Current events, politics and life in general from the perspective of a conservative woman in New York
Looks like the first state in the list to be run by a Democrat would be #13, Colorado. The next one looks to be #26, New Hampshire. New York is #49, right above California and right below Illinois.
Now I’m not a lawyer, but I have a hard time believing that banks can just freeze a business account because they don’t like the product(s) being sold. But that’s what happened to American Spirit Arms.
Here’s what was written on their Facebook page:
All,
My name is Joe Sirochman owner of American Spirit Arms and I wanted to share my recent experience with Bank of America .(which we have been doing business with for over 10 years)…. Everyone is familiar with the latest increase in guns sales , dealers selling out of inventory , Manufacturers back logged for months , large revenue all generated in the last two weeks …. American Spirit Arms is no exception to the overwhelming demand . What we have experienced is that our web site orders have jumped 500 % causing our web site E commerce processing larger Deposits to BANK OF AMERICA ..Well, this through up a huge RED Flag with Bank of America . So they decided to hold the deposits for further review , meaning that the orders/payments that were coming in through the web ,( being paid by the customer and that were shipped out by American Spirit Arms ),the BANK was keeping (UNDER REVIEW )..as you could imagine this made me furious…After countless hours on the phone with BANK OF AMERICA I finally got a Manager in the right department that told me the reason that the deposits were on hold for FURTHER REVIEW …HER EXACT WORDS WERE …
..” WE BELIEVE YOU SHOULD NOT BE SELLING GUNS and PARTS ON THE INTERNET “
…I flipped the F**k Out and told them that they have no right to make up their own new rules and regs..that we are a firearms Manufacturer with all the proper licensing FFL (Federal Firearm license ), SOT and that we follow all Federal and All
States’ rules and regulations on shipping Firearms and parts ..and that we are also Audited by ATF and Homeland
Security on a regular basis … She said that she understands that but that the deposits will be released After they have a
Chance to review and clear them …I told her that This was unacceptable and the those deposits (that were a week old by now ) needed to be released ASAP, that we are a small business and rely on the revenue to run and stay operational.
After that being said another Manager got involved and released one of the deposits (to help out )… So far to date after
Two weeks of sales only 1/3 of collected internet sales have been released ..I am still pissed and looking for another
Bank and options …I just thought the public should know ..
I will keep everyone posted on new developments ..
Sincerely
Joseph P Sirochman
American Spirit Arms
Update:
All,
I first want to thank all of you that have called, emailed and posted your support.
I also wanted to post an update and to clear up some questions ..
BANK OF AMERICA started holding American Spirit Arms deposits for REVIEW on 12-18-12.
Since that time we had to fight tooth and nail to get them released ..
We have now gotten most of the deposits and have set up new accounts with a local bank.Again I want to thank everyone for the outpour of support on this matter and believe because of You we were able to get our deposits..
Sincerely and Many Thanks,
Joseph P Sirochman
American Spirit Arms
Let me also remind everyone that back in 2005, Bank of America sought to give credit cards to illegal aliens. Isn’t it interesting that they have no problem taking drug money from lawbreakers who have killed, maimed, robbed and raped more Americans than any gun?
Here is the email David Siegel, CEO of Westgate Resorts sent to his employees:
Subject: Message from David Siegel
Date:Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:58:05 -0400 (EDT)
From: [David Siegel]
To: [All employees]
To All My Valued Employees,
As most of you know our company, Westgate Resorts, has continued to succeed in spite of a very dismal economy. There is no question that the economy has changed for the worse and we have not seen any improvement over the past four years. In spite of all of the challenges we have faced, the good news is this: The economy doesn’t currently pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is another 4 years of the same Presidential administration. Of course, as your employer, I can’t tell you whom to vote for, and I certainly wouldn’t interfere with your right to vote for whomever you choose. In fact, I encourage you to vote for whomever you think will serve your interests the best.However, let me share a few facts that might help you decide what is in your best interest.The current administration and members of the press have perpetuated an environment that casts employers against employees. They want you to believe that we live in a class system where the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. They label us the “1%” and imply that we are somehow immune to the challenges that face our country. This could not be further from the truth. Sure, you may have heard about the big home that I’m building. I’m sure many people think that I live a privileged life. However, what you don’t see or hear is the true story behind any success that I have achieved.
I started this company over 42 years ago. At that time, I lived in a very modest home. I converted my garage into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you. We didn’t eat in fancy restaurants or take expensive vacations because every dollar I made went back into this company. I drove an old used car, and often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business – hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. Meanwhile, many of my friends got regular jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a nice income, and they spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into this business –with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford to buy whatever I wanted. Even to this day, every dime I earn goes back into this company. Over the past four years I have had to stop building my dream house, cut back on all of my expenses, and take my kids out of private schools simply to keep this company strong and to keep you employed.
The businessman is Ray Gaster of Gaster Lumber & Hardware in Savannah Georgia. Here’s a picture of the sign outside his store.
I say good for Mr. Gaster. I just hoped he’s well armed. The Obama zombies hate it when anyone bad mouths their messiah. And of course the Obama fellating news media will do their best to dig up any kind of dirt they can find on Mr. Gaster. He can also expect an IRS audit.
Now if only Mitt Romney would take off his kid gloves and go after Obama like this heroic businessman has done he might just win this election.
Meet Idaho business man and co-chairman of the Romney campaign Frank Vandersloot. He’s the owner of the Melaleuca wellness product company. He also donated 1 million dollars to the Romney campaign, for which he’s in the cross-hairs of the Obama regime.
An Idaho businessman singled out by the Obama campaign for giving $1 million in support of Mitt Romney is now the focus of IRS and Labor Department audits.
Frank VanderSloot, in an interview with FoxNews.com on Tuesday, said he received the initial audit notice from the IRS last month. Two weeks later, he got one from the Labor Department stating the agency would be looking into records related to foreign employees working at his Idaho Falls cattle ranch.
It might all be a coincidence, he said — but the timing was peculiar.VanderSloot gave the pro-Romney money last year to the super PAC “Restore of Future.” Then in April, he was identified along with seven other donors on an Obama campaign website as “wealthy individuals with less-than-reputable records.”
At the time, VanderSloot spoke out and accused the campaign of targeting him unfairly. Then came the audits.
“It seems coincidental, but who knows,” VanderSloot told FoxNews.com Tuesday. “The problem is the president made the list, and 61 days later I get the first letter. One has to ask: Is the fact I’m being shot at the result of having a target on my back? … Was the list made with that intent?”
{snip}
He has also been targeted by liberal bloggers and an opposition research team that directed an investigator to poke around his local courthouse, looking at divorce records and other cases.
Yet VanderSloot, owner of the Melaleuca wellness product company, never expected to be branded on an presidential campaign website as a “litigious, combative and bitter foe of the gay rights movement.”“I had never heard anybody say that,” said VanderSloot, who speculated the anti-gay claim is largely the result of him about 13 years ago opposing the film “It’s Elementary — Talking about Gay Issues in School” airing on public TV because it was not suitable for viewing by young children.
“Ninety percent of my gay friends agreed,” he said.
In this case, the person being harassed is one Jack Gilchrist, who appeared in a television ad accusing Mr. Obama of demonizing small business owners. This was in response to Obama’s notorious “You Didn’t Build That” speech. Here’s the ad that has the Obama zombies all hysterical.
Now whether or not these thugs are acting on the orders from the higher ups in the DNC, I have no idea. But I think it’s safe to say that the Obama regime tacitly approves. Anyway, here’s what Mr. Gilchrist has been going through.
MANCHESTER — The New Hampshire businessman who appears in a Mitt Romney television ad accusing President Barack Obama of “demonizing” small business owners has gone to his local police after receiving two “harassing” telephone calls and, he says, hundreds of nasty emails.
“It’s frightening to me,” said Jack Gilchrist of Gilchrist Metal Fabricating of Hudson, who also said Thursday he received hundreds of supportive emails as well.
{snip}
Gilchrist said the “harassing” telephone calls and negative emails started arriving soon after UnionLeader.com posted a report on Monday that said while he has had a successful business for many years, he received some government assistance along the way.
UnionLeader.com reported Gilchrist received the proceeds of tax-exempt bonds made possible by the federal government in 1999, which allowed him to expand.
Gilchrist also said in the report that in the 1980s, he received a loan of “somewhere south of” $500,000 through the U.S. Small Business Administration. He also received some assistance from a federally-funded agency and a few defense-related contracts, he said.
{snip}
Gilchrist said Thursday that following the UnionLeader.com report, he received “about 300 of each,” positive and negative comments via email.
Some of the negative email were blunt — calling him a “hypocrite,” a “liar” and “ignorant,” for instance.
But two profanity-laced telephone calls prompted Gilchrist to call the Hudson police.
One call came directly to his voice mail, while another went to the voice mail at the home of what Gilchrist called “a professional associate.”
Gilchrist emailed what he said were the voice mails to UnionLeader.com on Thursday.
One called him a “vile piece of (expletive),” among other things, and demanded he call Obama to apologize.
The caller was identified by Gilchrist through his caller ID. The man called from area code 630, which is the Chicago area. He has posted anti-Republican and anti-conservative messages on Twitter in the past, including a 2009 posts that said, “GOP needs to be eliminated,” and, “I am prepared to kill people. Let the tea bagers fire the first shot and I will pile up the bodies of the traitors.”
Unfortunately, this is nothing new. Remember Joe the Plumber? All he was guilty of was asking Obama a question when he was approached. And for that, he was vilified by the Obama worshipping media.
Originally, it was economist John Maynard Keynes who argued that the economy could be boosted by government borrowing, and spending money. This has become the gospel for Democrats and RINO’s. But here’s a look at why it doesn’t work.
First off, what’s wrong with being a plumber? What’s wrong with working hard at any honest job? I take it Obama would have liked the guy better if he was a welfare deadbeat, an illegal alien, a leftist, America-hating college professor, or a trial lawyer. And those people who were laughing in the audience are also disgusting!
I AM Jane the Plumber
My husband and I don’t make $250K but we hope to someday.
We’ve lived below our means in order to save money beyond the 401Ks we have.
I’ve been going to cooking school in hopes of starting a small food business in the next year or two.
My hopes have been dashed by the prospect of an Obama Presidency.
We’d be risking so much of our money to start the business. Someone forgot to tell Obama that most small businesses fail. To think that if I were actually successful at it (can earn more than $250K) I’d be taxed out of existence, makes the risks way too high to be worth it. Therefore, no new small business for me.
Here’s another one, via The Armchair Energist
I am a high school graduate.
I didn’t have enough money to go to college.
I worked side jobs until I saw a commercial for computer programming school. I applied to go, got a small grant, took out a student loan and went there to learn to program.
I got my first ‘computer’ job at a small company on the second shift and made $2.75 per hour.
I was able to work my way through a few lowly computer jobs until I became a partner of a small computer programming firm.
Three years after I graduated programming school, I started my own programming company.
During the 80’s, I had as many as 50 clients and 4 employees.
Toward the end of the 1980’s, the economic recession took hold and I lost practically everything.
I took a job with a former client. I spent nearly ten years as an employee until I stalled at position #5. I left to pursue other interests.
I was a part-time consultant as I planned to open a food franchise. I secured the exclusive rights for the franchise in New York and New Jersey.
Three years after I left my staff job, I opened a restaurant and added the franchise component. We opened to rave reviews.
After a seventeen year run-up in the restaurant market in New Jersey, the market turned. Business started to fall off and by late 2007, we could no longer sustain the restaurant and sold the business a few months later.
As you know, today, I am a blogger. It was a natural progression of a person who is a mix of entrepreneur, IT professional and political junkie. I am not making a ton of cash, but I see a path and I am following it. I am passionate about what I do and see a way to make some money doing it. I have the support of my family and am in the best of health.
Much like Joe, I am a ‘regular guy’. I wish I was doing better and perhaps, with my drive and dedication, I may improve my lot in life. What I don’t need is to see a country in an economic crisis that if a candidate wins, will cap my success and insert an I.V. as soon as I get back on better footing. When I failed in business, where was MY bailout? I guess I wasn’t “too big to fail.”
I believe that this chaos is the perfect time for an unscrupulous person or person, using the pretense of the government help, to reorganize and socialize government programs. I must caution everyone, income redistribution DOES NOT WORK! It forces everyone to move to the lowest output and maximum gain – it’s a race to the bottom. It kills incentive.
I, like Joe the Plumber, am in a position that I have been before – lower than I want. I DO want to achieve more. I am willing to work for it. I am determined to do it. And I certainly do not want my prize to be that you take away my incentive once I cross the next finish line.
Are YOU Joe the Plumber? I bet many of you are.
Take the shackles off…free your spirit, an fly.
The ‘hope’ I have is that no one wants to control me because HE sees fit to give the spoils of my effort to another.
Check out this video
I think it’s also important to remember how Obama’s beloved ACORN contributed to this crisis.
WHAT exactly does a “community organizer” do? Barack Obama’s rise has left many Americans asking themselves that question. Here’s a big part of the answer: Community organizers intimidate banks into making high-risk loans to customers with poor credit.
{snip}
In other words, community organizers help to undermine the US economy by pushing the banking system into a sinkhole of bad loans. And Obama has spent years training and funding the organizers who do it.
THE seeds of today’s financial meltdown lie in the Community Reinvestment Act – a law passed in 1977 and made riskier by unwise amendments and regulatory rulings in later decades.
CRA was meant to encourage banks to make loans to high-risk borrowers, often minorities living in unstable neighborhoods. That has provided an opening to radical groups like ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) to abuse the law by forcing banks to make hundreds of millions of dollars in “subprime” loans to often uncreditworthy poor and minority customers.
Any bank that wants to expand or merge with another has to show it has complied with CRA – and approval can be held up by complaints filed by groups like ACORN.
In fact, intimidation tactics, public charges of racism and threats to use CRA to block business expansion have enabled ACORN to extract hundreds of millions of dollars in loans and contributions from America’s financial institutions.
There we have it! Obama is just a slicker version of the ebonics ranting Jesse Jackson. Do we really want another Jesse Jackson in the White House?
ONE key pioneer of ACORN’s subprime-loan shakedown racket was Madeline Talbott – an activist with extensive ties to Barack Obama. She was also in on the ground floor of the disastrous turn in Fannie Mae’s mortgage policies.
Long the director of Chicago ACORN, Talbott is a specialist in “direct action” – organizers’ term for their militant tactics of intimidation and disruption. Perhaps her most famous stunt was leading a group of ACORN protesters breaking into a meeting of the Chicago City Council to push for a “living wage” law, shouting in defiance as she was arrested for mob action and disorderly conduct. But her real legacy may be her drive to push banks into making risky mortgage loans.
{snip}
IT would be tough to find an “on the ground” community organizer more closely tied to the subprime-mortgage fiasco than Madeline Talbott. And no one has been more supportive of Madeline Talbott than Barack Obama.
When Obama was just a budding community organizer in Chicago, Talbott was so impressed that she asked him to train her personal staff.
He returned to Chicago in the early ’90s, just as Talbott was starting her pressure campaign on local banks. Chicago ACORN sought out Obama’s legal services for a “motor voter” case and partnered with him on his 1992 “Project VOTE” registration drive.
In those years, he also conducted leadership-training seminars for ACORN’s up-and-coming organizers. That is, Obama was training the army of ACORN organizers who participated in Madeline Talbott’s drive against Chicago’s banks.
More than that, Obama was funding them. As he rose to a leadership role at Chicago’s Woods Fund, he became the most powerful voice on the foundation’s board for supporting ACORN and other community organizers. In 1995, the Woods Fund substantially expanded its funding of community organizers – and Obama chaired the committee that urged and managed the shift.
{snip}
Indeed, the report brags about pulling the wool over the public’s eye. The Woods Fund’s claim to be “nonideological,” it says, has “enabled the Trustees to make grants to organizations that use confrontational tactics against the business and government ‘establishments’ without undue risk of being criticized for partisanship.”
Hmm. Radicalism disguised by a claim to be postideological. Sound familiar?
So much for the “failed policies of George Bush” leading to this mess.
