Archive for August 8th, 2011
The Warfare and Welfare Economy Worsens With 30 Americans Killed and Over 45 Million Americans On Food Stamps–American People Want A Peace and Prosperity Economy–A Paycheck Not Food Stamps–Stop Out Of Control Spending On Government Interventions Abroad and At Home–Videos
Pronk Pops Show 40:August 10, 2011
Pronk Pops Show 39:August 3, 2011
Pronk Pops Show 38:July 27, 2011
Pronk Pops Show 37:July 20, 2011
Pronk Pops Show 36:July 13, 2011
Pronk Pops Show 35:July 6, 2011
Listen To Pronk Pops Podcast or Download Shows 38--40
Listen To Pronk Pops Podcast or Download Shows 34-37
Listen To Pronk Pops Podcast or Download Shows 30-33
Listen To Pronk Pops Podcast or Download Shows 27-29
Listen To Pronk Pops Podcast or Download Shows 22 (Part 2)-26
Listen To Pronk Pops Podcast or Download Shows 16-22 (Part 1)
Listen To Pronk Pops Podcast or Download Shows 10-15
Listen To Pronk Pops Podcast or Download Shows 1-9
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
~George Santayana
Eve of Destruction
Most Of The Navy Seals Killed Were Part Of SEAL Team Six The Unit That Went After Osama Bin Laden
Navy SEALs Killed (some SEAL TEAM 6) Chinook Helicopter Crash-Afghanistan
“…More than 20 Navy SEALs from the unit that killed Osama bin Laden were among those lost in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. That’s according to one current and one former U.S. official. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because families are still being notified of the loss of their loved ones.
Source says the team thought to include 22 SEALs, three Air Force air controllers, seven Afghan Army troops, a dog and his handler, and a civilian interpreter, helicopter crew.”
MSNBC – Nightly News – Nearly 46 Million Receive Food Stamps 8-3-2011
Record number of people on food stamps
US choosing between World Supremacy and caring for its citizens
Ron Paul to Congress: If Debt Is the Problem, Why Do You Want More of It?
Ron Paul’s Debt Solution: Bring the Troops Home, Fire Useless Bureaucrats, Phase Out Entitlements
Ron Paul, “What if the Chinese had military bases in America?”
Ron Paul: What if the People Wake Up?
Pete Seeger: Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
“Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
~George Santayana, Reason in Common Sense, Volume 1
“The primary objects of government, are peace, order, and prosperity of society…”
Oliver Ellsworth, Founding Father and Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court
No man is an island
May the thirty Americans and seven Afghans killed in Afghanistan rest in peace and be remembered for their service to their country.
No man is an island, entire of itself
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main
if a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were,
as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were
any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls
it tolls for thee.
~John Donne
President Lyndon B. Johnson is remembered primarily for three things–the war in Vietnam, the war on poverty and Medicare.
All three involved massive government intervention abroad and at home costing hundreds of billions of dollars that continues into the future.
Since World War II the United States government has not declared war as set forth in the Constitution.
War results in the loss of life and the lasting scars of the wounded and impacts their families and friends.
Government intervention abroad has become entirely too easy when you do not declare war.
All wars need the continuing support of the American people and should be declared.
Today United States government intervention abroad includes the war on terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya that will soon be expanded to include Yemen and Somali.
The majority of the American people want the troops home from around the world.
At home government intervention into the United States economy includes President Bush’s expansion of the Medicare entitlement program to include coverage for prescription drugs and President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better know as Obamacare.
For over sixty years the warfare and welfare economy has bankrupted the United States with massive Federal Government deficits and unfunded liabilities to fund warfare and welfare entitlements.
Presidents Eisenhower and Reagan warned the American people:
Military Industrial Complex – Eisenhower ‘s warning
Ronald Reagan .. “Government is the problem”
President Ronald Reagan ON A SOUND ECONOMY
The time has come to transition away from the warfare and welfare economy to a peace and prosperity economy free from United States government intervention abroad and at home.
Deficits, Debts and Unfunded Liabilities: The Consequences of Excessive Government Spending
Behold: US Debt
U.S. Debt Clock
U.S. Government Is Bankrupt; Default Will Come through Inflation
Government Debt and Historical Truth | THE PLAIN TRUTH by Judge Napolitano 7/26/11
Background Articles and Videos
US Navy Seals Killed in Afghanistan
59% Want Troops Home from Afghanistan
“…A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 59% of Likely Voters nationwide want the troops to come home either immediately or within a year. Twenty-eight percent (28%) oppose any firm timetable and 13% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
At 59%, support for bring the troops home is up from 51% in June, 52% in March, 43% last September, and 39% in September 2009.
Notably, 43% of Republicans now support bringing the troops home within a year while just 42% oppose a firm timetable. As recently as June, most Republicans opposed any firm timetable.
Just 22% now believe the U.S. has a clearly defined mission in Afghanistan.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 9-10, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Seventy-six percent (76%) of Democrats and 58% of unaffiliated voters want the troops home within a year.
Among those aligned with the Tea Party, 47% say it’s time to bring the troops home and 43% oppose any firm timetable.
Support for the U.S. military mission in Libya is down to 24%.
Seventy-five percent (75%) of all voters agree that “the United States should not commit its forces to military action overseas unless the cause is vital to our national interest.”
US helicopter crashed in Taliban trap: Afghan official
By Sabawoon Amarkhail | AFP
“…The Taliban lured US forces into an elaborate trap to shoot down their helicopter, killing 30 American troops in the deadliest such incident of the war, an Afghan official said Monday.
US President Barack Obama pledged that the incident — which killed 38 people — would not keep foreign forces from prevailing in Afghanistan, and the Pentagon called the downing of the Chinook a “one-off” that would not alter US strategy.
The late Friday attack marked the biggest single loss of life for American and NATO forces since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan toppled the Taliban in late 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks.
The loss of the Chinook during an anti-Taliban operation southwest of Kabul dealt a blow to elite US special forces, which had 25 members on board — 22 US Navy SEAL commandos and three Air Force Special Operations Forces.
Five US Army personnel, seven Afghan commandos and an interpreter also died.
A senior Afghan government official told AFP on condition of anonymity that Taliban commander Qari Tahir lured US forces to the scene by tipping them off that a Taliban meeting was taking place.
He also said four Pakistanis helped Tahir carry out the strike.
“Now it’s confirmed that the helicopter was shot down and it was a trap that was set by a Taliban commander,” said the official, citing intelligence gathered from the area.
“The Taliban knew which route the helicopter would take,” he continued.
“That’s the only route, so they took position on the either side of the valley on mountains and as the helicopter approached, they attacked it with rockets and other modern weapons. It was brought down by multiple shots.” …”
http://news.yahoo.com/us-helicopter-shot-down-taliban-trap-afghan-official-070456126.html
Photos of the Fallen: Americans shot down in Afghanistan
“Insurgents shot down a U.S. military helicopter during fighting in eastern Afghanistan, killing 30 Americans, most of them belonging to the same elite Navy SEALs unit that killed Osama bin Laden.”
Arlington Navy SEAL Among Those Killed in Attack
Family members say Chief Petty Officer Matt Mills was on his last mission
“…Family members confirmed that an Arlington man was one of 30 service members killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Saturday.
Chief Petty Officer Matt Mills, 36, was on his last mission when the Chinook helicopter crashed in the restive Wardark province, his family said.
“He’s always loved what he did,” said his sister, Ashley Mills. “He told me he couldn’t believe he could do this for a living because he loved it so much.”
He was a Navy SEAL for 10 years.
“He was very humble about what he did,” said his cousin, J.B. Abbot. “He never bragged about being a Navy SEAL.”
Matt Mills grew up in Arlington and graduated from Martin High School.
He has three children, an 18-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter from a previous marriage.
Mills remarried just a few months prior to his last mission, on April 29. He and his current wife, Keri, who lives in Virginia, have a 1-year-old son together.
Family member said Mills greatly admired his grandfather, a Marine, and when he was younger, often talked about wanting to join the military.
Ashley Mills said she finds comfort in the fact that her brother served in what he saw as his mission in life.
“It would be that he had a lot of love in his heart and he was proud of his country and he was proud to serve,” she said. “He loved his family, his children, and we also loved him very much.”
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Arlington-Navy-SEAL-Among-Those-Killed-in-Attack-127112738.html?dr
Our Next Wars: Yemen and Somalia
By Philip Giraldi
“…The U.S. military’s African command, or AFRICOM, is actually located in Stuttgart, Germany, but its principal operational component is located at the large French military base Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti. The CIA runs its drone operations targeting Somalia and Yemen out of that same location and has been using its assets on the ground in those countries to help direct predator strikes against suspected terrorist targets. CIA and special ops soldiers have been busy placing sensors and electronic surveillance devices throughout the Horn of Africa and in Yemen to permit greatly expanded operations. Both CIA and Army units in Djibouti have recently been beefed up in expectation that fighting will intensify in 2011.
And what is the nature of the threat justifying major military and intelligence operations in two new countries? Well, according to the State Department’s own recently issued report on global terrorism, the only terrorist incident originating in Yemen that directly threatened U.S. interests was the unsuccessful Nigerian underwear bomber in December, an attack that was carried out in retaliation for a deadly CIA drone strike shortly before. And there have been allegations that U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Aulaqi might have influenced Major Malik Nadal Hasan’s shooting rampage at Fort Hood last November. Apart from that, terrorism in Yemen is internally directed with some spillover against neighbor Saudi Arabia. In Somalia, al-Shabaab, which the State Department describes as “a disparate group of armed militias, many of whom do not adhere to the ideology of the group’s leaders,” is the target of Washington’s ire. Foggy Bottom concedes that the group is linked to al-Qaeda only by “mutually supportive rhetoric.” It has not targeted the United States at all, though some government officials have expressed concerns that Somali-Americans who travel back to their country of birth to join al-Shabaab might return to the U.S. to commit terrorist acts.
So we are again talking of secret wars conducted in places where we do not understand the local issues or players very well, all part of a massive overreaction directed against low-level troublemakers who do not actually pose any serious threat against the United States. Where it will all lead is anyone’s guess, but it should be noted that the pattern of new terrorism emerging as the response to misdirected and heavy-handed American intervention has been repeated over and over again during the past ten years.”
http://www.amconmag.com/blog/our-next-wars-yemen-and-somalia/
Bush signs landmark Medicare bill into law
“…It is the largest expansion of Medicare since the program was created in 1965, though most of its provisions won’t take effect for several years. The drug benefit, for example, does not take effect until 2006. Before that, seniors will be able to purchase a discount card that could provide a 10 to 25 percent off prescription drugs.
“Our nation has made a promise, a solemn promise, to America’s seniors,” Bush said. “We have pledged to help our citizens find affordable medical care in the later years of life.”
“These reforms are the act of a vibrant and compassionate government,” Bush said.
In 2006, Medicare recipients will pay $35 per month with a $250 deductible for prescriptions. The plan will pay 75 percent of costs up to $2,250. The prescription drug provision left out a proposed guideline the president had originally sought — requiring seniors to join an HMO to be eligible for the benefit.
The law also allows the importation of drugs from Canada — where many are cheaper — but only if the Food and Drug Administration has approved the drugs.
It also provides subsidies to private insurers to compete with traditional Medicare, giving seniors the opportunity to join managed-care plans, which typically cut costs by restricting patient access to specialists. That provision does not take effect until 2010. …”
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
“…The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)[1][2] is a United States federal statute that was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. The law (along with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010) is a product of the health care reform agenda of the 111th United States Congress and the Obama administration. The primary aspects of the law are reform of the private health insurance industry and public health insurance programs, to improve coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, expand access to care for over 30 million Americans, and reduce the long term costs of the United States health care system.[3][4]
The PPACA passed the Senate on December 24, 2009, by a filibuster-proof vote of 60–39 with all Democrats and one Independent voting for, and all Republicans voting against. It passed the House of Representatives on March 21, 2010, by a vote of 219–212, with 178 Republicans and 34 Democrats voting against the bill.[5] The law has received legal challenges regarding its constitutionality. Three cases in federal courts upheld the constitutionality of the bill while two deemed it unconstitutional.[6] Six other challenges were dismissed on grounds such as plaintiffs being unable to demonstrate sufficient standing.[6] The Supreme Court could review this law as early as the end of 2011 or the beginning of 2012.[7]
Overveiw of Provisions
The law includes numerous health-related provisions to take effect over a four-year period beginning in 2010. In order of their assessed impact the primary provisions are as follows:
- Guaranteed issue and community rating will be implemented nationally so that insurers must offer the same premium to all applicants of the same age, sex, and geographical location regardless of pre-existing conditions.
- Medicaid eligibility is expanded to include all individuals and families with incomes up to 133% of the poverty level.
- Health insurance exchanges will commence operation in each state, offering a marketplace where individuals and small businesses can compare policies and premiums, and buy insurance (with a government subsidy if eligible).
- Firms employing 50 or more people but not offering health insurance will pay a “shared responsibility payment” if the government has had to subsidize an employee’s health care
- A shared responsibility requirement, also referred to as an individual mandate,[8] requires individuals not covered by Medicaid, Medicare, or other government programs to maintain insurance or pay a penalty. (unless the applicable individual “is a member of a recognized religious sect” exempted by the Internal Revenue Service.)[9]
- Medicare prescription drug payments are to be increased.
- Changes are enacted which allow a restructuring of Medicare reimbursement from “fee-for-service” to “bundled payments”.
- Establishment of a national voluntary insurance program for purchasing community living assistance services and support.
- Low income persons and families above the Medicaid level and up to 400% of the poverty level will receive subsidies on a sliding scale if they choose to purchase insurance via an exchange (persons at 150% of the poverty level would be subsidized such that their premium cost would be of 2% of income or $50 a month for a family of 4).
- Very small businesses will be able to get subsidies if they purchase insurance through an exchange.
- Additional support is provided for medical research and the National Institutes of Health.
- Enrollment into CHIP and Medicaid is simplified with improvements to both programs.
- The law will introduce minimum standards for health insurance policies and remove all annual and lifetime coverage caps.
- The law mandates that some health care insurance benefits will be essential coverage for which there will be no co-pays.
- Policies issued before the law came into effect are grandfathered in and are mostly not affected by the new rules.
Summary of funding
The Act’s provisions are intended to be funded by a variety of taxes and offsets. Major sources of new revenue include a much-broadened Medicare tax on incomes over $200,000 and $250,000, for individual and joint filers respectively, an annual fee on insurance providers, and a 40% tax on “Cadillac” insurance policies. There are also taxes on pharmaceuticals, high-cost diagnostic equipment, and a federal sales tax on indoor tanning services. Offsets are from intended cost savings such as improved fairness in the Medicare Advantage program relative to traditional Medicare.[10]
Total new tax revenue from the Act will amount to $409.2 billion over the next 10 years. $78 billion will be realized before the end of fiscal 2014.[11] Summary of revenue sources:
- Broaden Medicare tax base for high-income taxpayers: $210.2 billion
- Annual fee on health insurance providers: $60 billion
- 40% excise tax on health coverage in excess of $10,200/$27,500: $32 billion
- Impose annual fee on manufacturers and importers of branded drugs: $27 billion
- Impose 2.3% excise tax on manufacturers and importers of certain medical devices: $20 billion
- Require information reporting on payments to corporations: $17.1 billion
- Raise 7.5% Adjusted Gross Income floor on medical expenses deduction to 10%: 15.2 billion
- Limit health flexible spending arrangements in cafeteria plans: $13 billion
- All other revenue sources: $14.9 billion …”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act
United States public debt
“…The United States public debt is the money borrowed by the federal government of the United States at any one time through the issue of securities by the Treasury and other federal government agencies. The gross public debt comprises two components:
- Debt held by government accounts, also known as intragovernmental holdings, that is, Treasury securities held in accounts that are administered by the federal government, such as the Social Security Trust Fund
- Debt held by the public, that is, securities held by investors outside the federal government, including that held by the Federal Reserve System and state and local governments. This is the net public debt.[1]
The net public debt increases or decreases as a result of the annual unified budget deficit or surplus. The federal government budget deficit or surplus is the cash difference between government receipts and spending, ignoring intra-governmental transfers. However, there is certain spending (supplemental appropriations) that add to the gross debt but are excluded from the deficit. The deficit is presented on a cash rather than an accruals basis, although the accrual deficit provides more information on the longer-term implications of the government’s annual operations.[2]
Gross debt has increased by over $500 billion each year since fiscal year (FY) 2003, with increases of $1 trillion in FY2008, $1.9 trillion in FY2009, and $1.7 trillion in FY2010.[3] As of August 3, 2011, the gross debt was $14.34 trillion dollars, of which $9.78 trillion was held by the public and $4.56 trillion was intragovernmental holdings.[4] The annual gross domestic product (GDP) to the end of June 2011 was $15.003 trillion (July 29, 2011 estimate),[5] with gross debt at a ratio of 96% of GDP, and debt held by the public at 65% of GDP.
Together with the budget deficit, the political climate was one of the reasons given by Standard & Poor’s to revise the outlook on the US sovereign credit rating down to negative on April 18, 2011.[6] Standard and Poor’s downgraded the credit rating by one notch from AAA to AA+ on August 5, 2011, for the first time ever. The longterm outlook is negative and it could lower the rating further to AA within the next 2 years.[7][8] The downgrade was met with severe criticism from the Obama administration, commentators, and other political figures.[9][10][11][12] The US still has a AAA rating from other ratings agencies.
The government budget deficit or surplus should not be confused with the trade deficit or surplus, which is the difference between net imports and net exports.
Currently, the date of December 16, 2009 marks the beginning of the only week long period in the history of the debt limit when the debt ceiling ever exceeded the statutory limit enacted by Congress. It was during this time that the treasury department invoked the use of “extraordinary accounting tools” that it could then use to give the government a range of $150 billion that it then used to pay its outstanding obligations.[13]
In the United States Congress there are currently a number of disagreements between Democrats and Republicans regarding the United States debt. On August 2, 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law the Budget Control Act of 2011, averting a possible financial default. …”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt
Neo-CONNED! by Congressman Ron Paul – Part 1 of 11
Neo-CONNED! by Congressman Ron Paul – Part 2 of 11
Neo-CONNED! by Congressman Ron Paul – Part 3 of 11
Neo-CONNED! by Congressman Ron Paul – Part 4 of 11
Neo-CONNED! by Congressman Ron Paul – Part 5 of 11
Neo-CONNED! by Congressman Ron Paul – Part 6 of 11
Neo-CONNED! by Congressman Ron Paul – Part 7 of 11
Neo-CONNED! by Congressman Ron Paul – Part 8 of 11
Neo-CONNED! by Congressman Ron Paul – Part 9 of 11
Neo-CONNED! by Congressman Ron Paul – Part 10 of 11
Neo-CONNED! by Congressman Ron Paul – Part 11 of 11
Pronk Palisades 
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