Tag Archives: taxpayers

International, Technology, U.S.

Biden’s War: U.S. taxpayers to upgrade Cold War era T-72B for Ukraine! That’s just the tip of the latest U.S. funded weapon systems give-away!

Video

06 November 2022 (11:29-UTC-07 Tango 06) 15 Aban 1401/11 Rabi ‘ath-Thani 1444/13 Xin-Hai 4720/06 ноября 2022 года

On 04NOV2022, the NATO United States Department of Defense (DoD) announced the latest taxpayer funded giveaway for Ukraine; $400-million! This brings U.S. taxpayer military funding (does not include the humanitarian funding!), under U.S. President Joseph Robinette Biden Junior, to $18.9-Billion!  (could they have canceled all student loan debts?)

The DoD also boasted that since 2014 (when the NATO backed coup took place, under the Obama regime, for control of natural gas), the U.S. taxpayer has sent (unknowingly for most taxpayers) more than $21-Billion in military assistance to Ukraine!

This latest free-bee for Ukraine is a new ‘contracting phase’ in which new and refurbished weapons will be sent.

First-gen HAWK being launched by U.S. Marines from Chu Lai, Viet Nam, 1965.

The new free-bees include rebuilt & upgraded Cold War era U.S. HAWK (Homing All The Way Killer) anti-aircraft missiles (to go with the HAWK launchers being sent by NATO Spain), new Phoenix Ghost drone (UAV, aka UAS) bombs, armored river boats, rebuilt Iraq occupation M1117 Armored Security Vehicles, and NATO Netherlands and NATO Czech Republic will be paid by U.S. taxpayers to upgrade, to NATO standards, 45 T-72B Cold War era Soviet designed battle tanks.

Captured T-72M being used by U.S. Marine Corps as Opposition Force tank, June 1997.

Destroyed Ukrainian T-72B, photo published 18MAY2022.

No images of the so called Phoenix Ghost are available, apparently it was just a proposal for the U.S. Air Force.  It is a remote controlled suicide drone, reportedly designed specifically for use against Russia.  The bomb UAV was promised to Ukraine in the DoD’s assistance announcement back in April 2022.

Is this the Armored Riverine Boat they are talking about? U.S. Army photo, Basra, Iraq, 04MAR2010.

M1117 Armored Security Vehicle, Tikrit, Iraq. U.S. Army photo, 03NOV2006.

Video of Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singhd, announcing the weapons funding plan, 04NOV2022:

U.S. DoD: $400 Million in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine

Biden’s War: BILLIONS OF $ WORTH OF GEAR BEING TAKEN FROM U.S. TROOPS, GIVEN TO UKRAINE! It is called the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA)!

May 2022: It has been revealed that the U.S. M113 Armored Personnel Carriers for Ukraine are coming from the Army National Guard inventories of at least five states!

Ukraine Battle Damage, early 2022:

Ukrainian Azov militia T-72.

ARMOR, ABANDONED OR DESTROYED

Trident of Poseidon, 2021: NATO’S NEW U.S. based Head Quarters FULLY OPERATIONAL!

ALREADY-PAID-FOR OBAMA-ERA PATROL BOAT, SUNK BY BIDEN? RE-FLOATED BY UKRAINE CRISIS!

Sumerian Lament, March 2014: NAZI GERMANY vs SOVIET UNION = UNITED STATES-NATO vs RUSSIA

Vehicle I-D:

USMC photo by Lance Corporal Timothy Reynolds.

SOVIET ARMOR OF THE U.S. MARINE CORPS

Business/Economics, Idaho, Technology, U.S.

United Police States of America: Idaho Republicans give away contract to Private Prison Tech company, who then double bills Idaho taxpayers

According to Idaho media reports, the executive director for the Idaho Republican Party, Jonathan Parker, is accused of helping AnalyzeSoft (a tech company that makes tracking devices for prisoners) get a big contract from Idaho Governor Butch Otter.

AnalyzeSoft is now barred from doing business with Idaho for at least one year, after it was discovered that they double billed for their services.  Idaho taxpayers were charged $2 million for an incomplete prisoner tracking system!

On top of that, five of AnalyzeSoft’s employees are barred from doing any work for the state, ever!

Under Idaho rules, contractors must bid for contracts with the state.  Not only did they double bill taxpayers, but apparently AnalyzeSoft was handed the contract without bidding.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

U.S. Debt: The Big Three countries U.S. taxpayers are beholded to, U.S. government bonds drop in rank

Most people know that China is the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt.  Japan is the second biggest, and the United Kingdom (Britain) is the third.

According to the most recent information, China holds a little more than $1 trillion in U.S. government debt (bonds), Japan holds $912 billion and the U.K. holds $346 billion.  Those bonds are held not only by foreign governments, but by private banks and corporations.

Standard & Poor’s downgrade means that U.S. government bonds are now ranked 2nd place.  Germany, United Kingdom and France still hold their triple A 1st place ranks.  Interestingly the Federal Reserve Bank (not a government agency) says the drop in ranking will not change how they handle U.S. bonds.

The problem is that foreign banks will surely change how they handle U.S. bonds.

The majority of U.S. government debt is still held within the United States, by banks, corporations, individuals and taxpayers via the U.S. Treasury.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? & Government Incompetence: U.S. to cut trillions in government spending, except for the billions going to Israel

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a debt limit bill that would see more than $2 trillion cut from government spending over ten years.  But those cuts won’t affect the billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars Israel gets.

U.S. politicians said hands off U.S. taxpayer money going to Israel.  Hypocritically, the United States is cutting aid to Palestinians.

It’s being reported that when the Republican party took control of the House of Representatives, they told AIPAC (formerly known as Jewish Defense League) that financial aid to Israeli would not be affected by spending cuts.

Israel gets tens of billions every year from the United States.  That includes money for Israeli companies, the Israeli military, money that’s not officially reported, and interest on some of the money.

Can you believe that, Israel actually gets interest payments on the free money from U.S. taxpayers!  The way that works is that some of the money is held back, and interest is accrued on the funds that have yet to be paid.   One report said that between 2006 and 2008, $2.089 billion in interest was paid to Israel.

Isn’t obvious who really controls the United States government?

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Chrysler insults taxpayers, Chrysler claims they lost $370 million in stock buy back

Taxpayers in the United States lost $1.3 billion when Fiat bought back all the remaining Chrysler stocks held by the U.S. government (U.S. taxpayers lost at least $14 billion, between Chrysler and GM).

Now Chrysler/Fiat is claiming they lost money too.  Chrysler would have reported a profit for the second quarter of 2011, it weren’t for the stock buy back, which they claim cost $551 million.

Chrysler is also reporting a 30% increase in sales revenue (compared to the second quarter of 2010), but don’t think you can buy some of that Chrysler stock, they’re privately held by Fiat and Union trust funds.

Business/Economics, Opinion, U.S.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Government Incompetence: Canadian taxpayers lose $810 million to Chrysler, Unions say it could threaten factories

Just like the U.S. government, the Canadian government has sold its shares of Chrysler stock to Fiat, at a loss.

Canada bailed out Chrysler’s operations in Canada, and it cost the Canadian taxpayers $810 million.

Canadian autoworkers union officials say their government should have held on to the stock a little longer, as a way of making sure Chrysler/Fiat doesn’t shut down the Canadian operations: “We’ve advocated all along for the Ontario and Canadian governments to retain those shares as leverage, to retain investment in Canada, but that decision wasn’t made and now we have to trust that Chrysler and Fiat will recognize the incredible contributions Canadian workers, and Canadian plants, have made in the turnaround of this company.”-Ken Lewenza, union rep

Business/Economics, U.S.

Government Incompetence: U.S. taxpayers lose $1.3 billion to Chrysler

So what about all the noise about Chrysler supposedly paying off its bailout loan?  In the end the U.S. taxpayers lost $1.3 billion.

The pay off was in the form of stock buy back.  The United States government sold its remaining shares of Chrysler stock to Fiat.  The result was a net loss for U.S. taxpayers.  The U.S. Department of Treasury called it a “major accomplishment”!

Maybe if the federal government wasn’t so busy bailing out banks and corporations (along with its increasing war budget) it wouldn’t be in so much financial trouble right now.

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Obama about to send $145 million in military aid to Africa, $200 million for Yemen

Last week the Pentagon presented Congress with a plan to provide African countries with up to $145 million in military aid.  The aid, in money and equipment, is for so called counter terrorism operations.

The $145 million, to be split between several African countries, doesn’t compare to what just one country got last year.  Yemen, on the Arabian Peninsula, got $155 million in aid last year, paid for by taxpayers.  And this year the Pentagon wants give Yemen $200 million!

Out of the $145 million in military aid going to African countries, only $600,000 is for ‘human rights training’.

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Government Incompetence: Idaho can’t make Medicaid payments, yet 102 state employees get bonuses!

June 20, Idaho announced that they can’t make Medicaid payments, yet last week they announced bonuses for 102 government workers!

Example: Legislative Services Director Jeff Youtz, paid himself, and his staff, bonuses equal to $94,633.  The total amount of bonuses paid to agencies of the State of Idaho came to $227,003.

Idaho House Speaker Lawrence Denney said it was necessary to “…retain qualified and experienced staff.”

Idaho House Majority Leader Mike Moyle thinks otherwise: “…with the budgetary concerns we’re dealing with, I don’t think it was wise or prudent.”

Moyle is correct.  Consider that the government of Idaho has laid off 517 employees since 2009, and has suspended Medicaid payments, twice now, along with drastic cuts in education and other services (called “austerity” cuts).  Bonuses for government workers are not what the taxpayers want to see.