America has clearly been in an economic downturn for a while now. We obviously need more jobs at home, and we have spent TRILLIONS bailing out our own industries at home. So why would we send jobs building planes for our military to Brazil?
During a recent visit to Brazil in March, President Obama expressed his desire to become a “major customer” of Brazilian oil, and still remains opposed to drilling here, in America, to supply American needs. He categorically denies permits to Americans to drill in the Gulf of Mexico, but will give foreign permits to Brazil to drill. Is our own soil not good enough to drill on? Is gas not expensive enough? Where will the madness end?
Additionally, Obama seems to forget that our unemployment rate is hovering at about 10%. That’s right, folks, 1 in 10 Americans doesn’t have a job. So of course, it makes perfect sense for our President, who is supposed to be stimulating our economy, to send our jobs overseas. Is every American job expendable? Why is Obama sending our jobs overseas, to foreign nations?
We are now in a ‘green energy contract’ with Brazil, known as Memorandum of Understanding to Advance the Cooperation on Biofuels (MoU). They also expanded this to include aviation fuels, which is also another tie to Brazil, which can be problematic because of the issues regarding our aviation defense contracts, outlined below.
The U.S. Air Force is considering bids for aircraft to serve as counterinsurgency fighters and trainers for foreign partners. The plane in question is the Hawker Beechcraft AT-6, a light attack plane used widely by the American Military, VS the Embraer Super Tucano. Both planes are comparable, in cost and performance. It’s important that we look at the risk associated with a relationship of a country like Brazil that if awarded this contact, could possibly start supplying to Iraq and Afghanistan.
To put this whole matter in laymen’s terms, it basically comes down to a national security issue. If we buy planes from Embraer, we're putting the military in a situation where the government of Brazil can literally ground part of our air force by cutting off the parts if they so choose. That's especially relevant given that Brazil is not supporting us in Libya. They called for cease-fire just hours after Obama left the country. If Embraer were to get the contract, the government Brazil could more than tut-tut us, they could actually cut off parts we'd need for an American military aircraft in order to pressure us to accede to their will.
Then there's the jobs issue. Giving Hawker Beechcraft the contract would create 1400 jobs in America, while giving Embraer the contract would create 50 jobs in America and the rest in Brazil. I believe in free trade and not a protectionist, so I don't think that's a decisive factor. However, when we're talking about two comparatively priced planes that are going to be used for military purposes that should make us reluctant to get the plane outside of the US anyway, I don't think those jobs are completely irrelevant.
There’s also a secondary issue. The Hawker Beechcraft AT-6 would allow for roughly 95% of both the male and female potential pilot population with weights as low as 103 pounds and as high as 245 pounds to safely fly the aircraft. The old standards to which the Brazilian aircraft complies will prohibit 18% of military males and 81% of military females from safely ejecting from the aircraft in an emergency. This is both a national safety and security issue. Our military is voluntarily serving and protecting us is at risk. We are voluntarily placing jobs in a country with a track record of anti-American sentiment. We are entrusting these people with our defense.
Please take this issue to your proper representatives and let’s keep jobs in AMERICA!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
MISSING!!!! Please Be On The Lookout
I am looking for some radio airchecks to put together for myself so I am listening to The PES. The episode I am listening to now has the topic of Wal Mart. Remember when PARD said they were not an anti-WalMart group? Remember when they said they would be here for the long haul? Remember when they said they would have input on all sorts of local development issues?
I haven't heard from PARD in ages. Would someone help me look for them?
I haven't heard from PARD in ages. Would someone help me look for them?
Friday, May 06, 2011
DOUBLE DIP RECESSION IN WA STATE CONFIRMED!
Washington State Continues to Falter!
There was more national bad news from the US Department of Labor Friday Morning with the Obama U3 number going to 9% (that’s the percentage of the workforce collecting unemployment benefits) and the U6 number climbing to 17.8% (that’s the percentage of the workforce that is unemployed!). Even though hiring perked up some, the economy lost a net 190,000 jobs in April: NOT GOOD NEWS.
The latest numbers in Washington State has the U3 number at 9.7% or 340,330 and the U6 number at 599,963 which is the actual number of people unemployed in Washington State. Again a number of people left the workforce and gave up trying to find a job: 2,430. Snohomish County is still having a major problem with employment coming in at 10.1% for U3 and 18.4% for the U6 number. That means 70,157 people remain unemployed in SNO County.
Realtytrac’s March numbers were stunning with regard to State and County wide foreclosures. March foreclosures added 3,613 new defaults/foreclosures bringing the statewide total year to year to 35,049 foreclosures. King County led the foreclosure parade with 1,392 and Seattle was hit hard with another 490 foreclosures. For those of you who read the bogus, male bovine excrement story in Friday’s Seattle Times, I had a roll in the floor laugh at their expense: Link
Over the commercial real estate side of the fence the CBA or the Commercial Brokers Association in Washington State now has over 19,000 listings for rent, lease or sale: AN ALL TIME RECORD.
With regard to the billions in deficits that the State Legislature if fiddling around with in Olympia the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council has issued a report that is gloomy to say the least. Meaning: the state cannot count on sales tax revenue to fill up almost 6 Billion in deficits; instead they will have to cut more spending. With the idiot Democrats in control down in the SWAMP (Olympia) that does not sound like a very likely scenario.
Editor’s note: The State of Idaho business licensing department over at Coeur d'Alene has had to add more personnel to handle the increasing numbers of business in the Spokane area who are leaving the Evergreen State.
Seasonal Adjusted Numbers for those of you who read my blogs you know that these numbers that the Washington State Department of Employment Security and the US Department of Labor issue to the leftist press are nothing short of a manipulated LIE! The Seasonal adjusted numbers have no basis in reality!
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Dennis Kucinich To Represent Washington?
Oh goodie! Jim McDermott and Dennis Kucinich. We'll have to shut down all the space-based mind control weapons research.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich is rumored to be considering a run for Congress from Washington State. On Monday, Kucinich spokesman Nathan White did not deny that Kucinich is considering the move.
“He fully intends to remain in Congress; he just doesn’t know in what district he will run,” White wrote in an email, linking to an article about a recent visit by the congressman to Bainbridge Island, Washington.
The eight-term Ohio Democrat faces difficult prospects for re-election if Republican-led redistricting dilutes his tenuous base of support in northern Ohio.
If Kucinich sought election in Washington, he would first need to establish residency in the state. According to Brian Zylstra of the Washington Secretary of State’s office, the requirements to run do not preclude such a candidacy.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Congressman Doc Hastings Speaks To Yakima County Republicans
The Yakima County Republican Central Committee held its annual Lincoln Day Dinner this past Friday night. Here is a video of Congressman Doc Hastings speech:
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Burglary and Stealing is Okay in Her Book
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. County Sheriff's Office was involved in a shooting this weekend. A 25-year old was shot and killed as he rammed the deputy's patrol cars.
The article went on to say this man was arrested 14 times in the last 7 years from crimes such as theft, burglary, possession of stolen property, drug offenses, eluding police, and reckless driving.
A friend of his has a quotation saying the typically things, and not not so typical thing:
1) she said "[he] was not a bad guy"
2) she said "It doesn't seem right that they shot him"
both of which are always said by the friends and family of someone who dies while trying to hurt or kill someone else...
But this is one thing I wouldn't ever want my friends to say about me:
3) "He just liked stealing cars and having fun."
Really, you say it like stealing other peoples' possession is no big deal.
Sure people get loans and pay hundreds of dollars every month to have a car, but stealing it, that ain't no thing. Car owner's shouldn't be so selfish to lock the door of their cars.
The article went on to say this man was arrested 14 times in the last 7 years from crimes such as theft, burglary, possession of stolen property, drug offenses, eluding police, and reckless driving.
A friend of his has a quotation saying the typically things, and not not so typical thing:
1) she said "[he] was not a bad guy"
2) she said "It doesn't seem right that they shot him"
both of which are always said by the friends and family of someone who dies while trying to hurt or kill someone else...
But this is one thing I wouldn't ever want my friends to say about me:
3) "He just liked stealing cars and having fun."
Really, you say it like stealing other peoples' possession is no big deal.
Sure people get loans and pay hundreds of dollars every month to have a car, but stealing it, that ain't no thing. Car owner's shouldn't be so selfish to lock the door of their cars.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
WASHINGTON STATE’S ECONOMY IN PERIL!
LATEST NUMBERS SUPPORT A DOUBLE DIP RECESSION
Employment: According to the Washington State Employment Security Department we lost 50,540 jobs in this state in January. The Evergreen State’s unemployment rate went up to 9.7% (the U3 number, or those who are collecting unemployment benefits). That means that 338,910 folks are on the U3 roles and that includes 15,910 new claims that have been filed, SO FAR! In addition the U6 number or the TOTAL number of folks who are unemployed or marginally employed increased to 642,880 as Washington’s U6 percentage rose to a record 18.4% in January. Particularly disturbing with these numbers is the fact the 64,930 folks dropped out of the work force around the state, because most of them have given up trying to find a job. Snohomish County was hit particularly hard with a new U3 number of 10.1% or 38,090 collecting benefits and a U6 number of 69,392!
For those of you who follow my blogs you know that I have said that the indications are that Washington is in a double dip recession. This is very bad news for the State Legislature awaiting news from the Department of Revenue about to issue its revenue forecast for the remainder of the year. With this many job losses, the news is not expected to be good. That means that the 6.8 Billion dollar deficit “can” the Democrats seek to “kick down the road” over into the next fiscal year on 7/1 may end up being a lot more than that figure.
In the all important housing market here in Washington, things are bleak to say the least. The latest RealtyTrac numbers are stark. 4,981 new home foreclosures and a total of 37,207 since this recession began. That depresses not just the sale of housing but also the value or homes on the market. With a large number or ARM’s about to be re-set over the next 60 days and with even more mortgages about to go “under water”, that will impact future foreclosures amongst many who are currently in default.
In conclusion, we are lagging the rest of the country, still struggling with what is being referred to as a “modest recovery”. Many analysts conclude that the three states on the West Coast are all suffering a double dip recession to include Oregon and California. Alan Greenspan has commented on the problems with the nation’s economy and his candid assessment is not very positive.
For those of you who follow my blogs you know that I have said that the indications are that Washington is in a double dip recession. This is very bad news for the State Legislature awaiting news from the Department of Revenue about to issue its revenue forecast for the remainder of the year. With this many job losses, the news is not expected to be good. That means that the 6.8 Billion dollar deficit “can” the Democrats seek to “kick down the road” over into the next fiscal year on 7/1 may end up being a lot more than that figure.
In the all important housing market here in Washington, things are bleak to say the least. The latest RealtyTrac numbers are stark. 4,981 new home foreclosures and a total of 37,207 since this recession began. That depresses not just the sale of housing but also the value or homes on the market. With a large number or ARM’s about to be re-set over the next 60 days and with even more mortgages about to go “under water”, that will impact future foreclosures amongst many who are currently in default.
In conclusion, we are lagging the rest of the country, still struggling with what is being referred to as a “modest recovery”. Many analysts conclude that the three states on the West Coast are all suffering a double dip recession to include Oregon and California. Alan Greenspan has commented on the problems with the nation’s economy and his candid assessment is not very positive.
Monday, March 07, 2011
Sign Holders
I saw a festively plump (as Cartman would say) female holding a sign at the end of the SR520 ramp that connects to 148th Ave in Bellevue. The sign was brand new and written on a large piece of poster board. It had big bubble letters filling in with a rainbow of colors. It was asking for handouts. Anything will help the sign concluded.
After turning on to 148th I came to the 24th Street intersection. There were two more people holding signs. They were advertisements for local businesses. Whenever I am in this part of the state I regularly see people standing on the corners holding signs for local businesses.
I know some look down upon such activities, but I think it is great. They are attempting to make their own way -- willing to take a job rather than begging for a handout.
On a side note many areas around Seattle and Spokane have lots of people who beg for money. It seems harder and harder to find an off ramp where people are not begging for money. The only reason why people keep coming back is because they are making money.
Look at their sign. It is folded up and reused day after day. One of the biggest scams is begging for money because they need gas money or are stranded. It is pretty lucky for them they happened to have a sign they could hold up at a freeway off ramp. Those who give money are suckers who do nothing to help the situation.
After turning on to 148th I came to the 24th Street intersection. There were two more people holding signs. They were advertisements for local businesses. Whenever I am in this part of the state I regularly see people standing on the corners holding signs for local businesses.
I know some look down upon such activities, but I think it is great. They are attempting to make their own way -- willing to take a job rather than begging for a handout.
On a side note many areas around Seattle and Spokane have lots of people who beg for money. It seems harder and harder to find an off ramp where people are not begging for money. The only reason why people keep coming back is because they are making money.
Look at their sign. It is folded up and reused day after day. One of the biggest scams is begging for money because they need gas money or are stranded. It is pretty lucky for them they happened to have a sign they could hold up at a freeway off ramp. Those who give money are suckers who do nothing to help the situation.
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Watching our Liberties Exit Stage Left
Introduction
I am concerned over video justice whether it is red-light cameras, speed enforcement cameras, or video taping public areas for viewing by law enforcement. The idea of using technology to keep an ever watchful eye on American citizens wrong. Don't misunderstand my intentions, I am not against using technology to help a law enforcement officer do his duty, I am against technology in place of law enforcement officers. I am all for getting a warrant to legally do surveillance of a criminal suspect. I am all for police officers having video camera's in their police cars. I am against the continuous recording of public places on the off-chance it might catch a citizen doing something illegal.
I wrote two columns for the Daily News. Both columns are limited in the number of words allowed. I am posting both columns here in their original unabridged format. As it turns out both columns were written in March. The first in 2009 and the second in 2011.
In my second column I included several quotations from the OPC Guidelines for the Use of Video Surveillance of Public Places by Police and Law Enforcement Authorities. I like a lot of what it says.
Other links:
Washington State Constitution
Protests Against Surveillance Cameras
Ineffectiveness of Surveillance Cameras
Photo Radar Scam
Column #1: Daily News, March 2009.
In October of 2008 the Daily News reported about placing video surveillance cameras in several locations around Pullman. If the cameras are installed we will watch our civil liberties exit stage left.
The proposal seems benign; however, it is anything but. We are told the video would only be recorded and saved for three to four days. The cameras, we are told, would not be monitored. This proposal brings to mind a quotation from Fakediploma.com in an article titled “Washington State Citizens Against National ID”.
Don’t mistake this proposal to be on the same level as video cameras in banks, convenience stores, and various other private businesses. The difference between the cameras the city wants to install and those in the above locations are great. The cameras would be on public streets. They would be controlled by the government.
I should be able to drive down the road, in a free country, without being monitored by my government. Our government was set up with the consent of those governed not the other way around.
Many people I have talked to believe that there is nothing wrong with putting surveillance cameras on Greek Row. But that is just the start. Mayor Johnson was even quoted as saying “this would just be the start”. As more funds are available more cameras can be installed. Soon they will be put into my neighborhood and your neighborhood.
Can we really believe that once the cameras are installed that they will never be monitored? According to an article in the Daily Evergreen, Mayor Johnson said the cameras would not be monitored, but only reviewed when a crime happened to try to identify those who committed the crime. But in the Daily News article it was pointed out the cameras could be viewed live the police in their patrol cars.
How long before the city decided that on major weekends the cameras should have someone watching them and dispatching police to suspicious activities? It probably would not be very long after that point of time that we have someone to monitor the cameras on all weekends. At some point, no doubt, there would be a call to expand the coverage of live monitoring of the cameras to include the whole week. We would need to hire some people to watch the cameras to report suspicious activities to the police. Your privacy would soon be in question.
The big issue with the government monitoring the cameras and possessing the cameras and recordings is that, unlike a convenience store, the government has the ability to impose sanctions on people. Those sanctions can be anything ranging from fines to jail time.
What happens when someone uses the freedom of information act to request copies of recordings? What if those recordings show something that you did, which was not criminal in nature, but one that was personal and embarrassing in nature? Could that cause damage to ones reputation?
During the arson fire it was pointed out we might have seen a car pass through the cameras and we could have had a possible suspect. What if you were the suspect? You will have to prove yourself innocent or risk being arrested. No alibi? That’s a problem. The police grill you as to why you were driving at three o’clock in the morning? This is a free country and you should be able to move around as you wish, no suspicion raised and no alibi’s needed.
The loss of personal liberties in the name of safety is not a fair trade off.
Scott McDonald, in the article “Uncle Sam Has All your Numbers“ poses a great point. The focus of the debate must be on liberty and freedom. The question must be: Does the government have any right, whatsoever, to maintain cameras focused on free citizens? The answer is “NO!”
Column #2: Daily News, March 2011.
Imagine, if you will, this utopia. It is a place where there are no guns. Everyone has free food, health care, and a place to live. No one is forced to hold down a job. Everyone is safe from crime and there are cameras to watch every move that someone makes. Those cameras are monitored 24/7. Want to live there? We have such a place right here in Whitman County. It is called jail. Sure you are secure, but you surely don’t have any personal liberties.
Unfortunately, the idea of placing government-run video cameras around the city of Pullman has resurfaced. Mayor Glenn Johnson and Police Chief Jenkins both support this issue. I disagree with the government running broad reaching video surveillance against its free citizens.
A number of people who don't see a problem with video cameras bring up two points over and over. One point being that stores and banks use video how is this any different. I argue the difference between the bank and the government is the government has a direct ability to abridge freedom. Point number two revolves around the idea that if you are not doing anything wrong then you have nothing to hide.
Government monitoring its citizens via video cameras is not about hiding things; it is about our rights explicitly spelled out in the state Constitution. Article 1 Section 7 says in part "No person shall be disturbed in his private affairs... without authority of law". Just because someone enters a public space doesn't mean he forfeits his expectation of privacy. One cannot be searched just because he is in public.
An article discussing guidelines for the use of video surveillance by law enforcement in public places exists on the Website for the Office of Privacy Commissioner (OPC) of Canada.
Human's change their behavior when they are being watched. Whether it is seeing a police car and letting off the accelerator when driving down the street or stifling one's own speech when someone approaches. These changes, as noted by the Website, started a business where people can buy faux cameras to make people change their behavior. The OPC's Website continues "For these reasons, there is good reason to believe that video surveillance of public places by the police or other law enforcement authorities has a chilling effect on behaviour—and by extension on rights and freedoms."
My last column came out in March of 2009. In those two years Pullman has neither become more dangerous nor crime ridden. Pullman still has issues with crime, as does every city, but we are not anywhere to the point where the movements of the citizens should be captured on video. "The problem to be addressed by video surveillance must be pressing and substantial, of sufficient importance to warrant overriding the right of innocent individuals to be free from surveillance in a public place." (OPA Website)
One person posed a question to me asking how it is different when a police officer is in public watching people and a video camera is in a public place watching people. The police officer is looking for a criminal activity taking place when he sees none he moves along. At some point in the future he will check back upon the area. A video camera on the other hand is constantly recording all citizens no matter what they are doing.
I would like to close with a final concept as written by the OPC. "Video surveillance of public places nonetheless presents a challenge to privacy, to freedom of movement and freedom of association, all rights we take for granted in Canada [and America]. This is especially true when the surveillance is conducted by police or other law enforcement authorities."
Please stop by http://palousitics.blogspot.com/ where you can read my previous column and this column both unabridged due to the limitation of space.
I am concerned over video justice whether it is red-light cameras, speed enforcement cameras, or video taping public areas for viewing by law enforcement. The idea of using technology to keep an ever watchful eye on American citizens wrong. Don't misunderstand my intentions, I am not against using technology to help a law enforcement officer do his duty, I am against technology in place of law enforcement officers. I am all for getting a warrant to legally do surveillance of a criminal suspect. I am all for police officers having video camera's in their police cars. I am against the continuous recording of public places on the off-chance it might catch a citizen doing something illegal.
I wrote two columns for the Daily News. Both columns are limited in the number of words allowed. I am posting both columns here in their original unabridged format. As it turns out both columns were written in March. The first in 2009 and the second in 2011.
In my second column I included several quotations from the OPC Guidelines for the Use of Video Surveillance of Public Places by Police and Law Enforcement Authorities. I like a lot of what it says.
Other links:
Washington State Constitution
Protests Against Surveillance Cameras
Ineffectiveness of Surveillance Cameras
Photo Radar Scam
Column #1: Daily News, March 2009.
In October of 2008 the Daily News reported about placing video surveillance cameras in several locations around Pullman. If the cameras are installed we will watch our civil liberties exit stage left.
The proposal seems benign; however, it is anything but. We are told the video would only be recorded and saved for three to four days. The cameras, we are told, would not be monitored. This proposal brings to mind a quotation from Fakediploma.com in an article titled “Washington State Citizens Against National ID”.
Under the guise of safety and security you are asked to give up your most personal information to the government’s safekeeping. Using the governments favorite phrase ‘…the need to know’, we don’t feel the government has - the need to know - such personal information. The fundamental right to privacy is asked to give way in order to achieve the illusion of security.
Don’t mistake this proposal to be on the same level as video cameras in banks, convenience stores, and various other private businesses. The difference between the cameras the city wants to install and those in the above locations are great. The cameras would be on public streets. They would be controlled by the government.
I should be able to drive down the road, in a free country, without being monitored by my government. Our government was set up with the consent of those governed not the other way around.
Many people I have talked to believe that there is nothing wrong with putting surveillance cameras on Greek Row. But that is just the start. Mayor Johnson was even quoted as saying “this would just be the start”. As more funds are available more cameras can be installed. Soon they will be put into my neighborhood and your neighborhood.
Can we really believe that once the cameras are installed that they will never be monitored? According to an article in the Daily Evergreen, Mayor Johnson said the cameras would not be monitored, but only reviewed when a crime happened to try to identify those who committed the crime. But in the Daily News article it was pointed out the cameras could be viewed live the police in their patrol cars.
How long before the city decided that on major weekends the cameras should have someone watching them and dispatching police to suspicious activities? It probably would not be very long after that point of time that we have someone to monitor the cameras on all weekends. At some point, no doubt, there would be a call to expand the coverage of live monitoring of the cameras to include the whole week. We would need to hire some people to watch the cameras to report suspicious activities to the police. Your privacy would soon be in question.
The big issue with the government monitoring the cameras and possessing the cameras and recordings is that, unlike a convenience store, the government has the ability to impose sanctions on people. Those sanctions can be anything ranging from fines to jail time.
What happens when someone uses the freedom of information act to request copies of recordings? What if those recordings show something that you did, which was not criminal in nature, but one that was personal and embarrassing in nature? Could that cause damage to ones reputation?
During the arson fire it was pointed out we might have seen a car pass through the cameras and we could have had a possible suspect. What if you were the suspect? You will have to prove yourself innocent or risk being arrested. No alibi? That’s a problem. The police grill you as to why you were driving at three o’clock in the morning? This is a free country and you should be able to move around as you wish, no suspicion raised and no alibi’s needed.
The loss of personal liberties in the name of safety is not a fair trade off.
Scott McDonald, in the article “Uncle Sam Has All your Numbers“ poses a great point. The focus of the debate must be on liberty and freedom. The question must be: Does the government have any right, whatsoever, to maintain cameras focused on free citizens? The answer is “NO!”
Column #2: Daily News, March 2011.
Imagine, if you will, this utopia. It is a place where there are no guns. Everyone has free food, health care, and a place to live. No one is forced to hold down a job. Everyone is safe from crime and there are cameras to watch every move that someone makes. Those cameras are monitored 24/7. Want to live there? We have such a place right here in Whitman County. It is called jail. Sure you are secure, but you surely don’t have any personal liberties.
Unfortunately, the idea of placing government-run video cameras around the city of Pullman has resurfaced. Mayor Glenn Johnson and Police Chief Jenkins both support this issue. I disagree with the government running broad reaching video surveillance against its free citizens.
A number of people who don't see a problem with video cameras bring up two points over and over. One point being that stores and banks use video how is this any different. I argue the difference between the bank and the government is the government has a direct ability to abridge freedom. Point number two revolves around the idea that if you are not doing anything wrong then you have nothing to hide.
Government monitoring its citizens via video cameras is not about hiding things; it is about our rights explicitly spelled out in the state Constitution. Article 1 Section 7 says in part "No person shall be disturbed in his private affairs... without authority of law". Just because someone enters a public space doesn't mean he forfeits his expectation of privacy. One cannot be searched just because he is in public.
An article discussing guidelines for the use of video surveillance by law enforcement in public places exists on the Website for the Office of Privacy Commissioner (OPC) of Canada.
"Video surveillance of public places subjects everyone to scrutiny, regardless of whether they have done anything to arouse suspicion. At the very least it circumscribes, if it does not eradicate outright, the expectation of privacy and anonymity that we have as we go about our daily business.
The medium’s very nature allows law enforcement to observe and monitor the movements of a large number of persons, the vast number of whom are law-abiding citizens, where there are no reasonable grounds to be capturing a record of their activities."
Human's change their behavior when they are being watched. Whether it is seeing a police car and letting off the accelerator when driving down the street or stifling one's own speech when someone approaches. These changes, as noted by the Website, started a business where people can buy faux cameras to make people change their behavior. The OPC's Website continues "For these reasons, there is good reason to believe that video surveillance of public places by the police or other law enforcement authorities has a chilling effect on behaviour—and by extension on rights and freedoms."
My last column came out in March of 2009. In those two years Pullman has neither become more dangerous nor crime ridden. Pullman still has issues with crime, as does every city, but we are not anywhere to the point where the movements of the citizens should be captured on video. "The problem to be addressed by video surveillance must be pressing and substantial, of sufficient importance to warrant overriding the right of innocent individuals to be free from surveillance in a public place." (OPA Website)
One person posed a question to me asking how it is different when a police officer is in public watching people and a video camera is in a public place watching people. The police officer is looking for a criminal activity taking place when he sees none he moves along. At some point in the future he will check back upon the area. A video camera on the other hand is constantly recording all citizens no matter what they are doing.
I would like to close with a final concept as written by the OPC. "Video surveillance of public places nonetheless presents a challenge to privacy, to freedom of movement and freedom of association, all rights we take for granted in Canada [and America]. This is especially true when the surveillance is conducted by police or other law enforcement authorities."
Please stop by http://palousitics.blogspot.com/ where you can read my previous column and this column both unabridged due to the limitation of space.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
How Dare a teacher Punish My Child?!
I was in school when the teacher was able to spank students if there was parents' permission. When the paddle came out you know someone deserved it. There were always some issues with kids, but they never got very bad when the kid knew a paddle was waiting.
If I got in trouble at school the last thing I wanted is for my parents to find out because I would get in even more trouble for acting out at school.
It seems like there might have been a change in how parents react to their children getting in trouble at school.
"A Washington mother who says a teacher taped her 7-year-old son to a classroom chair is angry and calls the incident 'child endangerment.'" -- SeattlePI.com website
The kid described it as a "tape seat belt".
I think the solution is as soon as a kid acts up, he is taken out of the classroom and a parent is called to take the child home for the rest of the day. How much do you want to bet that parents would quickly start changing their tune about discipline in school after getting called to school and having to leave work more than once?
If I got in trouble at school the last thing I wanted is for my parents to find out because I would get in even more trouble for acting out at school.
It seems like there might have been a change in how parents react to their children getting in trouble at school.
"A Washington mother who says a teacher taped her 7-year-old son to a classroom chair is angry and calls the incident 'child endangerment.'" -- SeattlePI.com website
The kid described it as a "tape seat belt".
I think the solution is as soon as a kid acts up, he is taken out of the classroom and a parent is called to take the child home for the rest of the day. How much do you want to bet that parents would quickly start changing their tune about discipline in school after getting called to school and having to leave work more than once?
Fearing for his Life?
There is a video of D'Vontaveous Hoston, a 17-year-old male, who is in a small convienence store in Seattle. As he is there a drug bust is going bad and a cop is getting beat. An undercover cop goes chasing after a suspect. That is when Hoston goes outside to see what is going on. He goes back into the store. The officer sees Hoston and thought he was the suspect. The officer goes into the store.
Hoston explains what happened saying, "I'm like hey man I had nothing to do with that and he looked at me and said get the "F" on the ground and I'm like what?" (From q13fox.com)
So he clearly heard the officer order him to the ground. After not going to the ground, but just simply raising his arms up, the officer kicks Hoston on the side of the leg then goes hands on taking him to the ground.
Q13fox.com continues, "He intends to file a lawsuit against the City of Seattle and SPD for what happened to him. Hoston says, 'Since this happened I feel like I got to be looking over my shoulder in case police officers do something, you feel me? I feel like my life is threatened.'"
So Hoston feels like he is in fear for his life because a cop kicked him. Makes no sense to me. In fact, when ordered to the ground, that is the time to do what was ordered.
Too often people try to argue with the police at the moment of initial contact. Until the officer has the scene under control there is no time for debate. Simply complying with the orders will get the scene under control and then you can have your discussion with the officer.
Hoston explains what happened saying, "I'm like hey man I had nothing to do with that and he looked at me and said get the "F" on the ground and I'm like what?" (From q13fox.com)
So he clearly heard the officer order him to the ground. After not going to the ground, but just simply raising his arms up, the officer kicks Hoston on the side of the leg then goes hands on taking him to the ground.
Q13fox.com continues, "He intends to file a lawsuit against the City of Seattle and SPD for what happened to him. Hoston says, 'Since this happened I feel like I got to be looking over my shoulder in case police officers do something, you feel me? I feel like my life is threatened.'"
So Hoston feels like he is in fear for his life because a cop kicked him. Makes no sense to me. In fact, when ordered to the ground, that is the time to do what was ordered.
Too often people try to argue with the police at the moment of initial contact. Until the officer has the scene under control there is no time for debate. Simply complying with the orders will get the scene under control and then you can have your discussion with the officer.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Surrender?
I am angry about the news reports from today... Pirates kill American citizens and some of the pirates were alive to surrender?!?! If pirates kill an American at sea, those pirate shouldn't have a chance to surrender.
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Mythology in America
21st Century Myths, Lies, Distortions & Propaganda
BOB CLARK
The political left in America and in Europe have a set of beliefs that contain a substantial number of myths. One characteristic of the mind set of the liberal left is that they publically state that they are far more intelligent and have a lot more knowledge than the “knuckle dragging” conservative Neanderthals on the Right! I have even heard some elitist lefties say that members of the Republican Party should be “taught how to read”. For what it’s worth, every time I check out the academic credentials of many of the self declared experts on the left, I come away with a smirk** on my face! Most of the so-called leftwing experts don’t have academic degrees or in most cases degrees that don’t correspond to the subjects that they lying about.
Editor’s note: items in orange are links to the story in the blog. When finished reading the link, simply backspace back to the blog.
MYTHS FROM THE LOONY LEFT:
Sugar vs. High-fructose Corn Syrup is a green scam myth that has a life of its own! The fact is that your body CANNOT tell the difference between sugar from beets, canes or corn! No matter what the moron green nuts say! I think you should avoid both because of the calories. My recommendation is sucralose; it is the only commonly available SAFE substitute.
One very dangerous health myth is the COLON CLEANSING myth! Warning, this is something that you should not do unless under the directions of a doctor (for example in advance of a colonoscopy). Here is what the Mayo Clinic has to say about this nonsense!
Genetically modified crops are “Frankenstein food”! With the exception of possible cross pollination of nearby Brassica crops with regard to seed production, there is no problem with genetically modified crops according to the Rand Corporation. Where this myth came from is anyone’s guess. I hear it came from Greenpeace.
Carbon Dioxide is destroying the planet! CO2 is not a greenhouse gas of any significance. The burning of fossil fuels is responsible for just 3.27% of the carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere each year, while the biosphere and oceans account for 55.28% and 41.46%, respectively.
Global warming is a danger and is killing the planet Earth. There are so many stupid myths about global warming/climate change I don’t have room to list them. Here they are at this website.
Eating food that isn’t NATURAL OR ORGANIC is dangerous to your health! This myth is moronic beyond belief, and here are the facts!
To make matter worse, it may be dangerous to eat some natural or organic food products!
Homeopathic or Alternative medicines are better than drugs from the big profit mongering pharmaceutical corporations!
WRONG! Do not take vitamin/mineral supplements or homeopathic/alternative drugs unless you check them with your doctor first. Under no circumstances should you believe anything you see on WebMD which is nothing less than a populist website that caters to whatever myth that it going around.
Drive electric/hybrid cars and save the atmosphere! Well one major concern that you might not be aware of is the batteries in these vehicles that are not only overpriced but fail all the time! The Washington Post says these batteries fail in cold weather!
Cancer! There are a series of myths making the rounds, some as urban legends in the USA and Europe. Here are the top ten cancer myths.
Cell phones cause brain cancer! Should you throw that expensive toy away? Hold it! The only radiation that causes cancer is “ionizing radiation” that your cell phone does not emit. Here are the facts.
Top 7 Idiotic Environmental Myths! I love this one because some of these myths are now in high school and college texts. That should give one PAUSE! It also says a lot about science education in America: A COMPLETE FAILURE!
Energy and the Environment Myths! Here are the results of a nationwide survey to determine just how knowledgeable Americans are about energy. This one is shocking reading because most Americans are badly informed on this subject because of a leftist media printing lies about the subject.
The North Pole is Melting! You’ve seen the commercial showing mama polar bear swimming away from her cub in an ocean with little or no ice for them to climb onto. Get out your crying towels and check books? No! The myth is an outright lie! Here are the facts.
John Holdren, Obama Czar on energy/global warming badly needs SOME science education. His proclamations are causing howls of laughter in the scientific community! This man needs therapy. Here is the latest on Mr. Holdren’s candidacy for an immediate brain transplant.
** FULL DISCLOSURE, I have an honors degree in Physical Chemistry and no one will debate me on the left concerning climate change/global warming.
@Bob Clark Blogs, all rights reserved
Editor’s note: items in orange are links to the story in the blog. When finished reading the link, simply backspace back to the blog.
MYTHS FROM THE LOONY LEFT:
Sugar vs. High-fructose Corn Syrup is a green scam myth that has a life of its own! The fact is that your body CANNOT tell the difference between sugar from beets, canes or corn! No matter what the moron green nuts say! I think you should avoid both because of the calories. My recommendation is sucralose; it is the only commonly available SAFE substitute.
One very dangerous health myth is the COLON CLEANSING myth! Warning, this is something that you should not do unless under the directions of a doctor (for example in advance of a colonoscopy). Here is what the Mayo Clinic has to say about this nonsense!
Genetically modified crops are “Frankenstein food”! With the exception of possible cross pollination of nearby Brassica crops with regard to seed production, there is no problem with genetically modified crops according to the Rand Corporation. Where this myth came from is anyone’s guess. I hear it came from Greenpeace.
Carbon Dioxide is destroying the planet! CO2 is not a greenhouse gas of any significance. The burning of fossil fuels is responsible for just 3.27% of the carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere each year, while the biosphere and oceans account for 55.28% and 41.46%, respectively.
Global warming is a danger and is killing the planet Earth. There are so many stupid myths about global warming/climate change I don’t have room to list them. Here they are at this website.
Eating food that isn’t NATURAL OR ORGANIC is dangerous to your health! This myth is moronic beyond belief, and here are the facts!
To make matter worse, it may be dangerous to eat some natural or organic food products!
Homeopathic or Alternative medicines are better than drugs from the big profit mongering pharmaceutical corporations!
WRONG! Do not take vitamin/mineral supplements or homeopathic/alternative drugs unless you check them with your doctor first. Under no circumstances should you believe anything you see on WebMD which is nothing less than a populist website that caters to whatever myth that it going around.
Drive electric/hybrid cars and save the atmosphere! Well one major concern that you might not be aware of is the batteries in these vehicles that are not only overpriced but fail all the time! The Washington Post says these batteries fail in cold weather!
Cancer! There are a series of myths making the rounds, some as urban legends in the USA and Europe. Here are the top ten cancer myths.
Cell phones cause brain cancer! Should you throw that expensive toy away? Hold it! The only radiation that causes cancer is “ionizing radiation” that your cell phone does not emit. Here are the facts.
Top 7 Idiotic Environmental Myths! I love this one because some of these myths are now in high school and college texts. That should give one PAUSE! It also says a lot about science education in America: A COMPLETE FAILURE!
Energy and the Environment Myths! Here are the results of a nationwide survey to determine just how knowledgeable Americans are about energy. This one is shocking reading because most Americans are badly informed on this subject because of a leftist media printing lies about the subject.
The North Pole is Melting! You’ve seen the commercial showing mama polar bear swimming away from her cub in an ocean with little or no ice for them to climb onto. Get out your crying towels and check books? No! The myth is an outright lie! Here are the facts.
John Holdren, Obama Czar on energy/global warming badly needs SOME science education. His proclamations are causing howls of laughter in the scientific community! This man needs therapy. Here is the latest on Mr. Holdren’s candidacy for an immediate brain transplant.
** FULL DISCLOSURE, I have an honors degree in Physical Chemistry and no one will debate me on the left concerning climate change/global warming.
@Bob Clark Blogs, all rights reserved
Monday, February 07, 2011
Hey Pierce Transit! This isn't Monopoly money!
According to the TNT, so far there is 25% turnout in the controversial Pierce Transit special election. Pierce Transit Proposition 1 wants 3/10 of a 1% sales tax INCREASE to fund their buses. All other Pierce County agencies have had to slash budgets by 10% or more, create furlough days for employees, and shorten hours. This is not the time for MORE taxes. Belt tightening starts at home. I would like to see proof of their efforts before even making this a consideration.
Bottom Line: Vote to Reject Pierce Transit Proposition 1. And hey, Pierce Transit- find the money somewhere. Just not my wallet.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Bob Clark’s Political News Magazine
News That Matters
Seattle/Tacoma’s Very High Home Foreclosures now rank in the top 5 metro foreclosure areas in the nation, states this report out this week. A lot of these Foreclosures are condos and guess what? There are a lot of Strategic Foreclosures in this mix. Here is what RealtyTrac has on this problem as of December. Seattle’s economy is in the dumper! The US Department of Labor is reporting the new unemployment rate nationally at 9% but that is a statistical Abnormality! Read this!
Major increases in Syphilis, Gonorrhea in King, Pierce and Snohomish County have public health officials scratching their heads and in a panic. This is the largest increase in VD in the Tri-County area in many years. Here is the situation in King County.
President Obama (without teleprompter) and talking to reporters got his wars all confused. Some of the reporters with FOX News were stunned by this gaffe! Is he losing it?
Insiders tell the FOX Business Network this week that more than a thousand businesses and labor unions are scrambling to join more than 300 organizations to get themselves EXEMPT from the Obama Health Care Plan by the President himself.
Bogus unemployment stories keep coming out of the local newspapers, the local leftwing TV outlets and Olympia. The issue is the SEASONAL ADJUSTED NUMBERS being used that are worthless and a statistical lie!
For example this FRONT PAGE PIECE in the Seattle Times is a bogus story. Seasonally adjusted data on employment are numbers made up by statisticians to try and look for trends, they are not the REAL NUMBERS. Here is the definition of Seasonal Adjusted Stats.
Here is what Gallup found when it did its study of unemployment and their take on these bogus seasonal adjusted numbers!
Major increases in Syphilis, Gonorrhea in King, Pierce and Snohomish County have public health officials scratching their heads and in a panic. This is the largest increase in VD in the Tri-County area in many years. Here is the situation in King County.
President Obama (without teleprompter) and talking to reporters got his wars all confused. Some of the reporters with FOX News were stunned by this gaffe! Is he losing it?
Insiders tell the FOX Business Network this week that more than a thousand businesses and labor unions are scrambling to join more than 300 organizations to get themselves EXEMPT from the Obama Health Care Plan by the President himself.
Bogus unemployment stories keep coming out of the local newspapers, the local leftwing TV outlets and Olympia. The issue is the SEASONAL ADJUSTED NUMBERS being used that are worthless and a statistical lie!
For example this FRONT PAGE PIECE in the Seattle Times is a bogus story. Seasonally adjusted data on employment are numbers made up by statisticians to try and look for trends, they are not the REAL NUMBERS. Here is the definition of Seasonal Adjusted Stats.
Here is what Gallup found when it did its study of unemployment and their take on these bogus seasonal adjusted numbers!
Been in the grocery store lately? You may have noticed that your favorite box of cereal has gone up in price or your steak is now more than it was a few weeks ago. Think that’s bad? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Here is what is coming down the road with commodity prices. Beef along with corn, rice, soy beans, wheat and sugar prices are going to go through the roof. It is called INFLATION! That also includes the price per gallon of gas. We may be looking at $100 per barrel oil and $5 per gallon gas in the weeks to come.
The Snohomish County Executive November 2011 election race is underway! Aaron Reardon this time faces Mike Hope the very popular GOP 44th District Legislator. Mike is already raising money and with a sizable number of supporters has a good chance to beat Reardon; whose administration has been rocked by scandal after scandal. Let’s look at a few:
Reardon is a member of the Department of Ecology’s Nincompoopial
Climate Action Team. Every member of this group is either ignorant, a socialist or brain dead or any combination of the three. Take your pick.
Reardon formed his own Climate Change Task Force which has come under fire at several town hall meetings including a heated one in Monroe. There is no such thing as global warming/climate change and EVERYONE knows it!
There was Reardon’s $160,000 Garbage truck that didn’t work (how many public works employees does it take to design a garbage truck?)
Reardon’s solid-waste director Sam Chandler claimed he was fired because he caught employees at the garbage transfer stations stealing cash and reported it. County Union officials put an end to Sam’s tenure.
Reardon’s Snohomish County Planning Director fired for getting drunk and exposing himself to a female on a golf course (he already had a history of this sort of behavior!).
One of Reardon’s Medical examiners arrived inebriated at the scene of a drunken driving accident that took 4 victims to their graves and he was promptly arrested and fired because of public outcries.
Reardon’s energy drink commercial was the laughing stock on YouTube. It was promptly taken down from the internet during howls of laughter.
Looks like Mike Hope is going to have a field day with Reardon!
Washington State’s Democrats in Legislature go insane! Here are a few examples:
Dem’s want to cut education funding to provide money to drunks and crack heads.
Dem’s want to legalize dope!
Dem’s want to establish a State Socialized Worker’s Bank!
Dem’s want to drive more business’s out of the state by raising the employer supplied unemployment insurance costs.
Dem’s want to give the Transportation Commission the authority to violate the people’s will (2/3 vote to raise taxes, majority to raise fees) by raising fees through the roof through a legislative trick, that may be illegal!
Dem’s want to scale back and cut to shreds the Guaranteed Education Tuition program, which by the way is 255 Million Dollars in the hole already! Tuition costs are going up so rapidly that in the end unless you come from a rich family, you ain’t going to school at U Dub or WaZoo!
EDITORIAL: I woke up this morning and thought that I was having a nightmare and that I had been transported back in time to 1979 while watching the morning news showing rioting in Egypt. I think what we have here is a Jimmy Carter clone: OBAMA with his Secretary of State that has been fowling things up since she has been in office. If they have miscalculated and Egypt is taken over by the Muslim Brotherhood (terrorists) this will be a 500 pound rock around Obama’s neck when he runs for re-election, in addition to being a strategic DISASTER for peace in the Middle East AND US foreign policy.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
OBAMA-NOMICS A COMPLETE FAILURE
TRILLION DOLLAR STIMULUS DID NOTHING!
Bob Clark
Unemployment Not Improving
Reverse Mortgage Foreclosures
Foreclosures Continue in Washington State at High Rates
Unemployment Not Improving
Reverse Mortgage Foreclosures
Foreclosures Continue in Washington State at High Rates
Municipal Bonds at Risk?
For the month of December things weren’t quiet as bad as the awful November numbers in Washington State except for the fact that some 36,730 Washingtonians dropped out of the workforce and gave up trying to find a job. The U3 number (% collecting unemployment benefits) came in at 324,270 which was less than November because of a math detail. That detail centers on the number of people LEAVING the workforce (above). The U6 number or the number of folks unemployed including those in the U3 category was 599,195.
Things were gloom in King County: 8.4% collecting benefits or 92,170 that means that 186,534 people remain unemployed in the state’s largest county. In Snohomish County the U3 & U6 numbers were 9.8% or 37,220 and 64,565 totals. In Pierce County it added up to 9.2% or 36,620 and 67,667 folks out of work.
On the national scene the numbers at the end of the week ending 1/15 were not very encouraging. (Editor’s note: don’t believe the fools who write for the newspapers or report on the local TV outlets who report only the SEASONABLY ADJUSTED NUMBERS. These numbers MEAN NOTHING!). Going to the unadjusted numbers at this website we find the following: 550,594 people filed for FIRST TIME unemployment benefits for this week. Remarkably we now have 9,607,423 people collecting some sort of unemployment benefits nationwide according the US Department of Labor. If you calculate the U6 number or the total number of unemployed folks it comes in at 14,880,092! That is a lot of people who are unemployed. Several million other Americans have resorted to finding jobs that they are over qualified for and are simply doing what they can to survive.
Reverse Mortgages in the thousands up for foreclosure
If you are over 62 don’t believe these ads folks and see an attorney before signing any reverse mortgage contract. Fact is that even though the FHA is trying to help out seniors, the unfortunate truth is that literally hundreds of thousands of seniors who took our reverse mortgages are about to lose their homes as lenders are now going after those seniors who have not followed their contracts. That contract requires them to pay for a certain level of home insurance and PAY their property taxes. In addition, many of the reverse mortgage contracts have a clause that gives the home to the lender, no matter how much equity exists in the home.
HUD has already given approval to lenders to proceed to foreclosures on seniors with reverse mortgages in default and that is NOT good news! On top of that many real estate investors are already monitoring the public record to zero in on these foreclosures in order to make money on this terrible situation. Apparently this problem is particularly bad in California, Florida and Arizona.
The latest foreclosure numbers for the State of Washington are not good. Here is the map and you can take a look on a county by county basis. 40,874 homes have been foreclosed over the past 12 months and some 4,029 recent foreclosures on the market.
The Obama Administration has been very skilled at lying and doing everything it can to hide the worst recession in the history of the USA. Changing the subject on the left leaning MS/NBC, CNBC, CNN, CBS, NBC and ABC doesn’t put food on the table or pay the car and mortgage bills!
For the month of December things weren’t quiet as bad as the awful November numbers in Washington State except for the fact that some 36,730 Washingtonians dropped out of the workforce and gave up trying to find a job. The U3 number (% collecting unemployment benefits) came in at 324,270 which was less than November because of a math detail. That detail centers on the number of people LEAVING the workforce (above). The U6 number or the number of folks unemployed including those in the U3 category was 599,195.
Things were gloom in King County: 8.4% collecting benefits or 92,170 that means that 186,534 people remain unemployed in the state’s largest county. In Snohomish County the U3 & U6 numbers were 9.8% or 37,220 and 64,565 totals. In Pierce County it added up to 9.2% or 36,620 and 67,667 folks out of work.
On the national scene the numbers at the end of the week ending 1/15 were not very encouraging. (Editor’s note: don’t believe the fools who write for the newspapers or report on the local TV outlets who report only the SEASONABLY ADJUSTED NUMBERS. These numbers MEAN NOTHING!). Going to the unadjusted numbers at this website we find the following: 550,594 people filed for FIRST TIME unemployment benefits for this week. Remarkably we now have 9,607,423 people collecting some sort of unemployment benefits nationwide according the US Department of Labor. If you calculate the U6 number or the total number of unemployed folks it comes in at 14,880,092! That is a lot of people who are unemployed. Several million other Americans have resorted to finding jobs that they are over qualified for and are simply doing what they can to survive.
Reverse Mortgages in the thousands up for foreclosure
If you are over 62 don’t believe these ads folks and see an attorney before signing any reverse mortgage contract. Fact is that even though the FHA is trying to help out seniors, the unfortunate truth is that literally hundreds of thousands of seniors who took our reverse mortgages are about to lose their homes as lenders are now going after those seniors who have not followed their contracts. That contract requires them to pay for a certain level of home insurance and PAY their property taxes. In addition, many of the reverse mortgage contracts have a clause that gives the home to the lender, no matter how much equity exists in the home.
HUD has already given approval to lenders to proceed to foreclosures on seniors with reverse mortgages in default and that is NOT good news! On top of that many real estate investors are already monitoring the public record to zero in on these foreclosures in order to make money on this terrible situation. Apparently this problem is particularly bad in California, Florida and Arizona.
The latest foreclosure numbers for the State of Washington are not good. Here is the map and you can take a look on a county by county basis. 40,874 homes have been foreclosed over the past 12 months and some 4,029 recent foreclosures on the market.
The Obama Administration has been very skilled at lying and doing everything it can to hide the worst recession in the history of the USA. Changing the subject on the left leaning MS/NBC, CNBC, CNN, CBS, NBC and ABC doesn’t put food on the table or pay the car and mortgage bills!
Fast Breaking News: State's want to go bankrupt, Do you own muni's? You might want to selectively review them and get out of those that your broker or research indicates are risky and uninsured, such as almost any municipality in the State of California or the State itself. For those of you who scoff at this suggestion you might want to recall the default here in Washington State of the Washington Public Power Supply System (WHOOPS!) that cost bond holders 2.25 Billion Dollars (that with a B)!
Right now institutional investors have unloaded more than 14 Billion dollars in Muni’s and are running for cover. A link to today’s NY Times piece about States that want to declare bankruptcy is above. By the way Washington State’s budget deficit is now estimated to be much more than $6 Billion dollars, and I would like to know where they intend to come up with that money.
Right now institutional investors have unloaded more than 14 Billion dollars in Muni’s and are running for cover. A link to today’s NY Times piece about States that want to declare bankruptcy is above. By the way Washington State’s budget deficit is now estimated to be much more than $6 Billion dollars, and I would like to know where they intend to come up with that money.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Political News and Economics Magazine
Bob Clark
Governor Quagmire sits on her you know what and is doing nothing as it appears we have a MAJOR DISASTER with November’s unemployment numbers for the State of Washington. The numbers came in at levels signaling what I have been saying for 6 months: WE ARE IN A DOUBLE DIP RECESSION IN WASHINGTON STATE. To give you a picture of this disaster, 322,700 folks were collecting unemployment insurance in November in this state and that’s up almost 6,000 from October. Total unemployment in Washington was 602,846 or 17% in November up about 12,000 from the previous month. In the Tri-county area: King 9.1% or 134,270, Snohomish 38,110 or 10% and Pierce County 36,530 or 9% of the total workforces in those counties were collecting unemployment benefits. At the national level the US Department of Labor is reporting that 577,279 folks showed up to file for NEW unemployment benefits last week up more than 52,000 in the previous week (read the unadjusted numbers at this site). As I have said many times in the past SEASONABLY ADJUSTED NUMBERS ARE NOTHING LESS THAN A MAJOR LOAD OF MALE BOVINE EXCREMENT!
John Koster’s campaign has been questioning the vote counting in Whatcom County during the last election the grape vine tells me and that does not surprise me one bit. Larsen came in with 13,500 plus votes when the polls at the time showed him down against Koster county wide, yet the almost tie vote between the two swung the election to Larsen. Hmmm?
There was a major shakeup in the Snohomish County GOP with a whole new slate of leadership during the last central committee meeting. Activist Bill Cooper has taken over from Jim Kellett as county chair, Billye Brooks-Sebastiani takes over as Vice Chair, Olga Farnam takes over as State Committee Woman and Councilman Michael Plunkett assumes the State Committee Man position at the State central committee meetings.
A major battle is shaping up between conservative Bill Rennie and former radio talk show host Kirby Wilbur to take over the State Chairmanship of the Washington State Republican Party from the very unpopular Luke Esser (who is on his way out!). If I were to bet on the race I would say that right now it is to close to call with Kirby having a slight edge. The problem for Wilbur is that the Tea Party folks and most of the conservative wing of the state GOP are supporting Bill Rennie!
Foreclosures continue to pile up and threaten to destroy Washington State’s housing market. In the month of November, according to RealtyTrac, 4,067 homes were foreclosed on statewide. That brings year to date through November: 40,722 homes foreclosed on in the State of Washington. Here is the map for the month of November. I would like to clarify that a number of the 40,000 plus homes foreclosed on so far this year have been sold, but not enough to impact the continued decline in home values in Western Washington. To make matters worse many who signed up for ARM’s (Adjustable Rate Mortgages) a few years ago will find their mortgage payments double or triple during 2011 because a huge number of these ARM’s are expiring this year at the 3,5,6, and 10 year time frames all converging on this new year. That could mean that foreclosures could skyrocket in the first and second quarters of 2011.
The State of Washington’s tax revenue took a big hit this holiday season according to my sources at the State Legislature. Not with standing these bogus reports from the worst newspaper in the state: The Washington Post owned Everett Herald, the real number of this coming budget shortfall are already being talked about at the 5 Billion dollar plus level and that does not count unfunded liabilities for State Pension funds that could total as much as 20 Billion dollars according to my sources.
John Koster’s campaign has been questioning the vote counting in Whatcom County during the last election the grape vine tells me and that does not surprise me one bit. Larsen came in with 13,500 plus votes when the polls at the time showed him down against Koster county wide, yet the almost tie vote between the two swung the election to Larsen. Hmmm?
There was a major shakeup in the Snohomish County GOP with a whole new slate of leadership during the last central committee meeting. Activist Bill Cooper has taken over from Jim Kellett as county chair, Billye Brooks-Sebastiani takes over as Vice Chair, Olga Farnam takes over as State Committee Woman and Councilman Michael Plunkett assumes the State Committee Man position at the State central committee meetings.
A major battle is shaping up between conservative Bill Rennie and former radio talk show host Kirby Wilbur to take over the State Chairmanship of the Washington State Republican Party from the very unpopular Luke Esser (who is on his way out!). If I were to bet on the race I would say that right now it is to close to call with Kirby having a slight edge. The problem for Wilbur is that the Tea Party folks and most of the conservative wing of the state GOP are supporting Bill Rennie!
Foreclosures continue to pile up and threaten to destroy Washington State’s housing market. In the month of November, according to RealtyTrac, 4,067 homes were foreclosed on statewide. That brings year to date through November: 40,722 homes foreclosed on in the State of Washington. Here is the map for the month of November. I would like to clarify that a number of the 40,000 plus homes foreclosed on so far this year have been sold, but not enough to impact the continued decline in home values in Western Washington. To make matters worse many who signed up for ARM’s (Adjustable Rate Mortgages) a few years ago will find their mortgage payments double or triple during 2011 because a huge number of these ARM’s are expiring this year at the 3,5,6, and 10 year time frames all converging on this new year. That could mean that foreclosures could skyrocket in the first and second quarters of 2011.
The State of Washington’s tax revenue took a big hit this holiday season according to my sources at the State Legislature. Not with standing these bogus reports from the worst newspaper in the state: The Washington Post owned Everett Herald, the real number of this coming budget shortfall are already being talked about at the 5 Billion dollar plus level and that does not count unfunded liabilities for State Pension funds that could total as much as 20 Billion dollars according to my sources.
Breaking news: The US Department of Labor is saying that December's U3 number (the number of people collecting unemployment benefits) dropped to 9.4%. What they did not say was the fact that the reason for the drop is because a large number of people nationally left the work force because they have given up trying to find a job; that depresses the U3 number mathematically. Even though some 100,000 jobs were added in December, most of these jobs are TEMP/contractor jobs that ended at the end of the retail Christmas season. So if you see the "brain dead" media falling all over themselves saying this is good news, you may know the truth.
During the week ending 1/8/2011 770,413 people signed up for unemployment benefits for the first time up 191,686 from the previous week; an all time record! Meaning that all of those temp retail jobs for the holidays are over and the people are out of work. The total number of people collecting unemployment benefits as of 12/25/2010 was 9,193,838 folks, an all time record.
During the week ending 1/8/2011 770,413 people signed up for unemployment benefits for the first time up 191,686 from the previous week; an all time record! Meaning that all of those temp retail jobs for the holidays are over and the people are out of work. The total number of people collecting unemployment benefits as of 12/25/2010 was 9,193,838 folks, an all time record.
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