The Boise Bum Barometer, Everyone Is Getting Into the Act

Over the past two years, I have noticed bums in parts of Boise that heretofore had no bums. They carry signs that say clever things designed to instill some guilt and elicit charity from motorists. Some bums hold entire scripts. Like a blog and always on cardboard.

Boise has made some efforts to crack down on the bums. They tell motorists to give to organized charities rather than the bums. Maybe there is a little old lady that still believes that cardboard propaganda- but I think most of us know that our money is going for booze and smokes. Food they can get for free.

Yesterday, I was driving down Chinden Boulevard which is primarily in Garden City. This is where most people go to get their drugs. All of the sudden, near one of the biggest intersections in town, I see traffic cones everywhere. Lo and behold, there were city bums (firefighters) holding rubber firefighting boots walking in and around cars, in some annual "fill the boot" campaign. People were giving them money like there was no tomorrow.

I scowled at these assholes. When I pandered for money, at least I did so in person on behalf of a memorial. I did not stand out in traffic, running around with a giant holster. The truth is, annoyance aside, I think placing debris on a highway and obstructing traffic are still against the law. But laws were meant to be broken as long as the cause is virtuous.  

So if employed firefighters begging for money isn't bad enough, I was driving thru downtown Boise today when I saw 5 or so people holding placards. They were soliciting money for soccer balls for impoverished youth in Zambia or some crazy place. I couldn't believe it.

Turning them down was easy. I hate soccer.

About a week ago, I talked with a bum at our Winco Grocery store. I watched as he took the cardboard from his wife. This is called shift change in the new America. I watched as she handed him two bucks. They were apparently rotating every hour while they study for college or something. So at any rate, he shook his head and said all she had gotten for an hour's worth of work was 2 bucks. (Well, I thought...that is all she handed you...) He complained about how miserly people were getting. 

I told him things were tough, that there was a river of busted people. He fired up a smoke, a Camel I noted, and we chatted about the economy and the weather. Little did he know that he was talking to a major big time blogger. He told me how unlucky he had been which always has had a profound effect on me. It causes me to become extremely grateful. I started to like this guy and feel sorry for him. I asked him where he got the smokes and he misunderstood me, he offered me one. I told him I quit and that I simply couldn't afford them anymore. This of course kicked off a ten minute speech about how hard it is to quit- yea I know- and he mentioned how hard it was to quit especially when times were tough. I understand that. So when I reached into my pocket for the two bucks I knew was in there from the grocery store, I asked him to do me a favor and buy some smokes. He smiled.

I like to know where my money is going. Interesting to note- that more than 1/2 of the price of a pack of smokes is now combined state and federal tax. Seems people still enjoy paying taxes, so much so, that they are willing to stand at a busy intersection and do it all day long.

U.S. Banks Double Down, Insuring Insolvent Countries, Where Will They Get the Dough?

Answer- It's all just a giant Ponzi scheme. There really is no dough.

Here's why European debt and defaults matter. Your U.S. banks will have to pay off on defaulting countries. Greece is first. http://www.allamericanindex.com/headlines/story.php?id=1442778

You Have To See This To Believe It

Absolutely unreal. And they want to run health care. From the Wolf Files...an excellent site...comes this taste of government efficiency. Try not to laugh out loud. http://wolffiles.blogspot.com/2011/06/your-government-working-for-you.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WolfFiles12PureHope+%28Wolf+Files%3A+12%25+Pure+Hope%29

One Of America's Finest Fraudulent Banks, J.P. Morgan, Now Getting Targeted For 19 Billion More

It's tough being a TooBigToFail bank these days.

You've got to orchestrate lobbyists and devise laws that allow you to pillage and legally steal from people. When you get caught, you have to donate millions to people like Barack Obama to avoid prosecution and stay out of jail. Then the same government hits you up for a 160 million in fines to settle fraud charges.

But you understand. It's all about appearances and window dressing. You gladly pay. You are J.P. Morgan. You take market manipulation and fraud and make an art form out of it. So...

While you are front running the FED on treasuries and manipulating precious metals prices, some financial hit man comes calling. A guy asking for 19 billion dollars on behalf of all of the people ripped off by Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme. Madoff used your bank. All of those billions. Of course you claim you know nothing. That's what every guilty bastard I ever arrested said. Hardly a new tactic.

The same tactic used by Sergeant Schultz in Hogan's Heroes. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110624/bs_nm/us_jpmorgan

Why Politics And Budget Talks Are Going To Be Brutal...

or a subtitle...

It's Time To Quit Fucking Around

I grew up a Democrat primarily for two reasons. I came from a union town where the history of the mine owners had been slave wages, horrible working conditions, and death. That was Butte. I also loved the environment and wanted to protect the countryside which was being destroyed by mining claims among other things. The Democrats were environmentally friendly.

That was 1971. We abandoned the gold standard and turned our sovereign rights over to international bankers. Our country was stoned. Third item in the left column. http://www2.econ.iastate.edu/classes/econ355/choi/bre.htm

The world changed dramatically in the intervening period of 1971 to 2001. From a legal standpoint, the United States became the best place to work. Legal precedent and enforcement did a lot to clean up the abuses of shop owners. The EPA and outfits like the Sierra Club worked tirelessly to support the environment. By the late 90's, environmentalists had the upper hand. Indeed, California's snail darter- a worthless but endangered fish- is proof positive of government gone over the top. Somewhere in the 90's, the Democrats simply morphed into statists. They were no longer useful. All they represent is big government getting bigger and out of control. Unable to rein themselves in. Sometime after college- I abandoned my democratic party leanings.

Republicans on the other hand, essentially killed any party platform they might have had. In fact, they are still searching for an identity. The Republicans are currently using the debt issue as a platform when in fact, they were just as responsible as the Democrats for the dire mess that we are in financially. Indeed, it was Reagan who took deficit spending to unprecedented levels. The Republicans don't like to talk about that too much. They still cater to the rich and elite. In current budget talks- they don't want to raise taxes on corporate America or the rich and elite. Why? Because they are the rich and elite. It's hard to ask the self absorbed to do a non self absorbed task like taxing themselves when they have the power to decline. That is a serious problem. Here is a perfect example of this. A rich Republican Congressman refusing to tax the rich. He is from Montana. http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/04/23rd_richest_member_of_congress_denny_rehberg_says_hes_struggling_like_everyone_else.php

What we have left is two useless parties. Now I suppose that part is debatable. But that's not the point of this piece so let's leave that argument for another day.

We all have a common problem. We have an enormous debt problem. We are essentially bankrupt. That's the point. You can be for abortion, gay rights, anti-taxes, or be a religious fanatic. It doesn't matter what you are or what you want. What issues you may be for or against. You see, when you are completely bankrupt that becomes the trump issue. It takes precedence. All of those other issues- things that you think are important- really aren't. They are secondary issues. Really. In fact, that's why both parties use ancillary issues to distract you. The real issue, the burning fucking issue that we can't resolve, is the debt issue.

The game is over and all we are deciding now is who is going to take the final hit. This Congress or the next one. This President or the next one.

That's why politics is going to have to get brutal. It's about money and bankruptcy. It's about the FED and our debt fueled fiat system of currency. The greatest ponzi scheme ever devised is just about toast. All that's left is just a bunch of central banks bailing each other out with unbacked worthless fiat currency. How long can that last?

In my version of the debt ceiling game, it ends here. It cannot be raised. Government services must take a 10 to 20 percent radical haircut immediately. The bankrupt states of Cal., Or., NY, Ill., NJ, NV. must do the same. Anybody that understands just how dire this is- is going to have to let the blood fly. Really. This isn't some bullshit liberal or conservative thing. This is a matter of financial life or death and what happens in the next year or two will either spell survival or doom. Here is a current link showing the latest "talks." Politicians are self absorbed and more worried about keeping their cushy jobs than they are concerned about fixing our bankrupt country. Even our Presidential golfer and vacationer is getting involved. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_debt_showdown

Meet Obama's real friends. The banking elite. Get out of jail free cards in return for campaign donations. http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-wall-street-donors-democrats-2011-6?op=1 

It's time to put away your party loyalties. It's time to rally under one common cause- we have one common enemy. A debt we cannot ignore. We need a sense of urgency and we need some courage. These things are sadly lacking in our current leadership and that's how these things get brutal. There is no compromise. It's radical cuts or fiscal death and that's about as simple as it gets. It's time to quit fucking around.

Forty Two Percent of People Polled, View the FED Favorably??

I clicked on this link because Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is apparently not doing so hot in the popularity contest that is all things important nowadays. Substance has little meaning.

I was not surprised to see Bernanke's numbers fall. Using the American economy as your own little personal experiment and petri dish has not been good for most of us. (non-bankers)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-24/bernanke-public-approval-falls-to-lowest.html

The part of this article that absolutely stunned me was that 42% of people polled view the FED favorably!! Go ahead and steal our money. Distribute it among your member banks. Enable our thieving government to borrow and sell the future work product of our children and grandchildren. And oh yes, charge interest on money that doesn't exist anyway...

And for this, nearly half the country is grateful? Wow. That is how out of touch Americans really are. Clueless. But not afraid to utter opinions about things they know nothing about...

President Screw Off Now Selling Strategic Oil Reserves...

I cannot count the number of vacations he has taken. He has played golf 75 times, held beer summits, traveled to nearly every country, got his mouth bashed in on the basketball court. With that kind of work ethic, why would we expect him to do anything of substance like stimulate job growth or substantially reduce the deficit and stay home until that issue was resolved?

Actual work would cut into his screw off time. His answer to the worst economy in my 50 years? Let's sell our strategic oil reserves. Cut the price of gas temporarily. Then replace the strategic oil reserve at  higher prices. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-wrong-reason-for-depleting-the-strategic-oil-reserve/2011/06/23/AGuAf3hH_story.html

Heaven forbid, Obama does some work. Something of substance. Work is like poison to this guy.

That's the President that I've come to know. Like Richard Nixon, Barack Obama has never let me down.

First Osama, Now Whitey Bulger...

Well just in time to foot his medical bills, the FBI has finally captured Whitey Bulger after a 17 year, on-the-run hiatus. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/23/us-crime-whitey-bulger-idUSTRE75M0NL20110623

Several years ago, I had what I believe was a brief brush with the elusive fugitive. Bulger was seen traveling through Moonbat Valley according to the FBI and during that time- I received a report that he was financing his run with his rare coin collection. Soon thereafter, a 10,000 dollar gold double eagle showed up at a local grocery store. Two idiots used it to buy beer. The face value was 20 bucks. The store manager instantly recognized the coin and knew its precise value (he was a coin collector) and he was more than happy to accept it as payment.

Osama Bin Laden, International Terrorist, was on the lam overseas for nearly 10 years. Whitey Bulger, Domestic Terrorist, lasted nearly twice as long living in California. I think we can take away a couple of things. The FBI is not exactly a model of efficiency. Rational and law abiding people flee places like California- they do not move there. Whitey however, was on a criminal par with the California legislature. All that thievery must have seemed normal to Bulger. Comfortable surroundings. I'll bet he has some property in Illinois.

It's been a tough year to be a fugitive. All of these out of work people looking for reward money I guess. I wonder if you have to pay taxes on that...

Welcome Moonbattery!

What a great blog. I was so pissed off after 5 minutes of reading that I simply had to add Moonbattery to the blog roll. I offer the following evidence.  http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2011/06/washington-nann.html

I absolutely hate laws like this. Does anyone with a set of balls ever speak up when the idiots that pass these laws are holding public hearings? Apparently not. This piece makes me want to drive to Washington State and go swimming without a life vest on. Gawd you cannot dream this shit up.

Does Anyone With Half a Brain Actually Think We Can Pay All of This Government Debt?

This piece comes via Chicago. Another moonbat stronghold. Chicago residents owe some 65 grand just in local taxes. That ain't the state share, or the Fed's 125k share- this is just local taxes...Cook taxpayers owe $108 billion, county Treasurer Pappas says: Greg Hinz Posted by Ann W. at 6/21/2011 9:44 AM CDT on Chicago Business The average Chicago household now owes a staggering $63,525 to cover local government debt, according to Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. Suburbanites are deeply in the red, too, with the average household owing $32,901, according to the treasurer. Among the biggest reasons: $25 billion in unfunded pension liability. In comments after an appearance Tuesday before the Civic Federation, a watchdog group that has released somewhat similar numbers in recent years, Ms. Pappas said she was "stunned" to learn that county taxpayers on the whole owe more than $108 billion toward local debt. (The total may be even worse. Click here for an update.) Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/section/blogs?blogID=greg-hinz&plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&uid=1daca073-2eab-468e-9f19-ec177090a35c&plckPostId=Blog:1daca073-2eab-468e-9f19-ec177090a35cPost:73061b12-c71d-45b0-aad9-130e57727e64&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest#ixzz1Q4HOB5nR Stay on top of Chicago business with our free daily e-newsletters

I guess the big question is... Are they just going to bleed us to death for years or buck up and claim bankruptcy quickly...save us the slow death?

Death Has Always Been Remarkably Effective When Liberally Applied to Tyrants

Every once in awhile, I stumble onto some "extremist" piece written by some moonbat writer. Extremists, as defined by liberals, are people so depraved that they actually think big government is not the solution. Reagan was an extremist. In fact, Reagan was so depraved that he thought government was the problem. You'll see that same sentiment in the comment section of this piece if you scroll down. Thousands of extremists chiming in. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110622/ap_on_re_us/us_hate_groups_fertile_ground

Eventually, as the state engages in more and more criminal behavior and suppression of law, there will be another revolution and it will probably be violent. Killing tyrants is just something we end up doing every few hundred years- and we will have to do it again. It's like getting rid of termites. Tyrants are by nature, shitty negotiators. Armed with what they believe is always the upper hand...they force their positions down oppressed peoples' throats and ultimately end up getting their asses kicked.

That is the dance. It has gone on since the dawn of time.

I was born and raised in Montana. Over the years, many of us came to believe that the Federal Government has vastly overstepped its lines of authority. That's not extremism. That's just the truth. The country is in serious peril. Jefferson among others, saw this as a serious problem that would ruin our country. He envisioned this mess and hoped to avoid it. Here then is just a taste of the original extremist, Thomas Jefferson.

Jeffersonians claim extreme
rights for states

The Kentucky Resolutions were drafted in secret by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the fall of 1798 to counter the perceived threat to constitutional liberties from the Alien and Sedition Acts. http://www.constitution.org/cons/kent1798.htm  These federal laws limited naturalization rights and free speech by declaring public criticism of government officials to be seditious libel, punishable by imprisonment and fines. Jefferson's draft resolutions claimed states had the right to nullify federal laws and acts that violated the Constitution. The Kentucky Resolutions were passed, and the role Jefferson and Madison played in drafting them was kept secret throughout their years of public service.

Eventually, the Federal Government and perhaps the states', will simply try to tax and steal everything that they can get their hands on to stay afloat financially. They have no alternative. It ain't a matter of if, it's a matter of when. And at that futuristic point a lot of really normal people are going to start behaving like extremists...moonbat authors take note.

More ObamaCare Madness

It's like the bill from hell. It just gets worse and then a little worse.

Now the latest according to bill interpreters- early retirees social security income will not count as income and under the terms of the bill, a couple making 60 grand will get free health care. Millions of middle class Americans will get health care that they could otherwise afford. Health care that was meant for the poor.

Obama calls Obamacare his "Hallmark" legislation. Legislation that will define his presidency. It sure does.

When do I get my free health care? Details here. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110621/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_overhaul_glitch

Left Forever Wanting

Are we supposed to be happy every time the SEC extorts fine money out of crooked bankers? What's in it for us? Answer- nothing. This time it is JP Morgan's turn. http://www.zerohedge.com/article/jpm-settles-sec-charges-related-misleading-cdo-information-1536-million It has been Angelo Mozilo, Countrywide, Goldman Sachs. Bank of America.

So just how is it that the government can bring charges against all of these outfits, extort millions and billions in fines and yet not one son of a bitch goes to jail? No crime committed? Fascinating.

A few years ago I got swindled for about 10 jumbo by a corrupt company called China Expert Technology (cxti). They had these glowing balance sheets, gobs of business, and then poof- stock price zero. Where was the fucking SEC?

No fraud charges. Nobody went to jail. Zero protection for investors. No settlement check. Goodbye 10 grand. The SEC didn't even bother returning or answering my complaint. Probably busy watching porn and deciding which crooked bankers to extort money from.

I don't mind losing my investments. That's risk. But if people are going to rip us off- I do mind a government that fails to prosecute or lock up anyone. A government that calls theft business. Noriega ran something like that. If all the government can do to protect investors amounts to extorting money in civil court- then all that amounts to is another bizarre taxing strategy. That's the government we have now. Broken, worthless, and self serving.

Great link from William Banzai. http://www.zerohedge.com/article/jp-morgan-bank-americans-should-all-love-hate

More Crony Capitalism, Supreme Court Sides With Giant China Retailer, WalMart

Wasn't surprised to see this. Supreme Court refuses to allow class action lawsuit against Chinese outlet store, WalMart.

Eighty three percent of WalMart managers are men. Nothing askew with that number...no discrimination here...now move along women.  http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110620/us_yblog_thelookout/supreme-court-sides-with-wal-mart-says-female-employees-cant-sue-in-class-action

Ten Myths/Lies That Politicians Want You to Believe

Every once in awhile I stumble onto a piece that is spot on. This is one of them. http://www.thestreet.com/story/11142443/1/10-myths-that-politicians-want-you-to-believe.html

Ann Coulter, Forced To Dwell In Low IQ Hell With Us Low Brow Libertarian Types

I love Ann Coulter. The great conservative. I think she is beautiful, witty, and very funny. That she thinks quite highly of herself is an understatement. In terms of political commentary, she is quite successful even though her thought processes are really nothing new.

She scores well on looks and delivery. Razor wit. Unfortunately, she scores high on the same old "bash the other tribe" mentality that has been practiced for centuries. Entertaining for sure, but not particularly useful. I'd like to point out this latest piece of hers...a libertarian bash. http://www.anncoulter.com/columns/2011-06-15.html

How would it be- to be so fucking smart like Ann... yet stuck on this rock with all of us dimwits and slow types? Lonely, I'm sure. Life, or some higher power, has played a cruel hoax on Ann by sending her here.

Now I like to bash liberals and democrats because of all parties...the moonbats have devolved into a total catastrophe. Obama is a perfect poster child for a party that has run out of other peoples' money, and beyond that- they simply have no solution for any of the problems that our country is currently mired in. The liberal social experiment has failed miserably yet they simply can't come to a place of acceptance. Their pride and collective ego cannot muster enough courage to say, "we were wrong." Every bankrupt state is a blue state. Think about that in terms of coincidence.

So Anne thinks conservatives win by default. That if the other side loses, the liberals, her side has to win. That is the grand delusion of tribal warring. The grand assumption. Completely eliminate opposing thought and other tribes and we'll have the whole place to ourselves. Liberal or libertarian- it doesn't matter. Prove them wrong and our side will prevail.

If there is one thing the last 50 years has taught me- it is this. Our current two party political system has evolved into a game to  fleece the middle or working class. There is simply no distinction left. It does not matter whether you go broke being taxed to death by liberals or you go broke delivering your work product for little or nothing to the conservative elite. Either way you are screwed. Signing onto either one of these two philosophies ensures that the game, minus a solution, continues... ad infinitum. 

If you want to achieve different results, you must try something different. Something different would be any new party, perhaps libertarian. For a gal like Ann Coulter, someone that has spent a lifetime preaching status quo conservative dogma, her pride simply would never allow a conscious or rational concession or confession that maybe her tribe is really not that much better than the liberal tribe. That in fact if conservatives were so shit hot, they'd be in vogue eternally.

Social security? Gay marriage? Big deal. There are easy solutions to both those "dilemmas" yet Ms. Coulter talks about those issues as though they are totally unsolvable. With her can't do attitude we'd still be searching for the wheel. Ignoring solutions on purpose because it doesn't serve her personal purposes or agenda. It's a helluva lot more enjoyable for her to just bash on liberals or libertarians instead because that's what she does. That's how she's gained her notoriety and fame. After all, she didn't get to her lofty perch by being a problem solver.

Can you imagine an inventor, trying to solve a problem using the same formula time and time again? Our country is trying to solve a problem using the same old Republican/Democrat formula. It has failed and it will continue to fail- just as long as we continue to use it.

I think some of us get that. Ann Coulter isn't one of them. She is just another entertainer. She has type cast herself into a permanently conservative corner...incapable of switching gears or trying something new- even when it is painfully obvious that using the same old formula gets the same old results. I like Ann Coulter. You've got to admire her "stick to it" philosophy and resolve when surrounded by hordes of intellectually inferior people. Like teaching pigs to sing. It can't be easy- being Ann.