The Russians are coming? The Russians are here.
America is infested with more Russian spies than at any point in history, say former intelligence agents who spoke with The Post.
"I would say there are a few thousand here," said Boris Korczak, a former double agent who worked for the CIA, spying on the KGB from 1973-1980.
That's because each mole is a long shot, and the Russians want to maximize their odds. "Out of 1,000 spies, one or two will perform, will get access to our nuclear secrets," Korczak said.
"The current atmosphere in the US is that we're having a love affair with Russia, that the Cold War is over," agreed Eugene Poteat, a retired senior CIA operative who served from 1960-1990. "But there are more Russian spies here now than during the Cold War."
Among the 10 accused Russian spies taken into custody last week is Anna Chapman, 28, a flame-haired bombshell who, unsurprisingly, has attracted the most attention. She is currently being held in solitary confinement in a federal prison in Brooklyn and her lawyer, Robert Baum, told The Post that she is "very unaware" of the media frenzy she's sparked.
Chapman, a Russian native who once said her father was a high-ranking member of the KGB, spent her time in New York City circulating among rich and powerful men. In 2002, she married a British student named Alex Chapman, now 30. They divorced in 2006, after she began spending a lot of time without him and with her "Russian friends" instead.
Read more:
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/record_mole_russia_cold_surpass_K6S6j9QENZeRCOSEvhvYtO#comments_block
Monday, 5 July 2010
Saudi Arabia’s King halts oil exploration
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has ordered a halt to oil exploration operations to save the Gulf country’s massive hydrocarbon wealth for the future generations, the official Saudi media reported yesterday.
Addressing Saudi students sent for studies in the United States, the Monarch said his instructions were part of an ongoing strategy to save the country’s natural resources and ensure part of them are left for the future.
“I will reveal to you something that will make you laugh…..I was heading a cabinet meeting and told them (Ministers) to pray to God the Almighty to give it a long life,” King Abdullah told the surprised students.
“They asked me what that was but I again asked them to pray to God…then I told them it was oil…I told them that I have ordered a halt to all oil explorations so part of this wealth is left for our sons and successors God willing.”
Saudi Arabia already controls around 265 billion barrels in extractable crude deposits, more than a fifth of the world’s total proven oil reserves.
But officials believe the real oil deposits in place are far larger than those that can be recovered by present drilling and production technology.
According to state-owned Saudi Aramco, which controls the Kingdom’s hydrocarbon sector, oil reserves in place are estimated at around 722 billion barrels, of which nearly 110 billion barrels have been produced since Aramco began pumping crude 70 years ago. The amount that can be pumped with present technology is around 265 billion barrels, said Mohammed Saggaf, Manager of Saudi Aramco’s Advanced Research Centre.
“Saudi Aramco’s long-term goal is two-fold…we want to increase total oil in place to 900 billion barrels by 2020 and to push the limits of recovery from around 50 per cent to 70 per cent in our major producing fields, using both improved conventional recovery and enhanced oil recovery,” he said.
“Globally, the average ratio of recoverable reserves to oil in place is mostly 30 to 40 per cent, with a level of 50 per cent, Saudi Aramco is already doing much better than the average…however we intend to go further and push the limit to achieve recovery rates as high as 70 per cent…these are not dreams but are hard and fast targets.”
In a recent study, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), which groups Saudi Arabia, the UAE and eight other regional hydrocarbon producers, put the total Arab oil deposits in place at more than 2,700 billion barrels at an extraction rate of about 35 per cent.
“Assuming an extraction rate of 35 per cent, the Arab oil deposits in place could reach 2,738 billion barrels. This means the oil quantities that can not be extracted by present technology are around 1,809 billion barrels, which are nearly 645 billion barrels above the world’s proven oil resources….these quantities, if they can be extracted, will meet the world needs for 60 years …even if only 10 per cent of them could be extracted, they could be enough for seven years.”
OAPEC said four Gulf countries—UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq—controlled around 50 per cent of the world’s recoverable oil potential and more than 86 per cent of the total Arab crude reserves.
But it noted large quantities of oil and gas remained undiscovered or undeveloped in the region, totaling around 175 billion barrels of oil, 43,368 billion cubic metres of natural gas and 67 billion barrels of gas liquids.
Saudi Arabia pumps around eight million barrels per day of oil in line with OPEC’s collective quota agreement but its sustainable output capacity exceeds 12 million bpd, allowing it to hold over 70 per cent of the world’s idle capacity. At the current output level, its proven oil wealth could last nearly 90 years.
The Kingdom has just completed a $100 billion (Dh367 billion) investment programme launched over the past few years to expand its hydrocarbon industry and maintain its position as the world’s dominant oil power.
Aramco said the largest hydrocarbon investment programme in the Gulf Kingdom’s history has added nearly 3.8 million bpd to the country’s crude output capacity, including around two million bpd in 2009 alone.
http://www.business24-7.ae/companies-markets/energy-utilities/saudi-king-halts-oil-exploration-to-save-wealth-2010-07-04-1.262586
Addressing Saudi students sent for studies in the United States, the Monarch said his instructions were part of an ongoing strategy to save the country’s natural resources and ensure part of them are left for the future.
“I will reveal to you something that will make you laugh…..I was heading a cabinet meeting and told them (Ministers) to pray to God the Almighty to give it a long life,” King Abdullah told the surprised students.
“They asked me what that was but I again asked them to pray to God…then I told them it was oil…I told them that I have ordered a halt to all oil explorations so part of this wealth is left for our sons and successors God willing.”
Saudi Arabia already controls around 265 billion barrels in extractable crude deposits, more than a fifth of the world’s total proven oil reserves.
But officials believe the real oil deposits in place are far larger than those that can be recovered by present drilling and production technology.
According to state-owned Saudi Aramco, which controls the Kingdom’s hydrocarbon sector, oil reserves in place are estimated at around 722 billion barrels, of which nearly 110 billion barrels have been produced since Aramco began pumping crude 70 years ago. The amount that can be pumped with present technology is around 265 billion barrels, said Mohammed Saggaf, Manager of Saudi Aramco’s Advanced Research Centre.
“Saudi Aramco’s long-term goal is two-fold…we want to increase total oil in place to 900 billion barrels by 2020 and to push the limits of recovery from around 50 per cent to 70 per cent in our major producing fields, using both improved conventional recovery and enhanced oil recovery,” he said.
“Globally, the average ratio of recoverable reserves to oil in place is mostly 30 to 40 per cent, with a level of 50 per cent, Saudi Aramco is already doing much better than the average…however we intend to go further and push the limit to achieve recovery rates as high as 70 per cent…these are not dreams but are hard and fast targets.”
In a recent study, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), which groups Saudi Arabia, the UAE and eight other regional hydrocarbon producers, put the total Arab oil deposits in place at more than 2,700 billion barrels at an extraction rate of about 35 per cent.
“Assuming an extraction rate of 35 per cent, the Arab oil deposits in place could reach 2,738 billion barrels. This means the oil quantities that can not be extracted by present technology are around 1,809 billion barrels, which are nearly 645 billion barrels above the world’s proven oil resources….these quantities, if they can be extracted, will meet the world needs for 60 years …even if only 10 per cent of them could be extracted, they could be enough for seven years.”
OAPEC said four Gulf countries—UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq—controlled around 50 per cent of the world’s recoverable oil potential and more than 86 per cent of the total Arab crude reserves.
But it noted large quantities of oil and gas remained undiscovered or undeveloped in the region, totaling around 175 billion barrels of oil, 43,368 billion cubic metres of natural gas and 67 billion barrels of gas liquids.
Saudi Arabia pumps around eight million barrels per day of oil in line with OPEC’s collective quota agreement but its sustainable output capacity exceeds 12 million bpd, allowing it to hold over 70 per cent of the world’s idle capacity. At the current output level, its proven oil wealth could last nearly 90 years.
The Kingdom has just completed a $100 billion (Dh367 billion) investment programme launched over the past few years to expand its hydrocarbon industry and maintain its position as the world’s dominant oil power.
Aramco said the largest hydrocarbon investment programme in the Gulf Kingdom’s history has added nearly 3.8 million bpd to the country’s crude output capacity, including around two million bpd in 2009 alone.
http://www.business24-7.ae/companies-markets/energy-utilities/saudi-king-halts-oil-exploration-to-save-wealth-2010-07-04-1.262586
Sunday, 4 July 2010
Rockets Fired at U.S. Embassy as Biden Visits Iraq
Rockets were fired at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad while Vice President Biden visits Iraq.
The rockets were fired at the embassy, located inside the International Zone.
Vice President Biden is currently in the country to meet with U.S. troops and talk to Iraqi political leaders.
Two soldiers inside the compound reported there was an impact from the incoming fire.
An all clear was given after the attack.
"According to Embassy Public Affairs there was a small explosion in the International Zone," a U.S. Embassy spokesperson said. "The incident is being investigated. There were no injuries or property damage."
Earlier Sunday, Biden urged rival Iraqi politicians Sunday to end months of delays and select new leaders for their wobbly democracy, predicting a peaceful transition of power even as suicide bombers struck government centers in two major cities.
The attacks in Mosul and Ramadi underscored persistent fears that insurgents will exploit Iraq's political uncertainty to stoke widespread sectarian violence. Four people were killed and 25 injured in the two blasts that occurred hundreds of miles apart.
The twin explosions on the Fourth of July illustrated the vexing nature of the U.S. involvement in Iraq and its efforts to nudge the country toward stability and democracy.
On his fifth trip to Iraq since he was elected, Biden sat down separately with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite who is struggling to keep his job after his party lost the March 7 election, and his chief challenger, former premier Ayad Allawi.
The Sunni-backed Iraqiya political alliance that Allawi heads won the most seats in the vote, but it fell far short of securing enough seats in parliament to control the government. That has led to four months of both men trying to woo support from allied lawmakers, ultimately delaying the decision of who will be the next prime minister.
Biden made clear that a government that is not represented by all sides -- no matter who leads it -- will fall short of a thriving democracy.
"All are going to have to play a meaningful role in this new government in order for it to work," Biden told Iraqi leaders of some of the top vote-getting political coalitions at a U.S. Embassy reception Sunday evening. "My plea to you is finish what you started."
Earlier, talking to U.S. troops, Biden said: "When the new government is formed, it will mark something absolutely extraordinary: a peaceful transition of power encompassing all the people of Iraq, maybe for the first time in their history."
Biden met first with Allawi, where he was kept waiting for a few minutes at the home of Deputy Prime Minister Rafia al-Issawi, an Iraqiya lawmaker. After the hourlong, closed-door talk, Allawi said that Biden offered no specific proposals to end the impasse "but there was an interest in Iraq's stability, and that the forming of the government should not be prolonged."
Allawi called the discussion "frank and constructive."
Several hours later, al-Maliki spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Biden warned the prime minister in their 90-minute meeting that delays in forming the government "will bring crisis in Iraq, and the political alliances should make an effort to avoid this crisis."
Al-Dabbagh, who attended part of the meeting between the two, said Biden also expressed fears by the Obama administration over "the regional interference in Iraq." That generally refers to Iranian meddling, but al-Dabbagh said Biden did not single out any nation.
A statement on the prime minister's official website said al-Maliki and Biden also discussed the U.S. troop withdrawal that is scheduled to bring the number of American soldiers in Iraq to 50,000 by the end of August. After a peak of about 170,000 just a few years ago, all troops are set to leave Iraq by December 2011.
The military drawdown also has alarmed some Iraqis who believe their own security forces are not ready to protect them from a dwindling insurgency still strong enough to attack.
Around 9 a.m., a female suicide bomber blew up a reception room outside the Anbar provincial governor's office in Ramadi, about 70 miles west of Baghdad, local councilman Aeefan Sadoun said. Four people were killed and 23 injured. The governor was not among them.
Less than two hours later, police shot a suicide bomber near the Ninevah provincial government's headquarters in Mosul, an al-Qaida in Iraq haven located 225 miles northwest of Baghdad. The bomber still managed to detonate his explosive belt, officials said, wounding two policemen.
The targeting of government offices is a hallmark of al-Qaida in Iraq, which may have sought to use Biden's visit and the U.S. Independence Day holiday as a reminder of Iraq's continuing instability.
Biden is keenly aware that Iraq's security could crumble if formation of a new government results in alienating any of Iraq's mainstream political groups. However, he pointedly did not meet with lawmakers aligned with anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose followers captured 40 of the 163 seats in parliament.
The U.S. does not consider the Sadrists a legitimate political entity, and Sadrists have long targeted American troops in Iraq.
Biden will meet Monday with Shiite cleric Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Iraqi National Alliance, which has joined forces with al-Maliki, and with President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd.
Mahmoud Othman, a senior Kurdish lawmaker in Iraq's parliament, said it was too soon to tell if Biden would be able to break the political deadlock.
"This will depend on to what extent the political parties will be flexible," Othman said in an interview. "But if they stay adamant to their demands then, in my opinion, it will be hard to go forward."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/04/biden-urging-iraqi-leaders-end-political-rivalry/
The rockets were fired at the embassy, located inside the International Zone.
Vice President Biden is currently in the country to meet with U.S. troops and talk to Iraqi political leaders.
Two soldiers inside the compound reported there was an impact from the incoming fire.
An all clear was given after the attack.
"According to Embassy Public Affairs there was a small explosion in the International Zone," a U.S. Embassy spokesperson said. "The incident is being investigated. There were no injuries or property damage."
Earlier Sunday, Biden urged rival Iraqi politicians Sunday to end months of delays and select new leaders for their wobbly democracy, predicting a peaceful transition of power even as suicide bombers struck government centers in two major cities.
The attacks in Mosul and Ramadi underscored persistent fears that insurgents will exploit Iraq's political uncertainty to stoke widespread sectarian violence. Four people were killed and 25 injured in the two blasts that occurred hundreds of miles apart.
The twin explosions on the Fourth of July illustrated the vexing nature of the U.S. involvement in Iraq and its efforts to nudge the country toward stability and democracy.
On his fifth trip to Iraq since he was elected, Biden sat down separately with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite who is struggling to keep his job after his party lost the March 7 election, and his chief challenger, former premier Ayad Allawi.
The Sunni-backed Iraqiya political alliance that Allawi heads won the most seats in the vote, but it fell far short of securing enough seats in parliament to control the government. That has led to four months of both men trying to woo support from allied lawmakers, ultimately delaying the decision of who will be the next prime minister.
Biden made clear that a government that is not represented by all sides -- no matter who leads it -- will fall short of a thriving democracy.
"All are going to have to play a meaningful role in this new government in order for it to work," Biden told Iraqi leaders of some of the top vote-getting political coalitions at a U.S. Embassy reception Sunday evening. "My plea to you is finish what you started."
Earlier, talking to U.S. troops, Biden said: "When the new government is formed, it will mark something absolutely extraordinary: a peaceful transition of power encompassing all the people of Iraq, maybe for the first time in their history."
Biden met first with Allawi, where he was kept waiting for a few minutes at the home of Deputy Prime Minister Rafia al-Issawi, an Iraqiya lawmaker. After the hourlong, closed-door talk, Allawi said that Biden offered no specific proposals to end the impasse "but there was an interest in Iraq's stability, and that the forming of the government should not be prolonged."
Allawi called the discussion "frank and constructive."
Several hours later, al-Maliki spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Biden warned the prime minister in their 90-minute meeting that delays in forming the government "will bring crisis in Iraq, and the political alliances should make an effort to avoid this crisis."
Al-Dabbagh, who attended part of the meeting between the two, said Biden also expressed fears by the Obama administration over "the regional interference in Iraq." That generally refers to Iranian meddling, but al-Dabbagh said Biden did not single out any nation.
A statement on the prime minister's official website said al-Maliki and Biden also discussed the U.S. troop withdrawal that is scheduled to bring the number of American soldiers in Iraq to 50,000 by the end of August. After a peak of about 170,000 just a few years ago, all troops are set to leave Iraq by December 2011.
The military drawdown also has alarmed some Iraqis who believe their own security forces are not ready to protect them from a dwindling insurgency still strong enough to attack.
Around 9 a.m., a female suicide bomber blew up a reception room outside the Anbar provincial governor's office in Ramadi, about 70 miles west of Baghdad, local councilman Aeefan Sadoun said. Four people were killed and 23 injured. The governor was not among them.
Less than two hours later, police shot a suicide bomber near the Ninevah provincial government's headquarters in Mosul, an al-Qaida in Iraq haven located 225 miles northwest of Baghdad. The bomber still managed to detonate his explosive belt, officials said, wounding two policemen.
The targeting of government offices is a hallmark of al-Qaida in Iraq, which may have sought to use Biden's visit and the U.S. Independence Day holiday as a reminder of Iraq's continuing instability.
Biden is keenly aware that Iraq's security could crumble if formation of a new government results in alienating any of Iraq's mainstream political groups. However, he pointedly did not meet with lawmakers aligned with anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose followers captured 40 of the 163 seats in parliament.
The U.S. does not consider the Sadrists a legitimate political entity, and Sadrists have long targeted American troops in Iraq.
Biden will meet Monday with Shiite cleric Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Iraqi National Alliance, which has joined forces with al-Maliki, and with President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd.
Mahmoud Othman, a senior Kurdish lawmaker in Iraq's parliament, said it was too soon to tell if Biden would be able to break the political deadlock.
"This will depend on to what extent the political parties will be flexible," Othman said in an interview. "But if they stay adamant to their demands then, in my opinion, it will be hard to go forward."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/04/biden-urging-iraqi-leaders-end-political-rivalry/
Socialism by design
Barack Obama is no fool. He is not incompetent. To the contrary, he
is brilliant. He knows exactly what he's doing. He is purposely overwhelming
the U.S. economy to create systemic failure, economic crisis and social
chaos -- thereby destroying capitalism and our country from within.
Barack Obama is my college classmate (Columbia University, class of
'83). As Glenn Beck correctly predicted from day one, Obama is following the
plan of Cloward & Piven, two professors at Columbia University . They
outlined a plan to socialize America by overwhelming the system with
government spending and entitlement demands. Add up the clues below. Taken
individually they're alarming. Taken as a whole, it is a brilliant,
Machiavellian game plan to turn the United States into a socialist/Marxist
state with a permanent majority that desperately needs government for
survival ... and can be counted on to always vote for bigger government. Why
not? They have no responsibility to pay for it.
Obama Universal Health Care. The health care bill had very little to
do with health care. It had everything to do with unionizing millions of
hospital and health care workers, as well as adding 15,000 to 20,000 new IRS
agents (who will join government employee unions). Obama doesn't care that
giving free health care to 30 million Americans will add trillions to the
national debt. What he does care about is that it cements the dependence of
those 30 million voters to Democrats and big government. Who but a socialist
revolutionary would pass this reckless spending bill in the middle of a
depression?
Cap and trade. Like health care legislation having nothing to do with
health care, cap and trade has nothing to do with global warming. It has
everything to do with redistribution of income, government control of the
economy and a criminal payoff to Obama's biggest contributors. Those
powerful and wealthy unions and contributors (like GE, which owns NBC, MSNBC
and CNBC) can then be counted on to support everything Obama wants. They
will kick-back hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions to Obama and
the Democratic Party to keep them in power. The bonus is that all the new
taxes on Americans with bigger cars, bigger homes and businesses helps Obama
"spread the wealth around."
Make Puerto Rico a state. Why? Who's asking for a 51st state? Who's
asking for millions of new welfare recipients and government entitlement
addicts in the middle of a depression? Certainly not American taxpayers. But
this has been Obama's plan all along. His goal is to add two new Democrat
senators, five Democrat congressman and a million loyal Democratic voters
who are dependent on big government.
Legalize 12 million illegal immigrants. Just giving these 12 million
potential new citizens free health care alone could overwhelm the system and
bankrupt America . But it adds 12 million reliable new Democrat voters who
can be counted on to support big government. Add another few trillion
dollars in welfare, aid to dependent children, food stamps, free medical,
education, tax credits for the poor, and eventually Social Security.
Stimulus and bailouts. Where did all that money go? It went to
Democrat contributors, organizations (ACORN), and unions -- including
billions of dollars to save or create jobs of government employees across
the country. It went to save GM and Chrysler so that their employees could
keep paying union dues. It went to AIG so that Goldman Sachs could be bailed
out (after giving Obama almost $1 million in contributions). A staggering
$125 billion went to teachers (thereby protecting their union dues). All
those public employees will vote loyally Democrat to protect their bloated
salaries and pensions that are bankrupting America . The country goes
broke, future generations face a bleak future, but Obama, the Democrat
Party, government, and the unions grow more powerful. The ends justify the
means.
Raise taxes on small business owners, high-income earners, and job
creators. Put the entire burden on only the top 20 percent of taxpayers,
redistribute the income, punish success, and reward those who did nothing to
deserve it (except vote for Obama). Reagan wanted to dramatically cut taxes
in order to starve the government. Obama wants to dramatically raise taxes
to starve his political opposition.
With the acts outlined above, Obama and his regime have created a
vast and rapidly expanding constituency of voters dependent on big
government; a vast privileged class of public employees who work for big
government; and a government dedicated to destroying capitalism and
installing themselves as socialist rulers by overwhelming the system.
Add it up and you've got the perfect Marxist scheme -- all devised by
my Columbia University college classmate Barack Obama using the Cloward and
Piven Plan.
WAYNE ALLYN ROOT
is brilliant. He knows exactly what he's doing. He is purposely overwhelming
the U.S. economy to create systemic failure, economic crisis and social
chaos -- thereby destroying capitalism and our country from within.
Barack Obama is my college classmate (Columbia University, class of
'83). As Glenn Beck correctly predicted from day one, Obama is following the
plan of Cloward & Piven, two professors at Columbia University . They
outlined a plan to socialize America by overwhelming the system with
government spending and entitlement demands. Add up the clues below. Taken
individually they're alarming. Taken as a whole, it is a brilliant,
Machiavellian game plan to turn the United States into a socialist/Marxist
state with a permanent majority that desperately needs government for
survival ... and can be counted on to always vote for bigger government. Why
not? They have no responsibility to pay for it.
Obama Universal Health Care. The health care bill had very little to
do with health care. It had everything to do with unionizing millions of
hospital and health care workers, as well as adding 15,000 to 20,000 new IRS
agents (who will join government employee unions). Obama doesn't care that
giving free health care to 30 million Americans will add trillions to the
national debt. What he does care about is that it cements the dependence of
those 30 million voters to Democrats and big government. Who but a socialist
revolutionary would pass this reckless spending bill in the middle of a
depression?
Cap and trade. Like health care legislation having nothing to do with
health care, cap and trade has nothing to do with global warming. It has
everything to do with redistribution of income, government control of the
economy and a criminal payoff to Obama's biggest contributors. Those
powerful and wealthy unions and contributors (like GE, which owns NBC, MSNBC
and CNBC) can then be counted on to support everything Obama wants. They
will kick-back hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions to Obama and
the Democratic Party to keep them in power. The bonus is that all the new
taxes on Americans with bigger cars, bigger homes and businesses helps Obama
"spread the wealth around."
Make Puerto Rico a state. Why? Who's asking for a 51st state? Who's
asking for millions of new welfare recipients and government entitlement
addicts in the middle of a depression? Certainly not American taxpayers. But
this has been Obama's plan all along. His goal is to add two new Democrat
senators, five Democrat congressman and a million loyal Democratic voters
who are dependent on big government.
Legalize 12 million illegal immigrants. Just giving these 12 million
potential new citizens free health care alone could overwhelm the system and
bankrupt America . But it adds 12 million reliable new Democrat voters who
can be counted on to support big government. Add another few trillion
dollars in welfare, aid to dependent children, food stamps, free medical,
education, tax credits for the poor, and eventually Social Security.
Stimulus and bailouts. Where did all that money go? It went to
Democrat contributors, organizations (ACORN), and unions -- including
billions of dollars to save or create jobs of government employees across
the country. It went to save GM and Chrysler so that their employees could
keep paying union dues. It went to AIG so that Goldman Sachs could be bailed
out (after giving Obama almost $1 million in contributions). A staggering
$125 billion went to teachers (thereby protecting their union dues). All
those public employees will vote loyally Democrat to protect their bloated
salaries and pensions that are bankrupting America . The country goes
broke, future generations face a bleak future, but Obama, the Democrat
Party, government, and the unions grow more powerful. The ends justify the
means.
Raise taxes on small business owners, high-income earners, and job
creators. Put the entire burden on only the top 20 percent of taxpayers,
redistribute the income, punish success, and reward those who did nothing to
deserve it (except vote for Obama). Reagan wanted to dramatically cut taxes
in order to starve the government. Obama wants to dramatically raise taxes
to starve his political opposition.
With the acts outlined above, Obama and his regime have created a
vast and rapidly expanding constituency of voters dependent on big
government; a vast privileged class of public employees who work for big
government; and a government dedicated to destroying capitalism and
installing themselves as socialist rulers by overwhelming the system.
Add it up and you've got the perfect Marxist scheme -- all devised by
my Columbia University college classmate Barack Obama using the Cloward and
Piven Plan.
WAYNE ALLYN ROOT
Friday, 2 July 2010
Google Gay's only Employee Benefit
A new Google policy is raising some eyebrows after the company revealed it will be compensating employees for taxes paid on domestic partners' health benefits – but only if they’re gay.
The company said in its blog Thursday, that it will be “grossing-up imputed taxes on health insurance benefits for all same-sex domestic partners in the United States.”
In other words, the company will be paying homosexual employees who include domestic partners on their health insurance plans more money to make up for the federal taxes they pay on that benefit. (Married couples don't have to pay taxes on spousal health benefits.)
But under Google's new policy, the company isn't offering any extra pay to heterosexual domestic partners, because it says heterosexual employees have the option of avoiding the tax by getting married.
Daryl Herrschaft, director of the Workplace Project at Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group, says Google's policy is a step in the right direction.
“They’re picking up the slack where the federal government hasn’t recognized the reality of diversity in the workforce today,” Herschaft told FoxNews.com. “This is eliminating existing discrimination that ... gays and lesbians face in the workplace as result of federal law that doesn’t acknowledge their families.”
But Focus on the Family, a Christian organization aimed at providing practical help for marriage and parenting, says this far from levels the playing field.
“If Google wants to be truly fair to its employees, it should consider extra compensation to married heterosexuals who are bitten every April 15 by the marriage-penalty tax,” spokesman Gary Schneeberger told FoxNews.com. “How is offering more money to only one group to offset a perceived inequity not a form of discrimination against those groups not fortunate enough to receive such bonuses?”
Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl says even if the idea seems good in practice, it could become a legal issue because it's deciding which domestic partners get these benefits based solely on sexual orientation.
“There’s a potential for a reverse discrimination suit because of the equal pay for equal work statute which says that if I’m doing the same job as the person next to me that my marital status or sexual orientation shouldn’t be taken into consideration. It’s my work performance that should be taken into consideration,” Wiehl told FoxNews.com.
As for the disparity in the federal tax structure, Wiehl says, legally, it has nothing to do with the employer: You get paid a salary, and it's up to you to pay your taxes, not your employer.
Google's not the first company to implement such a policy.
The Kimpton hotel and restaurant chain is one example of another company that "grosses up imputed taxes" on domestic partner benefits. But unlike Google, Kimpton's policies do not single out same-sex couples.
"It didn’t even come as a thought to us to not open it up to everyone. When we designed all of our policies we try to see to it that they’re inclusive to everybody so that we cover all of our employees," Alan Baer, senior vice president of people and information for the Kimpton Hotel Group told FoxNews.com. "So if heterosexual couples choose to be in domestic partnership, why would we discriminate against them?"
But Google doesn’t seem concerned, calling its policy "another reason to celebrate."
In addition to the added compensation, the company says as it will also be providing the equivalent of the Family and Medical Leave Act for all same-sex domestic partners and is working with its insurance carriers to eliminate the one-year waiting period to qualifying for infertility benefits.
“Google supports its LGBT employees in many ways: raising its voice in matters of policy, taking a moment to remember the plight of transgender people around the world and going the extra mile to ensure that its employees are treated fairly,” the company said in the blog.
The company says its new health benefits compensation will be retroactive to January 1, 2010.
Google denied requests to comment any further on the policy.
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/07/01/google-raises-eyebrows-new-gay-employee-benefit/
The company said in its blog Thursday, that it will be “grossing-up imputed taxes on health insurance benefits for all same-sex domestic partners in the United States.”
In other words, the company will be paying homosexual employees who include domestic partners on their health insurance plans more money to make up for the federal taxes they pay on that benefit. (Married couples don't have to pay taxes on spousal health benefits.)
But under Google's new policy, the company isn't offering any extra pay to heterosexual domestic partners, because it says heterosexual employees have the option of avoiding the tax by getting married.
Daryl Herrschaft, director of the Workplace Project at Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group, says Google's policy is a step in the right direction.
“They’re picking up the slack where the federal government hasn’t recognized the reality of diversity in the workforce today,” Herschaft told FoxNews.com. “This is eliminating existing discrimination that ... gays and lesbians face in the workplace as result of federal law that doesn’t acknowledge their families.”
But Focus on the Family, a Christian organization aimed at providing practical help for marriage and parenting, says this far from levels the playing field.
“If Google wants to be truly fair to its employees, it should consider extra compensation to married heterosexuals who are bitten every April 15 by the marriage-penalty tax,” spokesman Gary Schneeberger told FoxNews.com. “How is offering more money to only one group to offset a perceived inequity not a form of discrimination against those groups not fortunate enough to receive such bonuses?”
Fox News legal analyst Lis Wiehl says even if the idea seems good in practice, it could become a legal issue because it's deciding which domestic partners get these benefits based solely on sexual orientation.
“There’s a potential for a reverse discrimination suit because of the equal pay for equal work statute which says that if I’m doing the same job as the person next to me that my marital status or sexual orientation shouldn’t be taken into consideration. It’s my work performance that should be taken into consideration,” Wiehl told FoxNews.com.
As for the disparity in the federal tax structure, Wiehl says, legally, it has nothing to do with the employer: You get paid a salary, and it's up to you to pay your taxes, not your employer.
Google's not the first company to implement such a policy.
The Kimpton hotel and restaurant chain is one example of another company that "grosses up imputed taxes" on domestic partner benefits. But unlike Google, Kimpton's policies do not single out same-sex couples.
"It didn’t even come as a thought to us to not open it up to everyone. When we designed all of our policies we try to see to it that they’re inclusive to everybody so that we cover all of our employees," Alan Baer, senior vice president of people and information for the Kimpton Hotel Group told FoxNews.com. "So if heterosexual couples choose to be in domestic partnership, why would we discriminate against them?"
But Google doesn’t seem concerned, calling its policy "another reason to celebrate."
In addition to the added compensation, the company says as it will also be providing the equivalent of the Family and Medical Leave Act for all same-sex domestic partners and is working with its insurance carriers to eliminate the one-year waiting period to qualifying for infertility benefits.
“Google supports its LGBT employees in many ways: raising its voice in matters of policy, taking a moment to remember the plight of transgender people around the world and going the extra mile to ensure that its employees are treated fairly,” the company said in the blog.
The company says its new health benefits compensation will be retroactive to January 1, 2010.
Google denied requests to comment any further on the policy.
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/07/01/google-raises-eyebrows-new-gay-employee-benefit/
Thursday, 1 July 2010
The Civilian Expeditionary Force
During his town hall in Racine, Wisconsin today President Obama spoke about the civilian expeditionary force within his National Security Strategy.
“We just got to be smart about using all the elements of American power, not just one element of American power,” he said.
The president pointed to Iraq and Afghanistan where military personnel are having to engage in work that he said really should be civilian work– like building schools and bridges -- because of under-resourcing on the civilian side
“The problem is -- is that we don't have a civilian effort that has always matched up to the military effort. So the military goes in there, they clear out everything, they're -- they're making everything secure, and now the question is, all right, can we get the civilians to come in to work with the local governments to improve the situation? And a lot of times that civilian side of it has been under-resourced.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fO-usAlqak
Mr. Obama said the burden should not be all on the military.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/06/the-civilian-expeditionary-force-obama-says-burden-cant-be-all-on-the-military-.html
“We just got to be smart about using all the elements of American power, not just one element of American power,” he said.
The president pointed to Iraq and Afghanistan where military personnel are having to engage in work that he said really should be civilian work– like building schools and bridges -- because of under-resourcing on the civilian side
“The problem is -- is that we don't have a civilian effort that has always matched up to the military effort. So the military goes in there, they clear out everything, they're -- they're making everything secure, and now the question is, all right, can we get the civilians to come in to work with the local governments to improve the situation? And a lot of times that civilian side of it has been under-resourced.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fO-usAlqak
Mr. Obama said the burden should not be all on the military.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/06/the-civilian-expeditionary-force-obama-says-burden-cant-be-all-on-the-military-.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)