Israel – The Miracle – Nothing to do with War and Religion
This really is worth watching!
David Bancroft
There are Consequences
There are consequences to the things you say or do even if you are not in the public eye. Express hatred or dislike for a particular group (i.e. the Irish are all drunkards) to friends and you might learn that they are offended by your words. The consequence is the loss of friendship. Similarly a business has the reputation for mistreatment of its employees (think Wal-Mart) and the consequence might be the loss of customers.
I usually do not listen to Rush Limbaugh because of his incendiary language. Apparently I am not alone. Salon.com reported on a Politico Dylan Byers column that Limbaugh may be leaving Cumulus Media by the end of this year because of his remarks about Sandra Fluke. Limbaugh called Fluke a slut. The Cumulus Media CEO said that their top three stations had lost $5.5 million, in part, because of an ensuing boycott of their stations.
A fire at one Bangladesh clothing factory followed by the collapse of an eight story building, that has now reportedly killed more than 800 people, has resulted in clothing companies withdrawing their contracts in that country. Of even greater concern is that there will be a loss of sales in stores of products made in Bangladesh. That would include me.
Coca Cola introduced New Coke about ten years ago. It was a total flop. They quickly returned to their original formula.
The NRA may be dancing over their defeat of a background check for gun buyers but the consequences of their lobbyist efforts will be felt.
The next time you are about to open you mouth on any subject consider the impact of your words and the possible consequences that could affect your relationships or your company’s relationships.
You Can Be Richer Too!
Stupid articles and papers telling us the obvious wastes our time. Businessweek featured such a totally wasteful piece discussing someone named Justin Wolfers, a University of Michigan professor, who wrote an article titled “Economists Nail It: You Can Never Be Too Rich.” Do I need someone to tell me that it is better to be rich than poor? Even the reporter, Peter Coy, who is a primary commentator/reporter for the magazine offered the obvious remark, That may seem to deserve a Homer Simpson “Duh!” award for most obvious research finding of the month. So why even post this report? The answer must be that he has space to fill.
This has been a great year to be just a little bit richer. If you were already rich you might have become a lot richer.
In just the four months of this year the Dow Jones Average increased by 14.3% and the S&P 500 increased by 13.2%. Understand that you did not have to be particularly smart to choose the right stocks to have earned that money. You simply had to buy an S&P 500 index account and your $1,000 would now be worth $1,132 today. If that investment had been $10,000 you could sell your gains now and have $1,320. Enough to buy that new giant TV or pay down a burdensome credit card.
So what’s the problem. “Your Money” reported that 55% of the people surveyed did not believe this has been a good time to invest.
So when is a good time?
You see article after article crying about the wealth gap between the rich and everyone else.
Sad to say it but the average man on the street is unwilling to take the chances that the rich take. Perhaps that is one of the reasons you may never be rich.
LAX Ranked at the Bottom of Most Categories
No one wants the noise and traffic associated with an airport. Most of us who bought homes near the airports knew what the impact on our lives would be. Having lived between Vanowen Street and Sherman Way in the North Hollywood-Van Nuys corridor for many years I can relate to the irritation of hearing the landing gears shift into place along with the jet noise. The issue is that the second largest city in the United States has an airport that does not make a list of the 30 best airports in the nation. Travel and Leisure magazine says, “LAX ranked at the bottom of most categories—that includes location (20th), check-in and security process (21st), impression of safety standards (22nd), baggage handling (20th), staff communication (21st), and terminal cleanliness (21st). Clearly, this worn-out airport is ready for a major Hollywood makeover.”
Eric Garcetti, candidate for mayor, was more concerned with obtaining votes then supporting this measure. He voted “no” to moving the north runway need to provide space for larger aircraft. The only three “no” votes were the two running for city wide office and the representative for the area surrounding the airport. Garcetti has now lost my vote.
The Syrian Dilemma
June 14, 2013
This article was originally posted on April 28, 2013. Nothing has really changed since then except the White House now confirms that Assad has used chemical weapons. Jeffrey Goldberg posted his opinion today (June 14, 2013) on bloomberg.com that simply reinforces my views. “Five Depressing Thoughts About Arming Syria’s Rebels” is worth reading.
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President Obama made public his opinion that the use or movement of chemical weapons would be a “red line for the United States.” He said that in 2012. Now there is evidence that those kinds of weapons were used in small quantities.
That puts the president in a box if he really does not want to become involved in the Syrian Civil War. No action by the United States indicates to the world that our words mean nothing. That will frighten our friends around the world.
Republican congressmen and senators are using this situation to paint the president in the worst possible light. Mike Rogers (R-MI) appeared on Charlie Rose on Bloomberg TV on Saturday April 27 where he demanded leadership by the president on this subject. He proposed a variety of vague actions the president should take. However, when asked what specific actions the president should take he became even more vague and said we should not “put boots on the ground” in Syria.
There is the problem. Republicans and Democrats alike want the United States to take action but stop short of putting American troops in Syria. No wonder. The outcome in Iraq and Afghanistan has been dismal. Iraq appears to be on the verge of a civil war. Afghanistan will probably be overrun by the Taliban in most of that country, with the exception of Kabul, once American troops have mostly withdrawn.
The Syrian test is obvious. How much gas can Bashar Assad use and still avoid entry of the United States into their war? Is it the number of people killed? Ten is OK but 100 aren’t? To me the question ought to be, when Assad falls what will happen to those chemicals? He won’t fall?
Reports appearing yesterday in the Los Angeles Times are that the number of business men and industrialists leaving Damascus for cities outside Syria is on the rise. They can see the hand writing on the wall.
Articles like this, Lawmakers: Syria chemical weapons could menace US are meant to prepare Americans for another war. This reminds me of the scare tactics used by the George W. Bush administration to justify the invasion of Iraq. The difference might be that Barack Obama wants to avoid war. Then again may be not. After all his directions have been even more aggressive than Bush’s. Obama did catch and kill Osama bin Laden. Drones are now utilized far more than those days of the Bush administration. The Strait of Hormuz is regularly patrolled by the U.S. Navy.
America’s Dying Industries
This comes as no surprise. Still it hurts to see these numbers. As you read each of these items you know the reason for the decline in business. This was published on Huffington Post. The reasons are as follows:
- The photofinishing decline was the result of the digital camera era and the sharing of photos on internet web sites.
- The high cost of labor now makes appliance repair more expensive than buying a new item.
- Advertising revenue has declined at most newspaper and magazine publications thanks to the internet and smartphones.
- Manufacturing of consumer products is now cheaper in most other nations of the world.
– Photofinishing
Revenue decline 2002 to 2012 -70%. $15.509 million to $897 million
– Recordable Media Manufacturing
Revenue decline 2002 to 2012 -53.6%. $4.144 billion to $3.311 billion
– Money Market and Other Banking
Revenue decline 2002 to 2012 -51.2%. Industry revenue in 2012 $834 million
– DVD, Game and Video Rentals
Revenue decline 2002 to 2012 -49.6%. Industry revenue in 2012 $5.894 billion
– Newspaper Publishing
Revenue decline 2002 to 2012 -48.1%. Industry revenue in 2012 $29.302 billion
– Women’s/Girls’ Apparel Manufacturing
Revenue decline 2002 to 2012 -57.7%. Industry revenue in 2012 $8.603 billion
– Costume/Team Uniform Manufacturing
Revenue decline 2002 to 2012 -49.9%. Industry revenue in 2012 $986 million
– Appliance Repair
Revenue decline 2002 to 2012 -44.5%. Industry revenue in 2012 $3.684 billion
– Hardware Manufacturing
Revenue decline 2002 to 2012 -44.5%. Industry revenue in 2012 $7.484 billion
– Shoe/Footwear Manufacturing
Revenue decline 2002 to 2012 -39.6%. Industry revenue in 2012 $1.712 billion
Which minority will be next?
Infamously ill-tempered Fox News co-host and former Democratic strategist, Bob Beckel, suggested this past Monday that the U.S. stop accepting foreign Muslim students until the ones already here have been thoroughly vetted.
“The hatred for the United States runs deep,” Beckel said during a broader discussion on the Boston Bombings. Perhaps we should block entry of all Muslims into this country until those already here, both permanent residents and visiting Muslims, have been thoroughly vetted.
Look, America is under siege. Radical Muslims have sworn to attack and destroy the United States. Unless Muslims can prove that they are not part of a radical group we must assume that they are. I am merely following Beckel’s reasoning.
The United States locked up 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. There were no trials. The decision was based upon the fear that any one of those people could be working for their native land.
Apparently we have not changed. Run for the exits! Fear has overtaken logic and reason. The rights defined in the constitution are about to be ignored.
Which minority will be next?
Too Big to Fail, Too Big to Exist
When the Federal government rescued the banking industry in 2008 there were 734 banks involved according to CNN. The list is here. You may recall that the idea of bailing out the banks was based upon a proposal submitted by then Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson near the end of the Bush administration. Initially the proposal was rejected by the congress. After the stock market took a significant drop the proposal was passed. Many people, primarily Republicans, opposed the bail out. Many condemned the idea of “too big to fail.”
This past April 9 Congressman Brad Sherman (CA – D) and Senator Bernie Sanders (VT – I) introduced bills in both houses to define too big to fail financial institutions with the purpose of breaking them into smaller units that could fail without impacting the country.
There are no cosponsors to these bills. According to govtrack.us there is a 2% chance the proposal will get past a committee review and a 0% chance of enactment.
So where are all the indignant people who voiced their dismay in government bailouts?
I am not a reporter and I do not have the resources to walk through the offices of senators and congressional members.
This lack of concern does tell us that on camera pronouncements mean nothing.
What will happen when the next bank failure occurs?
The Reason to Legalize Illegal Aliens
The vast majority of illegal aliens are poorly educated. They compete for many of the jobs held by poorly educated and limited capability Americans. That drives down the labor rates for the poorest Americans.
I have read the summary of the new immigration law being proposed in the Senate. There are so many trip wires in the proposed law it does not seem likely that this bill will ever become law. If it does, those entering the country illegally won’t receive “Registered Provision Immigrant (RPI) legal status” for at least five years and probably even longer.
The proposed law does nothing to prevent aliens who are bent on harming America from becoming legal residence and ultimately citizens.
19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving brother in the Boston bombing became a citizen just last year. Having gone to American schools he had learned enough to earn his citizenship.
Then there is Alejandrino Honorato who came to the United States in the early 1980s. He obtained amnesty thanks to the Reagan amnesty plan. He has a business that employs 60 people and that is good. However, he still does not speak English well enough to converse with a reporter from Businessweek. His story was told in the March 18-24 edition of that magazine. How did he obtain his citizenship without being able to speak our language?
What do these two people have in common? Neither really wanted to become Americans.
The Republicans want to compromise with the Democrats on legalization and citizenship of millions of immigrants because they are hoping to garner their votes in future elections. This has nothing to do with “doing the right thing.”
