Though more and more people have dipped from the middle and working classes in poverty, the rich have been victimized most by the recession – at least they have in terms of dollars lost.

A study by Merrill Lynch reveals that the world’s rich lost 20 percent of their total wealth, mainly because volatile trading markets across the world wiped out two years’ gains.

The number of people with more than $1 million in net assets fell 14.9 percent, while the number of people with fortunes of more than $30 million fell by a quarter, the study showed.

READ MORE HERE

For Immediate Release
June 11, 2009

Audit the Fed Bill Reaches Crucial Benchmark

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Ron Paul’s Federal Reserve Transparency Act, HR 1207, has reached and surpassed the level of 218 cosponsors in the House of Representatives, which means it is now cosponsored by a majority of the members.

The 218th cosponsor was Dennis Kucinich (OH-10), and the bill has since received its 222nd cosponsor.

“The tremendous grass-roots and bipartisan support in Congress for HR 1207 is an indicator of how mainstream America is fed up with Fed secrecy,” said Congressman Paul. “I look forward to this issue receiving greater public exposure.”

Hearings on Federal Reserve transparency are expected within the next month, as part of the Financial Services Committee’s series of hearings on regulatory reform.

Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et al:

We have stuck together since the late 1950’s, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has run its course. Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right so let’s just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way.

Here is a model separation agreement:

Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by land mass, each taking a portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other
assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.

We don’t like redistributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. Since you hate guns and war, we’ll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O’Donnell (You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all three of them).

We’ll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeless, homeboys, hippies and illegal aliens. We’ll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO’s and rednecks. We’ll keep the Bibles and give you NBC. NPR and Hollywood.

You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we’ll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us. You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we’ll help provide them security.

We’ll keep our Judeo-Christian values… You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley McClain. You can
also have the U.N.. but we will no longer be paying the bill.

We’ll keep the SUVs, pickup trucks and oversized luxury cars. You can take every Subaru station wagon you can find.

You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors. We’ll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not a right. We’ll keep The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the National Anthem. I’m sure you’ll be happy to substitute Imagine, I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing, Kum Ba Ya or We Are the World.

We’ll practice trickle down economics and you can give trickle up poverty your best shot. Since it often so offends you, we’ll keep our history, our name and our flag.

Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like minded liberal and conservative patriots and if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I’ll bet you ANWAR which one of us will need whose help in 15 years.

Sincerely,

John J. Wall
Law Student and an American

P.S. Also, please take Barbara Streisand, Jane Fonda & Nancy Pelosi with you.

Picture this situation: The person you love most in your life (spouse, significant other, child, etc.) is a target of some violence-oriented group of individuals who intend to murder your loved one. It doesn’t matter why your loved one is targeted for extinction, they just are.

The police have arrested one of the members of the gang. The member knows a lot about the plot to kill your loved one. They know time, place, method.

You can ask them nicely if they will tell you what the plan is. If they tell you, great. You can go save your loved one.

If they refuse to tell you/the authoriities anything, what are you prepared to allow to happen to that gang member in order to extract the truth about how they intend to murder your loved one?

Oh wait…you don’t want any “harm” to come to anyone who threatens anyone else. Guess you’ll let your loved one die so that no “torture” is inflicted (psychological or otherwise) on the ONE guy who can help prevent your loved one from being murdered.

As it stands now, there are 5 candidates for Governor in the 2010 GOP Primary. Pick the 2 YOU think will be in the run-off:

Are you lonely? Do you feel isolated? Have you been unemployed for a long time and have children? Have you recently returned from a war zone? Are you anti-abortion? Do you think Americans should have the right to keep a gun in their own home to protect them in case of an intruder? Are you anti-illegal immigration? Are you aware that our President is an African-American? Are you concerned about being interred in “citizen internment” camps? Have you seen the movie First Blood starring Sylvester Stallone and cheered him on to “kill” the members of law enforcement who are out to “get him?” How many times did you see the movie? Do you own a DVD of it? Have you noticed that there is a loss of jobs in the U.S.? Do you believe in the possibility that there is conspiracy to create a “One-World Government?” Have you noticed homes getting foreclosed on? Do you perceive that the world is closing in on you? Do you support the US Constitution? Are you concerned about your rights being trampled on? Have you ever yelled an expletive at the TV when no one else was around? Are you a paranoid schizophrenic? How would you know if you were not a paranoid schizophrenic? Can you prove you are not? Have you ever wondered if there is a God? Do you pray? Does God answer you back? Are you angry at the federal government? Do you believe they are out to get you? Are you suspicious of strangers? Do you lock your doors at night? If you are female, do you wear provocative clothing while shopping? Do you lead men on? Are you a tease?

Analysis of Your Answers To These Questions: If you answered “Yes” or “No” to any of these questions, you may have the potential to either be a member of a rightwing extremist group, or you may have the potential of being recruited by such a group.

Please refer to the attached document for guidelines on determining if your activities may or may not be perceived to be a threat to The Motherland…errr…Department of Homeland Security.

Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment

NOTE: Rumors have it that White House Chief of Staff Robb Emmanuel helped write the DHS propaganda document.

In Nassau County, New York, a revised handgun application went into effect in January 2007. A new question asks: “Have you used or still use narcotics, tranquilizers or anti depressant [sic] medication? If YES, record doctor’s name, address and phone number, (attach).” If the applicant answers in the affirmative, a list of those medications is also required.

The new question may have been added as a means of increasing public safety, but Nassau County licensees have maintained a nearly spotless record in this area. A more likely explanation is that this could be the next practical step in denying exercise of the Second Amendment.
The recent Heller Supreme Court decision gave gun-owners a tripartite victory: firearm possession is an individual right, a complete ban on firearms is unconstitutional, and the right to self-defense with firearms is affirmed. The Supreme Court nevertheless left plenty of wiggle room for the firearm-prohibitionists, by allowing for “reasonable regulation.”

Remember, a government big enough to give you all the security in the world is one big enough to take away your freedom and control that “free will” of yours…

Rumors have it that Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream has introduced a new flavor in honor of the 44th President of the United States: Barocky Road.

Barocky Road is a blend of half vanilla, half chocolate, and surrounded by nuts and flakes. The vanilla portion of the mix is not openly advertised and usually denied as an ingredient. The nuts and flakes are all very bitter and hard to swallow. The cost is $100 per scoop.

When purchased it will be presented to you in a large beautiful cone, but then the ice cream is taken away and given to the person in line behind you. Thus you are left with an empty wallet, no change, holding an empty cone, with no hope of getting any ice cream.

Based on the information printed in Monday’s AJC article about the true nature of SB 31, I am going to allow for the possibility that the following key leaders in the State Senate were lied to by Georgia Power interests to garner their support:

Lt. Governor Casey Cagle
Senator Don Balfour
Senator Chip Rogers (Majority Leader)
Senator Tommie Williams (Senate Pro Tem)

And, if they were lied to, then that would, perhaps, get them off the hook for pushing their fellow state senators to vote in favor of the bill based on the reasoning that it would, and I quote, “save $300,000,000 in interest costs.”

However, if they were lied to, they should start speaking-up now that they were lied to as to the true nature of what SB 31 allows Georgia Power to do.

According to the AJC article, the true nature of the bill is to allow Georgia Power to start collecting their Return on Equity at the initiation of the project. “Return on Equity” means the profit of 11.25% of invested dollars in the new generating capacity.

Return on Equity means $1 Billion in advance before one kilowatt-hour of electricity flows from the new turbines at Plant Vogtle.

Return on Equity means that Georgia Power starts collecting profit on a plant that doesn’t yet exist.

Return on Equity means collecting money on a plant that may never exist (more on this point shortly).

The “saving” of the $300,000,000 in interest costs was THE BAIT that Georgia Power lobbyists and management shoved out there for everyone to munch on until they were caught last Friday by Rep Don Wix’s attempt to amend the bill in the House committee to exclude this $1 Billion in advance income (the amendment failed).

The SWITCH was when Georgia Power Comptroller Ann Daiss called Wix’s calculations “reasonable.”

Ah-hah! It’s no longer an argument to “save $300,000,000 in interest costs.” It’s a plea to pay Georgia Power’s shareholders dividends on plant capacity that doesn’t yet exist!

And, won’t exist for at least 6 years…if it ever does exist. Which brings me to this point.

Forget SB 31 for a minute while I give you something to chew on: Have you noticed a lot of banks going out of business lately?

Did you know they were financing, not just individual homes, but entire housing developments? Have you seen any of those unfinished homes and developments cluttering the landscape of your neighborhoods? Homes and half-constructed developments that will not recover for, likely, quite some time? Even some office buildings that had construction initiated are sitting there half-finished, silt fences wasting away with no construction activity for the last year.

So, we have a few examples of construction projects that are begun, but not finished, right?

Where’s the guarantee in SB 31 that IF the plant either 1) isn’t built in the 6-years they are all talking about it being built by…and/or 2) is never completed…truly, it is a possibility for a construction project of ANY size to not be completed (again, look at all the unfinished homes and developments in your neighborhoods) that ratepayers cease paying for ROE of a plant that is never completed? Never put into operation? Never generates one iota of electrical power?

That guarantee doesn’t exist. Should be a huge red mark…but, no, every legislator (like every banker who is no longer in business) ASSUMES everything will be just as someone tells them it will be…2 years before the project even begins.

Where is the assurance to the ratepayer that they are not going to be required to keep paying for something that never materializes? What’s that? Oh, you say the “PSC will review those bills,” right?

Do you folks have ANY idea how incredibly easy it is to fabricate invoices? To get capital equipment delivered to a job site, and never actually put it to use? C’mon, people! Wake-up and lookout for your constituents!

Put some damn protections in this bill that do not allow Georgia Power to rape and pillage ratepayers for an infinite amount of time.

To: Michael D. Garrett
President and CEO of Georgia Power

Re: A good investment
——————————————————————————–

Just wanted to let you know, Chief, that the investments we’ve made in getting in front of the state senate Republicans has “paid off” (inside joke there, Mikey) well. That senator named Don Balfour is the dumbest of the bunch, but boy-howdee, we were right: convince him and we’ll have the whole bunch of them eating out of our hands on your new financing scheme.

Tell the Wall Street bankers to fire-up those underwriters so we can securitize those payments to us beginning in 2011. Our team is well on our way to securing enough votes in the State House. Who would have thought that buying Mark Burkhalter $520 worth of hockey tickets (and a lap dance at the half) would be all we needed to get his support?

Well, gotta go now. Tweet you later!

The foregoing “Draft Memo” is not real and was intended only as satire (…unless, of course, the memo DOES actually exist)

Cheers!