Soon after the second world war Russia and the USA entered a phase referred to as the Cold War. It wasn’t always cold in fact the aggression against each other was rather profound at times. The blockade of Berlin, the wall, closing of boarders and prevention of travel between countries was just a small part of the events. Later, an arms race, introduction of nuclear missiles into Cuba and on and on it went. It wasn’t until the President Ronald Regan’s continued pressure on the Russian economy through military escalation did their economy collapse causing a splintering of the members of the USSR in such great numbers that Russia was diminished considerably.
For several years we saw Russian premiers struggle to keep the citizens fed and military partly intact, but then rising out of the KBG ashes came a young Colonel that rose to the position of president and the changes started. Slowly at first, but constant. With the recent takeover of Crimea and new calls for reintroduction into Russia by the Ukraine. At face value it was caused to certainly appear that the citizens had voted in support of that referendum but hordes of unidentified Soviet soldiers tipped us off the facts of new soviet efforts at domination and with it we appear to be on the brink of a new cold war. Slightly different, but with the objective still the same: soviet domination of as much of Europe as possible.
In some ways it is less scary. Much of the nuclear arsenals in both countries have been vastly diminished and with new defensive measures and advanced, like todays US Navy announcement of the first (actually we were 2nd on this one) electric rail gun capable of launching a projectile at Mach 7 to a range of 100 miles (note to all, the old rule of one third still applies when talking about military capabilities) but let’s not forget that what started the arms race was the fact that “they got more than us” mentality swarmed through our political circles, prompted by our military circles, driving us toward more and more until at one point it was calculated we could blow ourselves up some 7+ times.
Vladimir Putin is certainly at the center of the controversy but let’s not forget that his advisors, full of old KGB buddies are part of the old hard line political circles. Like our own presidents from the past two decades, those advisors are filled with politicians rather than scientists, captains of industry and others that don’t have the political blinders on. All in all we are once again seeing history repeat itself because those in charge of forgotten or are ignoring history and are bound to make the same mistakes again and again with all of us hanging in the balance. We can only expect to be rescued and pulled back from the brink so many times, then there will come a time when somebody steps over the line and there will be a newer, far more disastrous future we will be forced into.
And of course, now helping prompt it along is this high speed communication we call the internet, which can be used, misused, and further abused by those that would want to manipulate us all for their own gain. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and hopefully our grandchildren to be better educated about these tactics. Not to be so easily mislead into believing so much of the garbage that is being pumped into our living rooms and onto our computers day after day after day.
So, do yourself a favor. Become more cynical about what you hear. Demand proof and evidence; resist those that would proclaim “trust me, trust me” and insist they show you the facts and no matter what, never take anything at face value; that is the fastest way to be fooled and mislead. The day of trusting what you hear has long since passed. Now we must protect ourselves even better and not allowing ourselves to be talked into another war, no matter what.
I rarely comment on commercial products, simply because one mans trash is another mans treasure, but having watched the great folks at Microsoft try this twice before I could not help but comment. It isn’t enough to know you never really “own” your Microsoft products (you DID read that fine print, didn’t you?) and it’s not enough for them to start again producing products that shut down after a year because you didn’t put the upgrade fee’s, then are once again wanting you to make an annual sacrafice of $100 to use their products. In fact, you don’t get the entire Office Suite, just the select ones they think you need so if you also want MS Project or Visio, you need to shell out more. Fffrrrrppttttt!!!!
As bad as I hate to admit it, I still have an old computer sitting over in the corner that runs Windows DOS 3.3 (those under 45 won’t have a clue) with a version of MS Word. It has spell check and a thesaurus and amazingly, the old print driver still works! No, it won’t run any internet application, but if there was an old BBS out there (another one the under 45 crowd will have trouble grasping) it’s 1,200 baud modem will connect. And yes, I do occasionally use it to type up correspondence and it works just fine.
Recently I found out about a free “look alike” called Kingston Writer that you can find on the net. Yep, it’s free and also has a spreadsheet and presentation program too. No database program, but hopefully they are looking at that one. In any case, it has a similar “look and feel” and writes / saves in a format that Word can also access. So why bother? Well, I suppose it’s the rebel in me plus, now being retired, I can no longer shell out the kind of bucks that Microsoft wants us to all keep paying. They have saw fit not to provide a meaningful “seniors discount”.
Sadly, there was a time when the upgrade of any software was really an upgrade. Lots more super and impressive features that would wow everyone. Now days if you get any new features it’s a surprise, mostly just bug fixes they should have taken care of before it was released.
And the computer industry as a whole continues to loose players that can make impressive strides forward that the everyday person can afford and they arn’t alone. The Pharma industry just got slapped for a letter send to Gilead by lawmakers wanting to know why their hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment called “Sovaldi” is going to cost you and I $1,000 per pill with the course of treatment to be 12 weeks of $84,000. Even at half the price it’s way too high, particularly when you consider how many people are infected with HCV (currently estimates are 3.2 million infected with the disease). It usually comes from needles, syringes, etc but don’t forget needles used for other things, like tatoo’s ... Seen any of those lately? You got one? Oh yes, the virus can survive between 16 hours up to 4 days outside of the body, not a comforting thought for those working around human blood and yes, it can be spread through blood transfusions, from mother to unborn child, etc, etc.
Sorry to get off track, but not that much. Companies used to make products, advertise them, and then let the consumer decide if they wanted them. The more attractive the product, the greater the sales, but now they seem to focus more on “hooking us” as children and programming us to think we simply cannot live without the latest & greatest to the point that we’ll drop the grocery money to get one and feed the kids bologna sandwiches for the next four weeks. Oh wait, most of these teens won’t know how to actually MAKE a sandwich, OK, so they taking them to McD’s and buy off the dollar menu.
Wow .... If this junk is what they mean by the evolution of man, I’m glad it’s just about over for me!
The Netherlands have some of the strongest and strictest immigrations laws in Europe that are being looked at by quite a few countries as a possible “Model for the Future”. Their controversial laws require anyone coming into and wanting to immigrate to their country to learn Dutch language, culture, and customs. At the moment the greatest pushback is coming from older immigrants of many different ethnic groups, but at present Muslims appear to be giving the greatest pushback to the law.
The real question is, is this unreasonable? If a friend comes over to our home, we certainly expect them to respect our rights, our property and to conduct themselves in an honest manner so why should a country that is taking in guests from other countries have any less expectations? In recent years there has been a discussion within many circles that those living here are not native Americans, African Americans, Mexican Americans, etc. They are, simply put, Americans. Of course, our country has always been known, and proud of the fact, that we are “the great melting pot” of all nations, religions, races, etc. but we have also undergone a great deal of stress from demands from different cultures for us to accommodate them through signage, language, tradition, holidays, etc. We have learned that making these accommodations is often time consuming, very costly, and supports the idea’s of having sub-cultures within one culture. Good or bad? I suppose it depends upon what side of the fence you happen to be on.
Perhaps that is the origin of the old classic saying “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” and it does make a good amount of sense. If you want to be a part of our culture, then do all you can to be a part and not expect the home country to make accommodations for you; after all, it was that person/family that choose to come here so they should be expected to understand the requirements. No?
The Netherlands requires all of their “guests” to acclimate themselves and pass a series of tests within two years or they face the risk of deportation. That might be a bit harsh and depending, especially upon the elderly, but it is their requirement. For many, fleeing their home countries to get away from persecution is an understandable act, but being accepted “as is” might not be and in this day and age of so much suspicion aimed at “foreigners”, it’s really in their own best interest to show their loyalties to their new host nations. If you doubt that, just think about the last time you stood near several people speaking a different language only to see them look at you, say something, then all of them laugh. Certainly not the sort of thing to make you feel welcome or perhaps, even a question of your personal safety.
Personally, this is something that I think the United Nations should find worthy of discussion and comment. With so many people moving around and across boarders, shouldn’t they all be equally informed of the expectations of their “new” countries? Could they decide what is a logical amount of time to assimilate the laws and expectations of their new homeland? Can some uniformity be established across the board so everyone has a reasonable amount of time for compliance and can we determine is exceptions are possible? For instance, if an older woman has several children that can interpret for her, care for her, and lessen her burden on the state, should she be given consideration?
While The Dutch might not be winning any popularity contests right now, they are opening a door on a much needed discussion. If we want to discuss immigration reform, we need to know the immigration expectations up front and apply them equally for all, otherwise we need to rearrange those words under the ladies feet to read “give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free, but first make sure they can walk the walk and talk the talk, or were sending them back”!
While it is somewhat rare, it is always an interesting event when one of our elder statesmen feels strong enough about a particular topic to comment. Jimmy Carter, who’s image has increased significantly since his failed presidency, is one of those that isn’t afraid to say what many are thinking, but are too polite to say. Carter has come out with critical comments concerning domestic spying under the current administration, to include the use of drones. During a recent appearance on the telephone show “Meet the Press” he went so far as to say that now, when he wants to correspond with another head of state, he will write a letter rather than use eMail or a telephone, believing that his correspondence is very much monitored.
What I found most interesting was his statement that the Obama Administration has never once consulted with him or his foundation. This despite a similar confrontation with the Russians like the Obama Administration is currently engaged in. As you might recall, President Carter ordered the US to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow after Russia invaded Afghanistan. Carter also stated that he felt the reason for the lack of communications with Obama is probably due to differing points of view on the Israel-Palestinian situation. Despite the sensitivity of the issue and Carters acknowledgement that he can live with it, it suggests that Obama only wants to consult with those who’s points of view are no different than his own. Certainly not a sign of a thinking man that should seek all different opinions on serious issues before making a judgment that could affect millions of people throughout the world.
Carter is no stranger to controversy when it comes to his opinion. In a not too long ago book of his he took Israel to task on many of it’s tactics and basically called them criminals, not much better than the Nazi’s for some of their tactics. A point that caused a great many to harshly criticize him despite the fact that very few actually read his book and only reacted to paraphrasing from the press. Strangely enough, after weathering that firestorm, there were a number of news articles from people that went back and actually read his book and suggested that he had, in fact, not only told the truth but had done so with a great deal of clarity and precision.
It would be very interesting to hear his opinions concerning the Snowdon affair but so far he has had no comments about it. I suspect he would be one of the few that did not immediately find fault with some of Snowdon’s action, but only time will tell for sure. Considering his observations on the NSA’s data collection, I would not be at all surprised to hear a more conciliatory tone on the subject.
As a former military officer I can assure you that BG Sinclair is probably one of the worst cases of an “officer” this military has seen in a long, long time. The only thing worse is a military court that deceived the country into thinking that military justice was any kind of justice. As proof one only needs to understand Article 133 of the UCMJ. I once was a strong supporter of the commander of every unit having ultimate jurisdiction on such matters under their command, but Sinclair’s conduct, particularly at flag rank proves to me that ALL matters of s*xual misconduct of any kind should be taken outside of the military. To do anything less completely erodes the chain of command and should serve as a stern warning to any young person considering the military that there simply is no such thing as military justice, honor or integrity in the chains of command.
When we consider the stiff sentences handed down to so many enlisted for far less crimes, yet such dastardly offences committed by a high ranking commander, it is wonder that any young person would actually want to be a part of such an organization and by the way, where is the Commander In Chief now? He touts such family values and setting the example for all, why didn’t he summarily dismiss this General with a forfeiture of all pay and benefits? Sadly, they will let this bum retire and I’ll even bet that they add further insult by giving him some kind of metal at his retirement.
Sorry if I’m venting a bit and not quite my normal objective self but when you consider this guy was one of the former 4 star general Petraius gang you have to seriously doubt the integrity of the entire military. Gone are the days of high standards, personal commitment, and as we were drilled into believing: Duty, Honor, & Country.
For your entertainment, what follows is the article 133 that I am referring to:
Article 133. Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman:
Any commissioned officer, cadet, or midshipman who is convicted of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
—10 U.S.C. § 933 (effective 2008)
The elements are:
1. That the accused did or omitted to do certain acts; and
2. That, in the circumstances, these acts or omissions constituted conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman.
Here "officer" is understood to include commissioned officers, cadets, and midshipmen of both sexes, hence the more common term conduct unbecoming. A gentleman is understood to have a duty to avoid dishonest acts, displays of indecency, lawlessness, dealing unfairly, indecorum, injustice, or acts of cruelty.
There was a time, decades ago, when businesses in the United States occupied themselves with not only improving their leadership, but making serious and meaningful gestures that helped the general public as well as showed a serious commitment to leadership. Now days the words gets a lot more exercise than the practice and like so many over used buzz words, it has all but lost it’s meaning … except with a company simply known as Starbucks. In today’s announcement, their president is pledging some $30 million dollars in training and assistance for returning and existing veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Additionally, he has pledged to employee another 10,000 vets and their spouses. Where I come from that’s called putting your money where your mouth is.
Over the years there have been a number of companies that claim to do similar things but in the end, they often fall far short of their pledge. Of course, Starbucks will be under the microscope to see if they indeed succeed or also fall short, but this CEO’s track record remains unblemished, suggesting that he will work doubly hard to obtain the same results with this pledge.
The lesson here is what responsible companies and corporations should be doing to help the nation as well as themselves. Supporting the public is just good basic sense. People pay attention to what companies do and when a company makes a commitment to put people ahead of profits, everybody wins. If you aren’t sure about that, simply go back to a time shortly after World War II when the government sponsored a GI Bill that provided educational benefits to all returning veterans. A study provided by the OMB and verified by the GAO showed that those veterans, by way of their education, were the main driving force of the growth of this country from the 50’s up through the 80’s and in some case longer. Part of the slow down of the economy was partly due to those folks retiring and no longer contributing so greatly to industrial growth. No doubt, the personal motivation of each was a big factor, but simple tax revenues clearly show that all of those that completed a degree got more and better jobs and, of course, paid more into the tax coffers. Simply put, investment in people will pay dividends longer, greater, and with greater predictability than anything else.
Isn’t it time for responsible businesses to get off those mountains of cash they are socking away and start investing in America again? If their leaders want to grow those companies, they must do this and do it soon. With interest rates on investments so low, any economist can show how todays investment will pay profits ten, twenty, one hundred fold in the future. Sitting on that money simply will never be able to match future opportunities.
In the old book titled “Good, Better, Best” it outlined the attributes that made so many company truly “great”. Investment in human capital was a key as well as strong and meaningful leadership. For our own parts, we would be wise to research those companies and invest our own hard earned dollars by supporting them with our purchases and send a clear message to the others by ignoring their products and supporting those that choose to support us. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m jumping in my car and driving the 22 miles to buy a simple cup of coffee at my Starbucks. Yeah, with gas prices it will be an expensive cup of coffee, but I need to do my part to support those that are clearly willing to do the same for me!
Seriously??? At first I was in absolute disbelief that any court would even entertain this law suite and nearly as surprised that any self respecting lawyer would take it (OK, yes we have the other kind in abundance in my part of the world). Perhaps I should be more annoyed at a government that would condone this sort of thing yet fails to publish the “Big Book Of Proper Parenting” so we would all know the right way. Yeah, I hear you laughing out there but really; shouldn’t we expect, even demand that a government that is going to stick it’s nose into child rearing be held accountable for not having told us the right way, the smart way, the GOVERNMENT way?!?!?!
So here we are, in N.J. where another poor little spoiled and probably worthless teen simply can’t believe that Mom & Dad aren’t going to pay for her every whim. Of course the Canning parents aren’t exactly the Ozzie & Harriet of the decade but they are the parents of this poor teenager. Their version is the little snit moved out at 18 because she refused to obey the house rules, honor a curfew, won’t do her chores and her parents didn’t approve of her boyfriend. Of course she hasn’t exactly gone out to McDonalds and got a job so I’m really curious how her lawyer hopes to get paid.
The judge is presenting the defense with a pretty tough challenge in asking if this will entitle every child out there to sue their parents for the next Xbox, iPhone, or big screen TV and heaven forbid the consequences if the folks don’t pony up a new car for the 16th birthday …. Geeezzzeeee.
Now, I’m certainly not going to resort to the old story of walking 10 miles to school, uphill both ways since it was only 2 miles and fairly flat; or how we had to do all our chores before breakfast; all I did was throw a couple of bales of hay out to the cattle and feed the dog, risking being licked to death; or having to pay for all our own books; the old man bought us NEW books and checked regularly to see if we had bent the spine and actually read them … he even stuck a couple of $5 bills in there from time to time but if we couldn’t tell him what was on the page we have to fork the dough back over.
No, I think this one needs to go to the Supreme Count. Yes, seriously! I would like to see the court either tell the government that their interference in the raising of our children is unconstitutional OR tell the government they have 90 days to produce the appropriate documents telling us all how to raise problem-proof children. Oh yeah, I also want a contract to be signed at birth (A nice butt print from the child will be OK) so all parties know their responsibilities and limitations. Everything negotiable, of course (I’m pushing for no more than 2 BM’s per day and to hell with those 3 am feedings!
With all sincerity. In this case I think it would be completely responsible and mature for the judge to simply toss the little brat over his knee and give her a good spanking for all the world to see. It’s time we parents stood up to big brother and told him to butt out. Looking at the last couple of generations, this new parenting and old Doctor Spock are for the birds. There simply has to be a better way and somebody better be held responsible!
Off hand, there are very few people living in the US that will turn down a raise, particularly an approximate 25-30 raise but the consequences could be severe and anyone that doesn’t think such a move will drive prices up across the board needs to retake a basic accounting course. I’m all in favor of people making a living wage but there are some exceptions and they do need serious consideration. Your basic high school student doesn’t need to make $10 an hour. Oh he most definitely WANTS to, but rarely do they need to. That first job is about learning to work as well as appreciate the value of that dollar. So what is fair?
We certainly don’t want to discriminate against anyone but I think there are a few exceptions that should be made. We could make that wage standard based on age … but then again there are single mothers and very young couples out there that are struggling, living on their own, and need every penny they can get. Citizens vs. all others? Well, I suppose that would work but what are we teaching others about the “American Way” and all that other propaganda we send world wide? Hmmmm … come to think of it, it would be very difficult to single out anyone else and you certainly don’t need another PO’d teenager throwing your big mac at you because he can’t get the same bucks that the local garbage man can.
It seems the real problem is not earnings, but that of COST. For a century or more any company that was making a profit of 12-15% was doing great. Costs were held down and companies worked hard to be competitive. I’m not sure it started with health care but about the same time companies started looking for much larger profit margins, paying out much larger dividends to stock holders and paying those disgustingly high salaries to senior executives AND the stock holders allowed it. Boards of Directors started getting some pretty fat checks themselves and the perpetual circle of greed grew larger and larger to the point now reported that the top 1% of the world population control over 50% of the wealth of the world.
While the president’s proposal is genuine, it appears to be short sighted. Sadly, because of our political system, making the necessary changes to tax codes, breaks, and incentives simply cannot happen without a major overhaul to the system (some would call that OUR Arab spring). And if we continue down this path, soon we will resemble the final days of the Nazi 3rd Rich where it would take several bushel baskets of money just to buy a loaf of bread. The suggestion has been made on more than a few occasions that we could face the same fate that Greece faced last year where the country simply claimed 50% of all assets in order to pay it’s debts …. Oh, now that could get our Arab Spring off to a nice start!
Recent developments in the case, most commonly known as “Loud Music” trial show that there is no simple, clean cut approach to the Florida law. While there were a few similarities to the George Zimmerman acquittal of the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the case is far different. While we see the intent of the law as being good, the understanding of it by the common citizen and gun holder appears to be exceedingly poor and frequently misunderstood. The law was certainly not intended as a remedy for dealing with loud, obnoxious teenagers but the question remains: what does this law mean and how many really understand that meaning?
Not so long ago the use of deadly force was very specific and for most citizens it involved home invasion in which you literally had to be backed into a corner, were in fear of yours or your families lives and, in some cases, had already been physically assaulted. Now, the law is a lot more vague and open to individual to determine and as in this case, their idea’s were far different than the judicial system. The fact is that those classes you pay your money to take, are more about passing a post class test and less about an actual understanding of the law or it’s implications.
The law isn’t so complicated, it’s the application and consequences of that law that are complicated. How do you formulate a law and apply every possible scenario in order that the citizen will know? And how do you guarantee that the courts will apply those intentions without variance? The fact is that the very essence of law and punishment leave the door open for exploration of the nuances and they can only be defined and redefined through the actual legal process, thus leaving it to the citizen of just how big a chance they want to take and how much they can trust a legal system that relies upon 12 other citizens (easily influenced by the press and other outside forces) to determine the individuals fate. For whatever reason Michael Dunn must have felt he was within his right to kill another person because he didn’t like their music and felt he had seen a shotgun (never found or proven) pointed at him. No matter how complete the conceal carry course, there is no course that can absolutely prepare a person to identify various weapons or distinguish between a gun barrel and a mop handle in the dark. It comes down to individual judgment and in this case, that judgment was apparently in error. Another detail easily lost was the fact that George Zimmerman fired a single shot while Mr. Dunn sprayed the car with nine shots despite the so called shotgun was only pointed by one person. Some might call that depraved indifference while Mr. Dunn would suggest it was just being effective. You say potato I say pa-tot-O.
This kind of situation also puts the character and judgment of the accused on trial as well. Had Mr. Dunn stayed at the crime scene, surrendered his weapon and explained the situation to police, it might be more believable. Since the two other teenagers fled the scene, police might have thought one of them took the so called shotgun with them and hidden it. Instead, Mr. Dunn choose to leave the scene, go back to his hotel and order a pizza for himself and his girlfriend. At the very least, he appears to be a callas and uncaring person that killed simple because he felt he had a right to.
It is doubtful that any state will quickly suspend individual rights to obtain and keep firearms, nor will they quickly reverse current conceal / carry statutes but each and every state needs to vastly improve their training and do a better job of helping the ordinary citizen understand their obligations, rights, and limitations when it comes to deadly force. Only then can the law be honestly, fairly, and uniformly be enforced across the land.
It’s been a topic of discussion for over a year with a few heated debates. Once again, the US is proposing it will target a US Citizen that is a member of al-Qaeda and involved in planning attacks against Americans overseas. The administration is researching the ways and means to determine if the president can issue such an order and once again, it appears that all that brain power in the Whitehouse is directed forward rather than doing a little look backwards in historical content.
A simple review of citizenship requirements reveals that a U.S. Citizen may forfeit citizenship upon conviction for an act of treason against the United States. Prominent former Nazi officers who acquired American citizenship have also had it revoked upon investigation by the Office of Special Investigations. There are several other circumstances to which this could apply.
It would seem that a case could be brought forth before the FISA court with evidence of participation in treasonous activities against the US and membership / participation in activities of al-Qaeda would most certainly qualify.
But, as we reported earlier, this is a very slippery slope that needs intense scrutiny and federal laws to limit the activity. Laws, not another statement “oh we would never do that” which can easily be denied at a later, more convenient date. We are already seeing that traditional tug-of-war concerning the use of drones within the US boarders, which most obviously puts our rights to privacy on the chopping block. How long before the FISA court will allow such strikes within the US? And how long after that will law enforcement be clamoring for the same privilege in the name of safety and security of the citizens. And, of course, exactly who will decide when the trigger is pulled and at what risk to other law abiding citizens? Will acceptable levels of “collateral damage” be set? Much, much, much to think about and debate.
The not so long ago quote stating “just because we can, doesn't mean we should” certain applies here. This is one line that the government doesn’t need to cross. We have plenty of other opportunities to get the bad guys without turning our home town streets into government shooting galleries. For those that will certainly cry “oh, the government would never do that” I would politely direct your attentions to the current events in Syria, Egypt, Russia, and quite a few other countries. Certainly not a matter of “if” but will most certainly be a matter of “when” if we don’t remain diligent in our responsibilities to safeguard the Constitution.
My all accounts Tim Armstrong (CEO of AOL) should be dancing in the street and rewarding his employee’s for their loyalty that boosted his quarterly earnings higher than they have been in decades. Instead, he choose to rob his workers of thousands of dollars in their 401K savings plans. (Should we mention his $12 million salary here?). He has chosen to change their contribution system to once a year rather than with each months pay, as has been their practice for a long time. So what you say? Consider the following:
- Corporate America is screaming about their difficulty in maintaining highly skilled employees and this is supposed to lure in new talent?
- If an employee leaves a company half way through the year, or even a week before the 401K payout, they loose the entire years matching funds.
- By making the payout once a year, the employee also looses the investment benefit and any interest gains for the 11 previous months, also costing them big bucks over the life of the program.
- Armstrong blames part of this on two “distressed births” that employee’s had in 2012 which cost over $1 million dollars. There was no further explanation why a company with 4,000 employee’s was not able to absorb the expenses of two employees with abnormally high medical bills.
This new trend is the result of actions by Deutsche Bank that first introduced the practice in the US and it is suspected to be picked up by quite a few corporations throughout the US. IBM has also made the change as have Charles Schwab and Advocate Health Care. At this point nearly 8% of those companies having a 401K program do annual payouts while 86% contribute a match with every paycheck.
Combine this information with earlier reports of the Affordable Care Act being an inducement for people to take lower paying jobs to avoid high health costs and one must really wonder what the Captains of industry must be thinking. One has to wonder if any of these folks have taken time to see the difference in productivity between a happy and an angry work force. It will be interesting to see if the larger union’s pick up on this and start marketing their programs to the white collar segments of business. Now would certainly be an ideal to be approaching the folks at AOL, not to mention a few other companies ….
It has been a very long time since the US Diplomatic Corps had strong leadership that rose through the ranks and learned the true meaning of the word “diplomacy”. Like a politician, a professional diplomat understands that they are “always on” and is extremely careful to avoid making personal, unprofessional comments that might get out. Of course they have their own inner circle, but those are people like themselves that understand the imperative need to represent their government without calling attention to themselves.
The recent comments of Victoria Nuland, captured on tape and displayed to the world is one such example. In professional diplomatic circles she would have been recalled home and assigned to some position away from the press where she could do no more harm. She might earn another chance later in her career for a second chance, but frankly, those are few and far between. The damage done by her remark is playing itself out throughout the European Union (EU) with German Chancellor Angela Merkel leading the charge. Chancellor Merkel, having already been substantially embarrassed to learn that our NSA has been ease dropping on her personal phone calls, is very well motivated and the US’s attempts to smooth things over are piss poor, to say the least.
Diplomats have always had their own language, methods, and ways to convey highly sensitive and important information is ways that it is understood between them without getting out in the media is such a way that it can cause damage. Ms. Nuland’s was quoted as saying “F--- the EU” is not only very out of character for any diplomat to say, much less someone that is expected to be a lady or at the very least, not having her language from a gutter vocabulary. Granted, the captured conversation were between two parties that were in agreement but their lack of caution and open display of contempt simply identify them as rank armatures and not proper diplomatic representatives. Now that the conversation is public both Victoria Nuland and Geoff Pyatt (US ambassador to Kiev) need to be removed and a concentrated effort be made to rebuild relations between the US and EU.
This brings up a point that many may have missed. The current administration, across the board, has filled it’s ranks with politicians. Past successful presidents understood and filled the great majority of key positions with businessmen, educators, and other non-politicians. Politicians have their place in the American system, but unfortunately when too many get together, their personal and often hidden agenda’s tend to take precedence over the more important business of running the country. That imbalance seems to have driven many mistakes made by this administration, some which have had far reaching effects on the country. This particular error will work strongly in favor of the Russians and could drive the now divided Ukraine back under Russian control and domination. Just another brick in the wall of restoring the old style USSR at the price of democracy.
We hear words like “professionalism” and many more bantered about so often by those that like the image without having to do the work. The old adage of “it’s not what you know, but who you know” seems to be at work again and if the government doesn’t rein it in soon, we will have the image of being just another paper tiger; one that previously caused us to be involved in too many wars and disputes that true professionals would have avoided.
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