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, Opinion, U.S.

Voting for local levies and bonds only puts your local community deeper in the debt hole

“They [banks] didn’t vote for the bond issue, they didn’t support the bond issue.  They’re simply trying to underwrite some of them.”-Paul Sheldon Foote, California State University Fullerton

Professor Foote is explaining that, what he calls “…stupid idea…” bonds/levies, are forms of debt voted on by taxpayers, but funded by investment bankers.  

You don’t want local government and school district employees to lose their jobs.  You don’t want to see kids lose out on education programs that might be cut.  But voting for a levy, or bond issue, means you’re supporting those jobs and education programs purely on debt.

“Local governments draft levy bonds to sell at current market rates to raise capital for work projects.”-eHow money

Local bond levies, are forms of debt sold by your local officials to investors.  Those investors expect a return on their investment, that’s where the increases to your property tax/fees come in.  Investors pay the up front costs by buying local bonds, and you the taxpayer pay back the investor.
“The voters typically saddle the cost of funding such projects through increased tax levies.”-eHow money

If your local officials were truly conservative in their fiscal and monetary policies, there would be no need for most of the bond levies that you’re tricked into voting for.

In fact, it becomes a downward spiral, many bond levies are actually being used to pay off previous bond issues.  It has to stop, before there’s no one left who’s willing to invest in the next bond/levy issue.

In fact the debt crisis in California is due in part to investors not wanting to back up any more bond issues: “The state treasurer can not possibly issue every single one of them [bond issues] because, fortunately, the ratings agencies and investors see through it and would not possibly finance every single stupid idea that comes out of politicians!”–-Paul Sheldon Foote, California State University Fullerton

So what’s the answer?  An economics professor in the United Kingdom likes what North Dakota has done with its own State Bank: “The answer is, is to use the state bank mechanism for all your capital projects… And [North] Dakota is in fact, in practice, in a way a public bank giving a lead in that respect.”-Rodney Shakespeare

Shakespeare says the public bank in North Dakota charges interest on loans, but the revenue from that interest stays in North Dakota, and does not go out of state to corporate controlled banks.

International, U.S.

U.S. & Europe closer to war with Syria, Clinton uses phrases that hint at military action

In a July 11 statement to the media, about Syria, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, used phrases very similar to phrases used in speeches that preceded U.S. led attacks on other countries.

She said Syria’s president was “…not indispensable…”, and that “…he has lost legitimacy, he has failed to deliver on the promises he’s made…”. Clinton also made the obligatory accusation that Syria was getting help from a sponsor of terrorism, Iran.

Clinton is meeting with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, no doubt they will be talking about military action against Syria.  Syria, which included Lebanon, was placed under French control after World War One.  The Imperialist French President Sarkozy seems to be interested in regaining all of France’s former colonies.

Syrian officials have countered the statements by Hillary Clinton, saying: “These remarks amount to further proof of the flagrant interference of the U.S. in the internal affairs of Syria.”

 

International, U.S.

French warmongers: Lower Parliament approves continuing war against Libya

July 12, the lower house of the French Parliament approved an extension to the war against Libya.  The vote was 482 in favor, only 27 against.

The French Senate will vote next.  The war with Libya is costing French taxpayers 1 million Euros per day.

It is a sign of desperation when the leaders of a government throw millions, if not billions in taxpayer money at a war that seems to have no end.  The leaders must think that controlling Libya’s oil is the only option for saving their own economy.

“If NATO loses, the consequences are enormous. There are enormous, trillion dollar  financial consequences for those NATO member countries that are seen as aggressors and invaders here.”-Franklin Lamb, Americans Concerned for Middle East Peace

International, U.S.

Iraqi Prime Minister succumbs to demands of president Obama, will ask for U.S. troops to stay

Iraqi Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki, told the newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, that he will ask for U.S. troops to stay beyond the original withdraw date.

The Prime Minister said it would be contingent upon the Iraqi Parliament to approve such a request.  At least half the members of the Iraqi Parliament have warned of dire consequences if the United States keeps troops in Iraq.

Leon Panetta was in Iraq on July 11, to push the Iraqis to keep U.S. troops in their country, despite the promised pullout by the end of the year.

 

Fukushima

National Government Incompetence: Local governments will test Residents for Internal Cesium contamination!

After the realization that Japanese cattle are internally contaminated with cesium, Miniami-soma City ordered its residents to get checked for internal contamination.  Now the Prefecture of Fukushima has ordered all residents to be checked.  There are about 2 million people in Fukushima Prefecture.

It’s not just local governments calling for internal radiation checks.  The Japanese Atomic Energy Agency has set up a check station in Tokai Village, in Ibaraki Prefecture, to test people coming from Fukushima Prefecture.

It is now apparent that food and water, in Fukushima Prefecture, are contaminated with high levels of cesium.

Fukushima

Corporate Incompetence: Decontamination system fails yet again

NHK reporting that the water decontamination system at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has failed yet again.

The cause is another leak in the system.  On 10 July 2011, the system failed because of a leak.  Tokyo Electric Power Company is trying to figure out why there are so many leaks.

International

Dengue fever spreading around the world

Since my last posting about Dengue fever, in April 2011, the disease is infecting even more people in even more countries.

Asia is seeing the most increase in cases this year.

As of July 11, the Philippines has tens of thousands of cases, and almost 200 deaths.  Officials are warning that when the rainy season hits, they expect Dengue cases to jump.

In India, just one hospital treated 160 children with Dengue, 10 of which died.  Indian officials are also warning of a sharp increase in cases when the rainy season starts.

In Australia, health officials are reporting that many Australians, returning from vacations, are coming home infected with Dengue.  So far 354 cases have been confirmed.  Last year Australia had only 156 confirmed Dengue cases.

“I have to keep an Excel spreadsheet now to keep up to date with all the outbreaks that occur up here.”-John McBride, Cairns Base Hospital, Australia

In Saudi Arabia, just in the capital city of Jeddah, an average of 130 new cases are being reported every week.

In Mexico an experimental Dengue vaccine is being tried on 1,000 children in the towns of Valladolid and Tizimín.  The vaccine is in the third stage of study, before it can be approved for widespread use.

In Peru, the mayor of one city has ordered fumigation of the entire city, after 10 people became sick with the hemorrhagic fever.  Two of the infected have died.  As many as 150 Peruvians are sick with Dengue.

Brazil has been enjoying some success in fighting Dengue.  So far this year 340 cases have been confirmed, compared to last year’s 2589 cases (then again this year isn’t over).

Dengue is spread by mosquitoes. Travelers are being warned of vacation spots that have high risk of Dengue hemorrhagic fever:  Asia, Africa, Middle East and South America.

 

 

International

Corporate Incompetence: 80% of airline blankets not washed

Next time you fly to China, think twice about using the airline blanket.

An investigation of Chinese airlines discovered that 80% of their non-disposable blankets are not washed.  But don’t blame the airlines, blame the contractor who didn’t clean them, even though they were paid to.

Yingtailong Airline Commodity has contracts to clean blankets from airline companies.  The problem, they finally admit, is that they do not have the facilities to wash the 3,000 blankets they get on a daily bases.

The company has 30 employees, but only three washing machines.  Company officials told employees to wash only those blankets that were noticeably dirty.  As a result about 600 of the 3,000 blankets get washed every day.

Idaho, U.S.

Evil Cops: Idaho officials rig forensic lab results, thousands of drug convictions now questioned! How many innocent people went to prison?

After an internal investigation, the Idaho State Police (ISP) discovered that technicians working at the ISP Region 5 Forensics Lab in Pocatello, Idaho, may have tampered with illegal drugs testing.

The ISP actually conducted the investigation some time ago, and is only now going public.  Three lab technicians were put on leave, but then they resigned in June.

ISP documents show that the lab techs were concealing illegal drugs in the Region 5 Lab.  Testing done at that lab was used as evidence in drug related cases.  One lab tech is said to have kept a box of drugs stashed above the ceiling tiles.

The illegal conduct of the lab techs now raise questions about drug convictions going back to 2003.

U.S.

Evil Cops: Former New Orleans Police officer admits to covering up murders by other cops

The mainstream U.S. media is not reporting on the number of New Orleans cops on trial for murders they committed after hurricane Katrina.

A witness for the Federal government, and former New Orleans detective, Jeffrey Lehrmann, testified on July 11, that he helped to cover up murders committed by cops.

Lehrman said the cover ups included falsifying paperwork and planting false evidence, like guns, on the victims.

Five former, and current, New Orleans cops are on trial for shooting and killing people, including a mentally handicapped man, and then lying about it.

Already five former cops, including Lehrman, pleaded guilty.  Lehrman is serving three years for his part in trying to cover up the crimes.