Getting It Right - Say "Merry Christmas" Loud and Clearly Every Chance You Get Christians across the nation need to unite and fight the growing secular progressive influence in our society.
By Sid Riley
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"The liberal secular progressive movement is steadily working to erode the basic Christian foundation of our nation."
The far left liberal secular progressive movement is steadily and significantly impacting our society as they use our own laws as effective weapons against the Judean-Christian foundations of our government, our families, and our society. It is important that all religions in the United States of America recognize the presence of this anti-religious movement, and actively work to expose and resist the growing impact this atheistic attack is having on our country.
Using a multi-pronged onslaught which includes the ultra liberal ACLU to fight their legal battles, the brainwashing of our children on liberal college campuses by liberal educators, and using the constant bombardment of liberalism from the liberal media to sound their horns of protest, they collectively work against the religious foundations of our society at every opportunity. Out of fear of losing the votes of their constituency, out of fear of being sued, and out of fear of negative publicity, our bureaucracy and elected officials often respond to their demands.
It is this influence that has led to the increasing hesitation of many "politically correct" people to use the phrase of "Merry Christmas" when greeting a friend or a crowd. Many retail stores have removed all "Merry Christmas" signs and substituted "Happy Holidays". Even the bell ringers for the Salvation Army Christmas Fund have been expelled from several malls and store fronts because of their impact.
The Governor of the state Washington recently allowed a religion demeaning, atheistic display to be placed on State property. This display proclaimed that religion was a sham, there is no God, and people who follow and believe in religion are fools. Throughout the nation, various government boards, commissions, and officials have made the decision to ban nativity scenes from being displayed on any public property, and have discontinued the use of ‘Christmas" and begun to use such meaningless terms as "winter festival", "winterfest", and "holiday season".
These same liberal groups have impacted our society by substituting a "Big Brother" mentality into expanding our laws so that parents can no longer physically punish their children, young girls can have abortions without the system letting their parents know about it, our schools can teach evolution but can not mention creationism, and birth control pills and condoms can be given to our daughters and sons without our knowledge. This group promotes abortions and condones the horrible practice of "partial birth" abortion.
This same group has used our rights in the legal system to create a process where the interest of the criminal is put ahead of the needs of the victim. The process of requiring absolute correctness in every minute step of arrest, investigation, trial and conviction has made it almost impossible for law enforcement and prosecution to obtain a conviction in the courts because of evidence being disallowed or thrown out. Liberal judges are prevalent in the system due to lifetime appointments made by the liberal politicians who appointed liberal judges. Then a system of appeal after appeal after re-appeal all combine to bog down the system, inflate costs to the public, and effectively ruin the court system.
The steady brainwashing from this liberal secular progressive group has moved our society away from traditional family structures and values. We now casually accept out of wedlock births, premarital sex, males and females living together, …to a point where almost 50% of all children born in the US each year are illegitimate births, with no formal marriage of parents and definition of responsibilities for raising the child. Why worry? "Big Brother" will help raise them.
Millions of children are raised by mothers and/or grandmothers, with no father on the scene. With this type of family structure for guidance of our youth, how can we expect anything but a declining level of scholastic achievement in our society, increasing crime and use of drugs, and an amoral outlook on relationships. It all stems from the secular progressive liberals who now have a huge wedge of influence over our congress and President.
So, when you hear someone or see a retail store cleverly using the phrase "Happy Holidays", or "Season’s Greetings" instead of proclaiming "MERRY CHRISTMAS", walk out of the store after getting in their face and telling them of your disgust, or reply loudly with a resounding "MERRY CHRISTMAS YOU LIBERAL FREAK"! Do this and you will be "Getting It Right"!
Rudiments- Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning:
● Our great U.S. Congress in that ant hill of Washington incompetence just voted itself a big, hefty pay raise using our tax dollars for themselves in a desperate economy. Effective January 1 they will receive a $4700.00 pay increase, raising their base pay from $169,300 per year to $174,000 per year. They criticize CEO’s in the private sector for taking huge salaries when their company is failing…can’t they see the hypocrisy in what they are doing? How many of the incumbents did you vote to reelect?
● Caroline Kennedy has decided to seek the Senate seat vacated by Hillary. I read one excellent comment on the possibility of her becoming a Senator. The article stated that in America we are supposed to have no royalty, and no royal families. So if Princess Caroline Kennedy wants to be a Senator she should have to compete for it just like anyone else.
● It is Christmas. Please love your God, your nation, and your family. Then take time to express your love to them all. Do this, and you will be "Getting It Right".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Getting It Right -12/18/08
Who Should We Blame? Which Party? Which Politicians?
By Sid Riley
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"Everyone is looking for a scapegoat which we can collectively blame for the national economic crisis we face…Who should we blame?"
The answer- We should blame ourselves.
Over the past forty years we have elected, re-elected, and re-re-elected a tribe of under qualified, self enhancing, system playing, over spending, wasteful, special interest serving, socialistic, ego headed, pompous, perk taking, political party dominated, Washington beltway brainwashed Senators and Congressmen. We are all guilty of lowering our standards and playing these foolish games ourselves. As long as they were also "greasing our palms" and "bringing home the bacon", we were willing to look past their shortcomings.
We have been a nation of excesses, foolishly living beyond our means. It appears that we are now facing a day of reckoning. Financial and economic Armageddon is upon us!
In their panic to respond to the impending doomsday, our wise and learned legislators are clutching at straws trying to seek out solutions as institution after institution, industry after industry, and even bureaucracy after bureaucracy run out of funding. Amazingly, the artesian well of never ending flow of public tax dollars from which they have always drank to their fill, is beginning to dry up! This condition is threatening our basic concepts of capitalism and free enterprise.
What caused this dire situation? What were the major errors committed which contributed to this dilemma? Which political party is to blame? What basic concepts and philosophies led us astray? Which politicians can we blame the most?
I will leave thinking out the answers to those questions to the evaluation and research of the individual reader. However, I will list some of the failures and suspect causes that have helped us evolve to this condition.
● Which political party and/or politicians fostered and protected pro union legislation long after the union movement was no longer needed and only remained to lower productivity, discourage industry, and serve the greed of the workers and the union itself? These policies helped lead to the demise of our national electronics, textiles, steel, toy, automotive, and many other industries.
● Which political party and/or politicians constantly pushed the national minimum wage upward in a pretense to help the poor, underpaid worker while in fact these increases eventually led to the demise of their industry, their company, and their job? The politicians voted these increases into law in order to get the votes of the poor workers they were pretending to help.
● Which political party and/or politicians promoted and enacted poorly conceived international trade agreements such as NAFTA, GATT, and Most Favored Trade Status for China? These trade pacts were entered into under the banners of "global markets", "free trade", and "global economy". However, there were few requirements attached that would force these trading partners to play the game fairly, on a balanced playing field. As a result we "gave away the farm"…or better stated, we gave away all of our industries due to political foolishness and ineptness. (And possibly a lot of international bribery payments housed in Swiss bank accounts.)
● Which political party and/or politicians forced our banking industry through federal regulators to make inappropriate and unwise home loans to hundreds of thousands of minorities, under-qualified borrowers, in order to use the entire national banking system as a "social benefit" program, and thus earn the support and votes of this group?
● Which political party and/or politicians has historically created the laws and regulations that have made it impossible for our nation to move forward on a national energy policy which would greatly decrease our nations dependence on the turbulent Mideast for our energy? This would include who has made it impossible to increase use of nuclear energy, prohibited off shore drilling, prohibited drilling in Alaska, prohibited mining of oil shale in the West, made the use of our coal reserves impractical and has generally thwarted all efforts to develop alternate sources of energy? They did this in the mindless fervor of the "green" movement in order to get the voting endorsement and political donations of that special interest group.
● Which political party and/or politicians created and supported the costly, unsupervised, overly aggressive policies of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)? These agencies have greatly increased the cost of doing business and have prohibited expansion and formation of businesses. Many of these have moved to locations out of our nation to escape this over regulation.
● Which political party and/or politicians have created a corporate taxation structure that ranks among the highest in the world? This high tax rate increases the out migration of our industries, and weakens those that remain.
● Which political party and/or politicians have defended and abused the legislative loophole that allows wasteful, special interest funding to be attached to bills sponsoring needed legislation, thus enabling the wasteful spending of billions of taxpayer dollars on unjustified projects? The use of the line item veto would stop this practice if our legislators would promote enactment of this concept.
I could continue with page after page of abuses, foolish and self serving legislation, and other instances where our elected officials have served the interest of special interest and lobby groups instead of the interest of the citizens of our nation. It is a sad story.
I quote from a statement made years ago by Alexander Tyler, a Scottish Professor at the University of Edinburg, "A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury."
"From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years"
I would have to say…our politicians have not been "Getting It Right!"
Rudiments- Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning:
● It appears that some of the local and national media is on a "witch hunt" trying to incriminate the past practices at Dozier School. Dale Cox, area historian and frequent writer for this paper has finite records as to the source causes of the deaths of the unfortunate boys who died during a turn of the century dorm fire, and a terrible flu epidemic that followed a few years later. They have made a big deal out of the testimony from former clients who were whipped while interned there. Well, during those years every school principal was also giving frequent butt overhauls in his office since corporal punishment was used instead of pleading with the irreverent student to "please stop" or go to "time out", or calling a judge or the sheriff. That is why some teachers now resort to duct tape restraints out of desperation as they try to maintain order in their classrooms.
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
By Sid Riley
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"Everyone is looking for a scapegoat which we can collectively blame for the national economic crisis we face…Who should we blame?"
The answer- We should blame ourselves.
Over the past forty years we have elected, re-elected, and re-re-elected a tribe of under qualified, self enhancing, system playing, over spending, wasteful, special interest serving, socialistic, ego headed, pompous, perk taking, political party dominated, Washington beltway brainwashed Senators and Congressmen. We are all guilty of lowering our standards and playing these foolish games ourselves. As long as they were also "greasing our palms" and "bringing home the bacon", we were willing to look past their shortcomings.
We have been a nation of excesses, foolishly living beyond our means. It appears that we are now facing a day of reckoning. Financial and economic Armageddon is upon us!
In their panic to respond to the impending doomsday, our wise and learned legislators are clutching at straws trying to seek out solutions as institution after institution, industry after industry, and even bureaucracy after bureaucracy run out of funding. Amazingly, the artesian well of never ending flow of public tax dollars from which they have always drank to their fill, is beginning to dry up! This condition is threatening our basic concepts of capitalism and free enterprise.
What caused this dire situation? What were the major errors committed which contributed to this dilemma? Which political party is to blame? What basic concepts and philosophies led us astray? Which politicians can we blame the most?
I will leave thinking out the answers to those questions to the evaluation and research of the individual reader. However, I will list some of the failures and suspect causes that have helped us evolve to this condition.
● Which political party and/or politicians fostered and protected pro union legislation long after the union movement was no longer needed and only remained to lower productivity, discourage industry, and serve the greed of the workers and the union itself? These policies helped lead to the demise of our national electronics, textiles, steel, toy, automotive, and many other industries.
● Which political party and/or politicians constantly pushed the national minimum wage upward in a pretense to help the poor, underpaid worker while in fact these increases eventually led to the demise of their industry, their company, and their job? The politicians voted these increases into law in order to get the votes of the poor workers they were pretending to help.
● Which political party and/or politicians promoted and enacted poorly conceived international trade agreements such as NAFTA, GATT, and Most Favored Trade Status for China? These trade pacts were entered into under the banners of "global markets", "free trade", and "global economy". However, there were few requirements attached that would force these trading partners to play the game fairly, on a balanced playing field. As a result we "gave away the farm"…or better stated, we gave away all of our industries due to political foolishness and ineptness. (And possibly a lot of international bribery payments housed in Swiss bank accounts.)
● Which political party and/or politicians forced our banking industry through federal regulators to make inappropriate and unwise home loans to hundreds of thousands of minorities, under-qualified borrowers, in order to use the entire national banking system as a "social benefit" program, and thus earn the support and votes of this group?
● Which political party and/or politicians has historically created the laws and regulations that have made it impossible for our nation to move forward on a national energy policy which would greatly decrease our nations dependence on the turbulent Mideast for our energy? This would include who has made it impossible to increase use of nuclear energy, prohibited off shore drilling, prohibited drilling in Alaska, prohibited mining of oil shale in the West, made the use of our coal reserves impractical and has generally thwarted all efforts to develop alternate sources of energy? They did this in the mindless fervor of the "green" movement in order to get the voting endorsement and political donations of that special interest group.
● Which political party and/or politicians created and supported the costly, unsupervised, overly aggressive policies of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP)? These agencies have greatly increased the cost of doing business and have prohibited expansion and formation of businesses. Many of these have moved to locations out of our nation to escape this over regulation.
● Which political party and/or politicians have created a corporate taxation structure that ranks among the highest in the world? This high tax rate increases the out migration of our industries, and weakens those that remain.
● Which political party and/or politicians have defended and abused the legislative loophole that allows wasteful, special interest funding to be attached to bills sponsoring needed legislation, thus enabling the wasteful spending of billions of taxpayer dollars on unjustified projects? The use of the line item veto would stop this practice if our legislators would promote enactment of this concept.
I could continue with page after page of abuses, foolish and self serving legislation, and other instances where our elected officials have served the interest of special interest and lobby groups instead of the interest of the citizens of our nation. It is a sad story.
I quote from a statement made years ago by Alexander Tyler, a Scottish Professor at the University of Edinburg, "A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury."
"From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years"
I would have to say…our politicians have not been "Getting It Right!"
Rudiments- Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning:
● It appears that some of the local and national media is on a "witch hunt" trying to incriminate the past practices at Dozier School. Dale Cox, area historian and frequent writer for this paper has finite records as to the source causes of the deaths of the unfortunate boys who died during a turn of the century dorm fire, and a terrible flu epidemic that followed a few years later. They have made a big deal out of the testimony from former clients who were whipped while interned there. Well, during those years every school principal was also giving frequent butt overhauls in his office since corporal punishment was used instead of pleading with the irreverent student to "please stop" or go to "time out", or calling a judge or the sheriff. That is why some teachers now resort to duct tape restraints out of desperation as they try to maintain order in their classrooms.
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Geting It RightHow To Become A Bureaucrat-11/11/08
B Sid Riley
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"It takes unique qualifications to become a member of the ‘bureaucratic’ family".
The easiest, simplest, and quickest route to obtaining one of those revered jobs within a bureaucratic organization is to be born into the group. If you are fortunate enough to have a close family member, close friend, or other meaningful personal tie to one of the bureaucratic "chiefs", then the only qualification you will need to enter the fraternity is survive to become an adult.
Upon reaching the age of employability you will be automatically inducted into the brotherhood of bureaucrats, and will be awarded one of those secure, good paying, low requirement jobs with 14 paid holidays, liberal credit accumulations of sick leave days, and generously expanding vacation credits. If you then stay a part of the bureaucracy for twenty years or so, these benefits will be expanded to the point to where you can get paid for not working more days than the days you get paid for working.
Occasionally new people are added because they possess special skills which the system needs due to growth or added functions. For example, when the government decided to begin to provide ambulance service here in the county some twenty five or thirty years ago, they had to hire some new personnel who had the needed medical training and qualifications. Now, most new additions to this function are insiders who are groomed for these jobs, with prearranged entry into the group upon achieving certification.
Another way to open a doorway for entrance into the bureaucracy is the "coat tail" method. This approach involves finding a young, aggressive politician who has the necessary attributes of double talking skills, inside political "connections", money, and handsome appearance that combine to make the future elected official have a good chance for success. All you then have to do is become a big supporter, assist in his campaigns, help in fund raising, solicit votes, and get your man elected. As a reward, when he takes office he will be sure you are given a big, juicy bureaucratic position.
As part of the formal induction into the bureaucracy it is necessary to undergo a delicate medical procedure which accomplishes the transition from being a normal citizen into being a full fledged "crat" of one variety or another. This medical procedure is called a "Bureauinoctomy".
The procedure involves opening a small hole in one side of the candidate’s head, inserting a probe and carefully removing a significant portion of the brain. The focus is on removal of those portions of the brain which control logic, decision making, initiative, compassion, and a major part of the personality. Once the components of the brain have been removed, the surgeon then inserts the appropriate departmental Procedures and Policy Manual….and the process is complete. From that time onward, the new bureaucrat is devoid of any personal, individualized thinking or use of logic in handling situations. They can only function by turning their eyes upward until they can visualize the manual hidden inside their cranium, where they can then rigorously read and quote the rule which should be used to solve any problem.
The only remaining step in the induction ceremony is having the new "crat" recite the "Pledge of the Brotherhood of Bureaucrats", where they promise to always defend the necessity of all bureaucratic functions, to encourage a continual 3% growth in their function’s budget and staffing, to always spend all budgeted monies, to never become over productive, and to always put the needs of the bureaucracy ahead of the needs of the public. With this last step accomplished, they are certified as being fully qualified bureaucrats. They are awarded a government vehicle with a map to the best coffee shops and approved sleeping spots.
Their job for life is then permanently secured until they retire. Upon reaching retirement eligibility after a few years they will be given the choice of retiring with full benefits and most of their salary, or to enter the lucrative "drop" program where they can continue to work…but now at double their original pay. By engaging in this wonderful program they can accumulate hundreds of thousands of dollars in earnings during those last years of work, thus giving them the nest egg retirement benefit they really deserve.
I want to temper this critical description of the bureaucracy by inserting my respect for those public minded members of the bureaucracy who do their best to help and accommodate the public as they do their job. However, if you are one of those who use their authority to make things as difficult as possible for those citizens who must come past your desk to accomplish something they want to do, and each event is an ego trip for you…then this description applies.
Each bureaucrat reading this column will have to make their own evaluation as to how they approach their job.
It seems as you move away from the local bureaucracies and move into the upper levels at the state and federal levels, the occurrence of the abusive "crat" with the missing brain parts becomes more frequent. In this group I include our beloved IRS, the Corps of Engineers, the EPA and FDEP, the DOT, our group of intelligent airport TSA screeners, and many, many others. This listing is just the tip of the iceberg.
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-
● This weekend we attended the Christmas Presentation at the Bible College in Graceville. It involved approximately ninety singers, a full orchestra, song after song, numerous costumed acts with choreography and great music, and a great Christian theme. It was of professional quality and was without doubt the best Christmas play I have ever been to. If you missed it this year, you should do your best to go next year.
● A supporter sent me an article stating that Mexico has begun sending illegal Cuban immigrants back to Cuba. Previously they had been giving them visa’s and letting them use Mexico as a route to sneak into the USA.
● Another friend just dropped an article in the Democrat by for me to read. This article stated that our home grown terrorist, Bill Ayers, a leader of the bombing group called the Weathermen, is slated to speak at FSU. He is being sponsored on campus by a liberal student group called The Institute for Liberal Studies. School officials say they are not able to stop the presentation from coming on campus. I wonder if the KKK was being sponsored by another radical group if they would take the same position. It is a sad situation when you can’t have Christmas scenes on a college campus, but you welcome Bill Ayers for a visit.
● I saw one of Marianna’s finest lurking out in front of the Tom Thumb on Jefferson on Saturday afternoon, eagerly shooting his radar at the crest of the hill, hoping to catch some poor citizen who was still going 45MPH after the limit dropped to 35 MPH coming up the hill. I have been coming up and down that stretch for thirty eight years and can’t recall ever seeing a wreck along there, even back when the speed limit was 55 MPH ….but it is a good spot for them to snare someone and get some $$$ for the system.
Folks, our nation is about to enter a period of unprecedented financial stress, which will soon begin to severely impact most of the struggling citizens within our society. This includes you and me. I would suggest that we all should place our remaining liquid assets in the most secure place we can find, reduce our exposure as much as possible, and prepare for a period of financial strain. Do this and sadly, "You will be Getting It Right".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"It takes unique qualifications to become a member of the ‘bureaucratic’ family".
The easiest, simplest, and quickest route to obtaining one of those revered jobs within a bureaucratic organization is to be born into the group. If you are fortunate enough to have a close family member, close friend, or other meaningful personal tie to one of the bureaucratic "chiefs", then the only qualification you will need to enter the fraternity is survive to become an adult.
Upon reaching the age of employability you will be automatically inducted into the brotherhood of bureaucrats, and will be awarded one of those secure, good paying, low requirement jobs with 14 paid holidays, liberal credit accumulations of sick leave days, and generously expanding vacation credits. If you then stay a part of the bureaucracy for twenty years or so, these benefits will be expanded to the point to where you can get paid for not working more days than the days you get paid for working.
Occasionally new people are added because they possess special skills which the system needs due to growth or added functions. For example, when the government decided to begin to provide ambulance service here in the county some twenty five or thirty years ago, they had to hire some new personnel who had the needed medical training and qualifications. Now, most new additions to this function are insiders who are groomed for these jobs, with prearranged entry into the group upon achieving certification.
Another way to open a doorway for entrance into the bureaucracy is the "coat tail" method. This approach involves finding a young, aggressive politician who has the necessary attributes of double talking skills, inside political "connections", money, and handsome appearance that combine to make the future elected official have a good chance for success. All you then have to do is become a big supporter, assist in his campaigns, help in fund raising, solicit votes, and get your man elected. As a reward, when he takes office he will be sure you are given a big, juicy bureaucratic position.
As part of the formal induction into the bureaucracy it is necessary to undergo a delicate medical procedure which accomplishes the transition from being a normal citizen into being a full fledged "crat" of one variety or another. This medical procedure is called a "Bureauinoctomy".
The procedure involves opening a small hole in one side of the candidate’s head, inserting a probe and carefully removing a significant portion of the brain. The focus is on removal of those portions of the brain which control logic, decision making, initiative, compassion, and a major part of the personality. Once the components of the brain have been removed, the surgeon then inserts the appropriate departmental Procedures and Policy Manual….and the process is complete. From that time onward, the new bureaucrat is devoid of any personal, individualized thinking or use of logic in handling situations. They can only function by turning their eyes upward until they can visualize the manual hidden inside their cranium, where they can then rigorously read and quote the rule which should be used to solve any problem.
The only remaining step in the induction ceremony is having the new "crat" recite the "Pledge of the Brotherhood of Bureaucrats", where they promise to always defend the necessity of all bureaucratic functions, to encourage a continual 3% growth in their function’s budget and staffing, to always spend all budgeted monies, to never become over productive, and to always put the needs of the bureaucracy ahead of the needs of the public. With this last step accomplished, they are certified as being fully qualified bureaucrats. They are awarded a government vehicle with a map to the best coffee shops and approved sleeping spots.
Their job for life is then permanently secured until they retire. Upon reaching retirement eligibility after a few years they will be given the choice of retiring with full benefits and most of their salary, or to enter the lucrative "drop" program where they can continue to work…but now at double their original pay. By engaging in this wonderful program they can accumulate hundreds of thousands of dollars in earnings during those last years of work, thus giving them the nest egg retirement benefit they really deserve.
I want to temper this critical description of the bureaucracy by inserting my respect for those public minded members of the bureaucracy who do their best to help and accommodate the public as they do their job. However, if you are one of those who use their authority to make things as difficult as possible for those citizens who must come past your desk to accomplish something they want to do, and each event is an ego trip for you…then this description applies.
Each bureaucrat reading this column will have to make their own evaluation as to how they approach their job.
It seems as you move away from the local bureaucracies and move into the upper levels at the state and federal levels, the occurrence of the abusive "crat" with the missing brain parts becomes more frequent. In this group I include our beloved IRS, the Corps of Engineers, the EPA and FDEP, the DOT, our group of intelligent airport TSA screeners, and many, many others. This listing is just the tip of the iceberg.
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-
● This weekend we attended the Christmas Presentation at the Bible College in Graceville. It involved approximately ninety singers, a full orchestra, song after song, numerous costumed acts with choreography and great music, and a great Christian theme. It was of professional quality and was without doubt the best Christmas play I have ever been to. If you missed it this year, you should do your best to go next year.
● A supporter sent me an article stating that Mexico has begun sending illegal Cuban immigrants back to Cuba. Previously they had been giving them visa’s and letting them use Mexico as a route to sneak into the USA.
● Another friend just dropped an article in the Democrat by for me to read. This article stated that our home grown terrorist, Bill Ayers, a leader of the bombing group called the Weathermen, is slated to speak at FSU. He is being sponsored on campus by a liberal student group called The Institute for Liberal Studies. School officials say they are not able to stop the presentation from coming on campus. I wonder if the KKK was being sponsored by another radical group if they would take the same position. It is a sad situation when you can’t have Christmas scenes on a college campus, but you welcome Bill Ayers for a visit.
● I saw one of Marianna’s finest lurking out in front of the Tom Thumb on Jefferson on Saturday afternoon, eagerly shooting his radar at the crest of the hill, hoping to catch some poor citizen who was still going 45MPH after the limit dropped to 35 MPH coming up the hill. I have been coming up and down that stretch for thirty eight years and can’t recall ever seeing a wreck along there, even back when the speed limit was 55 MPH ….but it is a good spot for them to snare someone and get some $$$ for the system.
Folks, our nation is about to enter a period of unprecedented financial stress, which will soon begin to severely impact most of the struggling citizens within our society. This includes you and me. I would suggest that we all should place our remaining liquid assets in the most secure place we can find, reduce our exposure as much as possible, and prepare for a period of financial strain. Do this and sadly, "You will be Getting It Right".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Getting it Right- Dec. 4, 2008
By Sid Riley
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items which are impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"As traditional fleecing methods become less productive, Big Brother Bureaucracy will undoubtedly seek new, unique ways to get into the pockets of the public."
As I was driving to an interview this morning I was listening to the Neal Boortz conservative talk radio program, when he related how the "Crats’ in New York City had come up with another way to harass and dominate the public and simultaneously create more revenues for their system. In the City of New York, if you have a tree in your front yard, which is growing on your property, and you wish to decorate it for the Holiday Season (they won’t use the word Christmas) you must first obtain a permit from the city to get permission to decorate your tree.
As ridiculous as this may sound to some….unfortunately it is true. And equally unfortunately, this is the direction we are heading everywhere in America as we create a more controlled, structured, government dominated society and lifestyle. As the bureaucracy slowly whittles on our freedoms and areas where we can exercise choices, we become more sheep-like as successive generations accept this way of life as necessary and acceptable.
Eventually those of us who can recall the days when we enjoyed personal freedom of choice, and personal rights and property rights had meaning, will all be gone. The evolution into the Orwellian society visualized by Orson Wells in his book "1984" will be a reality. Wells was right in his vision, he was just fifty years or so too early in his dating.
In order to assist Big Brother and his tribes of "Crats" in their continuing quest to find new ways to force the citizens of every city, county, and state to "render unto Cesar" as much as is possible, I am offering the following possibilities for new taxes, permits, fees, and other clever devices for gleaning money from the flock. (These are no more ridiculous than a permit to decorate a tree in your front yard.)
● Boat Motor Registration: We already license and register our boat trailers and our boats, but what if someone stole the motor from the boat? Why not register every outboard motor and create an annual sticker that must be displayed on the side of the motor? This would create millions and would help create new jobs for those who produce, issue, and keep records on the motor registry.
● Lawn Mower Registration: This is a fertile field. In order to protect us from having our lawn mowers stolen, a lawn mower license should be required to be issued each year and displayed on the back of the lawn mower.
● Lawn Mower Operators License: We should all have to pass a government run course on lawn mower safety which certifies that we have passed this course and are now qualified to operate our lawn mowers. This certification would have to be renewed with retesting each five years.
● Lawn Mowing Permit: Each summer as the growing season begins, every home owner or renter would be required to purchase an annual lawn mowing permit which would give you the right to mow your lawn any time you please, all summer long.
● Gutter Cleaning Permit: On those occasions when your home guttering becomes clogged and must be cleaned, you should be required to obtain a permit which gives you permission for one cleaning of all gutters as necessary. However, this permit should be clearly displayed any time you are upon your roof, in case your intent might be misinterpreted by any passing police or government officials.
● Roof Repairing Permit: Oops! You already have to get one of these.
● Home Parking Permit: If you own a home with a garage or driveway where you plan to park your personal automobile, you should first be required to obtain an annual parking permit. This will assure officials that the vehicle is parked at an authorized site.
● Planting Permits: If you wish to plant anything in the ground, you should be required to describe exactly what plants you are planning to plant, your reason for this action, and what you plan to do with any blossoms, leaves, or produce from these plants. This will assist law enforcement in control of illegal drugs, spread of unwanted weeds and plants, and will create millions of additional revenue for government.
(Farmers would only have to buy a five year planting permit at reduced cost.)
● I would also encourage municipal governments to reinstall parking meters and pay toilets in all public buildings.
● I thought about forcing couples to pay for a renewal of their marriage licenses each year….but there might be too many non-renewals.
Folks, this is where we are headed under the leadership of Big Brother, if you will just think about what we already have to do….in many cases we are already suffering this ridiculous level of over regulation, much of which is designed for the purpose of revenue generation for government. Permits, Licenses, Fees, Certifications, Penalties, Fines, Forfeitures, ….they are all TAXES! We also pay millions in taxes without even being aware of them. Just look at your phone bill or utility bill in detail and you will see a long list of fees and taxes which have no meaning to you yet you are forced to pay each month.
As the "Crats" seek new sources of revenue to make up for revenue shortfalls created by our faltering economy, be aware. Resist all attempts they make to dig deeper into your pockets…and you will be "Getting It Right".
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-
● Upon returning home after a Thanksgiving trip I was saddened to discover two families I care about had suffered the loss of a family member during our absence. The first was Mary Fears, wife of Elwin Fears. She died of cancer after a brave thirteen year battle. The second death was of my old friend, Ed Revell. He was a former neighbor, and his children and ours grew up during the same period. He was a fine man and I will miss his presence.
● The Marianna Christmas Parade and Winterfest festival will be held Friday afternoon. This will be a great way to begin the holiday season, so bring out the family and participate. Also, BCF is having a Christmas music presentation by their entire show band with Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday night performances. I plan to attend both events, maybe some good Christmas music will brighten things in the gloom of our national economic condition. P.S. I am glad Marianna still uses the words "Christmas Parade".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items which are impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"As traditional fleecing methods become less productive, Big Brother Bureaucracy will undoubtedly seek new, unique ways to get into the pockets of the public."
As I was driving to an interview this morning I was listening to the Neal Boortz conservative talk radio program, when he related how the "Crats’ in New York City had come up with another way to harass and dominate the public and simultaneously create more revenues for their system. In the City of New York, if you have a tree in your front yard, which is growing on your property, and you wish to decorate it for the Holiday Season (they won’t use the word Christmas) you must first obtain a permit from the city to get permission to decorate your tree.
As ridiculous as this may sound to some….unfortunately it is true. And equally unfortunately, this is the direction we are heading everywhere in America as we create a more controlled, structured, government dominated society and lifestyle. As the bureaucracy slowly whittles on our freedoms and areas where we can exercise choices, we become more sheep-like as successive generations accept this way of life as necessary and acceptable.
Eventually those of us who can recall the days when we enjoyed personal freedom of choice, and personal rights and property rights had meaning, will all be gone. The evolution into the Orwellian society visualized by Orson Wells in his book "1984" will be a reality. Wells was right in his vision, he was just fifty years or so too early in his dating.
In order to assist Big Brother and his tribes of "Crats" in their continuing quest to find new ways to force the citizens of every city, county, and state to "render unto Cesar" as much as is possible, I am offering the following possibilities for new taxes, permits, fees, and other clever devices for gleaning money from the flock. (These are no more ridiculous than a permit to decorate a tree in your front yard.)
● Boat Motor Registration: We already license and register our boat trailers and our boats, but what if someone stole the motor from the boat? Why not register every outboard motor and create an annual sticker that must be displayed on the side of the motor? This would create millions and would help create new jobs for those who produce, issue, and keep records on the motor registry.
● Lawn Mower Registration: This is a fertile field. In order to protect us from having our lawn mowers stolen, a lawn mower license should be required to be issued each year and displayed on the back of the lawn mower.
● Lawn Mower Operators License: We should all have to pass a government run course on lawn mower safety which certifies that we have passed this course and are now qualified to operate our lawn mowers. This certification would have to be renewed with retesting each five years.
● Lawn Mowing Permit: Each summer as the growing season begins, every home owner or renter would be required to purchase an annual lawn mowing permit which would give you the right to mow your lawn any time you please, all summer long.
● Gutter Cleaning Permit: On those occasions when your home guttering becomes clogged and must be cleaned, you should be required to obtain a permit which gives you permission for one cleaning of all gutters as necessary. However, this permit should be clearly displayed any time you are upon your roof, in case your intent might be misinterpreted by any passing police or government officials.
● Roof Repairing Permit: Oops! You already have to get one of these.
● Home Parking Permit: If you own a home with a garage or driveway where you plan to park your personal automobile, you should first be required to obtain an annual parking permit. This will assure officials that the vehicle is parked at an authorized site.
● Planting Permits: If you wish to plant anything in the ground, you should be required to describe exactly what plants you are planning to plant, your reason for this action, and what you plan to do with any blossoms, leaves, or produce from these plants. This will assist law enforcement in control of illegal drugs, spread of unwanted weeds and plants, and will create millions of additional revenue for government.
(Farmers would only have to buy a five year planting permit at reduced cost.)
● I would also encourage municipal governments to reinstall parking meters and pay toilets in all public buildings.
● I thought about forcing couples to pay for a renewal of their marriage licenses each year….but there might be too many non-renewals.
Folks, this is where we are headed under the leadership of Big Brother, if you will just think about what we already have to do….in many cases we are already suffering this ridiculous level of over regulation, much of which is designed for the purpose of revenue generation for government. Permits, Licenses, Fees, Certifications, Penalties, Fines, Forfeitures, ….they are all TAXES! We also pay millions in taxes without even being aware of them. Just look at your phone bill or utility bill in detail and you will see a long list of fees and taxes which have no meaning to you yet you are forced to pay each month.
As the "Crats" seek new sources of revenue to make up for revenue shortfalls created by our faltering economy, be aware. Resist all attempts they make to dig deeper into your pockets…and you will be "Getting It Right".
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-
● Upon returning home after a Thanksgiving trip I was saddened to discover two families I care about had suffered the loss of a family member during our absence. The first was Mary Fears, wife of Elwin Fears. She died of cancer after a brave thirteen year battle. The second death was of my old friend, Ed Revell. He was a former neighbor, and his children and ours grew up during the same period. He was a fine man and I will miss his presence.
● The Marianna Christmas Parade and Winterfest festival will be held Friday afternoon. This will be a great way to begin the holiday season, so bring out the family and participate. Also, BCF is having a Christmas music presentation by their entire show band with Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday night performances. I plan to attend both events, maybe some good Christmas music will brighten things in the gloom of our national economic condition. P.S. I am glad Marianna still uses the words "Christmas Parade".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Friday, November 28, 2008
"These Are The Times That Try Men’s Souls"
Hypocrisy and Lunacy
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"If it was not such a tragic, desperate situation facing our nation at this moment in time, the antics of our inept political leaders would be humorous."
The most serious aspect of our current national and state dilemma as it impacts our elected officials is the problem they face concerning "How can I continue to please and appease everybody all the time…when we are out of money?"
"A manager! A manager! My Kingdom for a manager!" That is what I feel the impulse to yell when I see or read the news.
I especially enjoyed watching the financial tribunal which was held in Washington last week, where the group of legislators met with the top honcho’s of the Big Three auto makers. I found this event to be a great example of the stupidity, hypocrisy, and political posturing that only compounds the fears and disdain most citizens feel for our national leadership.
First, it was an obviously big mistake for the auto executives to use their corporate jets to fly to a meeting where they were required to get on their knees and beg these sly politicians to sprinkle their bank accounts with billions of tax payer dollars. They should have come to the meeting wearing soiled coveralls after hitchhiking from Detroit to Washington.
This tactical error gave those seasoned officials the opening they needed to pounce upon these needy, bleeding executives and simultaneously make themselves look politically astute and demanding as they prudently managed the available bail-out funds. Of course, the politicians themselves were all driven to that same meeting by chauffeur driven limousines at taxpayer expense earlier that morning. In my opinion both groups are "fat cats" who have no appreciation for the real plight of the nation or the public.
In reality, the plight of the auto industry is no different than the desperate plights that were previously faced by our electronics industry, our textile industry, our steel industry, our paper industry, our toys industry, our pharmaceuticals industry, and many, many other industry sectors which are diminishing or are already gone. Our nation has evolved into an industry cost model that can not compete in today’s world markets, and consequently almost all of our industries are doomed to eventual failure or relocation out of the USA. Only those products that are too perishable to allow the time it takes to transport them here from elsewhere, or those that are too bulky to allow affordable shipping costs are protected in today’s world of global industrial competition.
With the costs added through over regulation from a herd of watchdog government agencies and bodies of legislation as contained in the family leave act, discrimination claims avoidance, bogus workman’s compensation claims and requirements, minimum wage legislation, environmental legislation, occupational and safety administration legislation, social security benefits costs, laws tilted to promote unionization of industries and companies, and soon to be enacted medical insurance costs....combined with one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, and a philosophy of open world markets – all create an environment where few American industries can hope to compete on a world wide basis. We have priced ourselves out of the game.
All of these various bodies of legislation and oversight of industry are founded on some original basic need and justification. However, the bureaucracy and politics involved has added to these basic needs to the point that the massive amount of disruption and costs which are now impacting U.S. industry borders on lunacy. Most of the requirements, rules and costs are about 40% need justified and 60% bureaucratic B.S.. Each area of regulation requires extra record keeping, extra staffing, and frequent disruption as bureaucrats invade, demand attention and information, and inspect as the industry simultaneously attempts to produce in a productive, cost efficient manner. Big Brother government regulates the way they manufacture, what they design, how they package, and how they advertise.
Meanwhile in most of our industries the unions also frequently disrupt orderly production, lower productivity, create extra staffing, add wages and benefits, and create costly rules and inefficiencies. All of these extra costs from government and labor have to be added to the ultimate cost of the product. When all of the calculations are finalized, the net result is a non-competitive product that is too expensive for a consumer to buy when it sits on a shelf or in a show room next to a competing foreign made product.
We must face the fact that we can no longer manufacture most products in the United States….and that includes automobiles.
Rudiments – Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning:
● The "crats" are planning to close Three Rivers State Park at Sneads. At the same time Marti Coley and other legislators are parading around in their districts across the state as they give away checks totaling millions of dollars for NEW parks, even one for $200,000 in Bascom and another one for $200,000 in downtown Marianna.
● The credit card companies are sending out notices announcing their intent to raise interest rates to between 20% and 25% on all accounts, even if you have a perfect payment record. They have been bombarding the public with promotions begging them to take and use credit cards for years, and now they plan to "stick it to them". This will cause even more foreclosures, reduce retail purchasing, increase the plight of the struggling public, and deepen the recession. Rates this high are recognized as being usurious and against most banking laws, but the credit card companies have found a legal loophole. This is something you can complain to Boyd and Nelson about. The public needs protection in this matter—and quickly.
● Another of the many hands you feel in your pocket is the greedy utility. Florida Public Utilities has used their bribery of the Florida Public Services Commission to gain another 11% rate increase for your electricity beginning January 2009.
● Across the nation every company is tightening its belt. Industries and companies are laying off thousands and unemployment is soaring as this recessionary snowball rolls downhill and gathers momentum. I predict next year these staff reductions and cut backs will reach the most protected group of employees of all…the sacred bureaucracy. When the cow is sick you finally have to quit milking.
In these times all I can recommend is that everyone be conservative in all you do….and pray a lot! Do that and you will be "Getting It Right".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Getting It Right- Bail Out or Pay Back
Is congress trying to save the U.S. Automotive industry or the United Auto Workers Union?
The Democratic Party is deep in dept to the hundreds of Unions which make up the American Federation of Labor (AFOL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). These organizations have been donating heavily for many, many years to hundreds of Democratic candidates as they campaigned for elected positions in our government. Among the largest and most significant of these unions was the United Auto Workers (UAW).
At present the U.S. Auto makers are traveling at a good pace on the road to bankruptcy. For instance, General Motors is currently losing over $160 million dollars per work day. Now, let’s do the math on what is really motivating Congress to bail out this failed industry.
A conservative number for the total number of union members that would lose their jobs if the Big Three auto makers went bankrupt, including all of the union controlled sub-contractors allied with the industry is 2,000,000 (two million) jobs. Now, let’s assume that each of these loyal union members (and voters) pays union dues each month of $150.00 as a payment to the union for getting them their $40 per hour job, complete with fantastic benefits. This means that these jobs are adding $300,000,000 to the union’s mafia controlled income. Additionally, for each auto produced the companies are paying approximately $1600 per auto into the UAW Pension Fund and Health Benefits Plan. With annual sales of 16,000,000 autos, this equates to another $25.6 Billion dollars per year, or over $2.1 Billion per month. Thus we see that the U.S. Auto industry is a huge "Cash Cow" for the union movement. They can not afford for this cash cow to die, even though they have caused its serious health problems by over-milking for years.
Through the 1970’s, 1980’s, and into the 1990’s the U.S. auto industry’s companies and unions made shoddy products, promoted and allowed wages and benefits which satisfied an insatiable greed, passed the costs onward to the U.S. consumers since few foreign competitors existed, and thus engaged in decades of decadent excesses. Then came the global economy, free trade, and foreign competition.
In this environment the cost profile which was developed from these years of excesses is not competitive. They are thus doomed to eventual failure. Do we prolong that death by feeding that greed for a few more months or years…or should they now pay for their mistakes? Better them than us. This should include the excessive retirement benefits of those auto union workers who participated in creating this situation and are now feasting on those benefits.
In my opinion, this current move to "bail out" the auto industry by our current congress is more of an effort to save billions for the unions than it is a move to help the dying industry. They want to use the tax dollars paid by millions of uninsured tax payers to pay the health benefits for these union workers who have demonstrated nothing but greed for decades. Congress is only responding as the Unions are calling in a "payback chip" from all of those campaign donations.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
A friend sent this to me from the internet this week. It is one of the most eloquent, best written descriptions of our national plight I have encountered. I am enclosing it for your reading.
How Long
Do We Have?
About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh , had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government."
"A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury."
"From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years"
"During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. from bondage to spiritual faith;
2. from spiritual faith to great courage;
3. from courage to liberty;
4. from liberty to abundance;
5. from abundance to complacency;
6. from complacency to apathy;
7. from apathy to dependence;
8. from dependence back into bondage"
Professor Joseph Olson of Hemline University School of Law, St. Paul , Minnesota , points out some interesting facts concerning the Presidential election:
Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Democrats: 13.2 Republicans: 2.1
Professor Olson adds: "In aggregate, the map of the territory Republican won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of this great country. Democrat territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government welfare..." Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the "complacency and apathy" phase of Professor Tyler’s definition of democracy, with some forty percent of the nation’s population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.
If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million criminal invaders called illegal’s and they are given the right to vote, then we can say goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.
WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE SACRAFICES MADE BY THE BRAVE MEN WHO LIVED BEFORE US.
Our nation needs patriots now more than any time since World War II. Our nation is about to evolve into a Socialistic Democracy from a Capitalistic Democracy. If you will help resist this change…you will be ‘Getting It Right".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
By Sid Riley
This column presents a rights preserving, fiscally conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
This column presents a rights preserving, fiscally conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
The Democratic Party is deep in dept to the hundreds of Unions which make up the American Federation of Labor (AFOL) and the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). These organizations have been donating heavily for many, many years to hundreds of Democratic candidates as they campaigned for elected positions in our government. Among the largest and most significant of these unions was the United Auto Workers (UAW).
At present the U.S. Auto makers are traveling at a good pace on the road to bankruptcy. For instance, General Motors is currently losing over $160 million dollars per work day. Now, let’s do the math on what is really motivating Congress to bail out this failed industry.
A conservative number for the total number of union members that would lose their jobs if the Big Three auto makers went bankrupt, including all of the union controlled sub-contractors allied with the industry is 2,000,000 (two million) jobs. Now, let’s assume that each of these loyal union members (and voters) pays union dues each month of $150.00 as a payment to the union for getting them their $40 per hour job, complete with fantastic benefits. This means that these jobs are adding $300,000,000 to the union’s mafia controlled income. Additionally, for each auto produced the companies are paying approximately $1600 per auto into the UAW Pension Fund and Health Benefits Plan. With annual sales of 16,000,000 autos, this equates to another $25.6 Billion dollars per year, or over $2.1 Billion per month. Thus we see that the U.S. Auto industry is a huge "Cash Cow" for the union movement. They can not afford for this cash cow to die, even though they have caused its serious health problems by over-milking for years.
Through the 1970’s, 1980’s, and into the 1990’s the U.S. auto industry’s companies and unions made shoddy products, promoted and allowed wages and benefits which satisfied an insatiable greed, passed the costs onward to the U.S. consumers since few foreign competitors existed, and thus engaged in decades of decadent excesses. Then came the global economy, free trade, and foreign competition.
In this environment the cost profile which was developed from these years of excesses is not competitive. They are thus doomed to eventual failure. Do we prolong that death by feeding that greed for a few more months or years…or should they now pay for their mistakes? Better them than us. This should include the excessive retirement benefits of those auto union workers who participated in creating this situation and are now feasting on those benefits.
In my opinion, this current move to "bail out" the auto industry by our current congress is more of an effort to save billions for the unions than it is a move to help the dying industry. They want to use the tax dollars paid by millions of uninsured tax payers to pay the health benefits for these union workers who have demonstrated nothing but greed for decades. Congress is only responding as the Unions are calling in a "payback chip" from all of those campaign donations.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
A friend sent this to me from the internet this week. It is one of the most eloquent, best written descriptions of our national plight I have encountered. I am enclosing it for your reading.
How Long
Do We Have?
About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh , had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government."
"A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury."
"From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years"
"During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. from bondage to spiritual faith;
2. from spiritual faith to great courage;
3. from courage to liberty;
4. from liberty to abundance;
5. from abundance to complacency;
6. from complacency to apathy;
7. from apathy to dependence;
8. from dependence back into bondage"
Professor Joseph Olson of Hemline University School of Law, St. Paul , Minnesota , points out some interesting facts concerning the Presidential election:
Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Democrats: 13.2 Republicans: 2.1
Professor Olson adds: "In aggregate, the map of the territory Republican won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of this great country. Democrat territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government welfare..." Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the "complacency and apathy" phase of Professor Tyler’s definition of democracy, with some forty percent of the nation’s population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.
If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million criminal invaders called illegal’s and they are given the right to vote, then we can say goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.
WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE SACRAFICES MADE BY THE BRAVE MEN WHO LIVED BEFORE US.
Our nation needs patriots now more than any time since World War II. Our nation is about to evolve into a Socialistic Democracy from a Capitalistic Democracy. If you will help resist this change…you will be ‘Getting It Right".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Getting It Right - "For A More Perfect Union"
It is "Payback Time" To The Union Movement For Obama
This column presents a fiscally conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"Big Political Donations Should Now Yield Big Rewards for the Union Movement in the USA".
Even before President Elect Obama takes office, the union movement is moving. They are already beginning to pressure the legislative leaders to recognize their "wish list" of new legislation that will make unionization easier to accomplish, more lucrative, and more widespread within the industrial sector, and within all government employment.
Auto Industry Bail Out - As a starter, the automotive unions are pushing for the domestic automotive manufacturers to be given approximately $75 billion of the $700 billion bail out funds. This is a "porky" move which is being sponsored by the United Auto Workers in order to help General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler retool their factories for the new era of smaller, fuel efficient autos that will be in demand and must be manufactured if those companies are to stay in business. However, when you probe the issue further, you find that only about $25 billion is needed for retooling, and a major portion of the balance is slated to repay the union’s medical and pension funds, which those companies have not been able to pay.
The unions want to use public tax monies to pay their union members lifetime medical and dental benefits, and lucrative pension payments….while the rest of us suffer, do without, lose most of our pensions, and are forced to pay the bill. The terrible part of this situation is that in the existing political climate…they stand a good chance of success.
I would favor offering low interest loans to those companies for retooling, meanwhile restricting dividends, executive salaries, and benefits until the loans are repaid, and offering no "bail-out" free money for the companies and their unions to gobble up. These companies and their unions have demonstrated bad management and excessive greed over the past decades, thus moving their cost structures to a non-competitive level…and if bankruptcies and closings are in their future, they all earned it.
Abolishing Secret Ballots – Another front burner union proposal is a move to abolish the secret ballot when unionization elections are held within a company or function. Although the secret ballot is a cherished part of the American culture, designed to assure the right to vote without fear of reprisals, the Union Bosses want to know which employees voted against the union. They will thus know who to "blackball", and which front porches for their mafia hoods to burn. These practices will enable them to penetrate and unionize with greater success in areas such as Wal-Mart and other selected companies.
Abolishing "Right To Work Laws" – At present there are fourteen states where state laws have created "open shops" for workers instead of "closed shops". In those states right to work legislation is in effect, workers can work for a unionized company and not belong to the union. They have the right to choose whether or not they wish to pay dues and belong to the union. In the other union dominated states where right to work legislation is not in effect, in order to work for a unionized company, all workers must join the union and pay dues.
These laws have greatly weakened the strength of the union grip on industry in the mostly southern, right to work states. The union movement wants to pass state and federal laws that will ban the right to work legislation. They will certainly have this on their agenda during Obama’s term.
Expanding Unionization of Government Functions: At present there are several government functions which have been identified as "critical" and unions are thus prohibited from organizing these areas. An example would include the Air Traffic Controllers, and other similar jobs where public safety would be put at risk if disruptive union activities were allowed.
The unions do not like these restrictions, since thousands of potential dues paying workers are not within their grasp. We can expect this to change in the coming months. Of course the unions enjoy unionization of public functions, since they can escalate wages and costs without fear of putting the organization out of business from foreign competition…as they did many industries. When government functions are unionized they have an open reach into the never ending flow of money from the taxpayers.
Raising the Minimum Wage: The unions and their politicians like to raise the minimum wage. They can then pretend they have helped the lower earner work groups. In reality, these are the jobs which are most sensitive to competition from other parts of the world, and these jobs are soon transferred out of the United States to other nations. Those workers they pretended to help the most are actually the ones hurt the most. A good example is the textile-apparel industry that was lost during the past decade.
Also, by pushing up the minimum wage, the platform of comparison for union wages is thus pushed upward. This helps the unions justify further wage increases for high paid union workers.
Conclusion: In my opinion the union movement and the impact it has had on industrial production costs over the past fifty years has resulted in those industries becoming cost prohibitive on the world market. As a result America has lost a major portion of it’s basic industries. For example, today the bewildered steel workers stumble around in the decaying union halls in Pittsburg and ask forlornly, "What happened to my $30.00 per hour job?" The same thing is happening as we speak to our automotive industry.
But the union movement hopes for revitalization as the liberal, pro-union Obama regime takes power. They are about to form a "More perfect union".
Rudiments- Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning:
♦ Well as I write I can look out the window and see everyone at all of the retail businesses along the street busy at work, hoping to entice some customer to enter their shops. Small business vans and trucks roll by as they rush to make a delivery in their continuing struggle to survive. At area factories and warehouses everyone is hard at work…and meanwhile across the street at the court house all lights are out and the private parking spaces are empty, as our federal, state, and county bureaucracies enjoy one of their many, many paid holidays, using our tax dollars to enjoy themselves while the tax payers work. It just doesn’t seem right to me. They pass the laws, set the rules, and give themselves whatever they need. They always look out for each other and themselves. We are asked to keep our mouths shut, our heads down, to ignore it, and just keep on working.
♦ I wish Milton Pittman good luck and a happy life. He has been a good Commissioner and has always been a positive, honest force in our local government.
♦ This Christmas I encourage all area citizens to "Buy Local". Our local businesses are struggling in this weak economy and we should all try especially hard to support them this year as we buy presents for our loved ones. Do this and you will be "Getting It Right".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Getting It Right - This Is "Sunshine Week" Have You Celebrated?
State Recognizes Importance of Florida’s Sunshine Laws
By Sid Riley
This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
While many of us are celebrating the abundance of sunshine we are now enjoying as Spring has finally arrived in Jackson County as heralded by budding dogwoods and azaleas, others are pausing to celebrate the fact that Florida is one of the states where "Sunshine Laws" exist.
In my opinion, this is one of the things our Florida Legislature has gotten right. Our state Sunshine Law has long been a national model for presumption of openness. However, our legislators have now allowed nearly 1,000 "special interest" exemptions that allow secrecy of everything from union negotiation strategies to pet records. Politics are steadily beginning to taint the system. We should all let our legislators know that we do not want the lobbyists to "buy secrecy" by having laws passed that exempt their special interests from having their activities monitored by the public.
Sunday marked the start of Sunshine Week, a national effort by newspapers, TV stations, nonprofits, schools and libraries to emphasize the importance of open government and access to information. It is not an exciting topic, but it is a fundamental component of an effective democracy. In a society that relies on an informed public, the access to and flow of needed information is vital.
Positive Developments:
Some recent positive developments in the protection of these laws have occurred.
- Attorney General Bill McCollum launched a Government Accountability Project to find out which state and local records were the hardest for the public to access.
- Clemency reports, which were previously kept in secret, are now accessible to applicants prior to their hearings.
- Crist also has released names previously held secret of double-dippers collecting state pensions and full state salaries at the same time. This led to new bills designed to end abuses within the state retirement system.
- A spending disclosure bill is in the Legislature for creation of a Web site to list all contract expenditures in excess of $5,000 by state agencies. Potential Problems: Despite the continued emphasis on government openness by advocacy groups, others continue to promote exemptions that create "loopholes" in the concept.
Some of the troubling bills include:
- Expansion of exemptions in the insurance arena to shield insurance companies "trade" secrets from public scrutiny.
- Exemption to allow closed door meetings for officials to discuss potential litigation against the state.
- An exemption that goes overboard in restricting all personal information such as names and addresses. To erase this data from all documents creates a huge administrative workload and cost.
- Allowing agencies to charge large fees for access to public information. One state agency instituted a $700.00 fee for the simplest record search. The FDLE charges $24.00 for background records that local police usually provide for less than a quarter.
- The Jackson Health System signed a questionable contract with the State last year, and the Miami Herald requested for copies of hospital e-mails on the deal. The hospital sent a reply they would provide the requested information for a fee of $165,721. The ensuing standoff was never resolved and the records remain secret.
Where to go for information- Some useful web sites are: - www.miamifly.net/watchdog/foia.html - www.coj.net (tax estimator) - www/doh.state.fl.us/irm00praes/praslist.asp (doctors, hospitals licensing status, complaints, discipline actions) - http://data.fldoe.org ( education data, school test scores, grad rates and more) - www.fdle.state.fl.us (criminal background checks, sexual predators, offenders) - www.flgov.com/og home (describes how to access records in every state agency) Remember, an informed citizen, votes wisely.
RUDAMENTS- ODDS AND ENDS WORTH MENTIONING: Teen Age Sex- On last week’s 20/20 TV program the subject of John Stossel’s part of the show was what appears to be fallacies with the strict interpretation of some sex law violations. Specifically, it dealt with a portion of the format of "Megan’s Law" which draws the line for a minor female at sixteen years of age. Stossel also appeared on the O’Reilly Factor discussing the same issue. In its existing form the law shows no differentiation for sexual activity between a sixteen year old girl and an eighteen year old male, and for this same girl and a forty year old male.
I tend to agree that the forced sentencing levels and inclusion for life on sexual predator listings for an immature, oversexed teen age boy is too harsh and stupid. For the forty year old, it is appropriate.
I am writing on this subject because of a press release received at the Jackson County Times this week from the Sheriff’s Department. They are investigating a local case where an eighteen year old boy, Gerald Lee, had a baby with a sixteen year old girl. He is thus being charged with Lewd and Lascivious Molestation of a Child between 12 and 16, and could be found subject to the harsh sentencing penalties defined in Megan’s Law and would then be on the sexual predator listings for the rest of his life. He would have been 17 when the act occurred.
Ironically, just a few days after seeing the issue presented on television, we had the same, exact issue before our legal establishment here in Jackson County. Florida has Megan’s Law which forces judges to give severe sentences to anyone guilty of molesting a minor (I think the minimum sentence is twenty years).
If we could do detailed investigative work on the sexual history of every male in Jackson County, how many of us would also be guilty of fooling around with a sixteen year old girl when we were seventeen? This law needs modification in this part of its format. Ruining a young man’s life because of an immature teen age love affair is wrong.
As to the old deviant that killed and tortured poor little Megan in that trailer, they can’t kill him fast enough or bury him deep enough to suit me.
For more on the 20/20 story go to http://abcnews.go.com/2020.
Courthouse Beautification- Well they have the $60,000 new second handicapped ramp finished at our courthouse. I think it goes well with the existing level of beauty of the facility. State JUCO Tournament- I want to congratulate the Chipola Appreciation Club, and all who took part in making this event a real boon to our area.
We wish the Indians great success at the national tournament.
Administration Building- In my opinion we should not allow our commissioners to merely delay the building project. An opportunity currently exists to buy a suitable facility at a price that would ultimately save the county millions of dollars. Please encourage them to hire an unbiased construction expert to determine if there would be any problems with using the old Wal-Mart building for a new County Administration Complex, and what the cost per square foot for preparation would be.
With this information at hand, they can then make a wise, informed decision as to the advisability of making an offer on the vacant building. To wait will result in a lost opportunity to possibly save taxpayers millions of dollars. If they delay too long another use will be found for this fine facility.
Meanwhile, stay informed, be proactive, and prepare to vote for candidates that will not continue to widen the spread of the wings of government over our personal lives and dig its talons into our pocketbooks. Do this and you will be "Getting It Right".
By Sid Riley
This column presents a non-partisan, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
While many of us are celebrating the abundance of sunshine we are now enjoying as Spring has finally arrived in Jackson County as heralded by budding dogwoods and azaleas, others are pausing to celebrate the fact that Florida is one of the states where "Sunshine Laws" exist.
In my opinion, this is one of the things our Florida Legislature has gotten right. Our state Sunshine Law has long been a national model for presumption of openness. However, our legislators have now allowed nearly 1,000 "special interest" exemptions that allow secrecy of everything from union negotiation strategies to pet records. Politics are steadily beginning to taint the system. We should all let our legislators know that we do not want the lobbyists to "buy secrecy" by having laws passed that exempt their special interests from having their activities monitored by the public.
Sunday marked the start of Sunshine Week, a national effort by newspapers, TV stations, nonprofits, schools and libraries to emphasize the importance of open government and access to information. It is not an exciting topic, but it is a fundamental component of an effective democracy. In a society that relies on an informed public, the access to and flow of needed information is vital.
Positive Developments:
Some recent positive developments in the protection of these laws have occurred.
- Attorney General Bill McCollum launched a Government Accountability Project to find out which state and local records were the hardest for the public to access.
- Clemency reports, which were previously kept in secret, are now accessible to applicants prior to their hearings.
- Crist also has released names previously held secret of double-dippers collecting state pensions and full state salaries at the same time. This led to new bills designed to end abuses within the state retirement system.
- A spending disclosure bill is in the Legislature for creation of a Web site to list all contract expenditures in excess of $5,000 by state agencies. Potential Problems: Despite the continued emphasis on government openness by advocacy groups, others continue to promote exemptions that create "loopholes" in the concept.
Some of the troubling bills include:
- Expansion of exemptions in the insurance arena to shield insurance companies "trade" secrets from public scrutiny.
- Exemption to allow closed door meetings for officials to discuss potential litigation against the state.
- An exemption that goes overboard in restricting all personal information such as names and addresses. To erase this data from all documents creates a huge administrative workload and cost.
- Allowing agencies to charge large fees for access to public information. One state agency instituted a $700.00 fee for the simplest record search. The FDLE charges $24.00 for background records that local police usually provide for less than a quarter.
- The Jackson Health System signed a questionable contract with the State last year, and the Miami Herald requested for copies of hospital e-mails on the deal. The hospital sent a reply they would provide the requested information for a fee of $165,721. The ensuing standoff was never resolved and the records remain secret.
Where to go for information- Some useful web sites are: - www.miamifly.net/watchdog/foia.html - www.coj.net (tax estimator) - www/doh.state.fl.us/irm00praes/praslist.asp (doctors, hospitals licensing status, complaints, discipline actions) - http://data.fldoe.org ( education data, school test scores, grad rates and more) - www.fdle.state.fl.us (criminal background checks, sexual predators, offenders) - www.flgov.com/og home (describes how to access records in every state agency) Remember, an informed citizen, votes wisely.
RUDAMENTS- ODDS AND ENDS WORTH MENTIONING: Teen Age Sex- On last week’s 20/20 TV program the subject of John Stossel’s part of the show was what appears to be fallacies with the strict interpretation of some sex law violations. Specifically, it dealt with a portion of the format of "Megan’s Law" which draws the line for a minor female at sixteen years of age. Stossel also appeared on the O’Reilly Factor discussing the same issue. In its existing form the law shows no differentiation for sexual activity between a sixteen year old girl and an eighteen year old male, and for this same girl and a forty year old male.
I tend to agree that the forced sentencing levels and inclusion for life on sexual predator listings for an immature, oversexed teen age boy is too harsh and stupid. For the forty year old, it is appropriate.
I am writing on this subject because of a press release received at the Jackson County Times this week from the Sheriff’s Department. They are investigating a local case where an eighteen year old boy, Gerald Lee, had a baby with a sixteen year old girl. He is thus being charged with Lewd and Lascivious Molestation of a Child between 12 and 16, and could be found subject to the harsh sentencing penalties defined in Megan’s Law and would then be on the sexual predator listings for the rest of his life. He would have been 17 when the act occurred.
Ironically, just a few days after seeing the issue presented on television, we had the same, exact issue before our legal establishment here in Jackson County. Florida has Megan’s Law which forces judges to give severe sentences to anyone guilty of molesting a minor (I think the minimum sentence is twenty years).
If we could do detailed investigative work on the sexual history of every male in Jackson County, how many of us would also be guilty of fooling around with a sixteen year old girl when we were seventeen? This law needs modification in this part of its format. Ruining a young man’s life because of an immature teen age love affair is wrong.
As to the old deviant that killed and tortured poor little Megan in that trailer, they can’t kill him fast enough or bury him deep enough to suit me.
For more on the 20/20 story go to http://abcnews.go.com/2020.
Courthouse Beautification- Well they have the $60,000 new second handicapped ramp finished at our courthouse. I think it goes well with the existing level of beauty of the facility. State JUCO Tournament- I want to congratulate the Chipola Appreciation Club, and all who took part in making this event a real boon to our area.
We wish the Indians great success at the national tournament.
Administration Building- In my opinion we should not allow our commissioners to merely delay the building project. An opportunity currently exists to buy a suitable facility at a price that would ultimately save the county millions of dollars. Please encourage them to hire an unbiased construction expert to determine if there would be any problems with using the old Wal-Mart building for a new County Administration Complex, and what the cost per square foot for preparation would be.
With this information at hand, they can then make a wise, informed decision as to the advisability of making an offer on the vacant building. To wait will result in a lost opportunity to possibly save taxpayers millions of dollars. If they delay too long another use will be found for this fine facility.
Meanwhile, stay informed, be proactive, and prepare to vote for candidates that will not continue to widen the spread of the wings of government over our personal lives and dig its talons into our pocketbooks. Do this and you will be "Getting It Right".
Friday, November 7, 2008
“And Away We Go!!”
This column presents a conservative, individual responsibility, free will viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"The ‘Day of the Liberals’ is upon us. Prepare thyself."
Hide your purse and cling onto your "Inalienable Rights", the Liberals are coming!
Hide your purse and cling onto your "Inalienable Rights", the Liberals are coming!
Before I begin I want to clearly state that the focus and content of this week’s column has nothing to do with the fact that Barack Obama is a black man. In fact, I feel good that our nation has been able to overcome years of bigotry and bias, and has developed to a point where men can be chosen solely on their merit.
However, I do have serious reservations about the fact that this particular man has the most liberal voting record out of the 100 Senators now serving our nation, and had a previous history in the Illinois State government as being an ultra-liberal.
This history of left wing liberalism, a socialistic philosophy, and a "Big Brother Caretaker" outlook does bother me. It frightens me even more when this type of philosophy is in control of the executive branch at a time when the legislative branch is also dominated by a ultra liberal, left wing leadership.
The last time this situation existed in our governmental structure was during 1965-1967, the term of President Lyndon Johnson and Vice President Hubert Humphrey, with liberal John McCormack of Minnesota leading the 89th Congress. They had a huge majority (295-140) in the House of Representatives, and a 68-32 majority in the Senate. They were thus in complete control of our government.
This was the time the "Great Society" and "War On Poverty" initiatives were begun, and with them the birth of our extensive welfare entitlement programs. An astounding eighty-four liberal, expensive, bureaucracy expanding pieces of legislation were enacted.
Their liberal appointments in the Federal Judiciary and on the Supreme Court endured for the next thirty years and led to much of the liberal lunacy which today has almost rendered our federal court system ineffective. The liberal decisions which emanated from the Supreme Court throughout the 1960’s, 1970’s, and 1980’s have changed and degraded our society.
We are now faced with that situation again, with ultra liberals such as Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reed, the Kennedy Clan, and many, many other radicals in charge and free to destroy and spend at will. They can now enact and enforce their far left, socialistic agenda unrestrained and unabated by any elements of conservative sanity…. And as Jackie Gleason would say, And Away We Go!
May the Good Lord continue to bless this great nation.
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-
● I see another poor horse in our county has EEE, or the animal variety of West Nile Virus. The State Health Department is sending out press releases telling everyone to avoid going outside where they might get bitten by a mosquito, to always spray greasy repellants on themselves, and to turn over all flower pots, cans, tires, or anything that might allow water to stand where mosquito larvae might hatch. They seem to somehow ignore the huge, ugly mosquito ponds that their sister State bureaucracy, the FDEP has caused every business to dig on 40% of their property. Do they not realize they have created a public health hazard by bringing the swamp to the city for mosquito’s to use for breeding? The mosquitoes no longer have to hunt for a can or pot full of water. More liberal lunacy in my opinion.
● It appears that the consultant’s utility survey report to the Marianna City Commission has confirmed that we have a greedy, abusive utility monopoly in charge, which with the endorsement of the Florida Public Service Commission is victimizing the citizens of Marianna. We must now rely on our City Commissioners to correct this situation…..or continue to pay the highest bills in Florida for our electricity.
● The cost of living in Marianna continues to steadily increase, even though it is a tough economic time for its residents.
During the past few months the City Commissioners have approved the following increases:
● Not repealing the exorbitant water-sewer rates that were installed as a measure to help finance the required new water treatment system, before the grant funding was realized. At that time a promise was made to the citizens of the city to lower these high rates if other funding was found. That promise was broken.
● Raising the municipal millage to generate $250,000 more in tax revenues from the pockets of the city citizens.
● Increasing the rates for curb side trash pick up.
● Adding the $4.00 per meter monthly charge for gas service.
● Raising gas rates by 20%.
And at the same time the struggling city residents are paying the highest electric rates in the state!
● To all of the winners in our election I say "Congratulations". I hope you will always be prudent in the manner in which you spend the public funds which will now be at your disposal as you execute your duties. If you do this well, you will be "Getting It Right".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Getting It Right - Decision Time Is Here
10/30/08
Please Utilize Your Right To Vote, Many Patriots Have Died So That You Still Have That Privilege
By Sid Riley
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"Social or Economic Stresses Historically Cause Changes to Occur…However, These Changes Are Not Always for the Betterment of a Nation or Society".
When significant changes occur within a nation, they usually have a social or an economic foundation that has sparked the movement and created the momentum of a new direction. History is replete with examples of this aspect of societies.
During the 1930’s the economy of Germany was in shambles as a result of the Great Depression. Inflation was rampant and the national currency had become worthless. The lifetime savings of the population had thus also been rendered worthless, business failures abounded, unemployment was widespread, and life was deteriorating at a fast pace. Desperately the population looked for someone to lead them out of this situation through a program of change that would restore their economy and national pride. Nothing else mattered.
Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party waged a tremendous, effective campaign in 1930 that offered a new glimmer of hope for the German population. Hitler traveled the country from end to end delivering dozens of major speeches promoting nationalism, attending meetings of hundreds of national organizations, shook hands and signed thousands of autographs, and even kissed numerous babies.
Hitler offered something to every citizen: work to the unemployed, prosperity to failed business people, increased profits to industry, social harmony through an end of class distinctions, and restoration of Germany’s former glory. He appealed to all classes of Germans. The name of the Nazi party itself was deliberately all inclusive - the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, a Union into itself.
Joseph Goebbels who functioned as his campaign manager brilliantly organized thousands of meetings and torchlight parades, plastered Hitler posters everywhere and printed millions of copies of special editions of Nazi newspapers. It was an advertising blitz for that day.
For Hitler, the master orator, the long awaited opportunity to use his talents on the German people had arrived. He would find in this downtrodden people, an audience very willing to listen. In his speeches, Hitler offered the Germans what they needed most, encouragement, a promise of prosperity, an equalization with the upper classes. He gave them heaps of vague promises while avoiding the details. He used simple catchphrases, repeated over and over. He skillfully played on the emotions of the audience lifting their level of emotion higher and higher until the people wound up a chanting, screaming, horde that looked upon him with almost religious adoration.
Winning the election thrust Hitler into a position of national and international prestige. In celebration of their national victory, Nazi storm troopers dressed in civilian clothes smashed the windows of Jewish shops and businesses, an indication of things to come.……
Another example of social unrest enabling change to occur is the history of Cuba in the late 1950’s. The poor struggling citizen peasants could barely scrape together an existence for their families as they lived under the Batista dictatorship and the class system that rose from his coup to power in 1940. Replete with criminal activity, suppression of the media, and unrelenting political imprisonment or execution of any who spoke against him, his regime was a period of economic despair, class domination, and hopelessness for a large segment of the population. The situation was ripe for the emergence of a new leader and promises of change.
In 1953 Castro led an uprising against the Batista military, but failed. He was imprisoned for a few years and then released to live in Mexico. He later organized an invasion force, and invaded Cuba in 1956. As his army moved across the country from the West, the population began to side with this new "savior" who promised them a new life of fair treatment, increased wealth, and equality. In a few months he had conquered the nation, marching triumphantly into Havana as Batista fled the country.
To the surprise of the international community, Castro immediately formed The Communist Party of Cuba, and became its first Secretary. He established a Single-party Socialist Republic. He began to suppress and nationalize the media, to nationalize all major businesses and utilities, and aggressively imprisoned anyone who spoke or acted against him.
Under the fifty year reign of Castro, the life of the poor peasant has changed little. Although Castro promised a classless society, he is recognized today as being among the wealthiest men in the world with assets estimated at over $900 million, much of which is "stashed" in Swiss accounts. Another promised social change that failed to become a reality for the underclass.
Then there is the example of what occurred in the United States of America during the economic turmoil of 2008 which was caused by decades of mismanagement within the national government and the financial institutions of the nation. With the U.S. currency becoming worth much less, escalating costs of the necessities of life, a burdensome, costly bureaucracy, growing unemployment, and a declining standard of living, the population was ready for a leader who promised change.
Onto this stage in the elections of 2008 stepped Barack Obama, a new leader with great oratory skills who promised to initiate a menu of Socialistic programs which promised the struggling classes increased earnings and benefits……. (sound familiar?)
RUDIMENTS: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning –
- Congratulations to the City of Marianna for the paving of the latest portion of Kelson Avenue. I am looking forward to driving down that smooth, new, expensive street my water bills helped pay for. Hopefully, since they have installed all new drainage and water lines under this street, they won’t have to immediately begin poking holes in it to accomplish repairs.
- The DOT has destroyed the canopy over Hwy 73, our route to Dothan. If a private citizen had tried to cut down that many trees our FDEP would have been all over them.
- Isn’t it amazing that the price of oil has fallen 55% from its high, while in the same period the price of gasoline has only fallen 35%, do you suppose someone is still gouging the system? I wonder if the utilities will lower their fuel surcharges.
It is time for us all to take time to vote. As you cast your ballot you will be "Getting It Right".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Please Utilize Your Right To Vote, Many Patriots Have Died So That You Still Have That Privilege
By Sid Riley
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
"Social or Economic Stresses Historically Cause Changes to Occur…However, These Changes Are Not Always for the Betterment of a Nation or Society".
When significant changes occur within a nation, they usually have a social or an economic foundation that has sparked the movement and created the momentum of a new direction. History is replete with examples of this aspect of societies.
During the 1930’s the economy of Germany was in shambles as a result of the Great Depression. Inflation was rampant and the national currency had become worthless. The lifetime savings of the population had thus also been rendered worthless, business failures abounded, unemployment was widespread, and life was deteriorating at a fast pace. Desperately the population looked for someone to lead them out of this situation through a program of change that would restore their economy and national pride. Nothing else mattered.
Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party waged a tremendous, effective campaign in 1930 that offered a new glimmer of hope for the German population. Hitler traveled the country from end to end delivering dozens of major speeches promoting nationalism, attending meetings of hundreds of national organizations, shook hands and signed thousands of autographs, and even kissed numerous babies.
Hitler offered something to every citizen: work to the unemployed, prosperity to failed business people, increased profits to industry, social harmony through an end of class distinctions, and restoration of Germany’s former glory. He appealed to all classes of Germans. The name of the Nazi party itself was deliberately all inclusive - the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, a Union into itself.
Joseph Goebbels who functioned as his campaign manager brilliantly organized thousands of meetings and torchlight parades, plastered Hitler posters everywhere and printed millions of copies of special editions of Nazi newspapers. It was an advertising blitz for that day.
For Hitler, the master orator, the long awaited opportunity to use his talents on the German people had arrived. He would find in this downtrodden people, an audience very willing to listen. In his speeches, Hitler offered the Germans what they needed most, encouragement, a promise of prosperity, an equalization with the upper classes. He gave them heaps of vague promises while avoiding the details. He used simple catchphrases, repeated over and over. He skillfully played on the emotions of the audience lifting their level of emotion higher and higher until the people wound up a chanting, screaming, horde that looked upon him with almost religious adoration.
Winning the election thrust Hitler into a position of national and international prestige. In celebration of their national victory, Nazi storm troopers dressed in civilian clothes smashed the windows of Jewish shops and businesses, an indication of things to come.……
Another example of social unrest enabling change to occur is the history of Cuba in the late 1950’s. The poor struggling citizen peasants could barely scrape together an existence for their families as they lived under the Batista dictatorship and the class system that rose from his coup to power in 1940. Replete with criminal activity, suppression of the media, and unrelenting political imprisonment or execution of any who spoke against him, his regime was a period of economic despair, class domination, and hopelessness for a large segment of the population. The situation was ripe for the emergence of a new leader and promises of change.
In 1953 Castro led an uprising against the Batista military, but failed. He was imprisoned for a few years and then released to live in Mexico. He later organized an invasion force, and invaded Cuba in 1956. As his army moved across the country from the West, the population began to side with this new "savior" who promised them a new life of fair treatment, increased wealth, and equality. In a few months he had conquered the nation, marching triumphantly into Havana as Batista fled the country.
To the surprise of the international community, Castro immediately formed The Communist Party of Cuba, and became its first Secretary. He established a Single-party Socialist Republic. He began to suppress and nationalize the media, to nationalize all major businesses and utilities, and aggressively imprisoned anyone who spoke or acted against him.
Under the fifty year reign of Castro, the life of the poor peasant has changed little. Although Castro promised a classless society, he is recognized today as being among the wealthiest men in the world with assets estimated at over $900 million, much of which is "stashed" in Swiss accounts. Another promised social change that failed to become a reality for the underclass.
Then there is the example of what occurred in the United States of America during the economic turmoil of 2008 which was caused by decades of mismanagement within the national government and the financial institutions of the nation. With the U.S. currency becoming worth much less, escalating costs of the necessities of life, a burdensome, costly bureaucracy, growing unemployment, and a declining standard of living, the population was ready for a leader who promised change.
Onto this stage in the elections of 2008 stepped Barack Obama, a new leader with great oratory skills who promised to initiate a menu of Socialistic programs which promised the struggling classes increased earnings and benefits……. (sound familiar?)
RUDIMENTS: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning –
- Congratulations to the City of Marianna for the paving of the latest portion of Kelson Avenue. I am looking forward to driving down that smooth, new, expensive street my water bills helped pay for. Hopefully, since they have installed all new drainage and water lines under this street, they won’t have to immediately begin poking holes in it to accomplish repairs.
- The DOT has destroyed the canopy over Hwy 73, our route to Dothan. If a private citizen had tried to cut down that many trees our FDEP would have been all over them.
- Isn’t it amazing that the price of oil has fallen 55% from its high, while in the same period the price of gasoline has only fallen 35%, do you suppose someone is still gouging the system? I wonder if the utilities will lower their fuel surcharges.
It is time for us all to take time to vote. As you cast your ballot you will be "Getting It Right".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Getting It Right- Things We Can Expect After the Liberals Take Command
10/24/08
By Sid Riley
"Hold onto your hat and hide your pocketbooks, The Liberals Are Coming!"
There is a strong possibility that during the next four years our nation will be ruled by a Congress that enjoys a wide liberal majority and a liberal President in control of the White House. This means that they will have the unbridled power to enact any legislation they wish….and they have plenty of new laws eagerly waiting in wings. All of the special interests, supporting movements, and bribe paying lobbyists will fill the corridors of the government chambers, all clamoring to call in the debts the legislators owe them.
In my opinion some of the things we can expect to appear in the oncoming landslide of legislation will include:
♦ Union Payback Time Legislation:
- The union movement has been casting millions of membership funds into the political arena for years, waiting for this moment to arrive. They will be pushing for several new laws that will strengthen their hold on the areas they work in, and to enable them to move into areas now forbidden or inaccessible.
o The first area they will attack is the 14 "Right to Work" states where unions are forced to bargain with employers in an "open shop" arrangement where the employees have a choice as to whether or not they wish to belong to a union. In the "closed shop" states, all employees of a company or organization must belong to the union if they want to work there. We can expect the "Right To Work" concept to be eliminated.
o For several years the unions have been pushing to abolish the secret ballot in union elections. They want to be able to identify those employees who vote against unionization, so they can enact reprisals and intimidation against them. We can expect the right to a secret union ballot to be abolished.
o There are several areas of government where unions have been prohibited from organizing and/or prohibited from the right to engage in strikes. This includes the aircraft controllers, and other areas of public service where public safety is a factor. We can expect the union grip on government functions to strengthen and widen. This will ultimately make the cost of government increase.
o Social Legislation Payback Time:
There are numerous special interest groups with social agendas that have also been shoveling money into the coffers of the liberal legislators for many years. From these we can expect many new laws to be pushed.
o Gay rights issues will be responded to by the liberal government as they pay back these organizations for their many years of loyal support. Gay marriage, gay lifestyles, right of adoption, public display of gay literature, and similar issues will all be legalized.
o Pro-abortion activities will push for government sponsored abortion programs for those in need. Government supported abortion clinics will reemerge.
o Radical environmental groups will push for more costly and restrictive legislation on industry and private individuals. Personal property rights will be further reduced and the strong arms of the EPA and State Environmental Agencies will be increased.
o The Judicial System will be further liberalized:
o Hundreds of Federal judges will be appointed by this government. These judges are virtually "un-removable" with lifelong terms of appointment. The thousands of liberally slanted decisions they will render will have a tremendous and lasting impact on our national body of law.
This incoming President and Congress will probably select several new supreme court justices. These appointments will liberalize the supreme court of the land for decades to come. We are just now evolving away from decades of irrational decisions emanating from the liberal court created by Lyndon Johnson and his liberal regime….now we are about to create another similarly minded court.
With Californian Nancy Pelosi and her liberal congressional majority in charge, our nation would endure changes throughout its structure. All of this comes at a time where our nation needs to unite in an effort to strengthen our weakening economy. May God help us!
Rudiments- Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning:
♦ The Greg Howard racial incident at MMS has saddened me. It is very unfortunate that an individual’s foolish, inconsiderate act can cause so many old wounds to be opened. This is certainly not the perception I have of racial relationships in our community. However, I do believe some meaningful gains will result from this incident. First, I feel the School Board will work to strengthen school policy for racial incidents of all kinds. I would recommend prescribing four types of incidents and specific disciplines for each. These would be, 1. Reactive minor incident, 2. Reactive major incident, 3. Premeditated minor incident, and 4. Premeditated major incident. For the premeditated major incident the policy would be zero tolerance and required dismissal.
This policy would apply to all types of racial slurs. Thus, there will be no more Polish jokes, Pat and Mike Irish jokes, Jewish Jokes, or use of any type of racially biased term, name or phrase. Sorry folks, but this is the way our society has evolved.
♦ If the "N" word is to be totally removed from the English language, classified among the most vile and unacceptable group of forbidden words (as it should be), then this rule must apply to both races. The use of this word must be considered just as vile and dastardly when a black uses it as when a white uses it. It can not be "cool" to use it in one instance and a terrible act in another. A double standard will not work. The black community must rise to solve this problem. Do this and we will all be "Getting It Right".
I see the Value Adjustment (LOL!) Board refused to make any changes in anyone’s taxes again this year. In my opinion this is just an administrative "scam" designed to make it appear the citizens have a voice concerning their taxes. They are following the "Golden Rule" of the bureaucracy "when you get your hand in the taxpayers’ pocket, never, never take it out." I would suggest they discontinue the Value Adjustment Board and instead build a "wailing wall" on the court house grounds for taxpayers to go to for prayer and a place to bump their heads against.
♦ I learned today why they bury the dead above ground in New Orleans…..It is easier to get them to the polls that way.
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
By Sid Riley
"Hold onto your hat and hide your pocketbooks, The Liberals Are Coming!"
There is a strong possibility that during the next four years our nation will be ruled by a Congress that enjoys a wide liberal majority and a liberal President in control of the White House. This means that they will have the unbridled power to enact any legislation they wish….and they have plenty of new laws eagerly waiting in wings. All of the special interests, supporting movements, and bribe paying lobbyists will fill the corridors of the government chambers, all clamoring to call in the debts the legislators owe them.
In my opinion some of the things we can expect to appear in the oncoming landslide of legislation will include:
♦ Union Payback Time Legislation:
- The union movement has been casting millions of membership funds into the political arena for years, waiting for this moment to arrive. They will be pushing for several new laws that will strengthen their hold on the areas they work in, and to enable them to move into areas now forbidden or inaccessible.
o The first area they will attack is the 14 "Right to Work" states where unions are forced to bargain with employers in an "open shop" arrangement where the employees have a choice as to whether or not they wish to belong to a union. In the "closed shop" states, all employees of a company or organization must belong to the union if they want to work there. We can expect the "Right To Work" concept to be eliminated.
o For several years the unions have been pushing to abolish the secret ballot in union elections. They want to be able to identify those employees who vote against unionization, so they can enact reprisals and intimidation against them. We can expect the right to a secret union ballot to be abolished.
o There are several areas of government where unions have been prohibited from organizing and/or prohibited from the right to engage in strikes. This includes the aircraft controllers, and other areas of public service where public safety is a factor. We can expect the union grip on government functions to strengthen and widen. This will ultimately make the cost of government increase.
o Social Legislation Payback Time:
There are numerous special interest groups with social agendas that have also been shoveling money into the coffers of the liberal legislators for many years. From these we can expect many new laws to be pushed.
o Gay rights issues will be responded to by the liberal government as they pay back these organizations for their many years of loyal support. Gay marriage, gay lifestyles, right of adoption, public display of gay literature, and similar issues will all be legalized.
o Pro-abortion activities will push for government sponsored abortion programs for those in need. Government supported abortion clinics will reemerge.
o Radical environmental groups will push for more costly and restrictive legislation on industry and private individuals. Personal property rights will be further reduced and the strong arms of the EPA and State Environmental Agencies will be increased.
o The Judicial System will be further liberalized:
o Hundreds of Federal judges will be appointed by this government. These judges are virtually "un-removable" with lifelong terms of appointment. The thousands of liberally slanted decisions they will render will have a tremendous and lasting impact on our national body of law.
This incoming President and Congress will probably select several new supreme court justices. These appointments will liberalize the supreme court of the land for decades to come. We are just now evolving away from decades of irrational decisions emanating from the liberal court created by Lyndon Johnson and his liberal regime….now we are about to create another similarly minded court.
With Californian Nancy Pelosi and her liberal congressional majority in charge, our nation would endure changes throughout its structure. All of this comes at a time where our nation needs to unite in an effort to strengthen our weakening economy. May God help us!
Rudiments- Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning:
♦ The Greg Howard racial incident at MMS has saddened me. It is very unfortunate that an individual’s foolish, inconsiderate act can cause so many old wounds to be opened. This is certainly not the perception I have of racial relationships in our community. However, I do believe some meaningful gains will result from this incident. First, I feel the School Board will work to strengthen school policy for racial incidents of all kinds. I would recommend prescribing four types of incidents and specific disciplines for each. These would be, 1. Reactive minor incident, 2. Reactive major incident, 3. Premeditated minor incident, and 4. Premeditated major incident. For the premeditated major incident the policy would be zero tolerance and required dismissal.
This policy would apply to all types of racial slurs. Thus, there will be no more Polish jokes, Pat and Mike Irish jokes, Jewish Jokes, or use of any type of racially biased term, name or phrase. Sorry folks, but this is the way our society has evolved.
♦ If the "N" word is to be totally removed from the English language, classified among the most vile and unacceptable group of forbidden words (as it should be), then this rule must apply to both races. The use of this word must be considered just as vile and dastardly when a black uses it as when a white uses it. It can not be "cool" to use it in one instance and a terrible act in another. A double standard will not work. The black community must rise to solve this problem. Do this and we will all be "Getting It Right".
I see the Value Adjustment (LOL!) Board refused to make any changes in anyone’s taxes again this year. In my opinion this is just an administrative "scam" designed to make it appear the citizens have a voice concerning their taxes. They are following the "Golden Rule" of the bureaucracy "when you get your hand in the taxpayers’ pocket, never, never take it out." I would suggest they discontinue the Value Adjustment Board and instead build a "wailing wall" on the court house grounds for taxpayers to go to for prayer and a place to bump their heads against.
♦ I learned today why they bury the dead above ground in New Orleans…..It is easier to get them to the polls that way.
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Getting It Right - The Reshaping of America
10/16/08
"Our nation has been in a state of change for the past forty-five years – now we can see where we are going."
In my opinion our nation started a downward trend in the early 1960’s, and has been slowly sliding downhill since. It began with the "hippie" movement, the Viet Nam War protests of that era, and the onset of the drug culture.
Ironically, it was the Democrats under Kennedy and Johnson that bore the brunt of the blame for the lack of progress in Viet Nam and the growing clamor for withdrawal. That withdrawal was accomplished by Nixon, a Republican. That would appear to be the reversal of what is happening today in Iraq. However, one big difference is the fact that the Vietnamese had not knocked down half of New York and killed 3500 civilians in a sneak attack.
From that beginning we have seen the creation of "the Great Society" where most of today’s entitlement programs originated under a heavy Democratic majority in both houses and Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey in charge of the White House. Since then, for several generations welfare became a way of life for many instead of workfare. Taking a free check from the government was once considered disgraceful and a sign of failure….today it is something to be expected.
Socialism has steadily crept into the fabric of our society as "Big Brother" government grew the bureaucracy and they began to increasingly dictate how we live our lives, care for ourselves, care for our properties, and how we spend our money. Socialism takes away individual choices and liberties, and that has been occurring as more and more legislation is passed at every level of government.
Socialistic principles have taken over the local school systems. Local elected officials primarily are helpless "pawns" that merely follow state mandates and rules. In the process, Big Brother liberalized the educational processes, lowered the standards so that all could succeed, and facilitated unionization of the school system employees….all of which has resulted in a tragic decline in the quality of getting an education in our country.
Socialism has created an ever increasing cost burden on the family in order to support the growing bureaucracy and costly extra administration. As a result, over the last forty-five years most women that were once "housewives and mothers" have been forced to enter the labor force. This has resulted in a disastrous degeneration in the family structure. Before this occurred the husband would come home from work, supper would soon be ready, and the mother, father, and all of the children would sit down for the evening meal. Communication and loving bonding was created. Today, most mothers are too tired to prepare a meal every night, and the family grabs some fast food, and seldom do they all dine together…..that is if there is a family.
Before the liberalization of our culture under increasing socialism, it was a disgrace to have a child out of wedlock. Today, it is an accepted, even encouraged, practice. Today, over half of the children born in our "Great Society" are born out of wedlock. Many children grow up without ever knowing a father. The influence of religion on the family culture has correspondingly diminished.
The basic concept of a free enterprise capitalistic system is the incentive that "hard work will yield success". Under Socialism, all wealth is redistributed, and everyone will theoretically enjoy the same relative standard of living as income is equalized by the government through taxation of those with money, and granting of "entitlements" to those needing money. This may sound good on the surface to many, but the downfall of this concept comes when those at the top realize they can live almost as well without working or creating wealth and jobs. They too finally decide to become one of those getting a "free ride" instead of one of those "pulling the train". That is what has happened in numerous other countries where Socialism and Communism were the economic and cultural systems that their population supported. I fear that is the path of the United States of America.
The current economic disaster of our nation has been largely created through past interference in the financial systems as socialistic principles caused government to force the lending institutions to make questionable loans to questionable borrowers, or they would be given bad rankings by the government regulators. So I blame socialism and those who promote it for a large part of the current failure of our markets.
Now, in an effort to correct the problem government is stepping further into the system by buying banks and manipulating the processes….more socialism.
It appears we may be about to elect a socialistic, liberal President who will be working in concert with a liberal, socialistic congressional majority. It will be a repeat of the Johnson-Humphrey era, with socialized medicine, and increasing entitlement programs. This is coming at a time when our nation is as fragile and vulnerable as a withering flower. May God help us all as we become the Socialistic Republic of America!
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-
- I am pleased to announce that our "Take the vote to Ohio" bus trip was a big success. We had 68 voter volunteers go on the trip in the chartered bus, we were able to register and vote 822 times and those friendly ACORN workers gave our riders 44 cartons of cigarettes and $380 in cash for voting. At first they were not going to pay us since they thought we were not voting for their candidate, but we tricked them and convinced them otherwise. We hope to get another bus together for another Ohio trip prior to election day.
- I appreciate the sincere effort our County Commissioners are putting forth to develop a paving plan for the county. I feel they will soon work it all out and will begin to create some new pavement in Jackson County….unless the economy really falls and they have no funds.
- Please take time to come to the Last Forum tonight (Thursday) at the Marianna High School Auditorium.
Do this and you will be "Getting It Right".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
"Our nation has been in a state of change for the past forty-five years – now we can see where we are going."
In my opinion our nation started a downward trend in the early 1960’s, and has been slowly sliding downhill since. It began with the "hippie" movement, the Viet Nam War protests of that era, and the onset of the drug culture.
Ironically, it was the Democrats under Kennedy and Johnson that bore the brunt of the blame for the lack of progress in Viet Nam and the growing clamor for withdrawal. That withdrawal was accomplished by Nixon, a Republican. That would appear to be the reversal of what is happening today in Iraq. However, one big difference is the fact that the Vietnamese had not knocked down half of New York and killed 3500 civilians in a sneak attack.
From that beginning we have seen the creation of "the Great Society" where most of today’s entitlement programs originated under a heavy Democratic majority in both houses and Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey in charge of the White House. Since then, for several generations welfare became a way of life for many instead of workfare. Taking a free check from the government was once considered disgraceful and a sign of failure….today it is something to be expected.
Socialism has steadily crept into the fabric of our society as "Big Brother" government grew the bureaucracy and they began to increasingly dictate how we live our lives, care for ourselves, care for our properties, and how we spend our money. Socialism takes away individual choices and liberties, and that has been occurring as more and more legislation is passed at every level of government.
Socialistic principles have taken over the local school systems. Local elected officials primarily are helpless "pawns" that merely follow state mandates and rules. In the process, Big Brother liberalized the educational processes, lowered the standards so that all could succeed, and facilitated unionization of the school system employees….all of which has resulted in a tragic decline in the quality of getting an education in our country.
Socialism has created an ever increasing cost burden on the family in order to support the growing bureaucracy and costly extra administration. As a result, over the last forty-five years most women that were once "housewives and mothers" have been forced to enter the labor force. This has resulted in a disastrous degeneration in the family structure. Before this occurred the husband would come home from work, supper would soon be ready, and the mother, father, and all of the children would sit down for the evening meal. Communication and loving bonding was created. Today, most mothers are too tired to prepare a meal every night, and the family grabs some fast food, and seldom do they all dine together…..that is if there is a family.
Before the liberalization of our culture under increasing socialism, it was a disgrace to have a child out of wedlock. Today, it is an accepted, even encouraged, practice. Today, over half of the children born in our "Great Society" are born out of wedlock. Many children grow up without ever knowing a father. The influence of religion on the family culture has correspondingly diminished.
The basic concept of a free enterprise capitalistic system is the incentive that "hard work will yield success". Under Socialism, all wealth is redistributed, and everyone will theoretically enjoy the same relative standard of living as income is equalized by the government through taxation of those with money, and granting of "entitlements" to those needing money. This may sound good on the surface to many, but the downfall of this concept comes when those at the top realize they can live almost as well without working or creating wealth and jobs. They too finally decide to become one of those getting a "free ride" instead of one of those "pulling the train". That is what has happened in numerous other countries where Socialism and Communism were the economic and cultural systems that their population supported. I fear that is the path of the United States of America.
The current economic disaster of our nation has been largely created through past interference in the financial systems as socialistic principles caused government to force the lending institutions to make questionable loans to questionable borrowers, or they would be given bad rankings by the government regulators. So I blame socialism and those who promote it for a large part of the current failure of our markets.
Now, in an effort to correct the problem government is stepping further into the system by buying banks and manipulating the processes….more socialism.
It appears we may be about to elect a socialistic, liberal President who will be working in concert with a liberal, socialistic congressional majority. It will be a repeat of the Johnson-Humphrey era, with socialized medicine, and increasing entitlement programs. This is coming at a time when our nation is as fragile and vulnerable as a withering flower. May God help us all as we become the Socialistic Republic of America!
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-
- I am pleased to announce that our "Take the vote to Ohio" bus trip was a big success. We had 68 voter volunteers go on the trip in the chartered bus, we were able to register and vote 822 times and those friendly ACORN workers gave our riders 44 cartons of cigarettes and $380 in cash for voting. At first they were not going to pay us since they thought we were not voting for their candidate, but we tricked them and convinced them otherwise. We hope to get another bus together for another Ohio trip prior to election day.
- I appreciate the sincere effort our County Commissioners are putting forth to develop a paving plan for the county. I feel they will soon work it all out and will begin to create some new pavement in Jackson County….unless the economy really falls and they have no funds.
- Please take time to come to the Last Forum tonight (Thursday) at the Marianna High School Auditorium.
Do this and you will be "Getting It Right".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Getting it Right- “It Just Isn’t Right!”
10/9/08
By Sid Riley
As we live and experience our short lives and encounter people, actions, and issues we are often faced with decisions relating to how to handle something when we know it "Just Isn’t Right". If you will just pause for a moment you will probably be able to recall or list several such instances that you have encountered. While doing this….reflect on how you handled the situation.
The easiest way to handle it is to merely turn your back and ignore it. "It doesn’t impact me, I’ll let someone else deal with it", is the weak willed, chicken way to handle it. Personally, I have a difficult time allowing or tolerating any situation, procedure, or action that hurts some person or group at the benefit of others. I just can’t keep my mouth shut and walk away from it.
These situations are all around us. Let me cite some examples:
1. At last nights meeting of the Marianna City Commission they began to deal with the unfunded mandate apparently required by State legislation that requires a detailed review of every city and county comprehensive plan for functionality and performance. This doesn’t sound too bad on the surface…but then comes the realization that the review and study will cost the city approximately $100,000. Multiply this by every city and county in the state and you will see that this requirement ends up costing the taxpayers in Florida millions of dollars. All it really accomplishes is shuffling bureaucratic paperwork and keeping ex-bureaucratic consultants wealthy. I applaud our city commissioners for resisting this suspect scheme and seeking less costly options. It Just Isn’t Right!
2. This morning’s television news is full of stories relating to voter registration fraud that is being discovered across the nation (10 states so far), relating to the activities of the organization known as ACORN. One woman named Marthae Ray was found to have been registered twenty times by ACORN. Now, if they do prove voter fraud, the government will merely slap their hand and say Bad Boy! The same is true if illegal aliens are caught sneaking across our border, using our medical facilities, our welfare, and in some instances even voting. They are carried back to the border, slapped on the hand and told Bad Boy! But just let some tax paying, struggling citizen get caught driving without a seat belt, going a little fast because they are late getting to work, or even having a tail light out….and they get a whopping fine, points, higher insurance payments, and a bad mark on their driving record. It Just Isn’t Right!
3. Then take the DROP program for government workers. A government worker can retire, begin to draw a big, juicy retirement check and then go back to work for the government at full salary. They can thus effectively double their income during the last years of their career…and it is tax money. Nothing similar to this benefit exists in the private sector. It Just Isn’t Right!
4. The Washington bureaucrats and politicians have created a separate, more lucrative social security system for themselves, while they steal from our social security funds causing it to be endangered. It Just Isn’t Right!
5. The Senate version of the bailout legislation that was finally passed last week is a good example of the depth of corruption that exists in Washington. They routinely prove they are prostitutes and their vote can be bought if you only pay the going fee. The revised bill had over $100,000,000 in pork filled "earmarks" that were cleverly designed to "buy" the vote of specific Senators and Congressmen. This even included tax breaks for a company making wooden arrows. That is no way to conduct government of our land. There should be a rule passed that prohibits any non-related amendments from being attached to a piece of legislation. This same system exists in State government. It Just Isn’t Right!
6. Our constitutional officers in Florida have created a situation that is unfair to the tax payers, the County Commissioners who have budgetary responsibility, and all other county employees across the state. They used their lobby organization (union) to have our game playing legislators pass laws that allow the constitutional officers to submit lump budgets which effectively "hide" line item expenditures from the sunshine that is supposed to exist when public funds are involved. As a result the opportunity is given to these officials to violate normal salary-benefit guidelines and create special deals and bonus payments for their favorites or any kinfolk that might work in their office. The commissioners are left with the budgetary responsibility, but without the authority to analyze the situation. I have heard of one instance where a Commissioner began to resist this approach, and as a punishment his house was reappraised and his taxes increased in reprisal from the Constitutional Officers. It Just Isn’t Right!
7. The State has established a grants system that causes every school board and county function to grovel at their feet, eagerly jumping up and down, begging the state "crats" to throw them a grant. These grants are frequently merely vote buying gifts for unneeded projects and programs that give our State Representatives a photo opportunity as they bring the check "home" to our county. This creates a wasteful philosophy of "If we don’t get it and spend it…someone else will". With this approach taken by every bureaucrat and politician in the system, huge amounts of waste are created throughout the state. This type of thinking led to our new EOC building, our new Health Department Building, $500,000 in parks construction in Bascom, Marianna, and countless other towns across the State, and billions of tax dollars in other grant funded items. It Just Isn’t Right!
8. Through their control of taxation and procedures of dolling this money back to the counties, the State government is steadily removing local control of the schools and other routine county functions from local county direction and placing direction and control into Tallahassee (Disney Land North). It Just Isn’t Right!
9. In Washington, the very regulators who were supposed to be monitoring the activities of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were being "bought" by these organizations through huge donations they made to their campaign funds. They were thus bribed into cooperation and were on the "take" just like a corrupt politician. Specifically this included Congressman Barney Frank and Senator Christopher Dodd, Barack Obama, and John Kerry, who received "gifts" exceeding $100,000 from these organizations. It just isn’t Right!
I could fill issue after issue of many papers with thousands of examples of abuses, special arrangements, favoritism, nepotism, cheating, and questionable deals that exist and thus diminish the effectiveness of our governments, and the use of our precious tax dollars.
When you encounter one of these situations, do not turn your back and walk away. Be active and critical of anything that Just Isn’t Right…do this and you will be Getting It Right!
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-
- They are supposed to begin paving of Kelson Avenue down the hill to Jefferson Street next week…….Proof there is a God!
- Please mark your calendar for October 16 (Thursday evening) for "The Last Forum" at the Marianna High Auditorium.
- We have chartered a bus to go to Ohio to register and vote the same day, illegally. If you would like to take part in this unethical political activity please be at the bus at 7:00 AM on Monday morning.
- Our old high school in Marianna continues to decay…Wal-Mart building sits vacant, and our rent payments to the county’s bureaucratic landlords around the courthouse square continues to be paid each month.
- May God bless our struggling nation.
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
By Sid Riley
As we live and experience our short lives and encounter people, actions, and issues we are often faced with decisions relating to how to handle something when we know it "Just Isn’t Right". If you will just pause for a moment you will probably be able to recall or list several such instances that you have encountered. While doing this….reflect on how you handled the situation.
The easiest way to handle it is to merely turn your back and ignore it. "It doesn’t impact me, I’ll let someone else deal with it", is the weak willed, chicken way to handle it. Personally, I have a difficult time allowing or tolerating any situation, procedure, or action that hurts some person or group at the benefit of others. I just can’t keep my mouth shut and walk away from it.
These situations are all around us. Let me cite some examples:
1. At last nights meeting of the Marianna City Commission they began to deal with the unfunded mandate apparently required by State legislation that requires a detailed review of every city and county comprehensive plan for functionality and performance. This doesn’t sound too bad on the surface…but then comes the realization that the review and study will cost the city approximately $100,000. Multiply this by every city and county in the state and you will see that this requirement ends up costing the taxpayers in Florida millions of dollars. All it really accomplishes is shuffling bureaucratic paperwork and keeping ex-bureaucratic consultants wealthy. I applaud our city commissioners for resisting this suspect scheme and seeking less costly options. It Just Isn’t Right!
2. This morning’s television news is full of stories relating to voter registration fraud that is being discovered across the nation (10 states so far), relating to the activities of the organization known as ACORN. One woman named Marthae Ray was found to have been registered twenty times by ACORN. Now, if they do prove voter fraud, the government will merely slap their hand and say Bad Boy! The same is true if illegal aliens are caught sneaking across our border, using our medical facilities, our welfare, and in some instances even voting. They are carried back to the border, slapped on the hand and told Bad Boy! But just let some tax paying, struggling citizen get caught driving without a seat belt, going a little fast because they are late getting to work, or even having a tail light out….and they get a whopping fine, points, higher insurance payments, and a bad mark on their driving record. It Just Isn’t Right!
3. Then take the DROP program for government workers. A government worker can retire, begin to draw a big, juicy retirement check and then go back to work for the government at full salary. They can thus effectively double their income during the last years of their career…and it is tax money. Nothing similar to this benefit exists in the private sector. It Just Isn’t Right!
4. The Washington bureaucrats and politicians have created a separate, more lucrative social security system for themselves, while they steal from our social security funds causing it to be endangered. It Just Isn’t Right!
5. The Senate version of the bailout legislation that was finally passed last week is a good example of the depth of corruption that exists in Washington. They routinely prove they are prostitutes and their vote can be bought if you only pay the going fee. The revised bill had over $100,000,000 in pork filled "earmarks" that were cleverly designed to "buy" the vote of specific Senators and Congressmen. This even included tax breaks for a company making wooden arrows. That is no way to conduct government of our land. There should be a rule passed that prohibits any non-related amendments from being attached to a piece of legislation. This same system exists in State government. It Just Isn’t Right!
6. Our constitutional officers in Florida have created a situation that is unfair to the tax payers, the County Commissioners who have budgetary responsibility, and all other county employees across the state. They used their lobby organization (union) to have our game playing legislators pass laws that allow the constitutional officers to submit lump budgets which effectively "hide" line item expenditures from the sunshine that is supposed to exist when public funds are involved. As a result the opportunity is given to these officials to violate normal salary-benefit guidelines and create special deals and bonus payments for their favorites or any kinfolk that might work in their office. The commissioners are left with the budgetary responsibility, but without the authority to analyze the situation. I have heard of one instance where a Commissioner began to resist this approach, and as a punishment his house was reappraised and his taxes increased in reprisal from the Constitutional Officers. It Just Isn’t Right!
7. The State has established a grants system that causes every school board and county function to grovel at their feet, eagerly jumping up and down, begging the state "crats" to throw them a grant. These grants are frequently merely vote buying gifts for unneeded projects and programs that give our State Representatives a photo opportunity as they bring the check "home" to our county. This creates a wasteful philosophy of "If we don’t get it and spend it…someone else will". With this approach taken by every bureaucrat and politician in the system, huge amounts of waste are created throughout the state. This type of thinking led to our new EOC building, our new Health Department Building, $500,000 in parks construction in Bascom, Marianna, and countless other towns across the State, and billions of tax dollars in other grant funded items. It Just Isn’t Right!
8. Through their control of taxation and procedures of dolling this money back to the counties, the State government is steadily removing local control of the schools and other routine county functions from local county direction and placing direction and control into Tallahassee (Disney Land North). It Just Isn’t Right!
9. In Washington, the very regulators who were supposed to be monitoring the activities of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were being "bought" by these organizations through huge donations they made to their campaign funds. They were thus bribed into cooperation and were on the "take" just like a corrupt politician. Specifically this included Congressman Barney Frank and Senator Christopher Dodd, Barack Obama, and John Kerry, who received "gifts" exceeding $100,000 from these organizations. It just isn’t Right!
I could fill issue after issue of many papers with thousands of examples of abuses, special arrangements, favoritism, nepotism, cheating, and questionable deals that exist and thus diminish the effectiveness of our governments, and the use of our precious tax dollars.
When you encounter one of these situations, do not turn your back and walk away. Be active and critical of anything that Just Isn’t Right…do this and you will be Getting It Right!
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-
- They are supposed to begin paving of Kelson Avenue down the hill to Jefferson Street next week…….Proof there is a God!
- Please mark your calendar for October 16 (Thursday evening) for "The Last Forum" at the Marianna High Auditorium.
- We have chartered a bus to go to Ohio to register and vote the same day, illegally. If you would like to take part in this unethical political activity please be at the bus at 7:00 AM on Monday morning.
- Our old high school in Marianna continues to decay…Wal-Mart building sits vacant, and our rent payments to the county’s bureaucratic landlords around the courthouse square continues to be paid each month.
- May God bless our struggling nation.
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Getting It Right- Incompetence At The Highest Level
10/2/08
By: Sid Riley
It appears the United States is operating without a legislative element in our government.
If an organizational element existed within a corporation that is as inept, corrupt, self serving, incompetent, ineffective, misdirected, hypocritical, and outright stupid as the collective bodies of our House of Representatives and Senate in Washington, D.C…..they would immediately be fired and blackballed from ever working again. Our "Ship of State" is foundering and sinking, while the crew argues about who forgot to put the plug in.
Folks, our nation apparently has a very serious problem, and we must all become very serious about correcting it…..or we may all suffer at a level we cannot comprehend. It is a time when we must all unite, decide on a course of action, and react. We are all in the same boat.
We can fine tune the remedies as time passes. We can determine the causes of the situation and place blame in the coming weeks and months. We can strategize and politicize the issues after the immediate crisis has passed. But we must immediately restore the availability of credit to our economic system before failures cause a catastrophic landslide that will pull down the entire economy of our nation, and probably the economies of most of the nations of the world.
If our elected officials continue to argue about who caused this mess, and point accusing fingers at each other for political gain instead of dealing with the problem….within a relatively short period of time a downward slide will start that will be unstoppable regardless of what actions they take. They are playing with an economic time bomb in a manner not unlike Nero fiddling while Rome burned.
Cause and Blame:
As is the case with most problems, this situation is the result of several complex, interacting components that developed over a period of several years. Both political groups are to blame.
Some of the underlying causes that have contributed to this financial dilemma are:
♦ Broadening the types of banks allowed to engage in mortgage financing. At one time only Savings and Loans Banks could make mortgage loans. I think this was changed during the Reagan era or perhaps before.
♦ Relaxing bank loan requirements and relaxing regulations. Previously borrowers were expected to pay around 20% of the purchase price as a down payment to secure the loan, had to have personal income and reserves that would support paying the loan, and application data such as stated assets and income were verified prior to the transaction. All of this was changed during the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton periods.
♦ Injection of social programs into the lending market. Government regulators began to force banks to make a percentage of their loans to minorities and low income borrowers. This approach was further enhanced as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were created to assist banks in maintaining liquidity and those agencies began to encourage loans to low income borrowers (sub-prime loans). These policies were pushed during the Clinton era and continued until the crisis developed.
♦ Add greed and excesses from an over aggressive financial market full of mortgage brokers, publicly traded banks, mortgage banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions that began to trade wildly in packages of mortgage loans.
♦ Add greed and excesses from a greedy public full of speculators that tried to make the "quick buck" from "flipping" properties.
♦ Add greed and excesses at the top levels of executives and boards of directors for Wall Street firms and financial institutions.
♦ Add a general weakening in the quality of jobs and pay level of the average blue collar workers as industry left the country as a result of poorly conceived international trade deals. Household incomes fell as the female became unemployed and eventually was eliminated from labor force statistics. These declines made these families less capable of making loan payments.
♦ Add ever increasing taxation, cost of essentials, and cost of gasoline to the declining family disposable incomes, and more loan payments become delinquent.
Finally a day of reckoning comes!
What will happen if our Congress fails to react?
Most factories, retail chains, auto dealers, wholesale suppliers, farmers, firms with large payrolls, and countless numbers of other types of businesses rely on credit to maintain their liquidity and cash flow. Without this injection of cash when needed, they will not be able to function. They will be forced to severely cut back or close their businesses. This will create unemployment levels that could soar to 20% or more of the labor force. Government revenues would fall dramatically. Even governments would begin to lay off employees or would default on their payrolls. (In Russia during their financial crisis at the fall of the Communistic régime, government workers there worked for years with no pay.) Even social security checks could stop since government would have no revenues. We would fall into a severe depression with almost no economic activity……I do not want to experience this!
This is the time bomb those loonies are playing with!
What is the status of lending in Jackson County at this time?
This morning I had a lengthy and informative conversation with one of the leading bankers in our area. I asked him what the status of loans availability was in our community, and what aspects of lending has changed since the "greed seed" led to this "eruption of corruption".
First, he said that loans are readily available. Cars, boats, appliances, home equity loans, and most other types of loans can be acquired. Banks have enough liquidity to make loans, after all, they are in the loan making business. In fact, some funds are being added to savings accounts and bank CD’s as people flee from the wild cycles of the stock market. Also, most people with significant amounts of funds are distributing these among several banks in order to get all of their monies under the FDIC insurance umbrella.
However, you will be expected to put down a significant portion of the intended purchase up front, normally 15-20%. Those 100% and 110% car loans are not out there any longer. Also you must demonstrate that you really do have a job and exactly what your earning and reserves are. All loans will have to be completely collateralized and secure.
While credit has been tightened on private citizens and businesses, it has also been tightened within the banking system itself. Previously, banks could exercise a line of credit from other banks or from the Federal Reserve on an unsecured basis. A bank might have a ten million dollar unsecured line of credit available to it to meet any liquidity needs that might arise if it issued numerous large loans. Now, banks are only able to obtain funds on a secured loan basis. This means they must have liquid assets and securities on hand that can be pledged if they need to borrow against their line of credit. This requirement makes banks be more selective in their choice of who to loan money to.
"Essentially, banking practices have returned to the way it was thirty years ago", he proclaimed. "And really, I feel this approach is ultimately best for our country".
Rudiments – Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning:
♦ Only 30 days until election day! We need astute leaders now more than ever before. Vote wisely and you will be "Getting It Right".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
By: Sid Riley
It appears the United States is operating without a legislative element in our government.
If an organizational element existed within a corporation that is as inept, corrupt, self serving, incompetent, ineffective, misdirected, hypocritical, and outright stupid as the collective bodies of our House of Representatives and Senate in Washington, D.C…..they would immediately be fired and blackballed from ever working again. Our "Ship of State" is foundering and sinking, while the crew argues about who forgot to put the plug in.
Folks, our nation apparently has a very serious problem, and we must all become very serious about correcting it…..or we may all suffer at a level we cannot comprehend. It is a time when we must all unite, decide on a course of action, and react. We are all in the same boat.
We can fine tune the remedies as time passes. We can determine the causes of the situation and place blame in the coming weeks and months. We can strategize and politicize the issues after the immediate crisis has passed. But we must immediately restore the availability of credit to our economic system before failures cause a catastrophic landslide that will pull down the entire economy of our nation, and probably the economies of most of the nations of the world.
If our elected officials continue to argue about who caused this mess, and point accusing fingers at each other for political gain instead of dealing with the problem….within a relatively short period of time a downward slide will start that will be unstoppable regardless of what actions they take. They are playing with an economic time bomb in a manner not unlike Nero fiddling while Rome burned.
Cause and Blame:
As is the case with most problems, this situation is the result of several complex, interacting components that developed over a period of several years. Both political groups are to blame.
Some of the underlying causes that have contributed to this financial dilemma are:
♦ Broadening the types of banks allowed to engage in mortgage financing. At one time only Savings and Loans Banks could make mortgage loans. I think this was changed during the Reagan era or perhaps before.
♦ Relaxing bank loan requirements and relaxing regulations. Previously borrowers were expected to pay around 20% of the purchase price as a down payment to secure the loan, had to have personal income and reserves that would support paying the loan, and application data such as stated assets and income were verified prior to the transaction. All of this was changed during the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton periods.
♦ Injection of social programs into the lending market. Government regulators began to force banks to make a percentage of their loans to minorities and low income borrowers. This approach was further enhanced as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were created to assist banks in maintaining liquidity and those agencies began to encourage loans to low income borrowers (sub-prime loans). These policies were pushed during the Clinton era and continued until the crisis developed.
♦ Add greed and excesses from an over aggressive financial market full of mortgage brokers, publicly traded banks, mortgage banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions that began to trade wildly in packages of mortgage loans.
♦ Add greed and excesses from a greedy public full of speculators that tried to make the "quick buck" from "flipping" properties.
♦ Add greed and excesses at the top levels of executives and boards of directors for Wall Street firms and financial institutions.
♦ Add a general weakening in the quality of jobs and pay level of the average blue collar workers as industry left the country as a result of poorly conceived international trade deals. Household incomes fell as the female became unemployed and eventually was eliminated from labor force statistics. These declines made these families less capable of making loan payments.
♦ Add ever increasing taxation, cost of essentials, and cost of gasoline to the declining family disposable incomes, and more loan payments become delinquent.
Finally a day of reckoning comes!
What will happen if our Congress fails to react?
Most factories, retail chains, auto dealers, wholesale suppliers, farmers, firms with large payrolls, and countless numbers of other types of businesses rely on credit to maintain their liquidity and cash flow. Without this injection of cash when needed, they will not be able to function. They will be forced to severely cut back or close their businesses. This will create unemployment levels that could soar to 20% or more of the labor force. Government revenues would fall dramatically. Even governments would begin to lay off employees or would default on their payrolls. (In Russia during their financial crisis at the fall of the Communistic régime, government workers there worked for years with no pay.) Even social security checks could stop since government would have no revenues. We would fall into a severe depression with almost no economic activity……I do not want to experience this!
This is the time bomb those loonies are playing with!
What is the status of lending in Jackson County at this time?
This morning I had a lengthy and informative conversation with one of the leading bankers in our area. I asked him what the status of loans availability was in our community, and what aspects of lending has changed since the "greed seed" led to this "eruption of corruption".
First, he said that loans are readily available. Cars, boats, appliances, home equity loans, and most other types of loans can be acquired. Banks have enough liquidity to make loans, after all, they are in the loan making business. In fact, some funds are being added to savings accounts and bank CD’s as people flee from the wild cycles of the stock market. Also, most people with significant amounts of funds are distributing these among several banks in order to get all of their monies under the FDIC insurance umbrella.
However, you will be expected to put down a significant portion of the intended purchase up front, normally 15-20%. Those 100% and 110% car loans are not out there any longer. Also you must demonstrate that you really do have a job and exactly what your earning and reserves are. All loans will have to be completely collateralized and secure.
While credit has been tightened on private citizens and businesses, it has also been tightened within the banking system itself. Previously, banks could exercise a line of credit from other banks or from the Federal Reserve on an unsecured basis. A bank might have a ten million dollar unsecured line of credit available to it to meet any liquidity needs that might arise if it issued numerous large loans. Now, banks are only able to obtain funds on a secured loan basis. This means they must have liquid assets and securities on hand that can be pledged if they need to borrow against their line of credit. This requirement makes banks be more selective in their choice of who to loan money to.
"Essentially, banking practices have returned to the way it was thirty years ago", he proclaimed. "And really, I feel this approach is ultimately best for our country".
Rudiments – Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning:
♦ Only 30 days until election day! We need astute leaders now more than ever before. Vote wisely and you will be "Getting It Right".
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Hatcher Publications.
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