2012 Olympics are just one year away

The 2012 London Olympic time table............ begins now.

The United States swim team with Michael, Ryan and Missy just won 16 Gold Medals at the World Championships in Shanghai.

The interesting side note is that Michael Phelps wasn't the ultimate star of the meet....that belonged to Ryan Lochte. What it probably did is make Michael want to prove one last time that he is the greatest swimmer of all time. It's not like he didn't win a bunch of medals but he didn't break any world records, which is going to be harder since the magical swim suit ban went into affect a few months ago.

Ryan could do what Michael did three years ago but he will have to go through Michael to do it and that will not prove to be an easy task.

Missy Franklin is the new female star and she's only 19.

The London Olympics 2012 should prove to be a great event.....but then again I've never met an Olympics that I didn't love.

The track stars are next up for the World Championships in South Korea in late August.

Good time to make your reservations for London. Surprise someone you love and sail across the pond for the Summer Olympics. I just saw a Louis Vuitton trunk for $20,000 at the Santa Monica Place. Order yours and plan the trip of a lifetime.

I could actually stow away in the trunk.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

From Space.com

Artist renderings by humans at www.Space.com are extremely important.

EXPLANATIONS on how things work in the universe.

Spend some time and learn about where you really live and it helps put everything in perspective.

The bottom line to this is.......you've got to love it.

"Our Father whose art is heaven.......

...................The Perfect Moment Now"

Micahel Timothy McAlevey

Wrong groupings

Medicare and Social Security are not entitlement programs and they should not be linked with welfare and other social programs when talking about giveaways.

The abuse of the welfare system is legendary and yet no one in public office ever tries to expose the abuse or point out exactly how much money is being wasted. The layers are so excessive that the programs within the programs have become firewalls of abuse...... Apparently impenetrable from the outside.

I just heard a story this morning from a neighbor about a young white couple from Santa Monica. The story was a personal one because the girl is my neighbors niece. They are expecting their third child in a few months. Neither one of them works and they are both healthy. He is 22 and she is 21. They live with their grandmother in a home that is owned by grandma.

They receive $2400 a month from the welfare office and $700 worth of food stamps. There is a program within a program that sends them a $150 gift card from Target every month. They also receive an hour of free couple's therapy each week.

I fully understand the concept of social programs to help the needy and disenfranchised. What I don't understand is why investigations are not done on a regular basis and why, when somebody is receiving welfare benefits, they aren't also receiving free mandatory job training.

The 22 year man just bought an X-box with his Target card.

My neighbor has decided to write a book about the welfare programs and the programs within the programs that completely discourage young healthy people from seeking employment.

How hard would it be to employ young social workers to investigate cases in person instead of sitting in an office and writing down whatever an applicant tells them? It doesn't make any sense if the answer is .....we can't afford it. Hiring 5000 state social workers to investigate fraud would eventually save the state billions of dollars....every year.

And I'm only talking about California........multiple that by 49 more states and the problem becomes egregious and enormous.

Social Security and Medicare always get poured into the debate concerning entitlements. Again they are not entitlements and they should be left out of any debate concerning the welfare system problems. I can see restructuring the Social Security guidelines and perhaps offering young people a chance to control their own money but that's an entirely different matter.

I read the other day that Federal revenue, as a share of the overall economy, is at it's lowest level since 1950. The article was by Ronald Brownstein, senior editor at the National Journal.

HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?

I will investigate that point and get back to you later.

In the meantime...let's find out why abuse of the welfare system is not a focus of political interest....and let's stop grouping Social Security and Medicare together with programs that are freebies.

Social Security and Medicare are not handouts.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Debt Ceiling and Deficit

Yesterday I referred to the deficit in a way that made it seem the same as the debt ceiling. After researching the subject a bit further it appears, in truth, that the debt ceiling has nothing to do with the budget and our massive deficit.

The two issues are separate and Republicans are using the budget expenditures to negotiate an increase in the debt ceiling....and Obama is participating in the negotiation by offering future cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

And then there are 87 freshman Republicans, many who claim to be in office because of The Tea Party, who claim not to be interested in being re-elected. That puts a group of people in political offices who don't really care about their political future....and while that might prove worthwhile in the long run, it also might prove disastrous in the short term. Many, if not all of those 87, say that will not vote for a increase in the debt ceiling unless the Obama Care health plan is eliminated. Actually that might be Michele Bachmann who said that, but she is a Tea Party leader....is she not?

Much of the debate also seems to be centered on increased taxation for the wealthy. What I don't hear enough about is how to close loop holes for Corporruptions. Just a reminder/ General Electric paid no corporate taxes in 2010......ZERO!

I suspect that wealthy individuals don't want their taxes raised....but at least they can deal with it.....without missing a rent or mortgage payment, forfeiting a meal or missing a doctor's appointment.

THE IDEA OF PENALIZING PEOPLE WHO ARE RECEIVING SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE AND MEDICAID IS SIMPLY RIDICULOUS.

GENERALLY THESE PEOPLE ARE OLDER, POORER AND UNHEALTHIER.

I fully agree that spending is out of control but I keep looking toward our involvement in other parts of the world and can't understand why the cost of participating in nation building in places where we don't belong......never becomes part of the budget dialogue.

I suspect that the debt ceiling issue will dominate our news in the next 30 days.

I hope the American public takes an interest in the battle and I hope we all learn a bit more about political maneuvering and political bullshit.

IT'S QUITE HARD TO TELL ONE FROM THE OTHER.

But taking money away from the disenfranchised , the elderly and the sickly people of this country is not a solution to over spending....and if you think it is then you are most likely a proud member of the Republican Party.

IS IT REALLY A PARTY WHEN THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO ARE TARGETED ARE THE POOREST PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY? Sounds more like a slow execution.

There shall be more on the DEBT CEILING because it will get uglier and uglier before August 2nd.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Deficit and other strange occurances

I read somewhere that the war costs are not part of the deficit numbers....which means that the spending has really gotten crazy since Bill Clinton left office.

Social Security recipients have not had a cost of living increase in two years.....which is odd because gas, food and energy costs have spiked in the last two years.

The debt ceiling is such a strange term when you know that it can be adjusted according to who has the most votes.

I think the American public has lost confidence in both parties and that's why groups like the Tea Party can get representation in the House and the Senate. It's important to know that they don't have multiple seats in either chamber.

We give $2 billion dollars a year to Pakistan for their military operations. HUH?

Republicans failed yesterday to overturn the LIGHT BULB ACT which would eliminate 100 watt incandescent bulbs by next January.

The problem is everybody wants to replace them with mercury filled fluorescent bulbs and they never mention LIGHT EMITTING DIODES or LEDs.

A special shout out to the American babes running around in Germany trying to win another World Cup.

Peaches are currently 77 cents a pound. It won't last long. Enjoy.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

PRIORITIES

THE TOTAL COST OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM SINCE 1981
$192 BILLION

THE TOTAL COST OF THE WAR PROGRAM IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN SINCE 1991
$3.7 TRILLION

THE POWERS TO BE HAVE DECIDED TO END THE PROGRAM THAT LIFTS OUR SPIRITS AND KEEPS US DREAMING OF A BIGGER AND BRIGHTER FUTURE.

THOSE SAME POWERS ARE KEEPING THE PROGRAM THAT MAKES MANY OF US FEEL LIKE
??????????????

I think it makes me feel like the planet is still inhabited by a large contingent of Cro-Magnum and Neanderthals...................................but that's just me.

I'd love to hear how the wars make you feel.

But 3.7 Trillion vs 3.7 Billion
somethings wrong with this picture

Michael Timothy McAlevey

First step is ending with Atlantis

In 1962 a young vibrant President of the United States made a pledge that lifted our eyes toward the heavens in ways that we never considered. Not only did he say that America would go to the moon within the decade but he opened space travel for the first time.

Space Travel........leads to planet hopping which leads to alternative places to live long after our sun ceases to exist....which means the human species will forever be a part of the universe.

THE JUMP FROM ONE TRIP TO THE MOON TO LIVING IN ANOTHER GALAXY, ON ANOTHER PLANET, IS A HUGE JUMP.....BUT IT'S THE JUMP THAT OUR IMAGINATIONS TOOK WHEN PRESIDENT KENNEDY MADE THAT PROMISE.

Every single person that has worked on the space program since 1962 has had a larger goal than simply going to the moon and circling the earth.

The goal of making sure the human species survives is a goal that should exist inside every human being on the planet. Maybe it just sits quietly inside a small chamber of a portion of the brain not being used on a regular basis. It's part of us and although practical matters, such as food, rent, sunblock and love take a much larger role in our awareness.....IT IS THERE.

THE SPACE SHUTTLE has been intricate to feeding that goal even though most of us have never had anything to do with it and 90% of the population has never even seen a launch in person.

Tomorrow at 7:26 PST, weather permitting, the last United States sponsored Space Shuttle......ATLANTIS....will blast off and an era will end.

Private enterprise will assume the responsibility of taking mankind to destinations far beyond our present reach. It might take 20 or 30 years but we will resume our quest to make sure that we have another place to call home before our sun literally bakes all of our liquid. By all practical matters we only have about a billion years left so we better keep busy.

I realize that as you try to figure out where to make dinner reservations all of this seems rather silly.

Which brings this thought process around to

NEO-ILLUMINATION # 22

"the universe has a system of order and chaos

the human experience is a tangent of that system

which both

establishes order

and

creates chaos

belief systems directly lead to chaos

acceptance with investigation and introspection creates more order

the mysteries of the universe will always outnumber the known realities

and chaos will forever exist

our job simply might be

to avoid

extinction"

ALL HAIL

ATLANTIS.......

Michael Timothy McAlevey on 7/7/11

Back in Black

I haven't written an "article" since the 23rd because that subject is so important I wanted it to have front page status for as long as possible.

It was reported yesterday that after three years of losing money, The Vatican turned a profit in 2010. Donations were down $15 million which is 18% of their normal take....but with cost cutting maneuvers they were able to move back into black.

Some of the cost cutting maneuvers consisted of turning over thousands of customers in Northern Africa to Islam and refusing to participate in the Haiti recovery which just happens to be 90% Catholic.

Pope John Paul II started the revealing of profit and loss statements in 1981 to debunk the rumor that the Vatican was wealthy.

In 2010 The Vatican only made a profit of $14.3 million.

The Catholic Church continues to be one of the largest land owners in the world and I would venture to guess that the value of relics and antiquities owned by the church might total in the billions of dollars.

I'm fairly certain that the Catholic Church is wealthy. Healthy is another question.

If a new Crusade isn't in the works than I will assume that all of Africa will eventually be Islamic and all those years of missionary work on that continent will be for naught.

I still think THEY could recover some grace by deciding to build 100 churches in Haiti and put every single person to work on that side of the island.....WITH THE END RESULT BEING A CATHOLIC CHURCH TOURIST ATTRACTION.

CALL IT......................THE ISLE OF CHURCHES

IMAGINE BUILDING 100 CHURCHES WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT STYLES EVER CONCEIVED IN THE PAST AND NEW CONTEMPORARY STYLES.

The people of the island, men, women and children, could be employed for the next 25 years. ...and it could all be financed by the sale of church BLING.

Within a few months donations would pour into the confers because people would see the upside potential for rebuilding Haiti and helping those people create a new future.

THE ISLE OF CHURCHES would be such a big tourist attraction that they might have to build another airport......not to mention hundreds of hotels and restaurants.

THE PRESENT POPE COULD GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE MODERN RELIGIOUS WALT DISNEY.

I first came up with this idea over a year ago....but so far nothing has taken hold. I need to call the Pope. Does anybody have his cell phone number?

Have a safe and Happy Birthday America.