Okay, so I'm reading the news reports about the stimulus package, and I will admit I'm not a fan. I knew I wouldn't be a fan of the $800 billion anymore than I was a fan of the $700 billion that preceded it, or the $450 billion per year in deficit spending that happened during most of the eight Bush years.
But let's look at the difference. The previous $700 billion looks to me like it's nothing but corporate welfare. Who received the money? Well let's see... banks, huge financial firms, automaker execs, all of those normal Joe Sixpacks right? Sure... if it's six packs of Crown Royal.
Now let's look at where the $800 billion is targeted. We have a middle class tax cut, money for infrastructure upgrades, targeted job creation, etc... No wonder the Republicans are pissed... they don't get any of it!
I'm just gonna tell you that I most likely won't qualify for the tax cut, and I'm just fine with that. I am genuinely concerned that we have mortgaged our country's future, but why is it suddenly not okay with the Republicans when the previous Bush stimulus was?
I almost pulled a muscle from laughing so hard reading the reports of Republicans complaining about out of control spending... y'all kill me!
For the record... one more time... cause apparently you're blind, deaf, and dumb; or you've been hiding under a rock for the last eight years. REPUBLICANS... in 2000 we were running a $250 billion operating surplus... pause... SURPLUS. The party of fiscal responsibility turned that into a $450 billion dollar operating LOSS... pausing to let it sink in a sec... LOSS! Doing the fuzzy math that sounds like a $700 billion reversal.
Now before anyone decides to blame Congress... naw... go ahead... if you remember all three branches of the federal government were firmly under control of the Republicans for the first six years of the Bush administration, so please blame Congress. I'll wait.
People in glass houses constructed of spun sugar should not throw stones or anything else for that matter. The $5 trillion... wait... how about this... $5,000,000,000,000,000 (look at those zeroes) deficit we managed to accumulate since World War II (that's like 55 or 60 years) more than doubled ($12,000,000,000,000,000) in 8 years.
So here we are, not even one month after the inauguration, and the Republicans are asking why the economies not fixed yet? Why hasn't the new administration done more? I voted for Obama, but not even I thought he was that good!
So while I will admit to being a bit concerned about this $1.5 trillion in "stimulus" money, and I can't really figure out why every American tax payer is not receiving a $20,000.00 check... still... could the real Republican party please stand up?
Y'all kill me... no really... you do.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Monday, December 08, 2008
It's been awhile
I see I haven't posted here in over a year. My last one was kind of a rant against a newly elected Democratic Congress that was about as effective as an empty toilet paper roll. In their defense however, they didn't have a true working majority, it was more of a symbolic one.
The Democrats will soon have all that they wanted, but they might find getting what you wish for is a two-edged sword. It will be interesting to see whether the next four years will be like Bush's first six. Will Obama rubber stamp every thing that his Congress sends him like Bush did, simply because they share the same party label? I don't think he will and I certainly hope he won't.
The newly elected government is in a truly unenviable position. They have a lot of leftover Republican shit to cleanup and not even "the quicker picker uppers" are gonna be good enough. The economy, the war, and our worldwide reputation are all in the crapper; and they're really gonna have to step up to the plate and swing for the cheap seats if they're gonna fix it.
Half measures and old ideas are not going to bring this around quickly enough to make a difference to those who have lost jobs and homes and retirement funds to this mess. I sincerely hope that those that Obama has picked for his cabinet, and those in Congress are ready to play some serious hardball.
The Democrats will soon have all that they wanted, but they might find getting what you wish for is a two-edged sword. It will be interesting to see whether the next four years will be like Bush's first six. Will Obama rubber stamp every thing that his Congress sends him like Bush did, simply because they share the same party label? I don't think he will and I certainly hope he won't.
The newly elected government is in a truly unenviable position. They have a lot of leftover Republican shit to cleanup and not even "the quicker picker uppers" are gonna be good enough. The economy, the war, and our worldwide reputation are all in the crapper; and they're really gonna have to step up to the plate and swing for the cheap seats if they're gonna fix it.
Half measures and old ideas are not going to bring this around quickly enough to make a difference to those who have lost jobs and homes and retirement funds to this mess. I sincerely hope that those that Obama has picked for his cabinet, and those in Congress are ready to play some serious hardball.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Democrats: Seeing the Forest
Everyone's heard the old saying, "you can't see the forest for the trees." It's already happening with the Democratic candidates for President.
Let's fast forward to a Clinton Democratic nod... Throwing the current mostly useless polls aside, what happens when a Hillary Clinton is running as THE Democratic Presidential candidate?
I've never seen anyone who can polarize people more than Hillary Clinton. Personally I like the idea of Hillary as President because all the scandals become about Bill's sex life again, and that makes for much better jokes than dead soldiers. Unfortunately I don't think even the most progressive of the right wing will consider her a viable candidate, so there goes 30% off the top. Assuming there is an opposite minded 30% out there (those that would aggressively support Hillary) that leaves 40% unaccounted for. The real question... what would they do?
Now let's talk about Obama... same story really 30% of the die hard rednecks would never vote for a black man (no matter how white he seems). Then there's that opposite 30%, and were back to the 40% unknown. I really have a hard time with Obama because I can't decide if his naivete makes him a better or worse candidate.
So I'm left with only one conclusion... they need to both drop out for the good of the party and country, and throw their combined impressive political clout behind Edwards... yep... really.
Let's fast forward to a Clinton Democratic nod... Throwing the current mostly useless polls aside, what happens when a Hillary Clinton is running as THE Democratic Presidential candidate?
I've never seen anyone who can polarize people more than Hillary Clinton. Personally I like the idea of Hillary as President because all the scandals become about Bill's sex life again, and that makes for much better jokes than dead soldiers. Unfortunately I don't think even the most progressive of the right wing will consider her a viable candidate, so there goes 30% off the top. Assuming there is an opposite minded 30% out there (those that would aggressively support Hillary) that leaves 40% unaccounted for. The real question... what would they do?
Now let's talk about Obama... same story really 30% of the die hard rednecks would never vote for a black man (no matter how white he seems). Then there's that opposite 30%, and were back to the 40% unknown. I really have a hard time with Obama because I can't decide if his naivete makes him a better or worse candidate.
So I'm left with only one conclusion... they need to both drop out for the good of the party and country, and throw their combined impressive political clout behind Edwards... yep... really.
Corporate Political Takeover
So it seems it's ramping up to yet another election year and the field of mostly unimpressive candidates is filing by doing their level best to convince you out of your vote. The problem is the entire process is rigged!
They are saying what they think you want to hear to get elected, while the real winner will be the one that is making the right deals behind closed doors to assure their corporate sponsors they will be taken care of after the election.
Corporations have co-opted the electoral process here in the US. The politicians have only two real jobs to do now... get reelected and take care of their sponsors. It's not rocket science to figure out who the politicians real constituents are... just follow the money.
So how do we take back our electoral process? There are two things that need to change and they need to change now! First, it's time to put mandatory term limits on every elected office at the federal level. Secondly, all federal elections need to be financed through public funds.
When it comes to the subject of term limits, the reelection rate for incumbents is ridiculously high no matter what they do (or don't do) while in office just because the voters know the name. Now it could be argued that mandatory term limits only serve to protect the voters from their own ignorance and laziness for not deeming it important enough to know who and what they're voting for, and I would agree. However, I would defend the voters a little by saying that most of them don't believe their vote matters, but they are at least making the effort anyway.
If no private funding of political races were allowed we suddenly benefit in a couple ways. First, the candidates currently serving in public office know exactly how much money they have to campaign with, and they don't waste the publics time by spending 75% of their time and energy from their first day in office fundraising instead of working. Second, this would break the backs of the PACs and lobbyists by rendering their existence useless. Third, the current political system has created extremely high barriers of entry explicitly due to the amount of money or political connections needed to enter into it. This is no longer a government of the people, for the people, and by the people... it is a government of the rich people, for the rich people, by the rich people.
It is time to take our country back from the rich who have stolen it... really!
They are saying what they think you want to hear to get elected, while the real winner will be the one that is making the right deals behind closed doors to assure their corporate sponsors they will be taken care of after the election.
Corporations have co-opted the electoral process here in the US. The politicians have only two real jobs to do now... get reelected and take care of their sponsors. It's not rocket science to figure out who the politicians real constituents are... just follow the money.
So how do we take back our electoral process? There are two things that need to change and they need to change now! First, it's time to put mandatory term limits on every elected office at the federal level. Secondly, all federal elections need to be financed through public funds.
When it comes to the subject of term limits, the reelection rate for incumbents is ridiculously high no matter what they do (or don't do) while in office just because the voters know the name. Now it could be argued that mandatory term limits only serve to protect the voters from their own ignorance and laziness for not deeming it important enough to know who and what they're voting for, and I would agree. However, I would defend the voters a little by saying that most of them don't believe their vote matters, but they are at least making the effort anyway.
If no private funding of political races were allowed we suddenly benefit in a couple ways. First, the candidates currently serving in public office know exactly how much money they have to campaign with, and they don't waste the publics time by spending 75% of their time and energy from their first day in office fundraising instead of working. Second, this would break the backs of the PACs and lobbyists by rendering their existence useless. Third, the current political system has created extremely high barriers of entry explicitly due to the amount of money or political connections needed to enter into it. This is no longer a government of the people, for the people, and by the people... it is a government of the rich people, for the rich people, by the rich people.
It is time to take our country back from the rich who have stolen it... really!
Sunday, October 08, 2006
ScandalGate 2006
Republican scandals are so out of control I can't remember them all, so I thought I would see if someone had maybe compiled a list, well it turns out someone did just that in January 2005. The link below is to the original list published by Peter Dizikes where he details each one, so I thought I would add the news scandals to his list using his original format.
http://www.ecolivingcenter.com/board/politics/messages/73.html
http://blogs.salon.com/0002255/2005/12/01.html
http://thinkprogress.org/senate-high-rollers-oppose-minimum-wage/
1. Memogate: The Senate Computer Theft
2. Doctor Detroit: The DOJ's Bungled Terrorism Case
3. Dark Matter: The Energy Task Force
4. The Indian Gaming Scandal
5. Halliburton's No-Bid Bonanza
6. Halliburton: Pumping Up Prices
7. Halliburton's Vanishing Iraq Money - Iraq Overcharging Scandal
8. The Halliburton Bribe-apalooza
9. Halliburton: One Fine Company
10. Halliburton's Iran End Run
11. Money Order: Afghanistan's Missing $700 Million Turns Up in Iraq
12. Iraq: More Loose Change
13. The Pentagon-Israel Spy Case
14. Gone to Taiwan
15. Wiretapping the United Nations
16. The Boeing Boondoggle
17. The Medicare Bribe Scandal
18. Tom DeLay's PAC Problems
19. Tom DeLay's FAA: Following Americans Anywhere
20. In the Rough: Tom DeLay's Golf Fundraiser
21. Busy, Busy, Busy in New Hampshire - Phone Based Voting Scandal
22. The Medicare Money Scandal
23. The Bogus Medicare "Video News Release"
24. Pundits on the Payroll: The Armstrong Williams Case
25. Ground Zero's Unsafe Air
26. John Ashcroft's Illegal Campaign Contributions
27. Intel Inside ... The White House
28. Duck! Antonin Scalia's Legal Conflicts
29. AWOL - George Bush Unfulfilled National Guard Duty
30. Iraq: The Case for War - Falsified Intelligence Data
31. Niger Forgeries: Whodunit?
32. In Plame Sight - CIA Agent Valarie Plame Outed by Administration
33. Abu Ghraib
34. Guantánamo Bay Torture?
And the Latest
35. Illegal NSA Wiretapping
36. Defeat of Minimum Wage While Okaying Congressional Raise
37. Bill Frist Accused of Multimillion Dollar HCA Insider Stock Deal
38. Mark Foley Underage Sex With Congressional Pages
38. Latino Voter Intimidation Scandal in California
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-10-21T091304Z_01_N20233177_RTRUKOC_0_US-CALIFORNIA-CONGRESS.xml&WTmodLoc=USNewsHome_C2_domesticNews-6
http://www.ecolivingcenter.com/board/politics/messages/73.html
http://blogs.salon.com/0002255/2005/12/01.html
http://thinkprogress.org/senate-high-rollers-oppose-minimum-wage/
1. Memogate: The Senate Computer Theft
2. Doctor Detroit: The DOJ's Bungled Terrorism Case
3. Dark Matter: The Energy Task Force
4. The Indian Gaming Scandal
5. Halliburton's No-Bid Bonanza
6. Halliburton: Pumping Up Prices
7. Halliburton's Vanishing Iraq Money - Iraq Overcharging Scandal
8. The Halliburton Bribe-apalooza
9. Halliburton: One Fine Company
10. Halliburton's Iran End Run
11. Money Order: Afghanistan's Missing $700 Million Turns Up in Iraq
12. Iraq: More Loose Change
13. The Pentagon-Israel Spy Case
14. Gone to Taiwan
15. Wiretapping the United Nations
16. The Boeing Boondoggle
17. The Medicare Bribe Scandal
18. Tom DeLay's PAC Problems
19. Tom DeLay's FAA: Following Americans Anywhere
20. In the Rough: Tom DeLay's Golf Fundraiser
21. Busy, Busy, Busy in New Hampshire - Phone Based Voting Scandal
22. The Medicare Money Scandal
23. The Bogus Medicare "Video News Release"
24. Pundits on the Payroll: The Armstrong Williams Case
25. Ground Zero's Unsafe Air
26. John Ashcroft's Illegal Campaign Contributions
27. Intel Inside ... The White House
28. Duck! Antonin Scalia's Legal Conflicts
29. AWOL - George Bush Unfulfilled National Guard Duty
30. Iraq: The Case for War - Falsified Intelligence Data
31. Niger Forgeries: Whodunit?
32. In Plame Sight - CIA Agent Valarie Plame Outed by Administration
33. Abu Ghraib
34. Guantánamo Bay Torture?
And the Latest
35. Illegal NSA Wiretapping
36. Defeat of Minimum Wage While Okaying Congressional Raise
37. Bill Frist Accused of Multimillion Dollar HCA Insider Stock Deal
38. Mark Foley Underage Sex With Congressional Pages
38. Latino Voter Intimidation Scandal in California
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-10-21T091304Z_01_N20233177_RTRUKOC_0_US-CALIFORNIA-CONGRESS.xml&WTmodLoc=USNewsHome_C2_domesticNews-6
Saturday, July 15, 2006
The House Fights to End Poverty in DC
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/20/dobbs.june21/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/27/congress.wage/index.html
I am so relieved that the House Republicans have fought to approve the automatic increase in Congressional pay possibly at a rate even higher than expected. I was becoming increasingly concerned that our lawmakers would not be able to survive on a paltry $164,000 per year. Meanwhile, they have saved us yet again by managing to not raise the minimum wage and thrusting all of those minimum wage workers into higher tax brackets.
Yes it makes me feel better to know that we won't have to worry about minimum wage workers getting all snooty with that extra $2.00 per hour those crazy lawmakers were going to give them. Why if that happened they might actually find some discretionary income laying around, and you know they would just go out and buy drugs and booze with it.
Some crazy Democrat was even talking about fighting the passage of this bill until Congress heard arguments on the minimum wage bill. That's just crazy! Do you know what a latte costs in DC? It's not like they're going to find some lobbyist somewhere to pay for their latte's and trips home, or more likely to the Alps for skiing.
Yes it's nice to see that during a time when govenment spending has reached an all time high, the deficit is soaring out of control, were spending a billion dollars per week on war, and we've given all the tax money back to the taxpayers we aren't losing sight of our real priorities.
God bless our lawmakers and God bless America... No Really!
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/27/congress.wage/index.html
I am so relieved that the House Republicans have fought to approve the automatic increase in Congressional pay possibly at a rate even higher than expected. I was becoming increasingly concerned that our lawmakers would not be able to survive on a paltry $164,000 per year. Meanwhile, they have saved us yet again by managing to not raise the minimum wage and thrusting all of those minimum wage workers into higher tax brackets.
Yes it makes me feel better to know that we won't have to worry about minimum wage workers getting all snooty with that extra $2.00 per hour those crazy lawmakers were going to give them. Why if that happened they might actually find some discretionary income laying around, and you know they would just go out and buy drugs and booze with it.
Some crazy Democrat was even talking about fighting the passage of this bill until Congress heard arguments on the minimum wage bill. That's just crazy! Do you know what a latte costs in DC? It's not like they're going to find some lobbyist somewhere to pay for their latte's and trips home, or more likely to the Alps for skiing.
Yes it's nice to see that during a time when govenment spending has reached an all time high, the deficit is soaring out of control, were spending a billion dollars per week on war, and we've given all the tax money back to the taxpayers we aren't losing sight of our real priorities.
God bless our lawmakers and God bless America... No Really!
Sunday, March 19, 2006
The Argument for Impeachment
Thank you Russ Feingold!
Someone has finally stepped up! Let me see if I can bullet point the issues:
George Bush...
1) Manipulated intelligence reports to pursue a personal agenda leading to the deaths of over 2300 American soldiers and more than an estimated 100,000 civilians.
2) Possibly knowing lied about those same intelligence reports to justify the war in Iraq.
2) Lied to the American public on national TV about the NSA wiretap program.
3) Continues to try to justify and utilize a wiretap program that is obviously unconstitutional.
4) Which means he is violating United States law!
Bill Clinton...
1) Lied about having sex with an intern.
Okay... now I understand why we would impeach Clinton and not Bush!
I'm glad I could clear that all up!
http://www.votetoimpeach.org
Someone has finally stepped up! Let me see if I can bullet point the issues:
George Bush...
1) Manipulated intelligence reports to pursue a personal agenda leading to the deaths of over 2300 American soldiers and more than an estimated 100,000 civilians.
2) Possibly knowing lied about those same intelligence reports to justify the war in Iraq.
2) Lied to the American public on national TV about the NSA wiretap program.
3) Continues to try to justify and utilize a wiretap program that is obviously unconstitutional.
4) Which means he is violating United States law!
Bill Clinton...
1) Lied about having sex with an intern.
Okay... now I understand why we would impeach Clinton and not Bush!
I'm glad I could clear that all up!
http://www.votetoimpeach.org
Thursday, March 09, 2006
So why do we not like socialized medicine again?
So, my wife has been a little sick lately... nothing too serious but it just won't seem to go away. You know, nagging little cough, and sinus problems; so back to the doctor she went today.
I'm an older guy but I can still remember when I got my first "real" job. My health insurance and life insurance (equal to 1 years pay) was free! Pretty cool huh! Why on earth would we ever want socialized medicine???? I paid $5.00 for generic drugs, and doctor visits were a $15.00 copay... this is great!
Fast forward to today... so my wife goes to the doctor and pays her $20.00 copay (not that bad really), goes and drops off her three prescriptions, and comes back and only pays... one hundred seventy FREAKIN AMERICAN DOLLARS. WHAT THE HELL???? And that's after paying $300.00 per month for health insurance! WHAT THE HELL???? And this is the second time for her! Thank God it wasn't anything serious! You do that twice in one month and you have an unplanned for $400.00 per month expense plus the $300.00 you already paid for the insurance to not have to pay that other $400.00 per month.
There is no good reason I can come up with anyone could NOT support a national health plan. Costs for insurance have risen at an obscene rate, and care quality has dropped. A national health plan would create one huge group thereby leveling the risk/cost for everyone, and we could institute some cost controls that are currently not in place. When an aspirin costs $10.00 there's a problem.
So those of you who think that were getting a great deal for our healthcare in this country are nuts! We need a national healthcare plan to set some standards for costs and provide for affordable basic healthcare for everyone. If you want to elect to carry additional health insurance, feel free to do so.
I think that we are spiraling into a hole that we may never crawl out of unless something is done very soon! No... really!
I'm an older guy but I can still remember when I got my first "real" job. My health insurance and life insurance (equal to 1 years pay) was free! Pretty cool huh! Why on earth would we ever want socialized medicine???? I paid $5.00 for generic drugs, and doctor visits were a $15.00 copay... this is great!
Fast forward to today... so my wife goes to the doctor and pays her $20.00 copay (not that bad really), goes and drops off her three prescriptions, and comes back and only pays... one hundred seventy FREAKIN AMERICAN DOLLARS. WHAT THE HELL???? And that's after paying $300.00 per month for health insurance! WHAT THE HELL???? And this is the second time for her! Thank God it wasn't anything serious! You do that twice in one month and you have an unplanned for $400.00 per month expense plus the $300.00 you already paid for the insurance to not have to pay that other $400.00 per month.
There is no good reason I can come up with anyone could NOT support a national health plan. Costs for insurance have risen at an obscene rate, and care quality has dropped. A national health plan would create one huge group thereby leveling the risk/cost for everyone, and we could institute some cost controls that are currently not in place. When an aspirin costs $10.00 there's a problem.
So those of you who think that were getting a great deal for our healthcare in this country are nuts! We need a national healthcare plan to set some standards for costs and provide for affordable basic healthcare for everyone. If you want to elect to carry additional health insurance, feel free to do so.
I think that we are spiraling into a hole that we may never crawl out of unless something is done very soon! No... really!
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