Billions for Bombs. No support for Soldiers

http://www.thepetit ionsite.com/ 2/clemency- for-ratchet

OK I am a sometimes cold hearted person on this Blog but this has moved me to speak out. Unf9ortunately I can beleive that the US military officer in charge can do something like this. Why do anything to make a difference in one of OUR soldiers lives when a simple denial can cause so much pain for no actual cost. We could use the $4k to pay for another 10 minutes of civilian contractors to use here in Iraq. With four or five dogs a week that could add up to the cost of one hour of contractors time. And since it is earned overseas it is not taxable. You know I am totally against the war in Iraq but am totally for the soldiers. The military accepts that in the US citizens, they espouse the same ideas. And then they do something like this? One word comes to mind. BASTARD!!! Why does the scene from Wizard of Oz come to mind right now? Poppies, Poppies pretty smell with poison. I used part of my morning to call the senators listed. If you feel the same way make the call, or send emails. I love my country but it's leaders can piss me off big time
Ottar

I FEAR fiction may become Truth

I have been watching the economy meltdown over the past couple weeks. Banks and insurance companies being bailed out by the US Government (meaning your and my tax dollars). Then last night I saw on the news that the same thing was happening in Europe. I own and treasure a copy of Wolf and Iron by Gordon R. Dickson and the parallels make me shiver in fear. The premise of the book was that the worlds economy collapsed and had to bootstrap itself again. It all started with a small bank failure. With the interconnection of the worlds economy it spread like a virus until the entire worlds economy collapsed. Sound familiar? No government in the world has the resources to bailout everyone. What happens to those companies who don't get the same option when the well is dry? They fail. Their former employees become unemployed. More government monies will be needed to shore up their finances, not that I can say bad things about unemployment right now. So with our beloved government bailing out every large source of campaign funds and screwing the people who pay their taxes I feel all warm and cuddly. Gonna buy me a 12ga and a couple cases of ammo. I already know how to make things that go boom from common household chemicals. The advantage of living in Tim McVeigh country and reading Admiral Bob books. Gotta keep the zombies and copy machine salesmen from coming in the door. (extra points for catching the copy machine reference)
Since I am back home now there will be more posts more often
Ottar

Baby Steps are the way to start

I have noticed on Craig's List for a few weeks the link to this website:

http://www.earth4energy.com/index.php

Then this morning I went to KCRA's web site that had this link:

http://www.greentoolman.com/?gclid=CNCt0pi25ZUCFQykagod7WVBfA

The first time I looked at the Earth For Energy link I was skeptical to say the least sounded like a scam to get my fifty bucks. But after finding a review of it on Green Tool Man I am considering ordring and looking it over. Especially with a sixty day money back guarantee. The only real thing stopping me is that I live in a apartment and doubt I could set up a windmill off my roof since I don't have aback yard. I am considering ordering the package to just have it on hand when we do get a house. It would be a start at reducing my dependence on the utility company that I dislike almost as much as I dislike government.

I realize it would be a hodgepodge set of systems to produce the power we need as a family but if I can just power th lights in the house that would be a savings, and a way to start.

Good Morning All
Ottar

Like Daddy Like Son

Last Reign it was No NEW Taxes! read my lips!
In the Reign of George the Dunce (did I misspell that?)
It was NO MORE GOVERNMENT BAILOUTS of failing companies
And we are expected to believe ANYTHING that comes out of his mouth? I have a real big issue with politicians and truth. Like if I say it I mean it. If a politician says it I figure they have their fingers crossed.

My thoughts on businesses that are failing because of the economy it is NOT the governments fault so why should they prop up a business that failed for any reason? Capitalism is a GAMBLE. You can have a run of hot dice for a long time but eventually it comes up snake eyes. If you have all your chips on the table YOU ARE SCREWED!!!! That is when its time to suck it up put on your big girl panties and drive on! Yes I draw a unemployment check currently. Hey guess what me and my employer BOTH paid into the account from the day I started working. That is why it is called unemployment INSURANCE. If I had not paid in to that I would not be eligible. I paid my taxes each and every paycheck. Have the FATCATS in Washington done anything to help me individually? HELL NO! My money comes from the Peoples Republic of California. Yet the companies that have needed bailing out lately are whining to the Federal Government to save there asses. SCREW THEM! DARWIN WAS RIGHT! Survival of the fittest does not neccessarily mean survival of the best, it means what it says FITTEST. I am not very fit, If I had to exert myself for my survival in a big way I would be dead or I would suck it up and do it anyway (I would pay for it in a bigway later). AIG needs to suck it up rather then feed at the trough. I am terrified if they go under, Stacie and my car is insured by them if they go bye bye we will need to find a new insurer (I wonder if there is any link to the GEICO ads we receive in the mail almost daily) but we would have to suck it up and deal. In my study of history it seems like every country that tries to be socialist FAILS and has to go to another system.

All right I have rambled enough for this afternoon
Please post comments so I know someone is reading and I am not praticing keyboard self pleasure.
Ottar

Why I am PRO gun

I guess I am a little out of the loop here. I saw a video of an incident in Philadelphia from a few days ago of one person beating another with a hammer on a train.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6381527

So I followed up to find more video through CNN and then the link I included.

What concerns me is why do the fellow riders ignore what is going on? Why did they not stop it? I recall the HEROES on flight 93 did not turn a blind eye they did something about the attackers. If ONE person on that train had a concealed carry permit, and USED it, this crime would have been stopped right then right there and in my opinion should have been rewarded not prosecuted. Defense of others is considered a crime in the so called land of the free.
Many in my circle of friends believe that an openly carried sidearm with at least a six inch barrel should be legal. I agree with the thought. Although I think it should be any sidearm that is not easily concealed because I am .45 lover (1911 was a GOOD year) which is a subjective judgment. I am six feet four inches and over 300 pounds and have successfully concealed a full house .357 with a seven and 3/8 barrel while talking to cops at a late night coffee shop. While I had a friend who could not hide his .22 snub nose revolver (worthless POS(the alleged gun and the friend))
If just ONE citizen had done that and felt that the legal system would honestly evaluate the shoot he would have felt that he could stop the crime. Anyone remember Mr Getz (I dont remember the spelling just the name) also refered to as the subway vigilante? I can guarantee the person he killed threatened no more littler then he people with a screwdriver for their belongings. Kind of hard to threaten from a grave. Improves the species in my opinion especially if gotten to before they breed their genes back into my gene pool.
This is trigger for another thought that scares me.
Power is an aphrodisiac.
Gangsta's have power even if it is at the barrel of a gun.
Picture college well educated women being drawn to this power.
Picture the kids.
Extrapolate a few generations.
I will leave you with that chilling picture. Have a nice day!

Ottar

Fannie and Freddie

I was surfing to CNN.com just a few minutes ago and there is a quick poll on the home page. It is "Will the U.S. takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stabilize the housing market?" My question on this is when has it happened when government took over anything that it brought stability to anything? That just gives an fat cat empire builder a new empire to try and build. I am not the only one who said no in that poll. As of 4:19 PM 09/07/2008 the response is:

Yes	29%	11143
No	71%	26819
Total Votes: 37962

Yet the voice of thew people is unheard in this bureaucratic take over not even a congressionally voted on spending or our dollars.
Yea Gods I am so sick of the responsibility factor of my elected officials.

NO MORE INCUMBENTS!!!

Ottar

comfort rations for our legislature

While they are hard at work doing nothing

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/zip/831440048.html

Taken from the NPR website:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94352031

Weekend Edition Saturday, September 6, 2008 · The government is preparing to takeover mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to reports in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times on Saturday. An announcement could come as early as this weekend.

According to sources quoted in the reports, the government is going to put the two companies in conservatorship under the control of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Shareholders in the companies are likely to be wiped out, according to the newspapers, and the top management of the companies will ultimately be removed.

But the companies would continue to do business much has they have before, buying mortgages, packaging them into securities and selling them to investors.

Freddie and Fannie guarantee $5 trillion dollars worth of mortgages most of them prime. Housing market experts consider it an ominous sign to see those safer loans going bad.

The two companies have already reported billions of dollars in losses, and they're having trouble raising capital to cover future losses. Housing market watchers say that the economy just can't afford to have these companies fail; they are responsible for 70 percent of the mortgages. Doing so would essentially seize up the mortgage market.

What's in store for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Both presidential candidates have expressed dissatisfaction with the companies in their current form. A common view is that the companies should be taken over by the government — as appears to be happening right now — and that over time the should be shrunk or broken up into small pieces and re-privatized as smaller companies.

Didn't this happen about 20 years ago in this country? But since it was the bottom dropping out of the value of properties that the Japanese bought in the US nobody seemed to scream too much about it. Now it is hitting us. Again I am not comfortable with the government taking over more and more aspects of my life. Maybe if we let them fail then the housing market will plummet and the fat cats with investments in real estate will have to actually work for a living and we the lowly ones may be able to actually afford to buy a house. Without having to go through a sub-prime bugger you in two years lender. Oh wait those are the types of folks who started this landslide of foreclosures didn't they.

Ottar yet again today

Health care cost issue

I was watching the news last night and saw a large protest of people complaining about the budget and how since there was no budget the medical providers had not been paid in a long time. What I am forced to wonder where in the constitution of either California or the US are there any guarantees for healthcare? The guarantees are there for it to be accessible but the cost is not on the government it is on the patient. I have been told by my family that I am cold and heartless with the thought I am about to share but I am a firm believer in Darwinism. If some one cannot afford the health care they need through insurance or personal funding where does it say that I need to pay for it? Let them live as long as they can and then bury them. I am as compassionate as I can be but I am sick to death of the whining people saying "If I dont get my dalysis I willdie so the state needs to pay for it". Fine you are on the public dole. If you die we no longer need to support you and we no longer need to listen to your whining. The unfortunate part of this scenario is that she will have bred her whiny ass genes into the gene pool already. Remember the "Forever War"? William's mother reached a certain age and was no longer allowed medical treatment. I wonder how long it would take to get out of the social security bind that we keep hearing about if we did that? If we let the people who can afford it get health care and the people who cannot afford it die then we will be breeding a people that think that success is a good thing. It works with traits you want to brred into a line of flowers, dogs, horses and even bacteria so why not do it to ourselves?

Probably an unpopular Ottar today

68 days and no budget

Thats kind of like me 59 days and no job. But this only effects me and my fiance and stepson not the populace of an entire state. And in this time of legislative ineptitude I saw on the news something about this last night. This sings of playing solitaire on company time to me. Here is the quote from Assemblyman Lieu's official website. The link is
http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a53/press/20080905AD53PR01.htm

The quote is:
(Sacramento, CA) – Assemblymember Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), Chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, issued the following statement:

“I am pleased the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) has come to its senses and rescinded its backwards policy of banning players who do not speak English. I believe the pressure from newspaper editorial boards and columnists, community groups, and the threat of legislative action all combined to force the LPGA to change its ways. However, until the LPGA issues its new policy, legislators, community groups, and the media should continue to be vigilant in monitoring LPGA’s actions.”

“Perhaps what is most disturbing is the LPGA’s stated reason for attempting to enact its English-only policy in the first place. The LPGA stated that its tour players need to bring in sponsorships by playing golf with corporate sponsors. Sports fans should be outraged that the LPGA is elevating a golf player’s ability to schmooze with corporate executives over the player’s ability to play golf. The LPGA needs a new business model where the focus is on a player’s athletic skills, not her social skills. Otherwise the association’s initials stand for nothing more than ‘Lets Put Golf Aside’ in favor of corporate money.”

Of course yesterday the legislature was not at work they just checked in so they could get their per diem for the day. Rather then do what we pay them to do, oh wait we do pay them for just checking in. I wonder if that would work in the private sector workplace?

Yet in this time of no budget they had time for important stuff like GOLF!!! Maybe I could understand if it was for more range time because if they keep up their current lack of work ethic they are probably going to need to be competent to shoot back. Ask the French how far the populace can be pushed before they revolt. (Not the modern French the peasents of the French revolution actually won)

Yet another pissed Ottar

Bushland Bushland Uber Alles

I read this other Blog(Thanks Phil):

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/010537.html#010537

What happened to our rights as Americans to free speech and PEACEABLE assembly? Now I agree that the so called anarchist who are wantonly destroying property should be punished to the fullest extent under the law but those exercising the RIGHT of peaceable assembly guaranteed by the US constitution should be held up as martyrs. I believe it was TJ who said "The tree of liberty must be regularly watered by the blood of patriots". There are many things I do not find worthwhile but my freedom and liberty are worth giving my life for.
My opinion of the way law enforcement is handling the RNC is characterized by the title I have put on this rant. The law enforcement community has been in my opinion out of control for the last few years. If a riot is aimed at one thing then the response is appropriate, if aimed at another the response is overwhelming force. Non-violent protests and protesters are beaten down by the forces of law that we pay for with our taxes, while violent rock throwing nihlists are ignored. (notice the guy busting a window in the link) Kristallnacht is where a path we are treading with our government could end up unless we as a people stand up to oppression! Sacrifice for our freedom may be called for. As Peter Paul and Mary said in song "Have you been to jail for freedom"? If you are unwilling to put it on the line for your beliefs then why believe in anything?
Ottar

WOW I dont beleive I agree with Obama!!!!

With the ongoing noise coming from the RNC this week I have found myself agreeing with someone I never would have believed last week. WOW! I agree with Obama. So what if Palin's daughter is pregnant and not married? OK I may not agree with her choice but it is HERS and only HERS. No one has the right to make this choice for her. I agree with Obama that someones kids are not political footballs. Palin may be an antiabortion activist, again a subject I am a pro-choice believer in, but since my beleif is pro-choice I allow a choice to be made. We all make choices every day. If one of us chooses to have corn, then they pay for the back blasts (you know who you are). If we choose good or bad at least we make a choice, if you have the moral courage to stand by your choices more power to you! I stand by choices I make, and when I make an error I admit it. I am human I make mistakes (the midwest was one of them) I correct what I can, apologize as neccessary and go on with life. We should let this lady do the same. Criticise her mother for her acts as the VP if she is elected but DONOT give her daughter grief. I won't.

And I thought we were on a tight budget here at Unka Arnie's

But both Stacie and I received a letter from the EDD yesterday telling us to hire a vet. Wait just a bloody minute we are BOTH looking for work (thank the gods I got an offer today and Stacie got a verbal for tuesday) so how in the BLOODY HELL would we be able to hire a vet? I took this information straight off the EDD web page : http://www.calmis.ca.gov/file/lfmonth/countyur-400c.pdf that states that of 8/15/2008 the total of unemployed getting benefits in the state was 1,409,000 people. So doing a little basic math here lets figure ONLY 25% got that letter. that is 352,250 letters that were sent. I figure in bulk the envelope, paper, printing and handling cost about .15 each with a 37.5 cents postage each. That comes to a rough total of $132,622.12. ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!! Yet we had to lay off how many state workers because we don't have a budget. Make your mantra be NO INCUMBENTS!!!! Lets get some common sense in Sacramento.

Ottar

Why are my fellow Californians so self centered?

Not all, but lots of them. I have been back here in California for almost three years now. Not one of those winters has been normal for precipitation. If I remember right last year we were at about 30% of normal. (I am wrong according to the Gubernators proclamation it was 20%) I am quoting a section here: from website http://gov.ca.gov/proclamation/9898/

" WHEREAS statewide rainfall has been below normal in 2007 and 2008, with many Southern California communities receiving only 20 percent of normal rainfall in 2007, and Northern California this year experiencing the driest spring on record with most communities receiving less than 20 percent of normal rainfall from March through May; and"

With this kind of rainfall shortfalls for the past few years I still see people watering their lawns in the middle of the day which promotes rapid evaporation of the precious resource. Over watering so that their is runoff in the gutters. My apartment complex is incredibly bad about this if they try and raise my rent due to a raise in costs of water I believe that it will be an actionable issue. . I believe that instilling the virtue in youth of turning off the water when you don't need it will be one of the first steps needed to have a viable future. I know I would like to still be able to take a shower in 25 years without going to a waterlegger.

It is starting locally here in Folsom. Mandatory water conservation starts September 5th. The city of Folsom requested voluntary conservation hoping for a 20% reduction. They didn't get it so now it becomes mandatory with the water cops able to issue citations. (can you say Tank Girl?) The city will decide on September 9th what further enforcement options to undertake. Fortunately stillsuits are unable to manufactured off of Arrakis. Although maybe its a good idea to start the research. Oh wait according to the other party that is not currently having a convention global warming does not exist. Sounds like a rant for tomorrow.
Have a nice evening,
Ottar

Too many vampires

John Laird democrat from Santa Cruz (Chairman of the budget committee) has such a great attitude for a lawmaker. Even after stating he was on a three hour recall back to Sacramento, which I thought was commendable. He went on to say he was term limited out so could not get reelected anyway. So your a lame duck legislature and it becomes OK to fly half a continent away from your responsibilities even if it is a "once in a lifetime convention". I find that reprehensible, but what should I as a citizen of California expect from one of the state legislature who have not been able to come up with a budget on time in how many years lately?
There were three other people from the California legislature at the convention as well
San Diego Assemblymember Lori Saldana, Los Angeles Senator Alex Padilla, and Shafter Senator Dean Florez. According to the report I saw on the news all four had waived their perdium. I am interested in looking at the public record to see if they actually did. Not that I believe that the lawmakers of this state deserve a paycheck with no budget. Trying to screw the working people and making a perdium more then the average employed person make in California is awful pigs at the public trough to me.
See you tomorrow
Ottar

Sent to Assembly man Ted Gaines

Yet more stirring of the pot:

I have a thought about our current budget issues. I have personally been the benefit of a work force reduction in two separate companies thanks to the outsourcing of my job to overseas. It seems to me that there is something morally wrong with a company that gets it's start in the US. Develops its products due to the innovation of American workers and then lays them off because the work is less expensive overseas. I am wondering about how we can rewrite provisions of the tax code to tax outsourced work to make it cost effective to keep our jobs where they belong. I know it has happened to me personally with Caremark in Rancho Cordova and Hewlett Packard here in Roseville. I also see on the news that AAA is planning on closing it's California call centers and allowing the tax revenue, as well as the wages to be earned in another state. If we made it cost effective to keep those jobs in California would it not go a long way to making our budget balanced? There has to be a way that we can do this.

I am on a roll today
Ottar

Up to date?

http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=AboutDianne.DiannesJournal

Wow the up to dateness of this publicly posted journal inspires cold shivers in my spine. If she had felt a need to keep her constituents up to date then why have a journal on the OFFICIAL US Congress website that is 16 months out of date? If she has nothing to say remove the link from the website.
Ottar
stirring more sh!t

California Budget woes and not doing your job

I have a new piece of input on the current California Legislature and not doing your job.
If I fail to do what it clearly states is my job I don't work there any more. If I leave unfinished work on my desk and take a vacation , I have no job to return to. Especially if it is not a one time issue but is an ongoing pattern of me not doing my job. How many years in California has it been since we have had a budget completed on time? This link made me even madder then I was when I spoke with some of you face to face.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/la-me-vacation23-2008aug23,0,3585055.story

My response to what is going on at the state level of government is to not vote for ANY incumbent lawmaker. With one exception,John Chiang the state controller. He had the Balls to tell the Gubernator NO when told to cut the paychecks of most state employees to the federal minimum wage. He fought the decree in court so at least the checks that go out at the end of this week are unaffected. We will have to see what happens when it goes back to court in early September, we can hope the legislature pulls their heads out but hope in one hand etc. I have too many friends that receive their paychecks from the state of California. They work hard for the money they deserve it. The people who do not deserve it are the BASTARDS in the legislature who cannot seem to pull their heads out of their collective asses and do what we pay them to do. If you read the above linked newspaper report you will see that they are taking time off that JUST HAPPENS to coincide with the democratic convention in Denver this week. How BLOODY convenient. And in the six days they will earn a tax free perdium of approximately $1000.00 each. Nice pay for doing something not your job. Maybe I should run?

Picture the Ottar ticket. Picture the TV ads. Picture pulling the curtain and seeing my name on the ballot. No hanging chads by my constituents. This ain't Florida. While I am marrying into the tribe none of my family is in Miami
That is my rant for Monday, look again tomorrow
Ottar

Evils of Outsourcing

So many of Americas corporations seem to have forgotten what they are built on. The industriousness and savvy of American workers. Companies that I have worked for specifically are Hewlett Packard and Sykes Enterprises. Both companies have cost me jobs by outsourcing to overseas. Hewlett Packard decided that they could have my job done by contract admins in Costa Rica, Sykes did the same thing by having there already third party tech support done in Indai and The Philippines. Both places were good jobs for the geographic area I was in but the company decided they could make more money by paying a lesser amount to overseas workers and increase their own profits thereby. They seem to have forgotten that the workers of America were what made them strong enough to expand. As an American worker I am disgusted by this trend. If we as US workers would stick to a boycott of foreign services they would not be so prevalent. I for one will from now on not spend my money (which currently comes from an unemployment check) on anything that is not a domestic product. How can I be so hurt by losing my position to cheaper overseas labor and continue to support the economies of those that have cost me my job? I can no longer justify it in my mind and I strongly urge others to take these steps. We are a government of the PEOPLE and if enough people shout loudly enough the people in Washington and in my case Sacramento will be forced to listen. I am not foolish enough to think my stance alone will be able to accomplish anything but if my friends can jump on this bandwagon and invite their friends etcetera etcetera we can get a movement that can encourage economic growth to come home to America.
How many of us are in the same boat? In my group of close friends we are running about 50% unemployed. Most not from any fault of their own. My wife and I were both given a work force reduction layoff because the company (HP) gave our bosses an ultimatum to cut our headcount at the campus we were at. They at the same time increased the volume of work they sent overseas. At the same time the US is going through one of the worst economic times that I can remember in my life. People losing their houses to foreclosure since they are now unemployed from jobs they have had for years. People forced to live on their credit cards because of this further eroding their ability to make a living. If we can band together we can start the ground swell back to jobs in the US. This should help our economy in general and we as a people in specific. I am reminded of the words in "Thew Moon is a Harsh Mistress" by Robert A Heinlein here Importado? I wont touch it if it Importado (paraphrased). I can now understand how that should be a battle cry for those of us who want to see a glimpse of returning prosperity.
Ottar