Thursday, July 31, 2014

CLP Hand Is Going Back In Your Wallet......

CLP is at it again.
One more time they are reaching into your wallet to remove more of your money.
You were told that if you want to save on your power bill you should become more energy efficient.
After all you are in control of how much power you use.
So you spent 20 grand on new windows. You spent 15 grand on new solar panels. You went around and replaced all your light bulbs, with new high efficiency light bulbs. You did all these things so you didn’t have to give so much money to CLP.
Guess what? CLP still wants your money anyway. Use their power, or don’t use their power…..Doesn’t matter….. because they still want you to pay them.
There are two parts to your power Bill. The fix cost you pay for the honor of being hooked up to their system. If you use no power at all you still owe them that fee. It used to be 8 bucks. Then it went to 16 bucks. Now (if CLP gets their way) you will pay 25.50 bucks. CLP applauds that you are using less power, but nonetheless they still want your money.
Doesn’t matter that they just raised your rates 21% in January. They want more. More….More….More….More.
the state's largest distribution utility is requesting a nearly 60 percent increase in the fixed fee that lands on its residential customers' monthly bills
challenges from energy efficiency and distributed generation have caused a downward trend in billed revenue per customer. In response, he said, the company has pushed to have more of its bills based on the cost of service, rather than the volume of energy sold.
If regulators approve the rate case as proposed, energy industry experts say it would chip away at the business case for investing in energy efficiency and distributed renewable energy,

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Wall Street Promoting Leaving to Avoid Taxes......

The same Wall Street banks who (just a few years back) BEGGED the US Taxpayer to bail them out of all their horrendous decisions. 

The same Wall Street banks who demanded (and received) deregulation so they could make those horrendous decisions in the first place.

The same Wall Street banks who took the US Taxpayer bailout money and then used it to pay ridiculous corporate bonuses….Bonuses to celebrate all their terrible decision making……

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/07/28/banks-cash-in-on-mergers-intended-to-elude-taxes/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0#

Those same folks are now working harder than ever to finish destroying the US Economy.

The best advise these folks can give (their clients) is to move out of the United States to avoid paying US taxes.

Companies hate paying taxes. Taxes are the worst thing ever.

But those same companies love when tax money is used to bail them out. It is like collecting insurance coverage, but never paying any premiums. What a great deal that is…..for them

These folks want you to understand they “love America”. That clearly shows in their actions.

JP Morgan is front and center in these efforts of destruction. The same JP Morgan that has paid over $25,000,000,000.00 to settle fraud charges.

http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2014/01/07/j-p-morgan-adds-1-7-billion-to-its-25-billion-plus-tally-of-recent-settlements/

The same JP Morgan that brought you the “London Whale” scandal.

Yes when it comes to a stellar reputation, JP Morgan rises high above the crowd.

Al Qaeda terrorists sit in caves marveling at the success Wall Street Banks have at tearing the US economy apart. Terrorists waste time with guns and bombs when all they really need is a job on Wall Street. Terrorists wish they could inflict the kind of destruction companies like JP Morgan are able to inflict. Plus Wall Street banks make it look so easy. Terrorists must be so jealous.

These banks love to point out they are not breaking any laws. That is the wonderful part about deregulation. There are no laws. First they demand the laws be removed. Then when there are no laws they gleefully point out they are not technically doing anything wrong.

To fix the problem Congress could easily reregulate. Will they? Of course they won’t. Which is why congress has a 7% approval rating.

What they will do though, is tell you they need to cut lots of programs. They will tell you there is just not enough money so things have to be cut…...Sorry. They will tell you this as they wink at the JP Morgan (and Goldman Sachs) executives.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Filthy China......

Last week somebody dumped unknown pollution into a river in China turning the water blood red.
It is not the first time it has happened.
The same thing happened in 2011.
The rivers in China are some of the most polluted rivers in the world.
Then farmers come along and irrigate their farms with the disgusting water.
That is how the farm land in China gets completely contaminated.
In China 20% of all farm land is too polluted according to the government.
That is what they admit to. You can be sure it is even worse than that. If China says it is too polluted imagine how polluted it really is.
In China everything is polluted.
They have record breaking amounts of air pollution. The levels are literally off the charts.
The air pollution is so bad it literally affects global weather patterns.
That is right…..The snow you saw (out your window) could have been directly related to air pollution in China.
This pollution crisis effects every aspect of Chinese life.
For example the wardrobe in America is pants and a shirt.
In China they wear pants, a shirt, and a dust mask. It is just part of everyday life.
Lives in China are shortened 5.5 years because it is so filthy.
The fruits and vegetables grown in the filth are shipped to America where you feed it to your family. Is it safe? (shrug) We will see. You will have to let us know as you (and your family) continue to consume this stuff.
This is why “country of origin” labeling is so important. Yet our government has not mandated it. So lots of what you eat comes from places like filthy China. If you knew the truth you would never eat it. If only you could know.
You like Mandarin oranges? They are almost all from filthy china. Apples? China. The list goes on and on.
All of these things I am showing you is what you get with deregulation.
Corporate America loves it. No rules. Dump the toxins in the river. It is fantastic.
If you agree this is fantastic then stand up and applaud when (one of the bozos on) Fox News mentions deregulation. When they mention tightening environmental regulations is a bad idea.
If however you think this is all real terrible, then you should do what I do. Pop your middle finger straight up and point it right at your TV screen. That will make you feel great.
See deregulation NEVER works, and all the links above show you exactly why. Make sure you click on all of them.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Southwest Airlines Outsourcing their maintenance to record fines.....

Southwest Airlines fined 12 million bucks for crappy outsourced maintenance work. This is on top of the 9 million bucks they were fined in 2009 for crappy outsourced maintenance work.
Southwest had in house mechanics who actually knew what they were doing. Knowing what you are doing can be bad though because it generally costs more.
Not knowing what you are doing is always a lot more affordable. That is where outsourcing comes in. When saving money is more important the doing the job right, please remember to outsource.
In 2009 Southwest even went a step further and announced some of their maintenance would be done in El Salvador. When you think about qualified air plane mechanics, the first place that should pop in your head is El Salvador. They make between $4,500 to $15,000 a year. Nothing says “your safety is important to us” like doling out that kind of money.
Enjoy your flight.

Apollo 11 Remembered...Shhhh Don't tell anyone.

Last week President Obama Celebrated the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2014/07/22/obama-apollo-11-crew-visit/12990241/

He celebrated in a private meeting (with the remaining astronauts) behind closed doors. No press was allowed in to ask questions. No video was shot of the meeting.

It was a hidden celebration of one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of mankind. One of the shining moments in US history, and for Obama it needed to be hush hush.

That is part of Obamas open government that he likes to brag about. The same open government all the members of the media are currently complaining about.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/11/21/209352/white-house-blocks-access-to-obama.html

So Obama blocks the media at every turn. Then when the media can’t do their job, and give up…… Obama complains that the media is not getting his message out.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/30/media-darling-obama-grouses-about-press-coverage/?page=all

With regard to blocking the Apollo anniversary, it was incredibly silly to block that from the media. It is one of the most important events in our countries history.

It has been 45 years and no other country has been able to duplicate the feat. No other country has even attempted it. Some have talked, but none have done.

Back then it didn’t matter what the goal was, because Americans could get it done. No matter how absurd the objective seemed, Americans still did it. Simply point up to the bright circle in the sky and announce we are going to go there. And we did.

We did it without outsourcing. We did it without offshoring. We did it without H1B visa holders. We did it without parts made in China. We did it without running up a 16 trillion dollar debt. We did it despite being in the middle of an unpopular war. And it didn’t take decades either. Kennedy announced the goal in 1961, and 8 years later we were there. Done!

Today people don’t appreciate how difficult it truly was. It wasn’t just about getting there. That was only half the problem. The other half was getting home alive.

If anything went wrong there was no calling AAA. Help wasn’t coming……. so everything had to work perfectly. There was no room for error. Today everyone yawns and acts like it was no big thing. But they are wrong. It was a huge deal. It could have easily failed.

So why didn’t Obama want to celebrate this with throngs of Reporters?

Because the reporters would ask him to contrast the greatness of America in 1969, compared to the hollowed out shell we are today. In 1969 we went to the moon, and in 2014 we can’t even get to space. The end of the shuttle program was announced in 2004. 10 years later we are still fumbling around doing nothing. Embarrassing doesn’t even begin to explain how far we have fallen.

That down fall is surprising to. Based on everything we have been told, it makes no sense why we are where we are. After all today we have the great benefit of offshoring, and outsourcing, and foreign visa holders. Our companies are efficient because they can save lots of money making things in China. Yet none of those things are getting Americans to space. Thank goodness we can count on our good friend Vladimire Putin.

If you were the leader of such mediocrity, you wouldn’t want to speak to reporters either. Better to close the Oval Office door and whisper congratulations in a quiet discussion. Then wisk them out the back door as quickly as possible.

Friday, July 25, 2014

Obamas Reclassification Is In The Works......

Since Obama is not fixing the economy….Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.
It is a big problem.
All the news stories are negative and his poll numbers and dropping like a stone.
What to do….What to do…..Maybe lying will work. Yeah let’s do that.
If the numbers don’t tell the story you are looking to tell, just change the numbers. Use different math. Use a different language. Confuse the situation. Change the labeling. Hopefully when all the dust settles everyone will think the economy is doing great. It is all about illusion.
Today when Apple makes an iphone (in Communist Red China) that Iphone is considered an import, (when it is shipped back to the United States). Since everything is made in China that really makes the trade deficit look bad.
But what if we no longer consider American companies products (made in China) as an import? How would the numbers look then? I bet they would look freakin spectacular.
Is it honest? Of course it is not honest. Honesty is for sissy’s.
Corporations and Government are all about lying their azz off. When in doubt…. lie. That is taught day one in any good business school.
Don’t call it offshoring….That sounds really bad. It makes unemployed Americans upset as they stare at their pile of unpaid bills. Instead call it “Factoryless Goods”. That sounds much better. That will make for much friendlier headlines.
If you want US Manufacturing wages to appear to have gone up, then just count white collar workers as Manufactures. That will make the average go up. That will create positive headlines. There is no down side.
Obamas plan is to do exactly these shady, deceptive things.
26,000 people have already written his administration to complain.
Most people have NO IDEA this is even being considered. None! If they did know they would probably be real mad. Make sure you don’t tell anyone. An educated public really throws a monkey wreck into Obamas “Man of the People” image.
More than 26,000 people nationwide have submitted comments opposing Obama administration proposals that would severely distort U.S. job and trade data by reclassifying U.S. corporations that offshore American jobs as "factoryless goods" manufacturers.
Under a broad data reclassification plan, much of the value of U.S. brand-name goods assembled by foreign workers and imported here for sale would no longer be counted as imported goods, but rather as manufacturing "services" imports. This would deceptively deflate the U.S. manufacturing trade deficit.
The "factoryless goods" proposal, designed by the administration's Economic Classification Policy Committee (ECPC), also would, overnight, falsely increase the reported number of U.S. manufacturing jobs as white-collar employees in firms like Apple – now rebranded as "factoryless goods producers" – would suddenly be counted as "manufacturing" workers. This shift also would create a false increase in U.S. manufacturing wages and output.
"The only reason you would classify an iPhone made in China as a U.S. export is to hide the size of our massive trade deficit," saidJames P. Hoffa, Teamsters general president.
(The Teamsters supported Obama and the Democrats. Obama gives them the middle finger in return. What does Obama care. Are the teamsters going to vote for Republicans? No chance. Obama can continue kicking his supporters in the teeth and there will be no consequences.)
"To revive American manufacturing jobs and production, we need to change our policies, not cook the data," said Brad Markell, executive director of the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council. "We need to reform the trade policies that have incentivized offshoring and resulted in decades of trade deficits and millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs offshored, not cover up the evidence that our current trade policy is not working."
One element of the proposed economic data reclassification plan would rebrand U.S. imports of goods manufactured abroad, such as Apple's iPhone (which is assembled in China by a firm called Foxconn) as "services" imports rather than imports of manufactured goods. And if Foxconn exported iPhones to other countries, the proposed
reclassifications would count the iPhones manufactured in China as U.S. manufactured goods exports, further belying the real U.S. manufacturing trade deficit.
The economic data reclassification initiative, if implemented, could further undermine efforts to bolster U.S. manufacturing by producing a fabricated reduction of the U.S. manufacturing trade deficit.
"These Orwellian data rebranding proposals would hide the damage wrought by past trade pacts like the North American Free Trade Agreement, greasing the way for more-of-the-same, job-killing, deficit-boosting trade deals," said Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch.

Wal-Marts CEO is Fired.......

Walmart CEO is fired. 

He had such a winning strategy too. Fill all the stores wall to wall with Made in China goods. Attempt to sell those goods to Unemployed Americans. Why would that not be successful? I am so confused.

"Business is currently lousy for all retailers. (Gee I wonder why) Customers have been reluctant to spend (Gee I wonder why) – earlier this year they were hampered by the harsh winter weather (It got cold in the winter and nobody knew that was going to happen). More recently, in the second quarter, economic concerns have held them back from spending aggressively (Economic concerns = There are no jobs…..because of Walmart). They are saving more (You only get one unemployment check per week). From The Container Store to Macy’s to Walmart, I sense a deep concern." (As they should)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2014/07/25/walmart-unexpectedly-fires-its-us-ceo/

United Airlines Profit up 68%

United Airlines raised rates over, and over, and over. 

They have claimed they had no choice. 

There is this fee, and that fee, and another fee, and some more fees……But it is not their fault. Don’t blame them, as they are the real victim.

Fuel prices are high….. and they are barely scraping by. Really!

If prices didn’t rise United Airlines might not even be able to survive at all. So please shower them with sympathy. Maybe hold a candle light vigil (with some of your close friends) and say a player for poor (poor) United Airlines.

Maybe send a sympathy card to their corporate headquarters. There is nothing sadder then a struggling corporation. I am tearing up as I type this. It is all so unfair. (I will be right back…..I have to get a tissue.)

http://online.wsj.com/articles/united-continental-profit-rises-68-1406203927

We were told -

“Dave Fuscus, spokesman for the Air Transport Association, which represents the major airlines, says that fuel represents 11 percent of airline operating costs, the second highest expense after labor. They have NO CHOICE but to pass the spike in fuel prices onto the consumer, he says.”
“Airlines are a business with VERY SLIM PROFIT MARGINS, around TWO TO SIX percent ” says Fuscus. “The aviation industry, like other industries and many consumers, is suffering from higher fuel prices. Every time the price of jet fuel goes up a penny, the cost to the industry goes up $170 million annually.”
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=95818

Yet the reality shows this was COMPLETE LIES! They say the profit margin is 2 - 6%. But they left off the 8.

6%…..68% What is the difference? He was close. Only off by 60%. You should still happily pay their fees.

Last month United announced they are laying off 630 union airport workers. They are being replaced with low cost outsourced workers. They say they have to do it because they have no money. (Pay no attention to the 68% profit….That is none of your business)

You just listen to what they say. Ignore what you see.

Uniteds goal is to take the guy making 50 grand, and replace him with a guy making 18 grand. The guy who was making 50 grand has years of experience and was loyal to the company. But to heck with him. Nobody cares about any of that. If they can save a buck, by destroying a livelihood, then they do it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/united-airlines-outsourci_b_5609016.html

So to recap……. the consumer gets screwed (by higher prices and diminished service).

The worker gets screwed (by lost jobs and shrinking paychecks).

The public gets blatantly lied to about what is really going on.

Meanwhile a couple of executives (and some investors) run off with all the money. Isn’t that great? It is called Capitalism. The majority gets screwed. The minority gets rich.

It is a beautiful thing.

If anyone needs an extra tissue I have more. Just let me know.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Israel, Hamas, The UN, and The Christians...... What a Mess.

Today the United Nations is critical of Israel for the carnage-taking place in the Gaza Strip.
On July 15th Egypt proposed (and Israel agreed) to a cease-fire. If Hamas agreed to stop firing rockets (into Israel) than Israel would stop bombing the Gaza Strip.
Hamas said no way.
Why would Hamas say no way? Well because they are desperate. A cease fire does not fix their underlying problems. They are out of money and out of world support.
Hamas understands they cannot beat Israel militarily so the goal is to get sad pictures on the news. They want to gain world sympathy. Sympathy equals pressure on Israel to negotiate a deal.
Specifically Hamas wants all the border crossing to Israel and Egypt opened. It is easier to get weapons when the borders are open.
But the borders are closed for a reason. Suicide bombers blowing up buses (and pizzerias) is why there are border crossings in the first place. Who sent in the bombers? Hamas.
Once Hamas declined last weeks cease fire they were gambling with the lives of their people.
The reality is Israel doesn’t need to negotiate if they can eliminate the rockets on their own. But can they? So far…. not yet. There could be a long way to go though.
Everyone assumes Israel will leave Gaza in a few days, or weeks, or months. Maybe they won’t leave. Maybe they will stay. Hamas had a golden opportunity to not have Israeli troops in Gaza, but they blew it. Now the troops are back.
Hamas should learn the lesson I teach my kids. Learn to quit while you are ahead.
Hamas calculated that if they can keep the rockets flying (and keep the sad pictures on the news) it will get them to a better place. But every day that passes more buildings gets destroyed. More rockets get destroyed. More tunnels get destroyed. More people get killed. Does any of this really lead Hamas to a better place?
Hamas hides weapons in hospitals. If Israel doesn’t blow them up then Hamas wins. If Israel does blow them up (innocent people die) sad pictures go up on the news. Hamas still wins…..Or at least that is what they think.
Israel drops leaflets telling people to leave before the bombs come. Hamas orders them to stay. Then innocent people get blown up and Israel gets blamed. That makes Hamas very happy.
Doesn’t do much for the Palestinian people…… but Hamas doesn’t care about them. Not even a little. It is all about propaganda.
People look at Israel’s heavy-handed approach and get upset. They see Israel with their foot on the Palestinians throat and think “That is so mean….Get off their throat”. But if Israel steps off than Hamas jams a dagger into Israel’s forehead.
It is hard to be nice to people who are sworn to kill you.
In the West bank Fatah does not launch rockets. As a result the West Bank is not getting dismantled by the IDF. See how that works?
I think it is clear a nonviolent approach puts Palestinians in a better place.
Does it give them everything they want? No. Does it prevent Israel from building ill-advised settlements? No.
Israel needs to do their part too, and often they have failed. There is plenty of blame to go around in this never-ending struggle.
Nonetheless if you look at the two approaches I believe one is clearly better.
Meanwhile as the UN is busy being angry at Israel……. the Sunni extremists in Iraq are driving out all the Christians. Every last one of them. Where is the UN on that issue? The Christians would like to know.
in Mosul under ISIS When the terror group ordered all to convert to Islam, pay a religious tax or face execution, many chose another option: flight.
Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, included 60,000 Christians in 2003. By last month, the number had dwindled to just 35,000. It now stands at zero, according to Ignatius Yousef Younan III, patriarch of the Syrian Catholic Church.
Habash, who roundly criticized the Obama administration and the United Nations, specifically, for what he called their "careless absence" in taking action against the militants, said such violent intolerance demanded action from the international community.
"Where is the conscience of the world? Where is the United Nations? Where is the American administration to protect peace and justice?" he asked. "Nobody has said a word."

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Tony Dungy Should Know Better.....

Tony Dungy would not have drafted Michael Sam. Michael Sam is the first openly gay player in the NFL. 

For Tony Dungy it would be too much to handle. Tony Dungy…. one of the first Black head coaches in the NFL should know better. 

For a long time the NFL didn’t hire many black coaches….. Seems “they didn’t want to deal with it”. Yet someone gave him a chance anyway. Turned out pretty well too. But if everyone had Dungy’s view that may have never happened.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/07/21/tony-dungy-i-wouldnt-have-taken-michael-sam/

What is most interesting is when Michael Vick went to Leavenworth Federal Prison for murdering (and torturing) dogs Tony Dungy was front and center advocating for a team to give him a chance.

Murdering dogs is not too much to deal with. Being gay is much more distracting…..For Mr. Dungy.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/14/AR2009081403322.html

Bottom line is if Michael Sam can play in the NFL that is the ONLY thing that matters. If he can’t then he will be cut.

What Michael does off the field is irrelevant. Mr. Dungy should rethink his poorly thought out position. If he was the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 playing Jackie Robinson may have been too much to handle too. Progress is made when people have more courage then Tony Dungy is currently displaying.

The NSA enjoying your nudie pictures......

So you took intimate pictures of your junk and sexted it to your significant other…..That is cute. It is all good clean fun between you, and your sweetie…..Oh and most of the NSA too. They all got a good chuckle at your expense. Keep those photos coming as they really helps brighten up their day.

"Many of the people searching through the haystacks (of information) were young, enlisted guys, 18 to 22 years old," Snowden told the publication. "In the course of their daily work, they stumble across something that is completely unrelated in any sort of necessary sense – for example, an intimate nude photo of someone in a sexually compromising situation. But they're extremely attractive. So what do they do?

"They turn around in their chair and they show a co-worker. And their co-worker says, 'Oh, hey, that's great. Send that to Bill down the way,' and then Bill sends it to George, George sends it to Tom, and sooner or later this person's whole life has been seen by all of these other people."
Snowden told the Guardian that the analysts were comfortable sharing the information because they worked in small offices where everyone knew everyone else. "It's never reported, because the auditing of these systems is incredibly weak," he said. The proof of that, Snowden said, was his own situation.

"A 29-year-old walked in and out of the NSA with all of their private records," Snowden said. "What does that say about their auditing? They didn't even know."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/07/21/snowden-nsa-sexting/12937507/

Nobody is Buying Coke....Shocking I know.

Nobody wants to put High Fructose Corn Syrup in their mouth. 

So Coke shouldn’t be surprised when it’s products sit on store shelves collecting dust. If Coke wants people to put their products into shopping carts they need to make them with real sugar. If not then the downward spiral will continue.

“the Atlanta-based group continues to struggle against a slowdown in sparkling beverage sales in increasingly health-conscious core markets, Europe and North America.”

“In 2013 US sales of carbonated soft drinks sank to their lowest level since 1995, according to Beverage Digest, an industry publication.”

“The company has tried to offset the trend by investing in product launches such as Coca-Cola Life, a version of Coke that uses stevia, a natural sweetener.” (Not Stevia…..Sugar. All natural sugar. Anything that is not sugar will not achieve growth.)


http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0679eeaa-11a4-11e4-b356-00144feabdc0.html

Sunday, July 20, 2014

No Jobs - No Marriage

Young people can’t find jobs. Can’t live on their own. Are not getting married.
No job = No marriage.
Today's young adults are on track have the lowest rates of marriage by age 40 compared to any previous generation.
more than 30% of Millennial women will remain unmarried by age 40, nearly twice the share of their Gen X counterparts
that could have serious economic repercussions for both the Millennials and the nation as a whole.
marriage used to be the starting point for young adults. They got hitched early and built a life together, Howe said. Now, many people feel they have to be more established, especially financially, before they walk down the aisle.
Marriage rates fell even more drastically during the Great Recession, when young adults had a tough time landing their first jobs and other Americans found themselves collecting unemployment checks.
the explosion in singles has its downsides. Married couples are often better off financially, which means they can spend more.
"The evidence shows that getting married increases wealth and income,
Single Americans may be less likely to buy homes or trade up to accommodate growing families, while single parents may be more likely to qualify for government safety net programs.
And the growing schism in marriage rates could exacerbate income inequality in this country, dividing society into still mostly married "haves" and increasingly single "have nots." 

Friday, July 18, 2014

Microsoft Laying Off 18,000.....

First they say they need foreign workers to compete.
The only thing stopping runaway growth is the inability of US Corporations to find qualified American workers. Foreign workers are a needed to do the work Americans are too incompetent to do.
If only competent people could be found there would be no limit to the growth. Please, please, please let them bring in record numbers of foreign workers.
Then to prove their point (that they can’t find enough workers) they lay off 18,000 workers they do have. You know….so they can grow.
12,500 layoffs are coming from the Nokia side of the business.
See at first nobody cared about Windows phone. So Microsoft purchased Nokia, thinking somehow that would make people care. But people still didn’t care. As a result half of Nokia will be wiped out.
That still leaves 5,500 layoffs from the Microsoft side of the business. The previous layoff record at Microsoft was 5,800 in 2009. Microsoft’s new CEO is committed to trying to break that record. Inspiring!

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Real Economy Still Needs Help.....Stock Market Breaking Records......

Yesterday the Fed Secretary Janet Yellen went to Congress to testify the economy is still in trouble, and more government welfare will be needed to prop it up.
There are still no jobs. Wages are still going nowhere. So interest rates will remain at 0% (where they have been for 6 straight years). Plus the government is still buying $35,000,000,000.00 a month in bonds.
Today the stock market AGAIN broke its ALL TIME HIGH. Never in history has the stock market been as high as it is right now.
So if the economy needs all this help (when the stock market is at record highs) than when exactly will the economy not need government help?
If all this government help hasn’t created any jobs in 6 years (but the stock market is through the roof) I would say something is not right.
Janet Yellen should really give me a call so I can explain to her what the real problem is. Clearly she isn’t figuring it out on her own.

F-35 Can't Turn, Climb, Or Run.....

When they put together the list of the dumbest ideas of all time you can be sure the F-35 will be up near the top. 

Trying to build one plane to do everything, has resulted in one plane that can do nothing well. 

Trying to build one plane to save lots of money, has resulted in one plane that costs more money than any plane (or any weapons system) in history.

Putting that plane into production before it has been properly tested has only heaped stupidity on top of stupidity.

Different tools are required for different objectives.

To think you can build one tool that can do everything is beyond silly.

It is like trying to play golf with only one club. Would that work? Are you going to putt with a driver? Are you going to hit out of sand with a putter? Every club has its purpose, and they are all necessary.

Anyone trying to sell you one club (to replace all other clubs) would be a con man. You wouldn’t fall for that, but the Pentagon has. Instead of just walking away they just keep throwing good money after bad.

It has been over a decade and the plane is still a wreck. Doesn’t look like that will be changing anytime soon.

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2014/07/14/pentagons-big-budget-f-35-fighter-cant-turn-cant-climb-cant-run/

The F-35 — which can avoid sensor detection thanks to its special shape and coating — simply doesn’t work very well. The Pentagon has had to temporarily ground F-35s no fewer than 13 times since 2007, mostly due to problems with the plane’s Pratt & Whitney-made F135 engine, in particular, with the engines’ turbine blades.

“The repeated problems with the same part of the engine may be indications of a serious design and structural problem with the F135 engine,”

Pratt & Whitney has already totally redesigned the F135 in an attempt to end its history of frequent failures.

the F-35 is complex — the result of the Air Force, Marines and Navy all adding features to the basic design. In airplane design, such complexity equals weight. The F-35 is extraordinarily heavy for a single-engine plane, weighing as much as 35 tons with a full load of fuel.

By comparison, the older F-15 fighter weighs 40 tons. But it has two engines. To remain reasonably fast and maneuverable, the F-35′s sole F135 engine must generate no less than 20 tons of thrust — making it history’s most powerful fighter motor.

All that thrust results in extreme levels of stress on engine components. It’s no surprise, then, that the F-35 frequently suffers engine malfunctions. Even with that 20 tons of thrust, the new radar-dodging plane is still sluggish. The F-35 “is a dog … overweight and underpowered,”

two analysts at the RAND Corporation, a California think-tank that works closely with the military, programmed a computer simulation to test out the F-35′s fighting ability in a hypothetical air war with China. The results were startling.

“The F-35 is double-inferior,” John Stillion and Harold Scott Perdue concluded in their written summary of the war game, later leaked to the press. The new plane “can’t turn, can’t climb, can’t run,” they warned.

Yet the F-35 is on track to become by far the military’s most numerous warplane. It was designed to replace almost all current fighters in the Air Force and Marine Corps and complement the Navy’s existing F/A-18 jets. The Pentagon plans to acquire roughly 2,400 of the radar-evading F-35s in coming decades, at a cost of more than $400 billion.

California To Be Carved Up......

Go ahead and dispose of your current American Flag in an appropriate way. Maybe donate it to a muesem.

Soon you will need to go to Walmart and purchase a new (made in China) American Flag with the appropriate 55 stars. That is right folks California is going bye bye.

Silcone Valley will soon be its own state.

California is going with a smaller is better strategy. That is why Connecticut is so dominant in the country. Everyone is scared of CT because of its manageable size. California is jealous and wants to follow CT's successful strategy.

Good luck with that.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/07/15/six-californias-tim-draper/12661161/

Monday, July 14, 2014

India Does Not Like Toilets......

If you listen to corporate America (tell the story) Americans (you) are not qualified to work for them. You are not educated enough. You are not experienced enough. Trying to train you is a complete waste of time. 

That is why they (corporate America) absolutely have to have people brought over from India. People from India are smarter, and better, and more educated (Than you) in every possible way.

They are a shining example of high tech thinking in action.

But they do have one small shortcoming (which you excel at). You (Mr. and Mrs. America) are well versed at the high tech process of using a toilet. The super smart folks from India are still struggling with the concept.

Working for Microsoft they can do. Using a standard register toilet is somehow a mystery. The result is millions of malnourished and stunted children.

While you might not think it is a big deal……. please still place your know how (of using modern plumbing) on your resume. You should be proud of your abilities….let people know. Maybe the HR recruiter at Microsoft will even want a demonstration. Be proud.

As an American, nobody expects you to do much (these days) because of your lack of ability. The fact that you can handle modern plumbing is a credit to you and your country.

God Bless America.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/15/world/asia/poor-sanitation-in-india-may-afflict-well-fed-children-with-malnutrition.html?_r=0#

“children across India, where a long economic boom has done little to reduce the vast number of children who are malnourished and stunted, leaving them with mental and physical deficits that will haunt them their entire lives.”

“an emerging body of scientific studies suggest that many of the 162 million children under the age of 5 in the world who are malnourished are suffering less a lack of food than poor sanitation.”

“Like almost everyone else in their village, Vivekand his family have no toilet, and the district where they live has the highest concentration of people who defecate outdoors. As a result, children are exposed to a bacterial brew that often sickens them, leaving them unable to attain a healthy body weight no matter how much food they eat.”

“These children’s bodies divert energy and nutrients away from growth and brain development to prioritize infection-fighting survival,” said Jean Humphrey, a professor of human nutrition at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “When this happens during the first two years of life, children become stunted. What’s particularly disturbing is that the lost height and intelligence are permanent.”

“Unicef officials and those from other major charitable organizations said they believe that poor sanitation may cause more than half of the world’s stunting problem.”

“Our realization about the connection between stunting and sanitation is just emerging,” said Sue Coates, chief of water, sanitation and hygiene at Unicef India.”

“This research has quietly swept through many of the world’s nutrition and donor organizations in part because it resolves a great mystery: Why are Indian children so much more malnourished than their poorer counterparts in sub-Saharan Africa?”

“A child raised in India is far more likely to be malnourished than one from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe or Somalia, the planet’s poorest countries. Stunting afflicts 65 million Indian children under the age of 5, including a third of children from the country’s richest families.”

“This disconnect between wealth and malnutrition is so striking that economists have concluded that economic growth does almost nothing to lessen malnutrition.”

“Half of India’s population, or at least 620 million people, defecates outdoors. And while this share has declined slightly in the past decade, an analysis of census data shows that rapid population growth has meant that most Indians are being exposed to more human waste than ever before.”

“In Sheohar, for instance, a toilet-building program between 2001 and 2011 decreased the share of households without toilets to 80 percent from 87 percent, but population growth meant that exposure to human waste rose by half.”

“The difference in average height between Indian and African children can be explained entirely by differing concentrations of open defecation,” said Dean Spears, an economist at the Delhi School of Economics. “There are far more people defecating outside in India more closely to one another’s children and homes than there are in Africa or anywhere else in the world.”

“India’s stunting problem represents the largest loss of human potential in any country in history, and it affects 20 times more people in India alone than H.I.V./AIDS does around the world,”

“India is an increasingly risky place to raise children. The country’s sanitation and air quality are among the worst in the world. Parasitic diseases and infections like tuberculosis, often linked with poor sanitation, are most common in India. More than one in four newborn deaths occur in India.”

“Open defecation has long been an issue in India. Some ancient Hindu texts advised people to relieve themselves far from home, a practice that Mahatma Gandhi sought to curb.”

“The cause of many of our diseases is the condition of our lavatories and our bad habit of disposing of excreta anywhere and everywhere,” Gandhi wrote in 1925.”

“Other developing countries have made huge strides in improving sanitation. Just 1 percent of Chinese and 3 percent of Bangladeshis relieve themselves outside compared with half of Indians. Attitudes may be just as important as access to toilets. Constructing and maintaining tens of millions of toilets in India would cost untold billions, a price many voters see no need to pay — a recent survey found that many people prefer going to the bathroom outside.”

“Few rural households build the sort of inexpensive latrines that have all but eliminated outdoor waste in neighboring Bangladesh.”

“One analysis found that government spending on toilets pays for itself in increased tax receipts from greater productivity, but the math works only if every member of a family who gets a toilet uses it.”

“We need a cultural revolution in this country to completely change people’s attitudes toward sanitation and hygiene,” said Jairam Ramesh, an economist and former sanitation minister.”

“India’s government has for decades tried to resolve the country’s stubborn malnutrition problems by distributing vast stores of subsidized food. But more and better food has largely failed to reverse early stunting, studies have repeatedly shown.”

“India now spends about $26 billion annually on food and jobs programs, and less than $400 million on improving sanitation — a ratio of more than 60 to 1.”

“We need to reverse that ratio entirely,” Dr. Laxminarayan said.”

Thursday, July 10, 2014

75 Grand To Hear Chelsea..... What a deal.

Good news….
If you can’t afford $500,000.00 to have Bill Clinton come talk to you.
And
If you can’t afford $250,000.00 to have Hillary Clinton come talk to you
You no longer have to live your life in despair. You can turn that frown upside down because now you can pay a measly $75,000.00 and Chelsea will be more then happy to come talk to you.
It may not be Bill (telling you what you want to hear) but hey, look at all the money you will be saving.
Hiring a Clinton is like playing a song on a Juke Box. You put the money in and hit the button you want. Then it plays exactly what you expected. Sounds great too. If you desire a different tune, just hit a different button. As long as the money continues to flow they will say whatever you want.
See a juke box is a machine…. just like the Clintons. They both perform the exact same function. Money for sound. When it is over the sound is gone, as is the money.
Did you see tuition at Uconn is going up 6.5%? After telling the students they will need to pay more, somehow Uconn found ¼ million dollars to hand over to Hillary.
Hillary showed up and blah blah blahed for two hours, and then left with a suit case full of money. Now the students will have to pick up the tab.
Heck just tack it onto their student loans. They will have plenty time to formulate a payment plan while living with their parents.
The important thing is Hillary spoke and probably changed lives.
It is inspiring hearing professional politicians regurgitate whatever political spin an audience wants to hear. Nobody flips that switch like a Clinton. It is worth every dollar. That is what they expect too. 

Thursday, July 3, 2014

The Stock Market and The Real World......

To illustrate the complete disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street we have this article. 

The Dow just past 17,000 (for the first time ever) and everyone is popping the Champaign. 

This story highlights 7 companies that led the way to the greatest stock market the world has ever seen.

Clearly this must mean the economy is booming. Clearly this must mean American workers are reeping the rewards of skyrocketing paychecks and incredible job security. Just waiting for the announcement employee pension are coming back along with lots of new employee benefits.

Isn’t that what that means?

After all a rising tide raises all ships. Isn’t that what they tell us?

http://americasmarkets.usatoday.com/2014/07/03/7-dow-stocks-that-led-the-charge-to-17000/

So lets take a closer look at the 7 companies.

Caterpillar The heavy-equipment maker is up 20.7% in 2014 — and 292.6% since the March 2009

Also since 2009 Caterpillar took Billions in Taxpayer provided stimulus money and then laid off 13,000 + workers.
http://www.ibtimes.com/caterpillar-cat-slashing-jobs-closing-plants-across-world-equipment-demands-global-mining-industry

Intel - The computer-chip maker is up 19.4% in 2014 — and 95.5% since March 2009.

They also laid off over 5,000 employees since 2009.
http://www.mercurynews.com/60-second-business-break/ci_24935442/biz-break-intel-cut-more-than-5-000

Merck is up 18.0% in 2014 — and 152.4% since March 2009.

Also Laid off-13,000 in 2011. Another 8,500 in 2014
http://www.fiercepharma.com/special-reports/2013s-largest-pharma-layoffs-merck

Johnson and Johnson –The health care giant is up 15.6% in 2014 — and 89.9% since March 2009.

They have also managed many recalls on Tylenol (which is still difficult to find…… Not that anyone would want to consume it even if it was available). Plus they laid off over 8100 employees since in 2009.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/j038j-layoffs-the-jobs-that-are-safest-and-those-that-arent/

Disney The theme park, moviemaker and media giant is up 13.1% in 2014 — and 365.8% since March 2009.

They also laid off over 700 + workers.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/06/us-disney-layoffs-idUSBREA2520520140306

Microsoft The computer-software giant is up 11.9% in 2014 — and 149.8% since March 2009.

Also laid off over 5000 + workers since 2009.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=6711586

Cisco The computer-networking firm is up 11.5% in 2014 — and 60.9% since March 2009.

Also laid off over 10,500 people.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/markrogowsky/2013/08/15/ciscos-chambers-were-swimming-in-profits-youre-fired/

5 years….7 companies……55,000 layoffs….record stock market.

See how that all works? Any questions?

I will say it again….If you can’t sell something, then you must cut something. Wall Street doesn’t care either way…… as long as the numbers look good…..for them.

Even if these companies do sell something….And the numbers look good. They still might cut you anyway. Cutting always makes the numbers look better. Companies love doing it.

The Whole Jobs Picture......

In the month of June the economy added 288,000 jobs and everyone is jumping up and down with pom poms. 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/03/us-usa-economy-idUSKBN0F80AW20140703

Nobody wants to discuss the 312,000 NEW unemployment claims that came last week.

For the month of June the weekly average was 311,000 per week.

So 311,000 new unemployed X 4 weeks = 1,244,000 for the month of June. Minus the 288,000 new jobs…. only leaves a shortfall of 956,000….For June.

But this is considered excellent news.

If you say so.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/economy-policy/2014/06/19/weekly-jobless-claims-fall/

Keep shaking those pom poms….