Si Senor

Welcome to the end of the world. Where reality is stranger than fiction. Where a reality TV star is actually leading polls for the office for the President of the United States in September before an election year. I know we're circling the drain but evidently the puddle is shallower than I've casually perceived.

So much has been made of Donald Trumps bombastic rhetoric that's short on execution and long on hyperbole. Anyone can talk. And this clown never stops.

Of all the empty promises and hallow words there lies (pun most definitely applicable here) no bigger fugazy than his illegal immigration reform. His words here.

Much has been made about Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates support for expanding the H-1b Visa Program. Trump thinks the program should be reduced and instead filled with "the number of black, Hispanic and female workers in Silicon Valley who have been passed over in favor of the H-1B program". So, instead of allowing a corporation to hire whom they want based on the most qualified they must be forced to fill their positions from a dumb down American pool first. American company's forced to hire not the best man/women for the job but the most qualified man/woman Americans for the job. Small government and affirmative action don't jive.

There is the E-Verify program Trump touts to screen legal employees. This program would cost small businesses 2.7 billion to comply according to Bloomberg. Not to mention,  the killing of agriculture; as ending illegal immigration alone wont pick the corn. It still has to be done by people and who does it and how long does it take to get them? Crops don't wait for red tape. There is also the loss of tax revenue implementing this mandated system across the board. According to Bloomberg, this would be around 17 billion in lost revenue for the government. and more importantly there is this... E-Verify would become a defacto National ID system. How can this be the opinion of a small government minded individual?

How in the world does he "impound remittances" of  "illegals" ? Legal Americans of foreign decent send remittances as well. How does this work? Confiscating all and then sifting through the legal and illegal ones? Does anyone trust the government to handle this task efficiently ? Whats next, sorting through their mail too? And this is how this cat funds the Great Wall of Mexico?


Then there is the numbers.

Sites like this advocate the illegals as a drain on the economy. One where illegals cost California alone 21 Billion in wasted tax dollars. Now subtract that from the 130 Billion that Undocumented immigrants alone contribute to California's GDP – a figure greater than the entire GDP of Nevada – or AT&T’s total revenues. Or, you could say 17 Billion more than all the states COMBINED deficit due to illegal immigration. 

What about Social Security? What about the 1-Trillion illegals have contributed to that ponzi scheme that they wont even participate in? Talk about a screw job. Those wars in Iraq and Afghanistan you liked so much? Paid for by the sweat of wetback Mexican laborers. That 2010 Tax Credit from the Hope and Change savior? You rember that 34 dollars dont you? Paid for by fruit picking, lawn mowing Mexicants. Who helped pay for that balanced budget string you got in the 90's by Jizzy and Newt? You know it.

Then there is this from the Right leaning American Action Forum on what taking the 11+ million illegal aliens out of the country and workforce would look like:

• Take about 20 years and cost the government between $400 billion and $600 billion
• Real GDP would drop by nearly $1.6 trillion and the policy would shave 5.7 percent off economic growth
• Not inlcuding the cost of: constructing new courts, prisons, and other buildings that might be needed to process and detain millions of immigrants.

There is also tripling the border patrol. Again, not a small government position.

Last but not least. Above the idiocy. Above the flip flopping. Above the total empty hot air this guy spouts out there is one fundamental flaw with his logic and it has nothing with him being a big government whore. Its life.

We "Conservatives" will tell you a child is not a fetus. We will tell you the child shouldn't be punished for the mothers lack of morals. Funny how fast we flip the script when talking about illegal immigration. All of a sudden those babies don't hold the same value. Funny how politics can be used to promote morality and in the same breathe use politics to discredit the very morality that was justified originally when its doesn't fit an agenda. So instead of babies... they are anchor babies. As if that title denies them the very protection we so vehemently defend all unborn life with.

So if you want to feel patriotic, light a firework, shoot a gun - sing the star spangled banner with your dick in one hand and an American flag in the other... but whatever you do, don't espouse to ideas that essentially cut your nose off in spite of your face. Illegals aliens, undocumented workers or whatever PC term we are using these days are a boon to this economy. It keeps costs down and that provides a strapped middle class with much need savings. Its like having a slice of China in a field near you.

Amerikan Stasi has a vital mission but whos the threat?

Has any weapon garnered as much attention in memory as the AR-15 has the last month? I can’t think of any weapon more demonized and we are talking about a weapon that only fires .22 caliber bullets. Well, the Ar-15 is in the news again this week and no, I’m not talking about the daily jib-jab about banning it. What I am talking about is the Department of Homeland Security’s recent request for 7,000 of these “assault rifles” that are supposed to be so dangerous.

Now let’s get one thing straight before we continue. Any gun in the wrong hands is dangerous but the gun isn’t what makes it dangerous per se, it’s the person holding it. An AR-15 is no more dangerous then a bottle of whiskey unattended; the whiskey isn’t going to consume itself and the gun isn’t going to shoot itself. So the common denominator… ah yes, humans are. Imperfect, emotional, crazy and often foolish humans are the problem not the inanimate object.  

So, the Department of Homeland Security puts in a large order for guns that are not fit for public use (personal defense weapons suitable for personal defense use in close quarters) or at least that is what those advocating #guncontrol would lead you to believe. My question or comment on this piece of news isn’t the hypocrisy because it’s rather obvious. No, my question is what exactly is the Department of Homeland Security up to? Let’s take a look at their mission statement taken right off their website:

The Department of Homeland Security has a vital mission: to secure the nation from the many threats we face. This requires the dedication of more than 240,000 employees in jobs that range from aviation and border security to emergency response, from cybersecurity analyst to chemical facility inspector. Our duties are wide-ranging, but our goal is clear - keeping America safe.

Seems rather ambiguous to me does it not to you? So they want to keep us safe from the many threats we face, presumably here in the homeland. Sounds about as clear a statement as the Navy’s slogan they been pumping out for the last few years:

“A global force for good”

Words like “good, safe many threats” all these are pretty loose terms and for good reason, what these agencies are doing is being as broad as possible. Why you say? To keep their options open. Who is an enemy and keep “us” safe from whom is about ambiguous as it is chilling. Now strap on your tin foil hats for a second, I don’t do this often but lets just look at a few more things regarding the DHS and play connect the dots.

Last year the DHS ordered 450 Million rounds of .40 caliber ammunition. Just a few months later there was an order placed for 750 million additional rounds but then after questioning it was deemed to be classified information. We also have Tim Brown from Freedomoutpost.com who reported last year about the DHS buying 700 pounds of High Density Ammonium Nitrate and 700 pounds of A-5 Flake RDX used to create “dirty” bombs. If that wasn’t enough even the Social Security Office is stalking up, buying 174,000 hollow point rounds. Hollow point rounds are made for maximum damage, expanding in the body thus no exit wound. Not exactly what you expect granny to see when going to get her check now is it?

Mass purchases of AR-15’s, billions of rounds, explosives… one has to ask himself what is Homeland Security getting ready for because it appears they are stock piling to wage war not just protect the border. Remember DHS’s slogan opening line: “to secure the nation from the many threats we face” With illegal immigration actually trending down whom is left to pose a threat? Now that you got your tin foil hat on nice and tight the answer is clear is it not? It’s you.

Rights are being infringed upon in the name of security. Entire sectors in business are being shipped overseas. College students are now going to school taking on debt and having no place to work to obtain money to pay back said debt. Income inequality like we have today hasn’t been seen since the 1920’s. 

Corporations are getting richer while wages continue to fall. The poorest live like the middle class without lifting a finger (to keep them occupied with their Obama phones and free housing and not in the streets rioting). The richest live like kings siphoning off obscene profits that would make Rockefeller blush. And who makes it happen for both?

The middle class. They just keep running on the hamster wheel afraid to become poor wanting to become rich while the poor are content and not too rowdy to cause a disturbance in the matrix. To top it off, while all this is going on... Inflation is building in reserves waiting to unleash like a tsunami as purchasing power is erodes with every dollar we flush into the system to prop up this pig economy that is nothing short of a mirage.
 

Call it what you will, class warfare. Crony capitalism. Tell me its not real and you looked outside and the sky isn't falling. Say what you will, but remember one thing. Civil unrest is the biggest threat to any power structure and this isnt going unnoticed by our government.

We are seeing the inevitable happen. It’s a game of musical chairs and the music is coming to an end. How soon it ends depends on how fast we lose confidence in that filthy dollar. I would love to quote Marilyn Manson here and end it with the line: “get your gun’ but it appears someone has beat me to the punch. But don't worry... their goal is clear "to keep America safe".

Stealing is legal, just ask those that got shoved off the cliff.

What can I say, I’m flabbergasted. Are these crooks in Washington really going to assume the American public is that dumbed down to see through this guise? Uh… never mind.

Let’s call it what it is. This idea that Republicans failed in the “fiscal cliff standoff” is pure poppy-cock. This notion that the Democrats somehow “won” is equally a failure if we value logic and reason. For what we seen these last two days has been what the American people have wanted for years now… compromise.

The federal government finally compromised. Republicans and Democrats finally crossed the isle. With its legislative and executive branches all on board, despite all its fury, anger and alleged partisan indignation, the deal was struck. Just like the bailouts before it, along with every other hot potato-political topic involving money; the sides "somehow" came to an “agreement”. On the outside this looks like a victory for the people, and it would be if it wasn’t such an absolute charade.

This was nothing more then a WWE broadcast, the winners and losers were already predetermined. When push came to shove everyone got what they want: more for them and their sugar daddy's and you footing the bill. The fiscal cliff was likening to a pay per view event, where afterwards, backstage the heel and the face toasted champagne and laughed all the way to the bank in their stretch limos and learjet's. Meanwhile the poor bastards who bought tickets returned home in their minivans and via subways, still in awe and totally oblivious of exactly how the farce that was just performed before their very eyes. 

Here’s the impact:

Almost all of the Bush Tax Cuts are permanent, while this helps everyone who pay tax; it helps the wealthiest substantially more.

Wheres the cuts on defense spending?

The Payroll tax cut that saved everyone who works in our nation an average of anywhere between $500-$2,000 has ended (which is good for Social Security in the long run) thus acting as a tax increase from last year for everyone earning a paycheck. This will essentially raise the taxes for anyone making fewer than 100k by 2%.

Wheres the entitlement restructuring? 

We have also seen the definition of "rich" get a facelift, as “rich” is anyone making over 400k per year. They will see their taxes rise from 35% to 39.6%. This is hardly the 250k cap that Obama sought re-election on.

And last but not certainly least... the dreaded “Death Tax”.

From the Republican perspective, one of the biggest hold-ups in this “fiscal cliff deal” was the death tax or estate tax. It was 35% as of 2012 on Estates valued at five- million or more. The President wanted 45%. They reached a deal at 40%, splitting the difference. Now, in case you are wondering why you don’t know what this is or why you’ve never heard the particulars, its because it doesn’t affect you. That is unless you have an estate valued at $5 million or more.

As of 2010, courtesy of the Federal Reserve board, only 4.4% of American households had financial assets exceeding $1 million, much less $5 million. According to the IRS, the estate tax will only affect about 3k families. With the additional five percent of taxation of those that are required to pay, the liability may rise slightly, but with the exemptions staying the same, there will be no new cap, thus the limits stay the same.

What does it all mean? I’m not telling you anything you already don’t know. It is what it is. This idea that there is a real tangible difference between these two parties …is make believe. The only real differences are on the margins and that is by design. From abortion, death-taxes, tax-break for billionaires, tax-breaks for multinational conglomerates, gay-rights, funding public television, praying in schools, you name it. Basically, anything that doesn’t benefit the bulk of the populous & affects less then 10% of the population is a heated, highly-contested debate.

I don’t despise anyone for their success nor do I feel they should be punished because of it. As being of  Libertarian mindset, how could I?  However, the middle class has been exploited by the wealthy elite who then help run elite corporations that are gaming the system, all the way from General Electric to G.M and everyone in between. Meanwhile the small businesses, who make up the bulk of US employment, continue to be stifled with red tape, over regulation and are continuously outmaneuvered by big business lobbying efforts. And not to be outdone, it cuts both ways.

There are a growing number of people on the bottom of the pyramid, who are out to hustle every organization and opportunity they can. Look no further then - Supplemental Security Income (Social Security Retirement Survivors and Disabilities Income is for those who have paid into it) because they are “too depressed to work” or have kids that are born one day early (purposely) so they qualify for 18 years as a premature baby. I got story's for days on that topic.

Before you utter the words “class warfare”, read the writing on the wall. This fiscal cliff deal did nothing to hurt those at the top or the bottom, just everyone in between. The rich were not hit hard nor was those too poor to pay taxes, with their 6-10k tax refunds on $13,000 in income.

One of the paramount reasons Obama was elected in the first place was his promise of transparency. You can at least say that’s one campaign promise he lived up to. The middle & working class, the backbone of this country, is under siege and its right out in plain sight. So if you are looking for politics for an ally on either “side” you might need to look again because the only thing these two parties have compromised on is you. They say jump, you say how high.

Dumb and Dumber: Yes im talking about Congress and the Executive branch.

Remember the movie Dumb & Dumber? When Lloyd and Harry "found" a suitcase with a few million dollars and they spent it on anything and everything and then replaced each item they bought with a piece of paper... an IOU?

Now, Harry and Lloyd have no money, they, like our government, are broke losers (I was referring to the movie actors as losers but this will play here as well). How do you suppose they pay it back? They would borrow it? But from whom? What if they borrowed from the people that now hold the IOU's, you know, the people whom they "borrowed from" initially? Lets keep this scenario for an exercise later, bare with me until then.  

With the stroke of a pen, President Obama extended the payroll tax cut this past Wednesday, putting between $20-$2000 dollars back into the pockets of working Americans each week. While I firmly believe cutting taxes is always a good measure, I have to question this particular measure, as how to pay for it; just doesn’t make sense.

It was the same logic of George Bush Jr who cut taxes, slashing revenue and dramatically expanded government. Sure, it’s more money back in peoples pocket but it’s going to be much more expensive down the road in the form of interest payments on the accumulation of budget deficits that end up making the public debt liability in the national debt.

When you cut taxes, it has to come from somewhere. So, anytime you cut taxes and do not make cuts in existing programs or services to pay for them its not really a tax cut, it’s a loan at interest with dollars that are becoming worthless by the day. To call it a tax cut, while already in a 1.3 Trillion projected hole without cutting a single thing from even the deficit, further expanding the budget deficit is counterintuitive if not just flat out a lie. Unlike the Bush and the Republican favored (and flawed theory) of supply side economics, coupled with increase spending, the means to pay for this tax cut comes right out of the coffers of… Social Security.

I find that interesting because when Obama was running for President he was singing a different tune and  from then senator Obama's website:

"Obama believes that the first place to look for ways to strengthen Social Security is the payroll tax system. Currently, the Social Security payroll tax applies to only the first $97,500 a worker makes. Obama supports increasing the maximum amount of earnings covered by Social Security and he will work with Congress and the American people to choose a payroll tax reform package that will keep Social Security solvent for at least the next half century" 

The reason we had a surplus in Social Security was a payroll tax raise (the opposite of what’s going on here with Obama’s tax cut) by Ronald Regan. I’m not a big fan of “the Gipper” like so many are, that call themselves a fiscal conservative (because he wasn’t one). However, he knew baby boomers where going to retire and need to collect from a diminished population numeric wise; thus a surplus was needed. He then, proceeded to raid it in 1987 as did George Bush Sr following him and lest not forget Bill Clinton. Hell, this goes back to LBJ in the sixties if you want to see who is culpable for raiding social security.

According to the Social Security Administration, as of 2010, Social Security should have had a 2.6 Trillion dollar surplus, but I find that odd? How can the federal government put into its budget each year a bill for Social Security when the FICA tax is already being removed from your paycheck to pay for Social Security? Is this not the essence of double taxation? So, where is this surplus? It’s been raided and spent and replaced with IOU’s (bonds) with things like wars in Afghanistan/Iraq and other toys that politicians want - but don’t want to pay for… like this tax cut. In other words, it's a gigantic slush fund used by politicians to keep their feet from the fire.  

(Image by MIT OpenCourseWare.)

In 2005 George W even had the chutzpah to admit it... while raiding it !!!  

“There is no trust fund, just IOUs that I saw firsthand that future generations will pay—will pay for either in higher taxes, or reduced benefits, or cuts to other critical government programs.” 

It’s rather humorous to me that this is the only measure where you will find bi-partisan support in such a partisan political scheme that is Washington these days. Its also why I write my blog, to show this type of fraudulent partisan logic, as if there was really a difference on the important issues. Why the bi-partisan support? Because its politically expedient for both parties.

The Democrats can say they are helping out Joe-six pack with more money in his pocket, while the Republicans can hold up their oath to Grover Norquist. The best part of this tax cut is it comes out of an existing program that so many people & elected leaders from both “sides” rail on for not being solvent. We have heard about the entitlement tsunami that is coming… I wonder why?

Now, both parties can appease to their constituents so that they can be reelected; totally disregarding what the cost/benefit factor is. The "rich" (anyone over 110K), who won’t collect social security anyway, can get some of their money back. Joe-six pack can break even now, to make up for the rising gas prices and other commodities and maybe even save spend a few dollars (literally a few) at Wal-Mart buying Chinese trinkets or Snuggies (never mind, they are via China as well). It’s a win-win. I guess.

But don’t tell that to Tom Harkin (D-Iowa).

“I never thought I would have to see the day when a Democratic president of the United States and a Democratic vice president would agree to put Social Security in this kind of jeopardy. Never did I ever imagine a Democratic president would be the beginning of the unraveling of Social Security.”

Now think back to the beginning with the movie exercise. We, are the person that the suitcase belongs to. Harry and Lloyd are your local congressman and President and Senator... not only do they borrow the money, but they do so at interest or whats called the coupon, through bonds (IOU's). How can we have an outlay (and subsequent budget deficit and then subsequent accumulating national debt) for social security in the budget each year with FICA coming out of our checks to pay for it?

Because of this budget deficit you will also incur a bill that will be an interest payment on the principal of the national debt, which again, is an accumulation of every budget deficit in our history. This is simply because you are spending more then you're collecting in revenue. So, unlike Harry and Lloyd, we are not just going to borrow from the suitcase owner to payback the IOU's we replaced the initial money with. No, the government takes it one step further and promises to pay back those IOU's with future obligations, ie taxes and the circular logic continues. This will go on forever if drastic measures are not taken to stop this, but without strict terms limits, I cant see that happening. After-all, intergovernmental debt doesn't have to be paid back, right? In the words of Lloyd Christmas:

Its as good as money sir, those are IOU's... go ahead and count it, every cent is accounted for.