The American Taxpayer Saved the 2002 Olympics

A new commercial paid for by Restore Our Future snubs the fact that roughly 1,342,000,000 (that’s right 1 billion) of the taxpayer’s dollars funded the Olympic Games and Salt Lake City area infrastructure improvements needed for the Games to be a success.  The ad contains former Olympians snubbing the taxpayer's contribution and heralding Mitt Romney for allowing athletes to "realize" their "dreams" and for bringing a "huge sense of hope".  The following are quotes from athletes Kristi Yamaguchi and Derek Parra:

”Mitt allowed athletes like myself to realize our dreams” –Derek Parra

 “Mitt Romney brought a huge sense of hope”-Kristi Yamaguchi

``The Games won't ever be judged on a dollar basis,'' Romney said in April of 2002. ``The Games will be judged by the feelings and memories that came from Salt Lake City.''  Romney was apparently wrong because the Olympic ad spends about 1/5 of the allotted time discussing dollars. The ad boasts that Romney created a $100,000,000 surplus even though most articles have the surplus pegged at $65,000,000.  That sure is some creative rounding up;)

The Mitt Romney business experience at the Olympics consists of “How to Get the Government to Bail You Out”. The American taxpayers should be thanked not just Mitt Romney. While he rails against “Big Government” “Handouts” “bailouts for General Motors” he himself did not refuse the 342 million dollars it took to save the Olympic Games under his direction nor did he speak out against the $1 billion in infrastructure improvements in the Salt Lake City Area needed for the games.  Apparently Mitt Romney wanted Detroit to go bankrupt but not Utah.

 Mitt Romney promised “complete transparency” when he took charge of the scandal-plagued Salt Lake City Olympics, a pledge that included access to his own correspondence and plans for an extensive public archive of documents related to the Games.

“All of the documents inside our organization are available to the public,” Romney said in a speech to the National Press Club in 2000. “Simply submit a form saying which documents you want. For instance: ‘I want to see all the letters written by Mr. Romney to [then-IOC President Juan Antonio] Samaranch.’ You’ll get ’em all.”

But some who worked with Romney describe a close-to-the-vest chief executive unwilling to share so much as a budget with a state board responsible for spending oversight.

“Transparency? There was none with [the Salt Lake Organizing Committee] when he was there,” said Kenneth Bullock, a committee member who represented the Utah League of Cities and Towns. “Their transparency became a black hole. It was nonexistent.”

The committee charged news outlets $25 per hour to research records requests, even if the requests were eventually denied.

Even within the organizing committee, access to information was sometimes restricted, according to Bullock, the committee member.

“Everything should have been accessible to the board, but it wasn’t because that’s not what Mitt wanted,” he said.

Letters between journalists and the organizing committee obtained by the Globe show reporters were sometimes denied access to records they believed were covered by the committee’s open documents policy. Only a week after Romney spoke to the National Press Club, the Utah chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists wrote a complaint to the committee.

Technically Romney and the Salt Lake Organizing Committee had no legal obligation to preserve their records or make them public, even though the state paid $59 million, and the federal government spent $342 million on the Games and contributed roughly $1 billion more in indirect aid for transportation projects and other capital improvements in the Salt Lake region.

 “I led an Olympics out of the shadows of scandal” Mitt Romney states in a Washington speech but he does not acknowledge the fact that the government bailed him out.

The Government Accountability Office issued a report regarding Romney’s handling of the money as wasteful spending.
The 2002 Winter Olympics went down as the most expensive games in US history and Senator John McCain cited the games as “an incredible pork-barrel project for Salt Lake City and its environs”. It was not the custom of the US government to invest so heavily in a US hosted Olympic game, the money is supposed to come from sponsors, local cities and the US Olympic Committee.

Sources:

http://www.shorenewstoday.com/snt/news/index.php/regional/opinion/21967-romney-would-have-let-gm-and-chrysler-fail.html
http://articles.courant.com/2002-04-25/sports/0204250385_1_utah-athletic-foundation-surplus-salt-lake-city-olympics
http://www.politicolnews.com/mitt-romney-olympic-bailout-business-experience/
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/2012-election/video-mitt-romney-makes-bizarre-claims-latest-campaign-ads
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/54542587-90/romney-olympic-records-lake.html.csp

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2012/07/24/after_romney_pledged_transparent_olympics_key_documents_were_destroyed/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdWyxXBQvyM
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/02/19/romney-2002-winter-olumpics/
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/25/us-oly-usa-tickets-romney-idUSBRE86O00A20120725

Training Grants and Job Placement for American Workers

The Obama administration is offering training grants just like those offered to people who have H-1B visa for US citizens that more than doubles the amount offered to non U.S. citizens. Here is the link You can read it on page 22 2nd paragraph.


The following is an excerpt from The National Economic Council May 2012:  The Administration has invested $342 million in competitive grants to provide American workers with training, job placement, and other assistance in the high-skilled occupations and industries for which employers are now using H-1B visas to hire temporary foreign workers. Of the total H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants awarded, more than $163 million has been designated to provide on-the-job training, allowing participants to learn new skills while earning a regular paycheck – a critical investment to help small businesses find skilled labor. 

President Obama is not threatening to your 2nd Amendment Rights

President Obama is not threatening to your 2nd Amendment Rights

Randall Gartman Merchandising Manager at CDC– BME Stihl posted the following comment on capitolcolumn.com:

“He (Ron Paul) will (endorse Mitt Romney) because he wants Obama out badly. Next president appoints judges and that is what determines the tiny bit of rights we think we might have. If Obama is elected, the judges he appoints will vote down 2nd amendment. Without that one we will face hard tyranny. Not soft like we have been facing.”

If the President was going to appoint judges to vote down the 2nd amendmant... he would have done it already. President Obama signed legislation letting people carry concealed weapons in national parks and in checked luggage on Amtrak trains.  The current administration only plans to continue “enforcing the laws on the books”.   The Obama administration has remained mostly silent on expressing any support for stronger gun laws.  Gun laws are not the focus of this administration.  The focus has been on the issues that voters deemed most important in 2008… healthcare and education. Most recently the administration has focused on the new most important issue to voters… job creation.  Currently there isn’t even permanent appointed leadership  at the agency that polices the gun industry.  As you can see there is no need to worry about the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution being struck down under the Obama administration.

Source: http://www.winningprogressive.org/questions-for-mitt-romney-on-guns-and-the-nra

Fast Food Kid’s meals are not as Unhealthy as you Might Think

A new report released Thursday asserts a Chick-fil-A kid’s meal is among the five worst fast food kids meals that claim to be healthy, The report is obviously slanted and biased.  The report, which was commissioned by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, says Chick-fil-A's Grilled Nuggets Kids Meal contains the same amount of cholesterol as a McDonald's Big Mac.  Chick-fil-A’s grilled nuggets do not contain the same amount of cholesterol as a McDonald’s Big Mac.  The Big Mac has 75mg of cholesterol and the grilled nuggets have 65mg. 

According to the article, when the six grilled nuggets are paired with waffle fries and low-fat chocolate milk, the meal has 570 calories, 19 grams of fat, 75 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,150 milligrams of sodium and 23 grams of sugars, the report says.  The healthy kid’s meal was not meant to be paired with waffle fries and chocolate milk.  Six grilled nuggets only contain 110 calories.  When six grilled nuggets are paired with a fruit cup and milk the meal is only 250 calories.  Get 4 nuggets instead of six and the total becomes 220 calories.

The report claims that grilled chicken contains large amounts of PhIP, "a potent carcinogen that may play a role in the development of breast, prostate and other cancers."  But, PhIP occurs when any meat whether cooked at home or not that is cooked above 392 F or cooked on direct heat. 

The other kid’s meals on the list include the McDonald's Cheeseburger Happy Meal, the Sonic Kids' Jr. Burger Meal, and the Burger King Hamburger Kids Meal.  The McDonald's Cheeseburger Happy Meal includes a Cheeseburger, fries, apple slices, and a drink (I used milk in my calculations) at 520 calories the meal also contains 100mg of vitamin C (170%) and only 50mg of cholesterol (16%).  The Sonic Kids' Jr. Burger Meal is 550 calories when you order a Jr. Burger, APPLE SLICES W/FAT-FREE CARAMEL DIPPING SAUCE, and an Apple juice box and the burger only contains 35mg of cholesterol.  The Burger King Hamburger Kids Meal contains 380 calories and includes apple slices and a small drink (I used milk in my calculations).

The report was commissioned by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine which promotes a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.  Any meal you or a restaurant prepares for your child that contains meat will not meet the ideals of the PCRM.  Brooke Henley a dietitian at Central GA Rehab at Medical Center of Central Georgia totally disagrees with this reports assessment of Chick-fil-A’s kid’s meals.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physicians_Committee_for_Responsible_Medicine

http://www.bk.com/en/us/menu-nutrition/lunch-and-dinner-menu-202/bk-and-reg-kids-meal-229/hamburger-kids-meal-m2379/index.html

http://www.sonicdrivein.com/pdfs/menu/SonicNutritionGuide.pdf?0

http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/meal_builder.html

http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Food/Menu-Detail/ChickfilA-Grilled-Nuggets#?details=nutrition&variation=ORA_5816count

http://chick-fil-a.com/Kids/New-Meals-Fact-Sheet

http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Carcinogens-found-in-Grilled-chicken-14915-2/

http://hapeville.11alive.com/news/news/119826-chick-fil-kids-meal-among-least-healthy

Imagine a World without Justin Bieber's Music

SOPA is legislation currently tabled (not cancelled) in Congress that targets foreign websites that steal American intellectual property.  But, the legislation is too broadly written.   SOPA/PIPA would make it possible for a music label to claim user uploaded content on YouTube includes copyrighted lyrics that they own.  Subsequently YouTube would be held liable and possibly forced to go offline.

If SOPA/ PIPA had been passed prior to 2007, it is quite possible that we would not have any of the YouTube celebrities who got their start by singing covers and posting them on YouTube. Imagine a world without YouTube Celebrities like Alyssa Bernal, Boyce Avenue, Daniela Andrade, David Choi, Dymond, Grayson Chance, Jackie Evancho, Kina Grannis, Megan Nicole, Simone Battle, Sophia Grace Brownlee, SV, Todrick Hall and of course the king of all You Tube Celebrities Justin Bieber.  Justin Bieber was discovered by Scooter Braun and introduced to Usher after posting videos of himself singing covers on YouTube.  But, had SOPA/PIPA been law prior to 2007 Justin Bieber would most likely not have even attempted to upload covers on YouTube.  He would have been forced to only upload originals and it would be difficult to search for an original song since you wouldn’t know the name of the song to begin with.  I imagine the world (especially the entertainment industry) would be a totally different place where the media tells the people who they should listen to and not us telling the media who we want to listen to.  I think most of us agree the world would not be as interesting or fun place to be had SOPA/PIPA been the law a long time ago.  If we want our world to continue to have artists like Justin Bieber appear in the future and share their world with us we need to make sure SOPA/PIPA doesn’t pass in Congress.  If you would like to help please sign the petition: https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/ and don’t forget to tell others.

Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge

“Imagine a world without free knowledge” is what you will see if you try to access Wikipedia today.   Right now, the U.S. Congress is considering legislation that could fatally damage the free and open Internet.  So for 24 hours, to raise awareness, Wikipedia is blacked out. 

The legislations that Congress is seriously considering implementing are SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP (IP stands for Intellectual Property) Act) two bills in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate respectively. These bills are efforts to stop copyright infringement committed by foreign web sites, but, they do so in a way that actually infringes free expression while harming the Internet. Detailed information about these bills can be found in the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act articles on Wikipedia, which are available during the blackout. GovTrack lets you follow both bills through the legislative process: SOPA on this page, and PIPA on this one. The EFF has summarized why these bills are simply unacceptable in a world that values an open, secure, and free Internet. 

A proposal in SOPA will allow the government to target sites that simply provide information that could help users get around the bills’ censorship mechanisms (targeted sites could be permanently shut down). Such a provision would not only amount to an unconstitutional prior restraint against protected speech, but would severely damage online innovation. And contrary to claims by SOPA’s supporters, this provision—at least what’s been proposed so far—applies to all websites, even those in the U.S.    

Social media sites like Facebook or YouTube—basically any site with user generated content—would have to police their own sites, forcing huge liability costs onto countless Internet companies.  Many jobs could be lost as a result of these bills.  This is exactly why venture capitalists have said en masse they won’t invest in online startups if PIPA and SOPA pass.

Organizations that are funded by the State Department to create circumvention software to help democratic activists get around authoritarian regimes’ online censorship mechanisms would be negatively affected.  Ironically, SOPA would not only institute the same practices as these regimes, but would essentially outlaw the tools used by activists to circumvent censorship in countries like Iran and China as well.  What the hell does Congress think they are doing?  This bill seems less about piracy and more about trying to make our country vulnerable to security threats and weakening our economy so they can get a Republican in the White House. 

Without user content portals like Blogger, NewGrounds, Facebook and YouTube, the Internet becomes just another mainstream media outlet, instead of the wild proving ground of ideas that allows regular people like us to find a large audience.  Please, like this Facebook page to show our politicians how many of us oppose SOPA and PIPA.  In addition, if you live in TN please like this page.


Sources:  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:CongressLookup?zip=37212
https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/sopa-pipa/
http://www.explosm.net/sopa.html

The Nation’s Largest Minority Population Would Re-elect President Obama

The 2010 U.S. Census shows — not unexpectedly — that the nation’s Hispanic community, already the largest minority, has the fastest-growing population in the United States.  Hispanic voters are a very important factor in the 2012 Presidential election.  President Obama’s campaign has put an emphasis on many different groups including Latinos.  The following is from the President’s campaign site:  “President Obama has been and will continue to be an advocate and ally on issues important to the Latino community.”  Eva Longoria (a very influential and brilliant Latina) sent out a letter expressing her support for the President in 2012.  The following is an excerpt from her letter:  “I also support the President because he's fighting for the Hispanic community. He knows that the future of America is closely tied to the success of the Hispanic community. He knows that Latinas are helping drive the economic recovery, starting small businesses at a rate of six times the national average. He’s made historic investments to help our small businesses and established programs to help more Hispanics get a college education.” 

A majority of Latinos would re-elect the president in 2012 over his main GOP rivals, according to a poll by the Pew Hispanic Center.  “In a hypothetical match-up against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney,” the report said, “Obama wins 68 percent to 23 percent among Latino registered voters.”

“And in a match-up against Texas Gov. Rick Perry,” it continued, “Obama wins the Latino vote 69 percent to 23 percent.

Other candidates seem to not even be trying to get the Hispanic population’s votes.  It’s like they think they can win the election with only the non-minority religious right votes.  For instance Mitt Romney has distanced himself from the Latino community and seems to come off unfriendly to a whole population of people.  The leaders of the Hispanic Leadership Fund(a Republican-leaning group), are so upset with Romney that if he wins the nomination, they might withhold an endorsement and curtail plans for an extensive voter-contact campaign in Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Florida to bolster the GOP presidential ticket.  After taking heat from his fellow Republican presidential candidates for supposedly being soft on immigration, GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich laid down a stricter rhetoric on the issue.  While refusing to back off his previous statement, that it was unjust to deport undocumented immigrants who have lived in the country for 25 years and have families in the U.S., Gingrich said that the federal government should drop lawsuits against states, like Arizona and Alabama, with strict immigration laws.  How does he expect the families that have been here for 25 years not to be deported if some states are allowed to have such strict immigration laws?

Sources:

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2011/12/16/republican-debate-newt-gingrich-toughens-stance-immigration/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/romneys-illegal-immigration-rhetoric-worries-some-republicans/2011/12/15/gIQAvuwLzO_story_1.html

http://www.barackobama.com/latinos?source=primary-nav

http://theamericano.com/2011/03/14/hispanics-fastest-growing-population-united-states/

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2011/12/28/latinos-frown-on-record-deportations-under-obama-but-would-vote-for-him-in-2012/