How Long Can the Politics of Compromise Continue?
Today POLITICO Arena asks:
Are Mitch McConnell’s and John Boehner’s recent statements about not compromising a refreshing bit of candor from top political leaders, rather than the usual platitudes about bipartisanship and working across the aisle?
My response:
Mitch McConnell’s comment about making Obama “a one-term president” and John Boehner’s vow that Republicans will not “compromise on their principles” if they win the majority do indeed challenge “the usual platitudes about bipartisanship and working across the aisle.” But they also reflect a deeper problem that the midterm campaigns have begun to unmask, namely, that decades of compromises have brought us to a state where further compromise is no longer tenable. Look at France. Look at Greece. Look even at England.
I allude, of course, to the “entitlement” schemes that are sinking all western democracies — others more than ours. These are giant Ponzi schemes that would be criminal if undertaken by private parties, because like all such schemes, they’re unsustainable, with late entrants left holding the bag. But unlike their private counterparts, the public versions force us all to play. Yet as the day of reckoning approaches, government has only limited choices: either reduce the promised benefits, or pay for them by taxing or borrowing more or by selling government assets (e.g., western lands), each of which has inherent limits, or by printing money, which is another way of breaking promises — and it ends ultimately in a death spiral. That’s the hard reality. Government isn’t Santa Claus.
So when Obama governs as though he has no grasp of that reality, talk of a one-term presidency is simply coming to grips with reality. And if this election is any indication, Americans appear increasingly to appreciate that. To be sure, there are issues on which to compromise. But for far too long we’ve acted as if every issue were “political,” from retirement security to healthcare to so many other “problems” that in truth are simply the problems of life. Earlier generations solved those problems privately, either by themselves or in voluntary association with others. Indeed, the freedom to do so was what the Constitution was written to secure.
But Progressives disdained that kind of freedom as illusory. They wanted us to solve our problems collectively. The New Deal institutionalized that vision, of course, turning the Constitution on its head. Thus today’s progressives think that nearly every “problem” is a political problem, to be solved collectively – utterly ignoring the evidence of the ages about such collective undertakings. Sarkozy has prevailed for the moment in France, but strikes continue to cripple the economy, and the opposition has promised to make him pay in the next election. One can hope only that American voters will take a different course and that those they elect next Tuesday will have the wisdom to know when and when not to compromise, because this cannot go on forever.
A New Jersey investment adviser who allegedly defrauded numerous clients of more than $2 million used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle while claiming to be investing the funds in conservative securities, the federal government said Tuesday.
Country club fees totaling over $75,000, lease payments for a Porsche 911 Carrera, and Audi Q7 and a Land Rover, at least $23,000 in home audio equipment and over $32,000 in landscaping are just some of the personal expenses the feds allege 38-year-old Carlo Chiaese of Springfield, NJ racked up. He allegedly transferred at least $800,000 to his wife and members of her family, withdrew at least $185,000 in cash and made over $65,000 in mortgage payments with his clients' money.
Chiaese, whose alleged victims include a union pension fund, surrendered to FBI agents on early Tuesday, said the New Jersey U.S. Attorney's office.
Other alleged expenses included stays at luxury hotels in New York, Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands; at least $25,000 in purchases at high-end retailers like Hermes, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue; and $16,000 in rugs.
Chiaese admitted in a conversation with two of his close friends on Sept. 18 that he had misappropriated money, according to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Jeffrey R. Clark.
He had been working in the financial industry since 1999 and began soliciting a number of new clients through his independent investment firm CGC Advisors LLC as early as 2008, the Justice Department said. They allege that, between November 2008 and September 2010, he raised more than $2.4 million from individuals and entities in New Jersey and New York.
One of those investments -- to the tune of around $1.71 million -- came from a pension fund managing the pensions of over 850 current and former unionized New York City public sector employees, said DOJ.
"As charged in the complaint, when Carlo Chiaese claimed to be making secure investments, he was really securing his own access to pricey diversions and ready cash," said U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman. "Although we see far too many of these schemes, we cannot become desensitized to them. Each such allegation shows that there are many out there who would steal from the unsuspecting, and we are committed to exposing their frauds for what they are."
Chiaese's case was brought in coordination with the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force formed by President Barack Obama.
"People invested their money with Mr. Chiaese with the hope of having a comfortable retirement," said Michael Ward, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Newark Field Office. "But based on the allegations in the criminal complaint, it seems those retirement plans for tomorrow did not fit into Mr. Chiaese's plan for his own comfortable lifestyle today."
eric seiger
Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>
The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.
World <b>news</b> coverage evaporating in the UK | openDemocracy
International news, in case you hadn't realised, is disappearing across the UK media. The trends are documented in 'Shrinking World' - an authoritative and compelling report on the demise of foreign news reporting in the UK, ...
Great, great <b>news</b>: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader <b>...</b>
Great, great news: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader.
eric seiger
How Long Can the Politics of Compromise Continue?
Today POLITICO Arena asks:
Are Mitch McConnell’s and John Boehner’s recent statements about not compromising a refreshing bit of candor from top political leaders, rather than the usual platitudes about bipartisanship and working across the aisle?
My response:
Mitch McConnell’s comment about making Obama “a one-term president” and John Boehner’s vow that Republicans will not “compromise on their principles” if they win the majority do indeed challenge “the usual platitudes about bipartisanship and working across the aisle.” But they also reflect a deeper problem that the midterm campaigns have begun to unmask, namely, that decades of compromises have brought us to a state where further compromise is no longer tenable. Look at France. Look at Greece. Look even at England.
I allude, of course, to the “entitlement” schemes that are sinking all western democracies — others more than ours. These are giant Ponzi schemes that would be criminal if undertaken by private parties, because like all such schemes, they’re unsustainable, with late entrants left holding the bag. But unlike their private counterparts, the public versions force us all to play. Yet as the day of reckoning approaches, government has only limited choices: either reduce the promised benefits, or pay for them by taxing or borrowing more or by selling government assets (e.g., western lands), each of which has inherent limits, or by printing money, which is another way of breaking promises — and it ends ultimately in a death spiral. That’s the hard reality. Government isn’t Santa Claus.
So when Obama governs as though he has no grasp of that reality, talk of a one-term presidency is simply coming to grips with reality. And if this election is any indication, Americans appear increasingly to appreciate that. To be sure, there are issues on which to compromise. But for far too long we’ve acted as if every issue were “political,” from retirement security to healthcare to so many other “problems” that in truth are simply the problems of life. Earlier generations solved those problems privately, either by themselves or in voluntary association with others. Indeed, the freedom to do so was what the Constitution was written to secure.
But Progressives disdained that kind of freedom as illusory. They wanted us to solve our problems collectively. The New Deal institutionalized that vision, of course, turning the Constitution on its head. Thus today’s progressives think that nearly every “problem” is a political problem, to be solved collectively – utterly ignoring the evidence of the ages about such collective undertakings. Sarkozy has prevailed for the moment in France, but strikes continue to cripple the economy, and the opposition has promised to make him pay in the next election. One can hope only that American voters will take a different course and that those they elect next Tuesday will have the wisdom to know when and when not to compromise, because this cannot go on forever.
A New Jersey investment adviser who allegedly defrauded numerous clients of more than $2 million used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle while claiming to be investing the funds in conservative securities, the federal government said Tuesday.
Country club fees totaling over $75,000, lease payments for a Porsche 911 Carrera, and Audi Q7 and a Land Rover, at least $23,000 in home audio equipment and over $32,000 in landscaping are just some of the personal expenses the feds allege 38-year-old Carlo Chiaese of Springfield, NJ racked up. He allegedly transferred at least $800,000 to his wife and members of her family, withdrew at least $185,000 in cash and made over $65,000 in mortgage payments with his clients' money.
Chiaese, whose alleged victims include a union pension fund, surrendered to FBI agents on early Tuesday, said the New Jersey U.S. Attorney's office.
Other alleged expenses included stays at luxury hotels in New York, Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands; at least $25,000 in purchases at high-end retailers like Hermes, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue; and $16,000 in rugs.
Chiaese admitted in a conversation with two of his close friends on Sept. 18 that he had misappropriated money, according to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Jeffrey R. Clark.
He had been working in the financial industry since 1999 and began soliciting a number of new clients through his independent investment firm CGC Advisors LLC as early as 2008, the Justice Department said. They allege that, between November 2008 and September 2010, he raised more than $2.4 million from individuals and entities in New Jersey and New York.
One of those investments -- to the tune of around $1.71 million -- came from a pension fund managing the pensions of over 850 current and former unionized New York City public sector employees, said DOJ.
"As charged in the complaint, when Carlo Chiaese claimed to be making secure investments, he was really securing his own access to pricey diversions and ready cash," said U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman. "Although we see far too many of these schemes, we cannot become desensitized to them. Each such allegation shows that there are many out there who would steal from the unsuspecting, and we are committed to exposing their frauds for what they are."
Chiaese's case was brought in coordination with the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force formed by President Barack Obama.
"People invested their money with Mr. Chiaese with the hope of having a comfortable retirement," said Michael Ward, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Newark Field Office. "But based on the allegations in the criminal complaint, it seems those retirement plans for tomorrow did not fit into Mr. Chiaese's plan for his own comfortable lifestyle today."
eric seiger
Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>
The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.
World <b>news</b> coverage evaporating in the UK | openDemocracy
International news, in case you hadn't realised, is disappearing across the UK media. The trends are documented in 'Shrinking World' - an authoritative and compelling report on the demise of foreign news reporting in the UK, ...
Great, great <b>news</b>: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader <b>...</b>
Great, great news: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader.
eric seiger
eric seiger
eric seiger
Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>
The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.
World <b>news</b> coverage evaporating in the UK | openDemocracy
International news, in case you hadn't realised, is disappearing across the UK media. The trends are documented in 'Shrinking World' - an authoritative and compelling report on the demise of foreign news reporting in the UK, ...
Great, great <b>news</b>: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader <b>...</b>
Great, great news: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader.
eric seiger
How Long Can the Politics of Compromise Continue?
Today POLITICO Arena asks:
Are Mitch McConnell’s and John Boehner’s recent statements about not compromising a refreshing bit of candor from top political leaders, rather than the usual platitudes about bipartisanship and working across the aisle?
My response:
Mitch McConnell’s comment about making Obama “a one-term president” and John Boehner’s vow that Republicans will not “compromise on their principles” if they win the majority do indeed challenge “the usual platitudes about bipartisanship and working across the aisle.” But they also reflect a deeper problem that the midterm campaigns have begun to unmask, namely, that decades of compromises have brought us to a state where further compromise is no longer tenable. Look at France. Look at Greece. Look even at England.
I allude, of course, to the “entitlement” schemes that are sinking all western democracies — others more than ours. These are giant Ponzi schemes that would be criminal if undertaken by private parties, because like all such schemes, they’re unsustainable, with late entrants left holding the bag. But unlike their private counterparts, the public versions force us all to play. Yet as the day of reckoning approaches, government has only limited choices: either reduce the promised benefits, or pay for them by taxing or borrowing more or by selling government assets (e.g., western lands), each of which has inherent limits, or by printing money, which is another way of breaking promises — and it ends ultimately in a death spiral. That’s the hard reality. Government isn’t Santa Claus.
So when Obama governs as though he has no grasp of that reality, talk of a one-term presidency is simply coming to grips with reality. And if this election is any indication, Americans appear increasingly to appreciate that. To be sure, there are issues on which to compromise. But for far too long we’ve acted as if every issue were “political,” from retirement security to healthcare to so many other “problems” that in truth are simply the problems of life. Earlier generations solved those problems privately, either by themselves or in voluntary association with others. Indeed, the freedom to do so was what the Constitution was written to secure.
But Progressives disdained that kind of freedom as illusory. They wanted us to solve our problems collectively. The New Deal institutionalized that vision, of course, turning the Constitution on its head. Thus today’s progressives think that nearly every “problem” is a political problem, to be solved collectively – utterly ignoring the evidence of the ages about such collective undertakings. Sarkozy has prevailed for the moment in France, but strikes continue to cripple the economy, and the opposition has promised to make him pay in the next election. One can hope only that American voters will take a different course and that those they elect next Tuesday will have the wisdom to know when and when not to compromise, because this cannot go on forever.
A New Jersey investment adviser who allegedly defrauded numerous clients of more than $2 million used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle while claiming to be investing the funds in conservative securities, the federal government said Tuesday.
Country club fees totaling over $75,000, lease payments for a Porsche 911 Carrera, and Audi Q7 and a Land Rover, at least $23,000 in home audio equipment and over $32,000 in landscaping are just some of the personal expenses the feds allege 38-year-old Carlo Chiaese of Springfield, NJ racked up. He allegedly transferred at least $800,000 to his wife and members of her family, withdrew at least $185,000 in cash and made over $65,000 in mortgage payments with his clients' money.
Chiaese, whose alleged victims include a union pension fund, surrendered to FBI agents on early Tuesday, said the New Jersey U.S. Attorney's office.
Other alleged expenses included stays at luxury hotels in New York, Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands; at least $25,000 in purchases at high-end retailers like Hermes, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue; and $16,000 in rugs.
Chiaese admitted in a conversation with two of his close friends on Sept. 18 that he had misappropriated money, according to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Jeffrey R. Clark.
He had been working in the financial industry since 1999 and began soliciting a number of new clients through his independent investment firm CGC Advisors LLC as early as 2008, the Justice Department said. They allege that, between November 2008 and September 2010, he raised more than $2.4 million from individuals and entities in New Jersey and New York.
One of those investments -- to the tune of around $1.71 million -- came from a pension fund managing the pensions of over 850 current and former unionized New York City public sector employees, said DOJ.
"As charged in the complaint, when Carlo Chiaese claimed to be making secure investments, he was really securing his own access to pricey diversions and ready cash," said U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman. "Although we see far too many of these schemes, we cannot become desensitized to them. Each such allegation shows that there are many out there who would steal from the unsuspecting, and we are committed to exposing their frauds for what they are."
Chiaese's case was brought in coordination with the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force formed by President Barack Obama.
"People invested their money with Mr. Chiaese with the hope of having a comfortable retirement," said Michael Ward, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Newark Field Office. "But based on the allegations in the criminal complaint, it seems those retirement plans for tomorrow did not fit into Mr. Chiaese's plan for his own comfortable lifestyle today."
eric seiger
eric seiger
Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>
The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.
World <b>news</b> coverage evaporating in the UK | openDemocracy
International news, in case you hadn't realised, is disappearing across the UK media. The trends are documented in 'Shrinking World' - an authoritative and compelling report on the demise of foreign news reporting in the UK, ...
Great, great <b>news</b>: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader <b>...</b>
Great, great news: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader.
eric seiger
eric seiger
Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>
The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.
World <b>news</b> coverage evaporating in the UK | openDemocracy
International news, in case you hadn't realised, is disappearing across the UK media. The trends are documented in 'Shrinking World' - an authoritative and compelling report on the demise of foreign news reporting in the UK, ...
Great, great <b>news</b>: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader <b>...</b>
Great, great news: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader.
eric seiger
Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>
The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.
World <b>news</b> coverage evaporating in the UK | openDemocracy
International news, in case you hadn't realised, is disappearing across the UK media. The trends are documented in 'Shrinking World' - an authoritative and compelling report on the demise of foreign news reporting in the UK, ...
Great, great <b>news</b>: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader <b>...</b>
Great, great news: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader.
eric seiger
Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>
The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.
World <b>news</b> coverage evaporating in the UK | openDemocracy
International news, in case you hadn't realised, is disappearing across the UK media. The trends are documented in 'Shrinking World' - an authoritative and compelling report on the demise of foreign news reporting in the UK, ...
Great, great <b>news</b>: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader <b>...</b>
Great, great news: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader.
eric seiger eric seiger
eric seiger
eric seiger
eric seiger
Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>
The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.
World <b>news</b> coverage evaporating in the UK | openDemocracy
International news, in case you hadn't realised, is disappearing across the UK media. The trends are documented in 'Shrinking World' - an authoritative and compelling report on the demise of foreign news reporting in the UK, ...
Great, great <b>news</b>: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader <b>...</b>
Great, great news: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader.
big seminar 14
Perhaps you are looking to top up your current or existing income or perhaps you are looking to earn more money from home. Whatever the reason for that extra bit of money working at home is most peoples dream!
Here are a few ways you can make money from home.
1. ARTICLE WRITING. If you like writing then article writing could be ideal for you. If you feel you have a good grammatical and vocabulary knowledge then this might be right up your alley or street.
You could write articles for magazines, blogs, websites, article directories and much more. Research opportunities both online and offline and find something to suit both you and your needs and wants. Please remember not to fall foul to work at home--get rich quick schemes, these just don't work and you will end up losing both your time and money.
2. PAINT AND SELL YOUR OWN ARTWORK. If you are a little bit creative then why not design, paint and sell your own artwork. You could sell your masterpieces from home, online or at local galleries. Create and sell work from your own blog/s and website/s. Another alternative to this money making idea is that you could work on commission for small businesses for example. You could create commission based pieces for anyone and everyone to earn you extra income and supplement your earnings.
3. WRITE AND SELL YOUR OWN BOOKS AND EBOOKS. You could make money by writing, producing and selling your own physical and paper based books. Sell your products both online and offline and through your local media and press. An alternative to writing and selling your own books and products could be that you work and act as a ghost-writer, whereby you get paid to write on behalf of someone else. Advertise your services in local directories as well as online and offline directories.
4. START YOUR OWN MAIL ORDER or HOME PARTY BUSINESS. Buy and sell items through/by mail. You could either start your own small home based mail order business--party plan business or you could work for more of a well known companies/brands and earn commission for every party you host, for products you sell and so on.
5. BE A FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER. If you enjoy taking pictures then this could be the perfect opportunity for you as you could get paid to do something you enjoy. You could photograph individuals, or perhaps you could work for a number of small businesses on commission. Why not give this a go, try it out, build up a portfolio of pictures and photos alongside prices and get out there and find some paid work and opportunities.
PLEASE REMEMBER that these opportunities and ideas will not make you rich overnight, they are not guaranteed ways to get rich, as always with anything and everything you need to put in the time, work and effort to see any substantial and worthwhile results. Don't fall foul to get rich quick schemes, remember that if it looks to good to be true it probably is.
Good luck with earning extra income--money from home. I wish you every success.
eric seiger
Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>
The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.
World <b>news</b> coverage evaporating in the UK | openDemocracy
International news, in case you hadn't realised, is disappearing across the UK media. The trends are documented in 'Shrinking World' - an authoritative and compelling report on the demise of foreign news reporting in the UK, ...
Great, great <b>news</b>: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader <b>...</b>
Great, great news: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader.
eric seiger
Lindy guarantees it, or did he? - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The <b>...</b>
The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.
World <b>news</b> coverage evaporating in the UK | openDemocracy
International news, in case you hadn't realised, is disappearing across the UK media. The trends are documented in 'Shrinking World' - an authoritative and compelling report on the demise of foreign news reporting in the UK, ...
Great, great <b>news</b>: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader <b>...</b>
Great, great news: Pelosi might stay on as House minority leader.
eric seiger
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