SSA Cola Watch – August Report (Updated Monthly)

Background: Under current law Social Security determines whether there will be a COLA for the succeeding year and its amount in October each year by comparing the average CPI-W (Consumer Piece Index – Urban Wage Earners And Clerical Employees) for July through September of that same year to the average CPI-W for July through September of the last year which produced a COLA. I call this the “baseline .” This year, the baseline we are working from is the period from July through September, 2008, which generated a 5.8% COLA in 2009. T

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Historical Reminder.. History DOES REPEAT!!

The following was sent to me by an older cousin, Charles Bowen

If you are a student of History, you will strongly recognize the parallel between the two administrations.. It has been soundly PROVEN,  the economic policies of the early Roosevelt Administration profoundly acerbated the depressionary economy with only the onset of World War II being the stimulus which brought our country out of that economic state.  The US Economy, can not afford another 4 years of the present administration's "blundering in the dark" lack of definitive leadership and economic policies which are proving to be useless and ineffective as the early efforts of the Roosevelt Administration.

The Federal Government can not create jobs, it CAN create a productive environment by getting out of the way, removing hindering regulations, rescinding oppressive EPA rules which do not make any common sense, repeal or drastically revise the so called Patient Affordable Health Care Act A.K.A. OBAMACARE which is based on Massachusetts State Health care [check out recent information of the TRUE COST of this program which is 4x original predictions],  Streamline processes, review effectiveness of and consolidate duplicate agencies within the bureaucracy of the Federal sector allowing the full faith and strength of the US Capitalism to revitalize into full steam ahead optimism.  Reduction of the massive amount of  out of control overspending  with a focus on overall dept reduction,   then and only then will our depressed economy have the confidence to affect any recovery and begin to be productive to the level of strength which is needed across ALL sectors of the economy.

The rebuilding and strengthening begins from bottom up, not top down.

Big Surprises Uncovered in Fed Audit

When read closely, I found this article to have various points which are  very disconcerting to the informed person.


Written on July 25, 2011 by Ann-Marie Murrell

The Federal Reserve has recently had a complete audit and according to Vermont Senator Bernie Sander’s website, one of the big surprises found was the fact that the “U.S. provided $16 trillion in secret loans to bail out American and foreign banks and businesses during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.”

Senator Sanders created an amendment to the Wall Street reform law a year ago which directed the Government Accountability Office to conduct the audit.

“As a result of this audit, we now know that the Federal Reserve provided more than $16 trillion in total financial assistance to some of the largest financial institutions and corporations in the United States and throughout the world,” said Sanders. “This is a clear case of socialism for the rich and rugged, you’re-on-your-own individualism for everyone else.”

Included in the audit findings, the Fed provided trillions of dollars in financial aid from South Korea to Scotland

“No agency of the United States government should be allowed to bailout a foreign bank or corporation without the direct approval of Congress and the president,” Sanders said.

The audit also discovered that the Fed “lacks a comprehensive system to deal with conflicts of interest, despite the serious potential for abuse” and provides “conflict of interest waivers to employees and private contractors so they could keep investments in the same financial institutions and corporations that were given emergency loans.

An example Senator Sanders gives is that the CEO of JP Morgan Chase served on the New York Fed’s board of directors “at the same time his bank received more than $390 billion in financial assistance from the Fed.”  Also, JP Morgan Chase “served as one of the clearing banks for the Fed’s emergency lending programs.”

Another “surprise” discovered in the audit is that, according to the GAO report, on Sept. 19, 2008, William Dudley, president of the New York Fed, was given a waiver allowing him to keep his investments in AIG and General Electric “at the same time AIG and GE were given bailout funds”.  According to the audit, one of the reasons Dudley didn’t have to sell his holdings is because it might have “created the appearance of a conflict of interest.”

“No one who works for a firm receiving direct financial assistance from the Fed should be allowed to sit on the Fed’s board of directors or be employed by the Fed,” Sanders said.

Other information revealed by the audit is that the Fed outsourced most of its emergency lending programs to private contractors, “many of which also were recipients of extremely low-interest and then-secret loans.”

“The Fed outsourced virtually all of the operations of their emergency lending programs to private contractors like JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo,” Senator Sanders posted on his writes.  “The same firms also received trillions of dollars in Fed loans at near-zero interest rates. Altogether some two-thirds of the contracts that the Fed awarded to manage its emergency lending programs were no-bid contracts. Morgan Stanley was given the largest no-bid contract worth $108.4 million to help manage the Fed bailout of AIG.”

Another more detailed GAO investigation into potential conflicts of interest at the Fed is due on October 18.

As Sanders says, “The Federal Reserve must be reformed to serve the needs of working families, not just CEOs on Wall Street.”

To read the GAO report, click here.

Senate Trying to Ram Through Another Bad Bill - SB 3217 Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010

Senate Trying to Ram Through Another Bad Bill . . . Surprised?  Here's What You Need to Know Dear Fellow Patriots, This Friday Senate Bill 3217, also known as the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010, introduced by Democrat Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut, is scheduled to hit the floor of the US Senate where it must wait 72 hours before it comes up for a full vote. CLICK HERE to read the actual 1,421 page bill. The vast majority of Tea Party Patriots' Local Coordinators from all over the country agreed on our most recent weekly conference call that this is a bad bill and we oppose it.  In short it grants permanent, unlimited bailout authority to the Federal Reserve.  It's like TARP forever without the nasty, unpopular debates and votes in Congress.  Beyond that it gives the Fed the power to takeover vaguely defined "nonbank financial companies".  And the Fed has the power to decide what constitutes a "nonbank financial company" on a case by case basis. Here are some links to a few articles that give a bit more insight into this very, very bad piece of legislation which must be stopped: How To Create Bailouts Forever Hidden Danger in Dodd Financial "Reform" Bill Dodd Bill Creates Permanent TARP and You Can Quote That Connecting the Dots: Does Wall St. Want Dodd Bill? Obama: Read My Lips, No More Bailouts (But Let's Keep $50 Billion Around Just in Case) So, what are we asking you to do?  This includes all political candidates and office holders - your failure to act makes you complicit in this unprecedented action Four things: 1.) Please contact your own Senators first and voice your opposition to this bill.  If possible, physically go in person to the local home offices of your two Senators and speak to someone there who will take note of your opinion and pass it on.  If you're not able to go in person, please call, email, and fax the offices of both Senators from your state. (Find Your Senators by State on the Senate Website) Arkansas: Lincoln, Blanche L. - (D - AR) 355 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4843 Fax (202) 228-1371 Web Form: lincoln.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm Main Page:  http://lincoln.senate.gov/ Pryor, Mark L. - (D - AR) 255 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2353 Fax: (202) 228-0908 Web Form: pryor.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactMe Main Page:  http://pryor.senate.gov/public/ 2.) Call, email, and fax these 8 Republican Senators who are not yet 100% opposed to this bill: Robert F "Bob" Bennett - (R - UT) 431 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5444 Fax: (202) 228-1168 Web Form: bennett.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email Main Page: http://bennett.senate.gov/ Susan M. Collins - (R - ME) 413 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2523 Fax: (202) 224-2693 Web Form: collins.senate.gov/public/continue.cfm?FuseAction=Contact... Main Page: http://collins.senate.gov/public/ Christopher S. Bond - (R - MO) 274 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5721 Fax: not available Web Form: bond.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.Con... Main Page:  http://bond.senate.gov/public/ Saxby Chambliss - (R - GA) 416 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3521 Fax: 202-224-0103 Web Form: chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email Main Pagehttp://chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm Bob Corker - (R - TN) 185 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-3344 Fax: 202-228-0566 Web Form: corker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactMe Main Page:  http://corker.senate.gov/public/ John McCain - (R - AZ) 241 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-2235 Fax: (202) 228-2862 Web Form: mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Con... Main Page: http://mccain.senate.gov/public/ Olympia J. Snowe - (R - ME) 154 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-5344 Fax: (202) 224-1946 Web Form: snowe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenat... Main Page:  http://snowe.senate.gov/public/ Brown, Scott P. - (R - MA) 317 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510 (202) 224-4543 Not Available E-mail: comments@scottbrown.senate.gov Main Page: http://scottbrown.senate.gov/public/ 3.) Write Letters about this issue to your local paper for publication on or before Sunday.  Also leave comments on as many news blogs and websites related to this subject as you can find. 4.) Forward this message to as many people as you can and ask them to take these same 4 steps as soon as possible.  Use the full power of your circle of influence to move others (at least 1 more person) to take action. Once again it's up to us, you and your fellow Patriots, to defend America from out of control government. Thank you for performing this valuable service for your country!