Voting Changes and voting for changes in California
by Fred Lundgren...The Blogger With Economic Solutions...Your comments are welcome below each blog. This blog was written and published on 09/10/11
I recently read a press release by the California Broadcasters Association that made my eyes water from the stench! They are opposed to SB-202 that would move propositions and initiatives ballot measures from June primaries to November general elections. Apparently, the CBA and others are promoting the tortured logic that the best time for voting on propositions and initiatives should be consistent with the Broadcaster’s ability to make the most money from the issue. Seriously, I did not make this up…This is their actual argument.
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This is nothing short of astonishing to me. Has the broadcasting industry really sunk to this depth of depravity? My God, must I spell it out? Each radio and TV station is licensed to operate in the public interest, convenience, and necessity”. Where Is their sense of self-respect? Have they no dignity? Am I alone here with my outrage?
Broadcasters have ready access to the masses on a 24/7 basis. We can drive public opinion with every utterance. We have plenty of ways to make money from our listening area and we have 24 hours each day to do it. Why worry about inventory when it is our responsibility as broadcasters to communicate the pros and cons of debated issues as part of our prime directive? This is a simple lesson in broadcasting 101 from the CEO of KCAA. It was written for you if it offends you.
The political aspect of the question hides with the same success as the head of the ostrich. Primaries always draw the most zealous to the polls and their numbers never approach the numbers who vote in the general election. In my opinion, propositions should never be decided at primary election time because the most important decisions we make as a society must reflect the opinions of the largest numbers of citizens.
Those who want to change rules with the fewest voters do a poor job of hiding their motives. Both parties take advantage of the current system. I don’t care if you are Blue or Red. It’s wrong!
These decisions must be made by the greatest number of informed voters and no other argument must enter the equation even though the progressive will get spotted a few yards on every future play if this passes. I say why not? A progressive society reflects a more inclusive society and it does so with rare exception.
Nevertheless, it is sickening to see the CBA issue a press release that reduces the question to money, advertising rates and availabilities, especially when their strong conservative bias is their primary motivation.
I say shame on CBA and those who wrote and approved such a press release and shame on every broadcaster who associates themselves with such thinking and subterfuge. If my remarks offend you, they were definitely written to you.
Sincerely,
Ron Paul, The Fed and My solutions
by Fred Lundgren...The Blogger With Economic Solutions...Your comments are welcome below each blog. This blog was written and published on 06/28/11
· Ron's policies and proposals, except for the fed, require us all to begin our life journey as equal players with equal ability on level ground. Such is not the case. The happy life of G.W. Bush, a most fortunate son proves it, as do the words of the song by John Fogerty.
On one issue, Paul is correct! The Fed does not try to protect us at the expense of the banks. In fact, it is the other way arount. To that extent, Ron Paul is correct. Ron misses much of the answer by his hate of "big Government"
Here is the transcript of two rants I recently did on the radio. They convey ideas that Ron Paul could advocate if he could release himself from his small government trap.
In the year 2011, middle class
The study gave our infrastructure a D grade, just short of a failing.
So, we lay off teachers and close schools in the same communities that have new federally funded prisons and FEMA camps. Then, we delay repairs on our roads and bridges.
We fight three wars in the name of liberty while we allow the Homeland Security Agency to strip away our rights at home. We have 45 million Americans in poverty which strips them of financial liberty.
All the while, both political parties do nothing. The republicans talk about eliminating the federal funding for planned parenthood and National Public Radio. The Democrats defend wars in three tribal societies while refusing to stand against policies that erode our middle class.
President Obama has failed us on almost every level. He chose the same path as previous Presidents who claimed to work for us while they gave more power to the powerful and greater wealth to those most fortunate. As a result, the American system is bent to the breaking point as more of the middle class gets pushed into poverty.
This won’t change until we elect people who possess the life experience and creativity to re-awaken
When our federal government musters the collective will to fix any problem, it will happen. Until then, we should expect more pointless
The tools exist to return America to peace, prosperity and full employment but no one in power will use them for fear of empowering you and me at the expense of the rich and sup-rich who fund campaigns from the spoils of government contracts and grease the revolving doors between Capitol Hill and their corporate boardrooms.
So, public policies that guarantee repeated recessions and more poverty become the fate of most Americans.
But know this…The capitalist model can be restored to equity in a number of ways that are well-known to those in power but such an effort demands statesmanship. Without such governance, the masses will have no voice and will continue to suffer.
Here is one example of a way to jump-start the economy and rebuild our infrastructure with American companies and labor.
Nationwide, the total deficits of city, county and state governments approximate 3 trillion dollars. The US Treasury Department should use its authority to print this amount currency or electronic credit for deposit on a prorate basis, into each and every local and state general account fund.
This will immediately balance the budget of all municipalities and governments below the national level. The new funds will employ contractors to make infrastructure repairs and rehire essential teachers and workers. At the same time, the loan to deposit ratio of banks must be narrowed to prevent banks from re-loaning the funds each time they are spent and re-deposited. This will prevent the new funds from being re-loaned as interest bearing debts.
As these funds circulate, they will generate additional taxes to help balance the same budgets that received the assistance in cities, counties and state governments across
Making $700.00 In Outback Texas
by Fred Lundgren...The Blogger With Economic Solutions...Your comments are welcome below each blog. This blog was written and published on 05/08/11
It was a hot summer afternoon in Outback Texas, a little Route 66 Pan Handle town that 1-40 bypassed.
The sun was battering the town of
Late one day, a weary traveler stopped in at the Outback motel. The traveler wanted the best room possible so he put a $100 bill on the desk and asked to inspect a few rooms before agreeing to stay the night.
While the desk clerk gave him a tour, the owner of the motel grabbed the Hundred Dollar bill and ran next door to pay his debt to the grocer, who supplied the motel with toiletries.
The grocer owed a Hundred Dollars to the local pig farmer and the pig farmer happened to be across the street at the feed store so the grocer walked across the street and paid the farmer for the pig.
The farmer handed the $100 to the feed store owner for his past due feed bill. The Hundred was enough to pay the store employee for back wages. The employee took the Hundred to the home of the local prostitute who lived a few blocks away and who has been offering her some of her "services" on credit at the local motel.
The prostitute took the Hundred back to the motel owner to pay for her past due room fees.
The owner of the motel placed $100 back on the counter just before the weary traveler got back into the lobby. The traveler saw the prostitute in the motel and decided to move on so, he gets his Hundred Dollars back and drive out of town.
No one produced anything. No one earned anything but the whole town used the One Hundred Dollars to reduce its debt by $700.00 simply by increasing the velocity of money and their local Gross Domestic Product.
This is how the
Put down the fiddle and put out the fire!
by Fred Lundgren...The Blogger With Economic Solutions...Your comments are welcome below each blog. This blog was written and published on 05/01/11
After watching news reports of horrible deaths and destruction across the Bible belt, I became sad and angry because it reminded me of how Hurricane Ike changed my life. I know that many of these survivors will face years of struggle with insurance companies and their lives will be forever altered.
Following this flashback, I walked away from the TV and returned later to reruns of the Royal wedding. I wondered why the President and First Lady were not invited. One royal apologist said something about security which reminded me that bigotry can be cloaked in many ways.
The wedding was a typical spectacle of pomp and circumstance, juxtaposed against the somber demeanor of the bride and groom. Their tedium was so obvious that I felt compelled to mention it to my dear wife who seemed riveted to the event.
Viewers and attendees acted as though the wedding was the most important event in the world but the American TV networks proved them wrong by strict adherence to commercial breaks. During one break, I started channel surfing and stumbled upon the annual Whitehouse Correspondent's Dinner where President Obama was speaking to the predictable crowd of wrinkled, recognizable faces. I tuned in as the President roasted Donald Trump, who of late has become a caricature of hair and ego.
The whole thing reminded me of Nero playing his fiddle while Rome burned during the great fire in 64 AD.
I pronounced no final judgment on these foolish events, although my lower angels were demanding I use their gavel. The story of Nero was probably false, an invention of his enemies and since I'm a supporter of Obama, albeit a disappointed one, I silenced the unwieldy chorus and chose instead to use this forum to offer suggestions to our President. To Wit...
Mr. President, currently, thousands of Americans have been made homeless by more than 250 tornadoes that ravaged seven states. The Associated Press reports that it may take your government weeks or even months to place these people in FEMA trailers.
While FEMA blunders forward, insurance companies are lawyering up against the inevitable onslaught of claims. Inexperienced estimators will use dishonest software to arrive at low ball repair costs. Then, independent adjusters who make their living from insurance companies will validate the low ball numbers to judges who will enforce appraisal awards at about 50% of actual replacement cost.
Lawyers for the insured will group cases together into a single settlement so 1/3 or more of the insurance recovery pays the lawyer.
All this is justified by the insurance agent who sold the homeowner an actual cash value policy instead of a replacement cost policy.
Since we already know how the game is played and who wins, why not change a few of the rules Mr. President? My idea to get peopled back in their homes is simple. Tens of thousands of fully equipped, self-contained motor homes are available for sale in America. Instruct the Homeland Security agency to identify several thousand high quality used motor homes. Give 20k vouchers to the victims to buy these motor homes.
This will put families back in their communities faster to clean up the debris so they can move their motor home to their old home site. To others who must relocate, a motor home will provide excellent housing for an extended period of time. Using Government vouchers to buy motor homes will have positive side effects. Many sellers of motor homes are trying to make mortgage an car payments. So, houses are saved from foreclosure while tornado victims get a place to live in dignity now.
Another problem solved Mr. President... What's next?
see more at http://www.economy101.net
Vote With Your Dollars and Elect Jobs in America
by Fred Lundgren...The Blogger With Economic Solutions...Your comments are welcome below each blog. This blog was written and published on 04/30/11
Remember the nonsense of the 1990s when we were told that America would prosper from a new information based economy? Remember getting stampeded toward globalism by the false promises of NAFTA and the other so-called free trade agreements that rigged the system against the middle class?
Well, how did that work out for us? During the administration of George W. Bush, America lost 55,000 factories and the Bush administration ended with the bank bailout. American demanded change we could believe in so we elected Barack Obama and since then, another 2,800 factories have closed.
Factory closings have serious consequences. When we lose factories, we lose the ability to teach essential skills to a new generation of young people. When we lose factories, the National Income stops growing because the national income is the money we earn from the things American's produce. America's National Income stopped growing in 2006 and it remains at 2006 levels today. This is why we have structural unemployment.
To cover up all this mess, the Government has been lying to us. Here are examples. Currently, the official unemployment rate in America is 8.9%, but the actual unemployment rate is about 22%, because the Government no longer counts the millions who found some part time work and the millions more who gave up and stopped looking for jobs altogether.
Currently, the official inflation rate is under 2%, but the real inflation rate is over 9% because the government now excludes food and oil inflation and other factors that have put the middle class on a slippery slope to a lower standard of living. All the while, The Fed is increasing the money supply but the banks are hoarding it. All the while, Americans are importing everything at record rates, so today, seven trillion American dollars have piled up in foreign countries that we must borrow to get back.
This economic insanity has eliminated millions of jobs in America that paid $14.00 per hour or more and created millions of jobs in China and other countries that pay $14.00 per day or less, but the cheaper labor no longer gets passed along to you when you buy the import. Those days are over. Today, the cheaper labor component of imports is more than offset by the increased cost of transportation and distribution, plus the societal cost of lost jobs which manifest as a reduced tax base loss of domestic infrastructure.
Recently, ABC News conducted a study on the cost of imported household furnishings. They removed all the imported contents from an average American home and replaced them with 100% American made products. They found that American products cost the same or less than their imported counterpart. For example, an American made bedroom suite and its Chinese made knock-off were both listed for $1.700.00. The only exceptions to this price parity were the highest quality large kitchen appliances that are only made in America.
So, here is the message. If you want American jobs to be restored, vote with your dollars. One million living wage American jobs will be created over the course of one year if each of us alter our buying habits just enough to spend $300.00 on American made products that we would have otherwise spent on imports.
This is something we can all do, and our reward will be a strong and prosperous America.
See more at:
http://www.economy101.net
One Way to Jump Start the Economy
by Fred Lundgren...The Blogger With Economic Solutions...Your comments are welcome below each blog. This blog was written and published on 04/28/11
Remember the nonsense of the 1990s when we were told that America would prosper from a new information based economy? Remember getting stampeded toward globalism by the false promises of NAFTA and the other so-called free trade agreements that rigged the system against the middle class?
Well, how did that work out for us? During the administration of George W. Bush, America lost 55,000 factories and the Bush administration ended with the bank bailout. American demanded œchange we could believe in so we elected Barack Obama and since then, another 2,800 factories have closed.
Factory closings have serious consequences. When we lose factories, we lose the ability to teach essential skills to a new generation of young people. When we lose factories, the National Income stops growing because the national income is the money we earn from the things American's produce. America's National Income stopped growing in 2006 and it remains at 2006 levels today. This is why we have structural unemployment.
To cover up all this mess, the Government has been lying to us. Here are examples. Currently, the official unemployment rate in America is 8.9%, but the actual unemployment rate is about 22%, because the Government no longer counts the millions who found some part time work and the millions more who gave up and stopped looking for jobs altogether.
Currently, the official inflation rate is under 2%, but the real inflation rate is over 9% because the government now excludes food and oil inflation and other factors that have put the middle class on a slippery slope to a lower standard of living. All the while, The Fed is increasing the money supply but the banks are hoarding it. All the while, Americans are importing everything at record rates, so today, seven trillion American dollars have piled up in foreign countries that we must borrow to get back.
This economic insanity has eliminated millions of jobs in America that paid $14.00 per hour or more and created millions of jobs in China and other countries that pay $14.00 per day or less, but the cheaper labor no longer gets passed along to you when you buy the import. Those days are over. Today, the cheaper labor component of imports is more than offset by the increased cost of transportation and distribution, plus the societal cost of lost jobs which manifest as a reduced tax base loss of domestic infrastructure.
Recently, ABC News conducted a study on the cost of imported household furnishings. They removed all the imported contents from an average American home and replaced them with 100% American made products. They found that American products cost the same or less than their imported counterpart. For example, an American made bedroom suite and its Chinese made knock-off were both listed for $1.700.00. The only exceptions to this price parity were the highest quality large kitchen appliances that are only made in America.
So, here is the message. If you want American jobs to be restored, vote with your dollars. One million living wage American jobs will be created over the course of one year if each of us alter our buying habits just enough to spend $300.00 on American made products that we would have otherwise spent on imports.
This is something we can all do, and our reward will be a strong and prosperous America.
See more at:
http://www.economy101.net
