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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

South African Redistribution Failing

News from The Associated Press

No matter how well intentioned, or how deserved, confiscation and redistribution never works. Every couple of generations we have to relearn the lesson. Overreacting to prior injustice only creates more injustice. It usually results in poverty and even starvation. Just ask the Zimbabwean farmers who cannot get diesel fuel for their tractors, or seeds for their crop from their Government while their children starve.

"...under God, with Liberty and Justice for all" is the only answer.

DOJ Sues to Block AT&T/T-Mobile Merger

Justice Department Files Antitrust Lawsuit to Block AT&T’s Acquisition of T-Mobile

The DOJ is suing to stop the AT&T acquisition of T-Mobile. AT&T and T-Mobile have been running ads promoting their positions on the merger and the advantages to mobile customers of both companies. AT&T customers in particular will benefit from T-Mobile's excess system capacity. T-Mobile will benefit by receiving value for that capacity.

I don't think AT&T has any chance to win this dispute. During the historic DOJ v Microsoft dispute, I interviewed a DOJ representative and was told the primary criteria for pursuit of an anti-trust case was the numbers. The number of competitors in a market before the proposed change and the number afterwards. If the change reduced the number of competitors, then a lawsuit would be pursued. Period.

I guess AT&T and T-Mobile made the same mistake Gibson Guitars did - not enough campaign contributions to the appropriate people and not enough support for Unions. At least they haven't been raided - yet.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

DOJ at War with American Business

India import led to probe at 2 Tenn. Gibson Guitar plants » The Commercial Appeal

The American Government is at war with successful American Business. Until Petroleum, Lumber, Mining and Animal utilization are non-existent in America, the eco-terrorists and their supporters in the Government will stay on the rampage.

The DOJ raided the Gibson Guitar factory for wood imported under the auspices of the Indian Government and the US Customs Service. Gibson maintains that the DOJ is interpreting Indian law more strictly than the Indian Government. Hard to do business when you are in compliance, yet still a target as the result of capricious interpretation.

I must refer again to "3 Felonies a Day" in which the outrageous abuses of Federal power are documented ad nauseum. Required reading to fully understand the lopsided Federal enforcement situation we are in. Otherwise you risk, like Gibson Guitars, being blindsided by the abusive persecutorial practices of the Feds.

I'm afraid Gibson has little hope. The Feds will dog them until they are gone. Once you are on their radar, you're done. They provide weapons to the Mexican drug cartels that are used to murder Border Agents, lie, impede the investigation and cover up those facts - then put an iconic American Company out of business for SUPPOSED violations for importing wood.

Quick, get your Les Paul now - they may not be around for long. Just be careful, they could be deemed illegal and you will end up like Gibson Guitars!

Very, very troubling...

Friday, August 12, 2011

There is Hope - Post Hope and Change

The 11th Circuit Court has ruled against the Obama administration and it's health care legislation. There is REAL hope in this era of "hope and change". This isn't the final word, but is an important step in the process of undoing one of the most damaging legislative actions in decades.

Thank goodness Obama's public popularity is so low and going lower. I believe that this decision would likely have been different if he was still fantastically popular like he was right after he took office. The bloom is off the rose, his humanity is confirmed (as opposed to his messianic promise) and reality is being imposed. Not nearly as much fun for the immature progressive, but far less damaging for the country and it's citizens.

The Government vs US

The  S&P rightly drew much criticism for not being aggressive enough with the ratings downgrade of Wall Street firms, banks, mortgage and money management and investment firms prior to the crash of '08.

3 years later they are being targeted for making an even bigger mistake - learning from that lesson in '08 and not repeating it now just because the subject of the downgrade is the US Government.

As the result of that mistake, the S&P is now the target of an investigation by the SEC to uncover whether any insider training occurred as the result of prior knowledge of that impending downgrade. I have no idea whether there are insider trading issues or not. I suspect that S&P personnel knew they would have to be squeaky clean on this deal, because the downgrade would create such a furor. I also know that the Feds have incredible latitude in prosecution and once you are on their radar it is nearly guaranteed you will be gotten if they want to get you. Just read "Three Felonies a Day" by Harvey A. Silverglate. It's a chilling expose of the realities of the incredible ongoing abuses of the Federal prosecutorial system.

Kudos to S&P for having a spine. It's something we're finding more and more rare these days, particularly in our Nation's centers of power and wealth. The King has no clothes and pity on him who is brave enough or foolish enough to say so. I pray it doesn't earn them vengeful persecution. If I had to place a bet, I'd say it will. I hope I'm wrong.

Maybe Obama IS the Great Uniter!

Beware! VERY rough language. I didn't embed the video because of that, but I could not have expressed my frustration any better.  This video should be the theme to Election 2012. Imagine - Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh... AND Felonious Munk all on the same page! I love it! Maybe Obama IS the great uniter after all.

Saturday, August 06, 2011

Warnings of Thomas Jefferson

Here's a random collection of Thomas Jefferson quotes. Eerily pertinent, aren't they. True wisdom is never obsolete.
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." 


"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. 
A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world."


"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government." 


"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."


"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."


"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." 


"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."


"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."