PolifrogBlog

There is no free in liberty.


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Friday, April 30, 2010

The Pernicious Nature of Environmentalism

polifrog


In Brad Miller NC-13 -- Rebuilding America in the Wake of Environmentalism I explored the liberal's version creative destruction and how Congressman Brad Miller uses environmentalism's penchant for economic destruction to increase government's reach into, and control of the American economy one business at a time as he attempts to rebuild America in environmentalism's wake.

Today I read an article penned by Monica Showalter in Investor's Business Daily, California's Man-Made Drought and discovered that environmentalism has become something far worse than I had imagined. It had metastasized into a family devastating, economy destroying tool of political leverage and blackmail.
On a springtime drive through the Central Valley, it's hard not to notice how federal and state governments are hell-bent on destroying the state's top export — almonds — and everything else in the nation's most productive farmland.
Of course the culprit is Environmentalism.
It started with a 2008 federal court order that stopped water flowing from northern tributaries on a supposed need to protect a small fish — the delta smelt — that was getting ground up in the turbines of pump stations that divert the water south.

...
After that, the water cutoff was blamed on "drought," though northern reservoirs are currently full. Now the cry is "save the salmon," a reference to water needs of the state's northern fisheries.
Whatever the excuse, 75% of the fresh water that has historically irrigated California is now being washed to the open sea. For farmers in the southwest part of the valley, last year's cutoff amounted to 90%.
...
It also devastated the area's economy. Unemployment in some valley towns has shot up to 45%. Mortgage defaults are on the rise, and food lines are lengthening.
I had assumed this was leading toward some government sponsored bill that would reinvigorate the area, that the water would get to the people who need it and an Owens Lake dust bowl would be averted. Of course, this salvation would come with all the government intrusions bestowed upon the bailed out companies of the past couple of years. It was not to be the case. The reality it turned out was far more pernicious.

Much like organized criminals in big-city fish markets who see to it that product spoils when kickbacks aren't forthcoming, Washington's pols are now using their ability to turn water on and off as a coercion tool.
Take the three congressmen who represent the valley and how they were pressured to vote for President Obama's health care bill. It didn't go without notice by farmers like Jasper that the 5% water allocations announced in February for all three congressional districts were lifted to 25% for the two whose Democratic representatives, Jim Costa of Fresno and Dennis Cardoza of Modesto, switched their votes on health reform from "undecided" to "aye."
...

Devin Nunes, a Republican from Tulare, wouldn't sell his vote, and parts of his district had to make do with the 5% allotment.
...
To win political points from time to time, federal officials announce short-term increases in allocations — most recently, to 30%. But these increments are so iffy and irregular that farmers can't plan their crops or arrange for bank loans.
People's lives are being destroyed in the name of environmentalism then extorted of their votes and support in exchange for the possibility of getting their lives back.

Your education is every bit the tool as a tractor, fields and water. Imagine the education you received and rely on for feeding your children, housing your family, and building your life in general being forcibly removed from you. Then those responsible for removing the tools of your trade come to you and offer you the use of your education in return for your support.

This is what has become of environmentalism.



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GM Lies Like any other Arm of Government

polifrog


Updated with video below...



----

Ed Whitacre Chairman and CEO of Government Motors claimed that the 5 or 6 billion government loaned to GM was repaid. There was no mention of the other 50 billion GM borrowed from the government, but whatever.

I went to Yahoo Finance to see what GM has been doing that has allowed it to repay 5.8 billion dollars. Unfortunately most of the info was unavailable or simply not able to be computed due to the lack of PROFIT.

GM's finances seem to be utterly opaque. P/E or share price over earnings? Dunno. Key Statistics? The button is inoperable. Whatever, it is a government run corporation and follows a new set of accounting rules.

I did, however, find some interesting details here...
60% is owned by the Government
17.5% is owned by voluntary employees’ beneficiary association (VEBA), which is supervised by an independent board
11.7% is owned by the Canadian/Ontario governments
10% is owned by the Motor Liquidations Company (MLC) , or commonly known as, the old GM
There are three different piles of money General Motors owes the U.S. treasury:
1. $6.7 billion pure loan. That first payment was made in late December or mid-December of about $1 billion. There is $5.7 billion of that debt remaining outstanding.
2. preferred shares - $2.1 billion worth of preferred shares that pay dividends and can be sold anytime. This is owned by governments and the UAW VEBA.
3. 60.8% of common stock


According to The Christian Science Monitor
General Motors reported a relatively small loss for 2009 and said it has "a chance" at profits this year – a sign that the largest US automaker is making headway toward recovery from its collapse into bankruptcy.
Yet the company repaid a 5.8 billion dollar loan? From what? There was no profit out of which to pay it.

The answer can be found at FOX business.




GM paid off the loan with a "loan". Government Motors is like any government entity in that there are multiple pockets out of which money is paid, and into which money flows. Financial accountability enters the realm of, well....none. Just another example of opaque government and without accountability.

I ask, would a company not so entwined with government get away with such fraud? Apparently Enron's mistake was in not having been a government sock puppet.

Consider Toyota's treatment this summer. Bottom line, Toyota pays for their errors either real or media made out of their own pocket. GM has no pockets other than yours and mine....

I suspect this is a poor attempt by the Obama administration to burnish its reputation in regard to the many bailouts the Democrat party has been hammered with before the November elections. At this point the uninformed, on which the Democrat party relies, believes that GM paid off its loan and that the administration did the right thing.

I hope this despicable chicanery back fires on the administration.




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NC - 13 Campaign dollars rasied and spent Bill Randall, Bernie Reeves and Brad Miller

polifrog

Link to all NC Federal races....

Link to NC-13 Brad Miller...


Brad Miller (D)* $478,523
Ralph Bernard Reeves III (R) $152,915
Bill Randall (R) $36,648
Daniel Baxter Huffman II (R) $19,643
James Anthony Hardesty (I) $13,231
Frank Hurley (R) $0


Incumbent aside I give it to Bernie Reeves over Bill Randall so far.



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Brad Miller NC-13 -- On the wrong side of history...

polifrog

The economy in Britain and much of the world is in dire straits and it would not be an exaggeration to say we have entered a period of history that far from being a 'crisis of capitalism', historians looking back may well call it the 'crisis of regulatory statism'.

The history of government at this point seems to be little more than a ramping up of governance at the expense of the citizenry. Liberals offer staggering increases in government while pretending to be generous with rights that in reality have little economic impact on anything, while conservatives offer only a slowing of government growth and increasing government power in other more subtle ways. Who offers a return to true liberty of the individual and limited government?

It is not hard to look at the various nations around the world and see that economic vitality follows those nations that adhere to limited government and individual liberty. Even China's stellar growth has come with its moves toward liberty and away from total control.

Nations that were once popping with innovation throughout Europe are now stuck in a bureaucratic nightmare of government overreach and near paralysis through regulation as their citizens continue to loose their liberty and ability to cope with the changing world. As a result the whole of the area has been experiencing an economic spin-down for decades. As for the US, America is following the lead of Europe with Utopianist leaders such as Brad Miller.

I can only hope that our form of government which has proven resilient while at the same time quite nimble compared to others throughout the world will pivot and put Brad Miller on the wrong side of history.



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Obama...Governing against the Constitution...

polifrog


One of the weaknesses in democracy is that the poor, who outnumber the wealthy, will, over time, vote the wealth of the nation into their pockets to the detriment of the nation as a whole.

Our Constitution, as a result, fiercely protects property rights from government.


Obama,
"I think at some point you have made enough money."

Powerline...
The Founders thought that at some point the government had enough power. Obama, however, is a devout believer in unlimited government.



Those pesky founders and their pesky Constitution that limits government.


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Brad Miller NC -- Voted on ObamaCare without Full Info. Because Obama Hid the Info.

polifrog

Yea, common sense leads to the same conclusion that ObamaCare helps to bankrupt a nation rather than fill its coffers, but here we have the paperwork done for us.

Obama and Kathleen Sebelius sat on information released by Health and Human Services that concluded ObamaCare would actually raise costs until after the vote on ObamaCare....

Poor Brad Miller believed the lies that Obamacare would lower the deficit despite common sense conclusions that said otherwise. Now we see that Obama's administration was sitting on information that would have informed Brad Miller's vote on Health-Care. At any rate, Brad Miller cast an uneducated vote impacting 1/6 of the US economy.

The American Spectator

....Sebelius's staff refused to review the document before the vote was taken.

"The reason we were given was that they did not want to influence the vote," says an HHS source. "Which is actually the point of having a review like this, you would think."



The analysis, performed by Medicare's Office of the Actuary, which in the past has been identified as a "nonpolitical" office, set off alarm bells when submitted. "We know a copy was sent to the White House via their legislative affairs staff," says the HHS staffer, "and there were a number of meetings here almost right after the analysis was submitted to the secretary's office. Everyone went into lockdown, and people here were too scared to go public with the report."
Governance through Broken Consent behind closed doors and limited information...The Obama Administration.

Poor Brad Miller; not only did he not understand the bill he voted for, but his party leaders kept him in the dark on relevant information that may have clarified the economic impacts of ObamaCare that were beyond his common sense.

Lesson for Brad Miller....Sometimes leadership calls for leadership and not voting Pavlov like with your party.

Update:

Yesterday, The American Spectator stood by their reporting....


Our sources stand by the facts that prior to final passage of the health care reform bill on Sunday, March 21, the Office of the Actuary had provided senior leaders inside HHS with data that indicated the then-bill would increase the cost of health care and impose higher costs on Americans. And that data was not provided to anyone publicly until after the legislation was passed.

...Voted

Why conservatives and Republicans are up in arms over the report of the Medicare Office of the Actuary data is because for years, such information was routinely leaked to the drive-by media to bash a Bush Administration plan or proposal, or to embarrass a Republican official. Now, the data that would seemingly aid in -- at the very least -- generating further debate over a major increase in the size of government was nowhere in sight.

[H/T gatewaypundit]
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Thursday, April 29, 2010

Broken Consent leads to no trust...

polifrog


Rasmussen

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 51% of Adults believe the commission is more likely to propose tax increases than spending cuts. Just 22% say the commission is more likely to call for spending cuts instead. Another 27% are not sure.

On the other hand, 78% think it’s at least somewhat likely that Congress will raise taxes if the commission proposes any tax hikes, including 53% who say the legislators are very likely to do so. Only 14% say Congress is not very or not at all likely to raise taxes if the commission recommends it.


Governance through Broken Consent leads to no trust.




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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Bernie Reeves "I authorised this ad to stop Obama, Pelosi and Brad Miller"

polifrog

What about Harry Reid?
He may be a Senator while Bernie Reeves is running for Congress, but Reid should go too.

I guess Bernie Reeves assumes Reid is toast after the November elections anyway.
Would have been nice to hear, though....






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From the Smile File

polifrog

Winning the war in Afghanistan....

afghanistan power point graphic

Link

Via Drudge



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Misandry is not just a word....

Brad Miller NC -- On Abortion and Parental Rights

polifrog

Only a man bereft of soul could muster the votes cast below....

It would come as no surprise that Brad Miller, a Democrat, supports abortion. Brad Miller is, after all, an unimaginative Democrat Party lemming with a voting record that goose-steps with Nancy Pelosi at near 100% consistency.

But just how pro-abortion is Brad Miller? Just what are his moral limits?

A look at Brad Miller's congressional voting record is warranted.

First up...A bill to prohibit Partial-Birth/Late Term Abortion. Brad Miller voted NO.
(This is) a bill that would prohibit any individual from knowingly performing the procedure known as intact dilation and extraction, in which a fetus/unborn child is partially delivered before it is aborted. The only exception is if the life of the woman is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury.
Only an extremist could support the ending of ones life before taking his or her first breath while while at the same time being bathed in the air we all breath. This is a vote in favor of infanticide and an example of Brad Miller's deep immorality.


Second....Abortion Pain Bill (Information for the mother not to be) Brad Miller voted NO.
Requires the physician to provide the woman with the following information or material: the approximate age of the fetus/unborn child; the "Unborn Child Pain Awareness Brochure"; the possibility that drugs administered to the mother may not prevent pain for the fetus/unborn child; and risks and costs associated with the use of pain-reducing drugs (Sec. 3).

-Requires the "Unborn Child Pain Awareness Brochure" to state that evidence exists suggesting fetuses/unborn children 20 weeks or more into development are capable of experiencing pain, and that the woman may request pain-reducing drugs for the fetus/unborn child, and that there may be additional risks associated with the use of some pain-reducing drugs (Sec. 3).

-Allows the woman to waive receipt of the brochure by signing an "Unborn Child Pain Awareness Decision Form" (Sec. 3).
It seems to me that if we are to allow the taking of a child's life that we should go out of our way to make sure that there is as little pain involved for the aborted as possible. Death Row inmates are grated this right under "cruel and unusual" when their time comes. Brad Miller, though, does not think that a child rises to the level of a criminal and thus feels perfectly comfortable with a vote that increases the pain of the aborted. Beyond immoral...Sadistic.


Third
....The Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act. Brad Miller voted NO.
-Makes it illegal, excluding the minor's parents, to knowingly transport a pregnant minor across state lines in order to obtain an abortion, as a way to escape state laws requiring parental consent (Sec. 2).

Apparently Brad Miller does not believe in parental rights, as those rights may hinder additional abortions. What other reading can be gleamed from such an immoral vote? There is no justification for a politician to limit a law abiding parent's right to raise their child. None. Yet in this vote, Brad Miller expresses his lack of respect not only for the unborn, but for parents as well. Deeply Immoral and not reflective of North Carolina or his constituency.


Not only does Brad Miller not represent North Carolina in these votes, but he does not represent humanity. If he had humanity would have long since been extinct.

Only a man bereft of soul could muster the above votes.






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1100 Protest Obama...In a Town of 5500

polifrog


Sometimes it takes the worst to bring out the best.

MY!



[via gatewaypundit]




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Techniques of Enhanced Unrest

polifrog


Apparently FOX has a new technique in it's arsenal when attempting to enhance social unrest.

"Shaky camera action"......WEAK.






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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Result of Governance through Broken Consent

polifrog


Brad Miller favored DC over NC when he chose to govern with Broken Consent...






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Brad Miller NC -- Rationing Health-Care

polifrog

We were told there was no rationing of health-care in ObamaCare. Politics.
Common sense said otherwise.



When the trust between producer and consumer is broken market distortions occur. Such is the case within the network of laws that is ObamaCare.

Within its pages health-care producers are no longer paid by end users and instead cater to those who do pay them, the more heavily regulated new arm of the government called insurance. The end users who are not required to pay only see free health-care, thus use more of it and use it more frivolously because dollar limitations no longer exist. This stresses supply and drives up costs. Simple and based on human nature.

The only way control way for costs to be controlled when the trust between provider and consumer or end user is broken is to ration the health-care we all receive. Government boards will necessarily do the rationing and when individuals die as a result of their decision not to provide care, then those boards can rightfully be called Death Panels.

A congressman who does not see this does not deserve to be a congressman. Brad Miller not only joined his party in the denials of Death Panels, but lent his support for them with his vote in favor of ObamaCare. Even based on the most dismal of expectations Brad Miller has failed to serve North Carolina and should loose his seat in November.

What is it about human nature that so befuddles Brad Miller? This question alone should mark Brad Miller as unfit to serve in congress.




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Monday, April 26, 2010

Brad (NC-13) Miller's Albatross (Hucksterism)

polifrog


ObamaCare is Brad Miller's vote that keeps on giving. Perhaps had he read the bill first he would not have been selling it as a path to lessening the national debt and pain at the wallet. I doubt that, though. At any rate, the passage of time is making Brad Miller look more and more disingenuous in his hucksterism.

Now the "administration’s own actuary reported on Thursday that millions of people could lose their health insurance, that health-care costs will rise faster than they would have if the law hadn't passed, and that the overhaul will mean that people will have a harder and harder time finding physicians to see them" according to NRO.

Let us count the ways it hits the national purse (which your purse and mine)....
1. People losing coverage:
About 14 million people will lose their employer coverage by 2019, as smaller employers terminate their plans and workers who currently have employer coverage enroll in Medicaid. Half of all seniors on MedicareAdvantage could lose their coverage and the extra benefits the plans offer.


2. Huge fines for companies:
Businesses will pay $87 billion in penalties in the first five years after the fines trigger in 2014, partly because they can’t afford to offer expensive, government-mandated coverage and partly because some of their employees will apply for taxpayer-subsidized insurance.


3. Higher costs for consumers:
Tens of billions of dollars in new fees and excise taxes will be “passed through to health consumers in the form of higher drug and devices prices and higher premiums,” according to Foster. A separate report shows small businesses will be hit hardest.


4. A program created to fail:
The new “CLASS Act” long-term-care insurance program will face “a significant risk of failure,” according to Foster. Indeed, he finds, “there is a very serious risk that the problem of adverse selection will make the CLASS program unsustainable.”


5. Spending increases:
Under the new law, national health spending will increase by $311 billion over the coming decade. And instead of bending the federal spending curve down, it will move it upward “by a net total of $251 billion” over the next decade.


6. “Free-riders”:
An estimated 23 million people will remain uninsured in 2019, roughly 5 million of whom would be undocumented aliens; the remainder would be the 18 million who decline to get coverage and who will pay the penalty.


7. Spending reductions are fiction:
Estimated reductions in the growth rate of health spending “may not be fully achievable” because “Medicare productivity adjustments could become unsustainable even within the next ten years, and over time the reductions in the scope of employer-sponsored health insurance could also become an issue.”


8. You can’t keep your doctor:
Fifteen percent of all hospitals, nursing homes, and other providers treating Medicare patients could be operating at a loss by 2019, which will “possibly jeopardize access to care for beneficiaries.” Doctors are threatening to drop out of Medicare because cuts in Medicare reimbursement rates mean they can’t even cover their costs.


9. Coverage but no care:
A significant portion of those newly eligible for Medicaid will have trouble finding physicians who will see them, and the increased demand for Medicaid services could be difficult to meet.


Supporters of ObamaCare...Econ 10 flunkies. Every one of them.





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Brad Miller 13 -- Killing charity with taxes

polifrog


The government's war on true charity continues. Governance does not want true and moral charity to compete and sit in contrast to the government's immoral version of charity.


As many as 400,000 nonprofit organizations are weeks away from a doomsday.

At midnight on May 15, an estimated one-fifth to one-quarter of some 1.6 million charities, trade associations and membership groups will lose their tax exemptions, thanks to a provision buried in a 2006 federal bill aimed at pension reform. ...

The federal legislation passed in 2006 required all nonprofits to file tax forms the following year. Previously, only organizations with revenues of $25,000 or more — or the vast majority of nonprofit groups — had to file.


As I have said before, government charity is immoral...

Government taxes are increasingly crowding charity. Dollars that may have gone to The March of Dimes or to The Red Cross or may have been used by one individual to help another are instead absorbed by government. Compare the offices of any charity to the the offices of any Government program and ask yourself if the government's overhead is moral. Compare the way dollars are received by the recipient from the gov. to the way they are received from an individual and ask yourself which is more moral. We are witnessing the death of American charity and liberals call that moral.



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Shades of Paul Wellstone

polifrog

Then....
Democrats turned Paul Wellstone's funeral into a pep rally.

Now....
Miners die and democrats hold a pep rally...



Bereft of soul...





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Bernie Reeves on Brad Miller NC-13

polifrog



Agreed.


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Brad Miller NC-13 and Corporate Taxes

polifrog

While the US keeps corporate taxes frozen near 40%, EU countries have slashed them down to an average of around 25%. Top marginal income tax rates, which in the US are 35%, are under 25% all across the former East Bloc.

I have been wondering by what percentage liberals in this country were handicapping American Corporations and there it was in the NYPost. Not only does the 40% corporate tax mentioned above get passed on to consumers as a cost of doing business for the taxed corporations, it also makes American corporations less competitive on the world stage.

I'll say it! Corporate taxes should be ZERO! This would put an end to the hidden tax on the electorate called the corporate tax. It would strengthen our corporations competitiveness globally and most importantly it would strengthen America.

A sales tax at 40% instead of a 40% corporate tax would, at least, allow American corporations to be competitive globally and the citizenry of the US would be more aware of the taxes that come out of their pockets when they see a receipt that shows they are paying three dollars for a two dollar item.

There is no moral argument for corporate taxes.

Corporations are America's friends. They provide jobs, income, growth, GDP, and strengthen our nation. When they get out of hand they are subject to US laws unlike the United States itself.

Yet liberals like Brad Miler insist on boxing them about the ears. It is akin to boxing the electorate about the ears. Why? Because zero corporate taxes would mean zero influence over corporations through the tax code for Brad Miller and his liberal friends.

That is right. Brad Miller prefers to retain his political influence over corporations to the detriment of America. To the detriment of the American people. To the detriment of NC.

Once again Brad Miller proves his self serving immoral beliefs. He wishes to strengthen DC at the cost of America, NC, and the citizenry of both.

Fire Brad Miller and remove the addition of his immoral selfishness to congress.
Remember November.





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Saturday, April 24, 2010

Brad Miller NC-13 -- Continuing the use Broken Consent on Amnesty

Byron York on amnesty...


So why are Obama, Pelosi and Reid going forward? There are five possible explanations.


1) They've lost their minds.

2) They are very smart and know something we don't.

3) They're out of touch with the public's concerns.

4) They want to be able to tell the most ardent supporters of reform that they tried.

5) They're fully aware that the public doesn't want "comprehensive" reform but are racing to do as much as they can before the elections take away their power to defy the public's wishes.

The first possibility is highly unlikely. The second is less so, but still pretty unlikely. The third is plausible, but not probable. The fourth is arguable. And the fifth? It makes a lot of sense, especially in light of the Obamacare experience.


I have been arguing number 5 for some time now. Governance through Broken Consent.

Brad Miller is an en enabler of this type of governance as he votes with Pelosi, nearly 100% of the time. As a result, I believe he is more of a follower within his own crowd than a leader. And on amnesty Brad Miller is an "olly olly oxen free" supporter of amnesty (moderating statements otherwise).

Is there any doubt Brad Miller would vote counter Pelosi, Reid, and Obama? Of course not.

Removing Brad Miller from office would be a step toward breaking governance by Broken Consent.





polifrog

Friday, April 23, 2010

GM -- Repaid Their Loan .. Uh huh.

polifrog

Ed Whitacre Chairman and CEO of Government Motors claimed that the 5 or 6 billion government loaned to GM was repaid. There was no mention of the other 50 billion GM borrowed from the government, but whatever.

I went to Yahoo Finance to see what GM has been doing that has allowed it to repay 5.8 billion dollars. Unfortunately most of the info was unavailable or simply not able to be computed due to the lack of PROFIT.

GM's finances seem to be utterly opaque. P/E or share price over earnings? Dunno. Key Statistics? The button is inoperable. Whatever, it is a government run corporation and follows a new set of accounting rules.

I did, however, find some interesting details here...

60% is owned by the Government

17.5% is owned by voluntary employees’ beneficiary association (VEBA), which is supervised by an independent board

11.7% is owned by the Canadian/Ontario governments

10% is owned by the Motor Liquidations Company (MLC) , or commonly known as, the old GM

There are three different piles of money General Motors owes the U.S. treasury:

1. $6.7 billion pure loan. That first payment was made in late December or mid-December of about $1 billion. There is $5.7 billion of that debt remaining outstanding.

2. preferred shares - $2.1 billion worth of preferred shares that pay dividends and can be sold anytime. This is owned by governments and the UAW VEBA.

3. 60.8% of common stock



According to The Christian Science Monitor
General Motors reported a relatively small loss for 2009 and said it has "a chance" at profits this year – a sign that the largest US automaker is making headway toward recovery from its collapse into bankruptcy.
Yet the company repaid a 5.8 billion dollar loan? From what? There was no profit out of which to pay it.

The answer can be found at FOX business.




GM paid off the loan with a "loan". Government Motors is like any government entity in that there are multiple pockets out of which money is paid, and into which money flows. Financial accountability enters the realm of, well....none. Just another example of opaque government and without accountability.

I ask, would a company not so entwined with government get away with such fraud? Apparently Enron's mistake was in not having been a government sock puppet.

Consider Toyota's treatment this summer. Bottom line, Toyota pays for their errors either real or media made out of their own pocket. GM has no pockets other than yours and mine....

I suspect this is a poor attempt by the Obama administration to burnish its reputation in regard to the many bailouts the Democrat party has been hammered with before the November elections. At this point the uninformed, on which the Democrat party relies, believes that GM paid off its loan and that the administration did the right thing.

I hope this despicable chicanery back fires on the administration.

Update:






polifrog

Brad Miller NC-13 ObamaCare increasing the cost of healthcare...

..

Obama attempted to sell Americans on ObamaCare as a way to save money.
1)Cheaper for the individual.
2)Cheaper as a whole due to increased competition.
3)Cheaper due to Government Control.
4)Lowers costs by spreading the costs.

All the above contentions are untrue.

First, I will be among those who are forced to buy more health-care than I would otherwise buy as insurance. I prefer to purchase catastrophic insurance and cover my other health care costs as needed and this plan will increase my costs. I am not alone.

Second. Government competition is not competition. Governments have endlessly deep pockets and private businesses will not be able to compete. This increases costs for the nation as private alternatives are pushed out of the market leaving government as the only alternative. (Will government lament the lack of competition when they are the only provider.)

Third. Government control is another way of saying you will not get the care you want, but rather the care that is offered. Government controls, in the end, increase cost as efficiencies can't be as easily followed as one regulation or another precludes the efficient choices.

Fourth. Spreading the costs actually increase costs as the costs are not immediately born by the end user, but rather the a middleman (government) . The normal mechanism by which costs are controlled is broken by divorcing provider from end user.

The Department of Health and Human Services (RedState)...
We estimate that overall national health expenditures under the health reform act would increase by a total of $311 billion (0.9 percent) during the calendar years 2010-2019
Although several provisions would help to reduce health care volts growth, their impact would be more than offset through 2019 by the higher health expenditures resulting from coverage expansions.

Yahoo...
President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law is getting a mixed verdict in the first comprehensive look by neutral experts: More Americans will be covered, but costs are also going up.

And here..
As for the actual cost involved, the penalty will be the higher of either $695 or 2.5% of income. Effectively, those earning below $27,800 would pay the flat rate, and after that point would begin paying the percentage. Once a person earns more than $40,000, the penalty will exceed $1,000. At $59,000, it would reach $1,475.

And Kathleen Sebelius admits she is clueless as to how much the "High Risk Pools" will cost. Estimates are already beyond original expectations.

And lastly...



Brad Miller's vote for this dishonestly promoted travesty should lead to his replacement.





polifrog

Brad Miller NC-13 -- How much will it cost?

..

When does a government program meet projected cost estimates?
Answer...When it's killed...Maybe.

Otherwise all projections are underestimations. Lies. Corporations would be held accountable for such activity, but not government.

ObamaCare is already failing to miss cost projections and it has yet to be implemented. Brad Miller felt compelled to support this program not knowing how much 'high risk pools 'might cost.

Was an incomprehensibly low number picked for the bill's passage. Of course.

Kathleen Sebelius admitted she did not know how much the high risk pools would cost...


Hold Brad Miller accountable for supporting such maleficence this November.






North Carolina is in the best of hands....Sigh..
polifrog

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Governance through Broken Consent....Fail

..

Governance through Broken Consent (WSJ) ...

This report isn't bad news for the Democrats. It's Armageddon.

Fail..




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Kay Hagan (NC) Avoiding Questions of Constitutionality

..

The recently passed ObamaCare is unconstitutional and when asked about it Kay Hagan dodges.






Brad Miller avoids such situations. I suspect he knows he supported unconstitutionality with his vote for ObamaCare.

He certainly supported the creation of a new class of people in the US with his indefensible vote for ObamaCare. A class of health-care business costs with little influence over the products they need. Only government will have influence over the health-care industry as it will be the source of all dollars.

I ask...Do the interests of the government match the interests of the sick? No. The result will be poorer health-care, a poorer citizenry, and a richer more influential government.

Awful...




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A response to Half Empty...

Here

The question was asked as a little of both. Your response is appreciated.

Politically, there is no such thing as a teabagger, just as there is no such thing as a rimjobber, unless,of course, we are referring to Obama on the basketball court. In either case the disrespect is unneeded.

Wall Street apologist? No, not me. Wall street was wrong, so was government, and so were a lot of individuals. Such is the nature of bubbles.

Our government,though, seems content to put all the blame on Wall Street while picking our pockets for the benefit of Wall Street.

In the end I feel safer with Wall Street's power in Wall Street's hands and none of that power in the in the government's hands. I prefer to have to keep cops separate from the crooks. That way when Wall Street is wrong and laws are broken, the government can legitimately club them. Mixing the two results in our problems today. The last thing we need is for government to become Wall Street. At that point, no mater how wrong Government is no laws will ever be broken, as the laws will be ignored or changed.

Government's roll should be that of cop and no more.

Currently the difference between Wall Street and government is too murky and is becoming thick with unsavory ties.

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Tea Party members are swayed by individual desire for liberty. It really is that simple. I have yet to see one marching with a "Arms are for Hugging Banks" sign.

BTW, You can claim a Bush like victory in Iraq on the economy if you like, but the economy is still faltering despite press pump priming.




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Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Brad Miller NC-13 Poll -- A slew of bad polling for Brad Miller....

polifrog

There has been no direct public polling of NC-13. Unfortunately only indirect measures are available.


Some bad polling results for Brad Miller. Governing through the use of Broken Consent yields disapproval from the electorate.

Although the poll done below (Rasmussen) centers around Richard Burr and his opposition, the interesting parts of the Rasmussen polling is the mood of the public.


Some analysts have viewed Burr as more vulnerable than most because no incumbent has been reelected to the Senate seat he holds since 1968. But he seems to be benefiting from the hostile mood toward the health care plan and other recent big government initiatives that he has opposed.

Only a third (33%) of North Carolina voters believe the health care law will be good for the country, while most (59%) expect it to be bad.

A majority (57%) in North Carolina also oppose the health care legislation's requirement that every American buy or obtain health insurance, including 47% who strongly oppose it. Thirty-eight percent (38%) favor the requirement, with 25% who strongly favor it.


Fifty-two percent (52%) approve their state bringing a lawsuit against the federal government challenging the constitutionality of that requirement. Thirty-five percent (35%) oppose such a lawsuit.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of North Carolina voters say their views on the major issues of the day are closer to the views of the average Tea Party member than to those of President Obama. Thirty-five percent (35%) say their views are more in line with the president's.



Brad Miller is on the wrong side of history.


Bill Randall is on the correct side of history.


Lets see him through the primary...He stands a real chance against Brad Miller in November.





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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Brad Miller NC-13 -- Voted in favor Cap and Trade

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The Senate is picking up debate on Cap and Tax. This is just another avenue for the continued berating of Brad Miller.

Brad Miller makes this constant roll of attacks easy with votes like the one he cast in favor of Cap and Trade.

Yea, he voted for a bill that intends to limit our individual liberty based on the failed man made
global warming theory.


Yea, he voted for a bill that around 70% Americans oppose.


It looks like Obama, Reid, and Pelosi will be breaking out the tool of Broken Consent again.





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Brad Miller NC-13 -- Fails in his support for our Constitution

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Gun Issues


09/17/2008Repealing Portions of the D.C. Firearm Ban
HR 6842
NBill Passed - House
(266 - 152)
09/26/2006Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
HR 5092
NBill Passed - House
(277 - 131)
06/28/2006Trigger Lock Amendment
H AMDT 1156
NAmendment Adopted - House
(230 - 191)
10/20/2005Firearms Manufacturers Protection Bill
S 397
NBill Passed - House
(283 - 144)
04/09/2003Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act
HR 1036
NBill Passed - House
(285 - 140)


But he has a spokesman in Chris Matthews...






We don't need to know any other aspects of our constitution Brad Miller does not support or would like to reinterpret.

And if you disagree with Brad Miller....

He doesn't care...


Fire Brad Miller in November.



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What country is this??

..

Answer: The ObamaNation
Inciting divisiveness....



Putting aside the expectation of a double standard between media and the riff-raff,

Sometimes when a thing feels wrong....it is wrong,

very wrong.





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Monday, April 19, 2010

Brad Miller NC-13 -- Interesting Indiana Poll

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Rasmussen

Following his vote for the national health care plan, Democratic Congressman Brad Ellsworth's support remains stuck in the low 30s, while two of his Republican opponents now earn 50% or more of the vote in Indiana’s U.S. Senate race.

The result of rule by broken consent....

More polls here.



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Brad Miller NC-13 -- Wielding the club of Broken Consent yields Distrust...

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Obama, Reid, Pelosi and Brad Miller have found a new tool in their quest to pass legislation against the interest of the American people. That is the tool of broken consent.

Where once we had representatives who, in their self interest, responded to the interests of the people, we currently have a large percentage who no longer respond to those they represent. Why? They have been freed from the people because they are either retiring or realize they are unlikely to win reelection. They realize they no longer have the consent of the people and as a result feel free to vote for atrocities such as ObamaCare.

Broken Consent yields distrust....According to Pew...

By almost every conceivable measure Americans are less positive and more critical of government these days. A new Pew Research Center survey finds a perfect storm of conditions associated with distrust of government — a dismal economy, an unhappy public, bitter partisan-based backlash, and epic discontent with Congress and elected officials.


Rather than an activist government to deal with the nation’s top problems, the public now wants government reformed and growing numbers want its power curtailed. With the exception of greater regulation of major financial institutions, there is less of anappetite for government solutions to the nation’s problems — including more government control over the economy — than there was when Barack Obama first took office. …


.... Just 22% say they can trust the government in Washington almost always or most of the time, among the lowest measures in half a century. About the same percentage (19%) says they are “basically content” with the federal government, which is largely unchanged from 2006 and 2007, but lower than a decade ago.


Opinions about elected officials are particularly poor. In a follow-up survey in early April, just 25% expressed a favorable opinion of Congress, which was virtually unchanged from March (26%), prior to passage of the health care reform bill. This is the lowest favorable rating for Congress in a quarter century of Pew Research Center
surveys. Over the last year, favorable opinions of Congress have declined by half — from 50% to 25%.



The last time dissatisfaction with governance was as low as it is today was prior to the 1994 Gingrich revolution. The pattern seems to be that liberals require 10 years to reduce the good will Americans have for their government to the point that they are removed from office.




Brad Miller supports leadership through Broken Consent with his vote for ObamaCare...

He harms America
He harms North Carolina
He harms the people of North Carolina




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Brad Miller NC-13 -- More Proof of Ineptitude

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Brad Miller lent his support and, by extension, the support of North Carolinians for a bill he clearly did not read (time was not given to do so) but more importantly did not understand.

Congress may be fined tens of millions of dollars a year under its own health-care law, in part because the bill dumps members of Congress and their staffs from their current health-care plans.

But no one really knows for sure what the bill does, not even the experts. For instance, exactly who qualifies as an“employer” — and therefore is subject to fines up to$3,000 per employee — is undefined in the bill.



Congress and Brad Miller have been caught flat footed by the very legislation they voted to implement on the American people. If Brad Miller did not know how the law impacted his own affairs, then how could he have possibly known how it effects the people he pretends to represent?

This is proof that Brad Miller misrepresents the people of North Carolina. It is proof of his deepening immorality and ineptitude.






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Charles Blow...Not your father's racist

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I've said it before. Racism today is not so much an act, as it is a presumption.

On Thursday, I came here outside Dallas for a Tea Party rally.

At first I thought, “Wow! This is much more diverse than the rallies I’ve seen on television.”

Then I realized that I was looking at stadium workers. I should have figured as much when I approached the gate. The greeter had asked, “Are you working tonight?”




Charles Blow attended a Tea Party rally outside Dallas with the expectation of racism. He found, instead, a black man with a sign requesting that he not be called a racist and other minorities in the audience that he inexplicably pitied...

I found the imagery surreal and a bit sad: the minorities trying desperately to prove that they were “one of the good ones”

Was there a single act of racism pointed out in his article? None. Nada.


The only racism practiced was that of Charles Blow's presumption of it. Charles Blow's racism is made worse , though, than standard racism by his accusation of it in the face of its absence.

Charles Blow...projecting his racism on the innocent.


Update: I am not alone....RedState agrees.

Update 2:
Unknown:
“It sounds as if Blow is the one trying to convince white liberals that he is one of the ‘good ones,’ by denigrating other African Americans who don’t follow the ‘party line.’ So if there is a minstrel show in this situation, I believe Blow is the star performer.”




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Sunday, April 18, 2010

The Intolerant Secularist Hitchens.

polifrog


While I greatly respect Hitchens and would avoid any argument with him, he is wrong on the National Day of Prayer.



With his “You can be proud of this great tradition of intolerance” statement, Hitchens falls victim to projection.  He projects his own argument's weakness on others.  This is something the left is frequently guilty of.

The National day of Prayer is not an establishment of any religion and therefor does not fall under the purview of the First Amendment. Secondly it is voluntary and no one is compelled to participate.

This seems to be 100% inclusive to me. Any religion can participate as no one religion is preeminent and those individuals who do not wish to take part do not have to do so.

It is Christopher Hitchens who is practicing what he call "the tradition of intolerance" through his exclusion of religion.





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Saturday, April 17, 2010

Dick Morris...Prediction- the result of governing through broken consent?

My, he doesn't mind going out on a limb. Perhaps he has learned that being held to forecasts is not the American way. The weatherman is often wrong.

But, I do believe that when a President governs against his own words in his campaign and has a congress willing to govern through broken consent, the governed will retaliate....

“Republicans will win the Senate with 52 or 53 seats,” Morris said without hesitation, “and the House will go Republican by 10 to 20 seats.”



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Brad Miller NC-13 -- Verbalizing his Immorality

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Yet another article parroting Brad Miller's nonsense.

According to the article Brad Miller said opponents represent the interests of a handful of millionaires made rich by the health care and financial industries.

This kind of rhetoric serves only to strengthen the Tea-Party members who are maligned by such an idiotic statement. The Tea-Party has been and is fueled by such goading.

Brad Miller, for his part, seems to be more than just aware of the Tea-Party...

Rep. Brad Miller, whose congressional district includes part of Alamance County, described a “frightening” political anger in reaction to the Obama Administration and the national Democratic agenda, characterizing it as a “rage … that we have not seen since 'the 1960s.”

"Frightened" and "rage". Well, he should be frightened that he may loose his job to a citizenry rightfully enraged at his penchant for governance through broken consent.

There is reason for the palpable frustration many experience. One is ObamaCare.

Turning a population of health-care consumers with influence over their health-care providers into health-care business costs is immoral. Creating a situation in which the health-care industry caters to the government (the source of its income) rather than the sick, who become an expense to the health-care industry, is beyond immoral.

Supporting such a economic incentives is immoral and Brad Miller should be fired for his immorality.



Lastly, I had to reread this bit a couple of times due to its sheer idiocy......

The Tea Party movement may be to Democrats what Hillary Clinton was once said to be to conservatives – a source of political animosity intense enough to motivate people to political action.

Idiot.

Political animosity is created by the misgovernance of those in power. The Tea-Party is the embodiment of political animosity created by misgovernance. In short, the Tea-Party is a reaction to poor leadership.


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Friday, April 16, 2010

Fire Brad MIller NC-13...A post on our racist media...

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Coming on the heels of the previous post on racism, Bill Randell....





Racism is in the presumption of racism where none exists...

Brad Miller can no longer lay claim to morality or proper representation of North Carolina after lending his support for ObamaCare.





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True Racism lies not in its practice, but rather its Presumtion




O’DONNELL, TO MAN: There aren’t a lot of African-American men at these events.

DARRYL POSTELL, LAUGHING: Right.

O’DONNELL: Have you ever felt uncomfortable?

POSTELL: No, no, these are my people, Americans.



Racist Hucksters....






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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Obama...Continuing with divisiveness....

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President Barack Obama said Thursday he's amused by the anti-tax tea party protests that have been taking place around Tax Day.

Obama told a fundraiser in Miami that he's cut taxes, contrary to the claims of protesters.


"You would think they'd be saying thank you," he said.


I really believe that the left does not know how to respond to protesters. They have had the exclusive right to protesting for decades (and perhaps longer) while the right has learned from being the object of those protests.

Obama is pretending that he does not understand the complaints of the Tea Party. He mischaracterizes the Tea Party complaints as a current tax issue when the truth is that he is attempting to redefine complaints regarding his leadership. Obama is a pusher attempting to addict the citizens of the US to socialism, a socialism which can only be afforded by increasing the flow of dollars through the government with......higher taxes.

Mocking the Tea Party members and treating all of us with obvious lies and distortions attests to his dismal view of us. This is not leadership through unity; it is, rather, misleadership through divisiveness.




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Brad Miller NC-13 -- Infantilizing our Doctors...

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I have children in school and have learned that one of my metrics for evaluating a teacher's quality is no longer valid.

As a student I learned that quality teachers that care, have heart, and do a good job relaying the information wrote their own tests and ran them off on a copier. My poor teachers, being lazy, used premade book tests. These tests often had questions that didn't match the material taught while this was never a problem in classes that were headed by teachers who were capable of formulating their own tests.

This metric no longer works, though. Teachers are no longer allowed to make their own tests. Tests and teaching has been sterilized of the love, color and character that brought interesting lessons. Our teachers are not trusted to do their jobs and are instead forced to deliver knowledge, prepackaged and stale. Not only is this sad for our students, but it is sad that many quality teachers have been infantiliized by Brad Miller.

Brad Miller, after helping to guide our educators toward the dry and gray, has lent his vote toward a plan that does the same to doctors. Choices will be predetermined, cures will be prepackaged with devastating results. Doctors will no longer be allowed to treat their patients as they feel is required. They will have been infantilized by the state just as the teachers have been.

In the end we will have fewer doctors.
“If you voted for Obamacare, be aware these doors will close before it goes into effect.” The note is signed Joseph M. Scherzer M.D. and includes the following addendum: “****Unless Congress or the Courts repeal the BILL



Fire Brad Miller this November. Brad Miller weakens North Carolina and America.





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Brad Miller and Obama- Creating and Wielding the Tool of Broken Consent....

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Bumped to the top.

It is easy to understand why a representative responds to the will of the people. It is their job to do so. They have the consent of those they represent. If they fail at their jobs, they loose that consent and they loose their jobs. Simple.

There are times, though, when this does not apply and a representative can vote against the will of the governed without feeling the repercussions of the people. One is when the representative is retiring. The other is when the representative knows they will loose the next election anyway. Obama, Pelosi and Reid recognized this as a tool, perhaps not from the beginning, but definitely toward the end of the Obamacare battle.

This is where we find ourselves currently. Obama, Pelosi, and Reid have brutalized their own party beyond all imagination with a never-give-up push for ObamaCare. Democrat poll numbers fell commensurately . Many members, recognizing they had already lost the consent of the the governed, no longer saw a downside to voting against the wishes of those they represented. The others, who were retiring, followed a similar calculus and found it easy to vote against the wishes of the people as well.

As a result ObamaCare passed due to the loss of consent of the people governed. In a real way, it passed with the deliberate use of broken consent. Representatives like Brad Miller NC-13 joined Obama, Pelosi, and Reid in the use of this tool when they lent their vote to Obamacare.

With the passage of ObamaCare amid unpopularity and questions of process, the power of the Obama, Pelosi, Reid tool of broken consent only grew stronger. Unfortunately, though, they will retain the power of broken consent until November and this country will have to endure votes on, Cap and Trade, Amnesty, and possibly a VAT tax to fund the supposedly debt shrinking ObamaCare.

Below is a diagram describing the implementation of policy that is not supported by the people, thus difficult to push through. Unfortunately the diagram below does not include ObamaCare, all the same, the diagram exemplifies governance through broken consent.
This is akin to tyranny and Rush's use of the term regime is sadly accurate. Any and all representatives who lend their votes to bills rejected by the people, that then go on to pass through the use of broken consent, should loose office at the first opportunity.

Lets move beyond Brad Miller in November for his unconscionable support of ObamaCare and tyrannical use of broken consent to foist ObamaCare on the American people.



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