The American Civil War settled the issue of the power of the Federal government over state governments. The right of Nullification of Federal law would signify that individual states have the right to pick and choose the laws they will obey. This would essentially mean that all 50 states are really independent nations and that the United States is not a single nation but is a confederation. That would make this nation similar to the Euro Zone and the European Common Market.
I thought conservatives wanted nothing to do with European style government.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
QUOTATION OF THE DAY
"In my opinion, any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should 'have his head examined,' as General MacArthur so delicately put it. "
ROBERT M. GATES, the secretary of defense.
ROBERT M. GATES, the secretary of defense.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Overturning the Defense of Marriage Law
Barack Obama is not the first president to conclude that he has the power to decide when laws are to be enforced and which ones. Richard Nixon famously said, “When you're in office, you have to do a lot of things that are not, in the strictest sense of the law, legal. But you do them because they're in the greater interests of the nation.”
Using the Nixon interpretation of law any president can do almost anything. Richard Nixon would have been impeached and found guilty of protecting law breakers had he not resigned from office. It appears that those who succeeded President Nixon have not learned from his mistakes.
Using the Nixon interpretation of law any president can do almost anything. Richard Nixon would have been impeached and found guilty of protecting law breakers had he not resigned from office. It appears that those who succeeded President Nixon have not learned from his mistakes.
Monday, February 21, 2011
"Wisconsin Power Play" is Democracy in Action!
Paul Krugman's February 20, 2011 New York Times column ignores one simple fact. The United States is a democratic republic. That is a type of republic where the people elect their representatives and may engage in some forms of popular referendums.
Mr. Krugman has ignored a few unpleasant facts.
1. "Wisconsin’s new union-busting governor, Scott Walker", ran for office on a pledge to do exactly what he is doing. Wisconsin may be known as a strong liberal state but the voters had a choice. The public employees may not like the results but elections have consequences.
2. The Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin senate ran away en masse to Illinois so that they could stop a vote on a bill they oppose. Is this democracy? I don't think so.
3. The Koch brothers have the same rights as everyone else. There are plenty of well-to-do Democrats that can sponsor any event or people they support. Attacks on the Koch's is indeed childish.
4. Neither Wisconsin nor the United States are anything like Middle East potentates. We have democratic republic here and the will of the people is carried out by those we elect. The losers in each election must accept the fact that the majority did not agree with their viewpoint.
5. What we have here is anarchy!!
Mr. Krugman has ignored a few unpleasant facts.
1. "Wisconsin’s new union-busting governor, Scott Walker", ran for office on a pledge to do exactly what he is doing. Wisconsin may be known as a strong liberal state but the voters had a choice. The public employees may not like the results but elections have consequences.
2. The Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin senate ran away en masse to Illinois so that they could stop a vote on a bill they oppose. Is this democracy? I don't think so.
3. The Koch brothers have the same rights as everyone else. There are plenty of well-to-do Democrats that can sponsor any event or people they support. Attacks on the Koch's is indeed childish.
4. Neither Wisconsin nor the United States are anything like Middle East potentates. We have democratic republic here and the will of the people is carried out by those we elect. The losers in each election must accept the fact that the majority did not agree with their viewpoint.
5. What we have here is anarchy!!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Business Greed
You think that business isn’t greedy? Here are some facts. All of these items are taken from recent news articles from well known and well respected business journals.
Item 1
From AOL.com
ASBESTOS, Quebec -- A plan to increase production from Canada's last asbestos mine near this town named for the deadly mineral has enraged physicians and public health workers around the globe.
The Jeffery Asbestos mine has been shuttered since 1982, when the American company that ran the mine, Johns Manville, filed for bankruptcy in the face of an avalanche of asbestos-related lawsuits. But plans are afoot to reopen the mine, exporting most of the deadly contents to nations such as India, China and Vietnam that have no restrictions on the use of asbestos and where cheap and durable building materials are in high demand.
Canada is currently considering a plan to provide $58 million in loan guarantees, which would allow to the mine to resume operations. Leading the charge is G. Bernard Coulombe, an Asbestos resident and the force behind the loan guarantee push. Mr. Coulombe scoffs at the notion that Canadian chrysotile asbestos is a carcinogen, and maintains that it is perfectly safe, something the World Health Organization denies. It’s no surprise that Mr. Coulombe believes his product is safe, as he owns a full 65 percent of the mine.
Item 2
From International Business Times
G.E’s Jeffrey Immelt’s appointment has labor leaders concerned
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) pointed out in a press release that in just the past five months, Immelt has eliminated “scores” of U.S. jobs when he ordered the closure of GE plants in Virginia, Massachusetts and Ohio.
“We are rewarding the guy who is turning off America’s lights, literally,” said IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger.
“Two of the plants on Immelt’s hit list made incandescent light bulbs. Replacement bulbs will be made in – you guessed it – China.”
IAM further noted that while Immelt was closing down U.S. plants, he was signing deals with the Chinese.
In the past week alone, Immelt inked multi-billion dollar deals for 50 GE power plants in China, as well as a joint venture that will place GE’s most sophisticated cockpit avionics in the hands of a country that is poised to compete directly with U.S. aerospace manufacturers, IAM explained.
“The U.S. aerospace industry is currently one of the few with a positive impact on the nation’s balance of trade,” said Buffenbarger. “We can ill afford to place its future in the hands of a man who is supporting its most determined competitor.”
Item 3
From Forbes.com (Forbes Magazine site)
January 2009 Layoffs
Layoffs for January 2009 at America's 500 largest public companies*:
163,662 People in ONE month. 68 companies were involved. Read the list here.
Item 4
From the Wallstreet Journal on line
June 10, 2010
U.S. companies are holding more cash in the bank than at any point on record, underscoring persistent worries about financial markets and about the sustainability of the economic recovery.
The Federal Reserve reported Thursday that nonfinancial companies had socked away $1.84 trillion in cash and other liquid assets as of the end of March, up 26% from a year earlier and the largest-ever increase in records going back to 1952. Cash made up about 7% of all company assets, including factories and financial investments, the highest level since 1963.
Read the rest of this article here.
Item 1
From AOL.com
ASBESTOS, Quebec -- A plan to increase production from Canada's last asbestos mine near this town named for the deadly mineral has enraged physicians and public health workers around the globe.
The Jeffery Asbestos mine has been shuttered since 1982, when the American company that ran the mine, Johns Manville, filed for bankruptcy in the face of an avalanche of asbestos-related lawsuits. But plans are afoot to reopen the mine, exporting most of the deadly contents to nations such as India, China and Vietnam that have no restrictions on the use of asbestos and where cheap and durable building materials are in high demand.
Canada is currently considering a plan to provide $58 million in loan guarantees, which would allow to the mine to resume operations. Leading the charge is G. Bernard Coulombe, an Asbestos resident and the force behind the loan guarantee push. Mr. Coulombe scoffs at the notion that Canadian chrysotile asbestos is a carcinogen, and maintains that it is perfectly safe, something the World Health Organization denies. It’s no surprise that Mr. Coulombe believes his product is safe, as he owns a full 65 percent of the mine.
Item 2
From International Business Times
G.E’s Jeffrey Immelt’s appointment has labor leaders concerned
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) pointed out in a press release that in just the past five months, Immelt has eliminated “scores” of U.S. jobs when he ordered the closure of GE plants in Virginia, Massachusetts and Ohio.
“We are rewarding the guy who is turning off America’s lights, literally,” said IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger.
“Two of the plants on Immelt’s hit list made incandescent light bulbs. Replacement bulbs will be made in – you guessed it – China.”
IAM further noted that while Immelt was closing down U.S. plants, he was signing deals with the Chinese.
In the past week alone, Immelt inked multi-billion dollar deals for 50 GE power plants in China, as well as a joint venture that will place GE’s most sophisticated cockpit avionics in the hands of a country that is poised to compete directly with U.S. aerospace manufacturers, IAM explained.
“The U.S. aerospace industry is currently one of the few with a positive impact on the nation’s balance of trade,” said Buffenbarger. “We can ill afford to place its future in the hands of a man who is supporting its most determined competitor.”
Item 3
From Forbes.com (Forbes Magazine site)
January 2009 Layoffs
Layoffs for January 2009 at America's 500 largest public companies*:
163,662 People in ONE month. 68 companies were involved. Read the list here.
Item 4
From the Wallstreet Journal on line
June 10, 2010
U.S. companies are holding more cash in the bank than at any point on record, underscoring persistent worries about financial markets and about the sustainability of the economic recovery.
The Federal Reserve reported Thursday that nonfinancial companies had socked away $1.84 trillion in cash and other liquid assets as of the end of March, up 26% from a year earlier and the largest-ever increase in records going back to 1952. Cash made up about 7% of all company assets, including factories and financial investments, the highest level since 1963.
Read the rest of this article here.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
We are facing congressional failure. It’s primarily the fault of the Democrats because they control both houses of Congress. Instead of focusing on the number one problem in the country they focused on health care. Of course health care is important but the first issue is money to pay the daily bills.
California has a civilian workforce of over 18 million people. 12.5% are unemployed. According to state statistics employment in the manufacture of durable goods has declined by 9.6% in the past year. The decline in non-durable goods employment has been 7.4%.
Everywhere we look, we see that the goods we buy are manufactured in another country. Services are no different. Have you called Citibank, Earthlink, or Dell? Help lines are provided in India or Philippines. Pricewaterhouse Coopers has outsourced their data maintenance to India.
The highly respected Institute for Supply Management monthly report has been above 50% starting in August 2009. A number of 50% or higher is supposed to indicate a growing economy. While new orders have provided a positive situation for the companies, it has not translated into needed jobs. ISM, the AMA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other manufacturing associations need to work together by hiring lobbyists who will fight for laws rewarding American manufacturing and penalizing imported goods.
When you phone or email your congressman and senators you need to yell at them “Jobs. What are you doing to encourage job creation in this country?”
California has a civilian workforce of over 18 million people. 12.5% are unemployed. According to state statistics employment in the manufacture of durable goods has declined by 9.6% in the past year. The decline in non-durable goods employment has been 7.4%.
Everywhere we look, we see that the goods we buy are manufactured in another country. Services are no different. Have you called Citibank, Earthlink, or Dell? Help lines are provided in India or Philippines. Pricewaterhouse Coopers has outsourced their data maintenance to India.
The highly respected Institute for Supply Management monthly report has been above 50% starting in August 2009. A number of 50% or higher is supposed to indicate a growing economy. While new orders have provided a positive situation for the companies, it has not translated into needed jobs. ISM, the AMA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other manufacturing associations need to work together by hiring lobbyists who will fight for laws rewarding American manufacturing and penalizing imported goods.
When you phone or email your congressman and senators you need to yell at them “Jobs. What are you doing to encourage job creation in this country?”
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
What’s Wrong with the Middle?
Please go to my commentary on the Huffington Post.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/don-evans/moving-uphill-to-the-midd_b_112764.html
Your interest and comments are appreciated.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/don-evans/moving-uphill-to-the-midd_b_112764.html
Your interest and comments are appreciated.
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