The undertaker is finally catching up to the top two primary system in California.
The political parties in the state are supposed to have elections every two years for their county central committees. These bodies are elected county by county in each of California’s 58 counties. Last year these elections were not held. This was done with the blessing of the parties. They were telling people that they would have to switch to have them coincide every four years with the Presidential Primary vote. Otherwise the parties will have to pay county by county to put their central committee elections on the ballot. To hold this vote any other way is too expensive for them.
As a generalization, delegates to the statewide party conventions (at least on the Republican side) are 1/3 from county central committees, 1/3 from candidates, and 1/3 from elected officials.
In light of this precedent, the Independent Voter Project is asking all county registrars to refrain from expending any public resources for the administration of party central committee elections unless each political party requesting such administration first agrees to reimburse taxpayers for the full and fair public costs related thereto.”
I don’t even think the suit will have to go the distance to be successful. I think they will get a temporary injunction against the central committee elections and the county clerks will comply and it will be a done deal. The judge will then make the injunction permenant and the only grassroots path to access political parties will be just as extinct as the woolly mammoth.
Another part of the fabric of the Republic goes to the waste bin of history and the sheeple will not miss it.
Warren Buffett owns lots of companies through his investment vehicle subsidiary Berkshire Hathaway. X will give Buffett credit, he does give out very good investment advice such as; taking a long view on the market as opposed to trying to time it, and buying a wonderful company at a good price instead of buying a good company at a wonderful price. Turn on CNBC or Fox Business and the program’s host will probably mention Buffett several times throughout the day. He is known as both the “oracle of Omaha” and the “greatest investor ever.” For the most part this is true; however, let’s delve into a few select companies he owns and how they fleece the poorest people living in our country.
One such company is Clayton Homes. Berkshire Hathaway (Buffett) acquired them back in 2003 for 1.7 billion dollars. Clayton Homes builds and sells manufactured homes. X has no issue and actually believes Buffett made a smart decision to buy a company like Clayton. Manufactured homes are generally lived in by people who do not have much financially and that is not an issue; people do need to live somewhere. Clayton sells its products on sales lots similar to an independent car dealer. Typically, when customers visit Clayton’s lots, they encounter flashy signs and banners specifically to target their preferred demographic, the poor, and minorities. (More on this later).
Clayton was expanded over the years to produce many varieties of the same types of homes under different names, smart move as automakers do the same thing. Many towns have multiple Clayton Homes dealers but they were intentionally branded under different names to deceive shoppers. In some sparsely populated parts of the Midwest and South, one would have to drive past as many as five Clayton Homes dealers to find a non-Clayton dealer. In Texas, there are 12 Clayton dealers and not one competitor for over three hours away! In Carrolton, Texas—just north of Dallas, Buffet’s Clayton Homes controls 90% of the manufactured home market, yeah think about that for a minute.
Manufactured home selling isn’t unethical or anything so, why is X white hot at Rich Uncle Pennybags? It’s the way he markets, insures, and finances them. Clayton markets directly to the poor, but more so to minorities. One former Clayton supervisor said “We market to that demographic because they are not as smart as whites and don’t ask questions like whites do.” That’s not racist at all is it? Manufactured homes are a horrible investment to begin with because they depreciate in value extremely quickly, and if you don’t have the $45k to buy the unit outright then Buffett can finance it for you! Yup, he owns Vanderbilt Mortgage, a low income, high risk lender. Vanderbilt was the preferred lender for Clayton sales associates to steer their unexpected customers toward at financing time. Vanderbilt paid Clayton a royalty for each placed loan, and Buffett got a cut as well. (Kinda sounds like the Wells Fargo debacle right?) Vanderbilt charges very high fees, and the interest rates are exorbitant, often seven points higher than a typical home loan. So in today’s terms that would be around 11% interest a year. Other lenders charged around 3.8% higher than a conventional home loan, but remember Uncle Warren wants to get paid at every point of the process. Vanderbilt Mortgage has a staggering 40% of the manufactured home loan market, the second largest controls just 6%, that would be Wells Fargo.
Additionally Clayton has an insurance subsidiary, HomeFirst Agency. They were the preferred provider of insurance on all the homes sold by Clayton and financed by Vanderbilt. Again, the sales associates were telling customers that their current insurance company does not insure mobile homes so you should go with our in house option. So once again he duped unsuspecting people. So at this point of the sales process Buffett has profited several different times: the loan Clayton got from Berkshire to build the unit, Shaw Carpet and Benjamin Moore Paints to finish the interior (both owned by Buffett), the loan through Vanderbilt Mortgage, and the insurance through HomeFirst. Sounds like a heck of a gig if you can land it. However of the three main players in this article, Vanderbilt Mortgage literally may be the devil re-incarnated.
Vanderbilt doesn’t verify or ask for income statements from the individual getting the loan. This happened on purpose folks, Vanderbilt does this to make a profit up front on the fees and interest for the first few months, then they could repossess the unit and sell it again; lather, rinse, repeat. Or in the words of the Blogfather, Dewey, Screwem and Howe. Vanderbilt would tell the customers the loans could be refinanced at a lower rate in the future; not true, Vanderbilt did this so they could repossess. Vanderbilt customer service members would tell clients that called in pleading to refinance that they should and I quote “not buy medication or medicines, and encourage them to pawn off or sell any items they could to make that payment.” The customers could not refinance the loans as units depreciate extremely quickly. As a result, many customers lost their homes. Even worse, many customers lost their land which they had put up as collateral. In one case, while foreclosure was being introduced, Vanderbilt had already taken the unit and had it listed for sale on a Clayton lot again. These companies are so corrupt and unethical they defied the orders of a judge.
So once again to recap, the nice guy Warren Buffett who laments that his secretary pays a higher income tax rate then he does, owns companies that allow him to profit at every turn and plays by his own set of rules when it comes to steering customers into making poor financial decisions. Buffett is a fraud, plain and simple. He is a very greedy human being who is ruthless to the working people while he profits hand over fist. He should not be regarded as a great person or great investor, as in these cases with Vanderbilt Mortgage and Clayton Homes some people and families literally lost everything to a phony empire know as Warren Buffett. Wait until I unveil the next hit on him, regarding his profits over employee’s dealings.
Former Sacramento Congressman Vic Fazio was quoted back in the 1980’s as saying “Don’t go quoting the Constitution to me, let’s get back to reality”. Unfortunately, this Liberal Democrat was a harbinger of what has come to pass in the intervening years.
The song “Stop the World” by Randy Stonehill puts much of our wrongs into a succinct form:
We’re putting criminals in office Cause it’s way too crowded in the jails T.V. is our teacher now The schools are overrun by thugs And children skip their innocence And graduate to sex and drugs Right is wrong and wrong is right White is black and black is white
Millions of people in this country have taken an oath to “…defend the country from all enemies foreign and domestic” but look at their actions, they clearly don’t believe it.
Not only have the barbarians repeatedly stormed the gates, but our leaders are inviting the barbarians—including those from the Seventh Century—to come here and stay. They are welcome to setup outposts of insurgence within our borders. Why? Because they have a common enemy: Christianity.
The American experiment in democracy appears to be experiencing its last dying breaths. The country is burdened with so much debt that all the wealth in the world could literally not pay all the obligations of government let alone the consumer debt of its people.
Yes, the United States is experiencing the same civil war that is raging in the rest of the West. Secular Humanism and Islam are uniting to destroy Christianity. Christianity is responsible for Western Culture but its heirs have forgotten God and think they can do it without Him. Each of our leaders—like their counterparts in the Biblical books of Chronicles and Kings—have done more wickedness than all the leaders before them. They glory in their wickedness. Our gods are called Choice instead of Moloch, athletes, actors, musicians, or politicians instead of Ba’al (local deities), Marvel and D.C. instead of Olympus or Valhalla and the power of the State is vested in Washington instead of Egypt.
Pluralism has the practical effect of establishing a modern Rome where you can have any god you want as long as Caesar is Lord. To hold to the supremacy of the Biblical God is anathema to our culture. This is even true of most self-identified Christians.
Sorry but it’s true. The pervasiveness of abortion, divorce, homosexuality, child abuse, drugs, tattoos, or any other metric of evil in our society is the same inside the Church or out. As a whole, there is no measurable difference between those calling themselves “Christian” and the general population. Most children of Christian families that are raised in the church leave their faith as soon as they go off to college if not before. Is it any wonder when only two colleges in the United States still believe the biblical account of Genesis? If Genesis is a myth then so is the rest of the Bible. Without “The Fall” there is no sin and no God; therefore, no need for a Savior.
The Clinton v Trump campaign may seem important to us at the moment but regardless of who wins, the trajectory of the country will continue to further decline. The vote will only determine how fast the decline will continue. The Republic is over; the only struggle now is what will replace it. Look for less freedom, more government, and more persecution. Jesus said to count the cost of following Him and we are beginning to see that even in this country the price is rapidly increasing. To openly follow Him will cost you, jobs, property, and your freedom; not in the future but now. Welcome to the curses of Deuteronomy 28:15–68
We are clearly under God’s judgment but instead of repenting, we are acting like Alfred E Newman from Mad Magazine and saying, “What, me worry?”
Alfred E Newman
The Constitution was supposed to be THE list of the powers of the national government—enumerated powers—but now it means the opposite, unless specifically prohibited, the nation government thinks its fair game to fill their coffers or interfere in you daily life. Rightly interpreted, the government created by the Constitution was so small and remote that it shouldn’t matter who is in office. As envisioned by the document, the President and Supreme Court had very little responsibility. Almost all power was to be in the Congress. (Remember that they just dumped a King and country and were looking not to repeat that mistake again.) As written, the leadership in Washington was to affect your daily lives as much as the winner of the San Francisco 49ers versus the Oakland Raiders game last year.
Triumvirates didn’t work too well in Ancient Rome and it is likely that ours will end-up in the same place. We have the Imperial President that rules by Executive Orders instead of edicts; a legislative branch that is a cheap parody of the Imperial Senate of Star Wars or Roman Senate under the Caesars. (Can you say symbolism over substance?) The only difference is that we have a Supreme Court. The Court gets to make laws too but they have become a laughingstock. They have no real power, no army or way to enforce anything and they serve at the pleasure of the President. When needed, they always fall in line to the will of the President. Lest you disagree with me, look back to Roosevelt and the New Deal. “A switch in time saved nine” is not a nursery rhyme but an historical fact.
Someday soon, a President is not going to leave the White House at the end of his term but remain in power. He might even change his title to Chancellor or caretaker. The Court will reluctantly find it Constitutional and the Congress will standby idly wringing their hands when it happens but that day is almost here.
Germany once laughed at Hitler and his National Socialists but everything Hitler did including the Holocaust was with the blessing of their Legislature and Courts. Well socialists now run most of this country, the only squabble is will we be National Socialists or Internationalist Socialists (Globalists)? We might even adopt a Fascist economic model just to spice things up and create the illusion of private ownership of the means of production.
I think Fazio was right; we are no long bound by the Constitution. Like people that go to church and don’t let their professed faith affect their daily lives, we pay lip-service to the founding document but don’t feel constrained to follow it. Conservative Protestants have been saying that we live in a Post-Christian world since Francis Schaeffer in the 1980’s; well I think it’s high time that we called our era in modern America the Post-Constitutional one. My only question is did Post-Constitutional America begin with FDR or Obama? I will have to ponder that one a while longer.
Eight years ago, it was our worst versus their worst and Obama won. This time it’s our loudest versus their loudest. The election isn’t over yet but there’s been a hell of a lot of jury tampering going on lately.
Trump was caught on tape saying something that many—especially on the Left seem to claim is reprehensible. Trump used words but Bill Clinton did what Trump said and worse. Nobody has accused Trump of rape but Bill Clinton is a proven sexual predator and gets a pass from the same people feigning outrage at Trump.
Isn’t that what the entire pornography industry is based on; fantasies that men have about women that they can never have. It was Larry Flint—publisher of Hustler magazine—that famously came to Bill Clinton’s defense during the impeachment and Monica affairs. What party defends and promotes pornography, perversion, and tearing down social norms? It’s in their rainbow DNA. Pornography is such a big deal that it’s even on the California ballot; we get to vote on whether those in adult films must use condoms when filming pornographic movies.
And you thought Liberals wanted to keep government out of your bedroom? Yeah, right!
Trump talks about keeping America safe while Hillary—as Secretary of State—purposely killed those in her care. Thanks to Michael Bay, at least some low information voters have heard of Benghazi.
How come Trump’s words are xenophobia while Hillary wants to expand the Obama policy of flooding the country with Muslims that want to kill and enslave us? Oh, and implement Sharia Law. People that came here used to want to be Americans, but now they want to reshape America to be just like whatever Third World hole they crawled out of.
Even after campaigning twice for president and spending a billion dollars in political ads during this election cycle, no Clinton supporter can tell you three accomplishments of Hillary. They only know that Trump is evil because he is a Republican and uses sarcasm when answering stupid questions from the Fourth Estate.
If you needed more proof that taxpayer money is being spent on supporting Measure B here is yet another nugget of evidence.
Please note that the website registrations for Yes on Measure B Link: MeasureB-Yes and the Sacramento Go Link: SacramentoGo websites are hosted by the same Internet server. Sacramento Go is the site being pushed at taxpayer expense by various cities and the county of Sacramento to gin-up support for higher taxes.
Sacramento Go website registration data
Measure B Yes registration data
Both sites have the same Internet Protocol (IP) address. 173.236.197.171 This is more than coincidence.
It’s time to cue the music to “It’s a Small World” There are no coincidences in this campaign, it is one seamlessly orchestrated scam on the low information voters of this region.Both Republican and Democrat elected officials are united in pulling one over on the voters of this county. This is what government means when they advocate a public-private partnership.
Also please note that both the taxpayer funded flyer and the mailer from the Yes campaign are using the very same publisher. All the taxpayer funded advocacy literature is illegal and an in-kind contribution to the Yes campaign.
Map key from Yes Campaign mailing
Map from City of Elk Grove taxpayer funded flyer
There is no doubt that both the taxpayer funded flyer and the one from the Yes campaign were created by the same company. The graphics are identical. Both were mailed a few days apart.
When you live in a one party system this kind of corruption is rampant and unchecked.
I’ve decided to wait another week before whacking Rich Uncle Penny bags AKA Warren Buffett to shine some light on the recently passed Indian Gaming Taj Mahal coming soon to Elk Grove. Just to set the record straight, X is no fan of the new casino; however, I do not oppose it because of a perceived notion that crime, prostitution, and drunk driving will occur more often. X opposes the casino because Elk Grove was supposedly founded on being a family friendly bed and breakfast community with hopefully enough amenities that you can always find some good clean fun in town. A casino is not family friendly or a provider of good, clean family fun.
Let’s face it many of us have been to local area casinos such as: Thunder Valley, Red Hawk, Jackson Rancheria, and Cache Creek. The narrative is the same at all of them; a 2,000 plus slot and table game gambling floor, a hotel, a plethora of buffets and nice restaurants, concert areas, and a golf course. This is all fine; however, you must be 21 or over to play on the gaming floor, thus children are not allowed. Also casinos are exempt from California’s no smoking laws, so I guess there will be Prop 65 warnings about how the casino can cause cancer right? While casinos do not show any increase in crime or drunk driving per say, the biggest reason the City Council will regret this decision is these establishments are a horrible vice, one capable of destroying a family.
X will cede the point that alcohol and illicit drugs are a major reason for the breakdown of a family, with the former being served at Indian Casinos. To me, the single worst problem caused by these casinos is that they often prey upon people with limited to no disposable income. I’ve seen it many times over the years. X only attends Indian Casinos once in a blue moon, but when he does he is startled by the number of people gambling next Friday’s paycheck on red trying desperately to double their money. This leads to major financial ruin for families eventually causing homes, cars and even retirement savings to be lost in the name of trying to earn a quick buck. Don’t take my word for it, go to a casino and you will see it first hand; laborers, blue collar workers, and retirees spending copious amounts of money each hour; and these places are extremely expensive. Wait and watch as Elk Grove burns folks. Any bets on free transportation to and from the nearby Del Webb community?
This was the single dumbest decision ever made in this city’s brief history.
However I will give the executives and decision makers from the tribe big, hearty congratulations. They single handedly fleeced the entire city council. The compact will pay the City of Elk Grove $132 million over 30 years to offset the increase in traffic and mitigation issues the casino will cause. Isn’t that nice of them? 14.5 million of that will be up front to assist with police, road improvements, and community facilities.
When a casino went into El Dorado County, the county government made the tribe build out the roads and overpass for Red Hawk before they could build the casino but, with this deal, the City of Elk Grove will foot the bill for access to the casino. Please keep in mind that the City Fathers already spend 30 million for freeway access to the ill-fated mall project. I am not sure what community facilities entail, but I would assume more convention centers or sports complexes we don’t need. (Can you say aquatics center and Cadillac soccer center?—editor) The tribe was smart; they also are including in their 4.5 million annual payment monies to be directed to Elk Grove Unified School District and local charities, essentially buying off all dissent that could have shown up.
X was in attendance at the council meeting when this item was brought up. I witnessed concerned and angry citizens being ignored by the city council—which I may add featured CRA endorsed tax hiker Patrick Hume and union lover and revenue supporter Steven Detrick. It’s funny because a grand total of 0 members from CRA were in attendance; maybe because they want to keep Hume and Detrick happy?
This goes back to why the CRA and Republican Party are extinct in California, especially in Elk Grove. Steven Detrick also embarrassed himself by voting in support of the casino before he was even called on! Hume heard there was a bribe, err I mean money from the tribe coming for transportation projects (He sits on the Regional Transit Board) and immediately voted yes. These are two CRA darlings’ folks! Say one thing around election time but do another when it comes time to take a stand. The loan voice of reason on this issue was Steven Lie, sorry Ly, he actually spoke out against, but voted in favor. X cannot blame Lie because he is running for Mayor on a deceive the public platform.
Now we know why the council was so quick to defeat the call for a local sales tax in Elk Grove. The fix was in way back in July.
So to summarize, here is what the tribe will be paying to Elk Grove.
(This was verified by a resident empty suit who works in the City Hall.)
• 14.5 million up front to pay for roads, police, and community centers. Likely this money will be used to pay for the Yes on Measure B fliers sent out at taxpayer expense the blog father wrote about earlier.
• Then the City will get an annual payment of 4.5 million to essentially put toward anything they want. This is a very measly amount when you look at the total revenue likely to be generated at this Casino.
• Even worse, the 4.5 million will be subject to only 2% annual inflation increases, even when the City’s own economic staff pegs inflation at around 4% in the immediate future.
We got a raw deal. X recommends voting against Darren Suen, Steve Ly and Steven Detrick in November; however CRA likely will endorse all 3.
It’s no great surprise to me—especially in a state that in now governed by one political party—that taxpayer money is being spent to try to raise taxes. Last week, a coordinated campaign flyer was sent throughout Sacramento County to promote passage of Measure B—the sales tax increase for transportation.
Depending on where you live, it was paid for by various local governments. In the Rosemont area, it was paid for by the County of Sacramento. Where I live, it was paid for by the City of Elk Grove. I’m trying to get information on which other local governments were part of this coordinated effort. I’m sure Rancho Cordova and Citrus Heights were in on it too. The flyer is made by the same publisher with some tweaks to target various parts of the county.
Besides being paid for with taxpayer money, the flyers did not have any campaign identification on them. The required committee disclosures and I.D. numbers were not on them. The flyer clearly promoted passage of the tax increase and directed people to the yes on B website.
So why is that a big deal you might ask? Because they were sent not on the basis of utility bills or tax rolls or other relationships to local government, they were sent to registered voters.
My proof is simply. The flyer sent to my house was not sent to my wife and me. All county and city utilities are in our name except for the one that is in the name of my deceased mother-in-law. No, the flyer was sent to my adult stepchildren. Their only tie to our house is voter registration. My stepson is in the Air Force and lives outside of California. The only government records with his name and our address on them is his voter registration. My stepdaughter’s only government records with her name on them are one motor vehicle, and her voter registration. No insurance, cell phones, utilities or anything else is in their names now or at any time in the past.
Voter registration records can legally only be used for political purposes.
Therefore for a political flyer to be sent to registered voters without being reported as a political expenditure is a clear violation of campaign finance law.
So we have two violations of the law in play:
1. Taxpayer money used to pay for a political mailer that is not identified as such
2. The flyer is sent to people on the basis of being registered voters
This is the second time that I am aware that the City of Elk Grove has funded a political flyer in favor of the tax increase. Clearly the elected officials at city hall are either in on this abuse of taxpayer money or not minding the store; either way is not good for citizens or the rule of law.
I’m encouraging the Sith Lord to file a formal complaint with the Fair Political Practices Committee (FPPC). Any action they take—which is a questionable proposition—would be long after the election in November. However, it might be grounds to get the tax increase challenged in court should it pass.
