How the government spends some of your money

At one time or another we all wonder about how the government is spending our money. A portion of that money goes to maintaining and operating the FBI in Washington, across the country and in some foreign lands where we have embassies. One way to get an idea of what you are receiving for your money is to go to www.fbi.gov/ and look in the left hand column. You will find links to receive daily e-mail updates from the Bureau covering activities throughout the country and you can submit your e-mail address for press releases from the Columbia, SC, office (or other field offices in areas you are interested in). The daily e-mails come bullet-like with a summary of the issue and a link to the details. I have looked at these for a few weeks now and find them as interesting as any news magazine I read. One category of crime that surprises me is "public corruption" which gets much attention from the Bureau because of its effect on citizen respect for government, as well as betrayal of public trust for money or other favors. (Corrected copy.)

How not to dress for a flight

Michael Lombardi runs a financial investment in New York and threw a personal gripe into a recent e-mail that hit home with me and I want to pass it along:

“My gripe today may be a silly one, but I want to share it with my readers anyway.
“Back in the 1950s, 1960s and even for the majority of the 1970s, men would wear suits to work, women would wear dresses.
“(Remember The Dick Van Dyke Show or The Lucy Show. The men would come home from work in suits and wear them around the house until they went to bed, while women would wear dresses.)
“Putting work and the office aside, people originally dressed up to go onto an airplane. As a frequent traveler, I've become quite disgusted (sorry for the hard words) about how people dress on an airplane these days. I don't want to sit next to someone (male or female) who is wearing
“flip flops on a plane. Nor do I want to sit next to a man wearing short pants and an undershirt or a woman wearing a tank top, shorts and sun glasses.
“Sure, society has changed and dress today is much more casual. And while I don't expect people to get "dressed up" to go onto a flight, I do expect people to have respect for the way they present themselves and for their fellow passengers. I'm all for being ‘comfy’ on an airplane, but I have a big problem with people dressing as if the plane is a stepping stone to the beach or the gym.”

(From my blog.)

Sovereign Citizen Movement

Sovereign citizens "believe that even though they physically reside in this country, they are separate or 'sovereign' from the United States."They believe they don't have to pay taxes, can ignore the courts and thumb their noses at practically every organ of government federal, state and local. The FBI has released a summary of this movement in the United States and I found it interesting to say the least. They have even gone so far as to create their own license plates, some of which are shown in an FBI photo.
(From my blog.)

Madam Speaker…

Gavin Newsome, Mayor of San Francisco

According to news reports House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the Republican Party’s top target, but the only way they can kick her out of the speaker’s office is to take control of the Congress in November.

Mrs. Pelosi got 72 percent of the vote in her District in 2008. San Francisco is her home base and the mayor of that city by the sea said on Bill Maher’s show a couple of weeks ago that his city already has a health plan in place which mirrors the bill passed by the Congress in March which has stirred up so much opposition in the GOP.

The main reason they have betting windows at race tracks is because people disagree on who is going to win. As of now, I believe Mrs. Pelosi will be with us as Speaker of the House in the 2011-2012 term. Political buffs stayed turned.

(From my blog.)