US Government Forced Budget Cuts vs Unemployed Americans

US Government Forced Budget Cuts vs  Unemployed Americans (update 6 Mar Sequestration Shovels Money to the Russians)

Which with the Forced Budget Cuts = adding even more unemployed to the 7.9% unemployment rate.  

Nothing is to gain by placing blame, this does not undo the situation America is in.  Politicians should take a pay cut, they are not doing the job...who American's voted for.  And this sends a message to those non-voters, why vote if the situation for America does not change after 1, 2, 3, 4 administrations, only gets worse and toss in a recession or two.

Where is the Change, do these words sound familiar - going back to 2000 "Government of, by, and for the people...not the monied interests", 2004 "Let America be America Again" & "Yes, America Can!", 2008 "Country First", "Change We Can Believe In", "Change We Need", "Hope", "Yes We Can", 2012 "Forward & Believe in America"

Having worked for DOD over 24 yrs, I know money could of been better spent and saved...whether this would of changed today's situation who knows.  As a Marine, you learn the meaning of team work, without it you may not win the battle or the war. 

Vietnam Conflict or Skirmish or War - of those who remember...US ground forces were first committed 8 March 1965, at Danang...people could not understand our presence in Vietnam and what we were fighting to preserve.  We had been seduced by the forces of darkness into a no win situation.  The military forces were forced to fight a one-handed battle in Vietnam, the other hand doing battle on the domestic political front.  We were at war, maybe or not at all.   Then from not really being in Vietnam, we were their force doing most of the battle.  The South Vietnamese Army, preservers of freedom, fell under the shadow of big brother America.  Vietnam, the Fall of Saigon, April 1975, marked the end of the war.  Over 58,200 American voters died.

1971 President Nixon declared the War on Drugs...which continues today.

Does War help our Economy ?  Yes, if you look at it from the perspective of creating jobs...even for those who join the military.   Which can lead to careers after the military or those Military lifer's...means job security with benefits.  You are Supporting American's Freedom, by supporting Our Military, from jobs in logistic, contributions, as volunteers, paying taxes, etc.

War does not kill more American's than some may believe...American's Killing Americans statistics on average annually....over 14,800 Americans are murdered, approximately 16,000 are killed in alcohol-related crashes or 43 lives daily, 40,000 to 50,000 die in auto accidents a year or or an average of 123 lives daily, more than 4,000 die and more than 25,000 are injured in fires, or average of 11 lives daily, over 125,000 die from drug reactions and medical mistakes each year or an average of 342 lives daily, over 50,000 die from alcohol abuse or 137 lives daily, over 400,000 die from cigarette-related illnesses annually or 1095 lives daily, less than 3,000 die from illegal drugs annually or 45 lives daily...just some of the 1700+ lives lost daily in America, on our soil, on the streets, in our homes & neighborhoods, roads & highways, hospitals, jails, etc.

And what do these lives lost cost America, not to mention that Insurances costs go up, same of medical research, prescriptions & treatment, emergency personnel, fire & law enforcement response, etc.

Lets include welfare recipients able to work, those who defraud Workers Compensation, those American's who do not pay taxes to name other area's that cost American's who do work and pay taxes, those here Illegally, or not on work visas, the cost to care for, house and deport...or those guilty of crimes in jails & prison's sucking up space, receiving care & housing at the expense of the taxpayer, criminals who do not contribute to the Economy...other than provide baby sitter jobs to watch over them...if the count were to go down in those areas...more American's could afford Health Care, and the Economy would be better.

The Future of Entertainment is Here for Now

We have AMC, MegaPlex Theater's 12, 17, 20 - iMax & iMax 3D, Cinemark all require large amounts of space/building...Is the Theater business growing with today's Home Theaters, Large Screen TV's, Computers, Apple TV, Google TV & Play, Streaming Video, Amazon Prime, Crackle, NetFlix, Hulu & Plus, VuDu,  iTunes,  Blockbuster, CinemaNow, Comcast, streaming devices Ruko, Netgear, PlayStation, Xbox, where does it end.

What happened to TV Brands Admiral, Bell, Fisher, Magnavox, Philco, Philips, RCA, Sylvania, Westinghouse, Zenith founded in 1918, began as Radio.

To get Web content on to your TV is to directly hook up the laptop, phone, or tablet you already own (granted your gizmo has an HDMI output, and the TV has the proper input).  All HDTVs have an HDMI input, and your mobile device or computer may already come with an HDMI output and cable, or, alternatively, a DVI, Mini DisplayPort, or Thunderbolt connector that will need an adapter.

Direct Gizmo-to-TV Hook-Ups, get away from Cables if all possible for those who like to keep their entertainment area neat and clutter-free, there are several options that will allow you to Wirelessly stream content from the Cloud/Web to your TV.

With Google Play, you can stream movies and TV shows and watch them instantly on your Android devices and the Web.  All of your movies and episodes are automatically saved to your My Movies & TV library,  ready to play whenever you are.  Planning to be offline? you can download your movie or TV shows to watch on your Tablet or Phone without an Internet connection, like when you're traveling on land or in the air.

Roku comes packed with several partner channels, including Amazon (both Prime and the à la carte Instant Video service), Netflix, Crackle, HBO GO, Hulu Plus, and Pandora.  A separate computer or mobile device isn’t needed to stream these services; just Wi-Fi access.  Users can navigate the minimalist interface via an included remote or download the Roku remote app for Android- or iOS-powered devices .

Western Digital WD TV Live Hub - allow users to stream their favorite content, but it also doubles as a hard drive. Boasting a 1TB hard drive, The WD TV Live Hub lets users centralize their media collection and can play almost any type of video or audio files. It can access apps like Flickr, Facebook, Pandora, Spotify, and YouTube, as well as Netflix, Blockbuster on Demand, and Hulu Plus, to name a few.

So are the cost of Movie Tickets, Popcorn, Candy & Soft-drink too expensive and the fact you are only seeing One Movie, with No Cartoon or Newsreel. 

Then why not from the Comfort of Your Home, Living-room, Bathroom, Bedroom, Kitchen, or mode of transportation stream video to any device, TV, iPhone, SmartPhone, Tablet, Phablet, Android device, a PC, Laptop, Notebook, iPad, and what the future holds.

Our US Government wants to provide Free Wi-Fi throughout America.

Banks in the Future

The Future...will there be smaller banks, as now you can take pictures of your checks and deposit via Smartphones, use ATM's, less need to go inside a bank.  Possibly no need for large sums of cash in Banks, less transporting of currency to from banks and less chance of Robberies...now it is via the Computer & Internet Online Scams via junk & spam e-mails, credit card & identity thefts.

We have Direct Deposit, Online Banking, pay your bills & transfer funds Electronically. Look at all the paper I have saved, the last Check I wrote was 4 Nov 2009.

Carnival’s ‘Triumph’ Afloat

News Event - Since Sunday, Feb. 10, when a fire on board damaged the propulsion system of the ironically named ship Triumph, the planned four-day voyage to the Caribbean left the ship unable to sail and lacking power, sewage systems, air conditioning and heating, the 3,142 passengers and 1,086 crew members aboard have been stranded in the Gulf of Mexico.

Came on the heals of  a fire on the cruise ship Costa Allegra, owned by Carnival's Costa Cruises subsidiary, led to a similar lack of power, food and plumbing situation for more than 600 passengers.  An engine-room fire on Carnival's 952-foot Splendor in November 2010 left more than 3,000 passengers stranded for three days.  Azamara Club Cruises, whose parent company is Royal Caribbean (RCL), and the Mexican cruise ship Ocean Star Pacific also suffered power-killing fires in the past couple of years.

And of last years  Costa Concordia disaster, in which a partial sinking of the Italian cruise ship led to the loss of 32 lives and multiple manslaughter charges against the captain, Francesco Schettino, who reportedly fled the scene in a lifeboat while several passengers and crew members were still on board.

Passengers Return Home With Stories of Horror

My Views/Comments: No Contingency plans in place, no other ships to the rescue, or another Carnival Ship and of 4,228 people on board, would the Life Boat System Work, plus hold all on board, if the ship was to begin sinking. What if this happened off the coast of Somalia ?

Even if the Life Boat System worked, then what...who comes to the rescue ?

All Cruise Ship companies should have a Contingency Plan, a Quick Response Rescue Plan as our Military, especially when in International Waters. 

We have Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Teams (FAST) and Recapture Tactics Teams (RTT), so why not a S.W.I.F.T. (Security Water Intervention Forces Team) just made it up, sounded good...Maybe the Navy should get into the Cruise Ship business, recover some of our tax dollars.

Earth-Buzzing Asteroid Worth Billions

News Event - The space rock set to give Earth a historically close shave this Friday (Feb. 15) may be worth nearly $200 billion, prospective asteroid miners say.

The 150-foot-wide (45 meters) asteroid 2012 DA14 — which will zoom within 17,200 miles (27,000 kilometers) of Earth on Friday, marking the closest approach by such a large space rock that astronomers have ever known about in advance — may harbor $65 billion of recoverable water and $130 billion in metals, say officials with celestial mining firm Deep Space Industries.

That's just a guess, they stressed, since 2012 DA14's composition is not well known and its size is an estimate based on the asteroid's brightness.

My Views/Comments: Oh..Great...Just a Guess...its not bad enough about pollution and global warming, with space junk, also that of Satellites, Space Stations orbiting the Earth, with the added danger of going into Space without getting hit...now DSI (Deep Space Industries), wants to Mine or Recycle Asteroids on the way by 17,200 miles away...just how many gallons of water at 8.5 pounds per gallon...costs $65 billion, and how does DSI get it to Earth...wait there's more!!! Also this Asteroid has $130 billion in metals...as in Gold, Silver, Iron, Lead, Steel or Aluminum.

Now it is Back to the Future, as the TV Show Salvage 1, from the late 1970's...starring Andy Griffith, who left Mayberry R.F.D. for Space Junk...as they say, what goes up, must come down. So lets not only pollute our Soil & Air, now the only way out of this mess...is into Space. Oh wait, lets explorer Mars too...why because eventually the Earth will self-destruct or is on a collision course with the Sun.

So nothing about undoing what Humans have done to the Earth, lets forge into Space leaving behind a littered Camp Ground and others to fend for themselves.

Who will be the First to inhabit Mars...will it be a Tax Free one way trip, without relocation fees, what about the cost of fuel to get there, never to return, and what do we do when get there...will we always have to wear a special outfit & clothing apparel...will there be Satellite TV without re-runs or commercials, Smarter-Phones, what about Tech Support, is that outsource there too...will there be a McDonald's, McSpace Nuggets, a Quarter Pounder will weigh an ounce...ah the future Not even going to ask about Health Care or Insurance, probably Self-Help.

And in reading the story further...to justify the cost "Deep Space Industries wants to use asteroid resources to help humanity expand its footprint out into the solar system.  The company plans to convert space rock water into rocket fuel, which would be used to top off the tanks of off-Earth satellites and spaceships cheaply and efficiently.

Asteroid metals such as iron and nickel, for their part, would form the basis of a space-based manufacturing industry that could build spaceships, human habitats and other structures off the planet.

The idea is to dramatically reduce the amount of material that needs to be launched from Earth, since it currently costs at least $10 million to send 1 ton of material to high-Earth orbit, officials said.

"Getting these supplies to serve communications satellites and coming crewed missions to Mars from in-space sources like asteroids is key if we are going to explore and settle space," Tumlinson said."

More Comments: expand the Footprint, as it is on Earth...no thanks...hopscotching to Mars...so the future becomes Lost in Space, A Space Odyssey, Aliens, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars, The Day the Earth Stood Still, War of the Worlds as we step into Reality.

One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap & Bound for Mankind...the Twilight Zone or We now return control of your Computer & Internet to you.  Until 2050 at that time, when you will relinquish control once again...as we take you back to — The Outer Limits.

Or why not wait until debris pummels to Earth...A meteor the size of a bus exploded in the atmosphere over the Russian Urals city of Chelyabinsk Friday, powerful sonic booms that shattered windows, damaged buildings, and injuries may be heading toward 1,000, mainly due to flying glass and debris.

Ex-LAPD Officer Murder Manhunt Continues

News Event - Southern California: The manhunt continued on Friday for a former police offer who the authorities say has killed at least three people as part of a rampage aimed at police officers and their families, a spree that has given law enforcement officers throughout Southern California new reason to be vigilant.

The series of killings that the police say were committed by Christopher J. Dorner, 33, a former Navy reservist who was fired from the Los Angeles Police Department in 2008, has led the department to dispatch protection teams to guard uniformed officers and their families and to have scores of officers set up lines of defense outside the fortress that is the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters. Motorcycle officers have been ordered to retreat to the safety of patrol cars.

In Torrance on Thursday, two women delivering newspapers were shot and wounded by police officers who mistook the Honda pickup they were driving for the gray Nissan identified as belonging to the gunman.  About 12 hours later in San Diego, squads of police cars, in a blaze of red lights and screeching tires, converged on a motel where the suspect was mistakenly thought to be hiding after his wallet was found on a sidewalk.

Mr. Dorner tried to hijack a boat in San Diego. Early Thursday morning, police officers assigned to protect an officer named by Mr. Dorner were alerted by a civilian who spotted a man resembling the suspect.  As they followed him, Mr. Dorner opened fire as they approached him — grazing one in the head — before he fled, Chief Beck said.

Less than an hour later, the suspect approached two Riverside police officers parked at a traffic light in a patrol car and opened fire, killing one and seriously wounding the second.

“The Riverside officers were cowardly ambushed,” Chief Beck said. “They had no opportunity to fight back, no pre-warning.”

My Views/Comments:  Gun Control...for who...when an ex-cop, or a cop, military member or former goes rogue, who have specialized training, possibly access to assault weapons, not to mention many Officers Duty or Personal Carry are Glock's, which about 60-70% of the police market are Glocks.  Other Law Enforcement weapon of choice could be SIG, Beretta, S&W, HK, etc.

Even the revolver hand gun or semi-automatic pistol...may carry 5-33 rounds x how many clips, revolver speedloader, a person has, using various caliber ammunition as 9mm, 10mm, .38, .380, .357, .40, .45 and in the hands of a trained person is allot of fire power.

And there are those who for Home Defense, Military or Law Enforcement, personal carry, for duty, hunting, target practice, competition have possibly assault rifles, greater fire power, and may be able to modify a weapon to carry more rounds.

And if you think Gun Control will Prevent/Stop Criminals or that they will Obey Laws...that would be a stupid thought.

You may have heard, Guns Do Not Kill People, People Kill People, be it with a gun, knife, drugs, club/baseball bat, a vehicle or poison to name a few...it does not matter the Caliber of Bullet, or the Weapon Used, when you lose someone you care about or love at any age.

What was the Caliber of Person that took that innocent life...was it a Friend, Co-Worker, Someone of Trust...No One is Above the Law including Christopher J. Dorner...

and I believe in My Right to Keep & Bear Arms, as Protector & Defender of the American Constitution, that of my Home & Family, "Old Glory" and of the Gadsden Flag "Don't Tread On Me"

CPL D.R. "Doc" Young, USMC, Viet Nam Era "Semper Fi"

Post Office Ends Saturday Delivery to Save Itself

News Event - U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe announced Wednesday morning that mail delivery on Saturdays will be halted beginning in August.

The struggling U.S. agency loses $25 million a day, according to Donahoe. Last November the agency reported it lost $15.9 billion for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 20, more than triple its loss from the previous year. The U.S. Post Office has also reached its $15 billion borrowing limit with the Treasury.

The proliferation of online banking and email has made the U.S. Post Office less relevant in today's digital age. U.S. mail volume totaled 159.9 million pieces last year, a 5% decline from 2011.

My Views/Comments: That is fine with me, one less trip to the mailbox, only bills or advertisement, as it is.

Go Paper-Less, bills come to your Inbox

As for Friends & Family...E-mail, Phone/Teleconference, Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) use Skype, Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger. Shop Online, ship directly to who the gift is for, or your own home/work, never have to leave your home...no driving, no trying to find a place to park, no lines, and you save on fuel, wear & tear of your vehicle, less chance of being in an accident, insurance might go down, same of fuel cost, less demand.

The Government can stand to save money too, all the way to the Top. Send Unmanned Drones, not Manned Sortie flights of F-14, F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22, F-35, B-1, B-2, F-117's

p.s. stop sending Junk Mail, what a waste of paper

Killer of 2 NYC officers impregnated guard

News Event - A federal prison guard was charged Tuesday with having an illegal affair with an inmate convicted in one of New York's most notorious police killings, later becoming pregnant with his child.

Nancy Gonzalez, 29, was arrested on charges she intentionally engaged in a sex act with Ronell Wilson while working the night shift at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. She became pregnant in June, a few months into the affair, according to court papers. Gonzalez appeared in court Tuesday visibly pregnant and crying, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and was released on $150,000 bond.

She confessed her relationship with Wilson to a different boyfriend, another inmate who had been under her supervision at the federal prison but is now housed at a state facility. She said it was over with Wilson, and that she was worried she would get into trouble.

My Views/Comments:  This is inexcusable, having been in Corrections, and with Correctional Officers who are wives, mothers, daughters, sisters...the times are hard, economy bad, and this drives people to wanting to be able to provide, earn an income in these times. This is not about the ability to do the job, as I saw women coming into the Fire Service in the 70's, in the Military and its is how women are looked upon, just as some men might be an easy prey, win their confidence, take advantage of a situation and turn the tables into their favor.

The same in Combat, if not by your fellow personnel, the enemy...and inside a Jail, Prison, Institution the Enemy are the Inmates, they are Con's, manipulative, out to save their own necks...so if you are a person who has issues, down on your luck, in abusive relationship, owe money, low self-esteem, easily swayed & pressured...you have no business Man or Woman to be in a position to work among Inmates or Fight in Combat, hold positions of Trust & Security at any level...hard times or not.

Semper Fi, Do or Die !!!