JFKennedy (1917 – 1963) – may he rest in peace, please

TheFundamentals routinely does research and analysis of fiscal and financial matters for our essays.  In this process, we are dismayed at the gap between information, facts, figures and tangible results and the common belief.  We call the latter, this concept of “common belief” – mythology.  Sometimes, when we can specifically trace it to one or two individuals, we call it – propaganda.

Here is an article written about Mr. Kennedy by an accomplished writer with some standing in the media world:   http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-j-samuelson-the-jfk-fascination/2013/11/10/15ed8d30-48a3-11e3-a196-3544a03c2351_story.html?hpid=z2

Mr. Samuelson entitled his article – The JFK fascination.

Fifty years of fascination is long enough.  In America, as children, many of us retain a brief belief in various forms of fantasy offered by our parents, relatives and friends, as a form for them to keep alive the innocence and wonderment of childhood.  We know these beliefs as – Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, the tooth fairy and, up until a few years ago, Walt Disney productions.  Now it’s rap music characters, electronic games, an unattractive 20 year old girl and the fantasy twins – Obama and Bernanke.

Most of us grow out of this fantasy world; we have to.  We have to in order to survive.  The world does not pay us for teeth – keep them or lose them; there is no Santa unless you mean the vote buyers: Bernanke and Obama; there are no Tinkerbelle’s; no talking mice, ducks and goofy dogs.

Neither should there be nonsense about a young man brutally murdered by a miscreant with a gun the sights of which he was demonically able to line up with the young man’s head 50 years ago.

The mythology is not an accident and it is not the result of well wishing parents, relatives and friends seeking to bring joy and wonderment to youngsters as well as themselves.  It is a careful plan – well executed by a willing group of family members – who care more for their image than their country.  Once the mythology seed was planted by the circumstances, the manipulation took over.  The images were created and set by horrible actors and circumstances but the 50 year fascination is nothing more than propaganda promoted by politicians, media moguls and others who follow the simple logic of, “What’s in it for me?”

Sure we need heroes but we also need to survive.  “He was not a great president. He was somewhere between middling and mediocre.” – RJSamuelson.  Almost makes one cringe doesn’t it?  To speak such sacrilege at this time of remembrance of all that could have been.  Blasphemy.  Desecrating the mythology of this heroic figure.

Well, Mr. Samuelson got it right.  The most significant consequence of Mr. Kennedy’s horrible death was five years of bad leadership, promiscuous governance and a very costly war all directed by his successor.  The LBJ legacy burdens America to this day.

We should mourn the tragic loss of the man but we should also, with definition and conviction, shun those who profit in any way from promoting it.  America is lost in the manipulation and malfeasance of those who profit from the book of America mythology.  The JFK fascination is but this week’s/months chapter in this growing volume of unreality replacing values; fundamentals; hard work; discipline.

 

Influence = Dollars = Deficits = Debt

It is staggering to see the power of Israeli influence on American governance; American foreign policy and the withdrawal of funds from the pockets of American taxpayers.  It is also almost heretical to even mention it.  This may explain why it is seldom discussed on TV, in print and by other media outlets and, in the one place where it should be front and center in debates – the American congress.

Here is an accounting of what America has provided Israel since its inception:

Source:  from an April 11, 2013 Congressional Research Service report titled "U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel". By Jeremy M. Sharp, specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs. 

Please note that most of this “aid” is for military purposes.  This is not humanitarian aid.

Here is a comparison of recent top aid recipients 2008 and 2012.  Since WWII, Israel has received more aid than any other recipient – substantially more.

As you know, America does not have this money – it is borrowed or just printed by Ben Bernanke, backed by bonds issued by Obama’s treasury department, delivered to the state department and electronically transferred to the recipients in many cases.  We don’t know much about where it goes after that.   Sometime taxes will need to be collected to settle the debt but today it is a simple Washington process – influence gets dollars which add to deficits that pile up as American taxpayer obligations.

Debt.  By the billions.

As Maine goes….

We use the first few words of the old saw – as Maine goes so goes the nation to head up this essay as a reminder that sometimes there can be a connection between what is happening to our entire country and what is going on within one state or, perhaps, a few.

What follows below is an informative chart of the bond ratings of the various 50 states from Standard and Poor’s over the period 2001 – 2012.  We offer this information for three reasons – one, informed Americans need to know and two, we doubt that you are going to get this information from a Hollywood media news report, even though we, at TheFundamentals, find this information of greater importance than news flashes about gay marriage, health care websites and government bureaucrats barricading public access to public owned facilities or propaganda pieces from Axelrod.  Here’s the chart:

Source:  http://www.pewstates.org/projects/stateline/headlines/infographic-sp-state-credit-ratings-20012012-85899404785  (illustration comments from Pew)

There is a third reason why we offer this information – our president comes from Illinois.  He garnered his political  and governance education in Illinois.  Illinois is financially insolvent – they are not able to pay their current bills without borrowing money – meeting one of the key definitions of insolvency.  Several influential democrat party political powers are also from Illinois including senator Durbin, who has been a puppet for the Illinois (including Chicago and Cook county) machine politicians who have directed the Illinois bond rating collapse to the bottom of this chart.  It also is common knowledge that several California politicians exert great influence over fiscal matters in Washington DC.  They occupy the bottom rating of all 50 states.

These politicians do not concern themselves with bond ratings.  Obviously.  So the question we pose is this – as Illinois and California go, so goes the nation?

By the way, the hack politicians who ran Detroit into bankruptcy ignored bond ratings also.

Cui curis

Most Americans have a surface understanding of the inner workings of the governance processes where Mr. Obama did his apprenticeship.  Mr. Obama learned what he knows in three locations – Chicago, Cook County and the Illinois state legislature.  These three training grounds are not citadels of a republic form of government (government responsible to the people)  Nor are they representative democratic forms of government.  They are what they are – machine politics run by layers of bosses who gather up as much revenue as possible and divvy it out to those who play by their rules.  By divvy out we mean they hire whom they please – they buy goods and services from those who do their bidding – and they always take good care of themselves.  First and foremost, they look out for themselves.

Opposition?  Competing two party systems?  No.

Negotiate?  Compromise?  No.

Separation of powers?  Checks and balances?  Maybe some day.

It's one set of laws for the regular folk – almost no set of laws for the inside folks.

Top salaries and benefits for the insiders.  Pensions that would be the envy of any taxpayer.  And, if you are a clever insider, why settle for just one salary and benefit/pension package when you can get two or even three.

Barack H. Obama learned governance in this system.  If you wonder why he didn’t show up for many votes in the state legislature it was because he didn’t have to – passage of the legislation was a given – as soon as the bosses decided what laws needed to be passed – what taxes need to be raised – who was to get what in the spending bills – it was a done deal.  Debate?  Not required.  Passage?  Assured.

All three are broke – Chicago, Cook County and the state of Illinois.  When they arrive in federal bankruptcy court, the court will have its hands full.  No one even knows how much they owe – what all those pensions will all add up to – what side deals lurk in dark corners.  These people borrow 20 and 30 year money to make payroll.  They sell public assets to put gas in the garbage trucks and their own limousines.

The bosses didn’t worry about a republican minority with some constitutional standing so neither did/does Barack.  Republicans don’t matter – no one votes for republicans.

Here is a transcript from a recent deposition involving the recent former boss of Chicago – Richard Daley.  He is being questioned about his knowledge of events involving contracts and special (sweetheart) deals with a very expensive park and fancy restaurant built on city lakefront property during his regime:

Novack (attorney): Do you recall Mr. Horan and Mr. O’Malley coming to your office and showing you renditions of what the interior was going to look like?

Daley: They could have. I wouldn’t recall. They could have.

Novack: Do you recall asking them to move the bar from the front of the restaurant to the back of the restaurant because you thought that would be more family-friendly?

Daley: I don’t recall.

Novack: Do you recall that you actually attended the announcement of the opening of the restaurant?

Daley: I don’t recall if I did or not.

Novack: OK. I’ll show you . . . a picture of a bunch of people standing in front of some buildings. Do you recognize yourself in that picture?

Daley: It’s kind of blurry. I guess it’s me, if it is.

Novack: And you are there, aren’t you, for the opening of the ice rink . . . and the restaurant being open for the first time?

Daley: I don’t know what it was for, but — I don’t recall.

Novack: In other words, is it your testimony that the first time you knew that they [Horan and O’Malley] were associated with the restaurant was that day?

Daley: I don’t know what I knew.

Source:  http://www.suntimes.com/news/watchdogs/23203670-452/ex-mayor-richard-m-daley-under-oath-in-citys-millennium-park-lawsuit-i-dont-know-what.htmlhttp://www.suntimes.com/news/watchdogs/23203670-452/ex-mayor-richard-m-daley-under-oath-in-citys-millennium-park-lawsuit-i-dont-know-what.html

This is the testimony of a man who doesn’t care.   He considers himself unaccountable; above the law; just say you don’t know – don’t recollect – don’t care.  Today many are trying to grasp what Mr. Obama did or didn’t do; knew or didn’t know; said or didn’t say; meant or didn’t mean.  It is not a worthwhile effort.  Mr. Obama learned politics and governance in Chicago, from a man who just doesn’t care.

Someone once said there are two types of people – those who can learn and those who do learn.  There is a third type – cui curis.

Who cares?

Daley has left behind - in his city; his county and his state - more debt than can be calculated.  His protégé, Obama, is doing the same to the United States.  Detroit collapsed because of debt.  The children of Daley and Obama's voters will either get to pay off the debt or default on the debt.  Their parents don't seem to care either.

RobamaCare

If the federal government wishes to secure health insurance for 30 million Americans who are not buying it for themselves even though 240 million Americans are buying it for themselves; well, that’s what happens in a majority rule democracy that has untethered itself from common sense and financial responsibility – i.e. so be it.

No one can force fundamentals on a government – by raw definition, government does as it pleases.

Except, wait a minute – don’t we have a constitution?  Don’t we, us Americans, have this overriding, basic law that does control government?  Actually limit it?  Of course we do.  And, on top of that, we have something even bigger and better than an old piece of parchment paper with these controls and limitations – we have the supreme court to keep government abiding by those controls and limitations.

Phew – for a minute there we were afraid we could end up like Russia or Somalia – maybe even worse –  Spain or Greece.

So we have these supreme’s – all nine of them.  Praise the Lord – we are saved.  And the top supreme – well, this guy is a superstar.   Great resume.  Conservative fellow who grasps the constitution and understands freedom and liberty – personal responsibility; pay your bills; get a job; obey the law; be responsible for your children; love your wife/spouse/partner/husband/paramour/significant other, blah-blah-blah.

Now we all know democracy is tainted – it is nothing but a human scheme to advance the hopes and change programs of politicians who are elected by the people by promoting their hope and change programs that will secure enough votes for the politician to attain elected office.  So what happens in this scheme?  Just what you would think – candidate one offers this – his/her opponent offers that – so candidate one offers more and opponent tops that offer and on and on it goes.  It’s like a poker game with the players (candidates) using someone else’s money for their bets.

In early 2009, the winning group of politicians/poker players said – free health insurance for those 30 million.  Along with a whole bunch of new taxes and rules affecting the 240 million who already had it.  These cleveristas (winning politicians) got all the lobbyists in a room and they wrote a two thousand page bill with more gimmicks and little goodies than anyone could grasp.  But so what?  They had the votes – or they thought they had the votes.  Turned out some of their own – smelling a opportunity – figured they could threaten to hold up this 2000 page monstrosity and get some special favors for their own locale – their state or their district.

So the winning group of politicians/poker players folded – gave in to the blackmailers and wrote in a bunch of special deals to assure that the blackmailers would vote for the 2000 page law.  Bingo – done deal.  Passed.  The law.

Okay, back to our premise – not to worry – America has the supreme’s.  The supreme’s will save us – the supreme’s can see through this corruption – this ain't democracy – this is Russia, Somalia or, even worse, Spain and Greece.  Maybe even Italy!

Well as someone used to say – the rest of the story.  Four of the supreme’s are in lockstep with the winning politicians/poker players.  All they needed was one vote from the sensible group and we can say bye-bye to the concept of control and limits on government.  They got it – from the guy who, on paper, should never have even been in doubt.  The fellow who knows better; this top guy, folded and joined the politician/poker players who bet with other people’s money.

His name – you know it – John Roberts.

Obama singed the law – Roberts could have stopped it cold.  Obama wanted it.  He led the winning players.  But Roberts?   We cannot explain why he did what he did but he was the fellow with the assignment to stop this nonsense – the fail safe point of no return – the guy who is supposed to understand and defend the constitution.  The top constitution supporter.  He folded so his name belongs on it too.

John ROBerts and Barack ObAMA  ROB + AMA = ROBAMA CARE

Two foolish men who think they know how to run health care for 240 million Americans.

 

 

Trust

Is there anything more fundamental than trust in human relations?

Please read this commentary from Daniel Henninger – he nails it. 

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303902404579152082961445984?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_opinion

Even a few in America’s badly devolved “Hollywood media” are starting to see that the cause of America’s problems, at home and increasingly abroad, are not the republicans; not the tea party; not even Mr. Obama’s predecessor, Mr. Bush.  The cause simply is – President Barack Obama.

Metrics and accountability – endangered species

Here is the definition of performance metrics – A performance metric is a measure of an organization's activities and performance.  In order to attain metrics, it is necessary to “establish targets against which results can be scored.” Pretty basic stuff.

Most of us know what accountability is even though it has become an endangered species in the last five years (seems much longer doesn’t it?)  – we can safely predict by Mr. Obama’s departure in 1,185 days** (but who’s counting) that the species – bureaucraticus accountabilcus will be extinct in Washington DC (it does seem a long, long away, huh?)

But back to this metrics measurement business.

Just a little over one month ago, the bureaucrats at HHS, that’s the outfit run by Kathleen Sebelius, she’s the gal who told the Catholic church to start providing condoms and other forms of contraception to their employees – oh, and abortions if those frisky employees didn’t have time or inclination to use such free devices; this gal Kathleen predicted that 7 million people would sign up for Obamacare in the first year which now has begun.  That’s an example of “performance metrics.”

Kathy even provided detail.   Here are sign up "metrics" for a few big states:

·         California –  1.3 million

·         Texas – 629,000

·         Florida – 477,000

·         Washington – 340,000

·         New York – 218,000

The Associated Press got the metrics in a draft version from Kathy’s bureaucracy a few weeks before enrollment commenced on October 1^st.   A week later, Kathy issued the final statement.  Guess what?  The enrollment metrics were MIA – that’s missing in action.

Have you noticed that the same government that will ask you to report your income, to the dollar;  your medical expenses, to the dollar; your mortgage interest payments to the dollar;  your interest receipts (we know – most of you no longer can associate with this concept – receiving interest for your bank deposits) to the dollar; has no such discipline or documentation when it comes to their programs and expenditures and great plans and schemes?  Try estimating your tax deductions – with no paper backup and see what happens.

Now Obama could fess up – it’s a mess – the technology stinks; the concept is badly flawed and enrollment will fall way short of their projections – and Kathleen and her tens of thousands of bureaucrats are to blame.  That would be consistent with his concept of accountability?  Blame someone else.  But – big but about to follow – Obama has one condition associated with his concept of accountability.  Only republicans are accountable – never a democrat.

As to the metrics – why cover new ground – why publish an estimate when the American Hollywood media is only too willing to parrot your vague predictions and excuses and, of course, point the finger of blame at those pesky, in bred, badly conflicted, pocket lining republicans?

Metrics and accountability – endangered fundamentals in this new era of enlightenment. 

** there is a helpful website that captures Mr. Obama’s remaining time in office, to the second.  Interested?  Please go to:  http://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?p0=263&iso=20170120T00&msg=Time%20left%20until%20Obama%20leaves%20office   Too bad Kathy didn’t hire the techies who did this webpage to do hers.  Short on time - just take a look at the graphic display in the upper right hand side of this page.