Fleeced

We'll be hearing this term a lot in the near future. And we're not talking about the great new fleece jackets on sale at Old Navy. We're talking about the government screwing the little man. And why is the government screwing the little man? Because he can. And because I think he's gay.

I recently finished reading Fleeced by Dick Morris, President Clinton's former adviser of 20 years who turned on him when Clinton went nuts with his nuts. Dick Morris is now very anti-Clinton.

Morris talks about all the ways that the government is ruining our future and how Barack Obama is going to make it worse. I would agree that Obama would make it worse, though I would also say that McCain is probably going to make it worse, too.

Morris fills us with chapter after chapter of examples of fleecing. One example of the ways that Americans are being fleeced is national security. Democrats want to tear down the security precautions that the Bush Administration has put in place. Meanwhile, Bush pretty much doesn't want you to have any civil liberties in order to protect your civil liberties. Fleeced.

Another is the way teachers are treated. First, they get no raises based on how well they perform. Suck-ass teachers get the same raises as the really great teachers that inspire our children. Teachers, like my daughter's teacher last year, who surf the Internet and Facebook their friends while the kids work on handouts, get the same raises as my dad did when he brought work home every night for 20 years before he finally got burned out. It doesn't matter how good you are. Your raise is not tied to your abilities or your performance. Performance reviews are not needed. Your hired. Unless give a hand-job to one of your students, you're pretty much set for life. It's not about the children. Fleeced.

Another way teachers are screwed is their retirement plan. Most school districts only offer variable annuity plans. These plans usually require fees (loads) to make contributions and they are stuffed with death benefits that will allow an insurance-like payment when the teachers retire. The problem here is that these fees can add up to 5-12% per year. A decent fund returns about 10% per year. Subtract out your fees and you barely make any money. If it's a bad year, you lost even more money than the average person. If teachers would be allowed to invest in low-cost, no-load mutual fund 403(b)'s or 401(k)'s, they would have a lot more money for retirement. But it's not about their retirement. Fleeced.

To add insult to injury, the unions usually get a kick-back from the investment companies to offer their plans to their members. So the unions don't really give a shit if the retirement plan that is offered is not the best plan available. As long as they get their money, screw the union members!!! It's about the union, not the members. Fleeced.

In the chapter Teachers Are Leaving -Too Much Stress, Too Little Pay, Morris quoted a former president of the New York Federation of Teachers union as saying, "when school children start paying union dues, that's when I'll start representing the interests of school children." We can see that no one really has our children's interests at heart. Fleeced.

And let's not get started on the sub prime mortgage mess. People that shouldn't have qualified for loans were getting loans for houses lenders knew the borrowers couldn't afford. Lot's of people lost money. Some people made some big money. But who would they be? Now these lenders are getting hammered in the market. Where did the money go? Money doesn't just disappear. Money is transferred. It's not about responsible lending. It's about making money. Screw the little people. Fleeced.

A trail of blood was left my Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and now AIG. The government is bailing them out. And it's costing billions. Or is it trillions? At least that's what the media is telling us. I think it will actually cost Gagillions with a capital G. Gah-jillions. And who's paying for it? We are. the tax-payers. And what's worse is that we're being told that the situation would be worse if government didn't bail them out. At this rate, we'll be paying 125% taxes under an Obama administration.

Again - who's to blame? A friend of mine asked the question - why was Congress so eager to launch investigations into steroids abuse in Major League Baseball, but reticent when it comes to investigating this financial fraud? Hmmm. Good point.

I think the answer is easy. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens aren't giving Congress millions of dollars in campaign contributions. If Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi were showered with greenbacks from outfielders, the steroids investigation would never have lifted off the ground.

Who has our nation's best interest at heart? It's not Bush. It's not Congress. It's not the Senate. It ain't Obama or McCain. And it sure as hell is not Wall Street. This election will be the biggest screwing Americans will have had to endure since Doogie Howser was taken off of the air.

But I do recommend this book. I read it in like 10 days. It's a quick read (even by my standards).