What is Leon Panetta Trying To Do?

The Washington Post reported that Panetta said,

"There is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June."

The Israelis are worried, and rightfully so I believe, that Iran can produce a nuclear weapon that could be used against Israel. Reuters has a good report on the story here.

So why is Panetta apparently warning the Iranians about this? Is he trying to play "good cop" and make friends with the Iranian government? The same government that said there was no Holocaust, that Israel has no right to exist, and the September 11th attacks were an inside job.

Of course, this prediction may be like saying it's a sure thing the Cubs will win the World Series this year.

Then again, maybe he's leaking information. The ship of state is the only ship that leaks from the top after all.

It makes me wonder what Panetta is trying to accomplish. And when you think about it, the Post doesn't know the difference between debt and deficit when it comes to government spending.

Check That (Wheel) Spin

Hilda Solis, President Obama's Secretary of Labor, has elected to discontinue using the ubiquitous black limo, and has purchased a Chevy Equinox.

At a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor she was asked why the switch to the SUV?

What better example could I set if I encouraged my staff to go and purchase and seek how we could acquire a vehicle that would for me would send a signal that we're for supporting our American workers, American-made products, fuel efficient as well.

Sounds good, right? There's only one problem. The Equinox is made in Canada. The country north of the United States. Also known as Canuckland, the Great White North, and What Sarah Palin Can See From Her Back Porch.

When US News contacted the Secretary's office to clear up her misunderstanding, a spokesman replied, "Modern automobile manufacturing is a global industry and General Motors is a company whose reach extends far beyond the boundaries of the United States."

That's more spin than what I've seen watching Top Gear.

Why I Don't Trust Barack Obama's Math

At a press conference today, 15 July 2011, the President said he was,

"turning 50 in a week, so I'm starting to think a little bit more about Medicare eligibility."

You may want to reschedule that party, Barry. You birthday isn't July 22nd, it's August 4th.

He also said,

"Yeah, I'm going to get my AARP card soon, and the discounts."

Yeah, like he needs them. As president, he earns $400,000 year, with a pension valued at $197,000.

Last year, he and the First Lady reported their adjusted gross income as $1,728,096. They paid $453,770 in taxes, and donated $245,075 to charity.

That still left them with 1.2 million dollars to scrimp by on.

Filing status married, joint return, two dependent children. If you leave out the dog, that 1.2 million breaks out to be $257,312.75 per person in his household.

And, if he portioned out that 257K as a weekly allowance to each of his girls, that would be $4,948.32 a week.

Did I mention that he gets $500,000 per year for expenses? That'll buy lots of pencils and paper to work out the budget on.

Maybe I'm just being overly sensitive, but I think someone who is a millionaire has no business thinking about personal Medicare benefits. Or AARP discounts.

Of course, under his health care reforms, his Medicare taxes do go up. Nah, doesn't make me feel any better.

Yes, I know he was probably making a joke, with the pretense of trying to present himself as being able to relate to the rest of us.

But it's still not funny. Not to me. And hopefully not to others, either.

Once again, here's proof that people who have no idea what life is like for the rest of us, are making decisions that screw up out lives.

I can understand getting one of your kids birthdays wrong--which he's done, and so have I--but forgetting your own? Not good. Especially if you've gone through 49 of them already!

I wonder when the early onset Alzheimer's rumors will start?

Cutting the Debit (Card Fee)

Merchants win, banks loose and so will debit card users, I'm afraid.

If you didn't know, currently banks charge merchants an average of 44 cents for each transaction. The Federal Reserve has proposed limiting this to twelve cents.

44 cents per swipe doesn't sound like much, does it? On the surface it sounds like that old story, "if I were to give you a penny today, and double what I've given you every day for a month, would you rather have that or a million dollars now?" According to the Fed, the banks and credit card companies earn $16 billion per year on them. That sounds like real money to me.

Richard Durbin (D-IL) said that taxpayers helped banks "in their darkest hour." And were repaid by them using the $700 billion bailout to pay huge bonuses to their executives who got them into trouble in the first place.

In response, banks say the decision does not take into consideration overhead costs, so they will have to raise other fees to make up the lost revenue.

Excuse me? Since when were banks and credit card companies guaranteed $16 billion in revenue? Sounds like it should be part of the cost of doing business. I don't care for predatory business practices, and that's exactly what these fees are.

So, how did the vote go in the senate?
For - 12 Republicans, 32 Democrats
Against - 19 Republicans, 35 Democrats

Interesting. I'll probably have to wait until tomorrow to see exactly what each senator's vote was.

Read the whole story at USA Today.

What's the Life of a Veteran Worth?

Evidently, it's not worth even $50.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) used to receive a fifty dollar stipend from the Federal Government to reimburse them for their services at military funerals. This would help pay for a flag for the survivors, bullets for the salute, gas to get to the cemetery, and clean their uniforms.

Now that the government is running out of money, the Middle East is blowing up--and the President is going golfing on the weekend--this benefit has been discontinued.

This is shameful, appalling, and offensive.

I have attended military funerals before. This simple act, to honor the memory of a fallen comrade has provided comfort to many, many grieving families and provided them the reassurance the sacrifice of their loved one was not forgotten.

This nation has repeatedly asked it's young men and women to put up their lives in its defense, with promises of education, training, a possible career, and the respect of a grateful nation.

And now, we take their sacrifices and make light of them. Our elected officials, reduce more and more of the benefits many of them rely on. We squander money providing aid to country that would love to see us fail. But we do not support those who we asked to defend us.

What is the life of a veteran worth? Far, far more than fifty dollars.

Today's Annoyance

It started with a phone call. You know the kind--one of those automated ones. The kind you usually hang up on as soon as you realize what it is.

This particular one was from my insurance company's pharmacy provider. So I thought I'd listen to the message.

"Your mail-order prescription has been processed. We must speak to you before it can be shipped. Please call us at 1-800, blah-blah-blah, blah-blah-blah-blah. Would you like me to repeat that number?"

As soon as the message got to the "please call us" part, I was looking around for a pen and paper to write the number down. I couldn't find one, so I thought I'd try stalling for time.

"Yes, please repeat the number."

"Please call us at 1-800, blah-blah-blah, blah-blah-blah-blah. Would you like me to repeat that number?"

No pencil in the drawers, no pencils in the pencil cup. I thought I'd better keep stalling for time.

"Yeah, repeat the number!"

"Please call us at 1-800, blah-blah-blah, blah-blah-blah-blah. Would you like me to repeat that number?"

No pencil in any drawers where they should be. My pulse was beginning to race.

"Yeah, yeah, the number, repeat the number!"

"Please call us at 1-800, blah-blah-blah, blah-blah-blah-blah. Would you like me to repeat that number?"

No sharp objects with which to draw blood so I could scrawl the number onto the wall, desk, or anyplace. I knew I was beaten.

"No, thank you," I replied in defeat.

"Thank you for using our services. Goodbye!"

Upon reflection, I am force to wonder at the logic behind the design that gave birth to this scenario. Here are the most important facts, as I see them:

• The pharmacy wanted me to call them about the prescription.
  
• The pharmacy called me to tell me to call them.
  
• I was on the phone, listening to the message from the pharmacy.
  
• The message told me the number to call.
  
• The message repeated the number when I asked for it.
  

So why in the name of all that is good and right in the world, couldn't the message give me this option?

"Would you like to speak to a representative about your order?"

What a Difference a Week Makes

On October 26th, one week before the mid-term elections, in a radio interview with Rev. Al Sharpton, the President said,

"Anybody who is concerned about the direction of the country has to understand that this election is as important as 2008."

Here's the part of the interview I really like:

"At another point, Sharpton asked the president: 'So even though your name isn't on the ballot, this is about your agenda and about the progress we've seen you begin to make over the past 20-odd months?'

'Absolutely,' Obama said."

So Barry's point is that this election is all about his agenda and the "progress" he's made.

Evidently the American voters aren't all that crazy about his agenda and his "progress" thus far.

After the elections, Barry said that frustrated voters dictated the Republican takeover. "As president I take responsibility."

"I think people started looking at all this, and it felt as if government was getting much more intrusive into people's lives than they were accustomed to."

So if the election was all about his agenda and "progress" the people aren't buying it any more. They want a change.

Oh, wait! "It's time for a change" was one of his slogans in 2008. Funny how these things come back to bite you.

Here's another great quote from his news conference:

"No one party will be able to dictate where we go from here."

Funny, I think that's how we've gotten to where we are. Obama ran on the promise he wouldn't play partisan politics, but that's how the Democrats pushed health care through. And it's pretty much how the last two years have been.