Stock Market and Political Commentary

The Dubai Warning Flag

As we have discussed on this blog through many different commentaries, the debt burden throughout the world in private companies and even sovereign states and nations, cannot be maintained and will likely result in various financial collapses in the coming months.  Some of these will be routine and small while others could be catastrophic for economies around the globe.

Did the Dubai default just send up a warning flag for what is to come for others in the near future?

"Fears of a dangerous new phase in the economic crisis swept around the globe yesterday as traders responded to the shock announcement that a debt-laden Dubai state corporation was unable to meet its interest bill."

"Nervous traders transferred the focus of their anxieties from the risk of companies failing to the risk of nation states defaulting. Investors owed money by Mexico, Russia and Greece saw the price of insuring themselves against default rocket."

Will our young King see the California IOUs, New York saying they will be broke by the end of the year, plus this Dubai warning flag and drop his reckless and insane plans to borrow more money for another "stimulus" and his plans to skyrocket the debt through government health care?  No! 

The federal government is currently spending 1,5 trillion dollars a year ( $30 billion a week)  more than it is taking in through its revenue sources.  That is 30,000,000,000.00 per week!  

Let me put it another way.  We are borrowing about $100.00 per week for every man, woman, and child in the US.  So each week every family of 4 goes into debt another $400.00. Do you think this will not have serious consequences, either in inflation or even, in the worst case, default on this debt?

And this is not enough.  The Airhead wants more debt while again trying to have it both ways by making comments about how this debt burden is unsustainable.

Hey Obama.... if racking up this debt is unsustainable why are you actively working to rack up new debt by job killing programs that will skyrocket the deficit to levels that could result in default by the US Treasury?

At his next press conference see if you hear anything from the King that would satisfactorily answer this question.  I've not heard it yet, and I'm betting we won't hear it in the future either.

You think the economy is bad now?  Just wait until the full consequences of this mountain of debt manifests itself.  Man I hope I'm wrong about this, because if I'm not, it's not going to be pretty.

Dubai Article

J. Cogburn 

A Bloody Lip

Growing up in Tennessee back in the 60s it was not uncommon to encounter others kids who were not as enlightened as I was and sometimes the only way to teach them something was to bloody their nose or lip to get their attention.  It was no big deal; a little swelling, a cold compress, a little pressure, and in a day or two they were as good as new.

But how far we have fallen in this country!  Now if our brave young Navy SEALs risk their life to capture a murdering terrorist, and he claims to have gotten a bloody lip while being captured or in captivity, then our military heroes are charged with "dereliction of performance of duty for willfully failing to safeguard a detainee, making a false official statement, and assault."

Political correctness is squeezing the life out of our spirit as a people and as a nation.  It breeds injustice for our heroes and fuels contempt from our enemies.  Many citizens do not realize just how dangerous this has become and how that one day they may be seriously injured or killed as a result of this stupidity.

So let's see how this is playing out now.....

By all rules of warfare enemy combatants (those engaged in war against us not wearing a military uniform and representing a sovereign country) can be shot on sight.  They have no legal rights to the protections of the Geneva Convention, rights to a trial of any sort, and certainly not a trial in a US court with Constitutional rights designed for American citizens who are accused of committing a crime.

But the confessed mastermind of 9/11, Kaleid Sheik Muhammed, will get a civilian trial with all the rights of a US citizen (hint: if he really does he cannot be convicted) courtesy of Barack Hussein Obama. 

However in 2009, Navy SEALs who risked their life to capture one of the most brutal terrorists in Iraq (Abed) will get a military court martial.  Let me put this another way; what will the Navy SEALs get for risking their life in the US military to defend this country against terrorists:

    Will they get a medal?  No

    Will they get a civilian trial?  No

    Will they get a military trial by court martial?  Yes

    Will their career be ruined?  Yes

    Will they serve jail time?  Perhaps

Just what did this terrorist do?

"The four Blackwater agents were transporting supplies for a catering company when they were ambushed and killed by gunfire and grenades. Insurgents burned the bodies and dragged them through the city. They hanged two of the bodies on a bridge over the Euphrates River for the world press to photograph."

"Intelligence sources identified Abed as the ringleader, but he had evaded capture until September."

But what about poor Abed... how was he brutalized when he was captured by these lawless and savage Navy SEALs?

"Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named "Objective Amber," told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it."

So there you have it.  The terrorist had a bloody lip.  This means we needed to voluntarily take our guys out of the fight and see if we can't teach them a lesson about how they must handle these terrorists in a much more gentle manner by ruining their careers and lives if possible. 

 Of course now that the terrorists are beginning to actually believe that we are a bunch of complete idiots being led by an absolute airhead, and rightly so, he may have bloodied his own lip knowing that would cause chaos in our military and destroy the lives of those who captured him.  

Bottom Line:  We now prosecute our young men who are risking their life to keep us safe if a terrorist gets a bloody lip. God help us all...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,576646,00.html

J. Cogburn

Obama Promises are Worthless

Once again let's document with direct facts that show how Obama is an incompetent airhead who either can't or won't keep even his most basic promises.

Remember his second day in office?  He promised to shut down Guantanamo prison within a year.  But now he admits that won't happen.

"WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Thursday moved quickly to undo a contentious Bush administration national security program, ordering the CIA to close down secret overseas prisons and the Pentagon to close down the Guantanamo prison within a year. The president also banned the harshest interrogation methods."

Imagine, this is a military matter very much under the direct control of the Commander in Chief and yet he can't even keep his word on this.  I told you when it happened the whole thing looked like a Saturday Night Live (SNL) skit because it was done in such an amateurish fashion.  See my blog piece written at the time:  Executive Order at Guantanamo Prison

I predicted additional terrorist attacks under this weak leader and now we have had one by an operative inside the military.  Result:  13 dead and many more wounded.  Look for more attacks in the future.

Was this too tough of a promise to keep for our narrow shouldered leader?  OK... let's look at another promise.  He promised to make sure bills would be posted on the internet for several days before they would be voted on by the Congress.  Well, once again he did not keep his promise.

In short, Obama's promises are worthless!  The American people need to contact their television and radio networks and let them know that anytime this liar appears on their air they will switch channels or turn off the radio or TV completely.

Why?  Because they are tired of hearing his out and out lies and are simply refusing to hear them anymore.  They should learn through zero ratings not to cover his daily TelePrompTer reading sessions because what he says means nothing.

So now Obama is promising that if you let him manage your health care it will be cheaper with better service. As I've tried to teach in the past, when a liberal speaks all you need to know is that they are 180 degrees out of phase almost without fail.  So this means the government health care would actually be more expensive with worse service for the patients.

Really folks....  if he can't keep these much simpler promises are you going to rely on his promises regarding the health care for you and your family where life and death or pain and suffering could be involved?  If so may I suggest you visit a psychiatrist before you visit your family doctor.

Obama Admits Delay In Closing Guantanamo

J. Cogburn

Power and Stupidity

This week was proof positive the democrats in Congress are power hungry to the extreme and the republicans and simply stupid beyond belief.

First let's consider the power hungry democrats.  They would have no office or power without the Constitution which establishes the office of the President and the Congress.  Before they take office they smile while holding their right hand in the air and placing their left hand on the Bible (or is it the Koran these days?) and they swear to uphold and defend the Constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

Next they become the arch enemy of the Constitution themselves.  They could care less about the constraints placed on the federal government outlined in this marvelous document, which is the foundation for all of our laws in the United States, that has been the basis for more freedom and prosperity for more people than has ever been experienced in human history.

 In the House of Representatives they passed a health care bill this week that shows just how power hungry and insane the democrats are and also shows they will take away every spec of your liberty and freedom unless they are stopped soon.

With this bill they are saying that they have the power to force every citizen in America to buy a particular product.  And if you don't what will they do?   Fine you heavily and throw you into prison for up to 5 years... for not buying health care insurance... and only the kind they approve!

 PELOSI: Buy a $15,000 Policy or Go to Jail

JCT Confirms Failure to Comply with Democrats’ Mandate Can Lead to 5 Years in Jail

Friday, November 06, 2009

Key excerpts from the JCT letter appear below:

“H.R. 3962 provides that an individual (or a husband and wife in the case of a joint return) who does not, at any time during the taxable year, maintain acceptable health insurance coverage for himself or herself and each of his or her qualifying children is subject to an additional tax.” [page 1]

                                                         - - - - - - - - - -                                                   

“If the government determines that the taxpayer’s unpaid tax liability results from willful behavior, the following penalties could apply…” [page 2]

                                                         - - - - - - - - - -    
                                                

“Criminal penalties

Prosecution is authorized under the Code for a variety of offenses.  Depending on the level of the noncompliance, the following penalties could apply to an individual:

• Section 7203 – misdemeanor willful failure to pay is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.

• Section 7201 – felony willful evasion is punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.” [page 3]

http://republicans.waysandmeans.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=153583

The Constitution in no way gives them the authority to do anything even close to this, but they could care less.  And as long as their are enough idiots in America that are able to pull the lever for these lunatics on election day they will do as they please.  But let me guarantee you one thing.  Our standard of living will drop like a stone and our freedoms will be nothing but a distant memory.  This is not theory; it is already happening now.

Now let's deal with the incredibly stupid republicans.  With the bill as written by the democrats it could not pass even though they had an overwhelming majority.  There was an internal fight among the democrats about certain areas of the bill.  In particular, many democrats would not vote for it if it contained federal funding for abortion.  So it would have simply died in the House.

If they had a lick of sense the republicans from the very start would have made it clear the Constitution in no way authorizes them to force Americans to buy health insurance and offered no amendments or participation in the Marxist action whatsoever.  

But no, here come the dummies to the rescue!  They push an amendment to ensure there is not any federal funding for abortion and this then allows enough democrats to vote for it to put it over the top by a super slim margin.  It was so close that if 3 representatives had voted "No" instead of "Yes" then the bill would not have passed.

Now I'm against abortion on demand and I'm certainly against federal funding for abortion.  But that is not the point.  By making this change the republicans gave cover to enough democrats on the issue to vote for the bill.  As long as it is alive it is a threat to our nation.

The republicans had a chance to kill it by staying away from it, but they were simply not smart enough to do that.  So now it is up to the Senate.  Are the republicans there any smarter than they are in the House?  Don't bet the farm on it.

Folks I can't stress enough what a disaster this thing will be for Americans if it becomes law.  You will be forced to pay a large percentage of your income for health care that will be greatly diminished from what it is now.  This may be the price we all have to pay for stupidity.  Can we afford it?  No.  The final outcome will be ugly.

J. Cogburn

The Plan In Action

Did you know there are millions of people who have a plan for your life?

Well they do, and they are called liberals.  Now let's see how their plans actually work.

First, they drum up phony fears about generating electricity through nuclear power.  Next, they fight all efforts to get our own energy through drilling off shore, drilling on shore, drilling in Alaska, etc.  Instead they talk about putting up windmills that are ugly, expensive, and produce zero power when the wind is not blowing.

Then presto!  It is finally time for them to begin controlling your life directly.  

California appears poised to be first to ban power-guzzling big-screen TVs

But don't worry because it is for a good cause.  In exchange for giving up your freedom to watch the type of TV that you want you get the following:

"The payoff could be big for TV owners, said Ken Rider, a commission staff engineer. Average first-year savings from reduced electricity use would be an estimated $30 per set and $912 million statewide, he said."

Yes that's right..... you get to save $30 a year.   What a deal!

This is just another example of how liberals know much more about how you should live your life than you do.  Imagine, if left to your own devices you would be watching one of these big screen high definition TV's that are really nice to watch, especially for sports and nature programs, and wasting $30 per year.  

Fortunately the liberals are going to put a stop to all this wasteful spending... and believe me,  they know about wasteful spending.  Next stop on the complete government control tour;  health care.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-bigtvs14-2009oct14,0,4908205.story

J. Cogburn

New and Important Development

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Judge Confirms Eligibility Trial to Proceed

I just received a call from Orly Taitz, my attorney in the case seeking proof of Obama's eligibility for the Office of President of the United States. Judge Carter has release a statement declaring that the dates he set for the hearing and trial on the eligibility issue are confirmed, and it will move forward as scheduled. Apparently he was not swayed by the Obama lawyer's arguments.

Could it be that a judge will have backbone enough to actually uphold the Constitution and demand Obama produce a certified copy of his birth certificate?  If so there will be one of two questions Obama needs to answer...

1.  Since your birth certificate says you were born in Hawaii, why did you spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on lawyers to keep from showing a certified birth certificate that you could have produced for $15 if in fact you were legal?  (Since his father was not a US citizen he actually cannot meet the natural born citizen clause in the Constitution anyway but they will ignore that and declare victory if his actual birth certificate shows he was born in Hawaii).

2.  Why did you commit the biggest fraud in American history? 

3. Will you be willing to grant interviews while you are serving your well deserved prison term?

4. Will you have William Ayers write another book for you about your sorry life that lists you

as the author?

These are important questions if we are to take the law seriously in this country.

If not we are now officially a banana republic and this will become more apparent as time goes on.

http://loyaltoliberty.blogspot.com/

J. Cogburn

Debtors Revolt - Interesting Video

This lady is revolting against Bank of America and I'm cheering her on!

Even though I am a big believer in the free market, I also believe in a few common sense rules to govern our society too.  

I do not believe financial institutions in America should be able to charge more than 15% interest on anything at anytime.  If they can't make the loan for that then don't make the loan. If they can't issue a credit card for that then don't issue the credit card. The average person would be better off not getting a loan than getting one with a very high interest rate....guaranteed.

And what has this lady upset is something I've said long ago is simply immoral in my opinion.  Even though she has paid her credit card bill on time for years they suddenly decided to jack up her interest rate to 30%.  I don't care if they put it in the fine print; it should not be allowed!  

This is something that some of the democrats have been more interested in than Republicans, but that is OK with me.  I'm always interested in what is the right thing to do for our country and our citizens, not which party supports it.  But it just so happens that modern day democrats normally support things that take us further from the Constitution and Freedom so I oppose them most of the time.

Under the Constitution the Federal government actually has authority to be involved in Interstate Commerce.  They have abused this power terribly, and pretend that it gives them the right to regulate everything, but because of the nature of credit cards this I think would be a legitimate area for them to be involved in, especially if it was ensuring usury rates were not being charged to consumers.

See the Video

After you watch the video take a look at some background on how the credit card companies are sidestepping the usury laws at:

Article on Sidestepping Usury Laws

J. Cogburn

Bankruptcy Stats Not in Speech

Did you notice Obama forgot to mention the latest bankruptcy stats in his speech to a Joint Session of Congress this week?

What he did say was this:

"But thanks to the bold and decisive action we have taken since January, I can stand here with confidence and say that we have pulled this economy back from the brink."

However, an article the next day says this:

Nationally, individual Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings jumped 73 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, according to the National Bankruptcy Research Center, a research firm in Burlingame, Calif.

So far this year, more Chapter 11 non-business cases have been filed in Middle Tennessee than all of last year, according to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Middle District of Tennessee. Thirty-nine personal Chapter 11 cases have been filed in 2009, compared with 11 by this time last year.

Somebody is a liar... is it Obama or the author of this article?

Bankruptcy Article

J. Cogburn

Fellow Human Beings

Recently my Canadian friend sent me the following message...

"You tell me a young girl shots and kills a man as if it was something that a normal US citizen can do and get a good night sleep after doing a good job killing a fellow human being. Something is very wrong with you." 

My response.....

Here is a story about some of our "fellow human beings" here in the US.  

I say society and this poor girl would have been much better off if the girl or someone else had shot this SOB right between the eyes when he was trying to kidnap her.  What do you say Phil?

PLACERVILLE, Calif. – Joyous, miraculous news that a little girl kidnapped nearly two decades ago was found alive gave way Thursday to the horrifying details of how police say she has lived all those years: kept in captivity by a convicted rapist in his backyard and forced to bear two of his children.

Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was 11 in 1991 when she was snatched from her school bus stop, was locked away from the outside world behind a series of fences, sheds and tents in the back of a suburban home.

Her abductor, investigators said, raped her and fathered two children with her, the first when Jaycee was about 14. Those children, both girls now 11 and 15, also were kept hidden away in the backyard compound.

"None of the children have ever been to school, they've never been to a doctor," El Dorado County Undersheriff Fred Kollar said. "They were kept in complete isolation in this compound."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090828/ap_on_re_us/us_kidnapped_girl_found

J. Cogburn

What Would a Judge Say?

Suppose you made a claim in court.  Then a judge says the claim must be validated by showing the court a certified copy of a legal document issued by the state that we'll call a "Type A document".

To satisfy this, you tell the judge to look at a "Type B document" on the internet.  The document was not presented to the court by the state or even by you; it was simply an image out on a web page.  In addition, the judge required the document to be Type A and the web page has an image of Type B.

What would be the judge's reaction?  You most likely would be held in contempt of court, fined, and probably thrown in jail.

Yet this is what Obama has done.  His Certificate of Birth shown on the internet is not a Birth Certificate.  And yet this is the proof he has given regarding his claim to be a natural born citizen even though we know his father was from Kenya and that he attended Muslim schools in outside the country in his youth.  

Only a fool would accept an image of a document on a web page as absolute and legal proof of anything.  Yet all the fools of this nation and Obama Kool-Aid drinkers are doing just that.

Perhaps our CIA officers, who they now want to prosecute for protecting our country after 9/11, could refer the court to document images they have posted on the internet when asked for any documents that were created during their interrogations.  To follow the Obama precedent, when asked about interrogation documents they could post school term papers on a web page and have the judge take a look and see that the term papers confirm they did not conduct an illegal interrogation.

J. Cogburn