As Texas attracts California companies, will Texas be Californicated?

Years ago, road signs at the border proclaimed: “Welcome to Oregon, Now Go Home” and: “Don’t Californicate Oregon,” met California motorists as they crossed into Oregon. Those signs are long gone as the process of transforming Oregon into a liberal blue state, have been completed.

California’s Apple Computer recently announced that expanding their Texas presence will make them central Texas’s largest employer.

Other large California corporations say they are transferring all or part of their operations out of the once formerly golden state.  California has been getting deluged with television ads from other states, particularly Texas, who invite them to set up shop in their business friendly environments.

Apple, Campbell Soup, Comcast, Chevron Oil, Google and countless others are just the public tip of the iceberg, as California is engulfed in an economic wildfire burning up its private sector with record high taxes and miles of government red tape.

But will Texas and other business friendly “red states” soon regret what they wished for as they woo California business to their fold?

California’s recessions of the 70’s-80’s saw an outflow of residents seeking jobs and more reasonable living conditions in neighboring states.  These new residents established themselves and invited extended families and friends to join them. 

Soon these new residents started to outnumber the native Oregonians/Washingtonians and Nevadans.  These former “red or red leaning states” with a rural flavor, started to see a distinct transformation of demographics, especially in their larger cities and urban areas. Today these states are reliable blue, or blue leaning states, supplying Washington DC, with an unending stream of liberal politicians who impose their values on the rest of America.

Google, another California company that has had Al Gore as one their senior directors, is a huge consumer of electric energy. Ironically/hypocritically, Google been quietly shifting operations to more energy friendly states/countries; translated: Fossil fueled energy states.  Recently Google announced it especially loved Irelands cool rainy climate, which they claim make it a more energy efficient location. Ireland’s energy sector is fueled mainly with fossil fuel.

Last month, George Lucas announced he had sold his Lucas Film operation to Disney for a whopping 4 billion.  Lucas had finally given up his decade’s long/multi million dollar battle with environmental zealots of Marin County California to expand his facilities.  Eventually these hundreds of jobs will be transferred out of Marin to friendlier business climates.  California’s film industry is already producing many of its films out of state where they are being wooed w/large tax credits.

California’s new main export seems to be companies and jobs that it once used to attract like a magnet.  But will this export of California prove detrimental to the very business friendly states that are attracting them?

Spain backing away from bankrupt policies that the US is rushing to embrace

Spain and many of its European neighbors are coming face to face with the realities of paying for a utopian nanny state, aka: socialism.

With 190 billion in staggering debt, Spain is being forced to make economic decisions that make sense, in order to continue on without suffering economic collapse.

One of those decisions is to start to privatize their government run healthcare system.  Madrid proposes selling off the management of six of 20 public hospitals and 27 of 268 health centers. Of course this has sparked outrage from the unionized government workforce, who sees a threat to their lifestyle.

Spain, like many similar socialized countries, has a heavily unionized public sector which drives much of its economic policy.  Spain’s unemployment rate is around 25%, yet last year, civil servants earned 30 percent more, on average, than the rest of Spain's workers…. Those wage disparities are similar to the US ratio.

For instance, according to figures released by the transport ministry, 135 air traffic controllers earned  $830,000 per year while 713 earned between $476,000 and  $715,000.  In addition, the controllers can retire at the age of 52.  

But the new right of center government is trying to crack down on this abuse and bring some fiscal sanity to Spain.

Other economic problems facing Spain are their heavy investment in “green energy” or renewables, that were made by the previous Socialist government.  This has not only proved to be an economic blunder, but a job killer as well, with every Green job wiping out 2.2 jobs in conventional industries. See: Spain's Green Disaster a Lesson for America - CBN.com

The new Spanish government decided to cut all Green subsidies for new renewables projects, a move that has effectively killed Green energy in Spain. The government will also start to tax renewable energy.

As usual uneconomic wind and solar industries were kept alive by Green subsidies, costing billions a year….in other words totally unaffordable.  If government subsidies are cut, the companies pushing this flawed technology go bankrupt.

Even Germany a far stronger economic engine than Spain, is buckling under its investments in “renewables” See:  Germany says solar is path to bankruptcy

They say a smart man learns from his mistakes, but a brilliant man learns from others mistakes.  Does that axiom translate to countries as well?

As we can see from Spain and other european countries in debt and teetering on bankruptcy, their economic model doesn’t work, it is right there in our face. 

Yet for the past 4 years our government seems intent on following this path.

A frequent visitor to the White house has been Richard Trumka, head of the powerful AFL/CIO.  Trumka has bragged repeatedly in the past he is in touch with the White house every day.  Trumka along with the leaders of the SEIU/AFSCME unions have focused on recruiting ever-growing numbers of government workers who benefit from higher taxes and bigger government.

The administration has been highly partisan in its support for organized labor and has appointed members to the NLRB who are fiercely pro union and very anti business.

The provisions in Obamacare heavily favor unionization of the healthcare industry, which does not bode well for containing medical costs. As a side note, Obamacare did nothing to curb the multi billion dollar medical lawsuit industry. Some say lawsuit abuse adds  as much as 40% to the cost of healthcare.

America under this administration has “invested” billions of dollars in renewable energy/green energy, with spectacular failure as a result.  We have read about the 26 dollar a gallon bio fuel the navy has been forced to purchase. We have also become familiar with green company names like:  Fisker-Solyndra-A 123 Systems- Tester and Ener 1 who are synonymous with bankruptcy.  This does not count billions in grants and subsidies that are put on the backs of utility rate payers who pick up the tab of subsidized wind and solar expenses in the states.

President Obama was just elected to another 4 years as President.  We are speeding towards government run healthcare as Obamacare kicks in.  The President seems to have a fixation on converting the country to green energy, so it seems the spending in that area will continue unabated, even though there are no breakthroughs in the underlying failed technology.. 

Will America learn from the European model?

The World Almanac is the bible of the well informed

World Almanac 2013

The 2013 edition of the World Almanac is out; my brand new copy arrived in the mail last week.

As I thumbed through the thousand fact filled pages, I realized nothing like this is duplicated on the internet.  Even in these days when most of our knowledge can come through our computer screen, there is no comparison to the feel of a book that you can easily leaf through. To research on the computer everything that is found in the World Almanac, would take years.

America has been able to trust the information contained in the World Almanac since 1868, when it was owned by Pulitzer.  The first edition was 100 pages and focused mainly on New York issues. Since then it has branched out to national and international, with coverage of every nation on earth.

I have had a relationship with the World Almanac since I was a child, I always took for granted all of the knowledge compiled in it as reliable and the last word on any subject I could think of. I never thought about talking to the principal behind the production of such a monumental work, until I was contacted by their publicist and asked if I would like to talk to their senior editor.

 I was able to spend time with the senior editor of the World Almanac, Sarah Janssen and ask her a few questions about this impressive work of knowledge. Of course anyone associated with the compilation of this much information,; I have deep respect for and would never challenge them in a game of trivial pursuit…ever.

Sarah and I both shared the common bond of reading the Almanac since we were children; she just took it to another level.

Sarah, you cover everything,  from the US economy to the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Associations championships; there must be tremendous pressure to check your facts… “We thoroughly investigate all new information and send it out to an independent party for verification-separate from our original investigation. It’s a double blind device to ensure accuracy.”

There is so much in this book, how do you gather this information? Most sources are very receptive to giving the World Almanac information.  We have been around so long and we have standing relationships built up over decades.

“Every edition has a copy of the US Constitution, a history of the world in 30 pages or less, plus the granular information people look for such as phone numbers, addresses and websites for places.  We try to pack as much information as possible between the book covers.”

You thoroughly cover our election process as well and explain quite clearly how it works: “We have all results if this last election in this latest edition as well as all of the information on the 2012 Academy awards, we try to cover everything.”

How do you compare yourself to an online search engine where you can get information for free? “About half of the information found in the Almanac is available for free in online search engines.  Our value is in the curation and reliability of the information we provide.  All of our statistics are in one place and you can rely on everything we print.”

Do you have electronic versions of the World Almanac? “Yes we do have versions available for Kindle,  iPad or any electronic device you would like to load it on.”  “We also have online content available by subscription for schools and libraries.”

Sarah also reminded me that the World Almanac has a presence on Twitter and Facebook as well.  Something the Pulitzer family could have never envisioned when they printed the first Almanac 144 years ago.

The World Almanac is a must have for every household.

Once again Hillary Clinton requires “suspension of disbelief” to believe a concussion prevents her testimony

Previously, when asked to testify in the Benghazi murder investigation of our personnel, Mrs. Clinton claimed she was busy on a pre planned wine tasting trip to Australia.   

This time, just before she is scheduled to appear at the re scheduled date, she claims she has a “concussion” and will not be able to face questioners. 

This latest excuse will run out the clock on her term as Secretary of State.  She has said she will agree to testify at a “future hearing,” but declined to say when that date would be.

Hillary and her allies in politics/media, reinforce the impression they believe Americans are stupid, don’t care and suffer from Alzheimer’s disease…by the collective yawns in the main stream media, perhaps they are right.

But this is Hillary; she has a track record of putting out whoppers.

Hillary has skated through countless tales that would stretch the incredulity radar of anyone ambulatory and conscious enough to have a sense of propriety and end the careers of most public figures.

But that’s not the criteria for those in the media and politics that hold Hillary to a different standard….she gets a free pass on all of it.

But these last few months should raise the hackles on all Americans who care whether their officials have any shred of integrity or accountability.  In this case, Americans were murdered and many were wounded.  Authorities who are trying to get to the truth of this horrific event are being scoffed at by this administration, including Hillary.  This is not a joke and many American citizens are outraged by the utter disregard they feel the victims are being given. See Benghazi should end careers

Americans want to know why American embassy and staff were left basically defenseless.   Who made those decisions and why?  Even though every other country had removed their embassy staff because it was too dangerous…ours remained vulnerable as a target for Al Quaeda on the anniversary of 9/11.

Why repeated calls from the murdered Ambassador for more security, were ignored…Even on the day of the attack 9-11-12 he put out a call for additional security.

Why were US armed forces and personnel in the vicinity of Benghazi told not to come to the beleaguered consulate while it was under attack?  Who gave that order?

Why were nearby fighter aircraft not called in to aid in the defense of the consulate? The Navy SEALs at the consulate had laser technology that could have guided precision air strikes and broke the attack.

Why have high ranking US military personnel in that part of the area, been summarily removed from their posts and are not testifying?

Why are the wounded Americans in the attack being kept away from investigators and not able to provide their eye witness testimony?

After 3 months we still have no answers and to let Hillary and this administration off the hook by not having to testify under oath,  is a slap in the face to all Americans. 

New gun restrictions will not prevent tragedies like the Connecticut school shooting

Parents and community of Newtown come to terms with the massacre

Yesterday’s tragic mass shooting of 20 children & 6 adults, has brought out the inevitable calls from around the country to make laws restricting gun ownership.

Many Europeans and Australians decry Americas violence and say we must restrict guns. But America is not a tiny country, just one state, California, has a population bigger and more diverse than most of of these small countries. Australia has less population than the state of Texas.

America is a huge melting pot of cultures, races and religions.  We are very diverse geographically as well; with intensely populated urban areas, to sparsely populated rural areas and everything in between.

When you read the statistics, America is a violent country….But 99.9% of the legal gun owners in our country are law abiding peaceful people and never use their firearms for violence. Sometimes Americans have used the firearms to protect their families, see Brave Mom. Yet we have a small segment of our population that skew our statistics.

If you took the city of Chicago out of Americas gun crime statistics, it would change the perception. Chicago has the strictest gun laws, yet they are besieged with violence. 

As far as laws go, last time I checked, it is illegal to discharge a firearm in many urban areas, it is illegal for a felon to be in possession of a firearm and it is illegal to murder someone.

But idealistic lawmakers might use this latest tragedy to try to pass a law to restrict gun ownership….i.e.: Never waste a crisis 

Even if they outlawed them, guns would still be readily available. Our borders are like sieves; guns drugs, terrorists, criminals and illegal immigrants easily pass through, even though there are strict laws against them.

So sadly and tragically, mass shootings will occur in spite of laws passed by well meaning lawmakers.

The Aurora Colorado theater, site of a mass shooting where 12 people died and 58 were wounded, advertised itself as a gun free zone…The only theater in the area to advertise that fact.  Did that play a role in the shooters decision to pick that location for his killing spree?  You bet, he knew no one would shoot back.

Colonel Hassan, the American jihadist, who methodically gunned down his fellow soldiers at Fort Bliss Texas, killed 13 and wounded 32, before he was stopped.  He opened fire confidently, because he was a coward and knew they were unarmed and could not fire back.

The killer at yesterdays tragic shooting at the Connecticut school, most assuredly knew no one would be armed among the school personnel, it is not allowed, he was safe.....It was declared a "gun free zone."  If there was a possibility of a legally armed employee on those school grounds yesterday, would that killer have picked this school for a target?

Israel was beset with mass shootings for a time in its past.  That little country tried beefing up its security forces to prevent them from happening.  They stationed more soldiers and police….but were not able to station enough everywhere. It wasn’t until Israel loosened its gun laws and encouraged its law abiding citizens to carry concealed and unconcealed firearms; did the mass shooting end.

If the demented loners, who go on killing sprees, knew there was a possibility that someone amongst their targets would fire back, it would prevent these mass shootings.

Because at heart, these killers are cowards and want total control of the script for their final 15 minutes of fame…Just the knowledge that one legally armed citizen may be among the planned victims…would disrupt the plan.

Attorney Mark O’Mara will make NBC and the Florida prosecutor pay for their parts in the hi-tech lynching of George Zimmerman

The accused George Zimmerman

 If it had been up to NBC and the prosecutor in the Trayvon Martin shooting, George Zimmerman would have already been seated in Florida’s notorious “Old Sparky.”

Edited and doctored tapes of a 911 call between George Zimmerman and police dispatchers by NBC news, were used to make it look as if George Zimmerman was a racist and his shooting of Trayvon Martin racially motivated.

On top of that, just released colored photos of George Zimmerman, right after his confrontation with Trayvon Martin, graphically show a bloodied and battered George Zimmermanm.  A stark contrast from the previously released black and white photos by the Florida prosecutor that did not show the extent of Zimmermans facial injuries.

This type of evidence should have been willingly given to Zimmermans legal team by the Florida prosecutor.  But it took months of legal maneuvering to get these pictures, which hugely bolsters Zimmermans account that he acted in self defense.Even famed legal expert Alan Dershowitz thinks the prosecution against Zimmerman has been acting unethically. See Dershowitz

If the public and Zimmermans defense team had access to these photos originally, many legal experts doubt charges could have been rightfully filed against Zimmerman in the first place. There is absolutely no doubt that if these color photos of  Zimmermans beaten and bloodied face taken shortly after his confrontation with Martin would have been revealed, it would have defused the racial tensions that were boiling over.

But fortunately for Mr. Zimmerman, a brilliant attorney has come to his defense and is unraveling the web of innuendo, slander and withheld evidence being used against him.  Mark O’Mara has taken command of this case and will make sure George Zimmerman isn’t the state of Floridas, or main stream medias, sacrificial goat. See previous Trayvon Martin story

In a lawsuit filed a few days ago against NBC, the Zimmerman legal team stated:

"NBC saw the death of Trayvon Martin not as a tragedy but as an opportunity to increase ratings, and so set about to create the myth that George Zimmerman was a racist and predatory villain."  "Because of NBC's deceptive and exploitative manipulations, the public wrongly believes that Zimmerman used a racial epithet while describing Martin during the call to the dispatcher on that fateful night," the suit says.

The lawsuit accuses NBC of sensationalizing/manipulating a "racial powder keg that would result in months, if not years, of topics for their failing news program, particularly the plummeting ratings for their ailing Today Show."

The edited recordings included “multiple deletions, removed intervening dialogue between Zimmerman and the dispatcher, and juxtaposed unrelated content "to make it appear that Zimmerman was a racist, and that he was racially profiling Trayvon Martin," the lawsuit says.

If Mark O’Mara can prove his charges against NBC, we hope he can get a huge payday for his client as well as himself.  NBC got caught trying to pervert the news we receive and manipulate public opinion.

If it is found that the Florida prosecutor willingly withheld crucial evidence in order to weaken George Zimmermans defense and cast him in a false light, then Mr. Zimmerman should demand justice for himself.

We saw another prosecutors office try to railroad innocent people into prison with withheld and manipulated evidence, in order to make a name for himself and gain political favor. North Carolina District Attorney Ken Nifong  was disbarred and put in jail for withholding evidence that would have proved Duke Lacrosse team members to be innocent of charges.

Attorney Mark O’Mara is no slouch and is probably already sounding the alarm bells in this case against his client. What other evidence has this prosecutor failed to provide him in his defense of George Zimmerman?

A 20 ton dead whale ends up on a limousine liberal beach. Will they let nature take its course?

Barbara Streisand woke up to the smell of nature at work this morning. As she breathed in the usually refreshing salt air of the Pacific ocean lapping at the beach below her stunning beachside Malibu mansion……

Rolling in the surf line, just upwind, was the rotting carcass of a dead fin whale.

Wildlife authorities think the whale, on the endangered species list, might have had a collision with one of the ships that ply the coastline.  But the fact remained; this is a lot of nature to have going on in your front yard.

The exclusive surf side community is home to Streisand, Bob Dylan and many others in the Hollywood entertainment industry.  This is ground zero for those who embrace and fund every “green” cause and proudly drive their Prius to show how pious they are about it.

Of course Barbara and her family could shift residences into the adjoining and interconnecting two other seaside mansions she owns, to try to avoid the smell of nature at work.  But it seems the prevailing wind graces each residence equally.

Although rare for California, this particular stretch of beach is private. According to Carol Baker from the Los Angeles County beaches and harbors commission, the homeowners have responsibility to the high tide line and the state has control of the tide lands.

According to Cindy Reyes, executive director of the California Wildlife Center,

Los Angeles County lifeguards planned to try to pull the 40,000-pound carcass out to sea.  

But fire Inspector Brian Riley said that won’t work.

"The carcass is embedded in the sand and impossible to tow free,"  "Burial at low tide will be difficult as well as land removal. It's in an area with bad access."

It will be interesting to see if red tape will be cut in order to facilitate this “rescue.”

Will these residents get special dispensation from the usual quagmire of interconnecting environmental agencies, coastal commissions, building departments, fish and game, harbor traffic safety and every other local, state and federal ABC agency you can think of?

Meanwhile, residents of La Jolla,  a community south of Malibu, have been petitioning the state and federal authorities for months, just to let them wash off rocks in the ocean near their community.  

The rock strewn shores have become home to large groups of protected species who deposit large amounts of their feces.  Evidently the stench is unbearable.  But environmentalists and government regulators are adamant about disrupting the natural order of things.  This part of the California coast is home to a more politically conservative group of residents.

With the violent death of the fin whale, a capital environmental crime has been committed.  The whale is an endangered species; shouldn’t a full scale investigation be conducted before the body is even remotely considered to be moved?  Where is the environmental CSI team?

This talk of bulldozing up a California beach in order to bury the carcass or move it is another assault on almost every environmental nerve ending.  Where is the moral outrage?

If this were a true “green community,” and the residents were really concerned for the environment, they would let the whale carcass stay where it washed up naturally and let nature take its course for the next year.  The whale would provide badly needed nutrition to the local marine animal/bird community. 

Letting the whale carcass stay and decompose naturally, would also make an environmental statement louder than any horn from a Prius could make. 

What are the chances? The answer is blowing in the wind.

Many students don’t know what it takes to turn on the lights in their classrooms

When I went to grade school, one of the first field trips our class made, was to a hydro electric dam.

After the hour ride, the bus parked and we were taken for a guided tour through a maze of machinery, deep inside the main power generating operations of a massive hydro electric dam. 

I never forgot that day, as the manager of the complex proudly explained how electricity was produced by water turning the blades of the huge generators and how it flowed through power lines to everyone in the community

This education was provided at an early impressionable age and gave me the basic knowledge of how power is produced and relayed to every home and factory in America. We went on to learn, with coal, oil, gas, or nuclear; the principle was the same…Produce energy at an affordable price to power our modern society.

We also learned that protecting the environment was important, as stringent controls were put on our power producing facilities.  Soon the skies of our cities were clear as those laws took effect. We all breathed easier.

But something happened in intervening years and a new message has come out to our children.  Instead of taking a field trip to a local power generating plant to see how wonderful modern power is for our country, children were treated to an Al Gore movie. His movie, “The Inconvenient Truth,” shows the earth is on the edge of an environmental disaster caused by the very fuels that power our society.

 Although Al Gore has been preaching disaster for many years and claimed his version of climate science is settled “science,” ……Thousands of scientists/physicists/phd’s/ meteorologists and others,  very much disagree with his facts. See it here

So why did many of our public schools decide to force our young children to watch the Al Gore climate movie without first questioning the truth of his science?  That’s a good question and needs to be answered. What is the agenda? 

 Since the Gore movie was released in 2006, it has been shown to millions of school age children and portrayed as scientific fact.  It has scared them.  It leads them to believe that fossil energy is evil and the use of it will mean the destruction of the earth. Read: Polar bears thriving, Al Gore melts down

Along with the anti fossil fuel message;  a line of thought set on the destruction of many of our hydro electric dams is starting to creep in.  The dam destruction is done in the name of restoring our environment to its original condition…before the presence of modern man spoiled it.

Of course nuclear power has been maligned so long it will never get over the stigma of being non earth friendly.

 That leaves us with wind/solar/bio fuels and unicorn dust to power our modern society. Which if past performance and present technology demonstrate, there is a dark and bankrupt future in store for our country.

An interesting video was sent my way a few days ago.  These are University of Chicago students who are speaking about having their school and other institutions divest themselves of fossil energy investments. See it here

As you can see, they lack an understanding of what comes next.  What approved method of power will take the place of our carbon based energy they are so fearful of? 

These kids were freshmen in high school when they first viewed the Al Gore film and it seems they never got an alternate message to it.  I’ll also suppose they never were able to take a field trip to a local power generating facility to see exactly what it takes to turn on the lights and heat their homes.

Perhaps it's time to revise our school curriculum's, to be more rounded and show the other side of the war on our energy sector...Just what the consequences will be if our country "divests itself" of our fossil energy.

If Republicans want to take the high ground they should be bold and put corporate welfare on the table

Obama has maneuvered the narrative of the fiscal cliff talks as being a war between the rich and the middle class.  Obama claims to be on the side of the middle class and the GOP, the party of the “rich."

The mainstream media of course, always on the look out for a simplistic headline to rally around, can carry this message forward to further marginalize the Republican Party.

It’s time for the party to be bold and call Obamas bluff. Instead of going through the death of a thousand cuts, come out and put something on the table that all Americans can get behind: Call for the end of all corporate welfare. These “entitlements” are costing taxpayers an estimated 100 billion dollars per year. See Cato report

Entitlement programs/the welfare state is the driver behind the huge debt of America... Corporate welfare IS an entitlement.

If the Republicans can be bold enough to put this on the table, they can then demand from Obama, cuts to other entitlement programs.  This will deflate the class warfare meme that has worked so well against the Republicans.

After all, why should the American middle class be paying for huge subsidies to corporations that hire thousands of lobbyists who shower politicians of both parties to vote more corporate loopholes?

At the same time all of the billions of dollars in “green subsidies” can be ended, including the subsidies for the rich who buy expensive electric cars.  Why should the middle class pay for the rich when they buy their toys?  Average income for an electric car buyer is $174,000.  Why should a middle class taxpayer put up 7,500 per car to entice a wealthy person to buy an electric car?

Why should the middle class by paying 26.00 per gallon for “green” fuel supplied to the military when they can get that same fuel for 3.50 per gallon?

The giant retailer Wal-Mart has more workers enrolled in many state Medicaid programs—which are supposed to be reserved for poor people—than any other employer. Why should the middle class be subsidizing Wal-Mart?

Instantly the Republicans will gain credibility with Americans.  They can stand toe to toe with Obama, look him straight in the eye and say:  “We are willing to put Americas future first are you?”

Nothing short of boldness will work now, otherwise it will be another kick the can down the road and Americans will be more disillusioned than ever with their leaders in Washington.

Would US foreign aid be better spent in Ireland, rather than Egypt where it supports a new Islamist dictator?

Riots in Tahir Square

 Egypt’s new President (for life?), Mohammed Morsi, riding the afterglow of  huge praise from President Obama and Hillary Clinton for his role in ending 8 days of hostility in Gaza, leveraged that glow to seize dictatorial powers over his countrymen.

Morsi a leader of the  Muslim Brotherhood, which is tied closely to the United States mortal enemy, Al Quaeda, has been aggressively seizing power since he gained office by winning a democratic election 52-48.

On Thursday he issued constitutional amendments that placed him above judicial oversight & extended that same immunity to a committee drafting a new constitution for the country that many say has been hijacked by Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood allies.  Morsis’s critics say he is trying to push through an Islamist state that will marginalize women and minority Christians, infringing on personal liberties.

"Morsi today usurped all state powers & appointed himself Egypt's new pharaoh," pro-reform leader Mohamed El Baradei wrote. "This is a major blow to the revolution that could have dire consequences."

The last time Hillary Clinton visited Egypt, her motorcade was pelted with tomatoes by Egyptians who felt they have been sold out by the Obama administration.  These Egyptian citizens feel the Obama administration let Egypt fall into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood, an arch enemy of democracy and the western worlds way of life.

But since the pelting of Hillary’s motorcade several months ago, the Obama administration has showered millions of dollars on the Morisis government in spite of his dictatorial moves and his aggressive disregard of previous peace agreements with neighboring country, Israel.

Many Americans think “foreign aid” should be based on the carrot and the stick approach.  Regardless of the fact that America is broke, it still borrows money and prints it in order to dole out foreign aid. So lets help our friends, so they can help us.

This foreign aid money should have strings attached…It seems we have exchanged a previous dictator, who was friendly towards us, for a new dictator who is not friendly towards us or our close ally Israel. What kind of madness is this?

We are showering Egypt with billions of dollars; in fact Hillary just authorized giving the Morsi government 450 million in emergency funds on the heels of the just completed cease of hostilities in Gaza. Despite the fact Egypt has total control over weapons smuggled into Gaza and Hamas.

Dublin Ireland

We should take the billions we are now sending to a country hostile to our civilization and spread it to a country that is a friend.   A true democracy; giving foreign aid to Ireland on the scale we are giving it to Egypt would be like pouring Miracle Grow on a flower garden.

Blessed with a highly educated and motivated population, funds could be used to set up manufacturing facilities, hi-tech development, spur energy independence and create an economic powerhouse/ strong ally in line with western values.

The foreign aid could have strings attached.  Perhaps one of those strings could be to give the people of Ireland and Northern Ireland the chance to vote for a united republic. 26+6=32. 

Even the late British American Christopher Hitchens was in favor of a United Ireland and surprised many when he publicly voiced that opinion.

The bakers union cooks its own goose as Hostess shuts its doors

If there’s anything that symbolized America’s greatness in the snack industry, it was the iconic Hostess Twinkie.  The tasty snack was a must have for cravers of a cheap, high caloric/carb/sugary fueled food rush.

We grew up with the entire family of Hostess snack foods:  From chocolate covered Cupcakes, to the powder sugar Gems, Ding Dongs, Ho Ho’s, Sno Balls and Donettes.-these were comfort foods to millions of Americans.   Every quick stop and grocery store in America carried Hostess products.

Everyone has had a personal relationship with some Hostess product at some point in their life.

But today it was announced that relationship is coming to an end as Hostess stated they were shutting their doors forever.

On announcement of the news, stoners on the Cheech and Chong blog said one of their favorite treats is going up in smoke and decry the empty Hostess shelves in local grocery stores.

An American success story in manufacturing and marketing since 1930,, Hostess, (Interstate Bakeries), also owns, Wonder Bread, Nature's Pride, Dolly Madison, Butternut Breads, and Drake's brands.

Hostess had been trying to get an agreement from their unionized labor pool of approximately 18,000, in order to stay in business and remain competitive.  Operations at their plants had been paralyzed due to strikes and pickets.  Last minute negotiations had brought some of the unions to agreement, but the bakers union voted 92% to turn down requests for scale backs on pay.  As a result Hostess is shutting its doors and the 18,000 employees are all out of work.

The company had 372 collective bargaining agreements with a dozen unions and had roughly $2 billion in unfunded pension liabilities to its various unions' workers.

Hostess work rules based on labor contracts included separate drivers for deliveries of different Hostess products, vastly increasing labor costs to the company.

Management has a part to play in the demise of the company as well.  Many said they have been riding the popularity of the Twinkie since 1933 and had failed to refresh their company and products image.  Sales began to decline in the 1980s and '90s as consumers found healthier alternatives to snack cakes and white bread. The debt started to pile up and lead to the first company bankruptcy in 2004.

But a last minute order by a bankruptcy judge forced Hostess and the bakers union into a negotiation to see if a compromise could be worked out.  The judge said  there are “serious questions as to the logic behind the decision to strike.”

If the company is forced into liquidation, its brand names are valuable.  Prior to the judge announcing the forced, last minute labor negotiations, there were rumors that some companies were willing to step in and take over operations, but would not be honoring any of the union labor agreements.  Perhaps the Twinkie will be back, but it will never be the same.

Sex sells, as media finally delves into Libya scandal

Paula Broadwell

The murder of our Ambassador to Libya and 3 other Americans at the Benghazi consulate was relegated to a few blurbs on the news and back page status in the New York Times.

But “sex sells” & news of an illicit affair between one of the main players in the Benghazi debacle, head of the CIA, David Petraeus and his” biographer” Paula Broadwell, does  capture headlines. The aptly named book, “All In”  takes on new connotations as more is revealed about the tawdry affair.

As a sad commentary of the shallowness of our media, maybe this will lead them to get to the bottom of why Americans were left to be killed in Benghazi.

Petraeus was forced to step down as head of the CIA as the result of an FBI investigation that exposed his affair. The investigation was triggered by a complaint from another woman who received threatening emails from Petraeus paramour. But the woman behind the FBI complaint, far from being a victim of harassment, seems to be a major player herself in this twisted tale.

Jill Kelly a Tampa Bay socialite, herself married and very active in social circles in southern Florida,  is a longtime friend of Petraeus and his wife.

The plot thickens as another General gets whacked

 But to add even more fuel to the fire, another top General in Afghanistan, John Allen, seems to have been carrying on a relationship with Jill Kelly.  An official told the AP that 20,000 to 30,000 pages of emails, some flirtatious and other communications between Allen and Kelley since 2010 are under review.

Gen Allen/Jill Kelly

 Kelley has been described as an "unpaid social liaison" for MacDill Air Force Base, headquarters to U.S. Central Command. Her mansion was a frequent party spot visited by the military's top brass, including Petraeus and Allen.

Evidently Kelly and her surgeon husband are in deep financial trouble as a result of bad investments and are underwater by millions.  Unnamed sources claim money may have been a motive behind pressure on Petraeus and may have sparked the threatening emails from Broadwell.

This puts a whole new spin on the possibility of blackmail of Petraeus.  Was he pressured by the administration to tell a fabricated story?

Already tapes have been leaked of Paula Broadwell revealing top secret information revolving around the scenario behind the attack on our Benghazi consulate. 

What she revealed is the real possibility the consulate might have been the cover for a clandestine prison where captured Libyan rebels were interrogated.  The attack itself may have been a planned operation to free captured prisoners.

This flies in the face of the administrations oft repeated mantra that the attack was a spontaneous reaction to a cheesy anti Mohammed tape. This also contradicts President Obamas pledge to not have secret prisons where prisoners are held and possibly interrogated using enhanced techniques.

The FBI spent 4 hours at Paula Broadwells house combing through every square inch of her residence looking for evidence.  They left carrying boxes of material they loaded into vans.

Ironically, the time spent at Paula Broadwells house, was far more time than the FBI spent at the scene of the murder of our Ambassador in Benghazi.  

In the meantime as congress delves into this issue, the main players involved in this mess are conveniently not available to testify.  Hillary Clinton is busy at a wine tasting in Australia and David Petraeus has said he won't be available to attend the hearing. 

Update: David Petraeus has agreed to testify this week in front of the House & Senate committees investigating the murder of our ambassador and 3 other Americans at the Benghazi consulate. His testimony will be behind closed doors.

Update: Hillary Clinton is still wine tasting in Australia until further notice. 

Murray Energy, the canary in the mineshaft for America and its source of power

Robert Murray, CEO of Murray Energy, Americas largest privately owned coal company, has been a strong and articulate defender of his industry. 

Murray has over 3,000 employees and their families, who depend on his leadership and good judgment for their livelihoods.  Countless thousands of other jobs depend on support industries that rely on the shipping, handling and processing of what he produces……Millions of Americans depend on Murray Energy to light and heat their homes for a modest price.

Mr. Murray is a frequent guest on television shows who seek him out for his business acumen & expertise on what it takes to keep Americas economic engine fueled.…. he has never shied away from speaking his mind.

Mr. Murray and I have been communicating over the future of America’s energy industry and what can be done to keep America’s energy prices affordable. 

I was taken by surprise when Mr. Murray sent me an email  with an excerpt from his private staff meeting held yesterday.  What I read within alarmed me, because he is a strong, steady, intelligent leader, whose history is not one of making knee jerk reactions. 

On the corner of the attached email was a note to me in his handwriting, telling me to feel free to use this information as I feel fit to do.  As a result I have decided to post it in its entirety and share it with my fellow Americans.

In a sign of the gravity that Mr. Murray feels America has come to, he accompanied the notes of his meeting with a prayer, which I will also post.

What I foresee in America

Staff Meeting November 7, 2012

1. Drastically reduced economic activity

2. Reduced electric power consumption

3. Drastically reduced coal markets w/worse coal pricing

4. Total destruction of the coal industry by 2030

5. Enactment of 12 EPA regs alone, by the Obama Administration

6. Per Sen Imhoffe: 3 regs on greenhouse gas, MACT & coal ash will cost USA 600 billion

7. Likely a carbon tax will be forced to subsidize the government and  “receivers” (Obama supporters) in the total destruction of the coal industry, as early as 2030.

8. All coal companies are performing drastically worse than their CEO’s and boards want to report and this is understandable with their concerns for stock prices/refinancing.

9. Most public companies will not be able to continue to emphasize any positive they had, while avoiding the negatives in their statements and opinions.

10. The markets will soon take away this ability from these public CEO’s/directors

11. Of course private companies will abandon this industry

12. We must prepare for this today and we cannot bleed cash waiting for competitors to be eliminated.

13. We must totally go into survival mode and generate all of the cash that we can from whatever we have left that can help us.

14. We must tear down all structures of Murray Energy and reassemble them.

15. While putting Murray Energy into a survival mode, I will be fighting allegations from radical Obama supporters, that you know are blatantly false and were inspired  only to shut down opposition to them on behalf of our employees, your area and our country.

16. We must be passionate and austere in all that we do.

Robert E. Murray

Chairman, President and CEO

My Prayer

Dear Lord:

The American people have made their choice. They have decided America must change its course, away from the principles of our founders….And away from the idea of individual freedom and individual responsibility….Away from capitalism, economic responsibility and personal acceptance.

America is no longer America.  We are a country in favor of redistribution, national weakness and reduced standard of living and lower levels of personal freedom.

My regret Lord is that our young people, including those in my own family, never will know what America was like, or could have been. They will pay the price in their reduced standard of living and most especially, reduced freedom.

The takers outvoted the producers. In response to this I have turned to my Bible and in II Peter, Chapter 1 vs. 4-9 it says: “To faith we are to add goodness; to goodness, knowledge; to knowledge, self control, perseverance; to perseverance; godliness; to godliness, kindness; to brotherly kindness, love.

Lord please forgive me and anyone with me in Murray Energy Corporation for the decisions we are now forced to make to preserve the very existence of any enterprises that you have helped us build. We ask for your guidance in this drastic time with the drastic decisions that will be made to have any hope of our survival as an American business enterprise.

Amen

Robert Murray

America voted to expand the nanny state, but who is paying the nanny?

 Last nights elections results didn’t change the balance of power much in Washington.  It is still headed in the direction of runaway spending, expanding entitlements with more and larger government services. Of course, this costs tremendous amounts of money

Bill O’Reilly summed up the election results yesterday:

“There are fifty percent of the voting public who want stuff. They want things. Who is going to give them things? President Obama. He knows it and ran on it. ... Twenty years ago, President Obama would have been roundly defeated by an establishment candidate like Mitt Romney.”

As I wrote in my October 21 piece, the left has capitalized on being the party of the government dependent entitlement society.  This population has been mobilized to vote and has tipped the balance of power. They are immune from the effects of a bad economy the private sector is mired in. Why should they care if taxes are raised? 

The national debt of 16 trillion doesn’t affect them either, future generations will be saddled with this burden.  We ran out of our own money long ago and are now spending our children’s/grandchildren’s money to afford today’s entitlements.

But what is important to this base, is getting stuff today… President Obama and his party have done the best job of promising that. But nothing is free, everything comes with some sort of price tag.  That price is monetary and a loss of freedom from more intrusive big government protecting you from yourself by imposing its policies on you.

 Britain’s Prime Minster Margaret Thatcher said:  “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.” 

America had an opportunity yesterday to change that direction, but failed to grasp it when an alternative for fiscal responsibility was offered by the Romney candidacy.

Many Americans will now get what they voted for: A bigger and more intrusive nanny state…paid for by someone else, until they run out of money.