Results for Iowa Republican Caucus (U.S. Presidential Primary)

Jan 03, 2012 (100% of precincts reporting)

Mitt Romney	30,015	24.6%
Rick Santorum	30,007	24.5%
Ron Paul	26,219	21.4%
Newt Gingrich	16,251	13.3%
Rick Perry	12,604	10.3%

The Bourne Identity Crisis

This is what you get when Hollywood liberals become disenchanted. Oscar winning film writer Matt Damon (who is also famous for his non-Oscar winning acting roles in such films as the Bourne Identity) recently went on record to criticize his former political hero, Barack Obama by stating that, " a one-term president with some balls who actually got stuff done would have been, in the long run of the country, much better."

This is the Liberal Bourne Identity Crisis. Do they cast their 2012 presidential ballot in favor of a man that many liberals have identified as a do-nothing sell out to their cause, or do they vote for Ralph Nader? Or *GASP* do they vote for one of the many Republican candidates?

I'm casting my box-office vote with the non-Jason Bourne secret agent whom Mr. Damon, in a 2009, called "an imperialist, misogynist sociopath who goes around bedding women and swilling martinis and killing people. He's repulsive." That's right: James Bond, 007, will be returning to theaters in "Skyfall" slated for release in 2012. As president Obama stated in response to Matt's criticism, "Matt Damon said he was disappointed in my performance. Well, Matt, I just saw "The Adjustment Bureau," so right back atcha, buddy." Amen to that Mr. President. Amen to that.

Cryogenics and Politics

I'll be honest. I've had a real hard time getting involved in the debates and campaigning by the Republican candidates for the next presidential election. It's like I've become overcome by a malaise. My interest in politics has atrophied.

The previous election cycle, the one from which we inherited President Obama, was a long and drawn-out affair. This current election cycle has repeated that nauseating theater with candidates jockeying for position almost before Obama took his oath of office.

It's the media's fault. I know it is. They filled every slow-news-day over the last four years with conjecture over just who might throw their hat into the political ring to lead the Republicans to defeat Obama - who has been unfairly vilified by many ultra-right-wingers. Seriously... I have to ask how someone could throw unswerving support for former President George W. Bush and have nothing but absolute hatred for someone who has largely done little but continue to follow and enforce the very same politics as his predecessor. The rhetoric may have changed, but it's hard to imagine George W. Bush and his neo-conservative philosophy reacting any differently to domestic and foreign affairs than Barack H. Obama has. The one exception being healthcare, in which G.W.B. would have likely sneaked reform in slowly through measures like his landmark 2003 Medicare Modernization Act rather then the rapid fire action of Obamacare.

None of the Republican Party candidates have really given me a reason to hope things could be different. Except for Dr. Ron Paul, the Congressman from Texas, they all offer the same thing: Neo-Conservatism which is nothing greatly different from Bill Clinton style democracy. And while I would welcome Dr. Paul's ideas for domestic policy, it's his foreign policy - one that is based on a philosophy which discounts pragmatic realities - that worries me. I'm not convinced that a President Ron Paul would adequately preserve our the U.S.A.'s status as a world power.

So. Here we are. Stuck watching the political game for another year. Personally, I'd like to be placed in suspended animation. Wake me when it's over.

Doom

It is in the hearts of men to use power as a means to gain more power.  It will always be so.  The heart of mankind is corrupt in every way, and this truth can be seen in the smallest of towns where the "right side" and "wrong side" of the tracks are clearly defined.  It can be seen in the cities where old and new money is used to manipulate local markets in order to ensure the status quo.  The same disgusting grasp for power and influence is magnified in the State and Federal governments and the expression of that desperate search for power is evident in all of our activities as a nation.

It is no surprise that our natural inclination as a nation is to seek hegemony over the world given our propensity to seek it everywhere.  We are not the first nation, neither will we be the last to use our power to manipulate the weak or the corrupt in our own favor.  When we fall, there will be another who will ascend to the place of power and use that power to dominate our children and grandchildren.  I do not even have to lay claim to the title of Prophet in order to predict our demise.  I only have to recognize the patterns of history and understand that we are not immune from the inexorable march of destiny.

When the Just Man points at our evils and demands that we face them, that man will never enjoy the applause of the powerful.  He will never attain the office of worth, because his very presence reminds the powerful of their greed and avarice. They will seek to destroy the man and his message.  They will use all of the weapons of might and fright to maintain their position and power.  They will destroy the Just Man because their power is worth more to them than their virtue.

Alas, that I have come to be born in this time.  Alas, that I have lived to see this day dawn upon this nation.  Whoa upon me that I am alive to see the destruction of the might and majesty of a nation who once believed in the inviolate right of the individual over the state.  We are doomed.

Pizza Pork

Never let it be said that running for office must be a humdrum existence.  This article certainly sheds light on the recent goings-on in the doomed Herman Cain candidacy.  It looks to me that the "everyman" likes his private jet and fancy meals more than his assumed goal to become the next President.  One of the telling quotes from the story:

"In many respects, meanwhile, Mr. Cain’s expenditures on actual campaigning for the presidency appeared anemic. Well after the initial and unexpected spike in attention to Mr. Cain in late September, a reluctance to ramp up resources meant his staff was unable to receive emails for days at a time because the organization’s meager computer servers were overwhelmed with traffic. There was little evidence of major ad buys."

If I had to guess Mr. Cain was never actually interested in gaining the Presidency.  In all actuality, he may have been in the race simply for the perks...

Now, before you go assuming that I'm advocating for an austere campaign, I completely get the need for chartered jet travel.  Without that convenience, modern-day campaigning would be nearly impossible.  But to spend your money on a plane but not on advertising?  There was something wrong with the man's priorities.

Don't even get me started on Newt.

Greedy Politics Destroys the World

For those of you who don't believe in the concept of "blowback" in the area of foreign affairs, consider the untold history of the United States' involvement in World War II.  As this article describes in the highest level, the US President and his advisors saw little need to accept Japanese overtures for peace prior to the start of hostilities.  According to Herber Hoover, the possibility of war was not a certainty, and the greedy pig-headed politicians of the day did little to prevent war.

In fact, they seem to have wanted war.  And war is what they got.

It is amazing to see pundits of all stripes dismiss the idea of blowback based on our actions in foreign affairs.  These pundits are naive at the best, intellectually dishonest at the worst.

Pigs in the PigPen

Here is how they play....

In case anyone thinks that the collusion between the Banks and the Government is harmless please read the link above.  This move by the Bank of America will ensure that your funds are GONE in the event of default on their most risky derivatives.

Remember that BoA is the BIGGEST bank in the US and you can bet your last silver gram that the rest of the big banks will do the same.

By the way, the derivatives that BoA is "protecting" this way are worth 80,000,000,000,000.00.  Thats 80 TRILLION DOLLARS.

Pop Quiz

Who gave the following speech on the floor of the House of Representatives on July 16, 2002?

"Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the Free Housing Market Enhancement Act. This legislation restores a free market in housing by repealing special privileges for housing-related government sponsored enterprises (GSEs). These entities are the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie), and the National Home Loan Bank Board (HLBB)...

"One of the major government privileges granted these GSEs is a line of credit to the United States Treasury. According to some estimates, the line of credit may be worth over $2 billion. This explicit promise by the Treasury to bail out these GSEs in times of economic difficulty helps them attract investors who are willing to settle for lower yields than they would demand in the absence of the subsidy. Thus, the line of credit distorts the allocation of capital...

"Ironically, by transferring the risk of a widespread mortgage default, the government increases the likelihood of a painful crash in the housing market. This is because the special privileges of Fannie, Freddie, and HLBB have distorted the housing market by allowing them to attract capital they could not attract under pure market conditions. As a result, capital is diverted from its most productive use into housing...

"However, despite the long-term damage to the economy inflicted by the government’s interference in the housing market, the government’s policies of diverting capital to other uses creates a short-term boom in housing. Like all artificially-created bubbles, the boom in housing prices cannot last forever. When housing prices fall, homeowners will experience difficulty as their equity is wiped out. Furthermore, the holders of the mortgage debt will also have a loss. These losses will be greater than they would have otherwise been had government policy not actively encouraged over-investment in housing."