Friday, March 30, 2007

And so the Trade Battle Begins

I am a strong proponent of fair trade principals and I reject any idea that this country has "free trade" policies. One of the biggest trade problems facing businesses in this country are the unfair trade practices perpetuated by the Chinese government. Finally, the Bush administration has begun to deal with these:

The Bush administration, facing heavy pressure to deal with soaring trade deficits, said Friday it is imposing economic sanctions against China to protect American paper producers from unfair Chinese government subsidies.

The action means that China's imports of glossy paper will be subjected to tariffs ranging from 10.9 percent up to 20.4 percent as a penalty for subsidies that the Chinese government is providing for its own companies. Those extra duties will be imposed immediately on a preliminary basis pending further review in coming months to set the final penalty margin.

The case, which was brought by NewPage Corp., was being closely watched by a number of other U.S. industries from steel to furniture.

For two decades, the U.S. government has held that American companies did not have a right to challenge government subsidies granted to their foreign competitors if those companies were in "nonmarket economies" such as China.

However, last year, the administration let it be known that it was ready to consider reversing that policy.

President Bush is facing heavy political pressure from Congress, now in the hands of Democrats, to deal with soaring U.S. trade deficits, including a record $232.5 billion imbalance with China.

Dealing with unfair subsidies is only the beginning. Counterfeiting is still a big problem and the Chinese government continues to devalue their currency relative to ours giving them an unfair trade advantage. Looks like this administration is going to start dealing with the currency problem next:

The fact that the Bush administration made it known last year that it was now willing to consider cases against China involving government subsidies was seen as part of a new get-tough approach in the face of soaring U.S. trade deficits.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is leading an effort to pressure China to allow its currency to rise in value against the dollar. American manufacturers contend that China is devaluing its currency by as much as 40 percent to give the country unfair trade advantages.

The Bush administration is trying to get out in front of the looming trade battle that's going to take place within Congress in a couple of months. This is a good first step and I think American companies and workers will benefit from this (and future) policy changes...

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Wednesday, March 28, 2007

U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq at 3,244

Mar 28, 9:52 PM EDT Associated Press

As of Wednesday, March 28, 2007, at least 3,244 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,618 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

The AP count is four higher than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Wednesday at 10 a.m. EDT.

The British military has reported 134 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 19; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, six; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Romania, one death each.
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The latest deaths reported by the military:
- A Marine died Tuesday during combat in Anbar province.
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The latest identifications reported by the military:
- Army Spc. Sean K. McDonald, 21, Rosemount, Minn.; died Sunday in Baghdad when an explosive detonated near his vehicle; assigned to the 9th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Wiesbaden, Germany.
- Army Sgt. Curtis J. Forshey, 22, Hollidaysburg, Pa.; died Tuesday in Homburg, Germany, of a non-combat related illness; assigned to the 129th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.
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On the Net:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/
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Tuesday, March 27, 2007


You find out interesting things when you have sons, like...

1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.

2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3. A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.

5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.

8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9. A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.

10. Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4- year old Boy.

11. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12. Super glue is forever.

13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15. VCR's do not eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18. You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

20. The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.

21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy

22. It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24. 80% of Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.

25. 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.
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The Common Sense Budget Act

Setting the Priorities Straight

The Priorities campaign believes that America can solve, or start to seriously address, many of the most difficult problems we face. We can create a national budget that is responsive to domestic and international needs. And we can do it without raising taxes or creating new ones.

How? By insisting that Congress create sensible budget priorities. By reducing government waste and using the savings to strengthen American families and communities.


The Priorities campaign focuses on Pentagon waste for two reasons:





  • Because a panel of career military experts says cutting the Pentagon budget not only would not harm our defense, but might enhance our national security, and
  • Because the $463 billion Pentagon is so unaccountable that not only could the Dept. of Defense not pass an audit, its books are in such bad shape that an audit cannot be performed. See Financial Mismanagement in the Department of Defense Report.
  • These are problems that Congress created and has allowed to fester because political candidates benefit politically (as in more jobs in their districts) and monetarily (as in campaign contributions) from military manufacturers. Because the men and women in Congress benefit from this broken system, we can't expect them to fix it until Americans demand it, elect new leaders, or both.

    Where is the waste?

    About three-fifths of the federal budget covers expenses that are written into law, including payment on the national debt, Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. This is usually called "mandatory" or "entitlement" spending.

    The part of the budget that the President and Congress create each year is called the discretionary budget. In the just-concluded fiscal year, more than half of the discretionary budget for a toal amount of $463 billion was spent by the Pentagon. These dollars don't include funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan , nor do they include most homeland security programs, which are paid for in other areas of the budget.

    In contrast to the $463 billion spent by the Pentagon bureaucracy, look at what we're spending on federal programs that politicians often describe as too expensive:

  • $38 billion on K-12 education ,
  • $50 billion on children's health insurance,
  • $13 billion on humanitarian foreign aid,
  • $6 billion on job training,
  • $2 billion on renewable energy research,
  • $8 billion on the Environmental Protection Agency.
  • When presented with these facts, two-thirds of Americans would change these budget priorities, shifting funding, as we propose, away from the Pentagon and into programs that benefit communities and families. See the Program on International Policy Attitudes

    Our prestigious panel of high-ranking retired military and Dept. of Defense officials says $60 billion can be trimmed from the Pentagon budget without putting our troops at risk, weakening our national defense, or hurting our ability to fight terrorists. According to Dr. Lawrence Korb, who served as President Ronald Reagan's assistant secretary of defense, the savings would come primarily from cutting obsolete Cold War weapons and excessive nuclear weapons from the defense budget. See Korb Report for more information.

    Even after trimming $60 billion from the Pentagon budget, America would spend nearly as much on defense as does the rest of the world combined. We would spend more than triple the amount spent by Russia , China , and the Axis of Evil combined.

    Where is the waste?

    Here's what America could accomplish with that $60 billion. We could:

  • Provide health insurance to 9 million American kids who lack it
  • Rebuild or modernize our public schools over 12 years
  • Retrain a quarter million workers
  • Cut our reliance on foreign oil in half over 10 years
  • Restore recent cuts in life-saving medical research
  • Invest wisely in Homeland Security by inspecting cargo containers entering our ports
  • Save 6 million children who die of hunger-related diseases in impoverished countries annually
  • Begin to reduce the deficit

  • Our nation could make these investments year after year-at no additional taxpayer expense.

    That's our vision of what we could accomplish, a vision embodied in our Common Sense Budget Act . But ours is not the only vision. It's amazing what we could buy at the local level with the dollars wasted at the Pentagon. An allied organization, the National Priorities Project, has worked out what New Hampshire could buy with the tax dollars that instead go to ballistic missile defense, nuclear weapons, and the war in Iraq . Check out the National Priorities campaign for more information.

    Resources

    Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/archives/002244.php

    WAND

    National Priorities Project

    Center for Budget and Policy Priorities

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    Saturday, March 24, 2007

    One man's journey for peace

    Bill McDannell is a father of five and grandfather of four, a Vietnam era veteran and a former pastor of the United Methodist Church. Despite considerable evidence to the contrary, he still firmly believes that, as a citizen of the United States of America, he has a voice in the activities of our country, and that his voice can be heard and can have an impact.

    On Saturday, November 4th, 2006 Bill began to put that belief to the test. Mindful of our constitutional right to petition the government, on that date he left his home in Lakeside, California to begin a walk that will end in Washington, D.C. He carries with him a petition that he intends to present to both the executive and legislative branches of our government requesting that we, as a nation, declare an immediate end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.


    The above is excerpted from Bill's website, which tells his story, and charts his progress. Bill is in Texas as I write this, and claims that, even there, 98% of the comments he receives are supportive of his effort - most people ask to sign his petition. Do take a few minutes to learn more about his journey at WTETW.COM (That's short for Walk To End The Wars), and look for him if you are fortunate enough to be in the path of his voyage to DC. For those of you who are local to me, his path DOES include Markle, Indiana. . .

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    Friday, March 23, 2007

    Congressional Democrats break several campaign promises made last year

    I am extremely disappointed in the Democrats in Congress today.

    I voted for several Democrats this year because I was convinced that they would honor their campaign promises. They have already broken several of these campaign promises and I am disappointed. I have held off posting about this because I have been hoping the Congressional Democrats would get their act together.

    The Democrats have broken the following promises:

    1. They promised to be fiscally responsible. They promised to change the appropriations process to reduce earmarks, pork-barrel spending, and to not use Emergency spending bills for non-emergency items.

    They badly violated this promise today with an embarrassing emergency war funding bill. President Bush proposed a HUGE emergency spending bill that was larger then needed. So Nancy Pelosi added 20 billion more in un-needed spending and the Democrats voted for it in lock-step. I have listed some of the specifics the bill contains over on my blog. The bill is loaded with farm subsidies, foreign aid, and numerous items that have nothing to do with emergency spending. Why does an Emergency spending bill give almost a quarter of a BILLION dollars in foreign aid to Eastern Europe?

    2. The Democrats promised to work harder. It can be argued that they have worked more hours then the Republicans worked last year; however, they are far under what they promised. There are no five day work weeks in Congress. Heck Nancy Pelosi had the House take a day off so members could go and watch a college football game in January. This country has serious problems and I expected the Democrats to work five days a week to fix them. They work 3...

    3. The Democrats promised to treat the minority with respect and to not use "legislative tricks" in order to avoid the normal legislative process. They have completely avoided this and do not even make any pretense that they will honor this promise.

    Many of the readers and contributors to this blog are Democrats and I look forward to reading your comments. I have avoided any criticisms that are debatable.

    I imagine most of you are as disappointed as I am. I have a feeling that the only Democrats who are not disappointed are those who would back the Democrats no matter what they did...

    Mike Sylvester
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    Army Revises Upward Number of Desertions in ’06

    By Paul von Zielbauer of The New York Times

    A total of 3,196 active-duty soldiers deserted the Army last year, or 853 more than previously reported, according to revised figures from the Army.
    The new calculations by the Army, which had about 500,000 active-duty troops at the end of 2006, significantly alter the annual desertion totals since the 2000 fiscal year.
    In 2005, for example, the Army now says 2,543 soldiers deserted, not the 2,011 it had reported. For some earlier years, the desertion numbers were revised downward.
    National Public Radio first reported on Tuesday that the Army had been inaccurately reporting desertion figures.
    A soldier is considered a deserter if he leaves his post without permission, quits his unit or fails to report for duty with the intent of staying away permanently. Soldiers who are absent without leave — or AWOL, a designation that assumes a soldier still intends to return to duty — are automatically classified as deserters and are dropped from a unit’s rolls if they remain away for more than 30 days.
    Some Army officers link the recent uptick in annual desertion rates to the toll of wartime deployments and point to the increasing percentage of troops who are on their second or third tours in Iraq or Afghanistan.
    But an Army spokeswoman, Maj. Anne Edgecomb, gave different reasons. Most soldiers desert because of personal, family or financial problems, Major Edgecomb said, adding, “We don’t have any facts to indicate that soldiers who desert now are doing so for reasons different from why soldiers deserted in the past.”
    Lt. Col. Brian C. Hilferty, an Army spokesman, said the desertion data errors were caused by confusion among employees who tally them. “They were counting things wrong, and doing it inconsistently,” Colonel Hilferty said in an interview.
    He added, “We are looking at the rise in desertions, but the numbers remain below prewar levels, and retention remains high. So the force is healthy.”
    The failure to count deserters accurately is inexcusable, said Derek B. Stewart, director for Defense Department personnel issues for the Government Accountability Office.
    “It is just unbelievable to the G.A.O. to hear that the Army does not know what that number is,” Mr. Stewart said in an interview Thursday.
    Noting that the problem with the desertion numbers arises when the service cannot find enough recruits to fill certain crucial specialties like medical experts and bomb defusers Mr. Stewart said, “In the context of their current recruiting problems for certain occupations, these desertion numbers are huge.”
    The new figures also show a faster acceleration in the rate of desertions over the previous two fiscal years than announced. In 2006, for instance, desertions rose by 27 percent, not 17 percent, as the Army had previously reported, a spokesman said.
    The revised figures show 2,543 desertions in the fiscal year 2005, an 8 percent increase from the 2,357 the year before. Previously, the service said 2005 desertions dropped by 17 percent, to 2,011 from 2,432.
    But from the fiscal year 2000 through 2003, there were hundreds fewer desertions than the Army had previously reported. The Army’s revised data, while reflecting significant errors in year-to-year desertions, showed a total of 22,468 desertions since the fiscal year 2000, nearly the same as the old count of 22,586.
    Over all, desertions, a chronic problem in the Army but hardly pervasive, now account for less than 1 percent of active-duty soldiers. The current annual rates pale in comparison with the 33,094 soldiers — 3.41 percent of the total force — who deserted the Army in 1971, during the Vietnam War.
    The Army’s data does not reflect deserters from the 63,000 currently activated National Guard and Reserve soldiers, and Colonel Hilferty said that data was not available yesterday. But he said few soldiers from those units deserted.
    In an e-mail statement yesterday, Colonel Hilferty also said that the record keeping was damaged in the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon, which destroyed personnel records.
    “Unfortunately, for the past several years,” he said, “our methodology for tracking deserters at the macro level has been flawed.”
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    Wednesday, March 21, 2007

    A private little war.

    1,500 children die every year from child abuse and neglect. That is just over 4 fatalities every day. (kinda kicks that OTHER war in the ass doesnt it?)

    I was involved in a case of child neglect today. Didn't want to do it, but i did. Didn't want to 'GET INVOLVED",but i had to. After all it really wasn't none of my business, WAS IT? The mother went in the store, the small boy was alone in the car. I was waiting for tanya to come back out.15 minutes go by. What would you do? 911 thats what i did. The whole thing just heartbreaking. I dont think the kid had any tears left. Ok with that said,im going out on a limb here in saying that,

    "This is my war to PROTEST and everyone else has theirs".

    APRIL IS NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE AWARENESS MONTH


    An estimated 906,000 children are victims of abuse & neglect every year. The rate of victimization is 12.3 children per 1,000 children
    Children ages 0-3 are the most likely to experience abuse. They are victimized at a rate of 16.4 per 1,000
    79% of the children killed are younger than 4.
    There are nearly 3 million reports of child abuse made annually
    In 2003, there were 906,000 child abuse convictions
    The rate of child abuse is estimated to be 3 times greater than is reported.
    The rate of victimization is 12.3 children per 1,000 children
    Children ages 0-3 are the most likely to experience abuse. They are victimized at a rate of 16.4 per 1,000
    79% of the children killed are younger than 4.
    These statistics are from the Administration for Children & Families of the US Department of Health & Human Services “Child Maltreatment Report 2003”
    Consequences of Child Abuse in the USA


    14.4% of all men in prison in the USA were abused as children
    36.7% of all women in prison were abused as children
    Children who experience child abuse & neglect are 59% more likely to be arrested as a juvenile, 28% more likely to be arrested as an adult, and 30% more likely to commit violent crime.
    These statistics are compiled from US Department of Justice Reports
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    Farewell, Larry "Bud"

    A national treasure vanished just two days ago - Calvert DeForest, AKA Larry "Bud" Melman as seen for 11 years on "Late Night With David Letterman" , died Monday in a Long Island hospital after a long illness. He was 85 years young. He had last appeared on The Late Show in 2002, in honor of his 81st birthday.

    "It (The Melman character) was the greatest thing that had happened in my life," said DeForest. But since the Melman moniker was seen as NBC's intellectual property, he appeared under his own name on "Late Show With David Letterman" after it debuted on CBS in 1993.

    By then he had starred as Larry "Bud" Melman in his own home video, "Couch Potato Workout," as well as a long list of movies and TV shows. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Bay Ridge, DeForest was a lifelong Broadway, opera and film devotee.

    "Everyone always wondered if Calvert was an actor playing a character, but in reality he was just himself-a genuine, modest and nice man," said David Letterman said in a statement issued today. "To our staff and to our viewers, he was a beloved and valued part of our show, and we will miss him." Tonight's edition of "Late Show" was taped Monday, before news of the death had been received, but I'm sure that Dave will honor him tomorrow.

    Thank you, Calvert, for all of the laughs you gave us over the years. For all of the times when we'd had a bad day, then watched you at work and forgot about it all for awhile. . .we're truly grateful.


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    Memorial Stadium Consulting Contract is a Waste of Money

    On Tuesday, the JG ran an editorial stating that the city, county and IPFW hired a consulting firm to try and figure out what to do w/ Memorial Stadium in the event that another stadium was built downtown. This was also reported a while back as the Harrison Square discussion was only beginning.

    It's important to note the difference between these two stories. The original states that the study is to determine the costs for the stadium to be used as a college baseball facility - essentially to determine if IPFW could use the stadium:
    IPFW has not said how much it is willing to pay to lease the stadium. Brown questioned Branson on Friday about where the university would find the money to pay for the space.

    The latest story says that IPFW cannot pay for it:
    He said IPFW would love to use the stadium, but the university plays only about 20 baseball games a year and will not be able to handle the operational costs on its own, which he estimated at $250,000 to $350,000 annually to maintain the stadium.
    Of course, the BaseballPLUS committee already looked at this and said it would have no use. But that didn't stop the city and county from wasting more money by funding a study that I can only accurately describe as a complete waste of time.

    Everybody w/ half a brain knows that this city can not support TWO baseball stadiums. We don't need to pay $60K to some out-of-town consultant to state the obvious. The Hardball Capital group understands that they will have a challenge finding uses for the stadium on non-game nights. There is absolutely no possible way that Memorial Stadium will be able to compete.

    If the city continues to waste money on silly studies such as this can we really trust them to be fiscally responsible with a project like Harrison Square? And even if we are going to waste money on these types of studies why don't we choose to fund local consultants? City and county leaders continuously discuss economic development but when the rubber meets the road they come up short. Spend our money LOCALLY to create work for the local taxpayers. It's a simple concept...
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    Monday, March 19, 2007

    Hello, hello... is anybody out there???


    Is anybody out there?
    It has been pretty quiet here at U-Blog Press recently.
    I have been busy buying a home, and trying to sell my existing home, in order to buy a home with an in-ground swimming pool. Every night I have been going to our soon-to-be new house re-painting the gawd awful colors in the house; so I haven't had much time lately.
    If you are already a contributor to this site, how about a post?
    Have a nice day! I hate that saying!!!
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    Sunday, March 18, 2007

    Deputy Dressed As Leprechaun Tickets Speeding Drivers

    Pretty good idea. It would be pretty funny to see a leprechaun on the side of the freeway. The sign is great!

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    Friday, March 16, 2007

    Beer Makes Women Beautiful

    funny commercial from Denmark that was shown on Fox channel.

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    Thursday, March 15, 2007

    What City Elections should be about

    I am curious what issues are important to you in Fort Wayne.

    I have been somewhat disappointed in the City election so far. I know it is early; however, I have seen little that motivates me...

    In my mind these are the issues that should be discussed, I listed them from most to least important to me.

    1. Jobs. We need to attract new jobs to Fort Wayne and we need to create an environment that allows wealth to be created.

    2. CSO. The Federal Government is going to force Fort Wayne to resolve our CSO problem. Tonight I was told that it would cost us between 300 and 600 million dollars in bonds PLUS interest. (Note this would have a HUGE effect on property taxes)

    3. Property Rights. We need to protect the property rights of citizens of Fort Wayne. We should limit the Cities use of Eminent Domain and we should repeal the Smoking Ban.

    4. Urban Planning. Fort Wayne and Allen County do NOT have an effective plan. We need one and we need it badly. We really need to limit development at the edges of Fort Wayne and we need to ensure that we "infill." We need to stop building projects randomly wherever developers want to put something. We need to stop thinking that building new "strip malls"is economic development... It is economic re-arrangement.

    5. City Pension shortfall. The last number I heard was that we would have to take out 244 million in bonds to fund the Fire and Police pension funds. (Note this would have a LARGE effect on property taxes)

    I am sure I missed some...

    What do you think?

    Mike Sylvester
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    Wednesday, March 14, 2007

    Hey, it wasn't me...

    From Craig's List:

    Dear, guy masturbating in the bathroom stall at my work...


    Date: 2007-03-08, 12:20PM EST


    Ok, I get it. You had to rub one out. I know the feeling. Maybe it was thinking about that totally hot little minx in purchasing that got you going. Or you got some steamy email from your wife. Whatever it was, you just needed a little release. We've all been there my friend.

    But if I may be so bold as to offer a few tips?

    1. Location Location Location - Maybe it was the bathroom closest to your desk. Maybe it has bigger stalls for more elbow room. But whatever the reason, the bathroom just off the factory floor is not your best choice. It is huge for a reason. There are about 80-90 workers on that factory floor at all times, plus about 30-40 office workers, and there's almost always at least one person who needs to take a squirt.

    2. Silence is Golden - While we all might empathize with your situation, NO ONE WANTS YOU HEAR YOU SLAP YOUR SALAMI!! And we certainly don't want to hear the gentle grunts you were letting out. It was like being forced to listen to the audio of a bad gay porn soundtrack, minus the cheesy Casio keyboard jazz/funk fusion music. Keep it down, will ya?

    3. Ms Manners says... - Ok, so you had a poor choice in bathrooms and you are just naturally loud. Even elemental problems such as these can be overcome by following rule #3. When someone comes into the bathroom....STOP!!! Seriously, I'd think that would be the easiest rule to follow. Did you not hear me open the door? Did you not hear me pull the ass gasket from the holder, tear off those 3 annoying pieces that hold the center in place, and sit down? Good god man, another man is taking a shit not 8 feet away from you. Shouldn't that take the bloom off the rose, so to speak?

    4. Good fences make good neighbors - This is the most important rule of all. If you have been caught rubbing one out in the men's room, do not, under any circumstances, come out of your stall until all affected parties have left the bathroom. I'm never going to be able to get the picture out of my head of you going over to the sink right next to the one I was at, and looking at me in your mirror with a big contented smile while you're washing your hands.

    They don't make a body soap strong enough for the ick I felt after that. No amount of showering tonight will do it I'm afraid.
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    Support our troops



    I recently wrote a post about the definition of "support our troops". Well, today I heard of a website that does just that!

    I have donated to the site and you can too!

    http://www.woundedwarriors.org/

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    Mortgages

    It looks like the real estate financing market may be in rather large trouble.

    A lot of disturbing statistics have emerged in the last few weeks that indicate trouble on the horizon.

    This can all be attributed to a few things:

    1. A complete lack of MEANINGFUL government regulation. There is a lot of government regulation that concerns real estate loans; however, it is ineffective.

    2. Credit has become far too easy to obtain. Americans are in debt up to their ears. The next time our economy enters a general recession the foreclosure rates are going to increase significantly.

    3. The mindset of the average American has changed. We seem to live for today. People seem to want to purchase everything NOW. Fewer and fewer people actually save for anything.

    I remember back to when my wife and I got married. We got married a couple of months after I was discharged from the navy in 1995. I was 28 and Karena was 26. We decide to save money for five years and then have kids. Our goal was to pay off all of our debt except one car that we would finance at 2% interest or less, save enough money to put 20% down on our dream house, and save enough money so that we could BOTH be unemployed for 6 months.

    We did that. We met all of those goals before we had kids...

    4. The mindset of our politicians has changed. Our politicians used to encourage people to save their money. Now they constantly encourage us to spend our money to keep the economy growing.

    5. The mindset of the lending industry has changed RADICALLY. At one time you had to put 20% down to purchase a house. That has not been true for a long time. You can now get a house with nothing down, in fact, you can often get a mortgage for more then the house is worth.

    A lot of people have purchased "interest only" loans. These loans actually mean that you will NEVER own the house you are buying if you continue to only pay interest. To me this is not a loan, it is renting...

    I hope that this post causes everyone reading it to think a little. I am NOT a rich person. My wife and I have never made a lot of money. My wife and I have been careful how we have spent our money... We do not pay a lot of money in interest on loans and we NEVER pay late fees or finance charges...

    Mike Sylvester
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    Tuesday, March 13, 2007

    Paul Helmke discusses DC handgun ban on The Ed Schultz Show

    Former Fort Wayne Mayor and President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Paul Helmke, appeared yesterday on The Ed Schultz Show on The Air America Radio Network. Ed was discussing the longtime ban on handguns in DC and a recent challenge to that legislation, and contacted Mr.Helmke to discuss his views on the subject. You can listen to the audio of that interview here: Helmke on the Ed Schultz Show

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    Monday, March 12, 2007

    Where are all of the candidates for City Office?

    I have to admit that I have been disappointed in the lack of political activuty from many of those people running for public office in 2007...

    The only candidate to date who has been extremely active as far as I can tell is Matt Kelty.

    Nelson Peters, Karena Goldner, and Adam Mildred have all been fairly active.

    I have heard almost NOTHING from the rest...

    It may be a bit early; however, I find the lack of activity a little surprising considering some of the issues our City is facing currently and some of the issues "coming down the pipe."

    The Libertarian Party of Allen County is starting to gear up for the 2007 Elections. I expect at least three of us to run for Fort Wayne City Council...

    I have agreed to be the Campaign Manager for one of our candidates and I am looking forward to the race immensely...

    Have any of you been seeing more political activity then I have?

    I obviously attend very few Democratic or Republican events...

    Mike Sylvester
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    Sunday, March 11, 2007

    Speed Painting with Ketchup and French Fries

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    Thursday, March 08, 2007

    How do you define "support our troops"?


    We all have heard a lot about supporting our troops. If you don't support the war in Iraq, can you still support the troops?
    I heard some troops in Iraq have said that they don't understand how someone can support them, but not the war. I think it's easy, but...
    What is the accepted definition of SUPPORT OUR TROOPS?
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    Wednesday, March 07, 2007

    Fort Financial Credit Union: Consumers beware!

    Patrick Feher is a 23-year-old Fort Wayne transplant from Toledo, Ohio. He has lived in Fort Wayne for several years, working for one of the area's premier small business success stories. He and his wife made the move to accomodate a shorter drive to work, and have purchased a home on the North East side of town. Patrick and his wife are both employed full-time, and are expecting their first child.

    Monday morning, Patrick received a phone call from his bank, Fort Financial Credit Union. The caller asked him if a series of withdrawals made in the Dominican Republic over the weekend were authorized transactions. He clearly indicated that they were not authorized, and then proceeded to cancel both of their debit cards that were attached to the account....but not before the crooks made off with about $600 of Patrick's money.

    The following is the federal law that spells out consumer liability in this situation:

    Commerce and Trade - 15 USC § 1693g

    Sec. 1693g. Consumer liability(a) Unauthorized electronic fund transfers; limit A consumer shall be liable for any unauthorized electronic fund transfer involving the account of such consumer only if the card or other means of access utilized for such transfer was an accepted card or other meanas (!1) of access and if the issuer of such card, code, or other means of access has provided a means whereby the user of such card, code, or other means of access can be identified as the person authorized to use it, such as by signature, photograph, or fingerprint or by electronic or mechanical confirmation. In no event, however, shall a consumer's liability for an unauthorized transfer exceed the lesser of - (1) $50; or
    (2) the amount of money or value of property or services obtained in such unauthorized electronic fund transfer prior to the time the financial institution is notified of, or otherwise becomes aware of, circumstances which lead to the reasonable belief that an unauthorized electronic fund transfer involving the consumer's account has been or may be effected. Notice under this paragraph is sufficient when such steps have been taken as may be reasonably required in the ordinary course of business to provide the financial institution with the pertinent information, whether or not any particular officer, employee, or agent of the financial institution does in fact receive such information.
    Notwithstanding the foregoing, reimbursement need not be made to the consumer for losses the financial institution establishes would not have occurred but for the failure of the consumer to report within sixty days of transmittal of the statement (or in extenuating circumstances such as extended travel or hospitalization, within a reasonable time under the circumstances) any unauthorized electronic fund transfer or account error which appears on the periodic statement provided to the consumer under section 1693d of this title. In addition, reimbursement need not be made to the consumer for losses which the financial institution establishes would not have occurred but for the failure of the consumer to report any loss or theft of a card or other means of access within two business days after the consumer learns of the loss or theft (or in extenuating circumstances such as extended travel or hospitalization, within a longer period which is reasonable under the circumstances), but the consumer's liability under this subsection in any such case may not exceed a total of $500, or the amount of unauthorized electronic fund transfers which occur following the close of two business days (or such longer period) after the consumer learns of the loss or theft but prior to notice to the financial institution under this subsection, whichever is less.
    (b) Burden of proof In any action which involves a consumer's liability for an unauthorized electronic fund transfer, the burden of proof is upon the financial institution to show that the electronic fund transfer was authorized or, if the electronic fund transfer was unauthorized, then the burden of proof is upon the financial institution to establish that the conditions of liability set forth in subsection (a) of this section have been met, and, if the transfer was initiated after the effective date of section 1693c of this title, that the disclosures required to be made to the consumer under section 1693c(a)(1) and (2) of this title were in fact made in accordance with such section.
    (c) Determination of limitation on liability In the event of a transaction which involves both an unauthorized electronic fund transfer and an extension of credit as defined in section 1602(e) of this title pursuant to an agreement between the consumer and the financial institution to extend such credit to the consumer in the event the consumer's account is overdrawn, the limitation on the consumer's liability for such transaction shall be determined solely in accordance with this section.
    (d) Restriction on liability Nothing in this section imposes liability upon a consumer for an unauthorized electronic fund transfer in excess of his liability for such a transfer under other applicable law or under any agreement with the consumer's financial institution.
    (e) Scope of liability Except as provided in this section, a consumer incurs no liability from an unauthorized electronic fund transfer.

    Now, having read (or not) that fine statute, one can clearly deduce that Patrick is in no way, shape or form liable for those charges, and that Fort Financial Credit Union is saddled with the burden of proof, if they choose to claim his liability in the transaction.

    However, after 3 days of non-stop phone calls, messages, emails and inquiries of all kinds, Fort Financial has disclaimed any and all liability in this instance and refuse to let Patrick even discuss this problem with anyone at the managment level of their operation. He has been told that "there is nothing they can do," and that it must be his fault...that he must have given his PIN to someone. Furthermore, Patrick has exercised amazing levels of restraint, at times choking down his rage to keep from getting stonewalled further.

    The Better Business Bureau has indicated that Fort Financial has had recent complaints filed against them.

    The NCUA has indicated that Fort Financial is indeed in "the wrong" and that if Mr. Feher was so inclined, they would proceed with sanctions.

    The above-referenced Federal law clearly indicates that Patrick's money should be returned to him.

    So why, may I ask, is Fort Financial continuing to act in such a hostile fashion? Surely a financial institution is prepared for small liabilities such as this one, especially considering the law. And yet, they continue to implicate Patrick and his wife in this fraud.

    I know my bank has told me that if such a thing happens to me, my account will be reimbursed within 24 hours. A few quick phone calls around Fort Wayne produced 5 more banks that were very up-front about the exact same policy. As a matter of fact, out of the seven financial institutions I contacted yesterday regarding this matter, all of them have policies that comply explicitly with the above-referenced law.

    Why is Fort Financial Credit Union posturing themselves to break the law? Why are they treating their customers like criminals? Quick advice: If you are a Fort Financial customer, get your money out now.

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    Tuesday, March 06, 2007

    Dodge Caravan

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    Sunday, March 04, 2007

    FedEx truck jack knives into police cruiser

    February 15, 2007

    I-71/75 Erlanger, Kentucky: FedEx jack Knives into Police Cruiser: as a police cruiser is checking the welfare of occupants of a vehicle that crashed into the median due to icy roads, a second vehicle slams into the cruiser and spins it around into the middle lane facing oncoming traffic. Soon thereafter you can see a FedEx tractor trailer jack knife into the police cruiser.

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    Guess what this is


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    Friday, March 02, 2007

    Notice of Assessment of Land and Structures

    I received my assessment notice today. They are saying that my house has appreciated in value by 15%...

    There is no way on this planet that my house is worth what they claim on this form...

    I talked to a couple of my neighbors and it looks like they have increeased the assessed value of the homes in this neighborhood by 15%...

    I will have to look into this in the next few weeks. I will most likely have to appeal this because they now have my house assessed 10.3% above the purchase price... I have lived here for 6 years and I highly doubt that I could sell my house for anywhere near their assessed value.

    Has anyone else received their "notice of assessment?"

    I am not sure what my property taxes will increase since I have not researched the levy percentages for the various taxing districts this year; however, I am going to be pushing $4000 a year in property taxes.

    When we bought the house six years ago we paid $2000...

    Mike Sylvester
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    The top Republican Candidates on GOP base issues

    From their own mouths:

    Giuliani in drag.



    Mitt Romney on Abortion, Gay Rights, Ronald Reagan, Affirmative Action, etc. Are we sure he's a Republican?



    Giuliani on Abortion, Gay Rights, Gun Control and more!



    McCain just can't seem to make up his mind.

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    Thursday, March 01, 2007

    Super Bass-O-Matic 76

    One of the best ever!
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