Anyone but "The People"

John Adams, like other Federalists, believed that men of money and position should govern America. They did not trust the common people. This lack of trust resulted in the election of the president and vice president and senators being isolated from direct input by the people.

The president was to be elected by the Electoral College and Senators were to be chosen by state legislators. It was thought senators elected by state legislatures would be able to concentrate on the business at hand without pressure from the populace.

It appears their lack of confidence was well placed. The People are not to be trusted. The People do not vote for what is best for the country but to receive.

The People's vote is determined by advertising. The People have no idea whom to cast their vote for so they let the candidate with the most money tell them how to vote. John Adams' belief that men of money and position should govern America has come to fruition.

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance."

---H. L. Mencken

NC State’s Scott Wood explains how losing to your rival feels

Reporters ask the dumbest questions.  Call a person "a news anchor" or "a reporter" or "an analyst" or "a contributor" and watch the stupidity settle in. 

How does it feel to lose to your rival?

When you heard your wife was dead, what did you think?

When the ship was sinking, how did you feel?

I did not hear the answer, had the reporter's wife ever cheated?

Good one. 

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 

No amount of observations of white swans can allow the conclusion that all swans are white, but the observation of a single black swan is sufficient to refute that conclusion.

Karl Popper

Capitalism is Not Sustainable

Capitalism needs consumers.

Capitalism is not sustainable. Twenty-five of the 100 highest paid U.S. CEOs earned more last year than their companies paid in federal income tax and many of those companies spent more on lobbying than they did on taxes.

Some speculators have incomes 325 times what the average American receives. The difference between executive compensation and the average American worker is greater than anytime in our history.

If the United States is to survive economic fairness needs to exist and today it does not.

A bit Odd

Candidates for president as well as other elected offices are willing to spend millions of dollars of other people's money to get elected so they can do some great thing for their country. At the same time they do not want to pay any more taxes than they are forced to pay.  Seems a bit odd to me. 

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 

No amount of observations of white swans can allow the conclusion that all swans are white, but the observation of a single black swan is sufficient to refute that conclusion.

Karl Popper

Re: Debt Is Holding Back Economic Growth

What I have not heard is specifics. I believe we have had enough agreements to reduce the deficit. Both parties have historically spent more than we took in and the current president is no more responsible for the deficit than previous presidents. I believe it is said Bill Clinton had balanced budgets. I doubt it but that is what I have heard.

It is time for specifics time for hard numbers. It is time to accept that the rich do not create jobs. If they do where are the jobs? They are in other countries. Both parties must change leadership. Current leadership has shown themselves not up to the job. We need new ideas. We need jobs that pay livable wages.   

The last war our military fought for our freedom was WWII. Since then we have defeated small countries and tied or lost to those who can defend themselves. Our military is not the solution. Our military needs to be brought home from around the world and the defense department needs to have a major reduction in their budget.

Economic strength is what will lead now not the military. 

I encourage you and your fellow representatives to stop playing games, appoint new leadership and solve the issues. So far Obama sounds more reasonable than the Republicans do and more ready to compromise. Politics requires compromise. 

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ 
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 

No amount of observations of white swans can allow the conclusion that all swans are white, but the observation of a single black swan is sufficient to refute that conclusion.

Karl Popper

On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 10:30 AM, Congressman Phil Roe <rep.roe@mail.house.gov> wrote:

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Website | About Phil | First District | Constituent Services | Newsroom | Issues | Legislation | Kids Page Debt is Holding Back Economic Growth The national debt continues to rise to ever more dangerous levels and has now reached over $15 trillion – officially surpassing the size of our economy at 100 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).   The unsustainable amount of government debt is so high that it is straining economic growth.  We must get serious about enacting spending cuts that put us on a sustainable fiscal path. Instead of reining in spending, the president has asked Congress to raise the debt ceiling again. That is why this week the House of Representatives will vote on a resolution to disapprove of the administration's request for an increase in the nation's debt ceiling – another "sign of leadership failure," in the president's own words. This vote is in response to the administration's reckless spending binge that has driven America's economy down a disastrous fiscal path and hurt job creation at a critical time for middle-class families and small businesses. Under President Obama's watch, the government has accumulated the three largest annual budget deficits in our nation's history.  Over $4.6 trillion has been added to the national debt since Obama took office, which is the most rapid increase of any president.  Additionally, there was a 25 percent increase in non-discretionary spending by the president when Democrats controlled both the House and Senate.  According to the U.S. Census, every American's share of the national debt stands at $48,699. Economists continue to warn that our nation's economic growth is constrained.  The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Douglas Elmendorf has said that the growing debt puts us at risk for a "sudden fiscal crisis."  CNBC's John Carney recently chimed in about the deficit officially surpassing 100 percent of GDP saying that it "has serious implications for economic theory." He goes on to say that "public-sector debt in the U.S. grew from 58 percent of GDP in 2000 to 97 percent in 2010. That almost certainly puts us beyond the threshold where our debt is restraining economic growth." With the upcoming budget that is due on February 6, the president has another opportunity to offer a serious, credible plan that lays out how we are going to get this country's fiscal house in order.  Congress, along with the president, needs to come to an agreement that leads to stabilization and declines the ratios of federal government debt to GDP and debt to revenue. I came to Congress to get our nation back on track and that includes making the tough decisions that will put us on a path to prosperity.  We must end our annual budget deficits and lower the debt if we want to see sustainable economic growth.  Even the president admits that if we fail to do this, it could lead to a double dip recession.  Now is the time to enact spending cuts because our national security is at risk if we do not lower the deficit. Please feel free to contact my office if we can be of assistance to you or your family.  You can contact my office by mail, email or phone.  Our contact information can be found on our website, www.roe.house.gov.    CONNECT WITH US E-News Sign-up Forward to a Friend Contact Phil TAKE A SURVEY Do you approve of the president's request to raise the debt ceiling?  Yes, we should raise the debt ceiling. No, we should not raise the debt ceiling. I am unsure at this time.            Choose Your Answer Washington, DC Office 419 Cannon House Office Bldg Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-6356 Fax: (202) 225-5714 Kingsport Office PO Box 1728 Kingsport, TN 37662 Phone: (423) 247-8161 Fax: (423) 247-0119 Morristown Office 1609 College Park Drive, Suite 4 Morristown, TN 37813 Phone: (423) 254-1400 Fax: (423) 254-1403

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On the subject of “Jobs"

On the subject of "Jobs:" The number of jobs is not the measurement. What are needed are jobs that pay livable wages. Today, a family of four the two adults can each work full-time at Wal-Mart and still be around the poverty level.

 

On the subject of livable wages the United States cannot compete with other countries because the wages those countries pay are not livable wages in this country. When Congress approved NAFTA the jobs left. Anyone with any common sense knew that would happen; apparently anyone but our government.

 

To bring jobs with livable wages back any benefit corporations receive for sending the jobs out of the country must be taken away. For example: I read an article that reported that Steve Jobs told President Obama that Apple had 700,000 jobs in China because he could not find 30,000 engineers in this country to work with that number of manufacturing employees.  A tariff should be added to every product made in China that causes the price to the consumer to be higher than if it were made in this country by people being paid livable wages.

 

Corporations currently receive tax benefits for moving their jobs to other countries. Corporations either should receive tax benefits for keeping those jobs in this country OR penalties should be assessed to every corporation who have senior executives living in this country but have jobs in other countries. Let those senior executives live where their jobs are. Let them live where they send the jobs.

 

Republicans want to keep taxes as they are on the rich because you claim raising taxes on those rich friends will hurt the creation of jobs.  That may have been the case in the past but that is not true today. If it were WHERE ARE THE JOBS THOSE RICH FRIENDS CREATED?

On the subject of SOPA and PIPA.

On the subject of SOPA and PIPA. Why do we consider piracy wrong online or otherwise? Could it be morality causes us to think that way? If that is true, people in other countries not raised with Christian/Judeo morality are not influenced by them.

 

The Secretary of Education in Ukraine said their children have no character, no ethics, and no morals. So he asked a group from the United States by the name of "Easter European Missions" (the organization smuggled bibles into the USSR) to help them. Today Ukraine is using the bible to teach character, ethics and morals to their children in their public schools. While the United States bans such teaching Ukraine is looking to the bible for help.

 

By the way how do you get "separation of church and state" from "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;"? Not making a law that establishes a state religion does not prohibit the government from practicing a religion or even using its literature. No law is the secret.  

Perfection is not sufficient.

Ten percent of the applications to Harvard are from people who got a perfect score on their SAT. About the same number are from people ranked first in their class. More than a thousand in each group are rejected by Harvard every year. Perfection is not sufficient. Being qualified is not reason enough for someone to hire you. 

Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.

For years corporations have been mechanizing production and reducing jobs. Jobs requiring manual labor have been dropping for years. Jobs for machine operators and paint sprayers as well as a variety of trade jobs have been replaced with automation in order to lower costs. As we all know, lowering costs produces obscene bonuses for chief executives and other senior managers.

Since the jobs being eliminated belonged to a class of people we found easy to ignore and because we were not affected we rationalized. It was efficient to eliminate blue-collar jobs; it made us competitive; it was progress.  

Now thanks to the information revolution the jobs disappearing belong to us. Suddenly we care about the jobs that are disappearing. The jobs of people who had followed the rules; who had done what they were told to do; have disappeared most likely permanently.

Remember Martin Niemöller’s quotation:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out –

Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out –

Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out –

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.

Water and Grain

http://www.earth-policy.org/indicators/C54/grain_2012 

eMail sent to Senator Lamar Alexander:

Your pride is misplaced on the subject of closing an online sales-tax loophole. It helps your rich friends to the detriment of your constituents which supports my assertion that you and your political cohorts are in bed with corporate America.  

Concerning a Balanced Budget Amendment to force President, Congress to balance the federal budget illustrates how unaccountable our government is. If Congress wanted to balance the federal budget it would. It does not take an amendment it takes ethics, honesty and common sense all of which are in short supply in our government. Bill Clinton had a balanced budget. Republicans screwed it up.

On the subject of exporting American-made products – not American jobs is a conundrum. Following the congressional approval of NAFTA jobs left the country. Your rich friends exported those jobs and received obscene bonuses for their efforts. Now you want to give your rich friends more money to make minimum wage jobs. This country cannot compete with wages paid in those foreign countries.  

Articles on you becoming governor, stopping the government from requiring new stop signs indicate how you spend your time on the little things because you and your party cannot face the real problems.

Helping the senate function better requires dissolving the senate and starting over. You act like a union with your overwhelming concern with seniority and good-old-boy-networking.

Your efforts to speed up assistance to Tennessee's storm victims shows how dependent people are upon government to do everything for them. How would the government have responded when George Washington were president?

I do not expect a response from you because unlike Senator Corker and Representative Roe you are too busy to respond to the voters. 

Repetitious Redundancies

Repetitious Redundancies.......We should carefully scrutinize each and every word for recurring, superfluous, redundant and unnecessary repetitions. Maybe perhaps the various and sundry statements are true and accurate but they become ridiculous nonsense when repeating again identically the same thought, often with immediately adjoining words. How often have you heard of a Jewish rabbi, an unknown stranger, or an unmarried bachelor? These expressions are different varieties of the same troublesome problem and may potentially conjure up the possible existence of a Buddhist rabbi, a familiar stranger, or a wedded bachelor. We need to reflect in our minds what we are saying with the words we choose and select. Occasionally, from time to time, superfluous redundancies do more than merely obscure neat and tidy expressions. They, perhaps, may leave an idea in your thoughts of a distinction where no distinction should exist. Both "baptized Christians" and "believing Christians" are used when the word "Christian" is ample and adequate. Such unnecessary redundancy opens the door to the possibility of Christians existing without faith and baptism. We need to be clear that the only way to become a Christian is by coming to faith and expressing that faith in the obedience of baptism. In the same way, we carelessly speak about "true facts" leaving open the possibility of facts being separate from truth. While the world has embraced pluralism and denies a single meaning of truth, Christians should hold onto real meaning and the certitude of truth. Facts are true, and truth is comprised of facts. Truth and facts are the same. We must not compromise truth with sloppy language.

Bachmann Ending her GOP campaign

Isn't it curious that a person intending to improve the country gives up because the people of one state do not vote for them. The truth is the people of Iowa verified what the candidate knew all along. The people of Iowa did the country a favor by getting  a narcissist to go home.

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs:
http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/
http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 

 

"A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice."

Bill Cosby

Elected officials are out of touch with The People.

Capitalism is an economic system distinguished by certain basic characteristics. Capitalism is the drive to earn profits, invest them, innovate, and grow the economy.

 

 In the 1950s the chairman of presidents Council of Economic Advisors said

 

"The American economy's ultimate purpose is to produce more consumer goods."

 

In 2001 President Bush included shopping in the daily activities that he said were the

 

"ultimate repudiation of terrorism."

 

When the country was in shock the president told us to keep shopping.

 

Most environmental deterioration is a result of systemic failures of the capitalism we have today. Infinite economic growth is not sustainable. Capitalism's need for profit requires a culture of consumerism to support it. Capitalism as practiced in the United States is not sustainable.

 

In 2009 the Happy Planet Index produced by The New Economics Foundation rated the United States at 114^th of 143 countries evaluated. In 1957, 35 percent of the citizens of the United States rated themselves as "very happy" a level we have not reached since.

  

Some aspects of capitalism do not work well for the majority of the people or for the environment.  In 2008 the average full-time Wal-Mart employee was paid $10.84 an hour, $19, 165 for the year for the 34 hour workweek and $2,000 below the poverty level at the time.  In 2007, the Wal-Mart CEO was paid $29.7 million. More than 1,500 times the annual income of an average full-time Wal-Mart associate and he was not even a Walton.

 

Sam Walton deserved everything he received. He had developed a better mousetrap. No one involved with Wal-Mart since then deserves anything like that CEO. Due to the low wages the United States taxpayers subsidize that bloated salary by paying for healthcare, Medicaid, food stamps and subsidized housing for Wal-Mart associates.

 

The number of jobs is not as important as the number of living wage jobs. The conundrum is most likely our representatives and senators relate more to the CEO than the associates. Our elected officials are out of touch with The People. 

 

 

Ron Paul Wouldn't Back His Rivals

Any Republican who does not support the Republican candidate is voting for the Democratic candidate. Interesting mindset: "If I can't have my way I will not play." Remember those days?

 

Speak No Evil of a Fellow Republican

The Republican race is now between Romney and Paul. The rest have viloated the golden rule to speak no evil of a fellow republican. I like Romney's response to Paul. I like Paul's responses. We have over 1,200 military bases in over 120 countries. That needs to be changed. We need one friend in the Middle East and that friend must be Iran. They are the only country that can support us with military and oil. Israel is no longer strategic to the United States.

EMail to Sen Corker Subject:bill, S.1798, the Open Burn Pit Registry Act of 2011.

I believe studies, research etc show individuals are less likely to take responsibility for an action or inaction when others are present. Members of groups above a certain size when responsibility is not explicitly assigned assume others are responsible or any necessary action has been taken.

Twelve years ago before initiating the use of open-air burn pits to dispose of waste materials the commanding officer of the unit initiating the process should have asked the appropriate questions. Anyone with common sense and hopefully anyone with command authority would know or at least suspect that burning plastics, Styrofoam, metal, chemicals from paints and solvents, petroleum and lubricants, jet fuel, unexploded ordinance, etc could be hazardous to one's health.

Now due to their failure people who trusted them are experiencing health problems and very likely will experience premature death. Historically concern for our troops is more rhetoric than anything else even that of the voter.

So, with your effort with the bill you mention I encourage you to investigate and determine who is responsible for placing our troops in unnecessary danger. In football when roughness is classified as unnecessary penalties on the individuals responsible are meted out. I encourage you to do the same for this unnecessary danger to our troops. It is bad enough one has to deal with the enemy trying to kill you. Having to protect yourself from your own government and especially your immediate command is unacceptable.   Heads must roll!!

How quickly this bill is passed by congress will let the voters know if congress is concerned about the military or if their concern is just more rhetoric.

Thank you for your email and your efforts on the subject.

Attendance at GSMNP is Down and Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge Cannot Afford It

8,537,228 are a lot of people. The decline has been apparent for a number of years. While at times traffic is bad it has not been as bad as had been years ago. Dollywood is getting old. The Wild Eagle is like putting lipstick on a pig. When Dolly is no longer actively involved with Dollywood I expect Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation will try to sell it and find, due to their lack of maintenance, it is not worth what they think it is. Then even those jobs will be gone.

Any business that cannot afford a ten percent drop in income is in trouble. As a general rule if the only thing that differentiates you from your competition is price you cannot survive. None of the shows are worth what they charge for tickets. Nothing in Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge justifies business owners driving Mercedes and living in oversize houses. A few years ago a friend in the cabin business said Sevier County is recession proof. My guess is he does not hold that view today.

So batten down the hatches. The United States is in trouble. Everyone is concerned about jobs. Jobs are not the issue. Jobs that way livable wages are what are needed and the United States has none. We cannot compete with India, China and other third-world countries who pay anywhere from $0.10 to $6 or $7 an hour. The CEO of Wal-Mart is paid over 1,500 times as much as the average Wal-Mart employee is paid. Things will get worse and may never get better. We will regret the day we helped other people live the way we lived. Now we will live the way they lived before our help.

And then there is freak alley where dignified buildings used to be. Coming in from the exit 407 the impressions visitors get is embarrassing. Pigeon Forge looks like a carnival. Gatlinburg looks trashy and cheap. We have torn down our history and now cater to motorcycles, tattoos, and t-shirt shops. 

If you didn't live here would you come here and pay over a thousand dollars for what we provide?

The War in Iraq is Over?

email sent to Rep Roe and Sen Corker and Alexander

 

The war in Iraq is over? I do not recollect surrender. I do not recollect a declaration of war. How can wars be over if no one surrenders? War is opened armed conflict between countries or between factions within the same country. The United States was in an armed conflict with a faction within Iraq. Apparently the more than four thousand dead and thirty thousand wounded and the billions and billions of dollars (that we did not have) spent were to kill Saddam Hussein and obtain oil for the friends of our leaders. Way to go Leaders!!  If you want to improve public opinion you might want to sell used cars.

Lowes and Muslim Reality

 

The "outrage" expressed by members of the media and other groups shows the real you. You would have expressed the same outrage if Lowes had sponsored a reality show about Christian families. Islam is not compatible with western civilization. One day you will understand.

 

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs:
http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/
http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 

 

"The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had."

---Eric Schmidt