Some Thoughts

Is there a connection between the Citizens United supreme Court ruling and the issue of IRS audits of groups claiming tax exempt status?  The Citizens United ruling decided that corporations are "people" and to deny them the right to spend on political campaigns would be to deny them freedom of speech; a First Amendment violation.  That ruling says organizations-backed by corporations and run by unnamed individuals-could spend unlimited amounts to defeat a candidate for political office.  My question then is, why should those organizations then get a tax exempt status?  Why should they not pay taxes on their profits?  The IRS then questions those organizations about their tax exempt claim and some people go ape shit.   

Some Thoughts

Priorities are important in life.  We must pay the rent before going on vacation.  So it seems the government should pay for the care of homeless vets, inner city decay, schools, and jobs well before granting millions of dollars to some corporation to "explore" space.

Why does a half of the Second Amendment protect just about anybody who wants to buy just about any kind of weapon, while the entire Fourth Amendment does not protect my electronic mail from being read by just about anybody in government or business without a warrant or any probable cause to believe I am breaking the law?  

( I am working on a new blog idea here; in case anyone is reading.  Hell, at least the NSA reads my stuff.  BTW, go fuck yourself.)

NSA Spying

Some of my thoughts on this issue.  First, a question.  How does a political conservative-one who distrusts big government-not then oppose a big government program to massively spy on ordinary Americans phone, e-mail and other means of communication?  This is what the NSA surveillance program is and I don't see how liberals and conservatives would not both be opposed.  Second is a position taken by congressman John Boehner on a radio talk show the other day.  He said that the individual who leaked this info-one Snowden-committed a "giant violation of the law" by doing so.  But how is the spying itself not a giant violation of the law.

Military Spending

Near the end of February of this year the Pentagon announced that they were "grounding: the new jet fighter fleet-the F-35-due to a "cracked engine blade".  That's 51 planes.   I can picture the scene in the war room.  One general turns to another and says, "do you know what this means?".  "It means the fucking thing doesn't work", as Christopher Lloyd said in the movie Back to the Future.  This "is the Pentagon's most expensive weapons program at a cost of nearly $ 400 billion".  I wonder what we could have gotten with $ 400 billion?  Maybe some classrooms and teachers for them, or hospitals in inner cities, or road construction and bridge repair, maybe more police or more libraries.  No.  Instead we got zilch, nada, bupkis, squat, zero.  But you can bet  some CEO's walked away with millions in bonus money or stock options.  

(Source:  "Pentagon Grounds Fighters: in The Record on 2/23/13)

Tea Party, the IRS and Tax Exemption

Since this issue came up I have tried to get a feel for the issue of tax exemption.  What kind of group can claim such a status and how it might impact the taxes an organization owes (if any).

A site called fgfservices.com noted on 5/20/13 that the IRS has revoked tax exempt status of 275,000 organizations due to failure to file annual information forms.  It also seems that these type of organizations-or some of them-are referred to as 501c3 organizations.

Ask.com on the same date stated "tax exempt organizations may endorse candidates for public office w/o losing tax exempt status (according to) the type of organization it is".  This seems to mean that some such organizations don't qualify for the exemption.

Ask.com on 5/20/13 and I asked if the ACLU qualified for the exemption.  The answer was "yes".  This site also noted that the organization must be "non-partisan" to get the exemption".  This site also said that there is a limit a tax exempt organization can spend on lobbying.

More research will be needed.

Plutocrats

I read recently on NPR that Apple company CEO-Tim Cook-was holding a charity auction with the prize being an hour with him over a cup of coffee.  It also appears that the cafeteria at Apple serves a type of coffee called "poop coffee".  This is coffee made from beans that have passed thru the "digestive system of animals" must likely something called a civet or sometimes an elephant.  When I last read of this-a few days ago-an offer had been made for $ 600,000 for that one hour drink of poop coffee.  The beans themselves are suppose to be worth $ 50,000.  I went online to at NPR and found an article titled "Two way breaking news from NPR" by Bill Chapell on 4/27/13. 

Could this be true?  Or maybe they are shitting me.

US Arms Sales

The Virginian Pilot on 4/20/13 reported on an arms deal the US has made with Israel, Saudi Arabia and he United Arab Emirates that is worth $ 10 billion.  I wonder if we loaned them the money to buy the weapons from US arms makers?  It seems part of the reason for the deal was because of the growing military power of Iran (before Iran it was Iraq, before Iraq it was Libya).  The article notes that "the offer is meant to ensure Israel's military edge in the region in light of arms sales the US is advancing in Saudi Arabia and the UAR".  Please tell me we are not giving arms to two Arab countries in order for us to we give more arms to Israel?  But it does sound like US foreign policy.  

US and Human Rights

John Kerry and the State Department issued a statement of human rights in the world stating that the "see little progress on global human rights".  I find this interesting in light of the recent US government study making clear the US policy to use torture against suspected terror suspects.  The report notes that no useful information ever came from torture that could not have been obtained by more humane means.  The report notes the wrongs of the Bush I admin in the commission of these abuses and the Obama admin in doing about them when they took office.  I wonder how much credibility the Kerry statement got in countries around the world.  The Virginian Pilot on 4/20/13 had a short article on the Kerry statement.

Boston Bombing

Yesterday two bombs went off at the finish line for the Boston Marathon.  Three people were killed and a lot of others were injured and maimed, some losing legs.  The date for the Marathon is Patriots Day in Massachusetts that marks the beginning battles of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord; April 15th.  No one has claimed "credit" or issued prior warnings as is the case in many terror attacks of this kind. I am thinking that the key here is the date not the place of the bombing.  Domestic militia groups and others who think the US government is "treading" on our rights and acting like the English kings of old seem to see themselves of modern day "patriots" fighting for freedom against a tyrannical central government.  If my guess is right then this terror bombing is an act of a domestic terrorist group and not an al-Qaeda type group.

Spending Priorities

Rear Admiral Joseph Mulloy, the deputy secretary of the Navy for the budget said recently, "If we don't take  care of our ships, who are we?  I mean, that's the bottom line".  He said this in reference to the sequester and the issue of cutting defense spending in order to balance the budget.  I would say in response, "If we don't take care of our people, who are we?  I mean, that's the real bottom line".  A country can look strong on the outside with military forces to best any other country in the world, but if the country is weak on the inside then all the military power in the world may not save it.

American Exceptionalism

Concerning the un-going political discussion about the "exceptionalism" of American society, I found this item of interest  "Americans under the age of 50 are more likely to  have poor health and die prematurely than people in 16 other developed countries".  This according to the National Research Council (whoever they are) which adds that our life expectancy rate is "comparatively low" in regard to the other countries in this study; including Canada, Australia, and many Western European countries.

(Source:  From the Los Angeles Times and reported in The Week for 1/25/13).

Reagan and Obesity

This file will include my research into the connection between obesity in the US and the policies of the Ronald Reagan administration.  It is here rather than in my history blog because my bias against RR might skew my research.  

An online site by the Thom Hartmann Progran-a radio show-made the following claim on Ap 30, 2012.  His take is that the unequal distribution of wealth could be one factor in the increase in obesity in this country.  His argument is that wealth has been flowing from the bottom to the top since the Reagan tax cuts-cuts that were continued, in most part, up to the present day-leaving those at the bottom of the economic ladder with less money to spend.  This resulted for the lower economic classes a choice on the spending of what money they had.  It could go for gas in their cars to get to work, to health insurance or to a better-albeit more costly-diet, which would have limited the weight gain in the lower classes.  He noted in general that the "more unequal the wealth rate is in a country the higher the level of obesity".  Hartmann has a web site; www.thomhartmann.com. 

Another site I found noted that during the Reagan admin legislation was passed that placed a limit on imported sugar cane in an effort to protect a domestic industry.  This legislation was lobbied for by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), an agribusiness giant.  This resulted in the drastic increase in "high fructose corn syrup" in place of sugar.  It is this substance in food-like soda-that has caused the rapid weight gain among those not always able to make the best choice in foods.  This information comes from the "OB Rag" or Ocean Beach, California 92107 online site from 1/13/09.

The Church

I've been reading the Winter of the World by Ken Follett and noted his comment that in order for Adolf Hitler to gain enough votes in the Reichstag to form a coalition government in 1933, he needed the votes of the Catholic Centre Party; he got them and we know what happened then to free government in Germany.  I remember from history reading of the agreement the Catholic Church made with Mussolini in Italy in the 1920's-the Concordat-it guaranteed the place of the Church in Italy and gave the Fascist government needed support among the populace.  

This past month we have read about the new Pope-Francis-of Argentina.  It is disturbing to read that he may have acquiesced in the "Dirty War" there that saw countless Argentinians disappear as victims of the military government there.  Some think even some Catholic priests fell victim to the terror.  And there was the issue of Pope Benedict and the sexual abuse scandal that victimized children in the US and Ireland.

These are not easy comments to make for someone who was raised in the Catholic Church but as a student of history they present difficult issues and thoughts of betrayal.

""Cannon Fodder", Industrial Chum

It has been my believe since teaching American History that the common man in this country is either cannon fodder or industrial chum.  The former because all the wars we have fought have required large number of young men to shed their blood and lose their lives for the economic benefit of the large corporations and wealthy elite in this country.  The term "cannon fodder" is not my original thought as the phrase has been around and in general use for a good many years.  As for the latter term, I also believe that the common man has been used to run the machines-grease them, if you will-with their labor, and lives in many cases, at a low rate of pay so that these same corporations and wealthy elite can earn profits way more than any person needs for a very comfortable life style.  As the fisherman will throw small pieces of bait into the water to attract the larger, more profitable fish so to the corporations will do basically the same with workers.  They are "chum" in both cases.  As to the origin of this term, I believe it is mine alone. .

Now with the quest for equality in this country-which I favor generally-it is not the common man who is being so used but the common woman, due to her presence on the battlefield and in the factory.  Is this the price we pay for a more equal society?

On re-reading this I wonder if I am having a bad day and being more cynical than I need to be.

"Magic Lantern"

I came across this item while watching a re-run of the Law and Order TV program; this one dealing with a computer company that was selling information about a person's private life to anyone who asked for it.  It so happened that the one asking was a stalker and the person who's private life was divulged wound up dead.  The program noted that the federal government had a similar program-called "Magic Lantern"-that allowed the federal government to gain access to a person's email account and know what they were thinking and saying even as they were saying it.  This program came about under the US Patriot Act passed after 9/11.  What happens is that the government can plant a computer virus on a computer and then read everything being recorded there; even what I am now writing.  I believe a warrant is needed but it might come from a FISA court not an open criminal court.  There is some comment here about a "Enhanced Carnivore Project" that is meant to detect terrorist suspects.  The ACLU and others have fought this authority but to no avail (as I understand it).  An internet site-"Cotse.Net" stated that the program "...was useless against suspects clever enough to encrypt their files".  I admit, my knowledge of computers and this program are limited but the overall idea sounded really dangerous to me.

War Costs

I came across this info on the costs of the Iraq war on line at Reuters.com and I thought it worth noting here. I am one who has believed for a long time that we spend way too much money on "defense" and that a good part of that is not for our defense but the profit margins of some major corporations with political connections.  I also think this spending has been going on for as long as we have been a country.  Just look at the fortifications up and down the eastern seaboard of our country.  Just about none of them has ever fired a weapon in anger.  Anyway, the cost for the most recent war follow.

Brown University "Cost of War" Project reports the war cost for Iraq at $ 1.7 trillion (US dollars) plus another $ 490 billion in benefits yet to be paid out.  Overall cost could increase to $ 6 trillion over 4 decades.  On the human side they report that 134,000 Iraqis have been killed and that figure "be four times that".  In 2011 a Watson Institute (?) study said the cost of wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq was at least $ 3.7 trillion.  That figure included the cost for war vets medical and disability care.  Their update put the cost at $ 4 trillion.  (This info taken from the internet and Reuters.com on 3/16/13) 

Medical Care in Canada vs US

I noted recently in a former face book "friend" post that the medical care in Canada was worst than in this country because "you can not find a doctor".  I researched the issue and found the following.  The number of doctors in the US is reported to be 2.4 docs per 1000 people while in Canada it is 2.0 docs per 1000 people.  The average income for docs in the US is "almost double" that for docs in Canada, causing experienced doctors to move to the US to make more money.  Doctors in Canada are younger with less experience and doctors from abroad.  More recently it is noted that more docs are returning to Canada than going abroad.  This info came from "google" on 3/15/13.

Government Spending

The Pentagon and conservatives in congress want a new fighter plane, its called the F-35.  Problem is the DAMN THING DOESN'T WORK.  However, we have guaranteed spending on the program before the plane was fully tested and are now "stuck" with the boondoggle.  The plane has to fly fast enough for the Air Force, be able to land on carriers for the Navy and take off and land vertically for the Marines.  Some in congress even want the plane to wipe your ass.  Ops, maybe I should not have said that, but nobody reads my shit anyway so why worry.  Does that qualify as a pun?

Defense Spending

The paper today reports that the Navy is going to decommission a guided missile frigate that was put into service in 1985.  Its last mission was to "support a multinational effort to target drug trafficking" that began in June.  Why does the ship have to be scrapped?  Do the drug runners have something more formidable that would out gun The Carr?  Hell, I ran a Pontiac for almost as many years before I scrapped it.  With all the talk of the budget deficit and the need to cut back on spending, this ship couldn't have continued on in service against a outlaw force?   Instead some hawks want to cut social security and medicare.

(Source:  "Guided Missile Frigate Carr in Decommisioned" in The Virginian Pilot on 3/14/13)

Politics and Foreign Policy

There are a number of issues regarding our foreign policy currently and it is interesting to see which one is getting most of the play.  First, there is the issue of sexual assaults by members of our armed forces upon female personnel they work with and the lack of executive action to correct or punish such attacks.  Second, is the evidence of the US policy of torture of prisoners that came out during the confirmation hearings for Brennan as CIA director.  The talk on that issue was about drones and their targets but nothing about torture as a element of US policy.  Third, is the ongoing issue of the deaths of four Americans-one an ambassador-in  Libya at the consul office in Bengazi.  Guess which of these three the conservatives want to talk about to the exclusion of the other two?  I don't think I have to answer that question.

Current Issues

The movie Argo has gotten a lot of awards this year and I guess a lot of people are singing the praises of the CIA for its daring plan to rescue those embassy employees.  However, it would also be nice if we remember that the take-over of the embassy was sparked-in the minds of Iranians-by years of interference in the affairs of Iran by the CIA and our country.  The Shah was placed on the throne by military takeover from a democratically elected government because the oil companies wanted more profit from the oil they were taking from Iran.  The CIA trained and participated with the SAVAK (Shah's CIA) to limit descent and jail or kill opponents.  The US embassy was the symbol of that interference in the domestic affairs of Iran and for them it was the logical place to take revenge.  Yes, the rescue of the employees was a good and brave thing but lets also remember there were events that occurred before it that would present a broader picture of the story.

The Church

With all this talk of late about a new Pope I thought I would record some of my opinions on a the subject.  The issue should not be who is going to be the next Pope, but what the church can do to improve its image (at least in my mind) in the world today.  The Church has to own up to its stand-or lack thereof-on the abuse of children in the US, Ireland an God knows where else.  Pope Benedict did not become the first Pope in hundreds of years to resign because he "wanted to spend more time with his family".  It seems to me the abuse scandal was getting close and he had questions to answer.  The issue of child abuse and the covering of it up is just unacceptable on the part of one of the major religious faiths in the world.  As for the laity, where is their outrage?.

The Church needs to do the following.  1) make a complete and truthful accounting of the abuses.  2) pay the victims for the crime committed against them.  3) turn the leadership of the Church over to the lay ministers and laity (Deacons).  Personally, I know two who I believe would be better religious leaders than what we have now.  4) increase the role of nuns in the leadership.  5) should speak for the poor and not the dictators, the forgotten not the elite.  6) they should lead on issues that would make the world a better place than it currently is and not follow the power-mongers.  It is time for change, real change not just a Pope from other than Europe.
Update:  I read today in The Virginian Pilot newspaper the two full page bio of Pope Francis.  Of all that coverage the sexual abuse scandal got one sentence; the last one.  I guess it is not the issue I think it should be.