Sunday, November 28, 2010

FROM THE E-MAIL: POLITICAL HUMOR

Submitted by Don, Greenwood, Florida

DRIVING MISS SARAH

From the Editor:

MESSAGE FOR THE NEW REPUBLICAN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LOSERS COMPROMISE!!!  DEMOCRATS MUST COMPROMISE NOW, AND THAT COMPROMISE MUST BEGIN WITH COMPLETE REPEAL OF THEIR HEALTH CARE LAW.   I REPEAT: COMPLETE REPEAL!!   THIS WRITER ADVOCATES THAT IT BE REPLACED WITH THE SILVER PENNANT HEALTH CARE PLAN.  LOSERS COMPROMISE!!!  DON'T BE LOSERS THIS TIME, REPUBLICANS!!!  FOLKS,  PAY ATTENTION TO THIS!!!  LET'S MOVE ON TO 2012 !!!!!!!!!!

JC Leahy


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

VENOUS ACCESS -- PICC LINES: PURPOSE, USE AND CARE

By JC Leahy, RN, BSN, MA
When medical care requires direct access to the venous blood system, a device must be introduced through the skin into a vein.  This device is called an “IV access.”  There are many types of IV access.  They differ from each other in several ways: (1) the diameter and length of the tube inserted (2) the size and location of the vein to which the tube extends (3) the location on the body where the tube passes through the skin, and (4) special characteristics of some IV devices.  The smallest IV access device is called a “peripheral IV access.”  This is a small-gauge, very short plastic tube inserted through the skin into a small vein, usually in the arm or hand – rarely in the neck (external jugular vein) or lower extremity.  The disadvantages of peripheral IV access are twofold: (1) small veins are relatively delicate and (2) peripheral IV devices must be changed every 72 hours.  Because of the vein delicacy, certain medications may cause discomfort and medications that are caustic may cause irritation damage to the vein and/or surrounding tissue. Peripheral lines also impose limits on infusion rates.  Peripheral IV Lines smaller than 18 gauge may also hemolyze infused red blood cells.   Additionally, peripheral IV devices are not well suited to drawing blood samples because the vein may collapse or suffer damage.  

Because peripheral IV access has so many limitations, central IV access is often needed to treat hospitalized patients.  Central lines became popular in the hospital setting during the 1970’s.  A “central line” is a larger-gauge, longer plastic line inserted through the skin into a large vein.  The three veins to which a central line is normally inserted are the subclavian vein, the internal jugular vein, and the femoral vein.  With both internal jugular and subclavian central lines, the distal tip of the catheter resides in the superior vena cava, just upstream of the heart.  Central lines are better than peripheral lines in several respects:  (1) more suitable for higher-volume fluid administration, (2) more suitable for medications and certain special fluids, (3) more suitable for blood draws, and (4) may stay in place for longer than 72 hours.  Also, subclavian and internal jugular central lines may be used to measure central venous pressure to assess a patient’s fluid status.
Although traditional central lines are useful for hospitalized patients, they are unsuitable for use in non-hospitalized patients.  Primarily this is because they are too subject to infection and therefore may not remain in place for very long.  A femoral line, for example, should not remain in place for more than a week, and some institutions’ policies may specify even shorter times.  Internal jugular and subclavian lines that are older than a week require frequent monitoring for signs and symptoms of infection.  Consequently, patients are never discharged to home unless their central IV access has been removed.
For those patients who need IV access outside the hospital, a long-term IV access device is necessary.   Long-term IV’s include implanted ports (“mediports”), certain tunneled catheters, and “PICC lines”. 
PICC lines have so many advantages that it is a wonder that they are not used more.  Advantages include:
  1. Safety for long-term use:   Whereas peripheral lines should be changed every 3 days, and traditional central lines may last up to two weeks, a PICC may remain in place for up to a year. 
  2. Low risk of infection:  The PICC is typically inserted in the upper arm.  This is inherently cleaner than the insertion site for a femoral line or internal jugular line.  It is because of lower risk of infection that a PICC can remain in place for up to a year.
  3. Decreased Skin Puncture for Blood Sampling – A PICC can be used to draw venous blood samples for laboratory tests.  This not only enhances patient comfort but also reduces the risk of infection.   (Note: At least one PICC manufacturer, Groshong, recommends AGAINST drawing blood through its PICC lines.)
  4. Best use of medical resources – Most forms of non-PICC long-term IV access require the patient to undergo surgery in the operating room.  Surgery and anesthesia are risky for the patient as well as a tremendous commitment of hospital resources.  Traditional central lines require a physician to insert them.  A PICC, on the other hand, can be inserted by a specially trained Registered Nurse without any use of the operating room or general anesthesia.
  5. Low risk – When a physician places a subclavian line he always worries about the possibility puncturing the pleural cavity and consequently collapsing a lung.  This is a life-threatening event.  When a surgical team inserts an implanted port in the operating room, there are all the risks that go with anesthesia and surgery.   In contrast, insertion of a PICC is a relatively low-risk procedure.  The most serious risk of PICC insertion is that, as with ANY upper body central line, the catheter could be inserted too far, advancing into the heart and causing an irregular heartbeat.
  6. Early patient discharge – Since a PICC can be maintained in the home or outpatient clinic, a patient who requires 8 weeks of IV antibiotics can be discharged to home instead of spending the 8 weeks in the hospital.  This has many advantages, including patient comfort and sense of well-being, reduced risk of hospital acquired infections, and conservation of valuable hospital inpatient resources.
  7. Versatility – A PICC is versatile.  It is usually a dual-lumen device, so that multiple medications or fluids can be infused simultaneously.  It can be used to measure central venous pressure. It can be used to draw
With all these advantages, why are PICC lines not used more frequently?  That’s a good question! 
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOUR PICC LINE IS INSERTED
A PICC is usually inserted by a specially trained nurse right in your hospital room or in a hospital clinic.  However, if the nurse has difficulty with insertion or if special problems are anticipated, you may be sent to the interventional radiology department for insertion.
The nurse will clean your arm and employ sterile-procedure precautions, including a small sterile drape around the insertion site.
The nurse may use a portable ultrasound machine to find a vein in your upper arm.
The nurse will administer a local numbing medication.  This will probably be an injection of lidocaine or lidocaine with epinephrine.
The nurse will measure your anatomy and may trim the PICC catheter to the correct length.
The nurse will insert an introducer needle into the vein and then guide the PICC line into the vein near your heart.
The nurse will secure the PICC in place with sutures or some other anchoring device.
You will then have a chest x-ray to be sure the PICC is in the correct location.
The nurse will cover the PICC site with a sterile dressing and a pressure bandage.  The dressing will be changed after 24 hours and then according to institutional policy – probably once or twice per week.
COMMON INDICATIONS FOR A PICC
  • Long term treatments such as chemotherapy or IV antibiotics
  • Hyper alimentation
  • Repeated administration of blood products
  • Venous blood sampling
  • Measurement of CVP (central venous pressure)
WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER YOUR PICC HAS BEEN INSERTED
There may be a little soreness at the insertion site for a couple of days.
There may be a little blood under the dressing around the insertion site for a day or two.  This is normal unless it is of large amount. 
RECOGNIZING PROBLEMS: CALL YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER RIGHT AWAY IF YOU EXPERIENCE:
  • Pain
  • Fever
  • Blood around the insertion site larger than a half-dollar in diameter.
  • Redness or swelling around the insertion site
  • Any breakage or tear in the PICC
  • Inability to flush the PICC
  • IV pump alarms even after you have flushed the PICC
  • IV fluid seems to leak out from around the insertion site
HOME CARE OF A PICC
Rest your arm for a couple of days after the PICC has been inserted.  Then, while the PICC is in place, do not lift items heavier than 10 pounds or perform repetitive exercises with the PICC arm.
Do no immerse any part of the PICC in a bath or hot tub.  Do not go swimming.
Cover the PICC and insertion site with plastic before you shower and keep them dry.
Follow all PICC care instructions that you receive from your home-health nurse or clinic.
In the home and outpatient setting, the PICC should be flushed after each use and at least once per day. There are, however, outpatient organizations whose standard is to flush unused PICC's only once a week with dressing changes.  (In the inpatient setting, institutional policy may require more frequent flushing, such as twice a day or every nursing shift.)  Refer to your organizational policy and the PICC manufacturer's guidelines.
Your PICC dressing needs to be changed at least once a week.  Your medical providers will provide a plan.  For example, when I had a PICC for 8 weeks of home antibiotic therapy, a home-health nurse visited me once a week to change the dressing, inspect the site, and perform other line care as needed.  Once she had to de-clot the PICC with streptokinase.  On a daily basis, my wife and I were responsible for inspecting the site and flushing the line after each use.
To help prevent infection, clean the PICC's injection caps with alcohol swabs before and after each use or each flushing.
Avoid blood pressure measurement on the PICC’s arm.
Always protect the PICC from accidentally catching on something and getting pulled.  This precludes your participation in rough contact sports.
Avoid having dental work performed while the PICC is in place.  There is a risk that dental work could release bacteria into the blood stream which could lodge in the tip of the PICC and cause an infection.  If you must have dental work performed, be sure to tell the dentist about the PICC IN ADVANCE of your dental appointment.
SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHANGING THE PICC DRESSING
Every effort should be made to maintain sterility around the PICC insertion site.  Until around 10 years ago, the procedure for changing the dressing used to go something like this: Wash your hands. Gather your supplies.  Don a face mask. Remove the old dressing.  Don sterile gloves.   Clean an area around the site, going from the center outward, first with at least 3 alcohol swabs, then with at least 3 betadine swabs, and finally with 3 tincture of benzoin swabs.  Then cover the site with a clear dressing such as Tegraderm.  Then change the injection caps with new caps and, if necessary, secure the tubing so that it does not get accidentally pulled.  If the PICC has clamps, you MUST clamp the line before changing the  injection caps to avoid the risk of air embolus.   (If the PICC does NOT have clamps, the PICC probably has a one-way valve designed into each lumen to prevent air embolus.  These valves are called PASV's - pressure activated safety valves. Some manufacturers of PASV PICC's actually recommend AGAINST clamping the line when changing the caps. ) This old procedure is still fundamentally sound, except for one thing:  A new chemical was introduced which is more effective than the alcohol/betadine treatment.  It is called ChloraPrep (chlorhexidine ).  Chlorhexidine has a longer lasting effect than alcohol and betadine treatment.  Consequently, central line dressings with chlorhexidine can be changed once a week instead of once every 3 days, as before.

To complicate matters just a bit further, there are certain safety caps that apparently have a PASV-like valve in them.  Use of these valves may obviate the need for a heparin flush, but when you change the caps, clamp the PICC if the PICC is designed with clamps.
If you are using chlorhexidine, substitute cleaning with chlorhexidine instead of cleaning with alcohol and betadine.  The purpose of the tincture of benzoin was always to help the dressing adhere well to the skin.  I believe it is still useful for that purpose.  There is also a relatively new item called a "Biopatch" that should always be used after you have cleaned the insertion area with chlorhexidine.  A Biopatch is a little fabric disk impregnated with chlorhexidine that fits around the base of the catheter at the insertion site. Always remove the old Biopatch when you remove the old dressing and place a new one before you install the new dressing.  To repeat, be sure to change the Biopatch and the injection caps with every dressing change.  Some anchoring devices may also be suitable for changing.
There are a couple of special precautions to observe when changing your PICC dressing.  Do not use scissors to remove the old dressing, for you may accidentally cut the catheter.  Also do not use tape remover (containing acetone) to remove the old dressing, as this may cause damage to the catheter.  If you choose to use a hemostat to clamp the PICC during an inection cap change, make sure it is a toothless hemostat.
FLUSHING YOUR PICC
The Society of Infusion Nurses recommends flushing all PICC's every 12 hours.  Some outpatient organizations flush unused outpatient PICC's only weekly with the dressing changes.   For inpatients, the PICC should be flushed every 12 hours and after each use, or per institutional policy, possibly q-shift. Before flushing, the injection cap should be cleaned with an alcohol swab, and clamps, if any, must be opened.  For each of the two lumens, flushing is performed with 10 ml of 0.9% normal saline followed by 5 ml of 0.9% normal saline containing heparin at a concentration of 10 units per ml.  If the PICC has a clamp, clamp the catheter at the end of the flush process while you are still flushing to avoid air getting in the line. Both the 10 ml of normal saline and the 5 ml of heparin solution are available in pre-filled syringes.  The heparin syringe is called a “heparin lock flush.”
Some PICC lines do not require the heparin flush, only normal saline.  These are called “saline only” PICC’s.  Some manufacturers call them “heparin optional” PICC’s.  You can recognize a “heparin optional” PICC by the absence of clamps.  Only heparin PICC’s have clamps. (If you know WHY this is true, be sure and let me know.  Use e-mail or the “comment” function at the end of this article.  My guess is that PICC's requiring heparin flushes lack integerated PASV's)  The disadvantage to using heparin is that some patients may experience heparin induced thorombocytopenia.

Cautionary note for nurses:  As to frequency and procedure for flushing a PICC, check your institutional policy AND the manufacturers recommendations.  If you deviate from these and something goes wrong, it will counted as a nurse error.
PICC PROBLEM SOLVING
  • If you think your PICC is occluded by a clot: (1) check to see if it is clamped, (2) check to see if it is kinked.  If it is not kinked or clamped, do not force-flush it; instead, call the home care nurse. She may be able to de-clot it with an agent such as streptokinase.
  • If you have signs of infection (fever, chills, irritation or tenderness or swelling at the insertion site or pus at the insertion site) call your physician immediately.   One caveat:  Some patients experience some redness around the insertion site around 2 weeks after insertion.  This may be a normal part of the healing process, and therefore not a problem.  In that event, it should go away in a day or two.  However, if the redness is accompanied by pain or increased skin temperature, phlebitis is to be suspected and you should call your physician.
  • If the PICC comes out, don’t panic. Hold pressure on the site for at least 5 minutes until the bleeding stops.  Then apply an antibacterial agent if available and cover it with a dressing.  Meanwhile, call your physician or home care nurse.
  • If the PICC appears longer than it used to be, don’t push it back in.  Call your physician or nurse.
  • If the PICC breaks: Clamp it or kink it and secure the kink with rubber band or tape to prevent blood outflow and call your physician or nurse.
  • If you see blood in the PICC catheter, flush it.
  • If you see swelling of your hand, arm, shoulder or neck and arm on the PICC side, this could be a sign of central venous thrombosis.  Call your physician immediately.
  • If you see air in your catheter, this could be caused by breakage of the catheter or a loose injection cap.  If enough air enters, you may experience shortness of breath, chest pain, or lightheadedness.  In this event, dial 911.  Kink the catheter and secure the kink with a rubber band or tape – or use the clamp, if available.  If there is not enough catheter to kink, pull some out and kink it.  If you have dialed 911, lie down on your left side and wait for emergency help. 
All in all, PICC lines have significant advantages over other forms of IV access. They are relatively safe to insert, have low risk of infection, are versatile, do not require operating room resources or even a physician to perform the insertion, and can remain in place for up to a year even outside the hospital.  It is a wonder that they are not used more frequently.!!!

MESSAGE FOR THE NEW REPUBLICAN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LOSERS COMPROMISE!!!  DEMOCRATS MUST COMPROMISE NOW, AND THAT COMPROMISE MUST BEGIN WITH COMPLETE REPEAL OF THEIR HEALTH CARE LAW.   I REPEAT: COMPLETE REPEAL!!   THIS WRITER ADVOCATES THAT IT BE REPLACED WITH THE SILVER PENNANT HEALTH CARE PLAN.  LOSERS COMPROMISE!!!  DON'T BE LOSERS THIS TIME, REPUBLICANS!!!  FOLKS,  PAY ATTENTION TO THIS!!!  LET'S MOVE ON TO 2012 !!!!!!!!!!
POST COMMENTS FOR DISCUSSION, BELOW






Friday, November 12, 2010

Are They Nuts??!! Denair Middle School, Denair, CA

On Veterans Day 2010, FOX News reports:

DENAIR - 13-year-old Cody Alicea rides with an American flag on the back of his bike. He says he does this to be patriotic and to honor veterans, like his own grandfather, Robert. He's had the flag on his bike for two months but Monday, was asked told to take it down. A school official at Denair Middle School told Cody some students had been complaining about the flag and it was no longer allowed on school property. "In this country we're supposed to be free," said Cody. "And I should be able to wave my flag wherever I want to. And they're telling me I can't." Cody's grandfather says the school was concerned about racial tensions or uprisings because of the flag. He feels if there was really a problem it should have been brought up two months ago, not during Veterans week. "No action should be taken. We don't want any repercussion," said Roger. "We just want Cody to be proud of what he's doing."

Let them know what you think about this!!!  Here's contact data:

Denair Middle School
3701 Lester Road
Del Rio, CA 95316
Tel. (209) 632-2510

Here’s a site where you can enter a review and say what you think about this school

Here’s the school’s actual website

Here’s the School District’s Webpage

And the School District’s other contact data:

Denair Unified School District
3460 Lester Road
Denair, CA 95316
Phone: 209-632-7514
Fax 209-632-9194

Thursday, November 11, 2010

HEALTH CARE HUMOR - FROM THE E-MAIL

Submitted by Donald Greenwood, Indian River Inlet, FL

A question attributed to "Maxine"

Let me get this straight . . . .
We're going to be "gifted" with a health care
plan we are forced to purchase and
fined if we don't,
Which purportedly covers at least
ten million more people,
without adding a single new doctor,
but provides for 16,000 new IRS agents,
written by a committee whose chairman
says he doesn't understand it,
passed by a Congress that didn’t read it but
exempted themselves from it,
and signed by a President who smokes,
with funding administered by a treasury chief who
didn't pay his taxes,
for which we’ll be taxed for four years before any
“benefits” take effect
,
by a government which has
already bankrupted Social Security and Medicare,
all to be overseen by a surgeon general
who is obese,
and financed by a country that's broke!!!!!
What the heck could
possibly go wrong?



Now, for serious talk about health care reform, click here.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

NOTE ON THE ROYAL ENFIELD BULLET ELECTRA-X MOTORCYCLE

By JC Leahy

Those of you who know me know that I have a 2009 Royal Enfield Bullet Electra X motorcycle.  It seems like a good machine to me, with classic lines, and I find it tremendously fun to ride!!  Here's a video clip of a guy having more fun with an Bullet than I would care to venture!  Enjoy!! :)

HANDS FREE WITH ROYAL ENFIELD BULLET ELECTRA

WATCH CAREFULLY: IS THIS GUY TALKING ON HIS CELLPHONE WHILE RIDING HIS BULLET MOTORCYCLE??

INDIAN ARMY TRANSPORTS 48 MEN ON A SINGLE ROYAL ENFIELD MOTORCYCLE

FROM THE E-MAIL: HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS

Submitted by Joshua Dee, MD
Silver Spring Maryland

This cute bit of political humor has made the rounds on the Internet.

Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said, "Someone may steal from it at night." So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job.

Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies.

Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and hired 3 people. One to do the studies, one inspector to supervise the watchman, and one to write the reports.

Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So They created the following positions, a time keeper, and a payroll officer, then hired two people.

Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary.

Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one Year now, and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cutback overall costs."

So they laid off the night watchman.

NOW slowly, let it sink in. The watchman is gone, but the 10 jobs created to oversee the watchman are still there.

Quietly, we go like sheep to the slaughter...

Now, does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY .... During the Carter Administration?

Anybody?

Anything?

No?

Didn't think so!

Bottom line. We've spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency .... the reason for which not one person who reads this can remember!

Ready?? It was very simple ... and at the time, everybody thought it very appropriate.

The Department of Energy was instituted on 8-04-1977 TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.
Hey, pretty efficient, huh???

AND NOW IT'S 2009 -- 32 YEARS LATER -- AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS "NECESSARY" DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR. THEY HAVE 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES; AND LOOK AT THE JOB THEY HAVE DONE! THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY, "WHAT WAS I THINKING?"

Ah, yes -- good ole bureaucracy.

AND, NOW, WE ARE GOING TO TURN THE BANKING SYSTEM, HEALTH CARE AND THE AUTO INDUSTRY OVER TO THE SAME GOVERNMENT?

HELLOOO ! Anybody Home?
God Bless America!

Monday, November 8, 2010

SPECIAL NOTE TO MY READERS:

Whoever is doing their online shopping through the Amazon links on my blog http://www.jaitoday.com/ , THANK YOU!!  I just got the monthly commission check yesterday and it's UP! (When you enter Amazon though any of those links, the blog gets a commission on the entire shopping session, at no cost to you.) It looks like mostly baby stuff and kitchenware.  I write the blog for the joy of it, not the money -- but as in all things in life, the money helps.  Thanks again!!!!


Very sincerely,
JC Leahy

Friday, November 5, 2010

THE ROAD TO STAGFLATION

by JC Leahy 


Obama Government Plan to Impoverish Americans to Pay Federal Debt 


The road to stagflation is paved with good intentions.  The day after the November 2, 2010 elections, the Federal Reserve announced that it would buy $600,000,000,000 of Treasury Bonds on the open market.  That sounds like boring financial news, right?  Here's what they don't tell you: For the Federal Reserve to buy U.S. Treasury Bonds equates to printing money.   This will tend to devalue the dollar and cause inflation.  Another way to put it is that the Federal Government will be quietly raiding YOUR paycheck and grandma's retirement fund to pay off it's own insane amount of debt.  If this is accompanied by anti-business governmental policies (such as the planned Jan. 1 expansion of EPA regulation, Democratic-style health care reform, business-bashing rhetoric like President Obama's,  tax increases of any kind, and uncertainty of policy, then the result will be continuing job shortages and stagflation. 


Here's how it happens: When the Federal Reserve buys Treasury bonds on the open market, it pays for the bonds with dollars that it creates, literally, out of thin air.  These dollars may be disbursed in the form of checks that can't bounce because the Government says so, or in the form of simple computer entries. When, years ago, the North Vietnamese government created new U.S. dollars with a very sophisticated counterfeiting operation, they were said to be trying to harm America by depleting the value of the dollar and creating economic chaos.   Nowadays, for the Federal Reserve to buy bonds with made-out-of-thin-air electronic dollars, will also have the same effect of depleting the value of existing dollars and fostering inflation.

 



But wait a second!! This dilution of existing dollars is more profound than it first appears!  This is because of the fractional-reserve-based bank regulatory system.  The underlying legal rule for commercial banks in the United States is that for every dollar of deposits on their books, the bank must have 10% of that amount in actual cash reserves.  Conversely, if $1,000 of newly-created money is deposited in a bank, the bank is free to loan out $900 of that amount, keeping only 10%, or $100 in reserves.  This fractional reserve requirement leads to what economists refer to as the "multiplier effect."  Look how the multiplier effect works when multiple banks are involved.   


  • Bank A receives a $1,000 of magic cyber-dollars as a deposit and loans out $900,

  • Bank B receives the $900 deposit and loans out 90%, or $810

  • Bank C receives the $810 deposit and loans out 90%, or $729

  • Bank D receives the $729 and loans out 90%, or $656 

  • Bank E receives the $656 and loans out 90%, or $590

  • Bank F receives the $590 and loans out 90%, or $531


And so on and so on...   In the above example, $1,000 of new money has created   $3,685 of new bank deposits ($1,000 + $900 + $810 + $729 + $656 + $590).  If we carried out the mathematical progression, we would find that $1,000 of magic cyber-dollars actually creates $10,000, made from thin air.  Hence, when the Fed says it's going to buy Federal Government securities on open market in an amount equal to our entire defense budget, and pay for them with magic cyber-dollars, it's a very big deal. 

 

If the Fed (or a sophisticated counterfeiter like the North Vietnamese government) places, $600 billion of newly created money into the system, it will actually create $6 trillion of new dollars.  Pause here and think about that. What do you think that means for Grandma's retirement account?  What does it mean for your paycheck? 


But wait a second!!! It may be even an even bigger deal!  Why?  Because the bank may  (and often will) encourage  you to move your $1,000, or whatever the amount is, from a deposit account to a money market account.  The reserve requirement on money market accounts is not 10% --- it's ZERO percent!!!! Whew!!!

 

The end result of "monitarizing" Federal debt this way is to pay for ridiculous, profligate Federal spending by taking it out of the paychecks, and savings accounts, and retirement accounts of hard-working Americans and vulnerable retirees, and handing it over to the Chinese and other creditors. 


Impoverishing Americans in this way will not make America more competitive with the Chinese because there are other barriers to American competitiveness besides the currency exchange rate!  These barriers include burdensome regulation, high taxes, Democratic health care reform, and uncertainty in the tax and regulatory environment.

 

Why did the Federal Reserve wait until the next day AFTER the 2010 election to hatch this unusual plan?  Just a coincidence? Maybe.

 

I've been saying for a long time that this would happen: dramatic expansion of the monetary supply coupled with anti-business policies of the Democrats, leading to stagflation.  Stagflation is "hell" for everyone.  Now, Glenn Beck is beginning to sound like me!  Those of us who lived through the Carter Administration remember stagflation!!!  President Obama is Jimmy Carter on steroids!!  We've already been here, folks!!!  Can't we learn from our mistakes???


World leaders are now calling President Obama "clueless!"  What else can politicians do? Borrow more from the Chinese? Cut spending? Raise taxes?  What can YOU do? Start listening to Glenn Beck?  Tell Grandma to buy gold? (Not a bad idea!)  Get politically involved? WHAT DO YOU THINK??   (Comment below.)

 

For 2011, the Federal Reserve's plan will give the economy "sugar high" boost, but it will  lead to stagflation (and possibly worse) unless the new Republican Congress can create an environment conducive to the growth and flowering of American private enterprise. If there is no flowering of private enterprise, JOBS WILL NOT BE CREATED!!!!!    That is the challenge of 2011.


MORE READING ABOUT FRACTIONAL RESERVE BANKING SYSTEM:

Federal Open Market Committee Press Release

 

Printing Press Prosperity, 10/28/10, Congressman Randy Neugebauer


Reserve Requirement History

Comparison of Banking System to a Ponzi Scheme:

Thursday, November 4, 2010

HOLIDAY RECIPE: JC'S CHRISTMAS BREAD PUDDING WITH BOURBON SAUCE

By JC Leahy

When I serve my New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce, as I often do at Christmas, I never have to worry about leftovers. This pudding is, shall we say, very tasty. When asked for the recipe, I usually respond with a wry smile and a cryptic remark about the Freedom of Information Act.  But now, in the spirit of the Christmas Season, I am revealing my secret recipe. My good friend Laurie McCowan pointed me at this amazing bread pudding recipe 5 or 6 year s ago, and I've been making it ever since. Here's the link. Merry Christmas!!! Enjoy!!!! My only request is that if you try it, you let me know what you think. :)


ELECTION HUMOR

Under my office door this morning I found a very nice 8x10 glossy black-and-white photo of Nancy Pelosi with the following hand written inscription: "Dear John, I'll really miss you!  Love, Nancy."  My ultra-liberal co-workers were just playing a cute little prank on my.

Interesting is the fact that this prank of my liberal friends seems to be premised on the assumption of the departure of Nancy Pelosi.  They seem to assume that the resignation of Nancy Pelosi is a foregone conslusion.  Hmmm...   We shall see. 

My "liberal" friends are are suddenly subdued.  They are being such good sports about the people voting Democrats out of dictatorial power.  Democracy does work.   Isn't life wonderful?! :)

JC Leahy

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

SPACE SHUTTLE SHUTDOWN

Donald Greenwood, Indian River Inlet, Fla.
Nov. 2, 2010

Guess the shuttle program wraps up tomorrow (Wednesday, 11 – 3) with the last launch scheduled for about 3:30 pm. Hope I get to see it.

The Kennedy Space Center here stated that about 1,000 jobs were lost last month due to the cut-backs in the shuttle program. It’s estimated that about 9,100 jobs will be cut/lost when the program completely ends at year-end – some of these folks will take retirement – but about  5,000 will be unemployed and looking for jobs. Problem is there are no technically-oriented jobs for them here like the ones they have now. Florida is a tourist-oriented State with lots of low-paying jobs in the hotels, retail stores, lawn-cutting, etc.. And of course - a retirement-destination State with many jobs in the health-care area – nursing homes, hospitals, clinics, etc. Lots of lawyers here too? Bottom line – more homes will go into foreclosure in the Space Center area – and many small businesses will fold too due to the loss of customers. I still don’t see light at the end of the tunnel here.