POLITICALPYRO CONTRIBUTORS

Tincture of Lawlessness
Obama’s Overreaching Economic Policies

By George F. Will
Thursday, May 14, 2009

Anyone, said T.S. Eliot, could carve a goose, were it not for the bones. And anyone could govern as boldly as his whims decreed, were it not for the skeletal structure that keeps civil society civil — the rule of law. The Obama administration is bold. It also is careless regarding constitutional values and is acquiring a tincture of lawlessness.

In February, California’s Democratic-controlled Legislature, faced with a $42 billion budget deficit, trimmed $74 million (1.4 percent) from one of the state’s fastest-growing programs, which provides care for low-income and incapacitated elderly people and which cost the state $5.42 billion last year. The Los Angeles Times reports that “loose oversight and bureaucratic inertia have allowed fraud to fester.”

But the Service Employees International Union collects nearly $5 million a month from 223,000 caregivers who are members. And the Obama administration has told California that unless the $74 million in cuts are rescinded, it will deny the state $6.8 billion in stimulus money.

Such a federal ukase (the word derives from czarist Russia; how appropriate) to a state legislature is a sign of the administration’s dependency agenda — maximizing the number of people and institutions dependent on the federal government. For the first time, neither sales nor property nor income taxes are the largest source of money for state and local governments. The federal government is.

The SEIU says the cuts violate contracts negotiated with counties. California officials say the state required the contracts to contain clauses allowing pay to be reduced if state funding is.

Anyway, the Obama administration, judging by its cavalier disregard of contracts between Chrysler and some of the lenders it sought money from, thinks contracts are written on water. The administration proposes that Chrysler’s secured creditors get 28 cents per dollar on the $7 billion owed to them but that the United Auto Workers union get 43 cents per dollar on its $11 billion in claims — and 55 percent of the company. This, even though the secured creditors’ contracts supposedly guaranteed them better standing than the union.

Among Chrysler’s lenders, some servile banks that are now dependent on the administration for capital infusions tugged their forelocks and agreed. Some hedge funds among Chrysler’s lenders that are not dependent were vilified by the president because they dared to resist his demand that they violate their fiduciary duties to their investors, who include individuals and institutional pension funds.

The Economist says the administration has “ridden roughshod over [creditors’] legitimate claims over the [automobile companies’] assets. . . . Bankruptcies involve dividing a shrunken pie. But not all claims are equal: some lenders provide cheaper funds to firms in return for a more secure claim over the assets should things go wrong. They rank above other stakeholders, including shareholders and employees. This principle is now being trashed.” Tom Lauria, a lawyer representing hedge fund people trashed by the president as the cause of Chrysler’s bankruptcy, asked that his clients’ names not be published for fear of violence threatened in e-mails to them.

The Troubled Assets Relief Program, which has not yet been used for its supposed purpose (to purchase such assets from banks), has been the instrument of the administration’s adventure in the automobile industry. TARP’s $700 billion, like much of the supposed “stimulus” money, is a slush fund the executive branch can use as it pleases. This is as lawless as it would be for Congress to say to the IRS: We need $3.5 trillion to run the government next year, so raise it however you wish — from whomever, at whatever rates you think suitable. Don’t bother us with details.

This is not gross, unambiguous lawlessness of the Nixonian sort — burglaries, abuse of the IRS and FBI, etc. — but it is uncomfortably close to an abuse of power that perhaps gave Nixon ideas: When in 1962 the steel industry raised prices, President John F. Kennedy had a tantrum and his administration leaked rumors that the IRS would conduct audits of steel executives, and sent FBI agents on predawn visits to the homes of journalists who covered the steel industry, ostensibly to further a legitimate investigation.

The Obama administration’s agenda of maximizing dependency involves political favoritism cloaked in the raiment of “economic planning” and “social justice” that somehow produce results superior to what markets produce when freedom allows merit to manifest itself, and incompetence to fail. The administration’s central activity — the political allocation of wealth and opportunity — is not merely susceptible to corruption, it is corruption.

Thanks 2 George F. Will and The Washington Post

Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac GM is Dead:

The Hon. James David Manning dedicates a song to the dying century-old automobile industry giant General Motors. This message comes from The Manning Report Monday, 30 March 2009.

OBAMA WANTS TO DESTROY AMERICA

While doing my job the other day, a co-worker and I began a conversation about our economy. Since the subject was brought up by my co-worker, I let them speak at length… with me just adding an occasional, yeah, uhuh, right… you get the idea. The basic premise that was being put forth by my co-worker is that ~deep breath~ Obama, has really at this point done nothing for the average American worker… now I stress WORKER and not potential or current governmental employee.

What he has done is implemented a bunch of government projects that in some cases end, and in others, produce things that only our government wants or has determined in the best interest of OUR country. You can not export clean air regulated by a government. You can not produce a product that other countries don’t want and for that matter, CARE ABOUT in the first place.

Prime example is nuclear energy. France is the leader in nuclear powered energy. WHY? Because it is cheaper, more efficient and yes… CLEANER than all other energy combined. But here, in the states, we care about the environment, and government regulations make it prohibitive for private industry to even TRY! TO EVEN TRY to produce a more efficient, cleaner way.

Now follow me if you can… If America could find a better way to produce nuclear power, that would be something that other countries would want, NOT GREENER CARS!

Its like the stupid freak n Superconducting Super Collider that they (United Stateds of Pork Gut Spending), started building out there in… what the hell what it… Waxahachie, Texas. After billions and billions of tax payer money and thousands of empty jobs the project was put on hold.

What am I saying… this is what I’m saying. America needs to be producing something other then government mandated jobs and start putting money back into the private sector for real long term job creation that will produce products that the rest of the world wants to buy. We do not need any more governmental regulations that mandate that government money should produce a government product that is only viable in freak’n America.

And another thing… I don’t want me or my children and their children and their children’s, children to own any house that is not theirs. I do not want to take part in a multi-billion dollar bailout of every ass that bought a house they know that they could not afford. Not my responsibility pal. I look at it like this… Every one of us who had enough common sense, and did not buy something beyond our means is being punished for being prudent, cautious… or knowing that 1+1 will never equal anything but 2.

Thats enuff for now….

Now its MANNING TIME!

787 Billion Dollar Voodoo Bill:

Yuri Bezmenov, a KGB agent who defected in 1970, said in an interview 24 years ago that it only takes a few weeks to create a crisis severe enough that people will be willing to give up some of their freedoms to combat the crisis.

It only took the Democrats and their cronies 16 weeks to create the economic melt down crisis, but let’s go back and look at the recent crises we have faced, and think about the freedoms each one has cost us.

Terrorist Attacks; War on Terror; Global Warming Crisis; Energy Crisis; Economic Crisis; We have all willingly given up some of our freedom to combat these crises.

Our National Security and Economic Security is laid out on a table with three legs — and like the old folding card tables, a catch can be released to collapse one or all of the legs by those who are hell bent on becoming the “Elite Ruling Class” of a Socialist One World Government.

The next crisis we will face is a world-wide food shortage. I’m not a fortune teller, but can see this in Obama’s stated “Tax Policies” and “Agriculture Policies”: Look at some of the restrictions in New York and a few other states which already prevents OWNERS of the land from haveing animals or growing food crops. Obama’s team is talking about a carbon emissions tax on every animal that naturally eats and farts.

I guess it will soon mean if you go into the woods and kill wild game, you will be charged the greenhouse gas tax before you can consume the animal.

Wake up and piss people, the world’s on fire, and only “We The People” not “They the Politicians” can put it out.

(PS — Yeah, Terry, in case you missed it, at the end of the blog I did mean Piss on the politicians.)

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Related posts…

Destroyed From Within: America’s Final Days of Freedom

World Economic Meltdown is Good For Terrorists~Militant Groups

Republicans stood fast yesterday and denied the ‘Big Three’ a taste of the government teat. This action could be the result of months where democrats and their political infrastructure ~Unions… UAW and the like~ beat the drum loud and clear about how this economy was “the worst, Republicans fault” and all the rest of the blame that democrats hoisted upon their shoulders… and now, as a last dying gasp, Republicans can really take the blame for something that actually did alone.

With not supporting this ‘bailout’ of the Big 3, Republicans can put the Obama presidency in a hole, and deal a serious blow to the unions that support Democrats and their candidacies in an unprecedented manner for years. In addition to this when it all goes south after the new congress votes to give the Big 3 the money, Republicans can say ‘we told ya so’.

Either way… I say no to the bailout or any type of loans. Question… What do we do if they can’t repay the loan? Do we make the auto industry a government entity? Do you remember the Yugo? That was a government owned auto industry, and it was the worst car ever produced on the face of the earth. Oh, but thats right, we as Americans can just throw a few tens of billion of tax payer dollars at it and make it better. The American tax payer gets nothing but the bill.

The unions have to be addressed, just like when making any kind of energy program for the US, nuclear has to be on the table and at the center just as the unions and their financial drain on the auto industry as a whole should be.

With all the robotics and automation in the auto industry it is hard to justify a guy who sits at a computer and watches a screen for $80 bucks and hour… we could train a monkey to do that. I’m all for any person making as much as the market will bear.

If we want an auto industry in the US then the MARKET and not the union must set wages.

Good Job Republicans.

(more…)

Ford CEO Will Give Up Salary if Rescued…

What a bunch of crap. What, are we going to restructure his multi-million dollar mortgage as well.

I am so tired of these fucks. I’m sorry about the language, this has now gone into the fucking pitiful zone.

Hey, I got an idea Mr CEO, pack the shit in your office and get the fuck out! And that ‘Golden Parachute’ you had structured before you said you work for a dollar and forgo your bonus… Its now a tax payer ‘Golden Shower’.

Here is the rest of the story… better grab yourself a hanky.

Ford CEO Will Give Up Salary if Rescued
By TOM KRISHER and KIMBERLY S. JOHNSON, AP

DETROIT (Dec. 2) - Ford Motor Co. will tell Congress that it plans to return to a pretax profit or break even in 2011 when the Detroit Three automakers’ CEOs appear before lawmakers this week to request $25 billion in government loans.

Ford CEO Alan Mulally said he’ll work for $1 per year if the company has to take any government loan money.

After grilling the CEOs at hearings last month, Congressional leaders demanded plans from the automakers by Tuesday to show that they will survive if they get federal funds. The plan Ford submitted said the company will cancel all management employees’ 2009 bonuses and will not pay any merit increases for its North American salaried employees next year.

The company also said it will sell its five corporate aircraft. The CEOs of all three Detroit automakers were harshly criticized during last month’s hearings for flying to Washington in separate corporate jets. Mulally and GM Chief Rick Wagoner said they will travel this time by car. Chrysler LLC chief executive Robert Nardelli will not travel by corporate jet, but a spokeswoman declined to elaborate on his travel plans, citing security reasons.

Mulally said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday that Ford will give much more detail to Congress than it did previously, and the company will emphasize the steps it has taken to cut its labor costs with the United Auto Workers union.

Mulally said Ford will seek $9 billion as its share of the loan money but may not need to use it. The Dearborn-based company has said it has enough cash to make it through next year without assistance.

As part of the plan submitted to Congress, Ford said it does not anticipate a liquidity crisis in 2009, “barring a bankruptcy by one of its domestic competitors or a more severe economic downturn that would further cripple automotive sales.” The loan would provide a safeguard against worsening conditions, the company said.

The company said it will accelerate plans to roll out electric vehicles as part of its plan.
“We are going to do that across our product line,” Mulally said in the interview.
The first plug-in vehicle will be a Transit Connect small van for commercial use in 2010 and a car the size of the Ford Focus compact the following year.

Ford also said it will accelerate plans for hybrid gas-electric vehicles.
Mulally said he will encourage automakers and parts suppliers to join forces to develop new battery technologies in the U.S. for future electric cars so the country doesn’t rely on foreign batteries.

“I think we learned a lot from that experience,” Mulally said in the interview, adding that the CEOs were there last time to discuss the progress of the industry, not a plan for viability.
Ford’s new plan is 32 pages long, plus an appendix, and it includes much detail that was lacking during the first visit.

The company says its plan to achieve profitability or break even by 2011 is based on industrywide sales estimates of 12.5 million units in 2009, 14.5 million in 2010 and 15.5 million in 2011. The seasonally adjusted annual sales rate dropped to 10.6 million vehicles in October.

Ford shares rose 25 cents, or 9.8 percent, to $2.80 in midday trading. Ford’s plan said it will reduce its number of dealers by 606 to 3,790 by the end of the year. It will also trim the number of major sourcing suppliers it uses to 750 from 1,600.

Ford reiterated its intention to offload Volvo, by either selling the Swedish automaker or spinning it off into a separate company. Since 2007, Ford has sold its Jaguar, Aston Martin and Land Rover lines. It also sold most of its stake in Mazda.

“We don’t want to trade oil for batteries,” he said.
Ford’s plan calls for an investment of up to $14 billion to improve fuel efficiency over the next seven years. The company said would improve the overall efficiency of its fleet by an average of 14 percent in 2009.

The CEOs of the Detroit Three are scheduled to appear before congressional committees Thursday and Friday. Chrysler LLC and General Motors Corp. have said they are perilously low on cash and need the government loans to survive the recession and the worst auto sales environment in 25 years.

GM and Chrysler were to submit their plans to Congress later in the day.
The CEOs were skewered on their first visit in November, when lawmakers criticized them for high labor costs and products that aren’t competitive with foreign automakers.