Happy Maritime Day!

Today is National Maritime Day. I took the family for a tour of the NS SAVANNAH which is currently up in Baltimore.

The featured speaker was Congresswoman Helen Delich Bentley:

Also in attendance at the program was the US Merchant Marine Academy's Training Vessel LIBERATOR:

You can find more on the NS SAVANNAH on Wikipedia here. The ship was the world's first Nuclear-Powered Cargo Ship.

Here is the President's National Maritime Day Proclamation:

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
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For Immediate Release May 20, 2009

NATIONAL MARITIME DAY, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

Americans have long looked to the sea as a source of security and prosperity. Bounded by two oceans and the Gulf of Mexico, and criss-crossed by a myriad of inland waterways, America's destiny as a maritime nation was a story foretold.

The Merchant Marine took up arms alongside the Continental Navy to help defeat the British Navy during the American Revolution. Since then, they have served bravely as the United States has faced threats ranging from war to piracy, and our seafaring fleet has proven instrumental in protecting our safety. In times of conflict and crisis, the Armed Forces rely on the Merchant Marine's sealift capability to transport critical equipment and supplies. Time and again, mariners have demonstrated their willingness and ability to meet daunting challenges.

Waterways have also enabled much of the commerce that has expanded America's economy. Domestic and international commerce occurred along rivers and coasts even before our Nation's birth. Great cities have sprouted near waterways, and maritime activity remains crucial to our economy today.

The men and women of the U.S. Merchant Marine and the many other workers who have supported the maritime industry have made significant contributions to our leadership in the global marketplace, and to our security.

On this National Maritime Day, we also mark the opening of a permanent exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution, "On the Water." It demonstrates the importance of the maritime industry and chronicles our history as a maritime nation.

The Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 20, 1933, has designated May 22 of each year as "National Maritime Day" and has authorized and requested the President to issue annually a proclamation calling for its appropriate observance.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 22, 2009, as National Maritime Day. I call upon the people of the United States to mark this observance by honoring the service of merchant mariners and by displaying the flag of the United States at their homes and in their communities. I also request that all ships sailing under the American flag dress ship on that day.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

twentieth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

BARACK OBAMA - White House

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High Taxes = Happy People? (Yes and No)

This piece was in the news this week:

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- Northern Europeans are the happiest people on the planet, according to a new survey.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says people in Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands are the most content with their lives. The three ranked first, second and third, respectively, in the OECD's rankings of "life satisfaction," or happiness.

There are myriad reasons, of course, for happiness: health, welfare, prosperity, leisure time, strong family, social connections and so on. But there is another common denominator among this group of happy people: taxes.

Northern Europeans pay some of the highest taxes in the world. Danes pay about two-thirds of their income in taxes. Why be so happy about that? It all comes down to what you get in return. - Marketwatch

Catch that last line, 'what they get back in return'. That is the catch. People in Scandinavia are 'happy' because their Government is taking money from others and giving them stuff. You can bet that the people paying the most are not happy, but of course they are in the minority, and many were probably not even included in the study, simply because they move out of these high tax countries. The UK is now seeing some of their richest declare that they are emigrating as the UK Government moves to raise their taxes from 40% to 50%, on top of other taxes that they already pay. (See here, here and here for examples.) I have a friend who was working in the UK until the credit crunch hit and his evaluation was that the country was bankrupt. He has since moved on.

This tax migration works for US States as well.

Updating some research from Richard Vedder of Ohio University, we found that from 1998 to 2007, more than 1,100 people every day including Sundays and holidays moved from the nine highest income-tax states such as California, New Jersey, New York and Ohio and relocated mostly to the nine tax-haven states with no income tax, including Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire and Texas. We also found that over these same years the no-income tax states created 89% more jobs and had 32% faster personal income growth than their high-tax counterparts. - Wall Street Journal

Maryland raised taxes last year on their richest and now they have lost a third of their million plus earning taxpayers. (Some of course just didn't make as much as the previous year, but others have surely moved on.) There is also the recent well publicized case of business executive Tom Golisano who will no longer be paying $13,000 in New York State income tax every day because he has moved to Florida.

Among other hikes in taxes and fees, they raised the marginal tax rate on the most successful (and most mobile) New Yorkers to 8.97 percent, the second-highest rate in the nation.

Bottom line? By domiciling in Florida, which has no personal-income tax, I will save $13,800 every day. That's a pretty strong incentive.

Like I said, I love New York. But I'm not going to pay any more for the waste, corruption and inefficiency that is New York state government. - NY Post

Maybe he didn't hear that paying all that tax is supposed to make him happy. As one of New York's biggest taxpayers, you would think that he would be the happiest. (Maybe he needs a copy of the report.) But no, it is the recipients of that $13,800 in tax money that he pays that are most happy.

Not for anything but taxes should either be flat or maybe even have a cap per person. Really, $13,000 in income taxes a day? What on earth is he getting back from the State of New York for that amount of money? Not much more than an invitation to pay more in taxes out of some idiotic claim of 'fairness'. If that is true, than it is only fair that everyone pay some taxes.

New York, California and a couple other greedy states look to well off people as cows to milk. Just one problem, there is no fence to keep these cows in their yard. Remember too that Rush Limbaugh also swore off working in New York. Even I, who is nowhere near being screwed like these guys on my taxes (but constantly fight to increase my income) will not move back to New York because I am not interested in seeing my tax money being wasted on Democrat fantasy windmills. It is bad enough that my Federal income taxes this last year took 20% of my gross earnings. That is one day out of five at work, just to pay off my Federal Income taxes. I then need to go back to work to earn for Social Security, unemployment, Medicare, etc all before I start earning to pay for my rent and living expenses.

Going back to the high tax countries named above: Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands. Funny how they also have some of the highest rates of alcoholism. Does that mean that there is a link between high taxes and alcoholism as well as to happiness? Maybe there is a link to the suicide rates as well given that this part of Europe has a high suicide rate? Also, perhaps the following story is also a contributing factor to Finland's high 'happiness' score: "Finns have highest job absenteeism in EU".

This whole report is a load of rubbish. As the saying goes 'money can't buy happiness'. If that is true, than Tax money can't as well. Otherwise they have been lying to us.

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UN Report: GITMO Detainees Not Entitled to Protection of Geneva Conventions

Looking at the whole 'torture' debate that Congress is getting into now, I thought it good to post the below reminder of what I wrote back in 2006:

Speaking of the Geneva Convention. The UN issued a report in February titled "Situation of detainees at Guantánamo Bay." The press covered the report and it's calls for the US to close Gitmo. What the press seems to have missed was this important note by the Chairperson of the working group that made the report:

The Chairperson of the Working Group and the Special Rapporteur note that, while United States Armed Forces continue to be engaged in combat operations in Afghanistan as well as in other countries, they are not currently engaged in an international armed conflict between two Parties to the Third (POWs) and Fourth (civilians) Geneva Conventions. (Pages 13-14 of the report)

In other words, the Geneva Conventions do not apply to these criminals. - June 2006

So, when it comes to those being held by the US in GITMO, the US has not and is not violating the prisoner's Geneva Convention protections, because they are not entitled to them. And even if the Convention applied, those caught were in violation of their responsibilities under it. (Not targeting civilians, uniform, etc...) President Bush, did however extend them treatment in line with the Conventions.

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Senator SmartAss: "We will never allow terrorists to be released in United States"

So we have Senator Reid spouting this stupidity:

We will never allow terrorists to be released in United States - Weekly Standard

Right, instead they plan to release these terrorists into other countries.

PARIS (AP) — A French official says a Guantanamo Bay prisoner who was at the center of a Supreme Court battle has arrived in France.

France agreed to take in Algerian prisoner Lakhdar Boumediene as a gesture to the Obama administration.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier says he arrived Friday in France after his release from the U.S. prison earlier in the day.

Boumediene was arrested along with five other Algerians in 2001 in Bosnia. He was suspected in a bomb plot against the U.S. embassy in Sarajevo. - Associated Press

See. No need to fear these terrorists, as long as they don't plant them near you. Of course he was only suspected of being a terrorist because he was arrested before bombing the US Embassy in Sarajevo.

P.S.

Criminals are terrorists too. And Democrats are real good at releasing criminals from prison. So the Senator is a liar.

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Maritime Monday 162 Posted at gCaptain

This week's edition of Maritime Monday has been posted at gCaptain.

Maritime Monday 162

You can find last week’s edition here.

You can find Maritime Monday 112 here. (Published 26 May 2008).

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US Navy Catches 17 Pirates (Video)

Today comes news of the US Navy catching 17 more pirates off Somalia:

Turkish-Led CTF 151 Makes First Suspected Pirate Capture

From Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs

USS GETTYSBURG, At Sea – Ships from Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 prevented a piracy attack in the Gulf of Aden, which resulted in the apprehension of more than a dozen suspected pirates aboard an alleged “mothership” yesterday.

At approximately 3:30 p.m., the Republic of Korea Destroyer, ROKS Munmu the Great (DDG 976) and guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) responded to a distress call from the Egyptian-flagged Motor Vessel Amira, which reported being attacked approximately 75 nautical miles south of Al Mukalla, Yemen.

Several assault rifle rounds and one rocket propelled grenade round struck M/V Amira resulting in little to no damage to the ship. A rope was thrown from the skiff in an attempt to board but the attempt failed and the suspected pirates abandoned their attack.

Gettysburg and Munmu the Great launched their embarked helicopters which flew immediately to Amira’s location. During its flight, the SH-60B helicopter assigned to Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 46 located a dhow suspected of serving as a pirate “mothership” with approximately 17 people onboard.

A Gettysburg visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team boarded the suspected “mothership” along with members of U.S. Coast Guard Legal Detachment (LEDET) 409 and apprehended the suspected pirates after finding eight assault rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and one rocket-propelled grenade. All 17 of the passengers were brought on board Gettysburg for further questioning.

“This is another clear example of how coordination between the Combined Maritime Forces resulted in the successful disruption of pirate activity,” said Royal Navy Commodore Tim Lowe, Deputy Commander of the Combined Maritime Forces. “It is imperative that all maritime forces continue to synchronize their efforts to deter and disrupt these unlawful and aggressive acts.”

Gettysburg and Munmu the Great are operating in support of CTF 151, a multinational task force established to conduct counterpiracy operations under a mission-based mandate throughout the CMF area of responsibility to actively deter, disrupt and suppress piracy in order to protect global maritime security and secure freedom of navigation for the benefit of all nations. - Combined Maritime Forces (Via EagleSpeak)

Great work. Interesting to see that the boarding party included a legal team. Here is a summary from Wikipedia:

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) officially established the Law Enforcement Detachment or LEDET program in 1982. The first LEDETs operated directly under Coast Guard groups and districts, where they served as law enforcement specialists, conducting training and local operations. In 1986, Public Law (P.L.) 99-570 specifically authorized the establishment of billets for active duty USCG personnel to carry out drug interdiction operations from naval surface vessels provided by the Department of Defense (DoD). Since the Posse Comitatus Act strictly prohibits United States Department of Defense personnel from directly engaging in law enforcement activities, LEDETs were tasked with operating aboard United States Navy ships to investigate contacts and conduct boardings in accordance with USCG policy and directives.

In accordance with P.L. 99-570, LEDETs were to deploy on U.S. Navy (USN) "ships of opportunity", transiting or operating in areas frequently used by illegal drug traffickers. In 1988, P.L. 100-456 made it a requirement that USCG law enforcement personnel be assigned to each appropriate USN surface vessel that transits a drug interdiction area. - Wikipedia

Most interesting. Here is the video.

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Who says that there is no work in Somalia. This ship in in dire need of a rebuild and a paint job. This also appears to be the largest 'mothership' caught yet.

Thanks to EagleSpeak for his unblinking coverage of the Piracy situation off Somalia!

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FAA Playing Stupid on Earmarks

Take this recent statement by the FAA concerning the approval to waste more money over at the 'Fort Murtha' Johnstown airport:

DOT spokesperson Jill Zuckman said the review was undertaken after a "senior policy" official at DOT decided he wanted to reconsider the project, but she declined to identify who that was or detail the reason for the reconsideration. She said the runway's concrete hasn't been replaced in many years and is in need of repaving.

"The bottom line is it deserved the money based on the merits," Zuckman said. "It's not an earmark." - Washington Post

Nice try buddy, but unless this is how funding is obtained to pave most airports in America, then it is an earmark.

Nice also to overlook that the airport itself is one big earmark. And earmarked infrastructure needs to be maintained like all other. Just imagine if the 'Bridge to nowhere' had been built. We would have had to listen to years of excuses on how millions of Federal dollars being spent to paint the bridge are not earmarks because the bridge needs to be painted!

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Estonia's Other Statue

Everyone knows about the Soviet 'Bronze Soldier' memorial that was moved in Tallinn a while back. This was a memorial erected in Estonia's Capital by the Soviet Union to remember the Soviet soldiers who died during fighting to take the Estonian State from the Nazis (for incorporation into Stalin's Soviet Union).

Of course, idiotic Russians claim that the memorial is to honor those who 'liberated' Estonia from the Nazis. One could say that the Soviet Union did do that. The only problem was that the Soviets then failed to give the Estonians their country back.

However, you have probably never heard about this other memorial located in Tallinn, which also happened to be unceremoniously removed. This would be:

The Memorial for Teachers and Students Perished
during the War of Independence

A sculpture commemorating the teachers and students who gave their lives in the War of Independence. This was one of the first monuments that the Soviets removed after occupying Estonia in 1940. Students of Tallinn kept honoring it by laying flowers where it had stood. Many of these students were arrested and never seen again. All monuments honoring the heroes of the War of Independence were either destroyed or removed by the Soviets. This particular one was returned to its place of honor in a slightly damaged condition after the end of the first Soviet occupation. It was again removed immediately after the Soviet invasion in 1944. - ESTONIA, A Nation Unconquered, by Aarand Roos

The statue in the photo is not the original one. That one was destroyed by the Soviets. This one was rebuilt in the 1990's after they finally managed to take back their freedom from Soviet domination.

P.S.

All this happened well after the 1920 Peace Treaty signed between Russia and Estonia, which included the following statement:

Article II

In consequence of the right of all peoples to self-determination, to the point of seceding completely from the State of which they form part, a right proclaimed by the Socialist and Federal Russian Republic of the Soviets, Russia unreservedly recognises the independence and sovereignty of the State of Estonia, and renounces voluntarily and for ever all sovereign rights possessed by Russia over the Estonian people and territory whether these rights be based on the juridical position that formerly existed in public law, or in the international treaties which, in the sense here indicated, lose their validity in future. - Treaty of Tartu

The Estonians would be good to demand that Russia re-confirm their intent to honor this Treaty, for whatever good it will do. With that, this whole issue is another reminder that Russia has yet to go through an accounting of the Crimes of the Soviet Union like Nazi Germany went through.

Previous:
Russian Actions against Estonia a Reminder that the Crimes of Communism Still Need to be Investigated

Europe's Lingering Scar of Communism

Link:
They were Soviets, right? - CDR Salamander which has the following joke:

Reminds me of the one Estonian joke I know. In the 1980s DC you head into a bar and sit next to some drunk old man with a funny accent. You strike up a conversation, note his accent, and ask him where he is from. He stands up straight and says;

I am from Estonia; the world's most powerful nation!

Funny, you think to yourself - never heard of it. He continues;

Our government is in North America, our land is in Europe and most of our population is in Siberia!

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Remembering the Soviet Union v.1
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Now The Democrats Are Worried About CIA Leaks?!?!?

The Democrats thought is was all nice and funny as classified material was leaked like crazy against the Bush Administration. So it is interesting to see how quickly their attitudes change once they become the targets. Take this evening's headline over at Politico:

Democrats: CIA is out to get us

I guess it is not so funny anymore for them. This is all the more amusing in that Congress should have called the CIA to the carpet years ago when the leaks first started appearing as part of their oversight authority. Instead they used the leaks to their party's advantage. As the saying goes, 'you reap what you sow'.

Questions about the CIA’s motives have added to bad feelings between the CIA and Democrats on the Hill and in the Obama administration. Panetta tried to limit the release of Justice Department memos authorizing harsh interrogation techniques, but he lost a struggle with the department, and the memos were released. CIA officials fear that release of the memos could subject them to lawsuits and hurt officers in the field. - Politico

So remember, according to the Democrats in charge, it's OK to leak Government secrets, even if it damages the security of the country, as long as it damages the Republicans. Just don't dare do it if it makes the Democrats look bad.

One important thing to remember is that the CIA can't 'get' the Democrats unless they have something to get them with... I'm guessing that it is something good.

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Joan Rivers Should Have Lost the Celebrity Apprentice

(This post won't make any sense unless you have been watching the Celebrity Apprentice) If I got anything out of watching the latest Celebrity Apprentice, it is that Joan Rivers appears to be a very nasty woman. Sure, I bet she is also the sweetest person in the world, as long as you play ball her way.

However, she really was caught a couple times without her mask on. Now unless the Celebrity Apprentice's editors left out some actions by Annie Duke and the others who were on the receiving end of her outbursts, it appears that Joan is the Nazi that she was calling her competitor Annie Duke. Really, this is what the Nazis did. They demonized their opponents. And since Annie Duke is a poker player, Joan targeted all of them as well.

The confrontation between Joan Rivers and Annie Duke was taken to a new level on this week’s episode of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice. Joan’s daughter, Melissa Rivers, took the fall as a result of her team’s loss, leading the elder Rivers to label all poker players “trash” and call Duke a Nazi in a profanity-laced tirade. - Poker News Daily

There is lots of built up anger in her. Amusingly, you can also see it in her daughter Melissa Rivers who I have to say had one of the most amazing Apprentice meltdowns ever upon getting fired. So maybe it is in the family genes or maybe her daughter learned from watching her mother's outbursts.

Now one issue that appeared clear in the last episode but unfortunately was not confirmed by Mr. Trump (Probably because he was picking Joan Rivers as the next apprentice) was what happened to the event planner and why did they quit the show. The show led on that Joan Rivers' event planner quit because of Joan Rivers and as a result Annie Duke's event planner quit because Joan River's planner just happened to also be the company's owner. Annie tried to point out how her task was sabotaged by this act but Joan Rivers just shouted her down, preventing any further discussion of what happened. Well, it appears that Joan Rivers did have a reason to be so aggressive, because otherwise she might have been confronted with this:

Party planner David Tutera, who memorably clashed with eventual Celebrity Apprentice winner Joan Rivers on Sunday's finale, told Barbara Walters on her Sirius XM Radio show Monday that Rivers is "a monster." Tutera was tasked to work with Rivers to plan a charity auction, but he told Walters he quit in part because "Joan and Melissa [Rivers] were completely incapable of giving me their insight on how the party should look. They had zero direction.... In 23 years of being in business, I have never left anyone, no matter how difficult they are to work with. Her behavior towards any human being was so unacceptable to me. [She's] such a monster I cannot begin to even explain."

Tutera, who also hosts the WE-TV show My Fair Wedding, says Celebrity Apprentice producers "manipulated" the situation by telling him ahead of time that he was not to give Rivers any ideas of his own. "When I got into the room and [Joan's team] gave me no ideas," he said, "I was left to sort of stand there and defend myself." When Walters asked Tutera whether he would work for Rivers again, Tutera replied, "Absolutely over my dead body." - Entertainment Weekly

This I would think should have pushed Joan to second place. Sure both players had to overcome losing their event planners, but that was of Joan Rivers making. And with that being the case, it does not matter that Joan managed to work out a better event, since her opponent was sabotaged by her actions. That should have disqualified her. At the least Trump should have took her to task for driving the event planner to quit.

It is a shame that this was not discussed further. And no, Joan is not a Nazi. But she does appear to have a real nasty streak in her.

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Obama's 2010 Budget Spends Almost $12,000 Per American!

I was one of a large (and still minority) group of people who saw the housing bubble long before it popped. Seeing the bubble had nothing to do with any special skills other than employing a little simple math and comparing it to data on certain items, such as average family income. It was easy to then see that most people could not (and still can't) afford most of the homes that were being sold.

Now comes the President's 2010 budget that is also screaming that this is something the Country can't afford.

After taking office in January, Obama released a bare-bones version of his budget in February that offered a spending plan for 2010 carrying a price tag of $3.55 trillion. The White House revised up the size of the spending plan to $3.59 trillion. - Yahoo News

At $3.59 Trillion, the Government will be spending around $11,970 per American (Given 300 million Americans). That comes out to Government spending of $47,900 for a family of four.

This is an impossible spending figure for the country to sustain. Hell, it will take years, most likely decades of taxation just to pay this one year's deficit back.

Think of buying a car for that amount of money. You would be looking at a five or seven year loan. Most all sensible families would opt for a more fiscally responsible alternative. Now picture buying and trying to pay off a car that costs $45,000 every year! This is the kind of debt that the Obama Administration is burdening families with.

This story gets worse:

The new White House figures bring the deficit estimates closer in line with the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, which has forecast a $1.85 trillion deficit this year and $1.38 trillion in fiscal 2010. - Yahoo News

So, for 2009, the Government is borrowing $6,000 per American. That is $24,000 per family of four.

Then in 2010 they plan on borrowing another $4,600 per American ($18,400 per family of four).

I have a senior management position in a company that employs over 100 people. Looking at my own tax bill for 2008, I am guessing that the senior management's tax payments is nowhere near to covering the gap between what the staff is paying in taxes and what the Government is spending.

Now remember that half of the population pays no taxes. That means that the amounts need to be doubled for the half that does!

Note: The Government does receive tax revenue from other sources, such as business taxes, but the Government also spends money in addition to what is stated in the budget, such as supplemental spending bills to cover the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. So the above is an estimate.

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Maritime Monday 161 Posted at gCaptain

This week's edition of Maritime Monday has been posted at gCaptain.

Maritime Monday 161

You can find last week’s edition here.

You can find Maritime Monday 111 here. (Published 19 May 2008).

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As linked below or click on the label ‘MaritimeMonday’:

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Update: Those Government-Backed General Motors Warranties

A couple weeks ago I pointed out that we should all be wary when the Government claims that they are going to back the warranties of GM and Chrysler cars.

Too bad that there is no way for the Government to convince me that they just won't change the terms of the deal at some point later on, just like they keep changing the rules on the banks that accepted the TARP money. So who knows if or when that wonderful US-backed warranty will turn into a huge anchor chained around your neck! - One Thing About those Government-Backed General Motors Warranties

Now comes confirmation in that Chrysler's warranties have hit a snag thanks to the company filing for bankruptcy.

The company said it had no plans at this point to ask the bankruptcy judge to approve payments to settle lemon law complaints. ”This is a complex process and there are a lot of issues being discussed,” said Chrysler spokesman Mike Palese. “This could be one of those issues that comes up in the course of the bankruptcy, but I can’t say that we have any plans to present it at this time.”

Chrysler advises customers with pending lemon law complaints to file a proof of claim form with the Bankruptcy Court and join the ranks of the automaker’s unsecured creditors.

“In that case, you’ll be lucky to get pennies on the dollar,” [Atlanta attorney Alex] Simanovsky said. - The Truth About Cars

The story quoted above only covers 'lemons', but I bet this will quickly spread to repairs that normally would have been covered by warranty as dealers find out that they are unable to get compensated for the repairs.

This is yet another reason why the Government should not have stepped in and why I won't be buying a Chrysler or GM car from either of them.

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How bad can 'Waterboarding' be....

How bad can 'Waterboarding' be if you can't remember the details of the briefing you had on it?

The memo, issued by the Director of National Intelligence and the Central Intelligence Agency to Capitol Hill, notes the Pelosi-Goss briefing covered "EITs including the use of EITs on Abu Zubaydah." EIT is an acronym for enhanced interrogation technique. Zubaydah was one of the earliest valuable al-Qaeda members captured and the first to have the controversial tactic known as water boarding used against him.

The issue of what Pelosi knew and when she knew it has become a matter of heated debate on Capitol Hill. Republicans have accused her of knowing for many years precisely the techniques CIA agents were using in interrogations, and only protesting the tactics when they became public and liberal antiwar activists protested. - Washington Post

Very interesting how every new revelation in this issue makes the Speaker of the House look like she is either lying or a person who does not pay attention to the confidential information that is being given to her or is incapable of properly dealing with the information she is being given.

Either way, she is not doing her job properly. The important issue here is whether or not she has been using this issue as a political 'whacking stick' against her political opponents, distorting her complacency in the matter. One thing that is becoming very clear is that she and many of her fellow Democrats really don't care one bit about the terrorists being held in GITMO. Their main concern at the moment appears to be making sure that they don't get stuck with the responsibility of dealing with GITMO.

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