U.S. - style health care reform that will work circa August 2009

From August 16, 2009

Frederick News Post

Frederick, Maryland

Virginia 2013, Thanks to Jefferson, Madison, & Mason - A thankful Draw... Amen

A powerful wind blew through the Commonwealth of Virginia on Tuesday November 5, 2013, not the usual gale one might expect to come from the South off the Carolina Capes, but a odorous and ominous belch of stench funded by forces known not by Virginian's but by silent invaders hoping to further their agenda through betting on their candidate for Governor. They succeeded in their goal of turning the highest state office over to a Democrat with no experience in public office beyond back room dealing and bundling cash for those who would do the bidding for the true brokers of power. They took the top three positions in the Commonwealth, and picked up a few seats in the Virginia House of Delegates as well.

However, what did not accomplish was a clean sweep, as the control of the House of Delegates remains firmly in control of the Republican party. They accomplished an exact mirror of the government in Washington, DC with control of the upper house of the legislature and the executive with one party and the lower house of the legislature with the other. Unfortunately for them, the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia will not provide any playground for the nonsense found on Capitol Hill. Virginia has its fiscal house in order and plans to keep it that way, and the House of Delegates is not about to lay down or cower to their counterparts in the Senate or to the Governor. Their role is clearly laid out for them, and they have the power of the purse firmly in their grasps. The new Governor who won by a margin of less than fifty percent in a plurality has no firm mandate to make demands, regardless of any claims to the contrary. This is especially true because the very political machine that so profoundly funded the exploitive negativity of the past many months, also contributed heavily to the third party candidate that provided for the bitter sweet pill of not receiving a clear mandate with a true majority of the voting citizens.

The fact that the money driven election polls tumbled violently in the last days of the campaign as the major issue moved to ObamaCare and that the name sake of the law came to tout the virtues of the winning candidate without uttering a word about his signature legislation leaves one to wonder why on the occasion of his acceptance speech the Governor elect chose to make ObamaCare's Medicaid expansion a primary point of his agenda drawing from a missing mandate.  The very media that helped to support him was forced to report exit polls showing more than half of all voters had some serious reservations about implementing all or parts of the law based upon its website debacle and the cancellation of what will be untold millions of Americans who were blatantly lied to by their President on more than two dozen occasions stating the exact opposite would be true in order to insure passage of the legislation, and for many months in fact years afterwards.

Money Politics was played in Virginia and the Money won a hollow victory. It is proof beyond a shadow of a doubt that the framers of both the Virginia Constitution and the US Constitution were wise beyond their ability to comprehend. Even in this advanced technological age their tried and true system of checks and balances won out in the end. Thank God, yes God (as would have they) for a Draw... Amen.

The BPOL Tax Pledge

I ________________________ PLEDGE TO WORK WITH ALL MEMBERS OF

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO AMEND Ҥ 58.1-3732. Exclusions

and deductions from "gross receipts.". TO RESTORE FAIRNESS TO Ҥ 58.1-

3700. License requirement; requiring evidence of payment of business

license, business personal property, meals and admissions taxes.” FOR

MOTOR FUEL RESEELERS, BEFORE THE CLOSE OF THE NEXT SESSION OF

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

 _________________________

CANDIDATE

We all purchase motor fuel, gasoline and diesel fuel from service stations and convenience stores that sell gasoline and diesel fuel regularly, some of us more regularly than we would like. Over the past five years we have seen prices skyrocket to unheard of levels and we have resent days been told the national average price of a gallon of regular gasoline alone has been over $3.00 per gallon for more than one thousand (1,000) days. When motor fuel prices rise so do the gross receipts of resellers that market them to the public. Because petroleum is a commodity, these prices are subject to market forces resellers have no control over. Unfortunately, their profit margin whether the price is $5.00 per gallon or $0.99 per gallon is about the same, between 10 and 15 cents after applying fees for credit and debit cards. While it is true some resellers earn more, the majority are in this category. The margin on Diesel fuel is slightly higher averaging between 25 and 30 cents per gallon.

That said, the Business Professional and Occupational Tax also known as the BPOL tax is based on Gross Receipts. When the price goes up, so do the gross receipts. If the price remains high so do the taxes levied against the sales of the motor fuel. For many years prices were stable under $2.00 per gallon. Then came the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and prices began to fluctuate wildly. Still it took quite a while for them to rise and remain above $3.00 per gallon. This is true even during period when fuels are blended to account for seasons, winter fuel and summer fuel blends for air quality. When Refineries switch blends it causes inventories to fall, so prices increase; then as capacity returns to normal so to do prices.

Counties and Independent Cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia have had nothing short of a Windfall Profit over the past five years at the expense of Resellers of Motor Fuel. This is a separate and unequal manner of taxing businesses that cannot be allowed to stand. A few jurisdictions have gone as far as to deny Resellers important deductions from gross receipts that are codified in the Code of Virginia. The Federal and Virginia Excise Taxes paid by the Reseller on the Invoice received from the wholesaler. They depend on a twisted interpretation of how taxes are paid as their way to skirt the will of the General Assembly.

I am asking on behalf of Resellers that All Candidates for the General Assembly and for Governor in Virginia take the BPOL Tax Pledge. It is simple and straight forward and is just the right thing to do to restore fairness to Virginia's small businesses. Resellers of Motor Fuels we all depend on are our friends and neighbors. They deserve the same treatment as any other retailer.

Please ask your candidates to take the pledge!

Is Russia going to clean up its own mess in Syria... 

Today, Secretary of State John Kerry suggested that if President of Assad of Syria were to give up his Chemical Weapons that he could avoid a US Military Strike. Russia took up the idea and ran with it, Syria concurred, and the United Nations will be considering action on the matter soon. Go Figure...

These are my tweets since June about Syria & Mr. Putin

06/16/2013

 #Syria is screwed and so are we for getting involved at this point. #Syria is #Russia 's problem. Let Putin deal with it. We've done enough!

08/24/2013

#RT If you believe that @PutinRF_Eng 's Russia is the responsible party for cleaning up the mess in #Syria @whitehouse #US_Foreign_Policy

08/27/2013

@PutinRF_Eng  #Russia 's Role in #Syria http://t.co/BEE4MlP6a9 @BarackObama @whitehouse @whpresscorps

http://chrisfilby.blogspot.com

08/30/2013

@TheSoulfulVixen @Patrick_Baz We Do Nothing because it is Putin's problem #GoodLuckRussia #UN  #Assad #Syria #CW #TCOT 

09/04/2013

@RickLeventhal @BarackObama needs to call out #Putin at the G-20 and demand he hand over his proxy Assad to be tried for War Crimes.

09/08/2013

 @ShannonBream Sorry... This is #PutinsProblem the UN needs to press Russia hard to clean up its proxy's mess. @FoxNews

09/08/2013

 It is time for @PutinRF_Eng to clean up the #Proxy mess President Assad has created in #Syria. Make your own UN Resolution President Putin

Didn't the President just shake up his National Security Team? I'm wondering who has been saying what? It's a miracle we are going to get out of this one without having to fire a shot. Amen. 

"The Decider in Chief Has Decided"

I'll take one from column from "Article I" and one from "Article II" but really I can do what I want if I decide to do that.  Excuse me Mr. President?

It is pretty clear that all you are doing on the domestic front is seeking cover from Republicans in Congress to not have to use military force against Syria so you can blame them for not being able to do the right thing in the 2014 mid-term election. While that may sound crass, it falls right in line with your first chief of staff's motto "Never let a good crisis go to waste".

At this point You've disrespected  the UN, you've rolled your Secretary of State under the bus, and you've found yourself left hanging out to dry by your most ardent ally Great Britain. That's not batting 1000, it's not even making it into the batter's box on a good day. What to do, what to do? Well there's really only one play left, and it's on the international stage. Granted a place you have again not had much luck, especially given the outcome of your Cairo speech, but I digress.

You must use the G-20 Meeting to hang all of this around the neck of Russian President Vladimir Putin. You must embarrass him into resolving the Syrian chemical weapons issue, if not the entire civil war. Assad is his protectee and he's blocked every vote involving Syria in the UN Security Council by hook or crook since he's been in power. So, if he's going to keep the world from acting, he needs to show the world he's capable of controlling his step-child. Whether he has to spank his bottom or bloody his nose to do it frankly is his business. The G-20 should put Russia on notice that there will be a price to pay if Putin fails to control Assad and you do still hold some sway at the G-20 by virtue of the fact that we still have a 16 trillion dollar economy regardless of a nearly 17 trillion dollar debt. The world needs a vibrant US Economy, it is less concerned with Russia. While you will have to overcome some natural gas concerns of our European friends who depend on Russian controlled pipelines, I am fairly certain Russia's thirst for cash will outweigh its need to protect Assad in Syria.

What's more Mr. President, harkening back to my previous blog entry, Mr. Putin has certain interest in seeing chemical weapons do not fall into the wrong hands. He has had a horrible movie theatre terrorist attack I am sure he would never want to see repeated. Islam Terrorist were responsible for that problem, just like they were for our 9-11 disaster at home, and last year in Libya. I believe this is the course you must take to secure a place in history and to find some reasonable manner to reclaim a sense of dignity at home which is certainly lost after what has to be the worst open source planning session ever. You might as well have had a Google Plus Hangout and taken suggestions from regular citizens.

 There you have it Mr. President, your course is clear, Have fun in Leningrad... oops that's St Petersburg again now isn't it... well for now anyway. God Speed.  

Whose Problem Is Syria Anyway?

Russia has strategically blocked any United Nations action against its quasi satellite state Syria for Decades mainly to protect their interest in Syria's Mediterranean Sea port of Tartis where Russia has a Naval support facility. Losing that port would present particular problems for Russia which is landlocked except for Russian Ports on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov that do not provide Russia with ready access to the Suez Canal and points East. China has joined in blocking UN Security Council Action against Syria mainly to create good will with its benefactors Russia and Iran, from whom China purchases crude oil for its rapidly developing economy.

Syria presents a problem for the United States on several fronts. First and foremost it shares a border with Israel and any instability on that border endangers the only US allied democracy in the region. Syria also shares a border with Turkey which is a NATO member country and tens if not hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria have crossed into Turkey fleeing the violence of the Syrian Civil War. Turkey has also been the recipient of several stray attacks which have met measured response from the Turkish military. The same is true for the Kingdom of Jordan, also a friend of the United States, and temporary home to Syrian refugees which the US is currently giving assistance to support.

About a year ago President Barack Obama drew a line in the sand as it were, often referred to as a "red line" with respect to the use of chemical weapons in Syria by the Bashar Hafez al-Assad led government, either against the rebel fighters or civilian populations or both. Several months ago there was evidence of use of chemical weapons which was verified independently by several governments. The US response was unknown at the time, but recently revealed by the President as to have provided some kind of lethal military assistance to the Syrian opposition.  In recent days another more serious attack has occurred killing many hundreds perhaps more than one thousand Syrians and a great number of them women and children. While not fully or independently verified video evidence sent out by rebel forces seems to show what is likely the result of a nerve agent attack. This action would be a clear crossing of any and all lines set in place by the President of the United States concerning the use of Chemical Weapons.

The President is faced with a dilemma, none of them good, and none of them worthwhile, especially since President Assad doesn't much care what President Obama does short of taking him out altogether. If President Obama strikes militarily, it could start a regional war bringing in Iran, and their proxy Hezbollah. This would no doubt result in NATO involvement. It would also leave a Syria without a government, which is what faced Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein and we all know how well that worked out. They are still killing each other and we've been gone nearly a year.

I look to the wise words of former President Ronald Reagan who said "You can accomplish much if you don't care who gets the credit..." The United States is not weak by any means, but we are war torn and war weary. We do not need to involve ourselves in another Middle East conflict at this time, or perhaps ever again if it is at all avoidable. We've made our contribution, and our relationships with our friends in the region can be furthered without the need of entering into unnecessary entanglements.

President Putin of Russia has been President Assad's Protector in Chief, and before that General Secretaries of the Soviet Union protected President Assad's father who was a dictator for many decades over his people in Damascus. Russia's history there makes them the perfect foil for this very difficult dilemma. Without Russia President Assad will no doubt lose his United Nations Security Council veto and without Russia there is every reason to believe that Iran will back down and play nice in its own sandbox. Russia has a very long standing economic relationship with Iran as well since the fall of the Shah in the mid 1970's.

President Putin knows and understands the military complexities, and certainly can explain to President Assad the need to destroy his stockpiles of chemical weapons.  President Putin does not want to end up in his native Russia as the result of an acquisition of Islamic Militants from Chechnya and Dagestan partnering with Al Qaeda fighters running lose in Syria amongst the rebel groups. President Putin has a vested interest in maintaining peace in Syria and protecting his Naval Base. President Putin also would not mind being cast on the world stage as a peace maker, which would also allow him to again thumb his nose at the United States.

Our Most recent incursion into Libya where we "led from behind" left us with a country in chaos and a consulate in flames with four dead including our Ambassador. Our ability to affect constructive change in Syria is very limited. In war, you are all in or you aren't; if you are not you lose. Our Military is not trained to lose. The President is not willing to commit us to a full on war with or without allies to take over Syria, let the United Nations set up a new democratic government, and then provide enough troops for enough time to insure that government is a success. Neither Russia or China would be willing to go along, and Iran would constantly be interfering like it has in Iraq. Sometimes it is better to quit while you're ahead, right now, even though he might look really bad, he's still ahead. Leave this one to RUSSIA!