My wife and I just got back from Washington DC, Memorial Day. We attended the 20th Anniversary of Rolling Thunder. That's the annual motorcycle event honoring POW's and MIA's from the Vietnam Era. That's the guys our government left behind. Unbelievable! The Park Service announced there were between 275,000 and 300,000 motorcycles riding up Constitution Avenue, past the Capitol and back down the other side to the Wall. You know the Wall, the one with over 58,000 names of those killed in Vietnam.

We went on the invitation of my old Gunny from Nam. He trained us as snipers in 1966. It turns out he is one of the founders of this great event. So me and a couple of my sniper team had a reunion of sorts with us and about a million other people who made the trek to DC. It was something, riding up front with the Gunny. It was even more so seeing the hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets in support of the effort.

While I was there I met a young Marine, a sniper no less. I was a sniper and served two consecutive years in the Vietnam War. So this guy was one of my own. Get this ... 25 years old and home from his fourth, countem', four seven month tours in Iraq. A Marine, a sniper, lots of combat. I wish everyone could meet him and hear what I heard. What an honor for me to listen to this guy make more sense than our President.

He says to me, "What’s wrong with the American People?" Now that's a good question. He says, "They're up the street there on Capitol Hill wasting time talking about how long we'll have to stay in Iraq. Hell, we're still in Korea, Japan and Germany. What's wrong with us?" He's got one heckuva’ point. What is wrong with us? I guess other than being the spoiled brats of the world.

You see we have the luxury in this country to debate crap like that. We debate gay rights, animal rights, environmental rights, you name it. All while people are starving everywhere, even in our country. Forget your politics for a minute. I'm a Marine and before you write me off to be some right wing war monger, I’m not. I didn’t think we should go to Iraq. Saddam was already a paper tiger. But you know what, we did. We did! And 99.5% of the bozos in DC we elected voted to go to war.

So where does that leave us? We removed a horrible Dictator. We established a presence next to Iran’s Abinnanutjob. We screwed up the prosecution of the war because there are more Chief’s than in any war and way too few Indians to fight it. What you don’t see on TV is that in the ‘Green Zone’, the safe part of Baghdad, they have Starbucks and 31 Flavors while the guys on the outside get blown to bits. We have more lawyers over there ‘advising’ than we do medics. I met a CIA fellow home for a month from Iraq who told me that he couldn’t count the pages in his Rules of Engagement Manual. He said it is far easier to arrest someone for DUI than it is to detain a terrorist. What is wrong with the American People?

And now we have Congress debating publicly exactly when we should leave a war. For Gods sake this isn’t a picnic we’re talking about. Didn’t we learn anything from Vietnam? Every single Iraqi who ever supported us is dead if we pullout. It's that simple. My 25 year old Sergeant friend knows it. Why don’t we? Where is our illustrious media? Why aren’t they informing the American people what happened on the fall of Saigon? Or maybe it’s not politically correct to paint the North Vietnamese to be the murderers they really were. At a cookout while in DC I met a Vietnamese woman who was rescued as a child escaping after the fall of Saigon. Her father was just released from a ‘reeducation camp’ three years ago. He served nearly 30 years. His crime? He was a South Vietnamese Army Officer. The fate of the Iraqi’s will be far worse given the enemy over there.

I talk about and teach change to businesses across America. So to the masses I say, its time for a change. Forget Republican and Democrat ... that's what got us into this mess. We have to stop putting up with the never ending talk in Washington. Let’s let them know its time for a change. Write your Congressman and Senators, email them; crash their inboxes. What is wrong with America? We’re asleep at the wheel.

It's been said that evil conquers when good men do nothing. We live in a time when the news covers more of Paris Hilton going to jail, poor thing, than digging up the do nothing officials we have spending our money in Washington. You have moron’s out there who have made the Marine humvee’s so heavy with armor that our Recon teams have to carry scuba gear in case end up in the river they can suck air while they set a charge to blow their 500 pound doors open – under water!

I'm not for war and I'm not for the Iraq War. But you know what, we started it, so lets let these kids end it. If you go to war then let them fight. I heard stories from some Army guys who couldn’t put up concertina wire around their night positions in the streets because it would look ‘too aggressive’. It’s a shame. These kids are fired up to help democracy prevail, let's finish what we started or we’ll have choppers on the rooftops all over again. It’ll be welcome to Saigon 1975 for the good people of Iraq. Don’t sit back and let it happen again. Wake up and smell the cordite from the battles a half a world away. The time is now!

By: Ed Kugler
Ed Kugler has been living change since the jungles of Vietnam where he was a Marine Sniper for two-years in the Vietnam War. He came home to a country he hadn't left and began work as a mechanic and truck driver. Since then he has worked his way into the executive suite of Frito Lay, Pepsi Cola and Compaq Computer where he was Vice President of Worldwide Logistics. He is the author of Dead Center - A Marine Sniper's Two Year Odyssey in the Vietnam War and many others. He makes change happen. http://www.nomorebs.com.

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Recently, our diligent lawmakers in the House passed a bill that would make gasoline price gouging a federal crime. I guess gouging the public with pork projects, bridges to nowhere, and subsidies to increase our daily costs is not high on their list of atrocities against U.S. constituents, but intervening in free market forces in an attempt to artificially cap commodity prices is deemed as a worthy cause. I have a problem with this nonsense. I can think of very few times where the country actually benefited from having the price of any particular good or service regulated by law, as opposed to free market capitalism. It is a complete affront to our way of life and what made this country competitive, as well as the world leader in business and power.

Does price gouging even occur?

Following Katrina, there were a couple instances where a news helicopter was hovering over a gas station portraying gas prices that were significantly higher than the rest of the nation. This did occur on a sporadic basis and what was the effect? It limited the demand and preserved supply for those who needed it. Imagine if gas continued to sell for $2.50 in Louisiana at that time. Since refineries, offshore platforms, infrastructure and the like were all damaged, there was no replenishment any time soon. The supply of gasoline would have evaporated quickly and consumers would be left in the dark with no gas. By hiking the price of gasoline to $3.50 in the southern parts of the country, consumers bought what they needed and conserved additional supplies for other consumers. This benefited more people in the end than having a couple folks guzzle up all the gasoline at once. This sounds a little simplified, but this is how supply and demand works on an aggregate basis.

Is price gouging actually that bad?

No. This may shock some readers. But, based on the argument previously, gouging actually ensures available supply for more consumers. Here's a great example of the government gone wild in grabbing a quick headline and punishing gouging that actually helped a lot of people:

Following Katrina, an enterprising man purchased several generators, threw them in a truck and drove several hundred miles to an area in Mississippi to sell them to citizens who needed generators. As FEMA was completely useless, this was literally the only way for people to get their hands on a generator since they immediately sold out from local stores. Since he invested his own money, had a rent a truck and invest his own time and risk in not selling them all, he certainly deserved some premium on his investment, no? The people in need of power were glad to purchase his generators at a 100% markup, as he advocated. He did the area a true service in providing relief to those who would have paid much more. What did he get for his efforts? Jail. And the police confiscated his generators. Is this any different than a 10 year old selling cold sodas at the town parade for a buck each? Sure, it probably only cost 10 cents a can in bulk, but I'd gladly pay a buck on a 100 degree day if the kid's walking by with a wagon.

This bill is silly for several reasons:

The law is only triggered if the president declares a national emergency. So, essentially, this won't help out this summer under the current conditions.

The language is vague and lacks definition: "if operators take unfair advantage or charge unconscionably excessive prices"...this is just plain silly. A judge must decide whether charging $3.75 in one town is unconscionably excessive if a few towns over the price is $3.50? Nonsense.

The White House then threatened to veto the bill due to the potential to bring back the long gas lines reminiscent of the 1970s. So, the house knows the White House will veto. What they're really trying to do is back Bush into a corner to veto so the Dems can say during election time that he vetoed a bill preventing price gouging (This isn't a political site, Republicans pull their share of similar nonsense as well, in all fairness).

If you ask any economist worth their salt what happens when you artificially cap the price of a good or service, they will remind you of these long gas lines. We could very well see them again if this nonsense is taken too far.

If gas prices are artificially capped (artificially low), consumers will rush to get this deal and flood the gas stations to attain this good whose sale is mandated at below market values. Let the free market dictate prices and set the demand; you'll see consumption decline (which might help out the environment a bit) and prices will fall back into place as supply catches up with demand.

People could go to jail for up to 10 years in prison and be fined up to $2million. I'm sure we can all think of violent crimes committed against innocent citizens where no jail time was administered, corporate thefts of millions or dollars, etc. where no jail time was assessed. 10 years in prison for allowing the free market forces to reign is simply Un-American.

By: Dan Pritch
Everydayfinance Blog: http://www.everydayfinance.blogspot.com.

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Here we are in the middle of May 2007 Five months after the Congress changed party control. I don't see a change do you? All I hear is how bad the War is going and we need to leave. Surrendering the Iraqi people to Al-Qaeda and all the bad guys trying take over their country. Can you imagine Al-Qaeda having control of the oil in Iraq. With that amount of resources they could make the next attack on the USA 1000 times bigger than 911.

Let me ask a few questions and see if it makes anything cents.

If the War turns around does one party look bad and lose their white house bid? Is one party's Presidential candidate running on a defeat in Iraq? What has that party done to help win the War? Has that party explain what happens to the Iraqi people if we surrender? Will that party tell us how Al-Qaeda will have training camps in Iraq if we surrender? How will they explain the price of oil once Iran and Al-Qaeda controls 1/3 of the worlds supply? Do you think Al-Qaeda's recruiting will go through the roof with their big win in Iraq? Maybe instead of running for The White House over the next 2 years. They might try running the country. All I hear is winning about how bad everything is but I don't hear any solutions to the problems. You can make all the promises you want the only thing that matters is results.

If one party is invested in destroying the Presidency and hurting our military why would anyone want to vote them into power? The last President use the military for a color guard (political tool), janitors at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and basically abused them. The party in power of the congress today is no friend of the military. When the military funding is fill with billions of pork barrel spending. How can you take them seriously about anything to do with our country's defense?

So ask yourself is that party working for you or how much power they can control for themselves?

By: G. Cook
http://cookmoval-myworld.blogspot.com/

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On May 24, 2007 California Senator Barbara Boxer voted against the 'war funding bill' saying the following:

It doesn't seem to matter how many Americans die in Iraq how many funerals we have here at home or what the American people think this president won't budge.

This president wants to continue his one-man show in Iraq

That's the only thing he'll sign. He doesn't respect the American people on Iraq, and he doesn't respect the Congress.

It seems to me that ultra liberal Barbara Boxer is the one who doesn't care 'how many Americans die in Iraq' as she she is one of those who voted to deny our fighting men and women the money to fight and protect themselves.

In my opinion when she says that she wants the President to respect Congress she means she wants the President to follow her dictates no matter how lame or how much her dictates could harm America. She has shown no respect for the President. Why should the President show her respect especially since she has does nothing to earn the respect of the President or anyone else. Even liberal Senator Diane Feinstein of California voted yes on the bill.

As to her statement that the President 'doesn't respect the American people'. She seems to be the one who doesn't respect the American people, as no matter how many are against the war, the majority still wanted the funding bill to pass.

In my opinion, Barbara Boxer, like many ultra liberals feels that cooperating means doing things her way and her way only. It appears that she will harm this country and it's people in any way she has to in order to get her way. She's like a spoiled little child, who if she can't have a toy will break it rather than let anyone else play with it. The main problem is that the toy she is trying to break right now is America.

When will Californians learn to stop electing spoiled selfish children like Barbara Boxer to high political office? When will Californians learn that people like Barbara Boxer don't care about Californians or America? They only care about power. They don't care about who they harm as long as they get their own way.

David G. Hallstrom, Sr.
Legal Resources

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From the Los Angeles Times written by Evan Halper, Times Staff Writer.

Shoring up levees, building reservoirs and purging pollution from the state's bays and streams may have been what voters had in mind in November when they approved billions of dollars of borrowing for crucial water projects.

[So it may come as a surprise that some of the debt they authorized could be headed toward a bike path through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, or "water-accessible overnight accommodations" on Lake Tahoe. Or a museum in Los Angeles. Even an aquarium 100 miles from the sea in Fresno.

Proposition 84 was a $5.3-billion bond measure that the official voter guide said would provide borrowing for "Water Quality, Safety and Supply. Flood Control. Natural Resource Protection. Park Improvements." Less visible was the fine print that allowed state officials to authorize millions of dollars in spending with limited constraints.

Lawmakers are now debating how to allocate the pot of money generated by the measure. Some are proposing bills to finance projects that may please constituents or, in some cases, campaign contributors.

Though most of the projects serve a public purpose, they also would add hundreds of millions of dollars to the state's indebtedness. And for every $1 million spent, taxpayers fork out nearly an additional $1 million in interest over 30 years.

"This was supposed to be about strengthening the levees and water safety issues. That was the context under which people voted for it," said Bruce Cain, director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley. "If we really wanted a museum and aquarium bond, voters could have considered that. But that is something that may not have been approved, considering the state's current economic situation."

Voters are usually asked to pass bond issues for huge public-works projects too costly to be absorbed in the state budget. But promoters of bond initiatives often tuck in provisions that allow spending for unrelated projects.

Joe Caves, the Sacramento lobbyist who wrote Proposition 84, said promoters were not being devious by including spending for aquariums, museum construction and other such things. He said those programs made the proposal more attractive to voters.

"An initiative has to address a range of issues that appeal to a range of voters out there," he said. "Otherwise it doesn't have broad-based support."

Lew Uhler, president of the National Tax Limitation Committee, says he doubts that voters had any idea the money was going anywhere but big water projects.

"I think the people have been hoodwinked," he said.

It is up to state environmental and parks agencies to parcel out most of the bond money. But lawmakers have been working to ensure that certain organizations get a share.

Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) drafted a bill that would give the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the Huntington Botanical Gardens — two projects supported by the senator — an edge in grant applications. Those institutions could use bond money to fund construction and exhibits.

Ridley-Thomas said he believes that voters were "quite conscious" that millions of dollars would "be aimed at these sort of projects" when they approved the borrowing in November.

"Culture is important," he said. "Why do we have to view this as levees versus parks? In a state such as California you can have both…. This is an investment in our future."

Central Valley lawmakers demanded that a Fresno aquarium project also have a shot at the funds. Promotional material for the aquarium says it will be a world-class facility off California 99. Featuring a 2-million-gallon "oceanarium" filled with spotted eagle rays and hammerhead sharks, among other marine life, it would re-create the "ancient saltwater sea that once covered the San Joaquin Valley."

Biologists would raise marine fish and coral at the aquarium, and visitors could stroll through a rooftop garden with a panoramic view of the San Joaquin River.

Ground has been broken for construction, but millions of dollars are needed to construct all the buildings supporters envision. Ridley-Thomas amended his bill to include the aquarium, and backers of the project are confident they will get $5 million.

"People say, 'An aquarium in Fresno?' " said Tom Lang, executive director of the project. "But … we have to have these things closer to where people live. People can't be driving 100 miles to get to them. That adds to our state's pollution problems."

Other lawmakers besides Ridley-Thomas have drafted bills that would guarantee cash for their pet projects.

Assembly members Ted Gaines (R-Roseville) and Lois Wolk (D-Davis) propose using bond money to establish a "Lake Tahoe water trail to link access to the waters of Lake Tahoe that are available for navigation by human-powered boats and beachable sail craft, and provide for diverse water-accessible overnight accommodations."

The idea, being promoted by tour companies, environmentalists and paddling enthusiasts, is to create a network of boater-friendly facilities around the lake's 72-mile shoreline to draw kayakers, canoeists and sailors.

Another proposal, by Sen. Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch), an avid cyclist, would fund "The Great California Delta Trail," a network of biking and hiking trails "that would extend around the delta and would link the San Francisco Bay Trail system to the planned Sacramento River trails."

A staff analysis of the delta trail idea by the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water questioned whether "planning for a recreation corridor" is an appropriate use of water bond funds. The committee approved the bill nevertheless.

Some groups may not need a backer in the Legislature, because language in the proposition appears to carve out money for them. Many of those organizations played a big role in financing the campaign to get the measure passed.

Among them is the Big Sur Land Trust, one of several modest-size nonprofits that spent $100,000 or more on the Proposition 84 campaign. Executive Director Bill Leahy called the contribution an "investment." He believes that his group will get $10 million to $15 million in bond proceeds to purchase land.

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, another $100,000 donor, is now raising money to build an 88,000-square-foot museum in Palm Springs. The bond proposal sets aside $100 million for some types of educational institutions, including those focusing on "the relationship of Native American cultures to the environment."

When will California voters learn, voting yes on a bond issue is the same as giving California politicians and special issue groups a license to steal?

David G. Hallstrom, Sr.
Legal Resources

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