VDH - On Target On The Erosion of American Freedom and the Growth of Thugocracy

Victor Davis Hanson clear and correct.
http://pjmedia.com/victordavishanson/it-can-happen-here/?singlepage=true

New Donald Coxe Commentary for May 16

Follow this link for Donald Coxe excellent commentary.

Coxe: Remembering Margaret Thatcher

Don Coxe and his this week commentary is excellent.
link here

Donald Coxe Latest Commentary

click here to go to the commentary

Kyle Bass at the Univ of Chicago

Here is a link to a video of a talk by Kyle Bass at the University of Chicago.  Bass as is well known is bearish on Japan and here he explains why. Brilliant, I would work for this guy in an instant if he had any need of a geriatric former floor trader.
 Kyle Bass

From Fourwinds10.com-- Massive Vote Fraud Indications

From Bill O'Reilly's message board----- >> Four Winds 10 - Truth Winds

I have not yet found the source of the numbers on The Fourwinds10 site that were taken originally from the Bill O'Reilly message boards but I sure would like to know more.  voter fraud strikes at the very basis of American Democracy and should be vigorously investigated and prosecuted if found to have occurred.

I am not advocating an attack on Barack Obama here, though he appears to have been the clear beneficiary. I am saying voter fraud diminishes tthe legitimacy of any election winner.  President Obama should, in fact, be the most aggressive in seeking to be sure this kind of thing cannot happen again.

The media, notably absent in this controversy, should be all over these claims. The fourth estate continues its sad decline into a partisan entertainment industry rather than a gaurdian of facts and truth.
  Look at this data taken from the message boards at Reilly's site.

   

From Bill O'Reilly's message board:

Most everyone suspected fraud, but these numbers prove it and our government and media refuse to do anything about it.

As each state reported their final election details, the evidence of voter fraud is astounding. Massive voter fraud has been reported in areas of OH and FL, with PA, WI and VA, all are deploying personnel to investigate election results.

Here are just a few examples of what has surfaced with much more to come.

  * In 59 voting districts in the Philadelphia region, Obama

  received 100% of the votes with not even a single vote recorded for

  Romney. (A mathematical and statistical impossibility).

  * In 21 districts in Wood County Ohio, Obama received 100% of

  the votes where GOP inspectors were illegally removed from their

  polling locations - and not one single vote was recorded for Romney.

  (Another statistical impossibility).

  * In Wood County Ohio, 106,258 voted in a county with only

  98,213 eligible voters.

  * In St. Lucie County, FL, there were 175,574 registered

  eligible voters but 247,713 votes were cast.

  * The National SEAL Museum, a polling location in St. Lucie

  County, FL had a 158% voter turnout.

  * Palm Beach County, FL had a 141% voter turnout.

  * In Ohio County, Obama won by 108% of the total number of

  eligible voters.

NOTE: Obama won in every state that did not require a Photo ID and lost in every state that did require a Photo ID in order to vote.

Imagine that!

I repeat I have no information on the original sources of this data but this is very alarming if even partially accurate.

link to FourWinds site and original article

Donald Coxe conference call link

Event Lobby

Mr. Coxe conference call.  link here

Mr Coxe is ceasing the publication of Basic Points so I hope he will continue to do the conference call or something similar.

chart similar to the ones Mr. Coxe mentions

The Washington establishment is legalizing their right to lie to the public.

NDAA Legalizes Propaganda - Business Insider

The newest version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes an amendment that would legalize the use of propaganda on the American public, reports Michael Hastings of BuzzFeed.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/ndaa-legalizes-propaganda-2012-5#ixzz2E6MJNrQW

I can understand that there are circumstances under which it would be useful for government offficials to obfuscate the facts to the point of lying. However, I can imagine many more circumstances in which the right to lie and propagandize to the public would be a self serving act of harm to the public good. Politicians lie by default, let's not make it easier for them.  BBL

OK Mr. Buffett, This Time I Agree

via Ken Landon

             Buffett Plan for Congress

Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes
about the debt ceiling. He is also requesting that people forward the below
message to at least 20 people, thus hoping to create critical mass in
generating support for his proposals.

"I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that
says that any time there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting
members of Congress are ineligible for re-election."



The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months and 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it.
That was in 1971 - before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1) year or less to become the law of the land all because of public pressure. Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message.
This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2012:
1. No Tenure/No Pension
A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office.
2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.
Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 12/1/12.
The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women.
Congress made all these contracts for themselves.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career.

The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Don't you think it's time? THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!

Election Results: Mr. Shaw had it right.

"Anyone Who will rob Peter to pay Paul, can count on the vote of Paul. "
That quote from George Bernard Shaw says it all. We now live in a kleptocracy where
the "entitlement takers" can directly vote themselves money from the wallets of the productive.

This was a vote to continue to eat the seed corn rather than plant more crops.

Wages matter?

And The Not So Pretty: Record Low Rise In Average Hourly Wages | ZeroHedge

This post at ZeroHedge is shart and very pertinent.

And The Not So Pretty: Record Low Rise In Average Hourly Wages

Compared to job "gains", it is obvious that all nominal gains are at the expense of wage losses:



So jobs growing yes, more people with work yes, income of the American wage earner not so much.
Increasing jobs, decreasing quality jobs, lower pay, I believe I have had enough of current economic policies.

 Thanks to Tyler Durden and ZeroHedge

Rosenberg Presentation at Business Insider Blog - - Must Read

David Rosenberg: Navigating The New Normal - Business Insider

Business Insider presents a presentation from David Rosenberg of Gluskin Scheff that is a terrific read.  As mentioned at BI he is called a Perma-Bear
but that characterization is incorrect.  I have followed David Rosenberg's work closely since 2007 and he has been bearish to cautious on stocks over the period except for dividend payers. He has also been bullish bonds the entire time and had you followed his asset allocation over that period you would have done very well.

Go read the presentation here     Thanks to Gluskin Scheff and Business Insider for making this available to the public. Also if you ever have the chance to hear Mr. Rosenberg in person you will find him to be a very personable and entertaining speaker.

The Dictatorship Provision of Obamacare

The Independent Payment Advisory Board: PPACA's Anti-Constitutional and Authoritarian Super-Legislature | Diane Cohen and Michael F. Cannon | Cato Institute: Policy Analysis

The Cato Institute site has an excellent and alarming article about a provision of Obamacare of which I was totally unaware. Here is a snippet from this article:

The Independent Payment Advisory Board: PPACA's Anti-Constitutional and Authoritarian Super-Legislature

by Diane Cohen and Michael F. Cannon

When a member of Congress introduces legislation, the Constitution requires that legislative proposal to secure the approval of the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the president (unless Congress overrides a presidential veto) before it can become law. In all cases, either chamber of Congress may block it.

In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) created the Independent Payment Advisory Board, or IPAB. When the unelected government officials on this board submit a legislative proposal to Congress, it automatically becomes law: PPACA requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement it. Blocking an IPAB "proposal" requires at a minimum that the House and the Senate and the president agree on a substitute. The Board's edicts therefore can become law without congressional action, congressional approval, meaningful congressional oversight, or being subject to a presidential veto. Citizens will have no power to challenge IPAB's edicts in court.

This law cannot be allowed to stand. The thinking behind this is a perfect illustration of the liberal left elitist who believes he/she knows best and should have the right to make you obey. This is a  complete stripping away of protection from the Constitution and personal freedom, a giant step toward totalitarianism.

Thanks to the CATO Institute for addressing this issue.

Taliban Claims Responsibility For Shooting Of 14 yr Old Girl

from the FT article

A 14-year-old Pakistani activist who won international acclaim for speaking out for girls denied education under the Taliban was shot on Tuesday on her way home from school, authorities said.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack... contd at link

That is an excerpt from the article on the FT about this shooting.  For all the diversity advocates and cultural equivalence fans out there I have a comment: Not all cultures are equal, some suck and are the province of murderous thugs.   Where is the outcry from adherents to the religion of peace?  Deafening silence once again.        BBL

Zerohedge: All Your Private Data Are Belong To Obama

Link to the full article

When it comes to spying, eavesdropping on its citizens as well as the complete invasion of American privacy, the first thing that comes to mind is the Patriot ACT and Dubya. And with good reason: because while the rest of the world may "hate us for our freedoms", they certainly love us for the fact that the NSA usually can autocomplete sentences before they are written in any electronic medium (recall: NSA Whistleblower Speaks Live: "The Government Is Lying To You"). However, as it turns out that the first thing that should be coming to mind is none other than the current administration and Barack Obama. Here are the facts: as the ACLU reveals using documents released by the Justice Department following months of litigation, "federal law enforcement agencies are increasingly monitoring Americans’ electronic communications, and doing so without warrants, sufficient oversight, or meaningful accountability." How "increasingly"? Look at the chart below and decide.

 

Hanson--- Obama's Middle East Delusions

Works and Days

Victor Davis Hanson has an excellent post on the failure of OBummer's Middle East Policy of appeasement.
Highly Rocommended

Democrats want to outlaw profits - yeah, that will create jobs.

From Peter Schiff at the Democrat convention. This partially explains wwhy their symbol is an ass.

Thanks to Peter Schiff for releasing this video.

BI-Obama Wants To Make Sure The Government Can Lock You Up Without Trial

Business Insider  is the provider of this story click the link to read.

Here is a brief excerpt:

"Here's what's up. As reported yesterday, "The White House has filed an appeal in hopes of reversing a federal judge's ruling that bans the indefinite military detention of Americans"

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/historic-ndaa-battle-underway-tv-networks-silent-2012-8#ixzz22yP2QSnD

That is right. Imprisonment with out trial iof Americans in America.  There is Obama's hope and change for you. Please go read the rest and complain out loud and often.

Donald Coxe comments Aug 3

Mr.Donald Coxe commentary.

Link here

via Zerohedge: Thorium's Potential As An Energy Source

Kirk Sorensen: A Detailed Exploration Of Thorium's Potential As An Energy Source
Kirk Sorensen, NASA-trained engineer, is a man on a mission to open minds to the tremendous promise that thorium, a near-valueless element in today's marketplace, may offer in meeting future world energy demand.
Compared to Uranium-238-based nuclear reactors currently in use today, a liquid flouride thorium reactor (LTFR) would be:

• Much safer - no risk of environmental radiation contamination or plant explosion (e.g. Chernobyl, Fukushima, Three-Mile Island)
• Much more efficient at producing energy - over 90% of the input fuel would be tapped for energy; vs <1 in="in" li="li" reactors="reactors" s="s" today="today">
• Less waste-generating - most of the radioactive by-products would take days/weeks to degrade to safe levels, vs centuries
• Much cheaper - reactor footprints and infrastructure would be much smaller, and could be constructed in modular fashion
• More plentiful - LFTR reactors do not need to be located next to large water supplies, as current plants do
• Less controversial - the byproducts of the thorium reaction are pretty useless for weaponization
• Longer-lived - thorium is much more plentiful than uranium and treated as valueless today. There is virtually no danger of running out of it given LFTR plant efficiency 

Most of the know-how and technology to build and maintain LFTR reactors exists today. If made a priority, the US could have its first fully-operational LFTR plant running at commercial scale in under a decade.

The article continues with graphics and a video at Zerohedge

I encourage everyone to read this. Seems a no-brainer to me. (A judgement some say I am uniquely qualified to make.)

Donald Coxe July 20

Donald  Coxe and his July 20 commentary

Rich should Pay Their Fair Share!

Obummer says the rich should pay their fair share. Well,

looks to me like that would be less money.
Chart is from Carpe Diem who has more and better on the topic.

Michael Burry's brilliant address at UCLA: On the Gospel of Drunkards and Cheating Spouses

Dr. Michael Burry made famous by Michael Lewis in "The Big Short" ( very good read) gave the graduation address at the UCLA School of Economics. This young man made himself a billionaire by predicting the housing and economic collapse and putting his money where his mouth was. He was then investigated and persecuted by a number of federal agencies including the IRS and FBI for questioning out loud why government failed to see the risk to the economy. This video is about 15 minutes long  and his message should be heard.

Burry Video

Coming Soon To A "Democracy Near You"

From Reuters:

Exclusive: EU floats worst-case plans for Greek euro exit: sources

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European finance officials have discussed as a worst-case scenario limiting the size of withdrawals from ATM machines, imposing border checks and introducing capital controls in at least Greece should Athens decide to leave the euro.
EU officials have told Reuters the ideas are part of a range of contingency plans. They emphasized that the discussions were merely about being prepared for any eventuality rather than planning for something they expect to happen - no one Reuters has spoken to expects Greece to leave the single currency area.

contd Here

The measures discussed are moves by one's own government to be sure one may not move their money or person at their own discretion, but only if it does not inconvenience the ruling mandarins and bureaucrats.
That is not freedom. If this does not disturb you , well go back to chewing your cud and rejoin the herd.

I have long believed the most dangerous thing that the average person will ever face is their own government. It looks to me as if a new generation of Europeans is about to learn that lesson first hand.

Would You Rather Have Romney or Obama Manage Your 401K

 Carpe Diem: 

Obama's Public Equity Record is the Real Scandal 

 "Since taking office, Obama has invested billions of taxpayer dollars in private businesses, including as part of his stimulus spending bill. Many of those investments have turned out to be unmitigated disasters — leaving in their wake bankruptcies, layoffs, criminal investigations and taxpayers on the hook for billions. Consider just a few examples of Obama’s public equity failures  (follow this link to read the list of failures and amounts of money)

 So now that we have answered the 401K question, who would you rather have managing the nation's finances?

Update: Zerohedge also addresses this same issue:

 Yet if it was merely pure incompetence from a president without any real business background, that would at least explain it, if not justify it. However, it appears that inexcusable crony capitalism plays a far greater role in Obama's public equity failings:

Obama has declared that all the projects received funding “based solely on their merits.” But as Hoover Institution scholar Peter Schweizer reported in his book, “Throw Them All Out,” fully 71 percent of the Obama Energy Department’s grants and loans went to “individuals who were bundlers, members of Obama’s National Finance Committee, or large donors to the Democratic Party.” Collectively, these Obama cronies raised $457,834 for his campaign, and they were in turn approved for grants or loans of nearly $11.35 billion. Obama said this week it’s not the president’s job “to make a lot of money for investors.” Well, he sure seems to have made a lot of (taxpayer) money for investors in his political machine.

All that cronyism and corruption is catching up with the administration. According to Politico, “The Energy Department’s inspector general has launched more than 100 criminal investigations” related to the department’s green-energy programs.