BloggeRhythms 6/7/2013

On Fox News this morning, Brian Kilmeade interviewed Allen West, the former army lieutenant colonel and conservative Florida congressman who now thinks that Eric Holder’s a bigger threat to the U.S. than Al Qaeda. 

 

West referenced Cicero, the ancient Roman known as a philosopher, statesman, lawyer, orator, political theorist, consul and constitutionalist, because Cicero believed that open, outright enemies ordinarily identify themselves quite clearly. And therefore strategies and defenses can be devised against them since it’s quite clear as to what to expect. 

 

On the other hand, however, those on the inside are far harder to detect and defeat because they hide their damaging attacks, sneak behind your back, while lying continually all of the while to cover their tracks. Which are precisely things that West believes that  Holder does routinely to undermine the nation in any way he can.

        

Then, a few minutes later, I came across an article by Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill of the U.K.’s Guardian via Drudge, saying: “The National Security Agency has obtained direct access to the systems of Google, Facebook, Apple and other US internet giants, according to a top secret document obtained by the Guardian.”

 

The reporter’s continue that: “The NSA access is part of a previously undisclosed program called PRISM, which allows officials to collect material including search history, the content of emails, file transfers and live chats.”

 

And, apparently, this must be true because it irritated one of the administration’s closest allies, the Editorial Board of the New York Times who called the program “President Obama’s Dragnet.”

 

The Board issued it’s displeasure as follows: “[In} disclosure that federal authorities routinely collect data on phone calls Americans make, regardless of whether they have any bearing on a counterterrorism investigation, the Obama administration issued the same platitude it has offered every time President Obama has been caught overreaching in the use of his powers: Terrorists are a real menace and you should just trust us to deal with them because we have internal mechanisms (that we are not going to tell you about) to make sure we do not violate your rights.”

 

Then they went on to state something I never though I’d ever read on a page in the Times. “The administration has now lost all credibility on this issue. Mr. Obama is proving the truism that the executive branch will use any power it is given and very likely abuse it.”

 

And then, for me, came the clincher. Because this is one more time where the administration's retained a policy from “W” that’s proven itself to work for them, even though in 2007 the incumbent railed that the surveillance policy of the Bush administration, “puts forward a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we provide.” But then, they kept and now use that very same technique themselves. 

 

So here gain we have another set of proofs clearly defining the fact that the current administration’s only clear goals are to enhance and preserve its power. However, they haven’t the knowledge, skills or experience required for accomplishment. So, when they’re stuck, which is pretty often, they have to rely on the only proven success they can find…which time after time after time turns out to be “W,” the horrible, incompetent guy they claim to despise.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms 6/6/2013

Caught a clip of Rudy Giuliani on Sean Hannity’s program last night, discussing the incumbent’s decision to retain and/or promote three cohorts obviously not only unworthy of the positions they hold, but absolutory undeserving of promotion.

 

I found Rudy’s comments particularly interesting because he echoed my thoughts in yesterday's blog almost precisely. However, he stopped short of suggesting, as I did, that the incumbent’s arrogant defiance of logic, professional incapability and overall immaturity would lead to his presidential undoing. Nonetheless, I still think it will. 

 

On another matter demonstrating the administration’s incompetence in governance, Mark Murray, Senior Political Editor, NBC News, via Drudge, headed a column “Health care law's unpopularity reaches new highs.”

 

Mr. Murray writes that according to the incumbent, "Despite all the hue and cry and 'sky is falling' predictions about this stuff, if you've already got health insurance, then that part of Obamacare that affects you, it’s pretty much already in place. And that’s about 85 percent of the country.”

 

The incumbent then went on to say, “What is left to be implemented is those provisions to help the 10 to 15 percent of the American public that is unlucky enough that they don’t have health insurance."

 

And that’s the part that the incumbent either doesn’t realize is a problem, or worse…doesn't care if it is.

 

Nonetheless, without any kind of complicated formula, chart, or dissertation on political/economic theory, the simple basics of the health care tax are predicated on socialism and that’s the problem that can’t be fixed.

 

Because it doesn't really matter what kind of transference is involved at all. Be it healthcare, food stamps, or any kinds of welfare there are, if those who earn income cover the costs of those don’t, the costs to the earners go up because they must for the program to work as planned.

 

Consequently, in a free-market system like ours, the chances for success of a program like this are small from the start because of two major flaws. 

 

First and foremost, those paying the taxes supporting the system are far smarter than those on the government side of the line, which means they’ll find ways to protect their financial interests not even dreamt of yet, but they’ll certainly arrive.

 

Then there’s administration of the program itself which is proving to be far beyond governmental capabilities to implement or enforce. And what’s even worse for them, is that the IRS has been chosen for this formidable task. However when the Congressional investigations of IRS ineptitude, misconduct, negligence and ignorance are through, there may be no department left at all.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms 6/5/2013

Events of the past few days have changed the dynamics of the growing lists of conflicts between the incumbent and his Republican adversaries.

 

It now seems that congressional Republicans have successfully forced the administration to disclose its extreme incompetence. However, now their challenge becomes following through, to insure that the penalties not only fit the managerial mistakes and misdeeds, but are imposed in full and actually served by those involved. And that’s the part that most often falls short. Because more often that not, opposing politico’s let other politico’s off the hook.

 

Nonetheless, in the present scenario, Republicans have a rare opportunity to significantly  prevail, provided to them by their opposition itself. Because instead of attempting to fix problems caused by the arrogant incompetence of unqualified, incapable subordinates he himself chose, the incumbent’s decided to support them instead. In some cases, such as those of Susan Rice,  Kathleen Sebelius and Samantha Power, including undeserved promotions as well. And in that way he’s thumbing his nose at not only political foes, but drastically harming the nation and its citizens in the process.

 

So, what we have here is a proven failure leading a cadre of bumbling clones, whom have already established their gross incompetence. Thus, what that suggests is that with continuing research and inquiry, coupled with the growing accumulation of documented facts, those who’ve retained undeserved positions will be further exposed instead of being replaced.

 

Consequently, good governance long ago went out the White House window, replaced by thuggery, intimidation, cronyism, arrogance and nepotism. And if Republican’s who’ve been handed a gift-wrapped opportunity to overcome this totally inept, incapable crew don't get that done, they surely don’t deserve to remain in office either.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms 6/4/2013

The House Ways and Means committee heard testimony this morning from tea party groups asked inappropriate questions by the IRS about their donors, political affiliations and positions on political issues. It’s estimated that the additional scrutiny delayed applications for an average of nearly two years, making it difficult for many of the groups to raise money and operate effectively.

 

There’s plenty of information in the news about the hearing itself, so I won’t go into finite detail here. But what I found most interesting was how leading Dem committee members made especial effort to state, and get into the record, that politicizing of the IRS began with “W” Bush, and consequently all of the things that happened to the applicant’s was his fault. And after listening to a few of them twist the facts, distorting the objective of the investigation, I gave up and turned my TV off rather than wasting any more of my time.

 

I then scanned Drudge on-line and found an article by Steven Shepard of National Journal, regarding how badly the Gallup Organization miscalculated the outcome of the last presidential election.

 

According to Mr. Shepard: “Nearly seven months after President Obama won reelection by a margin of 4 percentage points, the world's best-known polling firm, identified in a new report four main reasons why their 2012 surveys badly understated Obama's support.”

 

I myself have never had much interest in polls, believing most are slanted or biased to some extent, while also doubting that that the average participant is unequivocally honest when answering. I also think there’s a tendency among many to hold back truths when asked particularly sensitive questions or when wishing to keep particular beliefs or positions private. Especially so if fearing particular answers might somehow come back to bite them. 

 

Nonetheless, being curious about how the world’s foremost polling organization handled it’s miscalculations and errors, I read on and found some things that were truly astounding.  

 

Michael Traugott, a University of Michigan professor, “joined Newport and Gallup methodologists to lead the project.” The professor said, "Political polling is the public face of survey research. And we know that confidence in the method and the image of the entire industry are related to how well the pre-election pollsters do."

 

He continued on with, “election forecasting is not the be-all, end-all of public polling. The purpose of the industry is not to estimate the outcome of elections per se. Polls also explain how voters feel about the candidates and the issues -- and how and why their opinions may change over time.”

 

And then I got to the part that set me to writing, which is: “But elections provide a check on the accuracy of this data, consumers of polls certainly have more confidence in research that proves to be accurate. This is particularly important for Gallup, whose historical trends make up a large share of what we know know about how Americans have felt about their government and its role over time. The way opinions have changed on social and economic issues is based in part on their past surveys.”

 

Now, if  I’ve read the preceding properly, by stating that “elections provide a check on the accuracy of this data,“ its the professor's belief that pollster's methodology's and procedures are what counts and elections themselves are nothing more than tools to help accomplish their goals. 

 

However, I believe the objective’s the complete reverse of their position and that they’re the ones who need to change their systems and formulae to achieve accurate voter measurement. Especially because, without other resources to gauge their performance and effectiveness, campaign mangers and personnel have little else to rely on. 

 

Consequently, if the data produced by top pollsters is wrong, the whole electioneering performance is subject to error and invalid expectation. And to get a better idea of how damaging those mistakes can be, I think the best one to ask is Mitt Romney who according to pollsters had the election in the bag until the actual votes were counted.  

 

That's it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms 6/3/2013

Since scanning for news didn’t yield much today, I was going to mention comments made by Laura Ingraham on Chris Wallace’s show Fox News Sunday yesterday morning. 

 

In brief, she opined that the current administration made a very big mistake by pulling our forces out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Further believing the withdrawal was harmful because it empowered enemies formerly fearing our presence, gave an impression of U.S. weakness, and worse, emboldened terrorists in other nations elsewhere in the region, such as Syria, Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt, no longer concerned by any kind of retaliation from us.

 

I thought the issue worth mention because it clearly demonstrated another example of how much damage poor, unqualified decisions affect our entire population. Yet, nothing can presently be done regardless of the potential peril for all whereas Dem's still control two thirds of voting power.

 

But then, as if the preceding isn’t ludicrous enough, I just now came across an article titled: “China Is Reaping Biggest Benefits of Iraq Oil Boom,” by Tim Arango and Clifford Krauss of The New York Times via Drudge.

 

According to the authors, “China already buys nearly half the oil that Iraq produces, nearly 1.5 million barrels a day, and is angling for an even bigger share, bidding for a stake now owned by Exxon Mobil in one of Iraq’s largest oil fields." 

 

Denise Natali, a Middle East expert at the National Defense University in Washington, said “The Chinese are the biggest beneficiary of this post-Saddam oil boom in Iraq. They need energy, and they want to get into the market.” 

 

The column also notes that “Before the invasion, Iraq’s oil industry was sputtering, largely walled off from world markets by international sanctions against the government of Saddam Hussein, so his overthrow always carried the promise of renewed access to the country’s immense reserves.”

So, putting all this together with Laura Ingraham's thoughts, the morons presently in DC feel that our presence in the Middle East is wrong. Consequently they push for removal of our troops which in turn destabilizes the entire region. But then, if that isn’t enough, they abandon the footholds gained, forgoing the assistance we provided to rebuild the failed Iraqi oil industry and permit the Chinese who did absolutely nothing to earn the right, to reap the rewards of what we and our military accomplished. 

Therefore, in conclusion, I’ve got to believe that if there’s anyone dumber or less capable of running a government, they’d have to be taking ignorance lessons. Because no one could possibly be this incompetent, shortsighted or blockheaded on their own.

That's it for today folks.

Adios

BloggeRhythms 6/2/2013

Nothing much new today, though things should heat back up this week as inquires continue on several administration scandals.

 

While searching Drudge, however, I came across an article “Obama was pushed by Clintons into endorsement of Hillary in 2016,” adapted from the new paperback edition of Edward Klein’s “The Amateur: Barack Obama in the White House”

 

According to Mr. Klein, former foreign editor of Newsweek and editor-in-chief of The New York Times Magazine, “President Obama made a secret deal to support Hillary Clinton when she runs for president in 2016, campaign sources say, payback for the support her husband gave him in 2012.”

 

I found that quite interesting because I wrote right here many times during the last campaign that I thought it quite obvious that Willy thought the incumbent was an unqualified dunce. Yet although he threw a few barbs, he ultimately came around, finally offering full-fledged support when it mattered most, making me wonder why he'd do that.

 

Author Klein himself apparently felt similarly, and wrote: “Bill Clinton’s animosity toward Obama is legendary. A year before the last election, he was urging Hillary to challenge the sitting president for the nomination — a move she rejected.”

 

Willy’s also quoted by Klein as saying, “I’ve heard more from Bush, asking for my advice, than I’ve heard from Obama. I have no relationship with the president — none whatsoever. Obama doesn’t know how to be president. He doesn’t know how the world works. He’s incompetent. He’s an amateur!”

 

As the article continues, it mentions several several issues which I also note fairly often. I’ve listed them below because it provides satisfaction to know that someone far better connected than I, with significantly greater access to hard information, reaches the same conclusions as I have.

 

Mr. Klein opines that, “debacles have marked Obama’s second term, from Benghazi to the IRS scandal. While he was effective on the campaign trail, once in the Oval Office, he becomes a different person, one who derives no joy from the cut and thrust of day-to-day politics and who is inept in the arts of management and governance”

 

The author’s list goes on: “Obama has made a lot of promises — and nothing ever happened.

 

He once boasted that he’d bring the Israelis and Palestinians to the negotiating table and create a permanent peace in the Middle East. Nothing happened.

 

He said he’d open a constructive dialogue with America’s enemies in Iran and North Korea and, through his special powers of persuasion, help them see the error of their ways. And nothing happened.

 

He said he’d solve the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression and put millions of people back to work. And nothing happened.

 

And then Mr. Klein concludes with a paragraph I think is perfect. So I’ll close today’s entry using that: “He may yet try to back out of his promise to Hillary Clinton. But as Obama’s presidency sinks deeper into scandal and inaction, the question is — will Clinton even still want his endorsement?”

 

That's it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms 6/1/2013

Today’s one more where I’m sitting here scratching my head in confusion compounded by anger regarding governmental recklessness.

 

In this case, I don’t know who’s directly responsible, the incumbent, his handlers, public relations touts or any of a number of influences causing political pandering to far outweigh intelligent, rational thought.

 

Yesterday, surrounded by a horde of students, or actors playing that role, the incumbent bombbasted about maintaining substandard rates on student loans whereas without new action, rates will double to 6.8% on July 1. When facing the same issue last year, the lower rate was sustained for twelve additional months.

 

My own displeasure regarding this issue arises on several levels. Because from either a practical, theoretical or precedental level I believe the entire concept of easement is wrong.

 

Having spent the majority of my career in commercial financing, if nothing else was learned, I fully grasp the importance of contracts and agreements whereas they establish the rules and regulations upon which all parties consent to perform. And, whether those terms and conditions lead to ultimate satisfaction of the participants predicates on future events taking place after agreements are entered, which virtually no one can predict at the time of contractual closings.

 

Therefore, if a powerful, unenjoined party, such as the POTUS steps in at a later date to magnanimously announce that contractual signatory’s such as students no longer have to abide by their promises to pay via his interference on their behalf, he’s demonstrating to them that its not really important to keep your word or honor obligations you undertake.

 

At the same time, he’s also manipulating the national debt because the governmental advances and repayment guarantees are certainly accounted for somewhere in the nation’s budget, because they’d have to be. Consequently, although it may be almost impossible to determine within the morass of  budgetary fine print, simple logic says that somewhere or other, taxpayers are on the hook for the shortfall in repayment that now won’t be received from expected contractual fulfillment.

 

Then, beyond the disregard of basic contractual integrity, there’s another, subtler, abuse of power. Because in the same way that the incumbent’s Project Acorn undermined the household mortgage industry by forcing lending to unqualified, substandard borrowers at substandard rates, our entire economy ultimately destabilized and we’ve not fully recovered yet.

 

So, while student loan rate forgiveness may not be a subject causing many to worry or even give much thought, its best to remember that it’s the little things that count. And in this particular administration, there are “little things” going on all the time. Eric Holder alone is involved in three or four or five.

Which is why if you don’t pay attention to each and all issues, sooner or later you’ll realize there’s bad news everywhere and wonder how that came about although the clues and evidence are everywhere, if you simply take the time and bother to look.

 

That's it for today folks.

 

Adios