Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA

Human beings are social creatures. They feel the need to organize and band together, which is the basis for community societies, the state and other groupings of human beings. But this drive to be in or part of a group is a source of many political problems in this day and age.

The same holds true for Selangor, one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is a hereditary constitutional monarchy of the reigning Sultan. Currently in control is Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah. The chief executive is Menteri Besar of the People’s Justice Party (PKR). The current leader of the opposition in the Selangor State Assembly is Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Khir Toyo, who is part of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party within the Barisan Nasional coalition.

Electoral politics or promotions within organizations

Whether in electoral politics or promotions of organizations, players often face the dilemma of whether to enter the contest or to assist other candidates. The analogy is incentives in a rank-order tournament when the winner, apart from earning the “first prize,” also has control over a “second prize” that he can distribute to his supporters. Some players may then be encouraged to help others in exchange for paybacks, resulting in factionalism with leaders, solo contestants and supporters of other candidates sorted by ability. The number and the size of factions depend on the structure of the contest, which can be manipulated to provide optimal incentives for effort coordination as required by political objectives or production technology.

Factional leaders

Factionalism is a fact of life within most political parties. The dominant analytical approach to the study of factionalism as an independent variable has centered on typologies of intraparty groups with different attributes, dimensions and categories based on variables such as stability, organization, function and role, and occasionally group size and number. Factional leaders and others helping to form branches to strengthen their powerbase enliven the politics in Selangor. Alliances are being forged between factions big and small. Endorsed candidates are being selected to the exclusion of others not in their camp, and new and old members are being forced by the new political culture to take sides.

Factionalism and political delineation

The truth about politics is that it is always about factionalism and political delineation. This is a strengthening force that bonds together those with the same ideals, but it can also cause division in governments. The state needs the bond of its people and its leaders, but when taken too far, it could result in disunity. Politics is all about factionalism, but taken to the extreme it could pit a country against its countryman, and the state could be reduced to a collection of factions tearing at the fabric of the nation. Distinctions, if they do not exist to enrich the state, do not help build a better community, and when affiliation to a certain group only results in bloodshed and pointless violence, it is clearly not worth it. Access to money through installment loans or personal loans could have helped to build a better community.

References:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/8/4/focus/6789873&sec=focus

Some are questioning the legitimacy of Obama's social security number. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

This morning, the question of President Obama’s citizenship has again been raised, this time by the Obama social security number question. A private investigator is claiming that he has found that President Obama’s social security number is from Connecticut — and/or that Obama has multiple social security numbers. Because social security numbers are required for everything from auto loans to selective service registrations, many are wondering if the Obama SSN flap truly brings his citizenship into question.

Obama’s Social Security number: the claim

The question of Obama’s Social Security number started with private investigator Orly Taitz. Hired by an attorney who has filed lawsuits questioning Obama’s legitimacy as a citizen, Orly Taitz did a search to find Obama’s social security number. Using alternate spellings of Barack Obama such as “Barac” and “Barak” and “Barock” this investigator found 25 different Obama SSN identifiers. Using just the name “Barack Obama”, 16 social security numbers were found. The conclusion the investigator came to and has reported, is that the Obama social security number used most often begins with 042, which was a number issued in Connecticut in 1976 or 1977.

Obama Social Security number — proof of conspiracy?

Many people are calling this Obama social security number a revelation or proof of conspiracy. The basic idea is that President Obama, who was living in Hawaii at the time, could not have been issued a social security number in Connecticut so long after his birth. Others are claiming that President Obama has stolen or misused the Connecticut social security number. In general, this Obama social security number question is being pointed at by many so-called “birthers” or those who question Obama’s citizenship.

Obama Social Security number — facts to keep in mind

The Obama Social Security “revelation,” though, leaves many open questions. First of all, the private investigator searched for several different spellings of “Barack Obama” and did not differentiate between individuals with the same name. While Barack Obama is not a common name, there are likely at least two dozen individuals with U.S. social security numbers with that name. Second, a social security number has not always been issued at birth – in fact, it was not until about 1990 that a social security number was automatically issued at birth. Until 1986, most people did not have a social security number until they were at least 14 years old. Third, the social security administration issues a Social Security number based on the zip code on the application, not on the resident’s place of birth.

President Obama Social Security number — the conclusion

The social security number of President Obama will likely be under question for quite a while. However, it is important to keep in mind that multiple social security numbers for one name do not prove anything – that is why the number is unique. The fact that President Obama’s Social Security number was not issued until the late ’70s was not unusual at the time. Before jumping to conclusions about the Obama Connecticut social security number, it is important to consider the historical and social context of the time, not how the system currently works.

Sources:

How Stuff Works
Western Journalism
Wikipedia

Image: flickr.com via helloturkeytoe

If you have ever applied for a payday loan in your home town, you can agree that it’s sometimes difficult to get out of the payday loan trap without some suffering. Many big banks want to take your rights away concerning short term loans. It would be impossible to wipe this service out completely but they are determined to try. So now, if you apply for a loan you have to sign some petition stating you will not support the government and there initiative against payday loans.

January 2010 is just the beginning!

This bill politicians have passed, is it for the people? Or is it for THE CEO’s of certain financial institutions? The bottom line is they want to keep American’s owing them. So anything that will help us not overdraw our bank accounts is an enemy of the institution. The lobbyists have no personal reason or need to meddle in our lives, but money talks and what Americans really need doesn’t matter when dollar signs are the focus. Maybe if the shoe was on the other foot these politicians and bankers wouldn’t of jumped on this bandwagon to take away our financial rights. Have these congress men and women ever been without? Many people have a hard time securing the basic necessities of life, and short term loans can mean life or death for some. Riches can have a negative effect on any one, and sometimes people can’t stop even when they know it’s wrong.

The past can be a good indicator of how a bank will treat you!

Take the housing crisis for example, everyone knew that repercussions from giving away so many mortgages so fast would come back to bite, but did that stop anyone? No. There cups are full, but they want to have an overflow of wealth even when they will never be able to take it with them when death creeps. If people want to get a payday loan, what difference does it make? There are still plenty people who get charged for non sufficient funds, so the banks need to mind their own business and quit trying to monopolize. Their leverage is being compromised and these CEO’S hate it. Over draft fees are big business for banks, so don’t believe the hype about how the short term loan industry is taking advantage of the recession. Imagine if you could charge someone $200 for every $50 they borrowed from you. That’s like armed robbery in my opinion. Now wouldn’t you rather take out a $100 loan and save $85 instead?

Will CEO’s and politicians ever have a change of heart?

There is no reason that big financial institutions should care about our well being for the long hull. Maybe someday they will get a taste of their own medicine. Only then will the rich understand. You know that it’s gotten pretty bad when a bank loses their oldest living customer of 50 years because they failed to trust the account holder’s proven history of responsibility. When the couples bank account was cleaned out suddenly, the bank didn’t notice that this was a definite red flag. Turns out this elderly couple were victims of identity theft; it took the bank a year to reimburse the couple their money, what does that tell you about their banks credibility?

The internet is the new avenue for fraud. Many are taking advantage even banks. If your bank treated you like a scam artist after 50 years of loyalty wouldn’t you be just as quick as this couple to withdraw your investment? After a year the couple did get their money returned, but a year, really! If you owed the bank money could you continue to keep your money interest free for a year before deciding to pay it back? Of course not they would nail you instantly. Many including me have lost the faith once held in regards to banks and their bankers.

American’s deserve to be treated with dignity and respect

Don’t settle for this treatment, as members of the freest nation in the world. Stand up for your right to obtain short term loans. The day will come that all will see how crippling the loan industry will then soon cripple America’s economy for good. If one bank treats you bad go on to another. Just never let them bully you out of getting an online payday loan especially if they won’t lend you the money you need. Competition is tough, so the consumer has the upper hand against the banks. They just want you to think that you have no value so they can take full advantage of your money. The revolt has begun so get up get out and go get you a payday loan today!

As long as you borrow responsibly and stay within your means nothing and no one can tell us how or what you can do with the money you have worked so hard for. I will always opt for an online cash advance if I ever need money to deposit, so to avoid paying the bank their excessive fees.

Thanks to Personal Money Market, I can feel confident about never going without the basics again. You can rest easy with this new found knowledge of the power we as American’s still have. Exercise your rights and stand up for what is right even if you’re standing all by yourself. One person at a time and the world will find it’s attitudes a changing. Get your online loan today for whenever you need a hand up and not a hand down.

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