THE FLEECING OF AN AMERICAN, GEORGE HORVAT

 

 

 

Deanna Spingola
November 26, 2005
NewsWithViews.com

Generally, Americans acknowledge the steady flow of cash into the big pockets of big business, particularly under the current administration. Americans were fleeced, just by seven Bush administration agencies, for at least $1.6 billion between 2003 through mid-2005. This amount was paid, through hundreds of contracts, to advertising agencies, PR firms, and individuals. Pre-packaged spin disguised as news were used to propagandize Americans into believing that "war is peace" in Bush's ongoing profit-producing, conflict against "evil doers" This is according to a Government Accountability Office report released February 13, 2006.[1] "The Administration spent $1.6 billion on contracts with advertising agencies ($1.4 billion), public relations firms ($197 million), and media organizations and individual members of the media ($15 million)."[2] Gullible taxpayers are inadvertently paying the price of their own deception.

Government fleecing in collaboration with big business, campaign-contributing accomplices is an established pattern. Honest citizens frequently resist believing that their government would be so downright dishonest, especially when one has taken every precaution to protect his/her rights. George Horvat, an exceptionally gifted inventor created a remarkable system initially designed to assist his brother-in-law, a truck driver. Additionally it would help lower highway accidents and deaths.

Horvat called his system the Traffic Speed Surveillance System (TS). It included roadway monitor transceivers that would receive speed, vehicle identification and driver information which would then be transmitted to a central processing station for identifying speed limit violators. The system also includes a vehicle disable feature which requires that the driver and vehicle identification be entered to operate the vehicle.

Horvat hired Attorney George H. Solverson, associated with a law firm that specialized in patents and trademarks. They had a conference on April 13, 1983 wherein Horvat defined the characteristics of his invention. Horvat's attorney sent him a letter dated April 20, 1983 confirming that he had already "initiated a limited search at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for Issued U.S. Patents." This search did not include foreign patents. The search would determine that no one had previously invented such a system. This search would "take four to five weeks."[3]

Horvat received, via his attorney, "a copy of the Official Filing Receipt returned by the Patent Office, bearing Serial No. 06/609,195 and a filing date of May 11, 1984." This was in a letter from his attorney dated June 18, 1984.[4]

On May 9, 1986, two years after filing with the patent office, Horvat finally received a copy of the "Issue Fee Receipt" which stated that "the application will be issued as U.S. Patent No. 4,591,823 on May 27, 1986"[5] Horvat felt protected. He followed the legal steps, paid the stipulated fees and obtained a patent which protected his invention. His next step was to make the system available for the benefit of all Americans. That would best be done through Congress and the legislative process. Because TS would only work if it were featured in every car, it would have to be mandatory and therefore would come under the jurisdiction of Congress and the Department of Transportation.

On September 10, 1986, Horvat wrote a very compelling three page letter to Wisconsin Senator Robert Kasten, a member of the Senate's Transportation Sub Committee. He also enclosed all of the documentation, diagrams, directions and a copy of his U.S. patent - everything the government would need to proceed with setting up the system on America's highways. Kasten was well aware of the daily automobile tragedies prevailing in America. Horvat further defined it for the senator: "Each and every day, just in the United States alone, we slaughter approximately 120 of our fellow human beings and maim and mutilate another 6,000. This senseless sacrifice happens every day! The daily economic impact exceeds $110,000,000, but this dangerous drain of assets is secondary to the inestimable toll of human suffering."[6] This denotes 1986 figures and I might add is greater, by far, than the number of individuals allegedly killed by terrorists.

Horvat also questioned what kind of a congressional and public uproar would arise if a similar death toll resulted from "airplane crashes, nuclear accidents, or even no-win wars such as Vietnam? Statistics show that the United States has suffered casualties of approximately 700,000 in all our wars since 1776. From 1940 to 1986 over two million people have perished as a result of highway death. It is a national problem that local, state and federal governments have purportedly spent millions trying to solve. George's system would be like placing a policeman in every vehicle - sort of an "electronic cop." Horvat further stated: "Its installation in very vehicle would have a drastic effect on everyone's driving habits and the necessary miracle will happen automatically, efficiently and effectively."[7]

One interesting feature of Horvat's system is the safeguards that prevent "indiscriminate surveillance."[8] Only those who break the law would be monitored. With the nationwide cellular phone system in place TS would be a viable alternative to anything that has ever been attempted. According to Horvat, the Department of Transportation had, in 1986, already decided to move in the direction of using some type of surveillance. George's invention was perfect!

Senator Robert Kasten, obviously impressed, presented the system to the Department of Transportation. Kasten received a written reply from that department on December 19, 1986. "The National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) shares Mr. Horvat's concerns regarding the number of injuries and fatalities which occur on our nation's highways." According to their letter, they rejected the system for the following reasons:

The letter further suggested that George contact state governments as it was their "responsibility to insure efficient and effective police services utilizing traffic patrols, including the enforcement of traffic laws and the prevention of accidents." "It is the responsibility of each state to select the methods for accomplishing these tasks."[10]

Immediately after the Department of Transportation rejection, Horvat hired Peter Yates Taylor and together they approached IBM with his invention. Only after they signed a non-disclosure statement, IBM was furnished with all of the diagrams and information that was provided to the DOT. IBM did a "lengthy evaluation" then decided "that the overall situation needed to worsen considerably before an all-encompassing system such as 'TS' could hope to be considered as a viable solution to the problem."[11] Interestingly, Horvat's system became operational in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates about six months ago - IBM was the key facilitator in the Dubai project.

On October 20, 1991 Horvat was approached by a private consultant with a very impressive resume, great connections and quite possibly an agenda. He claimed that he knew of Horvat because of the patent. Benjamin G. Walker, who may have been on a government "fishing expedition," had more than 40 years of professional experience in design and development of electronic systems. He had been Vice President and General Manager of the Research and Development Division of the System Development Corporation. He also had worked for General Electric, Aerojet General Corporation, a subsidiary of GenCorp Inc. Northrop Grumman Corp. bought Aerojet-General for $315 million in 2001.[12] Northrop Grumman christened the nation's 10th and final Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, "George H. W. Bush" on October 7, 2006. Northrop Grumman Corporation has been the pentagon's third largest contractor over the past six years.[13] To say that Walker was well connected is a gross under-statement!

Walker wrote another letter to Horvat on November 18, 1991 and suggested that they develop a business arrangement. Walker was associated with a company called Tri-Lateral Enterprises. After the initial meeting, Walker disappeared from Horvat's life just as conveniently and as quickly as he entered it. One of Horvat's biggest challenges was the funding to implement the production of his invention. Horvat believed that "the mood in Washington" had shifted by 1992 and they "were now considering systems such as 'TS' to be a viable solution."[14]

On February 18, 1992, Horvat wrote to a member of the Legal Staff at General Motors to ascertain that his system did not infringe or interfere with their newly developed PASS-KEY and received a response dated March 4, 1992 stating that their PASS-KEY system was "quite unlike" Horvat's system.

Horvat was never able to get the financial backing that he needed. According to regulations: "A patent for an invention is the grant of a property right to the inventor, issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Generally, the term of a new patent is 20 years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States or, in special cases, from the date an earlier related application was filed, subject to the payment of maintenance fees. U.S. patent grants are effective only within the United States, U.S. territories, and U.S. possessions. Under certain circumstances, patent term extensions or adjustments may be available."[15] As a consequence, Horvat's patent expired on May 11, 2004, twenty years from the official filing date.

On October 7, 2004, an article appeared in World Net Daily. "A little-known federal agency is planning a new monitoring program by which the government would track every car on the road by using onboard transceivers."[16]

"The agency, the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office, is part of the Department of Transportation. According to an extensive report in the Charlotte, N.C., Creative Loafing, the agency doesn't respond to public inquiries about its activity."[17] Read the whole article - see the link in the footnotes. And they don't respond to public inquiries? What a revelation! The very same year that Horvat's patent expired; the same Department of Transportation that rejected his invention reveals their plans for "their" system? The article also states that more than $4 billion in federal tax dollars had already been spent in laying the foundation. The article says that they had been working on the project for 13 years. Senator Kasten presented the DOT with all the plans, diagrams, etc. in 1986. Horvat was told that traffic was a state responsibility. The DOT plan includes transceivers or "onboard units" that will transmit data from each car to the system.

The article also states that the driving force behind this project is the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, an organization that includes 500 private corporations. They were established as a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization in Florida in 1991. Their President and CEO gave a presentation to the National Surface Transportation Committee on September 20, 2006 in Dallas.[18] See the link below for the PDF file. His presentation is a longer version (10 pages) of Horvat's letter to Senator Kasten. It details all of the issues - fatalities, etc. that this system would prevent. Undoubtedly, these will be the selling points to the public.

As part of the system, we are even going to have a dedicated Traveler Information Telephone Number - 511. If there is a problem, then help will be "deployed."

Although the federal government financed the development of the system, it would require mega money to impose this "Big Brother" tracking system throughout the world. It is going to take - the international banking community.

"Once the system is brought to life, both the corporations, and the government stands to reap billions in revenues. Companies plan to use the technology to sell endless user services and upgrades to drivers. For governments, tracking cars' movements means the ability to tax drivers for their driving habits, and ultimately to use a punitive tax system to control where they drive and when, a practice USDOT documents predict will be common throughout the country by 2022."[19]

The major media has not touched this story - no surprise there. "This story really begins in 1991, the year Congress established a program to develop and deploy what is now called 'Intelligent Transportation Systems,' or ITS. At the time, most ITS technology was in its infancy. But even back then, the long-term goal of the federal government and the automobile industry was to develop and deploy a nationwide traffic monitoring system. A transportation technology industry quickly sprang to life over the next decade, feeding off federal money and the corporate demand for wireless technology."[20]

Jon Christian Ryter did a NewsWithViews.com article about traffic congestion and taxes. It is worth reading for additional enlightenment. He states: "In April, 1992 Bush-41 issued an Executive Order on the privatization of state and local infrastructure assets built wholly or in part with federal money. (These assets, by definition, were roads, tunnels and bridges.) An interesting incentive-one that never made it into the evening news-appears in the EO." Haven't we heard reams of information about the privatization of everything from our ports to our Social Security? Bush 41 was president the year that the government initiated "their" tracking project - very interesting!

In April of 2005, Horvat contacted the Department of Transportation and the Office of the Inspector General. He had exhausted every avenue available to him. He has been "ignored, turned downed, patronized, avoided, and passed from one person to another in the federal government."[21] The Inspector General of the D.O.T. stonewalled Horvat over fifteen months and wouldn't even talk with him on the grounds that it was an ongoing investigation.

He contacted The Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, in March 2006. They responded: "We have carefully reviewed the information which you furnished. However, we have determined that your complaint does not involve a prosecutable violation of federal criminal civil rights statutes� this is not the type of case that this office could prosecute. Accordingly, we are unable to assist you."[22]

The government told Horvat to get a lawyer. Horvat, tired and with limited funds, cannot compete with the government and their unlimited use of taxpayer's funds. I personally believe that the government stole Horvat's invention. The circumstances strongly suggest it. The government and their big business accomplices will make trillions of dollars from a decidedly criminal act against a well-intentioned citizen. Horvat is not interested in the money.

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Horvat says: "My invention in the hands of the establishment would be a disaster to our civil rights. When I invented it I intended it to drastically reduce the slaughter that takes place on our streets and highways every day. "The government has perverted into the mother of all surveillance systems"[23] The scariest issue about this incident - Horvat is not the only victim! He is also not the only inventor the government has ripped off.

Footnotes:

1, Media Contracts, Activities and Financial Obligations for Seven Federal Departments (PDF File)
2, Bush Administration Spent Over $1.6 Billion on Advertising, PR Contracts Since '03
3, Letter from the Law Offices of Andrus, Sceales, Starke & Sawall, Patents and Trademarks, Milwaukee, Wisconsin dated April 20, 1983.
4, Letter from the Law Offices dated June 18, 1984
5, Letter from the Law Offices dated May 9, 1986
6, Letter from George Horvat to Senator Robert Kasten dated September 10, 1986
7, Ibid
8, Ibid
9, Letter to Senator Kasten from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the US Department of Transportation, date of receipt December 19, 1986
10, Letter to Senator Kasten from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the US Department of Transportation, date of receipt December 19, 1986
11, Horvat letter to Benjamin G. Walker, an independent consultant with Tri-Lateral Enterprises
12, Northrop Grumman Completes Acquisition of Aerojet-General's Electronics Group
13, Northrop Grumman Corp.
14, Letter from George Horvat to Barbara Longe, International Teletrac Systems, Inc. dated February 11, 1992
15, General Information Concerning Patents
16, Feds Plan to Track Every Car, October 7, 2004
17, Ibid
18, PDF file of the entire presentation
19, Big Brother In Your Car, Futuristic hi-tech could save your life -- and raid your privacy
20, Ibid
21, Letter to Pamela Steele-Nelson, Acting Director, Complaint Center Operations, Office of Inspector General, dated April 19, 2005
22, Letter from Mark J. Kappelhoff, Section Chief, Criminal Section, Civil Rights Division, dated March 14, 2006
23, Letter from George T. Horvat to Deanna Spingola, dated February 6, 2006 See Freeway Management and Operations Handbook

� 2005 Deanna Spingola - All Rights Reserved