THINGS WE SHOULD KNOW

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A second military has developed in the United States. Police. We may have more to fear from them than terrorists. No longer do police believe that protecting and serving the public is their prime responsibility.
Topeka, Kansas is an example. The Topeka Police Department has made a policy decision which shortly will be in force and effect. Done on their own and without any type approval by way of local legislative body.
Whenever there is a car stop, for a traffic violation or otherwise, every member of the car must immediately put their hands up. Driver and passengers. The purpose is not to protect the people in the car. It is to protect the police. They want to be sure to go home to their families.
Remember Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, etc. Fastest guns in the west. Today, police officers are the fastest guns in the country!
Many thought for years that police operated under a quota system. Especially in traffic cases. So many tickets a month. The truth is finally coming out.
A New York City hero police officer Craig Matthews claimed he was retaliated against because he complained to superiors regarding traffic and arrest quotas. He received unjust evaluations thereafter. A federal court recently said he has a right to sue New York City. The City claimed that as a police officer he had no right to sue. The court reasoned he had First amendment rights as a citizen to so speak. .
The Chief Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court recently testified before a legislative committee that the court system would have to shut down by May 1. The reason was insufficient funds. The court system had come up $700,000 short. The court system relied on a certain number of traffic tickets being given out and fines received. The number was down the past fiscal year and sufficient funds had not been received.
A quota system is inherently wrong. The courts close their eyes to this wrong because in most instances judicial salaries, staff salaries and other court expenses are paid out of fine monies. Sort of…..You do not bite the hand that feeds you.
Not all police officers are of the highest moral character. In some instances, not even minimally. Lt. Benito Gonzalez, a Camden Metro police officer, recently pled guilty to lewdness charges. He was sitting at a table in Starbucks, pulled his shorts down, and started masturbating. He is still on the job.
Dr. Patrick Moore is a recognized supporter of oil companies and GMO producers. He recently appeared on a French TV show. The topic was Monsanto’s pesticide Roundup which several countries have determined to be cancer causing.
Dr. Moore said Roundup was safe, that drinking a glass of the pesticide would cause no harm. The interviewer happened to have a bottle of Roundup. He asked if Dr. Moore would drink a glass. Twice asked, twice refused by the good doctor. Finally, Dr. Moore asked the interviewer, “Do you think I am crazy?” With that, he got up and walked off the set.
What especially bothers me with the Dr. Moore incident is that it was reported on only a few media outlets in the U.S. Newsweek, Huffington Post and several minor liberal outlets ran the story.
Why wasn’t the story run big time on TV and in publications in the U.S. Simple. Major media in this country are owned/controlled by corporate America. They were not going to step on the toes of their compatriot Monsanto.
Bill Gates several weeks ago in his Blog reported that in 3 years China had used more concrete than the U.S. did in all of the 20th century. The three years were 2011-2013. China produces and uses 60 percent of the world’s cement.
While Congress is not willing to appropriate monies for infrastructure, bridges and schools, China is moving ahead.
GMO producers/manufacturers have been fighting labeling in every State. They are opposed to any label saying GMO products are involved. The GMO companies have not been successful in every State the battle has been fought.
If you can’t beat them one way, beat them another. GMO companies have had a bill introduced in the House of Representatives by a Republican member. If successful, the bill would give the authority to GMO labeling solely to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.GMO producers do not want the American public to know what they are eating.
The bill also provides that only the Secretary has authority to mandate GMO liability. The courts would be by passed.
The power of money!
Sex revelations at the highest levels of government have become common place. There are several that have received insufficient notoriety.
DEA agents, all with top secret clearance, were entertained at sex parties. The prostitutes were at the expense of the Columbian drug cartel. A DEA regional director was being given a farewell party in government offices. He had sex with prostitutes. Three DEA supervisors received money, expensive gifts, and weapons from drug cartel members.
DEA prostitution cases have been deemed a local management issue. Those partying with prostitutes in general have neither been fired nor prosecuted. They have been suspended for no more than 14 days.
Between 2003 and 2007, 54 Columbian children were sexually abused by U.S. soldiers and military contractors. The activities were photographed and later sold as pornography. No one was charged. An  immunity agreement existed which prohibited punishment for any wrongdoing with the Columbian civilian population.
While the Republican majority want to save money by cutting Social Security and Medicare and having Obamacare repealed, the Defense Department is experiencing losses with military equipment. An example is sensitive explosive gear. Losses means the Department have not been able to locate the lost gear, except when it appears for resale on Ebay and Craigslist. The value of the lost gear is estimated in the billions of dollars.
Military equipment leased or given to local police departments cannot be in many instances either.
It is expensive to get a college education. A recent study indicated that one in twenty UK college students worked in the sex trade to help fund their university costs, to make ends meet. Interestingly, men more than women.
I could not locate any similar U.S. study. However, there has been mention of sugar daddies. Many young ladies are advertising on-line for and finding older men. There are internet sites dedicated to this purpose.
NYU appears to have the most sugar babies. Four hundred ninety-eight.
The U.S. health care system is the most expensive in the world. Eleven industrial nations were involved in a study. The U.S. was first as to expense and last as to quality.
An example of the situation looking solely at dollars shows that the U.K. is listed second in quality of care. The U.K. cost per person is $3,405 per year. The U.S. which is listed last has a cost of $8,508 per year.
The study indicated extreme inequality exists in U.S.healthcare. Good only for those who have enough money to pay for it.
The information herein is without question interesting. It is intended also to be an eye opener. Food for thought.

 

HO CHI MINH

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The Vietnam  War was the worst of times for the United States. The War was extremely unpopular in the United States. Sixty thousand Americans killed.
Riots and demonstrations everywhere against the War. Veterans returning home from the fighting not receiving a hero’s welcome. In many instances, ill treated.
The United States involvement was from 1955 to 1975. It increased every year during that time. Kennedy had a minor build up. Johnson the biggest. Johnson wanted to be a President that won a big war. He wanted to be Roosevelt. He bombed the hell out of North Vietnam.
The War technically ended in 1973. However, as a practical matter it continued into 1975.
I admire and respect the men and women who fought for us in the War. However, as brave and as daring as they were, my impression is that the United States lost the War. This is best exemplified by the last two days the United States was formally in Vietnam.
The U.S. Embassy in Saigon was under siege. Only the Marines and a wall and metal gates kept the hordes of North Vietnamese from taking over the compound.
We left with our tails between our legs. On April 29, 1975 and into the next day April 30, U.S. helicopters were landing on the Embassy roof removing American personnel and military. The roof was the only way out. Those Vietnamese who worked for the Americans tried to get out via the helicopters. There was no room. They were left to the mercy of the North Vietnamese. There was no mercy.
Chaos best describes the evacuation. I recall watching on television. It was a shame. A disgrace. Our people were minutes from capture and/or death as the last helicopters left. Removing the American flag from roof was an act of bravery by those who did it. A few minutes later, with no Marines guarding the walls and gates, the North Vietnamese gain access to the Embassy and its grounds. The whole scenario embarrassing.
Why were we in Vietnam in the first place? Immediately after World War II, the United States and Russia were enemies. I can remember the era clearly. We feared the Russians were going to drop an atomic bomb on us. It was a cold war, however, We all feared a hot war.
In the schools, we were taught to crouch under our desks or in a corridor with no windows if there was an attack. Washington recommended that shelters be built in backyards. For 30 plus years, there existed a current of uneasiness.
The draft was in operation. Many families were sending their sons to Canada to avoid the draft. The War was not popular.
We fought proxy wars. First in Korea, then Vietnam.
It was really not the Koreans or Vietnamese we were fighting. It was the Russians and China. The theory on both sides was that it was better to fight a war against each other and with other peoples in a far off place rather than at home.
The North Vietnamese were tough. Just as our boys were. They fought us in the woods. They lived and operated from underground tunnels extending miles. It was guerrilla warfare at its best.
Their leader was Ho Chi Minh, aka Nguyen Ai Quoc. Difficult and unbending. He and his people were ready to fight forever to kick the Americans out. Sort of like
Harrison Ford when he threw the bad guy off his plane while saying…..Get off my plane. The North Vietnamese were saying…..Get out on my country!
The purpose of this column is to share Ho Chi Minh’s rise to the top. During the War, he served at various times as Prime Minister, President, and military leader. He is the one who inspired his people to fight on against the white devils. Surprisingly, a number of black Americans fought and died on behalf of the United States.
His first trip out of Vietnam was as a student in France in 1911. He got to France by working as a kitchen helper on a ship.
1912 and 1913 were spent in the United States. He lived in Harlem and Boston. Worked as a baker at the Parker House Hotel in Boston. When not a baker or pastry chef, he accepted any  menial job.
Fast tracking, he spent time in the United Kingdom working as a waiter and pastry chef. Later in Moscow as a university student. Followed by a trip to China. His time in China was spent organizing revolutionary people. While there, he met and married a young Chinese woman.
In 1927 and 1928, he helped defeat Chiang Kai-shek’s anti-communist group.
Then it was back to traveling. He stayed a while in each place working and learning the habits of the people. His trips took him to Russia once again, followed by Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.
Minh spent World War II fighting the Vichy French and Japan in Vietnam. He was a recognized successful military leader.
American intelligence (OSS) had a team called Deer that parachuted into North Vietnam.  Minh was seriously sick. The team saved his life. In return, Minh agreed to provide intelligence and rescue downed American pilots. He wanted consideration for his efforts however in the form of ammunition, weapons and military training. He received everything he asked for.
By 1945, he was a popular Vietnamese Communist revolutionary leader. At that time, he helped establish the Communist ruled Democratic Party of Vietnam.
After World War II, Minh’s people were fighting for independence from the French. Minh asked the World War II intelligence team to intercede for him. He wanted the United States to take a stand against France and support his group.
A year later, Minh personally pleaded with President Truman for help against the French. Truman turned him down on the basis that Minh’spolitics were looked upon with disfavor by the United States.
Minh’s group defeated the French in 1954 and established in its place the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
The rest is the history outlined earlier.
Minh died in 1976.
He left his hand prints on Vietnamese and world history. He led his country in defeating France and the United States.
A soap box point. I believe one of the reasons we got beat in Korea and Vietnam is that the United States stopped fighting wars as they did during World War II. Back then, we fought to win. Since then, the battles are smaller. There is more bombing. We do not send overwhelming force any longer to defeat an enemy. We also must be careful of the people by not doing anything that would harm a civilian population.
Wars are not won that way. If the decision is made to fight, then the United States should go in and beat the hell out of the opposition. We are supposedly the strongest nation in the world. It has been a long time since we used that power. The result is that every two bit leader fears us not as he should..

 

MAKING OF A STAR

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I want to introduce you to the real Tom Cotton. You met him ten days ago. He is the U.S. Senator who wrote the letter to Iran. The letter signed by 46 other Republican Senators. The letter sent in an attempt to dissuade the Iranians from entering into a nuclear agreement with the United States.
My initial reaction was…..Who the hell was this guy? Thirty seven years old, a Senator only 61 days. Was he being used as a front by more experienced Republican Senators? Was he looking for 15 seconds of notoriety?
He may be the new kid on the block Senate wise. Otherwise, he is a person on track by Republican conservatives to someday be President. He is unabashedly a neoconservative Republican with a tea party attitude. Groomed by the big guys and money men to lead.
One of my initial thoughts was that Cotton was an opportunist (in the ilk of his fellow Congress persons) who could be bought with contributions and perks. Anything to enhance his career. Not so. Cotton’s danger is he believes everything he says.
His background says it all.
From Arkansas, he is 37, married and has two children. Harvard undergrad and Harvard law school. Served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two tours at the front. He volunteered the second time.
He was elected to Congress in 2012. Served one term. In 2014, elected to the Senate. In a short time, he has become the most powerful man in Washington. Notice, not one of. Rather, THE. And we didn’t know!
His Harvard senior thesis discussed our Founding Fathers and the Constitution. He claimed the Founding Fathers were wise not to put much faith in democracy because people are inherently selfish, narrow minded, and impulsive.
He defended the premise that the new country should be led by a class of intellectually superior office holders. Those whose ambitions set them apart from other men. He admitted his position might be elitist. Anyone who thought he was being an elitist was mushy headed and naive.
While at Harvard, Cotton became impressed with one of his teachers. Professor Harvey Claflin Mansfield greatly influenced him.
William Kristol was another Harvard student impressed by the Professor’s teachings. The William Kristol now Editor of the Standard Weekly and a frequent political commentator.
Kristol was a student of the Professor years before Cotton. Somewhere along the way, Kristol and Cotton met and bonded. The glue being that they thought the same way. Kristol became Cotton’s advisor/mentor.
During his one term as Congressman, Cotton introduced a bill whose language would over turn the Constitution’s  prohibition of attainder. Article I, sections 9 & 10, prohibit any legislature from declaring a person or group of persons guilty of a crime and punishing them without a judicial trial.
Kristol formed an Emergency Committee for Israel which was financially supported by those who opposed an Iran deal. The Committee gave Cotton close to $1 million in the closing weeks of his Senate campaign.
Another benefactor is Sheldon Gary Adelson.  A neoconservative opposed to any Iranian agreement. Adelson is the eighth richest man in the world,. His fortune estimated at $36.4 billion. A business magnate, he also owns the daily newspaper Israel Ha Yam.
Cotton is also supported by Floyd Abrams. Abrams is the leading American attorney with regard to issues involving First Amendment rights. A supporter of Citizens United. He interprets the Constitution being in favor of a government by the rich.
When the Hurricane Sandy relief bill was before Congress, Cotton voted against it. He said, “I don’t think Arkansas needs to bail out the Northeast.”
Cotton’s penning the Iran letter was his coming out party. A conservative superstar introduced to the world.
The frosting on the cake is that Cotton is a neocon. A neocon meteor. A uber hawk. It has been said he loves war a little too much.
Such thinking would make him a child of the military industrial complex. The rich, again. The corporations that need wars to sell their products.
Cotton bothers me. The reason he bothers me is because he believes what he says. He is not the typical politician who speaks out of both sides of his mouth, rarely takes a stand. His beliefs are so far to the right, I worry. Cotton has the blessing and support of the oligarchy. With the money of the rich and his belief in the superiority of them, he can/will go a long way.
The political mood of the country is changing. Far to the right conservatives are being elected in larger numbers. Which says to me people must want what these candidates think and preach. I fear government for the people is slipping away.

 

MASS KILLINGS COMMON

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ISIS has brought to our attention beheadings, persons burned alive, persons buried alive, women and children sold into slavery, and mass killings otherwise. As a people, we are upset. We cannot understand these examples of man’s inhumanity to man.
Surprise, beheadings, etc. are as old as civilization itself. What ISIS is doing is not new.
Look first in our own backyard.
The Pilgrims and Indians celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621.Two years later in 1623, Miles Standish decapitated an Indian chieftain. He then impaled the head on a spike outside Plymouth fort.
In 1637, 700 men, women and children of the Pequot Tribe were shot or clubbed to death. The next day, the Governor of Massachusetts Colony declared a Day of Thanksgiving because the 700 had been killed.
Another Day of Thanksgiving was declared soon thereafter when members of the Pequot Tribe in what is now the Stamford, Connecticut area, had their heads hacked off. The heads were then kicked down the streets of Stamford like soccer balls.
Attacks continued. Many Pequot women and children over 14 were sold into slavery. Boats carrying as many as 500 regularly left New England ports for Europe.The slave trade in reverse.
Recall the Salem witch hunts. Supposed witches were burned alive at the stake.
A black revolution occurred in 1811 near New Orleans. Twenty one black slaves revolted. All were subsequently captured. Most were beheaded and their heads displayed on spikes and gates as a warning to other slaves to not even think of revolting.
Now to Europe and Asia.
The Bible tells us John the Baptist was beheaded.
Ancient Celts beheaded the enemy. They would hang the heads on their horses or nail them to the front door of their homes.
The Romans conquered the Celts. The Romans held the Celts in such disdain that they beheaded the Celts in return.
There was a Dracula. For real. He was Count Vlad. In the 1450s, he was ruler of what is now Romania. All were required to agree with him. Dissent was not tolerated. He killed people by impalement. Bent them over and pushed a long spike into one part of the body and out another.  Then left them hanging on the spikes. It is reported he killed 100,000 of his subjects during his reign. It is said he drank some of their blood with his meals.
He also skinned people alive. Especially unfaithful lovers.
Turkey was at war with Romania in 1459. Vlad captured 20,000 Turks. He had them all impaled on stakes.
Vlad was born in Transylvania. His father was Dracul. Translated meant Dragon or Devil. Ergo, Vlad was the son of the Devil. In addition to Vlad, he was also known as Dracula
The Catholic Church made its contribution to pain and suffering. The Inquisition. Basically, three. The Spanish, Portuguese and Roman. They started operating in the 1200s. Some were still in effect into the 1800s.
The Inquisition put its victims through extreme torture. If a person confessed, the torture ended. That person was then burned alive at the stake. Burning at the stake was considered humane.
Who can forget the French Revolution. Thousands were beheaded by means of the guillotine. What history has failed to publicize is that many of the heads were placed on spikes and the revolutionaries ran around the streets waving them.
Hitler has the distinction of having killed more persons than any other tyrant. We all know of the six million Jews. Few are aware however of the three million Russian soldiers and two million Poles he also ordered killed. The Russians and Poles were captives and most in concentration camps at the time.
In the late 1970s, Cambodia suffered genocide on a large scale. The Khmer Rouge was responsible for 2 million deaths. Decapitation took place when the victims were alive and others when dead. The heads were strewn along the countryside.
Bosnia and Herzegovina were genocide sites from 1992-1995. Ritualistic beheadings of captive Serbs and Croats took place.
Saudi Arabia still beheads wrongdoing.
There are more. History is replete with such killings.
These killings and the methods used tell us man must have an inner instinct/need to kill. It has happened too often and in too large numbers to be otherwise.
ISIS is merely the most recent perpetrator of such deeds. I suspect we are more upset re ISIS because of the Internet. ISIS has made sure, burnings, etc. have been visually publicized world-wide.
Man’s inhumanity to man. It exists. If history is a teacher, it will never leave us no matter how civilized we become.

 

YOUNG LADIES JOIN ISIS

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Recent news indicates three female teenagers in Britain are on their way to join ISIS in Syria. By publication date, they may have already arrived.
Two are 15 and one 16. All A students.
There are more than these three who from western countries have gone to join ISIS. Some to fight. Most to marry and have babies with  jihadists.
What is the motivation? What compels them to leave places like the United States and Great Britain? Why is Syria the primary destination?
Understand first that most/a very high number are Muslims. These young ladies feel alienated by American and British society. They have a sense of inequality. They are not assimilating. They perceive a failure on the part of western nations to give them a sense of belonging, purpose and value as Muslims and citizens.
Primarily through the internet and social networking, ISIS romanticizes the Syrian revolution. ISIS describes ISIS life as an adventure. For those seeking empowerment, ISIS portrays guerrilla warfare as fun. All three intensify the radicalization of these girls/young women.
The call to the young is to come participate in the creation of a new country and the building of a new state.. Exciting for young dreamers. Many are angered by the killings of Assad’s regime
The preceding seem romantic to female teenagers and young ladies. One that promises a meaningful life. One that gives purpose to their lives. Down deep many are seeking martyrdom in the cause of Allah. All a fantasy.
For some in explainable reason, these young people revel in the gore and brutality of ISIS. So much so that they become desensitized to the horrors being committed.
Most of the girls travel to Syria expecting to marry. A jihad. One of ISIS’ fighters. Following which they want to have babies. Not one or two. Rather they in effect wish to become ISIS breeding machines. A small number want to fight and look forward to active participation in the war along side the men.
The attraction to ISIS has been detailed. However, why primarily join the fight in Syria? ISIS is waging war in other countries. The attraction is because of a prophecy told long ago.
A battle was prophesied 1,400 years ago and they wish to participate in that struggle. The prophecy is contained in the sayings of the Mohamed and others.
The prophecy said there would be a confrontation of two huge Islamic armies. There would be a great battle near Damascus and intervention from the north and west of Syria.
The teenagers and young  ladies are unhappy with what they perceive as not having been accepted as a Muslim in the United States for example. The feeling is one of not belonging. There is another side to the story. They come to the U.S. and wish to continue living as Muslims. They dress to a degree as in the Muslim nations which they left. They want to be ruled by Sharia law. They desire only Muslim conclaves and do not wish to be assimilated.
It is easy to say let them go. Good riddance. However, they know not what they do. Many came for a better life and to escape oppression. Perhaps there is more the schools and society can do to keep them happy and here. Sort of hard to do however if you are mentally driven by a need to maintain your heritage.

 

WHAT RECOVERY?

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I do not buy that we are in recovery. The 1 percent are. I question whether they actually suffered at any time. The 99 percent are not.
Last week, I wrote about the NFL not paying taxes. Taxes on $9.5 billion in revenue. An organization that pays its Commissioner Roger Goodell $44 million a year.
In the past, I have written about the U.S. corporations making billions and not paying taxes. General Electric being one example.
All the preceding made possible by Congressional action and Presidential approval. They make the laws. The laws which in most instances benefit the very rich.
There recently has been an exuberance, an excitement, a jubilation in Washington. We are told recession recovery has arrived…..look at the good job we have done.
Generally accepted indicators indicate it. I do not agree. In spite of the 321,000 jobs created in November, in spite of the 5 percent growth rate for the GDP in the third quarter, in spite of the Stock Market being at its highest levels ever, in spite of the 5 percent unemployment rate.
New jobs created are not of the quality pre-recession. They pay much less. The stock market primarily benefits only those who can afford to play, the 1 percent. A 5 percent unemployment rate does not take into account the millions who have fallen off the radar screen. Those no longer receiving unemployment benefits. They have become a shadow society.
I will concede the U.S. is getting out of the hole. However, not totally.. We are about half way. The rich have gotten richer, the poor remain where they were in 2008. For them, no recovery.
I say these things based contrary to the indicators the government relies upon.
When Reagan began his Presidency, corporations paid a $1.25 in taxes to the $1 the people paid. Today, American corporations pay twenty cents to every $1 the people pay.
It was recently reported that for the first time in U.S. history, a majority of public school children live in poverty. For the first time in 50 years. Again, the recovery has benefited the rich only. The poor are still waiting.
Sixteen million public school children are homeless. They live in the woods, cardboard boxes, abandoned cars, etc. They go to school each morning dirty, not well fed.
The organization No Child Held Back recently reported on the less than adequate conditions. The organization quoted Sonya Romero Smith, a veteran teacher at Lew Wallace Elementary School in Albuquerque. She said, “When they first come in my door in the morning, the first thing I do is take an inventory of immediate needs: Did you eat? Are you clean? A big part of my job is making them feel safe.”
Smith is a veteran kindergarten teacher. Her present class totals 18. Fourteen are eligible for free lunches. She helps them clean up with bathroom wipes and toothbrushes. Her desk drawers are stocked with clean socks, underwear, pants and shoes.
Something is seriously wrong when a nation does not take care of those least able to care for themselves.
The U.S. economy is divided into two parts. Big business and small business. The economy is good, if not great, for big business. Small businesses are still struggling. Small businesses pre-recession provided 2/3rds of American jobs. They are no where near that number today.
Small business is still in the doldrums. There can be no true recovery unless things get better for them and small business jobs become available.
Those who control government do not seem to care about poor children and small businesses. They are not concerned with the poor. They are more concerned with passing legislation that helps the rich. I am telling you nothing you do not already know.
Unless and until these and similar problems are corrected, the recovery will not be complete. Regardless of the indicators Washington has been throwing at us.

 

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE TAX EXEMPT

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The National Football League’s league office generates $9.5 billion annually in revenues. Commissioner Roger Goodell last year was paid $44 million.
The NFL does not pay taxes on the $9.5 billion. The NFL does pay taxes on its merchandising revenues and in other inconsequential areas. None of which are included in the $9.5 billion in revenue.
The NFL is not a corporation. It is a non profit trade organization. Non profit and trade organization are to be viewed separately.
Non profits are viewed as doing useful unprofitable work. Work which corporations normally will not. The Chamber of Commerce and the American Red Cross are examples of not for profit organizations. Because non profits perform useful unprofitable activities, they are afforded special treatment under the U.S.Tax Code. They are tax exempt.
For whatever reason, professional football leadership since 1942 has been viewed as non profitable. They are recognized as trade organizations. An inexplicable designation.
In 1966, serious consideration was given to the merger of the National Football League and the American Football League. Washington was involved. As was horse trading. Congress agreed to give the merged professional football league favorable tax treatment in return for the promise that a franchise would be awarded to New Orleans. One year later, the New Orleans Saints played its first professional football game..
An example of how our government works. You grease my hand, I grease yours.
Congress passed appropriate legislation in 1966 by which Section 501(c)(6) of the U.S. Tax Code was amended to specifically add professional football and trade associations as entitled to tax exempt status.
The NFL, NHL and PGA are treated alike under the 501(c)(6) provision. Major League Baseball was also until 2007. In the 2007 time frame, a regulation came out that non profits had to disclose by annual report a form 990 setting forth the salaries of top executives.
Major League Baseball was against the salary disclosures. They put knowledgeable and well paid tax attorneys to work. Major League Baseball gave up its tax exempt status after professional assurances that they would not have to pay income taxes. And they have not.
The NFL’s tax exempt status is under attack/scrutiny at the present time in Washington. The cry is that the NFL should not be accorded suchstatus. Several Congressional members have introduced legislation to deny the NFL the tax exempt status they have statutorily enjoyed since 1966.
The NFL has never been known to be generous to politicians. Additionally, their lobbying efforts over the years have been minimal. However in the last 18 months, things have changed. Significant dollars have been spent supporting political candidates and paying lobbyists.
Why all of a sudden after years of not caring? The reason is Daniel Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins. Native American groups for 8 years have been trying to get Snyder to stop using the term Redskins. They consider the name and also the team’s logo disparaging. Snyder has adamantly refused.
North American groups are now driving Congress crazy with the demand. Congress is reacting. Congress has reached the point of being sick and tired of the lambasting they are getting because Snyder will not change the name and logo.
As a result, horse trading time has returned between the NFL and Congress. This time it is….. Get Snyder to cooperate or your tax exemption status is gone..
It is thought that any favorable efforts to persuade Snyder and the NFL to cooperate, would effectively kill a vote on the tax exempt status. The bill introductions and clamor by Congress to get rid of the NFL’s tax status is considered by many to be more symbolic than anything else.
Other reasons come into play why any legislation to deny the NFL tax exempt status would fail.
In Washington’s present political climate, it would be difficult to get anything of substance passed. The NFL remains incredibly popular. As mentioned, the NFL is donating millions in  campaign contributions to political leaders, plus throwing an army of lobbyists at them.
The big thing however is the NFL convincing Snyder to back off and change the name and logo. The pressure is there.
An example of how government works.
I believe that any major sport does not deserve tax exempt status. Not with the kind of money involved. The NFL is no different than any highly profitable corporation. We get upset that large corporations pay little or no tax. The NFL is no different.
Everyone should pay their fair share of taxes. No person or group should be given special consideration. As Professor Lloyd used to say in Constitutional law class….. What is good for the goose, is good for the gander.

GREECE IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT

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The Greek election on January 25 was revolutionary. In overwhelming numbers, the Greek people swept into office the Syriza Party. Syriza is an acronym for Coalition of the Radical Left.  The party is led by a 40 year old firebrand, Alexis Tsipras. Tsipras will shortly be elected by Parliament as the new Prime Minister.
Greece has been led in recent years by the conservative side of the electorate. The group has failed to extract Greece from its problems with the Eurounion. The people have gone way to the left in selecting the Syriza Party. It is as if Republican tea party members had been elected. Except from the liberal side of the aisle.
Greece has been in the worst economic shape of any Eurounion member. The debt overwhelming. The Eurounion consistently demanded repayment. Austerity was forced on the Greek people. They have had enough. They opted to be led by the extreme left. The Syriza Party would have had no chance of being elected if economic conditions had been stable.
Austerity was imposed by the Eurounion on Greece. Germany leading the Eurounion group. The Eurounion became the banker. In reality, Germany. The cry…..Pay! Pay! Pay!
Greece tried. Unsuccessfully. Since 2010, unemployment has grown to 27 per cent. Fifty per cent of that number being college graduates between 20 and 30. Three million people are living at the poverty line or below.
Parents cannot feed their children. The farmers cannot sell food to the stores because there is no one who can afford to buy what they grow. The stores shut down because no one is buying. A wicked cycle.
Following is a perfect example of what has been occurring in Greece. Many women are desperate for work. They beg the brothels to hire them. They need to earn money to put food on the table for their children. Greek law prohibits married women from working in brothels. Prostitution is legal. These women end up working the streets in desperation.
Things are so bad that those who work the brothels are coming up short. Services that cost 50-70 euros, are now going for 10 euros.
During the campaign, Tsipras promised the world so as to be elected. It was not difficult for him. He promised everything to those who had lost everything.
He promised an end to austerity which he described as a return to democracy. He promised that the rich would pay their fair share of taxes. He promised to write off the national debt, raise the minimum wage, rehire all public workers who had been laid off, reduce taxes, provide free electricity and food to those without, free medical care for the uninsured, return to real property taxpayers all rent increases paid since 2008, reduce taxes overall, and more.
The big thing was his promise to either renegotiate the debt owed the Eurounion to a more favorable level or pay the Eurounion nothing.
Germany is going crazy. A rich Germany loaned much of the money to Greece through the Eurounion. Things have changed. Germany is on the brink of a recession. If Germany is not paid, it could fall over the edge
Italy and Spain are sitting back and smiling. They are in the same position that Greece has been. They are making noises that if Greece gets a better deal or does not pay, why should they.
I keep mentioning Germany because Germans has been running the show. The Germans, as well as the Eurounion, have not been fair to Greece. In 2010, the Eurounion loaned Greece 240 billion euros in bailout money. The money was of no use to Greece. Ninety percent had to be paid back immediately to cover unpaid interest and fines. The Eurounion, and especially Germany, were hard assed bankers as they continue to be to this day.
Lets assume Greece does not pay back the Eurounion  and Germany, what happens? Greece will leave the Eurounion and create a new currency. The Eurounion will press for payment. Sue Greece? What Greek court would enforce any judgement. Germany would fall into recession. All this triggering what could be a world wide depression.
Even worse, I can see a situation where Germany would go to war with Greece over the money. Remember, Germany is in bad shape. It might be the only alternative left for Germany. Such a war would include other Eurounion nations and who knows who else. Already Tsiprashas met with Russian and Chinese representatives.
There is also an undercurrent by the Greeks regarding Germany. World War II wounds still fester. The Greek people recall that Germany occupied Greece and treated the Greek people poorly.
That is the story. The world is watching.
What is going to happen?

 

THEODORE ROOSEVELT: THE PHRASE MAKER

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A walk back in history…..

 

Theodore Roosevelt. Unquestionably a great President! He also had a way with words. Gems. Some that he uttered have stayed with us over the years. A phrase maker he was!

 

Roosevelt was the first to call the White House a “bully pulpit.” Roosevelt recognized the great stage that was the White House. How it could be used to make a President’s views known worldwide.

 

Roosevelt was confronted with an uncontrolled corporate America. Perhaps as we face today. He went after corporate America and forced it to get in line. He referred to his way of going after the corporations as “…speak softly and carry a big stick.” He did!

 

Political lunacy existed in Roosevelt’s day, also. The extremists in each political party. He referred to them as the “…lunatic fringe.”

 

Roosevelt was asked in 1912 if he was going to run for the Presidency again. He said, “My hat is in the ring.”

 

The phrase actually originated in the Old West. Roosevelt was familiar with it and made it popular. In the West of old if a boxer was ready to take on all challengers, he would toss his hat into the boxing ring.

 

Last but not least is a Roosevelt gem that was born in 1907. Roosevelt was at the Hermitage visiting the Tennessee home of Andrew Johnson. He was served coffee.  He drank it down and exclaimed, “Good to the last drop!” The coffee was a local brew. It came from one of Nashville, Tennessee’s leading hotels. The Maxwell House. Within a decade of Roosevelt’s exclamation, the Maxwell House used his words to turn its coffee into a national brand. To this day. “Good to the last drop!”

 

I hope you have enjoyed this walk down history lane.

 

DEBTORS’ PRISON

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Debtor prisons have existed almost forever. Years before the birth of Christ. They gained additional prominence in Medieval Europe.

Debtor prisons are for those who cannot pay a debt. Pay or go to jail. Simple.

Colonial America had debtor prisons.

James Wilson signed the Declaration of Independence and was a Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He spent time in a debtor’s prison while sitting as such a Justice for failure to pay a debt.

Robert Morse was another who signed the Declaration of Independence and spent time in a debtors’ prison. Three years. George Washington was a frequent visitor.

The United States did away with debtor prisons in the mid 1800s. They returned in the twentieth century. The U.S. Supreme Court dealt with the issue in the 1983 decision Bearden v. Georgia. The Court held debtors’ prisons unconstitutional, without first making inquiry into a person’s ability to pay and consider whether there are adequate alternatives to imprisonment. The case involved a person on probation who failed to pay a court ordered fine. He was incarcerated.

Present day scenarios involve minor crimes and infractions. Traffic violations like speeding or driving without a license, shop lifting, public drunkenness, and other misdemeanors. Jail or a fine are available for sentencing. The court orders a fine to be paid. The individual fails to pay the fine. The result, jail.

The problem with the Supreme Court decision was the verbiage requiring inquiry into a person’s ability to pay. Partial payments are ordered. At some point, the person fails to pay and is jailed. The court has satisfied the requirement re inquiry as to ability to pay by providing for partial payments.

From the type of misdemeanors and infractions described, only the poor are jailed. The rich pay the minor fine to rid themselves of the problem.

There are always the astute who figure a way to make a buck in less than a tasteful fashion. Jails in the United States have been growing at a rapid rate for many years. 1992 brought increased incarcerations. 2010 another jump upward.

The courts were overburdened supervising those on probation. Probation officers were overworked. Private probation companies developed. They agreed to take over the burden of the courts and probation officers in most instances for a fee. The fee is not charged to the county or city. It is charged to the person placed on probation by the court. As a result, the counties and cities experience significant dollar savings.

Judges are more inclined to place people on probation since the financial burden is no longer that of the county.The probation company collects and pays the fine to the court. Again, no charge to the county.

Nothing is for nothing, however. The person on probation pays. The twenty odd States that permit private companies allow them to charge for the company’s services. Such cost generally labeled as supervision. There is no oversight. The private companies are free to charge those on probation at will. An example being $300 per month while collecting a $150 traffic fine over a period of six months. Note, $300 a month for six months of supervision for a $150 fine. A money-making business!

If the person owing the $150 fails to pay at any time and is jailed, the $300 charge per month continues till he is released. It is the private company doing the paperwork for the county or city.

Local governments have become pigs along the way. Seeing how the private companies could charge and add on for anything at will, courts in certain areas are charging for the time of the county public defender (I thought the poor were entitled to counsel free), court costs, court paperwork. And room and board for the time spent in jail. The private probation company does the collecting. Everyone eats!
An unholy alliance has developed between county and city courts and the private companies. The courts were strapped for cash. The private companies came to the rescue.
Georgia is the State most deeply involved with private companies. Thirty four such companies operate in Georgia. Five hundred thousand people are on probation a year. Big bucks!
An example of how the system works involves Thomas Barrett. The State, Georgia. Barrett stole a $2 can of beer. He was unemployed, on food stamps, and selling his blood to make a few extra dollars. The court fined him $200. Partial payments were permitted.
Barrett’s case for purpose of probation was then turned over to a private company. The company charged him $360 a month for supervision. When the amount he owed reached $1,000, the company obtained a warrant to have him jailed. The county realized an additional benefit since a portion of his confinement costs were also added on.
The total kept going up. How was Barrett ever going to get out of jail?
Barrett’s case is not uncommon.
The injustice is easy to sense. The reason it continues is that local governments are happy to have the problem and costs of probation off their hands. Ergo, officials are intentionally blind to the injustice. Another reason is that government has failed to provide oversight of the private companies. They operate at will. They are basically free to do what they want.
A federal judge recently labeled the system as a “…..judiciously sanctioned extortion racket.” Company employees generally operate like abusive bill collectors. The system is nothing more than legal terrorization. Monies are being extorted from the poor. Poor people going to jail for a lack of money.
It is estimated that 20 States permit private probation companies at this time. More will join since it is a dollar saving mechanism.
As banks and major corporations have lobbyists, the private probation company industry has lobbyists, also. They generally operate with State governments.
The problem is relatively new. No solutions are on the table. One will come with time. When more are aware of the injustices involved, the cry will grow for reform. Unfortunately, that time is still a ways off. Perhaps, a long way.