Why Herman Cain Can Be the Next US President?

(Article submitted by a local independent for opinion.)

You might not know him and honestly, I wasn’t that familiar with him as well. I’ve heard him on the radio off and on for a few years and seen a few interviews he has done. However, I now truly believe that Herman Cain has the best chance of being the next President of the US.  I will tell you why and do so without “political correctness”.  Once you read this article you’ll either GET IT and your eyes will open widely, or you’re not too bright and you’ll miss my point.

A political outsider…
If you ‘hate politicians’ and feel that most are corrupted by the system, then why would you vote for one and trust one?  You shouldn’t…  Herman Cain has not held political office.  If you’ve watched any “candidate” make promises and statements, then make a 180 turn once they got into office, you are just as sick and tired as the rest of us. Cain can focus like a laser beam on the differences between Obama the “candidate” vs. Obama the President.   He should hold these examples on high and pledge to do in office what he says on campaign.  He can stand on his “word” and people will now have something to believe in.

The ultimate power of the “reverse race card”…
This past election and ever since, any questioning of the current president often led to allegations of racism. Let’s face it, Cain is “more black” than Obama and grew up in the south in the 50s and 60s.  He faced challenges and fears growing up that that few of us have ever had to deal with.  When was the last time the “Republicans” could pull out the race card? Herman Cain is the REAL Black America and many blacks will relate to him more than Obama.  This is a man that black parents can point to and HONESTLY tell their children, “That could be you one day.”

Race and the media…
How many ‘stupid’ interviews did you see over the past few years or round tables loaded with progressives, liberals and “admitted socialists” that always brought up this one question, “Do you think RACE plays an issue here?”   Say good bye to your “crutch” biased media.  Without that option, where do they go? Real issues and facts? That would scare the hell out of the left and the media. Imagine one of the “left leaning” media interviewers being called out on the air as being a racist by the candidate himself.

Let’s give an example of this…
During an interview this statement is made about blacks and others on welfare, “Programs today are designed to make people more dependent rather than less dependent.”  If that was made by a white, well off, Ivy League educated candidate, the media and the left would call the remarks racists, insensitive, and coming from someone that knew nothing of the black Americans’ struggle.  However, coming from the mouth of a black man born into poverty, that later became the CEO of God Father’s Pizza, they sound very true and heartfelt.  Both whites and blacks would sit and nod their heads yes.

Core American Values…
The “average” American still has basic, core beliefs that mirror Cain’s beliefs.  Sure there are a few issues that one might differ on slightly, but America at its core, is still a traditional nation. Work hard, do the right thing, believe in God, and understand that being “free”, is the most valuable right we have as a nation.  You can see some of his positions HERE When it comes to all the main issues, 80% of Americans believe the same.

Cain’s the one Obama, and his political machine, fear the most… or will.
In 2012 America, ALL of America , will be looking for CHANGE.  In my mind they will find REAL change in one man. Herman Cain.  A man whose life reads like a book called, “The American Dream”. A man that has nothing to gain from this run, except a chance to help the country he so passionately loves.  I have always said that America is in need of one person, a George Washington.  A man that will lead this nation back into greatness not based on himself, but what is best for the nation.  A man that runs because he feels that it is his duty and not seeking political power.

What the media is missing…
Look back at recent elections and you find that the Tea Party was a powerful force.  The media made it sound like a “small group” of Americans, sitting on their front porch drinking “sweet tea” and beer. However, they are missing one thing; the hidden / underground members.  There are MILLIONS and MILLIONS of Americans that hold the same values of the Tea Party, but to be honest, would not “claim that name” in membership.  They believe in smaller government, less regulation, lower taxes, stopping Washington’s corruption, lowering our national debt, and the belief that we ALL are ready to make sacrifices if EVERYONE is “on board” and held accountable.
Herman Cain can kill the media’s number one tool / claim of the Tea Party. “They are racists.”  How would a news caster possibly be able to call the Tea Party racists if their leader and candidate was a black man from the south?  Remove that one powerful tool of the media left, and you will see a MAJOR uplifting of the Tea Party.  A wave that not only hits the nation, but is more like a tsunami that SWEEPS the nation in a massive powerful source.

If the Tea Party and Americans find this one connect, it is probably the only chance a candidate will have against defeating Obama.

(The above post is an editorial / opinion submitted to StopTheJunk from a reader.)

Google Search Results Look Different?

There’s nothing like someone that loves to innovate, but when you decide YOUR way is the better way, you better be prepared to lose customers.
This week Google started rolling out its new “lighter and brighter” search results page.  The search results have a lighter color to them, and they are more “spaced out”.  Many are saying that it looks a lot like BING search results page and I have to agree.
When I did a search this morning, I WAS SHOCKED.

Not only are the new results hard to read but there are fewer of them.  The new layout actually hurts my eyes and I can’t stay on the page long.  NEVER, in my LONG web career have I seen SUCH a bad move by a “normally smart company”.

Here’s my message to Google.
If you want to change something that is quite personal to people, ASK THEM NEXT TIME.

Post a link on your page that says, “See the New Search Look” and leave it up for a week, or give people the option to revert back to “Classic”. That will let you know that your “brilliant programmers” and research people were wrong.

I am encouraging people to email Google, post on their forum, and those that have Adwords accounts to make your voice heard as well. DON’T sit back and take it. YOU’RE THE CONSUMER, and you have the right to leave them.

Google’s motto is “Don’t be evil”, but they should change it to something that works a little better like, “Listen to your customer, because you’re not always right.”

After searching further, the answer seems to be “clear your cache and cookies”.
So, was this a test? I short glimpse of things to come?
After going into my “cookies folder” and deleting the Google file, the search returned to normal.
We’ll have to wait and see.

I Tortured Them, but We Are the Cowards

Some things just never leave your mind. Some are images or even “video like” that can be played over and over with great detail. Torturing these soldiers is one of those that sticks in my mind.  I’ll admit it openly; I tortured the soldiers all night long. However it’s not my fault that we have become a weak nation.

My small team had been chasing these idiots all day. It was hot, dry and they gave us a pretty good run. I can’t say how many miles we covered, but by the time we rounded them up, the sun had started to set.  Each of these soldiers was bound with zip ties, a bag put over their heads, and they were placed under a small shelter.  I told the Captain I was going to take my guys back for a shower and chow and we would be returning around 2100. (9pm)

We ate like pigs after washing off the red dust that covered our bodies. We were tired, sore and somewhat dehydrated from an all day chase in the heat.  We had a K-9 with us, Jake, so he was taken care of first. After he ate, he fell sound asleep within minutes.

We returned to the compound and met with the others to relieve them. The temperature had dropped quickly and it was in the lower 50’s. I remember thinking to myself I wished I had brought my dam field jacket.   By then each of the prisoners had been stripped to their skivvies, still hands bound and heads covered,  and each placed in their own “kennel box”; a small white wood box that looked like a dog crate. The boxes were about a 4 feet square with a few small holes near the top. Each box had a number on the side of it and the prisoners now became that number.  They were referred to as #9 or #6, depending on the box number they were in.

The boxes were arranged in a semi –circle under the shelter. In the middle was small “pond” as we called it; a 4 foot circle of dirty, cold water.  One of my guys would slowly walk by the boxes and knock on the side. He would shout “number”. The prisoner inside would have to shout out his number. This went on for hours and hours and you just knew one would fall asleep.

Sure enough one did. We opened his box, dragged him out, and stood him in the pond.  2 – 3 of us would shout questions at him. He would answer only with his name and serial number.  After a few minutes of this, you could see he was getting cold. His body started to shake and shiver.

Being the caring and thoughtful hosts we were, we then proceeded to pour small cups of the freezing water over his body.  All the while repeating the questions and shouting. This went on for a good 20 minutes. Keep in mind the other 16 prisoners listening to this.  By the end of this session, his body was shaking violently from the cold. We pulled him out and threw him back in his box.

I remember shouting, “Who’s next? We started pounding on the boxes again and all night long pulled them out one by one and introduced them to the pond.  Trust me; none of them fell asleep again.  I was pretty satisfied, and we managed to break down several and get information about their missions.

The sun started to come up, and the Captain and his team returned from a night’s rest and chow. He hopped out the truck, came up to the shelter. “Good morning Sarge, how are the kids doing?” he asked. I replied, “I think 4 and 10 shit themselves, but we had pretty fun night.”  He chuckled a bit and then ordered the boxes opened.

All the prisoners were brought out; hands cut free, hoods taken off. Each was given clothes and we helped some get dressed.  Some had trouble moving being cold and in the cramped box all night. They were led over to the large fire now burning outside the shelter and we brought them a warm meal, and drinks.  I walked around to each man and asked if he was physically OK. With silent nods and a quick inspection, I shook each one’s hand.

They knew who I was and I’ll never forget the look in their eyes. I could see into their souls and emotions. With some I could see hate, anger and resentment; with others I could see relief.  It wasn’t until the last man, who was their leader, that something hit me.  He actually spoke. He looked into my eyes and leaned towards me. I thought he might take a swing. He quietly whispered, “Thanks for caring about my men.”

What I failed to mention earlier is that these were “our guys”.  Most were combat pilots; a few were DNI’s. (Do not identify)  They came to an evasion / survival training center deep in the woods.  There were classrooms full of live poisonous snakes and other related training materials. I volunteered often for this work, giving up a few days off to train them on K-9 evasion / facts.  Then chase them through the woods, capture them, and torture them all night long.

While the training exercise was planned and carefully monitored, the whole thing took on a very REAL feeling. Late at night we were all tired and I have to admit that we would play the roles well.  Trust me, these guys TRULY felt they were in danger and felt real fear after close to 48 hours of running, hiding, capture, and torture.  They, the prisoners left the training feeling proud and as though they had accomplished something.  I however, left feeling rather empty.   I often struggled with the emotions of these training days.  I can still see clearly in my mind their unclothed bodies, standing in the pond, shaking violently.

This leads me to our choices in the United States. We have chosen, via the President’s orders, not to use many interrogation techniques on terrorists.  Personally, I’m fine with that decision.  I think while it makes us less safe, we must hold to a higher ground. Otherwise we become “like them”.  However, understand this clearly. We will not be able to stop attacks in the future that may have been avoided or stopped if we did use them.  They WILL come. Whether on the small scale, such as individuals blowing themselves up in subways, or on a larger scale like 9-11, they will happen.

We however, are a weak, lazy and unprepared nation and must deal with the fact that many, if not most, in our country are not prepared for it.  If we are going to be open and honest, let’s look in the mirror first and ask ourselves, “Are we prepared?”   Are we prepared and strong enough to deal with what lies ahead. I think not. A “former Miss America” gets searched at the airport and breaks down sobbing?

We have a bad habit in this nation of seeing ourselves as “better people”, but not preparing for those who don’t hold to those same values.

The problem? We currently feel safe and in a way suffer from Normalcy Bias.
Once the attacks start again on our soil, I think the public outcry will be “water-board them!”.
Here is a small quote from someone that recently visited Israel.

“You can’t go anywhere in Israel without being searched – your bag, your car, your body. Security guards lurk everywhere – coffee shops, shopping malls, schools, buses, businesses. Their metal detecting machines are ready to slide down your body ever so slowly, revealing those hidden secrets in the folds of your dress.”

So, get ready America. The price we pay for being “moral” is a very high one that most are not willing to pay.

With the death of Osama Bin Laden the controversy roared about the release of his photo. However, we have a new guess at why the White house and others, don’t want it released.  Information was released from the administration describing the photo. From CNN ” the most recognizable image of bin Laden’s face has been described as extremely gruesome and graphic. It reportedly shows a massive open bullet wound across both of his eyes.”
We believe that the wound on the front of his face will appear to be an “exit wound” to many. Thus leading to a whole new set of “deathers” coming up with theories that he was executed after he was wounded in the chest.
Soon the claims will rise that once he was wounded in the chest, one of the “U.S. personnel on the ground then walked up to him and shot him in the back of the head.”
Remember, that bullet “entry holes” are usually very small, about the size of the bullet itself. However, due to the energy, bullet expansion, and bone matter, the exit wound can be very large.
Trust me, if they can play the “birther thing” for 2 years, this will not “die” for years and years.  I warn the U.S., DON’T release the photo unless you want millions of his fans on a death march against America.

If you thought the government was getting a little too much information on you, hold on to your hats.
The new proposed passport paperwork is truly one for the records.  Yes line after line of private information that you are required to list and now in the hands of your “friendly” government officials.
Can you list ALL your address since birth? You have to on these new forms.
Can you  “List your mother’s residence one year before your birth”?

We know you think we’re kidding, right?

Nope see them HERE

The government estimates the new forms can be completed in under 45 minutes.  I give a wager that not ONE government employee you find on the street can complete them in less than 2 days.  The HUGE amount of private information is not only amazing, but scary as well.  This is BIG BROTHER in its purest form.

Bad Economy, World Crisis, and Fear Impacting Emergency Food Supplies

No matter what you believe, many Americans are suffering from fear of the unknown. Political concerns, economic downturns, inflation, world unrest, rising gas prices, and a US dollar being inflated, are just some of the issues causing it. The reaction to all of this has led many to start preparing for the unknown.

Many Americans are now just not sure what lies ahead and this fear, has led them to prepare for either the worst, or at least some tough times ahead. Part of this is having enough food on hand to feed their families.  It has been said before that our society is “nine meals away from anarchy”, meaning that most average Americans have enough food and supplies for 2 – 5 days.

If you don’t believe that figure, just take a look at any recent disaster, such as hurricane Katrina. After only a few days, average citizens took to the streets looting and stealing.  Food and water was not to found.  Hence, we had fairly “normal” people turning into traveling gangs tearing into homes, shops and anything that held supplies.

Many companies sell long term storage food, or “emergency food”.  These foods come in military style rations, or in larger bulk storable forms. One site Emergency-Foods.org has even started to review these companies and their products.  The consumer can get honest reviews of the foods including ease of storage, nutritional value and taste.

They also warn consumers that the wait times for these foods is growing longer and longer.  Many items that a year ago would ship in 48 hours are now on 8 – 10 week back orders.  So, if you think you can wait to prepare, you just might find a LONG and growing line.

Keep in mind that if another “crisis” hits, such as major earthquake in California, these companies will have their ENTIRE inventory wiped out in a matter of days. This happened back during the hurricane when a few organizations came in and bought everything they had. Yes, everything.

The message is quite clear; preparing means taking action BEFORE hand, not after.

Also, make sure you visit Emergency-Foods to learn about restrictions and laws on Military MREs as well how some companies are selling “old food” that has been sitting on the shelves for years already.

General Motors Corp. could be majority owned by the federal government under a massive restructuring plan laid out Monday that will cut 21,000 U.S. factory jobs by next year and phase out the storied Pontiac brand.

The plan, which includes an offer to swap roughly $27 billion in bond debt for GM stock, would leave current shareholders holding just 1 percent of the century-old company, which is fighting for its life in the worst auto sales climate in 27 years.

GM is living on $15.4 billion in government loans and said Monday in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it envisions receiving an additional $11.6 billion. But if GM’s restructuring plan can’t satisfy the government by June 1, the struggling company could go into bankruptcy protection.

GM said that it will ask the government to take more than 50 percent of its common stock in exchange for canceling half the government loans to the company as of June 1. The swap would cancel about $10 billion in government debt.

In addition, GM is offering stock to the United Auto Workers for at least 50 percent of the $20 billion the company must pay into a union run trust that will take over retiree health care expenses starting next year.

If both are successful, the government and UAW health care trust would own 89 percent of GM stock, with the government holding more than a 50 percent stake, CEO Fritz Henderson said in a news conference at GM’s Detroit headquarters.

President Barack Obama’s administration said in a statement that the bond exchange filing is an important step in GM’s restructuring but the administration has not made a final decision about taking stock for part of its loans.

“The interim plan that GM laid out in this filing reflects the work GM has done since March 30 to chart a new path to financial viability. We will continue to work with GM’s management as it refines and finalizes this plan and with all of GM’s stakeholders to help GM restructure consistent with the president’s commitment to a strong, vibrant American auto industry,” the statement said.

Henderson said that although the government would own a majority of GM’s outstanding common shares, the Treasury “hasn’t demonstrated interest in running the company,” but would have someone on the board looking out for the taxpayers’ interest. The task force has directed current board chairman Kent Kresa to replace several board members.

“The shareholders, the VEBA (health care trust) and the government would want to have a someone on the board of directors,” he said.

Deals with the UAW and the Treasury have yet to be finalized, he said.

The struggling automaker said it will offer 225 shares of common stock for every $1,000 in notes held by bondholders as part of a debt-for-equity swap. Henderson said the objective is to reduce GM’s $27 billion of outstanding public debt by about $24 billion. The company estimates that after the exchange, bondholders would own 10 percent of the company.

That would leave current common stockholders with only 1 percent, GM said. Still, GM shares rose 34 cents, or 21 percent, to $2.03 in midday trading.

The plans, if successful, would reduce GM’s debt by $44 billion from the present figure of about $62.4 billion.

“We would be substantially less-leveraged as a company,” Henderson said.

Kip Penniman Jr., an analyst with KDP Investment Advisors Inc., predicted the exchange offer would fail and GM will file for bankruptcy. The value of all of GM’s outstanding stock is about $1.27 billion, so if bondholders get about 10 percent of the equity, the offer is only worth about 5 cents per dollar of GM bonds, he said.

GM’s plan depends on 90 percent of bondholders exchanging their debt, and “there is no chance that GM will get anywhere near that participation rate,” Penniman said in a research note.

Henderson said if the debt exchange isn’t successful, he would expect GM to file for bankruptcy protection somewhere around June 1, but such a filing would be unlikely very long before the deadline. Bondholders have until May 26 to accept the exchange offer.

Henderson said the company still prefers to restructure outside of court, but he acknowledged that the prospect of bankruptcy is more likely now that it was a few weeks ago.

“The task at hand in terms of what we need to get done is formidable,” Henderson said. “But it can be done.”

GM said it would speed up six additional factory closings that were announced in February, although it did not identify the locations. Additional salaried jobs cuts also are coming, beyond the 3,400 in the U.S. completed last week.

Henderson said there would be three more factory closures in 2010 beyond the six that were previously planned. He expects to identify them by publicly in May. They will include assembly, engine and transmission and parts-stamping factories, he said.

Including previously announced plant closures, the restructuring will leave GM with 34 factories at the end of next year, 13 fewer than the 47 it had at the end of 2008.

Besides the U.S. job cuts, General Motors Canada said it plans to slash its hourly work force to from 10,300 currently to 4,400 by 2014 years.

The company also said it plans to reduce its dealership ranks by 42 percent from 2008 to 2010, cutting them from 6,246 to 3,605. When asked how GM would accomplish that, Henderson would say only that the company would be making offers to the dealers in the coming weeks.

Mark LaNeve, vice president of North American sales and marketing, said a big chunk of the dealership reduction — about 450 — would come with the elimination or sale of Saturn, Hummer and Saab. GM would then look to end relationships with dealers that do only a small volume of business with GM, and then move on to other dealers, he said.

“We’ve got a cadence plan to it,” he said. “I don’t want to get rid of any dealers,” LaNeve said, but acknowledged that that GM has had more dealers than it needs for quite some time.

Henderson said the new plan lowers GM’s break-even point in North America to an annual U.S. sales volume of 10 million vehicles. That’s slightly more than the current sales rate, but most economists expect an uptick in the second half of the year.

“This lower break-even point better positions GM to generate positive cash flow and earn an adequate return on capital over the course of a normal business cycle, a requirement set forth by the U.S. Treasury,” GM said in a statement.

The company said it would phase out its storied Pontiac brand no later than next year, and the futures of Hummer, Saturn and Saab will be resolved by the end of this year by either selling them or phasing them out.

For Pontiac, the decision means the death of a brand known for its muscle cars including the Trans Am made famous in movies and the GTO, the subject of a nostalgic song by Ronny and the Daytonas.

Henderson said in a news conference that the company was spread too thin to make Pontiac work.

“We didn’t think we had the resources to get this done from a product perspective,” or marketing, he said.

He said the decision was very tough for many at GM because of the 83-year-old brand’s heritage.

Henderson said talks continue with potential parties to buy a stake in Opel and are expected to continue through the end of May. He said the company would continue to have a presence in Europe as a stakeholder. He said Chevrolet is one of the fast-growing car segments in Eastern Europe and Russia.

One of the conditions to get aid from Germany is to have a private investor take a stake in Opel, he said.

How could you have missed that when you did your final filing review and hit “send” or dropped your return in the mail? What can you do about it now?

As it turns out, plenty.

The complexity of the tax code, coupled with the frantic lives most of us lead, means that there is ample opportunity for tax-filing mistakes. Sometimes the mistakes could cost you, like forgetting to include income earned on an investment account. Other times, it might lower your tax bill, such as when you run across a forgotten receipt for a generous charitable contribution you made.

Either way, the Internal Revenue Service provides second chances to get your tax return right with Form 1040X.

This X-file is normal

There’s nothing supernatural about this X-file.

For a tax form, the 1040X is pretty easy to complete. Basically, the IRS wants to know what you originally reported, what your corrected numbers are and why you are making the changes. There’s also a section for adding or subtracting personal exemptions in case there was some confusion as to whether you properly counted someone as a dependent.

And, in most cases, you can change your filing status, which could get you a bigger refund. For example, a new divorcee filed this year as a single taxpayer. But that cost her some tax money because she’s got custody of the kids. She should have filed as a head of household, which would have given her a larger standard deduction.

These are the kind of things you definitely should correct with a 1040X, say tax experts.

Couples who filed separately also can change a return to married filing jointly so they can get some tax breaks not allowed to separate filers. They can’t, however, do the reverse. Changing from joint to separate filing after a return’s deadline has passed is not allowed.

When the IRS benefits

Taxpayers also should be diligent about correcting their returns, even if it means they end up paying a bit more in taxes.

Why? Because it’s a pretty safe bet that the IRS is going to discover your error eventually.

If it’s a simple addition or subtraction mistake, there’s no need to amend the return. The IRS says its computers will detect the error, notify you and adjust your return automatically.

But if it’s something bigger — you overlooked a Form 1099 for $1,500 you got from a freelance house-painting job — and you catch and correct it first, it could save you from paying even more to the IRS.

The IRS may not penalize you for this honest mistake, but it sure will collect some interest on the proper amount you didn’t pay on time in the first place. The sooner you correct the error, the less interest you’ll pay.

“We had one preparer who filed a client’s return,” says Brenda Schafer, CPA and Enrolled Agent with The Tax Institute at H&R Block, “and then the employer informed the person that he would be getting a corrected W-2, so it had to be re-filed.

“You just want to be sure you have a correct return,” she says, “whether it’s in your favor or not.”

Year-round amended filing season

Such corrections are a year-round occurrence, but tax professionals say the need to amend a return often is discovered during the following year’s filing season.

“Sometimes when you’re having next year’s return prepared,” says Schafer, “the professional says, ‘Oh, you didn’t tell me about that last time.’”

Then there’s the case where a little more knowledge can mean more tax filing work.

“We’ve had people take income tax courses to help them do their own returns and pick up items where they could or should amend a return,” Schafer says.

Amending time limits

But don’t go searching through old files for ancient tax returns in the hopes of possibly eking out a few more refund dollars.

The IRS generally gives taxpayers three years after the original return’s filing date to make any changes with a Form 1040X. If you filed early, you get three years from the return’s due date to correct any errors.

Your window to amend closes a bit if you didn’t pay all the tax you owed when you filed. In this case, you must revise your return within two years of the day that you finally paid your full bill to Uncle Sam. If, however, the two-years-since-payment date arrives after the standard three-year time limit, the IRS says you can amend your return using the deadline that comes later. Similarly, if you paid your taxes late, but not that late, and the three-year grace period provides you more revision time, you can use it.

As for the actual filing, even if you regularly e-file, you’ll have to send in a paper Form 1040X. The IRS is not yet equipped to handle this form electronically. Be sure to pay attention to the mailing addresses in the form’s instruction book. Amended returns don’t always go to the same IRS service center that processes regular returns.

Getting it right pays off

But don’t automatically reject filing an amended return out of fear of inviting an IRS audit.

Sure, the IRS will take a close look at an amended return that’s netting you a refund. And that means tax agents could conceivably look at your original tax paperwork in the process.

So why, ask hesitant amended filers, should they invite the extra attention, especially if they file just within the three-year amendment limit — the same time period after which the original 1040 would be off the tax examination radar?

“An amended return might just draw attention to a return,” says Schafer. “But, really, people shouldn’t be concerned. The main thing with tax filing is to get it right.”

And that means getting it right any time.