A pattern where a man hits, threatens, verbally assaults, intimidates, bullies, confines, pimps or otherwise controls a women by violence is that of a misogynist sadist, and should be considered under the law of justice just as any other violent  crime with special dispensation as a hate crime.

A man who participates by acknowledging said crime without rendering the perpetrator to justice; who promotes alleged crime by seeking to confine the victim to this role under subliminal or overt  threat of loss of Christian or other religious redemption is also guilty.

I’m no lawyer, but that’s what I think. Read what the New Agenda is saying HERE.

By the way, I would say the same for any abusive paring of this nature.

If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). 

If you are in an abusive relationship and reading this post, don’t forget THIS.

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, Just Say No Deal, The New Agenda, 4ERA, 51 Percent

Light a Candle.

Breaking News from ABCNEWS.com:

Israeli ground forces cross into Gaza, Israeli defense officials say

abcnews.go.com?CMP=EMC-1396

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, Just Say No Deal, The New Agenda, 4ERA, 51 Percent

Politico.com Breaking News:

—————————————————–

Denver Public Schools chief Michael Bennet has been chosen to replace Ken Salazar in the Senate.

http://www.politico.com

Wikipedia does not yet have page for him. A link for his bio at the Denver Public Schools Communications Office is HERE.

PUMA, The New Agenda, 4ERA, 51 Percent

-UPDATE-

I ‘m still fumbling around trying to get the link with logo onto my site. However, if you haven’t seen HL’s newest effort yet, go over to the new 51 Percent site HERE.

What Heidi Li SAID about Liberalism.

I Own My Vote, PUMA, 51 Percent, Just Say No Deal, The New Agenda, 4ERA

One PUMA’s thoughts about 2009

I do not have time to dally about whether the word “Feminist” is still correct. Suffice to say that I believe it is. That Governor Palin could call herself one, and Michelle Obama had trouble, shows the issue is not one of a leftist usurpation. Feminists right, left or in the middle, cannot cut off other feminists who support parallel position’s. Though I do not agree with Republican views of abortion, or their view of fiscal management or even their idea of care for the disadvantaged, I do find common ground on misogyny, and caucus fraud, election reform, and media bias.

Likewise, though I was outraged at NARAL’s actions, eventually upset with NOW, and disappointed by Steinem’s references to Palin, they are still democratic sisters. They made their best electoral choice. Most of their views are mine.

The problem, as I see it, is not our agreement; it’s how we got here, to this place, as PUMAs.  To move forward, we must focus; “keep our eyes on the prize”. Then, it’s the methods in how we move forward.

Misogyny and the ERA

The final answer to misogyny is the passage of the ERA. We must pass it. Without it we do not have a uniform set of rules with which to fight. It will not protect against all forms of sexual bias, but it will provide a basis for beginning. Therefore, we must promote it and work for passage. Until women are entitled to equality under the law, any redress to grievances will be puny, capricious and flagellating.

The 51% solution.

To seek, as Heidi Li promotes, that at least 51% of our representatives be women, is a quest for proportionality. To address part of the proportional answer is to understand first that Black and Hispanic men are not underrepresented in the House of Representatives. By US population demographics, they are overly represented. Black and Hispanic women are the missing governing body. In fact, the man-woman disconnect here is pretty striking. Though these men are  underrepresented in the Senate; the ratio of senators to population is: .07 for Black men (if you include Obama, or Burris), .20 for Hispanics, and .21 for women. Even here though, with no women senators who are Black, or Hispanic; the dearth is a a great silence. Consider also that to gain parity, Black men need 6 more men, Hispanic men need 4, while women of all flavors need 40. Even if we were to gain 10 women, every four years, in each election season, it would take another 16 years.

ALL women are vastly underrepresented, along with Native Americans, Alaskan Inuit, and some smaller groups. Asians may be also, but are mixed as a demographic group with Pacific Islanders, so that data point is a little muddy. We must review our alliances, and consider how best to advance our cause. So far, Jesse Jackson Sr. is the voice I have heard. Howard Dean has spoken, and while we have wondered over his intent, we must consider whether in fact, he has provided an opportunity toward discourse.  Even Carville’s lack of understanding, as the New Agenda has noted, is a chance for for education. We need to educate, even while we battle those who know but do not want change.

Women on the left, like me, worked hard for Affirmative Action in the sixties and seventies.  It was a joined struggle to get underrepresented groups jobs, equal pay, and freedom from discrimination. The programs that supported this cause were not without faults, but they do show that change can happen. We must start today, if we are to change the future.

Election Reform

We must seek resolution with our sisters on the left. Why for example, have we not taken Gloria Allred’s offer to look at our examples of election deformities? If we truly believe a wrong was committed we must seek legal redress. I know that Clinton’s campaign was rebuffed in this attempt in Texas. However, that does not mean our effort should end there. What will it cost to do this? We must find the money. We must do this, even if we have decided to live with this election’s consequences.

Uniform election reform must come from outside the parties, not within. Even if the efforts currently ongoing in Texas provide relief to Texans, it will not affect Washingtonians, or Iowans or even those in non-caucus states who waited in line, or had their ballots questioned, taken off the list, or were added to the list with Mickey Mouse. Why is lack of ADA access not the same in effect as a poll tax? If a person must drive long distances in snowy conditions to meet a narrow window of time, or a caucus performed during hours when a nurse cannot leave work or women require child care, is this not a disenfranchisement? We must work toward a nationalized, uniform voting process.

In addition, we must work to change the current method of vote counting. The reality is that votes take days, weeks and months to count and certify. In California, more than 2 million votes were uncounted after the race was called this time. Even though in this election the California outcome would have been the same for the presidential election, this is not always the case. 

The media will quote the presumed “called count” for the next four years. This public misinformation skews our view.  However, simply adding the final CA votes to the final 2004 Bush-Kerry vote, would have shown how really close that election was. Why must we wait 35 days to have an election certified while the MSM decides the winner within minutes of the closing polls? It’s all wrong and we must seek legal redress.

Media Bias and Documentation

See this example:

Covering new presidents: the media’s double standard

by Eric Boehlert

In anticipation of the new administration, Beltway media insiders are busy laying the groundwork for how reporters and pundits will treat the new team on Pennsylvania Avenue.

http://mediamatters.org/columns/200811190014

We can only expect what we accept without critical review. Therefore, we must keep a library. We cannot depend on the MSM to provide our truth.

This will involve a most difficult thing. Because we are a coalition of right and left we must assiduously verify and document our sources. Those of us on the left are well acquainted with the histories of Morris, Corsi, Horowitz, Judicial Watch, The World Net Daily, the New York Post, and others. I was astonished to see them bloom in the likes of Daily Kos, and upon the Obama website. However, many Republicans are either unaware of the kind of material they provide, or else they approve of them.

Finally, we must find or establish legitimate outsourcing of information.  Though PUMA’s tried very hard to make their views known this election season, the few outlets were mostly problematic. I cannot immediately think of a PUMA, MSM broadcast that on some level was not intended to provide a spectacle by the presenters.  The most recent of these is the KPFT broadcast. The one time substitution of a weekly satire show, with a one off, intended to be serious, can only be problematic. The announcement of intent to satirize said show the following week verifies what the broadcasters hoped for, if not actually planned; a spectacle and a way to generate buzz on their satire show.

PUMAs can expect no altruistic behavior. Everything for the near future will have a price. If an offer is made, it must be inspected carefully.

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, Just Say No Deal, The New Agenda, 4ERA

Just in case you didn’t get  enough of 2008, scientists are going to give you a little more – one second more, to help ring in the new leap year of 2009. Great.

*****

Jerry Brown, our perennial knight, is leading a new charge to cripple the anti-environment Bush fireball sling. However, it’s very possible that to dismantle this weapon will now take at least a year under the new presidency; and that assumes Obama wants to. In the mean time we may lose more endangered species.

*****

We lost Eartha Kitt, Harold Pinter, Freddie Hubbard, and make up artist David Clark in December.

*****

California’s State Controller John Chiang is getting ready to issue IOU’s instead of paychecks, to some State employee and contractors. He also has been stuck in a Texas hospital with chest pains. Anxiety much? Get well, John.

In the mean time, the Guv is acting, with a new plan fresh out of the box today.

*****

The Israel –Gaza conflict has sparked a whole new wave of hostility, recrimination and hatred – among bloggers. In the interests of understanding the conflict some intrepid bloggers try to put out information for review, and others must attack.

I know I’m fed up with vituperative behavior. I get angry too; I want to hit, scream, run over, shoot down, pop heads open and generally spit upon the world at times. However, just because some others of us have elected a President whose favorite sport is sniping, doesn’t mean we have too. Hmmm. Or, at least we don’t have to take to the next level.

Even when it’s a great blog, I don’t’ want to have to ALWAYS prick myself on the thorns, just to get to the fruit of it, or more especially, it’s commenters. You know what? Eventually I won’t. I’ve lived in this man’s world too long to not see this chest bumping for what it is. Take up racquet ball boys, and practice good manners, or prepare to lose readers.

*****

Speaking of abuse, Ellie Nesler died.

*****

All year we complained about the bad coverage in the MSM, but we won’t get a newspaper subscription. I don’t know how you get good reporters if you won’t pay the people who hire them. We can talk about whether they are dinosaurs until our veins pop, but we haven’t replaced them with anything better yet. Every single blogger I read quotes from them at some point. Support your sources. Which reminds me, I have a few subscriptions to get, and dues to pay today.

*****

Along with a lot of other folks, if 458,000 Google hits are any judge, I’ve still got a lot of other ritual things to do as well. The list is endless: Mop, dust wax, wash, remove, dispose, organize. I’ll be too darn tired to see any Waterford balls dropping tonight.

*****

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, The New Agenda

One kind of job opening. Do you know someone that should apply for one of California’s Federal Districts? I’m guessing we should soon expect this activity in all the states.

“Individuals interested in applying for the positions of district judge, U.S. Attorney, and U.S. Marshal should complete the application which will be available at http://feinstein.senate.gov. “

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Monday, December 29, 2008        

 Senator Feinstein Announces Judicial Nomination Process

 Senator announces process to recommend nominees to President-elect Obama for U.S. District Court judges, U.S. attorneys and U.S. marshals-

[Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today announced that she has begun a process to recommend nominees to President-elect Obama for the positions of U.S. District Court Judge, U.S. Attorney, and U.S. Marshal. 

Senator Feinstein has established bipartisan advisory committees in each of California’s four federal districts.  The five-member committees will be responsible for carefully screening applications, interviewing applicants, and recommending finalists to Senator Feinstein....]

http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=NewsRoom.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=8500b5d9-905b-0a1d-6d3b-28fac1447f7c

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, The New Agenda

Hong Kong – Singapore

 China faces new melamine scandal

Reuters

Published: December 30, 2008

[BEIJING: More than 1,500 boxes of Chinese biscuits exported to Hong Kong and Singapore have tested positive for melamine as suspects in the protracted tainted-food scandal go on trial in China, local media reported on Tuesday....]

http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2008/12/30/asia/OUKWD-UK-CHINA-MELAMINE.php.

China

China begins trials for 9 in tainted milk scandal

By David Barboza

Published: December 30, 2008

[SHANGHAI: A group of nine people accused of intentionally tainting China's dairy supplies this year went on trial Monday in Hebei Province, charged with endangering public security in the country's worst food safety case in decades....]

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/30/asia/30china.php

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, The New Agenda

-UPDATE-

090103 – The roosters are staring each other down,with Burris filing suit against IL Secretary White, and threats that the Senate security won’t let him into the chamber next week.  Obama apparently is not reluctant to give his opinion either. That’s if you call it one. He would have been better off saying nothing. If Burris is a “fine man and good public servant”, he is essentially saying Burris didn’t buy the seat. If so,  who cares if Blagojevich sent him?

Politico.com Breaking News:
The Chicago Tribune reports that embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will name former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to fill the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

 http://www.politico.com

Lynn Sweet raises an interesting note. Burris is African American and will be, if confirmed, only the fourth senator as such. Three of the four have come from Illinois. There is no doubt he has the chops; will he be able to sidestep the Blago doo doo? You have the believe Burris thinks so, or he would not have accepted the appointment.

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, The New Agenda

In his comment to my blog the other day, Alessandro raised several points; it does seem counterintuitive to essentially ask for higher property taxes, by eliminating the effects of Proposition 13 in California. Why would anyone want to do that? Especially now? There are three reasons. First, sales and income tax have become higher, in part, to make up the difference in lost revenue. Second, not all citizens are paying an equal tax amount for equivalent property. Third, yes, California did have an artificially high housing price, that was bound to deflate because of Prop 13. Forth, California does not necessarily have a high tax rate.

To clarify, start by reading the State’s Equalization’s Board publication entitled “California Property Tax, Publication 29”.

The State doesn’t directly get property tax, except for an exception having to do with railroad cars. That law has been on the books since 1933. It is the counties, cities, schools and special districts that receive revenue from property tax. The money is allocated by percentage to those entities. We all know what they use the money for, schools, police, sewer, firefighters etc, everything your locality needs to function.

However, in the two years after Prop 13 passed, the local governments lost at least 9.23 billion in revenue, which the state had to pick up. (This is an interesting figure, since it looks pretty close to what we will be short for 2008, and 2009.) In addition, the state is mandated to step in when things like schools are failing because they need money. Therefore, the state has to plan for these increased expenditures. That means State legislators have to decide who gets short changed instead of local jurisdictions. Guess who is in budget gridlock every year? By reducing the flow of money to local jurisdictions, money decisions were increased for the State.

As the publication says, Prop 13 changed the tax system from a “value-based tax system to an acquisition-based system”. This, not actual land value encouraged speculation, marketeering, and spiraling prices.

As I said, not everyone is treated fairly. The current system has created increasing disparities based on when one’s property was purchased.  As an example, just this year, my property tax finally increased to tip out at around $1010. That’s because I purchased my property in 1995, at around 89,000. (This was already a little high for a fixer, but I thought it was now or never.) My neighbor, now gone in foreclosure, purchased his house at around $249,000. Thus, his tax for essentially the same house was around $2500 in the same year. Housing prices in our neighborhood today are around 130-140,000, and are closer to what are probably true value, or maybe still a little high, if judged by income to affordability, since this was always a blue collar community.

That’s my little corner of the world, but consider what it means if you have lived in the same place since 1975; the date to which Prop 13 values were first adjusted. Not to pick on Speaker Pelosi’s hometown unfairly, but median house prices, in San Francisco, in 1975, were expected to be around $45,000. In 2003, before the slide started, median SF house prices were $656,700. Clearly, long time homeowners are making out like bandits. It’s even better, if you put the home into a living trust, and never have to transfer it.

Finally, there are pundits that will tell you California has a high income tax rate. The Tax Foundation, in existence since 1937, is consistent in their promotion of this fact. Look closely at their Wikpedia and you will realize that they have a conservative viewpoint. This is not necessarily bad. However, their recent PDF pamphlet entitled “Facts & Figures Handbook: How Does Your State Compare?” is disturbing.

For example, they calculated, based on the 2006 Census Statistics, in their pamphlet, that California had a 2007 median income of $130,028. The Foundation also claims that California has the 5^th highest taxation. Here are the 2006 median income estimates from the Census Statistics for California:

2-person families      60,032 

3-person families      64,766

4-person families     74,801

5-person families      64,132

6-person families     61,348

7-or-more-person families 68,030

So, the Bureau of Census says a median family size in CA is three (Or 2.94). That would make the median income $64,766, not $130,028. (According to the CA State Franchise Tax Board, it’s $66,810 for a two-earner family, but let’s use the Foundation’s figures, since FTB’s doesn’t describe family size.)

Read the Foundation’s pamphlet entitled: “State Individual Income Tax Rates, 2000-2008”.

Having started with a suspect median income figure, they rank CA has having a rank of 5^th both in state and federal collections. For example, the Federal tax burden is assumed to be $29,792 while the state for 2006 was $9,163. If people earning a little under $65,000 a year were really paying out $38,995, or 60% of their income to taxes, there would definitely be a lot more riots, marches, shootings, and moving out of state.

Since Conservatives are generally anti-taxation, one can’t help but look a little askance at the way in which these figures have been determined and the Foundation’s intent. If there is justification, it doesn’t appear in their literature.

The motivation has to be something or someone else. Having crapped in their nest by engaging in this furious land speculation, corporations are the ones who protested, and then moved out. They are ones that railed most vociferously against increased taxation. Now they are doing what they will; moving to Texas, South Dakota, and overseas, where and the codes are lax, land is still cheaper and it doesn’t first need environmental cleaning.

The other part of this argument is that a median income does not mean an average income. Just like elsewhere, 20% earn the most and the other 80% are more likely to fall into the median income category or below. Some counties have higher median income than others as well

Finally, California has a high standard deduction rate, it does also have a tax structure that graduates to a higher income level than some other states. Look again in the pamphlet to compare Arkansas and California. You’ll see that at the $30,000 level and below, the tax rates jockey back and forth. After $30,000 Arkansas doesn’t charge more than 7%, while California continues to graduate upwards to 10.3% for $1,000,000 and over. Going further, Idaho, taxes 7.4% for anyone making more than $8,986, while California is still taxing 6% or less for anything up to $35,461.

So, in California, the more you make, the more you pay, up to 10.3%, except, anybody who is earning a million bucks here, is NOT, for darn sure, taking a standard deduction. Therefore, they are unlikely to be paying 10.3%.  So I ask you, how much did YOU pay in income tax last year? Did you itemize. if you did, of course you might have kept all you receipts and diligently deducted sales tax. 

Texas Two Step Disenfranchisement-will it “sinkin”?

“If a 95-year-old stalwart can’t fully participate in the voting process, is it a system worth keeping?”

The Story of 95-year-old Bill Sinkin

December 23, 2008 by End the Texas Two Step  

[To those Texas Democrats who — incredibly — still believe their cumbersome “two-step” primary voting process is a good idea, consider the story of 95-year-old Bill Sinkin.

 For 66 years, Sinkin had been one of your precinct chairmen in San Antonio — one of your party’s biggest cheerleaders and most loyal activists…..]

http://changethecau29cus.org/?p=247

Somalia has 30 days to elect a new President. Yusef only had control over “a few blocks in a country the size of Texas”. Somalia is heir to tribal feuding, fragmentation, losing it’s little tropical forest, under 2% arable land, loss of fishing and signs of radiation poisoning due to illegal dumping of toxic waste and stirred up by the Tsunami in 2004, and businesses printing their own money. It also has largely unexploited mineral reserves including natural gas, copper, and possibly oil. The hope is, that by Yusef’s resignation, an opportunity for more moderate Islamists to cooperate will occur.

Amid growing international pressure, Somalia’s president resigns

Widely considered an obstacle to peace, Abdullahi Yusuf announced his resignation on Monday.

By Jonathan Adams

posted December 29, 2008 at 9:50 am EST

[The president of Somalia resigned Monday, in a move that analysts say could help bring stability to the war-ravaged, failed state.

Abdullahi Yusuf, a former warlord, took office amid high hopes in 2004 as the first president of a United Nations-backed transitional government. But during his term he was unable to extend the government's writ much farther than the capital....]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1229/p99s01-duts.html

This is the most depressing article I’ve read in long time. That we would blithely be able to call this world  ”Post Fact”  is bad enough. The trust issue is worse. I’m not sure if I want to read the mentioned book! However, I suppose just like in this article, the two go hand in hand. By the way, as a minor note to the comment in the article, Farhad Manjoo left Salon for Slate in July, 2008.

No one left to trust?

By TRACY DINGMANN 12/19/08 4:23 PM

I’ve been lucky enough to have some time off lately, and I’ve been using the respite from work to catch up on my reading.

At the library the other day, I picked up a book that’s since held me transfixed with its simple explanation of many of the cataclysmic societal changes we’ve already seen — and its accuracy in describing some to come.

http://newmexicoindependent.com/13199/when-facts-arent-facts-anymore

I especially liked the mentioned idea of making documents available.

Western wish list for Obama

The hopes and worries of 11 key Westerners

NEWS – From the December 22, 2008 issue of High Country News

By Ray Ring

[Leaders of the big green groups are talking behind the scenes with President-elect Barack Obama and his staffers and advisors. The Obama camp has encouraged the dialogue, reaching out months ago for recommendations about how to clean up the George W. Bush mess and move forward on environmental issues.

In the final days of his administration, Bush is trying to dismantle as many environmental regulations as possible, weakening everything from the Endangered Species Act to the definition of organic salmon (to allow industrial farmed salmon to carry the label)....]

http://www.hcn.org/issues/40.23/the-sick-and-tired-west

Someone always profits, even if it’s not clear at first whom.

Shoes flung at Bush flying from shelves

An Istanbul cobbler capitalizes on the ’shoe mania’ sparked by the tossing of his work.

By Yigal Schleifer | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

from the December 29, 2008 edition

I[STANBUL, Turkey - For the past 10 years, model 271 has been the bestseller of Ramazan Baydan's Ducati line of shoes. It's got all the attributes of a workhorse – affordable and durable, chunky, yet presentable. To these winning qualities, now add another one: throwable….]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1229/p07s04-wogn.html

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, The New Agenda

While the trading floor was opened to women in 1943, the first woman to obtain a seat on on the New York Stock Exchange, (NYSE) was much later. Muriel Seibert took hers on this date, December 28th, 1967.

The eventual number of Exchange seat owners was 1366, and seats at one time cost as much as 4 million dollars. When the NYSE merged and formed a publicly traded company in 2005, the seats were traded for $500,000 and 77,000 shares each of the new corporation. Other reports indicate the seats were worth $300,000 cash and 80,177 shares. The NYSE now sells one year licenses. 

I knew someone in 2001 who was studying and had amassed enough to purchase a seat.  At that time, She said only one other woman was the possessor of a  private seat.

Muriel Siebert

(September 11, 1932 – )

On December 28, 1967, in a single instant the face of high finance in America was changed forever when Muriel Siebert became the first woman – one among 1,365 men – to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.

Siebert began her career in finance working for various brokerages, and in 1967 began her own firm, beginning by doing research for institutions and buying and selling financial analyses. In 1975, Muriel Siebert and Company became the nation’s first discount broker, when the Securities and Exchange Commission first permitted broker commissions to be negotiable. In 1977, Siebert became the Superintendent of Banks for the State of New York, with oversight of all of the banks in the state, regulating about $500 billion. Not one bank failed during her tenure, despite failures nationwide. In 1990 she created the Siebert Philanthropic Program, through which she shares half of her firm’s profits from new securities underwriting with charities of the issuers’ choices. The program offers buyers of new securities a chance to help charities in their communities. More than $2 million has been contributed through this innovative program.

Additional Resources:

With Susan Kleinman. The Big Apple Business and Pleasure Guide? 501 ways to work smarter, play harder, and live better in New York City. New York: MaterMedia, 1992.

Changing the Rules: Adventures of a Wall Street Maverick. The Free Press, September 2002.

http://www.siebertnet.com/html/mickie.html.

Seibert’s accomplishment, and that of Joseph Searies, the first African American men’s seating, is not noted as of this date in Wikipedia’s  chronology of important NYSE events.

In theory it should be easier for women to purchase a yearly seat. Since the NYSE is now share driven, that person would really be a vassal of share holders. If a woman assumes a seat, in likelihood, it will be a representative of the investment firm purchaser.

Since 105,182,000 shares were given to the original 1366 seat holders, it’s pretty clear that those people retained most of the control over the NYSE. The amount represented 70% of the total shares. In addition, some folks went around and purchased seats from holders as the NYSE was merging. This ultimately had the effect of concentrating share power amongst those few. Thomas Caldwell bought three.

So in practicality, it’s business, investment firms, and the gigantically wealthy who push this cart now.

————————————————————-

http://www.nyse.com/

NYSE Facts & Figures

NYSE goes public, shares

Caldwell Asset Mangement

Betting Big on Big Board’s Seats

[Betting Big on Big Board's Seats. Investor Scoops Up Memberships. To Prepare for Pending Merger;. An 'Under-Understood' Business. By AARON LUCCHETTI ...]

www.caldwellsecurities.com/pdf/WSJ_NYSE_Seats.pdf 

Rather than attempt to get over the snowy pass this year, we stayed home for the holidays. The last time we stayed home, a little stray football, with legs, gave birth in our closet, to five squirmy kittens. That was in 2002. While one died as a young adult, the rest of the kittens, and Momma cat have been with us since. 

In the season of giving, gifts often come in unexpected ways.

Sometimes, it’s the chance to get caught up on a report you couldn’t finish at work. Other times, it’s as simple as the fact that the turkey fit in your oven, and that you have one to cook.

This holiday, I spent time looking a gift of years past from my Mother. They are  the family genealogy records, my grandmother compiled, and my mother expanded. 

As a young person, I had mixed feelings about their endeavor.  My grandmother had wanted to prove her lineage to the extent that she could validate revolutionary war heritage. While I believe she did this, I don’t know to what end. She was a member of the Eastern Star. She may have qualified for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution. (DAR). 

My mother took up the mantle of family genealogy research, in the late sixties and early seventies. During this period there was an all-around national interest in genealogy and lots of other folks were suddenly finding coats of arms, and important relatives. She belonged to the Genealogical Forum in Portland, Oregon and spent many hours there.

I grew to dislike the subject. It seemed gratuitous to look for the victories, heraldry and magnificent failures of past ancestors. These were not my accomplishments, I was not special or different because of whatever my ancestors might have done. Also, the organizations to which my grandmother aspired, seemed overly religious, conservative, rote. As a budding leftist, for many years, I behaved contrarily. Just like Momma cat, I wanted acceptance for what I was and what I brought, not from whence I sprang. 

Strangely though, few years ago, I asked my Mother if she still had any records. I think I was ready to accept the idea of a family saga. My daughters turned out, surprisingly, to be interested; I think my granddaughter is as well.  So here I am, at a family time of the year, searching the genealogy records, looking for families, stories, instances, and history.

To carry the family history forward is to enlighten posterity. It is the stuff of novels, and of understanding. It keeps us from repeating the same mistakes. I hope your family stories turned out well this season. Whether they are bad, or good, short or long, they are part of the adventure of life, the fabric of humanity. Take the time to record them.

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, The New Agenda

A reminder of what the future brings: pragmatism, centrism, misdirection, and corporate interest. Citizens must keep their goals clearly in mind to win what promises to be  a wingdinger of a shell game.

The “Wait ‘Til He Gets In” Delusion: The President Elect is Not a Latent Lefty

By Paul Street

“It is hard to end up on the left turn ramp while driving in the center and right lanes.”

[One of the more recurrent refrains I heard from many of Barack Obama's progressive supporters in late 2007 and through the recent election went like this: "Oh, he has to say and do that stuff to get elected.  The corporate and military powers that be will sink him if he acts as left as he really is. Just wait until he gets in: then you'll see the real progressive deal."]

http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=938&Itemid=1

Often repression comes in a series of small seemingly unrelated events. In South Dakota, Native Americans have struggled with unemployment. Perhaps you are unaware, but after a person loses unemployment benefits, and/or a predetermined period, that person is dropped off the unemployment statistics. A person in this position is considered to be “discouraged”, or no longer looking; thus he or she is not counted. South Dakota, while claiming to have a low unemployment rate, hides THIS.

At the same time, the struggle over gerrymandered districts has been ongoing and led to attempted voter disenfranchisement. On behalf of Native America voters, the ACLU recently was able to win this:

Federal Court Upholds Native American Voting Rights In South Dakota Lawsuit (12/16/2008)

ACLU Successfully Challenged Unlawful Voter Dilution Plan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

[ST. LOUIS – A federal appeals court today affirmed a decision protecting the rights of Native American voters in Martin, South Dakota. Siding with the American Civil Liberties Union, the U.S. Appeals Court for the Eight Circuit ordered local officials to correct violations of the Voting Rights Act that prevented Native Americans from having an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice....] 

http://www.aclu.org/votingrights/minority/38118prs20081216.html

Hopefully we will prevent this from going further down the road of pillage and rape with a new administration. However, time is running out. We must stop this:

Utah oil-and-gas auction marked by bogus bidder, Robert Redford and heated protest

By DAVID O. WILLIAMS 12/21/08 7:35 AM

[ than 100 protesters outside a U.S. Bureau of Land Management oil-and-gas drilling lease auction Friday in Salt Lake City charged the federal government with selling off 164,000 acres of public land for private profit, potentially defiling some of the state’s most treasured national parks.

“It’s public lands and not for private wealth,” protester Daniel Darger told The Associated Press. “It’s going to kill tourism in this state if you can see oil rigs from Arches National Park.”....]

http://coloradoindependent.com/18069/utah-oil-and-gas-auction-marked-by-bogus-bidder-robert-redford-and-heated-protest

No doubt Afgani women have reason to fear. We haven’t done our part. Congress still hasn’t passed the 2007 extension of the Empowerment act for women. Yes, it was only a piddling .04% of the money spent over there, but it’s needed to continue training, job funding etc. What the heck is wrong with us?

Afghan women fear a retreat to dark days

Negotiating with the Taliban might be the only hope for peace, but women are nervous.

By Gayle Tzemach | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

From the December 18, 2008 edition

[KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - Afghanistan's Minister of Women's Affairs, Hasan Bano Ghazanfa, closed a recent speech to one of the country's largest-ever women's conferences with an unexpected warning: Afghan President Hamid Karzai should avoid rushing into "political deals" with those opposing women's rights and human rights....]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1218/p07s03-wogn.html

Sometimes the best thing you can do is set up roadblocks. Sometimes it works. Will Congress do the rest?

Not so dead on arrival

The unlikely success of the Clinton Roadless Rule

NEWS – From the December 22, 2008 issue of High Country News

By Rob Inglis

[The Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which Bill Clinton signed into law eight days before he left office, protected 58.5 million acres of national forest land from logging and energy development. It was one of the boldest conservation measures in the history of federal land management, but it seemed doomed to a very short lifespan. Because it was only an administrative rule, it could be overturned by the next administration, which strongly opposed it.

But nearly eight years later, the Clinton Roadless Rule remains in effect for 35.6 million acres of national forest in seven Western states…]

http://www.hcn.org/issues/40.23/not-so-dead-on-arrival?src=feat

 

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, The New Agenda

 Kenneth Star (Remember him?) is arguing the case  for Prop 8 sponsors.

Prop. 8 sponsors seek to nullify 18K gay marriages

 By LISA LEFF

Associated Press Writer

Published: Friday, Dec. 19, 2008

[SAN FRANCISCO -- The sponsors of Proposition 8 asked the California Supreme Court on Friday to nullify the marriages of the estimated 18,000 same-sex couples who exchanged vows before voters approved the ballot initiative that outlawed gay unions.

The Yes on 8 campaign filed a brief arguing that because the new law holds that only marriages between a man and a woman are recognized or valid in California, the state can no longer recognize the existing same-sex unions....

...The cases are Strauss v. Horton, S168047; City and County of San Francisco v. Horton, S168078; and Tyler v. State of California, S168066.]

http://www.sacbee.com/114/story/1487648.html

 

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Vietnam Based Interfood to the USA

Recall — Firm Press Release

FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company.

Interfood Shareholding Company Issues a Nationwide recall of Wonderfarm Brand Biscuits Because of Possible Health Risk

Contact:
Anthony Ma
323-780-3998

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — December 9, 2008 – Interfood Shareholding Company is recalling all lot codes of multiple varieties of the Wonderfarm brand of biscuits because they may be contaminated with Melamine.

The Wonderfarm biscuits are sold in 800g red metal tins. The four varieties being recalled are:

Wonderfarm “Successful” Assorted Biscuits (UPC:8935001262091)

Wonderfarm “Royal Flavour” Assorted Biscuits (UPC:8935001263098)

Wonderfarm “Lovely Melody” Assorted Biscuits (UPC: 8935001263296)

Wonderfarm “Daily Life” Assorted Biscuits (UPC: 8935001264200)

The manufacturer identified on the product is Interfood Shareholding Company in Vietnam.

The recall was initiated after the firm was advised that samples collected by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture of the Wonderfarm “Successful” Assorted biscuits, tested positive for melamine. Interfood Shareholding Company was identified as the manufacturer of the product. After being advised that “Royal Flavour”, “Lovely Melody”, and “Daily Life” also tested positive for melamine, the firm agreed to expand their recall to include those products as well.

No illnesses associated with this product have been reported to date.

Product was distributed to multiple states and sold to wholesale distributors, which sold to retail stores.

Consumers who purchased the product are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at (Anthony.ma@jaimporters.com) or call 323-780-3998.

 http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/interfood12_08.html

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Betty Jean and the ERA

If you haven’t been over to Oh My Valve’s yet today, go HERE. There is the most recent news, contact information on the judge that will preside over the domestic violence, and attempted murder case perpetrated upon Betty Jean’s daughters. 

For your edification, there is also a great list of statistics on domestic violence.

Politics are personal. Domestic Violence is personal. We all know this could my daughters, your daughters, or even your sons in this position.

The ERA is personal. If the ERA were passed we would be evaluating this event as a possible hate crime. We would be viewing domestic violence as what it is, a controlled expression of hate. Until we put this rotten apple in the same barrel as all the other apples of violence, we can’t begin to punish, treat it or end it. Betty Jean has been a prime PUMA advocate of the ERA. Her family and ours deserve this equality. Recently Betty Jean said that women are being deliberately and systematically excluded from their equal rights as citizens. She cited the $300,000 cap on sexual discrimination suits, not applicable to racial discriminations suits, as one example. She is right. Equal Rights.org says:

[Would anyone really want to turn back the clock on women’s advancement? Ask the members of Congress who have tried to cripple Title IX, which requires equal opportunity in education – who have opposed the Violence Against Women Act, the Fair Pensions Act, and the Paycheck Fairness Act – who voted to pay for Viagra for servicemen but oppose funding for family planning and contraception – who for decades have blocked U.S. ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Most laws that discriminated explicitly against women have been removed from the books – in many cases, as a result of the political power and expertise developed by women in the course of the ERA ratification campaign. The current legal and judicial systems, however, still often have an impact on women that works to their disadvantage, because those systems have traditionally used the male experience as the norm.

Therefore, lawmakers and judges must be encouraged to include equitable consideration of female experiences as they deal with issues of Social Security, taxes, wages, pensions, domestic relations, insurance, violence, and more. Without an Equal Rights Amendment providing motivation, the status quo will change much more slowly.]

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

I am grieved for Betty Jean and her family. We must help however we can. I think she wants us to carry on and do what we must to END THIS!

—————————————————————————————————

Equal Rights Amendment.org

NATIONAL ERA ORGANIZATIONS

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Property taxes are used to pay for all the public services we get citizens. They include, but are not limited to:

Universities and other public schools, roads, bridges, state parks, city parks, regional planning, flood abatement, street lights, sewer maintenance, libraries,  busses, mass transit, public swimming pools, the state and local governments,  police, firefighters, social services, hospitals, state and local fairs, etc. The list is endless. The list also represents a wide variety of jobs, paid through state funds, with equal opportunity and health benefits.

Now it is true the some of the money for these services comes from other places, like sales taxes and Mello Roos Fees. In addition, for state funded projects, like schools, the Federal Government will pay from a matching fund a certain  amount. When I worked in public service the Feds were paying 10% of my project.

However, the bread and butter, the engine of any state economy, is the more stable property tax.

As you will see from the Wiki, California Proposition 13 limited the amount of property taxes one paid on one’s home to 1% of the assessed value. Sound reasonable? One of the arguments was that older folks shouldn’t be taxed out of their home. (this was in 1978, before Boomers, like me, were close to retirement.)

Another argument was that people were being subjected to wild swings in taxation because, assessed home values were rising rapidly, but the jump in taxation might only come every two years or so, thus surprising us poor dears and leaving us unprepared to pay. (notice the word “swing” is used, even though rates were only rising at that time.)

Both of these arguments were canards. In the first place, property taxes are deductible. So, yes, you might have to pay the money out, but then that would be counted as a federal and state deduction on whatever you taxes were for that year. That’s if you itemize. Guess who does that? It’s generally not the fixed income retiree or the economically disadvantaged, who might be more inclined to need public services. If you don’t itemize, a proportion is figured, but it might not reflect the same percentage of deduction that your wealthier neighbor got. 

In the second place, while it is true that it can be tough to budget the unpredictable, It  isn’t really so hard to find out the current assessed value of you home and plan. If it were hard, the banks wouldn’t have been giving out all those equity loans in the last few years.

If we itemize, we also get to deduct the interest on our mortgage payments. If we are on fixed income and followed the dictates of our 40-50’s upbringing, we have paid our our house load, or are close to it, and thus, have nothing to deduct. However, if we recently bought a house, we do. Since I ran a home business, I was able to deduct my relatively small amount. however, I personally know many who considered this deduction and subsequent tax return equivalent to a yearly bonus.

Maybe at the surface, to us it can feel like there is no difference. If we itemize, we are paying out money and  getting deductions either way. However, who really gets the  money when we take out a loan? It’s the  mortgage institutions, of course! While some of us might get some money back at the end of the year, they have held that money throughout the year and earned interest on it. 

We pay the interest on our loans, most of which are far greater than 1%, those houses keep going up in price, and we send less money to public service, our state and local government. Banks and credit brokers represent a restricted list of community jobs; many of them no longer even in the state, or country. The mortgage institutions have a vested interest in rising prices, and not just for the maintenance of the home investment capital.

Some of us were able to make a profit on our homes in this economy, but for most, homes are consumptions, and our abode. If we sold and remained in the  state we turned that profit right back over to the next house, since devalued, with an upside down, or underwater loan. If we wait long enough, we might get it back. Or we might sell and get a loss deduction. In the mean time, none of this money will go to public service or the state.

Now, what has happened in California, is a general gradual reduction in services; Schools are a good example.  The State of California has been feeding off of what it built in the 40s, 50, and first part of the 60’s, without adequately being able to maintain it. It’s the perfect example of the slowly cooking frog.

If we want to save our state, we must get rid of the laws enacted under Propositions 13, and 218, and the two thirds majority requirement. We must generate and buy bonds. These things will trigger additional federal funds, and stimulate the economy by reinvigorating public works and jobs for the entire state. Then we must do that in which we have do far failed; allow the state to set money aside in good years, for the lean.

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, The New Agenda

“The economy of California is a dominant force in the economy of the United States, with California paying more to the federal system than it receives in direct monetary benefits.”

It’s official, we are in the well! If you think this will just affect California, think again. The state’s economic engine is too big; it ranks 10th in the world economy. I guess the state will need to keep what’s left of that money to pay unemployment to all those folks they just laid off. Get rid of Proposition 13 now!

Capitol and California

Construction projects halted

By Bee Capitol Bureau

Published: Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008

The state’s Pooled Money Investment Board voted unanimously this morning to cut off billions in funds for state highway, school and other infrastructure projects.

State Treasurer Bill Lockyer said the action was necessary to preserve cash as the state General Fund heads toward insolvency.

Lawmakers have been unable to agree on a plan to close a $40 billion budget deficit between now and June 30, 2010. Without action that cuts expenses or raises revenue, the state could run out of cash as early as February.

The cutoff will stop some projects already underway and delay the start of others, costing thousands of private sector jobs.

See a list of the projects here.

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/1481017.html

Paddling around in the shaft isn’t going to get us out. We need a rope now! Otherwise, can the vultures be far behind? Even if lawmakers come up with a plan, these jobs are mostly gone, since any plan would not immediately resolve the deficit. That means each one of these projects will be reevaluated, discarded, shoved down the road, etc.

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, The New Agenda

Well, it was a good try, but mentally unfit? Is it possible there are no standard of proof for impeachment in IL?

Breaking News from ABCNEWS.com:

Illinois Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Motion to Declare Blagojevich Unfit to Serve [2:51 p.m. ET]

[Also today, Genson(Blagojevich's attorney) said it would be illegal for the committee to use recordings from government wiretaps and he questioned the rules that the panel would implement as they assess the governor's possible impeachment. The attorney said he had looked through the laws and the state constitution and found "nothing" about the basis for impeachment.

"I find nothing, nothing in any of those places that talks about what is the basis and what the basis for impeachment can be," Genson said. "I find nothing in any of those places regarding the standard of proof."

Replied Currie, "Impeachment is appropriate if there is cause for impeachment."]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2008/12/blagos-attorney.html

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What Betty Jean said: Slap em on the wrist till they blow her brains out.

Warning Signs and Symptoms of Abusive Relationships

If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). 

When are we going to call this a hate crime?

Our thoughts are with BJ and her family.

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, The New Agenda

Cornland Speculators! Green Light Alert!

Politico.com Breaking News:
—————————————————–

President-elect Barack Obama plans to name former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack as his choice for Secretary of Agriculture at a news conference Wednesday, transition aides said.

http://www.politico.com

Because he made a brief run for President, On The Issues Org. has a bit on him HERE.

I’m being silly. The Cornland speculators already knew. If we had read the tea leaves properly (corn leaves?) we might have known as well.

I Own My Vote, PUMA, The Denver Group, The New Agenda.

Wiki says:

“Senator Feinstein holds a number of “firsts”; she was the first female President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, San Francisco’s first female mayor, the first woman to serve in the Senate from California, one of two female Jewish senators (both of whom represent California), the first woman to serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the first woman to chair the Senate Rules Committee.”

While many of our eyes are focused on what’s happening with Kennedy, another event has unfolded. Dianne Feinstein is up to run the Senate Intelligence Committee! Out here in the land of the golden sunsets, we knew she was toying with a Governors run, and that would have been a pretty easy jaunt.

No doubt she has chosen the harder road. 

Feinstein gets nod to chair intelligence panel

Zachary Coile, Chronicle Washington Bureau

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

(12-16) 04:00 PST Washington --

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has been tapped as the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Majority Leader Harry Reid said Monday, a post that would give her immense clout over U.S. intelligence agencies and the power to shape policies on wiretapping and the treatment of detainees.

Feinstein’s promotion was welcome news for other state Democrats, as well as Republicans who plan to run for governor in 2010. The 75-year-old senator has flirted with the idea of running for governor but has told friends and allies she would be unlikely to make a bid if she got the top post on the intelligence panel.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/15/MNBV14OHE5.DTL&type=politics&tsp=1

She deserves this appointment. She is exceedingly well equipped for the job.It’s going to put her right in the crosshairs, however, regarding FISA, and the Patriot Act. If you can’t remember how she voted on those particular items, check the Wiki linked to her name above.

Congratulations Dianne! Hope your ankle is healed.

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The effort for human rights is universal. The desire for human dignity is universal. 

A Gay-Pride Revolution in Hong Kong

By DEENA GUZDER AND ANN BINLOT / HONG KONG

Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008

Gay-rights activists form a human chain around a rainbow flag in Hong Kong

Ted Aljibe / AFP / Getty

[There were no drag queens in sexy ensembles with heavy makeup strutting down the streets in platform heels or buff shirtless sailor boys splayed like starfish on moving floats. But Hong Kong's first official gay-pride parade Saturday was still a colorful gathering; in fact, for a country that rarely acknowledges homosexuality, let alone celebrates it, it was downright revolutionary....]

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1866308,00.html?imw=Y

As the article suggests, homosexuality was not criminalized in Hong Kong until 1901, under the British colonial rule. The country was ceded to The United Kingdom in 1842, under the Treaty of Nanking. Yet they had managed to get along 49 years in Hong Kong, “buggary” and all.

The United Kingdom itself had a time worn tradition of sexual bias laws, extending clear back to 1533 when it passed the Buggary Act. However, 1901 was part of a period of ferment around the world; homosexuality was discussed by Freud, and Ellis, Murray Hall died, raids were conducted and people as well known as Oscar Wilde, had been convicted of gross indecency with men.

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This is interesting timing:

Updated: Grand jury probes generous Richardson donor’s state contract

By HEATH HAUSSAMEN 12/15/08 11:24 AM

[The U.S. attorney’s office has convened a federal grand jury to investigate dealings between the state and a California company that was paid almost $1.5 million for work related to a contract it won around the same time it donated $100,000 to political action committees formed by Gov. Bill Richardson.

The grand jury probe comes after months of investigation by the FBI, whose agents, according to Bloomberg.com, have asked “current and former officials” from the New Mexico Finance Authority if any staffers in the governor’s office influenced the hiring of CDR Financial Products Inc. in 2004. The grand jury investigation was first reported today by Bloomberg….]

http://newmexicoindependent.com/12651/grand-jury-probes-richardson-donor’s-state-contract

Murphy, over at PUMA ,wrote about it HERE.

I want to know how all these years of investigations are just now strong enough to bring to the light! I want to know why and who, of this mess. I don’t like the idea that the public is being managed. We all knew the Blagojevich thing was coming, yet we had to wait till just before the Guv was going to appoint a senator. Now, that act may have weakened the case against him because he didn’t actually appoint anyone? 

This all smacks of the sadly deficent period of our political life in the Clinton years, where the right wing rabid bats ruled by innuendo and accusation. Are they still? Let’s find out.

On the other hand, there is this: Audit, Audit, Audit! PUMAs can do something!

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