Tuesday, August 24, 2010

The Inequity of Compensation for Victims of 9/11 and that of our fallen Soldiers

By Rush Limbaugh

Love him or loathe him, he nailed this one right on the head...

 
I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving our country in Uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either, because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11. Well, I can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country. If you lost a family member in the September 11 attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million..

If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable. Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt.

Keep in mind that some of the people who are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough.  Their deaths were tragic, but for most, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Soldiers put themselves in harms way FOR ALL OF US, and they and their families know the dangers..  (Actually, soldiers are put in harms way by politicians and commanding officers.)

We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11 families are getting. In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for compensation as well.

You see where this is going, don't you? Folks, this is part and parcel of over 50 years of entitlement politics in this country. It's just really sad. Every time a pay raise comes up for the military, they usually receive next to nothing of a raise. Now the green machine is in combat in the Middle East while their families have to survive on food stamps and live in low-rent housing. Make sense?

However, our own US Congress voted themselves a raise. Many of you don't know that they only have to be in Congress one time to receive a pension that is more than $15,000 per month. And most are now equal to being millionaires plus. They do not receive Social Security on retirement because they didn't have to pay into the system. If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an

E-7, they may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed them in harm's way receives a pension of $15,000 per month.

I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting.

"When do we finally do something about this?" If this doesn't seem fair to you, it is time to forward this to as many people as you can.
 

How many people CAN YOU share this with?

Posted by Roy Downing on 08/24 at 08:15 AM
ARP General • National Security • Defense/Military • (1) Comments • Permalink

Thursday, August 19, 2010

UK Office of Fair Trading says no to pay day rate cap

Pay day loans laws – specifically capping rates – is nothing new to American political theater. Yet not all nations are so quick to cap the payday loan; they allow the wheels of the free market economy to dictate price. The Guardian indicates that the UK's Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has opted not to place a rate cap on the nation's payday loan industry, as doing so would harm competition and inflate prices for short-term consumer credit.

Article Source: UK Office of Fair Trading says no to pay day loans rate cap

Payday loan system imperfect, but working 'reasonably well'

Access to easy loans and other forms of consumer credit that fall under the general payday loans no faxing banner is essential for credit-constrained consumers. Determining the price the market will bear is what becomes of such openness, says the OFT. While the OFT admits that improvements can be made to the way the current paydayloans market works, it nevertheless functions "reasonably well". This manner of thinking has not been proven popular with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Financial Inclusion Centre and charity group Debt On Our Doorstep, but the OFT has trudged on. Within the interests of balance, the OFT did suggest that the UK pay day industry would most certainly benefit from a uniform code of conduct to bring violating stragglers into line.
 

Finance and Lending Association agrees with OFT decision

The association's Head of Consumer Finance, Fiona Hoyle, assured The Guardian that any form of payday loans no faxing rate control "would have adverse unintended consequences for consumers, including for the cost and availability of credit". Hoyle sees it as advisable that governments follow the OFT's lead on rate caps, borrowing some of the logic shown within the recent U.S. Dartmouth University Study on their associated detriments; leave them be and consumers can benefit when payday loan outlets can garner reasonable profits.

Simply clamping down isn't really the answer

Marie Burton, financial services specialist at the consumer group Consumer Focus – which operates independently from the personal loan company industry – told The Guardian that the OFT has exposed just how hard it is to both promote competition and help drive down consumer cost. It may be the ideal, but the UK payday loan industry nevertheless has some road to travel before arriving at that goal. Pulling banks and credit unions into competition by encouraging them to offer low-cost, low-hassle payday loan products would be most ideal for the free market, although banks and credit unions have failed at this before, considering America's example.

Sources

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/jun/15/doorstep-lenders-interest-rate-cap/

Posted by Benjamin on 08/19 at 05:24 AM
Permalink

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

The Dallas Solution

I have a friend who is president of his homeowners association in the Dallas , Texas suburbs.  They were having a terrible problem with litter near some of his association's homes.  The reason according to my friend is that six very large, luxurious new houses are being built right next to their community.

The trash was coming from the Mexican laborers working at the construction sites and included bags from McDonald's, Burger King and 7-11, plus coffee cups, napkins, cigarette butts, coke cans, empty bottles, etc.  He went to see the site supervisor and even the general contractor, politely urging them to get their workers not to litter the neighborhood, to no avail.  He called the city, county, and police and got no help there either.

So here's what his community did.  They organized about twenty folks, named themselves The "Inner Neighborhood Services" group, and arranged to go out at lunch time and "police" the trash themselves. It is what they did while picking up the trash that is so hilarious.

They bought navy blue baseball caps and had the initials "INS" embroidered in gold on the caps.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand what they hoped people might mistakenly think the letters really stand for.

After the Inner Neighborhood Services group's first lunch time pickup detail, with all of them wearing their caps and some carrying cameras, 46 out of the total of 68 construction workers did not show up for work the next morning -- and haven't come back yet.

It has been ten days now.

The General Contractor, I'm told, is madder than hell, but can't say anything publicly because he could be busted for hiring illegal aliens.  My friend and his bunch can't be accused of impersonating federal personnel, because they have the official name of the group recorded in their homeowner association minutes along with a notation about the vote to approve formation of the new subcommittee -- and besides, they informed the INS in advance of their plans, and according to my friend, the INS said basically, "Have at it!"

SO, FOLKS, I THINK YOU COULD SAY THAT TEXAS INGENUITY TRIUMPHS AGAIN!

Reminder: Don't forget to pay your taxes....... 12 million illegal aliens are depending on you.

No apology for sending this!!! After hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Spanish - enough is enough. Nowhere did they sing it in Italian, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German or any other language because of immigration.  It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written. The news broadcasts even gave the translation -- not even close.  I'm NOT sorry if this offends anyone because this is MY COUNTRY - IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY SPEAK UP -- please pass this along.  Come through like everyone else. APPLY FIRST - Get a sponsor; have a place to lay your head; have a job; pay your taxes, live by the rules AND LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have in the past -- and GOD BLESS AMERICA!

PART OF THE PROBLEM
Think about this: If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending someone -- YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM!  It is Time for America to Speak up. No wonder California is in such financial trouble!

Yep, I passed it on!

Calling an illegal alien an 'undocumented immigrant' is like calling a drug dealer an 'unlicensed pharmacist.'

Posted by Roy Downing on 08/04 at 12:14 PM
ARP General • (1) Comments • Permalink

Sunday, August 01, 2010

Antichrist For President 2012?

A little over a year ago, we learned what many of us had suspected: Michael Shane Margolin has expressed interest in running for president again in 2012. After the new president was announced, Margolin and a few of his church's representatives recounted discussing the matter but nothing official has been set up,

"A spoken word artist under the name The Mad Poet and High Priest of his own church, Reverend Michael S. Margolin, ran for the US presidency in 2008 when he announced his candidacy on an interview with Bob Ferguson with a well thought out campaign agenda."

Excerpt from the defunct http://www.antichristforpresident.com website:

Hello America,

If you will do me the honor of making me your next President I promise to take care of domestic affairs before granting any more foreign aid. I also promise to uphold the post at a 1/4 pay of what the current President makes. My agenda is as follows:
  1. Concentrate on domestic affairs before giving any more foreign aid, review and reduce foreign aid that is being given now, redirect that aid to address domestic issuses. 

  2. Cut the pay of all Politicians in half and as an act of good faith I will take a three quarters pay cut to show that I am a President for the people and by the people not corporations and private enterprises. Furthermore, all Federal employees will no longer be exempt from contributing to Social Security. 

  3. I promise to drastically reduce income taxes for citizens that make less than $40,000 a year per family house hold and abolish taxes for house holds that have an annual income tax of less than $20,000. 

  4. An affordable and efficient Health care system for all American citizens. 

  5. Carefully and calculatingly bring our troops home with minimal jeopardy to the goals achieved by all their sacrifices, not only in Iraq but also in Afghanistan and Korea. 

  6. End all Sanctions against Cuba and work toward a long and prosperous friendship for both countries. 

  7. Improve foreign relations by supporting diversity of culture, belief, and political rule, no matter how much it may differ from our system, cultures, belief. 

  8. Continue to finance Space exploration and technologies, general sciences and all aspects of the medical fields to further and improve the standard of living for all American citizens and Americans to come. 

  9. Ensure that the federally funded education systems are affordable for all ages of students and become the best in the world. 

  10. Create a check and balances system to ensure this government becomes and stays a government for the people and by the people. To start make the office of the President only achievable by popular vote not the Electoral College which I will abolish. 

  11. Review and repeal sanctions on religions. Mormons will have the legal right to be polygamists, as well as Muslims and any other religion that allows it. Homosexuals will be granted the same marriage rights as heterosexuals. The use of Sacraments of all religions shall be protected by federal law this includes Wine, Hashish, Marijuana, Salvia Divinorum, Peyote' as well as many others. Any religion that does not support "Freedom of religion" shall lose it's tax exempt status.
 
  In ending I'd like to say I am just as poor as Abraham Lincoln was when he ran for President but just as hard working. Please do not let my humble beginnings blind you from making this country a better place for all American Citizens.

  Thank you for your time.
 
  Sincerely
  Rev. Michael S. Margolin
  Baphomet Rex 666
  H.P. and founder of the Sinagogue of Satan

  In retrospect, the agenda is interesting he also stated not too long ago  “I asked him about the whole 2012 doomsday thing and he jokingly said, ‘Hell, let's do Antichrist for President 2012, that should get everyone going”

  The author has himself wondered if 2012 is good to run a campaign where nearly most of the population believes that the end of the world is coming. Readers, any thoughts on 2012 vs. 2016? How about his campaign run in 2008?

      Prepared and paid for by the supporters of Antichrist For President.

Posted by M.A. Sotelo on 08/01 at 03:37 AM
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Friday, July 30, 2010

Support Third Party Candidates

With another election day closing in, I would like you to consider the following so that we may not waste the opportunity before us. Most Americans now realize our elected officials lack the managerial skills needed to run our government, and one needs to look no further than the recent comment made by more than a few politicians to come to this conclusion. “We don’t get time to read all the bills”.

In recent years organizations like the Tea Parties, the 10^th Amendment foundation, etc, have formed in an attempt to stop the incompetence of those of whom we have placed our trust. These groups formed with different purposes such as protecting our constitution, stopping the growth of government, voting out an incompetent congress, Governor or assembly. The organizations are important and they have accomplished a lot of good in their short existence. The only shortcoming I find with these organizations is that the majority of their members continue to vote for the root of the problem that led to their existence in the first place, Democrats and Republicans.

One must keep in mind that the Democrat and Republican parties are run by the wealthy. Both parties spend millions of dollars every year in an attempt to mislead you into thinking that their candidate’s best understand our trials, struggles and hardships. In addition, the Democrat and Republican propaganda machine would like you to believe that they are responsible for all things good in America.  Nothing could be further from the truth. Do not let them steal the credit for what you, the hard-working citizens of this country have accomplished. It is the hard-working American people who have made America what she is.

For years now, many competent Independent and Third Party candidates with excellent leadership and managerial skills have had no chance of winning elections. Because they do not represent the interest of the wealthy and many are lacking in funds, it is difficult for them to get their message to the people. They just don’t have the resources to fight the propaganda machines of the Democrat and Republican parties. The Democrat and Republican parties have the money to blitz our doorstep with their candidate’s promotional material. They will drown the independent voice with their ability to spend in newspaper and television ads as well.

America needs common sense citizen representation, not party representation. I highly suggest that you use the power of the vote wisely. If you have an independent or third party candidate running for office in your town or state or for federal office, give them serious consideration. Chances are you will discover a common sense citizen with excellent leadership skills who understands your daily trials and is willing to fight for your well-being, not the well-being of his or her particular party. 

If we were able to place just 25 to 30 independent candidates in congress, you would see both Democrats and Republicans scrambling to do right by the American People. I’d be willing to bet they’d even start reading the bills before casting a vote. Job security is something Democrats and Republicans, like us, can relate with.

So this November, let’s take advantage of the special gift given to us by the founding fathers, and elect competent, hard-working leaders that truly represent citizens, not politicians who represent the two-headed monster, the Democrat and Republican parties. Your town, state and country desperately need real leadership. Be a part of real change sending a message to Washington, by offering your support and vote to the independent and third party candidates. 

Submitted & Written bY...Dan Sexton

Posted by Americam Reform Party on 07/30 at 01:21 PM
ARP General • Banking & Finance • Election & Campaign Reform • (0) Comments • Permalink