Category Archives: U.S.

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Occupy your Failed State! The less money you make the more taxes you pay! New study shows state & local taxes overwhelmingly favor the 1%!

18 January 2015 (03:20 UTC-07 Tango)/27 Rab al’Awwal 1436/28 Dey 1393/28 Yi-Chou 4712

A new study shows that even in U.S. states with no official state level income tax the less money you make the higher the percentage of taxes you pay: “Combining all state and local income, property, sales and excise taxes that Americans pay, the nationwide average effective state and local tax rates by income group are 10.9 percent for the poorest 20 percent of individuals and families, 9.4 percent for the middle 20 percent and 5.4 percent for the top 1 percent.“-Who Pays: A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All Fifty States (fifth edition)

In fact, the U.S. state of Washington (which has no state level income tax) kisses the asses of the 1% the most: Lowest 20% pay 16.8% in various forms of taxes.  The middle 20% pay 10.1%, the top 1% pay only 2.4%.

Many police state New England states are very similar to Washington in their effective combined tax rates.  The top 1% pay very little as a percentage of their incomes compared to the bottom 20%.

Back out west, state and local governments in Idaho charge their lowest 20% of income earners a combined 8.5% for the ‘privilege’ of living in the Gem State.  The middle 20% pay 7.6% and the top 1% pay 6.4%.  Also, Idaho does not allow poor people to get a state level ‘earned income tax credit’ rebate such as states like California.  If an individual’s personal income is less than $10,500 USD the state will not accept a tax refund filing request from them (even though the state’s own tax refund charts show they should be able to get a refund, and that the unfair state income taxes were already taken out of their paychecks).

California is considered the most ‘fair’ with its plethora of state and local taxes, but the poor are still charged more than the rich.  The bottom 20% of income earners pay 10.5% for the ‘privilege’ of living in the Golden State.  The middle 20% pay 8.2% and the top 1% pay 8.7%.

To read more and weep (unless your the top 1%, then rejoice) click here for more. The study does not include federal level taxes.

As far as sales tax only, the TaxFoundation accuses Tennessee of having the highest state and local sales taxes, while Delaware,  Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon have no sales tax (as of 2014).  Some states, like Idaho, actually have a ‘sales’ tax law (called a Use Tax in Idaho) requiring you to pay taxes on any products you buy outside of the state!

In 2010, Bankrate.com rated Hawaii and Oregon as the states with the highest individual income tax rates, followed by California, Oregon, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Maine and Washington DC.

The Retirement Living Information Center provides state level tax info for each U.S. state (but not local level taxes).  However, they don’t rate which state is the best for least amount of taxes paid.

Do the taxes you pay justify the lack of governmental services you get in return?  Even with Obama Care the United States still does not have a true ‘socialized’ healthcare system (it’s just a profit making scheme for the insurance industry)!

U.S.

World War 3: End of Mission in Afghanistan signals beginning of U.S. Civil War?

05 January 2015 (10:38 UTC-07 Tango)/14 Rab al’Awwal 1436/15 Dey 1393/15 Yi-Chou 4712

“…Overlooked by the proponents of this plan are the implications for our country’s system of checks and balances, and ultimately the liberty of our citizens.

The Army’s layered rhetoric, designed to dupe Congress and the American people into believing its plan is best, consistently echoes a dangerous and loaded argument — the idea that state governors have no need for Apache helicopters.

If we accept that argument, we embark further down a slippery slope and there will be little to stop the Pentagon from taking all National Guard war-fighting equipment in the future. What will be next? Tanks, fighter aircraft, air tankers or field artillery? What about our M-4 and M-16 rifles?

The Army’s hasty declaration that the Guard does not need combat capability for state missions conveniently ignores the many reasons it’s here in the first place.

It’s the National Guard that defends the homeland. The Guard ensures the sovereignty of our airspace through fighter-alert missions throughout the country. The Guard is our initial crisis-response force for everything from natural disasters to terrorist attacks. And as a vital component of the ‘Total Army,’ the Guard fights and wins our nation’s wars overseas alongside active-duty service partners.

The most important reason is deeply rooted in the Constitution. Many of America’s Founding Fathers, studying the precedents set by the British and Roman empires, believed the greatest threat to liberty was a large standing army that they viewed as an unchecked power dangerous to a free republic.

They therefore gave Congress — the branch of government most representative of the American people — the power to raise and support armies in times of need. They also gave Congress the power to provide for the calling forth of the colonial militia, the predecessor to the National Guard, to suppress insurrections and repel invasions.

This division of power meant that power was checked and helped limit the blunders of a large centralized government by dispersing power to citizens through their state governments.

It stands to reason that the size of the Army’s active component should contract in times of peace. After Sept. 11, 2001, the Army swelled from 480,000 to 570,000 at the peak of the war while the other services maintained relatively consistent manpower levels. Today, the Army’s short-term solution has long-term consequences, as it wants to plunder combat-arms equipment and resources from its reserve component because presumably it’s difficult for them to accept postwar downsizing.

The real solution to the Apache debate is one that falls in line with the Constitution and provides adequate forces amid historic cuts to the defense budget. The Army must reverse its plan and divert soldiers and equipment from the active component to the National Guard, where they can be maintained at a fraction of the cost. America can keep its highly trained, combat-capable soldiers right here, where they are always ready, always there.

States do need Apache helicopters, and virtually every other capability found in the National Guard, because the people of a free republic need their states to have them.”

Air National Guard Major General Michael T. McGuire, Adjutant General for Arizona National Guard

U.S.

The Dumbing Down of the United States: Last six months of 2014. Into the New Dark Ages as students ‘disappear’ and Obamacare ‘kills’

Disappearing Students Syndrome (DSS): A phrase created by me to describe a phenomenon taking place across the United States, affecting both privately and publicly funded schools, from Kindergarten all the way through University levels.

Incomplete list of publicly announced education layoffs & school shutdowns from July to December 2014:

Alabama: After 15 years Sci-Quest Hands on Science Center is now chapter 11 bankrupt busted.  Administrators blame location for their $1-million in debts, but claim their new location is “doing really well”.

Alaska: Disappearing Student Syndrome (DSS) forcing University of Alaska to shutdown the Bill Ray Center and Auke Bay bookstore, as well as kill at least 40 jobs. University officials say they’ve lost $1.4-million USD in funding this school year and are expecting to lose $2-million next school year, despite jacking up the cost to go to school.  But wait, there’s more! Maybe it was the only way they could pay out the $320-thousand bonus to the university president!

Arizona: In Glendale, the Thunderbird School of Global Management warned of layoffs as they are forced to merge with Arizona State University, due to the bad economy. At one time the school had 300 employees, but is down to 184.  Obama Care forced University of Arizona Health Network to sell itself to Phoenix based Banner Health. Now there are reports this is a portent for things to come in the U.S. medical school sector. The Association of American Medical Colleges warns that Obama Care’s reduced insurance reimbursements is the final straw that will force medical schools to sell themselves to private medical corporations, or greatly reduce their services to the public, either way it means massive healthcare job cuts.

California: Irvine based for profit Corinthian Colleges (CCi). They’ve announced they will begin shutting down, selling off or reducing classes at 97 campuses across the U.S.! It’s part of a deal with the U.S. Department of Education. The college is under investigation by state and federal officials, for ripping off students and violating federal education laws. Everest College, Heald College and Wyotech campuses are part of the shutdown.  Bellflower Unified School District laid off all ten bus drivers. The reasons are convoluted, ranging from lack of funding to driver misbehavior.  The Calaveras Unified School District announced they must kill an estimated 50 jobs. They blame years of Disappearing Student Syndrome (DSS) for creating a $2-million shortfall!  In Sacramento, Anthem College shutdown, it’s due to Anthem Educations’ bankruptcy which is linked to federal law violations.   In Monterey, McGraw Hill Education warned they are laying off 47 employees in December.  In Upland, school bus contractor First Student issued a WARN saying they will cease operations by the end of December, 156 jobs lost!  In San Diego, Ashford University/Bridgepoint Education issued a WARN saying 160 people will become jobless in January 2015! However, local ABC10News said an inside source reported that 167 people were already let go!

Florida: For profit Full Sail University laid off 50 employees.  In Cape Coral, after 50 years Lisa Lynn Dance World shutdown, the owner blames the suck-ass economy for disappearing students: “Because of the economy, the enrollment dropped and the money wasn’t there.”-Rita Rose Meyer

Georgia: In Atlanta, after 50 years snooty upscale private for profit Bauder College announced it is shutting down in 2015! It’s blamed on massive disappearing students. In 2009 the college had 12-hundred students, it’s now less than 420! College officials said by the start of the 2015-16 school year they’ll be down to 75! You see, the U.S. economy is so bad even wealthy people can’t afford to pay for college!  Troubled Paine College warning of layoffs. The school is facing accreditation violation charges and DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). The college is short at least $2.4-million, and they blame state and federal governments: “These tough economic times are posing unprecedented challenges for colleges and universities like Paine College that have seen changes in federal aid, which include Parent Plus loans, Pell Grants and some state funding.”-George C. Bradley, president

Illinois: Oakton Community College warned it will layoff 80 teachers before the 2015-16 school year.  Apparently the teachers are retired and a potential new state law says retired teachers can no longer be hired by state funded schools.  God refused to stop Benedictine University from ending its undergraduate program and killing as many as 100 jobs!  In Rockford, the College of Medicine shutdown their psychiatric clinic at the end of September, 2-thousand patients affected! Clinic officials blame never ending funding cuts, thank you Obama Care!  In Murphysboro, after 37 years God refuses to stop the shutdown of Murphysboro Christian Academy. Officials with the privately funded school say Christian students are disappearing (raptured?).  One year after shutting down 50 schools, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has now put them up for auction! The district is still shutting down schools due to massive DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). It turns out that it still costs taxpayers millions of dollars to maintain school buildings that are not in use.  CPS also killed off 476 contracted janitor jobs! The Obama regime mayor, Rahm Emanuel, refused to discuss the issue with local news media and referred them to the CPS, who were conveniently not available to explain the sudden job killing spree.  God must hate the Chicago area; seven Christian schools being shuttered and six others being consolidated! At least 200 jobs lost! The schools being shutdown are Saint Agatha Catholic Academy, Saint Peter in Skokie, Saint Hyacinth Basilica, Saint Ladislaus, Saint Turibius, Saint Rene Goupil, and Saint Lawrence O’Toole in Matteson. It’s blamed on massive DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome), since 1965 Christian student enrollment in Cook and Lake counties has crashed by 284-thousand!

Louisiana: God must really hate The Pelican State, three Christian schools shutting down in 2015: Holy Ghost in New Orleans, Our Lady of Grace in Reserve and Saint Agnes in Jefferson! Church administrators blame raptured, I mean what I call DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). Enrollment at each school is now under 200.  In Marrero, the Christian God refused to stop the Reverend Mansfield Thompson Educational Foundation from shutting down their Faith Christian Academy. But this shutdown is about evil Christian leaders caught stealing money. At the end of 2013 a state investigation revealed Reverend Mansfield Thompson Educational Foundation was probably absconding with the money paid by struggling Christian parents: “At this point, I just want my money back. I paid $400 for registration and I’m getting the run around with that. I just want my money back!”-Ramira Williams

Maine:  The University of Southern Maine continues to kill off jobs, this time 61 people now unemployed and five programs canceled. They continue to blame a 30% crash in student enrollment!  In Bangor, God refuses to stop the Christian Life Academy Daycare from shutting down. The church pastor blames crashing donations: “We have cut everywhere we can cut, we are heartbroken that the daycare has to close too.”-Russ Hewett

Massachusetts: The Boston School Department suddenly killed 126 jobs! The school district is trying to save $9.5-million! For years critics accused the Boston Strong school system of being outta shape and overweight with redundant administrative jobs.  Brockton School Committee laid off 47 crossing guard positions. This comes after a local newspaper investigated reports that janitors were being paid as much as $50 per hour in overtime to double as crossing guards! And despite all that overtime pay, an 11th child was hit by a vehicle while crossing a street to go to school!  Gateway Schools threatening reduce parent-teacher days or seven teachers will get laid off!  School administrators are struggling with how to deal with funding cuts of about $200-million!  Westfield State University shutdown its Downtown Art Gallery.  Apparently the university was responsible for promoting local arts but now is unable to, the city of Westfield is supposedly taking on the responsibility.

Michigan: Rochester Community Schools warned of layoffs after an unexpected crash in student enrollment.  Administrators say the district lost 154 students, more than was expected! They blame it on the area’s major employer Chrysler.   Administrators at Spring Arbor University are blaming what I call DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome) on their planned elimination of jobs. As a private Christian college they are not required to reveal just how many Christians will become jobless.  The Flint School District laid off 36 non-teaching employees, but then turned around and hired on 10 people to salaried positions, all making more than $67-thousand per year! Thomas M. Cooley Law School warned of major employee and program cuts, due to disappearing students. They reported a 40% drop in enrollment from 2010 to 2013! The Grand Rapids Public Schools announced they must kill 90 jobs due to the fact that 400 students disappeared!  In East Lansing the largest teachers union in the state, Michigan Education Association, revealed that half of its members actually made less money in 2013. Incompetent union officials admit they don’t know why. Yet while half of their members made less money, somehow the amount of assets held by the Michigan Education Association actually went up! In Hudsonville, God refuses to stop the shutdown of Freedom Christian Schools (aka Freedom Baptist Schools). The shutdown was a surprise as school officials even extended the contracts of teachers before the announcement. The school’s website has been removed. School officials blame raptured students saying this school year’s enrollment is worse than last year’s. At one point the privately funded school had 375 students, but since 2010 they’ve lost at least 65 students (privately funded schools are more affected by student loss than are taxpayer funded schools).  In Dearborn, the U.S. Department of Education has approved the sale of Everett Institute. It’s part of the massive collapse of the Corinthian Colleges.  An undisclosed number of bus drivers lost their jobs when Lakeview School District drastically reduced bus service.  The Threshold Academy lost its charter, affecting more than 150 students. The elementary school principal blamed economic instability for what I call DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). A young student confronted the principal saying “Why do they want to break people’s hearts?” The school’s motto was “Small School – Big Heart”.  Detroit Public Schools are so desperate they’re now in the business of selling used cars! Specifically, the school system auctioned off 18 surplus police cars. I couldn’t find any reports on how the school district got a hold of the former cop cars. The Michigan League for Public Policy reports that overall wages have crashed 10% since 1979. When you break it down by sex and education, low wage earning men saw a whopping 31.2% decline in pay, while adults with no high school diploma saw a 46.3% crash in earnings!

Minnesota:  Rochester Public Schools announced that 17 tech employees will become jobless by January 2015. But here’s an odd thing, the school district also said there will be 19 new job openings in the same department! The laid off employees are basically being forced to re-apply for employment, and if they get re-hired it’ll probably be for less pay. That’s the wisdom of our education system.  Northland Community and Technical College eliminated eight jobs and cut two programs, blaming a $1-million shortfall on everything including DSS.

Mississippi: After 130 years (surviving the Great Depression & numerous recessions) God has decided to rapture all the good Christian students (or as I call it, Disappearing Student Syndrome, DSS) and shutdown the Christian Chamberlain-Hunt Academy!  The state Department of Education laid off 30 employees without notice, including the boss of the Office of School Improvement. Mississippi DoE spokewoman Patrice Guilfoyle said “This is the first phase, there could potentially be additional phases.” 

Missouri: Florida based for profit Anthem Education warned of massive layoffs and the shutdown of its Missouri medical technician campuses if they cannot find new debt financing, or a new owner with lot-o-money! College officials blamed it on a surprise “rapidly deteriorating financial condition”. There was no explanation.

Nevada: In Reno, Morrison University warned it will shutdown after the 2014-15 school year! It’s due to the allegedly criminal actions of the owner, Anthem Education. To make things worse for the students, they were told the university’s transfer credits are no longer recognized!  University Medical Center began a second round of Obama Care healthcare layoffs, this time 200 healthcare workers put out on the streets!

New Hampshire: Franklin Pierce University eliminated 12 positions. Earlier this year the university eliminated academic programs.  Grade school education assessor Measured Progress actually regressing when it comes to jobs; 40 people laid off. Company administrators blame the bad economy.

New Jersey: After 86 years Garden State based Becker’s School Supplies shutting down six of its seven stores in Pennsylvania and Delaware!  Apparently the school supplies company is shifting to internet sales only.  Troubled for profit higher education company Anthem Institute shutting down all four locations in the Garden State, 163 jobs lost!  Brookdale Community College administrators say crashing enrollment is causing them to be short $8.5-million for the upcoming 2015-16 school year and warned of 210 layoffs: “These are tough times and the organizational structure we have now is not sustainable; the board is aware of this harsh fact. Our current models are no longer effective in serving today’s students, and we must catch up with the advances that have been made in educational technology.”-Maureen Murphy, president

New Mexico: Santa Fe Community College revealed they’re short $5-million! The temporary president of the school blames prior administrations for grossly overestimating revenues and handing out raises when the revenues could not support pay increases. Now the school must cut back.

New York: For profit Utica School of Commerce stopping almost all classes at its Oneonta campus in Spring 2015! At least nine jobs lost due to DSS.  Clinton Community College warned of layoffs due to DSS.  In Brooklyn, The Guild for Exceptional Children issued a WARN saying they will shutdown their preschool in January 2015, at least 81 jobs lost. In Brewster, Minnesota based education testing company Questar Assessment shutdown and laid off 39 employees in November.  The Buffalo School District killed 63 teaching jobs, some of the teachers had just made tenure. News reports said many of the teachers taught classes for homeless children.  They’ve consolidated school #115 with school #97, and they’ve eliminated an entire 9th grade class. One school board member actually blamed the U.S. education system saying “It’s a system that’s beating us.” Another board member added “Beating our kids.”  That Which Cannot be Named refuses to stop the selloff of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Yeshiva University Substance Abuse Treatment program at three Bronx locations, 189 jobs now in limbo!   In Hawthorne, Quintiles Medical Education warned it is shutting down in December, at least 27 jobs lost.

North Carolina: Randolph County Schools laid off 30 employees.  Troubled charter school Concrete Roses STEM Academy shutdown without notice. State education administrators blame what I call DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). The school was taxpayer funded for 300 students, but only 126 showed up!

Ohio:  Hocking College laid off 36 employees and warned of mandatory furloughs for others, blaming DSS.  In 2010 the college had 6,599 students, in 2013 there were 4,094 students and for the 2014-15 year they’re down to 3,474; almost a 50% drop in enrollment since 2010!  New Albany School District beginning massive layoffs and jacking up ‘pay to play’ fees after 56% of local taxpayers rejected yet another levy, indicating that they could no longer afford to float failing public education since their own incomes are crashing.  In Columbus, God refuses to stop Christian charter school FCI Academy from killing 17 jobs. The Christian school is in the hole at least $70-thousand, due to raptured(?) students. Several years ago the grade school had 600 students, this school year they’re down to 340.  In Youngstown, the Mahoning-Youngstown Community Action Partnership (MYCAP) warned it will kill 10 jobs with its Head Start education program. They blame the federal government for cutting off their federal food service funding. MYCAP is also going away and Development Institute of Denver will take over the Head Start program temporarily.  Strongsville Schools announced they will layoff at least 25 teachers over five years. Administrators blame DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). The district has lost 1,724 students since 2004!  Oberlin College told three HVAC engineers to take a big cut in pay and become janitors or become unemployed! College administrators called it a “opportunity for voluntary layoff”. It’s blamed on the the college’s switch from coal heating to natural gas.

Pennsylvania:    Mercyhurst University laid off 14 administrators and demoted six full time employees to part time.  Other employees are taking pay cuts, it’s blamed on crashing enrollment.   State education officials warned of massive layoffs at five Universities: Clarion, Edinboro, Cheyney, East Stroudsburg and Mansfield. According to state officials their university system has been experiencing Disappearing Student Syndrome (DSS), and get this, they expect to lose another 1-thousand students by the end of this school year! At least 44 university employees were laid off last year.   The School District of Philadelphia  shutdown the Walter Palmer Leadership Learning Partners Charter School.  Also, the superintendent of The School District of Philadelphia is demanding new taxes be imposed on the already struggling population. William R. Hite Jr. says if new taxes, specifically a new cigarette tax, are not created by August then he will be forced to layoff 13-hundred employees! Keep in mind that is on top of the 342 school district jobs already killed off! The Philly school district is now $93-million in debt, no thanks in part to the massive increase in employee health and retirement cost increases caused by Obama Care!  God refuses to stop Christian Geneva College from laying off at least 25 employees, due to what I call the rapture, I mean DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). And who said the internet is to blame? The Christian college is eliminating its internet ministries courses for the 2015-16 school year! School officials also revealed that the economy is so bad that “nearly 100%” of their Christian students qualify for some type of financial assistance.   Woodland Hills School District warned it could shutdown three elementary schools and sell off an administrative building due to DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome), at least a 31% decline over the past ten years!  California University is blaming DSS for eliminating 30 jobs. The university lost 3.2% of its student body at the beginning of the new school year.  Cheyney University (originally created to target ‘black’ Americans) laid off at least six instructors and will eliminate programs. University administrators blame crashing revenue. Interestingly, the university lists several administrative positions as being available, but adds “Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to respond to your phone calls about vacancies or about the status of a recruitment and your application.” 

Tennessee: Union University laid off five staff employees, blaming it on a drop of 270 students from 2013 to 2014!  In Kingsport, after 27 years non-profit Rascals Teen Center shutdown: “We just got to where we couldn’t really continue. Things had to change. We tried to work through the change, tried to do some things, but we got to where we couldn’t continue on…..No matter how much we advertised on the radio, the newspaper and Facebook, it’s like we still couldn’t contact everybody….I don’t know what happened.”-Amy McAtee, executive director

Texas: God refused to stop Southern Methodist University (home of the George W. Bush Presidential Library) from cutting programs and killing jobs.  The Christian university has spent tens of millions on new dorm buildings despite DSS.   Wiley College laid off 16 employees and furloughed others due to DSS and crashing donations.  In Dallas/Fort Worth, Anthem College shutting down its campus on Beltline Road, 30 jobs lost.  Also, the Texas Education Agency threatened to shutdown the Prime Prep Academy. The school, founded by a former Dallas Cowboys star, is accused of failing to comply with state laws.  Across the state, it’s been revealed that 14 charter schools will be shutdown next school year!  State administrators claim the schools are not meeting financial or academic standards, however, some school administrators have presented documents challenging the state’s claims.

Vermont: Vermont Technical College warned of layoffs due partly to the loss of 160 students over the past three years.  The State College system warned that budget cuts wanted by the governor will result in job losses. The governor wants to cut $1-million in funding. It’s been revealed that in May of 2014, Johnson State College laid off five employees and blamed it on DSS.

Virginia: Buchanan County Public School Board shutdown Russell Prater Elementary School. It’s blamed on $2.1-million in debt.

Washington DC: The Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art & Design laid off about 150 employees in August! Apparently the schools will eventually shutdown threatening another 300 jobs! It’s blamed on their merger with National Gallery of Art and the George Washington University.

Wisconsin: ‘Professional’ education service Lorman Education Services killed 42 jobs in October. Company officials blame it on DSS (Disappearing Student Syndrome). The privately funded education company has been laying off employees since 2009. Internet based Anthem College shutdown its Brookfield operation in September, 30 jobs lost.  After shutting down without notice in June, the Wisconsin International School is now officially bankrupt busted. This means all those parents that paid their child’s tuition in full will not get a refund. Officials with the private school blame their sudden shutdown on an unexpected 30% drop in enrollment (more disappearing students), as well as a 30% drop in cash revenues and skyrocketing expenses due to things like utilities and healthcare cost increases (so much for Obama Care)! At one point the school boasted 800 students, but this year they could attract only 120! Parents are pissed because they were also required to take part in raising money for the school, and they want to know what happened to it: “That’s a big slap in the face to all the efforts we’ve put in! At no time were we ever told ‘Hey, we have a problem’ or that more money needed to be raised. Volunteering at the school was mandatory and parents were invested in the school. If they had said something, I am sure parents and families would have opened their pockets.”-Nicole Donart-Manty

1st six months of 2014!

U.S.

Sony is not an ‘American’ company!

21 December 2014 (04:20 UTC-07 Tango)/28 Safar 1436/30 Azar 1393/30 Bing-Zi 4712

The threats made supposedly by Korean (north) hackers against Sony  were not threats against a U.S. corporation, despite such statements by U.S. news media and politicians.  Sony is Japanese.  Korea and Japan are mortal enemies.

In 1989 Japan’s Sony took over the U.S. movie companies Columbia and Tri-Star.   Sony renamed them Sony Pictures Entertainment in 1991.  In 2005 Sony took over iconic U.S. movie maker MGM.

Sony Pictures Entertainment is headquartered in California, but it is a Japanese company.  Sony Pictures’ computer  systems have routinely been hacked, so this latest hack job (and threats) should be of no surprise.  So why are the Japanese controlled U.S. executives of Sony Pictures pissing themselves, and why are so many U.S. ‘officials’ so concerned with protecting yet another foreign corporation?

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

To Destroy U.S. Dollar: 5th annual Anti-United States economic forum underway in Cuba! Blame the British empire?

08 December 2014 (13:58 UTC-07 Tango)/15 Safar 1436/17 Azar 1393/17 Bing-Zi 4712

After decades of deal making, in 2002 Cuba held the first Caribbean anti-U.S. economic forum, attended by 14 other Caribbean countries.  It’s called CARICOM, an amalgamation of Caribbean Community and Common Market, and can be traced back to the British empire’s West Indies Federation.

This week the 5th annual anti-U.S. CARICOM meeting is underway in Havana.  Cuban officials credit the economic union for helping them to avoid never ending U.S. economic sanctions.

According to Cuban news sources, CARICOM really got rolling in 1972 when Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago joined Cuba “…in an open challenge to the embargo that the U.S. had imposed on the island.”

Despite originally being an anti-U.S. economic movement, today Cuban President Raul Castro told CARICOM members the new agenda is “…to unite in order to face together the effects of climate change and natural disasters and to co-ordinate our approach to the post [United Nations] 2015 Development Agenda.”

All signs point to Cuba’s successful avoidance of the puny U.S. sanctions:  The New York Times reports that the number of U.S. citizens traveling illegally to Cuba has increased, and the number of legal trips is on the rise as well; in 2012 the number of legal trips by U.S. citizens doubled compared to 2008.

New airline flights have been authorized from New York’s JFK Airport to Havana, Cuba.   The Cuban National Bureau of Statistics and Information reported an 11.5% increase in tourists during October 2014, as compared to October 2013.  From January to October 2014 almost 2.5-million tourist visited Cuba.  The British empire’s Canada is the number one source of tourists, followed by Germany, the British empire’s United Kingdom, Italy, France and Mexico.

The British empire’s United Kingdom Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll recently paid a ‘courtesy’ visit with the Cuban navy.

In a gesture of goodwill, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam gave Cuba five thousand tons of rice, along with the equivalent of $40-million USD in farm aid.  Vietnamese administrators stated it was their way of thanking Cuba for the military help fighting the United States occupation of Vietnam from 1965 to 1975.

According to the AZCUBA Entrepreneurial Group, Cuba’s 2013-14 sugar harvest was up by 4%, and the 2014-15 sugar harvest is showing an increase of at least 15%.

Cuba’s Ministry of the Economy admitted that GDP for 2014 was below expectations, at 1.3%, but said signs are good for a 2015 GDP of 4%.   The main reason is fast growing outside investments coming into Cuba; for 2014 there was just over $1.5-billion, but for 2015 investments are already estimated at $7.1-billion.

Cuba is now a major supplier of medicines and medical personnel to more than 50 countries.   Cuban health administrators like to point out their successful treatment of cancer is different from how the U.S. does it: “For cancer treatment, we increase the use of stimulants and vaccines to awaken the body’s own defence and make that be the main weapon to fight the tumour without resorting to a large extent, to chemotherapy, radiation and large surgeries.”-Gustavo Sierra Gonzalez,  BioCubaFarma

Sears…Blames U.S. dollar for bad economy!

another U.S. ‘ally’ abandons U.S. dollar

U.S.

The Dumbing Down of the United States: Into the New Dark Ages as students ‘disappear’ and Obamacare ‘kills’, 1st six months of 2014!

Incomplete list of publicly announced education layoffs & school shutdowns from January to June 2014:

Alabama: Hoover City Schools laid off nine employees. School officials said that despite a growing student population, local taxes began declining suddenly in 2009-10 (isn’t that when the ‘recession’ officially ended?) and it doesn’t help that Obama Care has drastically increased the costs of employee benefits.  In Birmingham, God refused to stop the Parkway Christian Academy from shutting down. This time it’s blamed on church members not paying their dues, as a result the church has to sell the school!  The John Essex School shutting down before the 2014-15 school year. Student population has dropped to less than 100. School officials say families are getting the hell out of the country: “The enrollment just kept dwindling. This is the trend….Families are moving away and the families aren’t as big as they used to be.”-Luke Hallmark

Alaska: University of Fairbanks warned of 100 job cuts! It’s blamed on crashing taxpayer funding and increasing healthcare costs for employees due to Obama Care.

Arizona: The Blue Ridge Unified School District warned of layoffs.  Sunnyside Unified School District eliminated seven full time librarians. Six librarians now forced to work at two different school libraries.  Coconino Community College District killed 15 jobs. This leaves only two full time positions for the college.  University of Phoenix (Apollo Education Group) laid off less than 50 employees. Company officials say it’s part of their restructuring.

California:  Coachella Valley Unified School District killed 96 positions, on top of the previous 51 employees let go. School district officials admitted they are trying to avoid bankruptcy, however, employees and taxpayers are confused because the district was able to give students 18-thousand iPads last year. On top of that the Golden State government is supposed to be giving schools extra money for the school year. Local news reports said district officials made the layoff decision without public discussion.   Galt Joint Union High School District says it must layoff five employees, due to what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome (DSS).  BEST (Barstow Employment Specialized Training) Opportunities killed 98 jobs, guess their job training wasn’t good enough.  CDIHS/OMI Head Start laying off 76 people in July.

Colorado: Colorado State University-Pueblo laid off 22 employees. 19 vacant positions have been eliminated.  Durango School District laid off 24 people. School officials say that despite increasing student enrollment the state has drastically cut funding.

Connecticut: God refusing to stop the Christian Ledyard Center Nursery School from shutting down. It’s blamed on a steady but snowballing decline in students. This school year they have only 40 students, after years of having hundreds! I asked this before, where are all the grade school and college students going? Is there some kind-o-cover up regarding a massive population decline in the U.S.? In Lemont, God refused to stop the all Christian girls (hey isn’t that discrimination against boys?) Mount Assisi Academy from shutting down. Same reason, what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome (DSS).  Is it the rapture?

Florida: Manatee County Schools laid off 12 employees. God refused to stop the shutdown of Wellington Christian School, 50 jobs lost. The Christian parents are pissed saying “Terrible. Out of the blue. Nothing. Just an e-mail to everybody. It was very upsetting.” Another parent says they just busted their butts raising donations to save the school, and now they want that money back, saying “Sure, well, I don’t know about that honestly in terms of the last few days, but if the money was designated to save our high school that money should be returned to our families!”  However, greedy church officials now say that money is staying with the church! The ‘interim’ pastor says he wants to sell off the school property!  Broward County School District shutting down three charter schools (including The Obama Academy for Boys). This is on top of the 12 charter schools the district has already killed! This time school officials say the charter schools being closed broke their contracts, by not operating at the locations stipulated in the contracts, and, they failed to get permits (they were apparently permitted as day care centers, not schools).  Duval County Head Start more than 300 jobs affected due to loss of funding! The education program is now forced to rely on cheap contractors.

Georgia: Jackson County School District wants to kill 42 jobs. District officials say reduced taxpayer funding and increased Obama Care insurance costs have created a $4.6-million USD shortfall!  Muscogee County School District eliminated 113 jobs (69 occupied positions and 44 vacant positions)! It’s due to funding problems, but 19 teachers were fired specifically for poor performance.

Illinois:  Bushnell-Prairie City School District laid at least 16 employees, ended two sports programs and ended elementary summer school for the 2014-15 school year. It’s blamed on massive funding cuts at the states level.   Dunlap School District laid off 17 employees. It was revealed the district is in the hole $2.1-million. Employees are pissed because last year the district led everybody to believe the district was in good shape.  The Prairie State Superintendent of Schools warned 13-thousand 4-hundred teachers could become unemployed!  In Galeberg, after 35 years the Carl Sandburg College Children’s School shutdown in June: “…the college simply no longer offers the accompanying programs and no longer has the resources available to continue to support it financially given the reduced funding we’ve received from the state in recent years.”

Chicago Public Schools laid off 1150 employees! School administrators claim the number of layoffs are the lowest in the past five years! The job killing is blamed on the ever increasing  Disappearing Students Syndrome and a new per-pupil funding formula.  Belleville School District laid off 12 teachers, as a “precaution”. School administrators say the state and federal governments have not been paying what they are supposed to pay under school funding laws. As an example; the state of Illinois still owes the school district $2.1-million! Taxpayers need to get pissed and ask their elected officials “why?”   Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 laid off four of their ten art teachers.  Peoria School District 150 killing 200 jobs! District officials blamed crashing funding from federal and state tax revenues, and even crashing local property tax revenues. In other words, the economy sucks ass!  Rockford School District shutting down nine schools, and tearing them down to created “green space”! It’s not clear why, even a local news source stated “parents expressed extreme curiosity in the district’s plans”.

Iowa: Wesleyan College warned of layoffs. At least 45 people will lose their jobs. 16 programs are being shutdown, affecting at least 50 students who thought they were close to graduating. College administrators blame what I call DSS and lack of money!  In Galesburg, Cooke Elementary school being shutdown. School district officials say student enrollment is so low the school can barley maintain 15 students per class, making it a waste of money to keep the school open. It also doesn’t help that the district is in the hole by $4.4-million!  Iowa City Community School District eliminated 36 teacher and administrator positions. 47 teachers are expected to retire and those positions will not be filled, but school district officials said some layoffs might still be necessary. It’s blamed on state mandated education spending cuts.  West Des Moines’ Johnston Community School District voted to shutdown an elementary school and possibly kill 14 jobs. Administrators say they must shutdown an elementary school, then turn a Junior High into an elementary school, plus raise property taxes/fees in order to build a new High School. (Hey they pulled that crap here in Chubbuck/Pocatello, Idaho, and it was nothing but a big mess and a scam for local taxpayers!)  West Des Moines says they must shutdown the Phenix Early Childhood Center in order to deal with education funding cuts. 180 students and 12 teachers affected!

Kansas: God can’t stop Christian non-profit Ottawa University from laying off 18 employees. School officials say the layoffs are “a preventive measure” against the growing number of disappearing (raptured?) students.

Kentucky: University of Louisville warned of massive layoffs. It’s blamed on what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome (DSS). School officials revealed that due to declining enrollments they’ve cut $114-million out of their operating budget over the past ten years! Now the Governor wants to slash state funding of higher education by 2.5%.  Fort Knox to shutdown four schools; Kingsolver Elementary, Mudge Elementary, Pierce Elementary and Walker Intermediate School. That’s half their schools! 130 jobs will be lost! It’s blamed on the de-activation of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Brigade.  Georgetown College laying off an undisclosed number of employees and eliminating French, German, Computer Science, and Music majors. They say it’s part of their two year “strategic” plan to adjust to Obama Care, which drastically increases the cost of employee retirement and health insurance benefits.  In Louisville, Jefferson County Public Schools officials blames disappointing student performance for why Myers Middle School (Junior High) must be closed. Students consistently rank in the bottom 1% for the whole state!  Northern Kentucky University laid off 20 employees, blaming “financial challenges”.

Louisiana: The University of New Orleans announced they will kill an undisclosed number of their 84 degree programs, which will result in layoffs. The university laid off 28 people back in February. Since 2012 more than 110 employees have been laid off, and they shutdown their child daycare! It’s blamed on what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome, for example; in 2003 the university had more than 17-thousand students, in 2013 they had only 9323, an almost 50% reduction over ten years! Louisiana Delta Community College wants to layoff 28 employees. The college has been forced to cut its operating budget by millions of dollars for the past several school years.    Loyola University killed more than 24 jobs.  In Baton Rouge, The Career Academy charter school forced to shutdown, despite their five year contract with East Baton Rouge Parish School System. The East Baton Rouge Parish School System claims they need the property.

Maine: The York School District killed nine jobs. The University of Maine wants to kill 165 to 255 jobs! Administrators say it will have to be, if the state government goes through with draconian budget cuts.  University of Southern Maine shutdown Dickey Wood Hall. It’s blamed on DSS. The Hall was designed to accommodate 360 students, but this past spring there were only 40 living in the dorm!

Maryland:  University of Maryland University College warned of 70 layoffs. It’s blamed on what I call Disappearing Student Syndrome (DSS) and increased Obama Care costs for employees.  Loyola University eliminated 37 jobs.

Massachusetts: Wareham School District warned of massive restructuring and layoffs. The District is short $2.4-million!  In Worchester, God refused to stop the killing of 15 jobs at the Catholic Assumption College. School officials said the layoffs were the only way they could keep from raising tuition. Parents have told school officials the number one reason why student enrollment is declining is because of the skyrocketing costs of higher education (or is it the Rapture?).   Amherst Regional School Committee eliminated 12 jobs, blamed “mainly to declining enrollment”.   After only 11 years, Center for Digital Imaging Arts now chapter 7 bankrupt busted. Chapter 7 bankruptcy indicates they are toast and will be liqudated.  In Norwood, That Which Cannot Be Named refused to stop the shutdown of the Jewish elementary school Kehillah Schechter Academy. It’s blamed on disappearing Jewish students (it also doesn’t help that the school is millions of dollars in debt).

Michigan: Lansing Public School District warned it might have to shutdown Eastern High School. It’s blamed on decreasing students and increasing employee costs caused by Obama Care health insurance and retirement increases. To add to that, The Lansing Public School District privatizing their school bus system, trying to cut more than $700-thousand from their budget. School bus drivers make about $12 per hour, part time, so just imagine what kind of contracted drivers they’re going to get for minimum wage. School bus driver Keisha Boose is pissed, saying  “I feel like I have been a loyal employee and the Lansing School District does not have my back!”   After first announcing (in March) they would not privatize their school bus system, Battle Creek Public Schools privatized their school bus system! 41 jobs affected.  The Charlotte Public Schools could shutdown the Charlotte Performing Arts Center. Administrators revealed the taxpayer funded Arts Center has been losing tens of thousands of dollars since 2010. Detroit Public Schools (DPS) warned they might shutdown 26 schools! Apparently DPS is in the hole by $120-million!  Eastern Michigan University is laying off 10 of its 11 full time lecturers! It’s blamed on what I call DSS, which is making budget problems even worse.  The troubled and possibly thieving Saginaw School District warned of school shutdowns in order to save money. The District is already being sued by one of its own board members, is already in the hole by $6.1-million, and last year it was forced by state officials to take over and shutdown the Buena Vista School District. And even though Buena Vista School District is dead, the local residents are still forking over local school taxes to pay off $6-million in district debt!  Flint School District is considering getting rid of all 41 administrators!  It all depends on the actual student population, Flint has been hemorrhaging students. So far four school have been closed and hundreds of jobs lost!  Pontiac Education Association laid off 63 teachers. It’s being blamed on the disappearance of 300 students for the 2014-15 school year! (and don’t forget the increased benefit costs caused by Obama Care). Pontiac schools are in so much financial trouble they are now being overseen by Oakland Intermediate School District.  The Ferndale Public Schools warned they must eliminate 30 jobs.  Administrators say they will go into the 2014-15 school year missing 300 students!

Minnesota:  The Minnesota School of Business shutdown their Shakopee branch, blaming disappearing students: “…in the past few years the number of students taking classes at the Shakopee campus has decreased dramatically.”-note taped to door at the Shakopee branch

The Willmar School District laid off 87 teachers and administrators. They hope it will be temporary. Minnesota State University Moorhead laid off 20 employees, and forced 21 employees to retire early, due to being short $5-million! University officials warned that if things don’t get better they will be short $8-million by 2016!  The Elmore Academy and the Wildcat Cafe shutdown to assess “programmatic needs”.   After only nine years the only two Christian Camden Music Schools shutdown. God didn’t stop the ‘great recession’ from killing off the schools: “The revenues were not sufficient for me to sustain it.”-Janet Zahn, founder

Mississippi: In McComb, God refused to stop the shutdown of Saint Alphonsus Catholic School, 22 jobs lost. It’s blamed on a the steady disappearance of students over the past seven years (Rapture?).

Missouri: In Ozora, God refuses to stop 115 years old Sacred Heart Catholic School from shutting down. Only 15 students enrolled for the 2014-15 school year!  Blame their DSS on the Rapture?  Troubled Saint Joseph School District killed more jobs, this time six employees were laid off.  School board officials blame it on disappearing students. However, the school district is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI wants to know why the administrators secretly gave themselves $200-thousand in bonuses!

New Hampshire: In Goffstown, after 96 years (and surviving the Great Depression) God refused to stop the shutdown of Villa Augustina School. It’s blamed on disappearing Catholic students. In 2008-09 the Catholic parents tried to save the school by buying it from the Catholic church. However, the students just wouldn’t show up (maybe they’re all in heaven now. Oh no, the rapture?): “A community embracing Christian Values, Academic Excellence, and Loving Service consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church and the charism of St. Claudine Thevenet.”-school mission statement

New Jersey:  Port Jervis School District warned of job cuts for the 2014-15 school year, blaming state and federal funding cuts and Obama Care insurance increases for district employees.   In Pennsauken Township, God can’t stop Saint Steven’s Christian school from shutting down. Church leaders blame it on what I call DSS (is it the Rapture?).  The Newark School system warned it will kill 30% of their 32-hundred teaching jobs over the next three years!  Administrators blame crashing revenues which are caused by what I call Disappearing Students Syndrome.  It turns out the Salem County One-Stop Career Center is a dead end for six employees who got laid off. It’s blamed on the loss of a community college grant.

New Mexico: Western New Mexico University warned of layoffs and tuition increases, due to what I call DSS.

New York:  Rochester City School District warned of massive layoffs due to the loss of 900 students for the 2014-15 school year!  The Hempstead School District killed 59 education jobs, in a secret vote. The teachers union went to local news media to report that 47 teachers, 10 teacher assistants and two administrators had received layoff notices. In May school officials declared many teaching positions were going to be “excessed”, which basically means there’s not enough money to cover them all.  Wilson Central School District laid off two employees. Rome City School District warned 60 teachers of layoff, and is asking another 40 to retire early. Lockport City School District laid off five employees and eliminated six vacant positions.  Glens Falls City School District killing 25 jobs, and reducing the hours for ten employees. The district blames it on declining tax revenues from the state and federal level, and will now push local school taxes/fees to their legal limit. Trumansburg Central School District might layoff seven employees.  Utica City School District killing 94 jobs. The district is in the hole by $6.4-million, and this is despite the fact that the district is one of the rare few that actually has increasing student enrollment!  Canisius College warned it will layoff an undisclosed number of employees, blaming years of what I call Disappearing Student Syndrome (DSS) and increasing benefit costs caused by Obama Care.   After spending $23-thousand dollars to find out why the Guilderland schools are losing students, the shutdown of Altamont Elementary School is now being discussed. The study blamed “Declining community population”, “Declining job market” and “underemployment”, “44% less growth in property values”, as well as blaming the federal government for “Unfunded mandates” and Obama Care for “Increasing health insurance and employee pension costs”!  South Colonie Central Schools jacking up property taxes and eliminating 35 jobs. Upset parents don’t understand that Obama Care is jacking up insurance costs astronomically for schools. Administrators are hoping the federal and state government will kick in some extra money to help pay for their financial rape.  Queensbury Union Free School District warned of job cuts, blaming continued reduction in funding, and of course they want the cash strapped local property owners to fork over more money. Saranac Lake Central School District wants to layoff at least 20 employees.  Trenton School District to layoff 77 employees. Administrators blamed part of their $10.5-million shortfall on charter schools. Buffalo School District warned of layoffs for the 2014-15 school year, as many as 390 jobs could be culled! They’re short nearly $50-million. Teachers in the district are pissed because in the past they’ve taken huge pay cuts, by as much as $15-thousand per teacher! Utica City School District wants to kill 90 jobs, due to a shortfall of $6.4-million, and that’s with an increase in student population and taxes. Local property owners are pissed because the district (along with the city) has been jacking up their taxes, and apparently it’s still not enough! However, one district official revealed that 61% of elitist property owners are exempted from paying taxes! The other 39% are burdened with funding local government. Sounds like a f*cked up place to live.   For the first time ever, Cazenovia School District had to kill jobs. 16 positions eliminated due to disappearing students (20% decline over the past 10 years). In Getzville, bus service First Student shutdown, killing 80 jobs. In Brooklyn, after 52 years God refused to stop the shutdown of Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School. Administrators blamed it on a 75% drop in student enrollment (is it the Christian Rapture?)!  After 151 years (and surviving the Great Depression as well as dozens of recessions) snooty upscale prep school Adelphi Academy now chapter 11 bankrupt busted. Administrators blame it on disappearing students. Court documents show current K through 12 enrollment at only 100!  Tufaro Transit laid off 46 school bus employees due to loss of contract. School Days also warned of 45 school bus employee layoffs due to loss of contract.  In Long Island, All American School Bus shutdown, 990 jobs lost! The Schenectady City School District chief, Larry Spring, warned “We’re going to have staff layoffs, we’re going to have program cuts, absolutely.” The district is short $10-million! Employees were also laid off last school year.  In Amherst, Medaille College shutdown: “The market environment has changed so much that the most obvious thing to do is return to the mother campus and adjust accordingly.”-Richard Jurasek , president

North Carolina: Elizabeth City State University laid off 34 employees. The interim chancellor says the university must cut costs by $3.7-million per year!  ECSU eliminated 46 positions last school year. School officials say disappearing students caused the university to lose $4.2-million in the 2013-14 school year!  In Wilmington, after 32 years Teacher’s Aid shutdown. The owner of the education supply store blamed the past five years of declining sales.  North Carolina Central University eliminated 55 positions. University of North Carolina at Greensboro warns it might have to destroy 120 jobs and 600 classes in July! It already killed 390 classes for the 2013-14 school year! It’s blamed on increasing disappearing students, 2014-15 school year enrollment is already down by 2.6%. It’s also blamed on decreasing taxpayer funding and increased costs, like increased employee health insurance cost due to Obama Care.

Ohio: Mansfield School Committee eliminated 149 positions and raised up front school fees for parents! It’s blamed on declining tax revenues and increased insurance costs caused by Obama Care.  The Columbus City School District warned it will have to close seven schools, in order to cut $50-million from next school year’s budget!  Central State University laid off 17 employees, and plans on reducing pay for everybody else.  Marietta College killed 20 jobs.  Parma City School District warned of layoffs as they and the teachers union battle it out in arbitration. If U.S. teachers are so important why is the United States now among the dumbest countries in the world?  After only two years in operations, Believe to Achieve Academy shutdown two schools, 63 jobs lost.  Ohio State University eliminated 13 jobs. Administrators said it’s either the layoffs or jacking up tuition.  In Toledo, Community Development Institute-Head Start killing 280 jobs in July! The 2014-15 Head Start contract went to another contractor.

Oregon: Southern Oregon University eliminating 80 jobs by 2018. It’s blamed on what I call DSS: “We have to be as lean as possible. We’re trying to save enough so we can reinvest.”-Mary Cullinan, SOU president

Pennsylvania: Philadelphia School District warned of 1-thousand layoffs in September! It’s blamed on massive funding cuts and massive insurance cost increases caused by Obama Care. Administrators said the combination causes them to be short $440-million for 2014-15 school year! They begged city, county and state officials to raise taxes in order to fund the district’s budget shortfall: “We cannot have another year where we’re cutting. We have to get stable…so we can fight for the future instead of worrying about every single year….We can’t go any further! We’ll be in the mud at the bottom of the hill, and it’s a very steep hill!”-Bill Green, School Reform Commission Chairman

Pittsburgh based Education Management Corporation (EDMC) laid off 80 HQ employees, and more are expected. The for-profit higher education system (half owned by Goldman-Sachs) operates in the U.S. and Canada through Argosy University, The Art Institutes (200 employees laid off earlier this year!), Brown Mackie College and South University. EMDC has been losing money for the past three years due to disappearing students (enrollment dropped almost 10% just from last year). EMDC is also facing U.S. federal charges for paying recruiters based on student headcount, which is a violation of U.S. education laws. The Allentown School District laid off 101 employees, including teachers! The district has already killed 350 jobs over the past four years! It’s blamed on what I call DSS, and Obama Care increases insurance and retirement costs for the school district by $4.3-million! Chartiers-Houston School District warned of layoffs, and they blamed the state for withholding payments on recent construction and renovations, and the federal government for increasing health care and retirement costs (Obama Care). Administrators say the result is that they are now $1-million in the hole!  The Easton Area School District to layoff 56 employees. Officials need to make up a $5-million shortfall in the 2014-15 budget!  West York Area School District killed 29 jobs, on top of the 40 positions eliminated through attrition. Taxpayers question the job cuts because the school district is spending money on building renovations.   The Southern Lehigh School Board tearing down the Lower Milford Elementary School. Lower Milford parents are pissed, saying the K-5 school is not only the only school in the area, but doubles as a community center! School board officials say they cannot afford the $15-million needed to renovate the school.   Bethlehem Area School District eliminating 22 teacher positions, despite local tax increases. Apparently Pennsylvania school districts cannot layoff employees due to economic reasons, so the district is blaming the ongoing trend of disappearing students. Administrators also pointed out that even at maximum local taxes they still won’t have enough money to pay all the bills! Camden City School District eliminating 575 jobs! Administrators blamed it on disappearing students and on prior administrators “overspending” taxpayer funding.  In Bridgeville, God refused to stop the closing of Holy Child Catholic School, church officials blame it on disappearing (Raptured?) Christians!  The Correy Area School District shut down two elementary schools. Superintendent William Nichols blames it on what I call the mysterious DSS: “The board built two buildings here in the past six or seven years that house all of the elementary students and that becomes possible because we have a declining enrollment of 35%…”

Tennessee: God refused to stop for profit Christian Victory University (Crichton College) from shutting down! A wealthy California Christian investor says his family has lost millions trying to float the university for the past five years! The problem is declining enrollment due to Disappearing Students Syndrome (DSS), and the fact that the majority of enrolled students are there on scholarships.

Texas: Rio Hondo School District killed 23 jobs. It’s blamed on funding cuts which are blamed on what I call DSS.  Copperas Cove Independent School District killing 75 jobs. The district no longer qualifies for the federal Heavy Impact Aid, which equates to a $12-million loss. The aid is for schools located near federal installations like military bases. However, 35% of the student population must meet certain qualifications, and apparently declining enrollment has resulted in not enough students to meet that 35% requirement.  The El Paso Independent School District warned it could be killing 172 teaching positions! It’s blamed on rising insurance and retirement costs caused by Obama Care, and the DSS of 33-hundred students over the past four years!

Vermont: The Vermont Technical College eliminating six positions due to increased costs caused by Obama Care, and three years of DSS.   Norwich University announced it will kill an undisclosed number of jobs, blaming DSS.  Burlington School District plans to layoff 23 employees for the 2014-15 school year.

Virginia: Patrick Henry Community College laid off 22 employees. Since 2013 the college has experienced declining enrollment, lower tuition revenues, increased costs and decreases in taxpayer funding.

Washington DC: Howard University laid off 200 employees! The jobs are being outsourced. University employees protested, but of course they were ignored.

Wisconsin: Delavan-Darien School District eliminated 18 positions, mainly teachers.   God refuses to stop Marquette University from killing 25 jobs. The Catholic university says it’s necessary to keep tuition affordable, but never mind that they raised the tuition the month prior (you see you can’t trust Christians)!  Blackhawk Technical College laid off 11 employees. It’s blamed on reduced tax funding.  In De Pere, Wisconsin International School shutdown without notice! Local news reports stated that teachers had not been paid! Administrators with the privately run grade school stated “The Wisconsin International School has closed due to declining enrollment and mounting financial pressures.” 

Disappearing Students Syndrome (DSS): A phrase created by me to describe a phenomenon taking place across the United States, affecting both privately and publicly funded schools, from Kindergarten all the way through University levels.

International, U.S.

Ebola Update, 08 November 2014: Five U.S. military bases designated for quarantine! More proof it’s all about the money!

In the United States a recent Nightly Business Report (NBR) revealed that the EVD scare is a big boon for the pharmaceutical industry, with investors buying up pharma stocks like crazy.  Even the World Bank and IMF have created new types of loans for countries fighting outbreaks.  Notice in the following how many legal drug makers, health service providers and international bankers around the World are jumping on the ebola bandwagon.

Australia: The British empire country has hired contractor Aspen Medical to staff a British empire military field hospital in Sierra Leone.  The contract is worth $20-million AUD.   350 Aussie healthcare workers immediately “volunteered” to be hired by Aspen Health.

China:  Hong Kong has begun ebola disinfection drills.

Cuba: Perhaps hoping to profit from its ebola response, the Cuban Medical Services is pushing its healthcare products at the 32nd International Trade Fair in Havana.   Health administrators from 101 countries are expected to attend the fair.   Cuban Medical Services is directly involved in healthcare ops in 40 countries, while individual healthcare workers in the tens of thousands are working in 66 countries.

Dominican Republic: Reports that the Caribbean country’s Health Ministry and Ministry of Defense are conducting joint ebola filovirus training at the Military Teaching Hospital in Santo Domingo.

European Union:  The EU has pledged $1.25-billion USD to fight ebola in western Africa.  But wait, most of that money will actually be going to various European companies who will be involved in medical supplies and testing drugs!  On top of that the European Commission wants another $224-million just for the European pharmaceutical industry!

Portugal pledged $9915 worth of drugs to Guinea-Bissau.  The New York based World Bank also loaned Guinea-Bissau $750-thousand.  But wait, this isn’t the Guinea that’s dealing with an ebola outbreak, this is its neighbor Guinea-Bissau, which has yet to see an ebola case. 

Japan: In Osaka, a woman from Guinea was quarantined for suspicion of being infected.  She is locked down in a hospital with a fever, despite testing negative for the ebola filovirus.  In Tokyo, a Japanese man returning from Liberia was quarantined.  He has a fever and inflamed tonsils, however, his blood test showed no ebola.

Mali: The west-central African country reports 108 people under medical watch since a two years old girl died of ebola.

Nigeria: The African country is providing drugs and supplies worth more than $249-thousand to Sierra Leone.  It’s part of a $3-million effort by Nigeria, which includes 600 healthcare workers under the leadership of the Economic Community Of West African States. 

Switzerland (not a member of European Union):   The UN World Health Organization praising Swissmedic for testing a new drug developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada.  It’s been tested on non-human animals, but now will be tested on 115 human volunteers.  The drug is called VSV-ZEBOV and is currently being tested on people in the United States.  Switzerland is already testing another vaccine called ChAd3.

Vietnam: The South East Asian country has begun hospital drills in case of ebola outbreak.  This comes after an immigrant from ebola stricken Guinea arrived sick.  He later tested negative for EVD.

United States: In Nevada, Washoe County Health District administrators announced they have ordered a person who visited Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone to self monitor for symptoms.   There was no report indicating the person was sick.

NBR reported that shares of two drugs makers shot up  when investors learned they were working on ebola vaccines.  The companies are Sarepta and Tekmira.

In New York, the University of Buffalo says the filovirus is much older than first thought, not several thousands years old but 23-million!  Ebola and marburg are types of filovirus.

New York based World Bank revealed a new $450-million commercial loan scheme for countries hit by ebola outbreaks.  They’re justifying the new loans based on a UN study that says Liberia and Sierra Leone lost the equivalent of $36-million in development projects because of the Ebola Virus Disease.

The World Bank also estimates the fight against the filovirus, just in western Africa, to cost $32.6-billion by the end of 2015.

New York based International Monetary Fund (IMF) is working with World Bank on a supposed “epidemic emergency fund”.  However, it to is a loan.  Countries can borrow money to pay for medical response.  $500-million has been allocated for the new loan scheme.

In Washington DC, the Obama regime is asking the Congress to rape taxpayers for an additional $6-billion, to supposedly fight ebola.  Congress has already raped taxpayers for $88-million, plus shifted $750-million in military spending to the fight against EVD.

The Department of Defense has picked five U.S. military bases as designated quarantine zones.  They are Fort Hood and Fort Bliss inTexas, Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington and Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia.

A drugs company revealed the Department of Defense gave it $8.5-million for development of an ebola vaccine based on the possibility the EVD has evolved to be transmittable by air: “In July 2014, Profectus BioSciences and the GNL were awarded a 3 year $8.5M grant from the DOD/JVAP to support development of a lyophilized trivalent VesiculoVax™-vectored vaccine to protect against all major strains of Ebola and Marburg viruses delivered as aerosols.”

The money went to Maryland based Profectus BioSciences.

But wait, there’s more!  Profectus BioSciences revealed even more money spent on even more sinisterness: “In addition, the USACC has contracted for clinical evaluation of the VesiculoVax™ Zaire-Ebola virus vaccine to meet the current outbreak in West Africa. The $9.5 million award has been made with Battelle Memorial Institute through the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, & Nuclear Defense Information Analysis Center (CBRNIAC) contract, a Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC®) owned, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract vehicle for providing comprehensive scientific and technical research and analysis supporting the Department of Defense CBRN and Homeland Defense communities.” 

Ebola filovirus is so virulent because when it enters your body its first targets are your immune cells.  Once the immune system is weakened EVD then attacks your other cells.

Update, 02 November 2014

International, U.S.

Ebola Update, 02 November 2014: “We had hoped this wouldn’t happen” Oregon 1st case? China joins Obama, sends in the troops! Korea quarantines everybody! New threat, Mosquitos! This is good for business?

Canada: The British empire’s Great White North joins a growing list of countries banning travelers from ebola hot zone countries.

China: In another move to prove the ‘western’ critics (like the Obama regime) wrong, government officials have now pledged unlimited material and money for the fight against ebola filovirus in western Africa!

Chinese officials are joining with the Obama regime, deciding that this new version of EVD is a matter of national security, and is now sending combat troops to Africa!  To show how tight the cooperation is, the People’s Liberation Army is following the lead of the U.S. Department of Defense and is creating special medical martial law teams (some members have experience fighting SARS), similar to Obama’s Operation United Assistance order.  (see Ghana, below)

Chinese manufacturers of hazmat suits are reporting skyrocketing sales as a result of the ebola scare.

Cuba: U.S. officials attended anti-ebola meetings in Cuba.  Despite the Caribbean country’s world leading healthcare track record (and the fact that no Cuban healthcare worker has yet to get infected with EVD) many U.S. republicans blasted the Obama regime for joining up with Cuban health officials.

Cuba recently hosted an anti-ebola meeting for the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of the Americas-Commercial Treaty of the Peoples (ALBA-TCP).  UN officials were there and commended not only Cuba, but Venezuela as well: “I urge countries in the region and around the world to follow the lead of Cuba and Venezuela, who have set a commendable example with their rapid response in support of efforts to contain Ebola. Cuba’s proud tradition of training doctors from developing countries has also helped improve medical care around the world.”-David Nabarro, UN secretary-general’s special envoy on Ebola

Another UN official blamed the United States for bringing ebola to the ‘New World’: “You are absolutely doing the right thing. You want to step up your level of preparedness.  Last month, the Ebola virus moved to your region, to the United States.  Any country with an international airport is theoretically at risk of an imported case of ebola.”-Margaret Chan, UN World Health Organization

European Union: The British empire’s United Kingdom Disasters Emergency Committee announced they are shocked by the overwhelming amount of donations flooding in to help fight EVD. So far $5-million USD was raised in just two days! The U.K. government promised to match (with taxpayer funds) up to $7.5-million that came by way of donations.

Of course a lot of the money will be spent on the U.K.’s hazmat supply industries.

France is now taking care of a United Nations employee infected with ebola.  The ’employee’ got infected while in Sierra Leone.  The UN is refusing to give out anymore details.

An Italian man was fined almost $2-thousand USD for a “sick joke” he made about ebola, while on an airliner flying to Ireland.  The man wrote Warning Ebola on the lid of a coffee cup he was sharing with his daughter.  I think the fine is a ‘sick joke’.  Court records show no other passengers saw the coffee cup lid!  An airline employee saw the lid after it was thrown in the trash.  However, prosecutors likened the joke to a terrorist writing a note saying there was a bomb on the plane, even though in this case the note was never shown to anybody other than the jokesters themselves!

Ghana: Not only has China agreed to join Obama’s Operation United Assistance, but the People’s Liberation Army Air Force is using the same U.S. airbase in the western African country of Ghana.  Chinese cargo planes recently off-loaded Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), sprayers, body temperature detectors and body bags.  Ghana has yet to have any ebola cases, but is being used as a distribution point by the U.S. and China for those countries that do.

Guinea: A Cuban fighting ebola in the western African country has died, but not from the filovirus. He died from protozoans that cause malaria.

Jamaica: The Caribbean country has recently hired a couple of Cuban healthcare personnel to oversea anti-ebola training for Jamaican healthcare workers.

Japan: An NHK report said Japan’s healthcare system is not ready for an ebola outbreak.  A health official also said the health systems of countries around the World are not ready: “The Japanese government has tightened its border controls. But the root of the problem lies in West African countries. Japan and the rest of the international community should support these countries in two ways: One is to take countermeasures against ebola and the second is to build better healthcare systems for the future.”-Omi Shigeru, Japan Community Healthcare Organization

Korea (DPRK): The ebola threat has scared the leaders in the north so much that they now require 21 days of quarantine for anybody entering the country, regardless of where they’re coming from!  The news was reported by China’s Ministry of Commerce, saying the DPRK had notified them of the new policy.

Liberia: There are reports that the government healthcare system has collapsed. The western African country is now being hit with a malaria outbreak, and NGOs and charities are trying to take up the slack caused by the failed government system.  Mosquitos are rampant, and if they can spread a blood-borne disease like malaria then why not ebola?

In the former U.S. colony, survivors of ebola are being used to care for new victims, but only for three months.  Supposedly a survivor is immune to EVD for a short time of only three months.   However, doctors say the many survivors stick around treatment centers for the three months because they are no longer welcome by their fellow villagers.

A recent claim by the UN World Health Organization, that ebola cases are decreasing, has been shown to be a lie.  The United Nations admits the true reason why their ‘numbers’ are down is because they can’t get to all the clinics or villages, impeding their ability to do an accurate body count!  After all, the UN also says the death toll in Liberia is not decreasing.

Liberian Christian leaders say ebola is God’s punishment for homosexuals.  Isn’t that what Christian leaders said about AIDS?   The Liberian Christians are now using the UN WHO claim that cases are decreasing as proof of God’s “forgiveness”!

A Christian charity estimates that in the capital city of Monrovia they are trying to help at least 157 children now orphaned due to ebola.   Another charity reports they are dealing with 500 ebola orphans.  There are dozens of charities, each working with hundreds of ebola orphans in the Greater Monrovia Area.

Sierra Leone:  Officials are accusing Canada of racism for banning all travelers from the western African country (which is also a former British empire colony).

United States: “We had hoped this wouldn’t happen, We’ve done a lot of work to prepare for an Ebola case.”-Dave Underriner, Providence Health & Services

In the Pacific Coast state of Oregon, a woman visiting from Liberia is now in home quarantine.  She was self monitoring when she noticed a spike in her temp.  She was released from the hospital, into the care of a family who will keep her under quarantine until blood tests results are in.  Officials say the woman claims she hasn’t come into contact with anybody infected.

REVOLUTION IN BURKINA FASO…..IS THIS ABOUT EBOLA, OR THE OIL?

Update, 27 October 2014

International, U.S.

Ebola Update, 27 October 2014: Japan has 1st ebola case? Obama signs executive order for Medical Martial Law, then accuses news media & state officials of fear mongering!

Japan: A Canadian reporter (Japan’s NHK first reported him as a Japanese reporter), who flew from western Africa to Europe and then onto Japan, arrived at Tokyo International Airport with a fever and other signs of EVD.  He is now in quarantine, medical officials the results of an initial blood sample are negative for ebola.  The reporter made stopovers in Belgium and United Kingdom on his way home to Japan, he had spent two months in Liberia.

The news broke as prime minister Abe Shinzo ordered an emergency meeting to discuss ebola as a threat to national security!  Supposedly that meeting is not connected to the quarantined reporter.

It’s also convenient that Fujifilm announced they would buy Texas based Kalon, to help mass produce an experimental influenza drug for use against ebola (it’s called Avigan aka Favipiravir)

United States:  In a typical example of talking out of both sides of your mouth at the same time the leader of the supposed ‘free world’, Barack insane Obama, is now chastising state officials (several states now have mandatory quarantine for anybody coming from western Africa) and news media outlets for fear mongering about ebola.  Obama is specifically targeting news reports, insinuating that most are rumors and innuendo.

But wait, the overwhelming  number of reports from news sources are simply quoting health officials, and government officials including Barack Obama.

Florida has joined Illinois, New Jersey and New York in quarantining anybody from countries designated by the U.S. CDC as EVD hot zones.  That’s a fact, not a rumor mister president.

New York has just quarantined a five years old boy, that’s a fact mister president, not a rumor.  Initial blood tests show no EVD.

A nurse, who is not sick, quarantined in New York is now suing the state for treating her like a criminal in solitary confinement, she doesn’t even have access to a shower!  That’s a fact, not a rumor!

So far, everybody who’s gotten sick inside the United States has had all their possessions seized by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and then incinerated!  That’s a fact!

Recently Obama stated “First, you cannot get ebola easily. You can’t get it through casual contact with someone…”

If this is true why are so many healthcare workers, who’re using ebola treatment protocols, getting sick?   Why did the U.S. CDC revise their protocols saying 100% of your skin must be covered while treating people with ebola filovirus?  Why are so many relatives in western African countries getting sick from what appears to be ‘casual’ contact?  Why did two nurses in Dallas, Texas, get sick when both swear they were following ‘protocols’ and did not come into contact with bodily fluids of the man that died?  It was because of these facts that the U.S. CDC changed their protocols.  Those U.S. citizens who survived EVD did so because they underwent immediate and intensive treatments, the man who died did not.  In fact he was actually misdiagnosed, then later on had treatment delayed and was actually treated with a drug for pox viruses!  In other words, if you don’t get immediate treatment you will die, that’s a fact, not a rumor.

Obama also said “We have to keep leading the global response…”

Fact: The U.S. is not the one leading the global response, that would be Cuba!   Obama sends in 4-thousand combat troops to build military airbases and military hospitals, while thousands of west Africans get sick and die, yet Cuba has sent hundreds of medical personnel with great success where ever they operate.  In fact, Obama has accepted Cuba’s offer of help!     I’ve asked this before, why aren’t any of the Cuban medical personnel getting sick, unlike the privately funded U.S. and European medics working for NGOs and religious groups?

Obama said “We have to stop it at its source, in West Africa…”

Fact: Nobody knows the ‘source’!  The first case was documented in Guinea at the end of 2013, then it showed up almost overnight in Liberia and Sierra Leone. There have been claims that the first ebola victim in Guinea got sick by eating infected meat, however the fact is that’s pure speculation, no proof of such a claim has been presented!  I’ve postulated that it’s connected to the GMO United Nations food aid that was literally forced upon those countries at the beginning of 2013.  Even Liberians made that claim.  Don’t forget ZMapp anti-ebola drug is made with GMO tobacco infused with ebola filovirus.

Obama said “We have to be guided by facts, not fear…”

Fact: Barack Obama signed an executive order activating Department of Defense Reserve units, and deployed 4-thousand combat troops to western Africa, declaring EVD was a matter of national security.  That sounds like fear mongering to me!

Fact: Florida, Illinois, New Jersey and New York state governments have ordered mandatory quarantines for anybody coming from ebola hot zones overseas, sounds like fear mongering to me! (realize that if somebody got off a plane, and was infected, that means the airliner’s air circulation system along with all other passengers and crew could be infected as well. So why not quarantine everybody, mister Cuomo, Christie, Scott and Quinn?)

Fact: Even CDC officials realized they don’t know squat about this new strain of ebola.  They’ve changed their ‘protocols’.  Front line medical personnel, and even the governors of New Jersey and New York, question the competency of the exalted CDC.  Frontier Airlines expressed frustration over what they should do with the airliner that was contaminated by the infected nurse, because the CDC doesn’t know what to do with it! (on 15 October the CDC finally issued “interim guidelines” for airlines)

Fact: It’s government officials, including Barack Obama, who are doing the fear mongering!

Update, 25 October 2014: Get sick, lose all your possessions!

International, U.S.

Ebola Update, 25 October 2014: Get sick, lose all your possessions! New birth control; Ebola is an STD! Got breast milk? Urine is not sterile! Korea bans Chinese! Unconstitutional Medical Martial Law has official title; Operation United Assistance!

“China has good systems and capacity in place to respond quickly should any case or possible case of Ebola be detected here.”-Bernhard Schwartlander, UN World Health Organization

China: Officials are spending an additional $82-million USD to fight ebola.  It’s the fourth time China has spent big bucks, despite criticism  from  ‘western’ countries who so far have only sent combat troops.

In Guangdong Province, random public health screenings have been stepped up, due to the fact that there is a large population of people from western Africa in the province.  The city of Guangzhou has designated seven hospitals as ebola treatment centers.

European Union:  France is now expanding their ebola checks from airports to boats and any other forms of mass transit coming into the country.  Since June, French health officials have investigated 480 possible cases of EVD.  So far all were negative.

Researchers in England, United Kingdom, now think the Medieval plague know as Black Death was not a bacteria, but a form of ebola virus!  The researchers say the spread rate of the Black Death was too fast for a bacteria.

Japan: Officials at all 30 international airports are conducting medical surveys to single out anybody from western Africa, or anybody who’s been to western Africa.

A Japanese surgical mask maker called Clever has donated 10-thousand masks to western African countries.  They report they are now getting requests from the EU country of France, and the U.S. city of New York.

Korea (DPRK): All travelers from China are now banned due to ebola fears.   It was Chinese travel agencies that revealed the Medical Martial Law by ‘North’ Korea.

Mail: The northern African country’s first victim died.  Reports are confusing, some say the two years old girl got infected while attending a funeral in Guinea, with her grandparents.  Another report says her father died from EVD.  It was a nurse who detected signs of ebola in the girl.  43 people in Mali are now under quarantine, most are healthcare workers.  Unconfirmed reports say the girl’s mother is now infected.   Mail is also a country where fierce battles have raged for years between pro-U.S.-European Christians and independence minded Muslims, who are fighting over who will control recently discovered oil reserves (which just happen to be in Muslim territory).

Mali was a French colony, and there are French military units in-country, under the guise of fighting terrorism.

Mexico: Health officials are handing out ebola warning pamphlets and posting signs at border crossings and airports.  About 90% of healthcare workers are undergoing ebola training.  21 people from western Africa were detained, but later declared free of ebola.

United States: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that ebola filovirus is also a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD)!   CDC officials say EVD can be passed on through sexual intercourse for three months after a person has been declared ebola free!  It’s based on their interviews with the New York doctor who is sick in quarantine.  Health officials are not sure if the doctor had sex with his fiancee, but she is being medically monitored.

The UN World Health Organization has been warning that EVD can survive in semen for at least 70 days after a person is considered cured!  The UN WHO also says ebola can survive for a long time in urine (killing the myth that urine is sterile, all you sicko urophilics out there) and breast milk!

The states of Illinois, New Jersey and New York announced they will automatically quarantine all medical personnel returning from countries experiencing ebola outbreaks. This after a sick doctor returned from Guinea, and traveled around the Big Apple for a week before being hospitalized. Also, anybody who has had contact with sick people in Africa will be quarantined.

In Texas, the U.S. Army’s San Antonio Military Medical Center began training the new Ebola Rapid Response Team.  These Teams are meant for domestic Medical Martial Law use.

Barack Obama issued the order last week, commanding all Reserve military units to prepare for implementing the Medical Martial Law called Operation United Assistance.   Many main streamer news sources reported that this includes the activation of National Guard units for deployment to western Africa, this is not so, it is for enforcement of domestic Medical Martial Law.

For one,  National Guard personnel have already been involved in U.S. operations in western Africa for some time now (at the beginning of October Kentucky’s 123rd Contingency Response Group was sent to Senegal, ostensibly to set up an “airbase” for fighting ebola, and South Carolina militias are about to be deployed to western Africa).

Number two, it is unConstitutional for the President to activate National Guard units to fight a disease.  Article I, Section 8, Clauses 15-16 clearly list three reasons for activating state militias (“to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrection and repel invasions”), and fighting diseases is not one of them.  If you read the executive order Obama is not activating National Guard units (which are technically state militias) he is ordering the call up of Regular Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines Corp Reserve units.  Reserve units are directly tied to federal Active Duty units.

However, a few more reasons why the news media is reporting that National Guard units are part of Operation United Assistance is because the following states revealed they are prepping for it:

The state of Virginia has complied with the Obama regime’s questionable executive order and placed its Air and Army militias (National Guard) on standby in case of a domestic ebola outbreak.

West Virginia: “First responders, health department folks, military, and law enforcement, all of those agencies are working together to prepare for the Ebola threat.”-Major General Jim Hoyer, West Virginia National Guard

The state of Wisconsin is ordering cooperation between National Guard units and local hospitals and fire departments: “We are currently putting together two teams of approximately 10 individuals made up of physicians, physician assistants, nurses and some support personnel.”-Major Paul Rickert, Wisconsin National Guard

There is a belief that infected people cannot spread the filovirus until they are showing symptoms.  But you have to wonder why so many healthcare workers, who are following protocols, are getting sick.

Warning, if you get sick with ebola prepare to lose all your life long possessions.  So far everybody who’s gotten sick in the U.S. has had all their possessions seized by the CDC and incinerated!   Everything that isn’t literally nailed down!

Update, 23 October 2014