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.

Market decisions v. bureaucracy decisions

Sometime it doesn’t take a lot of research and analysis summarized and packaged in a 650-700 word essay, which is then edited and modified, and posted at www.thefundamentals.us to make our point.

What is the best way to secure good health care service? 

1.    A very big book of rules and procedures that health care providers of all types and training can access every time a health issue arises for anyone of America’s 300+ million citizens, or

2.    An open market place where the American with the health issue chooses where to go and whom to see and what to pay?

That is the question.  We can embellish the question with lots of references to past experience with the big book approach – written rules and procedures covering everything imaginable, but why bother?  All you need do is ask yourself this question – do I look forward to calling, visiting, explaining, filling out forms, talking with or otherwise interacting with anyone at any government bureaucracy?

Here is one other, very simple way to address this question – can you imagine what the functioning of a smart phone, say an Apple I5, would be if it were the product of the department of health and human services (HHS)?  If the operating software were designed by the FCC?  An operating manual put out by the IRS?  Do you realize that the I5 is so intuitive to use, it doesn’t come with a manual?

There are a few things government must do (the constitution spells out eighteen) – there are many things it cannot do.  For almost two hundred years America had a balance between who best to provide products and services.  It has lost that balance.  Mostly in the last 40 or 50 years.

The sky is falling

Every Chicken Little in the world is having their day.

Their message – America, you had better keep adding to your debt or else the sky will collapse and we all will suffer.  Catastrophic.

Who is to blame?

It is almost too irrational to answer that question.  The Chicken Little’s say the responsibility rests with those who wish to either stop adding to the debt or, at least, stop adding so much more debt.  Can you imagine what you grandmother or grandfather would have said to you if you tried that logic on them?

So, the Chicken Little’s are panicking.  America, don’t default.  Add more debt.

Where are you?  What do you think America’s “leaders” should do?

More debt.

Less debt.

No more debt.

Here is the one thing we offer as you watch this group of weak people, nary a leader among them, wail and caterwaul about this so-called shutdown:

Cui bono?

Who benefits?  Pay attention to who benefits.  To a person, in one way or another, the Chicken Little’s are the beneficiaries.

If you are an enemy of the United States, you are gleefully watching the world’s superpower bow down to the irrational but very selfish motivations of a bunch of Chicken Little’s.

There is not one powerful country in the world that lives off debt.  Not one.  The sky is not falling - the chickens are just coming home to roost.

John, hire a good propagandist, please

It is difficult, bordering on embarrassing, to watch Mr. Boehner speak to the press.  We know he is a good guy; we know he has a difficult task dealing with a man who cannot be trusted (BO) and we know he has some old fashioned values like living within ones means, balancing the budget and paying down debt; but, c’mon, he is dealing with a group of promiscuous vote buyers who could care less if the United States becomes France or Somalia.  John, you’ve got to bring better weaponry to this battle – too much is at stake for you to continue to apply your high ground approach.  You need to get in the gutter (for inspiration, see:  http://www.humanevents.com/2013/10/04/the-sadistic-strategy-of-obama-reid/ ) with your opponents and beat them with sticks, with stones, with garbage and with persevering vigor.  Yes, John, you need to find your own sleazeball, your own David Axelrod (DA).

Here are some tips on how to go about it:

First thing John, remember; always remember what BO and DA did to candidate Romney.  They lied, they made up stories, they characterized good guy Mitt as an uncaring, wealthy fellow who would do anything to line his pockets without regard for the consequences on the little guy.  Well, John, here is what those DA and BO have done in the last five years:

·       They send their kids to private schools while the little guy/gal gets to send her/his kids to union dominated schools that turn out kids who can’t read, can’t write, can’t spell, can’t speak and have no clue what an employer seeks in a new employee.  And those two never address the reality of the situation – all they do is throw more money after wasted money in order to keep buying teacher union votes.  Get your own DA and get that message out every day, between now and November 4, 2014.  Make it personal and don’t stop when they start whining about bringing their kids into the political arena.  Show some of the urban youth unemployment statistics, and while you are at it, interview some of the kids from those schools.

 

·       DA and his boss – BO, make a big deal out of how you and your majority in the house want to cut back on food stamps and kids lunches and first start and a thousand other government programs, all designed to do one thing, buy enough votes to keep them in power.  Here are the recent spending numbers:

o   2008 - $ 3.0 Trillion, Bush departs

o   2009 - 2012: every year $ 3.5 Trillion or more

o   2013 - $ 3.7 Trillion

o   Cutbacks?  Where are the cutbacks, John?  How about a simple ad, with these numbers, occasionally, between now and November 2014?  Point out, while you’re at it, that more would have been spent had it not been for your attempts to keep the spending down.

·       Debt.  The biggest, baddest, most explosive weapon of mass destruction, in your arsenal and you never use it.  Here are the debt levels under BO:

o   End of 2008 - $ 10.0 Trillion, Bush departs

o   End of 2009 - $ 11.9

o   End of 2010 - $ 13.5

o   End of 2011 - $ 14.8

o   End of 2012 - $ 16.4

o   End of 2013 - $ 17.5

o   These are BO’s numbers, they all come from his website:  www.whitehouse.gov

o   Create a simple add, we would suggest a debt clock up in the corner – constantly updating itself, and, playing in the background, BO himself, wailing about debt under his predecessor – saying its unpatriotic and burdening our children, etc.  John, this is a no brainer – just do it.

·       One more thing John, get a few trusted people – get someone like Admiral Mullen (why or why haven’t you asked him to occasionally repeat his message captured at the top of this page?) to explain in very simple terms why America must get its fiscal house in order and stop permitting the democrats to spend us into bankruptcy?  He nailed it with his observation about national security and debt.  We’ve never heard you repeat it.

·       One more thing.  John, read TheFundamentals.  We don’t care about political correctness – we sure don’t give two hoots about BO and DA – they’ve lined their pockets; they’re set for life.  What we care about is the US of A and those who don’t want to work for the government – who do wish to have security and safety from the freeloaders who sell their votes to the democrat party – be they public union freeloaders (John, how about an ad about Detroit and what the public employee unions did and still are doing there?) or just those who think someone owes them something for nothing.  You can use anything on our webpage, at anytime, without attribution – but you had better do it fast and persistently or we too will look around for someone who can and will.

·       John, you need some help.  Your party does not have a leader and it has almost no trusted public voices persistently speaking to real issues.   BO and DA control the media and they control the agenda and the issues.  So, when they want to deflect – they emphasize Syria – or gay marriage – maybe toss out some lies about immigration – whatever serves their purpose.   NBC/Comcast, CBS, PBS, ABC, etc. are all over it – they lap it up like puppies.   

You need help to counter their propaganda machine.  Take off the gloves and start punching.  When no one's looking, land a couple under the belt.  Don’t stop when they complain.  Run the ads in Spanish - with good actors, not some politicians.  There are a few other things you will need to do but this is a start – time to get going – time to hire some good help.  

You own it – the bureaucrats occupy it and control it

Think about it – the bureaucrats are squatters in absentia.  They don’t even show up – supposedly they have been furloughed – but we call it what it is – paid time off for doing nothing but locking things down and keeping you out.

Public owned assets?  No such thing.  Anything the government has acquired with public monies, over the years, or has some politicians name on it belongs to the bureaucrats.  They control it – they tell you when and how and under what circumstances you can visit or access, if at all; how to conduct yourself when on public owned property and if it is in their best interest to lock it down – they lock it down.

A park – its theirs.  A monument – they can keep you out – even though you paid for it and you may still believe it represents some form of history, or freedom or strength and valor on the part of your ancestors.    Funny thing, we tend to not to think of bureaucrats as our heroes – our role models – ones we build monuments to or name parks after.  But they sure show up in the thousands to take over, after the battle or the “courage required” part is no longer needed.

Do you really need some bureaucrat to allow you access to a park?  To a monument?  To a sculpture bought and paid for by taxes?  Do you think you could enjoy an ocean vista without some furloughed government employee in a uniform permitting you access?  Or a mountain view?  A geyser? 

We have said on these pages on more than one occasion that nothing perseveres with more tenacity than a government employee backed by a union and some politicians who buy their votes.  Pay close attention to this shutdown – that cabal – the bureaucrats, their union bosses and a few politicians haven’t shut down a thing – except your access to your assets.  This is a simple game of power and they don’t intend to lose.  They have the majority political party on their side, they have the entire Hollywood media on their side and they have a propaganda machine in full operation going ba**s to the wall to win.

If you still believe in freedom, that you control the government, this “we the people” business, look around you and pay attention.  The only way freedom perseveres is the constant control of the people over their government and that requires severe limits on bureaucrats.  America has gone along with the exact opposite – it encourages bureaucrats to control them.

America has a brand new “occupy movement” – BUREAUCRATS.

 

In His Own Words – Seymour Hersh

Please read this article:

http://www.theguardian.com/media/media-blog/2013/sep/27/seymour-hersh-obama-nsa-american-media

Every word that Hersh speaks about journalism in America is a devastating indictment of American media reporting.  Hersh in a few words describes the devolution of American journalism and their self imposed fear of practicing the freedoms of the first amendment of the US constitution lest they separate from their fully embraced missions of greed and liberal ideology.

This media, this inside group – Comcast/NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, Fox and CNN as well as their print counterparts have traded the fundamental of inquiry and analysis and perseverance for entertainment and self enrichment.  They are what we call the Hollywood media.  Notice that Hersh gives his interview to the Guardian – he doesn’t waste his time with the failed American group above.

This Hollywood media are in it for money and then more money and the illusion of power.  They have no power – the money they take is table scraps.  The price we pay is our freedoms and our moral compass.  We trade discipline and hard work for pennies in the pockets of these fools.

The simple reason blogs and essay writers and internet websites are flourishing is due to the vacuum created by journalists who find a Washington DC party invitation; a book deal; a few thousand for an empty speech to a fawning group; a seat in an auditorium listening to a white house hack or some such thing more rewarding than the shoe leather and discomfort of investigating a story and being left off an invitation list.

There is one other compelling reason – the faux journalists of the Hollywood media have embraced the vote selling/get something for nothing politics of the left.  Many cannot even imagine, even contemplate, the alternative so they parrot the words of the political propagandists and sway the unintelligent, uniformed, vote selling citizen who thinks they can get something for nothing.

Something for nothing – that is what American journalism is about today.  They live it – they enjoy it – or at least pretend to do so.  They are “nincompoops” of the highest order.  They are simply afraid to go against power.  They enjoy their delusion of puissant perquisites at the expense of our principles and fundamentals.