The Auto Bailout: The Facts for a Change

An issue has gained traction on the campaign trail over the past couple of days which I thought was dead and buried.  Because it should be.

President Obama has begun touting his bailout of the auto industry, especially in Ohio, in an effort to burnish his bona fides in a quest for another four years.  There's a lot of autos built in Northern Ohio and this subject is important.  He says he saved the auto industry, and moreover, that Governor Romney wanted to deep six Detroit and everything having to do with cars.  Obama says if it had been left to Romney, there would be no American auto industry.  He says if Romney had prevailed we'd be buying our cars from Europe and Asia.  Such a load of crap...

First, Romney wasn't in charge.  What he said he'd do had nothing to do with anything.  He had nothing to say about the issue.  But he did have an opinion and he expressed it.

Second, Romney early and often stated that the auto industry should be taken through a managed bankruptcy.  He's a business guru, as a matter of fact, and his opinion should carry some weight.

 He stated that Federal taxpayers' money then, and only then, should be made available to guarantee any loans the car companies would need to emerge from that bankruptcy.  And that would have been the logical, intelligent, efficient and cost-effective way to do it.  Via that plan the auto industry could have shed its obligations and trimmed down to fighting weight.  Chief among those obligations was their union contracts which put them in a box in the first place.   

Obama, on the other hand, had relied on union bucks to get elected, and would need them to get reelected.  That's why he defied 200+ years of American tradition...and laws...by stealing the car companies from their bond and stockholders and giving majority ownership to the UAW.  Think of that.  He took preferred, protected bond money and stock owner's positions and gave them the finger in return.  He screwed GM's and Chrysler's ownership in this manner and then gave majority control to the unions that had systematically hosed these companies over the decades to the point where they were no longer competitive.  Why, in fact, they were in such a bad shape to begin with.  But it gets worse.

Obama wound up GIVING Chrysler to Fiat!  Get that?  He gave an American car company to an Italian car company.  Why?  No one knows.  But conspiracy theorists like me believe that there's a pile of money somewhere for somebody that explains it all away.

Why didn't he give Federal money to Ford?  Ford didn't need it, or want it.  Ford hired Alan Mullaly, Boeing's vaunted CEO, and then borrowed more than $25 billion on everything it owned of value, to include more than $100 million on the value of the Blue Oval.  Because Ford was smart enough to have foreseen the doom, and worked around it, it didn't need Obama's help.  So why, I ask, did Obama not give Chrysler to Ford, another American company?  Or at least Nissan, or Toyota, or Mercedes-Benz, or Porsche, or Mazda, or Subaru, or any of the other off-shore manufacturers which have set up shop building their cars on our dirt?  Yes, why?

So, Obama sold out our car companies to give his union buddies a payoff.  Romney wanted to save us having to do that.  And the net result is that we are now more than $36 Billion Dollars in the hole because he did.  Have you heard of Ally Bank?  It used to be GMAC.  It (Ally) still owes the American taxpayer more than $8 Billion in loans it hasn't repaid.  And won't.  And GM?  More than $20 Billion.  And Chrysler?  More than $8 Billion.  Obama screwed each of us.  Romney would have saved the car companies and saved us billions of dollars. 

Have doubts?  Go to www.WSJ.com and research Romney's Op-Ed piece from late 2008.  His letter spells out exactly what he would do...exactly what I've specified above.  So Obama's lying?

Yes.

So, who should get your vote on the 6th?  I'll leave that up to you. 

Measure V

To the hundreds of thousands of...

No wait.  For the tens of people around the world who follow my every word with baited breath (there are mints for that), this posting isn't for you.

Rather, it's for the nice folks who live in the fair city of Costa Mesa, California.

We have an election coming up on November 6th.  One of the issues to be decided by that election is whether or not Costa Mesa should turn its back on sixty years of following the Sacramento-preferred (yecch!) "general law" format, and decide to adopt a charter (constitution) to govern its future activities.

A "Yes" vote on "Measure V" will make the charter a go.  I'm for it.  I'm for it because, although not perfect, it's a definite improvement over the system that permitted previous councils to blow through $33 million of savings, run up more than $200 million in unfunded pension obligations, pay 75% of every dollar that came in to the city in salary and benefits to our employees (!), and kowtow to the unions and associations that seem to think they own this town.

They don't.

There are many very positive aspects of the proposed charter.  I'm not going to go into them in this posting.  You can check on line if you'd like more information about it by going to www.passthecharter.com.  Or, you can go to our local paper, www.dailypilot.com, and look for my column on the subject.  I think I covered it pretty well.  If you remain objective, I'm guessing you'll agree it's worth a try, especially knowing that it can be unwound at anytime by a vote of the people.    

Of course, some oppose it.  They have honest differences with the way it was developed and what it covers, and doesn't cover.  I believe those concerns can be addressed and met at a later date, once we're well on our way to fixing the city's problems.  Waiting for the sake of waiting just doesn't feed the bulldog. 

Maybe one way you can decide whether or not to support it is to learn what constitutes the primary forces against it.  The three people running against the charter and the slate of candidates dedicated to implementing it are all supported big-time by the unions: national, state and local.  They're scared to death the trap door to their piggy bank will slam shut.  On their fingers.

What else do you need to know? 

Let's Make Life a Little Easier for Them

You've probably noticed that those nice people in Middle Eastern countries are rioting over some obscure little video that somebody made here in America.  Or, maybe he didn't.  Or, maybe it doesn't even exist.  But, one thing we know for sure is that the rioting started in Benghazi, Lybia, and also simultaneously in Cairo, Egypt, on...of all days...September 11th!

Those folks we hired to run things in Washington, D.C., tell us the rioting was due to the video, the existence of which was made known this past May.  Hmmm.  It apparently takes several months for knowledge of an Internet video to make its way to that part of the world.  Maybe the Internet streaming occurs via camel.  Or maybe the Administration is lying through its collective teeth about the cause of this latest outbreak of Muslim rage.  Maybe, in fact, its because Obama and Company spiked the football early and often about the unceremonious dispatch of Osama bin Ladin.  Maybe its to celebrate the anniversary of 9/11.  You think?  Which do you believe is a more likely and plausible rationale? 

Well, I'm here to tell you that the unrest and rioting has now spread to Indonesia and India, and 25 other countries are now involved.  Apparently, Obama's incessant apologizing for America's past "mistakes" didn't really feed the bulldog.  Maybe the only thing the Islamic "religion of peace" types understand is strength.  Maybe instead of apologizing we should be kicking ass and taking names.

Are you familiar with that stanza in the Marine Corps (not "corpse," by the way, as Mr. Obama would prefer to say) Hymn that goes, "...From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli."  That "shores" thing refers to Tripoli, Lybia, where pirates by the thousands were interdicting shipping back in the 1700s.  One Mr. Thomas Jefferson was President, and he decided to do something about it.  He rallied our Marines and our sailors and our ships and sent them all to North Africa.  He instructed them to kill every living, breathing thing that looked like it might be a part of the problem.  They did.  And we didn't have another Muslim-related problem for two hundred and fifty years.  

So, fellow Americans, I suggest you contact your elected representative and let them know you'd like them to get tough on this situation.  Tell them to let the Golfer-in-Chief know that he'd better do something about this, and right now, or he'll need to call U-Haul come January.  

But, in the meantime, I'm starting a new business.  I'll be offering pre-burnt American flags for export to those parts of the world.  As Rahm Emanuel would say, "There's no sense letting a crisis go to waste!"    

The Democrat National Convention just opened in Charlotte, NC.  Charlotte is one of my favorite cities.  At least, it used to be. 

I've just kneeled (Tebow'd?) in prayer.  I've decided to pray for the health and welfare and continued (restored?) prosperity of our once-great Country.  I don't know if it will do any good, but, hey, who knows?  It might.  And if it does, we might just have a chance to get through this horrible mess that was visited upon us four years ago.  After all, it can't hurt.  And it might help...

But, regardless of what happens on November 6th, I prayed for one little thing that shouldn't be too much to ask for.  I prayed that, in the new administration, whether OWE BAMAs' or Romneys', we continue to have Debbie Blabbermouth-Schultz, San Fran Nan Pelosi, "Dirty" Harry Reid, Dickie "The Turbin" Durbin and Dennis "The Menace" Kucinich still in leadership positions in the Democrat Party. 

Since the people we elect to take care of things seem to busy themselves looting our Treasury 24/7, enriching themselves at our collective expense, we need a certain degree of entertainment from our elected representatives.  These commie clowns thankfully provide it.

In Jesus' name, we pray,

Amen...

I got your context right here...

There were many who went absolutely nuts over my most recent newspaper column.  All I did was to quote our Campaigner-in-Chief exactly as he had spoken at a rally in Roanoke, Virginia on July 13th, and then tell the story of how my wife and I created and managed our own small business over a 33-year period.  I offered up the Golfer-in-Chief's quote, then I added a paragraph of our story, then re-quoted the TelePrompTer-in-Chief's quote, and another piece of our story, etc. 

I did this over and over, just to let the reader understand that we did build our business, and we did it without the Government.  In fact, I think I made the case that the Government did everything in its power to keep us from succeeding.  And when we finally broke through and made a little money, the Government picked our pockets so it could build those infamous roads and bridges.

Well, Mr. and Mrs. You-know-who-you-are, the loonies came out of the woodwork!  I was told over and over, anonymously, of course, because they are spineless weenies, that I had taken "The One" out of context.  That he had been referring to "roads and bridges" when he said, "If you have a business, you didn't build that."  Obviously, if they are correct, the Smartest-Man-Who-Ever-Lived must have missed the class where he learned how to diagram a sentence, in favor of a doing a couple of doobies with his best buds on the beach.  Somehow or other, "build that" in my estimation, is singular.  "Build those" would have been better.  But, then again, what do I know?  

So, did I in fact take the Fundraiser-in-Chief out of context?  I'll let you decide.  Follows is a direct quotation of every silver-coated word that dripped off the Vacationer-in-Chief's lips that day as it relates to the subject at hand.  Did he tell me I didn't build my business, or did he tell me I couldn't have built my business without his roads and bridges?  And, in context, is his statement worse than the now-infamous two fateful sentences?  I'll let you decide.  

And so, without further ado, here it is... 

"There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me - because they want to give something back.  They know they didn't - look, if you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own.  You didn't get there on your own.  I'm always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart.  There are a lot of smart people out there.  It must be because I worked harder than everybody else.  Let me tell you something - there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there (emphasis mine).

"If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.  There was a great teacher somewhere in your life.  Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive.  Somebody invested in roads and bridges.  If you've got a business - you didn't build that.  Somebody else made that happen (emphasis mine).  The Internet didn't get invented on its own.  Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.(*) 

The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because  we do things together.  There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don't do on our own.  I mean, imagine if everybody had their own fire service.  That would be a hard way to organize fighting fires."

Well, what do you think?  I know what I think.  In fact, I was willing to write it in a Major Metropolitan Daily newspaper.  Now, you decide...

*  By the way, Mr. Know-it-All, the Internet was created as a result of high-level collaboration between several major universities around the country.  The original super-computer, ENIAC, occupied the entire second floor of a UCLA building.  It was used to prove that the concept of the to-be-called Internet worked.  When it did, the military began to recognize the potential for communications it represented.  Only later did business begin to try to exploit its potential.  It was not created by Government research, and it was not created to foster profit by private business.  (And Al Gore had nothing to do with it...except in his head.)  But everything else the Prevaricator-in-Chief said that day about it was correct.  Which is, nothing.

In summation, to all my should-be fans in the Newport-Mesa area, I'd like to thank you for your unkind comments.  I'd like to do that, but I can't.  

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Congress!

A couple of days back President B. Hussein Obama issued a memorandum to his pants-suited Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napalitano stating that we, the United States of America, will no longer arrest, incarcerate or deport young illegal immigrants who meet the so-called "Dream Act-Lite" demographics.  Those are, as loosely defined, little foreign people dragged kicking and screaming across our Swiss Cheese borders by their mommies and daddies prior to the age of 16, but who are now no older than 30, who have broken no laws, kept their noses relatively clean and are in school or the military, or have previously graduated/served in either or both.

Got it?  If you made it here after you were 16, or are older than 30, no luck for you, Jose.  Or if you pilfered some tortillas from the corner Rancheria, it's straight to the border for you, Javier.  No passing "Go," no collecting 200 pesos.  Boy, our TelePrompTer-in-Chief is one compassionate guy, right?  Well, maybe not.

What could cause the Campaigner-in-Chief to bypass Congress, where such a change in American law must first be debated and voted on, and where this very same proposed law was soundly defeated a couple of years back, when the Preezy of the United Steezy was in complete charge of all aspects of Government, to take such a breathtaking and audacious action?  And, by the way, why didn't the Toker-in-Chief issue an actual Executive Order proclaiming this new change of codified immigration policy, instead of a simple little memo to his simple little Secretary? 

I don't want to sound all conspiratorial, but I actually think it might have something to do with the presidential election coming up in the fall (Noooooo!).  Call me cynical but there's a seriously large bunch of Latinos here in the land of the not-quite-so-free anymore and the home of the still mostly brave.  And every Latino either came here illegally, or knows a few dozen or hundred who did.  I mean, there are MILLIONS of them!  And many of them want AMNESTY!  They're saying, "We know, we broke the law, but it's a dumb law, and others broke it too, so forgive us RIGHT NOW and give us real papers so we can stay and work and play and collect Social Security and food stamps.  So there's 800,000 or so, or maybe twice that many, who could be affected directly by this action, and another 20 or 30 MILLION more whose vote could be influenced by the Golfer-in-Chief's decision to take this blatant, naked, unprecedented power grab.  And a few million votes one way or the other would dramatically affect the outcome of the election on November 7th. 

That's why I believe there may be many, many, many other egregious actions yet to come this year from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  And I think I know which one's next.

Did you know that convicted felons lose their right to vote in this here constitutional republic?  Jack a car, burgle a 7-11 or embezzle a bunch of money from little blue-haired old ladies and you'll get convicted and sent to the Graybar Hotel.  And when you get kicked at the end of your sentence you can no longer vote.  Except, of course, if you live in Illinois or are dead.  So, I Googled the matter and came up with a number.  Somewhere between 10% and 20% of our entire population are convicted felons!  That's like 30 - 60 million people!  Talk about votes!  That's a Mother Lode of votes!  So, I'm making the prediction right now that sometime between now and November 7th, the Vacationer-in-Chief will issue a proclamation (that's what emperors do!), or maybe just a memo, unilaterally expunging the records of all of them, and thus excising their felonious actions.  Poof!  No more record, no more felons.  And then they'll be able to vote.  For Him (emperors get a capital "H," just like God).

Think He wouldn't dare?  Just look at what He's already done that is unconstitutional, immoral or unconscionable and then ask yourself, who's gonna' stop Him?  He's refused to drill on public lands or in the Arctic.  He's ordered the National Labor Relations Board to tilt the balance in favor of unionization of every business everywhere.  He's passed and signed unconstitutional legislation that subsumes one-sixth of our entire economy with Obamacare.  He's begun redistributing our wealth from those who create it to those who vote for Him.  He's nearly doubled the population of those collecting food stamps.  He dropped an already-won case against the Black Panthers who offered to beat the crap out of those redneck crackers who tried to actually vote in Pennsylvania during the 2008 election.  He sued (successfully) Arizona for trying to actually defend its own borders against an onslaught of illegals streaming across their border.  And He's just declared Executive Privilege at literally the 11th hour to seal tens of thousands of documents subpoenaed by the House Oversight and Reform Committee, managed by Rep. Chairman Darrell Issa, from the Justice Department just prior to Eric Holder's Contempt of Congress vote.  The fact that these documents pertain to the unlawful walking of guns by this Administration from border gun shops to Mexican drug gangs, and that they were subpoenaed more than 8 months ago, should tell the reader all he or she needs to know about the breathtaking corruption running rampant within this Administration. 

And there's more that the Fundraiser-in-Chief can do to further guarantee His reelection.  How about a memo to the Secretary of the Treasury ordering him to stop collecting FICA payroll contributions from the pay checks of those earning less than say, $60,000 a year?  How about a memo to the IRS telling them to increase the income, capital gains and death taxes of those making more than $250k a year?  How about a memo to the Secretary of Transportation instructing him to instruct the CEO of Government Motors to issue a brand new Chevy Volt to every Black and Jewish and Asian person in America? 

Those are just a few things He could do to further divide our divided populace that would increase His changes of reelection.  I'm betting you could come up with a few others on your own.  After all, who's gonna' stop Him?

The only one who could is the serial liar and Chicago crook who runs the Department of Justice.  I rest my case...

What, oh what, will the media do?

I'm wondering just how the so-called "Mainstream Media" will choose to report on the tiny bit of news that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's decided to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in Contempt of Congress yesterday.  And more importantly, the fact that our President-in-Training chose to assert Executive Privilege over some 80,000 emails, wiretap authorizations and various other documents relating to the case that led to that vote.  Interesting, don't you think?

Turns out Mr. Holder trundled up to Capitol Hill a total of eight times to testify on the failed gun running exercise undertaken by the Department of Justice and the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Department (ATF) starting in 2009.  Mr. Chuckmeister, your true-blue reporter, has written extensively on this exercise, called "Fast and Furious."  Visit my Monday, March 28, 2011 blog post entitled "A Very Quiet Declaration of War, with Mexico?" for more information.  That, ahem, was more than a year ago, dear readers.  It involved the purchase of thousands and thousands of assault rifles using stimulus funds (our monies!), which southern border-area gun shops were then forced by ATF to sell to straw buyers, who were then observed selling these same guns to dealers, who then passed them off to Mexican drug cartel members.  Bad enough, on its face.  But it got much, much worse...

The Administration was hoping one or more of these weapons would be found at the scene of a crime, prompting calls for tougher gun laws at the expense of the 2nd Amendment (these weenies HATE the 2nd Amendment!).  But on December 14, 2010 Border Agent Brian Terry was murdered using one of these same guns.  Ooops!

Well, to put it mildly, the fit hit the shan.  When this story was leaked by a brave ATF whistle blower, who has subsequently been punished - shunned - by the DofJ, Congress started asking questions.  And kept asking them, even though they didn't get any answers.  Holder was a master of obfuscation during his multiple visits to The Hill.  The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, under the able direction of Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, asked for information on this little scheme.  Holder provided a letter on February 4, 2011 stating that he didn't know what the heck Issa was talking about.  (Who, me?  We don't need no stinikin' weapons!).  The digging continued.  

Then, on December 2, 2011, Holder "retracted" that letter.  Apparently, he DID know something.  Maybe his memory "evolved," like what has happened to his boss on multiple occasions.  And Issa wanted to know what.  And when.

Well, dear reader, the whole thing came to a head yesterday when Issa's Committee voted to hold Holder in contempt, even though B. Hussein Obama, that would be POTUS, tried to intervene at the 11th hour and 59 minutes and wrap the cloak of privilege around all of the documents, even though Holder had stated he was prepared to deliver them to Holder as late as the day before yesterday (?).  Do you believe that?  Uhhhh, I don't.  Now we have a real cover up.  I have no doubt that this whole bunch of crap was conceived and directed from the Oval Office, and one or more of these documents would likely prove that.  Let me stress that this is just my opinion.  But I'd bet good money I'm right.     

So now we've got our Attorney General held in contempt of Congress.  How did the dinosaur media report it?  They have assiduously run from this story from the beginning.  Up until a couple of days ago, when it became obvious that this contempt thing was going to come to a vote, CBS has reported...nothing.  ABC?  Nothing.  NBC?  Until two days ago, on Brian Williams evening newscast, a total of 18 seconds were devoted to this story.  And nothing about Terry's murder was mentioned.  That's it.    

And the press?  With exception of the W.S. Journal, the Washington Times and the O.C. Register, nary a word appeared.  I guess the vaunted mantle of the "4th Estate," Constitutional perks accorded them so they can keep us, We the People, informed, meant nothing to them so far as this case is concerned.  If you hadn't watched Fox News or visited the DC Caller or Drudge and a few other websites online, you wouldn't know a thing about it.  And that's just the way the media wanted it.  Got to keep that guy who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, you know, the one with the amazing crease in his pants, safe and clear from all of this.

So now we see the media all twisted up in knots as they try to catch up their dwindling viewership on this almost two year old story in a matter of minutes.  But they'll likely do so by burying it in a spin-fest of disinformatia (that's Russian, my friends, for hide the pea) so as to cast blame for all of this not on the White House and the DofJ and the Democrats, where it belongs, but rather on those nasty, evil, knuckle-dragging Republicans who just won't leave well enough alone.  And too bad about Agent Terry, but that's just collateral damage in this Bigger War on Conservatism, right?  

I'm guessing if it really gets bad, they'll just simply revert to that age-old, catch-all accusation:  It's racism, don't you know...