Green T Hour | blogtalk radio

STOP THE ROMNEY CORONATION

By Jeff Crouere

January 12, 2012…With one caucus and one primary completed, there is a stampede of media analysts and Republican operatives rushing to proclaim Mitt Romney as the defacto Republican nominee. Despite the fact that only a fraction of the delegates have been chosen and voters in 48 states have yet to cast a vote, there is a definite push to call this political ballgame early. Why the rush to coronate a nominee? A prolonged primary battle with not harm Romney or whoever wins the nomination, it will only make the GOP nominee stronger. A hard fought Democratic Party campaign against Hillary Clinton in 2008 certainly helped Barack Obama become a better candidate.

In contrast, Republicans have not seen a vigorous nomination contest since the epic 1976 race between Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. Unfortunately, the GOP favors establishment candidates who have previously lost and are running for the second or third time. Republicans like to clear the field for the candidate that insiders believe has earned a spot at the top of the ticket. This flawed strategy has given the party two nominees who were major losers: Bob Dole and John McCain. Thus, we enter the 2012 contest with a front runner, Mitt Romney who lost in 2008 and never stopped running for President. With a massive war chest and a plethora of party leaders pushing for his nomination, the Massachusetts flip flopper has plenty of

momentum. Media analysts and commentators are already claiming that the race is over and the country will be subjected to a Romney versus Obama race this fall. At this point, it is way too early to end this primary contest. Voters in the South clearly think differently on most issues than the more liberal electorate in Iowa and New Hampshire. Usually, a moderate candidate like Romney would not do well in a conservative state like South Carolina; however, voters will be influenced by media coverage painting Romney as the eventual winner. Voters like to side with a winner and not “waste” their vote. Romney will also have a huge financial advantage and a Super PAC ready to spend $7 million touting his candidacy.

As we enter South Carolina, the moderates are united behind Romney and the conservatives are split among the other candidates. The Tea Party does not have a unified voice, so there is division among the right leaning candidates. The longer this continues, the better the result for Romney. To improve their chances of defeating Romney, the conservatives should unite behind one candidate. Gingrich, Santorum and Perry need to meet and decide which candidate is the strongest one to move forward. If Romney is the nominee, Democrats will be delighted. They know that Romney is the weakest candidate they can face in the general election, regardless of the media spin. In fact, Democratic operative Donna Brazile admitted this secret on ABC after the network’s Republican debate last Saturday night. If Romney is the nominee, Republicans will not be able to challenge Obama on the issue of socialized medicine. Romney’s Massachusetts plan was the inspiration for the Obama healthcare disaster. Two of Romney’s advisers helped Obama craft his plan. Under Romney, taxes increased by $730 million in Massachusetts, so he will not be able to make the anti-tax argument. While Romney was Governor, Massachusetts suffered from anemic economic growth, the fourth lowest in the country. Romney supported liberal judges and cabinet appointments. He espoused liberal positions on major issues and was a self proclaimed “progressive” who did not want to “return to Reagan Bush.” These liberal positions, the flip flopping, and the controversy over his tenure at Bain Capital make Romney an inviting target for Obama and the Democrats. The Republican electorate in this country needs to spend much more time contemplating whether they are ready to nominate a candidate as liberal as Romney. Although he is sounding conservative themes today, his record is spotty at best. His conversion is one of convenience not of principle. Romney needs to be completely vetted and more Republicans need a chance to express their opinion. The nomination process should not be dominated by just a few states that do not represent the mainstream of the Republican Party. If the process is shortcut by media pressure or big money, the vast majority of GOP voters across this country will be disenfranchised. Just one year ago, the Tea Party was celebrating a major victory in the mid-term elections. Today, Mitt Romney is getting ready for his coronation, even though he does not represent the Tea Party or the conservative Reagan wing of the Republican Party. In the interest of the conservative movement, the remaining conservative candidates

need to unite and set aside their personal interests. There needs to be consolidation on the right to give Romney a run for the money. Otherwise the drumbeat that it “is over” will continue and the Romney nomination will become a conservative nightmare turned reality.

David Stockman: Blame the Fed

You cannot say enough about the danger of the deluded people who were running the

Federal Reserve, and that’s why I’m so happy to see, finally, the Republicans waking up

and the letter that came out a couple days ago warning them no more of this, you’ve

done too much already. At least there’s a dawning recognition that we have a profound

constitutional crisis emerging as a result of the Gang of Four.

Yes, there are twelve people on the open market committee. It’s the Gang of Four --

Dudley, Bernanke, Yellen, and Evans -- who has seized power in this country and really

need to be called out.

"....anyone who reads Section 6 of H.R. 2885 can see the clear and unambiguous

language that outright "preempts" states from having their own E-verify laws.

Considering how successful these state laws are (Arizona almost has more

enrollees in E-Verify than all the other states combined, and when our law was

passed, you should have seen the illegals leaving en masse moving to CA, UT and

TX), it's shameful how hard Roy Beck is pushing what will amount solely to more

federal legislation that guts states rights and makes sure mandatory E-verify is

enforced by no one. "

http://hub.numbersusa.com/route/0/4e861696b8880a717d000000/656828/0

Bill to Eliminate Illegal Alien Hiring Close to Becoming Law

H.R. 2885, The Legal Workforce Act, cleared a huge hurdle by passing through the U.S.

House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 22-to-13. This great bill will mandate the EVerify

worker verification system nationwide, which will keep illegal aliens out of U.S.

jobs. This will ensure that the 22 million Americans looking for full-time employment will

have a much greater chance of finding a job. This bill will need support from many more

U.S. Representatives before it can move on to the Senate. Please don't delay. Send this

critical message to your U.S. House Representative today, urging him/her to do more to

protect vulnerable American workers against cheap illegal labor. This is a completely

free service. There is no cost to you.

http://hub.numbersusa.com/route/1/4e861696b8880a717d000000/656828/0?series=27S

EPT11hl

C/O The International Forecaster

DES MOINES, IA - Texas Congressman Ron Paul has won the first-ever

online Iowa straw poll, capturing a commanding 44% of the over 6,000 votes cast

in an online poll sponsored by Iowa Congressman Tom Latham's campaign. The results

of the two-week online poll (located at: onlineiowastrawpoll.com) were announced one

day before Saturday's Ames Straw Poll, which is considered by most as the first real test

of a presidential candidate's organizational strength in Iowa.

The results of the online poll promoting Saturday's big event for the Republican Party of

Iowa were:

1st - Ron Paul with 44% of the unique online votes

2nd - Herman Cain 16%

3rd - Michele Bachmann 10%

4th - Rick Perry 8%

5th - (TIE) Tim Pawlenty and Mitt Romney 5%

7th - Sarah Palin 4%

8th - "Someone Else" 3%

9th - Rick Santorum 2%

10th - (Tie) Jon Huntsman and Newt Gingrich with 1% of the unique online votes

It should be noted that Texas Governor Rick Perry and former Alaska Governor Sarah

Palin are not yet officially announced candidates for the GOP nomination and will not

appear as options on Saturday's actual straw poll ballot in Ames.

"I congratulate Ron Paul and his campaign on this victory," said Iowa Congressman Tom

Latham whose campaign for Iowa's new Third Congressional District sponsored the poll.

"Regardless of the results, the most important message of this online poll is that Iowans

are united in their motivation to bring common sense back to Washington. And it's clear

why. Americans are tired of paying for Washington's failed and costly policies. They are

ready to fight for leaders who will put people before politics and progress before

partisanship to change the way Washington works and the work that Washington does

to restore the confidence in the American Dream."

The Iowa Republican Straw Poll will take place Saturday in Ames, Iowa on the campus

of Iowa State University. More details on the event can be found at: IowaGOP.org

c/o The International Forecaster

BofA Sells Part of Mortgage Portfolio to Fannie Mae {And BAC collects

$500m!} Revolution!

The deal, finalized last Friday, will deliver the rights to process and collect payments on a

pool of 400,000 loans with an unpaid principal balance of $73 billion, people familiar with

the deal said. The purchase price is more than $500 million… [Who protects taxpayers?]

c/o The International Forecaster

Obama enacted the DREAM Act by executive order

Last Friday, with no fanfare, no press coverage, and with every effort made to hide his actions from the American people, President Obama enacted the DREAM Act by executive order.

Opposed by a majority of the American people and twice defeated in Congress, the DREAM Act grants amnesty to any illegal alien residing in the United States if s/he agrees to enlist in the U.S. military or enter college.

The Obama administration memo from the John Morton, Director of I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) directs I.C.E. agents now to use "prosecutorial discretion" with regard to enforcing immigration laws.

Director Morton says that Obama Administration policy directs border patrol agents not to enforce immigration laws: "When ICE favorably exercises prosecutorial discretion, it essentially decides not to assert the full scope of the enforcement authority available to the agency."

You read that right. According to the Obama administration "favorable" enforcement means NOT enforcing the law!

According to one of the first press reports to break this important story, the new Obama policy is cut and dry: "federal immigration officials do not have to deport illegal aliens if they are enrolled in any type of education program, if their family members have volunteered for U.S. military service, or even if they are pregnant or nursing.

Just recently Obama's Department of Justice (DOJ) blocked Arizona from enforcing its voter ID law. Arizona is one if not the biggest portal of illegal immigration in the nation with half a million illegal aliens coming through the sate annually. Arizona's Attorney General Tom Horne recently stated that he believed that blocking of the law facilitated massive voter fraud by illegal aliens.

"Attorney General Tom Horne accused the Obama administration Tuesday of trying to thwart Arizona's voter-ID laws in a bid to get more illegal immigrants to the polls - presumably to cast ballots for the president and Democrats.

Horne acknowledged that a brief filed by the Department of Justice in a case to be heard next month by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals centers around the agency's argument that Arizona's law requiring proof of citizenship to register is pre-empted by federal law. But Horne, a Republican, told Capitol Media Services he sees something more sinister." More…

First we have amnesty passed by executive order then we have President Obama's DOJ blocking voter ID in Arizona. What could possibly be the president's motive?

This story has the potential to bring the Obama Administration to its knees. The momentum can be on our side and just e-mailing it to others can create a critical mass. Don't assume you have no power. You do!

Obama Administration Passes DREAM ACT by Executive Memo

c/o The International Forecaster

HOME OWNER RELIEF

Homeowners facing foreclosure can now tap into a $1 billion program of emergency loans to help tide them over a temporary financial crisis, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced.

Beginning today, homeowners in 27 states can file preliminary applications for the Emergency Homeowner's Loan Program (EHLP). Eligible homeowners can obtain interest-free loans of up to $50,000 to help cover mortgage expenses for up to two years.

The program is available to homeowners who have seen their incomes fall and who could lose their homes to foreclosure due to circumstances beyond their control, including involuntary unemployment, underemployment, economic conditions or an illness.

The program is a counterpart to the $7.6 billion Hardest Hit Fund and is available only to homeowners in states not covered by that program. The Hardest Hit Fund provides foreclosure avoidance assistance to homeowners in states that have been most seriously affected by the declining housing market and economic downturn.

The new initiative is expected to provide assistance to up to 30,000 homeowners, with loans averaging $35,000 each. Loans may be used to pay a portion of monthly mortgage bills, including missed mortgage payments or past due charges including principal, interest, taxes, insurances, and attorney fees.

Homeowners seeking assistance must complete a pre-application screening workshop by July 22 in order to be considered for the program. As demand is expected to exceed the amount of funding available, qualifying homeowners will be chosen at random to complete the application process.

More information on the program, including links to the pre-application worksheet, are available on the NeighborWorks web site at

http://www.nw.org/network/foreclosure/nfmcp/EHLPconsumers.asp

NeighborWorks is partnering with HUD to carry out the program.

IN YOUR FACE JOBS

Wisconsin and Louisiana posted the two biggest gains since 2010, with the latter, along with Oklahoma, also showing the biggest gains over the last five years. By proactively reshaping its posture toward business taxation and regulation, Louisiana has been quietly stealing pages from the Texas playbook.

By contrast, Illinois has dropped 40 places in five years and is now in a death spiral. Its bond ranking is 49th, ahead of only California. The state may play host to fugitive state senators from nearby Wisconsin and Indiana who avoid voting in their home legislatures, but businesses are heading for the exits.

Not surprisingly, states with punitive tax and regulatory regimes are punished with lower rankings, and this can offset even positive scores on quality of living environment. While state incentives are always welcome, what CEOs often seek are areas with consistent policies and regulations that allow them to plan, as well as intangible factors such as a state's overall attitude toward business and the work ethic of its population.

PATRIOT ACT DIRT BAG

Harry Reid is attempting to ram the "Patriot" Act through once again with little debate and no amendments - despite his promise to senators on both sides of the aisle to allow an open amendment process.

Thankfully, the liberty movement has an ally in the Senate whose determination to stand up for the American people's liberties is stronger than ever - Senator Rand Paul.

For the past seven hours, Senator Paul has been holding the Senate floor, keeping Reid and his allies from rushing this bill through the Senate without debate or amendments.

I know over the past two days I've sent you numerous requests to take action by calling your senators and demanding they oppose the unconstitutional, misnamed "Patriot" Act - and I will ask you again in just a moment.

But first, please give Senator Paul's office a call at 202-224-4343 to thank him for standing up for the American people and the Constitution!

Afterward, please give both of your senators another call through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Ask them to stand with Rand Paul, the Constitution, and the fundamental liberties that made America great by opposing the rushed extension of these three provisions without debate - and unamended.

Together, we have a great opportunity to make a difference, but I need you all to remain as steadfast and committed to this fight as Senator Paul.

I hope you will stand with Senator Paul and C4L by again contacting both of your senators to oppose the extension of the so-called "Patriot" Act.

BIG BROTHER

Big Brother really is watching you constantly. According to a new report by The New York Times, cell phone companies often "track your every move" and they do so while keeping their customers entirely in the dark about the intrusive practice. This disconcerting revelation came to light after German politician Malte Spitz sued his mobile provider, Deutsche Telekom, to find out exactly what information about him they had acquired. What the court revealed is shocking even if it's not much of a surprise to those suspicious of our ceaseless connectivity.

Between the end of August, 2009 to the end of February, 2010, Deutsche Telekom, current owner of T-Mobile, had recorded and saved his longitude and latitude coordinates more than 35,000 times. "We are all walking around with little tags, and our tag has a phone number associated with it, who we called and what we do with the phone," Sarah E. Williams, a graphic information expert at Columbia University tells the Times. "We don't even know we are giving up that data."

In the United States, even less is known about what level of surveillance wireless companies are conducting on their customers because these companies are not required to divulge what information they collect. According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, however, that information is extensive, and is only getting more so. One of the reasons telecoms are collecting the data is for market research purposes. Another, perhaps more troubling reason, is for the benefit of law enforcement, like the FBI and CIA.

In contrast to the installation of "cookies" by websites, which are used to gather information about a person's online browsing habits, it is currently impossible or at least incredibly difficult to opt out of cell phone surveillance in the US. A variety of "do not track" services, from companies like Google and Mozilla, are now available, which prevent websites from automatically installing cookies on users' computers.

Perhaps that will change if customers start suing their telecoms, as Mr. Spitz did in Germany. But in this age when many of us have already opted out of personal privacy by publishing a wide range of aspects of our lives online, such a fight seems unlikely.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Terror threats appear to be on the rise as FEMA has rushed a $1 Billion order of dehydrated food in the event of attacks on domestic targets in the US.

This is also coming on the heels of one of the largest terror drills performed by the US Navy on American soil, as Operation Solid Curtain is taking place this week.

In an article Tuesday from the Beaufort Observer, many of the largest suppliers of dehydrated foods in the country are dropping their distributors and customers to dedicate their resources to supplying a billion dollar FEMA request and purchase.

One of the nation's largest suppliers of dehydrated food has cut loose 99% of their dealers and distributors. And it's not because of the poor economy. It's because this particular industry leader can no longer supply their regular distribution channels. Why not? Because they're using every bit of manufacturing capacity they have to fulfill massive new government contracts. Look, the government has always been a customer of the industry to some extent. But according to our sources, this latest development doesn't represent simply a change of vendor on the government's part. It's a whole new magnitude of business.

And that's not all.

Apparently, even though they've cut off their regular consumer markets, the industry leader I've just mentioned still can't produce enough survival food to meet the government's vast requirements. How do we know? Earlier this month, FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) put out a Request for Proposal, or RFP, for even more dehydrated food. The RFP called for a 10-day supply of meals - for 14 million people. That's 420 million meals. Typically, FEMA maintains a stockpile of about 6 million meals. Why the sudden need to increase the stockpile by 420 million more? (And that's in addition to whatever our aforementioned industry leader is supplying.) It almost seems like they're trying to stock a modern day "Noah's Ark," doesn't it?

Single functions or events such as FEMA requesting a purchase of survival food might not stand out as peculiar when it is their responsibility to ensure they are mission ready for unforseen events in the US, but couple this with other pieces of the puzzle, such as the Navy drill of Solid Curtain, which is intended for: nationwide "drill" involving all military, and it's a drill based on a severe terrorist attack.

And the public had best be aware of something major potentially occurring on our soil in the near future. Global events across the world such as the revolutions and protests, the rising spike in oil, the falling dollar, food shortages, and unrest in Wisconsin and Ohio, are bringing us to the point where crisis may take place, whether from domestic or foreign sources.

Terror alerts have been raised by FEMA in the past month, and this new special order of dehydrated food, at the magnitude of $1 Billion dollars in taxpayer money, should be a call for everyone to prepare on your own for any potential crisis. (Courtacy of The International Forecaster, www.intforecaster.com)

THE MONEY

There is plenty going on in the world and the Irish election result was expected. We cannot believe that Fine Gail only took 70 of the 166 Parliamentary seats. They have to form a coalition government, which is surprising considering the terrible damage the previous party in power inflicted on the Irish people.

Not only is Ireland now pitted against the euro zone, the EU and the IMF, but there is a civil war in Libya and new demonstrations in Oman. The US states are becoming battlefields as well as those in Beijing. As we predicted more are on the way as talk radio and the Internet spread the word worldwide about what is really going from country to country, who is causing it, why and what they want to do to the peoples of the world. In spite of this turmoil there is little consternation in markets. Their complacency belies serious trouble lies ahead. They just don't get it yet, but they will. Oil prices alone with higher food prices should shock them into reality. Present prices will cost the consumer economy $150 billion in lost buying power. Wait until the Chinese see their oil bill. The Saudi replacement oil for Libyan lack of production is a very thin cushion. What few understand is that because Libyan crude is a perfect feed for ultra low sulphur diesel. The poorer quality Saudi crude needs three Saudi barrels to replace one Libyan barrel. The refineries that process Libyan crude cannot remove the sulphur in Saudi crude. This problem will lead to higher pries if the Libyan civil war does not end quickly.

As we write the dollar has again broken down to 76.95. Minor technical support exists at 76, then at 74 and then ultimately at 71.18, the all time low. This is not a good development. As this develops real interest rates slowly creep upward and gold and silver want to challenge previous highs.

In the meantime we have the fed creating money to buy Treasury and Agency bonds and we have at least Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana in revolt with California ready to enter the fray. Talk about a wall of worry for gold and silver.

Lurking in the corner are Republican spending cuts, which are holding back a debt extension, which if not implemented with collapse the US financial structure. The Republicans are seeking $62 billion in budget cuts, which in the scheme of things are virtually nothing. Either party is serious about solving problems.

We wonder how economists can project 3.6% growth when it probably will be 1-1/2% to 2-1/4% dependent on what takes place. The difference between $90 and $100 for a barrel of oil is a loss of .25% of GDP. If this turmoil goes on for a year it is a loss of 1% of GDP. This is the wrong thing at the wrong time. We can just imagine the negative affect this would have on unemployment. If we throw in escalating food prices and foreign geopolitical risk, along with still falling house prices, down five months in a row, and falling orders for durable goods. In its usual deportation from reality the Fed admitted part of its QE2 mission was to run the stock market up to give investors the feeling that wealth had returned and all is well. They fail to explain that this miracle was accomplished by inflation and a stealth tax on their assets. Courtacy of The International Forecaster, www.intforecaster.com)

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