Monday, June 28, 2010

Jan Brewer: One Feisty Lady!

In case you haven't had a chance to watch this, I thought I would post this here. [the actual youtube video of the commercial] I am just disgusted with the way the security needs of Arizonans are being trifled with as each day passes.

We have crisis after crisis, all of which have solutions, but none of which are being resolved. Could it be purposed this way?

Something as simple in 'theory' as border security. It is fairly scary to think third world countries have better border security than does the 'mighty' U.S.A! 524 National Guard troops for a whole 120 days for Arizona. Really, Mr. President? Really, Dir. of HOMELAND SECURITY Napolitano?

Over a little east of Arizona, in the Gulf of Mexico a growing oily nightmare is undulating towards pristine beaches while wiping out eco systems and wildlife in its path. All the while a huge skimmer with impressive equipment sits in the docks of Virginia that could make a significant difference in the Gulf in terms of clean up. But the pesky 1920 law, known as the Jones Act, prevents it from leaving the docks to head over and start cleaning up. It is a Taiwan Flagged skimmer.

Desperate to protect Alabamans, the governor of Alabama secures the 200 miles of his coastline first with huge booms, 7 meters high and weighing tons; they are ripped up by the coast guard and moved to Louisiana. Then, Alabamans bring in snare booms to catch the oil before it washes up on shore. They are foiled by the Fish & Game folks. Lastly, they hire 400 people to patrol their beaches scooping up oil, and OSHA shuts them down saying they could only work 20 minutes out of each hour and no more than 40 minutes in 2 hours! [see dickmorris.com for detail] These incidents are becoming common place. The Barakracy that is this administration has become so frustrating and inhibiting when it comes to innovative ways to stop or clean up the spill, stifling the initiative of thousands whose livelihoods, culture and homes are being threatened. Then there is helpless wildlife falling victim!

The president is preaching 'stimulus' to countries who are no longer able to sustain their own governments instead of being fiscally responsible. His prognosis for the patient known as the US Economy is to leave the gaping wound open and pulsing life blood out while continuing to pump blood replacement in through the heart! Doesn't work.

Jobs: In April of 2009 we all thought the big stimulus package was going to put people back to work and right the messed up economy but here we are 14 months later and hearing that most of the jobs lost are simply gone forever! OOPS!

Treasury Secretary, Tim Geitner declares: "I think the world understands now that growth in the future around the world cannot depend as much on the United States as it did in the past." Really? Why do you suppose this is?

All these crisis, daily growing in disastrous proportions, BUT, not to worry! The senate agreed to give the President the power to shut down the internet for up to 4 months at a time! There you have it folks!!! Imagine, if it becomes law, how many months is it until November exactly? If the internet is shut down the INFORMATION HIGHWAY would no longer be a problem for this administration! Let's face it, with all these bloggers, the news folks, this president is stuck between a hard place and a rock under 24/7 scrutiny and having to adjust his daily policy on the whim of the majority du jour!

It is thoroughly disgusting! First part of his reign had our heads spinning as he announced he would close Gitmo by year's end; that he would allow the CIA and prosecutors to be tried for their part in alleged torture of the bad guys; that he changed the terminology from War on Terror to 'man made conflict' and spent a week and a half traveling the middle east apologizing for what he perceived as America misbehaving for the past 8 years. As if he were a parent and making a huge apology to the school authorities for his child's acting out. We braced ourselves as the Congress passed Cap and Trade and then the focus shifted to a rush to pass Obamacare! We began this year with a reaffirmation of many of the same topics in his State of the Union speech but as the year has progressed many begin to suffer from PTSD as we are hit day after day with one crisis, one foolish mistake, one act of Chicago Style politics after another. I feel like I should go on an apology tour and ask the world to forgive my President for embarrassing them and us with his attempt to 'fundamentally transform' America!

Enough already! It is bad enough so many of the folks in this country have hit upon hard times. There is not much security in their lives. Some have family and friends they are saying good bye to for the last time as they head over to Afghanistan for a 2nd or 3rd tour only to become a casualty. We have murder and mayhem in one of our border states that has robbed many of all sense of safety and security, and they live in a 'mighty nation'. Now untold destruction of the ocean, the teeming life in the ocean, the coast line and the people who will be adversely affected for years by this. Not to be forgotten those who were killed and injured in the initial explosion. This is just too much for the folks of this nation to endure all at once with NO credible assurance from the President or his administration that even a single one of these can be alleviated! Actually, you are hearing, Jobs? Gone forever! Border Security? Not until we get Immigration reform! War over in 2011? We'll be transitioning as is practical based on the assessment of the military. Oil spill clean up? What do you want me to do, suck it up in a straw? Hope and change 'who' can believe in? Promise everything; deliver on nothing.

November 2, 2010 seems likely to be the way Americans can pick themselves up by their boot straps, vote in the REAL CHANGE and then buckle down for the ride back to normalcy. There are many things that need reversed, overturned, fixed. Until then, GOD bless America! We surely need it!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

BP, Feds New Bailout Patsy

It's official!
British Petroleum is now the official banker for the Obama administration's 6 month moratorium on off shore drilling! Yep, the Obama administration made a federal decision to halt all offshore drilling, effectively shutting down some 30 plus drill sites and just as effectively putting tens of thousands of employees out of a job at least for the period of the moratorium. So now the new Bailout Patsy, bp will be anteing up the money to support those out of work during the moratorium, at least to the tune of $100, 000, 000.00!

It's one thing to hold the company responsible for the death and injuries of its employees as a result of the explosion. It is also expected and understandable to hold them responsible for the clean up costs, the recovery costs and the losses incurred due to the explosion and subsequent gushing well! Making them squirrel away $20B in an escrow account to be overseen and monitored by an 'independent third party' who just happens to be serving the US Gov, at least for a little while longer, is hardly an 'independent' third party. And this guy was also involved in the disbursements of the 'after 9-11' costs! [More on that red flag later.]

In addition to the 20 billion escrow and the 100 million moratorium associated costs there is also the reference to the folks there having a hard time since Katrina and Rita...as if that is also bp's fault! The economy stinks because it stinks. Recovery has been slow, even absent the disasters of Katrina and Rita. This incident is surely going to have long term consequences but reach back and pull in hurricane recovery and manipulate Americans into seeing all of this as some how due them by bp is wrong! The moratorium is Obama's administration's doing. It is a knee jerk response, and many believe a political one, to this event. While bp's explosion and subsequent disaster was the precipitous factor in the moratorium bp had nothing to do with the decision to enforce the moratorium. Why are they being made to pay? Political equity!!! That's it.

About the independent third party doling out of dollars...mark my words...look at the date of this blog entry...I venture in 2 or 3 months, maybe even longer, we will be hearing of accounts of people who had been getting payments from bp but once the government's 'independent third party' took responsibility the disbursements are not forthcoming! Do we need a replay of how miserably the funds were disbursed after 9-11?

All in all, on the President's comments after his meeting with the bp folks, I heard NADA about what is being done to 'clean it all up'! He still hasn't addressed why he has not suspended the Jones Act; or, why he has not taken the Dutch up on their offer to assist? The precedent exists.

Yes, there needs to be an accounting. The why's, the how's and the when's. Yes, bp and their associated partners bear absolute culpability for this incident, at this time. But, as we see the economy continue to sink, as we see jobs lost that are even remotely related to the Gulf region, will British Petroleum now be the new China writing checks to bail out America [with out the pay back factor?] with every nuance that something may be related? Do I get to send a request to bp for damages because the price of oil is sure to go up and due to my own unemployment the hardship of the additional costs is something I should not have to bear? Where does it all stop? When do we stop gutting private business? When do we stop the blood letting of corporations simply because they have money? When do we begin to live within our own means, understand in order for people to get back to work, for the economy to be revved back to life we need to stop rendering the life's blood of this country anemic?

bp is a multi national corporation. When we eviscerate them and render them incapable of paying the bill who then will pick up the tab? What is the 'administrative' fee going to be for the 'independent third party' to dole out monies? What legal language is in place to assure ALL the money goes to those who will need it and not just to pay back the coffers of ill spent federal monies? The president said they took steps to set up this fund, including all the LEGAL steps, to make sure the people who need the money get it.

No doubt, this is an horrific event, an incomparable crisis and will destroy much before it assimilated by mother nature. There is accountability. bp so far is willing to step up and do their part. Let it be minus the Chicago style tactics, let it be without alienating allies, let it be apolitical and let it bring all things back to a balance as soon as possible.

These are my thoughts...what say you?