Stop Pulling the Wagon

photo credit – Philadelphia Trumpet April 2022

Big Government – Big Pharma – Big Media

As pointed out in the Philadelphia Trumpet article,  the Covid Pandemic, while a disaster for tens of millions of ordinary Americans, was a money making bonanza for a select group of those in power. 

Think of them as members of America’s Oligarchy.

Dictionary:  An oligarch is one of the select few people who rule or influence leaders in an oligarchy—a government in which power is held by a select few individuals or a small class of powerful people.

LIVING IN AN OLIGARCHY

American Oligarch’s include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Powerful members of the media including:  Google, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, the “Mainstream” Media, Print, Television, Internet and others.

2. The current Political Administration including the Office of the President and various powerful Agencies like: The FBI, Department of Justice, Secret Service, Central Intelligence Agency, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, Department of Energy and a “laundry list” of other agencies, most/all of which have become Politicized and no longer feel bound by the U.S. Constitution or the laws levied on the rest of us.

3. The “Military Industrial Complex”  Which includes not only the Military but also manufacturers and distributors of the weapons of war and related materials.  Extremely profitable Industry when those Government Contracts come your way.

4. Major Corporations and their C.E.O.’s.  Include in this group Major Banks and their officers.

5.  The Federal Reserve Board and system which along with the Treasury Department have the authority to print endless amounts of “deficit” (phony) dollars, regulate interest rates and cause inflation.

Ad nauseum.

Historically, whether it is a Pandemic, War or Natural Disaster, “Bad News” is not bad for everyone out there.  If you are one of the few select people in power, it can be downright profitable.  An opportunity to make obscene amounts of money while acquiring ever more power.

During the recent Covid Pandemic Pfizer (and other Pharmaceutical companies), made Billions of Dollars in profits and are still doing so.  All being paid for by some 5 Trillion (deficit) Dollars in spending by our government.  In the process we are finding out some unknown number of Millions (Billions) of those dollars were diverted to Golf Course and other “Pork Barrel” projects in Congressional districts across the county to enrich various members of Congress through their “Government Contractor” (and other) supporters.  “Follow the Money”.

Blood and Treasure

The meaning of this phrase all too often signifies the “Blood of those who serve creates Treasure for those who produce the means of destruction”.

Our political leaders (Oligarch’s) keep getting us involved in various wars (Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, others).  The men and women who serve our nation do so with honor and at personal sacrifice.  Too often they must pay a price in blood and crippling injury and many with the ultimate sacrifice of their lives (50,000+ Americans lost their lives in Vietnam alone). Having said that, the Defense Contractor “Oligarch’s” made Billions of Dollars in profits.  Ever heard of the “Military Industrial Complex”?  “Follow the money.”

In the process of leaving Afghanistan, because of political miscalculation and the failure of leadership, the Taliban were “gifted” an estimated One Billion Dollars (probably a “low ball” estimate) in military hardware paid for by the American Taxpayer. “Follow the Money”.

Fire, Flood & Earthquake

The same goes for Natural Disasters.  Only one example (one I have used before) out of many, the Haiti Earthquake in 1993.  The U.S., and other countries, pledged Billions of dollars in Reconstruction Aid.  Several Billion of those dollars were “flushed” through the Clinton Foundation.  Very little Reconstruction was done but those Billions ended up in somebodies pockets – friends of the Clintons or ??.  Again, Bad News for Some is Good News for others.  “Follow the Money.”  

But not to pick on just the Clinton’s,  this happens over and over and over.  Hugh amounts of money are allocated and much of it just vanishes “poof” into a more and more corrupt system that enriches the few and does all too little to help those most in need.

Social Justice and other “Causes”

When Black Lives Matter were at their height of activity,  Billions of Dollars were pledged and spent by government agencies and major corporations to aid the cause.  Except for some money that can be traced to mansion purchases by the leaders of the organization, can anyone point to improvement in the lives of the poor black citizens they were pledged to help?  How about Chicago, Baltimore and other major cities that are home to ghettos and struggling people of color.  “Follow the Money”.

The above are only a few examples.  There are countless others.  Right now, the U.S. and other governments are funneling Millions and Billions of dollars in an effort to help Ukraine.  I am not opposed to helping the Ukraine in their effort to expel the Russian invaders.  Still while my heart is with the Ukrainian people, others will make a lot of money from producing and shipping the armaments and other help to Ukraine.  The cause is no doubt just, still one needs to “Follow the Money”.

America has its full share of Oligarch’s including the Super Rich, like George Soros, and our “Ruling Class”.  Where else can a person with no real job resume become a Senator for many years, a Vice President and later President, all on a “Public Servants Salary” and be worth Millions and Millions of dollars.  And this story is repeated over and over in our Congress and Senate.

The name of the game is corruption on a massive scale and some get Oligarch Rich in the process.

Russia is not the only country with Oligarch’s.  Under other names virtually all countries have their share and we “common folk” must live in their shadow.

The best way to identify them is to “Follow the Money”!

“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”  I Timothy 6:10

Bob Bandy – April 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping & Russian President Vladimir Putin

Photo: BBC News

Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to believe that he has formed a mutually beneficial and long term relationship with President Xi Jinping of China.

Business Insider.com had even referred to their relationship as a “Blossoming Bromance” in a July 2019 article.

In recent months, before the Ukraine Invasion by Russia, the Chinese and Russians signed huge wheat, coal and oil deals worth more than 100 Billion Dollars to the Russians.

Would it be just conspiratorial conjecture to suspect that the crafty Chinese President “outfoxed” the Russian President by tacitly approving the invasion, and subsequent near genocide of the Ukrainians.  Letting the never popular Russian President become one of the most despised and never to be trusted leaders in the world and now an outcast among civilized nations?

Did President Xi all along just look at President Putin as a “goose” to be fattened and then harvested to serve the expansion of China’s Empire?

Where else among civilized nations can the killer of civilians, whole families, children, even babies, turn to after an unprovoked, barbarous invasion and slaughter of innocents?

I suspect that as time passes Russia will descend into little more than a client “state” of China. A resource rich “goose” to feed the growing needs of China. 

It is more China’s way to use “client states” to do their “dirty work”.  Places like North Korea, as an example, and now perhaps Russia.  In the process China just smiles and practices “plausible deniability”.

Lest you think I am engaging in just wild speculation, consider the following:  China is a brutal, totalitarian country and its citizens have no human or civil rights.  Having said that, can you name for me one “foreign” country China has sent its armies to invade in the last 200 years.  They have used their armies to ruthlessly quell rebellions in many of China’s provinces but not other nations.  Before World War II Japan invaded China but China never invaded Japan.

What China does is acquire influence and power in foreign lands by buying and investing in the resources of foreign nations.  For example:  China became the largest buyer of milk products from New Zealand.  New Zealand expanded milk production by dairy farmers borrowing money to increase their herds to meet China’s growing demand.  Then China cut off buying the milk products.  Many of New Zealand’s dairy farmers could no longer pay the bank loans and filed for bankruptcy.  Chinese “investors” bought up the bankrupt dairy farms.  Chinese “investors” are buying up land, mineral resources and businesses around the world, including here in the United States.  In this way China expands its Empire and influence without ever firing a shot.  Smart like a fox.

Rulers like Vladimir Putin invade places like Ukraine, destroy its infrastructure, severely damage its resources, kill and alienate its citizenry and then takes charge of a country that despises him and is in ruins. This also creates fear and loathing in other nations who understand they could be the next target of aggression.   This is not smart like a fox. It is the actions of a power mad Barbarian.

Tell me, am I wrong?

Bob Bandy – March 2022

Valdimir Putin

HISTORY is replete with the record of Barbarian killers.  Whether they titled themselves as “Emperor”, “King”, “The Great Khan”, “Attila the Hun”, “President” or some other fancy title, they all have a record of filling the annals of time with the deaths of thousands, tens of thousands and often millions of innocent people just trying to live out their lives and care for their children.

Vladimir Putin is not the first, and, unfortunately will likely not be the last of these soulless killers of humanity.

I find myself laying awake at night, my mind haunted by a televised image of a sorrowful man sitting beside a table on which lays a dead child covered with a bloodstained sheet.  The child was killed because of the ambition of Vladimir Putin.  I grieve with this man and the people of the Ukraine and I am tormented with a desire to find a way to stop this kind of madness.

Like many others, I find myself praying that the barbarism and killing will stop.

Following World War I the League of Nations was formed with the intent of making sure another such war would never happen again. Adolph Hitler put that dream in the dust bin of history and is responsible for the death of seven million Jews and so many others.  But, he is not alone in the reign of Barbarians.  Pol Pot, Joseph Stalin and numerous others have caused the death and misery of millions upon millions of humans.

The United Nations was formed following World War II.  It to, has failed in so many ways.  The most it seems to do is issue “Non-Binding Resolutions” of condemnation.  Like wagging your finger at a two year old for breaking his siblings toys with no other consequences.

It has been reported that the United States is sending Vice President Kamala Harris over to Europe.  Maybe to give them another geography lesson on how the Ukraine is located right next to Russia and remind them that our President might need to go “toe to toe” with Putin again as he said he had done in a statement while on the campaign trail.  I am sure this will be every bit as effective as the “Non-Binding Resolution” from the United Nations has been.  With Vice President Harris in charge what could possibly go wrong?

Back in 2009 when one of our political parties was accusing the other party of “pulling the plug” on Grandma’s Heath Care,  I wrote a satirical piece  suggesting the United States would do well to “Pull the Plug” on the United Nations and ship it off to another country before dropping our membership. The message of the article was that the United Nations was no more than a Toothless Tiger which had become mostly a sounding board where other countries, after taking our Foreign Aid money voted against the U.S. whenever possible.

Different era, different tyrants and dictators.  Same “Toothless”  United Nations.

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PULL THE PLUG

September 2009

Bob Bandy

Drawing by Syl Mateo

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Dictator names and nations have changed but not the ineffectiveness of the United Nations.  What a waste.  Sad.

Bob Bandy – March 2022

The following article reprinted from the Philadelphia Trumpet – March 2022 – by Joel Hilliker is one of the best Synopsis of exactly what America has done, and is doing to itself that I have read anywhere.  It is both eye opening and a frightening piece of carefully documented concise, articulate commentary on the subject.   Bob

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photo: google

THE GREATEST NATION ON EARTH?

FACE REALITY: YOU ARE NO LONGER IN IT.

By Joel Hilliker – January 19, 2022

Do you believe America is the strongest country in the world? It’s time to open your eyes: You are living in the post-American world.

The United States has enjoyed the world’s largest economy for about two lifetimes. But depending on the measurement, China has already surpassed it, or is about to. It is building a sprawling trading network that encompasses more than 140 nations. Recently, it signed an agreement with virtually every nation in Latin America and the Caribbean that helps it replace the United States as the region’s top trade partner. The plan covers almost all aspects of life, from learning Chinese to mining to exploring space, for more than 680 million people in 33 countries—and is plainly aimed at taking over America’s backyard.

Such are the deals China is securing that enable it to flood the world with inexpensive exports and thus amass mountains of cash. This wealth it reinvests in foreign countries, then uses this as leverage to gain control of their resources and infrastructure. China is building a global empire, quickly and relentlessly. Meanwhile America, opposed to tyrannies but war weary, relies on economic weapons, freezing regimes like Russia, North Korea, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Venezuela and Cuba out of diplomacy and trade. China, itself a tyrannical regime, is happy to welcome them as they rush into its arms. It just signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership” with Iran that will flood the Islamist terrorist state with cash, as well as providing military training, weapons development and intelligence sharing that could upend the Middle East’s balance of power.

THEY ARE AT IT AGAIN

BEATING THE DRUMS OF EQUITY

WHENEVER the efforts of our politicians fail to produce the results of their campaign promises, and their schemes and plans just produce more debt and inflation, they seem to always fall back on a demand for “Equity”; defined by them as “Equal Outcomes” for all citizens.  Or, in their dreams, everybody has the same amount of “stuff”.  They compound their rhetoric most often by claiming that anything less than full “Equity” is somehow “unfair”, “racist”, “unjust” or pick a similar negative term.  It seems their goal is to make us all equally poor, except for them, the ruling class. 

Congress has a congenital habit of exempting themselves from the legislation they impose on we lowly tax payers.  Example: The “Affordable Care Act”.  It did not apply to Congress or their staff.

Under our Constitution it is clear that what the goal for American’s is, and should be, “Equal Opportunity”. 

OPPORTUNITY AND EQUITY ARE NOT THE SAME

Opportunity is a noble goal and we should all strive for that.  Among human beings, Equity of outcome is not possible and, I would argue, neither a reasonable nor a desirable target.

OPPORTUNITY CREATES WEALTH

EQUITY CREATES POVERTY

Some eight years ago, back in February of 2014 I wrote an article, somewhat “tongue in cheek”, on this subject.  It is reprinted below:

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FIXING INCOME INEQUALITY

The government says it wants to “fix” the problem of unequal pay and income.  They say too few are paid too much (the evil rich) while too many are not paid enough (victims of the rich).  The goal of the government is to equalize pay for all citizens.

Based on the governments track record of “fixing” things like the War on Poverty, our Public Education System, the Postal Service, Amtrak, and the growing National Debt, I am not sure we want them to try to “fix” income equality.  Or anything else.

I have a vision of what a likely government “fix” will look like.

First they will establish what is a reasonable amount for everyone to be paid. For sake of  this discussion lets say they decide on $60,000 a year.  That would be $5,000 a month.

Here is a plan that I am sure would appeal to every bureaucrats heart.  All residents of the United States of working age (18?) would receive a “salary” of $5,000 per month from the government who would function as the payroll department for all employers.  A “single payer” system under complete control of the government and IRS.   We could all become cogs in the wheel of the Proletariat masses.

Don’t worry, if you like your current job, you can keep it.  That’s a promise.

Your education does not matter.  Your age does not matter.  Race, religion, political party, type of work, skill level, work ethic, level of responsibility, or experience. None of these matter.  Unions could be eliminated, you wouldn’t need them.  No merit or performance pay, everybody gets paid the same.  Movie stars, Presidents, Barbers, Plumbers, Soldiers, Dog Catchers, Burger Flippers, Brain Surgeons, etc.

Visualize a Baseball Team under this system.  The owners, the managers, star players, beginning players,  bat boys, groundskeepers, peanut vendors, everybody gets exactly the same pay.

As desirable as this sounds in providing equal pay for all of us it would have the added benefit that the IRS could withhold their “fair share” before we see our paycheck with no need for us to ever file an annual return.  Who could possibly object to such a fair and equitable solution?   Consider this,  we would all get paid the same no matter how lousy a job we do.  Just like members of Congress.

If every citizen received the same amount of pay every month, do you think we would all have the same bank account at the end of the year?  Or would some have a fat bank account, another a new car and still another a giant hangover?

Perhaps governments next task is to require equal outcomes for all of us?  It should be easy.  A plan to devolve all of us to the lowest common denominator.  Call it government approved cookie cutter equality.

An American melting pot filled with glassy eyed, average room temperature IQ automatons.

Bob Bandy – (reprinted) February 2022

LIVING IN AN IDIOCRACY

First, and in full disclosure, I must admit that I was once a smoker.  I gave up smoking  many years ago when my daughter who was some eight years old, looked up at me with those beautiful, big brown eyes she inherited from her mother, and said:  “Daddy, will you quit smoking for me”.  I did.

So, I don’t come to this discussion with perfectly clean hands, but, the United States Army disciplined into me that a smoker does not throw their cigarette butts on the ground.  If no ash tray is available you “field strip” them and put them in your pocket till a proper waste receptacle is at hand.

Having said these things, I heard on the news yesterday that California is in the process of prohibiting the discarding of filtered cigarette butts.  Just the filtered kind.  The proposed fine for doing so would be $500 per incident.  It seems that the genius’s in charge of this scheme have figured out that used cigarette filters are a health hazard. 

But, not to worry, if you are homeless or live in one of California’s homeless encampments it will still be legal to urinate in merchants doorways,  defecate on/in the public sidewalks and gutters, dispose of used narcotics needles and all manner of other trash anywhere, at will,  with no penalty or fine. 

It will also be permissible to pilfer and  steal from nearby stores (as long as you keep the theft on any one trip to below $950) with only the possibility of a misdemeanor ticket.  And, by the way, their shopping carts are free.

In addition, rioting, looting, burning and destruction of public and private property will still be ignored legally as long as you do it in the name of a “Progressive” or “Liberal” cause as championed by the main stream media. 

Under our current leadership, California is becoming a trash ridden, Insane Asylum without the usual rules, order and discipline you find in such a place.  It is like we have put the residents of such an establishment in charge of maintaining public law and order.

I am of the opinion that if America really wants to defeat whatever enemies it has, all we need do is export to those enemies California’s brain dead Legislature and Governor, Gavin Newsome.  Then somehow put California’s leaders in charge of our enemies economies and legal system.  That ought to do them in. 

Bob Bandy – January 2022