douglaschick10's Blog

 At the gas pumps in this morning, I stare at the swiftly spinning dials, and the cycle of anger begins. Oil Robber Barons strike at the pumps again. I check out at the grocery store, Oil Robber Barons impact the food I eat. I come home and watch the nightly news, Oil Robber Barons, Oil Robber Barons, something about Hilary and Obama, Oil Robber Barons.

It is true that we are a capitalistic society, and our country enjoys the luxury of a free market, but when our economy is driven by Oil Robber Barons, where is the line between a free market society and out of control greed?

The countries that regulate thier oil sales, have a stronger dollar then the U.S. (They are financially stronger than the United States.) Why, because they know their economy is based off the cost of fuel. Do we need the same regulations to protect our country, or do we allow Oil Robber Barons to drive down America until we are a weak, over inflated, hollow country, dependant on the generosity of other nations? 

With all the people I would like to blame for the economy and the ever diminishing dollar, I think the American economic demolition awards should go to the Washington Lobbyist. It is their success in persuading a weak Congress, Senate and White house to pass laws that took away from America and gave greedily to the corporations they represent. This lobbyist/political partnership did more harm to the U.S. than our enemies could only dream.

The lobbyist/political partnership is simple; lobbyist provide the money to elect a politician, and once in office, or re-elected, the politician passes laws to make the corporation more money. And by hedging a “global economy” against a weak and leveraged American debit, we have a pillaged America. Like the fall of the Roman Empire, the roads to the U.S. have been opened by greed and quickly invaded. All this while our soldiers are sent away to fight for freedom of people that would wish us all dead. We have no heroes to protect us from the money changer hordes.  

I wonder who the lobbyist want for President?

Seven years ago I learned a lesson called Greenbacks for Oil that I never knew before. The lesson goes like this: All oil in the world is purchased with the U.S. dollars. It doesn’t matter what country purchases oil from whom, they do it with the U.S. dollar. Iran sells its oil using U.S. money. Venezuela sells its oil with U.S. money.  The United States went from the Gold Standard to the Federal Reserve. (Or Greenbacks for Oil) The Federal Reserve prints out greenbacks and sells it to other countries to purchase oil with. Iraq one day decided that it would no longer accept U.S. money and switched to the Euro dollar. So to purchase Iraqi oil, you must use the Euro dollar. Other Arab nations were about to fall in line with Iraqi, and so we invaded Iraq to liberate them. This is why France and Germany protected so much, because their countries had the most to gain from it.

Now that the U.S. dollar is falling, it takes more U.S. dollars to convert to the Euro dollar, so the price of crude oil rises to account for the low value of the U.S. dollar. (Other country now must purchase more U.S. dollars to equal their dollar.) Because the dollar is weak, stronger foreign money is worth even more. The weaker we become the stronger other nations become driving us down even more. President Bush did not invade Iraq to protect us from terrorist, but for Greenbacks for oil. Our economic wealth is based on the purchase of oil from countries that would wish us all dead. The strength of America used to be on our technology and manufacturing. Perhaps it is not too late to return to that?

I read that Nike workers in Vietnam are unhappy about the working conditions at the Nike plant "in Vietnam" and have gone on strike twice. They claim that their $1 (U.S) a day is not enough for long work day, and they want more money and treated like human-beings, not slaves.

Was not this the start of the Vietnam War, French textile workers revolting because of harsh working conditions and slave wages? Did they not want to join the communist party to be liberated? And now the communist party is the largest manufacture of textiles in the world? Does this mean that the over 40,000 Americans that lost their lives, gave their lives for nothing? Will Iraq parallel Vietnam; no matter how long we are there it will ultimately revert back to the way it was?

And finally, does it matter whether we are there for 10 years or 100; can time mask or justify our loss of live and resources?

What is your opinion regarding this?

Douglas Chick
DouglasChick@gmail.com

 When unchallenged, character is the easiest of all attributes to fake. When faced with peril, bravery, courage, and honesty can only be proven with actions, not words. But how quickly character abandons a politician during an election year. I am embarrassed that this is what our country has been reduced to; politicians that will say and do anything for one more term, begging for just one more chance. They over promise, and under deliver, or deliver nothing at all. I read that members of the congress and senate only work 2 days a week, and spend 3 day raising campaign money, not just during an election year, every year.  The fear of having to enter into the private sector job market and compete with the rest of is justifiably frightening.

George W asked for one more chance because he said he wasn’t finished. Now the Clinton’s are back also asking for another chance. With oil, insurance, and pharmaceutical companies on the right, god only know what the left has to offer us. A vote for the same old family of politicians is a vote for the same lobbyist and special interest groups.

Every four years we have a chance to make a choice that is best for us and our country, but we become

influenced by the promises of false prophets. Wolves in wolves clothing. Liberal wolves blame conservative wolves and conservative wolves blame the liberals. And the only voices they really listen to are from the special interest groups the fund their campaigns. 

The Unchallenged Politician will say and do anything to be elected, because they know that once they are in, we can never get them out again. I believe that the only way to make these career politicians stand by their promises is to remove the ones that do not produce results. Once enough career politicians are fired and replaced, the new ones and remaining ones will find a way to work together for the better good of America.

The largest healthcare benefactors are employee’s of the government. The same government leaders that say that National Healthcare is socialism enjoy the privileged benefits of free healthcare for not only themselves, but for their families as well. The same people that say the government can not manage healthcare efficiently run the government. No one knows themselves better then they do. So why should we vote for the same people that say they can not efficiently run a national program? 

Government leaders are now saying that healthcare should be taken out of the company and purchased by the individual user. Does this also include government employees? The United States is the largest employer in America. They have the largest healthcare plan, and it is paid for by the tax payers. (I do not mean the military. Soldiers that fight in wars should undoubtedly receive free healthcare for the rest of their lives.) They say that a large portion of Americans have healthcare, but they do not exclude the national healthcare package for government. They say we can not afford national healthcare for the people, but we can afford it for them. 

Oligarchy (Greek Oligarkhía) is a form of government where political power effectively rests with a small elite segment of society (whether distinguished by wealth, family or military powers). The word oligarchy is from the Greek words for "few"  and "rule". Compare with autocracy (rule by one person) and democracy (power in the people).

If my tax dollars, (and I pay a lot) If my tax dollars can not pay for mine and my families healthcare, why would I want to pay for yours.  

I am not a liberal, I am a conservative. My friends that still support the Iraqi war; stubbornly say it was the right thing to do. For whom I ask? Not for the 500,000 dead Iraqi’s, and certainly not the over 3000 dead American’s they gave their lives for people that would wish us all dead. McCann says that we will be in Iraq for 100 years, and that seems to be the conservative pledge. I will not pledge my tax dollar or give support to those that intent to spend money that I have not made yet. Having to choose between giving my tax dollars to Americans verses Iraqi’s, Saudi’s, or China, I think I will select my people first. If you want your money to go overseas, I will not stop you.

My friends that still follow their conservative party lines see nothing wrong with giving privilege to pharmaceuticals, oil, and insurance conglomerates, even though they are in middle-class tax brackets that are burdened by the seemingly endless hunger for more. Supply and demand is perhaps one of the most fundamental concepts of our economy and it is the backbone of our free market nation. It is those principles that made us the strongest country in the world, but something has changed, and we are no longer the richest nation. We now depend on countries like China to buy our debt. A communist country that was once a sworn enemy must by our debt to protect their economy? Lobbyist and special interests are no longer American born, but they are a threat to America.

Voting for a President is much more than voting for someone that shares, (or say they share) my ideology. The 20% devalue of the U.S. dollar, reduced my ability to pay my bills also by 20%, and subsequently I am left with less impulse purchasing dollars. With a choice of the remaining Presidential candidates, I have to select someone that is best for my tax bracket, not a candidate that is best for someone with a much higher bracket, or lower. Mike Huckabee says that he doesn't have a degree in math, he has one in miracles? We do not need miracles to save America, just honest people that are good at math.

I am no fan of the democratic mind-set, and probably never will be, but how poor a job has George Bush done that I must consider a democratic to save America?

Douglas Chick
DouglasChick@gmail.com

The new power phase is “Free Market Society”.  Free Market Society, replaces the word Democracy. You’re going to hear it a lot more in the coming months. Iraq isn’t a democracy; they are a Free Market Society. Free Market Society means less government, (really less government regulation) less government means more U.S market globalization. The more global corporations can take from America, the richer they become. Where are they building their wealth from, the middle-class? "They" are not taking money from the rich or poor, (The rich are too smart and the poor don't have money) they are taking it from the middle-class. Allowing Free Market Globalization is like an hour glass, the more sand that leask out to the bottom, the emptier the top becomes. We are the top of the hour glass, and the only way to fix it, is to flip it upside down and pour the sand back to our side. The diminishing value of the dollar is a direct reaction to Free Market Globalization.  Less government regulation means higher gas costs, more jobs sent out of the country and less laws to stop it. For foreign investors to take more American money, the dollar has to diminish more, there has to be less regulation, and the middle-class dollar has to be closer to a third world currency.  If we allow a Free Market Society to replace Democracy, then you open up your middle-class paycheck to the world like spam. 

Douglas Chick
DouglasChick@Gmail.com 

I have heard so many people say, “It doesn’t matter who is President.” and I must admit, I’ve said it too. Clearly it does matter, because look at us now. When down to two candidates, what are our real choices? Here are my Top 10 priorities: 

1. Responsible Government Spending? You can not spend money we do not have. I do not want my children paying off debt to China, (or any other country) for a war or stimulus plan that did not make a difference to America.
2. A budget with no deficit? If you present a budget that includes a deficit, then it is not a budget, right?
3. I want my social security deduction to be applied correctly, or eliminated!
4. Healthcare: Employer healthcare at one time was to lure good employees with good benefits. Some how it has turned into a crippling burden on the employer. We pay our leaders to lead; they can broker an individual healthcare plan to relief the burden from U.S. businesses. …at the very least.
5. The War in Iraq: I don’t know why we are there, and I do not want my tax dollars applied to people that pray for my death on a daily basis. Let their God sort out their fate. Bring our soldiers home, or ship them to Afghanistan.
6. Accountability: Why is it that the middle class are the only ones accountable for their actions in this country?
7. Support our Soldiers: When our soldiers return home they should be given the care, respect, and support to get back to their lives. Supporting the troops mean the people that fight the wars, not the politicians that start them.
8. Fuel independent Nation: Without fuel independence we will always be at the mercy of the greedy.
9. Environmental responsibility: If you vote for an oil man for President, do not blame him for high fuel costs, or global pollution. I drive an SUV gas hog, and I complain that gas cost is too much, and pollution is too high. My next car will be a fuel efficient one.
10. Sub-Prime bail out? Who will the government actually be saving with a Sub-Prime bail-out? Foreign investors are hit the hardest from this failure, will the government bail out foreign investors with U.S. tax dollars borrowed from China?

These are the answering I am looking for in a Presidential candidate.

What are yours?

Douglas Chick
DouglasChick@Gmail.com

The Democratic primaries have turned into a battle between Barack Obama and Bill/Hillary Clinton. Obama needs a second speaker on this team to be the bad guy and say whatever we wants and not be accountable. If I were Obama I would pick the comedian Lewis Black. Lewis could drop 40 pounds, slug down 100 cups of coffee and shout angerly at reporters, like Bill Clinton is doing for Hillary. Man, I have heard of the beast with two backs, but Bill and Hillary are the beast with two mouths.