Happy 4th of July

This will be my last post for the next week as it is family time all next week in Denver to celebrate the 4th of July.  Wanted to leave you with this song by Aaron Tippin, Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Flies, which is one of my favorites.

Have a wonderful 4th of July and remember what a great country we live in that you are able to go out and make dumb statements as part of freedom of speech and people like me can call the statements dumb, stupid, inappropriate, biased, etc.  No one Party has all the answers and in the end it is more important to understand we are all Americans who come from different backgrounds and origins with different ideas.  


In our family we have ancestors who were here before the Revolutionary War in Virginia, ones who came here in the early 1800's from Great Britain, then in the late 1800's/early 1900's through Ellis Island from Italy and France and have a grandson whose great grandparents came Mexico on his Mom's side.  People all over this great Country can trace their roots all over the world.  We truly are the melting pot of the World and need to realize that we all contribute to making this a great County and no one group has all the answers.    


The ability to work together is what makes us great and why it is so important that office holders at all levels start realizing that we become stronger when we work as one instead of being the party of the 'my way or no way crowd' which we see more and more.  No one Party has all the good or bad ideas or are going to win on every issue.  I would say both sides when they lose in Congress or at the Supreme Court are the worst examples of sportsmanship I have ever seen.  What happened to the days when they fought like cats and dogs and went out to dinner together.  That was the Party of Reagan on our side and the Tip O'Neill's, David Boren's, and Sam Nunn's on the Democrat side.  Now we have the Party of 'my way or no way' on both sides.  


The oaths of office talk about America and our Constitution not a political party.  Both sides need to start putting America and all its people first ahead of Party or ideology -- we as citizens need to make sure they represent all of us or defeat them in the next election.  


Presidential Oath:

US Constitution, Article II, Section 1

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Congressional Oath:


The current oath was enacted in 1884:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."

Supreme Court:

According to Title 28, Chapter I, Part 453 of the United States Code, each Supreme Court Justice takes the following oath:

"I, [NAME], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as [TITLE] under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God."

This 4th of July is a great time to celebrate our heritage that allows us to live in the greatest Country in the World -- The United States of America!  God Bless and have a fantastic 4th of July as we celebrate the birthday of our great Nation.

Daring to Defer -- Chief Justice Roberts Showed the World Why He was an Excellent Choice

UPDATE 7:10 p.m., 29 June:  Today showed how out of touch the Republican right has become with their lies and now their attacks on the Chief Justice.  I thought Rubio was brighter then what we saw today out of him in his efforts to elect Romney who is the Father of Romneycare.  The CBO has come out with the facts that do not match the rhetoric from the right.  I honestly thought Republicans were more honest then what I saw with their rhetoric today.  Romney lied about people losing their insurance which is different even from what Cantor said.  Romney lied all day about healthcare according to even some Republicans and by the CBO.  It is disgusting.  The GOP has no replacement alternatives only about repealing.  The people who believe the rhetoric of the Republicans today, need to check the facts.

*******

Yesterday showed how fortunate we are that President Bush named John Roberts to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.  Among all the ranting and raving plus two cable news networks blowing the decision by not reading the ruling, the Chief Justice made the right decision to make the individual mandate a tax not part of the commerce clause.  The ruling also "curtailed the power of the federal government to bludgeon states into accepting a costly expansion of Medicaid" which you did not hear out of the mouths of conservatives yesterday.  


Romney saying he would repeal Obamacare on his first day in office came off as the biggest hypocrite in the Country when his bill Romneycare was the basis for the individual mandate in Obamacare and according to the Florida AG Pam Bondi, he planned to mandate Romneycare in every state.  But there he was yesterday saying he was going to repeal Obamacare on his first day in office.  Someone needs to tell Romney as President you have no power to repeal a law.  This is not an Executive Order which is very hard to repeal but is bill that became law and has been upheld by the Supreme Court.  When he said repeal and replace, all I could hear in my mind was he wants him name with Romneycare on the bill instead of the word "Obama" so he can take credit.


Don't like the rhetoric from either side about how the Court rules for Conservatives or Liberals when it rules on the law.  Some rulings that I haven't liked, I discover later on that the ruling followed the law and the original bill was badly written like in Campaign Finance Reform.  


Some of the remarks from conservatives were so far over the top that I couldn't believe what I was hearing like it was the worst day since 9/11, Fox News and CNBC say it is going to ruin the economy but the stock market didn't agree, and then we have Romney going out saying it was going to add $1.75 trillion to the deficit when the CBO said it is not even close.  That is just a few snapshots in some of the most over the top rhetoric ever.  This coming from the same party who in the early 90's wanted a universal healthcare bill with individual mandates -- short memories on the part of Republicans.  


This article about the Chief Justice is the very reason I have such tremendous respect for John Roberts that he doesn't rule on ideology but on the Constitution which showed when he took the individual mandate from the commerce clause and said it was a tax.  It is a tax with no enforcement.  Wonder what some Republicans are thinking today that rushed out to the microphones to demand repeal without reading the ruling?  The words they used were over the top.  If the opinion would have been reversed, you would have seen the same type words out of Democrats castigating the court for being too conservative and bowing to the big donors of the Republican Party.

We have too many members of Congress who have been there for way too long and some new ones who forget their represent America first and Party second.  We have been watching the Senate work more across the aisle in the last few months to get good bills passed.  Isn't it time that the House did the same and answered to their constituents not the special interest groups who are demanding they vote a certain way or they will defeat them.

We have a group of members in the House from both sides who are more interested in running out to the microphones at every opportunity instead of actually working for all of us which is the job they are sent there to do.  Their job is  not to work for the NRA, the Koch Brothers, anti-illegal immigration lobby, Chamber of Commerce, Unions, Soros, etc. -- their job is to work for what is best for all the American people and stop this 'my way or no way' that has become a trademark of the far left and the far right.  What about the rest of  Americans who feel disenfranchised by both political parties and their leadership?  Don't we count?

UPI Photo/Roger L. Wollenberg

Umpiring: John Roberts

Daring to Defer 

For Chief Justice John Roberts, embracing judicial modesty means finding limits in everything—including the role of the Supreme Court. 

By James Oliphant Updated: June 29, 2012 | 9:34 a.m.
June 29, 2012 | 6:00 a.m. 

At the dawn of the week, liberal critics of John Roberts’s Supreme Court had the knives at the ready. In their minds, a twofer—the Court upholding Arizona’s punishing immigration law and striking down some or all of President Obama’s health care overhaul—would confirm what many have grown to suspect: The justices are hopelessly, and predictably, fractured along partisan lines, with the Court now just another divided institution in an era replete with them. 

But you make assumptions about the high court at your peril. The justices largely invalidated the Arizona law, and Roberts himself saved the health care law, breaking from his conservative brethren in unprecedented fashion to join with the Court’s liberal wing to preserve the bulk of the Affordable Care Act. 

In doing so, the chief justice may have demonstrated that he is the jurist that his many admirers thought he was in 2005, when President Bush nominated him. Remember that bit during his confirmation hearing about judicial modesty, about how a justice should be “an umpire”? Those words seemed to ring hollow in the wake of decisions such as Citizens United. Now, Roberts seems to have applied them in two disparate instances, surely disappointing legal conservatives who believed that their movement had gained unstoppable momentum, but reminding observers that most cases at the corner of First and Maryland are decided between the margins, not in them. 

You can sense Roberts’s deft efforts throughout the health care opinion to find a result consistent with his conservative principles, one that mollifies the law’s detractors and its supporters. Both sides ended up with something. The opinion struck down the individual mandate under the commerce clause, but upheld it under Congress’s power to tax. (Woe to news organizations such as CNN that went live after reading just the first few pages of the 190-page-plus ruling.) The Court also curtailed the power of the federal government to bludgeon states into accepting a costly expansion of Medicaid. 

Embracing judicial modesty means finding limits in everything. In that regard, Roberts’s majority opinion goes out of its way to assert that, yes, there is a point at which Congress cannot regulate the everyday actions of Americans, reproaching that body in a manner that likely hasn’t been done since the days of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. Moreover, as Roberts points out in the decision, Congress’s power to tax comes with inherent limits; the government can’t use it to compel behavior (such as purchasing health insurance), but instead only to sanction.
For a jurist such as Roberts, however, just as important is identifying the limits on the Court itself as a functioning branch of government. 

Roberts is committed to the notion that courts shouldn’t overturn the actions of democratically elected legislatures. Indeed, doing so is the kind of “judicial activism” that conservatives have historically deplored. The inestimable Linda Greenhouse, the longtime New York Times Court correspondent, predicted the result in the health care case, pointing to language that Roberts wrote in a dissent to the Court’s holding earlier this week that states can’t hand out life sentences to juveniles without a chance of parole. Courts, Roberts wrote, “must presume an Act of Congress is constitutional”—and he noted that a “heavy burden” exists for “those who would attack the judgment of the representatives of the people.” 

“He really does believe that if there’s a possible way to read a statute to preserve its constitutionality, the Court should find a way to do it,” says Jonathan Adler, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. 

As a longtime Washington litigator and a former U.S. deputy solicitor general, Roberts is a full-fledged member of the establishment, which makes him particularly ill-suited to lead a conservative insurgency. He works in subtler ways—but his familiarity with the levers of power means that he should never be underestimated. 

Even though many conservatives are bemoaning the health care ruling, Roberts’s ensuring that the individual mandate will now be rebranded as a tax not only hands the GOP some new ready-to-go talking points but it also means that voters can perhaps express their resistance with greater clarity at the ballot box, rather than at the courthouse steps. Remember, the Obama White House was never comfortable during the health care debate with labeling the requirement to purchase insurance as a tax because of the term’s negative implications. It’s a lousy sell. 

“As long as Congress can acknowledge something is a tax,” Adler says, “then we can let the political process work.” 

It will be tempting in the short term to look at the decision, see Roberts aligned with the likes of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan, and wonder whether the chief was briefly possessed by the spirit of a predecessor, Earl Warren. But Roberts knows what he’s doing. In a week when Justice Antonin Scalia’s screed from the bench about illegal immigration made the Court particularly susceptible to the charge that it has become an agenda-first body, Roberts’s move was a means to reassure an increasingly skeptical public that the justices really do try to solve problems in a principled way. He reasserted the importance of courts’ deferring to the will of legislatures, something that should resonate with conservatives, in particular. He helped set limits on the power of the commerce clause and Congress’s spending powers. And he ensured that if President Obama wants to rescue his health care law from the threat of repeal, he will have to defend it as a tax.\ 

All in all, not a bad day at the office. 

This article appeared in the Saturday, June 30, 2012 edition of National Journal.

Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System crews eager to fight fire another day

This picture shows one of the C-130's from yesterday dropping the fire retardant on the Waldo Canyon fire. Four C-130's belong to Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs that were participating in the joint effort with the National Forest Service.  The four C-130's from Peterson crews and support personnel were on duty even when they knew their homes or homes of people they know could be in danger as they continued to do what they do best -- fight the fire from the air to save more homes.  This shows what two agencies, Air Force and National Forest Service, can do when they work together to fight a disaster.

Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System crews eager to fight fire another day

Posted 6/27/2012

by Tech. Sgt. Daniel Butterfield
153rd Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs

6/27/2012 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) -- Members of the 731st Expeditionary Air Squadron arrived during the early morning hours of June 27 to prepare the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System-equipped C-130 Hercules for another day of aerial fire-fighting.

MAFFS is a self-contained aerial firefighting system owned by the U.S. Forest Service that can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than five seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide. Once the load is discharged, it can be refilled in less than 12 minutes.

The day before saw significant MAFFS activity as the four C-130s, two from the Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd Airlift Wing and two from the Wyoming Air National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing dropped 65,000 gallons of Phos-Chek fire retardant in the Rocky Mountain region.

Despite such an active day with so many gallons dropped, the mood was heavy as many of those involved in the operation were local Airmen who have friends and family members who were evacuated the day before. But even with their thoughts on those going through incredible hardships, the members of the 731 EAS were eager to get back into the fight.

"It's a little stressful," said Lt. Col. Luke Thompson, 302nd Airlift Wing Chief of Aerial Firefighting. "Some (MAFFS crew members) have evacuees in their home. Some are worried how far the fire is going to go, if it's going to get close to their home, but they are dealing with it."

"We feel almost helpless," said Staff Sgt. Raymond Durban, an avionics technician from the 302nd Maintenance Group, who is assisting with the refilling of the MAFFS units and has co-workers who evacuated. "But we are bearing down and ready to go this morning. We are just waiting for the go-ahead from the (U.S.) Forest Service."

The Waldo Canyon fire grew in size by thousands of acres yesterday due to shifting and increased winds, despite the best efforts of the C-130 aircrews and the entire unified command team.

"We've dropped on a lot of really big fires, but (we've seen nothing) like this as far as close proximity to major cities so you have a little more sense of urgency that we've got to get these drops and get them right the first time," said Maj. Neil Harlow, a pilot with the Wyoming Air National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing. "The smoke, especially down at the Waldo Canyon fire, has made it difficult to see the targets."

The first MAFFS-equipped C-130 left Peterson AFB, Colo., June 27 at 9:30 a.m. to again work on the Waldo Canyon fire. They are expected to make drops throughout the day.

In addition to the 153rd and 302nd Airlift Wings, the 146th AW in Channel Islands, Calif., and the 145th AW, in Charlotte, N.C., possess the ability to assist federal, state and local wildland fire-fighting agencies and organizations with MAFFS.

The MAFFS program is a joint effort between the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Defense.


*****
Wildfire stops moves to Air Force Academy

All permanent change of station orders into and out of the AF Academy have been put on hold by the Military Personnel Center at Randolph as a result of the Waldo Canyon fire.  Would bet some of the people headed to the AF Academy have already had their household goods picked up if they had orders for 1 July to report to the Academy.  Now they are in limbo until further notice.

Air Force officials have temporarily halted permanent change of station moves and most temporary duty assignments to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., as Air Force members join the fight to extinguish the 29-square mile Waldo Canyon wildfire burning northwest of the installation, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

Civilian personnel moves have also been halted until further notice.

Supreme Court Rules 5-4 in Favor of Affordable Healthcare Bill

UPDATE 6/28/4:16 pm.:  This week I heard on MSNBC because of a series of negotiations that the fine was down to $100.  It seems that CNN not only blew the original ruling along with Fox but CNN had the wrong info about the fines and so have a lot of the punditry today.  Found this comment closer to the truth:

Shame on right leaning news outlets, for a complete cluster____ in reporting the fines! Since the mandate was conceived of by REPUBLICANS in the 90s, it has gradually come down in expense to now roughly $100! So why did CNN flash a chart showing outdated fines? It is technically a tax! This whole thing was an Obama compromise to the repugs, like it or not!

******
Why did I pick the Howard Fineman article to showcase on the Supreme Court upholding the Affordable Healthcare Bill?  Because as I have learned over the years going back to Clinton and Monicagate, he tells it like it is and usually with a bit of humor which fits my taste in journalism.  The first paragraph is one I have come to expect out of Fineman:

It is a great country because the workings of our carefully wrought system of government are not predicated on punditry, predictions or polls. 

That is a mouthful and so true.  Not one pundit I heard thought Chief Justice Roberts would be the deciding vote.  There was a reason that President Bush chose the Chief Justice as he is calm, rules on the law, and doesn't give a lot of rhetoric.  He is the perfect man for the job no matter which side you choose in this case. His well written opinion shows how careful everything was considered and he didn't allow ideology to get in the way.

This is a win for people with pre-existing conditions and those whose insurance is cancelled if they get ill while still working.  It is also a win for the children of America whose parents cannot afford medical care.

As someone who is part of the Federal Employees Healthcare Benefits Program, I most likely don't feel the passion of some others as no matter what our Healthcare Benefits did not change and my understanding is that TriCare for the military is also not affected.  All of us would look at this differently IMHO!

Is the bill perfect?  No way!  It needs tweaked but polling has discovered if you call it the Affordable Healthcare Bill that people like it a lot better then if you say Obamacare.  It also fines the people who can afford to buy health care but don't who make over $100,000.  Romneycare in MA also required people to purchase insurance or pay a fine but now because Romney is pandering he doesn't like the bill even though he planned to do state mandates on his own if elected according to the FL Attorney General Pam Bondi.

It never should have been considered commerce but called a tax all along on people who refuse to buy health insurance including a lot of wealthy individuals.  We are hearing that the Koch Brothers and Americans for Prosperity who never speak for me and others are pledging to overturn this bill.  Why not let the rich not pay health insurance and take months to pay their medical bills and cut others who cannot afford healthcare out of the picture?  That's the Koch Brothers way!   Trying to buy an election so they can get regulations and and investigations against them  stopped and now overturning healthcare which has been called Constitutional by a majority of the Supreme Court.  All they are doing is showing the American people that the Rule of Law does not apply to Rich Republicans like them.

Before people get all up in arms, mandates were brought up for individuals by Republicans in the early 90's but that doesn't count as it is all Obama's fault according to pundits on the right.   This could have all been avoided if the bill had been posted on the net before voting as promised by the Democrats and now by the Republicans when they took over which seems to be missing.

We need new leadership in both Houses in both parties who actually believe in transparency and working together for the American people not their parties or special interest groups who fund their campaigns.  If Senators Boxer and Inhofe can work together on the Transportation Bill there is no reason for others not work across the aisle for all of us who send them to D.C.

Health Care Law: All Hail The Failure Of Conventional Wisdom 
Howard FinemanEditorial Director, AOL Huffington Post Media Group
 Posted: 06/28/2012 10:42 am

WASHINGTON -- Is this a great country or what? Not because the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the overall scheme of the president's health care law. That is an ordinary question, no matter how much money was at stake. It is a great country because the workings of our carefully wrought system of government are not predicated on punditry, predictions or polls. 

Defying the expectations, Justice John Roberts -- said to be a relentless conservative activist -- joined the court's "liberal wing" in saving the law by grounding the "individual mandate" not in the power of Congress to regulate commerce, but in its taxing power. As I suggested yesterday, the court essentially said that Congress could not require people to buy something in the private economy, but they could fine them if they didn't. The court found that power to fine, in the taxing power of Article I. Now the president will have to figure out a way to make the fines in the law -- which are weak and toothless -- real. 

The idea to require all Americans to buy private health insurance was hatched in a conservative think tank, first deployed by a Republican governor (Mitt Romney) and at first opposed in the Democratic 2008 presidential primaries by candidate Barack Obama. But as soon as he had he vanquished Hillary Clinton - a proponent of the mandate -- he privately decided to support it. "I kind of think Hillary was right," he told an aide in the summer of 2008, according to Princeton professor Paul Starr. There were those -- including Starr -- who had publicly and privately warned that the mandate was a risk, but once in the White House Obama and his aides (many, ironically, Clinton veterans) ignored the warnings. 

The obvious big political winner, at least initially, is President Obama. Had the court thrown out the core mechanics of the law, his signature accomplishment would have been in shambles. He can take to the campaign trail with the backing of none other than George W. Bush appointee Roberts. His polls were on the upswing and may get a boost. There are troubles down the road. He has to make the fines real. Most people don't like the mandate, no matter what it is grounded on. Republicans and Romney, their presumptive nominee, will make overturning the law their crusade for the campaign, and they will have the polls on their side. 

Beyond the political back-and-forth, the 5-4 ruling is an example of the durability of our system, and of Roberts' desires to protect the reputation of the institution as the one place in the country that is above politics. The court is the most essential part of our system of government by the rule of law. It takes the place in our system of faith or royalty as the ultimate arbiter of Truth in the public realm. Roberts understood that, and protected it. 

Now it is clear why Justice Scalia went on his rampage yesterday. He doesn't like Roberts' institutional vision of the court.   

Source:  Huffington Post

Very well written article whether you agree with the decision or not.

Colorado Springs Waldo Canyon Fire Out of Control Threatens Air Force Academy

UPDATE:  Latest News from the Denver Post 06/28:

COLORADO SPRINGS — Mayor Steve Bach told a morning news conference, "we know hundreds of homes have been destroyed" by the Waldo Canyon Fire. 

He said the city is in the process of assessing the areas where homes burned and plans to notify owners on an individual basis starting at noon Thursday. He said officials would be "methodical and careful" in notification. 

Some 32,000 people remain out of their homes in and around Colorado Springs. An aerial photograph of the Mountain Shadows neighborhood taken Wednesday shows approximately 300 homes, all of them inside the Colorado Springs city limits, reduced to charred rubble.

The fire started June 23 and has grown to 18,500 acres. The blaze's cause is not known, and the FBI has joined the investigation. 

Read more: Colorado wildfire: Waldo Canyon Fire officials confirm "hundreds" of homes destroyed - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/wildfires/ci_20962119/colorado-wildfire-waldo-canyon-fire-officials-confirm-hundreds#ixzz1z7XJrG4j  

Some before and after photos of a Mountain Shadows neighborhood from the Denver Post:

There are more before and after pictures at the Denver Post which shows how devastating this Waldo Canyon Fire has been to the residents of Colorado Springs and surrounding areas.  Latest estimate of the number of homes destroyed is 300 according to news reports out of Colorado.  Today's winds are not as heavy and the temps have dropped about five degrees from yesterday but the latest report still has only 5% containment.  Over 30,000 evacuees and the fire is still burning out of control.  He came to the edge of the AF Academy burning about 10 acres but did not destroy any structures as of this afternoon.  The cadet area at the Academy is not near the fire although there have been evacuations from some of the Academy housing areas.

*******
The Waldo Canyon Fire is threatening not only Colorado Springs and surrounding towns but residences of the Air Force Academy.  This video shows how damaging this out of control fire has become:

COLORADO SPRINGS — Tens of thousands of people fled the neighborhoods north and west of Colorado Springs after the Waldo Canyon fire unleashed waves of flames late Tuesday afternoon. 

Showers of ash fell as traffic gridlocked on Interstate 25 and all major eastbound roadways, clogged full of evacuees and fire equipment. Witnesses flooded the Internet on Twitter, describing the scene as "an apocalypse" and "terrifying" and posting photos of the city wrapped in a sinister orange and black cloud. 

The evacuations covered the entire area north of Garden of the Gods and west of I-25, including Pinon Valley, Rockrimmon and Woodmen valley, home to thousands of residents. The Pine Valley housing area south of the Air Force Academy was evacuated and, about 7:30 p.m., more of the academy itself was ordered evacuated.

Read more: Colorado wildfire: 32,000 people evacuated in Waldo Canyon fire - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20940351/colorado-wildfire-waldo-canyon-fire-near-colorado-springs#ixzz1z0u9qclV 

Without the foresight of the Colorado Springs community as well as communities surrounding them this would be even worse as they had a plan in place in case something like this happened.  I realized how bad it was last night when on Twitter there was a picture of the AF Academy football stadium and on the ridge above the Academy you could see the flames and then the smoke shooting sky high.  

After visiting family in Denver right after Christmas, we traveled to the Insight Bowl in Tempe, AZ, driving I-25 through Colorado Springs and by the AF Academy.  What we noticed was a lack of snow in the Pike's Peak area and the lower mountains.  There wasn't even any along I-25 which seemed odd compared to past years.  We didn't see a lot of snow on the side of the road until we got closer to NM which means that area of Colorado missed the blizzard that had gone across New Mexico.  
The latest class of cadets are reporting to the AF Academy this week who are going through in-processing and orientation.  If this gets much closer, you have to wonder if the new cadets are also going to be evacuated.  The AF Academy older cadets in the summer get leave and then go to camps on Air Force bases around the Country to get a close up view of the active duty Air Force.  Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, for years has hosted cadets from the Academy in the summer.
This area needs rain desperately to get this fire under control as last night you could see houses going up in flames on the ridge in a report from a reporter on a bluff overlooking the city.  It is scary to realize that you need to decide what you will take with you as you evacuate.  Living in an area where fires could break out, you need a plan on what to take.  
When we lived in the foothills in San Bernardino County off I-10, we had a plan -- first was the family and pets, second was family pictures, third was one box for each of our three children of their most precious items, then the paintings and other wall hangings, etc.  We had a truck and a station wagon all set with what to pack if we needed to evacuate.  When fire season would start, the downstairs closet under the stairs was filled with items that meant so much to our family that could be loaded up in minutes.  We never had to evacuate but we had ash all over our sidewalks and back patio the day the moving truck was loaded due to a transfer.  As the movers unloaded the boxes in MA, there was still ash on some of them.  Several years ago a fire came within two streets of where we used to live.  
Our first responders are so important in fighting these wildfires burning across the west.  Those fireman on the fire lines risk their lives fighting these giant forest fires because they never know when the wind is going to shift.  The police are the first ones in to evacuate people from their homes going door to door to make sure everyone gets out and then man the checkpoints which could easily put them in harm's way.  This Country owes so much to the men and women who are involved as fire and police who protect the rest of us.  We need more firefighters and police not less.  The Federal Government at all levels should be taking an active role in ensuring that the National Forest Service has the firefighters and the equipment necessary to fight these fires and have it available immediately.  
The Indian tribes here in Oklahoma and other states have firefighters who have been through the training in addition to having many hours of actual experience fighting forest fires as every summer they are called upon to help fight these fires.  Our military has specially designed planes to be used to fight these fires along with the helicopters  It is a joint operation of some of the bravest people in our Country to fight these fires to save lives and property.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the western states that are on fire right now and sincerely hope the prayers for rain and calming winds come are answered quickly.  

What is Wrong with this Supreme Court?

What happened to State's Rights?  It is obvious that this Supreme Court who struck down the Montana campaign finance law has overstepped.  This decision is Corporate rights yes and States Rights no.  When did conservatives quit believing in state's rights?

For 100 years Montana had their campaign finance reform in place that was put there by the vote of the people of Montana to counter the corruption of the legislature by two silver mining companies who had bought and paid for office holders in the Montana Legislature.  Now the SCOTUS has decided that Montana citizens 100 years ago were wrong.

I cannot believe this court has inserted themselves in state finance laws ensuring the more corruption will take place in elections.  The very idea that a Corporation is a person who can give unlimited amounts goes against the very fabric of fair elections.  Individual citizens are limited to spend $2500 in the primary and another $2500 in the general for federal candidates but the Koch Brothers can spend whatever millions they want for a candidate from their corporation and are now pledging $400 million to buy this election.

It is time the American people stood up and ignored the campaign ads from the Super PACs and vote for the person they feel is the best person for the position.  These rich billionaires who pay a small percentage in taxes are out to take over America and destroy the middle class.  When I first heard someone say that I thought they were nuts, but not any more.  Some of the wealthy of this Country like the Koch Brothers are definitely out to buy a President and members of Congress and are basically telling the middle class that we don't count -- only the wealthy and their money now count in this Country.

Yesterday when Justice Scalia went after Obama on immigration, I was appalled at his venom.  When you are named to the SCOTUS, would think you would be held to a higher standard but conservatives like Limbaugh applauded Scalia because he took after Obama.  What was Scalia thinking with the attack on this President or any President?  What if a more liberal justice had taken after President Bush.  The hypocrisy of the conservative pundits is beyond belief today.  Now if the Obama order on immigration is challenged, Scalia must recuse.  That was stupid and childish.

Last night  I became totally embarrassed by the Republican Party and their sell out to corporations and the big money because that is the only explanation for the Romney win when in the early states he didn't even reach 40% of the vote but he was shoved down our throats.  Now the SCOTUS has interfered in State's Rights in a 100-year old Montana Law and some Republicans thinks it is great.

This is not the Republican Party I voted for the first time in 1968.  If things keep up like this, I am not sure I will continue to remain a Republican.  I am not alone as more and more Republicans are questioning what has happened to the Republican Party that is now bought and paid for by big donors.  Rasmussen has this gem today that more than half of Americans don't believe either party represents the American people::

53% Say Neither Party Represents American People

That is very high percentage and shows there are major problems looming in both parties thanks to these two candidates neither who should be President IMHO.  How Republicans are managing to blow this election and drive long time Republicans to vote for a Libertarian candidate who is more Republican than the Republican candidate is one for the record books.

Last week Speaker Boehner said Obama was part of the cover-up on Fast and Furious because he invoked Executive Privilege.  Did he say the same thing when President Bush claimed executive privilege on the firing of US Attorneys by Karl Rove since he was not a cabinet secretary?  Now Cong Issa has declared that he believes the White House knew nothing.  I disagreed when people first said it was a witch hunt but after learning more, it sure looks like the House Leadership will do anything to embarrass Obama to help Romney.  Issa told the truth on Sunday so will the Speaker apologize or is he going to continue to be a hypocrite.

As you can tell, I am totally fed up with the leadership of the National Republican Party who seem to be bought and paid for by the big donors like the Koch Brothers who want to run America and have no rules or regulations including minimum wage.  People like the Koch Brothers are the reason we have unions.

When I can watch MSNBC and discover is it more honest on the SCOTUS rulings then Fox News, there is a real problem.  Michael Medved did a really good job with his appearance on MSNBC.  He gave straight answers which is missing in a lot of conservative pundits as they have turned into pretzels many times to defend Republicans of today and the nominee Romney.  Some have defended Romney more than they ever did President GW Bush. It makes you wonder what is their agenda because Bush was a conservative and Romney has always governed as much more liberal who never met a fee he didn't like as Governor of MA.

Today I voted in the Oklahoma Republican Primary and at least I didn't want to vote 'none of the above' like I did in our Presidential Primary.  Making progress.

Lift the Veil on Congress for Spending Cuts and Bills

Couldn't agree more with the premise of the article about lifting the veil on the spending cuts required by the sequester agreement which has turned out to be a really bad idea.  The problem is that the House got so arrogant that they decided they ran the whole government and you had to listen to them or they would shut down Government and our bond rating would be lowered.  Now they are the biggest ones complaining about the looming cuts. 

Lift the Veil on the Spending CutsPublished: June 24, 2012  

The Pentagon’s powerful Republican friends in Congress are griping about a required $500 billion cut to the military budget over nine years beginning in January. It would “hollow our military,” said Speaker John Boehner. It’s a “national disgrace,” said Representative Howard McKeon, chairman of the Armed Services Committee. 

The critics are right that taking an across-the-board cleaver to the Pentagon is bad policy, but that is because across-the-board cuts in general are bad policy. They never seem to mention that the cuts are matched by an equally devastating slash at domestic spending — $500 billion from education, law enforcement, environmental protection, and health and safety programs, among hundreds of others. Both are part of a $1.2 trillion sequester required by the law that ended last year’s debt-ceiling fight. 

Democrats seem to be the only ones who care about the domestic side of the cuts, and now they are finally starting to counter the Republican insistence — fueled by heavy pressure and big campaign donations from military contractors — that the defense cuts are the only damaging aspect of the sequester. 

Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, who has been worked up about the Pentagon cuts, recently proposed legislation requiring a detailed accounting of which military programs would be affected, and the impact on national security. Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, proposed a countermeasure that would require an accounting of the entire sequester. The two measures were combined and passed by the Senate on Thursday as an amendment to the farm bill. 

Ms. Murray’s amendment asks all the right questions of the White House budget office: What precise programs will be cut? How many jobs will be lost? What will be the effect on students of education cuts, as well as the impact of reductions on middle-class families, public safety and economic growth? (Mr. McCain asked similar questions about the defense cuts.) These matters were never discussed when the sequester was first imposed after the irresponsible threat by Republicans to send the government into default if spending wasn’t reduced. 

At the moment, even lawmakers know only the broad categories of spending that will be affected, not the precise details. In testimony earlier this year, several cabinet secretaries mentioned a few of the specifics — at least 26,000 teachers would be laid off, nearly a million women and children would lose nutrition benefits, 300 national parks fully or partially closed, and large reductions made in food safety and federal aviation operations. The full list will be far longer, and the harm much greater. 

Even though entitlement programs were largely protected, the sequester was the terrible result of reckless brinkmanship. It could reduce the nation’s economic output by half a percentage point in 2013 alone. Much of it can still be averted if Republicans would agree to a balanced, long-term deficit-reduction plan that includes higher taxes on the rich. The best way to achieve that goal — shocking both parties into action — is to let the public see the awful details of the alternative. 

Source:  NY Times 

First of all there are a lot of cuts to the defense department that can be made and for any contractor like Lockheed to try and blackmail Congress with their threat of laying off most of their work force should be called on the carpet for irresponsibility.  Is this about saving the F-22 with the oxygen and maintenance problems or the F-35 which is still overweight for the carriers and other various problems including another stealth maintenance nightmare? Lockheed has lied to the Government so much that they might forget the real story.  


The Air Force should have fully upgraded the F-16 instead of buying two new fighters.  Lockheed is a greedy, unethical company and has been for years.  History details it all from the massive overruns on the C-5 to the problems with the C-141 stretch which my husband was a part of as the lead engineer from Materiel Command for the AF.  We still have the model that was presented to him on completion of the program.   The waste he witnessed between the C-5 and C-141 programs would drive you up a wall.  Sad part is that Lockheed has not gotten better of the years.  


Lockheed was in serious problems when Martin Marietta was forced into a merger in the mid 90's with them to give Lockheed some credibility.  The Martin people with integrity and honesty for which their company was known were forced out of Lockheed so the merger of Lockheed and Martin became a hostile takeover of Martin by Lockheed and eventually its MBA's who have trouble understanding the defense industry.  The Lockheed mentality of today is why there are big problems with the F-22 which production is being terminated for a smaller number planes then the AF wanted.and now the F-35 which is still too heavy to land on a carrier among a host of problems.  Neither the Navy or Marines want the plane which is being forced on them.  Lockheed is way over budget and way behind schedule but you don't hear much about that these days.  


Lockheed Martin paid its CEO and other high ranking executives in 2011 a total of $51,926,028 which as a 20.27% increase over 2010.  The CEO of Lockheed who lied to the Secretary of Defense about the status of the F-35 was paid  $25,369,641 in 2011 up over $4.5M from 2010.  In a bad economy running a company whose F-22 program still has oxygen problems, etc. and the F-35 which is way over budget and behind schedule who told the Defense Secretary they would get back on schedule but have not met the goals gets a pay raise of $4.5M in 2011.  Lockheed just stuck it to the American people with the amount they pay their executives with is over 20% more than 2010.  


Yet the powers at be in the Republican Party who run the Armed Services in the House cannot seem to find cuts out of DoD?  Guess they like all those donations that they make to their campaigns.  Cong McKeon, head of House Armed Services seems to be in the tank for major defense contractors along with the Speaker John Boehner.  


Lockheed "ranks number one on the 'contractor misconduct' database maintained by the Project on Government Oversight, a Washington-DC-based watchdog group." Since 1995, the company has agreed to pay $577 million to settle fifty-four instances of misconduct.


The company who had to pay $577M to settle 54 instances of misconduct and pays its CEO over $25M a year  now seems to be trying to blackmail the Congress and the President by threatening to lay off all their employees due to budget cuts right before the election?  Part of the fault lies right in the Congress and their refusing to work together in the House for the betterment of the Country.  They prefer on both sides to be 'my way or no way' which is wrong.  Always blaming the other side for the mess is not flying with the American people.  The Senate is finally starting to work more across the aisle which is a pleasant change.  No one side has all the answers.  


The very idea that you cannot cut defense is ludicrous.  In fact, McCain cost the Air Force billions of dollars on the new tanker which has been needed for years because he dislikes the Air Force and he was mad at Boeing who by far makes the best wide body planes.  Only recently was the contract awarded after ten years and some of the dumbest ideas of how to fix the aging fleet problem for our tankers.  There is no way that Northrop Grumann could win the contest fair and square and sure enough some people at DoD released data to them but not to Boeing.  Imagine that!  


There are too many lobbyists for the Aerospace companies who wine and dine members of Congress who are then are unwilling to bite the bullet to cut the Defense budget which has been bloated for years.  When they do decide to cut, they go after the active duty force and their benefits which they know will create an outcry and so they end up cutting very little.  


How about trying something new and going after the aerospace giants that were created in the mid 1990's along with their bloated contracts which are costing the US Taxpayers much more then they should?  When you pay your senior executives such high salaries, the money has to come from somewhere.  The manhour rates for these giant companies run over $200 an hour for certain positions like Lockheed Program Management which will be rising from $218.79 in 2009 to $245.96 in 2013, a senior consultant goes from $221.62 to $249.14.  Who gets most of that?  Not the worker but the companies filled with top heavy management.   The information comes from manhour numbers of Lockheed at GSA which is in PDF but what jumps out when you read the numbers are that manhour numbers are on the rise when the Federal Government should by in an austerity mode which doesn't seem to affect the aerospace community.


If you don't want to believe this site, then check out Defense Contracting Rip-Off which could be written by a lot of people who have been around the defense industry either working for the DoD or a DoD Contractor on in a lot of cases both.   The author would have a field day with the current F-35 if he updated his article but he a lot of good information from the past.  


Having been married to someone who retired with 33 years of Civil Service/Marine Corps experience as the Lead Engineer or Program Manager for the Air Force and private contractor experience after he retired from AF Civil Service, there are numerous times during the 35+ years I have been with him that I have seen how corrupt the aerospace industry can be and the fact that people inside the DoD on occasion are bought and paid for but most are afraid to speak out as they are afraid for their jobs and getting fired.  That doesn't even account for the Congressman paid off with campaign contributions to protect the Defense Contractors.  I have been at events where contractors have talked about how much so and so needs to make sure they get the money appropriated.  Their lobbyist know who they can get to do their bidding in Congress.


For anyone to say that there is not a lot that can be cut from DoD is ludicrous because everyone I know are aware of programs that could be cut tomorrow and the DoD would be better off.  This threat by Lockheed is disgusting and IMHO their way to keep funding the F-35 which has turned into a nightmare at taxpayer expense.

Layoff threats put Congress on notice
By AUSTIN WRIGHT | 6/13/12 10:22 PM EDT Updated: 6/14/12 2:01 PM EDT 

Facing economic uncertainty, defense contractors are plotting to spur Congress to nix the automatic budget cuts set to begin next year. 

The plan? Threaten to send out layoff notices — hundreds of thousands of them, right before Election Day.

Congress, industry leaders contend, has left them few options. Federal law, they say, requires employers to give notice of 60 days to workers facing layoffs. 

For President Barack Obama and congressional incumbents, the timing couldn’t be worse. 

With the automatic cuts, called sequestration, set to begin taking effect on Jan. 2, the layoff notices would have to be sent out by Nov. 2 — four days before this fall’s elections. 

“I’ve been told by some of our major employers that layoff notices are going to come before the election,” said Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), a member of the Armed Services Committee and a vocal critic of the automatic cuts. “It’s dangerous and irresponsible for Congress to play with this.” 

Under sequestration, New Hampshire could lose more than 3,000 full-time jobs during the next fiscal year, according to a study by George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis. Across the country, more than 1 million jobs would be at stake. 

(Also on POLITICO: Defense cuts threaten to hit home) 

Ayotte said she’s hopeful the threat of job losses will spur a bipartisan agreement to prevent the defense cuts, which would reduce the Pentagon budget by more than $50 billion, or 10 percent, each year for the next decade. 

“Negotiations in Congress can’t wait for the lame-duck session because there’s going to be a devastating impact to our defense industrial base before then,” she told POLITICO. “A lot of our small suppliers could go away and never come back.”

Without clear guidance from the Pentagon, which has been counseled by the White House Office of Management and Budget not to start planning for sequestration, defense contractors are likely to prepare for the worst, said Cord Sterling, vice president for legislative affairs at the Aerospace Industries Association. 

“If there’s no guidance, companies will probably have to take the most conservative approach,” he said, and the number of layoff notices could be “very significant.” 

Officials at the OMB had been working behind the scenes to help the Pentagon determine whether certain funds, such as the money needed for the war in Afghanistan, would be subject to sequestration. Publicly, though, they maintain they have not started planning for the cuts. 

“We have made it clear that we believe that the sequester is, by design, bad policy,” OMB spokesman Kenneth Baer told POLITICO in a statement. “Congress should do its job and pass a balanced plan for deficit reduction as it was charged to pass under the Budget Control Act.” 

Still, he added, “should it get to a point where it appears that Congress will not do its job and the sequester may take effect, OMB will work with agencies regarding planning.”

Excerpt:  Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0612/77400.html#ixzz1ypV0wqGl

Have a Great Weekend!

Taking today and the rest of the weekend off from posting due to family coming in for the weekend.  I leave you with the following to ponder:

Why is the same email keeps being sent out by the various sites?  My solution was to stop getting any emails from them.  I don't care if they have the email that is going to defeat Obama with the video that I have seen appear in my inbox at least 40 times or Rand Paul has a petition that I have probably seen over 50 times.  The same emails from numerous sites has totally turned a lot of people off.

Have you tried getting off an email list for a campaign only to have another email pop up with a different address? How about getting snail mail in my mailbox addressed to me in a variety of ways and now to my Mom who has been dead for several years all asking for donations for Romney?  The fact that he is not bringing in the small donors of the GOP is borne out in my mailbox.  Had 11 requests for donations between the RNC which Romney now sends and the Romney camp in one week.  Looks like they are helping make the Post Office solvent.

I was complaining to the woman who delivers our mail after she had put five pieces of mail in my mailbox from Romney.  She suggested I put through a shredder and use them on the garden instead of filling up the landfill.  Good point!   That was after Romney decided he did not like civil service, police, fire, or teachers -- too many of us.

Will be back Monday with the facts on jobs being sent overseas by Romney when he was head of Bain Capital yet he campaigns in the same states he took their jobs and sent them to India and China.  

Have a terrific weekend!

Romney Campaign said to ask Florida Governor Scott to downplay economic gains

UPDATE from The Hill email, 7:15 p.m., 21 Jun 2012:

"Gov. Rick Scott (R) denied Romney's campaign asked him to tone down efforts to tout improvements in the Florida economy out of concern it could weaken the case against Obama."

This reminds me of Bill Clinton and the meaning of the word 'is' which became famous.  In politics where there is smoke, there is usually fire.  Why do Republicans keep turning into pretzels to defend Romney?

***
Let me get this straight.  In Romneyland, Governors are not to take credit for what they are doing in their states to lower unemployment without saying it would be even better under Romney.  This is absolutely disgusting because no one knows how it would be under Romney -- it could be worse as he has to placate his huge donors to keep them happy.

This confirms rumors of what has been going on in the House with any bills that will add jobs to the economy that are being stalled by Republicans.  Heard sometime ago from several sources the stalled bills were to help Romney in the November election.  In fact Senator Inhofe (R-OK) inferred that in a recent interview with The Oklahoman on the Transportation bill stalled in the House.  Some members of the House Republicans don't seem to care it hurts the American people who are looking for jobs or small businesses.  The mantra seems to be we have to defeat Obama and elect Romney at any cost.  The sad part is that it doesn't just seem to be rhetoric but what some in the House believe.

When you base your whole campaign on a bad economy like Romney has and then it starts to turn around, you have a problem because you have no issue left.  Does that mean Romney and Republicans want the economy to tank so he can get elected?  It sure looks that way.  Are the big Romney donors like Adelson and the Koch Brothers going to try and tank the economy more between now the election since they have pledged to spend over $100,000,000 in the Koch Brother's case and whatever it takes by Adelson to defeat Obama and install Romney as President.  They are not hiding the fact they are attempting to buy the election.  That is not the Republican Party I know but frankly maybe I don't know this Republican Party who will say and do anything to get Romney elected.

The very idea that the Romney campaign wants Gov Scott of Florida to downplay economic gains when he is working hard to turn his state around is all you need to know about Mitt Romney.  His lack of caring about individuals shows up in the fact he seems to want a bad economy with no job growth until he takes office.  How can Republicans support such a strategy when some people have been out of work for a very long time?  Shouldn't we be touting job growth in the states to show what Governors can do and why Washington needs to quit meddling in State Government.  When I use the term Washington I not only mean the President and that goes for any President but also the Congress who has lost touch with the American people.

Rick Scott is trying to give hope to the people of Florida and along comes the Romney people basically telling him to only tout the economic gains on Romney terms.  The same Romney who won't campaign with Scott in Florida wants to tell him what to do.  I don't know what Scott is going to tell the Romney surrogates but I know what I would tell them -- Mind Your Own Business!

Romney campaign said to ask Scott to downplay economic gains 

By Michael C. Bender, Updated: Thursday, June 21, 7:29 AM Bloomberg 

June 21 (Bloomberg) -- Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign asked Florida Governor Rick Scott to tone down his statements heralding improvements in the state’s economy because they clash with the presumptive Republican nominee’s message that the nation is suffering under President Barack Obama, according to two people familiar with the matter. 

Scott, a Republican, was asked to say that the state’s jobless rate could improve faster under a Romney presidency, according to the people, who asked not to be named. 

What’s unfolding in Florida highlights a dilemma for the Romney campaign: how to allow Republican governors to take credit for economic improvements in their states while faulting Obama’s stewardship of the national economy. Republican governors in Ohio, Virginia, Michigan and Wisconsin also have highlighted improving economies. 

Scott should follow the advice of the Romney campaign and it won’t undermine his own message, said Mac Stipanovich, a political strategist and lobbyist in Florida. 

“This is one of those situations where you could have it both ways and there’s enough truth in it that it would resonate,” Stipanovich said. “It would be better if everybody was singing from the same hymnal.” 

(snip) 

Romney hasn’t campaigned with Scott, a first-term governor, whose approval rating is 39 percent, according to a poll yesterday from Quinnipiac, in Hamden, Connecticut. That’s down from 41 percent on May 24. 

Romney’s staff has concluded there’s no benefit in appearing with Scott, said two campaign advisers who asked for anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter.
The state Republican party ran a television ad in March crediting Scott, who is a year and a half into a four-year term, for drops in the unemployment rate. 

“Companies are hiring, expanding, putting more Floridians to work,” the ad narrator said. “Florida’s unemployment rate continues to get better.” 

Excerpt:  Read More at the Washington Post

Why are people turning into pretzels to support Mitt Romney?  As I was told, Romney is an example of  a robber baron of the Industrial Revolution and that is not a compliment.  Young people, in particular, are turned off by Romney with his arrogance, comments and agenda as they are not sure what he really believes as he flip flops so much.  When Romney decided to go after teachers, police, fire, and civil service, a lot of people have started questioning a multi-millionaire elitist who attacks the working class like they contribute nothing.  Do you remember when Romney said he was 'unemployed' while he is getting millions in a golden parachute every year part of which he keeps offshore in the Cayman's and in a Swiss bank account?  That same person is attacking certain jobs of the middle class yet there are crickets chirping out of Republicans and their pundits.

Someone please tell me why the establishment elites of the Republican Party backed Romney for President helping him take out other Republicans with some of the most negative ads ever.  Was it because they were short on money and figured Romney and his friends would fund the RNC, the convention, and the campaign?    On that note, how much money has been donated to the RNC that is over the allowed amount that will have to be returned since big donors don't believe rules apply to them and the RNC wants to tout a huge fundraising month?

In 2008, the Democrats were bought and paid for by Wall Street, Soros, and Big Business who wanted more bailouts and friendly rules to make them wealthier.  After two years of getting what they want, Obama goes after Wall Street and they now support Romney which is all you need to know about Mitt Romney who is now the 'darling' of Wall Street.  They don't give huge bucks to a campaign without expecting payback as we saw with Obama and the bailouts/stimulus.

I am with Senator McCain -- corporations are not people and should not be allowed to donate any more then the average person who is not wealthy.  The millionaires/billionaires of this Country have made a mockery out of this election as it turns into the election of the dueling elites.  Although if you look at which campaign is bringing in a lot of small donations, it is Obama as only 13% of the smaller donors to the other candidates of the GOP Primary have given to Romney or the RNC which speaks volumes about the lack of support for Romney from the grassroots.  The attacks on our candidates were so far over the top that it made a lot of us decide that under no circumstance would we support Romney or the RNC in 2012.

BTW, word came out yesterday that Newt Gingrich is returning the Adelson money.  It also came out that Santorum will NOT serve in a Romney cabinet.  Speaks volumes when you already hear some Republicans saying they are looking to run in 2016.

Is this another Republican throw-away election like 1996 and 2008.  If it is, the people in charge need to be fired and sent to the unemployment line because this time they have risked the future of the Republican Party with arrogance and underhanded tactics to hand Romney the nomination.

Gary Johnson: Be Libertarian With Me!

This messages comes from Gary Johnson, the former Republican Governor of New Mexico, who after two terms really did balance the budget and cut Government. He has a track record on the economy that should have been on display in the debates but thanks the RNC, he was not included except for two. Was it because he had a real record on the economy as Governor?

There are issues I don't agree with the Libertarians, but frankly I don't like what I am seeing out of the Republicans and Democrats with big government ideas no matter who is in charge. Like many Americans, I am willing to take a look and see where Gov Johnson stands because Obama and Romney do not represent me even a little. 

Now the issue is Executive Privilege which was claimed by Clinton 14 times, Bush six times, and now by Obama. After Holder providing the House Committee over 7,000 pages of documents, that is not enough. Bring back the special prosecutor and get politics out of investigations on both sides of the aisle. Wouldn't turn my hands for the difference as investigations have become more important then getting the people back to work and the deficit reduced. 

The good news is that Sen Boxer (D-CA) and Rep Mica (R-FL) are making progress on the Transportation bill -- finally both sides are working together on the bill for the good of America. The question of the day is will they actually accomplish an agreement that both sides can support?  Certainly hope that is the case.  More people are starting to ask the simple question f we have money to fix roads and bridges in other countries, why not in America? How about putting America first for a change which seems a foreign idea to many on the left and the right as both sides try to score political points?

Time to take America back from the career politicians who got us in this mess.  Neither party can say they were not part of this economic collapse -- both have a share of the blame by spending too much money by Congress and the President over the last eight years without regard to balancing the budget and cutting programs as members of Congress have their sacred programs that you will not cut.  

Then we have the infamous tax cuts that we now learn favored the wealthy big time with 13-14% income tax rate available to those involved with Wall Street.  As we are now learning from both parties, the devil is in the details and it is not a pretty sight.  Both parties declare they want transparency but neither are willing to bite the bullet to give the American people that transparency as we are seeing with this election.  

When did you think you would hear that an obvious political committee organized under the 501c4 section of the tax code, like Crossroads GPS would call itself a “social welfare organization” and doesn’t have to disclose its donors so it doesn't?  What a bunch of Bravo Sierra -- "social welfare organization" -- not even close -- it is purely political.  But then one of the founders of Crossroads GPS, Karl Rove, is still stiffing the House on his subpoena issued by the House over the firing of the US Attorneys.  President Bush declared Executive Privilege but he wasn't involved.  Rove after leaving the White House under a cloud starts two organizations raking in 100's of millions to defeat Obama and Democrats for Congress.   

Ethics in politics has gone the way of the dinosaur with all the big money trying to buy an election first in 2008 and now in 2012 -- time for the American people to speak out they have had enough.  Maybe it is time for a third party to rise from the ashes of two short sighted national parties who put PARTY ahead of what is good for all of America.

Texas Governor's Mansion Almost Complete After Arson Fire

What started out as a long needed renovation project in October 2007 took on new meaning when an arsonist set fire to the front portico in June 2008 that did massive damage.  Not long after the arsonist’s attack, First Lady Anita Perry established the Texas Governor’s Mansion Restoration Fund, a non-profit organization whose goal was to raise funds to totally renovate the Mansion after the fire.  The legislature contributed millions to the effort as well.  Now the move back into the Mansion is under way!

As you can tell by this picture, the damage to the Mansion by arson was extensive.  Fortunately all the valuable items from the Mansion had been moved into storage with the renovation under way.   There was no one in residence at the time of the arson fire as the Perry's had already moved out for the renovation.


Governor and Mrs. Perry will be moving back into the Governor's Mansion near the end of July.  The Governor's Mansion stands as a proud symbol of the Great State of Texas.

Historic Furnishings Begin Move Back to Governor’s Mansion as Project Nears Completion

Wednesday, June 20, 2012 • Austin, Texas

As the massive restoration of the Texas Governor's Mansion nears completion, pieces from the historic Governor's Mansion Collection are being moved back into the home. Owned and curated by the non-profit Friends of the Governor's Mansion, the collection was removed when the deferred maintenance project started in October 2007. The return of the collection marks the first stage of the move phase of the Governor's Mansion restoration. The first family is expected to move back into the Governor's Mansion, the home of 40 Texas governors, when the project is completed late next month. "The historic Texas Governor's Mansion has been a symbol of Texas pride and resilience for decades, and now as its restoration nears completion, we enter a new chapter in its history," Texas First Lady Anita Perry said. "Returning these important pieces to their rightful place in the Governor's Mansion brings us one step closer to completing the restoration of this Texas treasure, which is one of the cornerstones of our state's rich heritage."

The Governor's Mansion Collection is composed of historic state-owned pieces that have been in the Governor's Mansion and museum-quality American antiques dating back to the earliest years of the state's history, including the bed used by Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin's writing desk and portraits of Gov. and Mrs. Pease, who was in office when the Governor's Mansion was built in 1856. The collection also includes the Governors' Memento Collection, a tradition started in the l960s by Texas First Lady Jean Houston Daniel. Additionally, last week, historic large chandeliers were installed throughout the first floor.

What began as a deferred maintenance project of the Governor's Mansion in October 2007 became a major restoration effort following a massive fire set by an unidentified arsonist in June 2008. The restoration has been made possible by nearly $3.5 million in private donations and a $21.5 million appropriation by the Texas Legislature.

No arrest has been made in the arson case at this time. The Texas Department of Public Safety has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the arsonist. Anyone with information related to the Texas Governor's Mansion arson is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 252-TIPS (8477) or the State Fire Marshal's Arson Hotline at (988) 252-8477.

For more information about the status of the Governor's Mansion Restoration, please contact the State Preservation Board at (512) 463-5495.

Read more about the Texas Governor's Mansion.

Some Super PAC Donors Have Corporate Bribery Issues

There is a reason this site has changed names to include Republicans because now it is both parties trying to buy the Presidency for their own purposes so they can continue to get even wealthier and regulations go the way of the dinosaur which makes them more money.  Looks like in this election the big money is on Romney to give them more breaks and to allow them to get even wealthier while paying low taxes and shipping jobs overseas.

Watchdogs fear that a future administration, brought to power by these donors, could drop investigations, appoint or hire opponents of FCPA enforcement at the Justice Department and the SEC, or otherwise shift the focus away from FCPA.

"Administrations can set priorities," said Bill Allison, the Sunlight Foundation's editorial director. "They can lower the priority of going after Foreign Corrupt Practices prosecutions. They can spend less on investigations, less on oversight. And they can just send the message that our priorities are this, this and this, and Foreign Corrupt Practices [enforcement] isn't one of them." 

Not shocked to see this article because the rumors have been out there for some time on some of these investigations which are aimed at huge donors of both parties.  Adelson and the Koch Brothers can scream witch hunt all they want but we heard the same from Rupert Murdoch when the story in London broke about News Corp.  First of all agencies don't waste money tracking down unfounded rumors.  IOTW where there is smoke, there is usually fire. 

In this instance the Koch Brothers fired a group of employees overseas which I guess they thought would make the issue of bribes go away.  Since they openly admit they will spent $100,000,000 to put Romney in office you have to wonder how much that has to do with the charges pending against them.  Will Romney reward his big donors with getting these investigations stopped and make any charges disappear just like Obama made sure his donors made out like bandits with the stimulus?  Unfortunately, believe that is exactly what will happen. 

Was disgusted when George Soros tried to buy the election in 2004 by defeating President Bush and electing John Kerry.  He got his President in 2008 with Obama but he didn't get everything he wanted so he is not on board this time.  Like spoiled brats who don't get their way so the take the ball and go home.

Koch Brothers don't believe in unions or the minimum wage.  We are not talking public service unions but regular unions.  What would manufacturing look like without a minimum wage and unions.  We would be back to the days where workers were treated like slaves to do the bidding of the owners.  I am certainly not a big union supporter but the Koch Brothers have gone way too far in what they want for America taking us back in time to where the middle class had a hard time making ends meet while owners of businesses were making huge profits. 

It is obvious the Koch Brothers don't value the middle class as evidenced by their comments and using a multi-millionaire as their candidate to buy this election.  They believe their millions are the answer to everything.  Romney is not a strong individual and would be in their hip pocket to do their bidding.  He would be so afraid that they would turn on him, he would do what they said.  Anyone who flip flops all the time is subject to being a puppet of the wealthy donors. 

We have seen it with the first two years of Obama when he was beholding to big donors.  He decides to step outside the box and go after Wall Street.  What happens?  The the big donors from Wall Street dump Obama and go to their next pigeon Mitt Romney.  The group that caused this financial disaster hasn't made enough money so now they want one of their own, Mitt Romney, to make sure they continue to get even more wealthy.  He is one of them -- no additional teachers, police, fire, and cut government workers along with regulations but no cuts to programs that favor the wealthy.  Those programs are off limits like DoD contracts where billions are made.

Wish I could say it was only the Presidency that was For Sale but it is Congress as well as big donor groups like the Koch Brothers and Crossroads spend millions on ads for Senate seats.  They spin and sometimes lie in the ads to make their candidates look better.  Many of the large donors hide behind groups like Crossroads that do not have to disclose donors. 

It is time for the American people to rise up and demand transparency in all elections -- make everyoine play by the same rules.  It is obvious that donors need rules because after Citizens United the ordinary person has little say in this election except with our vote.  Big donors are keeping the GOP and Romney afloat because of the 600,000 donors to all the GOP campaigns out of those who gave less than $200 only 13% have given to Romney.   Romney has the big donors all lined up to help him buy the Presidency but the 87% of us who gave to other candidates all have votes which far out number his large donor base. 

Republican small donors are speaking with their checkbooks against Romney so now it is time to speak out with our voices against a man who has bought this primary election with irregularities in state after state along with State Conventions.  When you cheat to win and then act like a juvenile with your campaign having your bus driving around an Obama speech site honking, that person is not ready for prime time and certainly not ready for President. 

Now we learn that big donors to Super PACs have bribery issues.  Who would have thought they were not honest?  (sarcasm)

Paul Blumenthal
paulblumenthal@huffingtonpost.com
Sheldon Adelson, Other Super PAC Donors Have Corporate Bribery Issues

Posted: 06/18/2012 3:38 pm Updated: 06/18/2012 4:52 pm

WASHINGTON -- A federal law to prevent U.S. companies from paying bribes to business overseas recently came to the forefront when The New York Times reported that Walmart officials had covered up alleged bribes made by company representatives in Mexico. The retail giant faces federal investigation for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Wealthy individuals connected with Walmart have meanwhile taken advantage of new campaign finance rules that allow for unlimited contributions -- and raise fears of unlimited influence over a future administration.

Jim and Alice Walton, children of the founder of Walmart, have contributed $200,000 each to Restore Our Future, the super PAC supporting Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign. Jim Walton sits on the board of Walmart, and both owe their place near the top of the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans to their stake in the company.

The Waltons are not alone among super PAC donors with businesses facing FCPA investigation. At least three other major contributors currently have FCPA worries, and others may be looming. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, another big-money campaign spender, continues its lobbying to loosen enforcement of the anti-corruption law.
Campaign finance watchdogs warn that limitless contributions to super PACs today could influence future priorities at the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, where FCPA investigations originate.

"You've got a whole business community that wants to exercise whatever it takes to maximize their profits," said Craig Holman, Public Citizen's government affairs director. "These are the types of people who want to weaken oversight that would govern fair business practices."

The most notable of the super PAC donors with FCPA concerns is Sheldon Adelson, international casino magnate and eighth richest person in the United States.

Adelson and his family have already contributed $21.5 million to a super PAC that supported Newt Gingrich's presidential bid, $10 million to the pro-Romney super PAC and $5 million to a super PAC with close ties to House Republican leadership. A recent Huffington Post report found that he had given or promised to give $71 million to both super PACs and nonprofits spending money in the 2012 election.

The billionaire's business, Las Vegas Sands Inc., faces three FCPA investigations into casino operations in Macau, China.

Those investigations center on allegations made by the former Sands China chief executive officer, Steve Jacobs, that payments were made by company representatives in Macau to government officials and deals cut with members of the Chinese mafia known as the Triads.

(snip)

Oil tycoons Charles and David Koch, who have promised to spend no less than $100 million to defeat President Barack Obama and place Romney in the White House, have similar legal concerns. Their company, Koch Industries, is under investigation for potential FCPA violations. The company has already fired a host of employees from the European subsidiary involved in the alleged payments to officials in Africa, India and the Middle East.

The computing company Hewlett-Packard is under investigation for alleged payments made by former employees to help a German subsidiary expand into Russia. CEO Meg Whitman and her husband combined to give $200,000 to the pro-Romney super PAC.

Romney supporters are not the only big-money donors with FCPA troubles. While it is not a full-blown investigation, the SEC has opened an inquiry into whether Hollywood studios could be involved in making payments to gain access to the lucrative Chinese movie market, according to CNN Money. One of those studios is DreamWorks, whose CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has contributed $2 million to Priorities USA Action, the super PAC backing President Barack Obama's reelection, and has raised at least $500,000 for the president's campaign committee.
(snip)

Excerpt:  Read More at Huffington Post and view more of the large donors trying to buy this election