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Syria: The New Libya?

December 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Reports of Syrian soldiers defecting to the armed resistance to the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad indicate that Syria may be following the path of Libya.

The parallels between the two Arab nations are striking. Col. Muamar Gadhafi (aka Khadafy aka Qaddafi) ) seized control of Libya in a military coup d’etat in 1969. The next year Gen. Hafez Al-Assad overthrew President Nureddin Al-Atassi in Syria. Gadhafi intervened in nearby Chad, Assad intervened in Lebanon. Both killed their own people to keep power. At the time of the Libyan Revolution, Gadhafi was grooming his sons to succeed him as dictator. Hafez Al-Assad originally groomed his older son Basil to succeed him, but the young man was killed in an auto accident in 1998. (1) He then prepared his younger son Bashar for his job by giving him increasing responsbilities in the government. Bashar become president when Hafez died in 2000. The same year he married a British woman of Syrian birth.

Bashar Al-Assad has an unusual background for an Arab dictator. Instead of a career in the military or diplomatic service, he chose to become a doctor, graduating Damascus University Medical School in 1988. He then studied ophtalmalogy at the Westerm Eye Hospital in London. Bashar returned to Syria in 1994 and entered the military academy. With his father’s blessing, Bashar ascended the ranks quickly, and in 1998 was placed in charge of Syria’s activities in Lebanon.

As president, Bashar has made only minor reforms in his father’s policies of authoritarian rule at home and hostility toward Israel and the United States. He has maintained an alliance with Iran, and supplies arms to Hezbollah, which probably killed the Prime Minister of Lebanon in 2005. On the other hand, Bashar is strongly suspicious of the Muslim Brotherhood, which Hafez Al-Assad crushed in Syria. In 2008 he authorized indirect talks with Israel (through Turkey), which came to nothing.

Bashar’s armed forces have have killed over 3,500 people trying to stop protests against his regime, yet the demonstrations continue. The King of Jordan, the Prime Minister of Turkey and the Arab League have all turned against him. (2) Texas Gov. Rick Perry has called for a “no-fly zone” over Syria. But the real threat is that his military is starting to crack. The Assad family and all important military and security officials belong to the minority Alawite sect, while most of the soldiers are Sunni Muslim. In the Middle East religious differences are crucial, so a major split in the Syrian Army (like the one in Libya) is a real possibility. If that happens, foreign help for the rebels could turn the tide against Bashar Al-Assad and his Alawite Baath regime.

But Bashar is no Muamar. Gadhafi, who was probably mentally ill, resolved to fight for power to the death, and that is what he got. But I do not believe that Bashar Al-Assad will gamble his life for his job. The fact that he chose a career in medicine and lived in England for several years tells me that this man has a far more pragmatic and cosmopolitan view of life than Gadhafi ever had. The Assads are not crazy, they are calculating. If Bashar Al-Assad ever concludes that his cause is lost, he will pack his bags and move back to London, where he could perhaps re-instate his medical license. (A possible International Criminal Court indictment for human rights violations might be an obstacle, however.)

Of course we cannot tell what kind of regime might follow the Assads, but I am willing to bet that it will be better, rather than even worse.

Gerald S Glazer

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(1) Wikipedia

(2) “Syria threatened with sanctions” by Nada Bakri, NY Times, Nov. 25, 2011.

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An Open Letter to “Occupy Milwaukee”

December 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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OccuPoster
So, you successfully closed the North Avenue bridge over I-43 at 8th Street for several hours last Thursday night, November 17. Mazel tov. Thanks to your bold action, the scores of investment bankers and hedge fund managers who live in the area needed another half-hour to drive to their palatial homes. Serves the scoundrels right for marketing credit-default-swaps!

You might have applied for a permit to close the street, but who needs that when you are on the side of the angels? You may see yourselves in the image of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), which also used sit-ins and demonstrations to draw attention to its goals, but fortunately Police Chief Ed Flynn refused to play the new Bull Connor, so nobody got hurt here. But in other cities your Occupy colleagues have been beaten and maced by local police. People across the country have become increasingly disgusted with your monopolizing of their streets and parks, and the only way the police have been able to clear these public spaces has been by using force.

The SCLC demonstrators had been systematically excluded from the political process, so they had no alternative to demonstrations, some of which also filled streets and parks. But YOU have not been excluded! Disruptive tactics are not your last resort, but your first choice!

Only three years ago the Tea Party was a bunch of people walking around in funny costumes, but today it is a serious political force. That is because they took an active part in electoral politics. You, too, can work constructively to put your aims on the public agenda right here in Milwaukee in these ways:

1. Join the recall movement to make Wisconsin “Scott-Free.”

2. Run a candidate for County Executive against Chris Abele.

3. Run a candidate for the new position of County Comptroller. (1)

4. Support progressive candidates for the Milwaukee Common Council and County Board in every district.

5. Work to nominate and elect progressive candidates for the US Senate, Congress and the Wisconsin Legislature in the 2012 election.

Gathering valid signatures and campaigning door-to-door is much harder than marching around with signs and sitting down in the street. But instead of antagonizing people, try to persuade them. Even when you don’t win, you spread your ideas and get people interested in them. I did not win my race for the Milwaukee School Board earlier this year, but I did advance my ideas about public education.

Count me among the 99.99% of people who have no desire to occupy the streets and bridges that should belong to everyone.

Gerald S Glazer

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(1) Candidates for this position must either be a CPA or have an advanced degree in accounting or finance.
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DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this guest post do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Publictrough.com, its staff, its advertisers, and/or its partners, agents/assigns. Any guest post content appearing on Publictrough.com has not been checked for factual accuracy, and any photos/videos uploaded have not been verified to be copyright-free. It is the user’s/guest poster’s responsibility to post text and/or photos that belong to that user/guest poster and do not violate any copyright or intellectual property laws.

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Romney / Gingrich Ticket?

November 18, 2011 By 1 Comment
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Romney Ginrich Image
A Romney/Gingrich republican presidential ticket could work well to solve the economic problems destroying our country.

As president, Romney would command the role of front man, presenting the ideals of the party to the American public, including repeal of ObamaCare, reduction of unnecessary regulation by government agencies, gradual elimination of the IRS, protection of our borders and anything else that is reasonable to get Americans back to work—without spending trillions of dollars in the process.

Behind Romney would be Gingrich. As vice-president, Gingrich has the political experience in congress to work both sides of the aisle in the background to obtain consensus for passage of proposed legislation.

Obama learned a hard lesson in his failed presidency, demonstrating to the country his inability to join congress in implementing policies that move our country out of recession.

Vice-president Biden has demonstrated the ability to do nothing but cause controversy. Typical for a phony busted for plagiarizing many years ago.

Sure, Obama got things done say liberals. Anyone could ram healthcare legislation down the throats of Americas when you have a congressional majority. And Obama’s method includes getting a bill passed, even when few representatives took the time to actually read the bill.

Nice governing!

Other than that, Obama does a great job charging up the public’s credit card, but has no clue as to how to substantially curtail spending in order to pay back the debt.

A Romney/Gingrich ticket combines Romney’s business experience of successfully running a company in the black, along with Gingrich’s congressional technocrat expertise.

As a nation, we don’t have time to bicker over how many wives Gingrich has had, or Romney’s religious affiliation. The people who promote those issues should go back to watching The Kardashians.

We need solutions that work. A Romney/Gingrich ticket is gold.

 
VioSoftware.com

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Government Employees Double-Dipping

October 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Double Dipping Wisconsin
For those of you who love government and just can’t fathom the thought that government can do no wrong, here’s a little tidbit that should make you think twice.

Government employees in Wisconsin are double-dipping.

You see, it’s been common practice for those slurping off the public trough (not the website) to retire from their jobs, collect their pension, then within one month and a day, return to their former government employment to collect their payroll and pension simultaneously.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker seeks to end this practice for good, however union advocates, as part of their “Walker is destroying Wisconsin” campaign, want this practice to continue, and at all costs, including a recall election against the republican governor.

As reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “The latest case, reported by the Green Bay Press-Gazette, involved Associate Provost (University of Wisconsin-Green Bay) Timothy Sewall, who retired from his job in March — when the Legislature was reducing benefits for public employees — and was hired back a month later to his $110,000 position. After his rehire, he was still collecting his $44,000 pension.”

The “latest” case? How pervasive is this practice in government?

It doesn’t take a staunch liberal activist to figure out that government entities have been blatantly taking care of themselves at the expense of over-burdened taxpayers in Wisconsin. And to no one’s surprise, these employees hate Walker for attempting to take nirvana away from them. Liberals just don’t want to admit it to anyone else but their brood.

Which “working class family” do the unions support? That’s right, the family of government officials who make this all possible for the government working class elite, funded entirely by those bad corporations and their employees . . . by law.

Crooked thinking is what’s been damaging this country, and helping to put the private middle class in jeopardy and on the brink of extinction.

Legalized thievery. Unions. Inept and self-serving politicians. A recipe for the destruction of America. And it’s baking in your oven right now America.

Let that nutty, conservative, tea party revolution begin.

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NEW PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION

October 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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peteyamble2
The following has been attributed to State Representative Mitchell Kaye from GA. This guy should run for President one day…

“We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote …positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights.”

ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth.. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone — not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes ..

ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we’re just not interested in public health care.

ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don’t be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair..

ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don’t be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won’t have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful. (AMEN!)

ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don’t care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from! (Lastly…..)

ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country’s history or heritage.. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!

Just think it’s about time common sense is allowed to flourish. Sensible people of the United States speak out because if you do not, who will?

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Wisconsin Sees Continuing Improvements in the Economy

October 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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WelWisc
Now that the effort to recall the six Republican state legislators who helped pass Wisconsin’s “Budget Repair Bill” has proven unsuccessful, and citizens are seeing the benefits of living in a state which is fiscally responsible and business- friendly, optimism is growing throughout the state.

State Senator Rich Zipperer recently chronicled several reasons for this optimism in a 9/21/11 column emailed to his constituents. The Republican representing Wisconsin’s 33rd district listed a number of significant accomplishments the budget bill brought about:

 

  • Balanced the state budget while holding the line on taxes, eliminating a $3 billion deficit in the process.
  • Instated permanent property tax caps for the first time in Wisconsin’s history.
  • Rooted out millions in waste from state government.
  • Improved the security of elections with photo I.D. for voting legislation.
  • Transformed the bureaucratic Department of Commerce into the more nimble Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
  • Reformed the state’s legal system, allowing job creators to operate without squandering millions on frivolous litigation.

Employers have noticed the steps Wisconsin has taken to position itself for long-term economic growth, and are becoming optimistic as well. Zipperer outlined dramatic improvements in employer attitudes toward the state:

Wisconsin improved four spots on CNBC’s “top states for business” list this year, an overwhelming 88 percent of the state’s business leaders surveyed by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce approve of the direction the state is heading, and, according to CEO Magazine, we are now the nation’s 24th best state to do business in – 17 spots higher from 2010.

Not everyone shares Zipperer’s enthusiasm, however. Despite the futility and expense of the senatorial recall effort (which cost state and local governments over $2.1 million), the Democrats will attempt to recall Governor Scott Walker in November.

Plus, many Democrat-controlled counties and municipalities plan to meet mandated spending reductions by cutting critical Fire and Sheriff Department budgets instead of trimming non-essential services. In doing so, the Democrats and their union supporters hope to convince voters that the Governor’s budget cuts are a threat to public safety.

Having experienced many of the tangible benefits cited by Zipperer, the public isn’t buying this argument. If only the democrats and unions recognized this new reality …

A useless and costly gubernatorial recall election could be avoided.

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Fighting Federal Charge Card Abuse

October 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Federal Charge Cards
Just when you thought no one in Washington will do anything to curb runaway federal spending, an encouraging news item appears.

On July 22 of this year, the US Senate passed the Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act of 2011. Sponsored by Iowa Senator Charles Grassley, the legislation will require federal agencies to put new safeguards and controls on government charge used by federal employees, and would require penalties for violations.

“This bill is about accountability,” Grassley said. “The public trust has been violated by the abusive use of government charge cards. The federal bureaucracy needs to improve the way it manages the use of these cards.”

Could it be true? Has the Senate actually passed legislation to ensure that federal bureaucrats wisely spend and properly account for taxpayer money? When you read the bill, you may become cautiously optimistic.
Bankruptcy ad
The legislation “requires each executive agency, except for the Department of Defense (DOD), to establish and maintain specified safeguards and internal controls for official purchase cards and convenience checks, including measures to ensure that:

  • records are kept of each card holder and applicable transaction limits.
  • rebates and refunds based on prompt payment, sales volume, or other agency actions on card accounts are reviewed for accuracy.
  • periodic reviews are performed to determine whether each cardholder needs a card.
  • effective systems, techniques, and technologies are used to prevent or identify fraudulent purchases.
  • steps are taken to recover the cost of erroneous, improper, or illegal purchases made with a purchase card or convenience check through salary offsets.”

Then questions begin to arise. Why was the Department of Defense (DOD) excluded from this legislation? You can’t help thinking about the two ex-workers who accused Blackwater Security Company (a government contractor) of defrauding the US in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

As reported by Mark Mazzetti in the 2/10/10 New York Times, “Two former employees of Blackwater Worldwide have accused the private security company of defrauding the government for years by filing bogus receipts, double billing for the same services and charging government agencies from strippers and prostitutes, according to court documents unsealed this week.”

Reading further, you notice that the legislation “establishes similar requirements for the DOD”.

But you remain skeptical. Such employee expense oversight is practiced every day by private businesses ranging from Exxon to your local Mom and Pop gift shop. Did the federal government just realized that unsupervised employee charge cards can lead to fraud and abuse?

How many government employees have these charge cards? Will yet another bureaucracy be created just to administer them? And, shouldn’t across-the-board spending cuts be the first priority in addressing our fiscal crisis?

Then you discover that the very same measure was passed by the Senate in 2009. The legislation was never brought up in the House of Representatives.

It just shows that, with the federal government, you can never be too cynical.

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Steve Jobs 1955-2011

October 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Steve Jobs Photo
The world lost one of its greatest innovators yesterday.

Steve Jobs – the idea man.

Jobs brought us Apple, Mac, NeXT, Pixar, iMac, iPhone, iPod, iTunes and iPad. He completely revolutionized media and how we interact with it.

In 2005 Jobs told a class at Stanford University “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”

Indeed, Jobs never settled.

Not a follower, he dreamed the technology that others tried to emulate. And the world is a much more interesting place today because of his willingness to think outside the box.

Thank you Steve Jobs.

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Right to Rent Act of 2011

September 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Home forclosure sign
On April 14, 2011, a the following bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Raul Grijalva [D-AZ7]:

Grants eligible mortgagors subject to foreclosure proceedings the right to continue to occupy foreclosed properties subject to the payment of fair market rent for a period of five years that begins upon the commencement of occupancy of such property. Instructs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to: (1) monitor compliance with this Act, (2) provide assistance to eligible mortgagors in exercising their rights under this Act, and (3) conduct outreach activities to inform eligible mortgagors of this Act.

This bill is now in committee.

The bill does not preclude a bank (creditor) holding the mortgage from foreclosing on the property. However, it appears that the bill would allow the owner/renter to obtain tenant rights in the event of a foreclosure sale, dependent upon the lease terms.

Is this a good idea?

Although lenders may have not appreciated the pervasiveness of the foreclosure crisis early on, if this bill were enacted during the early stages of the recession, maybe bank bailouts would have been unnecessary, or limited.

On the same note, neighborhoods may have been saved from blight and depreciating housing prices affecting contiguous homes.

Moreover, property owners facing foreclosure may have been provided the opportunity to get back on track.

Who knows.

Our country is rapidly moving in the direction of a rental society. And, if congress eliminates the mortgage interest deduction, home ownership may be a thing of the past.

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Should Space Exploration Be Manned Or Unmanned?

September 27, 2011 By 1 Comment
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Photo provided by NASAConsidering that our national debt now exceeds $14 trillion, is space exploration still cost justified?

And, with today’s advanced robotics and satellite technology, should we still send up astronauts (whose safety in space is extremely expensive to maintain)?

President Obama made his opinion on the subject quite clear when he cancelled the Constellation program, which was our next step in manned exploration, and included a return to the moon. His goal is to change NASA from a space transportation provider to a research and development organization.

Many agree with the president, pointing out that private contractors can build the necessary hardware and that technological advancements have rendered manned space travel not worth the risks.

Other experts disagree, arguing that robots can only uncover what they’re programmed to seek out. And, since space exploration may involve encountering the unimaginable, robots are ill-equipped to properly respond.

G. Scott Hubbard, professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University summarized the arguments for the utility of space exploration and the relative roles of humans and robots in a recent forum at freakonomics.com:

  1. Space exploration will eventually allow us to establish a human civilization on another world (e.g., Mars) as a hedge against the type of catastrophe that wiped out the dinosaurs.
  2. We explore space and create important new technologies to advance our economy. It is true that, for every dollar we spend on the space program, the U.S. economy receives about $8 of economic benefit. Space exploration can also serve as a stimulus for children to enter the fields of science and engineering.
  3. Space exploration in an international context offers a peaceful cooperative venue that is a valuable alternative to nation state hostilities. One can look at the International Space Station and marvel that the former Soviet Union and the U.S. are now active partners. International cooperation is also a way to reduce costs.
  4. National prestige requires that the U.S. continue to be a leader in space, and that includes human exploration. History tells us that great civilizations dare not abandon exploration.
  5. Exploration of space will provide humanity with an answer to the most fundamental questions: Are we alone? Are there other forms of life beside those on Earth?

Obviously, there are compelling arguments on both sides of the issue. And one of the most severe consequences of our long-term fiscal irresponsibility is that we may no longer be able choose our course of action based solely on the merits of those arguments.

But look at the bright side. At least the manned space program ran long enough to give us Tang and Velcro.

Dodocase for Kindle

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