Problem with our health care? Obama lies

http://polls.linkedin.com/poll-results/49272/abmel

Professor Gates is the racist

The theme I still haven’t hear from any of the pundits or the news channels’ anchors on the subject of the arrest of Professor Gates is his own racism. One of the focusing things that I have heard is that there is a pre-existing framework of racism between the Cambridge, MA police department and African American populace. Indeed, if there is a framework of racism there, then it is Professor Gates who is using that very racism to advance his very own agenda, and is a racist himself.

First, Sergeant Crowley did nothing wrong and was merely doing his job on the day of the exchange between him and Professor Gates. As a police officer, Crowley was going about his normal day, which involves putting his life on the line to ensure that the citizens of the community are able to go about their lives in a safe manner. Upon reaching Professor Gates’ house, his assumption was and should have been that there was a potential threat that someone on the premises had broken and entered into a citizen’s house. He rightly approached the house, and whoever was found there, with suspicion. He proceeded to take the normal steps required to ascertain exactly what was happening. This included taking a position and mannerism of authority.

It was Professor Gates who exacerbated and used the situation to his to advance his own agenda. Instead of acting like any normal responsible citizen by helping Sergeant Crowley discover what was really going on in this situation, Professor Gates instead decided to use the situation to his advantage. And this is how he did that. For Gates, this was the moment and context to achieve his years-longed-for maligned objectives. For years, he has been a professor of that pseudo-study of African American studies, which is nothing but useless set of curriculum that has no benefit for society. Instead it is a false and frivolous study for those who have a chip on their shoulder. Its sole objective is to provide an avenue for those individuals who need to feel better about themselves and feel like they can correct a wrong in a society where nothing is maligned in the first place.

Simply looking at the way Professor Gates portrays the situation proves his dark motivations. He uses inflammatory remarks and twists a normal police scenario into something prejudicial, racist, and dark. The normal situation would be for a police officer to take an authoritative position to determine what is going on in a potentially criminal or dangerous situation. Any law abiding person regardless of race would have been respectful and cooperative with the police officer. Again, anyone regardless of race would have acted cooperatively. The person who is dark and racist is Professor Grates because he sees the world through a perverted lens where he is right no matter what because of his group association and everyone else is wrong because of their group association. He justifies his views through his group politics style thinking where his association to a group is all that is necessary to support his viewpoint. Logic does not matter to him. Individual merit does not matter to him. Character does not matter to him.

Gates is the real racist.

Madoff’s victims are equally to blame

Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison today. Effectively, that is a life sentence for him or for anyone. The news today reflected on his crime’s victims and what devastating affect his scheming had upon their lives. To be sure, what Madoff did was immoral, evil and value-destroying. But, as they say, it takes two to tango.

The news media has not made enough effort in highlight the blame that is shared by those who lost money as a result of investing in Madoff. There are three problems with not recognizing the blame that his victims share with what went on. One, they shared a common greed with Madoff that must be recognized. Two, they had options to stem the tide of their losses. Three, there is an important lesson to be had here and no one is discussing what it is or what its importance has on our society at large.

First, it was greed and avarice that lead Bernie Madoff to do what he did. Clearly he was someone who felt he was personally deserving of wealth beyond what the rational person could hope for based upon his or her economic input to society. And, quite frankly, so it was with anyone who invested in him. The returns that Madoff claimed he was realizing were unrealistic in any sense of what is possible in a free and rational capitalist economy as we know it. So, those people who invested in Madoff, those who expected the returns that he was claiming he could provide, were also looking to reap returns and rewards beyond what anyone should rationally expect based upon what he or she were inputting to society. Madoff felt he was entitled to wealth, luxuries and market returns beyond what any rational person could ever expect. And, so did his investors. The psychology behind the minds of his investors was no different than that behind Madoff himself. Therefore, the very motivations that lead Madoff to do what he did are the very same as those that lead his investors to invest in him. There is no difference, in regard to motivation, between Madoff and his investors.

Two, Madoff’s investors had better options. The U.S. government provides investment vehicles that are backed and by the very security of the Unites States itself. Checking and savings accounts, government bonds and certificates of deposit that are held by institutions that carry FDIC insurance are guaranteed solvent up to $250,000.00. That means that those investors who supposedly lost “everything” with Madoff created undue risk in their own portfolio because they invested so heavily in his company. There is no reason, even today, that a family cannot get by, for at least the medium term, with at least $250,000.00 in cash on hand. Each of Madoff’s investors should have invested at least that much in an FDIC insured account before investing in him and thus still have at least that much to live on now. For those who did not do so, then the blame is on them (and for those who did, then there is no reason for them to be living hand to mouth or to be complaining that they somehow cannot live). The very reason the US government makes FDIC insured securities available is to provide investors with at least some cushion of safety for exactly those times when risk-open securities become worthless as in the case of those that were made with Madoff. If there is a Madoff investor today who had at least $250,000.00 before investing with him and who does not still have at least $250,000.00 cash in the bank today, then it is no one’s fault but their own.

The third reason is by far the most important one. It is said that every cloud has silver lining. In some sense that means that every story, no matter how sad, has a lesson from which something needs to be learned. In this case, what needs to be learned by our society at large is that of a better understanding of how our economy works. There are two types of Madoff victims. First, there were those who had extreme greed at heart. They are no less blameless than Madoff himself. For those who fall into that category, the loss of their money should be the least of theirs or anyone's concern. But, the other victims were those who truly did not know any better of how to invest their money wisely. These are the people who didn’t know any better than to invest a portion of their money in an FDIC insured account. Their story is an opportunity for those who would otherwise fall for such schemes in the future. It is an opportunity to learn that there are mechanisms in our economy to prevent total and utter hardship even when faced with losing huge sums of money. If such a lesson is not made of these people, then future generations of people are sure to make the same mistake. By denying or otherwise not reporting so, ensures their repeat.

The Iranian Regime’s Time Has Come

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The time for revolution in Iran is now. A questionable election, a difficult economic environment, and a weakened leadership – these are the ingredients of a revolution and a revolution in Iran is long overdue. The people of Iran long for a decent government. The recent events of uprising speak to their frustration and agony. Scores of young people in Iran are far too aware of their country’s great potential. Yet, clearly they are frustrated by their ineffectual and power-hungry leaders’ ability to promote freedom and inclusion into the modern world. The women of Iran are another powerful and visibly oppressed group seen in the images coming from Iran. Their human rights squashed within Iran itself, they literally cry out frustration from their inner most being, which reflects the agony of a nation.

The current Islamic Republic leadership is sham. There is nothing Republican about the current political system. It is a body of fascist-religious dictatorship. No further investigation beyond some of the names of the most important political bodies is needed to see that this is true. The following are some examples of such political representatives in Iranian leadership:

· Assembly of Experts

· Expediency Council

· Council of Guardians

Such boyish, juvenile names bespeak the true nature of the Islamic Republic leadership. It is fascist, dictatorial, and more importantly an absurd mockery of true leadership. It is proof the leaders in Iran are not trying to be the leaders of a Republic, but rather nothing more than a gaggle of school aged bullies.

The time for this regime's end has come. There is a perfect storm of weakening factors and the Iranian people must seize this opportunity because another may not come for a long time.

Obama: Speak Out on Iran... Now

President Obama needs to be more vocal about what is transpiring in Iran. What is happening there is historic, but, more importantly, it is manifest of the core ideals, principles, and morals embodied by the United States and its Declaration of Independence. The people in Iran are crying out for change, freedom and their inalienable human rights. The United States must stand with the Iranian people for their freedom and also to decry the violence employed by the current Iranian leadership’s attempt to try and silence them. To do otherwise is to deny what the United States stands for. Therefore, President Obama must be more vocal for the sake of his own legacy but also because of his position as leader of the world’s greatest living and cultural example of human freedom.

President Obama promised change. The current situation in Iran is an opportunity for him to stand by his word and stand up for the ideals of the land of which he is the current leader. Iran has one of the most entrenched forms of fascist-religious hard lined leaderships in the modern world. But more importantly than that fact, is that it has an intelligent, young, energetic population burgeoning with ideas of progression and inclusion in the modern world. This is a prime opportunity for Obama to show that he truly means what he says. Isn’t this, after all, what Obama claims to stand for? Change?

Another thing that President Obama promised was to take his cues from the playbooks of past U.S. Presidents. So, here is yet is another golden opportunity for him live up to one of his promises. He needs to take his cue from Thomas Jefferson. The third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, felt passionately about the French Revolution. Even though it was politically risky for him to do so, he championed for the French people’s right to be free. As Secretary of State, he even allowed his home in France to be a meeting house for revolutionaries. (Can you imagine Hillary Clinton setting up shop in Tehran to support Iran revolutionaries – how grand that would be!) President Obama must make a similar stand.

Over 230 years ago the United States stood firm for a set of ideals. Today those ideals are the platinum standard for human freedom. Born from those ideals, the world has seen the power of the human need to live in freedom and economic prosperity as countries and cultures across all continents have begun to eschew the old world ideals of monarchy, dictatorship, and socialism; put in their place is the power of the individual. These fledgling societies are still continuing to grow and demonstrate the indomitable power of the human spirit for freedom.

This fight is too important. This fight is too critical to the standards of the United States and its core principles. This fight is too important to the human race. Obama: you say the US won't be a football. We're already a foot ball, let's make a touchdown stand up for Iran … the World… and speak out now!