I truly respect the business acumen of #Trump, but I do not like Donald Trump, nor the ego driven persona he portrays.
I have been in and around national and world politics for over 30 years. I am amazed in this media saturated environment that everybody loves polls statistics and unverified opinions.
The fact of the matter is this, Donald Trump's rise to prominence has nothing to do with regard to the state of the American voter. It is rather a reflection of the growing intolerance of the status quo that exists within the United States of America.
While I do not support #DonaldTrump in the bigger picture, he is resonating with voters on both sides because of his ability to articulate simple reasoning of 2+2 always equaling four. Due to the expanse of the Internet and information sources, the American voter is far more savvy and sophisticated than my father and grandfathers generation. This leads to a growing intolerance with the career politicians who say a lot and continue to do nothing.
WE SIMPLY DO NOT NEED ANOTHER BUSH OR CLINTON!
At least in these early stages, the only two politicians talking in language that Americans understand is Donald Trump and #BernieSanders. If we could encourage Elizabeth Warren to get into the game there would be three people who talk with a plan of action that seems to be attainable and acceptable to the majority of American voters.
Time will tell if Donald Trump has the capacity, skill set, and compassion to rule as a strong handed moderator of our nation's needs and change business as usual in Washington DC.
While some say our country is in worse shape than ever, I remain in enormously optimistic about the young voters of America and their desire to expand social consciousness and FairPlay to the world stage, and I believe the world of tomorrow will be better than the world we live in today.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Saturday, February 28, 2015
THE WALL STREET SHIT PILE!
CAN PRESIDENT OBAMA GET THIS RIGHT?
By Arthur Ekrem - February 28, 2015
The Obama administration is preparing to put stopgap measures on what Wall Street will be able to do to consumers by way of limiting what crap products banks and investment firms can peddle on the street, while reducing the exorbitant fees we get jammed with as consumers every day.
This begs the real question, why has it taken over seven years for The White House to finally rein-in the financial products and services market after the Wall Street meltdown. Millions and millions of people in the United States were harmed and continue to be harmed as a result of greedy and unfair business practices within our banking and investment system.
The president has called on the Labor Department to create new rules for investment entities and brokers that will seek to reduce conflicts of interest and hidden fees that currently cost Americans upward of $17 billion from their retirement plans annually.
While this would seem to be a bipartisan matter as it reaches into the pockets of all Americans, the Democrats have quietly been swimming beneath the surface to stall or postpone these measures to correct Wall Street. This should serve as a reminder that virtually every elected official in Washington DC is in someway influenced by our banks and investment houses.
Of course, independent trade groups such as the Investment Company Institute (ICI), work daily to challenge the White Houses economic and fiscal research looking to shoot holes in the presidents suggestions, and claim the White House data is full of errors. This is a consistent strategy used within our bank investment infrastructure that for over 40 years now has caused our system to the erode. The strategy of challenging every solution posed continues to create a bottleneck and causes legislators to ultimately do nothing to help the consumer. Each year, The average investor loses more and more control of the fees they pay, the products that are available, and the lack of disclosure puts the majority of investors in harms way as they never really know what their money is being invested into, nor the fees they are paying.
For the last four years the Department of Labor has been trying to adopt rules designed to rein-in conflicts that lead investment brokers to steer investors into more expensive retirement investments in order to charge higher commissions or fees, when rarely is it in the best interest of the customer.
Three of the leading trade groups, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, the Securities Industry in Financial Markets Association, and the FSI have collectively spent over 16 1/2 million dollars in the past two years lobbying on this and other issues on behalf of Wall Street according to Senate lobbying records.
In almost every instance we can see where pro-regulatory reform groups fight progress on this front and it is quite transparent and the majority of opposition is being drafted by Wall Street lobbyists.
If the Obama administration has one swan-song that can truly impact our nation and leave the president with a somewhat improved legacy, this would be the battle to fight. To finally have regulatory controls in place which limit Banks and investment firms as to the crap they can sell to the American consumer, and further limit the fees they can extort for selling their garbage, then it will force the major players to present a better product to the American people with full disclosure as to fees and fund performance.
As the greatest nation in the world, so we are told, we simply must fix this problem permanently with swift action, or we risk another major financial collapse within the next 7 to 10 years.…… Of course, Time will tell!
CAN PRESIDENT OBAMA GET THIS RIGHT?
By Arthur Ekrem - February 28, 2015
The Obama administration is preparing to put stopgap measures on what Wall Street will be able to do to consumers by way of limiting what crap products banks and investment firms can peddle on the street, while reducing the exorbitant fees we get jammed with as consumers every day.
This begs the real question, why has it taken over seven years for The White House to finally rein-in the financial products and services market after the Wall Street meltdown. Millions and millions of people in the United States were harmed and continue to be harmed as a result of greedy and unfair business practices within our banking and investment system.
The president has called on the Labor Department to create new rules for investment entities and brokers that will seek to reduce conflicts of interest and hidden fees that currently cost Americans upward of $17 billion from their retirement plans annually.
While this would seem to be a bipartisan matter as it reaches into the pockets of all Americans, the Democrats have quietly been swimming beneath the surface to stall or postpone these measures to correct Wall Street. This should serve as a reminder that virtually every elected official in Washington DC is in someway influenced by our banks and investment houses.
Of course, independent trade groups such as the Investment Company Institute (ICI), work daily to challenge the White Houses economic and fiscal research looking to shoot holes in the presidents suggestions, and claim the White House data is full of errors. This is a consistent strategy used within our bank investment infrastructure that for over 40 years now has caused our system to the erode. The strategy of challenging every solution posed continues to create a bottleneck and causes legislators to ultimately do nothing to help the consumer. Each year, The average investor loses more and more control of the fees they pay, the products that are available, and the lack of disclosure puts the majority of investors in harms way as they never really know what their money is being invested into, nor the fees they are paying.
For the last four years the Department of Labor has been trying to adopt rules designed to rein-in conflicts that lead investment brokers to steer investors into more expensive retirement investments in order to charge higher commissions or fees, when rarely is it in the best interest of the customer.
Three of the leading trade groups, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, the Securities Industry in Financial Markets Association, and the FSI have collectively spent over 16 1/2 million dollars in the past two years lobbying on this and other issues on behalf of Wall Street according to Senate lobbying records.
In almost every instance we can see where pro-regulatory reform groups fight progress on this front and it is quite transparent and the majority of opposition is being drafted by Wall Street lobbyists.
If the Obama administration has one swan-song that can truly impact our nation and leave the president with a somewhat improved legacy, this would be the battle to fight. To finally have regulatory controls in place which limit Banks and investment firms as to the crap they can sell to the American consumer, and further limit the fees they can extort for selling their garbage, then it will force the major players to present a better product to the American people with full disclosure as to fees and fund performance.
As the greatest nation in the world, so we are told, we simply must fix this problem permanently with swift action, or we risk another major financial collapse within the next 7 to 10 years.…… Of course, Time will tell!
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
ARTHUR EKREM - IS AMERICA THE WORLDS POLICE AGENCY?
February 17, 2015
IS AMERICA THE WORLDS POLICE AGENCY?
Prior to the advent and widespread use of the Internet and social media like Facebook and Twitter, conflicts and wars used to be fought largely unnoticed or took place without our knowledge whatsoever.
What an organization like ISIS does is bring about a complete and total snapshot of the inhumanity of these backwards thinking tribal behaviors. Much of their attacks are in no way affiliated with the United States or our activities. But because of the global spread of information via the Internet, we are in a position of having to acknowledge these global atrocities, thereby putting America on the front line of defense for every act. The new foreign-policy choices that the United States of America will half to embrace will be whether or not to focus our military actions towards those evil entities that create a direct threat to our nation, rather than serving as the worlds policeman. This of course brings about the larger moral and ethical question as to whether or not the United States has been richly blessed in order to be our brothers keeper. It has often been said that to he who is given much, much as expected. So the real question remains, is it our job or right to serve in this police capacity of dictating tribal behaviors in other parts of the world with our military involvement? |
Monday, October 19, 2009
DCBULL by ARTHUR L. EKREM
WHO AM I?
Visit the main site for DCBULL at:
http://www.dcbull.com
Arthur Ekrem
Occupation: Chief Problem Solver
Location: Washington, DC
For many years now, I have been a privileged behind the scenes Washington DC insider. I am paid to lurk in the crevices of our Nations Capital in order to make sense of it all. My activities in politics and private concerns have included board seats, equity, stock ownership, campaign management, political strategy, policy adviser, and chief trouble solver.
With a quarter of a century worth of exploits in DC under my belt, and at the urging, prodding and insistence of those in high and not so high offices, I have decided to write this blog....Good Lord.
http://www.dcbull.com
Arthur Ekrem
Occupation: Chief Problem Solver
Location: Washington, DC
For many years now, I have been a privileged behind the scenes Washington DC insider. I am paid to lurk in the crevices of our Nations Capital in order to make sense of it all. My activities in politics and private concerns have included board seats, equity, stock ownership, campaign management, political strategy, policy adviser, and chief trouble solver.
With a quarter of a century worth of exploits in DC under my belt, and at the urging, prodding and insistence of those in high and not so high offices, I have decided to write this blog....Good Lord.
Visit the main site for DCBULL at:
http://www.dcbull.com
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