Jobs, job creation, our economy

THOUGHTS FOR IMPROVING OUR ECONOMY AND PUTTING PEOPLE TO WORK

It’s early on a Sunday afternoon.  I’ve spent the morning watching the television news programs, listening to the wonderful situations of the world. It’s not just the USA that is having economic difficulties, it is a global problem.

I lived in Germany for a number of years.  Traveling around Europe I was amazed at the number of electricity producing wind turbines covering the countryside. I found them beautiful and awe inspiring.

Have you seen the video about solar roads? If you haven’t, check this YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlTA3rnpgzU

We have the technology for wind turbines and the technology for the solar road is here.

How many jobs would be created if both of these industries expanded in a quick and efficient manner. Imagine the number of roads across this country that could be resurfaced with solar panels, the infrastructure that would be updated, the workers manufacturing the solar panels, the electricians needed to install them.  We would be rid of the unsightly power wires hanging across the country and have them hidden underground.  We would put people to work doing the prep work, heavy equipment operators and truckers. We would build updated bridges. Information technology experts programing and operating the infrastructure. More students seeking this education.

Wind technology is already here and functioning. We would need to build more, more jobs, more installers, more jobs.  Both options are green technology.

We could put the unemployed middle eastern people to work using the sand to make the glass needed for the solar panels. Hm, more work, less time to worry about radical religion and a way to feed and house one’s family.

One estimate of government subsidies for fossil fuel from 2013-2022 is $160,430,000,000.

http://www.taxpayer.net/library/article/green-scissors-report-2012#Fossil

In 2010 the US Government spent $11,873,000,000 on electricity production subsidies.

http://www.eia.gov/analysis/requests/subsidy/

These are only two samples of subsidy monies.  If our government would shift the focus to solar and wind we could enjoy a boom.  The petroleum and coal industries have all the employees they need.  They are not hiring many now. Those employees could continue to work to provide energy for automobiles and supplement power supplies.

Alas, the petroleum and power industries provided $133,136,896 lobbying our congress for 2014.

You can check this site to see where campaign contributions are going. 

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/

For 2013-2014, John Boehner (R-OH) received $590,939 in campaign contributions from the Oil & Gas lobbyists.

For 2013-2014, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) received $0.00 from Oil & Gas.

For 2013-2014, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) received $250,288 from Oil & Gas.

For 2013-2014, James Clyburn (D-SC) received $0.00 from Oil & Gas.

For 2013-2014, Mitch McConnell (R_KY) received $830,058 from the Oil & Gas lobbyists. 

For 2013-2014, Harry Reid (D-NV) received $110,850 from Oil & Gas.

For 2013-2014, Dick Durbin (D-IL) received $0.00 from Oil & Gas

For 2013-2014 , John Cornyn (R-TX) received $1,273,756 from Oil & Gas.

For 2013-2014, Paul Ryan (R-WI) received $213,874 from Oil & Gas and $30,400 from Koch Industries.

These Republicans received $3,158,915 from Oil & GAs, the Democrats received $110,850. Who do you think is going to support the wishes of Oil & Gas?

With just these nine examples from the House and Senate one can see who is beholden to the Oil & Gas industry for helping their campaigns.

We, as voters and rightful leaders of our government need to tell our Congressional representatives where we want our money spent. Do we want Oil & Gas money spent to maintain the lifestyles of our politicians or do want money spent to employ our citizens and save our lifestyles?

Dan Page, Ferguson, MO, St Louis, MO

Sgt Major Dan Page of the St. Louis County Police Department presented a talk. It was a painful diatribe to which to listen. It lasted form more than an hour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1XA_yW7Z5OM

A few of the things I noted were:

He claims that the President is not the Commander-in-Chief unless war has been declared, and then only of the Army and Navy, because that is what is mentioned in the Constitution. It’s odd that he interprets this phrase as literal, without considering that in 1787 when the document was signed, there was no Marine Corps or Air Force. Article II, Section 2 states that the President is C-in-C when the military is called into actual service of the US. The active duty military is always in service to the US.

He claims that the Constitution is based on Christian principles as described in Isaiah 33:22, “For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us.”

He said that his Creator is Jesus Christ. I know I have lapsed in my church attendance, but I recall learning that God created me and Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  The timing seems to be off. As so many Christians claim that they follow Christ’s teaching they keep quoting the Old Testament, i.e. the Jewish Bible (Torah). Isaiah is a book in the Old Testament.  Here are four new testament entries that say we should set aside the old law for the new.  Matthew 22:27-40, 1 John 5:3-4, Galatians 3:23-25 and Ephesians 2:14-16.

He claimed that there is a new proposed constitution that will repeal all our rights and freedoms. This constitution can be found at: 

http://www.sweetliberty.org/issues/concon/newstates.htm#.U_jtKkvA0-Y 

It appears that this document was authored by Col. Arch E. Roberts:

http://www.youbethejudgeandjury.com/col_archibald_roberts.htm

He states that former Supreme Court Justice John Stevens wants to change the Bill of Rights. He does want to change some of the amendments, but as a liberal I don’t have a problem with his suggestions.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/04/21/justice-stevens-supreme-court-constitution-book/7872695/

As a retired Command Sgt Major he referred to a Seal as being in the Army.  Even I know Seals are a Navy organization.

He states that four of the Supreme Court Justices are sodomites and makes various other homophobic statements. 

Presidential vacations during crises

For those who believe that Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush were blameless while on vacation, read this:

After the Russians shot down a Korean Air Lines plane in 1983.

When asked if Reagan would be returning to Washington, Speakes said he would not.

"There are no plans for the president to return to Washington earlier than anticipated," he said. The president "has every facility, every capacity, every capability to do, perform any function that he could perform in Washington."

About eight hours later, Speakes called the reporters together again and announced that Reagan would return to Washington, D.C., the next day, Friday.

http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2014/jul/21/kate-obenshain/did-reagan-really-rush-back-dc-after-korean-plane-/

On 03 July 1988 the USS Vincennes shot down an Iranian Air Lines passenger plane killing 300 people.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/3/newsid_4678000/4678707.stm

Reagan was at Camp David 01-04 July 1988.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ President Reagan said he was saddened Sunday that the U.S. Navy had accidentally shot an Iranian airliner out of the sky, but said he would not cut short his July Fourth holiday weekend.

''We don't expect him to come back early,'' White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said.

http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1988/Reagan-Says-He-s-Saddened-by-Downing-of-Iranian-Airliner-With-AM-US-Iran-Bjt/id-b35c3ae2a00a7cacbd49d5dd5056ac68

George W. Bush stayed at his Crawford ranch until two days after Katrina swamped much of New Orleans.

George W. Bush spent 487 days at Camp David and 490 in Crawford, TX, a total of 977 days or 33% of his total time in office. He used Air Force One 77 times going to Crawford at a cost of $226,072 for each trip (Total $17,407,544 on 2000 dollars). That is $24,084,479 in 2014 dollars.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Justice: the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness

Moral: of, pertaining to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right

conduct, or the distinction between right and wrong; ethical

Tranquility: quality or state of being tranquil; calmness; peacefulness; quiet; serenity

Defense: something that is used to protect yourself, your country, etc

Welfare:  the state of being happy, healthy, or successful

Liberty:   the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and      privileges

Our politicians campaign on renewing the American Dream.  What is the American Dream?

Here is mine. I want to be able to live in my home, pay the mortgage/rent, pay my bills, and have enough money to be able to enjoy some niceties of life.  Maybe dinner out, a movie or even a vacation. I want to be able to drive or walk down the street without fear of personal injury or threat.  I want safe drinking water and air. I want to be able to afford health care without the fear of going broke.  

I want to be able to work at a job I like and be compensated with a living wage. I don’t necessarily want to pay taxes, but I’m willing to pay my fair share in order to enjoy the protections provided by the government. I want education for my children and my neighbors’ children.  I want everybody to have a place to live and enough food that they don’t go hungry. I want those men and women who have sacrificed their lives and health to protect the freedoms we all expect, the ability to receive the care and support they deserve.

I want the politicians we elect to represent each and every one of us. My needs and desires may be different than yours but I want our politicians to give the same consideration to my wishes as he/she does yours.

I want to live my life in a manner that makes me happy as long as my happiness doesn’t infringe on another’s.

CONSERVATIVE ISSUES

1. Government must be downsized

• who protects our water and air
• who provides the health and safety issues we’ve come to expect
• who promotes education that is equal for all
• who attempts to provide us from fraud and abuse by greedy entities

2.  The national budget must be balanced

• where do we decrease spending or
• how do we increase government income
• do we decrease benefits or
• do we cut wasteful spending

3.  Deficit spending must end

• do we avoid caring for our vets
• do we continue to pay for defense items we don’t need
• do we continue government subsidies to private industry
• do we continue to allow corporations and the wealthy loopholes for tax liability

4.  Reducing personal income taxes is a must

• The Constitution allows for the government to levy taxes
• how does the government provide the services we expect without income
• how does the government pay Boeing, Halliburton and other defense contractors
• how does the government continue to pay subsidies to private industry without money

5.  Reducing business income taxes is mandatory

• the corporate tax rate is 39.6%
• Boeing paid a negative 2% over the past five years
• General Electric paid a negative 9% over the past five years
• Goldman Sachs paid 23% over the past five years
• I paid 17.165% on my retirement income 

6.  Intrusive government must be stopped

• repeal the Patriot Act
• follow the Bill of Rights, avoid subjective interpretations of same
• take religion out of the government

7.  Traditional family values are encouraged

• who or what defines ‘family values’
• Conservative Christians, Moderate Christians, Westboro Baptist church members 
• Phil Robertson, the Pope, The National Jewish League
• what is traditional for me may not be traditional for you, if my values don’t 

harm you, why do you care

LIBERAL ISSUES

1. Putting Americans back to work

• return jobs from overseas outsourcing
• providing tax incentives to small businesses to hire
• increasing the minimum wage to allow for better income and way of life
• encouraging education and making it less difficult to afford education

2.  Cutting waste, reducing the deficit, asking all to pay their fair share

• instated pay-as-you-go budget rules
• tax cuts to those who make less than $250,000 a year
• reform tax codes
• close loopholes that favor corporations and the wealthy

3.  Economy built to last

• invest in renewable energy sources and decrease dependence on fossil fuels
• support long term investments in infrastructure
• encourage math and science education to improve global competition
• encourage competitive and commensurate pay

4.  Wall Street reform

• hold Wall Street executives accountable for crimes committed
• reform banking laws to protect the consumer
• reform lobbying regulations to prevent influence on legislators

5.  Protecting rights and freedoms

• limit interpretation of the Bill of Rights to objective versus subjective criteria
• remove religion from government
• educate the populace on The Constitution and Bill of Rights
• insure equality in allowing these rights and freedoms for every person

6.  Ensuring safety and quality of life

• maintain the health and safety protections provided by the government
• fund infrastructure programs to insure the safety of our roads, bridges, water and utilities 
• reform the tax structure to provide equity between income and expenses
• continue to provide benefits to the homeless, the hungry and others in need

7.  Advancing universal values

• rather than depending on any one religious doctrine, let’s go with “Love your God with all of your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself.”
• support our constitutional rights without exception
• to abide by The Constitution…establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for common defense, promote general Welfare, and secure the Blessing of Liberty.

SOMETHING ABOUT WHICH TO THINK

I know I’m too liberal for many.  I’ve attempted to outline the basic values of the two major sides of our political issues.  Please just take a look and read.  I’ve taken the listed values from the Tea Party website and the Democratic Party platform website.

The commentary is my own and with it I’m attempting to clarify the differences I see between the two choices.

I’ve loved my job and career and can’t imagine having spent my life doing anything else. I really don’t begrudge others for what they make.  I do wonder about how decisions are made about what a person’s service is worth.

The median salary for a teacher in the US is $55,820 a year or $26.83 an hour.

The median salary for an RN in the US is $65,470 a year or $31.47 an hour.

Teachers are responsible for the education of our children.  They frequently provide parenting and guidance as well when parents are neither available nor interested in their children.  Nurses care for our sick and injured offering support, care, empathy, they hold a hand when the patient is scared or nervous, they wipe a brown when one is feverish.

The McDonald’s worker provides our breakfast, lunch or dinner when we’re in a hurry.  Usually they are pleasant and helpful.  They work there because they need jobs, not because of the wages they get paid.  They know they’re not going to get rich, but they need to feed and house themselves and their families. Their median wage is $10.58 an hour.

The Wal-Mart cashier helps us save money. They must deal with the public.  Sometimes the customer is pleasant, sometimes not. The median hourly wage for a Wal-Mart employee is $10.77. They don’t take the job at Wal-Mart to get rich.  They want to feed and house themselves and their families.

Michael Duke, CEO of Wal-Mart makes $11,129 an hour.

James Skinner, CEO of McDonalds makes $4,591 an hour.

Randall Stephenson, CEO of AT&T makes$12,500 and hour.  His employees’ median wage is $32.74 an hour.

Michael Duke, James Skinner and Randall Stephenson can all afford to pay lobbyists to promote their agendas. Joe Smith at McDonalds and Amy Jones at Wal-Mart can’t afford to hire a lobbyist to promote their agendas.

It is up to us, the voters, to make a difference in what happens in Washington. We need to inform our law makers where our priorities lie. Is it more important for Randall Stephenson to buy another Rolls Royce or another house in the Hamptons or Joe Smith at McDonalds to be able to feed, house, and educate his family?  Maybe even allow for a trip to Disney World.

I’m not advocating socialism, just a bit less disparity between the rich and poor. 

These are the things that are pissing off Boehner. All Constitutional!

EXECUTIVE ACTIONS, MEMORANDA AND ORDERS

Executive Actions: 

Executive actions are any informal proposals or moves by the president.But most executive actions carry no legal weight. Those that do actually set policy can be invalidated by the courts or undone by legislation passed by Congress. A good way to think of executive actions is a wish list of policies the president would like to see enacted.

Executive Memoranda:

Executive memoranda are similar to executive orders in that they carry legal weight allowing the president to direct government officials and agencies. 

Executive Orders:

Executive orders help officers and agencies of the executive branch manage the operations within the federal government itself. Executive orders have the full force of law[1] when they take authority from a power granted directly to the Executive by the Constitution, or are made in pursuance of certain Acts of Congress that explicitly delegate to the President some degree of discretionary power (delegated legislation). Like statutes or regulations promulgated by government agencies, executive orders are subject to judicial review, and may be struck down if deemed by the courts to be unsupported by statute or the Constitution. Major policy initiatives usually require approval by the legislative branch, but executive orders have significant influence over the internal affairs of government, deciding how and to what degree laws will be enforced, dealing with emergencies, waging war, and in general fine policy choices in the implementation of broad statutes.

http://uspolitics.about.com/od/Gun-Control/a/Executive-Actions-Versus-Executive-Orders.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_order

The Tea Party believes that corporate income tax should be eliminated. What? They're getting refunds!

A truer statement has never been made.  “The government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.”  Where have things gone wrong?

We have regulatory agencies directed to protect the people from monopolies and unfair pricing practices. They are failing. They are allowing corporations to merge and remove competition from the marketplace.

Our Constitution protects everyone and provides rights to all. Our politicians are being paid by lobbyists to influence legislation favoring business. They pass tax legislation that allows corporations making billions in profits to not pay any income tax.  They allow corporations to move off-shore to shelter them from tax liability. They allow corporations to move jobs off-shore to avoid paying American wages thus increasing their profits.

The administration is requesting $302B for the highway trust fund.  If the below corporations paid their taxes, didn’t get returns and their bails-out, there would be an additional $2,579,988,000,000 (Trillion) available for the government to protect the people.

Corporate Income taxes:  The Following corporations and their profits, taxes, refunds, etc.

GE, BOEING,VERIZON, BANK OF AMERICA, CITIGROUP, PFIZER,  FEDEX, HONEYWELL ,MERCK, CORNING.

TOTAL PROFITS:      $121,200,000,000 (Billion)

TAXES PAID:             $                         0

REFUNDS:                 $    8,843,000,000 (Billion)

OFF-SHORE             $ 302,300,000,000 (Billion)

IF PAID TAXES          $   43,345,000,000 (Billion)

FED BAIL OUT         $2,527,300,000,000 (Trillion)

CEO COMP                $        486,200,000 (Million)

The Justice department just voted to take the constitutional rights away from over 16,000 people to allow the David Green Family their right to freed of religion.  This is not protecting the people.  This is protecting one family.

How is the government protecting the people? The Republican and Tea Party politicians are running the lives of the American people.

Corporations became person in 1947, not with the Constitution.

BURWELL V HOBBY LOBBY STORES, INC.

http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/13pdf/13-354_olp1.pdf

On page 18 of the Supreme Court opinion states that “it included corporations within RFRA’s (1993) definition of ‘persons.’”

On page 19 they quote the Dictionary Act:

Under the Dictionary Act, “the wor[d] ‘person’ . . . include[s] corporations, companies, associations, firms, partnerships, societies, and joint stock companies, as well as individuals.”   US Code - Section 1: Words denoting number, gender, and so forth

This title was enacted by act July 30, 1947.

In the United States, federal laws are subordinate to the United States Constitution but preempt state and local laws. Federal law that conflicts with the U.S. Constitution is invalid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Code

Congress undertook an official codification called the Revised Statutes of the United States approved June 22, 1874, for the laws in effect as of December 1, 1873. Congress re-enacted a corrected version in 1878. 

The first incorporation of a business occurred in 1813.

The Constitution was signed in 1787, 26 years before the first business was incorporated.

The Dictionary Act was enacted in July 1947.

The RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act)  was enacted in 1993.

The founding fathers were unaware of what a corporation was so it makes sense that they would not have included corporations as persons. Therefore, a person, as mentioned in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights would not be defined as anything other than a single, living, breathing, sensate entity.

Federal laws are subordinate to the US Constitution, therefore, the inclusion of corporations, etc as persons is invalid and should not be entitled to the rights guaranteed in the Constitution.