The EPA…….Obama’s Gestapo

 

Obama did not create the EPA, it was the brain child of the Nixon administration and has turned out to be a good experiment gone wrong. Today, the EPA is run by Lisa Jackson, an Obama appointee, and  like most Obama lackeys has never held a real job. She has worked for the EPA since she graduated from college more than sixteen years ago. Ms. Jackson has promised us total transparency and adherence to the rule of law in the running of her administration.  It appears that all Obama appointees cry the “transparency” mantra when first chosen and then they play follow the leader. Ask any resident of a rural or farming community and they will have their favorite story about the EPA and it will not be complimentary.

But, probably the most absurd concerns the Gibson Guitar Company (“GGC”). Indubitably, the electric guitar changed the face of music for the entire world. Les Paul and Mary Ford led the musical revolution that changed and enriched our lives and culture forever. Where would the world have been had not the Beatles burst upon the music scene in the 60’s and thrilled all of us, no matter what the age. I could go on, Chet Atkins, Chuck Berry, and B.B. King. All guitar players and all varying types of guitars and music.

So if you are looking for a metaphor to suggest that the Obama administration hates freedom, it would be hard to top the DOJ’s raid on GGC plants in Nashville and Memphis last week. A federal raid on a guitar plant? No way! But sad as it may seem, that is what Attorney General Eric Holder is spending his resources on now as he tries to divert the public eye from “Fast and Furious”.

So why did this happen? A little history first. The making of electric guitars involves the use of various exotic hardwoods. This raises some environmental concerns (I’m not kidding!). In 2009, the DOJ, armed with automatic weapons raided GGC and seized huge quantities of the company’s hard woods. It’s been two years and no charges have been filed. The wheels of the DOJ turn slowly when they realize they have screwed up, big time.

However, environmental  concerns are only tangential matter. GGC is being investigated for violation of the Lacey Act which was written over 100 years (!) years ago to prevent the illegal trading in certain plants and animals. OK, now follow me with this piece of federal logic. The “legality” of the trading in these plants is determined by the law of the country of origin and the Lacey Act only applies when a FOREIGN law has been broken.
I guess that made sense a century ago.

GCC says that the confiscated wood comes from a “Forest Stewardship Council (“FSC”)” certified supplier which means the wood complies with the standards of the FSC. The FSC is an industry recognized, independent, not for profit organization established to promote responsible management of the world’s forests.  The Lacey Act however says ignorance of a foreign law is no excuse or defense. If, in fact, a law was even broken. But surely, even if there was an alleged violation of something, federal agents armed with automatic rifles? GGC refuses to back down to the feds and the EPA on this matter as well it should. They have publically stated “the Government says their wood is illegal if U.S. workers produce it.” I wonder how many jobs this has cost.

When the GGC case gets more publicity I hope there are more than enough defenders to force the Obama crowd to back down. IMHO I doubt that will happen. This case will be delayed until the anointed one is gone from the white house and sanity rules the country once again.

America Slides Closer To Socio-Fascism

We really put one over on them this time, didn't we Maxine?

 

If you don’t believe this then you are either living under a rock or a liberal with blinders. Yesterday’s action by the House under the socialistic tutelage of Nancy Pelosi was another nail in the coffin of capitalism. Hearing her leader’s call and the anti-Wall Street mantra of Timothy Geithner, Mrs. Pelosi’s minions passed legislation that plunges a stake at the heart of the capitalistic world. This legislation rewrites the rules governing financial markets, aiming to restrict the operations of big banks, big business and the powers of the Federal Reserve. Is this starting to sound like Venezuela? 

The vote advances a major White House initiative designed to tackle the perceived causes of last year’s financial crisis. The operative word here is “perceived”. Geithner and crew still don’t get it or more importantly refuse to blame the real culprits of the financial meltdown, Barney Frank and Chris Dodd. The way these two pillars of financial knowledge let Ginnie Mae and Freddie Mac run rampant and out of control is criminal. They consistently have lied to the American public how it “was Bush’s fault” when the whole mess started under Bill Clinton. 

I could go into a tutorial here about how the mortgage derivative market crippled the worldwide economy but I will save that. Accept the fact that Dodd and Frank forced the banking industry to grant mortgages that people could not afford. This fueled the housing run up and the bubble eventually burst. Now we have Pelosi crowing to those dumb enough to listen to her that “we are sending a clear message to Wall Street. The party is over. Never again.” 

What a load of bull corn. The real villain is not Wall Street but the backers and proponents of complex financial shenanigans, Dodd and Frank. Oh, you can throw in Geithner as well. You know, he’s the one who “forgot” to pay his taxes. 

Now this just the House version and the senate already has one in process so it is not clear exactly what will eventually come out but one thing is clear. It will not be good for American industry and banking. Is this starting to sound like Healthcare Reform? 

Under the House version, large financial companies including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. would be hit with billions of dollars in fees and would see new restrictions on their operations. Now this really makes sense. First we bail them out with billions of dollars of taxpayer money and now we want to cripple their business model. Who is watching the asylum? 

The bill would strip nearly all of the Federal Reserve’s powers to write consumer-protection laws and would allow — for the first time — an arm of Congress to audit the Fed’s monetary policy decisions, supposedly a politics-free zone. The Fed has historically been the only part of the government that was immune to the whims of the party in power. Now that may be gone. Good bye monetary policies, hello inflation.The Fed has fiercely resisted the idea. For consumers and individual investors, the bill gives shareholders an advisory vote on executive compensation and creates a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency. Just what we need, another bureaucratic regulatory agency to be staffed by political hacks. 

The bill, written in large part by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, aims to fill gaps in the supposedly regulatory toolkit exposed by last year’s crisis. It would give the government the power to break up even healthy financial companies if regulators believe they pose a threat to the financial system. It will also direct the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to collect $150 billion in fees from big financial institutions to create a fund to pay for future large failures. 

Business and banking groups lobbied hard to kill the bill, particularly the consumer agency, which critics charge would have the effect of restricting credit to consumers. But as usual with Obama and friends, got nowhere. 

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Obama Socio-Fascist Express. It will be stopping in your town soon so be ready to share the wealth.