The Department of Homeland Security released data from the past year that shows that 142 suspected gang members, including members of the violent and dangerous MS-13, were released from jail without notice to DHS in defiance of ICE detainer requests. Of the 142, 89 were released in the sanctuary state of California and 11 each in the sanctuary cities of Austin, TX and New York City.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/04/18/dhs-reveals-dozens-ms-13-other-gang-members-released-by-sanctuary-policies.html
Many of the gang members were from MS-13, a gang whose motto is Kill, Rape and Control. Sanctuary cities try to downplay the danger from MS-13. Joy Reid an anchor at MSNBC called MS-13 "A gang nobody who doesn't watch Fox News has ever heard of.
https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/feb/1/joy-reid-nobody-doesnt-watch-fox-news-has-ever-hea/
Now is the time to end the absurdity of sanctuary cities and help ICE rid the country of dangerous gang members.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Sunday, February 4, 2018
FBI Cabal Tries to Take Down Donald Trump (Op-Ed)
After what I have read and what I have see on TV, I have
come to my personal opinion that there is a Cabal in the upper levels of the
FBI that conspired to elect Hillary Clinton and defeat Donald Trump, and
failing that is now trying to bring down the Trump administration.
The Players:
James Comey – Former FBI Director who signed the FISA requests,
knowing that the primary evidence was the Steele dossier which has been proven
to be rumors, innuendo and fabrication. Comey allegedly committed perjury by
stating under oath that he did not write his HRC exoneration letter before
taking her testimony. His statement was proven false by documents released by
the FBI under subpoena from the Congress. Comey directed all the investigations
of HRC, the Clinton Foundation and Uranium One to Washington, cutting off all
of the FBI field offices and directing all of the evidence to a small group of
loyalists on the seventh floor. 1
Andrew McCabe – Former Assistant FBI Director who signed all
of the FISA requests. McCabe was a known Trump opponent who reportedly
coordinated the anti-Trump efforts. When advised of a request from Mike Flynn
for assistance working with national sheriffs, McCabe was heard shouting “F**k
Flynn and F**k Trump. McCabe’s wife ran for state Senate in Virginia and her
losing campaign was given $700,000 by Terry McAuliffe, former VA governor and
HRC bundler. McCabe was fired one day after the current FBI director read the
contents of the Nunes memo.
Bruce Ohr – Number 3 man at the FBI. Once it became public
that the HRC campaign and the Democratic National Committee had paid $992,00 to
Fusion GPS for the Steele dossier and other information from Christopher
Steele, the FBI cut ties to Fusion GPS. Bruce Ohr then became the conduit to
Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele via his wife, Nellie Ohr, who was employed by
Fusion GPS and continued to funnel
materials to the FBI.
Peter Strzok and his girlfriend Lisa Page – They were both
in on the HRC investigations and Strzok was on Mueller’s Trump investigation
until the Strzok- Page texts came up and then Strzok was removed from Mueller’s
commission. Their text messages became famous with references to Andy, and
insurance policy and a secret society.
Rod Rosenstein – Assistant Attorney General and signatory to
at least one of the FISA requests. When Attorney General Sessions recused
himself from the Trump Russia accusations, Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller as
Special Counsel to investigate the Russia allegations.
Michael Isikoff – Chief Investigating Correspondent with
Yahoo News. He became the facilitator to Christopher Steele to get materials to
the FBI by using Nellie Ohr at Fusion GPS to funnel them to Bruce Ohr at the FBI.
Yahoo News was cited in the FBI documents used to corroborate the Steele
dossier.
1 I came to this conclusion this morning when I saw
the interview of James Kallstrom, former Assistant FBI Director, by Maria
Bartiromo on “Sunday Futures” on FNC. Kallstrom maintains that these folks are
guilty of a litany of charges including perjury, sedition and collusion.
Kallstrom makes the case that there is much more to come.
Maybe it is time to clean house on the seventh floor of the
FBI and put a real FBI agent in charge instead of a political appointee.
Saturday, May 30, 2015
What is "Big Solar?"
It all started with a phone call that started, “Did you know
John Bradford (my state representative,) is in the pocket of Big Solar?” At that point, I reflexively clicked off like
I do with all robocalls. A little later, I started thinking about this. What
the heck is “Big Solar?”
For the past couple weeks, I have been getting multiple calls every
day from organizations with names like Americans for Responsible Energy Choices
(I made that one up, but they all have warm and fuzzy names like that.) These calls claim that solar energy is
either a big boondoggle or essential to the future of America. I get calls telling me that I can get solar
panels on my roof (I live in a condo) and that Duke Energy will pay part of the cost and then
I can sell surplus energy to Duke to help pay for the rest. That would be
unlikely since my electric company is Energy United, a co-op.
Now I’m putting it all together. The NC state legislature is
ending its short session and on the table are hydraulic fracturing in NC,
offshore drilling and debating the end of tax credits for solar energy in NC.
Even my friends in the solar panel business admit that solar is not cost effective
without government subsidies, and with the reduced cost of oil and gas as a
result of fracking in the US, it will not be cost effective in the foreseeable
future.
I now I understand the BIG. This past week Jim Rogers, the former
CEO of Duke Energy said in a speech that the solar energy subsidies are
essential to NC businesses. (I wonder what’s in his portfolio.) And, yesterday
the Charlotte Business Journal reported that Google, Apple and Amazon have “warned”
the legislature against ending the tax credits. Those three are among a dozen
or so companies that have large data centers with massive solar arrays in
Western NC.
Millions of dollars are at stake and millions are being
spent in lobbying. Big Solar wants tax credits for the politically correct
solar energy AND they want to stop fracking because cheap oil and gas makes
solar energy even less cost effective.
In my humble opinion, cheap and abundant energy is essential
to get NC and America growing again. Hydraulic fracturing and the proposed gas
pipeline can provide that. Solar energy can be a good idea if and when it can
compete. If we are going to invest in solar, let it be in the form of research
grants to universities to develop solar collectors that are inexpensive to
produce and don’t degrade over the years.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
The Science is Settled?
“The Science is Settled.” We hear that statement frequently
from politicians. Lately, we have heard this in regard to measles vaccination
and climate change. Politicians who do not understand science will latch on to
a theory, or the results of one scientist and run with it until the public
actually thinks the theory is true. In fact, science is never truly settled. A
scientific conclusion is accepted and adopted until someone comes along and
disproves the conclusion or creates an alternate hypothesis with equal
validity.
An example is the measles vaccine. In 1998, Andrew Wakefield
published a report in The Lancet, a British journal of medicine, linking the
MMR vaccine to autism. This report was widely received and resulted in a large
drop in the use of the vaccine in Britain and the United States. This was
accepted as settled science until other scientists were not able to reproduce
Wakefield’s results and it was later found that Wakefield had conflicts of
interest and had manipulated data to produce his desired result.
In 2003, The University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research
Unit published report that greenhouse gas had reached levels that were making
the Earth’s temperature graph look like a hockey stick and would shortly become
irreversible, causing hurricanes, tornadoes and economic collapse. This
panicked the environmentalists and the politicians like Al Gore used it to
enrich themselves by hyping it and funneling money to cronies in the green
industry, like Solyndra. Later, emails were leaked that showed that the
research team had manipulated data to get these results. This theory was so
discredited that the proponents had to change the name of the crisis to Climate
Change. Now when they say “97% of climate scientists agree the climate is
changing,” they are stating the obvious. The archeological record shows the
Earth’s climate is and always has been changing.
The climate change theory is two stage. The first is that
man’s activity on the planet can cause a big enough impact to be measurable.
The next stage is that the impact will be large enough to create the feared
climate destruction?” There is
scientific theory on both sides of that question, but the data so large that
they can’t do a reliable model. The studies on the amount of temperature rise accountable
to man’s activity in the last century ranges from 0.02 degrees to significant
(no number stated) based on what the study assumes to be man caused activity.
They can prove parts of it, but not the entire theory. In
field experiments, scientists have difficulty showing a long term rise in CO2.
They can measure the amount of CO2 being put into the atmosphere, but they
cannot reliably predict the long term effect. When the CO2 levels rise, plants grow faster
and increase the levels of oxygen in the atmosphere. This runs counter to the
theory. Some alarmists are now adding uncontrolled plant growth to the fears.
As for methane, termites and cows create more methane than man. The University
of San Diego has done research on cows and have determined that corn fed cows
produce significantly more methane than grass fed cattle and is even trying to
develop grass pellets for cattle feed to keep down the methane level.
So, when someone tells you the science is settled, they are
really telling you their mind is made up and they have found a report that
backs up their preconceived notion. My best advice is recycle, don’t waste
things, drive a fuel efficient car, don’t pollute and above all, DON’T PANIC. Oh,
then there is that Middle East thing. If Iran gets nuclear weapons, we might
have to dig up the late Carl Sagan’s speeches on nuclear winter.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Falling Out of Love with Apple
I believe I am falling out of love with Apple. I have avoided the iPhone, but I have owned an iPad and now I'm on my third iPod.
The iPods always seem to have no battery left when I want to go for a walk, but if I leave it plugged in, the battery life is shortened and eventually won't hold a charge long enough for my walk. Then Apple wants an insane amount of money to change the battery, so you end up buying another one.
Granted, my iPad is old. But that's the way I am. I use something until it dies; I do not automatically go buy a new one just so I can have the latest thing. So, Apple keeps changing the operating system until your iPad has very limited use. One by one, my apps become unusable because they require a newer operating system and my iPad 1.2 doesn't have enough memory to upgrade past iOS 5.5. Most apps now require 6 or higher to function due to enhanced graphics and videos on their sites.
I understand that. I use my iPad primarily for email, social media and as an e-reader. It still functions ok for these apps, except that if I try to open a link in an email or a video in Facebook, it will crash.
Once my Kindle app stops working, I'll buy a Kindle.
But, what really pisses me off are the people in the Apple stores. If you need help, you need to go back home and make an online appointment with the "Genius Desk." This week they sent me an email offering up to $200 dollars trade-in on a new iPad. I took mine to the Apple store yesterday. The greeter guy tells me I have to wait for a "specialist." Eventually this big unshaven guy comes out, tattoos all over both arms and legs, pierced ears and nose, takes one look at my iPad and says "We don't take iPad 1's in trade." I told him I wasn't interested in paying $500 for an iPad and he says, "No problem," turns around and walks off.
It may be a generational thing. People my age are not used to dealing with customer service people like this. It may be acceptable to Gen-Xers and Nex-Gens and whatever else they are, but it is not acceptable to us baby boomers. IF I ever decide to buy another iPad, I'll be doing it at Best Buy. I wouldn't keep buying iPods if all my music wasn't on iTunes.......iSh*t.
The iPods always seem to have no battery left when I want to go for a walk, but if I leave it plugged in, the battery life is shortened and eventually won't hold a charge long enough for my walk. Then Apple wants an insane amount of money to change the battery, so you end up buying another one.
Granted, my iPad is old. But that's the way I am. I use something until it dies; I do not automatically go buy a new one just so I can have the latest thing. So, Apple keeps changing the operating system until your iPad has very limited use. One by one, my apps become unusable because they require a newer operating system and my iPad 1.2 doesn't have enough memory to upgrade past iOS 5.5. Most apps now require 6 or higher to function due to enhanced graphics and videos on their sites.
I understand that. I use my iPad primarily for email, social media and as an e-reader. It still functions ok for these apps, except that if I try to open a link in an email or a video in Facebook, it will crash.
Once my Kindle app stops working, I'll buy a Kindle.
But, what really pisses me off are the people in the Apple stores. If you need help, you need to go back home and make an online appointment with the "Genius Desk." This week they sent me an email offering up to $200 dollars trade-in on a new iPad. I took mine to the Apple store yesterday. The greeter guy tells me I have to wait for a "specialist." Eventually this big unshaven guy comes out, tattoos all over both arms and legs, pierced ears and nose, takes one look at my iPad and says "We don't take iPad 1's in trade." I told him I wasn't interested in paying $500 for an iPad and he says, "No problem," turns around and walks off.
It may be a generational thing. People my age are not used to dealing with customer service people like this. It may be acceptable to Gen-Xers and Nex-Gens and whatever else they are, but it is not acceptable to us baby boomers. IF I ever decide to buy another iPad, I'll be doing it at Best Buy. I wouldn't keep buying iPods if all my music wasn't on iTunes.......iSh*t.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
In Business, Relationships Rock!
September 8, 2013
In 1988, a man named Harvey
Mackay wrote a book that set the business world on fire. It was called “Swim
With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.” It is an entertaining and
enlightening handbook to be successful in your career and personal life. It is a
networking bible. It established Harvey Mackay as a respected author and
columnist.
The book chronicles Mackay’s
career from a recent college graduate trying to find a job, becoming successful
selling envelopes, to buying a failing envelope company and turning it into a
huge success. The book has been re-printed and needs to be in every businessman’s
arsenal.
As a construction
Subcontractor, we are losing the personal relationships we have with our
customers, the General Contractors. Invitations to bid are sent out
electronically. To view plans, we go onto a contractor’s FTP site or to a
service like iSqFt. We download and print plans or order
the prints from a third party printing service. We send our bids by fax or
email. General Contractors now have a “pre-construction” department that puts
the bids together before handing them off to the project manager, sometimes
with a purchasing department in between. Unless you have a relationship with a
contractor, or a really low price, your lines of communication with the
contractor are limited.
Getting to know the people in
the company you want to do business with are more important than having the lowest
price. Contractors are looking for the lowest responsible bid, and when the
contractor knows you, you get a seat at the table when the job is bought out.
What Harvey Mackay wrote in 1988 is relevant today, except that part about a
Roladex. If you use Mackay’s principles, including the “Mackay 66,” the things
you should know about your client, your business relationships will be greatly
improved. For you youngsters, it is even available as an e-book.
Monday, September 2, 2013
How's Your Project Cash Flow?
September 2, 2013
In an uncertain economy, a
positive cash flow is imperative. Your goal should be to exit the recession
with the same amount of cash you entered with. If you don’t have cash, you won’t
be able to fund the materials and labor necessary to take on additional work
when the economy recovers. Your accountant furnishes you with a periodic cash
flow statement at the end of the period, but very few subcontractors do a cash
flow statement on their individual projects. A project cash flow statement will
let you know how each job is affecting your overall cash
flow.
You can download an Excel
template for a simple cash flow statement at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/statement-of-cash-flows-TC001046101.aspx?AxInstalled=1&c=0
. You should have your project manager furnish a monthly cash flow statement on
each project. You only need to do the top section, Cash Flows from Operational
Activities. It is only 7 lines long and you are only concerned with the top
three lines, cash received, cash paid for materials and cash paid for wages,
benefits and other operating expense. The template will calculate your cash
flow for the project.
Why do a project cash flow
statement? The project manager has the most influence on cash flow and
contractors fail when they run out of cash.
Tips for improving your
project cash flow:
1.
Front load the
Schedule of Values. This is critical to maintain a positive cash flow on the
job.
2.
Get the billing
in on time and done correctly. Re-work on the billing is deadly to cash flow.
3.
Negotiate for
payment of stored materials.
4.
Negotiate lower
retention terms. Make sure the contractor passes through any reductions he gets
from the owner.
5.
Email your
invoices. Even if you are still required to mail an original, the contractor
will still be able to include your billing for the month if the mail is delayed
or lost.
6.
Utilize ACH
payments. The money is sent directly from their bank to your bank.
7.
Get a check
scanner from your bank and immediately scan any checks received.
8.
Have one person
dedicated to collections. Must be tenacious.
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