Brutal massacres of innocent victims in Brussels are grim reminders of the utter failure of western countries to defeat radical Islamic terrorism. This most recent slaughter comes on the heels of deadly terrorist ambushes in Paris and in San Bernadino, California.
In fact, since the start of the new year there have been 22 terrorist attacks worldwide. Much of the savagery has been done in the damnable name of ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. World leaders have thundered in moral outrage about the carnage, but have done little to halt terrorism.
America and its European allies have lobbed a few bombs over ISIS-held territory with minor impact. For his part, the U.S.Commander-in-Chief Barrack Obama has struggled to articulate a coherent strategy for dismantling the terror network. He also has consistently underestimated ISIS.
It is difficult to understand how an enemy with a rag-tag army and unsophisticated weaponry can render impotent the world's powers. Europe and America appear unwilling to stop the bloodthirsty rampage committed in the name of Islamic jihad. They preach patience without solutions.
Meanwhile, scores of recruits from the west are heading overseas to join this growing menace. The director of Europol, the European Union's law enforcement arm, recently estimated that as many as 5,000 Europeans left to join ISIS in just the month of February.
Last year the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) surmised there were up to 31,500 jihadists in Iraq and Syria. Recently a Kurdish leader in Iraq put the number at 200,000, labeling the CIA figure rubbish. In actuality, both are guesses. No one really knows, underscoring the lack of intelligence.
The tentacles of this terrorist organization have spread to 20 countries. In Syria and Iraq, ISIS now controls an area about the size of Great Britain and rules a population roughly between 10 and 12 million. The thugs behead, rape and pillage with impunity in their self-proclaimed caliphate.
Every leader on the world stage calls for a coalition to destroy ISIS. But no nation, including the U.S., appears willing to accept the command role. Leadership dawdles, procrastinates and finger points. The foot-dragging is allowing ISIS to win a battle no one wants to fight but the enemy.
How many more killings will it take to finally awaken the world to this threat to civilization?
No leader wants to say aloud that ISIS can only be wiped off the face of the Earth with a targeted ground and air war. But that is the truth. Half-hearted measures such as random bombing raids and drone strikes will not deter ISIS one iota. If it would, the enemy would be defeated by now.
Leadership must convince a skeptical public, especially in the United States. Most Americans (53%) oppose sending U.S. ground troops into Iraq and Syria even as a part of a coalition to annihilate the Islamic scourge. Mr. Obama also has made it clear he wants no part of a ground campaign.
Despite the reticence, Americans overwhelmingly (84%) view ISIS as a critical threat to security, according to the latest Gallup Poll. But the public has no appetite for a protracted military clash with ISIS. Americans want peace and protection without sacrifice.
Public opinion has wilted the resolve of America's politicians. They cower at the thought of rallying a suspicious public of the need for military action. Weak-kneed politicians including the president are emboldening Islamic assassins to wage terror without fear of reprisal.
Strong leadership is needed to convince the world that anything short of a full-scale offensive will not be effective against a determined foe. Great leaders have risen to the task in World Wars I and II. Yet no one on the world stage today appears willing to lead a crusade to eradicate Islamic jidhadists.
It certainly won't be Barrack Obama, who refuses to even identify the butchers as Islamic terrorists. He kowtows to political correctness while lecturing Americans on religious tolerance and ignoring the ISIS genocide against Christians. The man is detached from reality when it comes to terrorism.
If the world wants to see what good leadership looks like, it needs to gaze no further than ISIS. These monsters have terrorized entire countries, massacred thousands and grabbed bloody headlines all over the world. Their band of followers are motivated and willing to die for their Islamic cause.
The world can no longer afford to dither in the face of an evil that will never go away unless it is exterminated. Words are no substitute for military action. War is never a painless undertaking, but in this case, it is the only option if the world wants to rid itself of the radical Islamic beast.
The alternative is to hunker down and wait for the next terrorist attack. Perhaps, that will become the default policy of the United States, a once great nation that no longer wants to accept the mantle of world leader.
Monday, March 28, 2016
Monday, March 21, 2016
Privacy Battle: Who Protects Your Personal Data?
The titanic struggle pitting high-tech Goliath Apple against the nation's top law enforcement agency the FBI has turned into a blood sport with both sides refusing to budge. The case has received breathless news coverage, but a linchpin issue has been glossed over in the hostile confrontation.
The courtroom drama has focused on Apple's contention that allowing the FBI access to the data on an iPhone used by a San Bernardino terrorist would compromise the security of its product. Other high-tech companies, such as Facebook and Google, have joined in support of Apple's position.
The open warfare between Apple and the FBI is just a symptom of a larger issue that requires a national debate. Ultimately, the case spotlights the growing public concern over the safeguarding of personal data. It's an issue with implications far beyond the Apple dispute.
Every day consumers are virtually forced to disclose mountains of personal data to open a bank account, apply for a credit card, sign-up for Social Security, obtain wireless service, acquire a home mortgage, secure a U.S. passport and procure health care coverage. And that's just a partial list.
Consumers have little choice in the data they must provide. Social Security numbers, bank account information, personal medical data, telephone numbers, previous addresses, debts, gambling losses and even skirmishes with the law must be revealed for basic services and benefits.
All that information is primarily stored on computers at thousands of businesses, government agencies, banks, medical facilities and data firms. It no longer belongs to the consumer, who is at mercy of these entities to protect their personal data from cyber thieves who troll the ether world.
Unfortunately, companies and governments have done a lousy job of protecting the data.
The non-profit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse found that from 2005 to 2009 data crooks stole more than 497 million records containing sensitive personal information. Research by the Ponemon Institute showed that 85 percent of U.S. firms had experienced at least one data breach.
The list of companies that have suffered data violations reads like a Who's Who of Corporate America: Home Depot, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Anthem, Wendy's Restaurants, Sony Pictures, Target, JP Morgan Chase, Citibank and the federal government's Office of Personnel Management.
The problem is widespread and growing worse. Some 44 percent of consumers report having their personal information pilfered as a result of a data intrusion, according to a recent research report entitled, "Retail's Reality: Shopping Behavior After Security Breaches."
Businesses have a vested interest in data protection. Breaches have cost firms billions of dollars to repair systems, defend lawsuits, pay fines and inform consumers. More importantly, research chronicles businesses lose customers after their reputation is tarnished by a data hijacking.
Although there are at least four federal laws that address the issue, the U.S. lacks a comprehensive privacy protection measure. Current laws deal with the responsibility of companies that obtain and store the personal data, including the notification of customers. That is not sufficient protection.
Congress should enact a new Bill of Privacy Rights that mandates the following:
1. Place limits on the data consumers are required to provide. Too many credit firms, businesses, banks and government agencies collect data beyond what the transaction requires. Also, limit the sharing of consumer data between companies and government agencies.
2. Spell out universal standards for the protection of consumer data. Some organizations have data security guidelines, but compliance surveillance is almost non-existent. A company or government entity in violation of the standards should be fined and its leaders sent packing to jail.
3. Institute reimbursement for victims of cyber theft. Currently, consumers are usually forced to join class action lawsuits to obtain any financial assistance to cope with the fallout from cyber crime. Every consumer impacted by a breach should receive immediate and sufficient compensation.
4. Each consumer's data should be separated from other customers' information in computer files. In the event of a data breach, that could limit the number of consumers' impacted. The technology to achieve this separation already exists, but no one wants to incur the expense.
Consumers deserve to know their personal information is secure. If businesses and governments fail to safeguard the data they demanded from the public, they should be held accountable. Action cannot come soon enough on this issue.
The courtroom drama has focused on Apple's contention that allowing the FBI access to the data on an iPhone used by a San Bernardino terrorist would compromise the security of its product. Other high-tech companies, such as Facebook and Google, have joined in support of Apple's position.
The open warfare between Apple and the FBI is just a symptom of a larger issue that requires a national debate. Ultimately, the case spotlights the growing public concern over the safeguarding of personal data. It's an issue with implications far beyond the Apple dispute.
Every day consumers are virtually forced to disclose mountains of personal data to open a bank account, apply for a credit card, sign-up for Social Security, obtain wireless service, acquire a home mortgage, secure a U.S. passport and procure health care coverage. And that's just a partial list.
Consumers have little choice in the data they must provide. Social Security numbers, bank account information, personal medical data, telephone numbers, previous addresses, debts, gambling losses and even skirmishes with the law must be revealed for basic services and benefits.
All that information is primarily stored on computers at thousands of businesses, government agencies, banks, medical facilities and data firms. It no longer belongs to the consumer, who is at mercy of these entities to protect their personal data from cyber thieves who troll the ether world.
Unfortunately, companies and governments have done a lousy job of protecting the data.
The non-profit Privacy Rights Clearinghouse found that from 2005 to 2009 data crooks stole more than 497 million records containing sensitive personal information. Research by the Ponemon Institute showed that 85 percent of U.S. firms had experienced at least one data breach.
The list of companies that have suffered data violations reads like a Who's Who of Corporate America: Home Depot, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Anthem, Wendy's Restaurants, Sony Pictures, Target, JP Morgan Chase, Citibank and the federal government's Office of Personnel Management.
The problem is widespread and growing worse. Some 44 percent of consumers report having their personal information pilfered as a result of a data intrusion, according to a recent research report entitled, "Retail's Reality: Shopping Behavior After Security Breaches."
Businesses have a vested interest in data protection. Breaches have cost firms billions of dollars to repair systems, defend lawsuits, pay fines and inform consumers. More importantly, research chronicles businesses lose customers after their reputation is tarnished by a data hijacking.
Although there are at least four federal laws that address the issue, the U.S. lacks a comprehensive privacy protection measure. Current laws deal with the responsibility of companies that obtain and store the personal data, including the notification of customers. That is not sufficient protection.
Congress should enact a new Bill of Privacy Rights that mandates the following:
1. Place limits on the data consumers are required to provide. Too many credit firms, businesses, banks and government agencies collect data beyond what the transaction requires. Also, limit the sharing of consumer data between companies and government agencies.
2. Spell out universal standards for the protection of consumer data. Some organizations have data security guidelines, but compliance surveillance is almost non-existent. A company or government entity in violation of the standards should be fined and its leaders sent packing to jail.
3. Institute reimbursement for victims of cyber theft. Currently, consumers are usually forced to join class action lawsuits to obtain any financial assistance to cope with the fallout from cyber crime. Every consumer impacted by a breach should receive immediate and sufficient compensation.
4. Each consumer's data should be separated from other customers' information in computer files. In the event of a data breach, that could limit the number of consumers' impacted. The technology to achieve this separation already exists, but no one wants to incur the expense.
Consumers deserve to know their personal information is secure. If businesses and governments fail to safeguard the data they demanded from the public, they should be held accountable. Action cannot come soon enough on this issue.
Monday, March 14, 2016
U.S. Congress: The Millionaires' Club
If you want your kids to become millionaires, forget careers as entrepreneurs, software designers, engineers, bankers or even hedge fund managers. The ticket to status and wealth is the Congress of the United States. Today the median net worth of a member of Congress is $1.02 million.
The average person's net worth looks puny by comparison. The latest figures show the median household wealth for the average American is $81,450. The majority of the members of Congress--271 of the current 533 members--are millionaires. Not bad for working 140 days in Washington.
While the median net worth of an American family has dropped one-third since 2007, the average member of Congress has done better. Senators' median net work climbed from $2.3 million to $2.8 million, while house members had to settle for an average of $843,507, up from $708,500.
Those numbers were furnished by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. Their data is obtained from an analysis of lawmakers' financial statements filed annually with the Clerk of the House. The reports are required under The Ethics in Government Act of 1978.
To be fair, some members of Congress arrive with suit pockets stuffed with money. For example, Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican from California, has a net worth of $448.2 million, earning him the title of the wealthiest member of the cozy Washington club.
However, Issa earned his fortune by starting a company that manufactured car alarm and theft systems. He served as chief executive officer of the firm before he ran for the House of Representatives. More lawmakers are launching their Congressional careers as millionaires.
The total wealth of the 533 members of Congress was a staggering $4.3 billion, according to financial filings from 2013. That is the equivalent wealth of more than 53,000 typical households. Is it any wonder voters criticize their members of Congress for being out-of-touch with ordinary people?
OpenSecrets.org, a non-partisan watchdog organization, began publishing an annual report on lawmakers' net worth in 2006. Members collective wealth has increased in every single year except in 2008 when the economy nosedived into the abyss. Only Warren Buffet has done better.
Part of their secret is investing in the right stocks. At least 50 members of Congress have parked millions of dollars in General Electric, Wells Fargo, Microsoft, Procter and Gamble, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and Apple, Inc. Surely these investments don't influence their votes.
Perhaps, American investors should fire their financial counselors and just mimic the portfolios of members of Congress. One study a few years ago uncovered the fact that lawmakers' stock portfolios on average beat the market by 10 percent.
Senators and House members draw hefty salaries, but they are not getting rich on their Congressional earnings. Senators' and House members' published salaries are $174,000 per year. The Speaker of the House is paid $223,500, while majority and minority leaders pull down $193,400.
Still that means your representatives earn more than 97 percent of American workers.
However, there are a host of perks most Americans have no idea exist. For instance, lawmakers get free hair cuts, parking, access to an exercise facility and subsidized meals in the members-only legislative dining room. Few Americans enjoy that kind of on-the-job coddling.
In addition, they receive allowances for new office furniture and overseas trips, often with spouses, paid for by taxpayers. The allowances aren't chump change. In 2014, allowances averaged $1.25 million per member. The taxpayers picked up the annual tab of $554.3 million.
The salaries, expenses (including travel) and allowances provided to legislators cost the American taxpayers $4.66 billion in a single year. That amount includes the permanent staff for the members and reflects pension costs. Most corporations' annual expense budgets pale by comparison.
Lawmakers who serve only a single term are guaranteed a pension equal to 12.5 percent of their salary at age 62. That is unheard of in private industry. Former Speaker of the House John Boehner retired this year with an estimated annual pension of $85,000 for life.
Businesses, unions and organizations spread their money like manure for Congressional access. In the last five years, just the 200 most politically active corporations in the U.S. spent $5.8 billion for lobbying and for campaign contributions to keep members' outstretched palms greased.
The gravy train never stops for Washington's elite. Americans in survey-after-survey express outrage about the corrupt system. But every election voters return the same politicians for another term. Nothing will change as long as the entrenched millionaire crowd is in charge.
The average person's net worth looks puny by comparison. The latest figures show the median household wealth for the average American is $81,450. The majority of the members of Congress--271 of the current 533 members--are millionaires. Not bad for working 140 days in Washington.
While the median net worth of an American family has dropped one-third since 2007, the average member of Congress has done better. Senators' median net work climbed from $2.3 million to $2.8 million, while house members had to settle for an average of $843,507, up from $708,500.
Those numbers were furnished by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. Their data is obtained from an analysis of lawmakers' financial statements filed annually with the Clerk of the House. The reports are required under The Ethics in Government Act of 1978.
To be fair, some members of Congress arrive with suit pockets stuffed with money. For example, Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican from California, has a net worth of $448.2 million, earning him the title of the wealthiest member of the cozy Washington club.
However, Issa earned his fortune by starting a company that manufactured car alarm and theft systems. He served as chief executive officer of the firm before he ran for the House of Representatives. More lawmakers are launching their Congressional careers as millionaires.
The total wealth of the 533 members of Congress was a staggering $4.3 billion, according to financial filings from 2013. That is the equivalent wealth of more than 53,000 typical households. Is it any wonder voters criticize their members of Congress for being out-of-touch with ordinary people?
OpenSecrets.org, a non-partisan watchdog organization, began publishing an annual report on lawmakers' net worth in 2006. Members collective wealth has increased in every single year except in 2008 when the economy nosedived into the abyss. Only Warren Buffet has done better.
Part of their secret is investing in the right stocks. At least 50 members of Congress have parked millions of dollars in General Electric, Wells Fargo, Microsoft, Procter and Gamble, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and Apple, Inc. Surely these investments don't influence their votes.
Perhaps, American investors should fire their financial counselors and just mimic the portfolios of members of Congress. One study a few years ago uncovered the fact that lawmakers' stock portfolios on average beat the market by 10 percent.
Senators and House members draw hefty salaries, but they are not getting rich on their Congressional earnings. Senators' and House members' published salaries are $174,000 per year. The Speaker of the House is paid $223,500, while majority and minority leaders pull down $193,400.
Still that means your representatives earn more than 97 percent of American workers.
However, there are a host of perks most Americans have no idea exist. For instance, lawmakers get free hair cuts, parking, access to an exercise facility and subsidized meals in the members-only legislative dining room. Few Americans enjoy that kind of on-the-job coddling.
In addition, they receive allowances for new office furniture and overseas trips, often with spouses, paid for by taxpayers. The allowances aren't chump change. In 2014, allowances averaged $1.25 million per member. The taxpayers picked up the annual tab of $554.3 million.
The salaries, expenses (including travel) and allowances provided to legislators cost the American taxpayers $4.66 billion in a single year. That amount includes the permanent staff for the members and reflects pension costs. Most corporations' annual expense budgets pale by comparison.
Lawmakers who serve only a single term are guaranteed a pension equal to 12.5 percent of their salary at age 62. That is unheard of in private industry. Former Speaker of the House John Boehner retired this year with an estimated annual pension of $85,000 for life.
Businesses, unions and organizations spread their money like manure for Congressional access. In the last five years, just the 200 most politically active corporations in the U.S. spent $5.8 billion for lobbying and for campaign contributions to keep members' outstretched palms greased.
The gravy train never stops for Washington's elite. Americans in survey-after-survey express outrage about the corrupt system. But every election voters return the same politicians for another term. Nothing will change as long as the entrenched millionaire crowd is in charge.
Monday, March 7, 2016
Why Mexico Opposes A Border Wall
Mexico's crooked political class has thrown a hissy fit about presidential candidate Donald Trump's proposal to build a wall along the U.S. border. Like spoiled brats, the powerful elitists have stomped their feet and hurled insults at the very idea that a nation would insist on securing its border.
Former Mexican presidents Felipe Calderon and Vicente Fox have been joined by the current finance minister in calling the plan "a terrible idea based on ignorance." Their outrage has only been exceeded by the sheer gall of these Mexican party bosses to insert themselves into U.S. politics.
By every measurement, Mexico is one of the most unscrupulous counties on Earth. Transparency International, a non-partisan global organization, ranked Mexico as the most corrupt country in the 20-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in its 2014 report.
Organized crime and corruption are endemic in Mexico. Dishonesty and exploitation are deeply entrenched in the country both economically and culturally. Billions of narco dollars flow to politicians, police, unions, churches and businesses annually to ensure protection from the law.
The hypocrisy doesn't end there. The real reason Mexico fears a wall is that it would stanch the illegal flow of its citizens into the United States. Mexico's economy depends on the billions of dollars illegal and legal immigrants send back to their home country. It is all about the money.
The flood of dollars from America to Mexico reached record levels last year. More than $24.8 billion pored into Mexico from electronic transfers. Those dollars were pumped back into the Mexican economy by immigrant relatives who used the money to purchase goods and services in their country.
For the first time in history, immigrants provided more revenues than the Mexican oil industry in 2015, according to a report by the non-partisan Pew Research Center. Oil revenues last year totaled $23.4 billion, more than $1 billion less than what immigrants dispatched into Mexico.
Mexican immigrants contribute more than two percent of their country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, in some of the poorest rural areas of the country, data shows that these remittances account for as much as 19.5 percent of the local economy.
Not only does this money prop up the Mexican economy, but it gives our southern neighbor every incentive to make sure thousands more of its citizens sneak into the U.S. illegally.
Mexicans account for nearly one-half (49%) of the illegal aliens living in America, figures from Pew Research Center document. (Pew euphemistically calls these people "unauthorized immigrants" in its report.) These illegal immigrants are taking away jobs from Americans.
Illegals make up 5.1 percent of the current U.S. labor force, estimates Pew Research. The latest figures show that nearly 8.1 million illegals are either working or looking for a job in our country. These statistics are based on data from surveys conducted in 2012.
Pew research found that in a single one-year period (2008-2009) illegal aliens gained 656,000 jobs, while U.S. born workers lost 1.2 million jobs. Jobs aren't the only issue. By some estimates, illegal immigration costs federal, state and local governments $113 billion annually.
Billions are spent to educate illegal immigrant children, to provide medical care, dispense food stamps, assist with shelter and furnish other services. These are American tax dollars subsidizing Mexico's citizens living illegally in our country with the full support of their government.
It is time for Mexico to end the charade. Powerful economic and political interests want a porous U.S. border that allows a stream of people and money flowing back-and-forth between the countries. Mexico and its rotten politicians are being dishonest if they deny this fact.
Americans should make it clear that Mexico needs to butt out of U.S. politics. This country has the right to decide how to secure its border without consulting Mexico's disgraceful political class.
Former Mexican presidents Felipe Calderon and Vicente Fox have been joined by the current finance minister in calling the plan "a terrible idea based on ignorance." Their outrage has only been exceeded by the sheer gall of these Mexican party bosses to insert themselves into U.S. politics.
By every measurement, Mexico is one of the most unscrupulous counties on Earth. Transparency International, a non-partisan global organization, ranked Mexico as the most corrupt country in the 20-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in its 2014 report.
Organized crime and corruption are endemic in Mexico. Dishonesty and exploitation are deeply entrenched in the country both economically and culturally. Billions of narco dollars flow to politicians, police, unions, churches and businesses annually to ensure protection from the law.
The hypocrisy doesn't end there. The real reason Mexico fears a wall is that it would stanch the illegal flow of its citizens into the United States. Mexico's economy depends on the billions of dollars illegal and legal immigrants send back to their home country. It is all about the money.
The flood of dollars from America to Mexico reached record levels last year. More than $24.8 billion pored into Mexico from electronic transfers. Those dollars were pumped back into the Mexican economy by immigrant relatives who used the money to purchase goods and services in their country.
For the first time in history, immigrants provided more revenues than the Mexican oil industry in 2015, according to a report by the non-partisan Pew Research Center. Oil revenues last year totaled $23.4 billion, more than $1 billion less than what immigrants dispatched into Mexico.
Mexican immigrants contribute more than two percent of their country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, in some of the poorest rural areas of the country, data shows that these remittances account for as much as 19.5 percent of the local economy.
Not only does this money prop up the Mexican economy, but it gives our southern neighbor every incentive to make sure thousands more of its citizens sneak into the U.S. illegally.
Mexicans account for nearly one-half (49%) of the illegal aliens living in America, figures from Pew Research Center document. (Pew euphemistically calls these people "unauthorized immigrants" in its report.) These illegal immigrants are taking away jobs from Americans.
Illegals make up 5.1 percent of the current U.S. labor force, estimates Pew Research. The latest figures show that nearly 8.1 million illegals are either working or looking for a job in our country. These statistics are based on data from surveys conducted in 2012.
Pew research found that in a single one-year period (2008-2009) illegal aliens gained 656,000 jobs, while U.S. born workers lost 1.2 million jobs. Jobs aren't the only issue. By some estimates, illegal immigration costs federal, state and local governments $113 billion annually.
Billions are spent to educate illegal immigrant children, to provide medical care, dispense food stamps, assist with shelter and furnish other services. These are American tax dollars subsidizing Mexico's citizens living illegally in our country with the full support of their government.
It is time for Mexico to end the charade. Powerful economic and political interests want a porous U.S. border that allows a stream of people and money flowing back-and-forth between the countries. Mexico and its rotten politicians are being dishonest if they deny this fact.
Americans should make it clear that Mexico needs to butt out of U.S. politics. This country has the right to decide how to secure its border without consulting Mexico's disgraceful political class.
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