we will. A no fly zone will not be enough to defeat Kadafi which is now our mission. Who takes his place if he is gone? We have put ourselves smack dab in a civil war while we are already engaged in 2 overseas wars and where our entire economy is crumbling. The world is an evil and mean place, but we cannot stop every killing and every war. We can do our best to help and aid the rebels without directly getting involved. That is our best option, but yet again we take the wrong position. Yet again we are getting involved where we shouldn't. Something smells like Iraq all over again. March 20, 2003. March 20, 2011. Yes it is exactly 8 years later.
So I posted a few times on Libya before saying we had to do something in terms of humanitarian assistance. I still believe we have to help the people of Libya in some way, but doing it this way strikes me as utter stupidity. The problem is that based off of Obama's statement that "Kadafi must go" we are now engaged in a military action that cannot end until he is removed from power or killed. When I said provide assistance to Libya I meant possibly dropping medical supplies, food and water and maybe some arms to help them defeat Kadafi. Now what we have done is that we have put ourselves smack dab in the middle of the conflict. I said in my first post that it is about oil and IT IS. The reason the British and French are so eager to step in is because of their oil interests in Libya. They will not say this on TV and keep to the it's a "humanitarian mission" jargon. I don't know what humanitarian mission involves firing 112 missiles into a country for starters. Let's be blunt about it: WE ARE AT WAR WITH LIBYA. It is now too late to turn back since we are involved. If we cared so much about innocent civilians dieing why didn't we do anything in Rwanda or Sudan? It is because they do not have the oil Libya does. That is plain and simple. In Bahrain in Saudi Arabia protesters are being suppressed quietly because that is our #1 oil kingpin. The government of Saudi Arabia is as corrupt as they come, but yet we do nothing about them. Our hypocrisy and double standards are breathtaking. Does anyone really believe we will not have ground forces in Libya? Of course we will. A no fly zone will not be enough to defeat Kadafi which is now our mission. Who takes his place if he is gone? We have put ourselves smack dab in a civil war while we are already engaged in 2 overseas wars and where our entire economy is crumbling. The world is an evil and mean place, but we cannot stop every killing and every war. We can do our best to help and aid the rebels without directly getting involved. That is our best option, but yet again we take the wrong position. Yet again we are getting involved where we shouldn't. Something smells like Iraq all over again. March 20, 2003. March 20, 2011. Yes it is exactly 8 years later.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
NHL Final Standings and Cup Prediction 3.16.11
Yes the long waited predictions are here:
Final Standings in East:
1. Washington
2. Pittsburgh
3. Boston
4. Philadelphia
5. Tampa Bay
6. Montreal
7. Buffalo
8. Toronto
Final Standings in West:
1. Vancouver
2. San Jose
3. Detroit
4. Chicago
5. Phoenix
6. Los Angeles
7. Calgary
8. Nashville
I will wait for the actual playoff match ups by round for specific predictions, but I will make my Stanley Cup Final and Champion Predictions:
Stanley Cup Finals: Washington Capitals vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Champions: Chicago Blackhawks
They have the offensive firepower to make a deep playoff run (Toews, Kane, Sharp and Hossa) and are peaking at the right time. They are also 2nd in the NHL in goals scored (227). They are 7-1-2 in the last 10 games and are showing the same signs they did last year of a deep playoff run. They are a physical team and Corey Crawford is a solid goaltender. I like their chances to repeat.
Why Vancouver and Detroit won't make the finals:
Vancouver has been a solid team all year, but their weakness always seems to be that hunger and fire in the playoffs. Kesler has had an amazing year and he may be a spark plug in the playoffs. I just do not see them winning this year. I think they are the new San Jose who dominates the regular season, but struggles in the playoffs. I really do believe if they do not win this year they will never do it. They had a good of a year as you can have. A good sign however is that they have only given up 79 goals all year. Luongo is a solid goaltender that could lead them to a run.
The Red Wings won't make the finals for a few reasons. I think they will lose in the 2nd or 3rd round. They are getting over injuries they had earlier in the year. Rafalski coming back will be a huge addition for them. I think that they have been weak offensively even though the numbers don't bare that out. Franzen leads the wings with 27 goals. With all the talent on that team to not have a goal scorer in the 30s is unacceptable. Franzen and Zetterberg should both have over 30 by now. I also believe that Howard lets in too many fluky goals with the defense they have. He has a 2.77 gaa and in my opinion that is not good enough to get it done in the postseason. With the defense they have to have a 2.77 gaa is absolutely ridiculous and inexcusable. He had a 2.26 gaa last year which is night and day with his numbers this year. If wings get a better goalie I like their chances next year to make a cup run.
Why Washington will make the finals:
I do believe this is Washington's year to make a run. Pittsburgh has finally been weakened to the point where Washington is the heavy favorite. Without Crosby and Malkin Pittsburgh doesn't have much of a chance. Crosby may come back, but what kind of condition will he be in? Ovechkin is really starting to play again and Backstrom is as solid of a player you will ever get. Ovechkin has 11 points in the last 8 games. Their defense has improved and they only have 83 goals against all year which is the 5th best in the league. I like their chances to make the cup. Philly is slumping and will not get it done in the postseason. With Pittsburgh weakened no team will beat Washington in the East.
In a few weeks I will make my first round predictions when the match ups are announced. Stay tuned...
Final Standings in East:
1. Washington
2. Pittsburgh
3. Boston
4. Philadelphia
5. Tampa Bay
6. Montreal
7. Buffalo
8. Toronto
Final Standings in West:
1. Vancouver
2. San Jose
3. Detroit
4. Chicago
5. Phoenix
6. Los Angeles
7. Calgary
8. Nashville
I will wait for the actual playoff match ups by round for specific predictions, but I will make my Stanley Cup Final and Champion Predictions:
Stanley Cup Finals: Washington Capitals vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Champions: Chicago Blackhawks
They have the offensive firepower to make a deep playoff run (Toews, Kane, Sharp and Hossa) and are peaking at the right time. They are also 2nd in the NHL in goals scored (227). They are 7-1-2 in the last 10 games and are showing the same signs they did last year of a deep playoff run. They are a physical team and Corey Crawford is a solid goaltender. I like their chances to repeat.
Why Vancouver and Detroit won't make the finals:
Vancouver has been a solid team all year, but their weakness always seems to be that hunger and fire in the playoffs. Kesler has had an amazing year and he may be a spark plug in the playoffs. I just do not see them winning this year. I think they are the new San Jose who dominates the regular season, but struggles in the playoffs. I really do believe if they do not win this year they will never do it. They had a good of a year as you can have. A good sign however is that they have only given up 79 goals all year. Luongo is a solid goaltender that could lead them to a run.
The Red Wings won't make the finals for a few reasons. I think they will lose in the 2nd or 3rd round. They are getting over injuries they had earlier in the year. Rafalski coming back will be a huge addition for them. I think that they have been weak offensively even though the numbers don't bare that out. Franzen leads the wings with 27 goals. With all the talent on that team to not have a goal scorer in the 30s is unacceptable. Franzen and Zetterberg should both have over 30 by now. I also believe that Howard lets in too many fluky goals with the defense they have. He has a 2.77 gaa and in my opinion that is not good enough to get it done in the postseason. With the defense they have to have a 2.77 gaa is absolutely ridiculous and inexcusable. He had a 2.26 gaa last year which is night and day with his numbers this year. If wings get a better goalie I like their chances next year to make a cup run.
Why Washington will make the finals:
I do believe this is Washington's year to make a run. Pittsburgh has finally been weakened to the point where Washington is the heavy favorite. Without Crosby and Malkin Pittsburgh doesn't have much of a chance. Crosby may come back, but what kind of condition will he be in? Ovechkin is really starting to play again and Backstrom is as solid of a player you will ever get. Ovechkin has 11 points in the last 8 games. Their defense has improved and they only have 83 goals against all year which is the 5th best in the league. I like their chances to make the cup. Philly is slumping and will not get it done in the postseason. With Pittsburgh weakened no team will beat Washington in the East.
In a few weeks I will make my first round predictions when the match ups are announced. Stay tuned...
Daily Dose 3.16.11
It has been a few days...
Not a whole lot has happened. The Japanese situation is pretty severe and it is unclear how devastating the effects of this nuclear leak will be. It is unbelievable that so many have died. It is shocking with the technological capability of the Japanese that more warnings were not given and people didn't evacuate more inland. I feel that the United States is still ill equipped to dealing with a possible tsunami. I think nuclear power has some benefits, but the problem is that when something goes wrong the effects could be catastrophic. With oil there can be leaks that can be cleaned up, but a nuclear meltdown can cause great damage. America should continue to do everything it can to help them and to be quite honest our president should not be making NCAA picks and playing golf while all of these terrible world events are happening. When you take the oath to become president it should be a full time job. That's just my opinion.
I still can't believe what is going on with Libya. I am embarrassed at the leadership of this country. I've read a lot of comments about "minding our own business". I agree that Iraq and to a large extent Afghanistan have been complete disasters, but those saying never sending troops anywhere are dead wrong. Our country cannot stick its head in the sand every time. The people of Libya may appreciate us helping. We should not do this alone and the Arab League and the EU should go along. Gadhafi continues to attack and kill rebels using tanks and air attacks. We seem to be sitting around doing nothing. I am not a big believer in using force to solve problems, but it is obvious we should be doing things to help the people of Libya and prevent this carnage. I think the leadership in this country is dreadful right now. I think Bush was a terrible president, but what I am seeing right now is not much better. You can't sit back and let a dictator murder people like this. Something is terribly wrong about it.
That is all for today
Not a whole lot has happened. The Japanese situation is pretty severe and it is unclear how devastating the effects of this nuclear leak will be. It is unbelievable that so many have died. It is shocking with the technological capability of the Japanese that more warnings were not given and people didn't evacuate more inland. I feel that the United States is still ill equipped to dealing with a possible tsunami. I think nuclear power has some benefits, but the problem is that when something goes wrong the effects could be catastrophic. With oil there can be leaks that can be cleaned up, but a nuclear meltdown can cause great damage. America should continue to do everything it can to help them and to be quite honest our president should not be making NCAA picks and playing golf while all of these terrible world events are happening. When you take the oath to become president it should be a full time job. That's just my opinion.
I still can't believe what is going on with Libya. I am embarrassed at the leadership of this country. I've read a lot of comments about "minding our own business". I agree that Iraq and to a large extent Afghanistan have been complete disasters, but those saying never sending troops anywhere are dead wrong. Our country cannot stick its head in the sand every time. The people of Libya may appreciate us helping. We should not do this alone and the Arab League and the EU should go along. Gadhafi continues to attack and kill rebels using tanks and air attacks. We seem to be sitting around doing nothing. I am not a big believer in using force to solve problems, but it is obvious we should be doing things to help the people of Libya and prevent this carnage. I think the leadership in this country is dreadful right now. I think Bush was a terrible president, but what I am seeing right now is not much better. You can't sit back and let a dictator murder people like this. Something is terribly wrong about it.
That is all for today
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