The Observation Deck

Congress is in the midst of a pork fest feeding frenzy.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 39,00.html

Nearly 12,000 earmarks have been included in the current budget. Friends, campaign contributors, sons, daughters, wives, girl friends, boy friends and beach front property owners are all seeking their fair share of the federal tax dollar. Everyone is getting into the act. Everyone, that is, except the people of Lakewood.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/wm1458.cfm

I've often complained as I have seen this country evolve from a republic to a democracy to a kleptocracy. I have resolved to stop complaining about the evolution and start seeking my fair share of the pork.

Soo.. Congressman Kucinich.. ifff you could drag yourself away from channeling Cho En Lei, rubbing noses with the Hollywood gliterati and running for president PERHAPS you could spare a few minutes to slice a piece of pork pie for all of your friends here in Lakewood. (You remember Lakewood? That's that town you fly over on your way from DC to Iowa and points West).

Bill

Way over the top, so why you cry for Lakewood's Brudge To Nowhere some guy is working in Washington. By why would you care about the government keeping their word to America's Vet. Make the promise, then cut their benefits! Make them wait until they are bankrupt! I mean why keep our word, our bond, our contract with the Vets or anyone.

Lakewood does not need a bridge to nowhere, saving the Social security Office for Lakewood was more than enough.

Kucinich Wins Help for Vets

DFAS Director Promises To Add 61 New Employees To Eliminate Benefits’ Backlog

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 18, 2007) â€â€￾ Just two weeks after calling for an investigation into the massive delays in federal benefits to combat-injured veterans, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) secured a victory today. In a meeting with Kucinich this morning, the director of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) vowed to require Lockheed Martin, the contractor in charge of processing the claims for DFAS, to more than double its workforce in order to eliminate the immense backlog.

“It is a tragedy that more than 48,000 retired veterans are still waiting for a determination of eligibility and payment of benefits. These veterans deserve only the best, and so far, they have only received lip service from Lockheed. Now that DFAS is stepping in, veterans have hope for resolution of longstanding financial claims,â€Â￾ Kucinich said.

Kucinich’s offices have received complaints from veterans in Northeast Ohio, prompting him to begin the investigation.

On December 3, 2007, Kucinich sent a letter to Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA), requesting that the committee investigate the causes for continuing delays in the distribution of federal benefits to disabled retired veterans who were injure in combat or hazardous duty. Lockheed Martin, as the contractor for DFAS, is responsible for determining eligibility and getting payments to veterans.

DFAS promised to eliminate the current backlog that began in 2003 by April of 2008. Kucinich vowed to maintain oversight.

“I applaud DFAS’ commitment to making sure Lockheed does not profit from denying veterans their benefits. Today’s commitment is a good start.

“Federal benefits are meaningless if the intended beneficiaries do not receive them. I look forward to working with DFAS to eliminate this backlog so that veterans, who gave so much to this country, get everything promised to them. Our veterans deserve better,â€Â￾ Kucinich said.

You know the last time my air conditioner was checked it was $50.00 I should have explained how the owner could cut all benefits and get that bill down to $49.90.

FWIW

Not every program has to be a bridge to nowhere.

Some of our federal tax dollars are supposed to come back to us. Some of those dollars come back as Community Block Grant Development Funds, the spending of which is determined by people in Lakewood (Citizen's Advisory Board). But we don't get our dollars back unless they come back in the form of CBGD monies.

We could use some of our federal tax dollars for worthwhile things and I am fed up with hearing the ridiculous argument that we need to have pork pie or bridges to nowhere.

It just isn't that black and white, except of course, for the part where we don't get any of our money back for either useful or stupid things.

That has got to change.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:Kucinich Wins Help for Vets

Kucinich won nothing for vets. He just jumped on the train as it left the station.

The real story on Social Security? Ask Senator Voinovich.

If Kucinich wants to help people serving in the military he can stop offering wet kisses to the dictator of Syria. When he visited the Middle East he had no time for the men and women serving there. He had plenty of time to break bread with the men helping to kill them.

Anyway I'm not complaining about Democrats and Republicans using tax dollars to payoff campaign contributors; that's a waste of time. I just want a piece of the action for Lakewood.

A billion here and a billion there and pretty soon you are talking about real money.

Not to mention, he tried to ban HAARP back in 2001, calling it an 'exotic weapon', although there is no scientific evidence that HAARP is or can be used as such.

The language referring to it was removed in the bill that was eventually passed, however the original bill remains a part of the congressional record.

http://www.rense.com/general20/cc.htm

So many, many times, Dennis Kucinich has been at the forefront of helping the people of our region. Whether we believe in every position that he takes or not, just count the ways Dennis has tried to keep quality-of-life issues alive for all of us.

Whether fighting for MUNY light, local hospitals, the military pay office remaining in town, or for Lakewood's Social Security office, Dennis has been there for us, fighting the good fight for the people of Ohio.

I'll let you in on a real Dennis story, that speaks to his being a man of his word. Many years ago, when he was campaigning in Lakewood, he stopped by our home. When I told him that the family was not in, but would like to meet him to talk about stuff, he asked what time they would be home. Sure enough, at the appointed time, he was back, and stayed for a lengthy visit; even though he walked goodness-knows how many streets that day.

Dennis is genuinely interested in people. He is a good listener, and I believe that he has worked for a truly better world, more so than any other politician that I've ever met.

As for disagreement with an elected representative's positions or even their actions from time to time? If we wait to be in total agreement with every politician, I have a sense that we'll be waiting a long time.

Gary Rice wrote: As for disagreement with an elected representative's positions or even their actions from time to time? If we wait to be in total agreement with every politician, I have a sense that we'll be waiting a long time.

I agree. Don't get me wrong, I like Dennis, and I believe he has done a lot for our region. I just don't agree with some of his decisions. I think he was listening to the conspiracy theorists when he tried to ban HAARP, though.

Bill

Jumped on what bandwagon? This was a Congressman Kucinich deal from day one. Korean War Vets waiting 4 years for payments? Vietnam Vets, waiting two years for payments? Iraqi vets waiting, and waiting and waiting for payments and processing.

Social Security office staying, a probe into the Federal Reserve and predatory lending practices and how they are actually working together?

I am always amazed, at people saying he is doing nothing! It underlines the bitterness. He is actually doing things in this Republican controlled environment. Not to mention trying to end the war, the single biggest nightmare for this country in every way shape and form.

Bill, I guess this is one of those things you and I will always differ on. I cannot think of American armed forces as Bic Soldiers, disposable. Promise anything, send them over in a very ill conceived war, get them wounded and throw them away. I actually believe the America soldiers as our most precious commodity. People willing to die for America. Doesn't mean we have to hurry that along.

David

You are killing me. HARP, the patents are available, the problem is, it can be used for anything. Dynamite, Atom Bomb, both for peace and other uses. yeah ok, you trust these guys with that technology? They use 1/4 of all natural gas produced on the North Slope of Alaska for? I do not care who said what, look at the patents.

Like giving monkeys AK47s.

David, you do realize that the only people not calling HARP a weapon, is the American military. Everyone, including the two guys that invented it call it a weapon. I think Tesla's comment was "death ray."

I think I can lay hands on an official Navy quote that says to paraphrase, "To be honest we are not sure what it does, that is why we are testing it."


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Dennis is one of the best politicians I have ever seen on constituent service.

Call his office with a problem and you will get help that you would not have thought possible.

Years ago I was having trouble getting a settlement for my kids from their dad's Social Security claim. I went round and round with the folks at the Social Security office and got nowhere. In desperation I called Dennis's office and within a week - problem solved. The complaint was not ignored or buried under rubble on someones desk. It was paid attention to and taken care of.

There are thousands of stories like this about Dennie's office, one of the reasons he has the support of his constituents.

Also, I posted earlier this year, I get a report telling what issues were voted on for congress and the senate for our politicians. I get this every week. I also have checked the percentage of times voted and compared them to his fellow congress people. Dennis comes out way ahead.megavote@mailmanager.net

And what is the recipe for pork pie? Sausage or ham?

Great, so let's make sure whoever gets elected retains Dennis' office staff.

David Lay wrote:Not to mention, he tried to ban HAARP back in 2001, calling it an 'exotic weapon', although there is no scientific evidence that HAARP is or can be used as such.

The language referring to it was removed in the bill that was eventually passed, however the original bill remains a part of the congressional record.

http://www.rense.com/general20/cc.htm

Using Coast to Coast to debunk Rense is like asking Fox to report on why we should get out of the middle east. "Fairly Imbalanced."

Steve Hoffert wrote:Using Coast to Coast to debunk Rense is like asking Fox to report on why we should get out of the middle east. "Fairly Imbalanced."

My information isn't coming from Coast to Coast. It's coming from a relative who works at HAARP, and his doing his Master's thesis on the work he has done there.

Most of the work they do up there is surrounding satellite scintillation - I found the HAARP SATSIN manual online, it's quite a read.

They have the same 'ionoshperic heater' capabilities at Areceibo as they do at HAARP, but no one says anything about that....

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/14890454/detail.html
Condolences to the family.

David Lay wrote:

Steve Hoffert wrote:Using Coast to Coast to debunk Rense is like asking Fox to report on why we should get out of the middle east. "Fairly Imbalanced."

My information isn't coming from Coast to Coast. It's coming from a relative who works at HAARP, and his doing his Master's thesis on the work he has done there.

Most of the work they do up there is surrounding satellite scintillation - I found the HAARP SATSIN manual online, it's quite a read.

They have the same 'ionoshperic heater' capabilities at Areceibo as they do at HAARP, but no one says anything about that....

http://foia.abovetopsecret.com/ultimate ... ations.pdf

And 3.6 megawatts of energy pumped into the ionosphere converted into a wide range of spectral energy down to .001 Hz supposedly has no effect on a human but can disrupt all ranges of communication, heat the ionosphere disrupt the flow of radiation around the earth, create an artificial aurora borealis and cause general disruption in the atmosphere but is totally used for peaceful purposes by the saintly and non-aggressive government of the USA?

Haarp is 3.6 times more powerful than Areceibo at least by official numbers. It is not too far fetched to consider that a device that can manipulate 1 Million Megawatts of power (or the output of 1000 large power plants) could at some point be used as, dare I say, a weapon.

David Lay wrote:

Steve Hoffert wrote:Using Coast to Coast to debunk Rense is like asking Fox to report on why we should get out of the middle east. "Fairly Imbalanced."

My information isn't coming from Coast to Coast. It's coming from a relative who works at HAARP, and his doing his Master's thesis on the work he has done there.

Most of the work they do up there is surrounding satellite scintillation - I found the HAARP SATSIN manual online, it's quite a read.

They have the same 'ionoshperic heater' capabilities at Areceibo as they do at HAARP, but no one says anything about that....

David


This might surprise you, but I have never heard or watched Coast to Coast. Do not listen to any of the other "conpsiracy freaks" and view most as op-eds anyway.

Atlantic Richfield had the patents on HAARP way before it was built in Alaska. Atlantic Richfield was interested because it could "project" deep earth vibration anywhere in the world. This was useful because the best way to do this now is with explosives. They can pinpoint, the vibration, and change the intensity. This is useful for seismograph work looking for oil. This was not theory, but a fact in the mini version AR had. AR ended up losing most of their rights to the government, as "overlap" was found. This is why their patent filing is so helpful.

Another interesting "feature" and one that affects Steve more than I. The earth thrives in a series of frequencies. When they are energized, people get agitated faster, slowed down, and it makes people mellow.

We have the successful test of it moving the ion-sphere test. And the original funding was hidden in Star Wars as a Navy project.

Now I bet your brother-in-law is a great guy, but...


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