...something, something & something more...

IF it's important, people find the time, energy & money to do IT (i.e. whatever IT is). It's human nature. It's an idea which defines our own humanity.

Need more "BANG for the BUCK"?

Heck, this blogger needs more BANG from that jar of pennies, nickles & dimes!

It appears that the political formula for a candidate is perfecting a single ideological pitch & then repeat it over and over AND over again. It doesn't matter if it's the truth, as long as what's being said contains enough FEAR & HATE verbiage to keep the audience happy & ignorant.

The Art Of Money Getting (Paperback)

George Carlin ~ The American Dream

While Bill Gates & Warren Buffet are well-known Billionaire philanthropists, behind the scenes, the Koch Brothers have spent millions upon millions of dollars to change the way Americans think. Is it wrong? Perhaps. It all depends on your flavor of Kool-Aid. READ MORE...
George Carlin: Last Words (Paperback)

...contrasting imagery...

Photo Credit: Peter Rimar, Hong Kong, S.A.R. (May 2008).
Click on image to open in a new window.

#Occupy North Dakota

First Amendment to the United States Constitution


"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

“The Tea Party is very different. The Tea Party were individuals that were attempting to redress their grievances from the government that they elected. It’s not pitting one part of our country against another.”
~ House Majority Leader Eric Cantor

REALLY?

Bob, the man in the following video, attended a Tea Party Rally in Columbus, Ohio in 2010. He is 60 years old and was first diagnosed with Parkinsons 15 years ago. He has two masters degrees and a Ph.D. from Cornell. He taught at the University of Michigan and worked as a nuclear engineer:


“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.” ~ Sinclair Lewis

Note to Reader: Judging this blogger's political views based on this specific POST is like reading a single page in the middle of a book. For the record, I'm an Independent. I believe the two-party system no longer serves the interests of a vast majority of Americans. Indeed, in my view, a candidate's political affiliation and party should be left off an election ballot.

Stimulated Numbers?

Compare: This FY (fiscal year), DoD will receive approximately $126 billion for sustaining military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. How does this dollar amount compare to added domestic spending under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009?

Contrast: It included $53.6 billion in direct financial aid for local school districts to prevent massive layoffs & cutbacks, with the flexibility to use Stimulus Funds for school modernization and repairs (State Fiscal Stabilization Fund). Basically, it was the Federal Government's 50 State BAIL OUT in order to keep PUBLIC SCHOOLS across this country OPEN for business.
READ MORE...

In 2009, while GOP candidates hammered the Obama administration on the auto industry bail out, ZIP was said regarding the school district BAIL OUT. IF you're a school teacher or auto worker, ask yourself, "does the GOP really care about protecting my job?"
READ MORE...

Economics 101
Until Americans start voting with their wallets, it'll be almost impossible to create new manufacturing jobs in a tight global marketplace.

Toyota BUILT a billion dollar Tundra assembly plant in San Antonio, Texas because market research shows a large segment of the American truck buying public actually values where a product is manufactured.

Corporations like IBM, Microsoft, GE, Apple, GM, BP & Exxon-Mobil ONLY salute one flag: PROFITS!

Americans need to start making informed decisions about the products they buy. IF consumers value products "Made in the USA", corporations like Target & Wal-Mart will respond to the economic benefits of stocking more home grown products. Small changes in individual buying habits will eventually send a loud dollars & cents message to the world's multi-national corporations.

Once again, in case this blogger failed to hit home the central message of this particular post, IF American consumers don't value the country of origin of a product or service, why should a corporation? Free Market? What Free Market? Read More...

Photo of Portable Toilet by Peter Rimar, Baghdad, Iraq (March 2004).

A Year Without "Made in China":

One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy (Paperback)

The American Worker?

Photo by Peter Rimar, East Grand Forks, Minnesota (October 5, 2011).

Why Unions Matter (Paperback) (See all Politics Books)

Herman Cain for President in 2012?
Up until today, beyond some soft humor about the candidate, I've refrained from writing anything serious about his candidacy. Indeed, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt regarding his views on the issues. This specific quote changed everything for this blogger:

"Don't blame Wall Street, don't blame the big banks, if you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself."
~ Herman Cain

This man is NOT ready to be President.

When asked the same question by the Joint Economic Committee, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve was able to wrap his head around the frustration being expressed by the Occupy Wall Street Movement:

“They blame, with some justification, the problems in the financial sector for getting us into this mess, and they’re dissatisfied with the policy response here in Washington. And at some level, I can’t blame them.”
~ Ben Bernanke

Let's just pretend the whole 2008 Wall Street Meltdown didn't happen. When members of the Tea Party protested against the Wall Street Bailout they were anointed as Patriots. And now, with corporations making record profits and NOT reinvesting profits back into the American economy, all of a sudden, the protesters in New York City are so-called "anti-capitalists"? Talk about political double-speak.


Even if Mr. Cain politically disagrees with the protesters, at the very least, the candidate should have acknowledged and supported the "right to peaceably assemble" protected by the First Amendment.

Hermanator Update:
(October 9,2011)
The GOP's latest Flavor of the Month is already feeling the heat for his remarks regarding the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Additionally, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is suffering from yet another case of foot-in-mouth disease. Read More...

The Candidate's Final Chapter?
(December 3, 2011)
This message was written by this blogger for Mr. Herman Cain: 

"Don't blame the media, don't blame dirty politics, if you don't make money after running for President, blame the fact that you were caught "looking for love in all the wrong places".
~ Self

‎4 out of the last 7 governors of Illinois have been convicted of a felony?

Sign w/ Shadow on Brick Wall
(NOT Amsterdam)
June 2011
Grand Forks, North Dakota

Lonely Planet Amsterdam (City Travel Guide)

When your house is on FIRE, it's absurd to argue with your wife about how to rearrange the furniture.

IF the American consumer doesn't value the country of origin of a product or service, why should international corporations?
Until Americans start voting with their wallets, it'll be almost impossible to create new jobs in a tight global marketplace.

"We need conservative ideas to modernize the U.S. economy and reform American government. But what we have instead are policies that don't reform but just cut and starve government — a strategy that pays little attention to history or best practices from around the world and is based instead on a theory. It turns out that conservatives are the woolly-headed professors after all." ~ Fareed Zakaria 
Read More...

Tea Party Bus

Fargo, North Dakota

(August 20th, 2010)

A "Made in Canada" bus rolling down the highway on "Spanish Tires" so American Voters could sign it with "Made In China" markers, then departing Fargo to drink even more IMPORTED OIL definitely sent a powerful political message. A Hollywood script writer couldn't even make this stuff up.

Zippo "Made In USA" Pocket Lighter