BloggeRhythms

The Iranian deal hasn’t even been finalized yet, however, according to FoxNews.com: “Despite a ban on arms shipments to Iran under international sanctions, Russia appears willing to proceed with the sale of advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles to the country -- in a development triggering objections from the Obama administration.” 

 

In response, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told Fox News, “We have long expressed our concerns over reports of the possible sale of this missile system to the Iranians.”

Although Russia’s a party to the nuclear agreement, which keeps the arms embargo in place for five more years, the specific missile system is not technically prohibited under United Nations sanctions or the nuclear deal. 

 

Nonetheless, the State Department obviously does not want the sale to proceed with spokesman John Kirby saying, “We certainly object to it.”

What’s most important though is that while Iran clearly has no intention of curbing its aggression in the region, others have no compunctions of helping them achieve their goals. And since that’s the case, why would any rational individual relieve Iran of the sanctions that were working far better than any alternative could possibly achieve? The answer is, they wouldn’t.

The next item arose out of simple curiosity, regarding Trump, whereas it seems much is being made of his business acumen. Yet, his actual history is rarely, if ever, mentioned or discussed.

 

In that regard, an excerpt from The Self-Made Myth: The Truth About How Government Helps Individuals and Businesses Succeed by Brian Miller, Mike Lapham @alternet.org posted on July 9, 2012 provides some insight.

 

His father's business success, "not only provided Donald Trump with a posh youth of private schools and economic security but eventually blessed him with an inheritance worth an estimated $40 million to $200 million. 

 

“In 1974 Donald Trump became president of his father’s organization. During the 15 years following his ascension, he expanded and innovated the corporation, buying and branding buildings, golf courses, hotels, casinos, and other recreational facilities. In 1980 he established The Trump Organization to oversee all of his real estate operations.

“Trump eventually found himself in serious financial trouble. In 1990, due to excessive leveraging, The Trump Organization revealed that it was $5 billion in debt ($8.8 billion by some estimates), with $1 billion personally guaranteed by Trump himself. The survival of the company was made possible only by a bailout pact agreed upon in August of that same year by some 70 banks, allowing Trump to defer on nearly $1 billion in debt, as well as to take out second and third mortgages on almost all of his properties.  If it were not for the collective effort of all banks and parties involved in that 1990 deal, Trump’s business would have gone bankrupt and failed.”

After reading the preceding, a further calculation shed additional light on Trump’s current “wealth.” The charts employed were found on the web and input with assumptions gained from the article itself, using $40 million and $200 million as a base. And what’s revealed is that if Trump inherited $40 million in 1974 and left it untouched in any way, simple inflation would grow the value to over $200 million, 40 years later in 2015. Had the inherited amount been $200 million in 1974, the result would be over a billion dollars in 2015 due to inflation alone.

Which goes to prove that anyone at all could achieve a similar financial history by leaving huge inherited wealth stuffed in a mattress for 40 years or so. 

 

Inflation Calculator

$40,000,000 in 1974 to 2015 Value: $203,300,432.90 Annual Inflation: 4.05% Total Inflation: 408.25%

 

Inflation Calculator

$ 200,000,000 in 1974 to 2015 Value: $1,016,502,164.50 Annual Inflation: 4.05%   Total Inflation: 408.25%

Which brings us to today’s update on Bill Clinton’s wife.

An article on Daily Mail Online today, raises a perspective regarding Bill Clinton’s wife that needs to be addressed when considering her qualifications to become POTUS. 

According to the text, “The IT company Hilary Clinton chose to maintain her private email account was run from a loft apartment and its servers were housed in the bathroom closet.”

Daily Mail claims that ex-employees of Platte River Networks in Denver, Colorado, revealed “the outfit's strong links to the Democratic Party,” expressing shock that the 2016 presidential candidate chose the small private company for such a sensitive job.

While the small number of employees were aware of the Clinton contract were told to keep it secret, the “way in which Clinton came to contract a company described as a 'mom and pop' operation remains unclear.”

Although the recklessness of permitting her electronic correspondence to be handled in such an unsecure manner is obvious, at present the investigation focus remains on the material itself and it's contents.

However, another, and equally serious question arises whereas the situation illustrates a likely incapability to handle the level of decision –making required for the job of POTUS at all.

By comparison, if due to mishandling, sensitive, or classified material were to be placed at risk by a senior officer of a publically held business entity, the executive would not only be terminated, but almost certainly be deemed untrustworthy by any other organization, as well.

And, naturally, what else would come into play is that if something this unprofessional was done, what other aspects of the position have been mishandled? Which leads to the ongoing question: Joe Biden, Mayor Bloomberg, Jerry Brown, and Starbuck’s chairman and CEO, Howard Schultz, are you reading this? 

That's it for today folks. 

Adios