HOW DEEPLY EMBEDDED COLLECTIVISM?

(Note: This picture of the Firestone / Loray Mill is poor quality, but is from our local newspaper, The Gaston Gazette.  The small building in the front is the former office space of the mill and though you can't see it terribly well, the roof of that building is falling in badly.  The large building also has a tower in front of it, not shown here, that has a Firestone insignia on it. The large building is approx. 600,000 sq. ft.  Hope you like it because you are now paying to renovate this thing for "mixed use" development on the government dime.)

I've been sidetracked for the last couple of weeks.  I got involved in a local dialogue over "Economic Development" with some Commissioners and friends.  God, love them.  What deeds people do in the name of "good" never ceases to amaze me.  It is really hard to argue with people who are completely convinced that doing the wrong thing is justified because it will make some people happy.  

There is a part of our town that is under the shadow of an old textile mill.  It was once a hive of manufacturing activity and mill houses where workers lived.  Since textile manufacturing was decimated here by "free trade" policies, that section of town has fallen on hard times.  (Contextually, we have all fallen on fairly hard times, but those in this area had less cushion to fall on.)  A huge mill stands empty and neglected.  It was owned by Firestone who would have torn it down, but for the vociferous objections of the "Historic Preservation - North Carolina" crowd.  Firestone ended up donating the Mill building to "Historic Preservation - North Carolina for a tax credit just to avoid the smears.  Plus, the building is in such dilapidated shape that no buyers could be found.  Just tearing it down would be quite expensive. The building is so huge that 3000 people used to work there.  That is big.  But its claim to fame is that in 1929 a Communist union uprising took place against the owners of the mill.  Riots and shootings occurred and before it was over, the Sheriff was murdered and a middle aged female operative for the unions was also shot and killed.   This uprising was famous across the country. 

Sympathies for this mill and its history are prevalent in this town on several levels, not for the ownership or the thriving private enterprise factor, but for the working class and for the union uprising.  The grown children of former workers are all bent out of shape to save the mill because their parents worked there.  The derogatory name of "Lint Head" has become a badge of honor.  The work they did, once looked down upon, is now heralded.  After all, when someone puts their work into something, it is a matter of pride.  Understandable.  Totally.  But the union uprising is Communist at its core.  Many people here do not understand that or don't care about that.  

Back to "Economic Development"......

We are now looking at a collectivist's dream.  Years of begging and pleading with various government agencies have resulted in a HUD / FHA guaranteed loan ($34-39 million) to a private developer , city commitments to lease 20,000 sq. ft., and our county doing the same for another 20,000 sq. ft.  The State of NC already granted Historic status to the building which relieves the property taxes by half.  So, we are looking at 4 levels of government subsidies to renovate this one building.  The surrounding area is known for crime, prostitution, drugs, and lower economic class homes.  It's sad.  Without government intervention, we are told, this area will remain blighted.  (Critics of the project are betting it will be Section 8 subsidized housing before this is all over.)  So our good intentioned government officials have all buckled under pressure and the entire city, county, state, and feds will take up the sword to save this area of town.  Hmmmm.....last I looked, that means you and me and everyone.  Our taxes are committed to saving the Firestone / Loray Mill, whether we wanted to or not.

If this were just one instance, it might be viewed as an anomaly, but it isn't.  Every town in America now has an "Economic Development" office that is a quasi-government agency combined with private sector interests.  Our city and county have committed our taxes to many of these "Economic Development" schemes.  We have bought land and given it away.  We have spent money on site preparation.  We have forgiven taxes.  We have given utility credits.  We have guaranteed loans.  In short, we in the private sector are forced to prop up certain chosen business ventures collectively.  Just like Solyndra at the Federal level, this situation is occurring every day all over the country.  We are on the hook.  All of us.  While we get poorer, the chosen few run away laughing all the way to the bank.  Our bank.  Taking our money.  And politicians just keep doing this, over and over again at all levels of government.  I can label this as Fascism or Communism.  Either way, it isn't the American way of life as I know it is supposed to be.  It is tragic, frankly.

So how collectivist are we today?  Deeply embedded.  Somehow government has given itself permission to steal from all to favor the few.  Who are these people?   They have convinced themselves collectivism is O.K., as long as it is for "Economic Development?"  

The officials who spoke to me about this latest instance told me the goal is to "increase the tax base."  They say this will prevent tax increases on the public.  Really.  Really?  But after years of this insane methodology, have taxes reduced?  Not at all.  Or have debts increased? By quite a lot.   And is "increasing the tax base" the proper function of government?  Not in my Constitutional handbook.  Yep, they are increasing the tax base alright.  Getting more from you and me and everyone else ...sucking the golden goose dry. 

OBAMA IS A COMMUNIST? GEE, WHO KNEW?

Note:  I started to write this a few days ago, and then I sort of got stuck.  I felt I was stating the obvious to those who read here.  My blogger friends are up on all of this Obama / Communist connection anyway.  And then the Colorado madman shooting happened.  And in between other things, I have been drawn into another local issue of more proposed spending for another "public private partnership."  So please excuse the delay. And excuse my stating the obvious, but I don't think we can state it often enough, that Obama is a Communist of heart and mind and we are now at the mercy of powers with diabolical goals, means, and methods that have taken over our governments at most levels. 

I want to start with this quote found at Republican Mother 

"The drive of the Rockefellers and their allies is to create a one-world government combining supercapitalism and Communism under the same tent, all under their control.... Do I mean conspiracy? Yes I do. I am convinced there is such a plot, international in scope, generations old in planning, and incredibly evil in intent."

Congressman Larry P. McDonald, 1976, killed in the Korean Airlines 747 that was shot down by the Soviets

 Before Andrew Breitbart died, he announced his mission, leading up to the Nov. election, was to vet Barack Obama.  I don't think I will ever believe that Breibart's death was a convenient event of "natural causes" or just a fluke of timing with a "heart attack."  But no one will ever prove what happened.  Now some truth seekers are left doing the work that Andrew started. 

Lately we are hearing a lot about Obama's background with Communist parents and a Communist mentor, Frank Marshall Davis.  As the public has been left misinformed and misled about Obama's past, leaving his history to circumspection and inuendo, some very good authors and researchers have been uncovering very interesting pieces of Obama's upbringing.   I say "interesting," but "tragic" would be a better word.  Tragic for the American people, not for Obama.

A good bit of this information was revealed (to those who paid any attention) before the 2008 election.  Mass media outlets scorned any mention of Bill Ayers and the Rev. Wright, calling such connections "racist" or ridiclous.  People who said those connections meant anything regarding Obama's character were ridiculed and blown off by arrogant paid operatives and mass media sycophants in love with the Obamas and their act.  So O.K...we know all of that now.

From Joe McCarthy to Joe Wurzelbacher, the alarm bells have been going off in this nation for a long time.  But Communists have used the tool of ridicule to put off their critics.  It's their modus operendi.  When Obama said, "I just want to spread the wealth around," the media made excuses and pretended Obama didn't really mean what he said.  Instead, they said he just wanted to "level the playing field" ...and oh, it's just a little bit of Socialism.  Nothing to see here, just move right along.

What is different now?  Nothing for the Obamas.  Nothing for mass media.  But now, after this past 3 + years of shoving Socialist / Communist / Fascist programs and policies down our throats, more people are noticing they can't ignore the truth so easily.

It took more than a lying media to bring us here. It took some fancy footwork and a lot of money to infiltrate our government and its agencies with Communists.  And it didn't happen overnight.  It took decades to bring us a Manchurian (or should I say Muslim) Communist for President of the United States.

Obama's personal story is both vague and clear at the same time.  It is clear in its deliberate vagueness.  His mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, was a card carrying Communist.  He taught Obama well.  Both of Obama's supposed parents were Communists.  His grandparents were Communists.  Bill Ayers wrote Obama's biography.  Bill Ayers' family had something to do with Obama's Chicago connections and funding of his education.  There is nothing in Obama's background that qualifies him for his political access to elected offices, neither as Senator or as President.  The administration he has created is more likely created by Valerie Jarrett and other Communists calling the shots.  Obama is a well oiled machine, a manufactured tool.  He was set on us with cooperation from anti-American forces of great wealth and power.  Under the radar.  Behind the scenes.  Some of those anti-American forces have been operating within the United States for decades, even generations of them.  We landed here in this day and time, not by accidental actions of stupidity, but by deliberate control by masters of the universe. 

Col. Allen West is blowing the whistle on Congress.  He reports the truth that 79 to 81 people in Congress are connected to the Socialist or Communist Parties.  I blogged about this a couple of years ago.  But has our news media ever made a case on this?  Nah...nothing to see here.  Just move right along.  Now the Soros attack machine is going after Col. West.  You see, you don't tell the public any of the truth without a great measure of risk to your life and your position.  

Dateline: July 2012

Our nation is under siege from within by domestic enemies.  There are now many of them.  The attacks have been gradual but relentless for many decades.  Our rights have been whittled away and are under great threat. We are about to be overwhelmed.

What are we going to do about it?

Does this sound familiar? (From the Declaration of Independence, for those who don't know.)

  “He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.”

 

    “He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers, to harass our people, and eat out their substance.”

 One king did that.  Now we have a swarm of would be Kings, building fiefdoms within fiefdoms within our nation.  Earls, and Lords, and not so real Ladies.  We have a fraudulent King in our White House.  We are reliving the medieval days of history, where perpetual wars consume our military and where power is taken from the individual and handed back to the arrogance of self-proclaimed royalty.  It is systemic and widespread. 

If  I were to leave but one post on my blog to reflect my observations of the moment we find ourselves living, this one is it.  One issue at a time is a tough slog, though must be undertaken with our best efforts.  However, simultaneously, we must realize the bigger picture.  The solution to our situation is not small. The solution requires major action from freedom fighters across the nation.   And the first major action is to call out the truth.  The truth is long over-due.   

The first truth that must be called out loud and clear is that this President is a Communist and a fraud.  This truth needs to be exposed daily by every single citizen and thrown in the faces of media and elected officials.  The next truth is to expose every complicit official, elected or appointed, and demand they be thrown out.  The third truth is that every un-Constitutional regulation and law must be wiped clean and erased from this nation at all levels. 


We suffer from lies, fraud, and global Communists, or we emerge free again by speaking the truth to undeserved and unholy powers.  What is it going to be?

Fr. Andrew was invited to lead the opening prayer at the 2012 Colorado Republican State Assembly and Convention in the Magness Arena at the University of Denver. “The moral challenges facing our country are not caused by political affiliation, but rather by attacks on religious freedom”. He invites all people of conscience to uphold religious freedom. Hw gives a rousing talk on what has happened to the world under the name of Socialism.

Go to about the two-minute mark to reach his remarks and past his opening prayer.

Hat tip to my friend at Bunkervillefor this great video of inspiration.

 (One last note:  I use the word Communist, not lightly, but today's Communism (under the name Socialism) contains variations of Fascism,  using whatever method can be used to circumvent and shred the United States Constitution.  What we have is a combination of anything but upholding rights of liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness for individuals.)
 

DODO BIRDS IN AMERICAN EDUCATION

Here is what you need to worry about.  Now that the Dodos of Climate Change have been proven wrong and their prizes for "science" are all bunk and rubbish, what do they do next?  Answer:  Ignore facts and indoctrinate the heck out of everyone, man, woman, and child in the country.

The Dodos are not going away, unfortunately...extinct though they may be.  Someone has forgotten to tell them their bone-headed ideas don't fly.  (The Dodo was a flightless bird after all.)  No, they just keep showing up with more bunk and rubbish.

The bad news is this garbage about Climate Change has been flooding the school systems thanks to the Federal Core Curriculum requirements and even state and local indoctrinaires on the subject.  So our children are growing up with abject, foul lies.  It's deeper than just the bogus climate science lies.  The system is full of lovely "Sustainability" indoctrination.  (Straight from the Agenda 21 handbook) Remember Race To The Top?  That much ballyhooed program that was supposed to elevate the quality of education in America?  Guess what?  It wasn't about education.  It was about indoctrination. Have you heard of S.T.E.M.?  It is sold as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.  Yet,  turns out it is nothing other than another arm of "Sustainable" indoctrination for turning our students into global Marxists.

I'm a little late getting into this education subject, but found this today and here are some excerpts:

The Greening of the Department of Education: Secretary Duncan's Remarks at the Sustainability Summit

September 21, 2010

"Through the Race to the Top and other programs, we've unleashed an avalanche of pent-up reform activity across the states and literally thousands of districts."

Historically, the Department of Education hasn't been doing enough in the sustainability movement. Today, I promise you that we will be a committed partner in the national effort to build a more environmentally literate and responsible society."
"But this Education Department is just getting started in this important work. It's been clear for a decade or more that education plays a vital role in the sustainability movement. In 1996, President Clinton's task force on sustainable development issued its goals. One of them stated that all Americans should have access to lifelong learning opportunities so they will understand the concepts involved in sustainable development."
"This week's sustainability summit represents the first time that the Department is taking a taking a leadership role in the work of educating the next generation of green citizens and preparing them to contribute to the workforce through green jobs. President Obama has made clean, renewable energy a priority because, as he says, it's the best way to "truly transform our economy, to protect our security, and save our planet."

And by the way, the U.S. Green Building Council is involved as well.  

"The U.S. Green Building Council is working with school districts and universities to incorporate green technology into schools."  

 You know that has to be good.  Nevermind that the U.S. Green Building Council only promotes the International Code Council regulations for American buildings.

So what does all of that mean?  Well, let's see who is training the teachers to implement this Race To The Top indoctrination plan.

Kim Rakow Bernier is the Outreach Director at a nonprofit organization called Facing the Future (www.facingthefuture.org) and the Co-Chair of the K-12 and Teacher Education Sector of the U.S. Partnership for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (www.uspartnership.org). She has facilitated over 200 professional development workshops and keynote presentations on integrating global sustainability into the K-12 classroom at conventions including ASCD, American Association of School Administrators, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, National Council for the Social Studies, and National Science Teachers Association. 

 And what does she have to teach teachers who teach students?

Excerpt:

"For example, of course a beef patty comes from a cow, but there are many steps in between the cow and the burger“ the grass and grain used for feed, the water needed to produce that feed, the fertilizers and pesticides used on the grazing land, the slaughterhouse, the transportation of the beef to a restaurant, the energy to heat the stove to cook the burger, and so on. Students are asked to think about impacts, both positive and negative, of each of the processes, products, and technologies along the way. After their diagrams are complete, students then brainstorm creative ways to reduce their footprint related to a cheeseburger. They come up with all kinds of ideas including eating organic beef, eating smaller patties or fewer burgers per week, informing themselves and others about the beef industry and its impacts, and making their own cheeseburgers. Through this exercise, students are unpacking their connections to the cheeseburger on their plate and finding tangible ways that they can make both small and large impacts on economic, social, and environmental issues."

 Well, O.K.  Let's make sure the kids lower their carbon footprint and consider every step of food process before they sit down to eat.  Now that will certainly put a damper on one's appetite.  Not that all of that knowledge is horrible, but really...do you need to tell every child they have to consider every aspect of producing and eating a cheeseburger or they will be killing the planet?  Yes, according the Federal Common Core Curriculum.  I wonder if Bill Clinton thought about all of that when he was eating all of those cheeseburgers?  Hmmmm....

Here is one from a "Sustainability Math Lesson."  The teacher relates her method here:  

"She developed a unit on habitat to provide a context to teach math skills like area and transformations. Her students explored the concept of habitat as they calculated areas of various habitats around the world for the endangered snow leopard and reflected on ways to support the survival of endangered species.  This lesson also had an unexpected geography connection as they located snow leopard habitats on a world map."

 I guess you have to include endangered species into a math lesson, otherwise a student might think math would have something to do with manufacturing a product or some other tragic consequence.  I'm sure that will make a huge difference to figuring out how much gasoline costs to drive 30 miles in an obsolete car.  You won't be able to drive out of your neighborhood, but you sure as heck will know where the snow leopard lives and how many of them exist.  Hmmmm.....again.

So there you have it.  The Dodos are in charge of teaching our students how "unsustainable" their lifestyles are and how they better shape up or they will be extinct as ....well...as Dodos.  Thank you so much Bill Clinton and Arne Duncan for taking over our classrooms so the world will not fry itself out of existence with the help of human beings.  I'll bet Bill Clinton has no idea where the snow leopard lives or how many cheeseburgers he has eaten in his lifetime. 

A friend of mine wrote me these words in an email this morning:

"Marx could only dream of this level of indoctrination, Lenin worked for it,
Stalin killed for it and the Hitler Youth stand supreme and alone as to what
happens when education is propaganda and indoctrination."

LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT'S IN IT

As this week has progressed since the Roberts ruling that Obamacare is a tax, many aspects of the 2700 page misnamed Affordable Healthcare Act have come to light.  Some people may be just fine with the idea that we are all taxed to pay for universal health care.  Those same people probably think the government is a benevolent benefactor of all that is good in the world. Those same people probably think collectivist government programs come cheap.  Since our Federal government is currently $16 Trillion in debt, not including the unfunded liabilities of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security,  I have a large bridge in Arizona to sell to those people.  Obamacare does nothing to eliminate those liabilities.  To the contrary, Obamacare exacerbates the situation exponentially.

The Justice Roberts' ruling should have said "TAXES" as in plural, not just "TAX."  There are 21 taxes imbedded into the Obamacare law.  You will be paying taxes on the insurance policy provided by your employer.  You will be paying extra taxes on any investment gains; any profit on the sale of your home will be taxed at 3.8%, capital gains taxes will increase to 43.8%, medical devices such as hip replacements or pace-makers will be taxed a 2.3% excise tax.

Beyond the taxes, there is a very interesting goody that involves the payment and tracking system being developed to implement universal health care.  Consider the fact that the IRS is the collections agency for Obamacare.  Consider the fact that Obamacare requires a  National Medical Database, covering every person in the country.  Then ask yourself just how would the IRS connect to the National Medical Database to know who paid and for what?  Welcome to the Brave New World.  

Within the ACA bill, that supposedly no one read and not one Republican voted to pass, are some interesting permissions, directions, and funding methods.  The funding and permission is made available for RFID chips in all implantable devices.  A Class II implantable device is described as something like a pace-maker, a hip replacement, or any other mechanical device implanted into the human body for medical reasons.  This also includes drug releasing devices.  Assuming the information on the RFID chip is merely information for your Dr. to follow the effectiveness of a device, one might think this is just a ducky idea.  But (Positive ID (formerly Verichip) and several other chip manufacturers have more in mind than just your health.  In the case of implantable devices, the price just went up. It's about the money and the mandates, not just the taxes. 

Even if RFID chips are not implanted into humans directly and quickly, RFID chips are going to be imbedded into any medical ID card you will be required to carry.  Those RFID chips are going to link to the insurance companies and the Federal government database to divulge payment information and access to your bank accounts.  Who will your Doctor be working for?  You or the insurance providers?  You or the Federal government?  Your Doctor is no longer hired by you. 

Like your driver's licenses, this medical ID card will carry new bio-metric ID information about you as well, possibly your entire medical history on a micro-dot.  As we know, technologies can be wonderful tools to help our lives.  But, the smart phone you love that connects you with your friends and family can be used as a bomb detonator. The RFID chip that connects every last one of us to the Federal government under Obamacare will grant the IRS immediate access to your bank accounts. 

From Forbes

"The Mercatus Center at George Mason University recently reported that about one-third of American households received Medicaid, food stamps or some other means-tested program in 2010.  Add in Medicare, Social Security and unemployment and nearly half of all households are getting a government check.
ObamaCare dramatically expands that number.  Medicaid coverage will go to an estimated 16 million more Americans.  There are health insurance subsidies for those in the exchanges with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level ($92,000 for a family of four), which is about 75 percent of all U.S. households.  We don’t know yet how many Americans will take advantage of the exchanges, but it likely will be millions — especially if employers start dropping their coverage."

 As usual it all starts out with a benign sales pitch for your protection, plus a play on your sympathies for those poor disenfranchised who supposedly didn't have access to healthcare.  Those same poor disenfranchised people are still free riders.  The indigent will not pay for this.  They can't.   Illegal immigrants who were using the emergency rooms as health care are still not going to be turned away.  They will just be more thoroughly subsidized.

While you are contemplating this wonderful Brave New World and what was in the bill, you might also remember that the same people who voted this monstrosity into your life, made themselves immune to it.  They are not included.

IT'S BOTH A MANDATE AND A TAX...SO STOP THE SEMANTIC BICKERING

Out here in the hinterland of realityville, I am really sorry to see this argument over whether Obamacare is a mandate or a tax.  For crying out loud, folks.  It is a "mandated" tax on a "mandated" activity, and/or non-activity.  Got that?  Yeah, me, too.  So it is both, is it not?

First, every citizen (except those favored who got waivers) is required to have health insurance under Obamacare.  Bingo. That is a MANDATE!  Next, as I have read the last few days in several credible articles, citizens are required to pay taxes on their newly mandated insurance policies.  Bingo.  It is a TAX.  

If it isn't a tax, then why is the IRS tasked with collections?  If it isn't a mandate, then why must we all comply with this gross exaggeration of government power?  If it is a penalty for inaction....oh wait a minute....now that is both a "fine" and a mandate. 

So Romney sides with Kennedy and Scalia and says it is a mandate, not a tax? Quote from The Hill  And the Obama administration says it is a mandate, not a tax?  The Chicago Tribune   And the Chief Justice Roberts (or is that the Dread Pirate Roberts?) says it is a tax, not a mandate? I can just see that argument in the national presidential debates.  Romney: "It's a mandate."  Obama: "It's a mandate."  

 Man in Black: All right. Where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink, and find out who is right... and who is dead.
Vizzini : But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet or his enemy's? Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

Oh, so they both agree with each other, but disagree with the Dread Pirate Roberts?  "No, no, it's a tax!"

(Westley: Roberts had grown so rich, he wanted to retire. He took me to his cabin and he told me his secret. 'I am not the Dread Pirate Roberts' he said. 'My name is Ryan; I inherited the ship from the previous Dread Pirate Roberts, just as you will inherit it from me. The man I inherited it from is not the real Dread Pirate Roberts either. His name was Cummerbund. The real Roberts has been retired 15 years and living like a king in Patagonia.'
Fezzik: [pretending to be the Dread Pirate Roberts] My men are here! I am here! But soon *you* will not be here! )

Is your head spinning yet?  I think we are dealing with Rodents of Unusual Size about now.  Death panels soon to follow.

Westley: Where am I?
The Albino : [raspy voice] The Pit of Despair! Don't even think...
[clears throat]
The Albino : ... don't even think about trying to escape. The chains are far too thick. Don't dream of being rescued, either; the only way in is secret. Only the Prince, the Count, and I know how to get in and out.
Westley : So I'm here till I die?
The Albino : Until they kill you, yeah.
Westley : Then why bother curing me?
The Albino : Well, the Prince and Count always insist on everyone being healthy before they're broken.
Westley : So it's to be torture?
The Albino : [nods enthusiastically]
Westley : I can cope with torture.
The Albino : [shakes head enthusiastically]
Westley : Don't believe me?
The Albino : You survived the Fire Swamp, so you must be very brave, but no one withstands The Machine. 

(I love "The Princess Bride." I guess you can see that now.)  You can laugh while they are killing you, and me, and oh, the nation, too.  Bickering will get us everywhere...just ask Obama!