PCR past banners
   Now in our tenth calendar year!
   PCR #498 (Vol. 10, No. 41). This edition is for the week of October 5--11, 2009.

MOVIE REVIEW
"Couples Retreat"  by Mike Smith
RETRORAMA
Retroween: A Collection of Characters  by ED Tucker
THE ASIAN APERTURE
Memoirs of an Otaku Part 2: Life in Japan  by Jason Fetters
STATE OF THE NATION
Kill The Dollar .... Taxing The Benefits .... Running To Stand Still .... Harry Makes Me Uncomforable Too .... Ftc: Fine The Bloggers .... Internet Filtering? .... ....  by Brandon Jones
SPORTS TALK
Braylon Edwards A Jet .... Rush Limbaugh Wants To Buy The Rams .... 0-4. Walk The Plank .... D-nabb Good To Go .... Kickoff! .... .... ....  by Chris Munger
MIKE'S RANT
My Trip Up North .... Don't Say I Didn't Warn You .... Told You It Wasn't About Drugs .... Big Apple Bound .... Catching Up .... .... .... .... My Favorite Films, Part 2...  by Mike Smith
Archives of Nolan's Pop Culture Review
Archives 2009
Archives 2008
Archives 2007
Archives 2006
Archives 2005
Archives 2004
Archives 2003
Archives 2002
Archives 2001
Archives 2000
Email PCR
Home
State of the Nation


Kill the Dollar
This Week: Killing the Dollar...Taxing Benefits...Doctoring the debate...Afghanistan: Running to Stand Still...Fine the Bloggers?

A shockwave should have torn through the American media this week, but that wasn't the case.

Finance ministers, central bankers and world leaders met in Russia, China, Japan and Brazil to discuss the idea: get oil off of the dollar.

Yep, nine years. That's the plan, get off the dollar within nine years - 2018.

The Independent reported this story which quotes Sun Bigan, China's former special envoy to the Middle East:

"Bilateral quarrels and clashes are unavoidable. We cannot lower vigilance against hostility in the Middle East over energy interests and security."

From the article:

"This sounds like a dangerous prediction of a future economic war between the US and China over Middle East oil yet again turning the region's conflicts into a battle for great power supremacy."

Wow, that's tin foil hat talk in some circles.

China vs. US over oil and supremacy - I wonder how many Americans know or care about how this is playing out?

The article reveals all of the economic conspiracy theories true: We, the US, have betrayed the Bretton Woods agreements by destroying our currency. The world has had enough with the lip service from the White House while the treasury prints cash like Monopoly money.

"These plans will change the face of international financial transactions," one Chinese banker said. "America and Britain must be very worried. You will know how worried by the thunder of denials this news will generate."

The international community see what's coming and they know we are being lied to, so when will America wake up?

Taxing the Benefits
Taxing our healthcare benefits will be included in the reform bill either directly to us, the individual, or indirectly, through our employer.

Under the original proposal, a 35% excise tax would be imposed on employer-provided coverage in which premiums exceed $8,000 a year for individual coverage and $21,000 for family coverage. This would include premiums for medical, dental and vision care; employer contributions to health reimbursement arrangements and health savings accounts; and employee contributions.

Tax us for having good insurance?

Under the revised Baucus package, the excise tax is modified in several ways. First, the tax would be increased to 40%. In addition, the $8,000 and $21,000 thresholds would be increased by $750 for individual coverage and $2,000 for family coverage for retirees covered in employer plans who are age 55 and older.

NOW they will tax the employer NOT you or me!

Always keep in mind that the endgame is the complete government takeover of healthcare. But for many, through empathy or otherwise, this is a better option.

Doctoring the Healthcare Debate

NY Times: "White Coats in the Rose Garden, as Obama Rallies Doctors on Health Overhaul"

"The roughly 150 doctors assembled wore white lab coats under the brilliant fall sun" - Washington Post

The San Francisco Chronicle: "Obama faced rows of smiling doctors, all wearing white lab coats."

NBC News also noted the white coats donned by the doctors in attendance.

So?

The big omission is that the White House had to hand out lab coats. Unlike popular belief doctors usually attend seminars and meetings in business attire. The President mention their "spiffy" outfits and tried to drive home the propaganda image of the lab coat clad physicians supporting his type of healthcare reform.

The Washington Times thankfully completely outed the charade in this article.

These doctors (3 out of 4) were Obama supporters!

Wow, the Healthcare propaganda is amazing.

"Doctors for Obama" has transformed into "Doctors for America" -- (from the article listed below)

"So, instead of presenting a bunch of doctors that are disinterested in politics, but want reform of the nation's healthcare, we end up seeing a group of Obama campaign operatives wearing white coats." - Canadian Press

http://habledash.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=266:white-house-supplied-doctors-with-white-coats-for-photo-op&catid=47:newsflash&Itemid=65

Running to Stand Still
Meanwhile the White House is handling the Afghanistan situation like it's riding an exercise bike - a whole lot of work while go no where.

The solution is simple: fight to win or get out.

Obama spoke about adding troops and confirmed that stance that many support Afghanistan (not Iraq) as the war to fight. Of course his advisers are divided and in some cases, total disagreement on what to do.

No matter what Obama decides, he could be wrong. That's a position that he's not very experienced with and it frankly is a huge gauge of this Presidency.

Harry makes me uncomforable too
Nancy Pelosi obviously doesn't want Harry Reid's arm around her...gotta love the eye roll.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VE2VdmceZc

FTC: Fine the Bloggers
Censorship of the internet is coming.

While it has different faces and covers, the government will not, CANNOT, continue to allow the internet to so freely go unmonitored and still takeover America.

The FTC has put forward a new series of guidelines designed to encourage fair and transparent product reviews online -websites and blogs. The possible consequence of breaking those rules? A fine of up to $11,000.

Payola schemes, where web users are offered money or gifts to write about certain services or products, have increased in recent years. Marketers realize that there's a lot of cash to be made by using freebies and cash incentives to encourage bloggers' reviews.

The FTC announcement has stirred the hornet's nest.

Federal rules already ban deceptive and unfair business practices. It's the first time since 1980 that the FTC revised the guidelines on endorsements and testimonials.

I don't expect every book reviewer at a newspaper or magazine to annouce they've gotten their copy for free - I assume they did. I REALLY don't think the Federal Government should worry about it, let alone try to regulate it.

Internet Filtering?
I'm the one with the tin foil hat? Would it surprise you if you found out they were monitoring the internet? Australia did it.

http://www.net-security.org/article.php?id=1314



Quote of the Week
Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day. - Thomas Jefferson


"State of the Nation" is ©2009 by Brandon Jones.   All graphics this page, except where otherwise noted, are creations of Nolan B. Canova.  All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2009 by Nolan B. Canova.