United States Equals Dysfunctional Government

How sad is this? Congress voted a stop gap spending bill through next Tuesday that will keep all departments functioning. At that time they will take up another bill to extend government operations for another six weeks. Yes, we have a congress that only extends funding for the government by days or weeks. They think they are doing their job when they do these things. Meanwhile there are hearings on such things as funding for Planned Parenthood. Are there any hearings or discussions about laws that will create jobs? No!

The American people are happy with the idea that we a democratic Republic where capitalism reigns supreme. We also have a dysfunctional government where little or nothing is accomplished. One thing we do know is that the wealthiest among us earn and control most of the wealth and the rest of us are left with the crumbs.

Social Security Is Looking Like a Ponzi Scheme

Is Rick Perry correct? Is Social Security a Ponzi scheme?

I pulled out the last statement that Social Security sends to each of us annually. It lists my annual contribution all the way back to the jobs I had in college. I listed all of those contributions in an Excel spreadsheet. Then I calculated the future value of each year’s contribution earning 3% compound interest.

The results were wonderful for me but not for the Social Security Administration. Based upon the results, my contributions along with interest earned, I will be withdrawing money I did not contribute ten years after my retirement.

This assumes I am alive ten years after I have retired. Given the fact that many seniors are now living into their eighties, and beyond, this is not an unrealistic projection.

We have a social problem. You see I could have worked longer than 67 but no one wants to hire senior citizens. Oh, I know, I should work at Walmart as a Greeter. Will we have to pass laws forbidding the layoff of senior citizens that can still do their job? Perhaps we will simply tell senior citizens the Social Security benefit is only for a maximum of ten years. If you live longer we will not provide you with any assistance.

Then again perhaps we could tax the very wealthy to keep the system going. I like George W. Bush’s private accounts idea.

Our national problem is that the politicians don’t like to deal with difficult problems. They want someone else to deal with the hard stuff.

Why is this man Smiling?

I always smile over the remarkable quality of the scanned copies printed from my HP Photosmart printer/scanner. However, my smile is nothing like the smile on Hewlett-Packard CEO Leo Apotheker’s face. After just eleven months on the job he will be an estimated about $25 million to $36 million richer.

Talk about mis-management. HP specializes in it! Look at the list of CEOs that have left that company with fortunes that the rest of us can only dream about.

CEO: Carly Fiorina (July 19, 1999 –February 9, 2005; Chairwoman September 22, 2000–February 9, 2005). Her severance package worth about $21.4 million.

President and CEO: Mark Hurd (CEO:April 1, 2005–August 6, 2010; Chairman:September 22, 2006–August 6, 2010). His severance package worth about $40 million.

There have been other high ranking departures as well. It’s a good bet they all were rewarded handsomely for screwing up this marvelous company.

The return for HP? The company is in a tail spin. It does not seem to know what its core strengths are. Clearly the board of directors does not know what to do to fix this giant. Perhaps they don’t really care.

Equal Taxation for Everyone

Higher income tax on people making $1 million or more. President Obama is proposing $1.5 trillion in new taxes aimed primarily at the wealthy. House Speaker John Boehner, has said no such legislation will pass the House.

Is this fair? Is this appropriate? Will there be a class war?

The answers are YES, YES and YES!

Those opposing the tax cuts say that this is the wrong time to increase taxes because those wealthy people are the job creators. If that is accurate then where are the jobs created by the Bush tax cuts? Look in India, China, and elsewhere. Businesses did create jobs. They just didn’t to it in the United States.

Let’s be honest. Businessmen did do the right thing for their companies. They kept their cost of goods as low as possible. That’s the way you increase the profits.

From now on the wealthy should at least pay the same tax rates as the rest of us! The Republicans will call it class warfare. I call it equal sharing of the burdens of a successful society.

No Jobs Could Lead to Riots

Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City, has voiced concern of riots in America similar to those in Europe that have been brought on by economic conditions. This was reported on CNN where a film clip was shown. Mr. Bloomberg’s warning comes on the heels of some very horrifying economic news. That news simply reinforces the suspicions that everyone has had in recent months.

First the average American family income this past year has dropped below $50,000. Second, the official unemployment rate is currently 9.1% and has not been below 8.8% since April 2009. Third, the number of Americans living in poverty last year reached 46.2 million people – the most in at least the last half a century. Fourth, A record 46 million Americans, or 15 percent of the population, have received government aid to buy food this year, according to data released by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Washington is a broken system of politicians who really are more concerned with election results than making any effort to energize this economy. There are a variety of things that could be done to jump-start our economy but it is unlikely that any will be passed into law no matter what the president or speaker of the house says.

Large numbers of economists are now saying there is a one in three chance that the nation will fall back into a recession.

We obviously need new leadership in Washington. Perhaps Michael Bloomberg is the person to lead the way. He is a very wealthy business man who has shown he understands the workings of government. He claims no party affiliation.

I would support someone new with a different set of ideas. Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry get out of the way!

Field Poll: Californians sour on Obama

This article from the Sacramento Bee confirms my belief that Americans want a new leader.

Field Poll: Californians sour on Obama

By David Siders

Published: Wednesday, Sep. 14, 2011

Even in heavily Democratic California, President Barack Obama’s job approval rating has plummeted among voters, largely on his handling of the economy, according to a new Field Poll.

Though Obama is strongly favored to win California in his re-election bid next year, the poll suggests many Democrats may vote for him only begrudgingly, and it is yet another indication of weakening support nationwide.

“When you’re seeing vulnerability in a state like California, I think that really is ominous for his national standing,” Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo said.

For the first time since Obama took office in 2009, less than half of California voters – 46 percent – approve of the job he is doing, just two percentage points more than disapprove, according to the poll.

Obama’s decline has been quick and widespread: As little as three months ago, his approval rating in California was 54 percent. Since June, his rating has suffered double-digit percentage drops among Democrats, nonpartisans, Central Valley residents, men, African Americans, Asian Americans and voters over 65.

It has fallen nearly 20 points since Field’s post-inaugural measure in March 2009 had him at 65 percent approval.

Though a plurality of Californians remain inclined to re-elect Obama, his margin is slimmer than before. Forty-nine percent of California voters are inclined to re-elect him, according to the poll, five percentage points more than are inclined not to.

via Field Poll: Californians sour on Obama – Sacramento Politics – California Politics | Sacramento Bee.

America has Failed in Afghanistan

Today, after 10 years of fighting in Afghanistan, the Taliban have attacked the U.S. embassy in the capital city of Kabul. This attack says more than anything else about our success in permanently ending the Taliban control of that country. It will be no surprise that after the U.S. army has withdrawn that the Taliban returns to power.

This situation is so reminiscent of Vietnam. In that country our armed forces could not identify the enemy because they were dressed in civilian clothes and were part of the society we were trying to help. The Vietnamese did not want our help and neither do the Afghans. We have been trying to re-build their nation into a society that looks like America. Our generals and Defense Department managers have called it “nation building.” I call it American stupidity.

Of course the Karzai government wants the U.S. to stay and continue its fruitless effort. We have poured millions of dollars into that nation. We have propped up their phony government. Quickly departing that country is the best thing we can do for our nation.

The President’s Job Speech

Everyone knows the president is an outstanding speaker. He has the ability to convey his message with an emphatic call to action. He did just that in this evening’s speech to a joint session of Congress. You just wanted to jump out of your seat and make his proposals happen.

However, his proposals did not address the problem of an economy stuck in neutral or more likely in a downward slide. His ideas on improving infrastructure from schools to bridges will certainly put people back to work. The problem is there was nothing in his proposals that would reinvigorate the private sector. Specifically, there was no discussion of methods to stimulate manufacturing activity.

Bill Gross, CEO of PIMCO, pointed out on “Piers Morgan Tonight” that manufacturing accounted for 45% of America’s GDP after WWII but today accounts for 9% of GDP. There is the crux of the problem. Mr. Gross pointed out that globalization and cheap labor elsewhere are barriers to re-employing the millions of people who have lost their job in the United States. Mr. Obama’s solutions are short term in nature and do nothing to address this issue.

So while Republicans and Democrats might come together to implement some of the president’s ideas, they will not have addressed the real problems facing this nation.