CONCH REPUBLIC SEA BATTLE

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My yesterday started with physiotherapy. Grueling. Leaves me completely tired afterwards. Yesterday, a young lady named Amanda contributed to my discomfort.

We may be making progress. After only two visits, it has been determined that I walk with my knees rather than hips. Makes for a shorter step. Could explain step fallings.

Stopped at Publix after physio. Ran into Stevie. Had not seen him in months. Stevie was the bartender at the Wine Galley for years. Thereafter, at Tavern ‘n Town. He is no longer bartending. Has some sort of office job. A good guy!

Spent a portion of the afternoon final prepping my blog talk radio show for last night. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

The show went well. Provided an opportunity for me to expose people who do not know what they are talking about. I refer to Social Security.

New Jersey’s Chris Christie spoke yesterday in New Hampshire. He is concerned with the national debt. Said Social Security has to be cut back. One way is to raise the eligibility level to 69.

What no one talks about is why Social Security periodically looks like it may suffer 15-20 years down the road. Either they do not know or do not want us to know. I honestly believe they do not know the true story. Especially members of Congress, from both parties.

The biggest creditor of the United States is the Social Security Fund. The government owes Social Security $1.7 trillion. We only owe China $1.3 trillion.

President Johnson needed money to wage the Vietnam War and support his social programs. Social Security had a ton of money sitting in the bank. Money that would never be used. Note that Social Security takes in more than it pays out. Then and now. Surprising, isn’t it.

Johnson got Congress to pass appropriate legislation. The government was empowered to borrow the money. No promissory note in return, however. Merely an IOU. Not legally enforceable. The intent was to pay the monies back. Per custom, the path to hell is paved with good intentions. Not a penny has ever been paid back! And, the government continues to borrow here and there from Social Security whenever it can.

No one cares. Few know. We are never told.

The Conch Republic Independence Celebration begins friday. Ten days of fun! The best part for me is the Sea Battle. Conch forces defeating U.S. sea vessels and planes.

Key West has a new City Planner. Thaddeus Cohen. He attended his first Commission meeting last night. Suit and tie! Obvious he was new to Key West. He was jokingly told no one dresses in Key West. Casual everything and everywhere.

I remember the first Key West wake I attended. I wore suit and tie. Back home, it was called respect. I was the only one so dressed. Even the deceased was dressed casually. I learned. I attend wakes today in shorts  and a sport shirt.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do!

Richard Boettger has an excellent article in today’s KONK Life E-Blast. Peary Court and Walmart’s Scrooges. One of the best articles I have read re the issues.

Michael Shields deserve congratulations, also. Mike organized the Policing in Paradise ACLU Seminar monday night. Key West is buzzing. Everyone complimentary.

The Titanic sunk this day. Sad. More than 1,500 lives lost. Passengers and crew.

Enjoy your day!

ICELAND JAILS BANKERS, ETC.

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Iceland is a tiny country. It sits in the far reaches of the north Atlantic somewhere east of Canada. Its clock/days different. Because of its location, 24 hour days of sunshine or darkness are common. Population 320,000.
Iceland suffered the same banking disasters as the United States. Iceland had its 2008 where the banks brought the economy down.
Iceland dealt with the problem different from the United States. Iceland showed it had brass testicles.
Iceland’s banks needed a bailout. The people said no. An emphatic no! It was a David/Goliath situation. As in biblical times, David won.
The people in effect created a new government, adopted a new constitution, and arrested, prosecuted and jailed bankers and politicians. None of the too big to fail and too big to prosecute crap for them.
At the same time, Iceland created a Special Prosecutor to investigate banking crime in connection with or in the wake of its banking crisis. The list of bankers and government officials jailed is endless. Proof in many of the cases revealed the bankers enjoyed playboy lifestyles, mistresses and all.
Iceland’s economy took three years to improve.Following 2011, the  percentage of unemployed dropped dramatically. Loans were available to Main Street and ordinary people.
Banks are and have been whores throughout history. For whatever reasons, governments have not been able to control bankers. Bankers have made money for themselves in gigantic numbers during certain periods. Most recently, the early 2000s through 2008 in Iceland. The early 2000s to today in the United States. Banks are still screwing the American people. The reason simple. The U.S. did not take the bankers in hand and kick them in the ass as Iceland did. Iceland’s finances continue to improve at the same time that  the U.S.’s remain the same. In the U.S., bankers incomes are the highest ever and continue to rise. Whereas, people’s incomes remain stagnant.
Iceland and the U.S. are now facing another banking problem. That of central banks. The Federal Reserve System in the U.S.
Central banks allocate money to those entities actually in the banking business. A purpose of central banks is to protect depositors. In the 1970s, Congress changed Federal Reserve laws to spell out the purpose of the Federal Reserve. To effectively promote…..the goals of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long term interest rates. Also to…..regulate responsibility over many consumer credit protection laws.
The Federal Reserve has failed dismally in its responsibilities. The organization overwhelmingly does everything to protect and aid banks to the detriment of the American people.
Iceland has a similar problem. Their central banking system still leans the way of banks. A strong movement is underway to change the money allocation responsibility of Iceland’s central bank to the government. Makes sense. The government creates money. It should bear responsibility for who gets it. It is expected Iceland will make the move in the near future.
In the U.S., there are isolated voices to debunk the Federal System and give the allocating power to the government. Whether successful is highly doubtful. The banks, their money, their lobbyists and their attorneys, are geared up to oppose such a change.
The U.S.has not changed its banking laws as radically as Iceland. Until the U.S.does, bankers will continue becoming richer by day and the people poorer.
Dodd-Frank became law in 2010. The new law contained many provisions favorable to the American people. Laws were changed so greedy bankers could not practice certain of their evil ways again.
One provision had to do with deposits insured against loss. Somehow the banks had utilized the old law to have many of their 2008 losses guaranteed by the government. Taxpayer dollars were used to make the banks whole.
Derivative trading, securitized debt and non performing loans were guaranteed 100 percent by the government. The government paid off these guarantees with taxpayer dollars.
Dodd-Frank said no more! A victory for the American people. It lasted only four years. In December 2014, it lost its way. The old game returned. The government would insure and otherwise guarantee the speculative games/investments the banks were engaged in. It has been described as heads the bankers win, tails the taxpayers lose.
How did Congress and the President permit this regression so soon? The budget battle was in play in December 2014. No budget, the government would shut down. The budget was $1.1 trillion.
Republicans required their pound of flesh. Rollback the Dodd-Frank provision re; no taxpayer guarantees in certain areas. Many Democratic legislators and the President himself gave in to get the budget passed and keep the government running.
I do not like what happened. It is politics, however. It also represents one of the rare moments of a negotiated result.
A problem specific to the U.S. regarding banks involves the use of money in a less than palatable sense. Banks are so big they can buy the political process. And they have.
Little Iceland did what big United States could not/would not do. Iceland took the bull by the horns and did everything necessary to correct its banking problems. The U.S. did not. The people were buffaloed into the thinking the government had.
The American people remain in a precarious position with regard to banks. The solution is to do what Iceland did. Roll over the banks, force them to do what is right. I doubt such will occur. Our elected officials are too receptive and too dependent when it comes to banker contributions and perks.
Government by the people, for the people, continues to erode away.

RACIAL BIAS IN PARADISE

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Racial bias/selective police enforcement in Key West was a primary topic at the ACLU town hall meeting last night.

I had intended to attend the town hall meeting. Unfortunately, I could not. This morning’s Key West Citizen ran an informative article re the event.

I have spent a quarter of a century in Key West. Having had previous experience with police (I represented 55,000 full time civil service police officers at one time in my legal career), I probably have paid closer attention to police than most. This includes the Sheriff’s Department.

I have never seen the racial bias/selective enforcement complained of. That does not mean it does not exist. I do find fault with Key West police re the Charles Eimers case. Regardless of the official outcome, it leaves me concerned and worried.

Sheriff Department personnel are more congenial. They talk in a respectful manner. Key West officers come across tough, their tone intimidating on occasion.

Perhaps Key West has more difficult problems than Monroe County. Ergo, a different attitude is required. I do not know

Such are my impression of things.

I spent a good part of yesterday working on tonight’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Great topics! One involves the major thieves of all time. Banks.

Water is predicted to be the oil of the 21st century. The mega banks are buying water sources world wide. It is possible at some point that water will be as costly as gasoline and as profitable for the banks as derivative trading, exorbitant interest rates, etc.

Join me. Nine my time. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

I finished Elizabeth Warren’s book A Fighting Chance. Read it. Worth while.

The narrative portion of the book is outstanding. Warren writes in a talking fashion. Her story easy to follow.

The only negative I thought was what followed at the end of the book. Pages of excerpts from records of her daily professional activities. Boring. I could not complete that portion. The only thing I can think of is that the excerpts were added to give additional volume to the book. Bulk/number of pages enters into the cost of a book.

Pru Somers has done it again. The woman can write. I recommend her article in this morning’s KONK Life E-Blast. The topic involves affordable housing. She points out there is a lot of room for construction. However, the City cries it has no money to build.

Key West does not spend its funds in a thoughtful process. It overpays for public buildings, replaces public multimillion dollar structures after 20-30 years, talks of building more parking garages, spends money on studies never used, on and on. In the meantime, the working people of Key West do not have affordable housing.

I have to hustle. Physiotherapy this morning. I hope the program cures my falling incidents.

Enjoy your day!

 

GIVE ME A BREAK!

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I am a political freak. No question about it. I love politics!

Not all aspects, however.

Hillary announced yesterday. Several Republicans announced before her. Rubio announces today.

Hillary’s announcement was 575 days before the election. A year and a half. For that period of time, you and I are going to be bombarded with political reporting, bickering, polls, etc. Most, if not all, of little value till September 2016.

As the campaign progresses, I will feel like I am getting beat up. The same thing day in and day out.

575 days are not required to let us know what which each candidate stands for. I do not want to live with Hillary or any other politician for 575 days!

My solution is twofold: Public financing and strict time limits for Presidential elections. Such will remove the big dollars of corporations and the rich thereby guaranteeing the people will be heard. Time wise, elections should be no more than 2-3 months. Start September 1, for example.

I may write re this issue in a future KONK column. I need to do some research first. I suspect it has been tried elsewhere.

Spent a good chunk of yesterday writing this week’s KONK Life column. Iceland Jails Bankers, etc. Interesting. Iceland’s successful battle against greedy banks yesterday and today.

I was able to get out later in the afternoon. Took my tablet and went over to Salute’s. Sat outside in the shade and continued reading Elizabeth Warren’s A Fighting Chance. With an occasional peek at the bikini clad ladies, of course.

Tonight should be interesting. I am going to my first ACLU meeting. Not to join. To listen. At the Florida Key’s annual Town Hall Meeting.

I decided to go when I saw the program is chaired by my friend Michael Shields. An excellent writer. A liberal at heart.

Two items on the agenda. Police policy in Paradise. The other, treatment of minorities and the disadvantaged. Should be interesting. More interesting for me. My first formal town hall meeting.

Terri White sings for Key West tuesday night. At the Waterfront. Try to attend. You will never hear better.

The bocce rankings came out yesterday. We fell from 2nd to a tie for 3rd. Not bad considering we lost 3 games thursday night. This thursday, we play the team tied with us for 3rd place. Nothing easy at this stage of the season!

Enjoy your day!

 

CONTEMPORARIES

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Happy Sunday!

I watched the Masters’ opening drives Thursday. Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. They looked a bit aged. Palmer and Nicklaus definitely. Player could pass for a younger man. Palmer is 85. Nicklaus, 75. Player, 79.

It dawned on me! They are my contemporaries! I literally grew up with them. From early adulthood on. I am 79.

For the first time, I realized how I look. When it is your own face in the mirror and one you have seen daily for years, the aging process appears slow. It does not hit you as dramatically as it did watching the three golf greats. I do not look as young as I thought!

My day was spent doing further reasearch on this week’s KONK Life column. I will write it today. It concerns Iceland and Iceland’s treatment of bankers following 2008. Iceland did not let bankers push them around. Iceland went for the jugular.

My first stop last night was Louie’s Backyard. It had been quite a while since I was last there. The deck bar is one of Key West’s most beautiful locations.

I met Dan and Mitzie. They have been together five years. Dan has spent time in the keys about as long as I have. He is a retired Michigan marine owner.

We talked of many things. Especially, aging. We have comparable experiences. Like forgetting. The discussion was ultra humorous. I wish it could have been recorded.

Then it was to Tavern ‘n Town for dinner. The season is definitely over! The bar empty. I enjoyed some good food and Bobby Nesbitt. Judy was her usual lovely self.

I was supposed to have dinner with Donna and Terri. They backed out at the last moment.

Walgreens in the news! Walgreens plans to close 200 stores this year. Not sure where yet. Walgreens recently merged with a European drug retailer.

Walgreens is the largest U.S. drug chain. Were you aware? I was not.

Tom Cotton in  the news again. He is on a roll since his Iran letter. He was on a TV talk show yesterday. One of his brilliant comments was to the effect we should bomb Iran now and destroy its nuclear danger once and for all. He failed to see value in the negotiation process.

Cotton is 37. He speaks like a 20 year old. He worries me. Especially since he is being groomed as Presidential timber.

I am reading Elizabeth Warren’s most recent book. A Fighting Chance. I am about two-thirds through it. Great reading!

Warren is one smart woman. Comes from a humble background. Never intended to be where she is. Her efforts over the years and her ability to get things done continue to be recognized. No question in my mind, she will be a serious candidate after Hillary is done.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

 

BOB AND SUSAN

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My base of those I call friends has expanded greatly because of this blog. Many e-mail me from all points of the world. They share with me their joys and sadnesses. I learn of their children and parents. They offer comments and political observations to what I may have written the day before.

The friendships are genuine. Though we rarely meet face to face.

One of my blog friends is Bob Saraceno from the Buffalo area. He reads me daily, e-mails every couple of months.

Bob is in Key West this week. We made arrangements to meet last night at the Chart Room. The evening turned out to be one of the most pleasant I have experienced.

Bob is here with Susan. They are a couple. They have purchased a home in Fort Myers. Key West will be their vacation spot. It is a mere four hour ferry boat ride away.

No question, I am a liberal at heart. Bob, a conservative. Our respective political leanings have never affected our relationship.

The three of us talked about everything. We were together quite a while. At least three hours.

Bob is Sicilian. I am not. My people are from the Naples area. I told him I was fearful of Sicilians. They had a reputation of cutting throats in the middle of the night. I also offered that my mother in law was Sicilian and we never got along. I attributed it to her Sicilian ways.

We drank a little too much. Laughed more. Had a great time!

They asked for a place to dine tonight. I suggested the Hot Tin Roof. I am having dinner there tonight with Donna and Terri and will probably run into them.

Key West has a reputation of being a drinking town. It is. Tourists, especially. Many indulge a bit too much. Something bad occasionally occurs as a result.

The word on the street last night was that someone had dived into the water at the Hyatt, struck his head, and could not feel from the neck down. Terrible. Potential for a serious injury. As bad as a paraplegic or quadriplegic.

The morning paper ran the story. It was not the Hyatt. It occurred at the Galleon. The Galleon’s Tiki Bar.

A 40 year old tourist dove off the pier at the Galleon. Normally shallow, it was even more shallow at the time. The tide was out. The water only three feet deep. Hard rock at the bottom.

A tragedy.

It is not easy to dive into the ocean off the Galleon deck. There is a thick rope fence/barrier. Formidable.

An article in this morning’s Key West Citizen projects an easy hurricane season ahead.  Minimal. The report worries me. I would rather it was predicted that a bad hurricane season was ahead and nothing happened.

Key West got hit bad by hurricanes for a number of years. The last big one was Wilma in 2005.

My recollection is Wilma was only a #1. It was the water that followed. Like a tsunami. About an hour after the wind departed, the water arrived. There was no warning. The water height 6-7 feet. Lisa ended up with  6 1/2 feet of water in her home. Larry and Christine were sitting on their back porch chatting about how lucky they were that there was no damage to their home. Larry says all of a sudden the water started trickling in and within seconds was one foot deep and on its way up.

I learned something from reading the article. Key West and Pensacola are the two most hurricane prone areas in Florida. One end of the State to the other. Key West to the extreme south. Pensacola is part of the Panhandle. An area to the extreme northwest of Florida.

Enjoy your day!

BARE ASS IN THE POOL

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Nudity once again in the news. A 47 year old man went swimming in Dante’s Pool bare ass yesterday afternoon. Initially, funny. Not really, however. Half the people in the pool many times are children.

The individual was arrested. Properly so.

Nudity has its place in Key West. Private homes and private guest houses where permitted and out of sight of children. Not in one of the largest public pools in Key West!

Tourists are leaving Key West faster than I thought they would. I noticed half of those here last week gone. Makes walking and driving safer and easier.

My day was simple yesterday. Started with a haircut with Lori. Always pleasurable. Lori is good company. She has been doing my hair some 15 years. We have become friends.

Did some shopping at Publix afterwards.

Then home for what I assumed was to be rest before bocce. For whatever reason, my body became wracked with pain. Bones. The discomfort disappeared around 10. No way could I have played bocce. Did not even go.

Keith reports we lost all three games. We #2 ranked lost to #1 ranked.

I knew it would be close. If we won one game, we would have been happy. The scores were 16-12, 16-13 and 16-15. Not bad. Competitive. Not enough, however.

The #1 team is exceptionally good. Perfection. There is a big difference in this instance between #1 and #2. We were playing a team a step above.

Donna and Terri are in town! We are having dinner together tomorrow night.

The Citizens’ Voice had an interesting comment yesterday….. Old men send young men to war…..let those who vote for war be sure their children and grandchildren get to fight in that war. The best was it is “…..easy to fight a war with other people’s kids.”

I have been talking about ticket quotas and the evil of the system for three years. The Florida Senate last week passed what is known as the Waldo Bill. It would be illegal to have quotas.

The evil of quotas is not the giving of an improper ticket alone. The revenue from the fines generally goes to support the judges’ salaries and costs of operating the court system. Speaks for itself!

Harry Truman again! On this day in 1950, Truman left Key West after having spent a month vacationing here. Presidential vacations are working ones. Still better to work in the informal and relaxing atmosphere of Key West rather than Washington. Truman obviously thought so.

Today would have been my father’s 101st birthday. Happy birthday, Dad!

He did not do bad, however. Made it to 98. We should all be so blessed!

This week’s KONK Life column Money Corrupts is available also on my Key West Lou blog page. keywestlou.com.

Only one way to say what I am going to say. It takes balls! I saw advertised on television yesterday Monsanto’s pesticide Roundup. I could not believe it. Several countries have outlawed the pesticide as carcinogenic. Last week the World Health Organization said beware, possibly carcinogenic. The problem is the U.S. government loves Monsanto and supports Monsanto’s endeavors. A disgrace.

Enjoy your day!

KEY WEST BORDELLO HISTORY

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Key West was a different island 50-70 years ago. In many ways. One was the existence of bordellos. Houses of pleasure. A place where a small fee paid brought lots of pleasure. Customer friendly operations.

Bordellos as such no longer exist in Key West. Today similar services may be available in a gentleman’s club. More expensive however before the evening is over. Less friendly. Money  and not the  customer’s pleasure key.

I tripped onto a bit of Key West’s bordello history via this morning’s Key West Citizen’s History section. Mention was made that on this day in 1953, Mom’s Tea Room was closed. Mom’s Tea Room was a house of ill repute on Stock Island. Local authorities closed Mom’s because of Navy pressure. Back then the Navy had a huge base in Key West and exerted significant influence.

My curiosity was triggered by the mention of Mom’s in the Citizen. I did a bit of searching re houses of ill repute in the Key West area. There is not much recorded.

I discovered that a Rose Rabin apparently was the proprietor of such an establishment. I am not sure she was connected to Mom’s. I suspect she was.

Rose did run a bordello on Truman Avenue before World War II. The Navy forced her out. She opened up again on Stock Island. The Navy forced her out from there.

Rose was back in Key West after the war running a place called the Imperial Club. In a two year time frame, Rose opened and closed the place two times. The Navy forcing her to close each time.

Anyone for tea?

Yesterday was the first day of a process I believe will be good for me. Because of falling frequently in recent weeks, Dr. Lefferts referred me to physiotherapy. Body Owners on Stock Island. I was impressed.

I was there for evaluation. Took most of the hour. Inquiring questions. Concern for my problem.

Heather Smith evaluated me. Turned out, she owns Body Owners. A pleasant professional personality.

Body Owners has a tread mill which will be part of my treatment. A different tread mill! It is anti-gravity. Exercise without pain. The tread mill is a bit monstrous. You are put into a bag, for want of a better description, which is tightly bound around your waist. An air chamber inflates and it appears the wind lifts the person up. The exercise is the same. Pain and tiredness at the moment, not.

I did 15 minutes. Big for me! Felt great during and immediately thereafter. When I got home, it was another story. I was exhausted! Took a two hour nap. Slept well last night. Probably because of the 15 minutes on the machine.

Heather is a nice name. Reminded me of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. A great love novel. True to form, I could not remember the name of the book. I did when I returned home and e-mailed the information to Heather.

Heather’s name significant because the book frequently speaks of the heather on the hill. A place where the lovers met.

My evening was pleasurable. Started at Don’s Place with Don, David, Stan, Clare and Grant. Bocce the key item of discussion. Big match tonight. We are ranked #2. We play #1. A tough evening ahead!

Don and I left. Later had dinner together at the outside bar at La Te Da. Tonto bartending. Debra and Patrick gone.

I have more to share. However not the time. I slept late (blame the tread mill) and have to hustle. A hair appointment with Lori.

Enjoy your day!

MONEY CORRUPTS

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We live is a present day society where big business/corporate America controls. No longer are we a government of the people, by the people, for the people. We have been transformed into a government by the rich, for the rich.
How did we get into this situation? What has caused power to be shifted to the rich?
The answer is three-fold. It begins with the Federalist Society, moves then to Citizens United, and ends with New Jersey’s Senator Menendez.
I attended law school in the late 1950s. We were taught that the Constitution was a wondrous document because it accommodated itself to the times. It was pliable enough to meet current day needs and problems. Without altering the Constitution’s written words.
A group of conservative Republicans recognized that change had to take place. The Supreme Court’s interpretations were liberal from their perspective. Conservatism had a limited place in decisions.
The time, 1982. A group of unknown conservatives came together whose purpose was to change Supreme Court rulings. These men were backed by corporate America and the rich who felt they were not getting a square deal.
They were unknown in 1982. Today, they are recognized as giants in the conservative movement. Men such as Edwin Meese, Robert Bork, and Steven Calabresi. Soon thereafter to be joined by conservative stalwarts such as Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, John Ashcroft, Orrin Hatch, and Kenneth Starr.
The movement began at three high-ranking law schools. Harvard, Yale and Chicago. Antonin Scalia was one of the original faculty advisers when the Federalist Society was being formed.
The Federalist Society was a group of conservatives and libertarians who sought to reform the American legal system. It was to be done by interpreting the Constitution differently than it had for over 200 years. Interpretation was to be a textualist/originalists one.
States rights were to receive precedence over national rights. Since the end of the Civil War, the Constitution had been interpreted as giving power to the federal government as opposed to the states. The Federalist Society advocated moving power to the States. By doing so, conservative views would come to the forefront in cases involving the Second Amendment, campaign finance regulation, state sovereignty, and commerce clause issues.
In some 20 years, the Federalist Society has accomplished its goals. It did so by first encouraging law students to become members and think as Federalists. Then by moving Federalists up the political and government ladders rapidly.
The Federalist Society has changed the brand of the Supreme Court to conservative. It has enabled corporations and the rich to control Congress and influence the Court. It has encouraged the means whereby corporations and the rich can contribute millions of dollars to a campaign.
Money has become the influence in all chambers of government. No longer is it right over might.
During the time the Federalist Society was growing in influence and power, the Supreme Court evolved into a conservative body. The ratio generally being 5-4.
The Supreme Court decided Citizens United v. FEC in 2010. A revolutionary decision. The Court ruled corporations were people and that laws should not be passed limiting their right to make contributions. The Court reasoned that everyone had a right to free speech. Just because corporations had more money was no reason to inhibit their right to participate in the democratic process via financial giving.
Citizens United involved political expenditures by non profit corporations. It subsequently was extended to include for profit corporations, labor unions, and other associations.
Interestingly, the case involved a video critical of Hillary Clinton.
The Court in Citizens United felt limitations on corporate contributions banned free speech. That corporations and organizations had the right to use their treasury funds for advocacy purposes.
The Court was of the opinion that such contributions would not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption. What a joke! The Court was effectively saying that multi million dollar contributions by one corporation or rich person would not influence the decision of the person receiving it. Respectfully, a crock! Human nature unfortunately does not work that way. Money talks!
The 2012 Presidential race began the expose of the folly of the Court’s thinking. Newt Gingrich had a friend/supporter in Sheldon Adelson. The same Sheldon Adelson I mentioned in my Tom Cotton article two weeks ago. Adelson contributed $15 million to Gingrich’s primary race. Wyoming financier Foster Fries donated just under $2 million to former Senator Santorum’s Super PACs.
Neither Gingrich nor Santorum would have been able to stay in the primary race as long as they did without such big dollar support.
Senator Mitch McConnell is Majority Leader in the Senate. In 2010 when he was Minority leader, he said that Citizens United struck a blow for the First Amendment. I thought the decision struck a blow against the First Amendment. McConnell is almost as old as I am. I do not know what law school he went to. Apparently one that taught the rich should have power over the poor.
Citizens United immediately increased the number of Washington lobbyists. They are the people who tell Congress persons how to vote and draft legislation. .
Many said at the time of the Citizens United decision that it opened the door to political bribery and corruption in future elections.
One of the few Republicans who saw through the smoke was John McCain. He said he was disappointed by the decision which lifted limits on corporate and union contributions. He further indicated that over time there would be a severe backlash to the decision.
Permit me to portray the evil which can develop. A lobbyist suggests to a Congressman that if he votes wrong, corporations and the rich will spend unlimited amounts in the next election to beat that Congressman.
Another major evil of Citizens United is the secrecy involved with donations. Money goes through two sets of hands before it is put to use on behalf of a candidate. It is in a sense legitimate money laundering. Voters never get to know who donated what and in how much to a candidate.
Now comes Senator Robert Menendez. A Democrat who has represented the State of New Jersey since 2006. A man of influence. He chaired the Foreign Relations Committee for two years.
Menendez ran for reelection in 2012. He won.
Menendez had a doctor friend in Florida. Let me put It another way, the Senator claims the doctor was his friend. The doctor was under investigation for $9 million of Medicare over billings. He contributed $600,000 to Menendez’s campaign through a PAC. In addition, the doctor provided Menendez with a private jet for the Senator’s world wide trips and paid for his vacations at island getaways.
Menendez was indicted on federal corruption charges on April 1, 2015. The doctor was also indicted.
Menendez claims he was only doing favors for a friend, that the $600 thousand, private jets, and island vacations did not influence him.
I am compelled to return to the Citizens United decision. Therein the Court said that bought influence and paid for access were not corruption standing alone. The Court’s words, not mine.
What do you think?
A final observation. Citizens United is going to be with us for at least 20 years. Subsequent decisions may eat away at it. None will totally eliminate the decision. A liberal court is needed to overcome Citizens United. That means a Democratic President till the turnabout takes place. I suspect a Democratic President will be required in 2016. Otherwise, complain not when it hits you that our government has slid into the hands of corporations and the rich.
The government claims Menendez exerted influence on behalf of the doctor re the $9 million of Medicare over billings at the time the $600 thousand in contributions were made. It is claimed also the doctor had girl friends in other countries and that he leaned on Menendez to help him obtain visas for them.
One has to be blind not to see the error in the Citizen United decision. The basic freedom to select your elected representatives is at stake. Not a Republican or Democratic thing. A basic American one.

 

MONT LA PIANA

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The Alps. The tallest mountain range in Europe. I was fortunate on recent European trips to see and enjoy Mont Blanc. Mont Blanc is part of the Alps. It is the tallest mountain in Europe. Part of Mont Blanc sits in northern Italy.

I have visited Courmayeur often. Courmayeur is a little town half way up Mont Blanc. The homes are Swiss chalets. The people welcoming.

My friend Anna spent Easter weekend on Mont La Piana. Mont La Piana is relatively small. A little more than a mile high. Part of the Alps, it sits next to Mont Rosa. Mont Rosa is the second highest peak in the Alps.

Anna’s son Antonio has a second home on the top of Mont La Piana. Anna was the guest of her son Antonio and his wife Miriam. Antonio and I are good friends. I love his wife Miriam. Three years ago, I was in Novara on my birthday. Miriam is a chef by profession. She cooked a birthday meal for me. Outstanding! Dom Perigon included.

Miriam is a Moroccan. She is 21st century New York City! Miriam told me Morocco is not like the rest of the Muslim world. The women are respected, dress today (mini skirts), drive, etc.

It is impossible to drive to the top of Mont La Piana where Antonio’s chalet is located. You park the car at the base and take a cable car to the top. It is winter there. Pics were sent me. Snow everywhere. Covering the Swiss chalets half way to their roofs.

I wish every one could see the Alps up close. Awesome! Magnificent!

My tuesday nights are devoted to my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Ergo, I do not leave home on tuesday nights. I am able to do the show from my home. Tuesday by day is stay at home, also. I am busy with final preparations for the show.

Last night’s show was special. I covered Duke/Wisconsin, how money corrupts politicians, California water and Nestles, South Carolina and Chicago police killings of blacks, and Iceland.

Post show comments indicate the police shootings hit a tender chord.

I had intended to solely speak of the 14 year old Chicago boy killed and the strange conflicting police reports which followed. I was watching the news on TV about an hour before my show. The South Carolina shooting was being reported.

By this time you are familiar with that shooting. All the networks are carrying the story. The police officer involved has been arrested and charged with murder. A video is involved. Follow the story, as well as that of the 14 year old Chicago boy. Eye openers!

A police story appeared on the front page of the Key West Citizen this morning. Involved a 2011 incident. The officer tasered a man who fell striking his head. He suffered brain damage. To this day, he lies motionless in a hospital bed.

The Key West story is one to follow, also. It appears the police officer was innocent of wrongdoing and the individual suffered a stroke of bad luck. Further investigation may prove otherwise.

Whatever, there are too many police brutality happenings these days. When will they stop? How will they stop?

On April 8, 1928, Ernest Hemingway and his wife Pauline landed in Key West via a steam ship from Havana. Hemingway intended to stay only a few days. He stayed ten years. Good for him and good for Key West!

Enjoy your day!