Disqus - Latest Comments for sherwehe

Re: Pogo

sherwehe — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:36:49 -0000

The Obama administration is continuing to exempt new offshore drilling operations from environmental review despite the Gulf disaster. Since the April 20th explosion at the BP rig, the Department of Interior’s Minerals Management Service has approved twenty-seven new offshore drilling permits. All but one of the projects were granted the same environmental review exemption used to approve the BP drilling site.

Re: The 57 Chevy

sherwehe — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:59:23 -0000

For all of you news junkies out there check this site out. http://www.newseum.org/toda...

Just put click on a
city anywhere in the world and the newspaper headlines pop up... Double
click and the page gets larger...... I thought you all would like to know
about this site, if you don't already. I also found you can read the entire
paper on some if you click on the right place.

Re: Facts & Targets

sherwehe — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 12:22:34 -0000

In regard to conservative deficit fear mongering: Question. When was the United States the wealthiest it has ever been compared to the rest of the world? Answer:Right after World War II. The United States literally had half of the worlds wealth. Question: When did the United states have it's largest deficit? Answer: Right after World War II. U.S. debt was over 80% of the GDP. Today our nation's govt. debt is around 55% of our GDP. If you look at the data you'll see some interesting trends. Debt nearly doubled under Regan, increased under Bush I, fell and leveled off under Clinton and exploded under Bush II. There is a huge propaganda campaign to blame our run-away deficit on social spending such as medicare, medicaid, social security, education or anything else that does not transfer wealth upward on a liberal elite who want to give your hard earned dollar away. Over the last thirty years govt. debt has increased far more significantly under conservative leadership than Democratic leadership. Well in debates that affect peoples lives facts matter. The largest contributor to increase debt in the last ten years has been Bush's tax cuts (which the non-partisan congressional budget office stated before the bill was passed that U.S. debt would double) and two ongoing wars without end. Even the financial bailout is significantly small compared to just Bush's tax cuts. Social spending doesn't even compare. Our corporate controlled media will never talk about the Bush tax cuts because that would be acting against their own interests. Who benefits from a tax cut for the rich? The wealthiest among us. Who control and finance our corporate media? The wealthiest among us. The only way to get out of this recession of the real economy (not Wall Street) is to spend money in a manner that creates jobs or in other words benefits the majority and for once not the minority.

Re: Tide Turning?

sherwehe — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:51:18 -0000

I really hope that the "health Care reform" bill does not pass. At first I thought that something would be better than nothing and that at least it would be an improvement over the current crisis. But after looking at the details of the bill I'm not so sure. The mandated coverage provision requires you to buy health insurance similar to driving a car, you must have insurance to drive or face fines. For the poor there will be govt. subsidies but there will be no price controls on premiums and you will be forced to buy it or suffer penalties for failing to do so. People want health insurance it's just that they can't afford it. Forcing people to buy insurance from these horrific corporations that prevent you from getting actual care will be a huge tax payer give away to private corporations while Americans struggle to make payments. With no public option we will be at the mercy of paying whatever these insurance companies tell us to. Also, since it won't be until 2014 when the bill goes into effect which will result in 180,000 Americans left to die because they didn't have insurance. That's like 60 911s. There are some good things in this bill like controls on denying coverage but all in all the consequences of this bill will more than likely embolden the for profit health care system that we already have, in my opinion.

Re: The Day Democracy Died

sherwehe — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:02:59 -0000

Citizens United vs. Federal Election Committee is another power gift granted to corporations by court rulings rather than democratic processes. The corporation since it's beginnings in the 16th century has gained its status as the most powerful institution of our day as well as gaining more legal rights than the individual, not through the will of the people but through court rulings that often happen out of the public eye unnoticed. Corporations by and large already control the electoral process but this ruling makes any attempt at reversing this trend difficult if not impossible. Corporations are undemocratic and tyrannical institutions that are only accountable to their shareholders. There only function is to maximize profit. Even if corporations do good it is only in so far as a means to maximize profit. In fact it is illegal to do otherwise thanks to another court ruling. (Dodge Brothers vs. Henry Ford.)

Re: The Other Plot to Wreck America

sherwehe — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:31:36 -0000

In regard to the privatization of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan it's important to know that Barack Obama has increased the use of private military forces from the Bush presidency contrary to promises on the campaign trail. What hasn't really been covered in the press on Obama's troop increase in Afghanistan is the huge increase of private forces. Almost 70% of the Pentagon is now privatized. For more info read the following article by author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, Jeremy Scahill. http://rebelreports.com/pos...

Re: Market Update - Let Them Eat Cake

sherwehe — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:01:01 -0000

I agree Abby. Even to use the word health care to describe this system is almost Orwellian. It's definitely not designed to give health care. It's designed and sole function is to do something else entirely different, mainly to deny care to people in order to maximize profit.

Re: Investors411 - Ronald Reagan was Right

sherwehe — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:37:17 -0000

Author John Perkins who wrote "Confessions of An Economic Hitman" and "The Secret History of the American Empire" discusses his new book on Democracy Now entitled "Hoodwinked." I'm about half way through his new book now and it is excellent. If you haven't read any of Perkins work, I recommend that you do. Here's an interview: http://www.democracynow.org...

Re: Market Update - Obama at Ft. Hood.

sherwehe — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:19:01 -0000

According to the US Department of Veteran Affairs approximately 500,000 United States Veterans are homeless which is about one-third of the total homeless population in the US. The National Coalition of Homeless Veterans estimates the number to be much higher at around 800,000 vets living on the streets. This year more veterans will die from suicide than will die on the battle field. The US Department of Veteran Affairs reports that over one hundred veterans take there own life every week. A recent study at Harvard Medical School states that over 2,200 vets died last year because they lacked medical insurance. That’s more than the total vets who died in battle in Iraq and Afghanistan last year. On this veterans day we can support our veterans by, well, actually supporting them. In my opinion every veteran deserves and should be guaranteed the best medical services, education,job training and social services that our great country can provide. We live in the wealthiest country in the world. It’s criminal that this is even taking place. Happy Veterans Day.

Re: Market Updates - Making YOU money

sherwehe — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:37:50 -0000

This is a little off topic but none the less important. I found this video yesterday entitled "What You Didn't know About the War." It's about eleven minutes. Please watch but I warn you, it is very graphic. Watch it here. http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Re: Market Update - Barack’s Big Bubble

sherwehe — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:25:40 -0000

Wall Street is pushing Congress for further deregulation by changing rules of accounting practices. See article here. http://www.huffingtonpost.c...

Re: Market Updates - Optimism

sherwehe — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:39:12 -0000

Here's an analysis by economist Dean Baker on jobs. http://www.cepr.net/index.p...

For great economic insight and analysis I highly recommend The Center for Economic and Policy Research.

Re: Market Updates - Optimism

sherwehe — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:22:49 -0000

I agree with your assessment on optimism and progress. In Vietnam we did commit major war crimes quite openly and without apology by targeting and destroying civilian populations with chemical weapons and a massive bombing campaign. Just in Cambodia alone we dropped more bombs on that country than we dropped in all of World War Two. Remember Nixon's infamous comment to Henry Kissinger, "Destroy anything and everything that moves." A comment that would most certainly be more than enough evidence to be convicted of implementing a policy of genocide in a criminal court. As a country we just can't do these sort of things anymore so brazenly because as a country we have become more civilized thanks to a concerted organized effort of mass protest by the American population during the 1960s and 70s. We obviously still commit major crimes but not as overtly. In Fallujah in 2004 we blocked off the city, didn't let supplies in, occupied and destroyed hospitals and turned back all men of fighting age who were trying to flee the city. These are all crimes and violate international law but in Vietnam we would of just destroyed the city by bombing it, killing as many civilians as possible. You just can't get away with that anymore. The American people won't tolerate it. As a society we've become more civilized not because the benevolence of elected officials and policy planners but because the American people's concern and organized effort to eradicate such crimes.
One of the biggest media cover-ups in the U.S. is the mass protest and organization of the Iraqi people in Opposition to the U.S. occupation. This started with the first Iraqi election in which the U.S. reluctantly allowed to happen much faster than they wanted due to a massive peaceful protest by the Iraqi populations. The U.S. has had to give up on major military objectives because of this mass mobilization of the Iraqi people.

Re: Market Updates - Rape or Halliburton

sherwehe — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:18:39 -0000

Class warfare 101. Maybe we should hold these paracitic corporations such as Halliburton and these other govt. dependent military contractors to the same standard as ACORN or better yet the banks and all other corporations that are given tax payer subsidies. Here is an excellent article by Jeremy Schahill that discusses this issue. http://www.commondreams.org...

Re: Market Update - Deja Vu all over again.

sherwehe — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:03:47 -0000

I agree with you 100% D. The Nobel Peace Prize Economist Joseph Stiglitz dedicated an entire book to the cost of the Iraq war called the "Three Trillion Dollar War." In a recent interview Stiglitz stated that the estimates ranged from a low end extrapolation of just under three trillion dollars and as high as ten trillion depending how long the war lasts and the nature of the conflict. As Barr says, keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of extremist terrorist hands and unstable govts. such as Pakistans is paramount. The question is how to do that . We do know that our military presence in both Iraq and Afghanistan is exponentially increasing terrorists and terrorism but this is no surprise to our elected leaders because before we set foot in Afghanistan and Iraq our intelligence reports stated very explicitly that a military strike in this region will in fact increase terrorism which we now know has. It's interesting that It's called a war on terrorism when we knew before the war started that we would just manufacture more terrorists and terrorism so one can only rationally conclude that this war was never about terrorism.

Re: Market Updates - Afghanistan

sherwehe — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:03:56 -0000

Occupying countries have only one obligation and that is to pay reparations. To quote mid-east expert Juan Cole-"We shouldn't be building up more troops in Afghanistan we should be building roads, schools and hospitals." If we are believers in true democracy we should be asking the question; what do the Afghan people want? Public opinion polls are difficult to conduct on the ground in Afghanistan but there was a Canadian poll recently conducted that did ask this question and it turns out that the Afghan people do want American troops to stay but only to build infrastructure and not as a military force.

Re: Market Update - Caught Red Handed

sherwehe — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:03:58 -0000

I'm a little dubious on Big Oil companies investments in green technologies. With the big five securing record profits year after year for the last seven or eight years and only four percent of that profit is being used to invest in alternative energy, the Big Five seem committed to being oil companies. Exxon actually invests the least in alternative energy even though it is the most profitable corporation in world history. The four percent is only a fraction compared with the Big Fives investment in environmentally destructive production of oil in the tar sands and in shale. Big Oil is effectively creating a public relations campaign as companies that are leading the way in alternative energy and this serves two very important functions. One is a public relations image. The oil companies are able to create a public image that they are "green" companies and actually committed to saving the planet. The second function is to detract regulation of the industry. This is pretty standard throughout corporate history. When companies feel that serious government regulations are coming, companies will often go on a public relations campaign to create the image that they are regulating themselves. It's an effective tool that has worked in the past and often has kept govt. regulation at bay. We keep hearing over and over how big oil is going green except the evidence is never really sufficiently given. The problem with the Newsweek article is the fact that it's in Newsweek. One of the major advertisers for Newsweek is none other than Exxon Mobile.

Re: Market Updates - Be Afraid for America

sherwehe — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:59:29 -0000

“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.”
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Click on the link below and watch the footage of the recent 9/12 Tea Party D.C. protest. Shocking!
http://www.liveleak.com/vie...

Re: Market Updates - Making $from the Stimulus

sherwehe — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 11:55:20 -0000

Where the govt. failed to ask questions and hold recipients of TARP money accountable, Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele of Vanity Fair do some amazing investigative reporting in trying to figure out just what happened with the TARP Money. A must read for some of their conclusions are shocking. Here's an excerpt from the article and I posted the link below.

"To the public, the bailout looked like a gold rush by banks competing for tarp money. It was indeed partly that, but the reality is more complex. While some banks lobbied aggressively for tarp money, many others that had no interest in the money were pressured to take it. Treasury’s explanation is that regulators knew which banks were strongest and wanted to get more capital into their hands in order to free up credit. But it’s also true that spreading the money around to a large number of small and medium-size banks helped create the impression that the bailout wasn’t just for a few big boys on Wall Street." - "Good Billions after Bad." http://www.vanityfair.com/p...