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December 29, 2008
December 1, 2008
Markets in Free Fall Again?
After a week of Obama picking his economic advisors, Monday had the shocking announcement the economy has been in a recession since December 2007. Since investors apparently just got the memo, today had a huge drop in stock prices. Just a side not, if investors are getting their information from a organization that takes a year to decide if a recession happened, investors have a real common sense problem here. I wonder what they will tell us a year from now... Barack Obama was elected president, and Sarah Palin was never qualified to be nominated?
How much worse will this crisis get?
Daily Kos Users polled on Monday night, think the Dow will drop below 6500 [http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/12/1/193527/513/940/668264].
PS
Today, George Bush in an interview on ABC News said his biggest failure during his presidency was the intelligence failure leading up to Iraq.... You would think he would regret not stopping the 9/11 attacks. No, it was the failure that exposed him for being for being a deceptive fool. Not the inaugural failure of the Bush Administration.
How much worse will this crisis get?
Daily Kos Users polled on Monday night, think the Dow will drop below 6500 [http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/12/1/193527/513/940/668264].
PS
Today, George Bush in an interview on ABC News said his biggest failure during his presidency was the intelligence failure leading up to Iraq.... You would think he would regret not stopping the 9/11 attacks. No, it was the failure that exposed him for being for being a deceptive fool. Not the inaugural failure of the Bush Administration.
Time to Rethink our National Drug Policy
Is it time to end the drug war once and for all? Is it time America takes a more educated approach to the issue? Young Adults are dying in our country, while Europe takes a more logical approach to fighting the problem of drug abuse. The War on Drug's have not produced the outcomes Reagen promised in the 80s, yet we still are basing our nations policy on the issue on his initial plan. After the jump, I discuss two articles published in the past week about Heroin use in Switzerland and Virginia, and their vastly different results.
I read an article this week how Switzerland has addressed the Heroin epidemic in their nation. While once they had hundreds of Heroin addicts shooting up in their parks, overdosing, and creating an unsafe environment, they now have ended the problem. Today, an addict can go to a doctor’s office and shoot-up in a safe environment, with a doctors approved dosage. Not only does this result in a safe environment, it takes the crime aspect of acquiring the drug out of the equation, and gets these addicts into a safe environment to try and address the issues they face, why they use drugs to begin with. The Swiss, as do most industrialized, modern nations, have national health care, where the government will pay for health insurance if the individual cannot afford it. So with the government’s money, they are actually addressing the issue of drug abuse, instead of fighting it as an invisible enemy.
[Article on Switzerland's new Policy]
Contrary, in our nation, the Washington Post published a story last week about how Heroin has become an epidemic in Virginia’s Suburban High Schools. Ignoring the probably CIA connections to the location and demographic, there is no disputing the "drug war" has failed. Alicia Lannes, 19, overdosed for the 4th time, and died, in March. Her friends didn’t call the police at first, but called friends to try and help her, afraid of getting in trouble themselves. Eventually they placed an anonymous call to report her unconscious state. She was dead when the paramedics arrived. This is far from an isolated situation.
"Alicia Lannes's death was one of 18 related to heroin in Fairfax County this year, many involving people between 18 and 24 years old, and it prompted a joint police and FBI investigation into how the hard-core drug has permeated the wealthy suburb and killed young users." [Washington Post]
If Barack Obama brings one sweeping change to our nation, it should be a reworking of our nations Drug Policy. The racist and deadly drug policy America has been using for the past 30 years needs a radical change. With our economy already in turmoil, the majority of the world wanting to liberalize restrictions on Marijuana, the Pharmaceutical Companies rampant hypocrisy and deceptive marketing of their drugs, the time is ripe for a real change.
The truth about the world’s Drug Trade is far to complicated and convoluted for the average American to understand or believe, but the real life stories of how this effects the average American family is what is needed to educate the population how a real Change needs to occur.
If after Alicia’s first overdose, she were able to go to a doctor’s office and address her addiction, be given safe Opium/Heroin, speak with doctors about it, and address her issue, she would be alive today. Instead due to our illogical, profit driven, embarrassing drug policy, this 19-year-old is DEAD, along with millions of others who have died or who are in jail for crimes that only affected their own life. Lets hope the Obama Administration addresses this issue as urgently as we address the economic crisis and the wars, because in the end, they are all the same problem.
I read an article this week how Switzerland has addressed the Heroin epidemic in their nation. While once they had hundreds of Heroin addicts shooting up in their parks, overdosing, and creating an unsafe environment, they now have ended the problem. Today, an addict can go to a doctor’s office and shoot-up in a safe environment, with a doctors approved dosage. Not only does this result in a safe environment, it takes the crime aspect of acquiring the drug out of the equation, and gets these addicts into a safe environment to try and address the issues they face, why they use drugs to begin with. The Swiss, as do most industrialized, modern nations, have national health care, where the government will pay for health insurance if the individual cannot afford it. So with the government’s money, they are actually addressing the issue of drug abuse, instead of fighting it as an invisible enemy.
[Article on Switzerland's new Policy]
Contrary, in our nation, the Washington Post published a story last week about how Heroin has become an epidemic in Virginia’s Suburban High Schools. Ignoring the probably CIA connections to the location and demographic, there is no disputing the "drug war" has failed. Alicia Lannes, 19, overdosed for the 4th time, and died, in March. Her friends didn’t call the police at first, but called friends to try and help her, afraid of getting in trouble themselves. Eventually they placed an anonymous call to report her unconscious state. She was dead when the paramedics arrived. This is far from an isolated situation.
"Alicia Lannes's death was one of 18 related to heroin in Fairfax County this year, many involving people between 18 and 24 years old, and it prompted a joint police and FBI investigation into how the hard-core drug has permeated the wealthy suburb and killed young users." [Washington Post]
If Barack Obama brings one sweeping change to our nation, it should be a reworking of our nations Drug Policy. The racist and deadly drug policy America has been using for the past 30 years needs a radical change. With our economy already in turmoil, the majority of the world wanting to liberalize restrictions on Marijuana, the Pharmaceutical Companies rampant hypocrisy and deceptive marketing of their drugs, the time is ripe for a real change.
The truth about the world’s Drug Trade is far to complicated and convoluted for the average American to understand or believe, but the real life stories of how this effects the average American family is what is needed to educate the population how a real Change needs to occur.
If after Alicia’s first overdose, she were able to go to a doctor’s office and address her addiction, be given safe Opium/Heroin, speak with doctors about it, and address her issue, she would be alive today. Instead due to our illogical, profit driven, embarrassing drug policy, this 19-year-old is DEAD, along with millions of others who have died or who are in jail for crimes that only affected their own life. Lets hope the Obama Administration addresses this issue as urgently as we address the economic crisis and the wars, because in the end, they are all the same problem.
November 19, 2008
America's Unspoken Dark Side: The CIA Drug Trade
To begin, secret government activities need secret and sometimes illegal source of funds. An illegal trade like drugs has the potential for huge profits. The drug trade also is one of the largest parts of the cash economy, estimated at over 1/5 of all cash transactions. From the High School kid buying a $20 bag of weed to the big city dealer buying $50,000 of coke, these cash transactions help the economy by increasing the transfer of wealth from one person to the next. With the international drug trade, huge exports of drugs from one nation leads to foreign, corporate investment in the nation. If a drug cartel has $100,000,000 in cash from a large deal, they do not put this money in a vault, they invest it by opening a Wal-Mart or Home Depot in their nation.
The CIA has been rumored for years to help facilitate this trade. With the "Big Brother" security abilities our intelligence agencies have today, it would be easy for the drug trade to grind to a stop pretty quickly. From monitoring cell phone calls to tracking known dealers, the ability to end the drug trade would be fairly easy in our modern society. The government has no desire to do this though, because the economy and the CIA funding would dry up.
An ex-acquaintance of mine who was a heavy pot smoker introduced me to his dealer, who was arrested numerous times, yet never spent a day in jail. His father was a top investigator in the local police force. He admitted to me that he works as an informant for the local police department. If someone wants to buy a large amount, he reports it, otherwise, the police do not take further actions. They do track each person who this dealer has dealings with by monitoring his phone, but no criminal action is taken. The most curious part of the story was his source of his marijuana. After buying from shady dealers for years, he was put in touch with a "police approved" supplier. So with the police’s full knowledge, this dealer buys drugs, and sells them to the public, with no action being taken. I have heard similar stories from individuals from across the nation.
I know many will think this is just a tin-foil hat conspiracy theory, and I admit, I have no indisputable proof of the government/CIA complicity in the drug trade. There have been numerous known CIA airplanes that have crashed with massive amounts of Cocaine. Past "drug wars" during the 80s never had the effect of lessening the drug usage in America, but eased the flow of drugs in most cases. Many people "in the know" have discussed the secret CIA involvement in the drug trade, but other then the Internet, a great deal hasn’t been discussed or published about it.
Barack Obama appears to have no deep connections to this drug trade or people who have made their livelihoods from it. Will he investigate these covert actions? Will he legalize some drugs while having an actual war on other drugs? With a president who appears to care more about the truth then protecting his buddies, The Obama Administration could be transformative for the Dark Side of America and its secret actions.
The CIA has been rumored for years to help facilitate this trade. With the "Big Brother" security abilities our intelligence agencies have today, it would be easy for the drug trade to grind to a stop pretty quickly. From monitoring cell phone calls to tracking known dealers, the ability to end the drug trade would be fairly easy in our modern society. The government has no desire to do this though, because the economy and the CIA funding would dry up.
An ex-acquaintance of mine who was a heavy pot smoker introduced me to his dealer, who was arrested numerous times, yet never spent a day in jail. His father was a top investigator in the local police force. He admitted to me that he works as an informant for the local police department. If someone wants to buy a large amount, he reports it, otherwise, the police do not take further actions. They do track each person who this dealer has dealings with by monitoring his phone, but no criminal action is taken. The most curious part of the story was his source of his marijuana. After buying from shady dealers for years, he was put in touch with a "police approved" supplier. So with the police’s full knowledge, this dealer buys drugs, and sells them to the public, with no action being taken. I have heard similar stories from individuals from across the nation.
I know many will think this is just a tin-foil hat conspiracy theory, and I admit, I have no indisputable proof of the government/CIA complicity in the drug trade. There have been numerous known CIA airplanes that have crashed with massive amounts of Cocaine. Past "drug wars" during the 80s never had the effect of lessening the drug usage in America, but eased the flow of drugs in most cases. Many people "in the know" have discussed the secret CIA involvement in the drug trade, but other then the Internet, a great deal hasn’t been discussed or published about it.
Barack Obama appears to have no deep connections to this drug trade or people who have made their livelihoods from it. Will he investigate these covert actions? Will he legalize some drugs while having an actual war on other drugs? With a president who appears to care more about the truth then protecting his buddies, The Obama Administration could be transformative for the Dark Side of America and its secret actions.
November 8, 2008
Working Together for a Better Tomorrow. Let's keep the citizenry engaged!
Now that election season is over, the nation is slowly going back to normal life. I worry that in a few weeks, the nation will become complacent again and forget about the challenges and the needed change that we all were so deeply engaged in for the past few months. A strong democracy happens not only from a strong leader, but an engaged and informed citizenry. This is OUR responsibility!
The United States of America face numerous challenges in the upcoming months and years. Rebuilding our reputation from the extreme damage the Bush Administration has done is the most pressing. Will Russia hold the same disdain for an Obama Administration as it held for the current one? Will Obama end the NATO expansion in Eastern Europe? Is a rebuilt international reputation possible without addressing the crimes committed in the previous administration? Will we be able to tell another nation not to torture or invade another nation when our leaders did the same with immunity?
With a recession, and the potential of a deep depression, creating a more sustainable economy that lets our nation prosper needs to be accomplished in the next few months. An economy built on credit is doomed to failure, but so many powerful interests depend on this type of economy. Will an Obama Administration be able to address these two diverging interests? Should we be reexamining our monetary policy?
Getting America off oil is a long term, but vital mission that needs to be undertaken. Will Obama be able to direct the country towards an ethanol based energy infrastructure? Or are the Oil interests to powerful to allow this to happen?
Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, China, Russia, Venezuela, Columbia all needs a new type of diplomacy to stabilize the world powers. From Darfur to Zimbabwe, Africa needs to be addressed in a more direct way, more then just giving them AIDs vaccines.
I feel that Barack Obama understands these issues, but does the average American fully understand the issues at play today? They realize we face huge problems, but do they grasp the enormity of it all? In this time of transition, I feel it is all of our responsibilities, to help educate the American population of the problems the world and our nation face today. A fully engaged public can help direct the government to address the issues that are vital to our future, but have been downplayed and disregarded throughout the Bush Administration, and even previous administrations.
Let’s help make this new age of "Change" the time that history looks back and says this is the point when mankind moved past the age of distraction and petty politics and worked towards the betterment of mankind. Lets end the age of Lewinsky, OJ, Gay Marriage, and Abortion and move towards a future where ending world hunger and extreme poverty, stopping unnecessary war, and improving all of our lives are the headlines of our newspapers and what is discussed around the water cooler.
Lets work together to make a better tomorrow. It is OUR responsibility!
The United States of America face numerous challenges in the upcoming months and years. Rebuilding our reputation from the extreme damage the Bush Administration has done is the most pressing. Will Russia hold the same disdain for an Obama Administration as it held for the current one? Will Obama end the NATO expansion in Eastern Europe? Is a rebuilt international reputation possible without addressing the crimes committed in the previous administration? Will we be able to tell another nation not to torture or invade another nation when our leaders did the same with immunity?
With a recession, and the potential of a deep depression, creating a more sustainable economy that lets our nation prosper needs to be accomplished in the next few months. An economy built on credit is doomed to failure, but so many powerful interests depend on this type of economy. Will an Obama Administration be able to address these two diverging interests? Should we be reexamining our monetary policy?
Getting America off oil is a long term, but vital mission that needs to be undertaken. Will Obama be able to direct the country towards an ethanol based energy infrastructure? Or are the Oil interests to powerful to allow this to happen?
Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, China, Russia, Venezuela, Columbia all needs a new type of diplomacy to stabilize the world powers. From Darfur to Zimbabwe, Africa needs to be addressed in a more direct way, more then just giving them AIDs vaccines.
I feel that Barack Obama understands these issues, but does the average American fully understand the issues at play today? They realize we face huge problems, but do they grasp the enormity of it all? In this time of transition, I feel it is all of our responsibilities, to help educate the American population of the problems the world and our nation face today. A fully engaged public can help direct the government to address the issues that are vital to our future, but have been downplayed and disregarded throughout the Bush Administration, and even previous administrations.
Let’s help make this new age of "Change" the time that history looks back and says this is the point when mankind moved past the age of distraction and petty politics and worked towards the betterment of mankind. Lets end the age of Lewinsky, OJ, Gay Marriage, and Abortion and move towards a future where ending world hunger and extreme poverty, stopping unnecessary war, and improving all of our lives are the headlines of our newspapers and what is discussed around the water cooler.
Lets work together to make a better tomorrow. It is OUR responsibility!
September 17, 2008
Dear Government, Bail Me Out!
Dear Government,
I have had a tough past couple years. I didnt do a good job planning my personal finances... things didn’t turn out the way I was hoping.
Can I get bailed out?
I have debt! I have a falling credit rating! I have bills to pay soon or else things will get really bad...
George Bush, can you bail me out?
Henry Paulson, can I be bailled out?
Governor, can I receive a bail out?
I’ll promise not to waste money in the future.
And I only need a few thousand dollars to get me through the next few months, then I have a feeling things will start looking up.
So, can you get my back this month, ok?
I’ll pay you back when things turn around.
Promise.
Thanks,
The American People
I have had a tough past couple years. I didnt do a good job planning my personal finances... things didn’t turn out the way I was hoping.
Can I get bailed out?
I have debt! I have a falling credit rating! I have bills to pay soon or else things will get really bad...
George Bush, can you bail me out?
Henry Paulson, can I be bailled out?
Governor, can I receive a bail out?
I’ll promise not to waste money in the future.
And I only need a few thousand dollars to get me through the next few months, then I have a feeling things will start looking up.
So, can you get my back this month, ok?
I’ll pay you back when things turn around.
Promise.
Thanks,
The American People
How Deep Does the Financial Crisis Rabbit Hole Go?
Lots of people have lost and will lose lots of money as a result of the financial industry collapsing. Very simply, it was caused by loans being given to people who wouldn’t be able to fulfill the terms. This was made possible by deregulation, low interest rates, and creative financing tools created by the largest banks. The results have been foreclosed homes and falling home worth, a collapsing financial system, and an economy facing days not seen in most of our lifetimes.
Several companies, like investment banks, helped make all this possible. One of these companies had a Chief Executive, who made out with over $500 million dollars in 2006 alone. In 2005, he was the highest compensated Chief Executive. While this CEO was running Goldman Saches, they were involved in some of the most risky of the all the loans, the most heinous, the type that helped create this mess. This guy got out of Goldman well before the collapse.
Today, he is in charge of the Treasury, Henry Paulson. He’s responsible for all our currency and making sure our economy functions. He even signed all our cash (printed after 2006. Yes, it is okay to look in your pocket, assuming you have any of that stuff left.)
So to break this down, in 2006, George W. Bush chose this man, Henry M Paulson, out of hundreds of CEOs and financial experts throughout this nation, the same man who is partly responsible for the mess we see today, to be in charge of our Treasury and advise George Bush on the economy.
How deep does this rabbit hole go?
Reference: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/04/business/04goldman.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Several companies, like investment banks, helped make all this possible. One of these companies had a Chief Executive, who made out with over $500 million dollars in 2006 alone. In 2005, he was the highest compensated Chief Executive. While this CEO was running Goldman Saches, they were involved in some of the most risky of the all the loans, the most heinous, the type that helped create this mess. This guy got out of Goldman well before the collapse.
Today, he is in charge of the Treasury, Henry Paulson. He’s responsible for all our currency and making sure our economy functions. He even signed all our cash (printed after 2006. Yes, it is okay to look in your pocket, assuming you have any of that stuff left.)
So to break this down, in 2006, George W. Bush chose this man, Henry M Paulson, out of hundreds of CEOs and financial experts throughout this nation, the same man who is partly responsible for the mess we see today, to be in charge of our Treasury and advise George Bush on the economy.
How deep does this rabbit hole go?
Reference: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/04/business/04goldman.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
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