http://www.populate.net/ Articles at Populate.NET en-us http://www.populate.net/Politics/israel-to-make-citizenship-conditional-upon-oath-of-loyalty.html http://www.populate.net/Politics/israel-to-make-citizenship-conditional-upon-oath-of-loyalty.html Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:46:33 -0700
that doesn't make a pledge of loyalty to the State of Israel.

This week the Israeli cabinet voted to reject that proposal.

There was never much doubt that the offer would be thrown

out. The Likud party never supported it, in truth none of the practical parties

supported it. Israel Beitenu ran on a populist platform intended to stir up the

population, but any party that's use to being in power knows how deadly

of a step this measure would've been.

If the proposal were made into law it undoubtedly would

have sparked unprecedented unrest and backlash from

Israel's Arab citizens, who are Palestinians who stayed in Israel after the

war of 1948. While they are overwhelmingly law-abiding and cooperative with Israelis, their faithfulness is to

their Palestinian roots and Palestinian brethren living under occupation. Any attempt tp

disconnect them from their natural loyalty would have sparked

outrage.

in addition to making conflict and violence, the

suggestion would be completely at

percentages with Israel's claims of being a democracy. No democracy that I know

of legally requries its voters to pledge their fidelity.

Freedom of thought and liberty of expression are central to any democracy.

As much as it contradicts Israel's definition as a Jewish state and its laws that give

preference to Jews, Netanyahu often pays lip service to democracy and I

suspect he really believes in it ( though it requires a

back seat to Jewish patriotism ), so he knew the threat this

offer would pose to Israel's standing as a free country.

And thirdly, this suggestion was deadly to Israel because

the bulk of Israelis see hassidic Jews as disloyal to the state. Hassidic Jews may

accept Israel and live in Israel, but they're not Zionists and

their faithfulness is to God alone. For the most part they avoid

military service and state service, and many live off of

government support checks while not studying the Bible rather

than working. If an oath of faithfulness were needed

of Israeli Arabs, many Israelis would also demand such an oath from Hassidic Jews. This would

cause religious stress, in-fighting among

Jews, and an entire lot of headaches for Israeli executives

who are normally held hostage by ultraorthodox parties. The Israeli

regime wants to prevent this situation at all costs.

So that the proposal never actually had a chance of being accept by the cupboard. But nonetheless, the straightforward fact that a party making such an offer received an enormous number of votes is unsettling for Israeli Arabs and liberal Israeli Jews. Let's be optimistic the pragmatism and a wish to coexist will reign supreme over, rather than accelerating patriotism and mutual suspicion. ]]> http://www.populate.net/Politics/altmans-winnebago-deal-of-a-lifetime.html http://www.populate.net/Politics/altmans-winnebago-deal-of-a-lifetime.html Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:58:31 -0800 Don't you just hate a needless nightmare? I totally disregarded the old adage of buyer beware. I bought a used RV from Altmans Winnebago in Carson, CA over the phone. Two weeks after sending Altmans Winnebago a $37,987.76 check, I flew from Florida to California to pick up my supposedly extra clean RV that had allegedly passed a 100+ point Altmans Winnebago inspection.

While I was being shown the coach for the first time, an Altmans employee couldn't get the hood open. Finally he found the latch--that had been moved from its original position--and the left side of the hood fell onto the body skinning it. The hood bracket had separated from the body. Guess the Altmans Winnebago 100+ point inspection doesn't include opening the hood.

The problem wasn't just the hood falling off. When I stepped inside the coach, there was a large puddle of water on the dash and water was slowly dripping out of the entertainment cabinet. I went back outside to see if I could determine where the leak was coming from since a guy had just washed the coach. The front of the coach looked as if a blind person had tried to caulk around the clearance lights.

The service manager at Altmans Winnebago said it would cost about $150 to fix the hood and take two hours. He explained most of the cost would be labor. Since their shop was full, it was getting late, and I had the coach scheduled for a complete physical the next day in San Marcos, CA, I suggested I’d get it fixed the following day and agreed to pay half of the $150 for the hood repair, and I'd take care of the leak myself, since it was just a matter of finding the leak and caulking. I was trying to be fair and understanding. It was a used coach and Altmans Winnebago had priced it right.

Even though I could see the owner Joe Altman in his office, he had someone else give me the message that he wouldn't put a dime towards the repair because he had advertised the coach at a huge discount to move it. The thirty-day warranty I was promised over the phone suddenly turned into an "AS IS" agreement.

I asked, "What's the chance Joe Altman a/k/a Caligula will climb down out of his ivory tower and talk things over? I've traveled thousands of miles and spent a lot of money getting here."

I was told that wasn't going to happen and I could take the coach "AS IS" or reject it. I rejected it. Joe Altman then authorized a refund check, and I'm thankful for that because there was a bad moon rising.

On the way back to Florida, I thought about asking my brother who is an attorney to sue Altmans Winnebago and Joe Altman, but he's extremely busy so I'll just leave Joe Altman to some ambulance chasing attorney or some paranoid schizophrenic buyer who'll not even consider the option of suing Joe Altman.

The salesman who sold me the coach, George Murphy, is a nice guy and I do not believe he knew about the problems that the shop at Altmans Winnebago should have caught. In my opinion, George Murphy and everyone I met at Altmans Winnebago in Carson and Colton, CA could do much better than being one of the Joe Altman's puppets.

It's my understanding that Altmans Winnebago was run a lot differently when Dave Altman was in charge; but unfortunately, Dave Altman died in January 2009. Do yourself a favor, little Joe Altman, use your late brother or George Murphy as a role model and it just might save you more than money.

The bottom line--you can buy an RV from Altmans Winnebago for less than anywhere I know of, but do not take their word about the condition of the coach. Check it out in person. And if you go for the Altmans Winnebago Deal of a Lifetime, you can expect Joe Altman to act as if he's doing you a favor. Never mind that you're spending your life's savings.

There was some good come from all this. My brother who knows me all too well, on hearing this story demanded I donate $500 to Catholic Charities since nothing but some time and a few dollars were lost, which I did.

]]> http://www.populate.net/Politics/the-economic-bailout-debate.html http://www.populate.net/Politics/the-economic-bailout-debate.html Sat, 21 Feb 2009 23:16:06 -0800
The original bill passed last October under then Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, called for $700 billion to be used to purchase distressed assets in a Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP). The idea was the government would relieve banks of their mortgage-backed securities in particular, and then banks would be able to start lending again. $350 billion was quickly pumped into the banking system, but that did little to get the economy moving again.

The basic principles outlined Tuesday by Geithner include:

-The continued government purchase of bank stocks, but with greater government oversight. The Treasury Department says they plan to make sure the money is being used by the banks to increase lending and help the economy, making banks undergo a stress test of sorts to see if they deserve government funds.

-A large component of Geithner's plan is a partnership between the government and private sector to encourage private investors to buy bad bank assets. This is an area of the plan where the details were sorely lacking. It is possible this will be accomplished with government guarantees or reduced costs for investors willing to take on the bad bank debt.

-There is also a part of the plan that is intended to help struggling homeowners with at least $50 billion of the original TARP funds. Again, exactly how the Treasure plans to use the money to stem the rising rates of foreclosures across the country was unclear.

The promises of aggressive efforts earlier from President Obama seemed hollow as Geithner gave a Paulson-like "you've just got to trust us" speech. Simon Johnson, an economics professor at MIT and former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, told the Associated Press that the lack of details could be counter productive. Geithner "didn't tell us exactly" what he's going to do, Johnson said, adding, "When they tell you their basic principles, you're really in trouble."

Perhaps Geithner was reluctant to give more details because the cost of his plan goes far beyond the remaining $350 bailout funds. The total could come to trillions of dollars, which is a point he may have wanted to keep quiet while congress is still wrangling with the details of an $800 billion stimulus package. A version of the stimulus bill has been passed by both houses of Congress, unfortunately it is not the same version.

Stock markets from Asia to England reacted to the U.S. Treasury's sketchy plan with sell offs, including a steep fall on Wall Street Tuesday. The world is watching and Americans are waiting, hoping that real help is on the way.
]]> http://www.populate.net/Politics/where-did-the-bailout-money-go.html http://www.populate.net/Politics/where-did-the-bailout-money-go.html Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:09:26 -0800
The Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) is the $700 billion bill passed by Congress, which was touted last fall as much needed medicine for the ailing economy. According to a recent investigation by the PBS program NOW, $295 billion in TARP money has been invested in 355 American corporations. Along with the excesses of Citigroup and Merrill Lynch, 18.4 billion of those funds went to Wall Street bonuses in 2008, according to the New York State comptroller.

Some of the biggest recipients were Bank of America, who acquired Merrill Lynch and Thain's costly office remodeling, Citigroup, and AIG. Two of the big auto makers, Chrysler and GM, are also among the recipients of bail-out funds. The sums of money given to these companies are staggering--45 billion each to Bank of America and Citigroup.

President Obama's reaction was clear last week. "It is shameful," Obama said from the Oval Office. "And part of what we're going to need is for the folks on Wall Street who are asking for help to show some restraint, and show some discipline, and show some sense of responsibility." A recent Associated Press article noted that Obama and new Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner plan to speak directly to Wall Street leaders about the bonuses.

All this news of excesses comes in the midst of President Obama's battle to pass another stimulus package through Congress. A bill with an $819 billion price tag passed the House last week, although without a single Republican voting for it. Obama faces a similar struggle in the Senate this week as he tries to convince lawmakers that his plan will save jobs, create new jobs and stimulate the economy through tax cuts.

Obama's plan focuses on infrastructure programs to create jobs in the construction and manufacturing sectors. It will also send funds to states in order to save jobs for teachers, police and firefighters. The idea is that as paychecks are bigger due to tax cuts and jobs are created and saved, it will have the snowball effect of saving and creating more jobs as consumer confidence returns. It sounds good on paper, anyway.

However, there is still $350 billion from the original TARP waiting to be spent. President Obama said the remaining funds would be used on lowering mortgage costs and creating jobs through small business loans, among other proposals. It is on the shoulders of Geithner to structure the rest of the bailout program. One thing Obama has promised is transparency and oversight as his administration moves forward with the rest of the bailout package. Taxpayers will have to wait and see. ]]> http://www.populate.net/Politics/a-historic-inauguration-day.html http://www.populate.net/Politics/a-historic-inauguration-day.html Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:50:54 -0800
Barack Obama will be sworn in as the first African-American President of the United States on the Bible used by Abraham Lincoln at his swearing in on March 4, 1861. He will be the first president to use the Lincoln Bible for the swearing-in. Obama arrived in Washington D.C. last week by train from Philadelphia, recreating part of the 12-day journey to the city taken by Abraham Lincoln to the White House in 1823.

There will be unprecedented security measures taken for this inauguration, as 58 agencies coordinate the efforts to get 240,000 inauguration ticket holders to pass through security checkpoints to view the ceremony on the West Front of the Capitol. Hundreds of thousands more will pack the Mall and nearby areas to watch the ceremony on 22 jumbotrons.

The swearing-in ceremony begins at 11:30 a.m., with Joe Bidden being sworn in as Vice President, followed ten minutes later by Barack Obama as President. The opening prayer of the ceremony will be given by Pastor Rick Warren, an outspoken conservative known for his bestselling Purpose Driven books. Obama was criticized by gay rights advocates for inviting Warren to do the inaugural invocation. A friend of Martin Luther King, Jr. and founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, Pastor Joseph Lowery, 87, will give the closing prayer.

After being sworn in, the new President and Vice President will attend a luncheon in the Capitol with friends and family, followed by the Inaugural Parade at 2:30. The procession down Pennsylvania Avenue will be led by the Obamas and the Biddens, who will then watch the procession from a special viewing stand. The parade is open to the public.

Inauguration Day will culminate with 10 balls attended by President and Mrs. Obama, beginning with the first ever Neighborhood Inaugural Ball. The Obamas will be serenaded at the Neighborhood Ball by Beyonce Knowles singing the Etta James classic "At Last." The Presidential Inaugural Committee will be blogging live from the ballroom, also a first.

With 79 percent of Americans saying they have positive feelings about the soon-to-be-president, it is likely to be the most-watched Inauguration in history. Record crowds are expected to pack Times Square in New York City and parks throughout Chicago to watch the inauguration. Many networks, both cable and standard, will be broadcasting the day's events.

From a gala at the Four Seasons Hotel to a watch party at Schloz Beir Garten, Inauguration Day parties abound around the Austin area. Whether they watch from their living rooms or a Luau at the Crowne Plaza, people are not likely to forget where they were on this historical Inauguration Day.
]]> http://www.populate.net/Politics/welcome-to-a-new-site-in-the-new-year-for-join-congress-party-indian-national-congress.html http://www.populate.net/Politics/welcome-to-a-new-site-in-the-new-year-for-join-congress-party-indian-national-congress.html Wed, 28 Jan 2009 04:24:41 -0800 www.joincongress.com wishes you a very happy and prosperous New Year to you, members of your family and friends.
www.Joincongress.com - Welcome to this new website: intended to be a totally different approach to socialising on a political platform. Here we offer you a series of activities that would not only keep you engrossed in team-building endeavours, but will also keep you informed of developments all around in the political scenario, more especially in relation to our Indian National Congress party.
What are the various areas you can expect to get covered in this site? The site has many many features – some of which are summed up below:

Ø It is primarily a social network site – first of its kind – for the Congress Party
Ø Joining the forum is free. Anyone supporting Congress Party or endorsing its view-point is invited to join the site
Ø The site provides facilities for –
Þ Creating Groups for debates, free discussions, etc.
Þ Inviting friends and families to join
Þ Sharing comments, views and thoughts on various political and social issues in the featured forum and the related blogs
Þ Sharing pictures and videos amongst the members
Ø One can invite friends from FaceBook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Picasa etc. to enrich the contents of the site
Ø Arrangements are also made to get the Members enrolled as voters. If a member is not a registered voter, the site will provide him the option to register at the site that would provide a PDF document. He can send the document to the local post office and get himself Registered for a Voter ID and casting of his valuable Vote. Isn't it Great!

The site is not the official website of Congress Party nor has this been sponsored by the political party, and hence, any views and opinions expressed here are of the concerned individual, and not necessarily that of Congress Party.

]]> http://www.populate.net/Politics/politics-for-beginners.html http://www.populate.net/Politics/politics-for-beginners.html Sat, 24 Jan 2009 03:57:52 -0800
The United Kingdom is run with a democratic government. The House of Commons and The House of Lords hold the government in check although the House of Commons is the more powerful of the two houses.

We live under 'Prime Ministerial' rule - this means the rule of one person.
The powers that the P.M has depends on five key factors.

- The personality of the P.M
- Majority that the P.M has in the House of Commons
- The success of the P.M's policies
- The unity of the P.M's party
- The effectiveness of the Opposition party

Unlike in America where there is a deputy president, in the UK there is constitutionally no such role as a deputy Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister is the leader of the House of Commons. He appoints and dismisses members of the government. He is also the Chairman of the Cabinet. The Prime Minister has his own offices and advisors and is the most important representative of the Government. The P.M holds wide powers of patronage and also chooses the date of the general election.

Now for a bit of economics. There is no excuse not to pay attention to this part if news coverage of the credit crunch has left you baffled. Economics basically means the study of using scarce resources as efficiently as possible so that society's unlimited demands for goods and services can be met.

The term that we so often hear in the news 'the public sector' refers to the sector run by the state like Government departments, Local Government and Nationalised Industries. The main role of the public sector is to provide efficient and adequate services.

The term 'the Private Sector' refers to organisations that are privately owned such as companies, clubs, partnerships etc. The main role of the private sector is to maximise profits.

Recession is a state of affairs that indicate a down turn in the business cycle. Output and investment has dropped, demand has dropped and unemployment has risen. This can be caused by a number of factors i.e. external factors such as a world oil crisis.

Reflation is a policy to combat recession. The policy may include reducing interest rates, reducing taxes, increasing public spending and devaluing the currency.

]]> http://www.populate.net/Politics/could-the-skyrocketing-gas-prices-of-2008-happen-again.html http://www.populate.net/Politics/could-the-skyrocketing-gas-prices-of-2008-happen-again.html Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:57:59 -0800
More specifically, Dan Gilligan of the Petroleum Marketers Association became suspicious when the price of oil more than doubled. According to CBS 60 Minutes, Gilligan and others started to notice the disconnect between oil prices and its usual link between supply and demand. Despite ample supply, the price for a barrel of oil kept going up in 2008.

The volatility in the oil market was being driven by the fact that hedge funds and other investment engines were speculating on the future price of oil. "Approximately 60 to 70 percent of the oil contracts in the futures markets are now held by speculative entities. Not by companies that need oil, not by the airlines, not by the oil companies. But by investors that are looking to make money from their speculative positions," Gilligan explained to Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes.

Last July, when the national average for a gallon of gas was $4, all that Wall Street speculation was being felt in bank accounts across America. As with the housing market, complicated investments were causing problems for many Americans who had never even heard of the commodities future market. But like the housing bubble, the expanded oil market speculation eventually popped and prices for oil came back down, rather quickly at that.

Could this happen again? Currently the national average for a gallon of gas is below $2, with Austin gas prices between $1.49 and $1.69 per gallon this week. Recent volatility in the Mideast has caused a slight bump in the price of crude, but nothing drastic. According to 60 Minutes, Congress deregulated the futures market in 2000 making speculation on oil derivatives quite profitable. When large investment banks like Morgan Stanley began to run into trouble in the fall of 2008, the oil speculation market dried up.

The deregulation that helped feed the investment in the commodities market is on the long list of problems to be addressed by the incoming Obama administration. As with most economic issues, the predictions on oil prices for 2009 vary. The World Bank predicts oil prices to fall gradually through 2009. According to a Bloomberg News article, there are many other variables to factor into that forecast, such as oil consumption in China and OPEC production levels.

Working in favor of gas prices staying lower is the decrease in demand caused by the high prices over the summer. That coupled with heightened awareness of the environmental impact of driving are causing Austinites, like many other Americans, to incorporate less gas consumption into their daily lives. That may be the greatest indicator of future oil prices: Americans having some control in the prices by how much they drive.
]]> http://www.populate.net/Politics/obamas-economic-recovery-plan.html http://www.populate.net/Politics/obamas-economic-recovery-plan.html Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:47:45 -0800
However, the future president was not without hope. "I don't believe it's too late to change course, but it will be if we don't take dramatic action as soon as possible," Obama said. That dramatic action comes with a $775 billion price tag.

Obama's stimulus package would include an oversight structure known as the Economic Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, which would track how the federal government spends the money. There would also be a website that would outline his plan and allow the public to track the money and the progress of the plan.

According to Obama's speech, his proposal would be called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Although his speech did not give great detail about his plan, some of the spending would be roughly broken down like this:

300 billion in tax cuts, both for individuals and businesses. According to Obama, 95% of middle-class, working families will receive $1000 tax cut.

$77 billion to extend unemployment benefits, including subsiding health care for those without jobs.

$398 billion in job-creation projects, such as rebuilding roads and bridges and expanding alternative energy programs. Obama promises to create 3 million jobs over the next few years in the areas of infrastructure, energy, health care and education. "It's a plan that recognizes both the paradox and the promise of this moment -- the fact that there are millions of Americans trying to find work, even as, all around the country, there is so much work to be done," Obama said in his speech.

Not included in this project, but on Obama's list of problems to tackle are the growing number of foreclosures, shoring up financial intuitions from future failure, and rewriting financial regulations to ensure better accountability. The number of problems facing the nation are daunting, but Obama's speech indicated his willingness to get right to work.

The most difficult part of Obama's economic recovery plan will be gaining bipartisan support and getting the bill passed. Until Obama has political support, his plan will go nowhere and help no one. He has also promised to eliminate pet projects and other government spending that is difficult to track, but makes the bill more appealing to some politicians. Perhaps that is why he included these words in his speech, "For every day we wait, or point fingers, or drag our feet, more Americans will lose their jobs. More families will lose their savings. More dreams will be deferred and denied."
There is little doubt that Congress will pass some sort of stimulus plan in the near future. How much of Obama's proposals make it into a final bill and how effective the stimulus package will be is going to be the story of 2009. ]]> http://www.populate.net/Politics/barbecue-diplomacy-with-north-korea-or-is-this-espionage-a-fort-dix-lieutenant-colonel-is-implicated-in-2008.html http://www.populate.net/Politics/barbecue-diplomacy-with-north-korea-or-is-this-espionage-a-fort-dix-lieutenant-colonel-is-implicated-in-2008.html Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:41:06 -0800 This Article was Deleted and Apology to Those Mentioned is being made. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

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