We Voted, How all Public & Private Unions are being Demonized
Fred Herrera - Feb 23, 2011 View | Edit | Delete | Viewers
Categories: POLITICS Republican governors are standing together with one of their own through a new website backing embattled Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Pay attention Texas Union members, Active and Retirees have an unhill battle with Rick Perry. He is taking sides with Walker. Soon Perry, will follow suit and strip the very fabric of America. Without the power of collective bargaining the Unions will take the BS, Perry, is getting ready to unleash on the Middle Class. There will be two classes in America the second class citizens ( That is now the middle class ) and the big dollar contributors for the election that will benefit the big corporations, where without the power of the Unions, will hire at minimum wage. To the GOP, middle class is made up of second class citizens. I asked everyone to vote wisely, but I sure as hell was not expecting the demonizing of the American Unions. What these Republican Governors, are doing is trying to take America at the expense of the middle class. They must satisfy their rich contributors for the office they were voted for. As I said before it is time for these Republicans, to pay back the PIPER, for their re/election. We middle class are no more than scum and a burden to America. Remeber that the Koch brothers, were the largest contributors to the GOP Governors fund. For those with only a high school education, be aware that what is to come next is the lowering of the minimum wage. I honestly fear an American Revolution, where it is every Americans' right to work against the GOP. Ask yourself, who do I know that will now be considered a second class citizen, as defined by the GOP..........
As protests continue in Wisconsin over Walker's proposal to curb collective bargaining rights for unions, the Republican Governors Association has launched Stand With Scott -- a website that's also tied to Walker's Facebook page and Twitter accounts. More than 3,000 people said they "like" the page as of 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is getting support from fellow GOP governors in his stance against unions. Gov. Rick Perry, chairman of the GOP governors' group, leads the list of state chief executives praising Walker and his efforts to tackle the state's budget woes by challenging public employee unions and their pension and benefit costs.
Perry said Walker "is in the middle of what will be a defining moment for our country and the conservative movement." Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, vice chairman of the RGA, said Walker is taking the "tough, but necessary, steps to balance the books in Wisconsin and get the state's fiscal house in order."
The site also features testimonials from Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (Bubba) and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
The GOP vs The American working Class
We are headed into an American Revolution. As the prank call to Gov. Walker (R) Wisconsin, clearly states. The Wisconsin, short fall has nothing to do with the budget, and everything to do with destroying the "Middle Class". A song by Helen Reddy, comes to mind" You and Me against the World". These Politicians, mostly Republican, are puppets on a string for the filthy rich. Their orchastrated agenda is to destroy the basic fabric that our country has been based on. It is like history during slavery where American owned slaves. In this case rather than slaves it is puppets on a string destroying the American Middle Class, for the greed of a few. The Koch Brothers, and all of the others that hold the strings are manpulating these puppets to do away with worker's rights, and everything to do with granting the huge tax breaks and the deregulation of certain industries, that help these large corporations. The war against the Unions, is a war with the regular working American. If not for the Unions, we would not have what is enjoyed by the working American..the 40 hr. work week. The fairness in pay to all Americans, not only Union members but to American as a whole. I have said all along that the GOP, would strangle itself in their own greed web, and that is what we see happening today. America, has lost it's democracy base. We are now at the mercy of the likes of Governor's like Walker and our own unstable Republican Rick Perry. It is coming to the point of the "Have" and "the Have Nots". We as Americans need to come together in 2012, and show these Bastards that "We the People" is who they represent, and not the 2%, who line their pockets in return for a corrupt representation in DC; Wheather Democrat or Republican, we must vote for the democracy we have enjoyed in our life time. Obama, is doing a great job and is constantky being demonized by the "Right". I can not tell you if it is out of IGNORANCE or PREJUDISM. But if we Americans do not wake up to reality soon, we will see another Civil War in our own back yards....The GOP vs America....What a shame.
There is nothing new to what we are seeing today in Wisconsin. The destruction of the Middle Class, started back during the Reagan Administration, when again the FILTHY RICH, got all the tax breaks ever given to such a small percentage of the American tax payer. For those of us who consider ourselves "Middle Class", think again. The GOP, is paying back their rich campaign donors like the Koch Brothers. What is happening in Wisconsin, is an orchastrated effort to have two classes of Americans, What used to be known as the Middle Class, will soon be known as the Scum Class, if we let these Republicans have it their way. Unions are credited to of brought the 40 hour work week to America. The overtime pay. Now the Republicans, are tearing at the fabric of America. I advised everyone I talked to, to VOTE WISELY, this past November. I did not tell anyone who to vote for just to make sure their vote was not out of fraustration. For those of us who voted wisely, for those of us that voted out of fraustration, now is the time to come together and fight for the fabric of our NATION, the working American. Soon the Scum Class, will be paying for all of the tax credits given to the rich. Gov. Walker, was well funded by the Koch Brothers, and it is time to pay the PIPER....Think about how many Republican's owe their election or re-election to the likes of the Koch Brothers, FOX Network.....and the list goes on and on. Too many Pipers, are owned by the forementioned. And now for the rest of the story......
Republican Governors are standing together with one of their own through a new website backing embattled Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Pay attention Texas Union members, Active and Retirees have an unhill battle with Rick Perry. He is taking sides with Walker. Soon Perry, will follow suit and strip the very fabric of America. Without the power of collective bargaining the Unions will take the BS, Perry, is getting ready to unleash on the Middle Class. There will be two classes in America the second class citizens ( That is now the middle class ) and the big dollar contributors for the election that will benefit the big corporations, where without the power of the Unions, will hire at minimum wage. To the GOP, middle class is made up of second class citizens. I asked everyone to vote wisely, but I sure as hell was not expecting the demonizing of the American Unions. What these Republican Governors, are doing is trying to take America at the expense of the middle class. They must satisfy their rich contributors for the office they were voted for. As I said before it is time for these Republicans, to pay back the PIPER, for their re/election. We middle class are no more than scum and a burden to America. Remeber that the Koch brothers, were the largest contributors to the GOP Governors fund. For those with only a high school education, be aware that what is to come next is the lowering of the minimum wage. I honestly fear an American Revolution, where it is every Americans' right to work against the GOP. Ask yourself, who do I know that will now be considered a second class citizen, as defined by the GOP..........
As protests continue in Wisconsin over Walker's proposal to curb collective bargaining rights for unions, the Republican Governors Association has launched Stand With Scott -- a website that's also tied to Walker's Facebook page and Twitter accounts. More than 3,000 people said they "like" the page as of 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is getting support from fellow GOP governors in his stance against unions. Gov. Rick Perry, chairman of the GOP governors' group, leads the list of state chief executives praising Walker and his efforts to tackle the state's budget woes by challenging public employee unions and their pension and benefit costs.
Perry said Walker "is in the middle of what will be a defining moment for our country and the conservative movement." Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, vice chairman of the RGA, said Walker is taking the "tough, but necessary, steps to balance the books in Wisconsin and get the state's fiscal house in order."
The site also features testimonials from Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (Bubba) and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
There is nothing new to what we are seeing today in Wisconsin. The destruction of the Middle Class, started back during the Reagan Administration, when again the FILTHY RICH, got all the tax breaks ever given to such a small percentage of the American tax payer. For those of us who consider ourselves "Middle Class", think again. The GOP, is paying back their rich campaign donors like the Koch Brothers. What is happening in Wisconsin, is an orchastrated effort to have two classes of Americans, What used to be known as the Middle Class, will soon be known as the Scum Class, if we let these Republicans have it their way. Unions are credited to of brought the 40 hour work week to America. The overtime pay. Now the Republicans, are tearing at the fabric of America. I advised everyone I talked to, to VOTE WISELY, this past November. I did not tell anyone who to vote for just to make sure their vote was not out of fraustration. For those of us who voted wisely, for those of us that voted out of fraustration, now is the time to come together and fight for the fabric of our NATION, the working American. Soon the Scum Class, will be paying for all of the tax credits given to the rich. Gov. Walker, was well funded by the Koch Brothers, and it is time to pay the PIPER....Think about how many Republican's owe their election or re-election to the likes of the Koch Brothers, FOX Network.....and the list goes on and on. Too many Pipers, are owned by the forementioned. And now for the rest of the story......
Republican Governors are standing together with one of their own through a new website backing embattled Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Pay attention Texas Union members, Active and Retirees have an unhill battle with Rick Perry. He is taking sides with Walker. Soon Perry, will follow suit and strip the very fabric of America. Without the power of collective bargaining the Unions will take the BS, Perry, is getting ready to unleash on the Middle Class. There will be two classes in America the second class citizens ( That is now the middle class ) and the big dollar contributors for the election that will benefit the big corporations, where without the power of the Unions, will hire at minimum wage. To the GOP, middle class is made up of second class citizens. I asked everyone to vote wisely, but I sure as hell was not expecting the demonizing of the American Unions. What these Republican Governors, are doing is trying to take America at the expense of the middle class. They must satisfy their rich contributors for the office they were voted for. As I said before it is time for these Republicans, to pay back the PIPER, for their re/election. We middle class are no more than scum and a burden to America. Remeber that the Koch brothers, were the largest contributors to the GOP Governors fund. For those with only a high school education, be aware that what is to come next is the lowering of the minimum wage. I honestly fear an American Revolution, where it is every Americans' right to work against the GOP. Ask yourself, who do I know that will now be considered a second class citizen, as defined by the GOP..........
As protests continue in Wisconsin over Walker's proposal to curb collective bargaining rights for unions, the Republican Governors Association has launched Stand With Scott -- a website that's also tied to Walker's Facebook page and Twitter accounts. More than 3,000 people said they "like" the page as of 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is getting support from fellow GOP governors in his stance against unions. Gov. Rick Perry, chairman of the GOP governors' group, leads the list of state chief executives praising Walker and his efforts to tackle the state's budget woes by challenging public employee unions and their pension and benefit costs.
Perry said Walker "is in the middle of what will be a defining moment for our country and the conservative movement." Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, vice chairman of the RGA, said Walker is taking the "tough, but necessary, steps to balance the books in Wisconsin and get the state's fiscal house in order."
The site also features testimonials from Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (Bubba) and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Wisconsin had one of the smallest deficits compared to other states, before Walker took office. His contributors, got massive taxbreaks from Walker, as payback for getting him elected. Now the Wisconsin deficit is ten fold. And the fabric of America " The American Unions" are the ones paying for the greed of Gov. Walker. I really believe this trend will be followed by other Republican governed states. The first Union was organized in Wisconsin. Now it is the Republican run state that is setting the way to dismantle the rights of unions to organize and and have representation. It is a sad time in America. Other states will soon follow suit and disgrace the fabric of the American middle class. If not for the unions there would be no middle class America. As we witness what is going on in Wisconsin is only a preview of what is to come to all soon. I have predicted a revolution here at home and I think my prediction is in a formation form. Next I hate to predict a Civil War, in the land once known as the "Land of the Free". We lost that right when voters voted recklessly for all the wrong reasons. They were punishing America, and Obama, for trying to fix what took decades to break. Obama, was not responsible for the Wall Street bailouts, which have to date not been paid back, though we hear of the bonuses some are getting. I feel like I got slapped. This was George W. Bushes bail out. Obama, is responsible for the loans to the american auto maker industry. If not for those loans we would not have an auto industry. I am happy to say that the motor city is thriving again. They have also paid back the loans with interest, unlike Wall Street, who will never pay any of its bailouts back. I am proud to be American, and prouder to be a Democrat, who can see things for what they are. And now for the rest of the story:
The standoff between Wisconsin's Republican governor and the state Senate's minority Democrats shows no signs of ending soon, as both sides try to claim the high ground in a bitter feud over an anti-union budget bill that has thrust Madison into the national spotlight.
Facing the likely passage of a budget bill that would strip most public employees in the state of collective bargaining rights, the Democratic lawmakers fled the state and vowed to hunker down, blocking any action in the Legislature.
Gov. Scott Walker, who argues the measures are necessary to fix the state's fiscal problems, has called the Democrats' move a "stunt" while pressuring them Friday to "come home" and do their jobs.
Teachers and other union members have intensified the drama with massive rallies at the state capitol this week, drawing the attention and support of national union representatives and Democratic organizers.
Plenty is at stake. As it's written now, the bill would force public workers to pay half the costs of their pensions and at least 12.6 percent of their health care coverage, changes that Walker says puts them more in line with the private sector. That measure is projected to save the state $300 million over the next two years, to tackle a budget shortfall that the governor says stands at $3.6 billion.
Wisconsin Governor to Missing Democrats: Do Your Job Walker dispatched two state troopers to Democratic leader Mark Miller's home in Monona at the request of Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald. Senate Sergeant-At-Arms Ted Blazel said troopers knocked on Miller's door and rang his doorbell, but no one answered.
The Wisconsin Constitution prohibits police from arresting state lawmakers while the Legislature is in session, except in cases of felonies, breaches of the peace or treason. Fitzgerald said he's not looking to have Miller arrested, but he wants to send a signal about the circumstances at the Capitol.
Democratic state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, who is staying at a Chicago hotel, said that he and his 13 fellow Democrats could stay out of Wisconsin for days or even weeks. They have been missing from the Capitol since Thursday.
The Democrats gained a minor victory Friday when the Assembly, also controlled by Republicans, postponed a vote on the budget until next week.
Republicans have 57 seats in the Assembly but 58 lawmakers must be present in order for them to take up the bill that all 38 Democrats are united against. Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer of Manitowoc is the Assembly's lone independent and could be that 58th person Republicans need.
Ziegelbauer told The Associated Press that he wants to meet with Republican leaders to discuss a possible compromise but wouldn't elaborate.
President Obama joined the raging budget battle on Wednesday, accusing Walker of unleashing "an assault" on unions by pressing the cost-saving legislation.
"Some of what I've heard coming out of Wisconsin, where you're just making it harder for public employees to collectively bargain generally seems like more of an assault on unions," Obama said in a White House interview with WTMJ-TV. "And I think it's very important for us to understand that public employees, they're our neighbors, they're our friends."
"I think everybody's got to make some adjustments, but I think it's also important to recognize that public employees make enormous contributions to our states and our citizens," he continued.
But Walker fired back on Friday.
"I think we're focused on balancing our budget. It would be wise for the president and others in Washington to focus on balancing their budget, which they're a long ways from doing," Walker told Fox News.
Walker said the demands on public employees are "modest" compared with those in the private sector, and are meant to prevent a shutdown, which could result in 6,000 state workers not getting paid.
"We're at a point of crisis," the governor said, adding that he would call out the National Guard if needed to keep state operations, including prisons, running.
Meanwhile, massive protests at the state Capitol entered a fourth day as demonstrators vowed to stay as long as was needed to get the concessions they want.
"Hell no, we won't go!" they chanted inside the Capitol as they banged on drums, sat cross-legged in the halls and waved signs comparing Walker to former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.
Thousands of teachers have joined the protests by calling in sick, forcing school districts -- including the state's largest, in Milwaukee -- to cancel classes.
Republicans who swept into power in state capitols this year with promises to cut spending and bolster the business climate now are beginning to usher in a new era of labor relations that could result in the largest reduction of power in decades for public employee unions.
The confrontation in Wisconsin comes as organized labor is reeling from a steady loss of members in the private sector. The public sector, with about 7.6 million members, now account for the majority of workers on union rolls, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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The standoff between Wisconsin's Republican governor and the state Senate's minority Democrats shows no signs of ending soon, as both sides try to claim the high ground in a bitter feud over an anti-union budget bill that has thrust Madison into the national spotlight.
Facing the likely passage of a budget bill that would strip most public employees in the state of collective bargaining rights, the Democratic lawmakers fled the state and vowed to hunker down, blocking any action in the Legislature.
Gov. Scott Walker, who argues the measures are necessary to fix the state's fiscal problems, has called the Democrats' move a "stunt" while pressuring them Friday to "come home" and do their jobs.
Teachers and other union members have intensified the drama with massive rallies at the state capitol this week, drawing the attention and support of national union representatives and Democratic organizers.
Plenty is at stake. As it's written now, the bill would force public workers to pay half the costs of their pensions and at least 12.6 percent of their health care coverage, changes that Walker says puts them more in line with the private sector. That measure is projected to save the state $300 million over the next two years, to tackle a budget shortfall that the governor says stands at $3.6 billion.
Wisconsin Governor to Missing Democrats: Do Your Job Walker dispatched two state troopers to Democratic leader Mark Miller's home in Monona at the request of Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald. Senate Sergeant-At-Arms Ted Blazel said troopers knocked on Miller's door and rang his doorbell, but no one answered.
The Wisconsin Constitution prohibits police from arresting state lawmakers while the Legislature is in session, except in cases of felonies, breaches of the peace or treason. Fitzgerald said he's not looking to have Miller arrested, but he wants to send a signal about the circumstances at the Capitol.
Democratic state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, who is staying at a Chicago hotel, said that he and his 13 fellow Democrats could stay out of Wisconsin for days or even weeks. They have been missing from the Capitol since Thursday.
The Democrats gained a minor victory Friday when the Assembly, also controlled by Republicans, postponed a vote on the budget until next week.
Republicans have 57 seats in the Assembly but 58 lawmakers must be present in order for them to take up the bill that all 38 Democrats are united against. Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer of Manitowoc is the Assembly's lone independent and could be that 58th person Republicans need.
Ziegelbauer told The Associated Press that he wants to meet with Republican leaders to discuss a possible compromise but wouldn't elaborate.
President Obama joined the raging budget battle on Wednesday, accusing Walker of unleashing "an assault" on unions by pressing the cost-saving legislation.
"Some of what I've heard coming out of Wisconsin, where you're just making it harder for public employees to collectively bargain generally seems like more of an assault on unions," Obama said in a White House interview with WTMJ-TV. "And I think it's very important for us to understand that public employees, they're our neighbors, they're our friends."
"I think everybody's got to make some adjustments, but I think it's also important to recognize that public employees make enormous contributions to our states and our citizens," he continued.
But Walker fired back on Friday.
"I think we're focused on balancing our budget. It would be wise for the president and others in Washington to focus on balancing their budget, which they're a long ways from doing," Walker told Fox News.
Walker said the demands on public employees are "modest" compared with those in the private sector, and are meant to prevent a shutdown, which could result in 6,000 state workers not getting paid.
"We're at a point of crisis," the governor said, adding that he would call out the National Guard if needed to keep state operations, including prisons, running.
Meanwhile, massive protests at the state Capitol entered a fourth day as demonstrators vowed to stay as long as was needed to get the concessions they want.
"Hell no, we won't go!" they chanted inside the Capitol as they banged on drums, sat cross-legged in the halls and waved signs comparing Walker to former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.
Thousands of teachers have joined the protests by calling in sick, forcing school districts -- including the state's largest, in Milwaukee -- to cancel classes.
Republicans who swept into power in state capitols this year with promises to cut spending and bolster the business climate now are beginning to usher in a new era of labor relations that could result in the largest reduction of power in decades for public employee unions.
The confrontation in Wisconsin comes as organized labor is reeling from a steady loss of members in the private sector. The public sector, with about 7.6 million members, now account for the majority of workers on union rolls, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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The Solvable Texas Governor's Mansion fire, Time for Perry to be Honest to himself
Is it a coincidence that the fire at the Governor's mansion fire happened weeks after Anita Perry, moved back into the mansion after a separation from Governor Rick Perry. According to very reliable sources Mrs Perry, left Rick after she caught him and another man in very compromising circumstances in the Governor's office.
I really am not concerned with his sexuality, and his bigotry against the same. What concerns me and should concern all other Texans is the fact that as tax payers we have been paying his 10,000.00 a month rental since June 2008.
I feel that as a Texan and taxpayer, when we see educators, and other essential positions being compromised because of the Perry Texas money deficit, Mr Perry, should move into one of his own homes thus saving a few essential positions that are now on the chopping block. 10,000.00 a month could save several teaching jobs. You do the math 10,000.00 x 36 months equals a few essential positions being rescued.
The Arson Fire was big news for a few weeks, and then nothing else was heard about it. I must ask WHY ? I am happy to see the case has been reopened and the video obtained of the Arsonist, is being studied with high tech forensics.
I have wondered all along if maybe a distraught lover was involved, and set the fire to get back at Perry. Mr. Perry, needs to be a man, and like any other citizen be integrated as to who the culprit might be. It really amazes me that with all the tools of modern forensics this incident has not been solved.
Mr. Perry, is not beyond the law and should be questioned as to who he might suspect was distraught enough after his reconciliation with Anita Perry, and hold that person accountable for his horrific crime. Now I hear that an anarchist group linked to a planned attack on the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, might have ties to this crime. I say that is BS. According to an Austin member of this group, they are a peaceful movement and they have never turned to violence. I think the officials working on this case are barking up at the wrong tree.
They have very good video, and with today's forensics this crime couls and should of already been solved. These officials need to be looking closer to home for a resolution. This is not a case of a needle in a hay stack, it is an elephant in a small hay patch.
If Rick Perry, can not be honest to himself about his sexuality, how can we trust him to govern our state. His sexuality is not what I question, it is his honesty or dishonesty that bothers me and should concern all Texans.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said that in reviewing surveillance video taken before the fire, investigators had identified a white Jeep Cherokee whose occupants were seen taking photos of the mansion four days before the blaze.
The DPS said it had been able to find the Jeep and that its owner -- who they did not name -- had admitted to driving the vehicle while the photos were being taken.
DPS said the Jeep's owner had subsequently identified two people who were riding with him that night and that one of them "has been placed in the downtown area the morning of the mansion fire."
All three are now considered "persons of interest" in the investigation, DPS said. All three have denied involvement in the arson, which did extensive damage to the 152-year-old structure but did not injure the state's Republican governor, Rick Perry. I disagree, I think he suffered to alot of smoke inhalation, the way he is running our state leads me to no other logical conclusion.
Texas is offering a $50,000 cash reward for information in the case that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the fire. DPS released a sketch on Thursday of another man it considers to be a person of interest in the case.
This case could easily be solved if we had an Honest Governor. He must be true to himself, before he can be honest to the State he governs
.
I really am not concerned with his sexuality, and his bigotry against the same. What concerns me and should concern all other Texans is the fact that as tax payers we have been paying his 10,000.00 a month rental since June 2008.
I feel that as a Texan and taxpayer, when we see educators, and other essential positions being compromised because of the Perry Texas money deficit, Mr Perry, should move into one of his own homes thus saving a few essential positions that are now on the chopping block. 10,000.00 a month could save several teaching jobs. You do the math 10,000.00 x 36 months equals a few essential positions being rescued.
The Arson Fire was big news for a few weeks, and then nothing else was heard about it. I must ask WHY ? I am happy to see the case has been reopened and the video obtained of the Arsonist, is being studied with high tech forensics.
I have wondered all along if maybe a distraught lover was involved, and set the fire to get back at Perry. Mr. Perry, needs to be a man, and like any other citizen be integrated as to who the culprit might be. It really amazes me that with all the tools of modern forensics this incident has not been solved.
Mr. Perry, is not beyond the law and should be questioned as to who he might suspect was distraught enough after his reconciliation with Anita Perry, and hold that person accountable for his horrific crime. Now I hear that an anarchist group linked to a planned attack on the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, might have ties to this crime. I say that is BS. According to an Austin member of this group, they are a peaceful movement and they have never turned to violence. I think the officials working on this case are barking up at the wrong tree.
They have very good video, and with today's forensics this crime couls and should of already been solved. These officials need to be looking closer to home for a resolution. This is not a case of a needle in a hay stack, it is an elephant in a small hay patch.
If Rick Perry, can not be honest to himself about his sexuality, how can we trust him to govern our state. His sexuality is not what I question, it is his honesty or dishonesty that bothers me and should concern all Texans.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said that in reviewing surveillance video taken before the fire, investigators had identified a white Jeep Cherokee whose occupants were seen taking photos of the mansion four days before the blaze.
The DPS said it had been able to find the Jeep and that its owner -- who they did not name -- had admitted to driving the vehicle while the photos were being taken.
DPS said the Jeep's owner had subsequently identified two people who were riding with him that night and that one of them "has been placed in the downtown area the morning of the mansion fire."
All three are now considered "persons of interest" in the investigation, DPS said. All three have denied involvement in the arson, which did extensive damage to the 152-year-old structure but did not injure the state's Republican governor, Rick Perry. I disagree, I think he suffered to alot of smoke inhalation, the way he is running our state leads me to no other logical conclusion.
Texas is offering a $50,000 cash reward for information in the case that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the fire. DPS released a sketch on Thursday of another man it considers to be a person of interest in the case.
This case could easily be solved if we had an Honest Governor. He must be true to himself, before he can be honest to the State he governs
.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
California, Enron (Tx), and the Bush Administration
The reason I opened this fiasco again is that it reminds me of what many of us Texans, experienced during the frigid weather last week.(2-2011) When our power went out, and then came back on we were locked to a 1000% surge on the price for the power. This sounds very unfair to raise prices when we were not made aware of what was happening.
the Texas Attorney General, has opened an investigation as to the vadality of such demand and the justification for the price charge. For those who were lucky not to lose power, your electric bill will be at the normal rate. Those of us who experienced the blackouts will pay the piper.....reminds me of Enron. I read the transcripts of the enginneers, in Houston in cahoots with the Enron engineers, in California, it is sickening to know how a system can be manipulated. HOW MANY PEOPLE DIED, when their oxygen or other life supporting electrical equipment quit working for the greed of Enron, and the engineers, that had their finger on the switch. Their greed had many consequences, like auto wreck fatalities, when traffic lights quit working at the push of a button by the greed of this company....Not all were prosecuted, but will be judged accordingly at the end of their journey.
Enron Corporation deliberately created real and imaginary shortages during the 2000-2001 California energy crisis, in order drive up prices and reap vast profits in the state’s newly deregulated energy market.
Internal memos from the now bankrupt company outline the various schemes Enron executives used to defraud officials running the state’s power grid, manipulate energy supplies and literally loot the state treasury of billions of dollars. Throughout this period Enron enjoyed the closest political ties with the Bush White House, which rejected appeals from California officials for federal intervention and the imposition of price caps.
Residents in the country’s largest state suffered through six days of rolling blackouts in early 2001 following a tenfold increase in energy prices. The price hikes caused the bankruptcy and near-collapse of the two large utilities, leading to the layoff of thousands of workers and the wiping out of many small investors. In addition, state officials imposed severe budget cuts due to a rise in energy costs from $7 billion in 1999 to $27 billion in 2000, and after laying out $6 billion to buy daily power and another $40 billion to secure long-term contracts and stabilize the state’s energy supply.
Included in the documents was a memo written by an Enron staff attorney and an outside lawyer on December 6, 2000, the day after the state’s first near-blackout. Written apparently in anticipation of investigations and possible lawsuits against the company, the memo described trading strategies used to create the appearance of shortages or congestion, circumvent state pricing caps and in general exploit the anarchy of the market—which it helped create as one of the chief proponents of state deregulation during the 1990s. The strategies had such nicknames as “Fat Boy,” “Ricochet,” “Get Shorty,” “Death Star” and “Load Shift.”
One such strategy involved the company buying electricity from the California Power Exchange for $250 a megawatt-hour—the maximum allowed under state limits—and reselling it to states in the Northern Pacific for $1,200. Aware that this was contributing to a further shortage in California, the lawyers wrote, “This strategy appears not to present any problems, other than a public relations risk arising from the fact that such exports may have contributed to California’s declaration of a State 2 Emergency yesterday.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, Enron found a way to profit by playing each of the state’s two energy markets off one another. The first, a “day-ahead” auction market run by the California Power Exchange—the “PX”—was supposed to handle the bulk of electricity requirements. A second “real time” market was run by the California Independent System Operator (Cal-ISO), which was meant only to correct occasional imbalances. The latter became the source of vast profits from huge price swings.
Buyers and sellers in the real-time market were required to submit daily schedules of their production and their “load,” i.e., the amount of power their customers in the state required. While these two estimates were supposed to be roughly equivalent, according to the internal memo one of Enron’s key strategies—code-named “Load Shift”—was to deliberately overstate the amount of energy its customers required. When energy supplies were tight Cal-ISO would pay traders a premium for providing more power than was required. Enron would deliver the promised amount and would then be paid a premium price for removing their energy from the grid.
Enron also flooded the state’s transmission lines with more electricity than it could handle in order collect “congestion payments” from Cal-ISO to schedule energy transmission in the opposite direction or reduce their generation/load schedule. “Because the congestion charges have been as high as $750/MW [per megawatt], it can often be profitable to sell power at a loss simply to collect the congestion payment,” the memo said.
In a letter sent by the Federal Energy Regulation Commission, the agency’s investigators said the documents described how under the so-called Death Star strategy Enron’s traders were “creating, and then ‘relieving,’ phantom congestion” on the state’s power grid. According to the New York Times, the documents also detail what investigators described as “megawatt laundering,” in which Enron bought power in California—at lower capped prices—resold the power out of the state and then bought it back in order to resell it to California at a huge markup. By selling California “out-of-state” electricity, Enron could circumvent price restrictions on power bought inside California.
During and after the crisis Enron officials insisted they did nothing to exacerbate the situation. In an interview last year on the PBS “Frontline” program, Kenneth Lay said, “Every time there’s a shortage of a little bit of a price spike, it’s always collusion or conspiracy or something. I mean, it always makes people feel better that way.”
Bush administration officials repeated Enron’s claims that California’s problems were caused by the state’s “flawed” deregulation plan—which was not “free market” enough—and strict environmental standards, which limited the construction of new power plants. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney publicly opposed price controls, insisting that any such moves would be a disincentive for power companies to operate in the state.
Several weeks after the memos were written outlining the company’s strategy to manipulate California’s market, Enron CEO Kenneth Lay—the largest single contributor to Bush’s political career—successfully prompted the Bush administration to appoint free-market advocate Pat Wood as the head of the Federal Energy Regulation Commission. Once in place, Wood resisted the implementation of price controls for months while the crisis spun out of control.
After FERC was finally pushed to restrict price hikes in late April 2001 Cheney denounced the move, telling the Los Angeles Times, “Price caps are not a help. They take us in exactly the wrong direction.” After reiterating that only free market policies could resolve California’s problems, Cheney added, “I’ve never seen price regulations that I’ve felt very good about. If I had been at FERC, I would never have voted for short-term price caps.”
At the time California’s Democratic governor and senators requested federal intervention to hold down the cost of electricity and charged that energy providers were manipulating the market to boost their profits. According to the New York Times, Senator Diane Feinstein said she tried “three or four times” to speak with Bush about the state’s crisis but the president refused to meet with her. Instead she held two brief meetings with Cheney as part of larger groups. “Their attitude was laissez-faire, let the market do what the market does, but it was a broken market,” she told the Times. At meetings with Cheney on March 27 and June 12, she said, the vice president spoke, “but did not listen much. When someone is looking at their watch, it gives you a pretty good idea they want to get out of the room,” Feinstein said.
Commenting on the fact that Enron’s chairman, Kenneth Lay, was given unrestricted access to the White House, Feinstein added, “Here is a company that was a ribald, as brash, as swashbuckling and as unethical as any company I can possibly conceive of. And they had major access to this administration. But the senior senator from California can’t get to see them.”
The Democratic senator has asked Attorney General John Ashcroft to “pursue a criminal investigation to determine whether in fact any federal fraud statutes or any other laws were violated.” But neither Feinstein nor any other Democrats have suggested that there should be a criminal investigation in the Bush administration’s efforts on behalf of the energy trader.
For its part, the US media, which spent the Clinton years giving credence to every right-wing campaign to destabilize the government—from Whitewater to the Monica Lewinsky affair—has also sought to downplay Bush’s ties to a company that wreaked havoc in California, defrauded its investors and threw thousands of workers out of work, while its executives made millions in compensation.
California officials are seeking to recover some of the $30 billion Governor Gray Davis says Enron “extorted from the state.” But that will be difficult because the company has filed for bankruptcy and sold off its energy-trading division. USB Warburg, the investment bank that bought the division in February, said it had no liability for any violations carried out by the former management. “We did not inherit the liabilities,” a spokesperson said.
Enron epitomizes the corruption that is so pervasive throughout corporate America and provides a glimpse of the anti-social methods used by the financial elite to accrue their vast personal fortunes during the stock market boom of the 1990s. It also shines further light on all the nostrums about deregulation and the “magic of the market.”
According to the memos, Enron was not alone in manipulating the state’s energy market. The Enron attorneys said other energy traders emulated Enron and even used the same shorthand names to describe the schemes they used. A spokesman for an energy trading group told the San Francisco Chronicle that Enron methods were not criminal and in fact the company was just doing what everyone else was doing. “They were probing different spots to see what worked,” said Gary Ackerman of the Western Power Trading Forum. “A lot of companies were doing that. Any time there is a complex system like the energy market, people are going to stick their finger in and see what works.”
“The whole reason for the existence of traders is to make as much money as possible, consistent with what’s legal,” R. Martin Chavez, a former head of risk management at Goldman Sachs told the New York Times. “I lived through this: if you didn’t manipulate the market and manipulation was accessible to you, that’s when you were yelled at.”
Enron Corporation deliberately created real and imaginary shortages during the 2000-2001 California energy crisis, in order drive up prices and reap vast profits in the state’s newly deregulated energy market.
Internal memos from the now bankrupt company outline the various schemes Enron executives used to defraud officials running the state’s power grid, manipulate energy supplies and literally loot the state treasury of billions of dollars. Throughout this period Enron enjoyed the closest political ties with the Bush White House, which rejected appeals from California officials for federal intervention and the imposition of price caps.
Residents in the country’s largest state suffered through six days of rolling blackouts in early 2001 following a tenfold increase in energy prices. The price hikes caused the bankruptcy and near-collapse of the two large utilities, leading to the layoff of thousands of workers and the wiping out of many small investors. In addition, state officials imposed severe budget cuts due to a rise in energy costs from $7 billion in 1999 to $27 billion in 2000, and after laying out $6 billion to buy daily power and another $40 billion to secure long-term contracts and stabilize the state’s energy supply.
Included in the documents was a memo written by an Enron staff attorney and an outside lawyer on December 6, 2000, the day after the state’s first near-blackout. Written apparently in anticipation of investigations and possible lawsuits against the company, the memo described trading strategies used to create the appearance of shortages or congestion, circumvent state pricing caps and in general exploit the anarchy of the market—which it helped create as one of the chief proponents of state deregulation during the 1990s. The strategies had such nicknames as “Fat Boy,” “Ricochet,” “Get Shorty,” “Death Star” and “Load Shift.”
One such strategy involved the company buying electricity from the California Power Exchange for $250 a megawatt-hour—the maximum allowed under state limits—and reselling it to states in the Northern Pacific for $1,200. Aware that this was contributing to a further shortage in California, the lawyers wrote, “This strategy appears not to present any problems, other than a public relations risk arising from the fact that such exports may have contributed to California’s declaration of a State 2 Emergency yesterday.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, Enron found a way to profit by playing each of the state’s two energy markets off one another. The first, a “day-ahead” auction market run by the California Power Exchange—the “PX”—was supposed to handle the bulk of electricity requirements. A second “real time” market was run by the California Independent System Operator (Cal-ISO), which was meant only to correct occasional imbalances. The latter became the source of vast profits from huge price swings.
Buyers and sellers in the real-time market were required to submit daily schedules of their production and their “load,” i.e., the amount of power their customers in the state required. While these two estimates were supposed to be roughly equivalent, according to the internal memo one of Enron’s key strategies—code-named “Load Shift”—was to deliberately overstate the amount of energy its customers required. When energy supplies were tight Cal-ISO would pay traders a premium for providing more power than was required. Enron would deliver the promised amount and would then be paid a premium price for removing their energy from the grid.
Enron also flooded the state’s transmission lines with more electricity than it could handle in order collect “congestion payments” from Cal-ISO to schedule energy transmission in the opposite direction or reduce their generation/load schedule. “Because the congestion charges have been as high as $750/MW [per megawatt], it can often be profitable to sell power at a loss simply to collect the congestion payment,” the memo said.
In a letter sent by the Federal Energy Regulation Commission, the agency’s investigators said the documents described how under the so-called Death Star strategy Enron’s traders were “creating, and then ‘relieving,’ phantom congestion” on the state’s power grid. According to the New York Times, the documents also detail what investigators described as “megawatt laundering,” in which Enron bought power in California—at lower capped prices—resold the power out of the state and then bought it back in order to resell it to California at a huge markup. By selling California “out-of-state” electricity, Enron could circumvent price restrictions on power bought inside California.
During and after the crisis Enron officials insisted they did nothing to exacerbate the situation. In an interview last year on the PBS “Frontline” program, Kenneth Lay said, “Every time there’s a shortage of a little bit of a price spike, it’s always collusion or conspiracy or something. I mean, it always makes people feel better that way.”
Bush administration officials repeated Enron’s claims that California’s problems were caused by the state’s “flawed” deregulation plan—which was not “free market” enough—and strict environmental standards, which limited the construction of new power plants. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney publicly opposed price controls, insisting that any such moves would be a disincentive for power companies to operate in the state.Several weeks after the memos were written outlining the company’s strategy to manipulate California’s market, Enron CEO Kenneth Lay—the largest single contributor to Bush’s political career—successfully prompted the Bush administration to appoint free-market advocate Pat Wood as the head of the Federal Energy Regulation Commission. Once in place, Wood resisted the implementation of price controls for months while the crisis spun out of control.
After FERC was finally pushed to restrict price hikes in late April 2001 Cheney denounced the move, telling the Los Angeles Times, “Price caps are not a help. They take us in exactly the wrong direction.” After reiterating that only free market policies could resolve California’s problems, Cheney added, “I’ve never seen price regulations that I’ve felt very good about. If I had been at FERC, I would never have voted for short-term price caps.”
At the time California’s Democratic governor and senators requested federal intervention to hold down the cost of electricity and charged that energy providers were manipulating the market to boost their profits. According to the New York Times, Senator Diane Feinstein said she tried “three or four times” to speak with Bush about the state’s crisis but the president refused to meet with her. Instead she held two brief meetings with Cheney as part of larger groups. “Their attitude was laissez-faire, let the market do what the market does, but it was a broken market,” she told the Times. At meetings with Cheney on March 27 and June 12, she said, the vice president spoke, “but did not listen much. When someone is looking at their watch, it gives you a pretty good idea they want to get out of the room,” Feinstein said.
Commenting on the fact that Enron’s chairman, Kenneth Lay, was given unrestricted access to the White House, Feinstein added, “Here is a company that was a ribald, as brash, as swashbuckling and as unethical as any company I can possibly conceive of. And they had major access to this administration. But the senior senator from California can’t get to see them.”
The Democratic senator has asked Attorney General John Ashcroft to “pursue a criminal investigation to determine whether in fact any federal fraud statutes or any other laws were violated.” But neither Feinstein nor any other Democrats have suggested that there should be a criminal investigation in the Bush administration’s efforts on behalf of the energy trader.
For its part, the US media, which spent the Clinton years giving credence to every right-wing campaign to destabilize the government—from Whitewater to the Monica Lewinsky affair—has also sought to downplay Bush’s ties to a company that wreaked havoc in California, defrauded its investors and threw thousands of workers out of work, while its executives made millions in compensation.
California officials are seeking to recover some of the $30 billion Governor Gray Davis says Enron “extorted from the state.” But that will be difficult because the company has filed for bankruptcy and sold off its energy-trading division. USB Warburg, the investment bank that bought the division in February, said it had no liability for any violations carried out by the former management. “We did not inherit the liabilities,” a spokesperson said.
Enron epitomizes the corruption that is so pervasive throughout corporate America and provides a glimpse of the anti-social methods used by the financial elite to accrue their vast personal fortunes during the stock market boom of the 1990s. It also shines further light on all the nostrums about deregulation and the “magic of the market.”
According to the memos, Enron was not alone in manipulating the state’s energy market. The Enron attorneys said other energy traders emulated Enron and even used the same shorthand names to describe the schemes they used. A spokesman for an energy trading group told the San Francisco Chronicle that Enron methods were not criminal and in fact the company was just doing what everyone else was doing. “They were probing different spots to see what worked,” said Gary Ackerman of the Western Power Trading Forum. “A lot of companies were doing that. Any time there is a complex system like the energy market, people are going to stick their finger in and see what works.”
“The whole reason for the existence of traders is to make as much money as possible, consistent with what’s legal,” R. Martin Chavez, a former head of risk management at Goldman Sachs told the New York Times. “I lived through this: if you didn’t manipulate the market and manipulation was accessible to you, that’s when you were yelled at.”
the Texas Attorney General, has opened an investigation as to the vadality of such demand and the justification for the price charge. For those who were lucky not to lose power, your electric bill will be at the normal rate. Those of us who experienced the blackouts will pay the piper.....reminds me of Enron. I read the transcripts of the enginneers, in Houston in cahoots with the Enron engineers, in California, it is sickening to know how a system can be manipulated. HOW MANY PEOPLE DIED, when their oxygen or other life supporting electrical equipment quit working for the greed of Enron, and the engineers, that had their finger on the switch. Their greed had many consequences, like auto wreck fatalities, when traffic lights quit working at the push of a button by the greed of this company....Not all were prosecuted, but will be judged accordingly at the end of their journey.
Enron Corporation deliberately created real and imaginary shortages during the 2000-2001 California energy crisis, in order drive up prices and reap vast profits in the state’s newly deregulated energy market.
Internal memos from the now bankrupt company outline the various schemes Enron executives used to defraud officials running the state’s power grid, manipulate energy supplies and literally loot the state treasury of billions of dollars. Throughout this period Enron enjoyed the closest political ties with the Bush White House, which rejected appeals from California officials for federal intervention and the imposition of price caps.
Residents in the country’s largest state suffered through six days of rolling blackouts in early 2001 following a tenfold increase in energy prices. The price hikes caused the bankruptcy and near-collapse of the two large utilities, leading to the layoff of thousands of workers and the wiping out of many small investors. In addition, state officials imposed severe budget cuts due to a rise in energy costs from $7 billion in 1999 to $27 billion in 2000, and after laying out $6 billion to buy daily power and another $40 billion to secure long-term contracts and stabilize the state’s energy supply.
Included in the documents was a memo written by an Enron staff attorney and an outside lawyer on December 6, 2000, the day after the state’s first near-blackout. Written apparently in anticipation of investigations and possible lawsuits against the company, the memo described trading strategies used to create the appearance of shortages or congestion, circumvent state pricing caps and in general exploit the anarchy of the market—which it helped create as one of the chief proponents of state deregulation during the 1990s. The strategies had such nicknames as “Fat Boy,” “Ricochet,” “Get Shorty,” “Death Star” and “Load Shift.”
One such strategy involved the company buying electricity from the California Power Exchange for $250 a megawatt-hour—the maximum allowed under state limits—and reselling it to states in the Northern Pacific for $1,200. Aware that this was contributing to a further shortage in California, the lawyers wrote, “This strategy appears not to present any problems, other than a public relations risk arising from the fact that such exports may have contributed to California’s declaration of a State 2 Emergency yesterday.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, Enron found a way to profit by playing each of the state’s two energy markets off one another. The first, a “day-ahead” auction market run by the California Power Exchange—the “PX”—was supposed to handle the bulk of electricity requirements. A second “real time” market was run by the California Independent System Operator (Cal-ISO), which was meant only to correct occasional imbalances. The latter became the source of vast profits from huge price swings.
Buyers and sellers in the real-time market were required to submit daily schedules of their production and their “load,” i.e., the amount of power their customers in the state required. While these two estimates were supposed to be roughly equivalent, according to the internal memo one of Enron’s key strategies—code-named “Load Shift”—was to deliberately overstate the amount of energy its customers required. When energy supplies were tight Cal-ISO would pay traders a premium for providing more power than was required. Enron would deliver the promised amount and would then be paid a premium price for removing their energy from the grid.
Enron also flooded the state’s transmission lines with more electricity than it could handle in order collect “congestion payments” from Cal-ISO to schedule energy transmission in the opposite direction or reduce their generation/load schedule. “Because the congestion charges have been as high as $750/MW [per megawatt], it can often be profitable to sell power at a loss simply to collect the congestion payment,” the memo said.
In a letter sent by the Federal Energy Regulation Commission, the agency’s investigators said the documents described how under the so-called Death Star strategy Enron’s traders were “creating, and then ‘relieving,’ phantom congestion” on the state’s power grid. According to the New York Times, the documents also detail what investigators described as “megawatt laundering,” in which Enron bought power in California—at lower capped prices—resold the power out of the state and then bought it back in order to resell it to California at a huge markup. By selling California “out-of-state” electricity, Enron could circumvent price restrictions on power bought inside California.
During and after the crisis Enron officials insisted they did nothing to exacerbate the situation. In an interview last year on the PBS “Frontline” program, Kenneth Lay said, “Every time there’s a shortage of a little bit of a price spike, it’s always collusion or conspiracy or something. I mean, it always makes people feel better that way.”
Bush administration officials repeated Enron’s claims that California’s problems were caused by the state’s “flawed” deregulation plan—which was not “free market” enough—and strict environmental standards, which limited the construction of new power plants. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney publicly opposed price controls, insisting that any such moves would be a disincentive for power companies to operate in the state.
Several weeks after the memos were written outlining the company’s strategy to manipulate California’s market, Enron CEO Kenneth Lay—the largest single contributor to Bush’s political career—successfully prompted the Bush administration to appoint free-market advocate Pat Wood as the head of the Federal Energy Regulation Commission. Once in place, Wood resisted the implementation of price controls for months while the crisis spun out of control.
After FERC was finally pushed to restrict price hikes in late April 2001 Cheney denounced the move, telling the Los Angeles Times, “Price caps are not a help. They take us in exactly the wrong direction.” After reiterating that only free market policies could resolve California’s problems, Cheney added, “I’ve never seen price regulations that I’ve felt very good about. If I had been at FERC, I would never have voted for short-term price caps.”
At the time California’s Democratic governor and senators requested federal intervention to hold down the cost of electricity and charged that energy providers were manipulating the market to boost their profits. According to the New York Times, Senator Diane Feinstein said she tried “three or four times” to speak with Bush about the state’s crisis but the president refused to meet with her. Instead she held two brief meetings with Cheney as part of larger groups. “Their attitude was laissez-faire, let the market do what the market does, but it was a broken market,” she told the Times. At meetings with Cheney on March 27 and June 12, she said, the vice president spoke, “but did not listen much. When someone is looking at their watch, it gives you a pretty good idea they want to get out of the room,” Feinstein said.
Commenting on the fact that Enron’s chairman, Kenneth Lay, was given unrestricted access to the White House, Feinstein added, “Here is a company that was a ribald, as brash, as swashbuckling and as unethical as any company I can possibly conceive of. And they had major access to this administration. But the senior senator from California can’t get to see them.”
The Democratic senator has asked Attorney General John Ashcroft to “pursue a criminal investigation to determine whether in fact any federal fraud statutes or any other laws were violated.” But neither Feinstein nor any other Democrats have suggested that there should be a criminal investigation in the Bush administration’s efforts on behalf of the energy trader.
For its part, the US media, which spent the Clinton years giving credence to every right-wing campaign to destabilize the government—from Whitewater to the Monica Lewinsky affair—has also sought to downplay Bush’s ties to a company that wreaked havoc in California, defrauded its investors and threw thousands of workers out of work, while its executives made millions in compensation.
California officials are seeking to recover some of the $30 billion Governor Gray Davis says Enron “extorted from the state.” But that will be difficult because the company has filed for bankruptcy and sold off its energy-trading division. USB Warburg, the investment bank that bought the division in February, said it had no liability for any violations carried out by the former management. “We did not inherit the liabilities,” a spokesperson said.
Enron epitomizes the corruption that is so pervasive throughout corporate America and provides a glimpse of the anti-social methods used by the financial elite to accrue their vast personal fortunes during the stock market boom of the 1990s. It also shines further light on all the nostrums about deregulation and the “magic of the market.”
According to the memos, Enron was not alone in manipulating the state’s energy market. The Enron attorneys said other energy traders emulated Enron and even used the same shorthand names to describe the schemes they used. A spokesman for an energy trading group told the San Francisco Chronicle that Enron methods were not criminal and in fact the company was just doing what everyone else was doing. “They were probing different spots to see what worked,” said Gary Ackerman of the Western Power Trading Forum. “A lot of companies were doing that. Any time there is a complex system like the energy market, people are going to stick their finger in and see what works.”
“The whole reason for the existence of traders is to make as much money as possible, consistent with what’s legal,” R. Martin Chavez, a former head of risk management at Goldman Sachs told the New York Times. “I lived through this: if you didn’t manipulate the market and manipulation was accessible to you, that’s when you were yelled at.”
Enron Corporation deliberately created real and imaginary shortages during the 2000-2001 California energy crisis, in order drive up prices and reap vast profits in the state’s newly deregulated energy market.
Internal memos from the now bankrupt company outline the various schemes Enron executives used to defraud officials running the state’s power grid, manipulate energy supplies and literally loot the state treasury of billions of dollars. Throughout this period Enron enjoyed the closest political ties with the Bush White House, which rejected appeals from California officials for federal intervention and the imposition of price caps.
Residents in the country’s largest state suffered through six days of rolling blackouts in early 2001 following a tenfold increase in energy prices. The price hikes caused the bankruptcy and near-collapse of the two large utilities, leading to the layoff of thousands of workers and the wiping out of many small investors. In addition, state officials imposed severe budget cuts due to a rise in energy costs from $7 billion in 1999 to $27 billion in 2000, and after laying out $6 billion to buy daily power and another $40 billion to secure long-term contracts and stabilize the state’s energy supply.
Included in the documents was a memo written by an Enron staff attorney and an outside lawyer on December 6, 2000, the day after the state’s first near-blackout. Written apparently in anticipation of investigations and possible lawsuits against the company, the memo described trading strategies used to create the appearance of shortages or congestion, circumvent state pricing caps and in general exploit the anarchy of the market—which it helped create as one of the chief proponents of state deregulation during the 1990s. The strategies had such nicknames as “Fat Boy,” “Ricochet,” “Get Shorty,” “Death Star” and “Load Shift.”
One such strategy involved the company buying electricity from the California Power Exchange for $250 a megawatt-hour—the maximum allowed under state limits—and reselling it to states in the Northern Pacific for $1,200. Aware that this was contributing to a further shortage in California, the lawyers wrote, “This strategy appears not to present any problems, other than a public relations risk arising from the fact that such exports may have contributed to California’s declaration of a State 2 Emergency yesterday.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, Enron found a way to profit by playing each of the state’s two energy markets off one another. The first, a “day-ahead” auction market run by the California Power Exchange—the “PX”—was supposed to handle the bulk of electricity requirements. A second “real time” market was run by the California Independent System Operator (Cal-ISO), which was meant only to correct occasional imbalances. The latter became the source of vast profits from huge price swings.
Buyers and sellers in the real-time market were required to submit daily schedules of their production and their “load,” i.e., the amount of power their customers in the state required. While these two estimates were supposed to be roughly equivalent, according to the internal memo one of Enron’s key strategies—code-named “Load Shift”—was to deliberately overstate the amount of energy its customers required. When energy supplies were tight Cal-ISO would pay traders a premium for providing more power than was required. Enron would deliver the promised amount and would then be paid a premium price for removing their energy from the grid.
Enron also flooded the state’s transmission lines with more electricity than it could handle in order collect “congestion payments” from Cal-ISO to schedule energy transmission in the opposite direction or reduce their generation/load schedule. “Because the congestion charges have been as high as $750/MW [per megawatt], it can often be profitable to sell power at a loss simply to collect the congestion payment,” the memo said.
In a letter sent by the Federal Energy Regulation Commission, the agency’s investigators said the documents described how under the so-called Death Star strategy Enron’s traders were “creating, and then ‘relieving,’ phantom congestion” on the state’s power grid. According to the New York Times, the documents also detail what investigators described as “megawatt laundering,” in which Enron bought power in California—at lower capped prices—resold the power out of the state and then bought it back in order to resell it to California at a huge markup. By selling California “out-of-state” electricity, Enron could circumvent price restrictions on power bought inside California.
During and after the crisis Enron officials insisted they did nothing to exacerbate the situation. In an interview last year on the PBS “Frontline” program, Kenneth Lay said, “Every time there’s a shortage of a little bit of a price spike, it’s always collusion or conspiracy or something. I mean, it always makes people feel better that way.”
Bush administration officials repeated Enron’s claims that California’s problems were caused by the state’s “flawed” deregulation plan—which was not “free market” enough—and strict environmental standards, which limited the construction of new power plants. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney publicly opposed price controls, insisting that any such moves would be a disincentive for power companies to operate in the state.Several weeks after the memos were written outlining the company’s strategy to manipulate California’s market, Enron CEO Kenneth Lay—the largest single contributor to Bush’s political career—successfully prompted the Bush administration to appoint free-market advocate Pat Wood as the head of the Federal Energy Regulation Commission. Once in place, Wood resisted the implementation of price controls for months while the crisis spun out of control.
After FERC was finally pushed to restrict price hikes in late April 2001 Cheney denounced the move, telling the Los Angeles Times, “Price caps are not a help. They take us in exactly the wrong direction.” After reiterating that only free market policies could resolve California’s problems, Cheney added, “I’ve never seen price regulations that I’ve felt very good about. If I had been at FERC, I would never have voted for short-term price caps.”
At the time California’s Democratic governor and senators requested federal intervention to hold down the cost of electricity and charged that energy providers were manipulating the market to boost their profits. According to the New York Times, Senator Diane Feinstein said she tried “three or four times” to speak with Bush about the state’s crisis but the president refused to meet with her. Instead she held two brief meetings with Cheney as part of larger groups. “Their attitude was laissez-faire, let the market do what the market does, but it was a broken market,” she told the Times. At meetings with Cheney on March 27 and June 12, she said, the vice president spoke, “but did not listen much. When someone is looking at their watch, it gives you a pretty good idea they want to get out of the room,” Feinstein said.
Commenting on the fact that Enron’s chairman, Kenneth Lay, was given unrestricted access to the White House, Feinstein added, “Here is a company that was a ribald, as brash, as swashbuckling and as unethical as any company I can possibly conceive of. And they had major access to this administration. But the senior senator from California can’t get to see them.”
The Democratic senator has asked Attorney General John Ashcroft to “pursue a criminal investigation to determine whether in fact any federal fraud statutes or any other laws were violated.” But neither Feinstein nor any other Democrats have suggested that there should be a criminal investigation in the Bush administration’s efforts on behalf of the energy trader.
For its part, the US media, which spent the Clinton years giving credence to every right-wing campaign to destabilize the government—from Whitewater to the Monica Lewinsky affair—has also sought to downplay Bush’s ties to a company that wreaked havoc in California, defrauded its investors and threw thousands of workers out of work, while its executives made millions in compensation.
California officials are seeking to recover some of the $30 billion Governor Gray Davis says Enron “extorted from the state.” But that will be difficult because the company has filed for bankruptcy and sold off its energy-trading division. USB Warburg, the investment bank that bought the division in February, said it had no liability for any violations carried out by the former management. “We did not inherit the liabilities,” a spokesperson said.
Enron epitomizes the corruption that is so pervasive throughout corporate America and provides a glimpse of the anti-social methods used by the financial elite to accrue their vast personal fortunes during the stock market boom of the 1990s. It also shines further light on all the nostrums about deregulation and the “magic of the market.”
According to the memos, Enron was not alone in manipulating the state’s energy market. The Enron attorneys said other energy traders emulated Enron and even used the same shorthand names to describe the schemes they used. A spokesman for an energy trading group told the San Francisco Chronicle that Enron methods were not criminal and in fact the company was just doing what everyone else was doing. “They were probing different spots to see what worked,” said Gary Ackerman of the Western Power Trading Forum. “A lot of companies were doing that. Any time there is a complex system like the energy market, people are going to stick their finger in and see what works.”
“The whole reason for the existence of traders is to make as much money as possible, consistent with what’s legal,” R. Martin Chavez, a former head of risk management at Goldman Sachs told the New York Times. “I lived through this: if you didn’t manipulate the market and manipulation was accessible to you, that’s when you were yelled at.”
The truth about the man on the Pedestal......Ronald Reagan
1. Reagan was a serial tax raiser. As governor of California, Reagan “signed into law the largest tax increase in the history of any state up till then.” Meanwhile, state spending nearly doubled. As president, Reagan “raised taxes in seven of his eight years in office,” including four times in just two years. As former GOP Senator Alan Simpson, who called Reagan “a dear friend,” told NPR, “Ronald Reagan raised taxes 11 times in his administration — I was there.” “Reagan was never afraid to raise taxes,” said historian Douglas Brinkley, who edited Reagan’s memoir. Reagan the anti-tax zealot is “false mythology,” Brinkley said.
2. Reagan nearly tripled the federal budget deficit. During the Reagan years, the debt increased to nearly $3 trillion, “roughly three times as much as the first 80 years of the century had done altogether.” Reagan enacted a major tax cut his first year in office and government revenue dropped off precipitously. Despite the conservative myth that tax cuts somehow increase revenue, the government went deeper into debt and Reagan had to raise taxes just a year after he enacted his tax cut. Despite ten more tax hikes on everything from gasoline to corporate income, Reagan was never able to get the deficit under control.
3. Unemployment soared after Reagan’s 1981 tax cuts. Unemployment jumped to 10.8 percent after Reagan enacted his much-touted tax cut, and it took years for the rate to get back down to its previous level. Meanwhile, income inequality exploded. Despite the myth that Reagan presided over an era of unmatched economic boom for all Americans, Reagan disproportionately taxed the poor and middle class, but the economic growth of the 1980′s did little help them. “Since 1980, median household income has risen only 30 percent, adjusted for inflation, while average incomes at the top have tripled or quadrupled,” the New York Times’ David Leonhardt noted.
4. Reagan grew the size of the federal government tremendously. Reagan promised “to move boldly, decisively, and quickly to control the runaway growth of federal spending,” but federal spending “ballooned” under Reagan. He bailed out Social Security in 1983 after attempting to privatize it, and set up a progressive taxation system to keep it funded into the future. He promised to cut government agencies like the Department of Energy and Education but ended up adding one of the largest — the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, which today has a budget of nearly $90 billion and close to 300,000 employees. He also hiked defense spending by over $100 billion a year to a level not seen since the height of the Vietnam war.
5. Reagan did little to fight a woman’s right to chose. As governor of California in 1967, Reagan signed a bill to liberalize the state’s abortion laws that “resulted in more than a million abortions.” When Reagan ran for president, he advocated a constitutional amendment that would have prohibited all abortions except when necessary to save the life of the mother, but once in office, he “never seriously pursued” curbing choice.
6. Reagan was a “bellicose peacenik.” He wrote in his memoirs that “[m]y dream…became a world free of nuclear weapons.” “This vision stemmed from the president’s belief that the biblical account of Armageddon prophesied nuclear war — and that apocalypse could be averted if everyone, especially the Soviets, eliminated nuclear weapons,” the Washington Monthly noted. And Reagan’s military buildup was meant to crush the Soviet Union, but “also to put the United States in a stronger position from which to establish effective arms control” for the the entire world — a vision acted out by Regean’s vice president, George H.W. Bush, when he became president.
7. Reagan gave amnesty to 3 million undocumented immigrants. Reagan signed into law a bill that made any immigrant who had entered the country before 1982 eligible for amnesty. The bill was sold as a crackdown, but its tough sanctions on employers who hired undocumented immigrants were removed before final passage. The bill helped 3 million people and millions more family members gain American residency. It has since become a source of major embarrassment for conservatives.
8. Reagan illegally funneled weapons to Iran. Reagan and other senior U.S. officials secretly sold arms to officials in Iran, which was subject to a an arms embargo at the time, in exchange for American hostages. Some funds from the illegal arms sales also went to fund anti-Communist rebels in Nicaragua — something Congress had already prohibited the administration from doing. When the deals went public, the Iran-Contra Affair, as it came to be know, was an enormous political scandal that forced several senior administration officials to resign.
9. Reagan vetoed a comprehensive anti-Apartheid act. which placed sanctions on South Africa and cut off all American trade with the country. Reagan’s veto was overridden by the Republican-controlled Senate. Reagan responded by saying “I deeply regret that Congress has seen fit to override my veto,” saying that the law “will not solve the serious problems that plague that country.”
10. Reagan helped create the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden. Reagan fought a proxy war with the Soviet Union by training, arming, equipping, and funding Islamist mujahidin fighters in Afghanistan. Reagan funneled billions of dollars, along with top-secret intelligence and sophisticated weaponry to these fighters through the Pakistani intelligence service. The Talbian and Osama Bin Laden — a prominent mujahidin commander — emerged from these mujahidin groups Reagan helped create, and U.S. policy towards Pakistan remains strained because of the intelligence services’ close relations to these fighters. In fact, Reagan’s decision to continue the proxy war after the Soviets were willing to retreat played a direct role in Bin Laden’s ascendency.
Conservatives seem to be in such denial about the less flattering aspects of Reagan; it sometimes appears as if they genuinely don’t know the truth of his legacy. Yesterday, when liberal activist Mike Stark challenged hate radio host Rush Limbaugh on why Reagan remains a conservative hero despite raising taxes so many times, Limbaugh flew into a tirade and demanded, “Where did you get this silly notion that Reagan raised taxes?“
Fred Herrera
2. Reagan nearly tripled the federal budget deficit. During the Reagan years, the debt increased to nearly $3 trillion, “roughly three times as much as the first 80 years of the century had done altogether.” Reagan enacted a major tax cut his first year in office and government revenue dropped off precipitously. Despite the conservative myth that tax cuts somehow increase revenue, the government went deeper into debt and Reagan had to raise taxes just a year after he enacted his tax cut. Despite ten more tax hikes on everything from gasoline to corporate income, Reagan was never able to get the deficit under control.
3. Unemployment soared after Reagan’s 1981 tax cuts. Unemployment jumped to 10.8 percent after Reagan enacted his much-touted tax cut, and it took years for the rate to get back down to its previous level. Meanwhile, income inequality exploded. Despite the myth that Reagan presided over an era of unmatched economic boom for all Americans, Reagan disproportionately taxed the poor and middle class, but the economic growth of the 1980′s did little help them. “Since 1980, median household income has risen only 30 percent, adjusted for inflation, while average incomes at the top have tripled or quadrupled,” the New York Times’ David Leonhardt noted.
4. Reagan grew the size of the federal government tremendously. Reagan promised “to move boldly, decisively, and quickly to control the runaway growth of federal spending,” but federal spending “ballooned” under Reagan. He bailed out Social Security in 1983 after attempting to privatize it, and set up a progressive taxation system to keep it funded into the future. He promised to cut government agencies like the Department of Energy and Education but ended up adding one of the largest — the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, which today has a budget of nearly $90 billion and close to 300,000 employees. He also hiked defense spending by over $100 billion a year to a level not seen since the height of the Vietnam war.
5. Reagan did little to fight a woman’s right to chose. As governor of California in 1967, Reagan signed a bill to liberalize the state’s abortion laws that “resulted in more than a million abortions.” When Reagan ran for president, he advocated a constitutional amendment that would have prohibited all abortions except when necessary to save the life of the mother, but once in office, he “never seriously pursued” curbing choice.
6. Reagan was a “bellicose peacenik.” He wrote in his memoirs that “[m]y dream…became a world free of nuclear weapons.” “This vision stemmed from the president’s belief that the biblical account of Armageddon prophesied nuclear war — and that apocalypse could be averted if everyone, especially the Soviets, eliminated nuclear weapons,” the Washington Monthly noted. And Reagan’s military buildup was meant to crush the Soviet Union, but “also to put the United States in a stronger position from which to establish effective arms control” for the the entire world — a vision acted out by Regean’s vice president, George H.W. Bush, when he became president.
7. Reagan gave amnesty to 3 million undocumented immigrants. Reagan signed into law a bill that made any immigrant who had entered the country before 1982 eligible for amnesty. The bill was sold as a crackdown, but its tough sanctions on employers who hired undocumented immigrants were removed before final passage. The bill helped 3 million people and millions more family members gain American residency. It has since become a source of major embarrassment for conservatives.
8. Reagan illegally funneled weapons to Iran. Reagan and other senior U.S. officials secretly sold arms to officials in Iran, which was subject to a an arms embargo at the time, in exchange for American hostages. Some funds from the illegal arms sales also went to fund anti-Communist rebels in Nicaragua — something Congress had already prohibited the administration from doing. When the deals went public, the Iran-Contra Affair, as it came to be know, was an enormous political scandal that forced several senior administration officials to resign.
9. Reagan vetoed a comprehensive anti-Apartheid act. which placed sanctions on South Africa and cut off all American trade with the country. Reagan’s veto was overridden by the Republican-controlled Senate. Reagan responded by saying “I deeply regret that Congress has seen fit to override my veto,” saying that the law “will not solve the serious problems that plague that country.”
10. Reagan helped create the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden. Reagan fought a proxy war with the Soviet Union by training, arming, equipping, and funding Islamist mujahidin fighters in Afghanistan. Reagan funneled billions of dollars, along with top-secret intelligence and sophisticated weaponry to these fighters through the Pakistani intelligence service. The Talbian and Osama Bin Laden — a prominent mujahidin commander — emerged from these mujahidin groups Reagan helped create, and U.S. policy towards Pakistan remains strained because of the intelligence services’ close relations to these fighters. In fact, Reagan’s decision to continue the proxy war after the Soviets were willing to retreat played a direct role in Bin Laden’s ascendency.
Conservatives seem to be in such denial about the less flattering aspects of Reagan; it sometimes appears as if they genuinely don’t know the truth of his legacy. Yesterday, when liberal activist Mike Stark challenged hate radio host Rush Limbaugh on why Reagan remains a conservative hero despite raising taxes so many times, Limbaugh flew into a tirade and demanded, “Where did you get this silly notion that Reagan raised taxes?“
Fred Herrera
Saturday, February 5, 2011
The ideas of free will and American Democracy come with a number of challenges and responsibilities
I believe that America is at a crossroads, a crossroads that requires us to make many decisions about the future.
Decisions that we must first make as individuals, digging down deep inside ourselves and coming to terms with the differences between a world we imagine is possible and say we desire and live in, and the world that seems to happen to us as we work and live day by day.
What we must realize is that the difference is not determined by the circumstances thrust upon us, but the choices we make based upon our commitment to the standards and princples that we say define us as people and a nation.
When our founders designed the Constitution, they did so based on many of their own experiences, such as their desire to escape from religious tyranny. They understood that part of free will was about a choice to believe, to practice or not, and they respected the divine right of the individual to choose their own beliefs and practices.
I believe that the American Democracy crafted by the founders of this nation is the most perfect human expression of free will as inspired and granted by God.
Democracy can only succeed if the spirit of that same intent and hope is honored.
In my beliefs, separation of church and state is an essential part of government and American Democracy. It allows people to make choices themselves, and relieves them of the burden of having to evaluate political issues interjected as a part of their ritual or discipline in their relationship with God, whatever it is, however they choose to observe it..
Like many Americans, I know we have room for improvement. There's always room for improvement. But the intent of American Democracy allows for all persuasions and beliefs. It allows for co-existence of the Amish and Native Americans, it validates the concerns of members of the Christian Coalition as well as those who describe themselves as atheists.
The question is whether we, the people, will allow it.
American Democracy is like an ongoing conversation. It must consider every opinion and every belief and every concern and honor its validity. Justice is not to be a judgement of right or wrong, but is an agreement of accountability for a code of conduct molded by laws and customs, based on a philosophy of freedom to the exclusion only of that which would do harm to others.
Justice is about agreement to laws easily argued to be derived from the golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." For me, if it was observed, no other law would be necessary.
To me, in many ways, American Democracy is like the experiment your teacher did with you many years ago. The one where the teacher lined up 20 children side by side, and then went to one end of the line, and told the first child a story. That child would then tell the story to the next child and so on and so on, until finally, the last child told everyone what they had been told.
The story that last child told had a thread of truth to it. It used the words justice and freedom and choice and rights, but the meaning of the words had somehow been changed, and did not mean the same things anymore.
To me, it means things like how we're told we live in a nation of laws. I say, we live in a nation of loopholes. I don't say that lightly.
Day after day, we hear about court rulings and civil filings that have nothing to do with honoring the intent of the laws that were to provide guidance and remedies for impasses. Instead, we hear of "gray areas", ways to get around things, methods of using technical semantics to evade the intent of the law.
In my mind, the use of those semantics as a defense is an acknowledgement of the offenses being committed, if you took the intent of the law seriously.
To me, it is simpler to say that people have begun using the legal system to prove their righteousness for activities they know are wrong... in a society claiming to be based on moral Christian beliefs.
The ideas of free will and American Democracy come with a number of challenges and responsibilities.
A challenge and responsibility in its constant vigil and commitment to the real intent of justice, as opposed to justice imposed based on bias or persuasion, causing division and hostility.
A challenge and responsibility to provide for the representation of the will and well-being of its entire population above all else
A challenge and responsibility to set a global example as those who exercise their spiritual disciplines and mandates through wisdom and compassion in their actions and policies toward the people of other nations in order to be at cause in generating global cooperation and democratic attitudes.
A challenge and responsibility to prove that tranparency in governing bodies and keeping the citizens informed and participating in the democratic process is desireable and of superior quality.
A challenge and responsibility to generate legislation and a culture that is inclusive.
This is, by no means, a complete list of concerns or considerations. But I believe that in them, you'll find the values of American Democracy that have made it so great for so long. All of them are values we should seek to reclaim on a daily basis, to be better as individuals, better as a nation, and better as a world.
That's what America means to me, that's what it represents. A nation of people always willing to look above the heat of emotions and passions on indivdual issues, and finding ways to allow us all to have the things we need and the freedom we deserve, that we say is granted by God.
Some people think that what I'm calling for is change. I say that what I am calling for is more like a reclamation. I beleive it's time that we take a step back, look at things objectively, and reclaim those things that work, but most importantly, to discard systems and divisory political practices that don't work, so that we can create the future based on what we say we want, and what we know is needed.
I'm calling for a return to an American Democracy that serves all people and interests with responsible legislation and liability. Legislation and judgement realized without bias or coercion,.without granting advantage or favor.
And, applying the values of free will we claim as a people for the people, when considering all limitations and regulations to be enforced.
What America means to me, more than anything else, is a government designed to be in service to the people.
That is not exclusive or biased against business interests, it is inclusive and symbiotic. It also acknowledges that the needs of the people, the citizens, must be met before any other interests, profits or ventures could possibly make any significant contribution to humanity.
To me, America means a nation of people who, when they are informed and welcomed to participate in Democracy, make the right decisions for America, humanity and all beings.
History has proven it time and time again. And I believe we will all prove it again very soon.
Decisions that we must first make as individuals, digging down deep inside ourselves and coming to terms with the differences between a world we imagine is possible and say we desire and live in, and the world that seems to happen to us as we work and live day by day.
What we must realize is that the difference is not determined by the circumstances thrust upon us, but the choices we make based upon our commitment to the standards and princples that we say define us as people and a nation.
When our founders designed the Constitution, they did so based on many of their own experiences, such as their desire to escape from religious tyranny. They understood that part of free will was about a choice to believe, to practice or not, and they respected the divine right of the individual to choose their own beliefs and practices.
I believe that the American Democracy crafted by the founders of this nation is the most perfect human expression of free will as inspired and granted by God.
Democracy can only succeed if the spirit of that same intent and hope is honored.
In my beliefs, separation of church and state is an essential part of government and American Democracy. It allows people to make choices themselves, and relieves them of the burden of having to evaluate political issues interjected as a part of their ritual or discipline in their relationship with God, whatever it is, however they choose to observe it..
Like many Americans, I know we have room for improvement. There's always room for improvement. But the intent of American Democracy allows for all persuasions and beliefs. It allows for co-existence of the Amish and Native Americans, it validates the concerns of members of the Christian Coalition as well as those who describe themselves as atheists.
The question is whether we, the people, will allow it.
American Democracy is like an ongoing conversation. It must consider every opinion and every belief and every concern and honor its validity. Justice is not to be a judgement of right or wrong, but is an agreement of accountability for a code of conduct molded by laws and customs, based on a philosophy of freedom to the exclusion only of that which would do harm to others.
Justice is about agreement to laws easily argued to be derived from the golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." For me, if it was observed, no other law would be necessary.
To me, in many ways, American Democracy is like the experiment your teacher did with you many years ago. The one where the teacher lined up 20 children side by side, and then went to one end of the line, and told the first child a story. That child would then tell the story to the next child and so on and so on, until finally, the last child told everyone what they had been told.
The story that last child told had a thread of truth to it. It used the words justice and freedom and choice and rights, but the meaning of the words had somehow been changed, and did not mean the same things anymore.
To me, it means things like how we're told we live in a nation of laws. I say, we live in a nation of loopholes. I don't say that lightly.
Day after day, we hear about court rulings and civil filings that have nothing to do with honoring the intent of the laws that were to provide guidance and remedies for impasses. Instead, we hear of "gray areas", ways to get around things, methods of using technical semantics to evade the intent of the law.
In my mind, the use of those semantics as a defense is an acknowledgement of the offenses being committed, if you took the intent of the law seriously.
To me, it is simpler to say that people have begun using the legal system to prove their righteousness for activities they know are wrong... in a society claiming to be based on moral Christian beliefs.
The ideas of free will and American Democracy come with a number of challenges and responsibilities.
A challenge and responsibility in its constant vigil and commitment to the real intent of justice, as opposed to justice imposed based on bias or persuasion, causing division and hostility.
A challenge and responsibility to provide for the representation of the will and well-being of its entire population above all else
A challenge and responsibility to set a global example as those who exercise their spiritual disciplines and mandates through wisdom and compassion in their actions and policies toward the people of other nations in order to be at cause in generating global cooperation and democratic attitudes.
A challenge and responsibility to prove that tranparency in governing bodies and keeping the citizens informed and participating in the democratic process is desireable and of superior quality.
A challenge and responsibility to generate legislation and a culture that is inclusive.
This is, by no means, a complete list of concerns or considerations. But I believe that in them, you'll find the values of American Democracy that have made it so great for so long. All of them are values we should seek to reclaim on a daily basis, to be better as individuals, better as a nation, and better as a world.
That's what America means to me, that's what it represents. A nation of people always willing to look above the heat of emotions and passions on indivdual issues, and finding ways to allow us all to have the things we need and the freedom we deserve, that we say is granted by God.
Some people think that what I'm calling for is change. I say that what I am calling for is more like a reclamation. I beleive it's time that we take a step back, look at things objectively, and reclaim those things that work, but most importantly, to discard systems and divisory political practices that don't work, so that we can create the future based on what we say we want, and what we know is needed.
I'm calling for a return to an American Democracy that serves all people and interests with responsible legislation and liability. Legislation and judgement realized without bias or coercion,.without granting advantage or favor.
And, applying the values of free will we claim as a people for the people, when considering all limitations and regulations to be enforced.
What America means to me, more than anything else, is a government designed to be in service to the people.
That is not exclusive or biased against business interests, it is inclusive and symbiotic. It also acknowledges that the needs of the people, the citizens, must be met before any other interests, profits or ventures could possibly make any significant contribution to humanity.
To me, America means a nation of people who, when they are informed and welcomed to participate in Democracy, make the right decisions for America, humanity and all beings.
History has proven it time and time again. And I believe we will all prove it again very soon.
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