Special Notices...

Note: there were 24 primaries on Feb. 5 involving roughly half the delegates required to win the nominations of both parties. The Democrats typically vote by a system of PR while the Republicans use a winner take all system (excluding California).

The Democratic Convention will be in Denver and the Republican Convention will be in Minn./St. Paul--both late next summer.

Senator John McCain won a majority of the states including California and was clearly the big winner on Feb. 5. Gov. Romney was the big loser winning only a small number of states including two which were totally expected: Mass. and Utah. Gov. Huckabee won several southern states. Gov. Romney withdrew from the race on Feb. 5. As a result, John McCain will be the Republican nominee for President of the United States in 2008.

Senator Obama and Senator Clinton essentially tied both winning approximately the same number of states, popular votes, and delegates. Each at that point had 1150 delegates of the 2025 needed for victory. The Democratic race may be expected to go for some time. It is absolutely unclear who will win. Senator Obama is winning the money race--he took in an amazing $32 million in the last month. The Clinton campaign by contrast was forced to borrow $5 million from Sen. Clinton to keep going. The next few primaries would seem to favor Sen. Obama. It may all come down to Ohio and Texas in March. If I were betting, which i am not, I would bet on Sen. Obama. Sen. Clinton's ace in hole may be the superdelegates.

Sen. Obama won three more elections Feb. 9 and Maine on Feb. 10. He added three more victories to his total on Feb. 12--Va., Maryland, and DC. Sen. Obama now leads in delegates (by about 150), the popular vote (by about 1,000,000,000), and states (25 to 11). The disupte about the Michigan and Florida delegations, which have been banned from the Denver convention, is becoming very complicated and very intense. We are approaching the point where there may not be enough delegates left for either Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama to win the nomination before the convention. Senator Obama may be expected to win on Feb. 19 in Hawaii and Wisconsin running his streak to 10 victories in a row. Sen. Clinton is apparently placing all of her bets and chances for victory on Ohio and Texas, March 4; and Penn. April 22.

On Feb. 19 Sen. Obama added Hawaii and Wisconsin to his string of victories. Although Sen. Clinton chances of victory now seemed very remote.

On March 4 Sen. Clinton won Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island reviving her campaign for the third time. It was clear after March 4 that neither candidate would win enough delegates to secure the nominaton throught the regular primary process. In effect either the superdelegates will come into play or a rerun in Michigan and Florida will be called.

There are about 600 delegates at stake in the remaining primaries.

Senator John McCain officially became the Republican nominee for President of the United States on March 4, 2008.

By April 2 Senator Obama was clearly the frontrunner for the Democratic Nomination. He led in the popular vote by about 700,000; in state victores, 29-19, and in pledged delegates, 1633 to 1500. Senator Clinton seemed to base her hopes on some kind of collapse of the Obama campaign. The Rev. Wright controversy seemed to inspire the Clinton campaign. Both campaigns reached a level of attacking each other in unusally harsh ways. The question of seating the Florida and Michigan delegates remained unresolved.

INTIFADAH

US BUDGET--2009

$3.1 trillion-spending
$2.8 trillion-revenues
$400 billion-deficit

$950 billon--discretionary spending
Primary non--discretionary spending: social security, medicare, interest

(in billions)

Defense: $600
Defense supplementary bill: $87: Iraq and Afghanistan (not included above)
Homeland security: $43
Veteran's Affairs: $83
Education: $58
Labor: $12
Agriculture: $19
Transportation: $11
EPA: $22
State/International Assistance: $44
Justice: $24
NASA: $16
Health and Human Services: $68
Housing and Urban Development: $44
Energy: $24
Treasury: $11
Interior: $11
Legislative Branch: $4
Judicial Branch: $7
Commerce: $7
National Science Foundation: $6
Corps of Engineers: $4

Twelve of the 16 Cabinet Departments will be reduced. Average decrease for all discretionary spending: 1%

GOVERNMENT INCOME

Individual income taxes: 49%
Social Security/Medicare: 37%
Corporate income taxes: 10%
Excise taxes: 3.4%

Deficit: 2005, $ 427billion
Projected deficit: 2009, $405 billion
Projected growth rate: 3% 2008
Projected GDP: $14.85 trillion

Note: the upper 5 % pay 55 % of all income taxes--the upper 10 % pay 83 % of all income taxes--the bottom 50 % pay less than 5 % of all income taxes

Note: Military spending as a percentage of GDP-2008--6 %
Note: Military spending as a percentage of the federal budget--23 %

EAST VERSUS WEST:

US plus Traditional Allies (exluding Middle Eastern Allies)

Defense Spending: $650 billion
Military Personnel: 5,000,000
Reserves: 10,300,000
Aircraft: 34,000
Tanks: 28,000
Major War Ships: 726
Aircraft Carriers: 20 plus 15 US Tactical Carriers
Nuclear warheads: Strategic 8000, Tactical 5000

East: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, North Korea

Defense Spending: $11 billion
Military Personnel: 2,000,000
Reserves: 2,000,000
Aircraft: 1500
Tanks: 10,000
Ships: 40
Major War Ships: 0
Carriers: 0
Nuclear warheads: 0