The Empire Should Be Broken Up

Rupert Murdoch's news media empire should be broken up by congress and scattered to the wind. It is a monopoly and the congress should have never let it happen. Monopolies control wealth and in the news media they control the dialog. Wealthy people like Murdoch believe they can do anything they want. His Fox News is a great example how their journalists openly lie and try to influence their views with those lies.

Murdoch's trouble in Britian in all probability will spill over to his U.S. operations. There is one thing to keep in mind here and that is most of Murdoch's businesses emulate their leader and what ever their leader condones. Paying off police to obtain information on people and hacking into their communications is un American. Murdoch is heavily involved in Wall Street and owns the Wall Street Journal. We all know that the Wall Street Banks are also monopolies and they should be broken up too. We also know the Wall Street Banks were involved in the great financial meltdown whose effects are still with the people and the economy.

Once the American people understand how wealthy monopolies have taken over America and demand that congress act to break them up we will have an America for the people and by the people. The wealthy have shown how brazen they are by demanding tax breaks and corporate welfare for their wealthy businesses and having congress go along at the expense of the average American. They behold our elected officials with campaign contributions and elected officials are just as brazen defending those tax breaks. A good example is going on right now with the debt ceiling where republicans oppose any closing of those tax loop holes and benefits they helped create.

It would be wise for the proper authorities in the U.S. to fully investigate Murdoch's business dealings. And it would really be wise if congress moves to break up Murdoch's media monopoly and the wall street banks monopoly. It should easily be understood how the wealth of monopolies can control a large part of our country's economy and put the average American at risks.

Every day President Kennedy's statement, Our problems are man made and therefore can be solved by man, is in play here. We just don't have the elected officials with character and courage who are willing to stand up and be counted. The American people should understand that their are no laws that elected officials have to take campaign contributions so they can not pass the buck.

Raising The Federal Debt Ceiling

There are probably very few Americans who realize that raising the debt ceiling has to do with paying off the obligations of our past expenditures that are coming due and not our future expenditures, that will come later on. There are even fewer Americans who know we would not be dealing with a $14 trillion debt had the Bush 43 administration followed in President Clinton's footsteps and balanced the federal budget during his term in office. Bush could have done so had he wanted to and that tells the true story of the conservative ideology and what they are really up to.

Today's leaders of the republican party in congress are the same leaders when Bush was in office. Their current position of cutting the budget concerning the debt ceiling has nothing to do with the debt ceiling or balancing the federal budget. Lets look at Mitch McConnell's latest statement as reported by the AP on July 13. McConnell said that if congress fails to act, Obama would have a good opportunity to blame it on the republican party. He also said his first choice was to reach a good compromise with Obama. His second choice and obligation would be to his party and prevent his party from not getting sucked into a position politically that would allow the President to be reelected.

McConnell's first choice has no merit since he and his party will not compromise. Obama gave them the chance to do so. His second choice really tells what he and his party is all about. It's about republican ideology and their desire to see Obama defeated in the next Presidential election. Neither of his two choices concern what is good for America or its people and the people he represents. And that comes from his own mouth.

It should be noted the debt ceiling was raised many times during the Bush 43 administration and not once did the republican controlled congress require spending cuts to raise the debt ceiling. They never saw a record federal deficit they did not love when their party ran the country.

It Is Past Time To Get Out Of Iraq Now

It appears that the Obama administration is ready to extend our troops deployment in Iraq past the agreed withdrawal date of December 2011 if the Iraqi government request same. That seems to be the case since it was reported by Secretary of Defense Leon Pinetta that the U.S. was waiting for Iraq to make up its mind.

Why should the U.S. let Iraq determine our troops fate in Iraq? That should be a decision of the U.S. and the U.S. alone. Those voices that say U.S. troops need to stay because the mission of training Iraqi troops has not been completed and that Iraq needs more time to be able to defend their country is slang for the continued occupation of our troops in Iraq.

If enough Iraqi troops have not been trained after 8 years on the job and those we have trained are not good enough to train their own Iraqi forces than the U.S. has failed. As for those who say we have to stay to blunt Iran's influence, forget it. Iran and Iraq are tied together no matter what, which was pointed out in past commentary by this writer long ago.

In December 2011 the war in Iraq over WMD that did not exist will be 8 years and 9 months old. The U.S. has lost over 4400 of its brave men and women, over 30,000 wounded and just last month the highest number of Americans were killed in Iraq than in the past few years all because of our invasion and occupation over WMD that did not exist. Bush's war committed our military to satisfy his warped ideology of remaking the middle east in his own warped image and our troops are still paying the price with their lives. President Obama needs to end this madness like he promised. That is the only way he and other elected officials can truly show they support our troops and the sacrifice they have already made. Pretty speeches are a dime a dozen. What is needed is action to end this war once and for all.

There is simply no good reason to extend our presence in Iraq past the end of this year. Bringing our troops home alive is the best way to honor their sacrifice and service. Not one more American should die in Iraq over WMD that did not exist. Too many people have taken this war and loss of life in a casual way and have treated it like a foot note in history. What a shame.

The Latest On The U.S. Economy

Job creation for the month of June was weak as it was for May according to the latest report from the U.S. Labor Department. Although job creation has been in positive territory for some time it is still not strong enough to reduce the unemployment rate and that is a factor that still affects the American people the most.

The naysayers were out in full force and jumped on the job numbers. However they overlooked the importance of the effect the earthquake in Japan and energy prices have on the job market. The congressional republicans position of opposing every thing coming out of the Obama administration still represents a great threat for making the economy and job market worse. Their position on raising the debt ceiling is still a greater threat and is in line with their record of presiding over weak economies and job creation of the past.

Although the present unemployment rate is unacceptable, past administrations have done worse, including the Reagan administration where unemployment was over 10% for ten straight months even though Reagan was not dealt the severe economic situation Obama was dealt.

In my judgement an unemployment rate closer to 7% than 8% can still be achieved by the end of 2012. It may not be easy and President Obama will have to step up, show more leadership and courage and confront the republicans and expose them for what they are. Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy had the character and courage to do it and now it falls to Obama. Republican talking points can not change their dismal record for failing to create a sound economy and job creation when they had the opportunity to do so. It is time for them to get out of the way and give the American people a chance under Obama's leadership.

Charles Krauthammer: The Nobody Journalist

Little Charlie in an editorial published in the Times Picayune of July 9, titled, Obama Is In No Position To Lecture, passed up the truth in favor of a lie. Every one knows Charlie and many other conservative journalists hate President Obama and they detail that hate in their remarks. But why did little Charlie have to lie? The answer is simple. The republican party simply does not have a record that conservatives can articulate. A good example is the dismal record of the recent George W. Bush administration.

In his editorial little Charlie makes this statement: Obama has run disastrous annual deficits of around $1.5 trillion. There are two lies here. Charlies words annual deficits are plural and indicate more than one annual deficit. Lets examine the real Obama record. As of this writing the Obama administration has completed only one full fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/10. That budget came in with a deficit of $1.29 trillion. When little Charlie talks about the $1.5 trillion deficit he must be talking about George W. Bush's last fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/09 that came in with a record one year fiscal deficit of $1.42 trillion. President Obama's second full year fiscal budget does not end until 9/30/11. Little Charlie could not wait for those results so what the heck, its easier to accuse President Obama and forget about Bush's actual sad record when it comes to balancing the federal budget and running up the national debt.

It is awful hard for conservatives like little Charlie to acknowledge that the record deficit spending by Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 over the 20 years period they served is the reason the national debt is out of control. It is even harder for little Charlie to acknowledge that George W. Bush was the worst. Remember conservatives have been railing against democrats years before Obama took office but it is their own party who has put America in jeopardy with their anti-American ideology, deficit spending and debt creation.

When it comes to federal spending one would think that Charlie would inform his readers that: Total federal spending at the end of Bush's last fiscal year budget totaled $3.51 trillion. At the end of Obama's first fiscal year budget total federal spending was $3.45 trillion a decrease of 1.6%. No republican President has accomplished that in over 50 years. There can be no excuse for little Charlie not reporting the facts and truth. That is the mark of a small person who can not compete with the truth.

David Brooks Joins Other Republican Conservatives In Trying To Rewrite History

So called republican conservative journalist David Brooks in an editorial that appeared in the Times Picayune of July 7 titled, "What Sort Of Party Are Republicans ?" tried best to put the U.S. House republicans on a pedestal concerning budget cuts in connection with extending the debt ceiling but then he says if the republican party was a normal party they would seize the opportunity to put a long term limit on the growth of government. Never mind that the federal government has grown more on the republican watch than on the democratic watch in the last 30 years.

Brooks then goes on to indicate over the past few years the republican party may not be a normal party. The dictionary describes few as a small number and not many. He talks about the members in this movement with in the republican party on more than one occasion but fails to name who is in this movement with in the party. Brooks says the members of the movement have no sense of moral decency and do not accept the legitimacy of scholars and intellectual authorities. That sounds like the whole republican party to this writer not just the "movement." My thought is that Brooks is talking about the "tea party" but does not have the courage to name names.

The time has long passed for republicans to be put on a pedestal concerning cutting federal spending. Brooks is trying real hard to rewrite the republican history of the record debt created during the administration of George W. Bush. The republican party controlled both houses of congress during Bush's first 6 years and rubber stamped his massive deficit spending spree every one of those 6 years and also the last two full years. Bush and the republican party had a wonderful opportunity to continue to balance the federal budget like Clinton did but reversed all of that in Bush's first fiscal year budget which was in deficit. Brooks, the republicans in congress and those that would become tea party members were all silent as a church mouse the whole time Bush and the republican controlled congress and were creating this record debt.

Brooks tries to offer a distinction between the movement and the republic party but he can't. It is the same ideology that has existed for a long time and is part of the party's anti-American ideology and make up. The national debt was not a problem at the end of President Carter's last fiscal year budget. It stood at less than one trillion dollars. That all changed with the election of Reagan and it became a problem when he left office. The national debt at the end of Reagan's last fiscal year budget was $2.857 trillion an increase of 186%.

The national debt when Clinton left office stood at $5.807 trillion at the end of Clinton's last fiscal year budget. George Herbert Walker Bush followed Reagan and when he left office the national debt stood at $4.411 trillion, an increase of 54%. The national debt was not a problem when Clinton left office but became a disaster on the watch of George W. Bush and when he left office the national debt at the end of his last fiscal year budget stood at $11.909 trillion, an increase of 105%. Compared to the increase in the national debt on Clinton's watch which was 31% the people can see who is responsible for the majority of the national debt we have today.

Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 ran the country for 20 years and never balanced one federal budget or made a serious attempt to do so. How long does it take Mr. Brooks? Are you aware that the last republican to preside over a balanced budget was President Eisenhower? That was in 1960 over 50 years ago.

Mr. Brooks and the republicans now want to balance the budget on the backs of the middle class because of their own failed fiscal and economic policies and their desire to bankrupt the federal government so social security and medicare will no longer exist. He can try to rewrite history concerning the republicans sad fiscal record and blame it on the movement he talks about but the facts tell the true story. Nice try Mr. Brooks.

By the way Mr. Brooks, the only President who reduced total federal spending in the last fifty plus years was President Obama in his first fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/10. Federal spending was down 1.6% compared to spending in Bush's last fiscal year budget. I do not remember you reporting that. Rewriting history can not change the facts.

Note 1: Numbers mentioned in this commentary can be verified by going to the web site of the CBO and the U.S. Treasury Department.

What The Average American Is Up Against

Corporate America is still raking in record profits and their CEO's and Executives are still raking in huge bonuses and other financial benefits while the average American is loosing ground financially and good jobs are still being shipped overseas. In the book 13 Bankers, it was pointed out that six megabanks together control assets that amount to 60% of the country's GDP. In other words, they are a monopoly that should be broken up. Median income under the Bush administration declined to $50,300 in 2008. It was $52,500 under Clinton in 2000.

The American people obtain their news from the major news media outlets who are owned and controlled by Corporate America in most instances. Corporate America and their lobbyist spend billions of dollars to lobby congress to obtain special treatment such as tax breaks, tax exemptions and special tax credits at the expense of the average worker. Corporate America and their lobby voices are heard via the news media and the congress and out right lie in some cases concerning the issues that face the average worker. They are at the forefront of the battle over the national debt and are preaching severe cuts in the budget without wanting to look at tax loopholes. Their ideology is un American in nature.

Corporate America say they have to send jobs over seas because of cheap labor. They would like to see Americans work for the same low wage third world countries work for. However, the CEO's and executives want to continue to rake in their record bonuses at the expense of the average worker. As Senator Jim Webb pointed out in his book, "A Time To Fight" the average American CEO makes 400 times his average worker, whereas the average CEO's of Japan, Germany, South Korea and France make between 10 and 16 times their average worker. The most productive countries, Germany, Japan and South Korea have the least amount of disparity between their CEO's and their workers. The bottom line is Corporate America want their average workers to feel the pain while their CEO's enjoy the benefit of the average workers labor. See Note 1

The propaganda by Corporate America and their lobby via congress is a direct threat to eliminating the middle class in America and those programs such as social security and medicare. The republican and tea party people in and out of congress have joined hands with Corporate America and their lobby to finish the job of completely transferring wealth from the middle class to the wealthy.

Recreating America in their own warped image is what Corporate America their lobby and the republican party today is all about. We have seen how this combination led the Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 administrations to a fiscal nightmare for the nation with their 20 year deficit spending spree and debt which is now of such magnitude that federal deficit spending will continue for many more years.

President Obama and the democrats in congress are the only ones who can stop the march to transfer more wealth from the middle class to the wealthy. The horrible situation that George W. Bush handed the American people on the economy, job losses and debt can be reversed if Obama and the democrats stand firm on the issues concerning the middle class. It took the country a long time to reverse the effects of the Hoover depression but Presidents Roosevelt and Truman stood firm and stood up to the republicans and Corporate America. No less should be expected from Obama and the democrats in congress.

Note: See previous commentary: Lost In America: Innovation dated July 23, 2008

Mitch McConnell, John Boehner and Eric Cantor: The Hierarchy Of The Republican Three Stooges

Those three republican stooges are the leaders of their party in congress and represent their party's hierarchy. They were the ones in congress that rubber stamped G.W. Bush's record deficit spending and debt the entire time Bush was President and also for the 6 years their party controlled both houses of congress. They never met a record republican deficit spree they did not like when they ran the show.

Now that the Obama administration reversed the record job losses, the recession and financial meltdown bestowed on America and its people by the Bush administration and republican policies, the three stooges are clamoring for severe budget cuts without increased revenue to try and finish what Reagan started. That is to deprive the federal government of needed revenue so programs like social security, medicare and other programs that work to help the people will be canceled or gutted to the point of being useless.

That, combined with their desire to undermine any legislation that will move America and its people forward is proof that their ideology is anti-American. Their warped mind of wanting to see Obama fail and there fore be a one term President trumps over their duty to do what is right for America and its people. When one uses the excuse of ideology it is easy to understand the republican party has no record of positive accomplishments and whose only record is one of consistency in creating record federal deficits and debt.

President Clinton put it best concerning republican ideology when he said: There is a huge difference between having a philosophy and having an ideology. The people who made America had a philosophy, he said. If you have an ideology you have the answer to the question before you look at the facts.

I wrote a commentary dated April 17 concerning the other republican three stooges who represent the lower end of the republican party in congress. As one can see, regardless of what part of the republican party is represented, be it the hierarchy or the lower end of the party, the same anti-American ideology applies. Unlike Moe, Curly and Larry, these three stooges are not funny in the least. That says it all.

A Major Oil Discovery In The Gulf Of Mexico: But What Is New?

On June 8 Exxon-Mobil announced it made the biggest discovery in the Gulf Of Mexico in more than a decade, which projects to produce the equivalent of 700 million barrels of oil per a Times Picayune story dated June 9. So what is new?

Actually, nothing is new. Every one including the oil industry knows the Gulf Of Mexico holds a lot of oil. They also know there have been larger discoveries in the Gulf. The oil industry likes to use those discoveries to show American can become independent of foreign oil if only the U.S. government will let them drill.

However, the U.S. government has actually let the oil industry drill for over 40 years and in fact only gave lip service to checking oil industry operations according to reports published after the BP oil spill. Yet the U.S. is more dependent on foreign oil today than ever before, even with all the billions of dollars of corporate welfare and tax exemptions given that industry by those in congress who are tied to the oil lobby via campaign contributions.

The oil industry control the price of oil and there fore gasoline because they have the ability to close the spiket on their production and then open it when they see fit. The difference between the OPEC producers and the American oil companies is that OPEC meets and tells the people when they are cutting back on production or are increasing production in order to manipulate the price. The American oil companies can do the same thing, they just never announce it.

No monopoly stockpiles its supplies because that brings down the price. Don't expect the American oil industry to open the spikets and stockpile their supplies. And that is why the oil industry will never make America independent of foreign oil. Alternate energy is the only answer.

Northrop Grunmman Corp., Failed to Deliver Louisiana Jobs

In a story by the Associated Press Northrop Grunmman had to return to Louisiana $35 million because of poor employment at its Avondale facility. Former Louisiana governor Mike Foster pledged $56 million to Northrop as part of an upgrade of Avondale in exchange to employ 5200 full time workers and to train new skilled craftsmen. Northrop reached that employee level in only 12 or 16 quarters, the last time in 2005 which resulted in the returned money.

Northrop shipbuilding activity was mainly for military equipment and when that petered out trouble began. What this story proves is it was the national economy that kept Northrop going with their military contracts and not job creation by the state of Louisiana, its politicians or Northrop. The Louisiana economy had not provided Northrop with jobs since 2005 hence, they never met the employment quota since then.

The real sad story is the $7.1 billion Louisiana gives out to businesses in the form of tax exemptions every year. That accounts for approximately 30% of the state budget and is supposed to create jobs. But it does not. Unemployment in April 2011was 7.4% compared to 6.6% in April of 2010. (Source: Louisiana Workforce Commission) Unemployment in Louisiana in January 2008 when Jindal took office was 3.8%. Once again it is the national economy that creates the jobs, not Louisiana's politicians or the massive tax exemptions given to business under the guise of job creation.

The state of Louisiana under the Jindal administration has failed to balance one state budget since he took office. (See note 1) Jindal has the failed conservative ideology like the last three republican Presidents and many other state governors. His recent veto of the 4 cent tax extension on cigarettes points out how unfit he is to run the states fiscal health. His warped mind does not even accept that this tax should have been extended.

Note 1: Here is how Jindal's budgets work: Every year he and the legislature meet and tells the people that the budget is out of balance and the legislature in its sessions declare the budget to be balanced. However, before the fiscal year is over the governor announces the budget is out of balance by millions of dollars and more has to be cut. This year Jindal announced the next fiscal year budget which begins on July 1 has a projected $1.5 billion dollar deficit The legislature is now in session and will announce at the end this week that the budget is balanced. Then 6 months or less from now Jindal will announce the budget is still millions of dollars out of balance. It is the same old conservative republican fiscal con game.