WELCOME TO OPINIONS BASED ON FACTS (OBOF)
| Name | Published |
| OVERVIEW | Dec. 28, 2010 |
| SOCIAL SECURITY PART 1 | Dec. 30, 2010 |
| SOCIAL SECURITY PART 2 | Jan. 10, 2011 |
| SOCIAL SECURITY PART 3 | Jan. 17, 2011 |
| SOCIAL SECURITY PART 4 | Jan. 24, 2011 |
| SOCIAL SECURITY PART 5 | Jan. 31, 2011 |
| SOCIAL SECURITY PART 6 | Feb. 07, 2011 |
| SOCIAL SECURITY PART 7 | Feb. 14, 2011 |
| SPECIAL ISSUE | Feb. 18, 2011 |
| SOCIAL SECURITY PART 8 | Feb. 21, 2011 |
| SOCIAL SECURITY PART 9 | Mar. 01, 2011 |
| SOCIAL SECURITY PART 10 | Mar. 07, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 1 | Mar. 14, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 1A | Mar. 21, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 2 | Mar. 25, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 3 | Mar. 29, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 4 | Apr. 04, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 5 | Apr. 11, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 6 | Apr. 18, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 7 | Apr. 25, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 7A | Apr. 29, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 8 | May 02, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 9 | May 09, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 10 | May 16, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 11 | May 24, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 12 | Jun. 06, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 13 | Jun. 20, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 14 | July 05, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 14A | July 18, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 15 | July 19, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 16 | Aug. 03, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 17 | Aug. 15, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 18 | Aug. 29, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 19 | Sept. 12, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 20 | Sept. 26, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 21 | Oct. 10, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 22 | Oct. 24, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 22 EXTRA | Nov. 04, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 23 | Nov. 07, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 24 | Nov. 21, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 25 | Dec. 05, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 26 | Dec. 19, 2011 |
| SS & MORE PART 27 | JAN. 03, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 27A | JAN. 05, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 28 | JAN. 17, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 29 | JAN. 31, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 30 | Feb. 14, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART CL1 | Feb. 21, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 30 EXTRA | Feb. 23, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 31 | Feb. 28, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART CL2 - 59 | Mar. 06, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 31 EXTRA | Mar. 07, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 32 | Mar. 13, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART CL3 - 1 | Mar. 20, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 32 EXTRA | Mar. 24, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 33 | Apr. 10, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART CL 4 - 2 | Apr. 17, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 34 | Apr. 24, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART CL5 - 49 | May 01, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 35 | May 09, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART CL6 - 19 | May 15, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 35 EXTRA | May 18, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 36 | May 22, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 36 EXTRA | May 25, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 36 | |
| EXTRA II | June 01, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 37 | June 05. 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 37 EXTRA | June 07, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 38 | June 12, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 39 | June 19, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 40 | June 26, 2012 |
| SS & MORE PART 41 | July 03, 2012 |
IN THIS ISSUE
1. What's the meaning of July 4, 1776 & 2012.
2. "THE FAB GROUP."
3. A great day for our country - Supreme Court ruling
4. A critical time and update for Social Security.
5. Parting thought.
~~~
"VOTE, AN EDUCATED VOTE"
What is an educated vote? It is one that has been made with as much knowledge, based on facts, not misinformation, that an individual can obtain.
~~~
WHAT DOES JULY 4, 1776 MEAN?
AND
WHAT DOES JULY 4, 2012 MEAN?
by Floyd Bowman
What do most Americans do on the 4th of July and why? In 2005, Sartre wrote:
"The Fourth of July is a holiday that most Americans celebrate for various reasons. The festivity may involve family, friends or public gatherings. Popular culture would have you believe that the gala is a birthday party for the country. Flags wave, bands march and bystanders cheer. The parades are pageants, visible spectacles for all to applaud and enjoy. After the confetti blows away, what is the meaning of the day? Commemoration of the Declaration of Independence should be the primary reason for the remembrance. Other than historically conscious traditionalists that understand the nature of the Republic, few perceive the real purpose of the founding of America
I would guess that at least 75% of Americans neither know what the 4th of July means or just don't give it much thought at all. The description above really tells where we are, OR does it?
Well, that statement, I believe, is true except that people are becoming aware of its meaning without realizing they are. The relationship of July 4, 1776 to July 4, 2012 is uncanny.
First, let's take a look at what happened on July 4, 1776 and the events that took place leading up to that date. Prior to that date, England
If, you couldn't pay the outlandish taxes levied against you they would take anything you had, that the Collector felt would represent what you owed. No one ever knew how the taxes were determined. Often times they were determined by the Collector after he surveyed what you had and what he felt you should owe. Sometimes physical abuse was involved.
Finally, the settlers in the Colonies became feed up and decided they were not going to take it anymore. WHAT DID THEY DO?
Representatives from all the Colonies got together to talk about it. What do you suppose came out of their talks? THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
John Adams wrote a letter to his wife that is referred to now as a "famous" letter. He wrote it after they had completed the writing of the Declaration, but before the signing. The following is a direct copy of that letter, misspelling and all.
“The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America
I think it is very interesting to see, that John Adams, in 1776, could see what celebrations of the happening on July 4, 1776, would be like by succeeding generations, and he was so accurate 236 years later.
The intention of the remembrance is to memorialize the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration was forwarded to England England
THE 1776 REVOLUTION.
The American Revolution was fought against a monarchy that prohibited basic rights of all Englishmen. The original thirteen colonies sought to become independent states, no longer under the boot of George III and the British Crown.
The Revolution was over in 1783. Article I of the Paris
“His Brittanic Majesty acknowledges the said United States, viz., New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, to be free sovereign and independent states, that he treats with them as such, and for himself, his heirs, and successors, relinquishes all claims to the government, propriety, and territorial rights of the same and every part thereof.”
AND NOW HERE WE ARE
IN 2012
The coercion and power of absolutism has replaced the promise and hope of independence. So, what will you celebrate on this day of observance, our true heritage, or a hated repulsive oppressor that pretends to be American?
Folks, we are nearing a point in 2012 that, very much resembles the position the Colonies found themselves in 1776. The Colonies have been replaced with the 99%ers of us and George III has been replaced with the wealthy 1%ers as the hated repulsive oppressors.
Now, take a good look at what we see happening. We are being brain washed with money, by a group that wants to completely run our country. Now, I truly believe this. The pressure, exerted by the use of money is unconscionable and disgraceful. If the Republicans win in November, it will be only by the use of unlimited money and lies.
If they win, the wealthy and Wall Street will run this country and they have no feeling whatsoever for the middle class. Democracy is being threatened. They will throw a few crumbs to the middle class, just so they can keep them producing, but if they gain this position, our country as we know it, will be gone.
Oh, it will take a few years for it to fully occur, but watch them closely for this is the direction they are going. This November 's election is the most important one in the history of our country. In closing this portion, I think it would be beneficial for all of us to take a look at the main theme of the Declaration of Independence
- All men have inherent rights to life, liberty, and property
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- All power is vested in the people
-
- Government is established to benefit, not rule the people
- Leadership roles should not be hereditary
-
- Legislative and Executive Powers should be separate and distinct
- The principles of free elections
- Government can not suspend laws without the consent of the people
- The right to trial by jury and to confront witnesses
- There should be no cruel and unusual punishment
- Provisions to eliminate unlawful searches of persons or personal property
- Trial by jury is preferable and should be held sacred
- "Freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty"
- A well regulated militia is required to defend a
- People have a right to a uniform government
- Free government is preserved only by adherence to fundamental principles
- The freedom to practice religion according to personal reason and conviction
~~~
"THE FAB GROUP"
What is "THE FAB GROUP?" Very simply, it is a group of short news items that provide more varied amounts of news, which I think we all will be interested in, without long detailed commentary. More news - less reading.
MITT ROMNEY
AND THE NEW GILDED AGE
by Robert Reich
published July 1, 2012
The real issue here isn’t Bain’s betting record. It’s that Romney’s Bain is part of the same system as Jamie Dimon’s JPMorgan Chase, Jon Corzine’s MF Global and Lloyd Blankfein’s Goldman Sachs—a system that has turned much of the economy into a betting parlor that nearly imploded in 2008, destroying millions of jobs and devastating household incomes.
The winners in this system are top Wall Street executives and traders, private-equity managers and hedge-fund moguls, and the losers are most of the rest of us. The system is largely responsible for the greatest concentration of the nation’s income and wealth at the very top since the Gilded Age of the nineteenth century, with the richest 400 Americans owning as much as the bottom 150 million put together. And these multimillionaires and billionaires are now actively buying the 2012 election—and with it, American democracy.
WHY OUR ELITES
DON'T FIX THE ECONOMY
by Dave Johnson
published July 1, 2012
When we had democracy, We, the People made the rules and we ran our country and our economy for our benefit. Now that we are a plutocracy things are different. The reason our elites are not doing anything to fix the economy is because from their viewpoint, things are just fine.
Merriam-Webster:
plu·toc·ra·cy noun \plü-ˈtä-krə-sē\
1: government by the wealthy
2: a controlling class of the wealthy
Our political leaders dance with the ones that bring them. Increasingly they are dancing with the billionaires and their giant corporations.
Our politicians are doing and saying increasingly incomprehensible things. The separation from regular people is unbelievable. But in politics you "dance with the one that brung ya," and these things become comprehensible and believable when you look at who is bringing them to the dance.
PRES. OBAMA THREATENS TO VETO BILL THAT DEFUNDS WALL STREET
by Pat Garofalo
published Saturday June 30, 2012
House Republicans, after failing to prevent the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law from passing Congress, have attempted to undermine it by refusing to give Wall Street regulators adequate funds to do their jobs. Both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are short of the funding they require, and House Republicans recently voted in committee to fund the SEC $245 million below the Obama administration’s request for 2013.
However, should that funding bill actually reach President Obama’s desk, he has announced that he will veto it:
The 2013 Financial Services bill is heading to the House floor after being considered by the Rules Committee on Thursday.
“The bill severely undermines key investments in financial oversight and implementation of Wall Street reform to protect American consumers, as well as needed tax enforcement and taxpayer services. It also hampers effective implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA),” the White House statement reads.
House Republicans on the Appropriations Committee also recently approved a cut of $25 million to the CFTC’s budget.
Just ten days ago, the Republican chairman of the House Financial Services Committee admitted that Wall Street regulators do not have the resources necessary to do what Congress has asked of them. However, House Republicans have not acted to rectify the situation, instead bringing to the House floor a bill that would simply exacerbate the problem.
~~~
A GREAT DAY
FOR OUR COUNTRY
BY Floyd Bowman
I'm sure you have heard that the Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. Now, I am not going to pretend that I know what all is in this Act, cause I sure don't. What I do know, comes from people like Rep. Nancy Pelosi, President Obama, Rep. George Miller (D) Cal.
The few things I want to say about it, really, is in response to statements from the Republicans that are telling, simply, untruths about the Act. For example, the Republican Presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, has said that the Act is a "job killer" and that, "It will raise medical cost by trillions." The House Speaker, Rep Boehner, said that, "It is a Government run medical program" and someone else said that, "You won't have a choice about what doctor you can have and that you can't keep an insurance that you already have if you want to."
None, of these statements, are true. As far as cost is concerned, drugs have already reduced and now that the Act is here to stay, providing we all work hard and get President Obama re-elected and take over the House and keep the Senate, I am told, responsibly, that we will see insurance premiums reduce. If, things are right, after the election, we may be able to get the "Public Option" passed and then we will definitely see premiums go down. Also, relating to costs, the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) has made a study of the Act and has said that it will LOWER THE DEFICIT BY $124 BILLION OVER 10 YEARS.
As far as this being a government run medical program, it just flatly isn't. Doctors and the medical industry will run the program just as they do now. AND you can certainly have the doctor of your choice. There just isn't any dictation like that in the Act. Also, you can have or keep any insurance you want or already have.
HISTORY OF UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE.
It's kind of interesting to note that, the first mention and attempt at gaining some universal health care, was by President Teddy Roosevelt. It was also, tried by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Lyndon B. Johnson. None, of them were successful. President Obama is the first to get it done.
In President Obama's remarks after the Supreme Courts decision, he made one statement that I really took note of. He said, "I didn't do this for good politics. I did it cause, it was good for the country. It was good for the people."
Romney said that, "If we want to get rid of Obamacare we have to get rid of Obama." If, this ruling and all the money that is going to go into lies about the Affordable Care Act, in the next four months, isn't enough for all of us to have a wake up call, then I don't know what it would take. The Republicans are going to ride this horse till he falls, and we all have to help that horse to fall. No offense at horses, I love them.
The Court says it is a tax on those who don't buy insurance. These are people who can afford to buy insurance, but choose not to. There is still no evidence of a wide spread tax on the middle class in the law.
The Republicans are still trying to scare people that, the IRS taxman is going to be coming after them
Senator : Marco Rubio (R) of Fl, said "I don't think sick king the IRS on MILLIONS of people is the right answer. The only way to get rid of the IRS is to elect a Republican President and a Republican Congress."
Alright, first, this tax is not on millions of people, as Sen. Rubio refers to. The CBO (Congressional Budge Office) has reported that those not buy insurance will be about 1%. In some cases it will be less. In Massachusetts
The White House, even though the Court said this was a tax, says that it actually is a penalty. I think it is just a matter of semantics. The word "tax," used by the Court, permitted the Court to determine that it was constitutional. The main point, regardless of what you call it, is that, it will affect a small group of people; not millions, as the Republicans are trying to make everyone believe. The penalty amounts to a:
* Fee on health insurers.
* Fee on pharmaceutical manufacturers.
* Fee on high cost health plans.
* A 10% excise tax on indoor tanning services.
When President Obama made his comments, the other day, about the Court ruling, he, in no way, made it a political point. Now the Republicans are making it a big political football to kick around. With the money they have they will be distorting the truth about the Affordable Care Act all over the airways.
The Republicans have to "distort" the truth because years ago, in 2009 Romney said, "Using tax penalties, as we did ...encourages free riders' to take responsibility for themselves, rather than passing their medical costs on to others." The Republicans have nothing for a replacement. One thing your not going to hear Romney talk about is how the Affordable Care Act raises taxes. Mitt Romney was for the mandate penalty, three years ago.
I don't think I have mentioned, that the Affordable Care Act was fashioned after the health care law in Massachusetts
Government Paralysis and the Social Security Trust Fund
Social Security is, today, facing its greatest challenges ever, and it is not at all certain what the future holds for the program. If the surplus revenue, generated by the 1983 payroll tax increase, had been saved and invested in marketable U.S. Treasury bonds, as was the intent of the legislation, the Social Security trust fund would today hold 2.7 trillion in “good-as-gold” marketable U.S.
These bonds could have been sold in the open market, as needed, and full benefits could have been paid until 2033. But the intent of the Social Security Amendments of 1983 was not followed. Instead of saving and investing the surplus money, as it was supposed to do, the government spent every dime of it on wars and other government programs.
As a result, the trust fund today holds no real assets that can be converted to cash. The $2.7 trillion of Social Security money has been misused. The money was spent for non-Social Security purposes, and it no longer exists. The government “borrowed” the money and replaced it with IOUs, called “special issues of the Treasury.” These IOUs represent an accounting record of how much Social Security money was misspent, but they cannot be converted into cash, or used to pay benefits.
Unless the government repays that $2.7 trillion, Social Security will face some hard times in the years ahead, and there is no certainty that the government will repay the money. No provisions have been made for repaying the money, and, given the political environment that currently exists, it may not be politically feasible to repay the money.
Many people have a very naïve notion of how the United States United States
America is, today, travelling through uncharted political waters. Our political system has broken down, and we are going through the greatest tax rebellion since the Boston
In the summer of 2011, irresponsible politicians took the nation to the brink of national bankruptcy over what should have been a routine vote to raise the debt ceiling, and there are indications that the same thing might happen again. It is very questionable that today’s, or tomorrow’s, politicians will risk their political careers by voting for a tax increase to pay back the Social Security money that was “borrowed” and spent by yesterday’s politicians.
Finally, the government is not legally obligated to repay the Social Security money. Section 1104 of the 1935 Social Security Act, specifically states, “The right to alter, amend, or repeal any provision of this Act is hereby reserved to the Congress,” and, in a 1960 U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Fleming v. Nestor), the Court ruled that nobody has a “contractual earned right” to Social Security benefits. Thus, Congress could legally do whatever it wanted to do with regard to changing, or even eliminating, Social Security.
~~~
PARTING THOUGHT
It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth - - and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up - - that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.
~~~
If the good Lord is willing and the creek don't rise, I'll talk with you again on Tuesday July 10, 2012, if not before.
Floyd
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