tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86506193523477868132023-11-15T07:35:23.589-08:00Delia Lopez For CongressUS House of Representatives - Oregon District 3Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-89908458763351715112012-05-10T07:40:00.001-07:002012-05-10T07:40:21.484-07:00Write in Delia LopezWrite in Delia Lopez
Our government is broken. It is not working. Unemployment is actually at over 11% if you count the discouraged workers. Those people that have been unemployed for a long time. While unemployment is climbing, lemonade stands and coffee shops are being shut down. EPA regulations on carbon have caused the shut down of three refineries in the last six months. Two of those were Sunoco refineries that used to supply 50% of the gas, diesel and jet fuel for the east coast of our nation. All of those workers are now unemployed. The lessening of supply is also causing an increase in the cost of gas, diesel and jet fuel. Federal agents are targeting people for buying or selling raw milk. Gibson Guitar is shut down by Federal agents over an imported wood. Why is our government adding to the already far too long, lines of the unemployed?
We are broke. In part because of a huge decrease in tax revenues, people that are not working pay less income tax, much less. Yet our congressmen continue spending our money on things most American people would not approve of. While they argue over a small amount to continue unemployment to people in this nation, they send trillions overseas. Congress has not managed to pass a budget in three years. I for one am sick of this partisan squabbling. They are acting like spoiled children and should be treated as such, given a paddling and sent home. We need to put people into Congress that will work for the American people.
We created this government to secure our rights. We have allowed it to grow into an overbearing monster from whom we must get permission to catch a fish. We have created a two party system that would have shamed our founders. They warned us not to allow it to happen. We have allowed this to happen. As long as congressmen continue to please the lobbyists so they get massive campaign war chests they can do what ever they want and we vote for them. They parade lies on TV with slick advertising, or they play for our team. “I am a Democrat so I vote for the Democrat” or “I am Republican so that is how I vote”. Our system of government was unique different from any other in the world because the people were in charge and they were to control the government. Government was to be the servant of the people. Ensuring peoples rights were secure and reining in criminal activities.
Our government is now stamping the Constitution and the rights of the people. Our government is now committing criminal acts from the “fast and Furious” mess, murdering hundreds of people. Passing out tax dollars stolen from American workers to banks and companies with close ties to the political class. Our government is now one of the absolute worst for spying on its citizens, the worst for having people in jails, one of the worst for abusing peaceful protestors and persecuting government whistle blowers that expose corruption. Anywhere you look in the massive government bureaucracy you find huge amounts of corruption and waste. Those with political connections get away with massive theft and murder. While regular people are beaten and jailed for filming police officers.
We the people must regain control of our out of control government. When people vote repeatedly against things and the politicians ignore the will of the people, it is time for them to be replaced. When they are proud of managing to get things done in opposition to the will of the people, they should be removed from office. While they amass millions in personal wealth while those they are supposed to work for are going broke. They focus on their own pet projects instead of what the people they work for need. It is time they are fired. Earl Blumenauer has ignored those he works for, lined his pockets and focused on new federal regulations on captive primates, while we are losing jobs, homes everything. If you want someone in office that is not corrupted and will work for the people and to create an environment where the people are in control. Vote for Delia Lopez, if you are a Democrat please write in Delia Lopez on your democratic primary ballot and ask your friends to as well.
It is time we said enough, You're Fired. We can not afford your globalist agenda, America first. We must take care of our people. In any crisis you must take care of yourself first. If we fall who will step in to “save” us?
Thank You,
Delia Lopez
503-954-4080
Leave a message and I will call you backDelia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-50779855056525592882012-05-02T09:10:00.001-07:002012-05-02T09:10:13.395-07:00Bloody RevolutionCan we end the corruption without violence?
As many of you know my problem with our government is the corruption. As Eliot Spitzer said everything Wall Street was doing was illegal but no one was prosecuting them. When he did he was arrested for being a “John” visiting a prostitute. He is the only “John” I can think of prosecuted in recent history. It was not deregulation that caused the mortgage mess it was fraud, it was illegal. After the Savings and Loan mess over 1,000 people were brought up on charges many went to jail. Jon Corzine just stole 1.6 Billion dollars. He took money out of customers segregated accounts. Like having a bank account with your broker this is supposed to be safe. I have read it was supposed to be safer than a bank. The bankruptcy was filed to protect JP Morgan and other politically connected entities. Illegally of course. Had the proper bankruptcy type been filed the customers would have been first in line to get their money back.
Career politicians are somehow becoming incredibly wealthy. We must work together to remove them from office. We must work together to eliminate the corruption and return control of our government to the people. Please write in James Buchal for Attorney General and Thomas Cox for State Treasurer on both Republican and Democratic primary ballots. Please write Delia Lopez in for congress in CD#3 against Earl Blumenauer on Democratic primary ballots. And, Suzanne Gallagher, who has independently mounted her own write in candidacy for the Republican nomination for Senate District 18. We need people that will focus on creating the environment where small businesses can be started and thrive. We need jobs. Not more light rail, not more laws on pet monkeys. We need jobs.
My problem with Social Security is that the politicians have their hands in it. If peoples' money had actually been put into a “trust fund” and managed people would be receiving considerably more for what they have paid in. Look at the different retirement accounts set up in lieu of Social Security before they stopped letting people opt out. The politicians stole the SS Trust fund that is how they “balanced” the budget. Lets see if I could take money from my customers accounts I wouldn't have financial challenges. So the politicians robbed us and took our money from SS. No one is in jail. Bankers committed massive fraud in the housing collapse and we reward them with more money. They even received bonuses. Same with MF Global they robbed their clients, filed the wrong bankruptcy and received bonuses. Are you seeing a pattern here? Occupy Wall Street is missing a big point in calling for more government regulations. The government is corrupt.
The problems our State and the US is dealing with would be solved with two big fixes. End corruption and create more jobs. Cut the corruption and the spending rate goes down, way down. Create good paying jobs and more money is paid in income taxes. We must work together to force our government to follow the law. Our nations leaders are becoming increasingly corrupt and violating one law after another.
In his comprehensive annals of the reigns of Tiberius and Nero, Roman historian Tacitus wrote, "corruptissima re publica plurimae leges." This is
most often mistranslated as "the more corrupt a society, the more numerous its laws." In truth, Tacitus was referring to Rome's history, and a more
accurate translation is "laws were most numerous when the commonwealth was most corrupt."
Future historians will likely look back and say the same thing about our society. Except that we're not talking about laws. We're talking about the
'rules' of autonomous enforcement agencies that have extensive (and growing) police powers.
A better quote comes from a 1969 speech from William T. Gossett, then president of the American Bar Association: "The rule of law can be wiped out in
one misguided, however well-intentioned generation. And if that should happen, it could take a century of striving and ordeal to restore it, and then
only at the cost of the lives of many good men and women."
We the people need to regain control. Please forward this to everyone on your address list.
Thank You,
Delia Lopez
Delia@dlopezforcongress.com
503-954-4080
Call me if you have questions, leave a message I will call you back.Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-61428338822359685722012-04-03T06:41:00.001-07:002012-04-03T06:48:31.986-07:00Is our government entirely corrupt?Our entire system has been turned upside down. There does not seem to be anyone with integrity in charge. The system itself seems to be completely corrupt and the goal of government seems to be to line their own pockets and amass huge amounts of money and power. The people we elected to represent us seem to have no qualms about lying to us, robbing us, or beating us or even killing us. <br /><br />Recent collapse in the housing market has people calling for more government regulation. The fact is the housing market was one of the most heavily regulated. We pay a lot of people a lot of money to audit these firms and ensure compliance with the regulations. It was not the regulations it was the regulators! Our government regulators have an open door between the industries they regulate and being a regulator. They seem to flit back and forth with ease increasing their net worth every step of the way. The fact is when you look behind the scenes you see the regulators we pay to protect us aiding and abetting the criminals. <br /><br />Congress approval rating is down about 9%. While that is horrible, it is far higher than I would give them. Congress has been committing acts of insider trading for decades. How many people have gone to jail for decades for this? Lots. How many Congressmen? None, they are somehow above the law. Eric Holder has been required to show in court to answer questions on the “fast and furious” program. Where the BATF channeled guns to Mexican drug cartels. Several Americans have died as a result of this and hundreds of Mexicans. I was recently in Mexico city and it was in the news. Obama's connections with the Mexican drug cartels was a big topic of discussion in the news there. Why is it not here? How can Eric Holder refuse to show up in court? Tim Gietner has been subpoenaed over his handling of the bailouts. How can he not show up? Why are they considered to be above the law?<br /><br />In the history of the USA our presidents have gone after three “whistle blowers.” Brave individuals who worked for the government that have uncovered waste or corruption and turned it over to news sources. President Obama, who promised more transparency, has gone after twice as many whistle blowers as all the other presidents in the history of the USA COMBINED! As Peter Van Buren wrote “it's only one part of the Obama administration's attempt to sideline, if not always put away, those it wants to silence. Increasingly, federal agencies or departments intent on punishing a whistle blower are also resorting to extra-legal means. They are, for instance, manipulating personnel rules that cannot be easily challenged and do not require the production of evidence. And sometimes, they are moving beyond traditional notions of "punishment" and simply seeking to destroy the lives of those who dissent. The well-reported case of Thomas Drake is an example. As an employee, Drake revealed to the press that the National Security Agency (NSA) spent $1.2 billion on a contract for a data collection program called Trailblazer when the work could have been done in-house for $3 million. The NSA's response? Drake's home was raided at gunpoint and the agency forced him out of his job.” The laws they destroyed these people with were written to protect against espionage. They misuse the laws to attack whomever they choose. These actions are criminal, and should be prosecuted against those in charge. <br /><br />They went after him hard, was it because of the massive waste of money? Which generally means they paid their friends $1.20 for something that should cost .30 cents so part could end up in their pockets. Or was it because as reported in Wired Magazine, which triggered a congressional investigation, they are illegally eavesdropping on American citizens and this is evidence of their criminal acts. They are of course denying the allegations in carefully worded ways. Just as they denied the 134 Billion dollars of negotiable bearer bonds caught in a false bottom of a suitcase in Italy in the hands of Japanese treasury officials were real, they were real. The bonds are now the subject of a lawsuit. They were seized and the owners want them back! They recently seized 6 Trillion more! Are they real as well? If they are it shows the criminality of our government goes way back. Printing up money and doling it out to their friends while robbing us, is nothing new.<br /><br />The recent bankruptcy of MF Global shows the low to which our government has sunk. Jon Corazine, close friend and donation bundler for president Obama, personally ordered the transfer of funds from segregated customer accounts. To the tune of approximately 1.6 Billion dollars. Stealing funds placed in the care of his company. Then the story gets worse. The courts allowed the bankruptcy trustee to file the wrong type of bankruptcy, had the correct type been filed the customers would have been first in line to receive their funds back, instead JP Morgan and George Soros made out like bank robbers. The agency that is supposed to ensure the funds, similar to the FDIC that guarantees bank accounts, did not cover the peoples losses. So the laws in place to protect the little guy were totally ignored to protect those with political connections. Then the bankruptcy trustee actually authorized the paying of bonuses. Jon Corazine and many others should be in jail, instead he is visiting the white house and looking for a new office in Manhattan. <br /><br />Look at the complete disregard for the rule of law. From the president on down there seems to be no integrity. So many recent stories. From the TSA assaulting and humiliating cancer survivors and forcing shapely young women through the x-ray undressing machines. One several times! Even our local protectors, the police, seem to have gone criminal. A quick search on the internet provides hundreds of examples. This one I found particularly telling. A cop sees a kid on a bike at night without a light. That was the crime for which he was being chased. The cop tazed the kid who fell off his bike and the cop ran over him with his car nearly tearing his body in half. The cop then planted a gun on the 17 year old boy. He was just about to graduate from high school. The cop was not punished and got, as far as I can see, a two week vacation. <br />The cop was white, the young man was black. Why was there no picketing and sending out the cops home address as in the Treyvon Martin case? Is it because they have only started pointing out race in the news recently, trying to stir up hatred and dissent? Black/ white, gay/ straight, rich /poor it seems the kindling of the fires of hatred are spreading. Obama was supposed to be the great uniter to bring us all together. Nothing could be further from the truth. <br /><br />We the people of this nation must not be divided. We are the melting pot of the world where all people came to be free. Where you could start out poor and work your way out of poverty. Where people of all colors have worked together since the beginning, for freedom. From Paul Revere and Wentworth Cheswell together sounding the alarm that the time to fight was at hand. To Charlton Heston and Martin Luther King Jr marching together on Washington DC both pro freedom Republicans. Men should be judged by the quality of their character, not by the color of their skin, nor the party they belong to. The Republican party once stood for freedom, small government and individual rights and responsibilities. As Thomas Jefferson considered one of the first Republicans once said "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground." We must work together to limit the power of government to protect the rights of the people. Only government by consent of the governed is legitimate, who consents to this? Too much of our current government actions have been unconstitutional. Our Constitution is the supreme law of the land and all laws that violate our Constitution are void from their inception. Criminal acts by government officials must not be allowed, let alone condoned. I see acts of Bush FISA, Patriot Act, bailouts excused by one side and act of Obama Libya, NDAA bailouts excused by the other. We must stop making excuses for those that have sworn to uphold the law and hold them accountable for their actions. Most of congress and high ranking government officials should be in jail for corruption, insider trading and theft! We must demand integrity from those that work for us, no matter which party they belong to. John Adams warned us “There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.”<br />If you want freedom, prosperity and a government that protects the rights of the individual and respects the rule of law, we must work together. I don't care what color your skin is, how much money you earn, or who you sleep with. It doesn't matter what party you belong to if any. What matters is if you want to restore our Republic and want honesty and transparency in our government. I believe we must return control of government to the people and the people will force the government to be honest. That was the way our nation was designed. <br />Delia LopezDelia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-79743327114413336452012-03-26T09:28:00.004-07:002012-03-26T10:08:26.222-07:00Hitler was a nice guyHitler was a nice guy. The people loved him. He wanted a socialistic utopia. Read his speeches they sound eerily familiar about now. I was campaigning in Portland and a man explained to me that socialism is wonderful. Everyone shares everything there is no hunger or homelessness. I explained that the idea of socialism was great. The problem was it has been tried repeatedly throughout human history and has failed miserably every single time. He said "it has not been tried during the 20th century on a national level" I said so you are a supporter of the "National Socialist Party" and he said YES! I said "you realize that is the NAZI party, right?" He turned bright red called me an F__ing liar and stormed off. Our government education system is teaching socialism and leaving out inconvenient facts. Look at some of the hate being stirred up today. Listen to the Jew bashing speeches and the kill whitey rhetoric in the media today. Where is our nation headed? <br /><br />Look at the numbers of people socialist and communists killed Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot estimates range from 21 to 70 million dead. Hitler only killed 13 million he was small potatoes. Another often unmentioned fact is he killed 6 million Jews and 7 million Christians. Look around today in Egypt they just wiped out the Christians, Libya same deal. In Rwanda when the United Nations went in and disarmed the Tutsi's. They were predominately Christian and the Hutu's were Muslim and Cofi Annon was a Hutu. How come the dead were usually Christians? Is this genocide against Christians going on for decades and on a world wide scale. The UN legacy often using American troops. Why does the UN facilitate genocide? <br /><br />Right wing Christians are a potential terrorist group. Now our president has the power to declare anyone a terrorist. RJ Rummels book death by government shows millions of people killed by big government over the past 100 years with increasing numbers toward the last 50. Today in the USA about one innocent person is killed by cops every day. A shocking number of these seem to be veterans. I am doing a bit of research, remember returning veterans are listed as potential terrorists with the Christians. From the man getting into his car with his two daughters in the back seat shot down in front of his kids, unarmed, no warning, one man argued with his wife and went to sit in his car to cool off. Cops shot him as he got out, another one walking at night carrying his 9 month old grandson cops said turn around, he did. They saw something they thought might be a gun and shot him to death holding a baby. There are many, many more. <br /><br />Theories abound that they want to goad us into open revolt. Look at the similarities behind Occupy Wall Street and the Bolsheviks, useless idiots being put into action? Our government is a fascist dictatorship and an extremely corrupt one at that.Our government controls all business with EPA, IRS etc regulations shut down one guitar co. for endangered wood whose CEO donates to Republicans ignoring another using the same wood from the same place that donates to Democrats? Bypassing congress to go to war or place Czars in control, we are there. Police state is on its way as well. Obama has gone after more government whistle blowers than all former presidents combined. Freedom of the press, right he just told them not to mention his daughters trip. I was in Mexico in January and it was all over the news about Obama’s connections with the Mexican drug cartels and his arming them with Fast and Furious guns and how many were dead. They have killed hundreds of people in Mexico. Why is it not on the news here?<br /><br />Could it be that most of the media is owned by four large corporations that are controlled by the same people that control most banks and many military or industrial corporations? Odd coincidence that Interpol was based in Berlin and run by men with connections to Hitlers SS. Occupy Wall Street has it backwards. Our government controls the “evil corporations” a company can not do anything in the USA without the consent of the government. Like the KONY 2012 project funded by Citibank, was that to get people worked up so Obama would send in troops to liberate the oil? Useful idiots in action?<br /><br />http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/53484003 I found this the other day and it really made me think on the Ron Paul narrative. How they twist what he says. Listen to what he says and what they say. I do believe the United Nations is the most evil creation on the planet, the beast from Revelation perhaps? We were in point of fact bombing Iraq under Clinton well the UN controlled it using our men, planes and bombs. It is in the congressional record. We are bombing Yemen now Obama blew up and all girls middle school there 68 12 -13 yr old girls killed, didn't make the news. If Bush was president it would have been everywhere how he murdered innocent girls. I am not a Bush fan but our media is useless and biased. <br /><br />We created this government to secure our rights, we have allowed it to become an overbearing monster from whom we must get permission to catch a fish. How can we regain control of our government?Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-32821664469832870162012-03-17T17:11:00.000-07:002012-03-17T17:13:12.113-07:00What Happened?I look at what has happened to our nation and I am appalled. We send SWAT teams in after people for raw milk? We arm in Libya the same exact people we are fighting in Afghanistan? We are loading debt onto our great great grandchildren, borrowing money from foreign nations to pay for it all. We owe China over a trillion dollars and yet we give them foreign aid, 14.5 million last year? Obama signs an “exemption” to allow us to send money to Chad to arm soldiers under the age of 13. I am not sure which part is more alarming. The fact we are paying to arm 10 year old soldiers or that if they were 13 no “exemption” would be needed? How many children in how many nations are we “aiding” into battle? In our nation they can go to war at 17 (with parental consent). Our EPA has gone nuts creating laws on cars, toilets, light bulbs and literally everything destroying jobs and creating huge problems with the unintended consequences of their actions. From massive destruction of the American auto industry to the millions of dollars communities have been forced to pour into their sewage systems because the low flow toilets are clogging them. Instead of paying for education or roads we are spending on sewage. Am I the only one that thinks the entire system has been corrupted and must be fixed? I talk to people constantly and they all seem to agree with me. None of us wants to pay for the things we are and when “they” start cutting “they” cut from the few things we actually want to pay for. How do we regain control of our government? <br /><br />I honestly don't know but it seems our political system is used to transfer wealth from those that work, to those with political connections. They say we need to tax the rich to help the poor. The rich don't pay taxes and the poor don't receive the lions share of the cash. The politically connected receive 71% of the redistributed largess, not the “poor”. Of the 29% the “poor” receive more than half of that goes to health care. The increased costs of medical care and prescription drugs is partly from the increased government involvement. GE received 3.2 billion last year from tax payers and paid nothing in taxes. Look closely and you find about 80% of what they received from tax payers went into campaign coffers of people in office or trying to get there. Those same people are the ones calling for higher taxes on “the rich” and more help for “the poor”. Coincidence? I think not.<br /><br />You hear massive lies in the media. One is that during the Clinton administration they “balanced the budget”. Well sort of, they took the Social Security trust fund surplus and called it balanced. Accounting gimmick or worse? Worse much worse. American citizens have paid into the social security system for decades and if that same money had been put into almost anything else the people would have been far better off. I will compare one plan designed before the Social Security administration slammed the door on allowing “alternatives” to be designed so people could opt out of Social Security and into another plan. In Texas one alternative plan using the same amounts deducted from your wages pays 3 times the amount that social security pays for retirement or disability benefits. The death benefit is three times your annual pay with a $50,000 minimum. Social Security death benefit is $256, you read that right. How can that be? In retirement planning there is a rule of 72 and time is the magic bullet. If you are earning 10% which was common before the FED killed interest rates (further harming people that save for the future) years times interest rates adding up to 72 shows how long it takes for your savings to double. So if you have 10,000 in year 7 in year 14 you have 20,000, year 21 you have $40,000, year 28 = $80,000 year 35= $160,000. So if the funds had been invested and managed properly instead of stolen by thieves under color of law. The social security trust fund should have enough reserves in the trust fund. Now the thieves that stole the money are calling the people that paid into the system, greedy for wanting what they paid for. If the thieves were not part of government they would be in jail. Or would they?<br /><br />Look at the myriads of government agencies designed to “police” the system. The SEC received more than 100 complaints over more than ten years on Bernie Madoff and did nothing. The housing industry was one of the most regulated and yet the government overseers pocketed millions and transferred back and forth between the governing agencies and the governed? The FDA is headed by an ex Monsanto big wig. Pharmaceutical giants provide most of the people to be governing agents for their industry as well as providing most of the safety tests done showing their drugs are safe. One well known doctor was just indicted when they proved he had never done any of the safety tests he was paid to do and wrote extensively about. More than ten years after the events it is finally discovered he extrapolated the data from expectations. That is a big word that means he made it up, it was fictitious, he lied. I am surprised to see how often in supposed science they extrapolate data. So we pay these “government police” big bucks literally over $172,000 per year generally, to do nothing? Well not nothing it was shown that they spent a large amount of time in the office on the clock on computers we provide viewing pornography. Our tax dollars at work? <br /><br />Our Constitution was written to limit the power of government to protect the rights of the people. The federal government was to be especially restrained. Government closest to the problem is most efficient and the people are better able to maintain control. Once the federal government began usurping powers reserved by the states and the people, we lost control. We need people in congress that remember that the people are supposed to control the government. The government is not supposed to control the people. So I once again am running for congress. Next time, I will explain further how I think we could restore power to the people.<br />Delia Lopez<br />Delia@dlopezforcongress.com<br />503-954-4080Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-7652454881698885222012-03-10T20:33:00.000-08:002012-03-10T22:49:53.185-08:00Governments take from the middle class and give to whom?As the government has taken over the responsibility for charity, something once handled mostly by private groups, several facts jump out at the curious. One is the inefficiency of government charities. Compare the Salvation Army where 96% of what is donated to them actually goes to help an individual in need, to government charity and with the average government charitable program less than 20% of a department, say the department of Human services, budget actually helps people in need. That is a huge difference. Also if you study the amount of government largess distributed less than 29% goes to need based programs. Huge agricultural corporations receive a major percentage of farm subsidies, not poor family farmers. More than 3.2 billion went to GE last year, most of us would not consider them needy. For the government to be taking from middle income Americans that are struggling in this economy to send to multinational corporations or politically connected ones, such as Obama's friends Facebook. They got 32 million in tax dollars to supposedly create 35 jobs? Do you really think facebook would not have hired those 35 people if you and I were not forced to pony up that 32 million? So generally speaking the government takes from one person and gives it to someone with political connections.<br /><br />Study government spending and you discover a striking fact: most government transfers are not from the rich to the poor. The most important factor in determining the pattern of redistribution appears to be political influence. Another disturbing fact is of the 29% of the money stolen from hard working Americans given to benefit the "poor" more than half of that is in the form of medical care. Government regulation and manipulation of health care has driven up the costs significantly. When you consider the AMA has severely limited the number of medical schools that can graduate doctors creating a shortage and government limits the number of insurance companies and the insurance products available increasing costs many times over. There are fewer medical schools in this country now than there were in 1900!<br />So by my math the government steals $1 and of that 29 cents goes to "the poor" but 14.5 cents of it really goes to doctors, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies where the costs are bloated because of government intervention. Leaving only 14.5 cents. Of the 14.5 cents, 80% of it is spent on government employees so only 2.9 cents actually goes to someone needing help. If it was handled by the Salvation Army of the 14.5 cents 13.92 cents would go to people in need. <br /><br />I have to wonder if the medical care provided is actual medical care or the medical insurance "value" provided. I live in Oregon where the insurance industry is totally controlled and with health insurance everything must be covered many things without a deductible or co-pay, whether you need it or not. Because of this Oregon has some of the highest health insurance costs in the nation. So I wonder, does that 2.9 cents include the "value" of health insurance provided for low income people even if they never see a doctor? So the $800 per month or more "value" they receive is truly non existent for them and really benefits the insurance company? Again not generally someone most of us would consider needy and want to donate to, if we had the choice. My son was a single male 24 looking for health insurance. Very healthy and there are no major medical type policies available. Every policy he was able to buy must cover pap smears and mammograms without a deductible or co-pay as well as pregnancy and smoke cessation. He wanted a policy that would just cover him in case of a serious injury or accident. Here it is, all or nothing, so he chose nothing. Not many years ago I had a policy that was a small group policy for my husbands business. Then the state of Oregon decided his group was not big enough. They increased the number of employees required to create a group, our insurance was cancelled. Thanks for the help! In some states business associations the Realtor, Bartenders or waitresses associations could get together to create a group to get health insurance with different terms and better rates. Not in Oregon. <br /><br />We have politicians out there blowing hot air and telling us how they are going to help us. How many people really look at what they do and where the money they steal from us is spent? How much of what they take from us would we choose to donate to pay for what they spend it on? They all agree that increasing taxes costs jobs. Right now unemployment is very high and the United States has the distinction of having the highest corporate tax rate on the planet. One of our biggest problems is public employee unions. That is a large part of how they end up soaking up the 80% of the 14.5 cents. Next blog will address that. http://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/the-trouble-with-public-sector-unions Many more details on the federal scam robbing from the middle class to give to who they choose! We should be able to decide what we pay for. http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/Redistribution.htmlDelia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-2512785732441175952012-02-28T09:10:00.000-08:002012-02-28T09:12:23.445-08:00In it again for FreedomSince the last election, I have been asked if I would run again. I have said I did not plan to and I meant it. It is impossible to know what it is like if you have never run for an office. It is awful. Everything you say is twisted out of context and if they can't find “dirt” on you, they make stuff up. I literally had someone spit in my face for being “racist” and “hating all Mexicans”. Now anyone who has seen a photo of my immediate family should know I cannot be racist. My husband's father was born in Mexico which makes my husband a Mexican citizen as well as an American citizen. I just returned from Mexico we go there almost every year for at least a short visit. I have many great friends in Mexico. I love Mexico and the Mexican people and may just end up moving there if we cannot stop the Fascist police state that is developing in the US. Many of my friends have already left. One that moved to China for more freedom and opportunity for his children, tells me the news in China almost every time I speak with him.. He keeps saying leave the USA. The rate of people renouncing their American citizenship continues to multiply. Our government has enacted a 30% tax on everything you own if you renounce your citizenship. People are willing to pay to leave, scary thought. <br /><br />The statement that was used to paint me racist is “people in the country illegally should not get welfare, food stamps or housing assistance. It should be prioritized to go to disabled or elderly American citizens”. I stand by my statement. Our welfare system should be prioritized to care for disabled and elderly citizens first and foremost. People should not be rewarded for breaking laws. This is one of many areas where I agree with Ron Paul and his statement has been twisted as well. There is no one I agree with on every issue. I doubt anyone agrees with anyone else on every issue. The best we can do is choose the ones we agree with the most or the one that is honest. I would choose honest over smart any day. People who will stand for and do what is right in the face of opposition seem to be few and far between. Congress has a 9% approval rating. That is far better than I believe they deserve. Yet they continue to be re-elected? They ignore the will of the people, and line their own pockets and the pockets of their friends/donors. Recent studies show congress net worth continuing to increase as ours their constituents continues to decrease. <br /><br />The Federal Reserve is not a part of the government. It is a private bank that creates money out of thin air. It becomes a part of the debt the taxpayers are expected to pay back with interest. After it is created where does it go? The battle to determine that continues, the head of the fed has refused to tell congress and as information comes out the media seldom reports it. Recent reports show 16 trillion going to overseas banks. Another recent report shows a member of the English parliament researching what appears to be a 15 Trillion dollar money laundering enterprise signed by Alan Greenspan and Tim Geitner. The Federal Reserve Bank was created on Dec 23, 1913 after many in congress had left for Christmas break and with its creation the power of the elite and the government have increased. During a debate when I last ran for congress ,the Green Party candidate had some great charts showing how income inequality has grown since 1913. He said it was because of the change in tax rates. The income tax was considered unconstitutional. It was considered theft. The 16th amendment was supposedly ratified in 1913 as well (I say supposedly because the book “The Law That Never Was” shows copies of the documents from all states showing it was not ratified. It was passed by fraud!) and the transfer of wealth from the middle class to the very wealthy began! The 17th amendment was similarly passed in 1913 and seriously weakened the power of the states over the federal government. <br /><br />These three changes have fundamentally altered our form of government. Our states were to hold the power to protect the people from federal tyranny. At this time most people agree the federal government is overstepping their constitutionally imposed bounds. From the battles over raw milk, medical marijuana, death with dignity, the war on drugs, Obama-care and the federal department of education, the EPA and the myriad regulations imposed on businesses, to unconstitutional restrictions on guns; the list is very long. This has been a slow process that has intertwined our government with huge multinational corporations. What is the name of the form of government where business and governments collude? Fascism. When a president ignores the Constitution and imposes his will with signing statements or executive orders bypassing the checks and balances originally in our system to keep presidential power limited, he makes himself a dictator. It is a shocking statement. Our nation is becoming a fascist dictatorship. Study this and you will see it is true. I am not putting this exclusively on Obama. Bush and others started it before he arrived but he has continued and expanded it.<br /><br />Right now our police are being militarized, yetviolent crime is at a 45 year low. Police in the USA are killing an innocent person every single day. We are lined up and searched to board a plane and sometimes now buses or to enter malls. People are being detained for not having identification on them! Reporters are being detained for reporting on what our government is doing. Whistle blower protections on government officials are being eliminated and Obama has gone after more whistle blowers that all other presidents combined! So much for promises of government transparency. We are invading countries without congressional declaration of war and now, without the president even going to the congress at all, we invaded Libya. We are providing bombs to bomb Yemen and other nations as well. Peace president? I have had people inform me that we went into Libya on a UN mandate. We also went into Iraq on a UN mandate. Where in our Constitution was the UN given the authority to use our soldiers to make war? Our founding fathers complaint on standing armies is real here and now. Our nation is becoming a police state. <br /><br />The government/ corporate oligarchy has become very powerful with help from the left and the right. Both sides working against each other and playing into the hands of the few at the top. Unless we the people of this once great nation wake up and work together to restore our Constitutionally restricted government and restore freedom, we are done. Freedom once lost is not easily restored. Most of us will agree the federal government is doing things we do not want it to do. By empowering them to do what you do want to do you are also empowering them to do what you do not want them to do. It is up to all of us, to work together for our children. Through this Fascist dictatorship, a police state is forming. Will you work to help stop it? <br /><br />So once again I am running for office Congress Oregon CD #3. And once again, I am told it is not winnable. The people in the district want an all powerful government and do not care about freedom. I refuse to believe that. I have been asked why district 3 when I do not live in it. The answer is that the person that is in that seat is, in my opinion, one of the most damaging to freedom in the state in which I live. The idea of congressional districts to get the representative to bring home the “federal bacon” is not in the Constitution. The federal government has no bacon to give unless it steals it from someone. Senators were appointed by the states to protect state sovereignty. Congress was elected by the people of the state as Senators are now. Our form of government has been fundamentally altered. But not altered in a way that promotes freedom and protects our rights. We created this government to secure our rights. That is the only legitimate function of government. I am running as a republican because the Republican Party was created to end slavery! The Republican Party fought for women to be able to vote! Now both parties have lost their way and neither seem to be representing the people anymore. <br /><br />My web-page lays out most of my positions on everything. If you have a question I have not answered or want to volunteer to help on the campaign email me at Delia@dlopezforcongress.com or call me 503-954-4080 I answer all calls to that number. Well, occasionally my husband will too. If I do not answer, leave a message with your name and number and I will call you back. I am asking you to hire me to represent you. I can't do that without communicating with you.<br />Delia LopezDelia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-56346442887636147832012-02-25T07:31:00.000-08:002012-02-25T07:34:31.118-08:00Redistribution is theft.When you take from one what he has worked for to give it to anyone else, that is theft. Good intentions do not alter the act. Where in our Constitution was the government authorized or given the power to steal from hardworking Americans to dole out to whom they choose? I start off with foreign aid, the American people are robbed and the proceeds are sent to despots and any other entity government determines should be enriched. We owe over a trillion dollars to China, yet last year we sent them 14.5 million dollars in foreign aid. Why? Our nation is deeply in debt and borrowing from China and other nations to fund these “gifts”. I doubt the vast majority of Americans would choose to donate to most of these countries if they had the choice. A free country? Where government has usurped the power to steal from you and send it anywhere they choose, no matter what you want, that is tyranny.<br /><br /> Today’s “robber barons” use the government to harm the competition. Government has determined it is in our best interest to give wealthy multinational corporations dollars stolen from us. GE alone was given 3.2 billion dollars last year. Ethanol subsidies are another form of corporate welfare, I won't start on the bailouts of all sorts. Deregulation did not cause the “mortgage crisis” as Eliot Spitzer said everything they were doing was illegal and no one was prosecuting them. Huge amounts of evidence has come forward showing criminal acts, yet no one is in jail. MF Global violated laws and fiduciary trust and the agency tasked with preventing the fraud did nothing. The agency created to protect the deposits of average Americans did nothing. The courts handling the bankruptcy proceedings allowed MF Global to file the wrong type of bankruptcy so that JP Morgan and George Soros got paid off and made money off the theft of small depositors “safe” money. There were over 100 formal complaints filed against Bernie Madoff yet the government entity tasked with overseeing his actions did nothing. Why? Could it be it is much more profitable for those tasked with preventing fraud and theft to aid and abet it? Jon Corazine ex head of MF Global who made millions stealing from “segregated accounts” entrusted to his care, is looking for new office space in Manhattan. Could it be that as Obama's friend he is untouchable? He should be in jail. <br /><br />When Lehman Bros was allowed to go bankrupt JP Morgan allegedly siphoned off billions of dollars under the “watchful eye” of Tim Geithner. Tim Geithner has ignored a subpoena since Aug 2011. How can someone ignore a subpoena and not be in jail? This as is the pattern that allows the government officials to back their very rich buddies while screwing over the little guys. On top of that they robbed all taxpaying Americans to ensure they remained wealthy. There seems to be a pattern appearing. The phrase “above the law” comes to mind. This used to be a nation of laws, where everyone was under the same laws. Now they pick and choose who they prosecute and what laws they enforce. BATF “fast and furious” mess where Eric Holder and Obama spent 10 million dollars to get guns into the hands of a Mexican drug cartel. The holders of the mortgages were paid off by taxpayers as they increased taxes and fees on businesses to pay for it. Those businesses then laid off people and those people then lost the homes their taxes had paid to bail the mortgage holders out on. Same pattern government working with corporations to screw the little guy. Our tax dollars at work! <br /><br />The message of the Tea Party was “less government”. When the Tea Party began in 2007 it was small and opposed to the governments intervention in the market place through heinous regulations and confiscatory tax rates. They were opposed to the bail outs and many were also opposed to unconstitutional wars and massive overseas spending that is increasing tax rates and the national debt. Small businesses can do nothing without government permission. A recent story in the New York times detailed some of the abuse someone wanting to start a business had to endure. It took years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to open a small ice cream soda shop. One of the heads of Intel stated that the main reason they do not open factories etc in the USA is the expensive government costs imposed on any company trying to build here that are not imposed by other governments. Add the highest corporate tax rate, and undefined and constantly changing environmental rules. The idea of risking money in this environment, is insane. I gave out my phone number while running for congress and spoke with many people that had lost their jobs. One had put an ad on craigslist to do odd jobs for senior citizens. Drive them to doctors appointments, clean rain gutters, take loads of trash to the dump. He was fined $600 for cleaning out rain gutters without a contractors license. He looked into getting a contractors license and it took thousands of dollars to obtain one. One woman was doing braids in her home for donations, they fined her and put a $25,000 lien on her home. They take from small businesses to give 32 million to Facebook to create 35 jobs. Our tax dollars at work. There are books of cases “Free Lunch” by David Cay Johnston is one of many detailing what should be criminal acts.<br /><br />Originally our nation was free and it was the most prosperous nation in the history of the world. Charity was voluntary and widows and orphans were cared for by the community and during times of plenty they were well cared for. During times of poverty many people were hungry this is the same today. People could start with nothing and build a business and become wealthy that was the American dream. Get a rag and a bucket of water and wash windows, work long and hard and you could be successful. You can not legally do that today. Small business was the backbone of our economy. Now our tax dollars go to persecute small businesses. We pay for SWAT teams to raid people buying or selling raw milk in accordance with state law. We paid over sixty million dollars to attempt to jail Dr Brysinsky while FDA officials were attempting to steal his patented cancer cure. He was operating in accordance with state law. We paid over eleven million dollars to violate property rights of small gold miners in the Jefferson mining region. The people are following the laws and the government officials are violating laws and the rights of people, with impunity from prosecution. Using our tax dollars to do it. While our tax dollars are used to subsidize giant strip mines. <br /><br />The message of Occupy Wall Street appears to be “corporations are illegally generating huge profits while screwing over the little guy and we need more government regulations to stop it. Government should be providing more for the people”. The problem is that government has not enforced the regulations as they should. They use the regulations to help or hinder their friends or foes. Gibson Guitar Co. is shut down and harassed several times by government agents over an imported wood. While another guitar company uses the same wood imported the same way from the same place is not? The only difference appears to be political donation records. The organization i-caucus documents similar cases of crony capitalism where politicians are paid to vote for or against something. Companies can hire lobbyists to get regulations and tax codes passed to help them or harm their competition. Regulators interpret the regulations in ways to line their and their friends pockets. Our Constitution was written to limit the size scope and power of government especially the federal government to protect the rights of the people. When the federal government takes control the people lose it. Until we remove from congress the power to take from one to benefit another the people will not have control of our government. <br /><br />We the people need to join together and work to return control of government to the people. Local government is most efficient and the people are better able to maintain control. Years ago the Grace commission did a study on cutting the cost of government while improving quality. Few of his recommendations have been followed. One was the “Oregon Trail card” to replace food stamps. The change saved millions of dollars in postal costs, losses and fraud while delivering more efficient service to the people. One of his suggestions was eliminating the Federal department of education. They spend millions of dollars pushing paper in Washington DC that would be more effectively used paying for books or teachers at the local level. Talk to TPP or OWS they are saying the same things about the problems. We agree on the problems, lets work together to find a solution. Ron Paul is right on eliminating the federal department of education and getting the federal government cut down to size.Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-44461095613490280172012-01-12T21:32:00.000-08:002012-01-12T21:34:47.069-08:00Government gone wild.Our government is totally corrupt. While congress argues over increasing the debt ceiling the FED doles out trillions of dollars. Imagine a system where you pay government to enact and enforce rules and tax schemes to benefit you and harm your competition. Where the politically connected are given huge sums of cash by the FED that are stolen from middle class Americans. The only way to eliminate the corruption is to cut the power of congress to benefit one at the expense of another. Campaign finance laws do not help at all! The FEC is part of the corrupt government. There are many cute ways the politicians get paid. Buying a congressman’s house for hundreds of thousands of dollars more than it is worth and selling it at a huge loss a month later. Hiring the politicians spouse and paying them a huge salary at a job they do not even have to show up at! These are actual examples of things that are being and have been done. http://icaucus.org/ It is legal, slimy but legal. If it were illegal do you really think they would be prosecuted for their crimes? Really? <br /><br />Look at Eliot Spitzer he said everything the Wall Street Bankers were doing was illegal but no one was prosecuting them. So he did, they got him, not the crooks. Goldman Sachs and Citibank looted Argentina in 2001 privatizing the profits and publicizing the losses using their central bank bailing out the bankers and putting the debt onto the taxpayers. The economy collapsed. Does this sound at all familiar? They did the exact same thing in the USA they are still doing it. The only way to stop the theft is to eliminate the FED. The FED gives money to whoever it chooses to. The banks have become even more profitable because the worthless assets have been transferred onto the backs of the American tax payers. The middle class is shrinking and has been for nearly 100 years. It began in 1913 with the creation of the FED and the passage of the 16th and 17th amendments. These dramatically increased the power of congress to benefit the politically connected. While also creating an avenue to take by force what people have worked hard to earn. The abandoning of all monetary connections to gold in 1971 by Richard Nixon, by executive order, enabled increased spending. <br /><br />The estimated debt for every US citizen is over $66,000. That is more than most people earn in a year. I consider this to qualify for odious debt elimination. Odious debt is debt that is placed onto the tax payers by the politicians that the tax payers did not authorize or benefit from and the lender knew or should have known that was true. That debt is subject to elimination under international law. When they can take what one individual has earned and give it to benefit another that is theft. Last year we spent over $550,000 on a documentary showing rock and roll music contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union. We gave China 17.5 million in aid while we owe them over a trillion dollars. We are paying for military protection for many nations. We pay to guard many nations borders but not our own. We paid to buy guns for Mexican drug cartels, give guns to child soldiers in Chad, build a lovely mansion for Mugabe and help keep despots in power. We must cut spending overseas and focus on our nation. Americans are the most generous of people if they want to donate to other nations they will. For politicians to steal from middle class Americans and give it away is wrong, it is not theirs to give. <br /><br />Domestically our tax dollars pay to send SWAT teams in, pointing guns at children whose parents are accused of buying or selling raw milk. Over $60 million was spent to harass a doctor working to cure cancer while the FDA agents worked behind the scenes to attempt to steal his patented cancer cure from him. Our government ignored fraud and theft in the mortgage industry as they were profiting from it through campaign donations from those committing the crimes. When the corruption caused the collapse of the banks, instead of allowing the banks to fail they paid the bankers off with money stolen from middle class Americans. If the banks were allowed to fail the FDIC would have paid far less to the depositors and the mortgages could have been bought up by other investors or paid off by the home owners possibly at a discount. Now the feds are looking at bundling the houses and selling them at a discount in bundles to investors, instead of allowing the market to correct and people buy homes. So another payback for the campaign donors as usual. Is this what you want to pay for?<br /><br />The only way we can restore our Republic is to remove the power from congress to take from one to benefit others. Take the power back from congress and return it to the people.Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-5976881100497391402011-12-25T09:51:00.000-08:002011-12-25T09:53:34.369-08:00Eric Holder should not resign. He should be fired and charged as an accomplice to murder.Our government has been caught smuggling guns and drugs “Iran Contra” and“Fast and Furious” plus many more. Recently it has come out that Eric Holder was part of a sting operation where Timothy McVeigh was given explosives and then they “lost him” and the explosives. One hundred and seventy six Americans were killed, many of them children. Curiously all of the files containing information on the Waco massacre were destroyed and the investigation into how the serving of a search warrant could end up costing so many lives. Many of those children as well. John Ross' book “Unintended Consequences” looks at some of the gaping inconsistencies between the evidence and the official story. The search warrant states that someone saw the lower end of an AK-47. There is no such thing. An AK-47 is a one piece weapon and is legal. If they meant a lower end of an AR that is also totally legal. If it was a fully automatic weapon, as many try to respond, fully automatic AR's are legal in Texas. Several of the members of the community had federal firearms licenses. So if they were guilty of anything it was failure to pay a $200 transfer tax on an additional gun to the BATF. <br /><br />Ruby Ridge, where a ten year old boy was shot in the back in his own yard and his mother was shot while standing in the door of her home. She was unarmed and holding a baby. Court documents show that Randy Weaver was charged with cutting a shot gun too short. Court documents show the shotgun was 1/4” shorter than is legal to own, without paying a tax to the BATF. Court photo graphs show that the 5/8” rubber butt pad was removed before measuring. If the butt pad was left on it would be entirely legal. Anyone who has ever shot a shot gun would not remove the butt pad. A shot gun “kicks” when it is fired, the word is recoil. It hurts a butt pad helps a lot! Court documents show that government agents trumped up charges on the too short shotgun in an attempt to force Randy Weaver to go undercover for them with a white supremacist group. Randy Weaver was cleared of all charges and awarded millions for the wrongful death of his wife and son. If he was guilty of anything it was not paying a transfer tax to the BATF.<br /><br />These were both maybe all three were part of PATCOM. Government agents attempting to infiltrate people in the Patriot Community. They were hoping to catch them doing something illegal and arrest them. So they say. When the Murrah federal building came down they had the patriot act under a different name, all typed up and ready to present to congress. Congress rightly stated it was unconstitutional and refused to pass it. Remember when it was passed after Sept 11, 2001 now renamed Patriot Act congress was not allowed to read it first. <br /><br />There have been several false flag attempts where government agencies have helped misguided individuals in planning terrorist attacks. Often they jump in at the last minute, arrest the person they have been using and “save the day”. Was that what they were planning when the gave Nichols and McVeigh explosives? The evidence says no. Video of TV footage of the day shows police bringing out more unexploded bombs found on structural supports in the building. Odd since court transcripts show only the fertilizer bomb in the truck exists. The others in the videos? They were not there. TV news footage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMrYeMTXifc <br /><br />There was a funny event. Government agents arrested a militia member and charged him with having bomb components. When it finally came to trial it was discovered that all of the “militia members” that were part of the bomb making group were government undercover agents feeding off each other. They had to admit that there was no way the guy they arrested, on whose property they had buried bomb components, could have known the bomb components were buried on his 16 acre property. The government agents were from different agencies and didn't know all the other guys. So you get the FBI, BATF, DEA and each one sends in a “white supremacist wanting to make bombs” and they find each other. Our tax dollars at work? <br /><br />When we start looking at federal departments to cut or eliminate entirely this should be on the top of the list. Americans have an absolute god given right to own firearms. Why is there a federal department created to regulate a right? Someone does not understand what a “right” is. We created this government to secure our rights. To ensure no one ever attempted to deny us our rights. Now the federal government has become the one entity most likely to deny us our rights. The FBI has now gone so far off from what the objective should be that they are causing the death of innocents. All these events show out of control government. These are just the ones we have discovered. It has taken 17 years and freedom of information act force to get the documents and Mr Jesse Trentadue fighting for year to uncover the truth about his brothers murder. <br /><br />Eric Holder should not resign he should be fired and charged as an accomplice to murder. Contact your congressmen and senators and insist on it.Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-59152940744325081582011-12-24T09:52:00.000-08:002011-12-24T09:54:26.692-08:00The entire financial system is corruptThe worldwide economic system is corrupt. “The Entire System Has Been Utterly Destroyed”; Recommends “ALL customers Withdraw From All of the Markets”<br />warns Ann Barnhardt of Barnhardt Capital management. She shut down her company after the bankruptcy of MF Global. Corzine the ex government regulator/ friend of Obama and top guy at MF Global illegally used customers money held in trust to gamble with. Its like you having your money in the bank and the bank president takes your money to Vegas and loses it. The money in the segregated accounts was supposed to be safe as a bank.<br /><br />“ CME Trust was established in 1969 to provide financial assistance to customers if a brokerage became insolvent. Federal rules requiring brokers to keep client money separate from their own made the prospect of customers actually losing money in a broker default seem so remote that the CME's board in 2005 voted to turn the Trust into a charitable foundation.”<br /><br />Corzine as top man at Goldman Sachs, New Jersey Governor, US Senator to head of MF Global typifies what is wrong with both our financial and political system. The corruption and revolving door shows the cronyism practiced. When government and corporations work together that form of government is called Fascism. In another shocking turn of events the bankruptcy filing of MF Global was filed under the wrong type of bankruptcy so the creditors get paid off and the depositors get ripped off. This is the same MO as the housing collapse. Where the politically connected get bailed out and the middle class gets eliminated. All of the below quotes are from Ms Barnhardt's blog she has been in the business and knows far more than I about what is going on. http://barnhardt.biz/ <br /><br />“Aside: I had a great conversation with a trader out of Hong Kong operating in Seattle earlier this week, and he confirmed that the Asian trade is now viewing the U.S. markets as POISON because of this. I told him to pack his bags and go home to Hong Kong and set up shop there, because - and brace yourselves for this - the Chinese markets and regulatory oversight bodies have more integrity than their U.S. counterparts, and there will be a flight to quality with regards to the rule of law into the Chinese financial markets.”<br /><br />I have a friend that moved to China to “enjoy more freedom and provide more opportunity for his children” I speak with him on whats in the news in China. He says nothing we hear about China in the MSM is accurate. <br /><br />“ First, all notions of personal property rights were essentially destroyed when the MF Global “trustee” began seizing customers’ gold and silver bullion held in storage if that bullion was purchased through contracts brokered by MF Global. In case you’re not following, let me restate. MF Global customers who traded in precious metals and actually took delivery and OWNED bullion, as in outright, free and clear OWNERSHIP, complete with a warehouse receipt (aka title) with SERIAL NUMBERS designating exactly which physical bars they OWNED, and were PAYING RENT to STORE their own property in a “secure” VAULT, complete with statements indicating that these storage fees were paid in full, are having THEIR PROPERTY THAT THEY OWN AND ARE PAYING RENT TO STORE CONFISCATED by the MF Global trustee in order to feed the gaping maw that is the MF Global “estate”. <br /><br />Wow this is frightening the rule of law is truly dead in this nation.<br /><br />“Also announced over the weekend was the jaw-dropping, yet illuminating fact that the MF Global bankruptcy was fraudulently, nefariously and illegally drawn up as a Chapter 7 BK for a SECURITIES DEALER and NOT a commodity brokerage as it should have been. Look, MF Global was the second-largest non-bank FCM in the United States next to NewEdge which is the old FIMAT. If MF Global wasn’t an FCM, then there are no FCMs. Of course it was an FCM. It had $7.2 billion in customer seg funds as of August 31, 2011. And yet MF Global was immediately, from the get-go, put into Chapter 7 BK as a SECURITIES FIRM. This is fraud. MF Global’s BK should have OBVIOUSLY been established under Subchapter IV of the Chapter 7 code as a COMMODITY BROKERAGE.<br />Why wasn’t this done? Because in a Subchapter IV liquidation of a commodity brokerage firm, guess who is absolutely and unequivocally at the front of the line? You guessed it: the CUSTOMERS. In the Chapter 7 liquidation of a securities firm, guess who goes to the front of the line? Uh-huh. The “creditors”, aka the counterparties on the firm’s proprietary positions. As in . . . J.P. Morgan, et al.<br />Now we know why" <br />“ we now have both Soros AND J.P. Morgan getting uber-sweetheart deals on buying up the remnants of MF, specifically Italian sovereign paper. ZeroHedge posted a story today showing that JPM bought some of MF's Italian paper at fully 5% below market price at the time - 89 vs 94. That difference is a HELL of a lot of money that could have and SHOULD HAVE gone back into the MF estate and then out to the MF customers. Oh, and it is also wicked illegal. MF sold $2 billion in this same Italian junk paper to none other than Soros. I'm telling you, it does not require any sort of tinfoil hat to see what is going on here. Corzine scuttled the company with the blessing of the Obama regime and Holder Justice Department in order to effectively launder money to Soros and J.P. Morgan. This is why Corzine is testifying before Congress. He knows that he will never be prosecuted, so he isn't worried about "self-incrimination" or perjury. I also expect the Squid (that's Goldman Sachs, y'all) to make a similar appearance as a beneficiary before it is all said and done. “<br /><br />This is absolutely criminal. None of these things could have happened without the assistance of the government we created to secure our rights. So they filed the paperwork so they could continue to rob the depositors! They sold JP Morgan and George Soros the customers money at a discount! Hey buddy I'll give you a dollar for eighty nine cents, stolen money. Pawn shop owners caught with stolen property have it taken from them by police without compensation. If the law were in effect the money would be seized and returned to the customers and all of those connected would be in jail. After the S & L crisis over 1,000 people went to jail. Martha Stewart went to jail for inside trading, why aren't most of our congressmen in jail as well? <br /><br /> The Boston tea party was as much a protest against the East India Tea company as the British Crown that backed them. We the American people must understand it is crony capitalism, which is not capitalism, that is allowing our government to aid and abet the crooks. We must join together and restore our Republic and the rule of law. The tea party was about overbearing excessive corrupt government, Occupy Wall Street is about corrupt corporations running our government. Quite honestly it is hard to tell who runs who? <br /><br />Look up the definition of fascism. We are there.Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-2390061078879368752011-12-21T09:11:00.000-08:002011-12-22T11:11:55.913-08:00Ron Paul a lunatic?The presidential elections are coming up and the Iowa caucuses are in two weeks. Recent polling has shown Ron Paul in the lead. The news lately has been irritatingly funny. I can't count how many times Ron Paul is called crazy or a lunatic. Lets take a look at some of the things he has said or written and see. Is he crazy? Go look for yourself and ignore what the MSM says he said. Ron Paul said that we should not invade Afghanistan. He said the nation did not attack us, terrorists did. He said we should handle the terrorists the way Thomas Jefferson handled the Muslim terrorists of his day, back then they were called pirates. Thomas Jefferson's pirate laws and letters of marque and reprisal put an end to attacks and kidnapping of Americans for almost 50 years. Ron Paul said we should not invade the nation because it is so hard to leave. Now after more than ten years and trillions spent, history has proved Ron Paul was right. Honestly history proved Ron Paul was right before we invaded. More American soldiers have died in the wars than Americans were killed on Sept. 11, 2001. <br /><br />Ron Paul says we should follow the Constitution and have a foreign policy of non-intervention as our founding fathers intended. Ron Paul receives more in donations from active duty military personnel than all the other candidates combined. I think that the American military personnel would have a better idea of what should be done than politicians in Washington DC. Ron Paul says we need to secure our borders and ports of entry to keep terrorists out of our nation. Where could a terrorist kill more Americans and do the most damage? In Afghanistan? Or on American soil? Ron Paul says that we should end all foreign aid. Politicians take from middle class Americans what they have worked hard for and have sent it to Mugabe, Yasser Arafat, Saddam Hussein, Osama bib Laden, Mohamar Qaddafi and other despots. Which seems more crazy?<br /><br />Eric Holder and the "fast and the furious" monstrosity has been in the news. Where our tax dollars were spent to arm Mexican drug cartels. Those guns are responsible for at least two American and over 200 Mexican deaths. Recently documents have come out showing that Tim McVeigh was given explosives in a sting gone bad that resulted in the deaths of 168 innocent Americans in the Oklahoma City bombing. The USDA brought in a SWAT team, pointing guns at children whose parents are accused of buying or selling raw milk. The FDA spent over $60 million to harass Dr Burzynski in an attempt to steal his patented cancer cure. Ron Paul said we need to eliminate expensive federal programs that are unconstitutional and are infringing on our freedom.<br /><br /> In 1996 Consumer reports magazine rated many washing machines excellent some were very inexpensive. In 2011 no washing machines were rated excellent and all had gone up in price dramatically. Why? Government energy standards are reducing the quality and running up the costs on almost everything! Electricity costs have gone up dramatically again government mandates. More people are killed in car accidents today because of government CAFE standards. The collapse of the housing sector is often blamed on "deregulation" yet Eliot Spitzer said that everything they did was illegal but no one was arrested. After the S&L crisis over 1,000 people went to jail. Martha Stewart went to jail for "insider trading". Members of congress commit the same crime, they talk about making it illegal. If Martha Stewart went to jail for it, it is illegal. Our government is out of control and Ron Paul says we must shrink the size, scope and power of government and government officials should be held to the same standards as anyone else. Does that sound crazy to you? <br /><br />Prohibition made Al Capone rich and crime and violence were increased by it. Our "war on drugs" is prohibition two. It is making drug dealers rich and crime and violence accompany it. There is an organization called LEAP Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. The information on their website is a real eye opener. Five times more people die in the USA every year from prescription drugs taken as prescribed than from all illegal drugs, and prescription drugs taken illegally, combined. On average 179 people die in the USA from Tylenol every year, 11 people total ever died from an herb called Ephedra, yet Ephedra is now banned. No on has ever died from Marijuana and yet we spend billions every year, to protect people from it? A 5 year placebo controlled study comparing Marijuana to prescription drugs for Multiple Sclerosis has shown that the herb is more effective than the $15,000 to $45,000 per month pharmaceutical concoctions, at relieving symptoms. Amazingly it also stopped the progression of the disease! More than 97% of all the "weed" eradicated by the DEA is wild hemp growing in ditches. There is a battle going on because hunters say the wild hemp provide seed and cover for game birds. Ron Paul says we must get the federal government out of areas where they do not belong. Crazy? <br /><br />Police accidentally kill about one innocent person per day. Google “killed by police wrong house” you get hundreds of hits. I did. I was looking for my friends ( a retired cop) brother. He was sleeping in bed with his wife at 3:30 a.m. When they came crashing into his bedroom. He reached toward his nightstand and was shot and killed. The numbers in the address on the search warrant were transposed. It was the wrong house. The hits include a 7 yr old girl and a 92 yr old woman. Amazingly the police tried to plant drugs on the old lady after they shot her. They were far more concerned with covering their asses than getting medical care for her. That search is very narrow only people that actually died, and when the police were at the wrong house. How often are people just shot and messed up permanently but don't die. How often is it the right house as with Jose Guerena but the wrong person. Ron Paul says the war on drugs is a war on Americans.<br /><br />Ron Paul says we must protect peoples freedom.<br /><br />We must work together to restore our Republic. Stand together for freedom. The tea party is right we must cut spending and lower taxes to revitalize our economy. Occupy Wall Street is right corporations are doing illegal things. The Boston tea party was as much a protest against the East India Tea company as the British crown that was backing them. Things are the same today as in 1773.<br /><br />We must put freedom first, Ron Paul is right.Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-87138776005076053432011-11-07T09:13:00.000-08:002011-11-07T09:19:47.188-08:00Occupy Wall Street?The idea of Socialism is awesome. Everyone has everything they need, no one is hungry or homeless. The problem is it has been tried repeatedly throughout human history and has failed miserably, every single time. Look at today’s Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement compared to the Bolshevik Revolution.<br />It began as “peaceful protests” on the 17th day of September. The protest began at a specific city which was the financial heart of the pre-eminent global capitalist “Republic” a world-power center of wealth and influence unequaled in the entire world at that specific time. The nation had been in a Great Recession for three years. Factories were closing their doors, and unemployment was high. The national debt to the world central bank was crippling. The future of this once great nation was bleak in every way. The message of the “protesters” was a simple one – the “working people” were the unwitting slaves of big business and corporate greed – a mere 1% (the “ruling class) were robbing the “people” (the remaining 99%) of their wealth and property. It was not just a single day of protests, but was scheduled to last for many months. Eventually, the “movement” spread to every other major city in the country – as well as other foreign nations.<br /><br /> I am describing the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 not Occupy Wall Street. Millions of Russian people eventually died following these “Red October” protests and the resultant class-warfare. The entire family line of Czar Nicholas was summarily executed in cold blooded genocide. Millions more of the “upper class” were either executed or imprisoned for life in Siberian gulags by the “Red Army” led by Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trosky. The “Soviet Union” was born. The brutal police state and massive death toll of Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky was a far cry from the vision of socio-economic equality and the “peace, bread and land” the Bolshevik revolutionaries had envisioned and laid the groundwork to make a reality.<br /><br />The National Socialist Party of Germany aimed to bring in a socialist utopia. Initially Nazi political strategy focused on anti big business, anti burgeois and anti-Capitalist rhetoric, many people today do not even know that NAZI was Socialism and along with 6 million Jews another 7 million Christians, Gypsies and Gays were murdered. <br /><br /> Someone is bank rolling these protests. Is it possible that the sons, grandsons and daughters of the same, global “financiers” using the exact same mindset are attempting to do the same thing in America, 2011, as was accomplished in Russia in 1917? Did those same bankers finance Hitler and Stalin? We hear that these protests were “a spontaneous grass roots uprising”. Really? Then how was the funding set up and the date determined a year in advance? Who is funding the OWS movement? It appears they received $185,000 to start with from Adbusters, who appear to have received it from the Tides Center. In order to maintain “non-profit” (non tax) basis, the IRS requires tax-exempt foundations such as “Tides” to publish “disclosures”. Here we see that millions of dollars have been donated to “Tides” from something called the “Open Society” – which we then find to be a wholly owned foundation of Mr. George Soros, the “evil emperor” himself. Keep in mind who George Soros is. He’s the front man for the House of Rothschild, who by his own admission sent innocent Hungarian Sephardi Jews to the Nazi gas chambers. He is also one of the world’s richest men who made his billions via global market manipulation and insider trading! He is the very epitome of everything that O.W.S. says they hate.<br /><br />Understand that those at the top would prefer a socialist system to shore up their power and wealth. Are the OWS protestors simply the “useful idiots” Lenin spoke of, like the Bolsheviks? Once the bankers have, using the force of government, destroyed the Free Market Capitalist system or what is left of it and collapsed world economies will they put the totalitarian police state in place, as they have every single time previously? The Federal Reserve Bank and the International Monetary Fund and the other private government controlling banks have robbed the people with the bailouts and corporate welfare and those misguided souls that are protesting for MORE GOVERNMENT do not see the big picture. The big picture is that without government backing these corrupt multinational banks could not do what they are. It it the corrupt big governments that are truly at fault. <br /><br />We created this government to secure our rights, we have allowed it to become an overbearing monster from whom we must get permission to catch a fish. Our Constitution was written to limit the power of government to protect the rights of the people. Freedom and limited government created the highest standard of living the world has ever seen. As it has done every time it has been put into place. Now government workers are part of the 1% controlling the rest of us. If we do not rise up and return this nation to its Constitutionally limited government, it will continue to decline into the totalitarian police state and evil empire it is becoming. Look around the poverty we are experiencing with SWAT forces used on people with unpaid student debt, drinking raw milk, using oxygen therapy to cure cancer is all part and parcel of socialism’s reality. Where government is in control instead of the people. <br />Delia LopezDelia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-82112214500713192562011-09-22T07:14:00.000-07:002011-09-22T07:15:36.910-07:00Is it time we the people call to erase the odious debt of our nation?The concept of odious debt is not new. It has been around for nearly 100 years and was used by the USA to eliminate Iraq's debt before invasion. Ecuador created a committee to research the debts of that nation and they determined that 77% of the debt of that nation was odious debt. Odious debt is when a leader of a nation borrows money without consent of the people that are ultimately responsible for repaying the debt. <br /><br />The criteria for odious debt requires three conditions:<br /><br />1. Absence of Consent: The population must not have consented to the transaction in<br />question. This is so because it is unlikely that the law would forbid a person from<br />willingly entering into a contract that is detrimental to him or her. <br /><br />2. Absence of Benefit: According to the applicable writings, there must be absence of<br />benefit to the population in two ways: (1) in the purpose of the transaction and (2)<br />in fact. <br /> <br />3. Creditor Awareness: This requirement stipulates that the creditor must be aware of<br />the absence of consent and benefit. There are several standards that may be<br />employed for measuring ‘awareness’, and luckily domestic law provides a<br />sufficiently broad definition of ‘awareness’ to capture those creditors that shut their<br />eyes to the obvious. <br /><br />I believe all of the recent debts of the American regimes fit this bill to a T! <br /><br />#1 When President Bush created the bailouts hundreds of thousands of Americans called their congressmen and told them to vote NO. Nancy Pelosi stated that she had received 85,000 calls against the bailouts and only 1 for them. She voted for them because “we didn't understand”. One congressman quipped that his calls were coming in about 50/50. 50% of the callers said NO and 50% said HELL NO! This makes it very easy to determine that the people responsible for repayment were against it. When elected leaders violate their oaths of office and ignore the wishes of those they represent, elected or not they have taken on the role of dictator. President Obama and President Bush before him have both taken on dictatorial powers and ignored the wishes of the American people and have incurred large amounts of odious debt. <br /><br />#2 The money was handed over to those politically connected enough to have their hands in the pockets of the politicians. The people have received no benefit. As the government spent the 2.3 trillion dollars of stimulus money against the will of the people paying the bills. The people were losing their jobs, homes and life times worth of savings. <br /><br />#3 The amount of money the American regimes have spent waging wars around the globe in violation of the congressional requirement that only congress can declare war. Huge numbers of Americans protesting the wars show that the people are not in support. Obama determined to send troops into Libya without even bothering to contact congress. Any reasonable lender should have been able to determine, before loaning funds, that the people were opposed. The fact that the people were opposed to “the bailouts” and “the stimulus” should have been known by the lenders as well. <br /><br />The people of this country are being robbed plain and simple. By the bankers that are truly in control of the governments of the world. They are being aided by those we elected to represent us. We are being raped repeatedly by the bankers, and the government we created to secure our rights, holds our arms to force us to comply. How can debt placed upon the unborn be considered legitimate? It can not. The fact that the lenders are loaning money with the full knowledge that those that will be tapped for repayment can not have received benefit should make the fact these debts are odious quite obvious even to the non involved. This is theft. <br /><br />An additional item should be considered. In order to have to have a contract and a debt both parties must have brought something of value to the table. At this time the federal reserve bank is printing money at whim out of thin air. It costs the federal reserve bank nothing to create the funds. The interest charge on the created funds is becoming one of the largest parts of the debt as is the case in many nations. So instead of serving the needs of the people paying, the needs of the bankers are being serviced. <br /><br />“That the United States government, the U.S Federal Reserve, and a plethora of financial institutions, are in breach of numerous U.S. laws in regards to fraud and fiduciary duty to the American people, is held to be self-evident, by a growing minority of individuals around the world. That this breach of law and duty has resulted in the deterioration of the global marketplace, diminished opportunities for workers, and effected an acute decay in living standards for millions around the world, is without doubt.<br />Since the founding of the houses of Rothschild and Morgan in the 18th and 19th centuries respectively, banks and bankers have progressively adopted the role of financiers to governments, who find themselves placed in a position of obligation to their financiers. Laws and regulations are thus influenced more by the interests of bankers than by the public interest. This is the essential conflict that undermines the possibility of real democracy in our world. Its not a case of who can get the most votes – it’s a case of who’s got the most money.<br />These banking dynasties (and the people with the most money who control them) have spawned an entire sub-race of human beings who are characterized by a conviction of their superior intellect, and entitlement to act outside of the laws of society, reinforced by the governments who are obliged to aid and abet them as debtors. This has resulted in a situation whereby the entire global economic engine is in the control of these very rich and powerful dynasties, who now collude daily to manipulate markets to their own benefit, and at the expense of the rest of the world’s citizenry.” “The closest that media has ever come to exposing this criminal organization is in the film “Inside Job”, by Charles Ferguson. The film does an utterly fantastic job of baring the collusive relationships among government, bankers, and economists. But it fails to identify the very root cause, which are these financial dynasties acting in concert, populating governments with hand-picked puppets who do their bidding, often naively. “ James West www,Midasletter.com <br />“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, “ Declaration of Independence <br />The government we created to secure our rights is aiding and abetting a criminal cartel of bankers that are enriching themselves by these schemes. We the people must step up and take back our country!Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-82092733222899791812010-08-19T09:15:00.000-07:002010-08-19T09:17:06.595-07:00Our government has gone Gestapo.A little while ago, some small farmers in California, minding their own business, were raided by men with drawn guns, ready to shoot. It’s not unusual—violence like this goes on every day. Men with guns are terrorizing small farms right now, and Oregonians rightfully demand an end to the wave of violence. Armed, roving criminals, perhaps, plundering the countryside? Drug gangs growing marijuana on their rival’s turf? No. It’s not criminal gangs battling each other, and it isn’t psychotic killers stalking peaceful family farms. It is the police. Farmers all over the USA are being raided for selling milk, meat, eggs and other healthful foods! Please check out this link: http://www.grist.org/article/food-five-tips-for-surviving-a-raid-on-your-farm-or-food-club/. Small children held at gunpoint while their parents are accused of… selling milk! This is the United States Department of Agriculture at work, protecting you. It’s for your own protection, of course.<br /> <br />Joel Saladin of Polyface Farms notes a few of the USDA’s “best practices” in his book, “Everything I Want To Do Is Illegal.” What are some of these best practices? They include the disgusting practice of feeding cows up to 50% chicken manure. Is it any wonder why organic farming is on the rise? I’ve raised cows and sold milk, and I want to keep my freedom to eat healthful food. Don’t you want the freedom to choose milk from cows not fed antibiotics, hormones and chicken manure? The right to choose what we eat is supported by such groups as the Oregon Consumer and Farmers Association http://www.oregonfarmrights.com/. This association has endorsed my candidacy.<br /> <br />We must stop government from protecting us to death. A wise man once said, “The best government is the one that charges me the least blackmail to be left alone.” There are several different bills before Congress that will change our access to fresh, locally grown food. We must work to stop the progress of these oppressive bills and allow farmers to grow what we want to eat. Please see the link http://www.oregonfarmrights.com/gpage.html for more information. Even more outrageous, there are more pending bills that would make all nutritional supplements and medicinal herbs require a doctor’s prescription!<br /> <br />Can we have an effect by letting our voices and votes be counted? The answer is YES! Check out http://www.anh-usa.org/latest-mccain-bill-update/. This prescriptions-for-vitamins bill appears to be stopped (for now). Are you aware that five times more Americans die from prescription drugs, taken as prescribed, than all illegal drugs and prescription drugs self-prescribed combined? How much less dangerous is food?<br /> <br />Who has the right to determine what you are allowed to eat? There appears to be a war on small farmers going on in our nation. How can we stand up and stop the harassment so people can eat what they think is most healthful? If my daughter, a 27-year-old adult, prefers Feverfew an herbal remedy that is more effective, has no side effects and is far less expensive than the Imitrex shots her doctor prescribed, who is harmed? Only the pharmaceutical companies and the politicians they own!<br /> <br />The real question is, WHO OWNS YOU? We have allowed government to become an overbearing monster from which we must get permission even to catch a fish. The goal of all government is to extend their size, scope and power, which is why our Constitution was written to limit the power of government to protect the rights of the people. As Joel Saladin says, "Governments, one and all, partake of the nature of rackets. They become partners in crime and ultimately annihilate the civilization over which they preside."Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1802: "If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them, they must become happy." The conflict is not the rich versus the poor, but between regular people and the politically connected or government class. The government elite are paid twice, on average, what we the average American earns. Check out www.usatoday.com/money/economy/income/2010-08-10-1Afedpay10_ST_N.htm. <br />Please, let’s retake control of our government and restore some common sense before it’s too late. Won’t you support me this November?<br />Delia<br />Delia@dlopezforcongress.com <br />503-954-4080<br /><br />P.S. My campaign is entirely grassroots and funded by individual donations. We have had over 1100 different people donate to our campaign. Our average donation is $13 if each person donates just $10 that would make a huge difference in buying media time. My opponent has nearly 1 million dollars the vast majority from PAC's and Corporations.Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-77914431315844064742010-08-03T20:31:00.000-07:002010-10-08T17:57:25.002-07:00Downsize DC blog postI want to bring attention to a group that is working to reduce the size, scope, and power of government to restore freedom and prosperity to our nation. Check out http://www.downsizedc.org. They are supporting six bills, any one of which would be a giant leap in the right direction. If we could manage to get all six passed, it would be a great victory and cause to celebrate. I will help buy the beer! I swear, if elected to congress I will co-sponsor every one of them. I will work hard to get each one passed: the Read the Bills Act, One Subject at a Time Act, Write the Laws Act, Free Competition in Currency Act, Enumerated Powers Act, and the Fiscal Responsibility Act. Such common-sense bills must be passed, and we must work to get those elected who will do so. It is for our children and grandchildren. Our founding fathers pledged their lives, property, and sacred honor to give us freedom. Can we do any less for our children?Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-74952028748509824592010-07-08T08:18:00.000-07:002010-07-08T08:19:55.461-07:00Tomato Bubble!I did not write this not sure who did, great job. <br /><br />Ever wonder about why our economy is in trouble? How can so many people can be in so much debt at the same time? Does it seem strange to you no matter how hard one works, and in spite of all the advances in society, most hard working people cannot escape the treadmill of perpetual debt?<br />Why are so many families losing their homes to foreclosure? Why are many households dependent upon credit cards to supplement their income? Why does it take TWO spouses to maintain a household when it used to take just one? Why have so many retirement savings been wiped out? Why do prices always creep up?<br />Did you know that roughly 1/4 of all income taxes are consumed to pay interest on the Federal Debt? (National Debt currently 12 TRILLION DOLLARS , or about $100,000 per household.) Think about it. Every penny that you pay in income tax from January-April is consumed to pay interest! (*2009 Income Tax revenues: $1.2 Trillion / Interest owed on Debt: $350 Billion) And let's not even talk about the Government's unfunded future liabilities, estimated at 70 TRILLION. (an additional $600,000+ per household.)<br />Add those staggering sums to your mortgage debt, car loan debt, student loan debt, credit card debt, State debt, County debt, City/Town debt, small business debt, big business debt, and you will see that the total of these debts actually exceeds (BY FAR) the amount of money supply in circulation.<br />So, how can such astronomical debt ever be repaid? Well, if you haven't figured it out yet - IT CAN'T. The only way to service just the interest on these monstrous debts is to constantly take on new debts.<br />Finally, on top of all your Federal, State, gasoline, and local taxes, (30% - 40% of your gross income) and on top of your personal debt service burden (another 25%-50%), there's this thing called "inflation", or "the cost of living." What exactly is "the cost of living?" What causes it? Why does a dollar buy less and less each year while wages stay flat?<br />Is the stress of perpetual debt and rising prices keeping you up at night? How many strokes, heart attacks, and even suicides are induced by financial stress each year? Money and debt may even have led to your drinking problem, or perhaps even to depression. Debt may have been the underlying cause of your divorce or that of some couple that you know.<br />You know in your gut that something isn't right in this country. But you don't have the "Economics education" to figure it out. It all seems too complicated for you to put your finger on, so you just keep slaving away to pay interest and taxes as your dollar buys less and less. All you can do is keep working like a dog and leave the matter to the Wall Street "experts" and politicians to handle for you.<br />But it's all quite simple really. So simple in fact, even a dummy can understand it when it is broken down to basic elements.<br />So then, how exactly did you all become such debt/tax/inflation slaves? Well, I'll let you in on my little secret. You will be amazed at how easy it is to understand.<br />My name is Mortimer M. Moneybags III and this is the true story of how I bankrupted and enslaved my hometown of Tomatoville, USA:<br />THE SETUP<br />One night, Bill, Frank, John, and Mike came over to my place for a friendly game of poker. My four neighbors are all prosperous tomato farmers. Tomatoes actually serve as the currency of Tomatoville, USA.<br />Before starting, the five of us agree to each put up 10 tomatoes as our "risk capital." That's a total of 50 tomatoes. (Gross Domestic Product - GDP)<br /><br />Play begins and we realize that trading tomatoes during our bets is awkward. I suggest that we utilize paper notes to represent our tomatoes instead. Because I hold a degree from Harvard, all agree that I should act as "Central Banker".<br />We place our tomatoes in the center of the table and I print 50 paper notes with the face of Tomatoville's founder on them (corresponding to the 50 total tomatoes, 10 notes for each player). Each paper note therefore represents 1 tomato....simple. (sound money/hard money/gold standard)<br />As play resumes, I have an unseen advantage over my guests. At 30 minute intervals, I repeatedly excuse myself for a "bathroom break." (Fed Meetings) During this time, I'm actually sneaking into my bedroom and printing up more 1 tomato notes (fiat money).<br />Upon returning, I gradually gamble and inject ever increasing amounts of notes (liquidity)into the game (the economy). By midnight, the original 50 notes has increased to 500 total notes. <br />After ebbs and flows, the game was remarkably even at midnight. The five of us, who had each started out with 10 notes apiece, now held 100 notes apiece. But the same 50 tomatoes -the true intrinsic value of the game - (GDP) remain in the jackpot.<br /><br />Because we are getting so "rich" from the game, I propose that instead of ending the game, we leave everything as is and resume play the following month.<br />"Why don't you fellows spend some of your Tomato Notes, and save some to invest in next month's play. Tell the shopkeepers that each Tomato Note represents one tomato that is still sitting on this table. They'll accept the Notes as if they were actual tomatoes."<br />"Great idea Mortimer! The paper is so much more convenient to trade than the tomatoes." replied Mike.<br />All agree to suspend play and resume next month. Before they leave, I announce that I'm cashing in 20 of my 100 notes in order to make tomato sauce the following day. <br />At the original ratio of 1 note to 1 tomato, my 20 notes trade for 20 tomatoes. I have doubled my original "investment" of 10 tomatoes (profit taking), and still have 80 paper notes with which to resume the game next month. There are now only 30 total tomatoes remaining on the table.<br /><br />As I expected, my friends have no intention of cashing in any of their "winnings" because the returns from the game are so high. They each hold 100 notes and really believe that their original 10 tomatoes have yielded a 10 to 1 return from playing the game (Bull Market, irrational exuberance).<br />When the players explain to the town merchants that the Tomato Notes represent actual tomatoes that are stored at my house, the merchants gladly accept the notes as if they were actual tomatoes. During the ensuing month, the players spend many of their notes and take out various loans as well. <br /> <br />Bill buys his wife a new sports car by putting down 25 Tomato Notes and taking a loan for the balance. (Detroit prospers.) <br />Frank takes out a small business loan to open up that restaurant he's always dreamed about(job creation).<br />John puts down a 50 Note down payment and signs a contract for a new home mortgage (housing boom). <br />Mike spends 40 of his Tomato Notes and also goes on a credit card shopping spree (consumer confidence). <br /><br />The local bank manager also trusts that the Tomato Note income of the borrowers represents true wealth, so he honestly believes that he is not engaged in risky lending when he lends out his depositors tomatoes to the successful poker winners. (Sub Prime mortgages, No Money Down Mortgages)<br />The bank then sells some of the loan notes to The Tomato Street investment houses. Blinded by greed, and ignorant of "the big picture", Tomato Street portfolio managers believe that the debts are solid investments for their clients. (secondary market ,mortgage backed securities) <br />So not only do the four players believe that they are prospering, but the businessmen that are now selling more goods to the wealthy poker players believe that they are earning more Tomatoes also! They too increase their personal spending and borrowing accordingly. (multiplier effect)<br />Me? I just rub my hands in glee and laugh at how foolish these people are.<br />The economy of Tomatoville is BOOMING......or so it seems.<br />THE STING<br />The Poker players and I meet again at my place and pick up where we left off the month before. After a few hours of more silent note injection, 1000 notes now circulate evenly among the players (200 each). My guests boast among themselves about all the new toys they have recently charged. They aren't worried about the debts they are incurring because, if necessary, they can always cash in their abundant paper notes for tomatos (equity) and pay everything off free and clear.<br />After a few more hours of play, I decide to trade in 20 more paper notes for 20 more tomatoes (insider trading). My friends ridicule me. "Mortimer! Why would you trade in notes for tomatoes when we are all making so much money?" they ask.<br /><br />"I just want to lock in some of my winnings now. You never know if fortunes may turn." I replied.<br /><br />I have now "earned" a total of 40 of the original 50 tomatoes from the table, quadrupling my initial investment. Whereas my scam was not obvious before, my victims now clearly see that the true value of the tomato jackpot has diminished (recession, Bear Market). They each started with 10 tomatoes. So how come they hold hundreds of notes when there are only 10 tomatoes left for the four of them to divide?<br />Bill panics. "I'm trading in!" he declares. He dumps all 200 of his notes and attempts to grab the remaining 10 tomatoes (stock market crash, bank run)."<br />Not so fast Bill!" declares Frank. "If you get those remaining tomatoes there will be none left for us!"<br />"Oh my God! Mortimer! What's happened here?" Mike asks.<br />My expression turns somber as I reply:<br />"Damn! I was afraid this might happen. Because we were doing so well, the game "overheated". The Tomato Note fell against the tomato. When that happens, the cost of playing goes up (inflation) and then a contraction occurs (recession). It's a natural cycle."<br />"So how do we allocate the remaining tomatoes?" John asks.<br />"Simple." I replied. "It's called currency devaluation. You four each have 200 notes in hand, and I have 160. That's a total of 960 notes in circulation (money supply). There are 10 tomatoes remaining. Divide the 960 notes by the remaining 10 tomatoes and the new cost of a tomato is therefore 96 notes (hyper-inflation). That means that your 200 notes can buy back 2 of the remaining 10 tomatoes for each of you." <br />The paper Tomato Note currency has lost its purchasing power (inflation, bubble bursting) and my 4 neighbors have each lost 8 of the original 10 tomatoes they had once owned. I walk away with 42 of the original 50 tomatoes. (real wealth)<br />***AUTHOR'S NOTE***<br />If the players had added 950 tomatoes to the original 50 (GDP growth), there could be no bubble and the Tomato Note would have retained its 1-1 value. (1000 notes / 1000 tomatoes) In any monetary system, increased production serves to make a currency stronger. But Mortimer could still have debased the currency by printing up even more notes and then being the first one to "cash out." In bubble economics the first sellers to get out of the game (stock market, real estate market etc), will profit unfairly by receiving inflated "fake" value for their stocks, homes, currency etc. When the game then adjusts to the burst bubble value, the remaining sellers get less. (Examples: Investors who sold their stocks when the Dow Jones was at 14,000. Homeowners who sold in 2006 at the peak of the real estate bubble. Investors who in 2007 exchanged US dollars for gold or other hard commodities.) <br />An honest money system keeps the growth of money supply proportionate to the growth of goods and services (GDP) for a 1-1 ratio. (no inflation / no deflation) But when money is printed "out of thin air" (as opposed to gold or silver which have intrinsic value due to rarity and beauty ) Mortimer is always ahead of the players, especially when he starts lending notes to the Mayor and local bank, at interest. When that happens, all of Tomatoville becomes Mortimer's poker game.<br />But the real problem is that the four suckers, believing they were "wealthy", had charged up a lifestyle that they can no longer sustain. <br /><br />That car Bill bought for his wife? Can you say "Repo Man?"<br /><br />Franks new restaurant? The chefs and some waiters will have to be laid off (increased unemployment).<br /><br />Mike's credit card bills? Soon to be delinquent and destroying his credit rating. (credit crunch, local Bank losses)<br /><br />John's new home? Foreclosure, followed by divorce (housing slump).<br />The merchants who had sold or loaned to them will also be negatively affected. Anyone who had dealings with the free spending Poker players is also holding devalued notes and possibly carrying bad debts. The artificial debt & inflation prosperity had spread like viruses, and now the malinvestment balloon has to painfully deflate.<br />The bewildered and frightened town folk don't understand how this happened. Because of my Ivy League credentials, coupled with the fact that I have accumulated so much wealth, they look to me for expert advice and answers.<br /><br />I explain to them that we are in a liquidity crisis:<br /><br />"Friends! This is part of the natural business cycle. Sure, you have suffered a short term loss, but in the long term we all come out OK as the markets recover. You saw how much wealth you had earned. If you get out of the game you'll be locking in your losses."<br />"The market has hit bottom. Truth be told, you guys helped create this mess yourselves with your reckless consumer borrowing, and the local bank should have known better than to lend its depositors tomatoes out so carelessly. (blaming the symptoms, instead of the cause) This is the problem with free market capitalism sometimes." <br />"I will advise Mayor Bulshitz to institute new legislation, a huge stimulus package, and more regulation over private enterprise (New Deal). We shall create a social safety net in order to protect you from future naturally occurring business cycles." (Great Society, War on Poverty)<br />"Greedy CEO's, town's shopkeepers, and your employers created this mess and it must never happen again. (class warfare) We will impose strict price controls to fight the inflation that the greedy , price-gouging shopkeepers caused."<br />"We will tax the rich! (Federal Income Tax, established in 1913) Free health care! Free education! (socialism) Liberty! Equality! Fraternity! Change we can believe in! Hope! Yes we can! Workers unite! You have nothing to lose but the chains which bind you!"<br />"Don't worry about the town's Constitution. It's an outdated document written by a bunch of dead white guys. If we are to fix this mess, then we must ignore its limitations on progressive government action."<br />***AUTHOR'S NOTE***<br />To feed the insatiable debt monster, and to maintain confidence in his notes, Mortimer must have a perpetually growing GDP (more tomatoes). If not, runaway debt and inflation will cause the economy to implode sooner, rather than later. GDP growth is fueled by "consumer spending"(consumption) and the constant borrowing which enables it. This is why economists, politicians, and other assorted lunatics are so obsessed with constant GDP growth.<br />.<br />.<br />"The tomato must no longer serve as the backing for our currency. To meet the liquidity needs of our new system, it is imperative that we get this town off of that antiquated, "barbaric fruit" Standard (hard money) and transition to my expertly managed paper currency." (fiat money)<br />"As far as the poker markets go, now is the time to play even more aggressively (buy low). We'll meet again next month. In the meantime, work harder and bring more tomatoes to the next game, I'll print more notes to increase liquidity and induce the banks to loosen up credit once again. (pump priming)<br />"If the local banks need to make more loans, I'll lower their reserve requirements so that they can lend (create) money that they don't have. As long as too many depositors don't make withdrawals all at the same time, like you fellows did in our poker game, they'll be none the wiser." (fractional reserve banking)<br />Even if there is a bank run, or if the bank's loan demand exceeds it's reserve requirement, I'll act as the "lender of last resort" (Federal Reserve, established in 1913) and lend (create money for) to the local bank at interest (Bank takeover, Discount Window).<br />I will also lend to (create money for) the Mayor's office (Open Market Operations, purchase of T-Bills, stimulus) , and bail out (create money for) the Tomato Street Brokerage houses that I deem to be "too big to fail" (Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan bailout package).<br />I continue: "Finally, I will organize an emergency meeting of the Mayors, Finance Ministers, and Note Printers of the European towns (G-20, "world stage"). Now is not the time for isolationism. (independence, sovereignty) Global problems demand global solutions! (IMF, World Bank, WTO, UN)."<br />"We will recover. So keep spending, secure in the knowledge that the best and the brightest of the world community are on the job. We have nothing to fear but fear itself!"<br />.***AUTHOR'S NOTE***<br />The "business cycle" is very simple. When the rate of growth in money supply (debt supply) exceeds the rate of growth in the general economy (GDP), the excess "money" has to go somewhere. It creates an illusion of prosperity. Artificial bubbles will form either in housing, stocks, currency, etc. Eventually the market always corrects for these phony excesses and the bubbles burst. (just like the poker game.)<br />THE WRAPUP<br />The men leave my place full of hope, grateful that a financial "expert" and a caring leader are in charge of the recovery plan. Incredibly, I have convinced them that it was free enterprise, tomato currency, and limited government (the three main pillars of their original prosperity), that caused their problems.<br />Instead of seeing my inflationary system, my perpetual interest demands, and the Mayor's out-of-control spending and high taxes as the causes of their lower standard of living, they actually worship Mayor Bulshitz as a savior. Bulshitz gives them all the socialistic "free" goodies that our destructive schemes made unaffordable for them in the first place.<br />First we crush the owners and the workers of the private economy. Then, Bulshitz rides in like a knight on a white horse, offering welfare schemes to save them.<br />The simple townfolk never stop to think that were it not for us, they would have the income and capital to take care of themselves!<br />When Bulshitz runs short of money (as he always does), I'm there to lend it to his office...at interest of course. <br />Damn I love this job! .<br />My European colleagues and forefathers have been running this scam for centuries. During this past century, we've been working to diversify our operations to include control of the world's natural resources. Whenever some independent-minded foreign mayor resists our game of Banking & Resource Monopoly, (Iraq, Russia, Venezuela, Iran), our friendly mayors (the "free world") will team up to bring that town back in line (sanctions,UN resolutions, spreading democracy,CIA coups,wars). Perhaps one day we may even merge our operations under a single global umbrella? (New World Order, G-20, Global New Deal, Global Warming scare)<br />I also play golf with the owners and publishers of the local "liberal" newspaper as well as with those from the "conservative" media. Through my close friendship with them, I am able to influence the editorial and news content of both. It's sort of a "good ole boys" networking thing. As long as they don't expose my operation, I am happy to allow the two parties and their sheeplike followers to amuse themselves with the daily drama of those superficial popularity contests known as "political campaigns." By having the "left" and the "right" beat each other up, the townfolk are kept divided and diverted from my actions. In the end, it is I who wins EVERY election.<br /> <br />My "philanthropic endowments" to Tomatoville University guarantee that my twisted version of economics is taught to the students. Awestruck by my immense wealth and prestige, most, but not all ("Austrian School"), of the economists at "TU" are eating out of my hands. So, when the town folk read The Tomato Street Journal, or hear Professor Pointyhead speak on TV, my false theories are reinforced in their minds.(Keynesian Theory, "Chicago School") <br />All, except for John - the critical thinker of T-ville. He figures it all out and embarks upon a one man Internet crusade to expose me, calling me a "counterfeiter", "usurer", "insider trader", "warmonger", and "The Shadow Mayor."<br />My fellow Country Club members from the media convince everyone that John is "paranoid", and an "extremist" who is a mentally unstable "conspiracy theorist" and potential "domestic terrorist." Most of the town folks defend my intellect and character, and disassociate themselves from John. The others are too burned out by the hustle of life to even make the time to study politics and economics. Eventually, John is denied access to The Tomato Street Journal and throws his hands up in frustration.<br />Tomatoville is deeply in debt in to me because the massive police force and the "safety net" programs (that my destructive monetary schemes necessitated) are very expensive! I've got so much dirt on Mayor Bulshitz, that if he dares to either reintroduce the tomato standard, or if he decides to print interest free currency proportionate to the amount of real goods and services in the town, my newspaper friends and slick TNN anchormen can ruin him.<br />***AUTHOR'S NOTE***<br />A typical example of the incestuous old boy's network that exists between the Wall Street, Washington DC, Central Banking, and corporate media elite, is the case of international banker, Eugene Meyer.<br />WALL STREET: Meyer got his start as an investment banker with the firm of Lazard-Freres. He became a wealthy speculator and earned a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. WASHINGTON: Meyer served as head of the War Finance Corporation under President Woodrow Wilson during World War I. CENTRAL BANKING: President Hoover later named Meyer as Chairman of the Federal Reserve in 1930, which he chaired until 1933. After World War II, President Truman appointed him to head the World Bank. MEDIA:Meyer bought the Washington Post in 1933 (Arguably America's most influential newspaper). The Post also owns Newsweek.<br /> Upon Meyer's death, control of The Post passed to his daughter, Katherine Meyer Graham. Today, The Post is run by Katherine's son, Donald Graham.<br />Below: "All in the family." The Meyer-Grahams 100 year old influence includes the White House, the FED, The World Bank, The Washington Post, and Newsweek Magazine.<br />But Mayor Bulshitz, as well as his rivals from the other Party, are all very easy to get along with. Most politicians are just ambitious liars who only care about getting re-elected. My printer helps cover the huge budget deficits generated by their vote-buying welfare schemes and their endless foreign wars. One hand washes the other. It doesn't serve the insatiable ambitions of the local politicians to alienate a well connected "bi-partisan" donor like me.<br />Every few years, for public show, Mayor Bulshitz gets to nominate a printing "Chairman" from my list of preferred professors. Because of this "dog and pony show", most readers of The Tomato Street Journal believe that the central banking operation is regulated by the Mayor's office. It's not.<br />In reality, it is a private cartel, owned and operated by my banking associates and me. It is only our cartel that gets to print (or E-mail) the actual money supply, and then inject it at will into the government treasury (FED purchase of T-bills) and banking systems (FED loans to member banks, lower reserve requirements), as we see fit.<br />Because debt is the actual currency, you can never stay out of debt. The total of all debt and interest owed always exceeds the total money supply.<br />So you see, this debt based currency system is actually nothing but a massive pyramid scheme. We international banking and media kingpins sit on the top. Our wholly owned politicians, professors, & reporters sit on the levels below. While you worker bees are stuck on the bottom levels - toiling away to perpetually support the crushing weight of our fraudulent structure.<br />It's like a game of musical chairs, where the number of players always exceeds the amount of chairs. I start and stop the music at my pleasure as you exhaust yourselves running around in circles for my amusement. I stimulate the "booms" (blowing bubbles), and the "busts" (letting some air out), profiting from both.<br />Now you know the secrets of my success and power. You're probably wondering why I would reveal the truth and indict myself like this. Right?<br />It's simple. It's because I do not respect you. I know that no matter how badly I screw you, no matter how much I steal from your kids' mouths...you won't do a damn thing about it.<br />It would never even cross your mind to take the personal initiative to spread this story around to your friends and family. If everyone who read my confession passed it on to 10 others, my game would be up in no time. But I know you won't do that. As long as there is a ballgame or TV show to entertain you, as long as you have a few beers in your refrigerator, I can do or say whatever I want...forever.<br />Poker at my house, everybody! Who's in?<br />Mortimer M. Moneybags IIIDelia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-49319720143606869762010-06-19T18:25:00.000-07:002010-06-19T18:26:11.519-07:00Happy Juneteeth!By Frances Rice<br />As we celebrate Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, it is fitting that we pause to recognize the origin of this important part of our African American heritage.<br />June 19th marks the day in 1865 when word reached blacks in Texas that slavery in the United States had been abolished. More than two years earlier, on January 1, 1863, Republican President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation.<br />Delivered during the American Civil War, this proclamation ordered the freeing of all slaves in states that were rebelling against Union forces. The proclamation had little effect in Texas, where there were few Union troops to enforce the order.<br />News of the proclamation officially reached Texas on June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger, backed by nearly 2,000 troops, arrived in the city of Galveston and publicly announced that slavery in the United States had ended. Republicans had passed the Thirteenth Amendment on January 31, 1865 that was ratified on December 6, 1865 to abolish slavery in the United States.<br />Reactions among newly freed slaves ranged from shock and disbelief to jubilant celebration. That day has been known ever since as Juneteenth, a name probably derived from the slang combination of the words June and nineteenth.<br />Juneteenth commemorations began in Texas in 1866. Within a few years they had spread to other states and became an annual tradition, celebrating freedom for blacks in addition to many other themes, including education, self-improvement, African American accomplishments throughout history, and tolerance and respect for all cultures.<br />The racial divisiveness prevalent today would not exist if the Democrats in control of the Southern states had left African Americans alone at the moment in history when blacks were freed from slavery and the Juneteenth celebrations began. Instead Democrats set for themselves the horrendous task of keeping blacks in virtual slavery.<br />Southern Democrats passed discriminatory Black Codes in 1865 to suppress, restrict, and deny blacks the same privileges as whites. The Codes forced blacks to serve as apprentices to their former slave masters.<br />In 1866, the Ku Klux Klan was started by Democrats to lynch and terrorize Republicans, black and white, and the Ku Klux Klan became the terrorist arm of the Democratic Party.<br />To counter the discriminatory and terrorizing actions by Democrats, Republicans passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Reconstruction Act of 1867 that was designed to establish a new government system in the Democrat-controlled South, one that was fair to blacks.<br />Further, the Fourteenth Amendment pushed by Republicans was ratified in1868 that granted blacks citizenship. The Fifteenth Amendment also pushed by Republicans was ratified in 1870 that granted blacks the right to vote.<br />Undaunted, Democrats passed discriminatory Jim Crow Laws in 1875 to restrict the rights of blacks to use public facilities. In response, Republicans passed the Civil Rights Act of 1875 which prohibited racial discrimination in public facilities.<br />Shamefully, Democrats fought against anti-lynching laws, and when the Democrats regained control of Congress in 1892, they passed the Repeal Act of 1894 that overturned civil right laws enacted by Republicans. Further, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with Democrats and issued a ruling in the case of "Plessy v. Ferguson" in 1896 that established the "separate but equal" doctrine. That opinion stated that it was not a violation of the Constitution to have separate facilities for blacks. It took Republicans nearly six decades to finally get the civil rights laws of the 1950's and 1960's passed over the objection of the Democrats.<br />To advance civil rights for blacks, Republicans started the NAACP on February 12, 1909, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. The first black head of the NAACP was black Republican James Weldon Johnson who became general secretary in 1920 and wrote the lyrics to the song "Lift Every Voice and Sing". Republicans also founded the HBCU's (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) because Democrats were trying to prevent blacks from getting a good education.<br />During the civil rights era of the 1960's, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. fought to stop Democrats from denying civil rights to blacks. It should come as no surprise that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a Republican as has been affirmed by his niece, Dr. Alveda C. King in a video posted on YouTube.<br />Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would not have joined the Democratic Party, the party of the Ku Klux Klan and segregation.<br />Dr. King fought against Democrat Public Safety Commissioner Eugene "Bull" Connor in Birmingham who let loose vicious dogs and turned skin-burning fire hoses on black civil rights demonstrators.<br />Democrat Georgia Governor Lester Maddox famously brandished ax handles to prevent blacks from patronizing his restaurant. Democrat Alabama Governor George Wallace stood in front of the Alabama schoolhouse in 1963 and thundered, "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." All of these racist Democrats remained Democrats until the day they died.<br />The so-called "Dixiecrats" remained Democrats and did not migrate to the Republican Party. The Dixiecrats were a group of Southern Democrats who, in the 1948 national election, ran a third party ticket that supported segregation and Jim Crow laws passed by Democrats. Even so, they continued to be Democrats for all local and state elections, as well as for all future national elections.<br />Unknown today is the fact that the Democratic Party supported the Topeka, Kansas school board in the 1954 "Brown v. Topeka Board of Education" Supreme Court decision by Chief Justice Earl Warren who was appointed by Republican President Dwight Eisenhower. This landmark decision declared that the "separate but equal" doctrine violated the 14th Amendment and ended school segregation.<br />After the Brown decision, Democrat Arkansas Governor Orville Faubus tried to prevent desegregation of a Little Rock public school. President Eisenhower sent troops to Arkansas to desegregate the schools and pushed through the 1957 Civil Rights Act. In 1958, Eisenhower established a permanent US Civil Rights Commission that had been rejected by prior Democrat presidents, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt.<br />Ignored today is the fact that it was Roosevelt who started blacks on the path to dependency on government handouts during the Great Depression with his "New Deal" that turned out to be a bad deal for blacks. Even though Roosevelt received the vote of many blacks, Roosevelt banned black American newspapers from the military because he was convinced the newspapers were communists.<br />Much is made of Democrat President Harry Truman's issuing an Executive Order in 1948 to desegregate the military. Not mentioned is the fact that it was Eisenhower who actually took action to effectively end segregation in the military.<br />Little known is the fact that it was Republican Senator Everett Dirksen from Illinois, not Democrat President Lyndon Johnson, who pushed through the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act. In fact, Dirksen was instrumental in the passage of civil rights legislation in 1957, 1960, 1964, 1965 and 1968. The chief opponents of the 1964 Civil Rights Act were Democrat Senators Sam Ervin, Albert Gore, Sr. and Robert Byrd, a former official in the Ku Klux Klan who is still in Congress. None of these racist Democrats became Republicans.<br />Democrats ignore the pivotal role played by Senator Dirksen in obtaining passage of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act, while heralding President Johnson as a civil rights advocate for signing the bill.<br />Notably, in his 4,500-word State of the Union Address delivered on January 4, 1965, Johnson mentioned scores of topics for federal action, but only thirty five words were devoted to civil rights. He did not mention one word about voting rights. Information about Johnson's anemic civil rights policy positions can be found in the "Public Papers of the President, Lyndon B. Johnson," 1965, vol. 1, p.1-9..<br />In their campaign to unfairly paint the Republican Party today as racists, Democrats point to President Johnson's prediction that there would be an exodus from the Democratic Party because of Johnson's signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Omitted from the Democrats' rewritten history is what Johnson actually meant by his prediction. Johnson's statement was not made out of a concern that racist Democrats would suddenly join the Republican Party that was fighting for the civil rights of blacks. Instead, Johnson feared that the racist Democrats would again form a third party, such as the short-lived States Rights Democratic Party. In fact, Alabama's Democrat Governor George C. Wallace in 1968 started the American Independent Party that attracted other racist candidates, including Democrat Atlanta Mayor (later Governor of Georgia) Lester Maddox.<br />Democrat President John F. Kennedy is also lauded as a civil rights advocate. In reality, Kennedy voted against the 1957 Civil rights Act while he was a senator. After he became president, John F. Kennedy opposed the 1963 March on Washington by Dr. King that was organized by A. Phillip Randolph who was a black Republican.<br />President Kennedy, through his brother Attorney General Robert Kennedy, had Dr. King wiretapped and investigated by the FBI on suspicion of being a Communist in order to undermine Dr. King. To his credit, Republican President Ronald Reagan made Dr. King's birthday a federal holiday, ignoring how the Democrats had smeared Dr. King.<br />Democrats denounced Senator Trent Lott for his remarks about Senator Strom Thurmond. However, there was silence when Democrat Senator Christopher Dodd praised Senator Byrd, a former official in the Ku Klux Klan, as someone who would have been "a great senator for any moment." Senator Thurmond was never in the Ku Klux Klan and, after he became a Republican, Thurmond defended blacks against lynching and the discriminatory poll taxes imposed on blacks by Democrats.<br />Democrats today castigate Republican Senator Barry Goldwater as anti-black. However a review of Senator Barry Goldwater's record shows that he was a Libertarian, not a racist. Goldwater was a member of the Arizona NAACP and was involved in desegregating the Arizona National Guard.<br />Goldwater also supported the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the Civil Rights Act of 1960, as well as the constitutional amendment banning the poll tax. His opposition to the more comprehensive Civil Rights Act of 1964 was based on his libertarian views about government. Goldwater believed that the 1964 Act, as written, unconstitutionally extended the federal government's commerce power to private citizens, furthering the government's efforts to "legislate morality" and restrict the rights of employers.<br />It is instructive to read the entire text of Goldwater's 1964 speech at the 28th Republican National Convention, accepting the nomination for president that is available from the Arizona Historical Foundation. By the end of his career, Goldwater was one of the most respected members of either party and was considered a stabilizing influence in the Senate. Senator Goldwater's speech may be found also on the Internet.<br />In the arsenal of the Democrats is a condemnation of Republican President Richard Nixon for his so-called "Southern Strategy." These same Democrats expressed no concern when the racially segregated South voted solidly for Democrats for over 100 years, yet unfairly deride Republicans because of the thirty-year odyssey of the South switching to the Republican Party that began in the 1970's. Nixon's "Southern Strategy" was an effort on his part to get fair-minded people in the South to stop voting for Democrats who did not share their values and were discriminating against blacks. Georgia did not switch until 2004, and Louisiana was controlled by Democrats until the election of Republican Governor Bobby Jindal in 2007.<br />As the co-architect of Nixon's "Southern Strategy", Pat Buchanan provided a first-hand account of the origin and intent of that strategy in a 2002 article that can be found on the Internet.<br />In that article, Buchanan wrote that when Nixon kicked off his historic comeback in 1966 with a column about the South (written by Buchanan), Nixon declared that the Republican Party would be built on a foundation of states rights, human rights, small government and a strong national defense, and leave it to the "party of Maddox, Mahoney and Wallace to squeeze the last ounce of political juice out of the rotting fruit of racial injustice."<br />During the 1966 campaign, Nixon was personally thanked by Dr. King for his help in passing the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Nixon also endorsed all Republicans, except the members of the John Birch Society.<br />Notably, the enforcement of affirmative action began with Richard Nixon's 1969 Philadelphia Plan (crafted by black Republican Art Fletcher who became know as "the father of affirmative action enforcement") that set the nation's first goals and timetables. Nixon was also responsible for the passage of civil rights legislation in the 1970's.<br />Fletcher, as president of the United Negro College Fund, coined the phrase "the mind is a terrible thing to waste." Fletcher was also one of the original nine plaintiffs in the famous "Brown v. Topeka Board of Education" decision. Fletcher briefly pursued a bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 1995.<br />Nixon began his merit-based affirmative action program to overcome the harm caused by Democrat President Woodrow Wilson who, after he was elected in 1912, kicked blacks out of federal government jobs and prevented blacks from obtaining federal contracts. Also, while Wilson was president and Congress was controlled by the Democrats, more discriminatory bills were introduced in Congress than ever before in our nation's history. Today, Democrats have turned affirmative action into an unfair quota system that even most blacks do not support.<br />For more details on the true history of civil rights please read the book "Blacks, Whites and Racist Democrats: The Untold History of Race and Politics within the Democratic Party from 1792-2009" by Wayne Perryman.<br />Just as Democrats built their economic power base on the backs of poor blacks during the time of slavery, Democrats today have built their political power base on the backs of poor blacks today.<br />As author Michael Scheuer stated, the Democratic Party is the party of the four S's: slavery, secession, segregation and now socialism.<br />Democrats have been running black communities for the past 40 years, and the socialist policies of the Democrats have destroyed the economic and social fabric of black communities. A wise man once wrote that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.<br />It is way past time for blacks to end their unfounded loyalty to the Democratic Party, stop having their vote taken for granted and seize control over their own destiny.<br />Only then will blacks be truly free.Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-31916606502434584072010-05-21T08:29:00.000-07:002010-05-21T08:31:56.578-07:00Cronyism By Michael BeitlerCronyism<br />By Michael Beitler<br /><br />Perhaps the biggest problem in America today is cronyism. Cronyism is big business in bed with big government. Big businesses buy influence through their campaign contributions, including political action committee (PAC) contributions. <br /><br />Small business owners and entrepreneurs do not have the money to hire professional lobbyists or to fund a PAC. Big businesses have the money to hire professional lobbyists and to fund PACs. The professional lobbyists hired by big businesses work to pass burdensome regulations to crush smaller competitors. The big business PACs make contributions to political candidates (mostly incumbents) in exchange for favors. <br /><br />Lobbying for big business has become a big business itself. One look at K Street in Washington, DC will give you an indication of the extent of this form of corruption. Some of these lobbyists are the most powerful people in Washington. <br /><br />It is common knowledge in politics that PACs only contribute to incumbents. Of course, an exception will be made if a well-funded opponent has the financial clout to beat the incumbent. The exception is made because the ultimate goal is not to help any particular candidate but to buy influence. <br /><br />Cronyism is not new. Eisenhower warned America about a developing military-industrial complex. Daniel Guérin's 1936 book, "Fascism and Big Business" was about fascist governments and their corrupt relationships with big business. <br /><br />Robert Bradley's recent book, "Capitalism at Work" (2009), contains descriptions of how powerful individuals and corporations have mastered the skills of cronyism. Ken Lay of Enron was widely recognized (and praised) as a world-class player. Ken Lay wrote the playbook for others to follow. <br /><br />Go to www.fec.gov and look at the list of PAC contributions to incumbents in your state. It is not hard to understand why incumbents have an advantage over their opponents. It is equally clear why the PACs make these contributions. <br /><br />Let me conclude with a pet peeve. There is no such thing as "crony capitalism." Cronyism and capitalism are complete opposites. Capitalism, the economic/political system upon which America was built, is based on free markets; cronyism is based on buying influence to control markets. The term "cronyism capitalism" makes as much sense as "free-market communism."<br /><br />From Campaign for Liberty<br /><br />These are not my words, but this is what we are fighting. Freedom and government protection are the same opposites as free-market communism. <br />DeliaDelia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-84556996139886549402010-05-03T09:37:00.000-07:002010-05-03T20:44:59.164-07:00Raffle!I am a big supporter of the Constitution and all of our rights! I value freedom over all other things. What good is life if you are not free? Of what use is wealth if you are not free? Is vibrant health of value if you are locked up? We created this government to secure our rights. We have allowed this government to become an overbearing monster from which we must get permission before we can catch a fish! I am a republican because I believe in freedom! This nation became great because of our freedoms! We must do what ever each of us can do to protect our freedoms. One after another one administration after another our rights are being stripped away! We are having a raffle to help fund congressional pest removal. I have a really hard time asking for donations. I just feel wrong. I have not actually managed to just ask. I am told everyone know how expensive running a congressional campaign is and that you need funds to pay for printing, website, signs the list seems endless! So we are having a raffle http://www.springfield-armory.com/armory.php?version=18 Springfield Armory 1911 PX9 152LP. It is a thing of beauty. If you are interested in purchasing tickets you can email me at Delia@dlopezforcongress.com we have several people selling them in the Portland OR area. The legal transfer will be handled by the Gun Zone and the winner must be able to pass the back ground check and be legally able to accept the firearm. For an out of area winner the weapon will need to be shipped to a licensed dealer near you for back ground check and legal transfer. We will be selling 1999 tickets at $5 (if we are able to sell every single one of them) and having the drawing on the 4th of July a day recognized as celebrating our FREEDOM! Winner need not be present to win. If you want to purchase a ticket or (100?) you may do so on my website. The donate button accepts credit cards or checks or? Please put raffle in comments and add your phone number. We will be drawing the ticket and calling the winner so we will need it. I promise not to call you otherwise!Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-55479552622483845362010-04-16T11:04:00.000-07:002010-04-16T11:06:04.059-07:00Planting out from NW ConnectionApril is when many gardens really get growing! April 6 is our last anticipated frost date and April 26 is considered safe. If you are following along with me your seedlings should be growing along nice and stocky and ready to plant out! Your fruit trees and blueberry bushes are in the ground and growing and it is time to put our garden plan into effect. I know it sounds a bit weird to suggest you map out your garden but hey this is Portland, we are weird! That is part of our charm, I know I personally am not often called normal. I start with a piece of graph paper and actually make a little map. Noting North south etc. You don't want to plant corn on the south side of your garden or you will block out the sunlight! So I always plan my corn for the far north side I add green beans the pole variety not bush around my corn the beans climb up the corn saving space and as a legume they actually improve the soil for the heavy feeding corn. I add a squash to ramble around the corn as well. One of my favorites is Pink Banana the pack I started with said not for the space conscious. It should have stated that once planted in Oregon vines may reach Kentucky. I like to plant squashes so I can be more self sufficient. They are very easy to save seed from, can be stored in an unheated garage or shed for months as long as they don't freeze, are high in nutritional value and are so easy to grow. Acorn squash is another one that fills the bill, I have a great recipe I got from famous chef Capriol and adapted for my style I make it vegan and use vinegar and apple juice instead of sherry, who has sherry? <br /><br />I like to grow root crops that are easy to store as well. I plant onions and carrots together. Carrot fly's don't like onions and carrots roots themselves have an exudate that is great for peas. I prefer snow peas I am a fan of stir fries the whole shelling deal with me never happens. Potatoes do well by the bean/corn area and can take some shading. I use 6' sections of cattle fencing to surround my tomatoes to hold them up off the ground and I can cover it with clear plastic to protect from frost. For me that is the easiest way to stake anything! I use smaller circles to have my cucumbers or acorn squash or melons climb as well. I use a straight section of fencing for my peas. I generally plant snow peas on Feb 14 valentines day and potatoes on Mar17 St Patty's day. I soak my pea and corn seeds in warm water while I prep the area for planting it helps speed germination. If they germinates rapidly they are less likely to rot in the cool spring soil. My biggest garden problems are animals deer, turkeys and rabbits are my issues. My soil was originally red clay stains like crazy (everyone tried Bio-quest laundry soap?) We would haul in garbage bags of leaves and they were tilled in in the spring and horse manure from cleaning out my barn. So I have very high fertility rates now and the dirt has turned into a black loam with thousands of worms. I cover my garden area with black plastic to keep the rains from washing the nutrients away and save me from much weeding. It also helps to warm up the soil and improve growth. <br /> I do the basic map for my garden and I am not much for plant rotation, many things end up where they were the year before. Part of the reason for my maps is tags that tell what variety of tomato or what ever is always seem to disappear either gremlins run off with them or the writing fades out and I can't read it. So the map saves the day. I have a garden note book an old fashioned 3 ring binder I bring into the garden and keep notes on as well as the map. I have a basic garden map I make copies of and fill out as I go along. My garden is not too tidy, I start with the map and then end up sticking a fever few here or a few beets there or? I only have 800 words here so my garden calender and amount to plant guide will have to be added to my blog, http://dlopezforcongress.blogspot.com/ with my medicinal herb cheat sheet. Next month will be on medicinal herbs growing and usage. If you have any questions I can be contacted at Delia@dlopezforcongress.comDelia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-88544855054279690322010-04-16T10:09:00.000-07:002010-04-16T10:38:10.551-07:00Garden CalenderGarden Calendar <br /><br /> <br /><br />This information can be used as a guide; but you may need to adjust it for your local circumstances. The average last frost has been on April 6th, while the average first frost arrived October 2nd. Late July temperatures (max/min) are around 81F/54F. Temperatures for early January are typically 50F/35F. <br /><br /> <br /><br />I have found that the garden beds that have been covered by my chicken coop cleanings will be the most fertile. I add it to the soil in early spring and put the heaviest feeders, like brassicas, in first. After those are harvested, plant the medium heavy feeders. Plant the least heavy feeders like carrots and potatoes last of all; these get hairy roots or scab if the soil is too fertile. <br /><br /> <br /><br />Many people “put in” the garden one weekend in May. I generally plant a little every month. For example, I put 6 broccoli plants and 8 lettuce plants out from the “starts” grown in the garage once a month. I will do that until July. I plant more in July to overwinter or for storage. <br /><br /> <br /><br />In my dreams I grow everything we eat; in reality, I don't even come close! Reality is that turkeys keep digging up the corn seed. Before I figured out that the turkeys were pillaging my garden, I really could not understand the lousy rate of germination! Then I caught on to the fact that the turkeys were well fed and that is why the corn production was puny. Chickens get out and eat the strawberries and the Blueberries, I find eggs hidden under the tomatoes, by stepping on them, but we keep trying. <br /> <br /><br />January<br /><br />Lettuce, spinach, onions and mustard can all be started indoors. Remember that mustard is photoperiodic, so don't set the timer on your lights for too long of a "day length"! I also have a small glass house that I nearly always have some greens growing in. I also have 2 coffee trees, a small lemon tree and a yerba mate in it. <br /><br />February<br /><br />If you are growing asparagus from seed, start it now. The seeds can take up to three weeks to germinate even if kept warm. Prune your cherry and plum trees. The sour cherry tree tends to be spreading and can be pruned to a bowl shape. Sweet cherry trees are best pruned like apple trees. Plum trees vary in their growth habit, but are often pruned to the bowl shape. <br /><br /> <br /><br />Sow broccoli, cauliflower and onions indoors about mid-month. If you use 2" pots, and keep them growing on the cool side, they'll be ready to go out under a cloche about April 1. If you planted some inside last month they can go out at the same time and will be harvest sized sooner. Late in February is a good time to start artichokes. They can be overwintered with care, but Green Globe and Imperial Star are both easy to grow like annuals as well!<br /><br /> <br /><br />I plant peas on Valentine’s Day 2/14. However, in the Maritime Northwest it's important to pay attention to the winter weather. Some years my soil isn't dry enough for any planting until mid-April! Other years, peas can be planted as early as January. I have piled sand and potting soil over my pea area to plant the seeds into and improve drainage in the seed area. It helps to get them in the ground early. Since powdery mildew is the worst problem, plant resistant varieties. Peas planted earlier have less likely hood of getting powdery mildew. <br /><br /> <br /><br />Last year I planted my peas in a different location. I had dug up a strawberry patch that had very sweet but tiny strawberries; they were too small for my tastes. I planted my peas along that fence where the strawberry patch had been. They were shaded by the garage wall during the hottest part of the day and extended my harvest. So, if you have an area that is sunny in the morning with afternoon shade give it a try for snow peas. <br /><br /> <br /><br />March<br /><br />By the first week of March, the threat of severe cold blasts is usually over. Cold-weather crops will grow, but rain is a constant and must be compensated for. I use my PVC cloches to prevent the rains from rotting away my produce. I don't bring the plastic all the way down to the dirt on the beds where cool weather crops are planted. This way, the air circulates to prevent rot and water gets into the raised beds. Cool weather crops would include the brassicas, greens, carrots, onions, beets and potatoes. <br /><br /> <br /><br />Late winter is the best time to prune peach, nectarine and apricot trees because fall and early winter pruning may expose trees to winter injury and canker infections. The delay permits the grower to adjust the severity of pruning to the percentage of fruit buds that survived the winter. Strive to develop a bowl-shaped or open-center tree. <br /><br /> <br /><br />Plant fruit trees as soon as the ground can be worked and as soon as possible after arrival from the nursery. (Protect roots from drying out or freezing.) In backyard plantings, the sod beneath trees should be turned under and cultivated to prevent competition for moisture and nutrients. I mulch heavily to avoid turning and weeding. Thoroughly water the trees. (Wait to fertilize until the after the tree starts to leaf out) <br /><br /> <br /><br />Use dormant spray on stone fruit (prior to fruit bud swell). Be sure to read labels carefully before applying plant pest control materials. I generally use dormant oil. It smothers the pests that my chickens miss. I use it very early in the morning to avoid killing my honey bees. They usually stay in the hive until it warms enough for them to come out. Apply fertilizers just before bloom to maximize plant uptake and minimize leaching. I use aged horse manure.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Fertilizer Rates<br /><br />Fruit / lbs. of 5-10-10 (1 lb. = 2.5 cups)<br /><br />Apples (1 - 4 years old)<br /><br />1/2 lb. per tree per year of tree<br /><br />Apples (over 4 years old)<br /><br />Omit fertilizer unless by leaf or soil analysis (or terminal shoot growth is less than 15 inches)<br /><br />Peaches, Cherries & Plums<br /><br />3/4 lb. per tree per year of tree age<br /><br /> <br /><br />Mid March, transplant out, under a cloche, those salad greens you started in January. Lettuce, spinach, and mustard seeds can all be sown into a cloche, and can be counted on to germinate. Beets will come up, but may bolt later in summer if March ends up being cold. Early Wonder Tall Top is a good variety for these early sowings. I like to plant a handful of tall top beets every month when I plant salad greens both for the nutritious greens and the baby beets delicious easy to grow and store. Scallions can be sown now. Note that they will probably bulb in July, but you will get a harvest. <br /><br /> <br /><br />Brassicas can be a bit dicier. Kohlrabi will usually come up if sown in a cloche, but broccoli and cauliflower normally will have to wait until April for the soil to be warm enough for seeds to germinate. Carrots can be started this early, but the soil is often too wet to be worked as well as carrots require. Shorter types are better bets because they don't have the same requirement for deep loose soil. I plant onions and beets in the same bed together. Lime the carrot bed well. Start tomatoes and peppers. If I start them in 4" pots, they are ready to go outside in mid-May. I can put them out earlier using wall o waters or covering my fence cages with clear plastic with clothes pins to secure.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Plant your potatoes on St. Patty's day! Actually potatoes can be planted out without a cloche anytime from this point onward; but sowing them now (and then again in early June) will give you two harvests, if you use an early variety such as my favorite potato, Yukon Gold. If you don't plant corn and let your pole beans climb them (corn is more difficult to grow and takes a lot of space so gardening for food value corn should not be a priority) beans and potatoes grow well together. Cabbage and potatoes grow well together also but not beans and cabbage. Both Cabbage and potatoes can be stored for use during the months when growing food is difficult with little effort, pile in a box in a cool area that does not freeze. Replant peas if seeds have rotted and did not germinate. <br /><br /> <br /><br />April<br /><br />Plant out cool season crops and others if using cloches and wall o waters for frost protection. Broadcast 1.5 lbs of 5-10-10 (or equivalent amount of organic fertilizer or another complete fertilizer) in a ring around each newly-planted tree. Keep fertilizer away from base of tree. I use aged horse manure. <br /><br /> <br /><br />Measures to control weeds should begin early in the season. Maintain a weed-free area 4 feet from the trunk of young trees. Plant grass outside this weed-free area but keep it closely mowed. Sow more salad veggies, such as lettuce, spinach, and radishes. They don't really need a cloche at this point, but will probably grow better in one if it's rainy (and when isn't it rainy around here in April?)<br /><br /> <br /><br />Start your eggplant inside right around April 1st. If you started broccoli or cauliflower indoors in February, move it to the garden. You can still start tomatoes and peppers, but you'd better hurry! If you haven't already done so, turn under the green manures in the beds where you'll want to grow your summer crops (corn, squash, cucumbers). Soils are still pretty cool, so even nitrogen-rich plants need several weeks to break down.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Try eating kale blossoms! They are really tasty if the buds haven't opened yet. Beets and chard can be sown directly in the ground now. They actually will germinate if sown in March, but if the weather is too cold they will bolt (this is because they are biennial, and can be fooled into thinking they have overwintered). Sow kohlrabi, broccoli, and cauliflower directly in the ground. Remember that brassicas tend to be fairly heavy feeders, so plant them in well fertilized beds. If your garden has problems with the cabbage maggot, cover the bed with a cloche made with a floating row cover like Agro-fabric P10.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Peas can still be sown. However, since they will mature in hot weather, plant enation-resistant varieties (enation is spread by aphids which become more active once summer hits). Tomato plants can be set outside during the day on nice days. They will do much better if given the protection of a cold frame, unless it is unusually warm. Bring them in at night. Enjoy the abundant harvests of sprouting broccoli! Start basil inside around the 15th of the month. If you grow it in 4" pots, it'll be ready to go outside right about when the nights are warm enough. Now is a good time to plant bulb onions. Depending on the variety, these will be harvested in August or September. Remember that onions like warmth early in their lives, so using a cloche or row cover fabric will benefit them.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Hard-grown tomatoes can be planted outside under a cloche late in this period. Do NOT try this with store-purchased plants, or plants that have been grown in warm conditions (even if you've hardened them off). They do well by asparagus and can be planted among them once the asparagus is done producing for the year and just has spears growing. I have a stinging nettle in an open bottomed tub dug into the ground next to my asparagus bed and it is supposed to help tomatoes store better when grown by nettle because is a medicinal herb.<br /><br /> <br /><br />May<br /><br />It's the first of a new month, and it's time to plant more salad stuff. Once a month is easy to remember, and it will keep you supplied with salad.<br /><br /> <br /><br />In early May I begin to keep a closer eye on the weather. The danger of frost is basically over, but soil temperature can vary quite a bit. If we are blessed with a sunny week in May, I like to gamble with early sowings of corn and beans. Don't plant your entire crop, and don't be too disappointed if they fail! If they germinate, though, they probably will make it.<br /><br /> <br /><br />In most years the soil will have dried out somewhat by now. If that's the case, put in your main carrot planting. Carrots do much better in raised beds, and love deeply-worked soil. But you don't really need to use a tiller; I've gotten good results just working the bed over with a spading fork. <br /><br /> <br /><br />Because soil temperature can vary so much this time of year, I usually plan on starting my curcurbits indoors. Sow squash, pumpkins, cucumbers and melons directly into large pots around the 15th of the month. Squash and pumpkins are very vigorous, so be prepared to move them to the garden within two weeks. All curcurbits are touchy about transplanting, so you might want to use peat pellets (I've had reasonable success with plastic pots, as long as I am very careful when I transplant them).<br /><br /> <br /><br />Even store-bought tomato plants can be put into the garden now. It is still a good idea to use a cloche. Plan on sowing your dry beans if a stretch of sunny days is forecast. They will need time to mature and dry down. Even with an early sowing, you may end up putting a cloche over them in September. Take inventory of the vegetable seeds you'll use for your winter garden. A lot of them are sown around the first of June, and it'll take at least a week to receive any you mail order.<br /><br /> <br /><br />June<br /><br />Same as before - start more salad greens. <br /><br /> <br /><br />June 1st is my target date for sowing Brussels sprouts and cabbage. If direct-sown, they will germinate quickly and grow fast. However, if June is wet the slugs can quickly decimate these brassicas, so I usually start them indoors now. Any late-season corn should go in now, in order to have time to mature. Even if it's cloudy, June's long days mean the soil won't be too cool. Sugar-enhanced varieties may still need a little help, though, so consider using clear plastic over the bed if the sun isn't cooperating. <br /><br /> <br /><br />Fall broccoli and cauliflower should be sown during this first half of June. I like to grow them under a tent. This protects them from both the cabbage maggot and the cabbage worm. Cucumbers grow rapidly, and will produce even if they are started at the end of this month! It's a good thing, too. Cukes need warm soil to germinate, and that's not always the situation earlier in the month. Using a cloche, or covering the bed with clear plastic, will usually generate the necessary extra heat.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Summer squash can be direct-sown anytime now. I guess you don't really need me to tell you that. Move your peppers and eggplant out into the garden now. They will do a lot better if you provide a cloche. These two cousins grow much better with warm daytime temperatures, and the inside of a cloche will easily add 10 degrees on a cloudy day. In all likelihood, the basil you started earlier will start running to seed soon. Early June is a great time to start more. With the warmer temperatures, the basil won't go to flower nearly as fast.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Early to mid June is a good target for starting a late bed of potatoes. Yukon Gold, put in now, will give you a nice harvest in fall. Take a deep breath. Look around. The second half of June is time to get caught up in your garden. If you've been too busy, or the weather has just not cooperated, you can still get those early June chores done and still be successful. It might also be worthwhile to consider starting some of the early July winter root crops a few weeks early. June's weather is often more cooperative than July's when it comes to keeping slow-germinating seeds moist.<br /><br /> <br /><br />July<br /><br />The weatherman will tell you that July 12th is the date (on average) that summer arrives in the Maritime Pacific Northwest. It's also when the bulk of your winter garden has to be started as well! You might feel a bit funny getting sunburned while sowing winter carrots, but you'll get used to it. Sow salad greens one more time. Be sure to keep some seeds for next month, when the winter greens have to go in. <br /><br /> <br /><br />Winter beets, such as Lutz or Winterkeeper, need to be sown before the 15th to be successful. Try to get it done around the 1st if you can. You can be more flexible with carrots. Between the 10th and 15th is ideal for most winter-cropping varieties, but sowings as late as the 31st will still give you useable (but smaller) roots. Earlier sowings will work as well. <br /><br /> <br /><br />You can still plant pole beans: It's better to get them started in June of course, but it's still not too late! I've had the most success with kohlrabi if I sow it around the 15th, although Territorial recommends a date between July 20th and August 10th. Try two different sowing dates, to get a handle on what works best in your garden. The timing will be affected by your exact location, soil fertility, and the relative abundance of cabbage maggot flies.<br /><br /> <br /><br />In my garden I need to get the overwintering cauliflower and (sprouting) broccoli started by the 15th if I want a decent harvest the following spring. July 15th is usually a safe starting date for most of the day length-sensitive mustards. If sown now, they are unlikely to bolt. Your leeks are probably about ready to shift to their final location. Try to pick a rainy day if you can, but how likely is that in July?<br /><br /> <br /><br />August<br /><br />Summer may start on July 12th, but sometimes it ends well before August 31st! The days are starting to get noticeably shorter, and sometimes we can get surprised by a very cold night. Frost, however, is still at least a month away. Winter lettuce will size up best if sown during the first half of this month (later sowings will still work, but the plants will be somewhat smaller going into winter). The various chicories (endive, escarole, radicchio, etc.) need a good amount of time to mature, especially if they are the heading types. Right now I'd recommend a sowing date of August 1st for all of these. Be aware that I've only tried winter radicchio a handful of times, so I don't have the best sowing date nailed down yet. Spinach can be started now. It matures faster than most of those other greens, and can be successfully sown as late as the 31st.<br /><br /> <br /><br />I like to start corn salad (mache, or lamb's lettuce) right about the 15th of August. Arugula, if put in between mid-August and early September, will size up without bolting. Okay, without bolting immediately, at least! Play around a bit with overwintered onions to find the best starting date. I try to start mine about the 15th. If you haven't grown them before, consider making three sowings (on the 1st, 15th, and 30th) and go from there.<br /><br /> <br /><br />September<br /><br />The days are quickly getting shorter, but there's still time to plant! This is a perfect time to sow arugula, or some of the fast-growing Asian greens. Try a couple different sowing dates to see what works best for your garden. Walla Walla onions, which dry down later than most other overwintered onions, can be started as late as mid-September - I've gotten good bulbs in July after sowing Walla Wallas that late. You can still get away with sowing lettuce and spinach - but the plants will be much smaller going into winter. Space them accordingly.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Plant some radishes. You should probably still protect them from the maggot fly using a row cover. Leave your winter squash and pumpkins on the plant for as long as you can. Remember that a fully ripe squash will have a hard stem. If frost or disease severely damages the leaves, though, harvest them. As you clean up after your summer crops, prepare the beds for next year. Lime the beds with dolomite and add organic matter, such as leaves or compost. It's not too early to sow a cover crop either. Garlic can be planted anytime that the ground isn't hard, but I prefer putting it in toward the end of September. That way it's sure to get established, and it'll even show some top growth this fall.<br /><br /> <br /><br />October<br /><br />Planting time is mostly over, but that doesn't mean it's time to take a break! Covering your beds will help build your soil up for next year, and protect it from all the rain that'll be falling over the next six months...<br /><br /> <br /><br />Prep your beds as they become available. This is when I clean out my chicken coop and prepare the girls’ house for winter. I use the chicken manure/ shaving mix to cover my beds for the winter. Have you planted your garlic yet? Usually the second half of October displays a marked deterioration in the weather. If you've got cauliflower and broccoli that are still going, consider setting up some sort of cover for those plants. They are cold hardy enough to last through November - but constant rain will ruin them. It's also a good time to start protecting your winter greens from the rain. If the weather is nice, though, they'll appreciate some unfiltered sun. <br /><br /> <br /><br />November<br /><br />If you've got tree leaves available, remember that they make good mulch for unused beds. They can also be used to insulate crops that aren't slug prone, such as leeks - these are much easier to dig if the soil isn't semi-frozen! Apply lime in accordance with soil test recommendations. For best results, incorporate lime with the soil. One ton/acre =about 50 lb per 100 sq ft (32 x 32 ft)<br /><br /> <br /><br />Remove apple root suckers. My secret fertilizer is horse apples in a tub filled with water with an aquarium pump & air stones in it. The bacteria grow in it and seem to help with damping off. My orchids in the house bloom well with this. I have drip systems and timers everywhere. I set them up when the weather dries out. To help me remember, I schedule things in my brain like this: on the 8th of the month plant salad greens, beets, transplants out or new starts in garage. Every Tuesday after my radio show I connect the drip system to the hose to water the orchard, and water the orchids. I have the original calendar with all these details in my garden binder where I keep my map and other notes.Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-82837234359303979082010-03-25T08:21:00.000-07:002010-03-25T23:36:23.861-07:00Debate! April 3, 2010 7-8 pmBenson Polytechnic High School auditorium, 546 Northeast 12th Avenue in Portland<br /><br />Delia Lopez (R), Michael Meo (PGP) and John Sweeney (D) Three candidates for congressional nominations in the 3rd District will debate the Economic Meltdown, Health care and the environment. This should be an interesting event!<br /><br />In my opinion all of the problems our nation is facing at this time are because we have stopped following the Constitution as the law of the land, and we the people have allowed the government to grow and control everything!Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-36257825024570943302010-03-24T13:13:00.000-07:002010-03-24T13:14:11.450-07:00Campaign kick off rally March 27 PortlandCampaign kick off rally Central Library US Bank room 801 SW 10th Ave., Portland, come meet Delia!<br />Then over to the park Simon and Helen Directors Park Enjoy the sunshine and get a chance to meet and mingle with Delia Lopez Congressional candidate for Oregon's district 3 Multnomah and northern Clackamas county. Bring your questions and find out how more freedom and less government can improve our environment, economy and cut spending and give us more opportunities. Simon and Helen Director Park is located between Southwest Park and Southwest Ninth, and Southwest Taylor and Southwest Yamhill.<br /><br />912 Meet and mingle<br /><br />American Legion Post, 2146 SE Monroe Street, Milwaukie, OR 97222<br /><br />March 27, Saturday - Meet & Mingle Click for Details and RSVP Here http://oregon912project.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=15 7 - 9 pm Oregon 912 Project American Legion Post, 2146 SE Monroe Street, Milwaukie, OR 97222 Highlights of the 912 Convention: Where Do We Go From Here? Mingle with fellow 912ers Meet with committees and contribute your ideas Coffee and Light Refreshments (No outside beverages may be brought in.) Bring friends!<br /><br />dlopezforcongress@yahoo.com 503-954-4080Delia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8650619352347786813.post-4206343042695136032010-03-02T14:52:00.001-08:002010-03-02T14:52:54.556-08:00Liberty Candidates! Lets get to work!What is the Function of Government?<br />Will we choose to subject ourselves to the despotism of bureaucracy; controlling our every act, destroying what equality we have attained, reducing us eventually to the condition of impoverished slaves of the state? Or will we cling to the liberties for which man has struggled for more than a thousand years? It is important to understand the magnitude of the issue before us. If we do not choose to have a tyrannical, oppressive bureaucracy controlling our lives, destroying progress, depressing our standard of living, then we must force the federal government to return to its Constitutionally enumerated powers and restore our inalienable rights. Should it not be the function of the government to limit its activities to those which it is constitutionally authorized to deal? For example; the Constitution lists national defense, maintaining law and order, protecting life and property, preventing dishonesty, and guarding the public against vested special interests as legitimate activities for government.<br />Politicians Seeking Donations vs. Serving the Public Interest<br />Politicians seeking campaign donations have created tax systems to tilt the playing field to benefit the politically connected at the top, while forcing small businesses to pay for it. Increasing taxes on small companies, while creating specialized tax situations for large corporations, this practice has put thousands of Americans in the unemployment lines. Creating regulations, licenses and insurance requirements for the smallest of businesses has stifled entrepreneurial spirit and prevented people from starting small businesses, eliminating for many the best opportunity to work their way out of poverty.<br /><br />Politicians seeking campaign donations, and multinational corporations have together formulated trade deals so that corporations can speculate across borders with currency, food and natural resources. They do this even as, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, 1.02 billion people on the planet struggle with hunger. Globalization has obliterated the ability of many poor countries to protect food staples such as corn, rice, beans and wheat with subsidies or taxes on imported staples. The abolishment of these protections has permitted the giant mechanized farms to wipe out tens of millions of small farmers, bankrupting many and driving them off their land. The wealthiest governments and corporations use institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization like pit bulls to establish economic supremacy.<br /><br />The contrast between huge bonuses for managers at the top and the income of two-job workers below seems far too common in a globalized world. For three decades, the elite consensus of politicians and corporate leaders have insisted that third-world debts could not be put aside in a sort of bad debt reserve without betraying Globalism’s essential principles and moral obligations. These principles and obligations included an unwavering respect for the sanctity of international contracts. It took the same people about two weeks to abandon that sanctity and propose bailouts for their own far larger debts in 2008 and again in 2009 with the working class Americans footing the tab.<br />Storm Troopers, why?<br />Look at the extreme militarization of our police. Consider the increasing number of police on the roads and the military gear with which they are equipped. FBI statistics show that violent crime is at its lowest rate since 1964. The police that were preplaced in Pittsburgh for the G20 meeting looked like storm troopers from Star Wars movies. The armored vehicle that pulled out between the "Storm Trooper" looking police, looked surreal on American city streets. Why, in this time of budget crisis, are we spending money for such things?<br />Banker Bailouts, how’s that working for you?<br />The power elite grasps, even if we do not, the massive fraud and theft being undertaken. This is all to save a criminal class on Wall Street, and international speculators of the kinds who were executed in other periods of human history. They know the awful cost this plundering of state treasuries will impose on workers, who will become a permanent underclass. And, they also know that once this is clear to the rest of us, rebellion will no longer be a foreign concept. Our global economy, like our political system, has been hijacked by a tiny oligarchy, composed mostly of wealthy men who serve corporations.<br /><br />Our corporate media perpetuates a left-right split, calling people who are protesting banker bailouts of Wall Street billionaires "Racist Tea Baggers" claiming they are wildly distorting the truth. Media outlets lead with propagandized stories to make people think a financial scam, a tax that will be forced on all the workers of the world, could in some way save our planet. This has already made Al Gore the first Carbon Billionaire. Gore has made over a billion dollars for himself pushing this new tax. I fail to understand how super- rich people making even more money will help anything.<br /><br />Why We’re Running<br />During Ron Paul’s 2008 presidential campaign Dr Paul suggested that if people really wanted to help him restore our republic, they should run for congress. Several brave individuals stepped forward and actually did something none of them probably ever imagined they would do; they ran for congress! It was an uphill battle, a late start for many of them, people that had never run campaigns before stepped up, often in opposition to the Republican Party many of them were running in.<br /><br />This year in 2010 many of those brave souls are running again and many more have joined in the fight. Imagine if congress was made up of individuals that had held jobs, run businesses and actually understood the constitution, the idea that government was created to secure our rights! The possibility excites me. This year, there are several different groups all volunteering to help these candidates I am including a list of them so any of you can go to these sites and see if there is a candidate in your area you can volunteer to help. Even if you do not live near a candidate, you can still help.<br /><br />How You Can Help<br />If you have an extra $5 send it; contact them and see if they have a phone bank set up so you can make calls and talk to people about the idea of freedom! If we all commit to $10 or 2 hours a week, we can make a difference in our country. Tea party patriots and 9/12 members are getting active and joining our cause. Lets take time to educate ourselves on the wisdom of a non-interventionist foreign policy as recommended by our founding fathers. Our numbers are growing and with it, our strength. We are winning small victories across the country. In Douglas County, Oregon, the County Commissioners wanted to add global warming legislation onto all land within the county, all 3 commissioners were in favor of it. On the night the commissioners were to vote, hundreds of citizens showed up to rally in protest. They voted it down!<br /><br />Scott Brown in MA was the republican and Martha Coakley was a shoe in until the people got involved. A phone bank was set up, and people from around the Nation started to call in and support him. Scott Brown's win sends a loud message to congress. We need to make sure they understand that this message was not, “We want Republicans,” the message is, “We the people do not want more government controlling our lives.”<br /><br />Most of the Liberty candidates are running entirely grassroots campaigns so join onto a team. There are so many ways you can help to get a Liberty candidate elected, even if you have no money and live far from them. Offer to manage their Wikipedia page, build one for them if they don't have one, monitor it to counter changes added by political opponents. Send “Tweets” to friends and neighbors about events where they will be speaking. Have a bake sale or bottle round up and donate the proceeds to them. What talents do you have? Do you make fliers? Make up fliers based on the information on their web page and send them the pdf file. Graphics artists, send them art to use for campaign signs or fliers. Do you build web pages? Have a server? Put together a chart showing the voting record of their opponent and send it to them. Has their opponent been involved in several scandals, or questionable fund raising activities? People have a right to know! Start a Facebook page or blog detailing the actions you feel are questionable, and send a link to the candidate so they can more easily stay abreast of their opponents actions. Is your English excellent? Volunteer to proof read or write speeches. All of these things can be done over the Internet and would free up time for the candidate.<br /><br />We must force the Federal Government to return to its Constitutionally enumerated powers and restore our inalienable rights. Government’s main goal has become to preserve government, not the rights of the individual. Unless we, as individuals, join together and commit to work for freedom for everyone, our Government will continue encroaching into more areas of our lives. The latest attack is the healthcare bill. After the swing to the right to get Patriot and FISA passed, we swing to the left to get a national ID and health and financial records on everyone. Also, a huge new Government program “Cap and Trade,” looms ahead. We have ended up with the pendulum swinging back and forth taking our freedoms on each pass as one political party and then the other has taken power by making promises it had no intention of keeping. The party in power then quickly breaks those promises leaving people upset and active. Now is our opportunity, to finally get people to work together and forget the left/right nonsense of party politics. Won’t you help us?<br /><br />Check out the different sites listing liberty candidates<br /><br />http://gigibowman.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/hello-world/<br /><br />http://americanbuilt.us/news/2010-Liberty-Candidates.shtml<br /><br />www.libertyslate.com<br /><br />http://www.rlc.org/endorsements/2010-endorsed-candidates/<br /><br />http://www.retakecongress.com/<br /><br />http://congressofhope.com/<br /><br />www.Liberty-Candidates.org<br /><br />Delia Lopez<br />US Congressional Candidate<br />www.dlopezforcongress.com<br /><br />"In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution."<br />Thomas JeffersonDelia Lopezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09271451633349340179noreply@blogger.com0