Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Barker's Newsbites: Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Via FaceBook...

Michelle - your words are well worth sharing... so I will!

*  *  *  *  *  *

I love words. Using them, reading them, hearing them...I just love words. 

This evening, I happened across an article (which I chose not to post, for reasons I'll explain later) describing how one protester told another to "speak English." That comment was prompted by a request made using just a few phrases we generally call "ghetto speak"... but in all honesty, it wasn't THAT bad, and the "speak English" was really uncalled for.

Still, though, I understand the frustration.  

Our area, as most are aware, is mostly white. Unfortunately, what is called "ghetto speak" seems to in fact be spreading as an educational system failure, not restricted to poor urban areas.

I sometimes marvel at college graduates with poor language skills. More often, I find myself perplexed when I encounter young adults incapable of verbalizing coherent thoughts. The tension caused by the slow, agonizing death of our language exists on all sides. It goes beyond the use of words, to infect reasoning, comprehension, and ability. If you cannot understand your instructor, you can not learn. If your instructor cannot understand you, he/she cannot teach.

How are these young people possibly receiving high school or college diplomas legitimately? 

How can any reasonable person expect them to succeed when lol'ing or omg'ing TRULY IS what they call speech?

Occasional use of slang or plays on words is something most of us do, obviously! 

Gnomesayin? (See?) 

However...stringing nonsense together to spew out gibberish, then wondering why you cannot get hired? 

What have we done?

What have we done?

Ya wanna know (see?) what "sexy" is, to me? A man with such a command of language that my mind is ensnared. Nothing, NOTHING, beats a quiet darkness filled with the voice of a man that can paint his world for me with words. Not trite, frankly stupid, lines and boasting; words that accurately frame his perception of and relation to the world around him. 

A man cannot conquer what he cannot express. Period.

Why are so many refusing to empower others in that manner? Why are we systematically denying the one thing about humans that allows us to create and express and shape and learn and invent and build...

Why are we denying that to so many?

Wow...

Just... wow...

Since entering the world of FaceBook several years ago in order to be involved in preparations for my then-impending 30th High School Reunion, I've "met" all sorts of folks from throughout America and indeed the world.

I've reconnected with old friends and acquaintances and formed new friendships with friends of friends of friends of friend!

(*GRIN*)

Michelle... I'm SO glad we've met!


9 comments:

William R. Barker said...

* TWO-PARTER... (Part 1 of 2)

http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-factories-keep-losing-ground-to-global-rivals-1409009731?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection

America's shale boom has raised hopes of a revival in U.S. manufacturing, in part fueled by cheaper energy. But...

* BUT WHAT...?!?!

U.S. factories still are losing ground to rivals in Asia and Europe.

* SHIT!

Much of the problem stems from steel, trucks, car parts, industrial machinery and furniture.

* AND FURNITURE...

* FURNITURE... IN A NATION OF FORESTS... VAST FORESTS...

(*HEADACHE*)

The U.S. deficit on trade in goods swelled in the first half to $371.59 billion from $354.64 a year earlier. Imports rose 3.3%, while exports increased 2.6%. Manufactured exports, excluding petroleum and coal, rose just 0.8% — far below last year's modest 2.1% gain.

(*SIGH*)

China and other countries have pursued aggressive export strategies and the U.S. has lost manufacturing skills and suppliers after shifting production overseas.

* AND...

China isn't the only country winning the battle. U.S. trade gaps with the three largest members of the euro zone—Germany, France and Italy — all increased in the first half.

(*PURSED LIPS*)

Four years ago, the White House aimed to double all U.S. exports over five years.

* NO! NOT "THE WHITE HOUSE." OBAMA! BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA!

That would have meant a rise to $3.16 trillion of exports this year. But research firm IHS Inc. forecasts $2.34 trillion in exports this year and $2.51 trillion next year.

The reasons U.S. manufacturers are losing ground depend on the type of good. In electronics, production has shifted abroad so the U.S. doesn't even compete in areas such as smartphones and television sets. Commercial truck makers fled to Mexico over the past decade and see no reason to come back.

* WHY...?!?! YOU'RE NOT EXPLAINING WHY...!!!

* TO BE CONTINUED...

William R. Barker said...

* CONCLUDING... (Part 2 of 2)

Steel is a big part of the expanding trade deficit. Mill capacity and raw-material supplies were cut so much during the recession that there isn't enough to meet rising demand. U.S. steel production was 95 million tons last year, while demand was 107 million tons, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

The U.S. is the "only mature economy" with a shortage of steel, says Mark Millett, chief executive of Fort Wayne, Ind., steelmaker Steel Dynamics Inc.

* GEEZUS...!

To cope with lost market share, TMK Ipsco recently idled a pipe mill in Kentucky and reduced working hours at other plants. David Mitch, CEO of the company, a unit of Russia's OAO TMK...

* SO WE'RE NOT EVEN TALKING U.S. OWNED U.S. STEEL COMPANIES!

...says government subsidies help some overseas competitors undercut his company's prices by 20%.

U.S. Steel Corp., citing similar factors, has halted work at plants in McKeesport, Pa., and Bellville, Texas, that make steel pipes and tubes, resulting in 260 layoffs.

* I BELIEVE U.S. STEEL CORP. IS STILL A U.S. OWNED COMPANY... BUT I COULDN'T SWEAR TO IT...

(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)

Some relief may be in sight. The U.S. International Trade Commission last week ruled that imports of oil pipes from South Korea and five other nations are being sold below fair value and should be subject to antidumping duties.

* OUR OWN GOVERNMENT SHOULD HAVE DEALT WITH THE DUMPING! OBAMA HAS BEEN PRESIDENT SINCE JANUARY 2009! (IT'S NOW AUGUST 2014!)

U.S. pipe makers have been losing ground to importers. U.S. imports of iron and steel rose 37.5% in the first half, to 21.9 million tons. Where steelmakers are increasing output, they often are getting raw ingredients from abroad.

* ENOUGH. JUST... ENOUGH.

Sim-Tex LP President Chuck Scianna says he imports about 95% of the roughly 500,000 tons of steel a year he supplies to distributors who sell to oil and gas companies.

That wasn't always the case.

The Waller, Texas, wholesaler used to get supplies largely from U.S. Steel before the industry retrenched. "In the United States, it's not as easy to have blast furnaces and different kinds of mills because of [environmental] rules," Mr. Scianna says.

* ENVIRONMENTAL RULES...

(*SIGH*)

William R. Barker said...

* TWO-PARTER... (Part 1 of 2)

http://online.wsj.com/articles/allan-h-meltzer-cronyism-vs-the-constitution-1409008784

Most of us learned in grade school that the Constitution parcels legislative, executive and judicial power into separate branches of the government. This separation of powers — the system of checks and balances — is to prevent tyranny and ensure that all citizens enjoy equal protection under the law.

How true are these time-honored precepts today? Unfortunately, as some colleagues at the Hoover Institution's program on regulation and the rule of law are finding, the answer is less and less.

With regard to presidential power, the Constitution is explicit: Congress is authorized to make laws, and the president must execute them. The Constitution does not authorize the executive branch to change the laws or decline to enforce them for its own convenience.

Yet President Obama has waived the requirements of laws such as the Affordable Care Act and some laws on immigration — effectively rewriting them.

* HERE'S THE PROBLEM, THOUGH:

There is not much - short of impeachment - to prevent a president from issuing his own laws by reinterpreting existing laws.

(*PURSED LIPS*)

The Supreme Court has been loath to prevent the president from going beyond his authorized responsibility. But Speaker John Boehner has led the House to pass a resolution authorizing a lawsuit challenging the president's actions on the grounds that his actions infringe on Congress's legislative power.

* BOEHNER SUCKS. A "RESOLUTION?" PITIFUL. BUT THEN AGAIN... AS MELTZER NOTES... THE TRUE REMEDY TO FOUNDERS ENVISIONED WAS IMPEACHMENT. BUT THIS SAID... THERE'S ALSO THE POWER OF THE PURSE - WHICH BOEHNER AND THE GOP ESTABLISHMENT HAVE REFUSED TO USE!

* TO BE CONTINUED...

William R. Barker said...

* CONCLUDING... (Part 2 of 2)

Regardless of the outcome of this lawsuit, Congress has other ways to protect the rule of law. Article III of the Constitution authorizes Congress to make rules for the judiciary. It can — and should — directly change the scope of standing to permit courts to restrain the president from rewriting laws.

* CONGRESS. NOT "THE HOUSE." CONGRESS. BOTH HOUSES. DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS. MAINLY SCUMBAGS.

That would be a good start, but more is needed. The power of federal regulatory agencies to issue rules, enforce them and penalize violators is also subject to abuse. Congress itself created this problem long ago by writing broad, vague general laws and letting regulatory agencies fill in the details. It continues to do so. This arrangement is tailor-made for influence-peddling and cronyism.

Lobbyists and other special interest groups negotiate the rules with unelected bureaucracies. Inevitably, those with pull get favorable treatment. Larger firms can impose disadvantages on competitors; smaller firms that cannot afford to participate in the process lose. Regulators, in short, are too easily captured by the industries and companies they are supposed to regulate. And they have much weaker incentives to act in the best interest of firms than do these firms' principal stockholders.

Here is one example: The Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 was passed in part to eliminate bank bailouts brought about by banks that have grown "too big to fail." But the law has not eliminated the too-big-to-fail problem, and massive taxpayer bailouts are still possible. The largest banks have retained their competitive advantage and can borrow at a lower interest rate because their creditors are protected against failure. As a result, merely big banks cannot compete with the largest banks and many have sold out to them. For example, JP Morgan acquired Chase National, and JP Morgan-Chase acquired Bank One. The biggest banks became even bigger, and concentration of lending greatly increased.

Regulations that favor some interests over others is not a problem confined to finance. It is a feature of environmental protection, labor markets and much else.

The U.S. regulatory system does a poor job of fulfilling the main economic reason for regulation — closing any demonstrated gaps between private and social cost. It is much more likely to find ways to help specific, favored groups of constituents, shifting the costs to others. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a creature of Dodd-Frank, takes funding from the Federal Reserve's massive earnings on its huge portfolio to direct credit toward individuals and groups it claims are disadvantaged. This is an invitation to cronyism and corruption!

To help strengthen the rule of law, Congress could require that all regulations above some specified cost be approved by both houses. That would provide oversight by elected officials who could reject special privileges and cronyism. It could also insist that all spending by any agency for any purpose requires direct congressional authorization, a fundamental principle of the Constitution.

William R. Barker said...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11056733/Cannabis-infused-fizzy-drinks-on-sale-in-US.html

A cannabis-infused fizzy drink is now on sale in the state of Washington as part of the ever-expanding US market for legal pot products.

* ON SALE WHERE? POT SHOPS ONLY? LIQOUR STORES? ANY STORE WHERE YOU CAN BUY BEER? ANY STORE WHERE YOU CAN BUY CIGARETTES?

Less than two months after recreational cannabis became legal in the west coast state, Washingtonians can now get their highs out of a soda bottle.

(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)

The drinks, called Legal, come in cherry, lemon and pomegranate flavors but are all infused with 10mg of liquid cannabis. The drinks cost around $10.

* AGE RESTRICTION...???

They are being marketed as a gentler alternative to smoking that could be attractive to those still wary about cannabis.

But the Washington-based company has not forgotten its more traditional stoner market. The Lemon Ginger flavored drink is presented with the tagline: "Couch, meet butt". It promises the drink is "so ridiculously relaxing that you may find yourself becoming one with your furniture."

* WE'RE SO "RELAXED" AS A COUNTRY TODAY THAT HALF OF OUR POPULATION IS ON ONE FORM OF WELFARE OR ANOTHER.

* I FIND THIS REPREHENSIBLE.

The company is hoping to begin selling iced coffee shortly, promoting their Cold Brew as a drink with a mild high that could be drunk with breakfast.

* GEEZUS...

"You’ll swim off into a day of work or play filled to the brim with pure joy," they promise.

For now the fizzy drinks will only be sold in Washington's certified cannabis dispensaries but could one day be available on supermarket shelves.

* FOR NOW...

William R. Barker said...

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-me-brown-mexico-20140826-story.html

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto kicked off a two-day tour of California with a speech to Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles on Monday in which he pledged to make life better for his countrymen living on both sides of the border.

* "HIS" COUNTRYMEN...

(*SIGH*)

Pledging reduced wait times at border crossings and faster services at Mexican consulates across the United States, Nieto said he had an obligation to serve all Mexicans, regardless of where they lived.

* FOLKS... THIS IS AN INVASION.

"This is the other Mexico," he said of the United States, which is home to an estimated 11 million Mexican immigrants.

* LIKE I SAID... AN INVASION.

Peña Nieto, who is making his first official trip to the U.S. since he was sworn in nearly two years ago, spoke in Spanish to a crowd of several hundred at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. He entered a ballroom alight with the colors of the Mexican flag to thunderous applause and shouts of "Bienvenidos!"

* GEEZUS...

His visit follows a recent trade mission to Mexico by Gov. Jerry Brown, who has promised to have the two governments work more closely on immigration, climate change, energy and trade issues. Mexico, which last year was the recipient of $23.9 billion of California's exports, is the state's largest trade partner.

During Brown's visit, an agreement was struck to press forward with plans to create a new border crossing in San Diego County, which advocates say could alleviate delays that cost businesses billions of dollars annually.

In introducing Peña Nieto on Monday, Brown spoke about the interwoven histories of Mexico and California and nodded to the immigrants in the room, saying it didn't matter whether they had permission to be in the United States.

(*TEARS FILLING MY EYES*)

* THE LEFT CONTROLS AMERICA, MY FRIENDS. WE MUST FACE THIS FACT.

"You're all welcome in California," he said.

* ANYONE THINK HOLDER IS GONNA SUE CALIFORNIA... LIKE HE DID ARIZONA...?

* ANYONE THINK THE U.S. SUPREME COURT IS GONNA TREAT CALIFORNIA AS IF IT WERE ARIZONA...?

* FOLKS... THE INMATES ARE RUNNING THE ASYLUM!

Peña Nieto also expounded on the close ties between Mexico and California, which has the country's largest population of Mexican immigrants. He thanked state officials for embracing foreigners, citing measures that extend state benefits to immigrants...

* CITING MEASURES THAT EXTEND STATE BENEFITS TO IMMIGRANTS...

* FOLKS... IT'S WORSE THAN IT SOUNDS. THINK ABOUT WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THESE STATE FUNDS ARE ACTUALLY FEDERAL FUNDS (YOUR TAXES, MY TAXES) THAT HAVE BEEN "DISTRIBUTED" TO CALIFORNIA IN STATE GRANTS?!

* FOLKS... AGAIN... THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOESN'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO MEET ITS OPERATING BUDGET. THE MONIES NIETO REFERS TO ARE BORROWED IN OUR NAMES TO BE SPENT ON IMMIGRANTS WHO WE DON'T NEED IN THE FIRST PLACE ACCORDING TO THE UNEMPLOYMENT STATS!

* THIS... IS... INSANE...!!!

Peña Nieto was joined by a delegation of governors from several Mexican states as well as Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who made his own trade mission to Mexico in March.

Speaking in Spanish, Garcetti announced plans to declare 2017 "the year of Mexico" in Los Angeles, which he said would include celebrations of the contributions that Mexican Americans have made to the city.

On Tuesday morning, Peña Nieto will travel to Sacramento to have lunch with Brown and address the Legislature.

A good relationship with Peña Nieto and Mexico could pay political dividends for the governor, who is running for reelection in November. In 2010, Latinos made up 19.2% of California voters, according to the California Civic Engagement Project at the UC Davis Center for Regional Change.

William R. Barker said...

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/08/25/Unprecedented-Food-Stamp-Enrollments-Top-45-Million-3-Years-In-a-Row

According to Gallup, just 39% of Americans believe the U.S. economy is "getting better" versus 56% who say it is "getting worse."

* AND THEY'RE RIGHT!

President Barack Obama and vulnerable Democrats facing tough midterm elections in 71 days are scrambling to prop up the moribund U.S. economy in the minds of disgruntled voters. However, one of the quickest shorthand economic measurements - food stamp enrollments - paints a startling portrait of the "new normal" in the Obama economy.

According to the Department of Agriculture's most recently released data, the number of individuals enrolled in the food stamp program (known officially as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) has remained above 45 million every single month for three years straight.

* 45 MILLION PEOPLE (PLUS!) ON FOOD STAMPS... EVERY DAMN MONTH... FOR THREE STRAIGHT YEARS...

* AND THAT'S JUST FOOD STAMPS, FOLKS! THROW IN FREE AND SUBSIDIZED SCHOOL LUNCHES, BREAKFASTS, EVEN DINNER... THROW IN SUMMER "PROGRAM" FREE AND SUBSIDIZED BREAKFASTS, LUNCHES, AND DINNERS... THROW IN MEALS ON WHEELS FOR CERTAIN OF THE ELDERLY (WHICH I HAVE THE LEAST PROBLEM WITH!)... THROW IN ALL THE REST AND SOMETHING LIKE 103 MILLION AMERICANS ARE ON SOME FORM OF FOOD "RELIEF."

In May 2011, 45,410,683 individuals received food stamps. As of May 2014 (the most recent date for which data are available), 46,225,054 people were on food stamps. At no point between the two dates did the number of food stamp enrollments ever fall below the 45 million mark.

Food stamp enrollments have soared due to President Barack Obama's categorical eligibility provisions, aggressive enrollment marketing, a bleak economy, and intense lobbying by large corporations who bag millions of taxpayer dollars as food stamp enrollments climb. Indeed, a report by the Government Accountability Institute (GAI) found that JP Morgan bagged well over half a billion dollars ($560,492,596) since 2004 processing the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards of 18 of the 24 states it holds contracts with.

* FOLLOW THE MONEY, FOLKS... FOLLOW THE MONEY - AND THUS IDENTIFY THE PLAYERS! CRONY CAPITALISM IS ALIVE AND WELL IN WASHINGTON D.C. AND IN EVERY STATE CAPITAL! BLAME THE FAUX CAPITALISTS FOR TRYING... FOR SUCCEEDING... BUT BLAME THE POLITICIANS FOR SAYING YES... FOR ACCEPTING THE BRIBES!

* AGAIN... IF VIOLENCE ISN'T THE ANSWER... WHAT IS?

* OH.. BTW:

[Our American] middle class [is] poorer now than it was in 1984... [and the rich are richer... all under Obama...]

* AND YET...

"Since I have come into office, there's almost no economic metric by which you couldn't say that the U.S. economy is better," Obama said in an interview this month with the Economist.

* THE MAN GIVE GOEBBELS A RUN FOR HIS MONEY!

William R. Barker said...

* TWO-PARTER... (Part 1 of 2)

http://news.investors.com/politics-andrew-malcolm/082614-714759-obama-syria-drone-surveillance-isis.htm?p=full

Is it smart to give advance alerts to enemies like ISIS that an eye in the sky will soon be silently watching and targeting? Or may already be. And they should probably park armed pickups inside now or drag out the camouflage?

Of course not!

Obama appears addicted to tipping his military hand. Remember his extemporaneous, un-telepromptered red-line vow about Syria's use of chemical weapons? He stalled doing anything for more than a year.

* AND NOW... HE'S AT IT AGAIN!

The Monday phone conversations likely went something like this:

Obama administration official: "Hey, how ya doing? Going away for the holiday?"

Washington reporter: "Nah, my wife's roped me into something with her family. What's up?"

OAO: "I have something that might interest your readers. Usual background rules?"

WR: "OK, yeh. What?"

OAO: "The president has authorized surveillance flights over Syria for the first time."

WR: "No s---!"

In a short period of time the similarly-leaked stories began appearing on multiple websites with headlines like: "U.S. Military Prepares for Surveillance Flights Over Syria."

Several points to this strategic communications maneuver:

First, it's ironic and typically hypocritical that this presidential administration that goes to unprecedented legal and clandestine lengths to hunt down unauthorized leakers and intimidate would-be squealers not residing in Moscow is so addicted to strategic leaking itself.

(*SNICKER*)

This is why, for instance, news consumers learn about new Cabinet appointments the night before Obama makes the Rose Garden announcement. Unidentified "administration sources" provide the details to select amenable reporters. This way the president's decision controls two news cycles, not just one. And - through their private advance conversations with reporters - the officials also get a valuable dry-run of questions the president is likely to hear the next day!

But these Obama minions don't care. They've been steeped in Joe Biden's abiding suspicion and Obama's distrust of the military establishment. And if scoring pre-midterm election PR points for their boss makes Middle Eastern skies a little more dangerous for American pilots, so be it. Obama remains, after all, the commander-in-chief, for better or worse.

* TO BE CONTINUED...

William R. Barker said...

* CONCLUDING... (Part 2 of 2)

But when public pressure built, Obama announced he was going to attack specific targets in Syria from the air. Not, like most presidents, that he had attacked targets. But that he would. I'm coming for you one day soon. Or Obama's humorous economic sanctions on Russian companies and individuals for President Putin's annexation of Crimea. Obama provided weeks of advance warnings to Russians and Syrians, that any financial holdings still within reach or Syrian targets within sight deserved to be destroyed.

Likewise, Obama's pro forma protests over Russia's troop moves in and around Ukraine prompt only chuckles in the Kremlin, which also sees Obama's drastic defense cuts undermining any possibility of an American response.

Obama's classic blunder was announcing his second troop surge into Afghanistan as a sign of American resolve and in the very same 5,000-word West Point speech announcing his specific timetable for troop withdrawal. The Nobel Peace Prize winner wanted to have his surge and eat it too. In reality, the naive former state senator informed Taliban leaders that if they waited until December of 2014, U.S. combat troops would be gone and they could wreak revenge after that. And by then, Obama would also have released five senior Taliban leaders from Guantanamo.

(Oh, look! The combat troop withdrawal is just four months away.)

Third, everything Obama does these days, including his pending amnesty for illegal aliens, is about the Nov. 4 elections. He is under bipartisan pressure to do something about the extremist plague of ISIS, which has now spread its brutal battalions into three countries.

It's quite possible Obama will do absolutely nothing in Syrian skies. He's not exactly Mr. Bold. Think "red-line" and closing Guantanamo, which was due four years ago. And notice the surveillance leak's fudging - words like "authorized" and the military "is preparing." People we don't know did not promise anything. An easy escape route.

These current Obama White House strategic communications games are a familiar pattern. You may remember in the days following the Osama bin Laden assassination Obama aides, both senior and junior-level, were boastful of how the raid was conducted, the infiltration routes and radar-jamming strategies and the intelligence treasures retrieved besides bin Laden's cadaver.

No matter that such details seriously compromised ensuing commando operations by alerting al Qaeda operatives their cover was blown.

When SEALs "knocked" on their doors during FOLLOWING nights, no one was home.

The story lingers that 48 hours into this loose-lipped PR campaign for Obama's reelection, then Secy. of Defense Robert Gates walked into the White House press office and loudly announced, "I have a new communications strategy for you -- Shut the f--- up!"

It seems these folks have yet to learn that lesson.

* AGAIN...

Everything Obama does these days, including his pending amnesty for illegal aliens, is about the Nov. 4 elections.

* THE LESSONS MEAN NOTHING TO OBAMA AND HIS CRONIES. ONLY THE ELECTIONS MATTER. ONLY POWER MATTERS.