Look what hatred does

Look what hatred does.  It is infinitely expensive.  Most world markets are gaining on us. 

Excuses might be found to justify hating every group, whatever person. 

There is always fallout from creating hatred.   

Learning from history, Nazi Germany is a recent example.  After losing a world war, feeling their nation sink with huge inflation, one group was selected for extermination.  But Germany itself ended up being destroyed.

One might wonder what Obama’s election did.  Did it threaten other groups, a black man leading the nation?

When members of one group are held responsible, there is a purpose.  It serves to prevent future violence. 

Judge a person on behavior, impression, etc.,  not on race or religion.  Trust your gut, absolutely.

Energy futures

Obama’s budget director, Peter Orszag, faced representatives about Obama’s  spending bill today.

Domestic energy manufacturers would have taxes  placed on their businesses,  squelching the development of alternative energy, one representative said.   Orszag said the future  is in alternative energy.  It is necessary to raise the capital.

But with half of our trade deficit spent importing oil,   why should  energy producers here be disadvantaged? Orszag’s reply was identical.

Is the Department of Defense a sacred cow? No, Defense Secretary Gates has been committed to finding waste  (Last year,  Senator Inoyhe cut $900 million from the budget.  They had no place to spend it).

Other countries are moving ahead, without the huge spending in defense, a representative said.  (People fear fear, so the Pentagon gets whatever they want).

Great goes with bad,  but we must think of the future.  This nation is still a leading innovator.  What is best, for new generations of people?

One banker’s effect on jobs

This post is from my Facebook page, 5/2009.

Ben Bernanke  made it clear in the House/Senate hearing . His work benefits bankers and Walll Street, at taxpayer expense. Despite the entire world economy going down the tubes,  Bernanke is oblivious. It is as if he has a huge Monopoly banking game, using taxpayer money to support banks. 
Less money for lending  is what resulted in job losses. 
There has been a huge downturn in the Gross Domestic Product, the total amount of things our country produces. Household debt is the highest since the 1930s, benefiting-you guessed it- credit card companies.

Representative Brady (D-Mass.) asked, When will people who run government get it that we can’t continue spending money like this? This is completely ignored by the Treasury.

Bernanke said we must maintain a strong corporate bond market. “Nothing spooks bond traders more than cheerful headlines about full employment or strong economic growth. When economic news is great, bond markets often take it as a bad sign.”
Who is the Treasury working for? Bernanke says there is a “big demand” from people with money overseas to buy up our debt, because it makes them big bucks. Our country imports more stuff than it sells, so that gives us  more  debt. I fantasized being a Senator for a minute. I would have asked: Is that why so much debt is being created?
Ultra Treasurer! Where is his cape? Bernanke wants the power to take over businesses that work with money, but aren’t banks, which has never happened before. “We do not have the power to wind down these businesses, such as AIG.” He wants a law letting him grab these institutions, but is calling it “regulation.”

The members objected to having our government own banks.

One senator asked, “Should it bother us , giving one person that type of power?” “But this is an extraordinary time! It is crucial we have this. But I would be happy to go over everything with you.” (He met privately with Congress members later). 

“We want to put the banks in a place where they no longer rely on government support,” Mr. Monopoly said.

Government invented a way to stop people from getting screwed. The Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Budget Office are our watchdogs. But Bernanke said a “code” stops the GAO or the Congressional Budget Office from investigating them.   “We hired our own auditing company to look us over (Oh, THAT reassures us!) .” The Treasury has its own ideas how to make money for investors, he said. We don’t care about “political considerations.”
Remember those million-dollar bonuses that AIG got? ” We should not object to high salaries of CEOs. We should structure this to performance.”(AIG execs scored all that money from the Fed!)

The senators and representatives asked three times about inflation. Bernanke said he could raise interest rates, but otherwise deflected the question. Inflation won’t happen immediately, but…

The 19 largest banks have been subject to “stress tests.” They must show they can take in money from other business people, instead of a government handout. , If they can’t “prove” they can do this, Mr. Monopoly will hand them what they want! Dr. Bernanke said, “It’s lots of work. We must go through many portfolios.” It might cost 275 BILLION dollars, or much more! With many people out of work, and new jobs not looking bright, is that how we should spend money
What about President Obama’s ideas for stopping jobs from going overseas? Nope. That would make businesses “less competitive. “  
The trade deficit is a contributor to the banking mess, but Bernanke wants to enable investors to put tax money into overseas businesses.

When people are unhappy, and there is high unemployment, there might be more support for a world war.
People should let their Senators and Representatives hear what they think.   Both parties have responsibility for the bad money state. Bernanke was  Bush’s financial advisor, but Obama  has let him stay.

People must think what is best for our country and the world. 

Don’t give up on us, Obama

The planet had high (unobtainable?) expectations from Obama.  We wanted Harry Potter elected.  I see it myself,  Washington doesn’t do change.
 Republicans just want to do the same thing.  Yes, maybe people didn’t realize how every bill has pork.  Breaking the oil monopoly won’t happen overnight. 
What a huge victory for Obama- preventing world war.   Them war barons have big money. 
With eight years of Bush, reports say there was no job creation this decade.  Previous decades grew about one-fourth.  Obama did more than Bush for people. 
But Obama can’t have everything he wants.  Each President gets it from the press, from people.  That is part of this nation.

Wake up call

Everyone is able to read my blogs.  They’re free.  I’m coining this phrase:  “If you can’t be rich, be interesting.”

Maybe I should be careful about what I write for.

On health care, I wrote many times on its prohibitive cost.  I reported the Treasury Secretary saying investors mattered more than consumers.  I wrote how Obama’s deficit was larger than Bush’s.  I wrote, “Nancy Pelosi said, after Democratic victories, ‘We learned not to be extreme.’  Maybe she forgot.”   I wrote how Senator Schumer represented Wall Street.   Barney Frank’s goal in starting a Consumer Financial Protection Agency wasn’t for regular people’s benefit.

My main goal is preventing world war.  Manipulating the banking industry was the huge prerequisite.  Plus, I’m a reporter, and the media wouldn’t report things I wrote.

I wrote how I studied Robert Kennedy’s murder.   It was blamed on Sirhan Sirhan.  There has been no justice for the perpetrator.

Who was on Obama’s guest list for the Kennedy Center party?

I would say the people of Massachusetts made a loud statement.  The  victim card has limits.  But there is one group, saying they oppose this group,  that would do no differently.

There is “will-grabbing.”   This is nothing new.  One person on the 1967 show “Lost in Space”  was Will Robinson.

I remain a huge Obama supporter.  We need his calm energy now, more than ever.  We don’t need war for global business- ask China, Germany, Japan, etc.  If there is a wake-up call, setting  limits leads the day.

I think Obama made errors, similar to President Kennedy.  Eisenhower, a General, said, in January 1961, “Beware of the military industrial complex.”   Kennedy defeated Nixon, who was from southern California  (then I was born, two days after the inauguration).

I read Robert McNamara’s book.  In March 1961, Kennedy listened to the CIA about the Bay of Pigs.  McNamara said the CIA lied to him.  After the invasion, Kennedy was pressured to send in U.S. troops.  But Kennedy learned from it, ending the nuclear standoff with Russia.

The Democrats are more likely to stop Big War, and represent the people.  But, please.  We must learn from the last world war.  No entire group must be persecuted.

Professor West letter reprint

 Hello Donald,

Richard tells me how you underwent a hip operation. I hope it went well, and you are recovering.

Enjoying my home in Washington. Written great blog notes, on Washington happenings. I lap swim five days a week, 1 1/2 miles a day. What positive energy it creates! In a program where I must save money.

I appreciate the trips we have taken together. Yes, I did throw up my hands a few times, “What would a vacation with Donald be without visiting graveyards?” But, Professor West, you showed a sharp eye for what we should see, where we should go. How relaxing Ireland was. The funniest memories happened in Russia.

Germany’s history and story were quite interesting. I most remember visiting the former Berlin Wall. It described the story of underground media, standing up to the Nazis. Despite the efforts of the Nazi regime, they never gave up, It resulted in a democratic Europe. I remember the look on your face, Professor West.

It motivated me, doing my part at preventing world war. No group should experience their own Holocaust. Providing solutions, or better alternatives, works well. Few profited from the Iraq war, for example. Alternative energy would provide the most new jobs.

It would be great, taking a new trip with you.  My work is gratifying. This is my life. Long as I voice my ideas, I’m happy.

Doing the lawyer thing

Obama has gotten a lot of noise about that airplane  bomber guy.  There has been the talking heads, saying the guy shouldn’t get tried. 

Don’t be mad at Obama.  He is doing the lawyer thing.  People might not understand.  He is smart.  If the terrorist is given a lawyer, we can hear more details on terrorists.  Worked in the past. 

If we give him “enemy combatant” treatment, he won’t talk.  He might do  habeas corpus.  No, that isn’t Garfield talking cats into joining the Marines.  That is he could say his imprisonment ain’t legal.  That would be more messed up.

Maybe the Obama-look-badders don’t want the guy talking!  Probably he might say stuff the Obama haters don’t want people knowing. 

Obama wants less bad stuff, not more.  Guess what- crime in this nation was way down last year!  What is the price for safety?

No war on humans

I am not interested in participating in the war on women, still. 

Groups of men in big cities view women as “competition.”  I do not want what women have. 

Men have traits, providing for their survival on the planet.  But violence begets more violence.  Then more violence follows, then more.  Soon, everyone feels the effects.

There is subtile propaganda.  The entire women species should look bad.  Then men might justify discrimination, etc.  Wall Street values shouldn’t be forced on the nation.

The People vs. the Greed

We remember the Bush years.  Whenever he would get in trouble, suddenly a bin Laden video or tape would show up.  We would hear how government sources got the tape.  The purpose was scaring people, doing fear. 

Bush used the technique so often, it became ridiculous.  New tapes would show up, but quickly disappear. 

It seems the government is working against its own people once more.  Now there is a new scare technique, the Inside Job Bomber.  We have heard lots of details, how many government bureaus looked over the latest bomber.  But they let it happen, let him on without a passport. 

-The suspects hail from oil producing nations.

-The usual suspects, such as Dick Cheney, question Obama.  Cheney received money from his war contracting firm, Halliburton, while Vice President.

-It has the supposed effect of Obama looking bad.  (Maybe Obama ignoring it was the best thing).  Obama wants world war prevented.  He wants the draft prevented, preventing huge debts, having the nation intact.  With our debt, it would be war the nation would lose. 

-Homeland Security is involved.  Lieberman, the Homeland Security leader, worked for Obama’s Presidential defeat. 

The nation’s leaders wouldn’t pay for Big War the way people would.  Support Obama.

European nations built their alternative energy future.

Great and bad in every group

There is great and bad in every group.  I am rewriting this story for this reason.

Dianne Feinstein was elected President of the Board of Supervisors , during a turbulent time in San Francisco’s history. 

 More than 900 members of Jonestown had moved from San Francisco to the jungles of Guyana.  In May 1978, they had killed themselves in a mass suicide. 

AS IF THAT WEREN’T BAD ENOUGH,  the following week, the major, George Moscone, and the gay supervisor, Harvey Milk, were murdered at City Hall.  It is up to Dianne to face the press.  She has a “oh, holy shit” look on her face.  “Somebody just killed my boss, and one of my fellow members of the Board of Supervisors.  The suspect is my fellow supervisor, Dan White.” 

(She didn’t really say it that way.  But I add “dramatic effect.”)

San Francisco had passed innovative gay rights legislation.  Now the city needed someone, other than a man, to run the place. 

Gays  held a “Dianne Feinstein Topless Lookalike” contest.  Didn’t have to look like Dianne, just have breasts similar to hers (It is still funny.)  She made Blackwell’s “Top Ten Worst Dressed Women” list, a rare feat for a politician. 

Then the spectre of AIDS darkened the horizon.  Dianne, after talking with health representatives, decided to close the bathhouses.  One thing was for sure- every gay man was scared to death.  But a section of gays made her be Anita Bryant. 

It was May 1985 when I moved to San Francisco.  Being age 24, I pedaled the entire city on my bicycle.  One month later,  Dan White committed suicide.   I didn’t know it then, but I lived on the edge of his neighborhood. 

Everyone looked to DiFi for what she would say.  “Let’s hope this closes the book” on the story, she said. 

I entered the Gay Games in 1986, in the wrestling meet (things never change).  When I signed in, we were given condoms.  Participants were quizzed on safe sex (instead of avoiding sports injuries, etc). 

Dianne spoke at the opening ceremonies.  It was literally at the last minute, I heard later.  She was in a sort of yellow jacket (yellow denoting the government).  But no one said bad things on Coronel Mustard.  She tried to make jokes, but the audience was silent.  Now I understand what nerve that took.  Twenty three years later, I’m grateful.  My stubborness proved to be one of my best qualities.