THE DOCTOR IS IN
___________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
Just a few days ago, farmers in the state of Florida actually plowed under acres and acres of strawberry fields. Why? They say the price of strawberries is not enough for them to survive on. I disagree. In January when the Florida strawberry crop was threatened by cold weather people that lived near the farmers fields gave up water to protect the farmers crops.In fact,the farmers took so much water from the residents to protect their strawberries that it left sink holes in and around the residents homes. Guess what? It worked, the strawberry crops turned out be be very, very, bountiful. Florida farmers said there were so many strawberries that the market would be flooded with strawberries.
So, what did they do? They destroyed their perfectly good crops. Their disgusting act caused millions of people in Florida to become very angry, and I don't blame the residents of Florida for their anger. Some Floridians said they would not ever buy a Florida strawberry again. Hooray!
These farmers had perfectly good strawberries,instead of picking them and taking them to market they instead destroyed the crops and spit in the eyes of all of the Floridians that helped them bring in a good harvest.
Rather than destroy this great harvest they could have taken the strawberries to market, even if this year, they only broke even. What would have been the downside? None really. These greedy farmers could have picked all of their crops and gave them to food banks, hospitals, nursing homes, charities, schools, and many other outlets that really could have used the food. but "NO", they chose to plow the crop under because they were angry they had such a good harvest this year.
Can you imagine? The Florida farmers credo is: If you have a good crop, plow it under so you can raise prices on the produce, and if you have a bad year, hey, we have a shortage so we have to raise the cost of that tomato or potato because we didn't have a good crop. The consumer can't win. People, talk about a losing hand, WOW! Big agriculture, the farmer and government all working against us.
It's a bad enough that our government subsidizes farmers with big,fat checks every year so the farmer will not grow certain crops. Now the state and Feds allow the farmer to plow under a good harvest year.
These farmers were whining and complaining on television that they would not make any money this year because they had such a good harvest and that is why they plowed under the strawberry fields. Hell, these people are farmers, they, above all people know that Mother Nature acts in strange ways. You can't control Mother Nature.
A farmer is supposed to take what Mother Nature throws at you. One year the farmer may have a great, full harvest and then, at a drop of a coin, the next year may bring drought, locust,bugs,, bad weather, etc., but that's part of being a farmer. The farmer may make hundreds of thousands of dollars one year and the next year only tens of thousands, -- that's life. But, a farmer shouldn't destroy perfectly good crops in the name of "GREED", (that's not only my choice word but the word used by many Floridians when they saw what these wanna-be farmers did too the harvest).
I know this is not the first time something like this happened. I can remember a time when our Federal government flushed millions of gallons of milk down the drain so the dairy industry could fix their prices. The government also dumped tons of butter in the ocean.The same thing also happened with coffee harvests. Rather than sell the product for less they destroy it. As disgusting as these acts appear I though we were above that sort of thing anymore. Christ, in this time of recession, and/or depression( depending on how you're surviving out there and see the world)and in our current economic climate the state of Florida and these idiot farmers should be brought to task.
Shame on all of these greedy, dollar chasing Florida farmers and shame on the state of Florida for allowing these ingrates to destroy perfectly good harvests.
I suggest that Congress pass a law preventing farmers from destroying perfectly good food for the sake of chasing the "all mighty dollar." Farmers should not be allowed to destroy any food crops without very strict oversight from the government.
I know that big Ag has an enormous lobby in Washington and a large money hold on our lawmakers but these politicians have to wake up, get off of their butt and act in the countries best interest.
These Congressman allow food prices to climb more and more each and every day. The middle class worker can't afford some foods and produce to feed their families and yet these same politicians still have their hands in the pocket of big agriculture and continue giving the farmer anything they ask for and paying them big bucks not to grow crops. Acts such as this has got to come to a halt.- And, that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
California-Picking On The Smoking Public Again
THE DOCTOR IS IN
_________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
The nanny-state operatives are at work again. California is attempting to pass legislation against the smoking public once again using the lamest excuses they can muster. The state wants to eliminate smoking on all California beaches.
Their excuse this time is that cigarettes butts are such a pollutant on the beaches they are trying to claim that cigarette butts are the biggest offender of debris littering the beaches which in turn kill all the birds and wildlife that gather at the beach areas. Further these groups try to insinuate that cigarette butts kill more wildlife than any other product out there. Boy! That's reaching. How wrong can they be? True, a bird may accidentally swallow a cigarette butt occasionally but believe me when I say that birds and wildlife know the difference between actual food and a cigarette butt. And I can assure you that birds and wildlife do not fly and prowl around looking at cigarette butts for nourishment.
There have been numerous reports over the years that the debris left lying on the beach that is killing birds and wildlife in not cigarette butts but instead, soda can "pop-tops". Why? Because those pop-tops exude the aroma and taste of the sugary blend from the drink and that does attract the birds and wildlife.
So, is California going to ban people from enjoying sodas and soft drinks on the beach? Keep in mind it's not only soda pop-tops but now most can foods like chili, stew, soups, tuna cans, and many others have the pop-top on their lid and these foods are carried onto the beaches every day by families while they enjoy a day at the beach. So much for pop-tops.
.
Lets talk about debris left on the beaches that birds and wildlife may try to pick up and/or eat. Some gigantic problems: Plastic diapers, plastic bags, plastic bottles (there have been a number of videos and news segments where birds, squirrels, cats, raccoons and other wild life have had their head caught in those items and couldn't get free). They were attracted by the aromas left in the containers. These items mentioned are just a small part of the debris scattered on beaches all around the country.
Lets not forget about all of the debris that washes up on all of our beaches around the country from the ocean each and every day. Medical waste is a very large contributor. In addition to the birds and wildlife many people are stuck every year by needles and syringes that have washed ashore? To many to count. So, cigarette butts? Get out of here. Worth mentioning also is the debris from all of the cruise ships and other ships that sail the world. They use the ocean like a dumpster and there is actually one part of the ocean that the scientists call the worlds garbage bin. The ocean currents in this one particular spot suck tons and tons of garbage and debris into its area and it piles up year after year. Where's the outcry there? God! Quit picking on the smoking public and using them as a whipping boy. Get real!
It's no secret that these nanny states and their groups always have an agenda to promote their own view as the only one. The biggest nanny states that continually try to alter and control a person behavior, freedoms and rights are: California, New York and New Jersey.
New York is such a whiny, nanny state that just recently New York City officials banned people from wearing perfume or any type of cologne in some of its buildings because "one person" said they couldn't stand the smell of perfume and filed a disability claim. Also the nanny mayor of New York City (nonsmoker) years ago took his personal prejudice against smoking out on the entire city and banned smoking most everywhere in the city. This nanny mayor also passed controls on trans fats and wants all restaurants to list contents and calories on all food menus.His reasoning is that these bans are a health issue and he is looking out for your well being.Are you kidding me?
First, most everything in life is a health issue. From the time a person starts their day breathing polluted air, drinking city and county water that may contain polluted contaminates, eating food that by the way is approved and certified by the government cause health problems, medications that doctors prescribe every day for people that actually have detrimental and fatal side effects. Yes Virginia, the states and government know what is best for you. They will take care of you. Do you think?
New Jersey followed in New York City's footsteps.They wanted to be your nanny also. Again, their Governor (nonsmoker) pushed his personal beliefs on the state. His attitude was "I don't smoke so I don't want anyone to smoke." He and groups with an agenda for themselves forced casinos in Atlantic City to stop cigarette smoking in the majority of the casino facilities. The disastrous result was that the casinos lost close to fifty percent of their gaming income. When Nevada followed suit and initiated smoking bans in bars and taverns and restricted smoking in casinos thousands of food service people were fired or lost their jobs because the business had to close their kitchens and worse, close their doors.I guess you can say "with power comes privilege."
My thought is that if these nanny do-goodies would let the individual business owners make their own decisions as to who they want to serve and what they want to serve and let the individual person make their own decision as to whom they want to spend their money with, the world would be a better place.
If these states mentioned herein would let one restaurant, casino hotel, business, etc., offer food, service, drinks and smoking, and/or gaming and then a few blocks away have another business like the first offer the same thing with the exception of smoking they would find that the business offering all the same items plus smoking would do more business. But people, that's what the states are afraid of. They know that if there were choices for the customer/consumer one establishment would do much more business than the other. My money is on the business that offers more choices. Rather than let the "free market" operate the nanny-state people say it knows what is best for you and the result is a broad, vague ban. Prohibition never works. The logical way to go is to allow the individual to choose: a totally smoking or nonsmoking establishment; a trans fat restaurant or not; a gaming or non gaming establishment, etc.
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Day by day special groups with agendas and political connections chip away another freedom of choice.
Imagine, if a place had a sign reading: " A totally smoking establishment", a nonsmoker would know not to patronize that spot. The same applies for a smoker who saw a sign that read: "A totally nonsmoking establishment." The same could apply to fast food places, trans fat establishments, etc.
If the people had a choice where to eat, drink, and gamble without being told by the state or city I predict that everything would work out very well, for everyone. It seems though that even though some people know there is, for example, a place offering a smoking and a nonsmoking area the non smoker still insists on going into the smoking area and then they complain that the smoke bothers them. I do know that most smokers refuse to go into nonsmoking areas just because they want to smoke while eating, drinking, gambling, etc.---
Now, back to the beginning: I'm sure that if there are smokers on the California beaches they can use ash trays to dispose of their cigarette butts. I'm sure there are ash trays in and around the areas of the beach. Rather than another blanket ban why not enforce any and all existing California litter laws and fine the offender(s). I have no doubt that litter laws can cost upwards of a few hundred dollars. Those fines would help the city, county and state coffers and that's really what these lawmakers want - Money!
Our country was founded on freedom of choice so lets not stomp our freedoms in the dust.- And, that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns,Ph.D., O.M.D.
______________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
_________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
The nanny-state operatives are at work again. California is attempting to pass legislation against the smoking public once again using the lamest excuses they can muster. The state wants to eliminate smoking on all California beaches.
Their excuse this time is that cigarettes butts are such a pollutant on the beaches they are trying to claim that cigarette butts are the biggest offender of debris littering the beaches which in turn kill all the birds and wildlife that gather at the beach areas. Further these groups try to insinuate that cigarette butts kill more wildlife than any other product out there. Boy! That's reaching. How wrong can they be? True, a bird may accidentally swallow a cigarette butt occasionally but believe me when I say that birds and wildlife know the difference between actual food and a cigarette butt. And I can assure you that birds and wildlife do not fly and prowl around looking at cigarette butts for nourishment.
There have been numerous reports over the years that the debris left lying on the beach that is killing birds and wildlife in not cigarette butts but instead, soda can "pop-tops". Why? Because those pop-tops exude the aroma and taste of the sugary blend from the drink and that does attract the birds and wildlife.
So, is California going to ban people from enjoying sodas and soft drinks on the beach? Keep in mind it's not only soda pop-tops but now most can foods like chili, stew, soups, tuna cans, and many others have the pop-top on their lid and these foods are carried onto the beaches every day by families while they enjoy a day at the beach. So much for pop-tops.
.
Lets talk about debris left on the beaches that birds and wildlife may try to pick up and/or eat. Some gigantic problems: Plastic diapers, plastic bags, plastic bottles (there have been a number of videos and news segments where birds, squirrels, cats, raccoons and other wild life have had their head caught in those items and couldn't get free). They were attracted by the aromas left in the containers. These items mentioned are just a small part of the debris scattered on beaches all around the country.
Lets not forget about all of the debris that washes up on all of our beaches around the country from the ocean each and every day. Medical waste is a very large contributor. In addition to the birds and wildlife many people are stuck every year by needles and syringes that have washed ashore? To many to count. So, cigarette butts? Get out of here. Worth mentioning also is the debris from all of the cruise ships and other ships that sail the world. They use the ocean like a dumpster and there is actually one part of the ocean that the scientists call the worlds garbage bin. The ocean currents in this one particular spot suck tons and tons of garbage and debris into its area and it piles up year after year. Where's the outcry there? God! Quit picking on the smoking public and using them as a whipping boy. Get real!
It's no secret that these nanny states and their groups always have an agenda to promote their own view as the only one. The biggest nanny states that continually try to alter and control a person behavior, freedoms and rights are: California, New York and New Jersey.
New York is such a whiny, nanny state that just recently New York City officials banned people from wearing perfume or any type of cologne in some of its buildings because "one person" said they couldn't stand the smell of perfume and filed a disability claim. Also the nanny mayor of New York City (nonsmoker) years ago took his personal prejudice against smoking out on the entire city and banned smoking most everywhere in the city. This nanny mayor also passed controls on trans fats and wants all restaurants to list contents and calories on all food menus.His reasoning is that these bans are a health issue and he is looking out for your well being.Are you kidding me?
First, most everything in life is a health issue. From the time a person starts their day breathing polluted air, drinking city and county water that may contain polluted contaminates, eating food that by the way is approved and certified by the government cause health problems, medications that doctors prescribe every day for people that actually have detrimental and fatal side effects. Yes Virginia, the states and government know what is best for you. They will take care of you. Do you think?
New Jersey followed in New York City's footsteps.They wanted to be your nanny also. Again, their Governor (nonsmoker) pushed his personal beliefs on the state. His attitude was "I don't smoke so I don't want anyone to smoke." He and groups with an agenda for themselves forced casinos in Atlantic City to stop cigarette smoking in the majority of the casino facilities. The disastrous result was that the casinos lost close to fifty percent of their gaming income. When Nevada followed suit and initiated smoking bans in bars and taverns and restricted smoking in casinos thousands of food service people were fired or lost their jobs because the business had to close their kitchens and worse, close their doors.I guess you can say "with power comes privilege."
My thought is that if these nanny do-goodies would let the individual business owners make their own decisions as to who they want to serve and what they want to serve and let the individual person make their own decision as to whom they want to spend their money with, the world would be a better place.
If these states mentioned herein would let one restaurant, casino hotel, business, etc., offer food, service, drinks and smoking, and/or gaming and then a few blocks away have another business like the first offer the same thing with the exception of smoking they would find that the business offering all the same items plus smoking would do more business. But people, that's what the states are afraid of. They know that if there were choices for the customer/consumer one establishment would do much more business than the other. My money is on the business that offers more choices. Rather than let the "free market" operate the nanny-state people say it knows what is best for you and the result is a broad, vague ban. Prohibition never works. The logical way to go is to allow the individual to choose: a totally smoking or nonsmoking establishment; a trans fat restaurant or not; a gaming or non gaming establishment, etc.
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Day by day special groups with agendas and political connections chip away another freedom of choice.
Imagine, if a place had a sign reading: " A totally smoking establishment", a nonsmoker would know not to patronize that spot. The same applies for a smoker who saw a sign that read: "A totally nonsmoking establishment." The same could apply to fast food places, trans fat establishments, etc.
If the people had a choice where to eat, drink, and gamble without being told by the state or city I predict that everything would work out very well, for everyone. It seems though that even though some people know there is, for example, a place offering a smoking and a nonsmoking area the non smoker still insists on going into the smoking area and then they complain that the smoke bothers them. I do know that most smokers refuse to go into nonsmoking areas just because they want to smoke while eating, drinking, gambling, etc.---
Now, back to the beginning: I'm sure that if there are smokers on the California beaches they can use ash trays to dispose of their cigarette butts. I'm sure there are ash trays in and around the areas of the beach. Rather than another blanket ban why not enforce any and all existing California litter laws and fine the offender(s). I have no doubt that litter laws can cost upwards of a few hundred dollars. Those fines would help the city, county and state coffers and that's really what these lawmakers want - Money!
Our country was founded on freedom of choice so lets not stomp our freedoms in the dust.- And, that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns,Ph.D., O.M.D.
______________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
Mexico Is A Drag On the United States
THE DOCTOR IS IN
_________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
Our lawmakers, both Republican and Democrat, refuse to secure our southern border but they have no qualms about securing the borders of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and North Korea.
There have been quite a number of armed Mexican military excursions into the United States over the past few years. Now we have drug warlords from the Mexican drug cartel dispatching drug soldiers onto United States soil and assassinating United States citizens. The irony is that our politicians have been keeping the many firefights on American soil between the Mexican military and our border patrol agents a big secret.Why? Politics and illegal alien immigration. There was an incident last week involving the death of United States embassy employees by suspected Mexican drug cartel members and now a couple of days ago illegal aliens shot and killed an Arizona farmer that had a ranch in the Douglas, Arizona area.
The drug violence and destruction of land and property of our citizens that live on the border should not be allowed to occur. Deaths by these illegals is continually spilling over into our border cities in the United States. These Mexican drug mobsters carry automatic and military weapons, (i.e, AK-47's) and have no compunction whatsoever about slaughtering United States citizens.
What does the administration do? Nothing substantial. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton says, "we have to talk to Mexico." The United States has been talking to Mexico for at least the last fifty years but refuse to get tough with the country because they are afraid to hurt Mexico's feelings and are afraid to insult the large illegal alien population already established here within our borders. The lawmakers want to pander and cater to the Hispanic vote.
Just recently the administration acknowledged that the billions of dollars that has been spent on the so-called "virtual fence" along the southern border does not work and hasn't worked properly since its inception. The only ones who did benefit from the virtual fence was the contractors that received the billions of dollars to build it and the politicians who stuffed their pockets with a large part of the monies being expended on the fence. I guess some good comes out of bad because from recent media reports it appears that the administration is shutting down the virtual fence project. Again we the taxpayer are on the hook for those billions already spent and spread around.
What we do need is a "real" fence. It should be a double fence separating the two countries. The actual "real" fence should run the full length of the southern border. Between the fence it should have a swath of space so that our military and/or Border Patrol can actually run patrols. Along the fence should be specific entry points for ICE and Homeland Security to actually check each and every person and their documents as they enter the United States. An actual "real" fence rather than a pretend fence will clearly provide security and prevent illegal immigration, reduce illegal drugs and help stop drug cartels bringing death and destruction into our country.Beside the fence we should have our military protecting our borders in conjunction with the Border Patrol. If it is good enough for Iraq and other foreign countries it is certainly good enough for us here at home.
These continued illegal acts by Mexico have been escalating more and more each and every day and there has to be a stop to it. How many United States citizens have to be killed before our borders are secure with permanent barriers and our military.
I submit that these illegal crossings into the United States by Mexico's military personnel and drug cartels who are causing fatalities is a clear and present danger to this country and as such, is a clear act of terrorism. We supposedly fight terrorism around the globe but why don't we fight it when it occurs on our southern borders?
For decades we have been supporting Mexico by giving them tons of foreign aid and allowing their government to send most of their poor into the United States, most of them illegal.
We give Mexico billions of dollars in military aid to supposedly fight the drug wars in their country.. We train their corrupt military and law enforcement to allegedly fight drugs.Does it change things? No it doesn't.All of the money, aid, and military assistance we provide to Mexico is nothing more than a money-pit. We are pouring a never ending stream of money down a dark, bottomless hole.
The Mexican government is so infested with corruption, drugs and death that our state department advises our citizens to stay away from the country. In reality we really do not gain very much from our relationship with Mexico yet our politicians continually attempt to rationalize their illegal behavior all in the name of votes. - And, that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
______________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@#gmail.com
_________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
Our lawmakers, both Republican and Democrat, refuse to secure our southern border but they have no qualms about securing the borders of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and North Korea.
There have been quite a number of armed Mexican military excursions into the United States over the past few years. Now we have drug warlords from the Mexican drug cartel dispatching drug soldiers onto United States soil and assassinating United States citizens. The irony is that our politicians have been keeping the many firefights on American soil between the Mexican military and our border patrol agents a big secret.Why? Politics and illegal alien immigration. There was an incident last week involving the death of United States embassy employees by suspected Mexican drug cartel members and now a couple of days ago illegal aliens shot and killed an Arizona farmer that had a ranch in the Douglas, Arizona area.
The drug violence and destruction of land and property of our citizens that live on the border should not be allowed to occur. Deaths by these illegals is continually spilling over into our border cities in the United States. These Mexican drug mobsters carry automatic and military weapons, (i.e, AK-47's) and have no compunction whatsoever about slaughtering United States citizens.
What does the administration do? Nothing substantial. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton says, "we have to talk to Mexico." The United States has been talking to Mexico for at least the last fifty years but refuse to get tough with the country because they are afraid to hurt Mexico's feelings and are afraid to insult the large illegal alien population already established here within our borders. The lawmakers want to pander and cater to the Hispanic vote.
Just recently the administration acknowledged that the billions of dollars that has been spent on the so-called "virtual fence" along the southern border does not work and hasn't worked properly since its inception. The only ones who did benefit from the virtual fence was the contractors that received the billions of dollars to build it and the politicians who stuffed their pockets with a large part of the monies being expended on the fence. I guess some good comes out of bad because from recent media reports it appears that the administration is shutting down the virtual fence project. Again we the taxpayer are on the hook for those billions already spent and spread around.
What we do need is a "real" fence. It should be a double fence separating the two countries. The actual "real" fence should run the full length of the southern border. Between the fence it should have a swath of space so that our military and/or Border Patrol can actually run patrols. Along the fence should be specific entry points for ICE and Homeland Security to actually check each and every person and their documents as they enter the United States. An actual "real" fence rather than a pretend fence will clearly provide security and prevent illegal immigration, reduce illegal drugs and help stop drug cartels bringing death and destruction into our country.Beside the fence we should have our military protecting our borders in conjunction with the Border Patrol. If it is good enough for Iraq and other foreign countries it is certainly good enough for us here at home.
These continued illegal acts by Mexico have been escalating more and more each and every day and there has to be a stop to it. How many United States citizens have to be killed before our borders are secure with permanent barriers and our military.
I submit that these illegal crossings into the United States by Mexico's military personnel and drug cartels who are causing fatalities is a clear and present danger to this country and as such, is a clear act of terrorism. We supposedly fight terrorism around the globe but why don't we fight it when it occurs on our southern borders?
For decades we have been supporting Mexico by giving them tons of foreign aid and allowing their government to send most of their poor into the United States, most of them illegal.
We give Mexico billions of dollars in military aid to supposedly fight the drug wars in their country.. We train their corrupt military and law enforcement to allegedly fight drugs.Does it change things? No it doesn't.All of the money, aid, and military assistance we provide to Mexico is nothing more than a money-pit. We are pouring a never ending stream of money down a dark, bottomless hole.
The Mexican government is so infested with corruption, drugs and death that our state department advises our citizens to stay away from the country. In reality we really do not gain very much from our relationship with Mexico yet our politicians continually attempt to rationalize their illegal behavior all in the name of votes. - And, that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
______________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@#gmail.com
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Continued Job Benefits Have To Stop. 10 Billion Dollars A Month? Rediculous.
THE DOCTOR IS IN
_________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
Once again job benefits is an issue in Congress.Republican Senator Tom Coburn,R-Okla is insisting that the measure be "paid for" so as not to add to the nations $12.7 trillion dollar debt. In this instance I agree.
A stopgap law enacted early this month extends through April 5 unemployment insurance benefits for people who have been out of work for more than six months. A short term extension at a cost of $10 billion dollars for a thirty day period is the price tag.After that the Democrats want to work on a long-term measure that will provide these unemployment benefits to a person through the end of next year. Wow!
These lawmakers should be anxious about these continued extended unemployment benefits,especially when it costs us taxpayers a whopping $10 billion dollars a month.
I can recall years ago when I was growing up that when a person went on unemployment they received the benefit for a period of 13 weeks and then if the person was still unemployed and could prove they were actively seeking work they received an extension of another 13 weeks. But after that 13 week extension the benefits stopped.
I do not begrudge any person drawing unemployment but it should only be for a specific time period(with a termination date) for that individual. Now, the benefits go on and on, at a cost of $10 billion dollars a month. That is unacceptable and is a very large burden on the middle class and all taxpayers.
Right now there have been some people receiving unemployment benefits for two years and still collecting.
It is apparent that some of these people currently receiving the unemployment benefits are clearly abusing the system and all taxpayers.
The incentive of going out and actually looking and/or finding a job is nil. Some of these individuals on unemployment have the attitude that why should they look for or find work when they can go into a state office once or twice a month and receive a free check to survive on.
Many of these same people do not want to take a position that they feel is beneath them. They refuse to consider jobs that pay them less that they were earning in their previous job. I have had some people that are collecting unemployment benefits tell me that they will not consider taking a job that pays a salary that is close to what they are making on unemployment because it's not worth the effort.
I believe that anyone can find some type of job that pays an equivalent amount that unemployment pays within months. Yet, as stated earlier many of these people have been collecting unemployment benefits for over TWO YEARS.
I submit that there has to be a point when the state unemployment office tells the person, "no more benefits", "your benefits have expired", "they have come to and end".
13 weeks, 26, weeks? I can see that, that is a helping hand. But people, two years and over? Come on! I would suggest that once a person is on unemployment for these extended long periods of time they are so accustomed to receiving the benefits with no effort on their part that they actually give up looking for a job.
There are jobs out there. It may not be in the same field that the person worked in previously and it may not pay what the person expects, but it is a job.
A steady stream of guaranteed income from the government every month being paid to millions of people for not working is actually generating a separate class in society adding to a welfare group.
There isn't anyone that would like to receive a check from Uncle Sam each and every month just for showing up at a government office and signing their name. In this case of extension after extension of job benefits, without accountability and responsibility the taxpayer is being hit very hard with the price tag of $10 billion dollars each month.
The Congress has to stop doling out billions of dollars a month for unemployment benefits without holding each individual receiving those benefits accountable and they should actually set a specific number of weeks any person can collect benefits and then shut that person down. Terminate the benefits. Enough is enough.
The old rule of 13 weeks of unemployment benefits and an extension of an additional 13 weeks is more than reasonable and the person collecting those benefits will actually know they have to find a job within six months. That is incentive. That person will know that after six months, no more handouts. If a person cannot find any kind of work in six months I suggest there is something the matter going on with that person.
Where is the old work ethic that was adhered to by our ancestors over the past few decades? Their battle cry was "I'll take any type of job, even if it's washing dishes". Any job that the person takes will in turn dump money back into our treasury. No matter how distant from their old occupation that persons employment will contribute to our economy and give the individual something to be proud of. On the other hand, those billions of dollars a month being handed out from the treasury does nothing but enable the unemployed while the employed people continue to support them.
Congress has to stop bleeding our treasury dry and one of the first baby steps would be to immediately stop spending 10 billion dollars a month on a merry-go-round of unemployment benefits.- And, that's my opinion
Dr.Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
___________________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
_________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
Once again job benefits is an issue in Congress.Republican Senator Tom Coburn,R-Okla is insisting that the measure be "paid for" so as not to add to the nations $12.7 trillion dollar debt. In this instance I agree.
A stopgap law enacted early this month extends through April 5 unemployment insurance benefits for people who have been out of work for more than six months. A short term extension at a cost of $10 billion dollars for a thirty day period is the price tag.After that the Democrats want to work on a long-term measure that will provide these unemployment benefits to a person through the end of next year. Wow!
These lawmakers should be anxious about these continued extended unemployment benefits,especially when it costs us taxpayers a whopping $10 billion dollars a month.
I can recall years ago when I was growing up that when a person went on unemployment they received the benefit for a period of 13 weeks and then if the person was still unemployed and could prove they were actively seeking work they received an extension of another 13 weeks. But after that 13 week extension the benefits stopped.
I do not begrudge any person drawing unemployment but it should only be for a specific time period(with a termination date) for that individual. Now, the benefits go on and on, at a cost of $10 billion dollars a month. That is unacceptable and is a very large burden on the middle class and all taxpayers.
Right now there have been some people receiving unemployment benefits for two years and still collecting.
It is apparent that some of these people currently receiving the unemployment benefits are clearly abusing the system and all taxpayers.
The incentive of going out and actually looking and/or finding a job is nil. Some of these individuals on unemployment have the attitude that why should they look for or find work when they can go into a state office once or twice a month and receive a free check to survive on.
Many of these same people do not want to take a position that they feel is beneath them. They refuse to consider jobs that pay them less that they were earning in their previous job. I have had some people that are collecting unemployment benefits tell me that they will not consider taking a job that pays a salary that is close to what they are making on unemployment because it's not worth the effort.
I believe that anyone can find some type of job that pays an equivalent amount that unemployment pays within months. Yet, as stated earlier many of these people have been collecting unemployment benefits for over TWO YEARS.
I submit that there has to be a point when the state unemployment office tells the person, "no more benefits", "your benefits have expired", "they have come to and end".
13 weeks, 26, weeks? I can see that, that is a helping hand. But people, two years and over? Come on! I would suggest that once a person is on unemployment for these extended long periods of time they are so accustomed to receiving the benefits with no effort on their part that they actually give up looking for a job.
There are jobs out there. It may not be in the same field that the person worked in previously and it may not pay what the person expects, but it is a job.
A steady stream of guaranteed income from the government every month being paid to millions of people for not working is actually generating a separate class in society adding to a welfare group.
There isn't anyone that would like to receive a check from Uncle Sam each and every month just for showing up at a government office and signing their name. In this case of extension after extension of job benefits, without accountability and responsibility the taxpayer is being hit very hard with the price tag of $10 billion dollars each month.
The Congress has to stop doling out billions of dollars a month for unemployment benefits without holding each individual receiving those benefits accountable and they should actually set a specific number of weeks any person can collect benefits and then shut that person down. Terminate the benefits. Enough is enough.
The old rule of 13 weeks of unemployment benefits and an extension of an additional 13 weeks is more than reasonable and the person collecting those benefits will actually know they have to find a job within six months. That is incentive. That person will know that after six months, no more handouts. If a person cannot find any kind of work in six months I suggest there is something the matter going on with that person.
Where is the old work ethic that was adhered to by our ancestors over the past few decades? Their battle cry was "I'll take any type of job, even if it's washing dishes". Any job that the person takes will in turn dump money back into our treasury. No matter how distant from their old occupation that persons employment will contribute to our economy and give the individual something to be proud of. On the other hand, those billions of dollars a month being handed out from the treasury does nothing but enable the unemployed while the employed people continue to support them.
Congress has to stop bleeding our treasury dry and one of the first baby steps would be to immediately stop spending 10 billion dollars a month on a merry-go-round of unemployment benefits.- And, that's my opinion
Dr.Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
___________________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Flint, Michigan Did The Right Thing-Other Cities Should Follow Suit
THE DOCTOR IS IN
_________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
A few days ago I wrote an op-ed piece for the Las Vegas Review Journal. In it I said that Public Employee Unions are actually bankrupting this country with their near impossible demands for higher and higher salaries, excessive pay such as annual cost of living, merit pay,bonuses and unrealistic obscene retirement and pension plans. In the article I said that Flint, Michigan will be laying off Public Employees and some Safety workers.
Today Flint, Michigan laid off about one quarter of its Firemen. Good! As I stated in that article I think no one should be exempt from losing their job. Policemen, firemen and teachers should experience the same pain that employees in the private sector have to suffer through.
However, since the firemen were let go there has been a rash of fires and the city fathers and the fire chief says that the fires are not an accident. Well, "do ya think"? In the past few decades when firemen has been laid off or fired they began setting fires in their cities. Some were little fires in trash cans,in vacant lots with debris set ablaze and yes, even some buildings. When caught some of the culprits were only disciplined and most were let off with a slap on the wrist with the rationalization that the employees were angry about losing their jobs. What a joke!
This act of fires being set really drives a point home that when public employees in safety positions lose their job they strike out with vengeance and anger and are banking that their city will hire them back because of the increase in fires. If in fact, firemen are shown to be some of the arsonists they should never be rehired. Termination and jail time is appropriate.
I predict that if the city of Flint, Michigan actually investigates the fires being set in and about the city they will find that possibly some fireman are involved and the fires were an act of intimidation.
These acts of arson, no matter how small should not occur but I should mention that in addition to fireman being caught committing these acts, police officers and EMT's have come down with"blue flu" in past incidents and they also slowed down their response time to a crime scene. We shouldn't forget the health care community either.Union nurses and doctors have used sick outs and slow response to patients as a hammer to attempt to gain better union contracts. It's sad.
The inequity and parity between powerful union members and public employees wages compared to people working in the private sector is totally unrealistic but the lawmakers close their eyes and ears and like the three little monkeys they fail to see, hear and speak up against these abuses against the middle class taxpayer.
Flint, Michigan did the right thing when dealing with the Fire Department. They should also do the same with the Police Department. The state should take steps to repeal and revoke all contracts with public employees and start over again with sane and reasonable salaries and when it come to retirement and pensions they should put all public employees into a 401(k) retirement plan like most private sector people have to accept. Annual cost of living? No! Bonuses? No! Free medical and health care for life? No! Up to 90% of ones pay as a pension? No!
I say, if the city of Flint, Michigan has to file for bankruptcy in order to cancel all of the current public employees outrageous contracts, they should do it. Would the cancellation of the public employees contracts and starting from scratch prevent the city from hiring new people for the positions? No way? There would be people standing in line for the jobs and these current public employees know that. Usually for a position for a policeman or fireman there is an excess in applicants. When the call goes out to hire 20 or 30 police officers or firemen there is generally thousands of applicants showing up for the job.
So, when and if the city of Flint, Michigan investigates the arson(s) being set around the city and if/and when they determine some of the arsonists were indeed firemen they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and not receive a wrist slap. As as added note: Other cities and counties across the country should take the same steps that Flint, Michigan did. Don't be afraid to fire these public employees.-And, that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
______________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
_________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
A few days ago I wrote an op-ed piece for the Las Vegas Review Journal. In it I said that Public Employee Unions are actually bankrupting this country with their near impossible demands for higher and higher salaries, excessive pay such as annual cost of living, merit pay,bonuses and unrealistic obscene retirement and pension plans. In the article I said that Flint, Michigan will be laying off Public Employees and some Safety workers.
Today Flint, Michigan laid off about one quarter of its Firemen. Good! As I stated in that article I think no one should be exempt from losing their job. Policemen, firemen and teachers should experience the same pain that employees in the private sector have to suffer through.
However, since the firemen were let go there has been a rash of fires and the city fathers and the fire chief says that the fires are not an accident. Well, "do ya think"? In the past few decades when firemen has been laid off or fired they began setting fires in their cities. Some were little fires in trash cans,in vacant lots with debris set ablaze and yes, even some buildings. When caught some of the culprits were only disciplined and most were let off with a slap on the wrist with the rationalization that the employees were angry about losing their jobs. What a joke!
This act of fires being set really drives a point home that when public employees in safety positions lose their job they strike out with vengeance and anger and are banking that their city will hire them back because of the increase in fires. If in fact, firemen are shown to be some of the arsonists they should never be rehired. Termination and jail time is appropriate.
I predict that if the city of Flint, Michigan actually investigates the fires being set in and about the city they will find that possibly some fireman are involved and the fires were an act of intimidation.
These acts of arson, no matter how small should not occur but I should mention that in addition to fireman being caught committing these acts, police officers and EMT's have come down with"blue flu" in past incidents and they also slowed down their response time to a crime scene. We shouldn't forget the health care community either.Union nurses and doctors have used sick outs and slow response to patients as a hammer to attempt to gain better union contracts. It's sad.
The inequity and parity between powerful union members and public employees wages compared to people working in the private sector is totally unrealistic but the lawmakers close their eyes and ears and like the three little monkeys they fail to see, hear and speak up against these abuses against the middle class taxpayer.
Flint, Michigan did the right thing when dealing with the Fire Department. They should also do the same with the Police Department. The state should take steps to repeal and revoke all contracts with public employees and start over again with sane and reasonable salaries and when it come to retirement and pensions they should put all public employees into a 401(k) retirement plan like most private sector people have to accept. Annual cost of living? No! Bonuses? No! Free medical and health care for life? No! Up to 90% of ones pay as a pension? No!
I say, if the city of Flint, Michigan has to file for bankruptcy in order to cancel all of the current public employees outrageous contracts, they should do it. Would the cancellation of the public employees contracts and starting from scratch prevent the city from hiring new people for the positions? No way? There would be people standing in line for the jobs and these current public employees know that. Usually for a position for a policeman or fireman there is an excess in applicants. When the call goes out to hire 20 or 30 police officers or firemen there is generally thousands of applicants showing up for the job.
So, when and if the city of Flint, Michigan investigates the arson(s) being set around the city and if/and when they determine some of the arsonists were indeed firemen they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and not receive a wrist slap. As as added note: Other cities and counties across the country should take the same steps that Flint, Michigan did. Don't be afraid to fire these public employees.-And, that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
______________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Gasoline Prices Up- Congress Is Bought By Big Oil
THE DOCTOR IS IN
_________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
Well, again the price of gasoline is creeping up. It's going to hit $3.00 a gallon very quickly since spring is here and summer travel is on the horizon.
Our politicians are ignoring the gas increases, again! They have promised in the past that they are going to take substantial action against this large oil industry but it never happens. In the past these lawmakers put on a dog and pony show in front of television cameras by holding hearing but the idiotic hearing are nothing more than a photo-op for these greedy politicians. They pretend to listen to the people but accept the lame excuses of the big oil executives and behind the scenes they stuff their pockets and war chests with big oil money.
The price of oil is clearly manipulated by the oil cartels with the possible assist of many of these lawmakers. The oil industry wanted gasoline to go up to at least $2.00 a gallon years ago. What these slick manipulators did was raise the cost of a gallon of gas over $2.00 and then when people complained the oil industry lowered the price per gallon, - - but, only by a penny or two. Now, the oil industry had a new low base per gallon of two dollars. They did the same thing again raising the price to over $2.50, and when complaints were raised they lowered the price per gallon by a penny or two making the new low base price of a gallon of gas now $2.50. The manipulators continued this practice until gasoline cost $4.00 per gallon or more.
These lawmakers and oil execs now had the taxpayer believing that a $3.00 a gallon price was great. Following another Congressional hearing while pretending to blast the oil companies the price of gasoline fell once again. Gasoline fell below $2.00 a gallon but that didn't last long. Once the Presidential elections were over the price of gasoline began to inch up once again. While Obama's political agenda and policy was being debated the oil cartel began to raise the cost of a gallon of gas again. Now gasoline is on the verge of going over $3.00 a gallon and the politicians and big oil are hoping we don't notice the increases and continue to believe that $3.00 a gallon is a bargain. Once again, now the low base will be $3.00 per gallon. People, these overpaid, under worked lawmakers who sit in Congress (with a 16 % approval rating)is only interested in their own well being, not the middle class worker who pays their salaries.
We are spending a billion dollars a month on two wars, - three, if you include Pakistan and the Pakistan war will add even more to the current billion dollar figure. Yet, after squandering those billions of dollars and thousands of American lives and tens of thousands of civilian lives in those countries in the name of securing the world oil market our government overseers fail to fill the needs of our own citizens. We in the United States need our own roads, bridges, and electrical grids repaired. We need our own schools refurbished and rebuilt. We need construction flourishing again. We need our own borders secure (currently we have Mexico invading our cities) on the Southern border of the U.S. with their military personnel and drug cartel members and having fatal fire fights with our law enforcement.
There is a lot that we in this country really need and we need our Congress to stand up and stop the partisanship politics and do what's right for the USA as a whole. They should address these domestic problems immediately.
With that said, we in the United States should not be paying over $2.00 for a gallon of gasoline. Our lawmakers should take these oil companies to task.They should insist that the price of gasoline should be $2.00 a gallon or less. If Congress really wanted to do something to protect us consumers from gouging and market manipulation, they could, but won't. Because these greedy elites refuse to act to control gasoline prices they should be tossed out of office whether they be an incumbent or a freshman. They have had a number of opportunities to regulate excessive gasoline prices and I believe they should be held accountable. - And, that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
_______________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
_________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
Well, again the price of gasoline is creeping up. It's going to hit $3.00 a gallon very quickly since spring is here and summer travel is on the horizon.
Our politicians are ignoring the gas increases, again! They have promised in the past that they are going to take substantial action against this large oil industry but it never happens. In the past these lawmakers put on a dog and pony show in front of television cameras by holding hearing but the idiotic hearing are nothing more than a photo-op for these greedy politicians. They pretend to listen to the people but accept the lame excuses of the big oil executives and behind the scenes they stuff their pockets and war chests with big oil money.
The price of oil is clearly manipulated by the oil cartels with the possible assist of many of these lawmakers. The oil industry wanted gasoline to go up to at least $2.00 a gallon years ago. What these slick manipulators did was raise the cost of a gallon of gas over $2.00 and then when people complained the oil industry lowered the price per gallon, - - but, only by a penny or two. Now, the oil industry had a new low base per gallon of two dollars. They did the same thing again raising the price to over $2.50, and when complaints were raised they lowered the price per gallon by a penny or two making the new low base price of a gallon of gas now $2.50. The manipulators continued this practice until gasoline cost $4.00 per gallon or more.
These lawmakers and oil execs now had the taxpayer believing that a $3.00 a gallon price was great. Following another Congressional hearing while pretending to blast the oil companies the price of gasoline fell once again. Gasoline fell below $2.00 a gallon but that didn't last long. Once the Presidential elections were over the price of gasoline began to inch up once again. While Obama's political agenda and policy was being debated the oil cartel began to raise the cost of a gallon of gas again. Now gasoline is on the verge of going over $3.00 a gallon and the politicians and big oil are hoping we don't notice the increases and continue to believe that $3.00 a gallon is a bargain. Once again, now the low base will be $3.00 per gallon. People, these overpaid, under worked lawmakers who sit in Congress (with a 16 % approval rating)is only interested in their own well being, not the middle class worker who pays their salaries.
We are spending a billion dollars a month on two wars, - three, if you include Pakistan and the Pakistan war will add even more to the current billion dollar figure. Yet, after squandering those billions of dollars and thousands of American lives and tens of thousands of civilian lives in those countries in the name of securing the world oil market our government overseers fail to fill the needs of our own citizens. We in the United States need our own roads, bridges, and electrical grids repaired. We need our own schools refurbished and rebuilt. We need construction flourishing again. We need our own borders secure (currently we have Mexico invading our cities) on the Southern border of the U.S. with their military personnel and drug cartel members and having fatal fire fights with our law enforcement.
There is a lot that we in this country really need and we need our Congress to stand up and stop the partisanship politics and do what's right for the USA as a whole. They should address these domestic problems immediately.
With that said, we in the United States should not be paying over $2.00 for a gallon of gasoline. Our lawmakers should take these oil companies to task.They should insist that the price of gasoline should be $2.00 a gallon or less. If Congress really wanted to do something to protect us consumers from gouging and market manipulation, they could, but won't. Because these greedy elites refuse to act to control gasoline prices they should be tossed out of office whether they be an incumbent or a freshman. They have had a number of opportunities to regulate excessive gasoline prices and I believe they should be held accountable. - And, that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
_______________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
Monday, March 22, 2010
Post Office-Public Employee Unions and Government Ripping Off Taxpayers
THE DOCTOR IS IN
________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
The United State Post Office wants to cut mail delivery to five days a week and also raise the cost of stamps again. Post Master General John Potter made an appearance before Congress to rationalize his reasoning for the cut back and increase in postage.
How many of you remember decades ago when the Post Office was run by the Government? It worked and worked very well. Now,present day, the Postal Service is about to lose $238 billion dollars over the next decade. The Post Master General says that cutting a day of delivery will save the Postal Service $40 Billion dollars over the next decade. That cut still would not make a dent in the billions of dollars that are promised to the postal employees and postal management in obscene pension and retirement benefits. The Postal Service actually owes billions of dollars to the protected public employees.
The postal service has a lot of deadwood in its ranks who are collecting obscene salaries, over generous retirement/pension benefits and health benefits. To fire and terminate a postal employee is nearly impossible. There are thousands of postal employees that are dead weight, some of these employees have committed major felony crimes and believe it or not they are still on the payroll and/or retired enjoying a benefits package that the a private sector employee will never see.
Once again this is an example of a large Pubic Employee union feeding at the trough like a bunch of piglets. These postal employees like most all other Public Employee unions are guaranteed great pensions and retirements and security on the job, basically for life.
The real reason for the Postal Service request to cut service and raise rates is only to support the continuation of salary and benefits. If it was a business in the private sector which was losing money or saw that business was getting bad the owner either cuts back on salary and expenses however when it comes to the Public Employee unions all they do is ding the taxpayer by raising rates and raising taxes, fees etc., just to maintain the status quo.
The cost to average Joe and Jane Doe toiling everyday at work, without a guarantee of a cost of living between 4 and 6 percent a year, merit pay, bonuses, free medical and a super retirement and pension and job security for life is devastating. Unions were great back at the turn of the century so as to protect the worker but it has run amok over the years, especially unionizing the Public Employees. The government just released a report that said as of this year Public Employee unions outnumber the unions in the private sector. What a rip-off!
People, Public Employee unions are bankrupting this country. The cost is unsustainable yet the government and whichever administration comes to power allows job growth in Public Employee jobs to increase each and every year. Why? So both political parties can pander to these powerful unions for votes. No other reason. The lawmakers give these unions most everything they ask for each and every time they negotiate contracts.
The stimulus money that was supposed to build our infrastructure and put construction workers, plumbers, electricians back to work was instead directed to the Public Employee unions to continue to pay teachers, firemen and policemen their obscene retirement benefits and pensions. Some of those pensions are paying the person up to 90% of their highest salary at the point they retire, many individuals retiring at 55 years old and these pensions doesn't include their free or near free health care for that person and their family for life.
The Federal, State, County and municipal governments should immediately call for and enact a freeze on salaries, annual cost of living increases,which by the way happened to all senior citizens in this country. Freeze all bonuses and merit increases, stop all full payments for free health care and put all of these Public Employee union people into a a 401(k) retirement plan like most private sector workers have to accept.
I suggest a freeze on all Congressional salaries for at least 5 years. These elite above the law lawmakers passed legislation years ago that guaranteed them annual automatic salary increases automatically "unless they vote not to accept it." Some of these increases run as high as 6%. What a joke! No one, I mean no one in the private sector gets these type of benefits.
But remember, it is these same politicians in Congress that said senior citizens in this country had to lose their meager 1.2 to 1.7 social security cost of living. I'm waiting to see if these (let them eat cake) people take their annual automatic salary increase.
We the people should be able to vote on Congress salaries and any annual salary increase. Currently Congress members are making at least three to four times the salary (not including all the benefits and freebies)that an average middle class worker makes(without freebies and benefits)- And, that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
________________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
The United State Post Office wants to cut mail delivery to five days a week and also raise the cost of stamps again. Post Master General John Potter made an appearance before Congress to rationalize his reasoning for the cut back and increase in postage.
How many of you remember decades ago when the Post Office was run by the Government? It worked and worked very well. Now,present day, the Postal Service is about to lose $238 billion dollars over the next decade. The Post Master General says that cutting a day of delivery will save the Postal Service $40 Billion dollars over the next decade. That cut still would not make a dent in the billions of dollars that are promised to the postal employees and postal management in obscene pension and retirement benefits. The Postal Service actually owes billions of dollars to the protected public employees.
The postal service has a lot of deadwood in its ranks who are collecting obscene salaries, over generous retirement/pension benefits and health benefits. To fire and terminate a postal employee is nearly impossible. There are thousands of postal employees that are dead weight, some of these employees have committed major felony crimes and believe it or not they are still on the payroll and/or retired enjoying a benefits package that the a private sector employee will never see.
Once again this is an example of a large Pubic Employee union feeding at the trough like a bunch of piglets. These postal employees like most all other Public Employee unions are guaranteed great pensions and retirements and security on the job, basically for life.
The real reason for the Postal Service request to cut service and raise rates is only to support the continuation of salary and benefits. If it was a business in the private sector which was losing money or saw that business was getting bad the owner either cuts back on salary and expenses however when it comes to the Public Employee unions all they do is ding the taxpayer by raising rates and raising taxes, fees etc., just to maintain the status quo.
The cost to average Joe and Jane Doe toiling everyday at work, without a guarantee of a cost of living between 4 and 6 percent a year, merit pay, bonuses, free medical and a super retirement and pension and job security for life is devastating. Unions were great back at the turn of the century so as to protect the worker but it has run amok over the years, especially unionizing the Public Employees. The government just released a report that said as of this year Public Employee unions outnumber the unions in the private sector. What a rip-off!
People, Public Employee unions are bankrupting this country. The cost is unsustainable yet the government and whichever administration comes to power allows job growth in Public Employee jobs to increase each and every year. Why? So both political parties can pander to these powerful unions for votes. No other reason. The lawmakers give these unions most everything they ask for each and every time they negotiate contracts.
The stimulus money that was supposed to build our infrastructure and put construction workers, plumbers, electricians back to work was instead directed to the Public Employee unions to continue to pay teachers, firemen and policemen their obscene retirement benefits and pensions. Some of those pensions are paying the person up to 90% of their highest salary at the point they retire, many individuals retiring at 55 years old and these pensions doesn't include their free or near free health care for that person and their family for life.
The Federal, State, County and municipal governments should immediately call for and enact a freeze on salaries, annual cost of living increases,which by the way happened to all senior citizens in this country. Freeze all bonuses and merit increases, stop all full payments for free health care and put all of these Public Employee union people into a a 401(k) retirement plan like most private sector workers have to accept.
I suggest a freeze on all Congressional salaries for at least 5 years. These elite above the law lawmakers passed legislation years ago that guaranteed them annual automatic salary increases automatically "unless they vote not to accept it." Some of these increases run as high as 6%. What a joke! No one, I mean no one in the private sector gets these type of benefits.
But remember, it is these same politicians in Congress that said senior citizens in this country had to lose their meager 1.2 to 1.7 social security cost of living. I'm waiting to see if these (let them eat cake) people take their annual automatic salary increase.
We the people should be able to vote on Congress salaries and any annual salary increase. Currently Congress members are making at least three to four times the salary (not including all the benefits and freebies)that an average middle class worker makes(without freebies and benefits)- And, that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
________________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
Saturday, March 20, 2010
MGM Prostitutes Themselves Again
THE DOCTOR IS IN
________________
LAS VEGAS-Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
New Jersey gaming authority says that Hong Kong business woman Pansy Ho is unfit and unsuitable to be licensed and/or involved in MGM's casino operation in Atlantic City. My view is that the New Jersey authorities made the right decision. Ms. Ho is the daughter of Asian casino magnate Stanley Ho. Stanley Ho is alleged to have ties to Chinese organized crime and it is said that Mr. Ho has strong links to Chinese gangs, known as "triads" and has maintained that link for decades. As a result of the New Jersey decision MGM decided to sell its 50 percent interest in Atlantic City's Borgata . In short, MGM had to decide between New Jersey and a very lucrative Chinese gambling market.
MGM states that it disagrees with the New Jersey Gaming Board decision and says it has a spotless record at MGM Grand Macao. Wow! That's news. What do you think MGM would say. They love the millions and millions of dollars being generated by Chinese gambling and want to protect their gaming turf.
It has been suspected for years that Hong Kong billionaire Stanley Ho and his Macao casinos have been influenced very heavily by Chinese organized crime and his ties appear to taint any one that is associated with his vast sums of money.
Pansy Ho's investment in the MGM Macao joint venture is approximately 100 million dollars and believe it or not 90 percent of those funds came directly from her father Stanley Ho.
I submit that since so much investment money provided by Pansy Ho came directly from her father there would be a great amount of influence from Stanley Ho. It is difficult for a person to believe that the daughter would not take direction, advice and orders from her father who is invested so heavily in her project.
MGM is reaching back in time to the very beginning of Las Vegas. A time when the mob and its organized crime was running the entire show in Las Vegas and had their fingers in every aspect of the gaming industry.
Some gaming and casino execs will do and say anything for money and they have no problem ignoring law-enforcement and state investigators warnings. These USA casino moguls see Stanley Ho and his family as a cash cow and they, like a bulldog, sink their teeth into the money machine and don't want to let go. They rationalize and confabulate stories and attempt to convince anyone who will listen that they are not in bed with organized crime. Money talks and you know what walks.- And, that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
_______________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
________________
LAS VEGAS-Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
New Jersey gaming authority says that Hong Kong business woman Pansy Ho is unfit and unsuitable to be licensed and/or involved in MGM's casino operation in Atlantic City. My view is that the New Jersey authorities made the right decision. Ms. Ho is the daughter of Asian casino magnate Stanley Ho. Stanley Ho is alleged to have ties to Chinese organized crime and it is said that Mr. Ho has strong links to Chinese gangs, known as "triads" and has maintained that link for decades. As a result of the New Jersey decision MGM decided to sell its 50 percent interest in Atlantic City's Borgata . In short, MGM had to decide between New Jersey and a very lucrative Chinese gambling market.
MGM states that it disagrees with the New Jersey Gaming Board decision and says it has a spotless record at MGM Grand Macao. Wow! That's news. What do you think MGM would say. They love the millions and millions of dollars being generated by Chinese gambling and want to protect their gaming turf.
It has been suspected for years that Hong Kong billionaire Stanley Ho and his Macao casinos have been influenced very heavily by Chinese organized crime and his ties appear to taint any one that is associated with his vast sums of money.
Pansy Ho's investment in the MGM Macao joint venture is approximately 100 million dollars and believe it or not 90 percent of those funds came directly from her father Stanley Ho.
I submit that since so much investment money provided by Pansy Ho came directly from her father there would be a great amount of influence from Stanley Ho. It is difficult for a person to believe that the daughter would not take direction, advice and orders from her father who is invested so heavily in her project.
MGM is reaching back in time to the very beginning of Las Vegas. A time when the mob and its organized crime was running the entire show in Las Vegas and had their fingers in every aspect of the gaming industry.
Some gaming and casino execs will do and say anything for money and they have no problem ignoring law-enforcement and state investigators warnings. These USA casino moguls see Stanley Ho and his family as a cash cow and they, like a bulldog, sink their teeth into the money machine and don't want to let go. They rationalize and confabulate stories and attempt to convince anyone who will listen that they are not in bed with organized crime. Money talks and you know what walks.- And, that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
_______________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
Friday, March 19, 2010
Israel-Friend or Foe?
THE DOCTOR IS IN
_________________
LAS VEGAS-Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
Israel doesn't want to work toward peace in the Middle East. The recent snub and embarrassment to Vice President Joe Biden by Israel enforces that point.
There is no way Israel wants a two state solution. They continue to build settlements on disputed ground. Israel Interior Minister Eli Yishai is a lap dog for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and does whatever bidding the Prime Minister tells him to do.
Even after the very clear insult to Vice-President Biden, Secretary of State Clinton steps back from her initial outrage and meekly says: "We have a close, unshakable bond between the United States and Israel and between the American and Israeli people."
The war hawk Natanyahu has a choice. That choice is continue to choose to build and populate east Jerusalem with Jews and/or alienate the world community, including the United States.
There should be a state for Israel and a separate state for the Palestinians. Each should have their own sovereign territory.
Israel has been occupying a large swath of territory and suppressing the Palestinians for decades. Occupation is never the answer. I wonder how Israel would feel if a country with strong military might, (which they have) would invade and occupy their country decade after decade. How would Israeli's feel being told where they can travel, walk, and move about. I wonder how they would feel being told that their water, electricity, gas and all essentials are going to be controlled by the invading occupation. My guess? They wouldn't like it one bit and I would have no doubt that they would fight back any way they could.
Here is a nation that has been taking advantage of the Unites States for over 50 years.They take and take but do not give. They believe that no matter what they do the Unites States should and will take their side and back their play.
Israel is the recipient of the largest foreign aid package from the USA than any other nation in the world. The Unites States doles out billions of dollars a year in foreign aid just to Israel. Over the years the U.S. literally provided and supplied and assisted Israel with all of their military might and sophisticated technology from their Mideast war machine to their nuclear program that Israel denies they possess, but world opinion is that the Israelis do in fact have Nukes.
But yet, after all of this United States assist Israel continues to bite the hand that feeds them. The Obama administration should be appalled and angry. The United States has made Israel the most powerful force in the Mideast and we get the "middle finger.
We have to put some of the blame on past administrations and the Obama administration too. Why? Because it is very clear that the United States is not and never has been an honest broker when it comes to talks between the Jewish and Arab world. The table is certainly not level when the Jews and Arabs sit down for discussions and have the United States representatives acting as a mediator and broker. The favoritism shown toward Israel by the United States during any negotiations between the Jews and Arabs sticks out like a sore thumb and the rest of the world clearly sees the lack of parity and the inequity of the negotiations.
My feeling is that the USA should insist on a two state solution and actually demand that Israel cease making excuses and take the International communities recommendations to cease occupations, draw actual borders and territorial lines to separate the two states.
It should be mentioned also that it is unacceptable that Israel continues to spy on the United States and has individuals and their agents passing sensitive and national security information on to the Israeli government. It is a know fact that over the past few decades these acts have been committed and it will have a devastating effect on the United States at some point in time.
The International community should rally together and insist that Israel sit at the table with the Arab world and representatives from the world powers and without reservation draw borders up for separate states and have the Nations come together to enforce those borders.
We can interfere with Bosnia and put troops on the ground and separate their warring factions and then draw up their borders, we can draw and regulate borders between North and South Korea, we can draw borders in Iraq and Afghanistan but when it come to the Mideast and deal with Israel we pussyfoot around and walk on eggshells. There is no reason for it.
The United States has been pandering,pacifying, supporting and propping up Israel for decades and it is really time for the United States and this administration to put their foot down, and down hard. It is also time for Israel to step up and do the right thing. I would offer that if Israel continues its unreasonable approach to bringing peace to the Middle East the United States should immediately cease all foreign aid to that country. As a side note, all of that mass foreign aid the United States has been providing to Israel should be cut back drastically. The amount of the aid is obscene. And, - That's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
_________________
LAS VEGAS-Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
Israel doesn't want to work toward peace in the Middle East. The recent snub and embarrassment to Vice President Joe Biden by Israel enforces that point.
There is no way Israel wants a two state solution. They continue to build settlements on disputed ground. Israel Interior Minister Eli Yishai is a lap dog for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and does whatever bidding the Prime Minister tells him to do.
Even after the very clear insult to Vice-President Biden, Secretary of State Clinton steps back from her initial outrage and meekly says: "We have a close, unshakable bond between the United States and Israel and between the American and Israeli people."
The war hawk Natanyahu has a choice. That choice is continue to choose to build and populate east Jerusalem with Jews and/or alienate the world community, including the United States.
There should be a state for Israel and a separate state for the Palestinians. Each should have their own sovereign territory.
Israel has been occupying a large swath of territory and suppressing the Palestinians for decades. Occupation is never the answer. I wonder how Israel would feel if a country with strong military might, (which they have) would invade and occupy their country decade after decade. How would Israeli's feel being told where they can travel, walk, and move about. I wonder how they would feel being told that their water, electricity, gas and all essentials are going to be controlled by the invading occupation. My guess? They wouldn't like it one bit and I would have no doubt that they would fight back any way they could.
Here is a nation that has been taking advantage of the Unites States for over 50 years.They take and take but do not give. They believe that no matter what they do the Unites States should and will take their side and back their play.
Israel is the recipient of the largest foreign aid package from the USA than any other nation in the world. The Unites States doles out billions of dollars a year in foreign aid just to Israel. Over the years the U.S. literally provided and supplied and assisted Israel with all of their military might and sophisticated technology from their Mideast war machine to their nuclear program that Israel denies they possess, but world opinion is that the Israelis do in fact have Nukes.
But yet, after all of this United States assist Israel continues to bite the hand that feeds them. The Obama administration should be appalled and angry. The United States has made Israel the most powerful force in the Mideast and we get the "middle finger.
We have to put some of the blame on past administrations and the Obama administration too. Why? Because it is very clear that the United States is not and never has been an honest broker when it comes to talks between the Jewish and Arab world. The table is certainly not level when the Jews and Arabs sit down for discussions and have the United States representatives acting as a mediator and broker. The favoritism shown toward Israel by the United States during any negotiations between the Jews and Arabs sticks out like a sore thumb and the rest of the world clearly sees the lack of parity and the inequity of the negotiations.
My feeling is that the USA should insist on a two state solution and actually demand that Israel cease making excuses and take the International communities recommendations to cease occupations, draw actual borders and territorial lines to separate the two states.
It should be mentioned also that it is unacceptable that Israel continues to spy on the United States and has individuals and their agents passing sensitive and national security information on to the Israeli government. It is a know fact that over the past few decades these acts have been committed and it will have a devastating effect on the United States at some point in time.
The International community should rally together and insist that Israel sit at the table with the Arab world and representatives from the world powers and without reservation draw borders up for separate states and have the Nations come together to enforce those borders.
We can interfere with Bosnia and put troops on the ground and separate their warring factions and then draw up their borders, we can draw and regulate borders between North and South Korea, we can draw borders in Iraq and Afghanistan but when it come to the Mideast and deal with Israel we pussyfoot around and walk on eggshells. There is no reason for it.
The United States has been pandering,pacifying, supporting and propping up Israel for decades and it is really time for the United States and this administration to put their foot down, and down hard. It is also time for Israel to step up and do the right thing. I would offer that if Israel continues its unreasonable approach to bringing peace to the Middle East the United States should immediately cease all foreign aid to that country. As a side note, all of that mass foreign aid the United States has been providing to Israel should be cut back drastically. The amount of the aid is obscene. And, - That's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Pass The Health Plan- What There Is Left Of The Initial Proposal
THE DOCTOR IS IN
________________
LAS VEGAS- Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
I have been asked to offer my view and opinion on the health care issue. So, here goes. I'm still disappointed with the Blue Dog Democrats that have been fighting tooth and nail with the rest of their party and President Obama. We voted the Democrats into office for change but it appears that once some of these Dems were elected they disregarded the peoples wishes and immediately cast their votes against Obama's programs. Instead of sticking together and pushing Obama's agenda they chose to buckle under and held their hand out to the lobbyists and special interests while begging for money for their reelection war chest. It's really unsettling that the Democrats cannot work in lock step like the Republicans. The Democrats have a majority and really own Washington but they refuse to hold together to pass legislation for the good of the party and the people of the country.
As the health care bill stands now I say we have to pass what we have. It really isn't much but it is better than nothing and we will have a starting point to build on.
When the health plan is passed it really won't affect the vast majority of the people that already have insurance. Their insurance will not change at all. They can keep what they have. Only about ten percent of the people in the country will have to use the insurance exchange program for coverage. The plan will insure at least 30 million more people and for those people that already have insurance and like the coverage they currently have this health plan will provide them an extra layer of security and protect them in the event they lose their job or get sick and the health plan will protect all of us against insurance company abuses.
Yes, the current health plan as presented will save billions of dollars over the next couple of decades. I have to say that the Obama administration is working very hard to save money and hold costs down.The administration is working very closely with the CBO (Congressional Budget Office)trying to pinch pennies and squeeze out each and every dime of saving they can agree on. That's a far cry from what the party of "No", the Republicans, did. Remember the Prescription Drug program that was pushed through under George Bush and his administration not too many years ago. I think it was and still is a bad program. The Bush administration sided with the pharmaceutical companies and did a number on us taxpayers. The Prescription Drug plan fell far short of what could have been done for all of the people in this country relating to their medication needs. In any event, the Republicans refused to work closely with the CBO to save any money for the taxpayer. Instead of protecting the taxpayer Bush and his Republicans chose to just add the billions of dollars the program cost to the deficit. There was no interest by that political party to deal with the CBO. Bush and his cohorts idea of lawmaking at the time was to just add everything to the deficit.
I would have rather seen the Obama administration, from the very beginning, have more back bone and insist on a public option instead of trying to get the Republicans on board. It was clearly obvious from the start that the Republican party was determined to scuttle any and all legislation and policy that was offered up by the Democrats and President Obama fell down on the job by letting the Republicans manipulate him by hollow promises to go along. And, - that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
______________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
________________
LAS VEGAS- Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
I have been asked to offer my view and opinion on the health care issue. So, here goes. I'm still disappointed with the Blue Dog Democrats that have been fighting tooth and nail with the rest of their party and President Obama. We voted the Democrats into office for change but it appears that once some of these Dems were elected they disregarded the peoples wishes and immediately cast their votes against Obama's programs. Instead of sticking together and pushing Obama's agenda they chose to buckle under and held their hand out to the lobbyists and special interests while begging for money for their reelection war chest. It's really unsettling that the Democrats cannot work in lock step like the Republicans. The Democrats have a majority and really own Washington but they refuse to hold together to pass legislation for the good of the party and the people of the country.
As the health care bill stands now I say we have to pass what we have. It really isn't much but it is better than nothing and we will have a starting point to build on.
When the health plan is passed it really won't affect the vast majority of the people that already have insurance. Their insurance will not change at all. They can keep what they have. Only about ten percent of the people in the country will have to use the insurance exchange program for coverage. The plan will insure at least 30 million more people and for those people that already have insurance and like the coverage they currently have this health plan will provide them an extra layer of security and protect them in the event they lose their job or get sick and the health plan will protect all of us against insurance company abuses.
Yes, the current health plan as presented will save billions of dollars over the next couple of decades. I have to say that the Obama administration is working very hard to save money and hold costs down.The administration is working very closely with the CBO (Congressional Budget Office)trying to pinch pennies and squeeze out each and every dime of saving they can agree on. That's a far cry from what the party of "No", the Republicans, did. Remember the Prescription Drug program that was pushed through under George Bush and his administration not too many years ago. I think it was and still is a bad program. The Bush administration sided with the pharmaceutical companies and did a number on us taxpayers. The Prescription Drug plan fell far short of what could have been done for all of the people in this country relating to their medication needs. In any event, the Republicans refused to work closely with the CBO to save any money for the taxpayer. Instead of protecting the taxpayer Bush and his Republicans chose to just add the billions of dollars the program cost to the deficit. There was no interest by that political party to deal with the CBO. Bush and his cohorts idea of lawmaking at the time was to just add everything to the deficit.
I would have rather seen the Obama administration, from the very beginning, have more back bone and insist on a public option instead of trying to get the Republicans on board. It was clearly obvious from the start that the Republican party was determined to scuttle any and all legislation and policy that was offered up by the Democrats and President Obama fell down on the job by letting the Republicans manipulate him by hollow promises to go along. And, - that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
______________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Public Employees Are Bankrupting Cities & States
THE DOCTOR IS IN
________________
LAS VEGAS-Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
The government just released a report this year that there are more Public Employee unions than there are Private Sector unions. That's unacceptable. The unions,whether public or private are bankrupting this country, city by city, county by county, state by state. Yet again, just last week the Obama administration said they want to unionize the TSA employees. I say, Why? It has been proven over and over again that the private firms performed better that TSA employees. Before the government put together the TSA the private firm(s) were screening much better that the current TSA employees. The private firms caught more breaches of security than the TSA employees ever did.
The private firms were paid less money and caught more security breaches. Now the Obama people want to unionize the TSA employees with enormous union benefits and pay them more money. Does that make sense?
You can bet that this administration will pay these newly unionized employees more money, give them excessive bargaining rights so as to increase their salary more and more, give them very lucrative health plans and give them very generous vacation, holiday and overtime pay. And I have no doubt once unionized the union will bargain and receive a retirement package worth its weight in gold, one that anyone working in the private sector will never receive. Plus, when these TSA employees are unionized it will be very hard to fire an employee without long and protracted and expensive legal recourse. That doesn't make sense either.We the taxpayer are the ones on the hook for all of this money.
I'll make a prediction here and now. When Obama and his administration unionize these TSA worker's, the quality of their work will fall very quickly. There will be more and more security breaches and mistakes made. Why? Because these workers will feel secure that they cannot be fired without a very long termination process that may take years.They literally will become lazy and lax in their job.
Example: Teachers in New York.-- New York teachers union job security is so great that when there is a bad teacher or a teacher that committed a crime, they're not fired. They are put in what is called a "rubber room". These teachers report to the "rubber room" each and every day. They read books, watch television, knit or whatever they want to do to pass the time of day. All the while they are getting paid their teacher salary. This salary is paid by the tax paying public and the teachers benefits go on while the the termination fight progresses. This fight can go on for years. It's so bad now that New York lawmakers continue to pay these "rubber room" bad and incompetent teachers to sit around for not teaching because the cost of the termination process moving through the court/legal system is cost-prohibitive, according to lawmakers.
I would like to say that these Public Sector unions, backed and pushed by the administration are putting such a burden on the private worker taxpayer that the average everyday Joe or Jane Doe is losing out in every way.
In this current recession and/or depression (depends how who you are and how you look at it) it's no secret that the Public Employee unions refuse to give when it comes to saving cities, counties and states from going under. These union people sign fat contracts and the lawmakers give them everything they want so that they can receive the union support for reelection. It's a vicious circle.
It wasn't long ago that San Diego, CA, Orange County, CA. and many other cities across the country were on the verge of bankruptcy and instead of solving the problem(s) many of these cities borrowed monies and raised taxes to keep the city afloat and continued to pay these out of sight salaries and retirements to the Public Employees.While that was happening the unions and lawmakers were negotiating new contracts still giving union members annual cost of living increases, obscene pension and retirement benefits and increased health and sick benefits. Remember, no ones is giving the private sector worker a free health care plan or giving them an annual cost of living or a pension and retirement plan that can pay them 90% of their salary when they leave their job.
I think back when President Reagan fired all of the Air Traffic Controller's. There were thousands and thousands of them that lost their job because one of the issues was that these people continued to demand more and more. And believe it when I say that President Reagan's mass firing of thousands of people didn't stop the government from working. People were standing in line to replace these unionized idiots.
I think that some of these cities, counties and states should immediately file for bankruptcy because these excessive salaries,annual cost of living, obscene retirements and pensions are unsustainable. As I recall Flint, Michigan went into a receivership status about 2002 and just recently again laid off about 170 police officers. Also, the city of Vallejo, CA turned to bankruptcy on or about 2008, and now San Francisco,CA is considering filing for bankruptcy. As far as I'm concerned I say, "good, do it".
Police officers, firefighters, teachers, etc.,should not be exempt from being laid off or fired. In fact, if they do get laid off and/or fired they will get a small grasp of reality as to how the person working in the private sector feels and how that worker copes without all of that guaranteed protection of free health care, annual raises, bonuses and generous sick and vacation time. These Public Employees should feel the pain also.
So, bottom line. Go for it cities and counties. Do bankruptcy. Maybe then under bankruptcy protection these hard strapped cities and counties can throw all of the existing public employee contracts into the waste basket which would hopefully bring the public employees back to negotiations that would be more in line with reality.
When these cities, counties and states negotiate with the powerful unions they should immediately cut out all annual automatic salary increases,(when a person hires in on the job they are aware of the low range and the highest range being paid for that position) and when they reach the highest, that's it. Annual cost of living should be totally eliminated (which has ranged from 4 to 8 percent a year). The obscene retirement/pension benefits currently being paid should be eliminated and all public employees should be placed into a 401(k) retirement plan like the private sector worker has to accept. The private sector worker and senior citizens never see a cost of living in their salary or income each and every year. In fact, while these Public Employees were scooping up between 4% and 8% cost of living increases the private worker saw "none" and the senior citizen on social security saw their meager 1.2 percent cost of living totally eliminated.
The ideas mentioned here are suggested as a starting place These public service employees have been scamming the system at the expense of the private worker for too long.- And, that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
____________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
________________
LAS VEGAS-Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
The government just released a report this year that there are more Public Employee unions than there are Private Sector unions. That's unacceptable. The unions,whether public or private are bankrupting this country, city by city, county by county, state by state. Yet again, just last week the Obama administration said they want to unionize the TSA employees. I say, Why? It has been proven over and over again that the private firms performed better that TSA employees. Before the government put together the TSA the private firm(s) were screening much better that the current TSA employees. The private firms caught more breaches of security than the TSA employees ever did.
The private firms were paid less money and caught more security breaches. Now the Obama people want to unionize the TSA employees with enormous union benefits and pay them more money. Does that make sense?
You can bet that this administration will pay these newly unionized employees more money, give them excessive bargaining rights so as to increase their salary more and more, give them very lucrative health plans and give them very generous vacation, holiday and overtime pay. And I have no doubt once unionized the union will bargain and receive a retirement package worth its weight in gold, one that anyone working in the private sector will never receive. Plus, when these TSA employees are unionized it will be very hard to fire an employee without long and protracted and expensive legal recourse. That doesn't make sense either.We the taxpayer are the ones on the hook for all of this money.
I'll make a prediction here and now. When Obama and his administration unionize these TSA worker's, the quality of their work will fall very quickly. There will be more and more security breaches and mistakes made. Why? Because these workers will feel secure that they cannot be fired without a very long termination process that may take years.They literally will become lazy and lax in their job.
Example: Teachers in New York.-- New York teachers union job security is so great that when there is a bad teacher or a teacher that committed a crime, they're not fired. They are put in what is called a "rubber room". These teachers report to the "rubber room" each and every day. They read books, watch television, knit or whatever they want to do to pass the time of day. All the while they are getting paid their teacher salary. This salary is paid by the tax paying public and the teachers benefits go on while the the termination fight progresses. This fight can go on for years. It's so bad now that New York lawmakers continue to pay these "rubber room" bad and incompetent teachers to sit around for not teaching because the cost of the termination process moving through the court/legal system is cost-prohibitive, according to lawmakers.
I would like to say that these Public Sector unions, backed and pushed by the administration are putting such a burden on the private worker taxpayer that the average everyday Joe or Jane Doe is losing out in every way.
In this current recession and/or depression (depends how who you are and how you look at it) it's no secret that the Public Employee unions refuse to give when it comes to saving cities, counties and states from going under. These union people sign fat contracts and the lawmakers give them everything they want so that they can receive the union support for reelection. It's a vicious circle.
It wasn't long ago that San Diego, CA, Orange County, CA. and many other cities across the country were on the verge of bankruptcy and instead of solving the problem(s) many of these cities borrowed monies and raised taxes to keep the city afloat and continued to pay these out of sight salaries and retirements to the Public Employees.While that was happening the unions and lawmakers were negotiating new contracts still giving union members annual cost of living increases, obscene pension and retirement benefits and increased health and sick benefits. Remember, no ones is giving the private sector worker a free health care plan or giving them an annual cost of living or a pension and retirement plan that can pay them 90% of their salary when they leave their job.
I think back when President Reagan fired all of the Air Traffic Controller's. There were thousands and thousands of them that lost their job because one of the issues was that these people continued to demand more and more. And believe it when I say that President Reagan's mass firing of thousands of people didn't stop the government from working. People were standing in line to replace these unionized idiots.
I think that some of these cities, counties and states should immediately file for bankruptcy because these excessive salaries,annual cost of living, obscene retirements and pensions are unsustainable. As I recall Flint, Michigan went into a receivership status about 2002 and just recently again laid off about 170 police officers. Also, the city of Vallejo, CA turned to bankruptcy on or about 2008, and now San Francisco,CA is considering filing for bankruptcy. As far as I'm concerned I say, "good, do it".
Police officers, firefighters, teachers, etc.,should not be exempt from being laid off or fired. In fact, if they do get laid off and/or fired they will get a small grasp of reality as to how the person working in the private sector feels and how that worker copes without all of that guaranteed protection of free health care, annual raises, bonuses and generous sick and vacation time. These Public Employees should feel the pain also.
So, bottom line. Go for it cities and counties. Do bankruptcy. Maybe then under bankruptcy protection these hard strapped cities and counties can throw all of the existing public employee contracts into the waste basket which would hopefully bring the public employees back to negotiations that would be more in line with reality.
When these cities, counties and states negotiate with the powerful unions they should immediately cut out all annual automatic salary increases,(when a person hires in on the job they are aware of the low range and the highest range being paid for that position) and when they reach the highest, that's it. Annual cost of living should be totally eliminated (which has ranged from 4 to 8 percent a year). The obscene retirement/pension benefits currently being paid should be eliminated and all public employees should be placed into a 401(k) retirement plan like the private sector worker has to accept. The private sector worker and senior citizens never see a cost of living in their salary or income each and every year. In fact, while these Public Employees were scooping up between 4% and 8% cost of living increases the private worker saw "none" and the senior citizen on social security saw their meager 1.2 percent cost of living totally eliminated.
The ideas mentioned here are suggested as a starting place These public service employees have been scamming the system at the expense of the private worker for too long.- And, that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
____________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
BORDER VIOLENCE: MEXICO INVADES U.S and NO HELP
THE DOCTOR IS IN
_________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
The government of Mexico might as well have declared war on the United States.In the past few days a group of their citizens, suspected to be drug cartel members openly gunned down an employee from the United States Consulate in Mexico. The two fatalities were American,Arthur Redelfs,a jail guard in El Paso, Texas and his pregnant wife Lesley Enriquez, a consulate employee. They were in their Toyota RAV4 with their baby girl strapped into a car seat and heading for the bridge crossing into the United States. They were chased down by another SUV and Enriquez was shot by a single bullet to the back of the head and Redelfs was shot in the neck and arm. The murders left the couples baby strapped in the rear seat crying its eyes out. During the same attack another SUV followed a second vehicle and shot and killed Mexican citizen, Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros and wounded his two children.
The Mexican gangs not only control Mexico and their corrupt lawmakers but their citizens and police have been crossing our borders into Arizona and Texas and murdering people and having fire fights with our ICE agents and other law enforcement people on United States sovereign soil.
Jan Brewer the Governor of Arizona contacted the Obama administration and requested that Armed Military be placed on our borders to quell the out of control border violence that had been kept a dirty secret for years. The Governor said they ignored her requests and only recently did President Obama make a very, very weak response to her concerns. What did he do or say? His response was only "he'll talk with Mexico." Wow! Talk? That's all he has ever been doing over the past year. He wants to talk but he doesn't follow through with actions. Like the Seinfeld show said, Yadda, yadda yadda.
This administration continually refuses to take a strong or firm stand on protecting our borders. The wall running the length of our Southern Border should have been up years ago.Within that wall should be entry gates that actually check each and every person entering the United States. Armed military should be on our border aggressively assisting the ICE Service agents.
Right now we have murderous gang members such as the Mexican organization MS-13 and the Mexican Mafia running about freely in many of our cities across the country and that doesn't count all of the Hispanic wanna be gangs currently marauding around this great country. The bad Hispanic guys that we do incarcerate are freed and they continue their criminal activity of rape, robbery, drugs and murder on our city streets.
The sad part of this situation is that this administration wants to pander to the Hispanic population for their vote knowing that the demographics will have the Hispanic population outnumbering any other race in the Unites States in twenty-five years.
I submit that instead of working for the good of the country, these United States, when it come to actually protecting our borders and regulating immigration policy this administration is only working for the vote to put them back in office for another term.
It's ironic that the Obama administration has no problem with protecting borders in Iran, Iraq, Korea, Afghanistan,and Pakistan and build school, bridges and infrastructure at a cost of at least one billion dollars a month while our schools, bridges and infrastructure is crumbling before our eyes. I believe that this Obama administration cannot step up and show some backbone and take action (not words)and do the right thing.
I say that any invasion on our soil is an act of war and when Mexicans and/or any other country has their military and citizens lay their feet on our soil and fire on our government personnel our military should spring into immediate action and shoot back and protect our borders. Is the oath that the president and these lawmakers take just a hollow echo? They lay their hand on the bible and swear to protect our borders. But do they? No way! Words, words, words,-- yadda, yadda , yadda. Action? No way.
And to think I voted for this guy. I'm beginning to feel that we don't need either a Democrat nor a Republican as President because both parties are so caught up in their own self-worth,vanity and partisanship that they cannot accomplish any good for the country as a whole. And,- that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
________________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
_________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
The government of Mexico might as well have declared war on the United States.In the past few days a group of their citizens, suspected to be drug cartel members openly gunned down an employee from the United States Consulate in Mexico. The two fatalities were American,Arthur Redelfs,a jail guard in El Paso, Texas and his pregnant wife Lesley Enriquez, a consulate employee. They were in their Toyota RAV4 with their baby girl strapped into a car seat and heading for the bridge crossing into the United States. They were chased down by another SUV and Enriquez was shot by a single bullet to the back of the head and Redelfs was shot in the neck and arm. The murders left the couples baby strapped in the rear seat crying its eyes out. During the same attack another SUV followed a second vehicle and shot and killed Mexican citizen, Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros and wounded his two children.
The Mexican gangs not only control Mexico and their corrupt lawmakers but their citizens and police have been crossing our borders into Arizona and Texas and murdering people and having fire fights with our ICE agents and other law enforcement people on United States sovereign soil.
Jan Brewer the Governor of Arizona contacted the Obama administration and requested that Armed Military be placed on our borders to quell the out of control border violence that had been kept a dirty secret for years. The Governor said they ignored her requests and only recently did President Obama make a very, very weak response to her concerns. What did he do or say? His response was only "he'll talk with Mexico." Wow! Talk? That's all he has ever been doing over the past year. He wants to talk but he doesn't follow through with actions. Like the Seinfeld show said, Yadda, yadda yadda.
This administration continually refuses to take a strong or firm stand on protecting our borders. The wall running the length of our Southern Border should have been up years ago.Within that wall should be entry gates that actually check each and every person entering the United States. Armed military should be on our border aggressively assisting the ICE Service agents.
Right now we have murderous gang members such as the Mexican organization MS-13 and the Mexican Mafia running about freely in many of our cities across the country and that doesn't count all of the Hispanic wanna be gangs currently marauding around this great country. The bad Hispanic guys that we do incarcerate are freed and they continue their criminal activity of rape, robbery, drugs and murder on our city streets.
The sad part of this situation is that this administration wants to pander to the Hispanic population for their vote knowing that the demographics will have the Hispanic population outnumbering any other race in the Unites States in twenty-five years.
I submit that instead of working for the good of the country, these United States, when it come to actually protecting our borders and regulating immigration policy this administration is only working for the vote to put them back in office for another term.
It's ironic that the Obama administration has no problem with protecting borders in Iran, Iraq, Korea, Afghanistan,and Pakistan and build school, bridges and infrastructure at a cost of at least one billion dollars a month while our schools, bridges and infrastructure is crumbling before our eyes. I believe that this Obama administration cannot step up and show some backbone and take action (not words)and do the right thing.
I say that any invasion on our soil is an act of war and when Mexicans and/or any other country has their military and citizens lay their feet on our soil and fire on our government personnel our military should spring into immediate action and shoot back and protect our borders. Is the oath that the president and these lawmakers take just a hollow echo? They lay their hand on the bible and swear to protect our borders. But do they? No way! Words, words, words,-- yadda, yadda , yadda. Action? No way.
And to think I voted for this guy. I'm beginning to feel that we don't need either a Democrat nor a Republican as President because both parties are so caught up in their own self-worth,vanity and partisanship that they cannot accomplish any good for the country as a whole. And,- that's my opinion.
Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
________________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
LENO BACK, NBC DID THE RIGHT THING
THE DOCTOR IS IN
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LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
On October 8 ,2009. I wrote a blog chastising NBC for their really dumb decision of letting Jay Leno go from his late night slot. I predicted that the 10:00 P.M. slot would be a bomb and the show wouldn't fly. So much for predictions,right? It turned out that I was correct.
I'm glad to see that NBC came to their senses. Jay's return on March 1, 2010 will save NBC from falling further in the ratings game. Jay's good for NBC late night and always has been.
I will go out on a limb and make another prediction. I predict that Leno will not lose any of his previous followers like some naysayers believe will happen. The guy is an excellent comedian and his old show had an excellent format for his comedy. It fit into the late night time slot.
Conon O'Brien working late night on NBC? Bad news at black rock. His comedy was sad. But don't feel sorry for the guy because he raked in about 45 million dollars for not working for NBC,- WOW! Usually when a regular working stiff gets let go they receive basically nothing and the employer lets the person hit the road only with " I'm "sorry". So, O'Brien made out like a bandit and he shouldn't snivel about it. The man doesn't have to work another day in his life. And,- that's my opinion.
Dr. Bradley Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
________________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
________________
LAS VEGAS - Hello America, and how is the world treating you?
On October 8 ,2009. I wrote a blog chastising NBC for their really dumb decision of letting Jay Leno go from his late night slot. I predicted that the 10:00 P.M. slot would be a bomb and the show wouldn't fly. So much for predictions,right? It turned out that I was correct.
I'm glad to see that NBC came to their senses. Jay's return on March 1, 2010 will save NBC from falling further in the ratings game. Jay's good for NBC late night and always has been.
I will go out on a limb and make another prediction. I predict that Leno will not lose any of his previous followers like some naysayers believe will happen. The guy is an excellent comedian and his old show had an excellent format for his comedy. It fit into the late night time slot.
Conon O'Brien working late night on NBC? Bad news at black rock. His comedy was sad. But don't feel sorry for the guy because he raked in about 45 million dollars for not working for NBC,- WOW! Usually when a regular working stiff gets let go they receive basically nothing and the employer lets the person hit the road only with " I'm "sorry". So, O'Brien made out like a bandit and he shouldn't snivel about it. The man doesn't have to work another day in his life. And,- that's my opinion.
Dr. Bradley Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
________________________________
Dr. Kuhns can be reached by e-mail at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com
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