Category Archives: Opinion

Fukushima, Opinion

Lesson from Japan; you can never prepare for Mother Earth

Not only can you never be prepared enough for Mother Earth, but you can not rely on your government for help.  Time after time, natural disasters through out history proves this.

It is clear that any disaster preparations in Japan, prior to the 9.0 quake/tsunami, were not enough.  In several coastal towns the sea barrier walls did not stand up to the tsunami.   Previous ideas of how long people would have before a tsunami would hit, after an earthquake, were shattered.  There are coastal towns that have signs demarcating where the expected limits of any tsunami would be, but it’s now clear the tsunami blew past those expected limits.

It is also clear that the national government is not prepared for something like this, but we have to remember it is dealing with the nuclear disaster as well.  As a result, local governments are being burdened with dealing with the natural disasters, and many local officials are saying they are not equipped to do so. Local governments had expected the national government to handle such large natural disasters.  This is not a good sign for the rest of the world because Japan had always been looked up to as a shining example of disaster preparedness.

The residents of coastal towns and cities, that can be considered the ground zeros of the tsunami, could have never prepared enough.  Stocking up on food and water,  medical supplies, or any other item considered essential for survival, is a waste of time because it was all swept away by the floods.  Everything was destroyed.  However, in the periphery of the disaster, where many of the emergency shelters are, it is clear that preparations were not enough, as they have started running out of food, water, heating fuel and medical supplies.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t prepare.  People outside the disaster areas are now dealing with food, water and fuel shortages.  This is an example of why everyone, everywhere should have a stockpile of food, water and fuel.  You never know, you might just survive that big disaster, and that’s when you’ll need the basic necessities.

Clearly disaster preparedness in Japan shows signs of underestimating potential disasters, overestimating the effectiveness of preparations, and overestimating any government assistance.

Business/Economics, Fukushima, Opinion

Japan Disaster start of Global Great Depression

For a third day, the DOW fell big, along with other U.S. stock markets.  Stock markets around the world being affected. This is because Japan has become the “parts” supplier to the global economy.  Auto parts to electronic chips are made in Japan.  This production has come to a virtual stand still.  One analyst said that if this situation lasts a few weeks (best case) consumers can expect noticeable increases in prices.

It must be remembered that the Great Depression, that hit the United States in the 1930s, was not solely caused by the investment/finance crash of ’29.  What put the U.S. into a Great Depression was the loss of its main industry at the time; agriculture. Because of the quake, tsunami, and now nuclear disaster, Japan has essentially lost its main industries.

Until the Second World War, agriculture was the biggest industry in the U.S.  Most Americans worked in farming, or agriculture related jobs.  The industry was hit by a disaster that was a combination of Mother Earth, and man made.  The plain states, and mid west, had been dealing with a major drought, and,   farming techniques destroyed the top soil.  This is where the term “Dust Bowl” came from.

The result was that hundreds of thousands of Americans lost their jobs and their homes, just from the collapse of the agriculture industry. Combined with the losses of the finance/investment industries (which affected manufacturing) this created the Great Depression.

The World is already in a major financial crisis, bigger than what hit the world prior to the Great Depression in the U.S. (other countries, like Germany had already experience a depression). Now we have the natural/man made disasters that could push the World into a Great Depression.

Never before have the economies of the World been so tied together.  We have a dominoes situation. Japan, being a major parts supplier, could be the dominoe that starts the fall.

Business/Economics, Opinion, U.S.

Economy About to Crash? What Happened to Recovery? 10 Reasons

March 10, 2011.

“I think this is the beginning of something severe.” said chief investment strategist at Windham Financial Services, Paul Mendelsohn. He’s referring to the more than 220 point drop in the DOW, which got little to no mention in national TV news coverage on March 10. There’s a lot of legitimate reasons for investors getting out of the market, not just in the U.S., but world wide. Those reasons also prove that there is no economic recovery.

Reason 1: First time jobless claims, in the U.S., for state benefits went up, more than expected (again).

Reason 2: World wide unemployment is high. Most of the violence around the world involves unemployment. The current crisis in North Africa and the Middle East is due, in part, to high unemployment rates. In 2010 Macedonia took the top spot with an official unemployment rate of 33.8%. How can the global economy recover when there are so many people not making any money to buy things with?

Reason 3: U.S. trade deficit increased (again).

Reason 4: China’s trade deficit increased (a surprise).

Reason 5: Credit ratings for Greece and Spain decreased (again).

Reason 6: Oil prices remain high, and still look to go higher (it’s interesting how analysts predicted the increase in price, without even considering, or knowing, that there would be a “revolutionary” crisis affecting many oil producing countries, or did they, mmmm?)

Reason 7: Food prices are increasing, worldwide. The UN (United Nations) says it does not see any improvement in food supply worldwide. I have read that Chinese wheat farmers will have only enough harvest for subsistence in 2011, nothing left over to sell. Across the world the food supply (“supply” is the key word, because some areas have plenty of crops but they aren’t getting to market) situation is getting worse for a number of reasons, from climate change, to the cost of transportation, to lack of credit, to political/social instability. A new problem adding to food supply issues is that migrant workers are not working. This is due to things like anti-migrant attitudes in the U.S., and the increasing violence in North Africa and the Middle East.

Reason 8: Union busting in the United States. Why should this be considered a factor? Because the goal of union busting is to reduce pay and benefits for employees. If workers are going to be making even less than what they are now, then that’s less they’ll spend while shopping. Gee, isn’t the U.S. economy a “consumer” based economy, which would mean the more a worker spends the better it is for the economy?

Reason 9: Stagnant pay for 90% of U.S. workers. Recently the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) reported that their own study, into the wages and salaries of taxpayers, reveled that 90% of taxpayers had no increase in pay in the past 20 years (when adjusted for inflation). The study also showed that the top 5% of taxpayers saw a 33% increase in earnings over the same period (also adjusted for inflation). Basic economics states that for an economy to do well the money in the system needs to go through as many hands as possible. Clearly the money is staying at the top and not trickling down.

Reason 10: This is probably a very important sign that there is no U.S. economic recovery. The world’s largest bond fund, PIMCO’s Total Return Fund, dumped all its U.S. government bonds, then moved into cash/cash equivalent big time. Why is that important? PIMCO used to be the biggest holder of U.S. bonds. That’s because they trusted that the U.S. government could pay its debts. By selling ALL its U.S. bonds PIMCO is indicating that they don’t think the U.S. government can pay back its debts. PIMCO has actually told other investors to get out of U.S. bonds. Not good. The move into cash is a traditional investor’s way of preparing for the worst. How much did PIMCO move into cash? In January PIMCO’s cash holdings were about 5%, now they are at 23%, a big jump. PIMCO is now selling off mortgage backed securities, this indicates that PIMCO is expecting another drop in the housing market.

There are plenty of other reason to list, you can do your own homework. Some of my sources: Voice of America, Reuters, CNN, Russia Today, The Atlantic. Do your own research, I’m not getting paid for this.

International, Opinion, U.S.

Libya is Not in the Middle East

March 8, 2011, Chubbuck, Idaho.

I’m getting tired of U.S. media outlets constantly referring to the events in Libya as “more trouble in the Middle East”, or, “oil prices rising due to crisis in the Middle East” (and then showing video of Libya). Libya is not in the Middle East! Is this proof of the dumbing down of the U.S. Media? Ironically, Geography must not be important to media outlets that serve the Empire of the United States. Libya is in North Africa! Egypt, Libya, Tunis, Algiers, Morocco, these are the countries that make up the top half of North Africa. They are also countries that are continuously mislabeled as Middle Eastern. Just because there are a lot of Arabs (a branch of the Semitic) living there, and most of the people are Muslims, does not make it the Middle East.

Idaho, Opinion

East Idaho Media Misleads on School Levy Issue

March 8, 2011, Chubbuck, Idaho.

Today I voted on our local school district’s supplemental levy.  The ballot clearly states “7,500,000 for 2011-2012 and 7,500,000 for 2012-2013” school years. Do the math, that’s 15 million over two years.  I watched a local TV news live report, 5 & 6pm, on the voting.  In the 6pm newscast their live reporter clearly said that the levy for my district was “1.5 million”.   That’s one point five million, say what?  It is clearly stated on the ballot that it’s seven and a half million each year over two years, which equals fifteen million, not one point five million.  I checked the local TV station’s website, and even on their web site they have a story from the day before that says my district’s levy is: “Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 Supplemental Levy – $7.5 million per year for two years“.   Either their live reporter is deliberately misleading the audience (as well as the anchors because they did not correct her), or their reporter needs to go back to school and retake math (same for their anchors)!

Idaho, Opinion

Idaho Governor Misleads on Higher Education Scholarship

Idaho Gov. C. L. “Butch” Otter (R) has been running campaign ads touting a scholarship program that he takes credit for.  The problem is that the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship is turning out not to be what Governor Otter claims.

The fund was signed by Otter in March, 2007.  It’s partly funded through taxpayer refund donations.  As a sign of bad economic times, the contributions to the fund have not met expectations.  The scholarship is a last resort fund, which means students have to apply for other funding first.  The maximum amount of $3,000 is enough to cover tuition for two semesters at an Idaho Community College, but  not at an Idaho University.  Also, no new college students have be awarded the grant in the past two years.  In fact the number of current students getting the grant is 450, compared to 700 when the program started.

One Republican, and former Idaho State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jerry Evans, has announced that he is so upset with Gov. Otter, that he will vote for Keith Allred, Otter’s Democratic gubernatorial opponent.

Idaho, Opinion, U.S.

U.S. Youths Apathetic, the True End of the United States

I was talking with my adult kids, and my 14 year old, about what was going on in France.  They didn’t care.  I tried to relate the basic issues of the people feeling ripped off by their government, and corporations, to what is happening here in the United States.  They didn’t care.  I asked my 14 year old what her fellow high school students think.  They don’t care.  What the hell?

She explained that most high school students, at least in East Idaho, feel powerless and are blaming everything on anybody that looks different (most people in Idaho are non-Hispanic whites).  That includes blaming President Obama.

My adult kids backed up that explanation, with the addition that most youths feel that even violence wont change things.  Their co-workers feel powerless and would rather get away from the U.S., than waste any effort to try and change it for the better.  Part of that attitude comes from seeing what their parents have, and are, dealing with.  Hearing from their parents how nothing changes no matter who gets elected, or how many people protest.  Seeing that everything their parents worked for has been lost, or could be lost so easily.

A demonstrator and his daughter march through the streets to protest the French government's attempt to raise the minimum retirement age in Paris on October 19, 2010. Trade unions and students have staged nationwide street marches and disruptive strikes throughout France over the last few weeks. UPI/David Silpa Photo via Newscom

In other words, the future generations of the United States believe they have no say in how the U.S. is governed.  No say in the direction of corporations.  They feel that, essentially, they have no say in their own lives, as long as they stay in the U.S.  This is the true end of the United States.

It’s obvious the French youth still believe in their future, a future in France, because they are fighting for it.

A demonstrator marches through the streets to protest the French government's attempt to raise the minimum retirement age in Paris on October 19, 2010. Trade unions and students have staged nationwide street marches and disruptive strikes throughout France over the last few weeks. UPI/David Silpa Photo via Newscom

Business/Economics, International, Opinion, U.S.

French Strikers Kickin’ Ass, viva Nouvelle Révolution Française!

French strikes continue, should we dare call it Nouvelle Révolution Française?  Even French high school students are going head to head with riot police!  Today, the students have blockaded schools and set fire to cars.  Strikes actually started more than a month ago, and have only gotten bigger, viva les Français!

ATTENTION EDITORS - FRENCH LAW REQUIRES THAT THE FACES OF MINORS ARE MASKED IN PUBLICATIONS WITHIN FRANCE. High school students shout slogans as they block the entrance of the Thiers high school to demonstrate over pension reform in Marseille October 18, 2010. The banner reads High school students on strike . REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier (FRANCE - Tags: EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS EDUCATION CIVIL UNREST)

According to the French news agency, AFP, around 1500 gas stations have run out of fuel.  Workers at 11 of France’s 12 oil refineries have joined the country wide strike, protesting a two year raise in retirement.

French striking workers block the entrance of the oil refinery of Grandpuits, east of Paris, October 18 , 2010. France started to tap its industry strategic reserves as a growing number of pumps in French petrol stations were drying up on Monday at the start of a second week of action by refinery and port strikers to block fuel supplies over an unpopular pension reform bill. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier (FRANCE - Tags: CIVIL UNREST EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS ENERGY)

On Sunday French truck drivers joined the strike, blocking the country’s major highways.  Half of all airline flights in and out of France have been canceled.

French striking truck drivers demonstrate over pension reform on a motorway near Fresnes-les-Montauban, northern France, October 18, 2010. French truck drivers staged go-slow operations on highways, rail strikes intensified and petrol stations ran out of fuel on Monday as protests gathered pace ahead of a Senate vote on an unpopular pension overhaul. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol (FRANCE - Tags: CIVIL UNREST EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS TRANSPORT)

This is a major event taking place in Europe, with implications for the United States, yet, the U.S. Media is barely covering it.  Why?  Maybe it’s because the Corporate Controlled U.S. Media, and our Government, doesn’t want us getting any ideas?

The amazing thing is that the French are striking over a proposed two year increase to their retirement age, it hasn’t even become law.  Actually the retirement age issue is the final straw for most French.  They’re tired of constantly getting screwed over by their leaders.  Which brings me to my point, again, what’s up America?  We’ve endured so much more hyperbole here in the United States, yet where is the public outrage?

Maybe Americans are waiting for November elections to see change.  Idiots!  How many generations of Americans have played that losing game?  History shows that we the People have only gotten screwed over and over by our so called leaders!

Thomas Jefferson, a founder of the United States, and our 3rd President, warned:  “Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period and pursued unalterably through every change of ministers, too plainly prove a deliberate, systematic plan of reducing [a people] to slavery.” —Thomas Jefferson: Rights of British America, 1774. (*) ME 1:193, Papers 1:125

Wake Up America!

Business/Economics, Opinion, U.S.

Millions of French Continue Strike Against Government. Wake Up America!

For the forth day millions of French people are continuing a country wide strike against their own government.  Why?  Because their government wants to raise the retirement age from 60, to 62.

Private and public sector workers demonstrate over pension reforms in Marseille October 12, 2010. French trade unions began a fresh wave of strikes against pension reform on Tuesday, testing the resolve of French government as the unpopular bill edges closer to becoming law. Rail services, flights and sea ports ran below capacity as the unions kept up their battle against a plan to make people work longer for their pensions, including raising the minimum retirement age to 62 from 60. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier (FRANCE - Tags: EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)

Millions of French workers striking over a two year increase in retirement, while Americans continue to take it in the rear with taxpayer bailouts of banks that screwed over the financial industry, banks that are screwing over homeowners with a foreclosure fiasco, a Federal government that is screwing over its citizens in favor of corporations, and state governments that are cutting budgets to the bone because no one seemed to see the coming economic collapse.  Hello!

A man holds a placard which shows a caricature of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and reads Urgent, retired, quickly ! during a demonstration over pension reforms with private and public sector workers in Lyon October 12, 2010. French trade unions began a fresh wave of strikes against pension reform on Tuesday, testing the resolve of French government as the unpopular bill edges closer to becoming law. Rail services, flights and sea ports ran below capacity as the unions kept up their battle against a plan to make people work longer for their pensions, including raising the minimum retirement age to 62 from 60. REUTERS/Robert Pratta (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS CIVIL UNREST EDUCATION)

People, the United States of America was founded by Revolution.  That Revolution inspired other famous revolutions, like the French Revolution.  The French obviously have no problem continuing that tradition.  But what happened to the birth place of modern citizen revolt, called, the United States?  Many of the founders of the United States stressed the importance of periodic Revolution by the people in order to keep government in check.  Yet, it is considered un-American to talk about Revolution.  That is a sure sign that our country has been high jacked, and is being run by people who have no intentions of doing what is right by the People.

Firemen demonstrate over pension reforms in Nice, southeastern France, October 12, 2010. French trade unions began a fresh wave of strikes against pension reform on Tuesday, testing the resolve of French government as the unpopular bill edges closer to becoming law. Rail services, flights and sea ports ran below capacity as the unions kept up their battle against a plan to make people work longer for their pensions, including raising the minimum retirement age to 62 from 60. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard (FRANCE - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS)

Maybe it’s because the People have become too dependent on their governments to solve everything. The proof of that is the election of Barak Obama, because the People hoped he would bring change from the top down.  But here’s what Obama said, several different times: In 2008 “Real change comes from the bottom up, not the top down.” (goqnotes.com), and again in 2010, “Real change comes from the bottom up, and that is why we are here.” (c4ss.org).  Comedian Jay Leno has even questioned Obama’s running for President because of these statements.  After all, if real change comes from the bottom, why did Obama run on the Hope of bringing Change to the United States?  Because the People are lazy, or fearful, and Hope that the government will do it for them. Another way to take Obama’s ‘change comes from the bottom’ statements, is that he is subtly telling us that we, the People, are the ones who need to take action, to Revolution.

French students shout slogans during a demonstration over pension reforms with private and public sector workers in Lyon October 12, 2010. French trade unions began a fresh wave of strikes against pension reform on Tuesday, testing the resolve of French government as the unpopular bill edges closer to becoming law. Rail services, flights and sea ports ran below capacity as the unions kept up their battle against a plan to make people work longer for their pensions, including raising the minimum retirement age to 62 from 60. REUTERS/Robert Pratta (FRANCE - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS)

Or maybe it’s because, despite increasing school budgets year after year, since I finished high school in 1982, the quality of our grade school education has dropped like a rock. Americans are dumbed down. A prime example of our failing education system, both public and private, is the wacko political candidate named Christine O’Donnell.  In a recent debate she stated that we were in Afghanistan to “…finish the job…” against the Soviet Union (www.youtube.com).  What?  I thought it was to get Osama bin Laden because of September 11th, 2001?  She also said we were in Afghanistan in the “…80s and 90s…”.  Nooo, I don’t think so, not officially anyway.  We supported Afghans (Afghans that we are now fighting) in their fight against the Soviets, which ended in 1989.  Also, the Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1991.  There is an old saying: Stupid is as stupid does. (Maybe she really is a witch because her supporters seem to be under a spell)

A small group of police stand on alert during a march through the streets protesting the French government's attempt to raise the minimum retirement age in Paris on October 19, 2010. Trade unions and students have staged nationwide street marches and disruptive strikes throughout France over the last few weeks. UPI/David Silpa Photo via Newscom

Or maybe it’s because our government is actually spending our taxpayer dollars to spy on those of us who do stand up and challenge the system. Yes, the state of Pennsylvania revealed that they hired a company, co-owned by Israelis, to spy on activists.  They spent 103,000 taxpayer dollars to do so.  It was part of a Homeland Security operation.  The result?  Pennsylvania Bureau of Criminal Investigations chief, George Bivens, said the Israeli-American company’s spy report on the activists “…is unsubstantiated gossip.” (english.aljazeera.net).  So they just took the taxpayer money and ran?

A demonstrator wearing a mask of French President Nicolas Sarkozy marches through the streets to protest the French government's attempt to raise the minimum retirement age in Paris on October 19, 2010. Trade unions and students have staged nationwide street marches and disruptive strikes throughout France over the last few weeks. UPI/David Silpa Photo via Newscom

People of the United States, we can not afford to act like the proverbial frog in a pot of water, that is slowly heated until it’s too late to escape, and we are boiled alive.  Wake up!

Business/Economics, International, Opinion, U.S.

China No Longer Needs Us. November Elections. The Economy is Everything.

Beware of political promises, especially when it comes to the economy.  History shows politicians have a bad track record when it comes to ‘saving’ the economy.  Sometimes they get it right in the short term, but when it comes to long term planning, forget it.  Long term should be considered 20 years plus, not ten years, or more commonly, 5 years or less.

Big news in economics involving the world and the United States.  Last week a U.S. economics professor was quoted, in the European media, as saying the world was “…partially decoupling,” from the U.S. economy (www.bloomberg.com).  What he meant, and what I’ve be warning about in discussions with acquaintances and relatives, is that the “developing economies” (which should no longer be called “developing”) have now reached a point where they do not need the United States to be economically viable.  Those countries include India, Brazil and China.

How many times has you’ve heard how the Chinese need the U.S. economy in order to continue growing?  Remember how much the U.S. is in debt to the Chinese?  Now, realize they no longer need us economically.  Uh oh.

In other economic news, the IMF (International Monetary Fund) has revised, downward, it’s expectations for U.S. economic growth in 2011 (www.imf.org).  Some reasons are the amount of debt owed by the government, and, that economic data coming from the U.S. is never as good as predicted, and in some cases it’s worse.

Here’s an example: Today it was revealed, in a CNNMoney.com article, that according to the U.S. Department of Labor, for the second year in a row, the overall unemployment numbers need to be increased.  They are saying that, so far this year, 366,000 job losses have not been counted.  It was revealed, earlier this year, that 902,000 lost jobs had not been counted for 2009.  Also, the uncounted job losses for 2010 will not be officially added to the 2010 unemployment numbers until February 2011 (you have to keep that in mind every time you hear the “official” numbers reported this year).  One analyst says it is common in a bad economy to underestimate job losses.  Another analyst says the current employment models (formulas for predicting trends, or figuring out what happened) are not working.  Oh really?

We, the people of the United States, are in a predicament that was created by the short term policies of our corporate and political leaders.  Some countries called “developing economies” (formerly known as third world) have not only caught up with us, they are leaving us in their dust.  When you vote this November do your homework.  Investigate the candidates and the issues.  We need not only a high quantity of voting, but a high quality of voting.