Hong Kong and The Elderly Underground Army

A tourist visiting here has no reason to think about the plight of the elderly here and why should they, but it is quite possible they will take pictures of what seems like an army of very elderly people (both male and female) scavenging for cardboard boxes and going through rubbish bins for empty bottles and cans and wonder about this subject whilst they are here. After all this is the jewel of Asia, not some third world cesspit.

Hong Kong is a rich city, financially and yet we never seem to really take care of our elderly, I am talking Government assistance here by the way and honestly it was quite hard to wade through articles / reports etc which were in typical Government style ie totally incomprehensible, to get the basic facts.

What you probably do not know is that we do not have a mandatory retirement age here even though anyone over the age of 60 is entitled to old age allowances from the Government, many people continue to work well past 65, 70 and even 80.

A lot of this is pride, the Chinese are extremely proud and hardworking people, traits I have long admired but the fact is Hong Kong is a very expensive place to live, which is why we still have many people living in abject poverty.

According to statistics in late 2010, there were 688,000 people over the age of 60 receiving some form of Government assistance which ranges from Hong Kong $1,000 (US$128) to Hong Kong $2,590 (US $332) per month and yet it has been estimated that 350,000 of these people live in poverty and this is despite the fact that many also receive financial support from their children on top of the Government allowance, the Government also asks that people under 70 have to prove by way of an assets and means test that they are eligible for the allowance and many choose not to fill in the forms which would entitle them to higher allowances... confused yet?

The result is that we have a veritable army of pensioners scouring the streets for cardboard and other recyclable items to earn on average around Hong Kong $50 (US$6.50) to Hong Kong $100 (US$13) per day back breaking work for a pittance - The Government should be ashamed of itself and COULD DO BETTER, particularly when you consider that in 2010 Tourists spent over Hong Kong $200 Billion! (US$25.70 Billion) in Hong Kong which is serious money, you would have thought that some of this money would be given back to the Hong Kong people, particularly the elderly... or is it the Hong Kong Government considers the elderly army a tourist attraction?

I'm Jamie Lloyd and I have lived in Hong Kong for 35 years. I am a personal tour guide, I post articles about Hong Kong daily on my website, for an informative and sometimes amusing take on Hong Kong, visit my site daily Bringing Hong Kong to the World one day at a time - website - http://j3tourshk.com/ twitter - j3tourshongkong

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Hope for a More Secure Future: Young People Affected by HIV and AIDS in Uganda

The Scene

The consequences of civil war, extreme poverty and the persistent prevalence of HIV/AIDS have left the people of the northern Uganda to face formidable life challenges. As the country recovers from the war, enjoying 4 years of peace, the return of tens of thousands from internally displaced persons camps has exacerbated the challenges facing the already struggling region.

The HIV/AIDS prevalence of 7.7% in the region is accompanied by limited services, including health and education. Compounding this is the fact that nearly 40% of children and youth are orphans - either due to war or AIDS. Caregivers for orphaned children often lack the necessary income to pay school related fees (i.e. educational supplies and uniforms). This denies them their right to an education and can be a contributing factor to their long-term marginalization and a threat to their overall wellbeing. Teenaged orphans are often burdened with the responsibility of caring for their younger siblings and even their elder, ill relatives. The burdens on the lives of these youth are such that they are often unable to gain sufficient income to meet their individual needs or the needs of their family.

Amon Jennifer, age 21.

Jennifer remembers the year her mother died. It was 1993, and her mother was sick with HIV. She can't remember exactly when her father died, because she was too young. Jennifer, now 21 years old, is living with HIV. She was born HIV+, as was her only brother, who passed away a year before their mother.

After the death of her brother and mother, Jennifer moved from her home in Pader District, Northern Uganda, to Kampala, where she was taken under the care of her aunt. However, her aunt struggled to afford her school fees, forcing Jennifer to drop out of school just after beginning her first year of secondary school.

And then again, the very virus that infects Jennifer and claimed the lives of her father, mother and brother, would enter their lives again. Jennifer's aunt learned that she too was HIV positive.
In the face of more hardship, Jennifer began working in order to support herself and her aunt by selling crafts and working in a biscuit making factory. Despite her best efforts, there was not enough money for food or medication. Under the physical and emotional stress, Jennifer herself started to fall very sick and was eventually unable to work.

Jennifer's story took a positive turn when a concerned neighbour, a member of the Needy Support Center, a local community organizations, found that Jennifer had fallen very ill and encouraged her to join the organization, so that she could get support from other members of the community who were HIV positive.

Jennifer now works in a salon thanks to successfully completing a vocational training course in hair dressing. With her new skills, Jennifer is building her experience as a hair dresser and enjoying her new found profession. Through her continued membership with the Needy Support Centre, she is also continuing to get the care and support she needs to live positively with HIV.

The Needy Support Centre is a Ugandan partner of CAP AIDS and is supported through CAP AIDS' programmatic focus on supporting young people affected by HIV&AIDS to obtain the care, support and training they need to rebuild their lives.

The Canada Africa Partnership on AIDS (CAP/AIDS), is a Canadian Charity working in partnership with African Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) on the front lines to resist, survive and overcome the HIV&AIDS epidemic. CAP/AIDS' strategy is to engage small, carefully selected, African community-based organizations, and to work together to implement projects that best respond to the unique needs and priorities of their communities. CAP/AIDS develops partnerships and provides resources that enable African CBOs to reduce the spread of HIV&AIDS; provide relief, treatment, and comfort to people living with HIV&AIDS and to help orphans, families and communities to cope with the effects of AIDS with an emphasis on supporting economic opportunities for HIV&AIDS affected households. Since 2003, CAP/AIDS has supported more than fifteen grassroots CBOs, in five African countries, namely, Ethiopia, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. http://www.capaids.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Claire_Holloway_Wadhwani

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The Plan to Capture Bin Laden

"A wise man learns more from his enemies, than a fool does from his friends"

Baltasar Gracian

While details of Osama bin Laden's capture are sketchy, one thing that is clear is that the U.S. military executed a nearly flawless raid with pinpoint precision.

For me, the most interesting revelation this week was that the CIA had intelligence about bin Laden's Islamabad hideout as early as August of last year. The intelligence was seemingly developed over years of digging, prodding and fact finding, which eventually yielded a tip about one of his handlers.

While the bravery of the team that struck the compound is absolute and unquestioned, we should be equally impressed with the methodical approach exhibited by our military command, who demonstrated remarkable patience and fortitude. It seems that every detail of the strike was planned meticulously. With the lives of American soldiers at risk, no detail was left to chance.

Strategy and tactics are born out of military doctrine, and the ability of operatives to plan their attack preciously, and execute flawlessly should give us pause. The operation lends credence to the notion that any strategy is only as good as that tactics that support it, and that execution of bad strategy can yield devastating results. It is often necessary to have a well thought out contingency plan in the event of a calamity, such as a helicopter being caught in a "vortex".

Both strategy and tactics are reliant on good information, and to act prematurely without knowing the facts will often generate a less than desirable outcome. As Stephen Covey points out, part of our time we spend planning, and part of it reacting. The greater the time we invest in planning, the less total energy we must expend. Whether it is in the military or business, the cost of a failed strategy can be high.

Once strategies (which is best defined as which battles should be fought) are determined, an organization must develop core competencies and resources to support them. While the US of A may have taken a hit in recent years, we still have the finest technology and training in the world, and our enemies should still be weary of that lethal combination.

The Wall Street Journal reported that that CIA Chief Leon Panetta thought that there was a "60% chance" that bin Laden was actually present in the compound. Clearly, the decision to strike took guts. Intelligence officials and the military developed the best information available, planned the attack and took a calculated risk. For that, our nation is eternally grateful. We should run our businesses with a similar level of preparedness.

Marc Emmer is President of Optimize Inc. ( www.optimizeinc.net ), and is an accomplished author, speaker and consultant specializing in strategic planning, performance management and human capital. Marc is sought after by CEO's as an expert in strategy and implementation of The Balanced Scorecard. Marc can be reached at marc@optimizeinc.net

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Syria, Iran, and Other Terrorist Regimes: Why They Will Soon Be Deposed

Syrian security forces killed at least 70 protestors Friday, and the death toll could reach 100, in one of the bloodiest days since the start of an eleven-week revolt against the authoritarian rule of President Bashar al-Assad. But the Syrian regime's brutality has not slowed the protests. In fact, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in defiance of security forces' efforts to crush the uprising.

On Monday, anti-regime dissidents took control of the Northwest portion of Syria and killed 120 security officers in the process. In fact, the Washington Post reported that "a swath of villages" in that area are now "outside government control".

Things are beginning to spin out of control for terroristic President Assad. This is not a good sign for him or for the Iranian regime. If protestors bring down Assad, the opposition movement in Iran will be emboldened, preparing for the eventual deposing of Ahmadinejad-which, in turn, will prepare for the end-times treaty.

Las Vegas odds say that Bashar al-Assad, terrorist demon of Syria, will not last. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) assessment is in agreement with Las Vegas; for, according to the assessment of the Israeli military intelligence, the Assad regime will succumb to Syrian protests.

This is because Assad has lost his legitimacy in the eyes of the Syrians by responding with gross brutality to the protestors. (A recent report indicated that more than 1,200 protestors have been killed by Syrian "security" forces.) One incident stands out in which a thirteen-year-old boy was brutally and grotesquely tortured, finally dying from the assault.

Unfortunately, the Obama administration continues to hold onto the fanciful idea that it will be able to work with Assad, whom administration officials have called a "reformer". This week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that Assad's legitimacy had "nearly run out". "Nearly" run out?! Added to this statement, the Secretary of State dreamed "hope" that "the Syrian government will end the brutality and begin a transition to real democracy". However, as a recent New York Times editorial expressed, arguments that Assad is the best hope for reform and stability have lost all credibility.

It is not just that the depraved Syrian regime might go down; it is that it MUST go down. Why? As David Brooks of the New York Times wrote this past week, there will not be peace in the Middle East "so long as depraved regimes are part of the picture." This would include, not just the Assad regime of Syria, but also Hamas, the Gaddafi regime of Libya, and the current Iranian regime.

There is a strong connection between three of these ruling entities-the Assad regime, Hamas, and the Ahmadinejad (of Iran) government. For example, if the Assad regime is overthrown, it would be a blow to Iran, as Syria serves as Iran's puppet bordering Israel; but the regime's upending would also embolden Iranian protestors, creating real problems for Ahmadinejad. Since Hamas is supported by both Syria and Iran, the toppling of either of those ruling powers will adversely affect the Palestinian terrorist group.

The Syrian protestors see this connection, which is why they have turned against Iran, as well as against Hizbullah (the terrorist entity that essentially controls Lebanon), two allies of the current Syrian regime. The more Assad brutalizes the protestors, the greater will be the anger across the Middle East, not only toward Assad, but also toward Iran, Hizbullah, and Hamas.

Because the Bible predicts there will be an end-times treaty with Israel that will produce the global assessment of "peace and security," each of these "depraved regimes" will be deposed in the near future. With such depraved regimes in the picture, neither the treaty is possible nor is the appearance of "peace and security". Thus, all terrorist regimes in the Middle East will be upended to make way for the end-times treaty with Israel.

Since the terrorist entities of the Assad regime, the Ahmadinejad government, Hamas, and Hizbullah will all be brought down-in order to prepare for the end-times treaty and "peace and security"-perhaps we are now seeing the preparation for their demise. Keep an eye on the Middle East; but, more importantly, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, keep looking up!

Doctoral work, Phoenix Seminary; Th.M., New Testament Greek, Dallas Theological Seminary; B.A., English, University of Northern Iowa

Author; Conference Speaker

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Claeys

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Terrorists With Chemical and Biological Rockets and Missiles - Oh, That's Just Great

While everyone is worried about Tom Clancy's "Sum of All Fears" or nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists, perhaps we ought to consider the problems of WMD. Anyone who has ever read any of Bill Gertz's books or has an ear to the railroad track in the intelligence community knows that Hezbollah has re-loaded and has 10s of thousands of rockets, and some advanced missiles ready for their next attack on Israel.

Of course, if you start putting two-and-two together things seem a lot worse than they actually are right now, and no, I am not talking about the Full-Eclipse of the moon, which is said to trigger Earthquakes either.

There was an interesting piece recently on Front Page Magazine Online posted I believe on June 15, 2011 titled; "Jihadist Missile Crisis" by Frank Crimi the article noted some comments by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates that;

"Hezbollah possessed chemical and biological weapons. The news comes as the IDF contends they have 50,000 missiles and rockets now. In April 2011 Libyan rebels had ransacked chemical weapons storage depots in and around the Libyan city of Benghazi. There they obtained at least 2,000 artillery shells carrying mustard gas and 1,200 nerve gas shells, which they sold to both Hezbollah and Hamas. Not surprisingly, Iran was believed to be the broker of the deal."

Okay so, obviously it is not my desire to get anyone's pants in a tizzy, or freak you out by showing you a certain Congressman's "package" online, but this issue with Hezbollah is a tad bit more important that what Paris Hilton's little dog had for breakfast or if Charlie Sheen is coming back to the big screen anytime soon.

And as if Israel doesn't have enough challenges right now with their Syrian border issues, Hezbollah is now commanding the political venue in Lebanon as well. And jihadists are infiltrating the border of Egypt into the Gaza Strip, but not a lot of people are looking there, as right now everyone is worried about Syria killing its own people in the protests and uprisings as they did a few decades ago (the Hama Massacre of February 1982 estimates 10,000 to 20,000 people killed), and although no one thinks it will get that bad, it could.

Even Turkey has spoken out now, as people from the North too are trying to flee the country. Things are so close to total loss of control, well, it's not all that funny really. And yes, it is good to have the comic relief in the US media with stuff that really doesn't matter, as pathetic as some of those stories are, but, there are some very serious issues happening, and it could very easily get way out of hand quick. Please consider all this.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 23,777 articles by 7 PM on June 27, 2011 is going to be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off now..

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The Media Fraternity in India

The media industry in India consists of several fields: magazines, television, radio, newspapers, and the internet. The media fraternity in India has invested well in the internet and you can easily get news online from the company's websites. India news is made of the normal day to day life of the Indian community in the country and from news from all over the world. The media fraternity in India has been around since the 18th century with radio news starting in 1927 while television news came into place in 1895. Therefore, the Indian media fraternity is one of the oldest and most stable in the world.

In recent studies done at the beginning of 2008, it was concluded that the country bought over 99 million newspapers in the year 2007. This makes India the second biggest market for newspaper news in the world. One great thing that has promoted the media in the nation is the freedom of speech and expression in the Indian constitution. Indian news market has grown immensely in the last decade with the television industry boosting of a population of over 1400 television companies. This is makes India number four in television markets. This number seems large due to the large population of people who inhabit the country. Apart from the print and screen media fraternity, there is a large population of internet users, who get their news online. Online news is very efficient as breaking news India will get you the news immediately something comes up.

Latest news in India is aired immediately through the television and online media websites. This allows the media fraternity to reach a bigger audience than any other combination of India news outlet. The advantage with the India media fraternity is that it can produce news in any of the language in India. There are English dailies and television companies but still there are media houses that produce news in the various regional languages.

The India government has gone to establish policies that have promoted launching of radio stations for all institutions for educational, agricultural, and civil institutions. Therefore, there are many community based FM stations. The license is given in order to promote institutions and communities that teach the Indian community about growth and development programs.

Cyber media has also grown to great extents and there are now many large media houses specialize only on current news in India. The cyber media fraternity has an audience of over 1.5 million people in India. The cyber media offer the viewers and readers in the current news in India. One of the qualities of the Indian media is that they have fair and honest news not favoring or biasing the government or any institution. With the current trend in economic growth in India, there is a possibility that the media fraternity might go on to be the biggest in the world.

India news lines is sharing the India news, Latest news in India and breaking news India.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nitin_K_Singh

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Chinese Red Envelopes - Chinese New Year - A Very Special Occasion

In many East Asian cultures, the giving of gifts is thought to imbue both the giver and recipient with certain favorable characteristics or materials. Chinese Red Envelopes, or "yāsuì qián," and Chinese New Year Red Envelopes are given to celebrate the Chinese New Year, Weddings and other special occasions. To be certain that the wedding of a couple is a success, and to guarantee a long, happy life together, these Chinese Envelopes are given by the newlyweds to their families, friends and wedding attendees. The more money in the envelopes, the better off and more rewarding the couple's financial and married life will be, according to ancient custom.

This practice continues today, though the origin is centuries old. As ancient and current a practice, Chinese New Year Envelopes are routinely given to younger generations by grandparents, relatives and parents, and sometimes even close friends and neighbors filled with money to buy another safe and fulfilling year for the recipient. In some cases, employees will receive year-end bonuses in red envelopes as an extra show of gratitude and blessing.

Also known as Ang Pao in Min Nan, Sae Bae Don in Korean, Lai See in Cantonese, Lì Xì in Vietnamese and hóngbāo in Mandarin, the widespread belief in this custom has made a reliable supply of Chinese red envelopes and Chinese New Year envelopes hard to find in many cases. Why red? Red is the color of "luck." And never give monetary quantities with a 4 in the amount, as this is equated with death. Even amounts are preferred over odd, and new, crisp bills with no coins should always be given. Wondering where to find these Chinese envelopes? Instead of wasting your time scouring your city's stationery stores and shopping centers, you can turn to the internet for a dependable source of Chinese red envelopes in all sizes and shades.

Whether you require Chinese red envelopes for weddings or birthdays, or Chinese New Year red envelopes for payment to lion dancers, gifts to young relatives, or simply want to add extra meaning to your next letter, having a wide range of red colors and sizes, as well as textures, glosses and flap styles and closures to choose from will ensure you get just the right envelope every time. To make sure your online shopping experience is fast and rewarding, deal only with a reputable online envelope specialist, and not a full-fledged stationery site. Only a site specializing in envelopes only can guarantee there will always be just the Chinese red envelopes you need, in the quantities the occasion calls for.

We also know that with such a huge increase in demand for these envelopes, especially in the months leading up to this spectacular event, many shops run out very early as demand for red envelopes out strips the sales of any other envelope available. It's not only important to visit envelope specialists but to get your orders in early. Thankfully doing this online takes away a lot of strain and has them delivered right to your door.

At RainbowEnvelopes.co.uk, there is a limitless supply of red colors, tints, textures and sizes so you have one-stop shopping for all the Chinese red envelopes and Chinese New Year red envelopes you need. There is also a free online chat-helpline to answer all your envelope-specific needs. With more colored envelopes than any other site on the web, RainbowEnvelopes.co.uk is the premier envelope resource.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Van_Stratum

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Iran And The Nuclear Bomb

The first nuclear bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945 in the desert of New Mexico. It was a great feat of achievement for the United States. As a result, two atomic bombs were dropped onto the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in less than a month later. That was the only instance when nuclear weapons were used against another nation.

Almost sixty-six years have passed since then. The US is no longer the only nation to possess nuclear weapons. Russia, UK, France, China, India and Pakistan have the bomb in their arsenal. Israel and North Korea are speculated to have nuclear weapons while Iran is suspected of working on acquiring nuclear weapons. Mankind is still besieged by the fear that a nuclear weapon might be used against another nation in a war or as an act of terror. One of the greatest mistakes of man, apart from building a weapon that has the potential to wipe out all life forms from the face of Earth, is the failure to devise a workable defense against a nuclear attack. Missile interceptors are not an absolute defense against nuclear weapons. This "invincibility" combined with its destructive force is the reason why nuclear weapons are feared by every nation on this planet.

The current buzz is surrounding the nuclear activities of Iran. The US and its allies, particularly Israel, are concerned with the nuclear intention of Iran's leadership. Ironically, it was the US and its allies that assisted Iran's nuclear activities in the 1970s through the Atoms for Peace program. Iran, at the time, was under the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The Shah was replaced after the Iranian Revolution in 1978 and Iran was established as an Islamic republic.

In assessing the nuclear threat from Iran, I attempted to understand their intentions and capabilities. These are the two important factors that need examining if we are to understand the direction of Iran's nuclear train.

1. Intention

Energy or bomb? That's what analysts and intelligence experts are having a hard time trying to prove. The US, Israel and other allied nations are quite certain that Iran is working towards building a nuclear bomb. In order to provide fuel for nuclear energy plants, the uranium used has to be enriched to 5% while a nuclear weapon would require it to be enriched to 90%, at least. Recently, Iran announced that it would triple its efforts to enrich uranium to a higher concentration of 20%. At 20%, the uranium can be used to fuel medical reactors. It also plans to move the enrichment activities to an underground facility. It can take up to a year to move from 5% enrichment to 20% enrichment. However, once enriched to 20%, the uranium stock can be further enriched to a weapons-grade 90% level within two weeks.

Another indication to Iran's intention is an article posted on the official website of its Revolutionary Guards, who are responsible for Iran's nuclear program. The article discusses the reaction of the world a day after Iran tests its first nuclear bomb. It is perplexing that a nation that has consistently maintained that it has no intentions of acquiring nuclear weapons would ponder such a scenario. Iran has also repeatedly announced that the destruction of Israel is imminent. Iran has gone to the extent of displaying banners that read "Death to America! Death to Israel!" during its military parades. It does seem that Iran has the intentions to build an A-bomb and, most likely, launch it against Israel.

However, is it possible that a nation would risk the retaliation that would follow such an act? According to a former CIA spy who infiltrated the Revolutionary Guards, the Iranian leaders hold strongly to the prophesied arrival of the twelfth Shiite Imam, Imam Mahdi, who will establish a global Islamic nation. Apparently, there has to be considerable chaos in the world in order for the Imam to appear. He will only appear when the world is on the verge of apocalypse. The Iranian leaders believe that by creating the environment for the arrival of their Imam, they are performing a holy act. If this is true, the Iranians would welcome a retaliation rather than fear it!

2. Capability

A nuclear weapon requires fissile material, either uranium or plutonium, and a delivery system. According to the latest IAEA data, Iran has sufficient amount of uranium for at least three bombs. Iran has also been working quite aggressively at improving its missile capabilities. Although they are not known to have any Inter-continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), Iran has medium-range missiles that can hit Israel, any location within the gulf and Western Europe. An IAEA report dated May 24th, states that Iran is close to producing a nuclear warhead that could be carried by one of their medium-range missiles. Iran has also, reportedly, re-designed the cone of its Shehab-3 missile to carry a nuclear warhead. Iran is not short on capabilities to build and deliver a nuclear payload.

There are many more details that can be discussed but it would be unnecessary since they all point to one thing. Iran is building nuclear weapons and is on track to having them very soon. As the international community continues to apply pressure on the Iranian leadership via sanctions, we can only hope that the world does not see another mushroom cloud.

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Corruption and Social Protest - A View on Recent Happenings in India

Corruption in India - a by-product of economic growth?

The world has been keenly observing the recent public protests in Egypt, Libya and other middle-eastern countries. The majority of the western observers have appreciated the devolution of absolute power wielded by the people in establishment over a long time.

Around the same time India, the largest democratic country in the world is also experiencing a unique form of protests against corruption. One possible reason why these are going unnoticed by the international media is that these movements in India are non-violent and though some of these involve participation from a large number of people, they may not be classified as mass movement, considering the huge population of this country.

Social justice, human rights, freedom of expression, tolerance for divergent viewpoints - these are some features that Indian democracy is proud of when similar practices in its neighboring countries are almost non-existent. Unfortunately, in this thriving democracy corruption has become a part of almost every aspect of life - not just for petty businessmen to make a few extra bucks or for the lower-level officials to accept "speed money" to pass a file.

With the economic liberalization that started in early 1990s we have seen a lot of money, quite unthinkable twenty years ago coming in various forms of investments in the country. The idea, according to the economists and financial pundits was to open up Indian economy and let it grow at about 10% every year and thereby benefit the country and countrymen. However, the sceptics would say that the liberalization and growth story was meant to leverage India's resources (natural and people) and convert Indians to a consumerist society - create a billion of hungry consumers who are ready to work for the MNCs and ready to consume all products from the MNCs - essentially, create wealth for the MNCs.

Now, Indian businessmen were no less shrewd and they spotted opportunities in this liberalization journey - to plunder the nation and create wealth for themselves as well. Over past twenty years, all Indian business houses have grown in wealth while more and more MNCs have used India as resource base as well as consumer base. But, if everyone was benefiting, then who was losing? Well, the environment that was rich with natural resources and the poor people, who only got poorer in the process.

Now, there are other by-products of this mega growth story - the most important of them is rampant corruption. Though India claims to have a rich heritage and scriptures that are several thousand years old, Indians have never claimed to be morally superior to people from other parts of world - well, that is a little bit of honesty from Indians. We have always seen that people in power and people with money take undue advantage but with the huge volume of business transactions and rising economy, corruption took newer heights - where unbelievably large sums changed hands for favors that would result in equally unbelievable, windfall profits or establish monopoly in business.

The common man stood and watched the blatant manipulations - the brazen attitude of industrialists and businessmen and the hand-in-glove politicians and bureaucrats who were party to this grand Indian loot. Land was taken away from the poor in the name of infrastructure development or setting up industries without compensation or rehabilitation. Rules were flouted or bent to allow businesses to run that caused irreparable damage to the environment and human life. Tax breaks and special economic zones were set up to allow more profit for businesses and no benefit to the common people. All the while, the establishment, the media and the upper echelons of society rejoiced that Indian economy was growing.

The rise of Anna Hazare and the Civil Society

The politicians across party lines over the years became brazen about their administrative decisions that benefited their kith and kin. It was happening not only at the central level but also at each of the states. It became obvious that crony capitalism was spreading its tentacles across the country. Almost every large initiative of all the governments in past ten years smacked of corruption, kickback and laundering public money.

Though there were vigilance commissioners, many of them were also found to be tainted; several senior representatives of judiciary had allegations against them. The investigation bureaus were utilized to conduct inquiries to settle political scores. Media on its part was vocal about these but they kept on moving from one story to another and were more interested in raising their viewership than focusing on getting the system corrected.

Anna Hazare, a Gandhian who was engaged in social work for all his life decided to take this battle up. The prop he has used this time to fight against corruption is the Lokpal Bill, a bill that was supposed to have ombudsmen or Lokpal to receive complaints from the people about the functioning of the establishment, investigate the same and recommend remedies. The current Lokpal structure is a weak and skeletal structure and not all the states have adopted it. The proposal to have a stronger Lokpal has been subverted by the vested interests in the establishment for several years. Anna started off with a threat to the government that he would go on a hunger strike in Delhi if the government did not take Lokpal Bill seriously.

Initially, the government ignored the potential of such a threat for hunger strike. These things are accepted as a democratic form of raising an issue against government's policies or actions - serious or trivial. Moreover, in the past they had rarely caused any long-term significant damage to the credibility of the ruling party or the government - either the protestors accepted some verbal promises or they simply gave up.

Two things moved unpredictably in Anna's April 2011 fast at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. First, the way people of India voluntarily joined him. Anna was very particular about keeping his movement apolitical and did not allow anyone from political parties to join him at the dais - this definitely pleased the mass, as Indian public knew pretty well that all political parties were corrupt and probably, equally so. Of course, it was not true that none of these mass followers ever committed to corruption - sure, some of them might have paid bribes to speed up activities in government departments and many will not mind doing so in future to avoid delays or take undue advantage. However, all were interested in seeing some punitive action in mega-corruptions that people in power were involved in.

The second thing that put Anna in limelight was the media. The electronic media was initially ignoring Anna's protest but they soon sensed a story and possible rise in viewership because a large mass of people got too passionate with Anna's movement. Within a few days, the media went berserk putting the government at a loss of face about all the popularity that this 73-year old, 7th grade educated ex-army cook was getting.

Anna was also selective of his A team and it included people from different occupations with clean images. Nonetheless, the people in power did not desist from a smear campaign on them to bring Anna's movement down. However, that did not sway the common Indian for his faith in Anna or his people.

Very soon, the government realized that it would be best to engage with Anna and in a rare moment announced that a bill would be drafted along with Anna's team. This was a historic moment, as government was not required to directly involve the common person in framing of a bill.

The people of India rejoiced - they saw that someone with only principle and conviction could bring the mighty government to tow to his line. The media hailed Anna as the messiah. Obviously, the comparison with Mahatma Gandhi was there.

Well, that was not the end of the events.

Swami Ramdev, a yoga guru with rags to riches story and a mass following across the country as well as among the Indian communities across the world had been using his TV channel's evening program to talk about corruption and black money - the unaccountable money that some people (primarily politicians and businessmen) keep. He could see the potential of using similar hunger strike as a platform to fight for his focus area - eradication of black money. He decided to go on fast in June 1st week at Ramleela Maidan in Delhi.

The people in power wanted to be extra cautious this time and started engaging with Ramdev beforehand. They went to the extent of meeting him in person at the airport and offered him courtesy that is normally reserved for head of states. However, the game did not go well. Though Ramdev agreed in public that most of his demands were met, he went on with his fast along with his supporters as per original plan - irking the people in power. The endgame was brutal with police attack on the sleeping people and Ramdev was captured while he was trying to escape the police in the disguise of a woman. He was packed out of Delhi. Ramdev continued his fast from his ashram at Haridwar and broke it when his body gave up. Unfortunately, the net effect of Ramdev's fast was limited - with media and people no longer talking about him or his focus area - black money. Of course, he has been demonized by the people in power as the fake guru and there are now unnecessary inquiry on the wealth and functioning of his trust, the nationality of his assistant etc.

On the other side, though the government had agreed to bring Anna and his team to drafting committee, they created all sorts of obstacles to whatever Anna's team proposed about the scope of Lokpal Bill, selection of Lokpal and the process of Lokpal's functioning. After two months of deliberations, we now see a dejected Anna and his team blaming the stubbornness of the government to pass a Lokpal Bill that is weak and has limited scope. And, yes, he is preparing for another fast in August.

Summarizing, past three months have been miraculous for India's social justice system. While past one year has given India several mega corruptions involving politicians, bureaucrats, judiciary and industrialists, the past three months have given Indians some hope - from Anna and his team that people in absolute power also may have to sit up and correct themselves.

Note: The views in this article are author's own and they have nothing to do with any of the organizations the author is affiliated to.

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What if Obama Had Actually Run a Business Sometime During His Career?

Not only is the Tea Party quite angry with the Obama Administration, but most small businesses in this country are as well. I keep thinking to myself, and asking myself this question; if President Obama had run a small business at any time during his career prior to getting into politics, how much difference would that make in the way that he leads, the decisions he makes, and the policies that he pursues? Now then, after considering this at length, I'd like to explain some of my thinking on this.

If President Obama had actually run a business, he would've never made those disparaging comments to "Joe the Plumber" during his election campaign. Indeed, President Obama would have made sure that small business regulations were reduced, and would not have allowed ObamaCare to put all the burden of health insurance onto employers, especially smaller companies. Further, I doubt if he would have allowed General Motors and Chrysler to forgo their franchise agreements and cut hundreds of their dealers, all smaller businesses.

Also, I don't think he would've made those comments recently about business aircraft, corporate Jets, and other tax write offs, and depreciation schedules. Further, I don't believe he would have supported the minimum wage laws in the way that he did, and I don't believe he would be so quick to hand out corporate welfare. Next, if President Obama had run a smaller business at any time during his life, including a lemonade stand he probably wouldn't have assigned the SBA the task of keeping small businesses in our country healthy.

It is entirely obvious to me that the Obama Administration is all talk when it comes to the smalltime entrepreneurs in our country, and I'd even go so far as to say they really don't care. After all, the small business community didn't support Obama because they felt he was a socialist, or he had socialist tendencies. In hindsight they were exactly correct, they pegged his mindset, and his thinking in my opinion. Our nation has drifted closer towards socialism now than at any time since FDR, which is the problem with unemployment, as we've drifted away from free-market capitalism.

Since socialism doesn't work, and all the Obama Administration understands his crony capitalism, and since they have literally forgotten the small businessperson in this country it is no wonder we are the situation we are in today. Further, we shouldn't expect job growth, not from our smaller companies, the growth engine that creates jobs until President Obama is no longer an office. Anyway, I thought I would share my feelings on this matter, and my personal assessment, and observations. Please consider all this and think on.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 24,222 articles by July 22, 2011 at 2:22 PM is going to be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off now..

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

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What Excuse Will Obama Use When Unemployment Hits 10%? Can't Blame That One On Bush

One thing I've learned from listening to President Barack Obama in his beautifully choreographed teleprompter readings and speeches is that anything that happens bad in this country is not his fault. No sir, it's the fault of the Bush Administration of course. Now then, I have a question for you; "what if President Obama was not allowed to blame everything on President Bush?"

Well, I suspect that President Obama would simply find someone else to blame it on, rather than admitting his poor performance, less-than-perfect leadership skills, or the unintended consequences of moving our nation more towards socialism, and away from capitalism which has works so well in this country up until now. Okay so, let's discuss some solutions for President Obama, and some other people he might be able to blame things on in the future.

After all, he's going to need to find other entities, people, companies, countries, and organizations to blame for the serious economic crisis that he's gotten us into. He's going to have to find someone to blame for our unemployment figures which will probably hit 10% by the time he seeks the vote for reelection in 2012. Yes, we all know that the unemployment rate is actually over 10%, but I'm talking about the official unemployment rate the government puts out to keep us all happy.

Below I've listed the usual suspects that far left leaning candidates like to blame things on, especially lately;

1. Blame it on the Tea Party
2. Blame it on Jobs Moving to China
3. Blame it on Wall Street Banks Not Loaning
4. Blame it on Debt Limit Negotiations and Republicans
5. Never Admit that the Obama Administration is Indeed Unfit to Lead

Indeed, if the Obama Administration continues with their previous strategy to bolster their acceptance in the media and by the American people playing the blame game, then we can expect them to blame large corporations for moving their jobs to China, the tea party for reducing federal expenditures, thus causing more layoffs at all levels of government. And we can expect them to blame things on Wall Street banks for not loaning money to small businesses, as well as of course the Republicans for raising the cost of borrowing money due to the fallout during the debt ceiling limit the notations.

And one thing we can guarantee, and that is this; the Obama Administration will never admit that it is unfit to lead, that it has made terrible economic mistakes, and that socialism doesn't work, and it's wrong for America. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 24,222 articles by July 22, 2011 at 2:22 PM is going to be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off now..

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

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Las Vegas Still Angry at Obama for Job Losses, He's in Office Because Half of Nevada Voted for Him

The other day, I was talking to an individual from Las Vegas, and somehow we got on the subject of politics. Yes, I know you're not surprise considering how many words I've expended on the topic, but nevertheless, they admitted to me that they voted for President Obama. This surprises me, because most people in Nevada will not admit that they voted for President Obama even though he did win state. In other words, a little over half the people who did vote, voted for the gentleman.

What happened after that was quite interesting. President Obama made statements about fat cat corporations having their annual meetings there and wasting money in Las Vegas. That's pretty unfortunate for a city which prides itself on tourism, and without tourism cannot exist, because there would be no jobs. After all the city is in the middle of a desert, there's nothing there, and there's no reason for a city other than entertainment, gambling, and the fact that it is a destination location.

When President Obama publicly dissuaded people from going to Las Vegas, it severely hurt tourism. Then the cost of fuel went up, and airline fares increased, all this in the middle of a recession, and Las Vegas was one of the worst cities hit after the real estate bubble collapse. Indeed, it was among some of the fastest growing cities in America, and it was blindsided when the growth stopped. Anyway, the gentleman I was talking to who did vote for Obama tells me that Las Vegas is still quite angry for the job losses, after President Obama made all those comments.

Now then, I do not believe that President Obama can win the State of Nevada again. I don't believe the unions that work for the hotels will vote for him, and I think most everyone in the city is against his party, and the Obama Administration's actions, not to mention some of Obama speeches and jabs at wasteful trips to Las Vegas. How many people lost their jobs? Well, in the hospitality industry alone in Las Vegas the job losses were well over 25,000 and although many of those jobs have returned finally, not all of them did come back.

Thus, there are quite a few angry folks in the city who probably wouldn't vote for President Obama if he was the last person on the planet. Seriously, that is a direct quote from the individual I was talking to, and I thought you should know. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 24,222 articles by July 22, 2011 at 2:22 PM is going to be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off now..

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

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Obama Pulls a Cantor

Well the good feeling that we were getting from DC last week was dashed this week as Obama pulled a Cantor and walked out of deficit reduction talks. It was a show of just how far Obama has fallen off of the wagon with concern to his calm, cool demeanor over the last 2 and half years.

It was the fourth meeting in as many days and there has not been much progress made, mostly because the President and Democrats refuse to see the light that the American people are not willing to just accept tax increase without serious spending cuts. Which in every poll put out in the last week has shown that Americans want what the Republicans are offering, massive spending cuts, and what the democrats want in tax increases.

Of course as is the norm with the American population, they want tax increase on everyone but themselves. And they want spending cuts on all the programs that they personally do not see a use for. So maybe my last bit of writing on the good news was a bit naive. Because nothing can be done if people are too stubborn to give up their own favorite Government entitlement. To solve this issue it is going to take a much broader approach to the problem.

The Republicans are in the driver seat, they will get to decide how this goes. The only thing the President and the Democrats in the senate can do is either pass what is passed in the house or look like the fools to the American people when we default on our loans. So with this in mind the Republicans should do the following.

First the Republicans should pass a bill that is short term, and would require a vote to be taken ever 4 months to raise the debt ceiling as well as cut the the same amount from the budget. So if it is 500 billion increase in the debt ceiling it is to be accompanied by 500 billion in spending cuts. This is a good compromise for everyone that is agreement that we need to raise the debt ceiling and spending cuts. It also means that everything has to be on the table, we cannot protect one Government entitlement over another. This means that the Liberals will have to swallow cuts to social security and medicare/medicaid and Conservatives will have to swallow the cuts made to defense. It has to be done, it cannot be put off any longer.

Second the Republicans should include in the bill a balance budget amendment that states that congress cannot vote for increases in spending over 2% from the previous years income. Meaning that if in 2011 the IRS collects 2.4 trillion dollars the 2012 spending bill cannot be more than 2.448 trillion dollars. There is no reason that Government spending should be 25% of our GDP and that is what it is currently.

Third the Republicans in the house should put for a bill that will eliminate the tax deductions that can be taken at tax time and lower the corporate tax rate to 20%. This will make it more competitive to do business in the US, as well as be a back door tax increase with the removal of deductions that corporations and individuals can take. This would be a great compromise in raising taxes but keeping to the pledge of not raising taxes while in congress. Most people will not associate the removal of deductions as a tax increase, so it would be a win win for everyone involved.

If the Republicans did those three things it would then force Obama to put aside the partisan politics and accept the deal, he does not want this in the news come next summer. Plus he would then be able to say he won a great victory for the country and to his base he could say that he raised taxes on the wealthiest Americans do to the removal of deductions from the tax code.

The question is, will any of them have the political oomph to do such a thing?

Jack Simms is a comment writer and opinionated commentator at a political forum called Partisan divide.

Come visit for on topic discussions in daily political news that affects all our lives.

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We Need More Passenger Trains in the US Because China Has Them - Irrelevant Excuse Really

Perhaps you recall President Obama's plea to the American People to think innovation, and win the future. He also noted that China had faster high-speed rail trains than we did, and that we were getting behind, as if to inspire us to move ahead and compete with China? Okay so, let's talk about this, because it now appears that China made a serious mistake promoting high-speed rail and now they are paying for it, and thus, maybe we should attempt to follow them down that dead end track or unfinished bridge to nowhere.

Is there light at the end of tunnel for America's 10s of billions of dollars designated for high-speed rail projects? It doesn't look as if these projects would account for much employment in the US (shovel ready jobs). In fact, we'd probably end up buying Chinese trains in a low-bid situation with a GE partnership of some type I imagine, that is if any of this comes to fruition. Meanwhile, Amtrak continues to lose money every year in the US, and although it's not as bad as the USPS for a bottomless money pit, Amtrak certainly isn't anything to ride home about.

Recently, there was an interesting article in China Economic Review on July 20, 2011 titled; "Debt Piles Up at China Railway Ministry (MOR)" which stated that;

"MOR had accumulated $294.87 (USD) billion of debt by the end of the first quarter this year, causing its asset-liability ratio to reach 58.24%. The MOR said it would issue $3.1 billion in short-term financing bonds on July 21 to support railway construction, train purchases, and capital turnover. MOR completed construction on 8 fast railways in 2010, or 1,554 kilometers of track, is constructing 18 high-speed railways that year. The MOR plans to invest $115.3 billion in fixed assets in the railway sector in 2011."

Now then, it is great to see China marching ahead 8-men abreast into the South China Sea with their high-speed rail projects, but as it stands with all that debt, they will have to charge such high rates to passengers, that it will be cheaper to fly. Meanwhile, China is also subsidizing their airlines, another challenge, this time a runway to nowhere.

Okay so, the reason I bring all this up is that when President Obama came into office he told us that Europe had free-healthcare for all, and so should the US. But the EU nations are worried about defaulting on their debt. Whoops? I guess we shouldn't have tried to follow the socialists into the health and human services abyss. But now Obama has another grand plan, follow the Chinese by providing high-speed rail. No, China is not a socialist nation, it's a communist nation. Why are we following them, as they are trying to imitate us?

Sounds like a giant game of musical chairs in a giant circle jerk. Well, I guess the recent piece on ForaTV said it best; Washington DC is a Giant Ice Cream Cone Licking Itself. Yes, I laughed too when I heard that, but he has a point. Maybe it's time America stopped blowing money on nonsense, what say you?

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 24,222 articles by July 22, 2011 at 2:22 PM is going to be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off now..

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If Your Corporation Needs Subsidies to Survive - Welcome to the Twenty First Century, Game Over

Well, it looks as if corporate subsidies are getting the budget axe left and right as the debt ceiling debate rages on. A large number of corporate and industry subsidies fell onto the chopping block during the previous 2011 Federal Budget negotiations. Ethanol being a major one, but now the US Congress reminds us that there will be many more and they've found billions of subsidies which they hope to cut to help trim the deficit spending and reel in the debt.

There was an interesting piece in Industry Week Online recently titled; "With Ethanol Getting Clipped, What's Next? - As the battle over ethanol heats up, the next generation of biofuels waits for its moment in the spotlight," by Frank Andorka published on July 20, 2011 - which stated that;

"The battle over biofuels has finally been joined in Congress. After nearly 30 years of focusing on corn ethanol as the primary alternative fuel (and creating government support with that in mind), the Senate voted in June to do away with the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC), which provided a 45-cent-per-gallon tax credit for every gallon of 190-proof or better ethanol that blenders mixed with gasoline."

One question might be; is your industry next, and how will this affect you? Will it cause unemployment in your sector, a more cautious approach to re-investment, expansion, or quell new projects? It may, too much disruption can cause problems especially if it happens all at once. Still, our government needs to live within its means and corporate welfare, subsidies, and massive tax breaks may not be in the cards in the future. Thus, if your corporation or business needs those government gifts, or subsidies to survive, well, it may not be long for this world, as the game is in play, and so far no options have been taken off the table.

There will be hundreds, if not thousands in many industries who lose their jobs over all of this, although one could say; those are indeed jobs which should never have been available in the first place, as they were not economically viable without the government throwing money into the ring. It would be nice if there were fewer lobbyists, but major corporate welfare cutting might actually increase the number of lobbyists as each industry will be vying for fewer dollars and will want to make sure they get their fair share of that never ending flow of taxpayer's dollars. Indeed, I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 24,222 articles by July 22, 2011 at 2:22 PM is going to be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off now..

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

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Healthcare Reform Act: Costing You Much?

A few months ago I posed this question: New laws just put in place by the healthcare reform act are going to be costing companies significantly more than they have been used to. AT&T, for example, just took a Multibillion dollar hit to it's bottom line due to these changes. 3COM followed with $90 million charge as well, and many more large companies are hinting at drastic cuts coming very soon because they are all staring down the barrel off significantly lost revenue due to increased costs.

Are small & medium businesses in danger of becoming a statistic and falling prey to the new increased cost of doing business in the U.S.? According to some, this is all you need to know regarding the new Healthcare law: By 2014, states must set up Small Business Health Options Programs (SHOPs), which allow companies with fewer than 100 workers to pool their resources - and risks - to buy health insurance. Until the SHOPs are established, businesses with 10 or fewer full-time workers earning less than $25,000 on average will be eligible for a 35 percent tax credit. Firms with up to 25 workers with an average salary up to $50,000 will receive partial credits while businesses with 25 or more workers will receive no credit. Beginning in 2014, firms with more than 50 workers must offer health care coverage to employees or pay penalties of up to $2,000 per person for all but the first 30.

OK, Should just ignore the rest of the picture? By some counts, less than 12% of small businesses will fall within the strict limitations put on those tax credits. Don't think even if you do fall within those limits that you're going to see any benefits from it either. Save that cash because here comes the whopper that snatches it right back out of your pocket: Section 9006 of the health care bill -- just a few lines buried in the 2,409-page document -- mandates that beginning in 2012 all companies will have to issue 1099 tax forms not just to contract workers but to any individual or corporation from which they buy more than $600 in goods or services in a tax year. What small business is going to be able to handle this on their own? 1099's for tangible goods too? They might as well print a W9 with your receipt at every register! If you think getting people to cooperate with sending you a W9 was difficult before, Wow! Calculate how many transactions over $600 you make each year and just watch the cost of collecting W9's and producing 1099's literally bury you in red tape.

Let that piece of news settle for a bit as all of the ramifications begin to sink in... Oh! Don't forget; no more exemptions for Corporations. It's not that simple either, 2,200 pages of new regulations look to cost small businesses in added consulting costs just to make sure that they are in compliance with all of the employer mandates so they don't find themselves subjected to fines and penalties. The government agencies tasked with creating the structure and foundation for SHOP still have not responded to any requests for information about how it is even going to work. Nor have they produced a single document even hinting at what that might be. Washington wants more revenue, and they don't mind burying small businesses in the process. And, the IRS isn't even scheduled to release it's rules on the new tax laws until some unknown date next year, and the IRS doesn't even know when that might actually be.

Realistically speaking, if you are one of those business owners that thinks you're gunna slide by On some theory that "Government subsidy (welfare)" checks will help you slide by, then your short-sightedness will land you in some "Safe job" wishing you had paid better attention to the handwriting on the wall.

Want the whole picture? Try this for a wake-up call: http://www.nfib.com/insight/cmsid/51105

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Duker

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Media and Politics - What Is the Role of Media in Politics?

There has been some rumbling in the UK media about the plight of a US media company over what a British media company did. Now both of these companies do share the same parent company, and there has not been any evidence that the media company, which is based in the US, did anything wrong. That has not stopped British liberals from salivating over the demise of a media empire, an empire that could be said donates millions of dollars to the very causes they support. It just so happens that the media empire covers the news of the day from a perspective that they do not agree with. In fact the owner of the company does not seem to agree with the news his company produces, if campaign donations are an indicator of his political leanings.

You might be asking yourself what this all about and if you are American, it would be understandable. Because lets face it, British scandals do not compete well with the next missing blonde on national TV or cable news channels. The scandal in question is the News of the World alleged hacking of cell phones in Britain and apparently 9/11 families now. Which is quite a serious charge and as we know with Liberals it is the seriousness of the charge that matters, not the evidence.

So the story goes that the British paper, News of the World, hacked a murder victim's cell phone, hacked the cell phones of the 7/7 terrorists and even the phones of the royal family. Of course all of this is still being investigated and Rupert Murdoch has stated that it did not happen, he even said that his company investigated the issue when it first came up and found nothing. That has not stopped the British Parliament from trying to bring down News of the World though and Scotland yard is investigating the allegations.

All of this has not stopped the media in the UK and even in some European countries from writing sensationalized stories on the empire that Rupert built. This story is nothing more than red meat for the a demoralized Democrat base that does not have much to be excited about with their hope and change from 2008. And what is a little help from the Liberals on the other side of the pond?

Many of them are saying that broadcasting laws in the US are set in such a way that Fox News could lose its license because of the actions of another part of the parent companies media outlets. The problem is that the laws they are saying could lead to this, rest solely on Rupert Murdoch's involvement in the scandal. Because the law says that a license cannot be given to a owner of questionable character. So is it the law that a CEO or Owner is responsible for what the employees do? Even though there has not been any conclusive evidence to pin on said employees?

Looking over the US laws, it seems that they would need to prove that the order to hack the phones came from Murdoch himself, and barring that there is not much more that can be done to Murdoch or even Fox News. Granted if the FBI does find something tying Fox News to the hacking of 9/11 families, well that would spell doom for the network. And it would lose a lot of creditability with the very people they aim to put in chairs and on couches night after night.

So far there is not even evidence that supports bringing charges against News of the world in the UK, let alone speculation over whether or not Fox news will be allowed to broadcast in the US any longer.

Jack Simms is a comment writer and opinionated commentator at a political forum called Partisan divide.

http://www.partisandivide.info/index.php?/index

Come visit for on topic discussions in daily political news that affects all our lives.

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Media Compliant in White House Leaks, Where Is Their Integrity?

The Republicans have offered a plan, an ambitious plan that will not be accepted by the President or the Senate, but it is a plan that we can read, hold and talk about. When will the Democrats offer up a detailed plan? When will the President Obama offer up his plan?

They talk a great game, the President Obama has said repeatedly that he is for cutting entitlements, that he is willing to go as high as 4 trillion dollars in spending cuts. Yet he has not provided a single detail as to what he would cut, and how much that program would be cut. The Senate Democrats have said much the same thing, they would cut but it cannot be the 2.4 trillion dollars that the Republicans have put forth. In fact the 2.4 trillion has hard numbers put to each program and we can dissect it and criticize the Republican plan 24/7. We, however, do not have the same from the Democrats and President Obama.

Our country is based on a two party system, with 3 equally separated branches of Government. Unfortunately in the last 2.5 years we have not gotten any leadership from the Senate Democrats (from 2006 to 2009 house Democrats either for that matter) or the President on the issues that will do the country the most good. Both sides agree that we have to tackle the deficit, and both sides agree that we have to raise the debt ceiling. Yet only one side is putting forth specific ideas that are designed to do just that. Raise the debt ceiling, lower our spending, and keep us from having to go this route again in the future.

It is so blatant that the Democrat party and the President are not prepared to lead this nation by their refusal to put for a budget for the country spanning over 800 days, it makes you wonder if any of them have a live heartbeat. They are sitting there telling us that everything is on the table, yet when a plan is put forth, that plan is not on the table. Does this make any sense to you?

While watching PBS "Inside Washington" the other night and they had a discussion on this very topic. I do not remember everyone that was on that night but I do remember that they had Charles Krauthhammer, Nina Totenberg and the hose (I forget his name), anyway Dr. Krauthhammer brought of the fact that the media is compliant in repeating whatever the leak is from the Whitehorse, and they never question the statements. And when asked for the two Liberals on the panel to offer up just 1 cut of the 4 trillion dollars that President Obama offered up, they were silent and just repeated the daily talking point of how great it was that President Obama was offering to cut spending 4 trillion dollars. It proved Dr. Krauthhammers point on how compliant the Liberals in the media are at just talking about what is said and not what is proven from the White House.

There are a lot of questions that need to be answered in this debate and unfortunately we have a media that is in the pocket of the Democrat party and more specifically the President of the United States. Can you give just 1 spending cut in the Senate Democrats plan to do what they agree we must do? And make no mistake about it, they have stated that we need to cut spending, but it cannot be as high as 2.4 trillion and they have not offered up one plan of their own that tells the American people what they plan to do. All we hear is that the Republicans are not playing nice and are threatening the elderly, military and the poor with their incessant bullheadedness to not raise taxes on all Americans.

Jack Simms is a comment writer and opinionated commentator at a political forum called Partisan divide.

http://www.partisandivide.info/index.php?/index

Come visit for on topic discussions in daily political news that affects all our lives.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_R_Simms

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Should We Get Rid of Welfare?

The egalitarianism and welfare of modern liberal government are incompatible with the facts of human nature and the human condition. This article explains the opinion that liberal agenda gratifies various types of pathological dependency; augments primitive feelings of envy and inferiority; reinforces paranoid perceptions of victimization; exploits government authority for power, domination and revenge; and satisfies infantile claims to entitlement, indulgence and compensation.

Modern liberalism rejects, to one degree or another, the competence of the common man and subordinates him to the will of the government run by elites who are liberal. The liberal agenda does not insist on the individual to provide their own economic gain, it does not idealize individual liberty or defend the basic rights of property and contract; it does not appreciate autonomy and mutuality; it does not esteem self-determination, courage, forbearance or resilience.

The liberal mind protects pitiful, sorrowful, needy, poverty-stricken, discriminated against victims by seeking a very large authoritarian government that regulates and manages society through a cradle to grave agenda of redistributive care taking. The liberal mindset wants to promise everyone health care, protect every one's self-esteem, correct every one's social and political disadvantage, educate every citizen, and eliminate all class distinctions.

With this kind of thinking economic growth and creativity will suffer. Confiscatory taxation will make others pay for those unwilling to work hard and smart to get ahead.

People should not be enabled to be lazy and not suffer consequences or someone else who is taking care of business will have to pick up their slack. If everyone is offered a free ride our creative passion and resilience will suffer. I do think we should educate everyone and health care should be provided to all. I think food stamps are a blessing but money should be earned, not given without efforts or training.

We need to focus on how to build up released prisoners so they can become working members of society. Training isn't available in prison so we have to find ways for the community and church to pick up the slack, otherwise, both suffer the consequences. Drug addicts need treatment facilities but it is the same thing once a drug addict is sober, he or she must find a way to contribute to society by working. Homeless people need shelters but again, we need to create programs that actually place these people in a win-win situation, job training and placement, otherwise we still have the problem.

In prison on drug charges, I felt inspired to start writing--to bring a view never before seen, and to show that the path we are on is only building bigger criminals. Roll Call by Glenn Langohr-Amazon
Out of prison I started http://www.lockdownpublishing.com to help other prisoners find another way through writing and art.
Kirkus Discoveries, Nielsen Business Media
discoveries@kirkusreviews.com

A harrowing, down-and-dirty depiction-sometimes reminiscent of Steven Soderbergh's Traffic-of America's war on drugs, by former dealer and California artist Langohr.

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Should the Drug Cartels Be Considered Terrorists?

Recently we have been getting reports that terrorist organizations like Hezbollah are working with Mexican drug cartels close to the border. When, then President Bush, responded to the 9-11 tragedy with his broad branding of evil, terrorist, and drug dealer approach to drawing a line in the sand he reached to far. In his defense, he has part of it right. Drug proceeds fuel terror plots. But, doesn't that approach only force more terrorism? What are we going to do, label everyone that gets involved in drug use a future terrorist?

In California there are 33 state prisons. More than 70% are there for drug crimes. Soccor moms are watching their kids get caught up in this culture of using drugs, getting put on probation, then going to prison. In prison that addiction is bred into an affliction much harder to escape where races are segregated and violence and tattoos are the only solution. With this approach the prisons are spitting out displaced aliens unable to adapt back into society. In California recidivism is the worst in the nation. Released prisoners are back in prison within three years over 70 percent of the time. Studies show that prisoners who continue to go back to prison again and again, become gang members. Soccor mom's blond headed little boy is now a skin head.

So back to the original question, what is terrorism and who is qualified to decide? As 9/11 as an example, the U.S. spoke terror over and over on the news, "That we must eradicate terror and go after evil for the free world." The actions after 9/11 by our government at many levels are in direct conflict with that statement. We are the leaders of the incarcerated world with approximately seven million people either in prison or have served time there. The rest of the world combined doesn't reach those numbers.

Also post 9/11 our military went into Afghanistan and incorporated a working relationship with The Northern Alliance. The Northern Alliance earn their income in the Poppy fields and sell heroin but because they were the chief competition to the Taliban, our military figured we could expect to attain a working relationship and obtain information that would lead to the enemy, those evil forces referred to earlier. The information didn't pay off in a significant way.

The War on Terror is similar to the War on Drugs and the root of both problems are found in poverty. Desperate people do desperate things to survive. If we look at it from a spiritual perspective we can learn more about the problem, rather than create a bigger problem.

I started writing drug war novels from prison while serving time for drug charges. My novel Roll Call by Glenn Langohr is on Amazon. http://www.lockdownpublishing.com
Kirkus Discoveries, Nielsen Business Media
discoveries@kirkusreviews.com
A harrowing, down-and-dirty depiction-sometimes reminiscent of Steven Soderbergh's Traffic-of America's war on drugs, by former dealer and California artist Langohr.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Glenn_T_Langohr

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