All posts by Hutchins AAron

Born in Deutschland 1965, hometown was Bütthart, parents were not U.S. government employees. However, when father was tricked into joining the U.S. Air Force Civil Service, in 1969, with the promise that we could remain in Germany, we were promptly shipped off to Iran. Due to one of my Iranian educators being disappeared, along with her husband, by the U.S. ally Shah of Iran's Israeli & U.S. created Savak (for the then official terrorist act of promoting the idea that women can vote), and due to my U.S. citizen mother being placed on Savak's Terrorist Arrest List (for supporting the idea that women should vote, at that time the U.S. ally Shah of Iran did not allow women to vote, now they can) we left Iran for the United States in 1973, literally in the middle of the night. At the U.S. Embassy airbase the CIA operated Gooney Bird (C-47) was so packed with other U.S. citizens fleeing our ally Iran (because the Shah gave the OK to arrest any U.S. citizen for such terrorist acts as promoting the concept of voting) that we were turned away by the Loadmaster and had to take a chance on a civilian flight out of Tehran's airport. My father told me he and my mother had three culture shocks; first when they arrived in Germany as civilians, then after being shipped off to Iran as U.S. government employees, then again returning to the United States as unemployed civilians (because so much had changed in the U.S. while they were gone, their only news source was the U.S. Armed Forces Radio & Television Service which heavily censored information about the home front). Since I graduated high school in 1982 I've worked for U.S. government contractors and state & local government agencies (in California), convenience store manager in California, retail/property management in Georgia, California and Idaho. Spent the 1990s in the TV news business producing number one rated local news programs in California, Arizona and Idaho. 14+ years with California and Idaho Army National Guard and the U.S. Air Force. Obtained a BA degree in International Studies from Idaho State University at the age of 42. Unemployed since 2015, so don't tell me the economy has recovered.
Business/Economics, Idaho

Pocatello & Chubbuck, Idaho, running out of water

The city of Pocatello is back to the drawing board after voting against buying $6.2 million worth of water rights.  The deal would have been made with Portneuf Marsh Valley Canal Company.  City officials backed out after credible threats of lawsuits from water users “downstream”.

Water is a big issue for Pocatello.  Its main source of water is the Lower Portnuef Valley Aquifer, and it’s running dry.  The Portneuf River flows through Pocatello, but it does not recharge the aquifer, and the city does not take any water from it.

To add to the problem, the city of Pocatello is not the only one using the Aquifer, the city of Chubbuck also gets its water from the same source.

For a long time it was thought that surface water runoff made its way to the ground water (Aquifer), but now its known that most surface water runoff just ends up in rivers heading out to the oceans (although some recharging comes from Mink Creek, and snow).

Geoscientists believe the Lower Portnuef Valley Aquifer was created 17,000 years ago when a natural dam broke, releasing a huge sea into the area (Bonneville Flood).  Part of that sea was trapped in what is now known as Lower Portnuef Valley Aquifer.

Another issue is that while many aquifers are held in small rock formations, even pebbles and sand, the Lower Portnuef Valley Aquifer is trapped by huge boulders, which were part of the natural dam holding back the ancient sea.  You can see huge boulders around the area now.  Every time a housing development goes in they end up spending a lot of time digging out the boulders in order to put in basements.  It has also resulted in lucrative local rock mining businesses.

The water in the Aquifer is almost finite, it does not easily recharge as was once thought.

However, while most rain ends up in rivers, any water from slow melting snow, or used on farms or residential properties can get into the Aquifer.  The problem is that large boulders do not filter the incoming surface water, like sand or pebble aquifers. This means the Lower Portnuef Valley Aquifer is very vulnerable to contamination.

To add to that, the soil is only about 2 to 8 feet thick, before you hit rock.  I can attest to that since I’ve done a lot of landscaping here, and I grow vegetables and fruits.  I can dig the depth of a shovel blade and hit rocks 4 inches in diameter or bigger.  The thin soil means if you dump used motor oil on the ground, or use chemicals on your garden, it’s almost instantly heading for the Aquifer.

There is a three part (boring, basically a college lecture from 2010) video explanation of the Lower Portnuef Valley Aquifer issue, presented by Glenn Thackray of Idaho State University:

 

Thackray explains that the cities, residents, farmers and businesses take out more water from the Lower Portnuef Valley Aquifer, per year, than what flows into the Aquifer.  This has been going on for a long time, and is why we’re running out of water.  Add to that the fact that we’ve had some very dry winters, with less than normal snowfall (a big source of recharge, because it melts into the ground, unlike rain that runs off).  The water level has been dropping since the 1990s.

Pocatello city officials say they are taking this issue seriously, and are being proactive about finding a solution.

International

Anti Government Protests do work, even if only by bankrupting law enforcement: London Police spent millions dealing with demonstrations

Scotland Yard (Metropolitan Police, aka Met) has come forward with the cost of dealing with all the various anti government protests.

From April 2010 to March 2011, the Met spent $56.7 million to provide security for demonstrations for everything from anti spending cuts, to anti student fee increases, to even elections and a visit from the Pope, and, protecting former Prime Minister Tony Blair for his appearance before the Iraq War Inquiry.

The most expensive single event was the December 9, 2010, anti tuition fee increase demonstration.  It cost $2.1 million.

To be sure, the yearly costs to the London Met wouldn’t have been so high if it weren’t for all the anti government demonstrations.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

End of an Era: British Prime Minister says the Best Days are Behind Us, Rupert Murdoch scandal may be straw that breaks camel’s back

British Prime Minister David Cameron lamented that “…a general feeling that maybe our best days as a country are behind us…”. He was talking about everything from the economic disaster to the scandal involving Rupert Murdoch’s media empire and public officials.

Cameron says it’s become clear that elected leaders, as well as corporate leaders, even government employees, are acting out of pure greed: “I’m talking about the expenses scandal, the financial crisis, this whole disgraceful and sorry episode of phone hacking. There’s a sense that the rich and the powerful – politicians, bankers, the press and the police – have been serving themselves…”


Idaho, U.S.

Government Incompetence: Idaho city charges residents for antiquated water system that many don’t use

“It really doesn’t do much good if the money goes back to repairing the irrigation system. I can’t use it. I’m paying for a service I have no choice to pay for, but I have no access to the benefits.”-Mary Fullmer, 77 year old school bus driver

The city of Gooding, Idaho, is charging residents $104.00 per year for an antiquated irrigation system that many don’t use, not even the mayor: “It’s an old and broken system. But we can’t stop charging people. I even have to pay the fee, and I don’t use the irrigation system either.”-Duke Morton, Gooding Mayor 

Six years ago Mary Fullmer’s access to the irrigation system was cut off, when the city cemented over the pipes that connected her property to the system.  Yet she still has to pay $104 per year.
Many city residents complain about the fee, and city officials claim they’re looking for an alternative, but they admit they don’t see it as a priority.

Business/Economics, U.S.

Government Incompetence & No Economic Recovery for U.S.: Congress screws over the Postal Service, 3,600 offices to close

The USPS lost $8.5 billion in 2010.  It lost $3.8 billion in 2009.  So far this year the USPS has lost $2.2 billion.  The result; the United States Postal Service will make public a list of post offices that could be closed this year, as many as 3,653.

The United States Postal Service does not make money off taxpayers, they are solely funded by the postage they charge.  The problem is that Congress controls the postage they are allowed to charge, and so far Congress has refused to allow postal rates to reflect the actual operating cost of the USPS.

On top of that, Congress overcharged the USPS $75 billion for the Federal Employees Retirement System plan.  The Postmaster General asked for that money to be returned, but Congress refused (you think they already spent it?).

As a result of incompetence (or is it on purpose?) by our elected officials in Congress,  thousands more USPS employees will lose their jobs.

International

Norwegian Christian Terrorist says at least 80 other Christian Terror groups in Europe, led by the Knights Templar

Anders Behring Breivik, the man who confessed to blowing up and shooting people in Norway (but plead not guilty to charges of terrorism), says he is part of a network of at least 80 pro-Christian/anti-Islam terror cells in Europe.

Breivik says their goal is to overthrow any European government that tolerates Islam.  He published his comments in a handbook titled; “2083: A European Declaration of Independence”.  He calls politicians who tolerate any religion, other than Christianity, “multiculturalist traitors”.

He claims he was the only one doing the shooting at a camp where at least 76 people were killed, but witnesses say they saw more than one shooter.

Breivik says he was recruited in 2002, at a meeting in London which he claims was organized by the supposedly extinct Knights Templar.

The Knights Templar were a group of Catholic knights during the time of the anti-Islam Crusades.  They were excommunicated, and many killed, after their wealth and power threatened the Catholic leaders.  Some conspiracy buffs believe there is still a secret active Knights Templar organization today.

 

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Don’t want to die? Stay out of hospitals in Canada, United States and Europe! Another reason for increased health care costs

“If you were admitted to hospital tomorrow in any country … your chances of being subjected to an error in your care would be something like 1 in 10. Your chances of dying due to an error in health care would be 1 in 300.”-Professor Liam Donaldson, World Health Organization envoy

The United Nations released a study saying that hospitals in the ‘western’ world are sure places to catch a deadly disease, or die from mistakes made by medical personnel.

The UN World Health Organization discovered that your chances of dying in a hospital, by medical errors, are far greater than dying in a plane crash.

More interestingly, Canada takes the number one spot for worst hospital related infections, at an 11.6% infection rate.  The European Union has a 7% rate, followed by the United States with 4.5%.

But lets put that U.S. rate of 4.5%, which sounds low, into real numbers.  According to the research 1.7 million infections are acquired in U.S. hospitals, which leads to 100,000 deaths each year.  That’s 100,000 people in the U.S. being killed because of hospital uncleanliness.

Catching an infection while in the hospital means a longer stay and more treatment.  The study suggests that the increased infection rate while being in the hospital, along with medical mistakes, are partly to blame for increasing medical costs.

To be sure most health care systems around the world are in trouble, but, what surprised the WHO researchers is that the developed ‘western’ world has made no progress in improving medical care inside hospitals.  Former United Kingdom chief medical officer Liam Donaldson, said this: “It shows that health care in general worldwide still has a long way to go.  Health care has not achieved the level of safety of many other high-risk industries.”

 

Business/Economics, Opinion, U.S.

TARP a TRAP for taxpayers: Treasury Dept. scamming taxpayers, banks paying off loans with loans, is there any real money left in the U.S.?

An organization called Project on Government Oversight discovered the U.S. Treasury Department is letting big banks, and corporations, pay off their taxpayer funded loans with new taxpayer funded loans meant for small banks.

On paper it looks like big banks who took out TARP bailout loans are paying those loans off.  It turns out that many of those payoffs came from new loans also offered through the Treasury Department.

The new loans are being made with a program that was meant for smaller banks, to lend money to small businesses.  The program is called Small Business Lending Fund.

What this means is the U.S. Treasury is not really getting the taxpayer funded TARP bailout money back.  Instead the Treasury is allowing the big banks to rob Peter to pay Paul.  The problem here is that both Peter and Paul are one in the same, the U.S. taxpayer!

This isn’t the first time claims were made that TARP money was being paid back with loans.  In April 2010, Senator Charles Grassley, of Iowa, claimed that General Motors paid back their TARP loan, with another TARP loan: “It looks like [GM’s] announcement is really just an elaborate TARP money shuffle. The repayment dollars haven’t come from GM selling cars but, instead, from a TARP [escrow] account at the Treasury Department.”

Now the question is why can’t the big banks, and other corporations, pay back their taxpayer TRAP (I mean TARP) loans?  After all many have reported big profits. Is this a case of no real money left in the United States?



U.S.

Government Incompetence & No Economic Recovery for U.S.: Congress lays off thousands of Air Traffic Controllers

“The FAA employees who will be furloughed perform critical work for our nation’s aviation system and our economy. These are real people with families who do not deserve to be put out of work during these tough economic times.”-Randy Babbitt, FAA Administrator

Because the U.S. Senate failed to approve the House tax plan to fund the Federal Aviation Administration, about 4,000 people will be laid off.  As usual, both republicans and democrats blame each other!

However, the democrat controlled Senate might have a point, because the republican controlled House plan added on pork spending ($16.5 million worth), basically subsidizing commercial airline operations in ten states.

 


 

International, U.S.

Study confirms U.S. combat vets coming home with incurable lung disease, no help from the VA

“This is a very rare condition in otherwise healthy individuals and is generally untreatable. We believe that it is caused by an inhalational exposure with which they have contact while in southwest Asia.”-Dr. Matthew S. King

The New England Journal of Medicine published a study, which was conducted by a team of medical personnel including Doctor Matthew S. King.  They concluded that military personnel, in Iraq and Afghanistan, are contracting incurable lung diseases, possibly from exposure to chemicals.

In one case 38 U.S. troops were exposed to smoke from a sulfur mine fire in Iraq.

Doctor King said the symptoms of the lung disorders are many, and severe:  “Respiratory disorders are emerging as a major consequence of service in southwest Asia. In addition to our study, there have been studies showing increases in asthma, obstructive lung disease, allergic rhinitis and a general increase in reports of respiratory symptoms.”

Medical experts are now trying to convince the Veterans Administration to recognize and treat the disorders.

You can get a copy of the New England Journal of Medicine article (Constrictive Bronchiolitis in Soldiers Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan) by emailing; [email protected]