THINGS THAT BOTHER ME

Many facets of life bother me, give me concern. Let me share a few with you.

On December 14, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut, Adam Lanza entered the Sandy Hook School armed with an assault rifle. Before he killed himself, he murdered twenty children age 5-6 and six adults. A tragedy. All America mourned. I thought.

Now a little more than a year later, the nuts are at it. The cry is Sandy Hook never occurred. It is a phony tale and part of a conspiracy. Shades of the John Kennedy assassination.

It is claimed the government fabricated Sandy Hook so gun laws could be pushed through easier. One conspiracy proponent claims Sandy Hook was ".....bullshit peddled by liberal assholes to get gun control." The claim is the government and media in unison staged a hoax.

The initiator/primary culprit is a Wolfgang Halbig. The man has credentials. A former teacher, principal and now school safety expert, he claims to have trained 3,500 school safety officers. His position simply is that Sandy Hook is a fraud. He sets forth factual discrepancies to support his position. He is being well received by gun enthusiasts.

There are twenty angels buried in Sandy Hook cemeteries. Whose bodies are they? Was an entire community involved in the fraud allegedly perpetrated? I think not. This story is getting legs. It is an excellent example of the insanity that guides some in today's society.

Another item bothering me involves food stamps. Food stamps and the military. Were you aware that a significant number of military personnel are on food stamps? Yes, and the number grows yearly.

The number of military recipients has increased more than 300 per cent since the recession hit in 2007. Military families received $5 million more in food stamp assistance in 2013 than 2012. In the last fiscal year, military commissaries took in $104 million in food stamps.

These are the men and women who defend us and their families. Some have been wounded or died in the defense of their country in recent years. While getting shot at in Afghanistan, their families back home have to use food stamps to put food on the table.

How proud our elected representatives must be. They who earn $174,000 plus a year. They who have great medical and retirement plans. They who receive all kinds of perks. How can they tolerate even one military family subsisting on food stamps?

Note that in the new Farm Law, Congress cut $8 billion over the next five years out of the food stamp program.

Something is wrong.

The cry from Washington is the country is broke, we do not have enough money. The House of Representatives allocates/determines the American budget. Waste is rampant. I often speak of it citing specific examples.

Here is a big one.

Money that has been lost or is non traceable in military budgets. More succinctly referred to as missing military-industrial complex monies. Allegedly involved are waste, graft and systemic bribery.

Federal law mandates annual audits of all government departments. The Pentagon is not audited. The unaccountable dollars have been adding up. In recent years, $8.5 trillion has never been accounted for.That number represents roughly half the national debt. It is not Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid or food stamps that are breaking America's back.

The books of the Pentagon and Department of Defense are regularly cooked. Trillions are hidden. No accurate record of money spent and not spent is kept. If dollars remain at year end in a particular military budget, the money is not returned. Numbers are added to balance the books and visually eradicate the unspent dollars from them.

The United States spends substantially more money on military-industrial matters than any other nation. In 2012, the United States budget was $712 billion. The amount represented 46.5 per cent of total monies spent by all nations. China was second with a meager $100 billion which represented 6.5 percent. Russia was number 5 and spent $53.5 billion.

The $712 billion spent was equal to to the total spent by the next 40 countries.

Something is wrong. No one appears to be watching the cash register. Some have their hands in the till. Corporations doing business with the government are probably overcharging big time.

While all this waste is going on, Congress knowingly keeps certain military and their families on food stamps, have cut food stamp availability, and want to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

It does not make sense to me.

Finally, two major deficiencies in the new Farm Law. I have discussed and written about them repeatedly.

Some members of Congress have financial interests in farms.Congress has been voting on farm subsidies and crop insurance. All of which benefit farmers in general. However, there is no legal requirement in the law that the Congressmen who are receiving benefits under the Farm Law be identified. Why not? They vote on the very legislation that will put money in their pockets.

Another shortcoming of the new Farm Law involves farm corporations. It is the world of the Agrifarm corporations. Six major corporations, Monsanto being an example, control most of the farming in the United States today. Mom and Pop and family farms are a thing of the past. The new Farm Law bars corporations who receive benefits from being listed/made known.

So much for transparency regarding Congressmen and Agrifarm corporations.

The recently adopted Farm Law was just short of $1 trillion.

These four examples are representative of matters which aggravate me/cause me concern. I am sure most of you, also. Unfortunately, the problems can only be identified. Correcting them is a another story. An onerous task. When will we be up to it? Will we ever be up to it?

ST. VALENTINE'S DAY IDIOSYNCRASIES

The universal day of love passed last week. February 14 is the magic day each year. The facts surrounding the holiday are not as well known as most think.

 

History provides several St. Valentines. Most historians attribute St. Valentine's Day to a third century Roman priest. His name obviously Valentine.

 

The popular concept is that Valentine was executed because he was promoting Catholicism. In the course of spreading the word, Valentine married many people. His conducting of a large number of marriages was the problem. Not his Catholicism.

 

Claudius was emperor at the time. He needed a large army. Wars were common place. Married men were exempted from service. Claudius proclaimed a ban on new marriages. Valentine was warned. Stop marrying people. He continued. Claudius warned him repeatedly. Valentine opted not to listen.

 

Valentine was arrested and sentenced to death. He was to be beaten with clubs and stones. He was. He would not die. Claudius ordered him beheaded. The date of Valentine's execution was February 14.

 

The centuries have added an aura to the day. It is for lovers. Recognized as such universally. Even Pope Frances spoke of love this St. Valentine's Day while carrying a red rose. Red has become the symbolic color of St. Valentine's Day. Together with gifts of red roses and chocolate candy. Everywhere today, except for one place. Saudi Arabia.

 

Most areas of Saudi Arabia frown big time on St. Valentine's Day. The day of love is considered immoral. Red roses cannot be sold. Some merchants do, however. From the back room of their shops. Heart shaped chocolates are sold from under the counter. The color red is prohibited. Reminiscent of the 1950's and 1960's when condoms and porn magazines were sold from under the counter.

 

 Valentine Day gifts of red roses and chocolate candy are considered immoral under present day Islams. Obviously illegal also. The two are intertwined. Imagine gifts of sexy female underwear. I am sure the reaction would be explosive

 

Saudi Arabia maintains a secret police. A religious secret police. The group is commonly referred to as the religious patrol. Ever vigilant, they hawk the stores looking for red roses, chocolate candies and the color red being used in displays during the time surrounding February 14.

 

They also are on the look out for any public display of affection. A cleric recently stated that those who celebrate Valentine's Day ".....want to copy the infidels." You and me.

 

Pope Frances has it right. We should all love one another and express that love. Change is a constant. Perhaps some day the men of Saudi Arabia will be openly able to bring their wives and lady friends red roses and chocolate candy. Purchased in an open market place.

 

ADDENDUM to last week's column concerning the new Farm Law. This information came to light after the column went to press.

 

I am beginning to suspect not everyone reads bills before they are voted upon by Congress. Perhaps they do and keep quiet about certain items since they do not want us to know.

 

One of the biggest problems with the Farm Law is that certain Congress persons who vote for the bill thereafter receive monies under the bill. They own farms or a portion thereof. Through subsidies and/or crop insurance, they walk away with significant chunks of money.

 

My problem with the system is that the law does not require those Congress persons to be identified. The new law as drafted contained such a provision. It was deleted prior to final vote.

 

The new law was signed by President Obama on a Friday. The following Tuesday, it was revealed that the new law contained a provision barring the disclosure of the names of corporations receiving benefits. We live in an era of big corporations in the farm business. Corporations like Monsanto.

 

Why hide these things? What has happened to transparency? Obama promised transparency when he first ran. It seems we are getting less rather than more today. Secrecy seems to cloak more and more governmental operations.

 

We live in a time of economic depression. Every taxpayer dollar is important. Never the less, government waste is rampant.

 

On the same Tuesday the corporate ban came to light, it was announced that under the previous Farm Law, $36 million was paid to dead farmers over a four year period. Some 4,000 plus deceased farmers.

 

Who is watching the cash register? This death issue is a common problem for Washington agencies. How do they find out who is dead that was receiving benefits so they can be terminated?

 

A simple system has been devised where most federal agencies are hooked up to the Social Security computer. Death information is instantaneous. Not the Farm Bureau.

 

How do these things happen? Why do they happen? Are we being had?

 

NEW FARM LAW.....A GRAVY TRAIN

The American people should be furious. Furious about the farm laws of old and the new farm law. Furious that the farm law provides subsidies to the rich and food stamps to the poor. The people being shafted once more by their elected officials.

 

Farm legislation came into being as part of the New Deal back in 1933 when things were worse than today. Roosevelt made sure farmers could survive by having the government pay them even though they did not grow food. Roosevelt was also concerned about the poor having food to eat. A nutrition program was part of the farm package. The precursor to the present day food stamp program.

 

The life of a farm law is five years. Every five years, a new one must be adopted. The new one this week when President Obama signed it into law.

 

This article is concerned not with the entire law. Rather a few basics that suggest questionable activity.

 

The farm bills through 1996 were not bad. Though the paying for not growing feature had increased. Then in 1996 the government added a new method by which farmers could protect themselves. Crop insurance. Crop insurance paid if a crop failure or price drop occurred. From 1996 forward, direct subsidy payments and the crop insurance program were available to farmers.

 

The crop insurance program has resulted in the highest subsidies paid in history. Crop insurance premiums are paid substantially in part by the government.

 

What a deal! Either way, by direct subsidy or insurance, the government is guaranteeing the success of the agricultural industry. There is no other business receiving such a benefit.

 

What is bothersome is that many Congressmen have benefited from the law. They vote in support of the law, together with its subsidies and crop insurance programs, at a time when they also own farms. Farms that will benefit from the legislation.

 

What is most bothersome is the secrecy that comes into play. The farm law does not require the names of Congressmen and members of their immediate families who receive benefits under the law be revealed. The law extends to Cabinet members also. The identity of such Congress persons was a part of this year's law as originally drafted. However, it was removed prior to the final vote. So much for transparency. Makes you suspect something stinks in Denmark!

 

Following are examples of Congress persons and/or their immediate family who received benefits in 2012 alone. This information purportedly secret and supposedly not available. However certain open government groups have come up with the following. Rep. Doug La Malfa (R-Ca) & wife $62,857, Rep. Frank Lucas' wife (R-Ok) $14,584, Rep. Stephen Fincher & wife (R-Tenn) $70,574, Sen. John Tester & wife (D-Mt) $21,281, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-In) $9,935, and Sen. Orin Hatch & wife (R-Ut) $10,506.

 

Note that the new farm law cuts $8 billion from the food stamp program over the next 10 years. Eight hundred fifty thousand poor families will receive $90 per month less while the above Congressional persons are receiving subsidies in far greater amounts. It does not make sense.

 

The rich and/or famous also benefit. Those receiving monies under the farm law include former President Jimmy Carter, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Alan (co-founder Microsoft), Leonard Lauder (former CEO Este Lauder Companies), S. Trist Cultry (founder Chick-fil-A), Charles Schwab(founder brokerage firm Charles Schwab Corporation), and David Rockefeller, Sr. (former chairman and Chief Executive of Chase Manhattan Bank).

 

Lobbying dollars come into play. Monies paid to assure legislation is passed consistent with the desires of those paying. Government for money.

 

Recall that each farm law is for five years. Monsanto is a major agri-farmer. One of the biggest. The American Farm Bureau lobbies for the benefit of its farmer members. Over a five year period, the two spent a total of $57.9 million for lobbying efforts. Monsanto $36 million and the American Farm Bureau $27.9 million.

 

Some of those dollars ended up in the coffers of those most able to help. The House Agriculture Committee Chairman received $744,000 from agribusinesses in the 2012 election cycle. The Senate Chair received $346,000 from the crop production industry. These monies were generally paid into their political war chests.

 

Such is a brief part of the farm law story. The rich getting richer and the poor, poorer. The government permitting a crop insurance/subsidy program to continue for which there is no practical need. Congressional persons who voted for the law benefiting from it. Secrecy clouding specifically who they were.

 

Only in America? No. It has been this way in most other nations over the years. The United States has merely caught up with governmental abuse of the electorate.

 

 

THE FLU EPIDEMIC.....1918

In researching material for my next book Growing Up Italian, the flu epidemic of 1918 came into play. I read a little about it, became fascinated by the story and so researched it thoroughly. Especially in view of how each year it is drummed into us to get a flu shot. I share with you what I discovered.

The flu epidemic of 1918 is technically referred to as pandemic influenza. Pandemic is defined as an epidemic of infectious disease that has spread through human populations across a large region, including multiple contingents. The 1918 flu bug infected and killed people on every continent.

Flu obviously is short for influenza.

The 1918 flu extended into 1919. It was deadly.The bug infected five hundred million people world wide. Five hundred million was 35 per cent of the world's population. Fifty million died. Sixty hundred seventy thousand died in the United States alone.

It was called the Spanish flu. Strange. Only because it began at a U.S.Army camp in Kansas.

The Spanish flu was not a significant danger to the young or old. It predominately killed young adults. Those 20-40 years old.

It has been described as ".....the greatest medical holocaust in history." The Spanish flu killed more people than the Black Death did in a century. More dramatically, it killed more people in 24 weeks than AIDS did in 24 years.

This was a hit and kill virus. People became sick suddenly and were dead in  a matter of hours. The bug caused massive hemorrhaging and edema in the lungs with bleeding from the ears and nose. The infected almost immediately developed the most viscous type of pneumonia ever seen. Death was by suffocation. Patients died struggling to clear their airways of a blood tinged froth that sometimes gushed from their nose and mouth.

Physicians were helpless. The epidemic was an unforgettable year of suffering and death.

I appreciate today's flu is a different one. Today, there are multiple strains. Perhaps more deadly.

I share what I learned for one reason. Get the flu shot! Too many say no. Some say I did and got sick. Many are smart types that simply ignore the medical message. Anti arguments should be set aside. We never know when and if another pandemic flu epidemic will arise. One which could kill as many or more than the 1918 flu did.