Bello Italia . . .

(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy)
". . . Italy, officially the Italian Republic (Italian: Repubblica italiana), is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 (116,347 sq mi) and has a largely mediterranean climate; due to its shape, it is often referred to in Italy as lo Stivale (the Boot). With 61 million inhabitants, it is the 4th most populous EU member state. Italy is a very highly developed country and has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and the eighth-largest in the world.

Since ancient times, Sherden, Etruscan, Magna Graecia and other cultures have flourished in the territory of present-day Italy, being eventually absorbed by Rome, that has for centuries remained the leading political and religious centre of Western civilisation, capital of the Roman Empire and Christianity. During the Dark Ages, the Italian Peninsula faced calamitous invasions by barbarian tribes, but beginning around the 11th century, numerous Italian city-states rose to great prosperity through shipping, commerce and banking (indeed, modern capitalism has its roots in Medieval Italy). . ."


Italia
©2015 & 2014 Raymond M. Jozwiak
Available April 7, 2015





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OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak.  Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com 


My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
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Informed . . .

(from http://money.cnn.com/2015/03/23/news/economy/ted-cruz-economy-6-talking-points/index.html?iid=SF_E_River)
". . . 1. Cruz: We have a 'job problem': Cruz claims the economic recovery has been lackluster, especially for jobs. "We should have been focusing on jobs and economic growth and opportunity," Cruz told Fox News after President Obama's State of the Union address in January.
BUT: America just had its best year of job growth since 1999. Hiring so far in 2015 has well exceeded expectations. Economic growth last year hit its highest point since 2010.
While Europe stagnates and China slows, many economists say the U.S. economy is the bright spot on the global stage. Even the unemployment rate is down to 5.5% -- its lowest point since May 2008.

2. Americans are dropping out of the workforce: "The reason the unemployment rate keeps falling is millions of people keep dropping out of the work force altogether," Cruz told Fox.
Cruz is correct that the percent of Americans in the workforce today is at its lowest point in the past three decades, but he's muddling that statistic with unemployment.
BUT: Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age. There are about 77 million Baby Boomers -- people born between 1946 and 1964 -- in the U.S., according to the Census Bureau. That's almost a quarter of the U.S. population. The percent of Americans at work was going to drop no matter who was president right now and the trend is likely to carry over to the next president. U.S. unemployment is falling for two major reasons: Baby Boomers are retiring and millions of jobs have been added over the past few years.

3. Implement a flat tax and 'abolish the IRS': Cruz wants a flat tax system -- where all taxpayers pay the same income tax rate. He also wants to get rid of the IRS.
"Imagine a simple flat tax. ... Imagine abolishing the IRS," Cruz said Monday when he announced his candidacy at Liberty University. Many of his Republican predecessors have called for a flat tax system in past elections without any success. His plans aren't detailed enough yet to really assess what their impact would be on the economy or government revenues.
BUT: While Cruz talks about wanting to help America's most needy, there are concerns that a flat tax could hurt the poor the most. Under the current tax system, many low-income Americans don't pay much, if anything, in federal income taxes. Moving to a flat tax could mean their income taxes would rise. As for the IRS, it's unclear how Cruz would collect taxes without the agency.

4. Inequality is rising: "We're facing right now a divided America when it comes to the economy," Cruz told Fox recently. Cruz hammers home valid points about rising inequality and stagnating wages. By some calculations, inequality is at its worst point since the 1920s. The wealthy have benefited from a six-year rise in the stock market, while the working class has barely seen any increase in household income since 1995. Wages grew only 2% in February, well below the Federal Reserve's 3.5% goal. As costs rise, that 2% wage growth leaves people barely any better off, if at all.
BUT: Big box employers led by Walmart (WMT) are raising wages while other CEOs say they're competing to retain workers. There's a widely-held expectation that wage growth could pick up in 2015, since wages are usually the last thing to rebound in a recovery. Of course, even wage growth may not be enough to bridge the inequality gap. That's been expanding for decades and no president has reversed its course.

5. Build an energy economy: In perhaps his most concrete proposal at this stage, Cruz wants Congress to approve the building of the Keystone XL pipeline and allow more drilling offshore. He says that will offer Americans jobs and improve infrastructure. "A Republican Congress should immediately help Americans get more jobs by embracing America's energy renaissance," Cruz wrote in the op-ed last year.
BUT: Cruz's main plan to spur the economy and jobs right now is energy centric -- a tough strategy to pursue when energy companies are actually laying off workers. The price of oil has fallen dramatically from over $100 last summer to under $50 today. Energy companies are hurting right now. That makes it harder to justify the Keystone XL pipeline, since the world currently has too much oil.

6. Time to 'Audit the Fed': Cruz and other Republicans believe the central bank isn't transparent enough and he wants it to be audited."Enough is enough, the Federal Reserve needs to open its books -- Americans deserve a sound and stable dollar," Cruz wrote in an Op-Ed in USA Today late last year.
BUT: The Fed is already audited twice a year. The Republicans' "Audit the Fed" call is viewed by many as an attempt to meddle with monetary policy. It's unclear what a third audit would achieve.
Currencies are known to be unpredictable, but the dollar is having a pretty good ride. It has rallied for the past year against the euro and the world's other major currencies. In fact, it's at its highest level in over a decade and some people now worry dollar is actually too valuable. . ."

What do you think?

Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html  or at
http://www.ohomusic.com 


OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak.  Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com 


My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music will be released April 7, 2014  Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Another Take . . .

Read an interesting take on Putin recently in a shipping trade magazine (Andrew J. Lawler, Global Trade) that said 'Putin, right or wrong, sees himself as the best candidate to restore Russia's sense of national pride, world stature and its economy.' Futhermore, acquiring territory has not historically been a neat, clean, up-and-up kind of business of which Putin is well aware. Hawaiians, Native Americans and Mexicans can well attest to the that in terms of the United States' conduct. Mr. Lawler also says that Putin is smart to align himself with the Russian Orthodox Church as opposed to the atheists that preceded him in leadership positions there. The church connection helps him to win hearts, and subsequently minds. He is a folk hero to his people. . .

a point of view certainly not "Officially Sanctioned" nor one you will hear much about in the mainstream media.

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html 

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)

My latest solo release, '2014', can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
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Fairytales . . .

 After (ABC reporter Jonathan) Karl asked Marco Rubio a pretty straightforward question about climate– "Do you agree with science on this?"

He responded with, ". . . what they have chosen to do is take a handful of decades of research and say that this is now evidence of a longer-term trend that's directly and almost solely attributable to man-made activity. I do not agree with that. . ."

He added that "natural disasters have always existed" and that he doesn't "believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it." And besides, their solutions will only serve to "destroy our economy."

How would a responsible journalist, committed to objectivity and truth conclude an interview that included such statements?  Might he mention that Rubio's take on the issue is dramatically at odds with science?

Hopefully.  But Karl decided instead to summarize with- "It's talk like that that Rubio hopes will appeal to the conservatives he would need to win the Republican nomination."

Truth?  Objectivity?  Not here. . .
(Thanks to Peter Hart at http://www.fair.org/blog/2014/05/12/the-wrong-response-to-rubios-climate-nonsense/)

What do you think?
Tell me at
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OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)

My latest solo release, '2014', can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
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Trickle. . .

 . . . down

Why is it when I hear the words “trickle down” I only think of PISS?


(from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-the-us-economy-really-needs-to-recover/)
"A recent uptick in employee earnings has some experts saying the economic recovery, during which income gains have gone almost entirely to affluent Americans, is beginning to trickle down. Such a rise is critical not only to lifting economic growth in the short term, but sustaining the robust consumer spending that the U.S. economy needs to thrive.

No need to rush out and buy an umbrella just yet. The Commerce Department reported that average income rose 0.3 percent in January after being flat the prior month. Government economists also said that if it hadn't been for the expiration of jobless benefits for more than 1 million unemployed people at the end of December, the jump would have been even greater.  .  ."

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html 

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)

'2014' available April 8, 2014 at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak
Pre-order your copy of "2014" at the iTunes Store NOW

My latest solo release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

Also, be sure to visit:
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For REAL???!!!. . .

(from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB40001424052702303519404579352551767664072?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB40001424052702303519404579352551767664072.html by James Piereson)
""Income inequality" has emerged as the issue du jour in U.S. politics, threatening to displace the unpopular health-care law and the slow-growing economy this election year. Speeches and columns now routinely attack the banks or "the undeserving rich" and call on Washington to do something to redistribute income from the "super rich" to the poor and middle class. Democrats from President Obama to the new mayor of New York City are leading the charge on behalf of the "99%."

This crusade is based on three questionable claims. One is that the wealthy are mostly Wall Street bankers benefiting from rising stock and real estate prices, or executives who pay themselves extravagant salaries. Another claim is that such people unfairly benefit from a system that taxes capital gains at half the highest marginal rate paid by those who earn salaries and wages. Then there is the assertion that the "super rich" have abundant funds that can be taxed to improve the living standards of everyone else.

All of these claims are false. By promoting them, the president and his supporters may hope to distract attention from ObamaCare and the economy. Yet they are igniting hopes they can't possibly fulfill. . ."


(from http://scalar.usc.edu/works/growing-apart-a-political-history-of-american-inequality/index)
" . . . This shared prosperity of the postwar years was no accident or lucky combination of circumstances.  A "rising tide" of robust economic growth does not necessarily lift all boats.  Political struggle and policy choices determine whose boats rise. The inequality of the 20th century's early years actually began closing before economic growth took off in the 1940s, as a consequence of the political response to the Great Depression. . . "


(from me. . . )
Mr. Piereson seems content with making the sole point that wealth inequality is basically untrue because the 1% of the population holding the majority of wealth does not consist exclusively of bankers and Wall Street wizards but includes sports, movie, rock and roll and other 'entertainment' types in addition to 'business' executives who draw salaries.  And this point alone contents Mr. Piereson that there is no inequality of wealth (with no mention of course about caring for the less fortunate) and that ". . . At a time of slow economic growth, mounting government debt, a stalemated politics and the impending retirement of the "baby boomers," the attacks on the "one percent" look more and more like a diversion from America's real problems."

FOR REAL, Mr. Piereson???!!!

What do you think?
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My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
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Also, be sure to visit:
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Alternative . . .

. . . Thanksgiving "Prayers". . .



Dear Global Economy, we thank thee for thy economies of scale, thy professional specialization, and thy international networks of trade under Ricardo's Law of Comparative Advantage, without which we would all starve to death while trying to assemble the ingredients for such a dinner as this.  Amen.  - Eliezer Yudkowsky

Let us take a moment to think about where the food we are about to enjoy has come from and to acknowledge those who worked to bring us this food. Let us appreciate the earth, the sun, the air, and the water needed to nourish the plants and animals. Let us thank the farmer who cared for the plants and animals and the migrant worker who toiled to harvest the crops. Let us thank the laborer who processed the food, the truck driver who brought the food, and the grocery store workers who displayed it. Finally, let us thank our friends who prepared this meal and have provided us with the opportunity to be together and share each other’s company. - Herb Silverman

We return thanks to our mother, the earth which sustains us.  We return thanks to the rivers and streams, which supply us with water.  We return thanks to all herbs which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.  We return thanks to the moon and stars, which have given to us their light when the sun was gone.  We return thanks to the sun, that has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.  Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit, in Whom is embodied all goodness, and Who directs all things for the good of Her children.  - Iroquois Prayer

This food is the gift of the whole universe - the sky, and much hard work.  May we eat it in mindfulness, so as to be worthy to receive it.  We accept this food so that we may practice the path of understanding and love. 
-Thich Nhat Hanh

In the spirit of humility we give thanks for all that is.  We thank the great spiritual beings who have shared their wisdom.  We thank our ancestors who brought us to where we are now.  We are grateful for the opportunity to walk this planet, to breathe the air, to taste the food, to experience sensations of a human body/mind, to share in this wonder that is life.  We are grateful for the natural world that supports us, for the community of humankind that enables us to do many wondrous things.  We are grateful that we are conscious, that as intelligent beings we can reflect upon the many gifts we have been given.  - Unknown

Got no checkbooks, got no banks.  Still I'd like to express my thanks - I got the sun in the morning and the moon and night.  _ Irving Berlin

What do you think?
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My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
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Also, be sure to visit:
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Scream. . .

Robert Parry (http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/19242-the-white-mans-last-tantrum) presents a fascinating, still not unbelievable hypothesis that the government shutdown and potential default on U.S. credit may very well be a desperate attempt on the part of certain Republican and/or Tea Party members at white supremacy.

Paraphrased, in brief, the diverse makeup of their opposition (Democrats) is eroding the political domains of the 'white conservatives and white racists' of the former. William Buckley's principle, expressed in relation to the southern U.S. states in 1957, says “The white community in the South is entitled to take such measures as are necessary to prevail, politically and culturally, in areas in which it does not predominate numerically.”  Present-day Tea-Party-controlled Republicans are applying the Buckley rule on a national level. Some examples of this are "ballot security", reduction of voting hours, recent gerrymandering, endless Republican filibusters in the U.S. Senate and denial to DC citizens of congressional representations.  Right-wing billionaires are establishing and supporting a propaganda machine never seen in U.S. history. . . and now the ultimate solution of government by extortion is the result. Their message, put simply, is . . . "if the American people insist on electing Democratic presidents or enacting federal legislation to “promote the general Welfare,” the Tea Party will respond by making the economy scream. . ."

What do you think?
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My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak3)

Also, be sure to visit:
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