Fly Over Feedback

Three USA Misconceptions, Non Political

2012-01-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes one's conceptions get in the way of the facts. Here is a good example of three of them:

1. Most everything we buy is made in China
2. China has become our banker, holding most of our debt
3. We are mostly dependent on Middle East oil

Here are the facts.

At a conference in Philadelphia earlier this month, a Wharton professor noted that one of the country's biggest economic problems is a tsunami of misinformation. You can't have a rational debate when facts are so easily supplanted by overreaching statements, broad generalizations, and misconceptions. And if you can't have a rational debate, how does anything important get done? As author William Feather once advised, "Beware of the person who can't be bothered by details." There seems to be no shortage of those people lately.
Here are three misconceptions that need to be put to rest.
Misconception 1)
Most of what Americans spend their money on is made in China .
Fact: Just 2.7% of personal consumption expenditures go to Chinese-made goods and services. 88.5% of U.S. consumer spending is on American-made goods and services.
I used that statistic in an article last week, and the response from readers was overwhelming: Hogwash. People just didn't believe it.
The figure comes from a Federal Reserve report. You can read it   here.
A common rebuttal I got was, "How can it only be 2.7% when almost everything in Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT   ) is made in China ?" Because Wal-Mart's $260 billion in U.S. revenue isn't exactly reflective of America 's $14.5 trillion economy. Wal-Mart might sell a broad range of knickknacks, many of which are made in China, but the vast majority of what Americans spend their money on is not knickknacks.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics closely tracks how an average American spends their money in an annual report called the Consumer Expenditure Survey. In 2010, the average American spent 34% of their income on housing, 13% on food, 11% on insurance and pensions, 7% on health care, and 2% on education. Those categories alone make up nearly 70% of total spending, and are comprised almost entirely of American-made goods and services (only 7% of food is imported, according to the USDA).
Even when looking at physical goods alone, Chinese imports still account for just a small fraction of U.S. spending. Just 6.4% of nondurable goods -- things like food, clothing and toys -- purchased in the U.S. are made in China ; 76.2% are made in America . For durable goods -- things like cars and furniture -- 12% are made in China ; 66.6% are made in America .
Another way to grasp the value of Chinese-made goods is to look at imports. The U.S. is on track to import $340 billion worth of goods from China this year, which is 2.3% of our $14.5 trillion economy. Is that a lot? Yes. Is it most of what we spend our money on? Not by a long shot.
Part of the misconception is likely driven by the notion that America 's manufacturing base has been in steep decline. The truth, surprising to many, is that real manufacturing output today is near an all-time high. What's dropped precipitously in recent decades is manufacturing employment. Technology and automation has allowed American manufacturers to build more stuff with far fewer workers than in the past. One good example: In 1950, a U.S. Steel (NYSE:   X   ) plant in Gary , Ind. , produced 6 million tons of steel with 30,000 workers. Today, it produces 7.5 million tons with 5,000 workers. Output has gone up; employment has dropped like a rock.

Misconception 2):
We owe most of our debt to China .
Fact: China owns 7.8% of U.S. government debt outstanding.
As of August, China   owned $1.14 trillion of Treasuries. Government debt stood at $14.6 trillion that month. That's 7.8%.
Who owns the rest? The largest holder of U.S. debt is the federal government itself. Various government trust funds like the Social Security trust fund own about $4.4 trillion worth of Treasury securities. The Federal Reserve owns another $1.6 trillion. Both are unique owners: Interest paid on debt held by federal trust funds is used to cover a portion of federal spending, and the vast majority of interest earned by the Federal Reserve is   remitted back to the U.S. Treasury.
The rest of our debt is owned by state and local governments ($700 billion), private domestic investors ($3.1 trillion), and other non-Chinese foreign investors ($3.5 trillion).
Does China own a lot of our debt? Yes, but it's a qualified yes. Of all Treasury debt held by foreigners, China is indeed the largest owner ($1.14 trillion), followed by Japan ($937 billion) and the U.K. ($397 billion).
Right there, you can see that Japan and the U.K. combined own more U.S. debt than China . Now, how many times have you heard someone say that we borrow an inordinate amount of money from Japan and the U.K. ? I never have. But how often do you hear some version of the " China is our banker" line? Too often, I'd say.

Misconception 3):
We get most of our oil from the Middle East .
Fact: Just 9.2% of oil consumed in the U.S. comes from the Middle East .
According the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. consumes 19.2 million barrels of petroleum products per day. Of that amount, a net 49% is produced domestically. The rest is imported.
Where is it imported from? Only a small fraction comes from the Middle East , and that fraction has been declining in recent years. So far this year, imports from the Persian Gulf region -- which includes Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates -- have made up 9.2% of total petroleum supplied to the U.S. In 2001, that number was 14.1%.
The U.S. imports more than twice as much petroleum from Canada and Mexico than it does from the Middle East . Add in the share produced domestically, and the majority of petroleum consumed in the U.S. comes from North America .
This isn't to belittle our energy situation. The nation still relies on imports for about half of its oil. That's bad. But should the Middle East get the attention it does when we talk about oil reliance? In terms of security and geopolitical stability, perhaps. In terms of volume, probably not.

A roomful of skeptics
"People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe," said Andy Rooney. Do these numbers fit with what you already believed? No hard feelings if they don't

Lost Balloonist

2011-11-21T16:58:00.002-07:00

Lost Balloonist

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him,

"Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above ground elevation of 2,346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.

She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be a Republican. "I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct. But I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."

The man smiled and responded, "You must be an Obama-Democrat." "I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where the hell you are -- or where the hell you are going. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow, now it's my fault."

The Dumbell Nebula

2011-10-31T22:41:00.000-06:00

The Dumbell Nebula, known as M-27 (NGC 6853) was discovered by Charles Messier in 1754. It is located in our galaxy some 1360 LY distant. It is categorized as a planetary nebula, and is the result of an exploding central star. It is a favorite of backyard astronomers everywhere, since it is easy to find and easy to image. Every image I have seen, including my own, seems to represent a different color scheme, probably due to the preferences of the person taking the image and the subsequent processing. I took the following image on the 30th of October 2011, and probably over processed the raw data, but it is pleasing to me.

Technical stuff: Meade LX200GPS 10" with Meade DSI Pro II and Antares .5 focal reducer, at f/5 focal ratio. Unguided 42 second exposures (70 Lum, 25 each R, G, B filters). Saved and stacked in Envisage as Fits, liberated by NASA Fits liberator, and processed in Photo Shop 7. Seeing was good, transparency was excellent.

A Galaxy Far, Far Away

2011-10-30T17:52:00.002-06:00

M-74 (Messier 74)(NGC 628) In Pisces. R.A. 01 36 41.8 Dec +15 47 01. Grand Design Spiral with an estimated 100 billion stars. About 32 Million Light Years distant.

October 29, 2011. LX200 GPS, Meade DSI Pro II, Anteres f/5 focal reducer. Urban setting with neighborhood light pollution. Seeing good. Transparency excellent. 100 frames at 1minute each, unguided. Envisage capture. Fits, capture every composite image, Drizzle 640, Gain 100% Offset 85%, auto contrast, dark subtracted. Processed in Envisage Drizzle standard. Stacked image opened in NASA Fits Liberator, then final processing in Photoshop 7. Selective sharpening with High Pass Filter Mask.

When Men Were Men

2011-10-18T09:59:00.001-06:00

Are We Better Off Now?

2011-06-05T08:19:00.000-06:00

After two years of Obama ...

Here's your change!

	January 2009	TODAY	*% chg*	^Source
Avg.. Retail price/gallon gas in U.S.	$1.83	$3.44	84%	¹
Crude oil, European Brent (barrel)	$43..48	$99..02	127.7%	²
Crude oil, West TX Inter. (barrel)	$38..74	$91..38	135.9%	²
Gold: London (per troy oz.)	$853.25	$1,369.50	60.5%	²
Corn, No.2 yellow, Central IL	$3.56	$6.33	78.1%	²
Soybeans, No. 1 yellow, IL	$9.66	$13..75	42.3%	²
Sugar, cane, raw, world, lb. Fob	$13..37	$35..39	164.7%	²
Unemployment rate, non-farm, overall	7.6%	9.4%	23.7%	³
Unemployment rate, blacks	12.6%	15.8%	25.4%	³
Number of unemployed	11,616,000	14,485,000	24.7%	³
Number of fed. Employees	2,779,000	2,840,000	2.2%	³
Real median household income	$50,112	$49,777	-0.7%	⁴
Number of food stamp recipients	31,983,716	43,200,878	35.1%	⁵
Number of unemployment benefit recipients	7,526,598	9,193,838	22.2%	⁶
Number of long-term unemployed	2,600,000	6,400,000	146.2%	³
Poverty rate, individuals	13.2%	14.3%	8.3%	⁴
People in poverty in U.S.	39,800,000	43,600,000	9.5%	⁴
U.S.. Rank in Economic Freedom World Rankings	5	9	n/a	¹⁰
Present Situation Index	29.9	23.5	-21.4%	¹¹
Failed banks	140	164	17.1%	¹²
U.S.. Dollar versus Japanese yen exchange rate	89.76	82.03	-8.6%	²
U.S.. Money supply, M1, in billions	1,575.1	1,865.7	18.4%	¹³
U.S.. Money supply, M2, in billions	8,310.9	8,852.3	6.5%	¹³
National debt, in trillions	$10..627	$14..052	32.2%	¹⁴

Just take this last item: In the last two years we have accumulated national debt at a rate more than 27 times as fast as during the rest of our entire nation's history. Over 27 times as fast. Metaphorically speaking, if you are driving in the right lane doing 65 MPH and a car rockets past you in the left lane. 27 times faster, it would be doing 1,755 MPH!

Sources:
(1) U.S. Energy Information Administration; (2) Wall Street Journal; (3) Bureau of Labor Statistics; (4) Census Bureau; (5) USDA; (6) U.S. Dept. Of Labor;
(7) FHFA; (8) Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller; (9) RealtyTrac; (10) Heritage Foundation and WSJ; (11) The Conference Board; (12) FDIC;
(13) Federal Reserve; (14) U.S. Treasury

THE PRESIDENCY

SOME WILL APPRECIATE THIS AND SOME WILL NOT.

HOWEVER, ALL OF IT IS TRUE.

So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive? Can't think of anything? Don't worry. He's done all this in 24 months -- so you'll have one year and ten months to come up with an answer.

End Game

2011-06-03T12:19:00.000-06:00

For the dozen or so persons who have actually read this blog, perhaps you have noticed I have been absent for some time. A huge attack of ennui has overtaken me, fueled by the daily affirmation of impending economic disaster, brought about by a quacksalver President who is hell bent on destroying this country. He and his ilk have brought us to the point of no return, so no sense spending anymore time jawing about it, just plain time to hunker down and ride out the consequences

JP.

Why I Don't Support U.S. Bailouts

2011-05-10T12:44:00.000-06:00

The real title is "Why I Don't Support Europe's Bailouts" by Timo Soini, chairman of Finland's True Finn party. All you have to do is replace U.S. at every reference to the E.U., and it makes complete sense to our own situation. Please go to here to read this short, excellent article.

The title of this blog could also have been, "Gold and Silver Plummet--Doomsayers Exposed." Oh, I forgot, that was last week. There were major articles in the financial pages deriding the gold and silver buyers as nut jobs getting a deserved shellacking for daring to not trust the dollar. Then a funny thing happened on Monday--gold and silver started to regain strength as buyers came back into the market. Last week's sharp decline seems to have been a combination of: 1. Institutional manipulation (massive naked shorting) and 2. Warren Buffet saw what was coming and dumped his large holdings in silver in order to take profits.

But you just can't make the problem of the weakness of our fiscal policies go away, no matter how much money you print. Soini's article says it way better than I ever could imagine. Please read it, and you will have a better understanding of why gold and silver are charging back.

JP

The Long Con

2011-04-28T08:54:00.000-06:00

Some years ago, there was a classic movie with Paul Newman entitled "The Sting." It was the story about a master con man running what is known as the "long con", an elaborate scheme designed to relieve suckers from their money. Well folks, we have just witnessed one of the great political cons in history, and the master con man, Barrack H. Obama II has just pulled it off. We are left with our mouths gaping open in amazement and grudging admiration. Take a step back for a minute and examine how this con worked.

Obama and his handlers were well aware of the fact that they could produce the long form birth certificate at any time of their choosing. The fact that for years they resisted all efforts by the "birthers" to produce the document can lead to only one conclusion: it was to their political advantage not to. It was like Perry Mason holding back the exculpatory bit of evidence until the very last minute, springing the evidence on the hapless numbnuts prosecutor and winning the case with a flourish. In Obama's case, he coyly played the birthers for all it was worth, even insinuating several times that the document may not exist at all. By his refusal to produce the document, fighting it tooth and nail through many court cases, he built up the appearance that he was hiding something, stoking even more crazy theories by the birthers, who by association were Tea Party crackpots cum Republican conservatives. So Obama and his handlers milked the con until Trump stirred up too much public doubt in Obama's birthright. Time to cash in. The long form certificate is produced, and the birthers/Tea Party/conservatives/Republicans/Trump are all left standing around with egg running down their collective faces. A masterful stroke. A masterful con.

Unless, of course, it took them that long to manufacture an acceptable forgery.

JP

Warning! Things Are Not Looking Good

2011-04-26T12:21:00.000-06:00

They say that forewarned is to be forearmed. I should have written the following, but this guy nails it better than I could ever imagine If there is any doubt that the dollar is collapsing right before our very eyes, the following article dispels that notion. And, it gives us a dark look into what awaits us, and a lot sooner than you might think.

"Over the Abyss" Click Here

JP

MSM Wakes Up

2011-04-23T11:59:00.000-06:00

The Main Stream Media (MSM) finally woke up to the fact that the United States is in deep economic trouble. When the alarms raised on the editorial pages begin to migrate to the reporting pages, there has been a major awakening to an emerging crisis. This morning’s Wall Street Journal of April 23 is a case in point. (Yes, the Wall Street Journal is a huge component of the MSM as the most widely read newspaper in the U.S.).

The front page article titled “Dollar’s Decline Speeds Up, With Risks For U.S.” reports on the absolute decline of the dollar of over 40% of its value in the six year period before the crisis of 2008, and this week fell to its lowest level since August 2008. The lead paragraph in the article states: “The U.S. dollar’s downward slide is accelerating as low interest rates, inflation concerns and the massive federal budget deficit undermine the currency. “ One of the conclusions drawn in the article is that “While the weaker currency is helping to drive the recovery, it has also contributed to palpable public worries about inflation and the diminished standing of the U.S. on a global stage.” The article ends by tying the dollar’s weakness to the rise of gold to over $1500 this past week.

In the Business and Finance section of the paper, there is a page one article on the unbelievable rise in the price of silver, up over 160% in the past year. Although the reporter’s main thrust of the article is the fact that silver investors may be in for a big fall, he acknowledges indirectly that there is a “panic” to buy the metal. What is left unsaid is the fact that the “panic” has been created by those loosing faith in our fiat dollar.

In the same section, on page B5 the article “Battered Dollar Gets A Holiday Reprieve” leads with: “After the dollar was caught in a downdraft most of this week on U.S. monetary and fiscal policy deficiencies, the maligned currency got a respite Friday and could gain from a market correction early next week.” Note the core reason cited for the dollar’s weakness was U.S. monetary and fiscal policy deficiencies.

Gold and silver achieved new highs in the past week. There is one simple reason for the rush to hard metals—a growing unease that the world’s financial system is failing, and in particular the inability or unwillingness of the U.S. to put its fiscal house in order. Our country has become so polarized that few believe that we can pull ourselves back from the brink of financial disaster.

The MSM is always late to the party. The fact that they collectively have arrived at the point where the blogosphere was six months ago is moot. The MSM is good at reporting what happened yesterday, and when they start reporting that the sky is falling, it is too late. The sky has already fallen.

Kabuki Theater

2011-04-09T08:50:00.001-06:00

Yesterday’s Kabuki Theater illustrates just how difficult it is going to be to change the dynamic in Washington from one of feckless spending to one that can pull us back from the brink of economic disaster. As long as the liberal Democrats control the Senate and the White House, a chance for real reform has a snowball’s chance in Hell. Examine closely how the high theater played out--when faced with a superior argument (we have to quit spending so much) the liberal Democrats resorted to lies, distortions, and demography. They always do, because for them ideology always trumps principle. If anyone thinks that Paul Ryan’s prescription for prosperity will find traction because it makes sense, think again. The howls of contrived anguish over a couple measly cuts in a trillion and a half dollar budget deficit should give you a clue as to how the un-principled, ideological-driven, yellow-bellied destroyers of our great country will react when real change is offered. The only way that dynamic will change is by retaking the Senate and the White House in 2012. By then it may be too late.

Yesterday oil settled at over $112 a barrel. Won’t be long until that translates into $4.00 a gallon at the pump. There are two factors that explain why oil is heading north, and both can be laid directly at the feet of the current administration. First, the ideologically driven Democrats fervently believe that higher prices at the pump will eventually cause the American public to give up their love for a nice ride and begin driving Smart Cars and bicycles to work. Thus, the deliberate efforts to throttle oil production here in the United States has the effect of increasing our dependence on foreign supplies. More importantly, the deliberate devaluation of the U.S. dollar by the current administration directly results in increasing oil prices. The dollar hit a new low the other day. At the same time, oil is spiking. The relationship is not symbolic. Know this--the price of oil reflects the value of the dollar. It is simple arithmetic, and has nothing to do with supply, demand, wars, uprisings and any number of mumbo-jumbo reasons for oil to spike. Oil is going up because the dollar is going down. And Bernake and Geitner and Obama are doing it on purpose, because the only way out of our massive debt is through devaluation. They call it “quantitative easing”. I call it the road to disaster.

JP

The Writing is on the Wall

2011-04-07T08:44:00.001-06:00

I often ask myself, is the fact that I believe a huge financial meltdown coming applies a filter to the news, in that I selectively cherry pick the news that supports my belief? There has to be a certain amount of that, but the recent news, from here and there, are clearly pointing to my worst fears. Forget opinion pieces, where there is always a certain amount of spin applied, based on the motives or ideological position of the writer. Just examine the facts. 1. Inflation is here, although the governments oddly skewed data says not so. But it is here. Anybody who buys groceries and gasoline is far ahead of the government wonks--inflation is here and it is increasing. 2. The dollar is losing value. The Fed just printed another one trillion so they could buy our own debt. Any idiot knows that you can't increase the supply of dollars without eventually paying the price in devaluation. 3. The price of gold and silver is soaring. The rich, and now the not so rich, are fleeing the dollar in droves as they seek the safety of real money, not the paper that is about to become next to worthless. 4. Washington is already in election mode, and the chance of the politicians actually doing something about the looming economic disaster has fallen from slim to none.

The day of reckoning is closer than you think.

For another view on this matter go here.

JP

Simple Math

2011-03-29T18:12:00.000-06:00

I'm going to keep this very, very, short and simple.

The United States is 14 TRILLION dollars in debt.

Is there anyone out there that believes we can ever REPAY that debt?

No, we are either going to default or inflate our way out.

Bye bye dollar, hello super inflation and the mother of all depressions.

Read the previous blog and get ready.

JP

The End Game

2011-03-28T11:16:00.001-06:00

Been on the road for the past several weeks. Thus, for the twenty or so people who actually read this blog, my apologies. Been taking the pulse of ordinary folks in this great nation. There is a great unease, and rightly so. I'm not going to belabor the point--but the stuff is already hitting the fan and you twenty faithful readers better pay attention.

The Middle East is on fire. Won't be long until Israel will be involved. That spells one thing--in the final spasm they will use their nukes.

Oil supplies will be disrupted. Five dollar a gallon gasoline will look good in five months.

Food prices have already jumped 20%. Can you think of a reason why?

The U.S. is printing money so fast that the dollar will soon fail. Right on the heels of the Euro.

The super rich and those in the know have been frantically selling their equities and buying gold and silver since October. Can you think of a reason why?

So for my 20 readers here is a bit of advice, take it or leave it.

Get yourself 6 months worth of food and water.
Get yourself some hard currency.
Get yourself prepared to defend your meager stash of food.

JP

Extra-Terrestial Life Discovered!

2011-03-06T10:08:00.003-07:00

On a balmy Spring day high on a Wasatch mountain trail, I paused for a moment to catch my breath as I saw a beautiful alpine meadow come into view. It looked like a good place to stop and have lunch so a few minutes later I found myself settled nicely in the velvety green grass of the meadow, looking back down the deep valley with nearly a bird’s eye view. A lone hawk etched lazy circles overhead, riding the uprising currents of air with practiced ease. As I looked around, taking in the beauty of my surroundings, I became aware of the very essence of this wonderful planet--it was absolutely chock-full of life, everywhere you looked. The light breeze brought the aromatic scent of the grasses and the nearby fir and pine. New green on old, bursting with renewed life. In the meadow grasses, small insects scurried about on foraging safaries deep in their miniature forests. Tiny mammals scurried here and there, with a watchful eye to the circling hawk. Birds began to flit through the nearby Elderberry bushes, chirping like little old ladies at a knitting party. The singular impression of this wonderful place is simple--this is a living planet.

It would take a scientist arriving at my mountain meadow from another galaxy about two seconds to make that determination. Meanwhile, our scientists struggle to detect even the smallest evidence of life elsewhere in order to answer the age-old question--is there life elsewhere in this vast universe, or are we alone in the vastness?

I believe the answer is right here. Right up in that mountain meadow. Because as I look around and see a world teeming with life, Mr Spock logic tells me that there are countless other worlds also teeming with life. The discovery of extra-solar planets in the past 20 years shows us that other solar systems are a normal part of the universe. Another bit of recent information is the discovery of complex molecules permeating the vast dust clouds of space. The spiral shapes of countless galaxies, left and right handed, show us that our own galaxy is not unusual. But most importantly, there are the numbers. Lets assume that we are the only planet with life in our own galaxy, which has about a billion stars. Further assume that there is only one planet per galaxy that supports life.That still leaves a billion places where life can exist. Do the math.

Finally, and this is the most exciting news of all, life has been discovered that is not of Earth origin. In a paper published on 4 March 2011 in the scientific journal Cosmology Dr Richard B. Hoover, of NASA, proves the existence of extra terrestrial life beyond shadow of a doubt. To read the paper go to Journal of Cosmology

This is an exciting age to be alive. I hope I hang around long enough to witness the final answer to the great question of our existence. That we in fact, are not alone.

JP

After a thorough reading of the entire paper, which is a pretty tough slog, I add the following synopsis:

Dr Hoover’s Concluding Paragraphs. ( Words in italics) added my me.

“Therefore, the well-preserved mineralized trichomic filaments (Filaments found in Blue Green Algae) with carbonaceous sheaths found embedded in freshly fractured interior surfaces of the Alais, Ivuna, and Orgueil CI1 carbonaceous meteorites are interpreted as the fossilized remains of prokaryotic (Organisms that lack a cell nucleus, usually single cell, and the most abundant group of organisms on Earth) microorganisms that grew in liquid regimes on the parent body of the meteorites before they entered the Earth’s atmosphere....

Extensive EDS studies of living and dead cyanobacteria (Blue Green Algae) and other biological materials have shown that nitrogen is detectable at levels between 2% and 18% (atomic) in cyanobacterial filaments from Vostok Ice (82 Kya) and found in stomach milk the mammoth Lyuba (40 Kya); mammoth hair/ tissue (40-32 Kya); pre-dynastic Egyptian and Peruvian mummies (5-2 Kya) and herbarium filamentous diatom sheaths (1815). However, Nitrogen is not detected in ancient biological materials such as fossil insects in Miocene Amber (8 Mya); Cambrian Trilobites from the Wheeler Shale (505 Mya) or cyanobacterial filaments from Karelia (2.7 Gya). Consequently the absence of nitrogen in the cyanobacterial filaments detected in the CI1 carbonaceous meteorites indicates that the filaments represent the remains of extraterrestrial life forms that grew on the parent bodies of the meteorites when liquid water was present, long before the meteorites entered the Earth’s atmosphere. This finding has direct implications to the distribution of life in the Cosmos and the possibility of microbial life in liquid water regimes of cometary nuclei as they travel within the orbit of Mars and in icy moons with liquid water oceans such as Europa and Enceladus.”

In summary, he claims he has found proof of blue-green algae existing in the remains of several meteorites, and the algae is not of this Earth. In other words, micro biological life has been present elsewhere in our Solar System and is likely to be present today in various locations in comets and the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars.

Bad News For The EPA And Other Carbonphiles

2011-03-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

The following piece was not written by me, although I wish I had. Came through on my email today, thanks to an old flying buddy, Tony Orlando, a man with limitless love for his country and a true patriot. I would like to provide attribution, so if any of you know who the author is, please let me know. The guy (or gal) has it spot on.

Article begins...

All of you out there across the globe who have fought so hard to tackle the hideous enemy of our planet, namely carbon emissions, you know .......that bogus god you worship of "Climate Change" or "Global Warming" ......well, I feel it is necessary to inform you of some bad news. It really does pain me to have to bring you this disappointing information.

        Are you sitting down?

        Okay, here's the bombshell. The current volcanic eruption going on in Indonesia (Gunung Merapi) since its first spewing of volcanic ash has, in just 1 week, NEGATED EVERY SINGLE EFFORT you have made in the past five years to control CO2 emissions on our planet - all of you.

        The volcano in Iceland recently took just 4 days to achieve similar results.

        Of course you know about this evil carbon dioxide that we are trying to suppress - it's that vital chemical compound that every plant requires to live and grow and to synthesise into oxygen for us humans and all animal life.

        I know, I know.... (group hug)...it's very disheartening to realise that all of the carbon emission savings you have accomplished while suffering the inconvenience and expense of: driving Prius hybrids, buying fabric grocery bags, sitting up till midnight to finish your kid's "The Green Revolution" science project, throwing out all of your non-green cleaning supplies, using only two squares of toilet paper, putting a brick in your toilet tank reservoir, selling your SUV and speedboat, vacationing at home instead of Bali, nearly getting hit every day on your bicycle, replacing all of your $1 light bulbs with $10 light bulbs ...well, all of those things you have done have all gone down the tubes in just a few days.

        The volcanic ash emitted into the Earth's atmosphere in just four days - yes - FOUR DAYS ONLY by that volcano in Iceland, totally erased every single effort you have made to reduce the evil beast, carbon. And there are around 200 active volcanoes on the planet spewing out this crud at any one time - EVERY DAY.

        Oh, I don't really want to rain on your parade too much, but I should mention that when the volcano Mt Pinatubo erupted in the Philippinesin 1991, it spewed out more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than the entire human race had emitted in its entire 40 MILLION YEARS on earth. Yes folks, Mt Pinatubo was active for over one year - think about it.

        Of course I shouldn't spoil this touchy-feely tree-hugging moment and mention the effect of solar and cosmic activity and the well-recognised 800-year global heating and cooling cycle, which keeps happening, despite our completely insignificant efforts to affect climate change.

        I'm so sorry. And I do wish I had a silver lining to this volcanic ash cloud but the fact of the matter is that the bush fire season across the western USA and Australia this year alone will negate your efforts to reduce carbon in our world for the next two to three years. And it happens every year.

        Just remember that your government just tried to impose a whopping carbon tax on you on the basis of the bogus "human-caused" climate change scenario.

        Hey, isn't it interesting how they don't mention "Global Warming" any more, but just "Climate Change" - you know why? It's because the planet has COOLED by 0.7 degrees in the past century and these global warming bullshit artists got caught with their pants down.

        And just keep in mind that now that you will have an Emissions Trading Scheme - that whopping new tax - imposed on you, that will achieve absolutely nothing except make you poorer. It won't stop any volcanoes from erupting, that's for sure!

Author unknown. End of article.

Insanity Defined. Our "Energy Policy" and Politics

2011-03-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

Take a look at how our politicians have been misleading us on the Alaskan Wildlife Reserve oil fields since the Clinton days. Did you believe the propaganda? How do you like paying over $4.00 a gallon for gasoline? Our government, particularly the liberal swine, have led us to this point. See the presentation here just below the rant. It will water your eyes.

JP

Can A Conservative Be An Isolationist? You Bet

2011-02-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

In my lifetime, I have witnessed our United States involved in six major wars. Every one of them took place overseas. Here is the list. World War II, Korea, Vietnam (where I saw combat), Gulf I, Iraq, and Afghanistan. These wars consumed over a half million of our finest young men and women. Not once has our country been invaded by an opposing army (unless you count 9/11). Canada has remained a good friend and ally since our Revolution. Mexico provides us with a continuing flow of workers and drugs, but so far, the ghost of Santa Anna has not re-invaded the Alamo. Nor is there faintest chance in hell that anyone, over the past 100 years, would have dared take on the Continental United States by invasion. So what the hell are we doing fighting all these wars all over the globe? The short answer is because we are the big dog on the street and want to stay that way. An oft cited answer is that we must fight overseas to keep the enemy from our front door. A third answer often heard is that somehow, we have acquired the mantle of “The leader of the free world” and must act accordingly. All of which are pure bullshit, except for maybe the first.

We are a great, big, robust country that is the envy of the world, even to our enemies, for our wealth and freedom of our system and our citizens. Somehow, that has sunk in to our political sub-consciousness to the extent that we naturally believe that our country, our system, should be the model for the rest of the world. Somewhere along the way, from the American Revolution to the present, we lost sight of the fact that our original goal was to “Create a more perfect union” here and not “A more perfect union” in the rest of the world.

Is there another country in the world that has been so involved in six major wars in the past half century? Not even close. I think it is time to take a hard look at what drives us to send our young men and women to die in some God-forsaken country. And, simply put, we ought to quit doing so.

This great country of ours has the ability to take care of each and every person living here. We raise enough food to feed every man, woman, and child of our population and still manage to be the leading exporter of foodstuffs. We are dependent on foreign oil but that is by choice, not necessity. If we really had to become energy independent, we have the resources and technology to do so. We have been held hostage so long to the big oil companies and cartels we have fallen for their propaganda and cheap oil. We have the finest military services in the world--no one would dare attack us if our military was concentrated and based here, in the United States. We have become addicted to cheap products from Japan, Korea, China, and India. This country was once the leading manufacturing country in the world. We could be again, if we loose our addiction and pay a bit more for our own manufactured items. We can secure our borders, if we have the guts to do so. Let me put it clearly, we don’t need the rest of the world to be the great country we are.

A good start would to throw that worthless tower of Babel called the U.N. out of the country for good, and let them continue their inane deliberations elsewhere. Next step would be to pull all our troops back home. All of them from every place we have them stationed. Germany, you are on your own. South Korea, your problem is North Korea--solve it. Japan, our guys have been there long enough. Iraq, you have the ball--run with it. Afghanistan, you want those crazy Taliban back, go for it. Finally, get serious about energy independence. Open up all our areas for oil production. Fast track nuclear plants. Exploit our huge reserves of natural gas. Fund increased research on alternative technologies. Hint: We don’t have an energy problem, we have an energy storage problem. In five years we could break the backs of Big Oil and OPEC.

I have saved the best for last, so you may confirm your suspicions that I am certifiably a raving curmudgeon . Message to Muslim World. “If one of your Jihadist nuts manages to employ a weapon of mass destruction on one of our cities, Mecca will be vaporized.”

Signed,
President of the New United States of America

(Oh well, its nice to fantasize every now and then)

JP

Obama Nominated For Academy Award

2011-02-23T22:40:00.000-07:00

The Academy Awards is just around the corner. May I suggest another category to add to the thousands they already have. For lack of a more educated, high brow title, I would like my category to be called, “The Weak Dick Award” The sole nominee, who has already garnered the Nobel Peace Prize, is none other than Barrack Obama, the man who is currently masquerading as the President the the United States. For God’s sake people, we are dealing with a madman who murdered hundreds of Americans and now is murdering his own people with abandon. Would not you think that our President could at least summon the courage to actually name that worthless bastard who has terrorized his country for over 40 years? No, not Mr Cool. He is sending Hillary to Geneva to express our “Grave Outrage”, while the people of Libya are slaughtered by this psychopath. What a joke. As an Italian general officer once told me when referring to the political leadership of his country, “Parole, parole, parole.” Words, words, words. Obama has mastered the art of words but lacks a shred of credibility when it comes to backing up his words with meaningful action. As an American, I want to crawl off someplace and hide in shame at the gutless response of our so-called leader. I am sure the dainty liberals of the Academy will see fit to honor Obama with this new award.

Wisconsin--The Soft Revolution

2011-02-22T09:46:00.002-07:00

What we are witnessing is nothing less than the failure of an economic system that is essentially a government run Ponzi scheme. I am not just referring to Social Security and Medicare, I am talking about the entire system that at its core relies on borrowed money to pay for current goodies. As every credit card holder knows, the bill always comes due. Some dodge the inevitable by obtaining more cards and borrowing more, but this just pushes the day of reckoning further down the road--the bill will always come due. It has come due in Wisconsin, Ohio, New York, California and numerous other states as they struggle to balance their budgets. It is coming due as I write for the United States as a whole. The Republican party, goaded on by the Tea Party, appears willing to confront the problem. The Democratic party, Obama included, seem to be unwilling to face the problem and have opted to obtain some more credit cards The clash in opposing ideas put forward by the two major parties has divided the country. Thus, the protests and counter protests we are witnessing in Wisconsin are the opening salvo of a revolutionary war driven by the two camps. The winner will determine the shape of our country in the future.

A Declaration of No Confidence

2011-02-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

What we expect from Presidents, above all else, is leadership. With our country facing a financial crisis of monumental proportions we expect out President to lead the way out of the mess that took years of financial mismanagement to create. Plenty of blame to go around, but the time for the blame game and cynical political maneuvering is over--this is a real crisis that needs solving. We expect our President to lead the way, to tackle the tough issues and lay out a clear blueprint to pull us away from the brink of financial collapse.

So what do we get from Obama? A carefully crafted budget that is long on spending and increased taxes and short on meaningful fiscal restraint. A budget that dramatically increases the deficit and national debt to unthinkable levels. A budget that completely avoids tackling the government entitlement programs that are at the root cause of our enormous deficit. A budget that is politically crafted to place the opposition in the role of the bad guys who want to destroy the popular entitlement programs. A budget, in other words, that shows not an ounce of leadership.

Lofty ideals and misplaced priorities will not pull us out of this mess, and Obama has again demonstrated his inability to rise above Chicago-style politics and really lead this great nation. While in the military, I sometimes had to follow inept leaders because I was required to do so by law. Now a civilian, there is no law that requires me to do the same with this President, and I shall not.

JP

The Obama Administration Begins to Unravel

2011-02-04T12:38:00.001-07:00

Obama Care begins to unravel and that is a good thing. More importantly, the entire Obama Administration is beginning to unravel. It is what happens when your govern from an ideological basis and not from the moderate center where the majority of the American public resides. It took nearly two years for the American public to wake up to the fact that its central government had been taken over by far left ideologues . They then sent a resounding vote of no confidence, resulting in an election landslide that tilted the country back to the center. It is now clear that the Obama Administration is not only driven by a far left ideology; it is also just plain inept. Its very ineptness is the result of policy driven by ideology. Here are some examples.

The utter failure of nearly a trillion dollar “stimulus” plan that was a thinly disguised hodge-podge of left wing idealism and programs. As the economy stubbornly refuses to recover in the manner promised, more and more citizens have come to recognize the “stimulus” for what it was--a very expensive omnibus bill of left wing programs that benefited a favored few at the expense of the rest of hard working America.

A Justice Department that is so ideologically driven that it appears to be prosecuting American values rather than ensuring American values are upheld. The list is long, but their opposition to Arizona’s immigration law; the non-prosecution of the thugs at the voting location; the attempt to try the mastermind of the 9/11 attack in NYC; and finally their futile efforts to support Obama-care has cast huge doubts as to the fairness of that Department. I call it the Department of Injustice. It appears its only function is to prop up an ideology rather than serve up true justice.

A completely inept Director of Homeland Security, who manages to imitate the totally inept Governor of Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina every time she speaks. Her assertions concerning the threat posed by returning veterans and the safety of our southern border with Mexico not only ring false, they also reveal her ideological bias. In her typically liberal view, it is the extremist element (read conservative Americans who cling to their guns and beliefs) that pose the real danger to the security of the United States. By the way, she also oversees, and approves of, the TSA’s big brother search of the core of our personal privacy.

An ideologically driven head of the EPA who is hell bent on regulating the last of our industrial base out of existence with her un-Constitutional findings on Carbon Oxide Twice. Need I mention the Delta Smelt?

An Energy Department whose only goal seems to be prevent us from ever becoming energy independent by shutting down or restricting nuclear power construction, offshore drilling for oil, or on-shore exploitation of known energy resources. Again, ideologically driven.

Finally, the man himself. Swept into power by his ringing call for hope and change and his promise to transform this country into something great. What we actually bought was just another left wing liberal with tired out liberal ideas and surrounded by sycophants of the same ilk. Then, as David Axelrod so recently pointed out, Obama became Prime Minister rather than President, and let the wild eyed Nancy Pelosi and that reptilian Harry Reid set and cram down their agenda on the American public. With those two actually setting the agenda, it is no wonder that Obama Care is coming apart at the seams.

From these examples and others too numerous to mention came the Tea Party movement, a truly grass roots revolution arising from the realization that this inept Administration was hell bent on bankrupting this country, both economically and morally. It has started a true revolution that is now beginning to undo some of the more horrific excesses and mistakes of the past two years. It is my fondest hope that the revolution will continue into 2012, when we can truly rid ourselves of left wing ideologues and begin rebuilding this great country with common sense governance.

JP

The Perfect Storm

2011-01-31T16:05:00.001-07:00

The Middle East hiccups and we rush to the emergency room with oil fever. Even the thought of oil being choked off from that area of the world sends the price per barrel soaring and the stock market plummeting. For as long as I can remember, one U.S administration after another has called for a cogent energy policy that would reduce, and even eliminate, our dependence on oil from that area of the world. Instead, over the past several decades, our dependence has grown, rather than lessened. And that very dependence drives and constricts our foreign policy operations, often at the expense of our treasure and blood. The Middle East may be the tail, but it wags the alpha dog of world politics with ease. The question becomes, why have we allowed this to happen? The short answer is bad politics and bad policy. The longer answer is a bit more complex--a perfect storm of diverse interests and groups that have combined together to prevent true energy independence to emerge.

The most powerful business organizations in the world are the mega oil companies. They have invested billions of dollars in ensuring that the flow of oil from the Middle East continues. They are vertically invested, which means they have established a presence in each step of the way from the Middle East to the United States. They are heavily involved in the discovery and exploitation of the oil reserves in that area. They are heavily involved in the shipping of the oil from there to here. They own and operate the giant refineries in the United States and elsewhere. They are involved in the distribution and retail sales of the final products. At each step of the way, they make a profit. For example, a barrel of oil costing $100 will be refined into products worth $135 at the retail level. That is just at the refining and distribution end. They also charge $2.10 a barrel when they ship on their own tankers. (About 16% of the world’s tanker fleet is owned by the mega oil companies). They certainly share in some percentage of the profit at the well head, having cut deals with the Middle Eastern countries for exploration, discovery, and production. Simply put, the major oil companies have a huge vested interest in maintaining the status quo. With their billions in profits annually, they can buy influence in our government by the bag full. They also have an unwitting partner in maintaining the status quo. They are collectively known as “environmentalists.”

The environmental movement in the United States has paralyzed our ability to achieve any semblance of energy independence. They have fought successfully, tooth and nail, to prevent expansion of our nuclear energy capacity. They have prevented exploitation of our natural oil reserves both on land and on the coasts. In the name of a bogus “global warming” they are taking direct aim at our coal industry. And they are not just the Sierra Club, they have managed to infiltrate our government at the Cabinet level and are working hard to regulate the very air we exhale. Our country has vast reserves of oil that could be used to lessen our dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Huge fields of crude oil in Alaska’s North Slope. There are vast amounts of trapped oil in the Dakotas and the western states. And as a bonus, enough natural gas to fuel our country for the next 100 years. But, in the name of environmental purity, all those resources remain locked up.

The last item of the perfect storm is inertia. Our infrastructure has been built around relatively cheap oil to fire up the industry and commerce of the United States. The internal combustion engine, running on gasoline and diesel cannot be changed overnight to allow the use of alternative sources of energy such as compressed natural gas, wind, and solar and electricity derived from those sources. For the foreseeable future, we remain dependent on oil, and lots of it, to drive our economy.

So there it is. The oil companies have a vested interest to keep things as they are. The Environmentalists have locked the gate to our reserves and thrown away the key. The infrastructure of an oil driven economy is like a super tanker—it takes a long, long time to change direction.

In the next article, I will discuss some ways to get us out of this mess. In the meantime, pray the Middle East remains relatively calm—if it boils over we are going to be looking at $5.00 gas and the shambles of economic recovery.

JP

Good Intentions

2011-01-24T13:46:00.002-07:00

Sometimes a sentence grabs you with its simple elegance. In a WSJ article written by Jason L. Riley, entitled “The State against Blacks”, he quotes his interviewee, Walter Williams as saying, “I learned (as a graduate student) that you have to evaluate the effects of public policy as opposed to intentions.” Let me repeat that.

You have to evaluate the effects of public policy as opposed to intentions.

Most laws and public policies start out with good-intentioned politicians trying to live up to their role in promoting the general welfare of our people under the terms of the Constitution. Here are some examples.

Health care. Provide for the millions of un-insured people in this country.
Housing. Make housing affordable to all our citizens.
Energy. Achieve energy independence.
Education. Provide high quality education to all.
Individual rights. Equality in all things.
Environment. Provide a clean and healthy environment for the people.

These are just a few examples of the good public policy goals that well-intentioned politicians try to accomplish for the people of this country. Although we can all agree that all are laudable intentions, it is important to measure the effects in order to evaluate just how well they have promoted the general welfare of the people under our Constitution. I’ll take them one at a time.

Health care. Effect: Will place the best health system in the world under the control of big government. Many think that is a good thing. More think not.

Housing. Effect: Good intentioned legislation and regulation designed to make affordable housing available to most Americans led to the housing bubble, crash, and the current recession.

Energy. Effect: After fifty years, more dependent on foreign oil. (See Environment, below)

Education. Effect: An education system that loses ground every year in performance ratings.

Individual rights: Effect: The murder of thousands of unborn children a year.

Environment: Effect: Regulation of the air we breathe out. Loss of jobs by the thousands.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not just anti-government, as perhaps the list above would indicate. There have been other public policies that have been very successful, when judged by their effects. For example, Social Security (at least to this point), OSHA, National Park System, Airline De-Regulation, NASA, the development of the Internet, and many, many others.

The only problem with measuring public policy by its effects, and not its intentions, is that intentions are here and now, and effects are measured only in the future. For example, the arguments against Obama care are couched in what the opponents think will happen in the future. To paraphrase Nancy Pelosi, “We have to wait until it happens before we’ll know if it is as bad as we think.”

By that time, it will be too late.

JP