Stop Pulling the Wagon

Original Story by Paul Galdone

Bob’s version of the Little Red Hen

ONCE UPON A TIME there was a little red hen who wanted to start her own oil company.

Who will help me find the oil she asked? Not us said the Federal Government!  Not us said the State Government!  Okay, said the Little Red Hen.  I will find it myself, and she did.

Who will help me get the oil out of the ground she asked? Not us said the Federal Government!  Not us said the State Government!  Okay, said the Little Red Hen.  So she did it herself.

Who will help me get the oil to the refinery? Not us said the Federal Government!  Not us said the State Government!  Okay, said the Little Red Hen.  I will transport it myself, and she did.

Who will help me refine the oil into gasoline she asked? Not us said the Federal Government!  Not us said the State Government!  Okay, said the Little Red Hen, I’ll do it by myself.  And she did.

Who will help me transport the gasoline to the Service Station she asked?  Not us said the Federal Government!  Not us said the State Government!  Okay, said the Little Red Hen, I will haul it there myself.

Finally the Little Red Hen’s gasoline is sold.

Who would like to share in the profits she asked?  

We would said the Federal Government and we demand 18.4 cents per gallon.

We would said California State Government and we demand 58.3 cents per gallon.

Looking in her pocketbook the Little Red Hen found that she only made a net profit of 7 cents per gallon.  (source Forbes & Factcheck)

Later, Federal Government and California State Government notified the Little Red Hen that since she was so greedy they were going to tax her income for the excessive profits she had made.  

7 cents a gallon profit.  Those darn oil companies sure are greedy aren’t they!

You can’t make this stuff up.

Bob Bandy

PROLOGUE

My wife and I love and are very proud of our daughter.  She always did well in grade school.  She was in the top of her classes in both High School and College.  Worked and paid her own way through College and graduated with a degree in her career field and money in the bank.

Following college she got a job in her chosen field and is well established on her career path.  She likes what she does, who she works with and the city she works in.  She is liked and respected by her co-workers and on a secure path in her employment.  She has a good paying job with benefits.

BUT IN CALIFORNIA

A wonderful daughter and model citizen who has done everything right cannot find a place to live that she can afford in the city where she works.  A one bedroom apartment is $1500 a month plus utilities.

Why is housing so expensive and scarce in California?  In a word, Government at all levels.

Many years ago California voters passed a ballot initiative titled Proposition 13 to stabilize and limit government property tax increases to 1% a year.  In other words they could not increase your properties tax value base more than 1% a year as long as you lived in your home no matter what happened to property values in your neighborhood.

If you sold your home or did a major add-on you could trigger a revaluation process.  Otherwise you were protected by Proposition 13 from property tax increases of more than 1% a year by greedy government. 

City, County and State Government in California have an endless thirst for more revenue.  If they can’t raise property taxes more than 1% a year they must find other ways.  Fees and assessments are one route they have taken.  Both are just tax increases with an identity crises.

Now many (all?) cities/counties have raised the fees for a Building Permit, associated fees and assessments.  If you want to read a fee schedule for one city go to:

  https://www.cityofranchocordova.org/home/showdocument?id=13958 

This is a 79 page document with a “laundry list” of fees for new construction.  You need to read the whole “book” to see all the various assessments/fees added to the basic original “Permit” fee.

I don’t have information on all cities/counties but, based on information I have received from reliable sources,  the “average”  for “new”  Building Permit and Property Development fees that use to average about 65 cents per square foot have risen to an average of about Ten Dollars and 65 cents per square foot. 

Using these numbers as an example:  You want to build a 1,500 square foot house.  With patio, walkway, driveway and garage you are “building/developing” a total of 3,000 square feet.   Based on the old rate of 65 cents a square foot,  the Building Permit Fee would have cost you $1,950.  Under the new fee structure that same permit now costs you $31,950.  This is before you turn over the first shovelful of dirt or drive the first nail.  That raises the cost of building your house by $30,000 in this example.  

If a developer wants to put in a housing, condo or apartment complex that increase in cost has to be passed on to the buyer.  

This is one of the reasons you see so many new housing developments  with two story houses built on tiny lots almost touching each other and having little or no front or back yards.  The added per square foot fee cost raises the cost of construction and the final price of the house, condo or apartment.  Hence, $1500 per month rent on a one bedroom  apartment.

This added on cost of building now raises your property value for tax purposes and lets government tax you on that additional $30,000 they charged you for “permission to build” on a “forever” basis as Property Tax.  To put it another way you are now paying property taxes year after year on a Government Fee!   The perfect End-Around tax hike.

It also forces up property values for existing houses and creates additional tax “opportunities” for government to collect even more property taxes as “value inflated” properties are sold on the market.  Government “wins” again.  Even as more and more citizens find they cannot find affordable housing.

Another reason for high housing costs is the demands put on builders to meet ever new and changing requirements for housing.  Many are desirable but expensive.  For example:  Solar panels will soon  (or may now) be required on new construction which can quickly add $20,000 to the cost of a house and its property value tax base.   

I remember many years ago in California, when property taxes  included Police and Fire Protection, schools, street maintenance, water and sewer service plus “garbage” service.  Now many of these are separate billed services or assessments on your annual property tax bill.  Those earlier days are long gone.

The above described Government greed for revenue is one of the reasons that housing is un-affordable in California and we see “tent cities” springing up in our cities and along our roads.  

“If God had not wanted them shorn, He would not have made them sheep.”  –  The Bandit Calvera – The Magnificent Seven – United Artists 1960

Bob Bandy

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

(Warner Bros. 1985)

As I am writing this the country of Venezuela is in chaotic economic collapse with government troops confronted by angry and desperate mobs of hungry people in the streets.  Stories are coming out of the country of people eating their own pets and long lines for a loaf of bread that now costs a huge pile of the hyper-inflated, devalued currency – when bread is even available.

Venezuela was a country with huge oil reserves, rich in natural resources and a vibrant hospitable people.

How did this happen and could it happen here in America?

In short, what happened was Hugo Chavez and his promise of a Socialist Paradise.

Nationalization and/or Government control of many/most productive industries and destruction of the “middle class”.  Affiliation with Communist Cuba and the Soviet Union.  Alienation from the United States and eventually most of the more moderate countries in Central and South America.

Once inflation, followed by hyper-inflation set in, what has followed was assured.

COULD THIS HAPPEN IN AMERICA?

Lets see how we are doing.

As of Feb. 11, 2019 the total U.S. Public Debt was $22,012,840,891,685.32

Source:  U.S. Government site:  https://treasurydirect.gov/NP/debt/current

America is now over 22 Trillion Dollars in debt.   According to public reports the Treasury Department is in the process of “borrowing” another 800 Billion Dollars for the balance of this year

Just the yearly interest on this debt is $364 Billion Dollars.  With projected annual interest by 2028 of  $761 Billion.

Source: https://www.thebalance.com/interest-on-the-national-debt-4119024

If the above numbers do not frighten you, they should.  The government does not even have the money in current funding to pay the interest on the debt.  So they borrow money to pay interest and keep on spending.  “Creative Accounting”.

Our Nations Debt has more than doubled in the last 10 years!

If the debt continues to grow, and I doubt there is the discipline in our country to stop it from growing, at some point in the not too distant future, just the interest on the debt could exceed current annual Federal Tax revenues.  

The word “unsustainable” is one of those words that we hear but the full potential impact of the word does not really register in the minds of the average citizen.  And if confronted with it most folks don’t want to deal with it. The effect can be catastrophic.  

While individuals, corporations, even cities can file for Bankruptcy, the Federal Government cannot.  The only option they have is to print money.   That means inflation and often leads to hyper-inflation.  From the Romans to Post World War I Germany to Zimbabwe to happening right now in Venezuela, governments throughout history have tried to use inflation to escape debt.

I don’t see a solution on a national scale.  So much of government spending is on “auto-pilot” with built in increases year by year.  There is no desire or will to slash spending on a government level and if such a plan were put forth it would have no chance whatever to pass congress.

Just my opinion based on observation but I believe as individual citizens we need to make plans for survival for ourselves and those we care about if the wheels come off the Government Wagon.  A word to the wise.

Bob Bandy

With the opening of the new Congress and change to Democratic control of the House of Representatives we are hearing renewed calls for “Medicare For All” residents of the United States.  This has become a rallying cry for the “Progressive” wing of the Democratic Party.  Not all Democrats are admitted “Progressives” but  a growing number appear to be.

“Progressive” is a kinder and gentler word for “Socialist” and some champions for this cause readily admit to Socialist leanings.  Socialist is in turn, often associated with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics/Russia  and other Socialist countries like Venezuela, Cuba and many others.

If you would like an example of living in a Socialist Country, you might want to vacation in Venezuela this year.  Make it soon.  The country is in “end stage” Economic Collapse.

“Medicare For All” has a nice “ring” to it and on the surface would appear to be a way to provide Universal Medical Care to everyone on a simplified, single payer basis.  The idea sounds simple enough to be attractive.

A similar proposal was studied under Bill Clinton’s Presidency with Hillary Clinton heading up a task force to work out a plan for implementation.  After much study and spending millions of dollars on the proposed idea it was ultimately determined to be unworkable.

Several studies have been done and reported in Bloomberg and other  outlets that place the estimated cost of such a proposed plan at between 32 Trillion and 42 Trillion Dollars over 10 years.  That’s about 3.2 Trillion to 4.2 Trillion Dollars a year and would approximately double current Federal Spending.

It should be noted that Medicare as it currently operates is on the road to Bankruptcy.  Government Trustees, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar,  issued a report that Medicare’s trust fund will run out in 2026 and the combined trust funds of Social Security will run out in 2034.  Source: The Washington Examiner – Saturday January 26, 2019 – from a report by Joseph Lawler June 05, 2018.

Many people believe that Medicare is “Free” healthcare for Senior Citizens.  It is not.  Medicare is not free.  Premiums for Medicare are based in part on income – visit: MyMedicare.Gov – but if I take myself as an example, I’m a pretty ordinary Senior on a modest income, the following shows my Medicare Medical Insurance  and Medicare Prescription Plan monthly premiums for this year.  Keep in mind that plan premiums are for each individual.  Mine total just a bit over $300 a month this year.  If on a “Medicare For All” plan and I was one of a family of five, we could be paying a total premium of $1,500 a month.  

Please keep in mind also that Medicare Medical Insurance does not cover everything and has co-pays, deductibles and maximums.  The same for the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan.  When your limits run out during the year and, “you” are “on your own” for the cost of care or prescriptions for the rest of that year, is where we Seniors get the phrase “Donut Hole”.  I hit my own “Donut Hole” last year on my Medicare Prescription Drug Plan in October.

For the tens of millions of citizens who might not want to be a part of “Medicare For All” and are happy with their current insurance, don’t worry, “If you like your Doctor and Insurance, you can keep them, and that’s a promise!”  Hmmm – Where did we hear that before?

I am sure that Congress, most government employees and various other “special interests” would find a way to exempt themselves just as they did from the “Affordable Care Act”.  Hardly “Medicare For All”.  “All” never seems to include our “Ruling Class”.

For Senior Citizens the premium is withheld from our Social Security payment.  What would the Government do to collect premiums from those who don’t have a check to withhold the premium from, or those who don’t work for a paycheck?  What about those who can’t or won’t pay?

What would happen to the cost of care?  Are there enough doctors to make the plan work?  Not all doctors are currently willing to accept Medicare patients.   There are many unanswered questions. 

In the news and something to think about.

Bob Bandy

WHAT TANGLED WEBS WE WEAVE

Following the great tragedy, loss of life and misery of the recent “Camp” fire that took more than eighty lives and destroyed the town of Paradise, California as well as causing serious damage to neighboring communities, the survivors are looking at a long period of recovery and rebuilding.

Making matters more complicated and difficult will be a consortium of lawyers, Insurance Companies, State & Federal Regulatory Agencies as well as often conflicting and contrary (re)building permits, environmental impact rules, etc.etc.etc.

As just one example, The California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) regulates investor-owned electric and natural gas utilities operating in California.  The PUC is a “rats nest” of rules, regulations and political favoritism.  Want to get nominated to the PUC Governing Board?  Support the Party in power in Sacramento.

Already we have various sources blaming Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) for the cause of the fire and numerous Trial Lawyer Firms running ads soliciting lawsuits from victims and their families.  No matter the source of a disaster, the Trial Lawyers always hear the potential “Ka-Ching” of a cash register in their future.

PG&E has notified the State of California and others that they do not have the resources to cover potentially Billions of dollars in lawsuits and damage claims and have taken preliminary steps to file for re-organization under Bankruptcy Laws.

I am now hearing on the radio, ads from Law Firms for citizens to petition the State and Courts to not allow PG&E to file Bankruptcy and avoid paying out all of the massive claims pending.

Without defending or blaming PG&E, I would like to point out a few thoughts I have on the subject:

• PG&E has one major source of revenue:  Ratepayers, i.e. customers for the energy services they provide. Should the courts award Billions of Dollars in judgement’s to the victims of the fire and their lawyers, where will the money come from to pay those judgement’s?  PG&E’s customers, the Ratepayers.
• PG&E’s profits are very tightly regulated by the PUC which allows them only a “reasonable” profit over and above their actual costs.
• The PUC also regulates where PG&E must put their power and gas lines, how they are to be constructed, what maintenance is required,  what communities must be served, etc.etc.
• State and Federal Agencies tell PG&E how much or how little clearance of brush, trees and vegetation can or must be done along “right of ways” for power and gas lines. 
• Other than a State of California PUC “reasonable and Prudent” cash reserve over day to day operating expenses, PG&E’s assets are mostly tied up in maintenance and operating equipment (tools, trucks, materials etc.).

SO

• If court ordered judgement’s in the Tens of Billions of Dollars are awarded to victims, keeping in mind that 30-50% of those dollars will go to pay litigation costs – i.e. end up in the Trial Lawyers pockets, PG&E will have to increase rates Statewide to begin to satisfy the judgement’s.  With PUC approval of course.

OR

• If the courts should decide to “liquidate” PG&E by selling all of its assets to pay toward the judgements, current PG&E customers may find themselves sitting in cold, dark rooms watching television by candlelight. 

If the courts should ultimately decide that PG&E is not at fault for the fire, or bears only a percentage of the blame perhaps a just recourse would be a fund paid in part by the Insurance Companies, PG&E (to the limit of their own insurance), and State of California Disaster Funds.

If the PUC and State of California are found negligent in their oversight and monitoring responsibilities then they should share in the blame and  costs. 

Perhaps additional funds should come from the United States and California Forrest management Funds due to their restrictions on clearance of hazardous, often dead, trees and brush. 

I would suggest that these funds be administered and paid out under the direction of Judge Judy. 

If anyone out there thinks money can be honestly and faithfully distributed by the Trial Lawyers I would like to ask you to send me $20 in cash along with a self addressed, stamped envelope and I will send you a glossy photo of the Tooth Fairy.

Bob Bandy

The following article was sent to me some months back.  It made me angry, frustrated, depressed and kind of sick all at the same time.  I just put it in a “file” and let it age. You may have seen it before and if you did you can just “skip” this one if you like.  

I am reprinting it here without comment other than sharing my feeling that where can we turn for redress if the FBI, Justice Department and related agencies are all corrupt?  The author is unknown by me but the facts are real and  not in question.

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Is there just a little corruption in DC? Read this. It explains all.

From 2001 to 2005 there was an ongoing investigation into the Clinton Foundation. A Grand Jury had been empaneled. Governments from around the world had donated to the “Charity”. Yet, from 2001 to 2003 none of those “Donations” to the Clinton Foundation were declared.

Hmmm, now you would think that an honest investigator would be able to figure this out.

Guess who took over this investigation in 2002? Bet you can’t guess. No other than James Comey. Now, that’s interesting, isn’t it? Guess who was transferred in to the Internal Revenue Service to run the Tax Exemption Branch of the IRS? Your friend and mine, Lois “Be on The Look Out” (BOLO) Lerner. Now, that’s interesting, isn’t it?

It gets better, well not really, but this is all just a series of strange coincidences, right?

Guess who ran the Tax Division inside the Department of Injustice from 2001 to 2005?  No other than the Assistant Attorney General of the United States, Rod Rosenstein.  Now, that’s interesting, isn’t it? Guess who was the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation during this time frame??? I know, it’s a miracle, just a coincidence, just an anomaly in statistics and chances: Robert Mueller.

What do all four casting characters have in common? They all were briefed and/or were front line investigators into the Clinton Foundation Investigation. Now that’s just a coincidence, right? OK, lets chalk the last one up to mere chance.

Let’s fast forward to 2009. James Comey leaves the Justice Department to go and cash-in at Lockheed Martin.

Hillary Clinton is running the State Department, on her own personal email server by the way. The Uranium One “issue” comes to the attention of the Hillary. Like all good public servants do, you know looking out for America’s best interest, She decides to support the decision and approve the sale of 20% of US Uranium to no other than, the Russians.

Now you would think that this is a fairly straight up deal, except it wasn’t, the People got absolutely nothing out of it. However, prior to the sales approval, no other than Bill Clinton goes to Moscow, gets paid 500K for a one hour speech then meets with Vladimir Putin at his home for a few hours. Ok, no big deal right? Well, not so fast, the FBI had a mole inside the money laundering and bribery scheme.

Guess who was the FBI Director during this time frame? Yep, Robert Mueller. He even delivered a Uranium Sample to Moscow in 2009. Guess who was handling that case within the Justice Department out of the US Attorney’s Office in Maryland. No other than, Rod Rosenstein.

Guess what happened to the informant? Department of Justice placed a GAG order on him and threatened to lock him up if he spoke out about it. How does 20% of the most strategic asset of the United States of America end up in Russian hands when the FBI has an informant, a mole providing inside information to the FBI on the criminal enterprise?

Guess what happened soon after the sale was approved? ~145 million dollars in “donations” made their way into the Clinton Foundation from entities directly connected to the Uranium One deal. Guess who was still at the Internal Revenue Service working the Charitable Division? No other than, Lois Lerner.

Ok, that’s all just another series of coincidences, nothing to see here, right?

Let’s fast forward to 2015. Due to a series of tragic events in Benghazi and after the 9 “investigations” of the House, Senate and at State Department, Trey Gowdy who was running the 10th investigation as Chairman of the Select Committee on Benghazi discovers that the Hillary ran the State Department on an unclassified, unauthorized, outlaw personal email server. He also discovered that none of those emails had been turned over when she departed her “Public Service” as Secretary of State which was required by law. He also discovered that there was Top Secret information contained within her personally archived email. Sparing you the State Departments cover up, the nostrums they floated, the delay tactics that were employed and the outright lies that were spewed forth from the necks of the Kerry State Department, we shall leave it with this…… they did everything humanly possible to cover for Hillary.

Now this is amazing, guess who became FBI Director in 2013? Guess who secured 17 no bid contracts for his employer (Lockheed Martin) with the State Department and was rewarded with a six million dollar thank you present when he departed his employer. No other than James Comey. Amazing how all those no-bids just went right through at State, huh? Now he is the FBI Director in charge of the “Clinton Email Investigation” after of course his FBI Investigates the Lois Lerner “Matter” at the Internal Revenue Service and exonerates her. Nope couldn’t find any crimes there. Can you guess what happened next?

In April 2016, James Comey drafts an exoneration letter of Hillary Rodham Clinton, meanwhile the DOJ is handing out immunity deals like candy. They didn’t even convene a Grand Jury. Like a lightning bolt of statistical impossibility, like a miracle from God himself, like the true “Gangsta” Comey is, James steps out into the cameras of an awaiting press conference on July the 8th of 2016, and exonerates the Hillary from any wrongdoing.

Can you see the pattern?

It goes on and on, Rosenstein becomes Asst. Attorney General, Comey gets fired based upon a letter by Rosenstein, Comey leaks government information to the press, Mueller is assigned to the Russian Investigation sham by Rosenstein to provide cover for decades of malfeasance within the FBI and DOJ and the story continues. As of this writing, the Clinton Foundation, in its 20+ years of operation of being the largest International Charity Fraud in the history of mankind, has never been audited by the Internal Revenue Service.

FISA Abuse, political espionage….. pick a crime, any crime, chances are…… this group and a few others did it.

All the same players. All compromised and conflicted. All working fervently to NOT go to jail themselves.

All connected in one way or another to the Clinton’s. They are like battery acid, they corrode and corrupt everything they touch. How many lives have these two destroyed?

Let us not forget that Comey’s brother works for DLA Piper, the law firm that does the Clinton Foundation’s taxes.

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End of reprinted article.   

Bob Bandy

For more on the Clinton’s,  type: Clinton Crime Family in the Search Box and hit enter on your keyboard.