Post Office sitting on a gold mine, but still going broke

The Postal Service has been around for a long time and as far back as we can remember, they have been having financial problems.

But in a classic study of ineptitude, we watch the Postal Service going into an unnecessary death spiral, claiming it is short of funds again. Saying that unless an influx of billions of tax payers dollars come in and/or postal rate increases kick in, the postal service will not be able to meet it's obligations.

We stand back and watch this and then wonder just how efficient government healthcare will be if it is put into effect the way President Obama and his 5,000 pages of healthcare rules envision it.

Of course the Postal Service will have to slim down and streamline, that is a given. But people are still going to need mail and packages delivered long into the foreseeable future.

Certainly with email, online banking and competition from private sector package delivery services, it is a new world for the USPS. But there have been innovations just waiting to be used that, if it was the private sector, would have been aggressively pursued and utilized.

But the Postal Service is reminiscent of the crew of the ship adrift off the coast of South America. Dying of thirst, they don't realize they are surrounded by fresh water from the Amazon river. All they had to do is lower their buckets and bring up all of the fresh water they could drink. But they don't and they die of thirst.

So short of having a different entity take over the operations of the Post Office lets throw a few private sector ideas out there and see if they can grasp them to prosper:

Let the USPS get into the electronic mail business. Certified, secure official email sent via the USPS email system. There are would be many uses of this especially in the medical, legal and business field who would take advantage of this.

Corporate logos & advertisements on stamps. This is an untapped source of income for the Post Office, selling advertising space on stamps. Similar ideas for raising revenue have been appearing all over the country, such as naming sports stadiums after corporate sponsors. It is an easy leap to see the picture of a Chevy Volt on a first class stamp, instead of a butterfly , especially when the postal service would realize millions in advertisement dollars.

We see postal trucks and vans everywhere, why not rent out advertisement spaces on them? You can't drive anywhere in a city without seeing a public bus plastered with ads. Why can't the Post office take advantage of this?

The Post Office sells boxes/envelopes and packaging materials. Why not sell advertising space on them as well?

In rural areas where addresses are far flung making it expensive to deliver mail, set up regional mail pick up sites where people can drive in and get their mail.

Cut out weekend deliveries of mail, unless a customer pays extra for that service.

Make the wages/benefits of employees comparable to what is offered in the private sector.

With a few of these suggestions the Postal Service could lower it's bucket down into the ocean of private sector ideas and rescue itself. Think it will happen?

For other points of view visit Carroll Standard: www.carrollstandard.com

Green energy stimulus bang for buck costs 5.5 million per job.

I don't know about you but if I ever get a choice between a govt. backed green energy job or the cash equivalent, I'll take the 5.5 million cash equivalent instead.

Yes folks, the numbers are coming in and it looks like we got 3,000 "permanent green energy jobs", as a result of our 20 billion of govt. stimulus and loan guarantees we injected into this industry...and many more "investments" are on their way.

Using an archaic formula only government numbers crunchers know, this is success and offers the model for moving forward into green energy independence. My only question is how much more success can we afford?

Last week Dr. Ivar Giaever, 1973 winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, abruptly announced his resignation from the American Physical Society in disgust over its officially stated policy that "global warming is occurring. (APS) supports the theory that man's actions have inexorably led to the warming of the planet, through increased emissions of carbon dioxide.

Couple the esteemed Giavers resignation with the petition signed by over 31,000 scientists, that disputes man caused global warming. When you stack the "Climategate email scandal" on top of all of this, you start to get the feeling that when Al gore says the science is settled...it really isn't.
http://www.petitionproject.org/

Since man caused global warming is one of the lynch pins used as the impetus to propel us into "green energy", perhaps we should slow down with "investing" our treasure into this unproven and unprofitable industry. If it is going to work, let private industry move forward with it to see if it it becomes commercially viable, if possible. Why pump billions into unproven, commercially unviable business models?

In the meantime it seems scandals are brewing in the "green energy" field as the Solyndra company just went belly up taking over 1/2 billion of our money with it. Solyndra is not the only green company to fail after receiving tax payer assistance and it looks like other Solyndras are out there.

Seems to many, that if industries have to be propped up with subsidies, tax breaks, special deals and tilting the playing field in order to exist...something is wrong. Why should the public be financing and taking the risks?

Dr. Charles Krauthammer says the green energy industry is a fantasy, fueled by "lemming socialism" and "crony capitalism" The biggest losers? American taxpayers

It seems the attitude in Washington these days: With a stroke of a pen and unlimited amounts of other peoples money, the laws of physics and economics can be overcome.

There are billions of dollars of Solyndra" type stimulus in Obamas proposed "jobs" bill: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/09/rep-paul-ryan-on-solyndra-there-are-billions-of-more-of-this-exact-kind-of-spending-in-the-stimulus-video/

But China is eager to compete with our subsidized "green industry", happily manufacturing the solar panels and other components of "green" much cheaper than we do by using their coal fired power plants. China then sells these "green industry components to us at a huge profit. But under the Obama administration, Americas coal power is being heavily punished, driving many power plants out of business and making it virtually impossible to build new ones.

Interestingly America is known as the Saudi Arabia of coal reserves and we are not exploiting these resources. I wonder if you took a fraction of the billions poured in to "green energy and directed it to the science of cleaning up/refining coal, if we couldn't achieve total energy independence and clean air much sooner?

For other points of view visit Carroll Standard: www.carrollstandard.com

Weiner seat is tip of iceberg that will sink Democrats

Update: In the waning hours of election day 9/13/11, Republican challenger Bob Turner has been declared the projected winner in the Congressional race. As Ari Fleischer, President Bushes press secretary jokingly said: “Obama calls for NY-9 to return to it’s pre-1967 status. Last time an R held the seat was 1922.”

A new poll shows the once safe Democrat haven, New York's 9th Congressional district, is about to turn Republican after tomorrows special election.

The seat up for grabs, was once formerly occupied by far left Democrat Congressman Anthony Weiner, who resigned in disgrace a few months ago. The Republican challenger, Bob Turner, is clearly ahead of his Democrat opponent, David Weprin, by six percentage points, a whopping turn around in this hugely Democrat district in Brooklyn.

This race portends disaster to Democrats on a national scale for the 2012 elections. Many consider this Congressional race a referendum on the way the Obama administration and the Democrats in the Congress/Senate have lead the country. Dissatisfaction with policies and the way the economy is being managed are turning droves of once loyal Democrat voters towards the Republican party.
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READ MORE:
Hillary Clinton nostalgia grips leading Democrats as Obama fails and fades

The world was never the same again after 9/11 ---I saw loss and love on that terrible day

GOP Presidential candidate Congressman McCotter talks to Irish Central
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The poll found that the once reliable bloc of the liberal Jewish vote in District 9, has turned against policies they perceive, have weakened and isolated Israel. Republican Turner is winning the Jewish vote by an astounding 56%-39% margin. Many consider the State Department/Obama administration as anti Israel. This belief will part the political sea and allow a mass exodus of Jewish voters to journey to the Republican side of the ballot in the coming elections.

No matter how the spin meisters try to turn this around, if the Democrats lose Weiners seat by a substantial margin, it is a double whammy loss for them. In a strange sort of way Weiner seemed almost a Munchhausen Disease by proxy figure, who did the Democrat anger work for them in a very public, vitriolic way. He was the point man and attack dog of the house and was known for his emotionally charged speeches and semi meltdowns that captured the main stream medias attention.

To not only lose a person of Weiners stature, the Democrats will also suffer the additional humiliation of having a Republican in his stead.

But like icebergs whose mass is underwater, the Weiner election is just showing the surface damage. The real damage, the great gash to the USS Democrat Party, occurred long before the Weiner election and will lead to its sinking in 2012.

For other points of view visit Carroll Standard: www.carrollstandard.com

To Obama and the left -civility is a one way street

As we approach Thursdays speech by President Obama to the joint session of Congress, many are wondering if the President will acknowledge the uncivil rhetoric that has been emanating from his allies.

It hasn't been that long since the Presidents erudite speech in Tucson had many swooning over his rhetoric calling for a new civility. But since that time, it seems his "new civility" must pertain to any that oppose his policies. His allies are free to say anything without repercussion from the White House.

The President himself has been an offender of his "civility" mantra, going so far as to castigate and criticize sitting audience members of Congress during the last joint session. Congressmen and women, out of courtesy and protocol, are not able to answer back the insults the president hurls their way. These speeches are one way conversations with the President setting the tone and topic, which to many is more than uncivil and seems very partisan.

The President publicly demanded a joint session on the very night the Republican debates had been scheduled....for months. The Speaker of the House, bridled at the Presidents bullying tactics and said, "you can do it on another night, but not Wednesday".

So Obama gets another captive audience Thursday to unveil what many think will be a re-run of more Keynesian failed economic policies to "stimulate" our failing economy. Or could he surprise us and use this opportunity to set a new tone of civility and spirit of non partisan cooperation. He is the President and he has the Pulpit.

If the President wants to set the tone and disarm his critics, he could execute a brilliant move and do something uncharacteristic for him: Acknowledge that his allies are using harsh, uncivil rhetoric in order to create animosity and division among the populace. Some say it is deliberate, class warfare of divide and conquer. Let the president call for a new era of civility from his high profile allies who wield great power:

President Obama should by name, ask Congresswoman Maxine Waters to apologize for telling American citizens to go to hell.

President Obama should by name, ask his Vice President Joe Biden to apologize to American citizens for calling them terrorists and barbarians.

President Obama should by name ask his friend, Jimmy Hoffa Jr., who delivered the Presidents warm up speech in Detroit, to apologize to the American people for calling them sons of b*tches and saying we're going to take them out.

President Obama should by name ask Congressman Andre Carson to apologize to American citizens when he said Americans want to see blacks hanging from trees and they yearn for the return of Jim Crow laws.

So Mr. President take this opportunity to disarm your critics and step up to the plate to become the great uniter many thought you were capable of being when they voted for you.

America looks forward to a new tone of civility coming out of Washington D.C, starting with their President.

For other points of view visit Carroll Standard: www.carrollstandard.com

Irelands Michael Collins. Father of the Republic and father of insurgency

I asked James Biesterfield for his expertise in understanding the impact Michael Collins had on the world of terrorism/insurgency. Mr. Biesterfield is a retired Special Agent for Counterintelligence from the US Army. He is currently a counter-terrorism consultant, author and trainer based in Riverside County, California. James and I co-authored this piece.

St. Michael, the Archangel, is considered to be the Patron Saint of Warriors. In some circles, Michael "Mick" Collins is almost considered a saint. There are truths, falsehoods and legends that surround this iconic man. To some, he was one of the fathers of the Irish Republic – an honored hero. In the counter-terrorism field he is viewed as the father of modern day terrorist tactics. So, how should we view Collins?

By all accounts, this youngest of 8 children, was exceptionally bright and his father, also named Michael, stated that his young son would do great things for his country in the future. This pronouncement made on the deathbed of the elder Collins. He would not be wrong.

In the world of violent groups, the old adage is, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”. This could not have been truer in the case of Michael Collins. From a purely analytic viewpoint, Michael Collins was absolutely critical in the advancement of modern terrorist & insurgency organizations.

In the year 1909, the 19-year-old Collins joined The Irish Brotherhood. He rose quickly in the ranks, obtaining a solid reputation and being given a great deal of responsibility with their Finance Ministry and leadership with the Irish Republican Army. Collins made some significant contributions in logistics and organization for the IRA and the Republican government. As President of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, under the bylaws of the Brotherhood, he was President of the Irish Republic. Collins was shot and killed in August 1922, during the Irish Civil War.

After the Easter Rising of April 1916, Collins was arrested after surviving the attack on the Dublin Post Office. Almost given the death penalty, he was instead sent to Frongoch Prison in Wales. He was released in a Christmas Amnesty in December 1916 and allowed to return to Ireland. While in prison, he had time to consider how IRA operations were being conducted.

For the most part, IRA fighters were loosely organized in their particular home areas and locally commanded and directed. This allowed no continuity of action between the various fighting groups. Collins played a prominent part, in re-organizing IRA fighters into what he called Flying Columns. He also centralized Logistics and Training allowing continuity among all of the Flying columns. Thus, if one guy got “too hot” in one area, he could be transferred to another area without appreciable changes in his training base.

This was incredibly innovative for the time. Previously, terrorist/insurgent groups operated independently, or in loose cooperative efforts. (Did you notice the variety of weapons among the Libyan Freedom Fighters? A logistical nightmare! A lack of training dragged that fight out for 6 months, even WITH NATO support.)

In following the timeline through the 20th Century terrorist groups, it appears that virtually ALL groups have and are following the IRA Model. The PLO used and improved upon this model in the 1960’s and 1970’s. This led to a vast number of terrorist fighters from all over the world attending training at PLO camps located in Libya during this period. Following this, we began to see cooperative efforts on the part of terrorist groups (i.e. Lod Airport, Rome Airport, Mogadishu, etc).

Even today, Islamist groups follow a similar model that allows interoperability between disparate groups throughout the world.

However one might view Michael Collins – saint or sinner – his contribution to insurgent/terrorist groups cannot be discounted. The important thing for law enforcement, special operations and intelligence organizations is to understand that impact, its relationship to groups in present day and begin to analyze future changes to the logistical and training capabilities on the part of such groups.

Mr. Biesterfield can be reached: On Twitter @xspook2 as well as Face book and Linkedin.

For other points of view visit Carroll Standard: www.carrollstandard.com

Ireland should have an official National Bird

Twitter made me wonder : what is Ireland's official National Bird? For curiosity sake I did a quick Google search and turned up nothing. I turned to the authority on all things Irish, Niall O'Dowd, his reply was the seagull. I doubted that one, and his reasoning for using the seagull is better left unsaid.

Many countries have a national bird. The U.S adopted the eagle, even though Ben Franklin thought it should be the wild turkey. Some countries adopted the Osprey. Others have flamingos, swallows and owls. Ireland does not have an official National Bird that I can find and I think it needs to address this issue. It shouldn't cost any money to do it and it would be good symbolism.

http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/CountryIndex.htm

Talking to others, it has been suggested that the hardy wren or bunting be adopted as the national bird. They're tough and even through the lean times of winter, they're resilient and survive. Some say the kestrel is a good choice, for its speed and hunting skills.

There was also a vote for the golden goose, but all suggestions have to be for live species of birds, not extinct ones. I believe the last golden goose went extinct in Washington DC back in 2008.

But my vote is for that native bird of Ireland, the raven. His plumage runs ebony to cobalt blue, no chirp or tweet, but deep croaks and other emanations for communication. He soars above us on great wings, playful, somersaulting and aerobatic. Is there anything more beautiful than a Raven soaring above The Cliffs on a crisp clear day? The raven can mimic the sounds of other birds, animals and man and yes it can speak your language.

They are hardy birds who use their ingenuity and intelligence to survive in all conditions. They are also one of only a few species who make their own tools. They have been observed breaking off twigs to play with socially and use for food gathering.

The Raven has been around Ireland forever and is steeped in Celtic mythology. It is believed to be an "Oracle bird", a bearer of messages from the Otherworld. The Druids believed that certain people could interpret the cries of the raven and were able to communicate in the "language of the birds." Which has truth to it because they are easily taught to speak.

Scientists think the Raven is among the most intelligent in the animal kingdom. http://www.ibabuzz.com/garybogue/2009/11/09/ravens-want-to-see-how-smart-these-big-birds-are-check-out-this-video/
Over the years I have had many encounters with Ravens and have been amazed at their beauty, intelligence & mischievousness:

I have had them swoop down and snatch food off of my BBQ grill while I left it unattended for a moment. Then watched them up in the trees laughing at me while they enjoyed my dinner. It taught me to keep a closer eye on my food.

Some cagey miners in gold country purposely left objects out for ravens to take, knowing they might return with a shiny object in exchange. Sometimes the shiny object could be a gold nugget in their beak. Legend has it, some miners followed the birds and have been lead to a main gold deposit.

Ravens don't like their tranquility disturbed and know how to restore order in their neighborhood. A barking dog on the deck of an anchored boat raised the ire of a Raven perched in the nearby trees. He swooped down and hovered over the dog just out reach, teasing it to distraction, so much so, it fell overboard 10' into the frigid waters of the ocean. The owner immediately rescued the dog and put the shivering, now silent pooch down below decks.

But ravens are intelligent enough to recognize who their human "friends" are too and if you have extended a kindness to them, they will remember you for life.

So all in all I think the raven wins the official National Bird nomination on all counts, intelligent, resourceful, graceful, mischievous and a sense of fair play. Surviving and thriving all over the world. Doesn't that exemplify what we are?

For other points of view visit Carroll Standard: www.carrollstandard.com

GOP Presidential candidate Congressman McCotter talks to Irish Central

Presidential Candidate Thaddeus McCotter has a command of the issues facing America today and has a Mark Twain quality to be able to condense those issues.

I told him, those of us in the worldwide Irish community, as well as his fellow Americans, would like to hear from him. We would like to let him air his solutions to some of the pressing issues that face us. So I was able to spend some time with this multifaceted Irish American, five term Congressman from the Detroit suburbs.

First off I asked the Congressman how his presidential campaign was going. He said recent Quinippiac polls showed him tied with many of the other GOP candidates in the field as we head into the Reagan Ranch debates. He is from Detroit and knows he has to work hard and persevere. He is determined to get his message out there and feels what he has to offer will catch fire with the American public.

We also discussed the perception that many Irish Americans were seen as liberal Democrats in this day and age. He replied, he grew up with his Irish Catholic Father and the traditions of John F. Kennedy, who espoused conservative free market values and was a hawkish defender of America. Even Bobby Kennedy back then had many conservative views. Of course Ronald Reagan was a conservative Republican.

My comment about this: As President Reagan said, I didn't leave the Democrat party, the Democrat party left me. It seems today's party is not our Fathers party....Would JFK be a member of today's Democrat Party?

The perception of many Americans today is that our voting system is being assaulted by illegal/ fraudulent votes. Does the Congressman think there is a problem and does he think there should be federal rules standardizing our systems and securing them? Mr. McCotter said there IS a problem, but the big hammer of the federal government should not be used to cure it. It seems the states are stepping in and starting to clean it up, as can be witnessed with the discovery of 12,000 non citizen voters on Colorado's voter rolls and several states initiating new voter requirements.

I replied that still doesn't fix the problem now and individual state elections have repercussions for the rest of the country. He said it wouldn't be wise to have the big govt. step in and standardize things, you wouldn't know what you would end up with and it could be changed to suit whichever party is in power. For instance you could get a party in power who would think it is perfectly fine to have illegals on the voter rolls. Better to keep it a state issue. Besides Congress already has the right to challenge the veracity of a members election.

Then we touched upon the thorny issue of illegal immigration. The Congressman said it wouldn't be fair to grant these people legal status when there are others who are following the rules and working their way through the system to become legal citizens. He would build fences and close off the borders now. He is a strong proponent of the E-Verify system and believes non citizens should ONLY be allowed the most basic of emergency medical services and not be afforded our social welfare net. But he wanted to affirm that it is not the illegal immigrants fault that they come to America, it is the fault of the powerful special interests who attract them here to exploit them.

The Operation Fast & Furious gun running scandal that has seen the murder of a U.S. federal officer and hundreds of Mexican citizens: He feels this was an operation gone horribly wrong, run by out of control bureaucrats who are being found out now and should be demoted/fired. He does not feel it goes all of the way up the food chain of the Justice Department.

With all of the drug cartel violence on our border that is reaching into our country and our prisons are full of drug offenders. Isn't it time we consider decriminalizing the use of drugs? No. We should not allow the use of drugs to be mainstreamed, otherwise we would have a breakdown of the fabric in our society which would take away incentives. Not a good idea.

I asked him if his Presidential aspirations didn't materialize this election, would he consider moving to California to become a Congressman? Preferably the district that sits on San Francisco Bay? He laughed and said he prefers the lakes of Michigan, because there are no sharks in them. Furthermore, as long as California has Congressman Devan Nunez in office, they will be well represented.

So Congressman Thaddeus McCotter, we wish you luck. May the wind be at your back for your Presidential aspirations. We'll be keeping a close eye on your progress as the campaign evolves. I hope the rest of America can get to know you as we are starting to and realize you have good common sense views on what is best for our country.

Notes: Rep. McCotter will be back on the Capitol Hill as Congress is back in session on Wed. Sept 7th, then off to New Hampshire for events Sept 9&10 th