You've Got to Love Even the Title of the Book by Trump's Niece

Oh, yeah.  What a title.

“Too Much and Never Enough: 

How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man”

Mary Trump’s Book Accuses the President of Embracing ‘Cheating as a Way of Life’

From the New York Times today:

The book, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man,” depicts a multigenerational saga of greed, betrayal and internecine tension and seeks to explain how President Trump’s position in one of New York’s wealthiest and most infamous real-estate empires helped him acquire what Ms. Trump has referred to as “twisted behaviors” — attributes like seeing other people in “monetary terms” and practicing “cheating as a way of life.”

How fantastic. The truth outs. Thank you, Mary Trump, for putting out this truth, these truths, from the bottom of our collective hearts.

It so reminds me of the quote from Maya Angelou.

"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."

To be helpful, you can get it here, too.

Too Much and Never Enough: 

How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man

Side note:  A tell-all book on Trump's wife Melania will be out soon too, written by a former confidante. You can order it here:

The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump

Giddyup.

Corporate America, Running Amuck

If you've been paying attention at all to the news lately, especially about corporations and what they're doing and doing to us Americans, it's likely you've been disheartened. I know I have been. And I don't even have high expectations of them.

First there was this, from AT&T, last October, putting unfounded charges on their customers bills:

AT&T Fined $105 Million by FTC for 'Cramming' Charges

Then there was this, a few weeks ago, again from and about AT&T and the way they supply internet service:

AT&T Fined $100M for Throttling 'Unlimited Data'

It seems AT&T said if you got internet from them, you'd have "unlimited data." Trouble was, they didn't bother to tell those same customers that when they got to a certain level of data usage, their internet speed would slow. Nice, huh?

Then there was this, yesterday, from Google, also on computers:

Google Secretly Spying On Computer Users

Then there was this from Whole Foods last year:

Whole Foods Will Pay $800,000 for Price-Gouging

Finally, not to be done there, this came out yesterday, too:

Afternoon Bulletin: Whole Foods in Legal Trouble for Inflating Prices (Again)

So for anyone, anyone who thinks we can or should do with little or no government, when corporations and the wealthy can do these kinds of things to us, I say they must be crazy.

Or they're part of these corporations and doing these very same things to us all.

You want unfettered, deregulated business?

For anyone who still clamors for unfettered and unregulated business--yeehaw!--take yourselves to our good friend's country of China. They give us yet one more example of how great an idea unregulated Capitalism really is right now:

China’s Bridges Are Falling Down

Early Friday morning, just before dawn, four trucks were driving on a 10-month-old ramp to a bridge in Harbin, a major city in northeast China, when the deck suddenly tilted and collapsed, sending the trucks crashing to the pavement almost 100 feet below.
Three people were killed, and five were injured. Photos of the accident indicate that the trucks were carrying heavy cargoes, including stones, and were likely overloaded. But accounts by journalists and photos from the scene also suggest serious problems with the bridge itself. Some images show that key structural components were stuffed with sticks, pebbles and bags of unidentified materials.

Nobody in China was surprised by this. Since 2007, China has experienced at least 18 bridge collapses resulting in 135 deaths and untold economic hardship, according to records aggregated by the South China Morning Post, the leading English-language newspaper in Hong Kong. These are not mere footbridges: They are major, expensive spans connecting key corridors. The almost 330-foot-long section that collapsed on Friday, for example, is part of the more than 9-mile-long, nearly $300 million Yangmingtan Bridge, a span that connects the two banks of Harbin, a city of 10 million people.
What is causing this epidemic of collapse? In Harbin, some authorities were quick to blame the overloaded trucks and then -- in an act of revealing bureaucratic cowardice -- to claim that they couldn’t locate the contractors responsible for the span (statements subsequently denied by higher-ups).

China’s netizens, accustomed to bureaucratic double-talk, were hardly inclined to believe the local government’s explanation, no matter what it was. Instead, they turned to what is almost uniformly the explanation for everything that goes wrong in China these days: corruption. “Every time I walk down the street and see a new project about to break ground, I know that several billionaires are about to be made,” wrote Li Chengpeng, a well-known blogger and agitator, on Monday (as translated by Tea Leaf Nation, an English-language blog). “In this country, the completion of an infrastructure project lays the groundwork for the beginning of an anti-corruption project.”

So there's your answer, all you Tea Partiests and Libertarians. China. Unfettered Capitalism, no Environmental Protection Agency--everything you'd want in a country and government.

But nothing the people want.

And if you want no government at all, take the now-old suggestion and move your sorry body to Somalia.

You'll love it there.

Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-29/china-s-bridges-are-falling-down.html

Jimmy Carter, analyzing elections, needed here in the States

I've been listening to NPR this week as former President Jimmy Carter has been overseeing Egypt's elections.

Wow. What a great guy. What great work.

I don't know of another president who, once out of office, did so much for so many with his time and energies.

This is the 90th election Mr. Carter and his Foundation has overseen.

Good for him.

And in the case of each of those elections and nations having them, good for them.

But you know what?

The time has come, it seems obvious, that Mr. Carter's efforts to see to it that elections are run fairly, honestly and justly comes all the way back home to his own nation, here, in the U.S. of A.

Ever since the election of 2000, at least, when that one for our nation leader--our president--was so obviously at least manipulated, if not out-and-out stolen, it's been clear that our elections need 3rd party, unbiased oversight.

We've already got Republicans writing and passing all kinds of legislation in several states, at least, disenfranchising their citizens and possible voters. It even happened here in Kansas and Missouri.

It's been documented how African-Americans, in particular, all across Florida, had their votes ignored or thrown away, in past elections.

And now it seems to be happening yet again in Florida:

Florida telling hundreds of eligible citizens that they are ineligible to vote

Here's just four brief, different examples from the article:

- 1638 people in Miami-Dade County were flagged by the state as “non-citizens” and sent letters informing them that they were ineligible to vote.

- Of that group, 359 people have subsquently provided the county with proof of citizenship.

- Another 26 people were identified as U.S. citizens directly by the county.

- The bulk of the remaining 1200 people have simply not responded yet to a letter sent to them by the Supervisor of Elections.

We need election oversight here in the United States.

Please, Mr. President, bring your people and efforts back home where we sadly, badly need them.

Links: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/jimmy-carter-says-despite-violations-in-egypts-presidential-election-vote-acceptable/2012/05/26/gJQAtkMZsU_story.html; http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/05/27/491012/exclusive-florida-ineligible-to-vote/?mobile=nc; http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/05/27/when-you-cant-win-cheat-election-fraud-from-coast-to-coast/; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_v._Gore;http://world.std.com/~cme/html/election2000.html; http://gadfly.igc.org/politics/dissent.htm;http://www.stripersonline.com/t/847402/what-if-obama-v-romney-is-bush-v-gore-close

What The Star--and Kansas City--did for gasoline consumers nationwide

The Star ran an article Saturday, telling still more of the outcome of their original story a few years ago about companies that sold gasoline without taking into consideration the "hot fuel problem."

If you remember--and you should because it's money out of your pocket, potentially--because gasoline expands and contracts, you and I get "shortchanged because gasoline and diesel fuel lose energy value as their temperature goes up."

Well, as it turns out, lawsuits were filed in our name in US District Court right here in Kansas City, Kansas and they drug companies like Costco and Wal-mart and others into court so the problem would hopefully get fixed.

The latest revelation, from that Saturday article, is that Costco has stepped up to the plate, so to speak, and they've proposed a settlement that looks as though it's going to go through.

The point in my writing today is to say first, kudos to The Star for the original article, foremost. Then, second, thanks and kudos to them for following up on the issues. It's all in our name and we, hopefully, all benefit.

Third, I have to say again, this is a great example of why we need viable, profit-making newspapers and their reporters. If we don't, we don't know what corporations, the wealthy and governments are doing either to us or in our name.

Finally, it's to say, sorry, bloggers (yes, me included), you are no replacement, to date, for good "gumshoe" reporters, their work--their dogged work--and the newspapers they work for.

Link: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/27/3580933/deal-calls-for-pumps-that-fix.html

The annual, ugly, very unpatriotic Independence Day screwing

Well, good morning and welcome to the annual, very unpatriotic Independence Day screwing we always get from Corporate Amerika and the gas stations, coast to coast. As I went to work today, I noticed gasoline jumped at least approximately 15 cents--from $3.27 per gallon yesterday (when I filled up, thank goodness) to today's cost (on the East side of town, anyway) of $3.42 a gallon. Thank you, Quik Trip, et. al and happy 4th of July to you, too. Doesn't it seem as though some representative in government should propose a law making this annual holiday gouging illegal? And not just on our national patriotic holiday but Thanksgiving, Christmas, all of them? Does it seem right they can get away with this? It sure doesn't to me. And it particularly doesn't on the day we celebrate the country's birth, the opportunistic, exploitative bastards. (To borrow a phrase from another local blogger, "You kids get off my lawn!").

Corporations are killing us

 

Last night I did watch this documentary on HBO, "Hot Coffee", telling how corporations spent and are spending millions upon millions of dollars to advertise and market to us to get us to believe, in this case, we needed tort reform, all so they could reap many more millions of dollars in profits and benefits for themselves, all at our expense. They're buying--literally--our judges and justice system and cleaning us out. We're being played for suckers, folks, big time. Now, word out today shows a house in Wyoming that is "a single address in this sleepy city of 60,000 people..." where "more than 2,000 companies are registered." In this way, the corporations can, well just read: "A Reuters investigation has found the house at 2710 Thomes Avenue serves as a little Cayman Island on the Great Plains. It is the headquarters for Wyoming Corporate Services, a business-incorporation specialist that establishes firms which can be used as 'shell' companies, paper entities able to hide assets." I tell you, the corporations are playing us, they're using us, they're taking gross advantage of us and yes, they are exploiting and, in the end, killing us and tearing apart the country. We have to put a stop to them and these practices. Go, see this movie, "Hot Coffee". You'll be astounded at what you learn. It's yet more evidence that, if there were a hell, George W. Bush and Karl Rove would surely have to have one of the hottest places in it, reserved especially for them. Links: http://news.yahoo.com/special-report-little-house-secrets-great-plains-113759191.html; http://hotcoffeethemovie.com/

John Edwards' song, for the foreseeable future

John Edwards indicted over affair cover-up

Great article

The best kind of writing there is--both true AND funny:

7 Basic Tips for Horny Politicians

by Michelle Cottle @ The Daily Beast

1. Stick with your own kind. Not to promote class warfare here, but, whenever possible, you should try to cat around with someone who has as much to lose—professionally, socially, or economically—as you do. This will dramatically reduce your chances of being blackmailed or otherwise exposed by your carnal co-conspirator.

2. In the event you do get hit up for cash, do not ask your parents to pay off your lover’s family. This not only makes you look like a louse, it makes you look like a helpless, bed-wetting man-child.

3. For those who cannot resist the lure of prostitutes, avoid frequenting such expensive working girls that you leave a financial trail to rival Newt and Callista’s tab at Tiffany’s. Someone will eventually notice the cash outflow, and you will wind up out of office, disgraced, and hosting a poorly rated chat show on CNN.

4. Never, ever, ever send a woman cellphone pics of yourself in any state of undress.  (MR:  You wouldn't think you'd have to say that, would you?)

5. OK. If you absolutely must, at least don’t photograph yourself while flexing feebly in front of your bathroom mirror. Have your personal trainer help with the shoot. Or your chiropractor. Or the gal who waxes your back on Thursdays. Better yet, call Rep. Aaron Schock for tips on how to get your abs featured on the cover of Men’s Health. Abs not cover-worthy? Refer again to No. 4.

6. Stay away from interns and pages of any gender. Please.

Finally—and perhaps most vitally:

7. Avoid knocking up your on-the-side honey. This sounds like a no-brainer, especially for wealthy, high-profile men with so much to lose. Yet just a few years after the John Edwards circus, Americans are now agog over Arnold’s secret love child. Who knows how many other illicit bundles of joy are out there just waiting for daddy to come clean? Clearly, the abstinence message needs massaging.

So there you go, ladies and gentlemen your "word to the wise" and laugh for the day, all in one, for anyone either in political office or running for one.

You might want to keep this taped on the refrigerator door.

Have a great weekend, y'all.

Sure, we'll sue a German bank...

U.S. sues German bank over home loans

Deutsche Bank is accused of unfairly sticking American taxpayers with a monster tab.

To date, the U.S. government has brought few cases against big Wall Street banks in response to the mortgage crisis that nearly toppled the world's financial system almost three years ago. But the Justice Department today filed suit against Deutsche Bank for hundreds of millions of dollars, alleging that the banking giant unfairly stuck taxpayers with the tab for bad home loans it issued.

The complaint, filed in Federal District Court in New York, accused Deutsche Bank of failing to adequately scrutinize potential borrowers, then lying to government officials about its lapses of due diligence

Yeah, we'll jump all over a foreign, in this case, German, bank.  We'll sue them.  We'll go after them for lying to and cheating and stealing from Americans but an American bank?

Where are the lawsuits against Countrywide?

And since Bank of America bought Countrywide, where are the lawsuits against them?

And while we're at it, where are the lawsuits against Goldman Sachs for both pushing junk loans in one part of the company but then betting those same junk loans will fail in a different part of the same company, all to gain billions of dollars in profits?

Where are THOSE lawsuits?

We know the answer.

The people above pay their representatives "campaign finance" money--far better and more accurately known as bribes--to get whatever they want in the form of legislation and/or, in this case, just to be quiet and leave them alone.

Well, that and the fact that Goldman Sachs is IN the White House, has been for years and is having their way with us.

On corporate tax dodgers (read: cheats)

From Alternet and Rainforest Action Network (RAN):

...12 of the dirtiest corporate tax dodgers: Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Chevron, BP, Shell, Exxon, Massey Energy, Alpha Natural Resources, Peabody Energy and Arch Coal. These 12 banks, oil and coal companies are largely responsible for foreclosing on millions of people’s homes and polluting our air, water and climate. At the same time, we found that they pay next to nothing into a tax system that provides the very services that protect the homeless, the sick and our environment.   

Our new infographic, Dirty Corporate Tax Dodgers, shows that banks, oil and coal companies made billions in profits last year and paid much less than their fair share in taxes. In fact, we found that if these 12 banks, oil and coal companies actually paid the IRS corporate tax rate of 35% they would be giving back $62 billion this tax season. That is almost double the $38 billion in federal budget cuts. 

To add insult to injury, while these multi-billion dollar industries we raking in the profits and evading their taxes they were also paying millions in CEO compensation and lobby dollars. These corporations are happy to pay large sums to manipulate our democracy but aren’t so interested in paying to support it.   

We were shocked to find that:

• Chevron, Exxon, BP and Shell together made $1.26 trillion in gross revenues, but paid a paltry 2.04% average tax rate;
• Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan and Wells Fargo collectively dished out $83.4 million in CEO compensation;  and, while the top 4 banks made $454.4 billion in gross revenue, the top 4 oil companies made $1.26 trillion (yes that’s a ‘t'), and the top coal corporations made $17 billion, they collectively only paid $8.74 billion in federal taxes.

...let’s get one thing straight. America is not broke, and these dirty corporations don’t need any more handouts, bailouts, or subsidies. We don’t have a money problem we have a priorities problem. We’re slashing billions from our budget, much of which will come out of social services and environmental protections, while allowing corporate giants to slip ever-increasing profits into offshore accounts.  

By reversing years of tax giveaways to the largest corporations, Congress could raise trillions in revenue not only covering our budget deficit but also enhancing education, health and environmental programs that safeguard our families and our future. 

Like the now old saying goes, "If you're not angry, you're not paying attention."

Link:  http://www.alternet.org/economy/150617/corporate_tax_dodgers%3A_the_dirtiest_dozen

New way to get rich: snitch

To wit:

APNewsBreak: IRS awards $4.5M to whistleblower

By MARYCLAIRE DALE, Associated Press 

PHILADELPHIA – An accountant who tipped off the IRS that his employer was skimping on taxes has received $4.5 million in the first IRS whistleblower award.

The accountant's tip netted the IRS $20 million in taxes and interest from the errant financial-services firm.

The bad news?

You lost your job.

The good news?

You don't need it any longer.

Have a great weekend, y'all.

Link:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110408/ap_on_re_us/us_irs_whistleblower_collects

A challenge for Sandra Bullock

 

Please tell me you're not completely surprised he cheated on you.