In a televised speech on Tuesday Venezuela's oil minister Rafael Ramirez told workers they must support the president's socialist agenda or be suspected of conspiring against the revolution. (Forbes)

Ramirez warned workers that if they do not join the state-run unions or socialist community groups they would be fired from their jobs.  Further, Ramirez instructed the country's major oil company, PDVSA, to comply with Chavez's wishes to support social works projects and sell oil to China. (AP)

"By now there should not be one single counter-revolutionary left in the heart of the oil trade unions. We must stay on alert," Rafael Ramírez, the oil minister and head of PDVSA, said in [the] televised speech. (Guardian UK)

The Obama administration, along with Congress, is taking a decidedly similar path with American businesses.  Just as Chavez has been taking control of private industry such as food companies, electricity, telecommunications, media, steel and more, the United States has been taking control of the auto industry, banking, investments, etc.

Community organizations and unions such as the ACLU, SEIU, ACORN, UAW and others have enormous power and influence over their members, often securing millions of dollars in campaign contributions for elected officials.  Those elected officials are then lobbied heavily to produce legislation in favor of growing these organizations.  It's a form of the "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" game that has been all too prevalent in Washington as of late.

A congressional bill that is flying somewhat under the radar as the nation focuses on the Sotomayor confirmations, the death of Michael Jackson and the latest contestants kicked off So You Think You Can Dance, is the so-called Employee Free Choice Act, also known as Card Check.  Defined simply, this bill would allow unions to coerce employees to join the union by taking away their secret ballot, or be repeatedly harassed by union bosses.  More on the act here.

Chavez has openly discussed his pleasure with the Obama administration as it heads down a path to socialism.  Obama seems to be taking Chavez's play-by-play instructions seriously as he and congress attempt to overhaul health care insurance and completely take over the energy industry.

Americans take note: So goes Venezuela, the US is sure to follow.

The FDIC has given a negative review to a Massachusetts community bank with no delinquent loans or foreclosures on its books and no anticipated losses.  The "needs to improve" rating is a result of the bank being picky about lending, according to the FDIC's interest in the Community Reivestment Act.

Joseph Petrucelli, chief executive of East Bridgewater Savings since 1992, told the Boston Business Journal that his bank is "paranoid about credit quality."

Apparently that will get you a poor rating in the eyes of the FDIC.  The agency also faulted Petrucelli for not promoting the bank's loan products enough.  East Bridgewater Savings does not have a website and offers fixed rate mortgages.

In comparison to others in the lending business, EBS only made an average of 28 cents in loans per dollar deposited over the last five years while its banking competitors had a 90% average loan to deposit ratio, according to Fox News reports.  The bank also turned a profit last year of $87,000.

The rare "needs to improve" rating is a slap in the face to a bank that chose not to make risky loans at the strong suggestion of the federal government.  The Community Reinvestment Act is of 1977 is "intended to encourage depository institutions to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they operate, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, consistent with safe and sound banking operations." as stated on the act's website.

The key words here are "consistent with safe and sound banking operations."  Petrucelli successfully navigated the banking collapse in this country by keep his bank safe and using sound banking procedures.  How is that worthy of a poor rating by the FDIC?

The CRA is a major part of why lending in this country is in such crisis.  In the late 1970's, U.S. banks began writing loans, and consequently writing off loans, to non-creditworthy customers as a result of the federal government strong-arming them into making poor business decisions.  The economic crisis that the Obama administration is so often pinning on former President George W. Bush has deep roots in the Carter years.  The practice of writing bad mortgages, loaning money to those who couldn't afford to pay it back, and catering to the whim of Congress is precisely why the American banking system is in trouble today.

A message to our corrupt politicians:  Leave our money alone.  Leave our businesses alone.  Stop punishing success.  Let capitalism work.

Title VI. Legislative Procedure

39. (a.) Every bill and resolution filed shall be in a typewritten or printed form having no handwritten interlining or defacements of any kind, and drafted in a form prescrived by the Legislative Council.

The final version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, as voted upon by the Senate on February 14, 2009, was not in a legal format, as outlined in the Standing Rules of the Senate.  There were handwritten notes in the margins, underlined paragraphs, and many other defacements throughout the 1,071 page document.  In fact, the president had to postpone signing the bill until the aides were done typing it sometime today because it simply wasn't complete.

Also stated clearly in the Senate Rules in Title VI is the following.

53. (a) No committee or subcommittee, except the Committee on Rules and Legislative Procedure and the Committee on Ethics, shall meet, hear evidence, or take a vote on a bill or resolution assigned to the committee or subcommittee without at least 48 hours notice to the public.

Furthermore, on October 3, 2007, the Committee on Rules and Administration released a Dear Colleague Letter (essentially an informational letter to senators and their staff regarding rule changes and other business) requiring that conference reports must "be made available to Members and the public at least 48 hours before a vote is in order."

There are currently no public reports of legal action against the Senate for their failure to break their own rules.  President Obama is scheduled to sign the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act tomorrow in Denver.

To read the U.S. Senate Rules in their entirety, click here:  http://rules.senate.gov/senaterules/

The question may no longer be “how much is our government spending?” but rather, “who is getting the government contracts?” With all three branches of the US government run by the Democratic Party, it is highly unlikely the outrageous spending will cease. The latest installment of Obama’s open-wallet plan is $825 billion Economic Stimulus Package that is more than slightly filled with political fluff. The plan will pass the House & Senate much like my husband passes gas after a fat bowl of chili; quietly, swiftly and it will leave a horrible stench.

But where exactly is the taxpayer money going? Items in the package include “$79 billion for states to fund schools and other education programs,” and “$550 million for Indian Tribe Medical Centers.”¹ Let’s venture deeper than the obvious question: How can throwing billions of money at these types of programs immediately stimulate the economy? Let us also ask the following:

Which states will receive funding? Blue states? Red states? How will they qualify for the money? Which schools? Elementary? Colleges? What are “other educational programs?” Who will designate the funds? Which tribes? Why medical centers if we are moving to socialized medicine under the Obama administration anyway? And possibly the most important question of all, to whom will the checks be written?

The package is vague at best. Some may even say deceptive. Think for a moment about the campaign. Does anyone remember William Ayers? Doesn’t he have ties to education? And what about all the campaign dollars that were given to the Obama ticket by special interest groups? Teachers Unions and Education Advocates raised considerable amounts for the President-elect’s campaign. How much did the various Indian Tribes contribute? Are these legitimate economically based stimulus spending ideas that are truly meant to help all Americans through a near depression period?

Over $100 billion of Obama’s economic stimulus package is designated for educational institutions and programs.¹ Though the education system in the United States may be a worthy cause, emergency spending on education is suspect to say the least. Again, who is receiving the checks?

1. Data from Bizjournals.com, 1/15/09