The fake Benghazi outrage fueled by Fox “News” is just another in a long line of republicans proving their hypocrisy. There are many, many examples of them doing something just as bad if not worse but being ok with it and only offended when it’s the Democrats. Offenses that get ignored by the republicans and their base are grounds for impeachment or termination if done by someone else. Below is just a few examples
BENGHAZI
While it’s a tragedy that 4 Americans died in Libya it’s not the first time an embassy was attacked under a president and not even close to the first time American lives were lost. We have spent 3 months and lord knows how much money to investigate and play politics with this faux scandal and the GOP propaganda network has covered it 24/7 since that night.
From 2001-2008 under Republican President Bush we had many attacks including
2002 = Consulate in Karachi with 10 dead
2004 = US Embassy in Uzbekistan with 2 dead
2004 = US Consulate in Saudi Arabia with 8 dead
2006 = US Embassy in Syria with 1 dead
2007 = US Embassy in Athens
2008 = US Embassy in Serbia
2008 = US Embassy in Yemen with 10 dead
That’s 7 attacks (and not all of them) and Republicans didn’t launch one investigation into those attacks or the lives lost. This list is just the last republican president and doesn’t include the attack in Lebanon under Ronald Reagan that got 241 American killed.
They are demanding everyone testify before congress which would be fine except that after the attacks in NY on 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq based on faulty intelligence that lead to the loss of over 8,000 American lives and wounded another 50,000 not only did the republicans not want to investigate but President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have still not testified on what they knew and when they knew it. If anyone even thought about asking tough questions following Sept. 11th they were labeled “unpatriotic” for questioning the President.
So the same people screaming right now to know the truth are the same ones who turned their backs on the American people to protect themselves and their party after 2001.
SEX SCANDALS
In the 90’s republicans spent tens of millions of dollars investigating Bill Clinton after it came to light that he may have had sex outside marriage. The man spearheading the attack on President Clinton was himself a serial adulterer who not only cheated on one wife but multiple wives. After spending between 30 and 50 million dollars nothing came of it and President Clinton was more popular than ever but it did distract the country and allow our enemies to plot an attack on us (which would happen a few years later).
Democrat Anthony Weiner tweeted a picture of himself in his underwear and was forced out of congress, we had republicans all over the news demanding he step down and screaming it was a disgrace. He later did the right thing and stepped down putting the country and his party ahead of his own aspirations.
Why does this make them hypocrites? Republican congressman David Vitter not only had sex outside marriage but he used prostitutes and according to some reports was making plans with them while he was on the floor of congress when he was getting paid by taxpayers to represent them.
Was David Vitter forced out of office? No he left on his own, not because of what he did but because he was elected Senator, that’s right he is now one of the 100 senators that represents America. So if you are a democrat and have sex outside marriage or tweet a photo you must leave office or get impeached, if you are a republican and pay for sex with a prostitute cheating on your wife and family you get promoted.
These are just a few of the examples and there are hundreds more including Republican Darrell Issa spending taxpayer time and money investigating gun running by President Obama while it’s a program he supported and voted to fund under the Bush administration than lied to the American public and said he had no idea a program like this existed.
The lesson is that there is no low the republicans will sink to, they will lie - cheat - steal their way to power at the expense of anyone. They have a news media that will not cover these scandals or point out the hypocrisy and if they should happen to tell the truth then they are labeled “liberal media” and often ignored. The hypocrisy on the right runs rampant and until it’s exposed they will keep getting away with their lies and fake scandals.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Time for Right to Union Work Laws
Hearing another state pass “right to work” laws which allows people to decide if they want to be in their companies union or not sounds like a good idea until you look further into it. Even if someone decides not to pay their union dues and join a union they are still represented by that union, it’s welfare in the simplest form. I have suggestion for the democratic party and President Barack Obama - pass right to union laws.
Right now a company must vote on forming or joining a union and a majority must vote in favor, then if they do for a union the employees who do not want to join still get all the benefits of said union with none of the sacrifice. Democrats should push to change the laws and allow anyone with a job to join an existing union, even if the place they work is non union. Allow the employees of Walmart to join the service union or any other union if they so choose even if all the workers don’t want to be in a union and only a couple.
Take away the rights of non union members to be represented by the union they refuse to pay, why should they get all the benefits, vacation and pay that the union sacrificed for? Right now it’s a big handout to people who want a free ride and we know republicans hate free riders so they should support this. Let non union employees negotiate their own pay, vacations and healthcare. Take away their protections from wrongful termination and let them know they no longer have the backing of the unions to keep their jobs safe.
This country was build on the backs of labor unions who negotiated fair pay, 40 hour work weeks, weekends off, holiday pay, insurance, pension and more. Without the unions we could still be working 60 hour weeks for less than minimum wage with no weekends or holidays off, all things we take for granted today. This country has come a long way from the sit down strike that resulted in the national guard being called in, at the time they were sent in to protect the union workers from the union breaking thugs, today politicians ARE the union breaking thugs and it’s the union workers who would have the guard turned on them.
Our fathers and grandfathers didn’t risk their jobs and their lives forming unions and helping us live better lives to have us throw them all away and turn back the clock to the 1920’s were business could do as it please with employees. It’s no coincidence that as unions have died so has the middle class and the income inequality has grown. We started becoming a plutocracy in the 1980’s when wall street helped get Ronald Reagan elected to do their bidding and he immediately set out to destroy the middle class and nuclear family.
It’s time to bring back the middle class and that starts with good paying union jobs, yes we should have a “right to work” but we need “right to work for fair pay and benefits”. It’s time to end the days of needing 3 jobs to put food on the table and getting sick means having to file bankruptcy or lose your homes. Time to get back to being able to have a parent at home to take care and raise the children instead of both having to work and the child being left raising himself. Time to become America again and fight back against the plutocracy we are becoming, it’s we the people not we the corporations and the first step to getting back to that is strong unions and even stronger politicians who will stand up to special interest and put America ahead of themselves.
Right now a company must vote on forming or joining a union and a majority must vote in favor, then if they do for a union the employees who do not want to join still get all the benefits of said union with none of the sacrifice. Democrats should push to change the laws and allow anyone with a job to join an existing union, even if the place they work is non union. Allow the employees of Walmart to join the service union or any other union if they so choose even if all the workers don’t want to be in a union and only a couple.
Take away the rights of non union members to be represented by the union they refuse to pay, why should they get all the benefits, vacation and pay that the union sacrificed for? Right now it’s a big handout to people who want a free ride and we know republicans hate free riders so they should support this. Let non union employees negotiate their own pay, vacations and healthcare. Take away their protections from wrongful termination and let them know they no longer have the backing of the unions to keep their jobs safe.
This country was build on the backs of labor unions who negotiated fair pay, 40 hour work weeks, weekends off, holiday pay, insurance, pension and more. Without the unions we could still be working 60 hour weeks for less than minimum wage with no weekends or holidays off, all things we take for granted today. This country has come a long way from the sit down strike that resulted in the national guard being called in, at the time they were sent in to protect the union workers from the union breaking thugs, today politicians ARE the union breaking thugs and it’s the union workers who would have the guard turned on them.
Our fathers and grandfathers didn’t risk their jobs and their lives forming unions and helping us live better lives to have us throw them all away and turn back the clock to the 1920’s were business could do as it please with employees. It’s no coincidence that as unions have died so has the middle class and the income inequality has grown. We started becoming a plutocracy in the 1980’s when wall street helped get Ronald Reagan elected to do their bidding and he immediately set out to destroy the middle class and nuclear family.
It’s time to bring back the middle class and that starts with good paying union jobs, yes we should have a “right to work” but we need “right to work for fair pay and benefits”. It’s time to end the days of needing 3 jobs to put food on the table and getting sick means having to file bankruptcy or lose your homes. Time to get back to being able to have a parent at home to take care and raise the children instead of both having to work and the child being left raising himself. Time to become America again and fight back against the plutocracy we are becoming, it’s we the people not we the corporations and the first step to getting back to that is strong unions and even stronger politicians who will stand up to special interest and put America ahead of themselves.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Republican Exploitation of American lives
Something has been bothering me since September 11th 2001 and I can not hold it in anymore. When tragedy hits for 200 years America has come together and helped those in need, not because we had to or because there was anything in it for us but because it was the right thing to do. 9/11 changed a lot of things but for it’s the day decency died in American politics.
On Sept 11th America came together, we didn’t question why it happened or if it could have been prevented, we laced up our boots and went to work. First responders from all over the country diverged on New York City to help search for survivors than to clean up the rubble and search for victims. Brave men and women joined the military to avenge the day and many gave up everything to defend the country they love and hunt down the man who scarred America.
This spirit lasted about 2 years until the next election, then republicans decided they could use this event to win elections and set out to do so by running campaigns of fear exploiting the deaths of that tragic day. We started hearing things like “democrats can’t keep you safe” or “vote democrat and die”. It worked as republicans took control of the congress, senate and kept the white house.
In April 2004 a brave man who gave up millions in NFL money to fight for his country was killed in Afghanistan. On April 29th the top commander in Afghanistan contacted Central Command and advised them that Mr. Tillman was likely killed by friendly fire and suggested “The president be contacted in order to preclude any unknowing statements which may later embarrass the country” . May 3rd the Bush Administration had a nationally televised memorial for Mr. Tillman and the story was still he was killed by Enemy fire despite knowing better. May 29th it was finally announced that Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire the official story has never been released and the family is still waiting for answers but the White house had no problem using the death of Mr. Tillman to promote their political agenda.
During the re-election of President Bush it was common for him to use the fear card, every time Mr. Bush fell behind John Kerry in the polls he announced that the terror alert would be raised but never gave any specifics, then right before the election Bin Laden was conveniently heard from and commercials were run showing wolves with the message being you are not safe and will die under democrats.
By 2008 America had enough with the fear card, it was used to pass through a “patriot act” that stripped away rights under the ruse of “security” and we were in a civil war in Iraq even though they had nothing to do with the Sept. attacks even though thanks to shady comments and faulty intel many of Americans believe they did. Republicans were swept out of office and the days of exploiting American deaths for political gains appeared to be over.
Early in 2011 President Obama came to the podium to announce that Osama Bin Laden had been killed and after almost 10 years many American could sleep better at night. Republican response was almost immediate as they said “don’t make the death political” then started to give Bush credit for intel that he got over 8 years prior though torture. If it was mentioned Bin Laden is dead Fox and republicans would scream we are playing politics with his death.
Sept 11th 2012 a horrible event happened in Libya which lead to the death of 4 Americans and the republican candidate couldn’t even wait 24 hours to come out and play politics with those deaths. Every day since that republicans have been exploiting those deaths to try and destroy Obama. Fox has had “several private sources” give them information that has since been proven a lie but instead of saying so they have doubled down on faulty intel and lies just to destroy Obama. Republicans immediately fell back into exploiting the deaths of Americans for political gains.
Days before the election and a hurricane hit the north east United States killing 90 people and leaving millions w/out power. The president stopped campaigning to return to Washington and be there for the Governors when they needed help both democrat and republican while Mitt Romney held a rally were he bought thousands in food to look like his supporters were donating. Days after and just 4 days before the election and now Fox (the propaganda wing of the republican party) is exploiting the suffering again to slander the president. In one day they have claimed he shouldn’t be campaigning and instead should just be in NY/NJ running things, they have called it worse than Katrina which I guess is true to them since they obviously believe the lives of 90 lost New Yorkers is more valuable than the loss of 1,800 poor people in New Orleans. They are now comparing it to 9/11 and when a benefit was planned they told their viewers not to watch or donate because it was just an “Obama Concert” even though it was to raise money for the hungry and cold people suffering from the affects of Sandy.
For most of my life I have been proud to be an American but in the last 12 years it has become more and more troublesome and there have been points where I have been ashamed of my country and we are living in one right now. The loss of one life is tragic and no life should be traded for political gains especially by people who consider themselves “Christians”. Today republicans would brag about and exploit the death of that liberal hippie Jesus if it means they could gain power and wealth.
On Sept 11th America came together, we didn’t question why it happened or if it could have been prevented, we laced up our boots and went to work. First responders from all over the country diverged on New York City to help search for survivors than to clean up the rubble and search for victims. Brave men and women joined the military to avenge the day and many gave up everything to defend the country they love and hunt down the man who scarred America.
This spirit lasted about 2 years until the next election, then republicans decided they could use this event to win elections and set out to do so by running campaigns of fear exploiting the deaths of that tragic day. We started hearing things like “democrats can’t keep you safe” or “vote democrat and die”. It worked as republicans took control of the congress, senate and kept the white house.
In April 2004 a brave man who gave up millions in NFL money to fight for his country was killed in Afghanistan. On April 29th the top commander in Afghanistan contacted Central Command and advised them that Mr. Tillman was likely killed by friendly fire and suggested “The president be contacted in order to preclude any unknowing statements which may later embarrass the country” . May 3rd the Bush Administration had a nationally televised memorial for Mr. Tillman and the story was still he was killed by Enemy fire despite knowing better. May 29th it was finally announced that Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire the official story has never been released and the family is still waiting for answers but the White house had no problem using the death of Mr. Tillman to promote their political agenda.
During the re-election of President Bush it was common for him to use the fear card, every time Mr. Bush fell behind John Kerry in the polls he announced that the terror alert would be raised but never gave any specifics, then right before the election Bin Laden was conveniently heard from and commercials were run showing wolves with the message being you are not safe and will die under democrats.
By 2008 America had enough with the fear card, it was used to pass through a “patriot act” that stripped away rights under the ruse of “security” and we were in a civil war in Iraq even though they had nothing to do with the Sept. attacks even though thanks to shady comments and faulty intel many of Americans believe they did. Republicans were swept out of office and the days of exploiting American deaths for political gains appeared to be over.
Early in 2011 President Obama came to the podium to announce that Osama Bin Laden had been killed and after almost 10 years many American could sleep better at night. Republican response was almost immediate as they said “don’t make the death political” then started to give Bush credit for intel that he got over 8 years prior though torture. If it was mentioned Bin Laden is dead Fox and republicans would scream we are playing politics with his death.
Sept 11th 2012 a horrible event happened in Libya which lead to the death of 4 Americans and the republican candidate couldn’t even wait 24 hours to come out and play politics with those deaths. Every day since that republicans have been exploiting those deaths to try and destroy Obama. Fox has had “several private sources” give them information that has since been proven a lie but instead of saying so they have doubled down on faulty intel and lies just to destroy Obama. Republicans immediately fell back into exploiting the deaths of Americans for political gains.
Days before the election and a hurricane hit the north east United States killing 90 people and leaving millions w/out power. The president stopped campaigning to return to Washington and be there for the Governors when they needed help both democrat and republican while Mitt Romney held a rally were he bought thousands in food to look like his supporters were donating. Days after and just 4 days before the election and now Fox (the propaganda wing of the republican party) is exploiting the suffering again to slander the president. In one day they have claimed he shouldn’t be campaigning and instead should just be in NY/NJ running things, they have called it worse than Katrina which I guess is true to them since they obviously believe the lives of 90 lost New Yorkers is more valuable than the loss of 1,800 poor people in New Orleans. They are now comparing it to 9/11 and when a benefit was planned they told their viewers not to watch or donate because it was just an “Obama Concert” even though it was to raise money for the hungry and cold people suffering from the affects of Sandy.
For most of my life I have been proud to be an American but in the last 12 years it has become more and more troublesome and there have been points where I have been ashamed of my country and we are living in one right now. The loss of one life is tragic and no life should be traded for political gains especially by people who consider themselves “Christians”. Today republicans would brag about and exploit the death of that liberal hippie Jesus if it means they could gain power and wealth.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
THANK YOU FOR CALLING ME A "RETARD"
This was originally going to be a tweet but couldn’t not be said in 140 letters or even 300, Ann Coulter has brought the word “retard” into the spotlight and like a lot of people who have different opinions than someone I have been called this. I have a fairly high IQ and graduated near top of class even taking advanced courses and for most of my life I will admit I have seen the word “retard” as a negative and taken it as an insult.
Thanks to the wonderful letter by John Franklin Stephens (a special Olympian who called out Mrs. Coulter) I now see it in a different light and to those that call me retarded I say thank you. As the wise Mr. Stephens points out most people in his situation were bullied as a child and treated poorly but have overcome that to rise above. Mr. Stephens points out that most people you would call “retarded” are part of the 47% who need government assistance that you hate so much but even though they usually have terrible health care, live in bad neighborhoods and have very little if any incomes they see life as a gift.
Every special needs person I have met are always happy, no matter how much they are crapped on in life or looked down on they take it with a smile and are just happy to be alive. Most of us take this for granted and we bitch and complain about the little things instead of just taking life in stride and being happy to be alive.
I think Mr. Stephens sums it up best and will just paste in that part of his letter that after thinking about it I agree with 100%
“Well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.”
And that’s how I will look at it the next time a conservative calls me a retard, I won’t be offended but will say thank you and wear it with a badge of honor. I can only hope to live my life the way many of these brave young men and women do and look at life as a gift and not a punishment. Thank you Mr. Stephens it was an honor to read you letter and if even ½ the people in Washington who we elect to represent us were as honorable and honest as you this country would be a much, much better place.
Thanks to the wonderful letter by John Franklin Stephens (a special Olympian who called out Mrs. Coulter) I now see it in a different light and to those that call me retarded I say thank you. As the wise Mr. Stephens points out most people in his situation were bullied as a child and treated poorly but have overcome that to rise above. Mr. Stephens points out that most people you would call “retarded” are part of the 47% who need government assistance that you hate so much but even though they usually have terrible health care, live in bad neighborhoods and have very little if any incomes they see life as a gift.
Every special needs person I have met are always happy, no matter how much they are crapped on in life or looked down on they take it with a smile and are just happy to be alive. Most of us take this for granted and we bitch and complain about the little things instead of just taking life in stride and being happy to be alive.
I think Mr. Stephens sums it up best and will just paste in that part of his letter that after thinking about it I agree with 100%
“Well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.”
And that’s how I will look at it the next time a conservative calls me a retard, I won’t be offended but will say thank you and wear it with a badge of honor. I can only hope to live my life the way many of these brave young men and women do and look at life as a gift and not a punishment. Thank you Mr. Stephens it was an honor to read you letter and if even ½ the people in Washington who we elect to represent us were as honorable and honest as you this country would be a much, much better place.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Want Less Debt and Smaller Government vote Democrat
My whole life I’ve heard republicans claim the wanted smaller government and more freedoms while claiming democrats were for big government and less freedoms. Lets take a look at the facts and see if their speech equals how they really govern.
DEBT
Ronald Reagan
When he took office the debt was 997 billion dollars and the deficit was 80 billion dollars the year before he took office.
When he left office the debt was 2.8 Trillion and the deficit the year he left office was 250 billion dollars in one year.
So under Reagan the debt increased 1.8 Trillion and he if continued Carter policies it would have been 640 billion so Reagan increased the debt by 1.2 trillion with his own policies
Bush Sr.
Took office debt was 2.8 Trillion and Deficit was 250 billion
Left office debt was 4 Trillion and deficit was 400 Billion (final year)
Continuing Reagan Polices would have added 1 trillion to debt so in 4 years 200 billion is due to Bush policies
Bill Clinton
Took office 4 trillion debt and 400 billion deficit
Left office 5.8 Trillion debt and 100 billion deficit (final year)
Continuing Bush Sr. Policies would have added 3.2 Trillion so in 8 years Clinton actually CUT spending 1.4 trillion
George Bush Jr.
Took office 5.8 Trillion debt 100 billion deficit
Left Office 11 Trillion Debt 1 trillion deficit (final year)
Continuing Clinton policies would have added 800 Billion so in 8 years 4.4 Trillion in debt is due to Bush Policies
Barack Obama
Took office 11 Trillion Debt 1 trillion deficit
After years (projected) 16.4 Trillion 1.6 Trillion deficit
Continuing Bush Polices would have added 4 Trillion in Debt so in 4 years 1.4 Trillion is due to Obama Policies
As you can see despite all the talk deficits have increased slower under Obama than under Bush and the only president to actually cut spending in last 30 years was a Democrat in Bill Clinton.
Size of Government (including federal and public sector workers)
Under both Reagan and Bush over 1 million government jobs were created while under Obama we have lost over 700,000 public sector employees including
Teachers - Cut 5.6%
Police - Cut 8.4%
Emergency responders - Cut 43.5%
Air Traffic Controllers - Cut 28.5%
Only public sector to grow under Obama is Fire Fighters who increased 18.9%
If the public sector was allowed to expand at the same rate as every previous president we would be at less than 7% unemployment and have almost 2,000,000 more good paying jobs. This private sector recovery has been faster than under both Reagan and Bush but is kept down because of the massive layoff in public sector workers for the first time in any recession recovery.
So I you want smaller government and less increase in deficit spending vote Democrat.
DEBT
Ronald Reagan
When he took office the debt was 997 billion dollars and the deficit was 80 billion dollars the year before he took office.
When he left office the debt was 2.8 Trillion and the deficit the year he left office was 250 billion dollars in one year.
So under Reagan the debt increased 1.8 Trillion and he if continued Carter policies it would have been 640 billion so Reagan increased the debt by 1.2 trillion with his own policies
Bush Sr.
Took office debt was 2.8 Trillion and Deficit was 250 billion
Left office debt was 4 Trillion and deficit was 400 Billion (final year)
Continuing Reagan Polices would have added 1 trillion to debt so in 4 years 200 billion is due to Bush policies
Bill Clinton
Took office 4 trillion debt and 400 billion deficit
Left office 5.8 Trillion debt and 100 billion deficit (final year)
Continuing Bush Sr. Policies would have added 3.2 Trillion so in 8 years Clinton actually CUT spending 1.4 trillion
George Bush Jr.
Took office 5.8 Trillion debt 100 billion deficit
Left Office 11 Trillion Debt 1 trillion deficit (final year)
Continuing Clinton policies would have added 800 Billion so in 8 years 4.4 Trillion in debt is due to Bush Policies
Barack Obama
Took office 11 Trillion Debt 1 trillion deficit
After years (projected) 16.4 Trillion 1.6 Trillion deficit
Continuing Bush Polices would have added 4 Trillion in Debt so in 4 years 1.4 Trillion is due to Obama Policies
As you can see despite all the talk deficits have increased slower under Obama than under Bush and the only president to actually cut spending in last 30 years was a Democrat in Bill Clinton.
Size of Government (including federal and public sector workers)
Under both Reagan and Bush over 1 million government jobs were created while under Obama we have lost over 700,000 public sector employees including
Teachers - Cut 5.6%
Police - Cut 8.4%
Emergency responders - Cut 43.5%
Air Traffic Controllers - Cut 28.5%
Only public sector to grow under Obama is Fire Fighters who increased 18.9%
If the public sector was allowed to expand at the same rate as every previous president we would be at less than 7% unemployment and have almost 2,000,000 more good paying jobs. This private sector recovery has been faster than under both Reagan and Bush but is kept down because of the massive layoff in public sector workers for the first time in any recession recovery.
So I you want smaller government and less increase in deficit spending vote Democrat.
Monday, September 10, 2012
QUEST TO VOTE IN PENNSYLVANIA
After voting in every election for the past 50 years with the exception of when he was in Korea fight for the United States military my father now has to prove who he is before he can vote. A lot of people on both sides of the political spectrum see no problem with voter ID laws and assume that getting one is simple so I thought it would be fun to chronicle our quest to get him a photo ID to vote in Pennsylvania..
Background - He is currently in his mid 70’s and has never had the urge to drive or need a drivers license. My parents bought and moved into their first home in 2002 and in the process lost some information like their social security cards, birth certificates etc. It was simple for my mother to get new ones as she had a drivers license but my father having been retired with no use for a photo ID didn’t replace the lost items. Around 2005 he went into hospital for “routine” surgery and ended up disabled and in a wheel chair, after this my mother got power of attorney and had all the bills just put in her name.
Now - law is passed in Pennsylvania you need a current photo ID to vote so we go on the quest to get the required documents for his so he can vote.
Social Security card - You need a birth certificate and proof of identity that includes a drivers license, passport, even a health care card but NOT Medicare. So we need a photo ID to get a social security card but need a social security card to get a photo ID. While it doesn’t effect him you are only allowed 10 replacement cards in your lifetime so people who have reached that limit will not be able to get another one. They accepted certified medical records from the past 2 years for one of these after several failed attempts we finally got a new Social Security card.
Birth Certificate - This was a tough one as the court house were the records where stored was destroyed in a flood. We have someone we know trying to help us get a new one of these and the Department of Ageing is helping on this also.
Photo ID - since we don’t have a birth certificate we are unable to get one at this time. When/If we get the above we are left with one last problem and that is proof of residence since the bills are all in my mothers name my father has nothing that shows his name and current address he can use. I am working with someone on this who is trying to get me temporary power of attorney so I can have him put on our bank account and on the mortgage so he will have 2 pieces of appropriate mail with his name and current address on them.
I have less then 60 days to get this all done and as a last resort have a final option - I can get him a passport but it will cost 135.00 to get one before the election. I have found a photo ID for him that expired over 15 years ago and since the lady working at the post office knows him and his current address they can use the info they have to get him a passport.
The final hurdle if I get all that done is getting him all the way to the DMV to get his photo ID. I don’t drive (never have) and it’s almost ½ hour away and we are not counting on my mother ever being able to drive again when she gets out of the hospital.
It’s a shame when someone has served their country in what I consider War Time (but the VA doesn’t - they call Korea a police action) , worked and paid taxes for over 40 years and now they have to jump through hoops just to do something that they have fought and in some people cases died for. Voting should be a right especially to the great men and women who built this country. I only hope your state doesn’t pass these laws and suppress the vote of anyone you love and care about, there is no worse feeling then giving your life to the country only to have them tell you - you’re opinion doesn’t count.
Background - He is currently in his mid 70’s and has never had the urge to drive or need a drivers license. My parents bought and moved into their first home in 2002 and in the process lost some information like their social security cards, birth certificates etc. It was simple for my mother to get new ones as she had a drivers license but my father having been retired with no use for a photo ID didn’t replace the lost items. Around 2005 he went into hospital for “routine” surgery and ended up disabled and in a wheel chair, after this my mother got power of attorney and had all the bills just put in her name.
Now - law is passed in Pennsylvania you need a current photo ID to vote so we go on the quest to get the required documents for his so he can vote.
Social Security card - You need a birth certificate and proof of identity that includes a drivers license, passport, even a health care card but NOT Medicare. So we need a photo ID to get a social security card but need a social security card to get a photo ID. While it doesn’t effect him you are only allowed 10 replacement cards in your lifetime so people who have reached that limit will not be able to get another one. They accepted certified medical records from the past 2 years for one of these after several failed attempts we finally got a new Social Security card.
Birth Certificate - This was a tough one as the court house were the records where stored was destroyed in a flood. We have someone we know trying to help us get a new one of these and the Department of Ageing is helping on this also.
Photo ID - since we don’t have a birth certificate we are unable to get one at this time. When/If we get the above we are left with one last problem and that is proof of residence since the bills are all in my mothers name my father has nothing that shows his name and current address he can use. I am working with someone on this who is trying to get me temporary power of attorney so I can have him put on our bank account and on the mortgage so he will have 2 pieces of appropriate mail with his name and current address on them.
I have less then 60 days to get this all done and as a last resort have a final option - I can get him a passport but it will cost 135.00 to get one before the election. I have found a photo ID for him that expired over 15 years ago and since the lady working at the post office knows him and his current address they can use the info they have to get him a passport.
The final hurdle if I get all that done is getting him all the way to the DMV to get his photo ID. I don’t drive (never have) and it’s almost ½ hour away and we are not counting on my mother ever being able to drive again when she gets out of the hospital.
It’s a shame when someone has served their country in what I consider War Time (but the VA doesn’t - they call Korea a police action) , worked and paid taxes for over 40 years and now they have to jump through hoops just to do something that they have fought and in some people cases died for. Voting should be a right especially to the great men and women who built this country. I only hope your state doesn’t pass these laws and suppress the vote of anyone you love and care about, there is no worse feeling then giving your life to the country only to have them tell you - you’re opinion doesn’t count.
Monday, September 3, 2012
The Real Mitt Romney
After seeing the success of the right wing propaganda movie “Obama 2016” which is based on very little facts but instead a look at what he might do according to the uber conservative director I thought I would look at who the real Mitt Romney is, not based on imagination but based on his real history.
1. MILITARY SERVICE
Lets start with his military service or lack there of, he was called to service four times during the Vietnam war but chose not to go fight for his country by either claiming school studies or ministry service in France. When asked about it in 2007 he wished he had served saying
“I longed in many respects to actually be in Vietnam and be representing our country there, and in some ways it was frustrating not to feel like I was there as part of the troops that were fighting in Vietnam.”
While it sounds good it is a far cry from what he stated in 1994 when his response was to the Boston Herald with
“It was not my desire to go off and serve in Vietnam, but nor did I take any actions to remove myself from the pool of young men who were eligible for the draft,” Romney told the newspaper.
This last statement is a flat out lie as the man got not one but four deferments to avoid service. He follows in a long history of Republicans running for office who support war while avoiding service themselves. Unlike most others though he protested in favor of the war he would not fight in. This man wants to be in charge of the largest military in the world and make it even bigger, even beating the war drums with Iran.
2. BUSINESS
His business career can be summed up as profit at all costs. While he claims to have left Bain Capital in 1999 he filed as the sole owner until 2002 with the SEC and had a large salary of over 100,000 a year until then so we will go with the SEC facts not Romney’s word.
While at Bain Mr. Romney bought Damon , while being at top executive and financial officer the company was making profits, in 1993 the company was bought by Corning and they immediately spotted a fraud. Turns out that while under the rule of Romney Damon was running a Medicare fraud and charging for tests they did not run. Mitt Romney originally claimed he was a proactive board member who helped uncover the fraud and took corrective actions to stop it. Court records released by the Globe show a different story and reveal that the fraud occurred right up to the time Bain sold the company to Corning and prosecutors gave sole credit to Corning for cleaning up the Fraud. Romney later admitted that the board did not report to federal investigators the findings from the alleged internal inquiry (which sounds like he’s admitting knowing about it but not reporting it). The company was fined over 100 million dollars.
While Mitt originally was pro choice he changed his stance while Governor of Mass to be pro life, this wouldn’t be a big story because people change their minds all the time but a story in Mother Jones makes this a big story. Now this depends on if you believe the words out of Mr. Romney’s mouth or the truth, In 1999 Bain Capital invested in a company called Stericycle which made money in medical waste disposal. Again not a big story except the company collected from family planning clinics which included aborted fetuses, so the pro life Romney is against abortion but all for making money off of it?
In the 2000’s Bain invested in many companies that outsourced jobs to China and India, Mitt claimed he left in 1999 and had nothing to do with that (even though his government filings say different) but even if you believe that story the facts again get in the way. While on the campaign trail he attacked China for stealing American jobs but on April 17,1998 a Bain affiliate filed a report with the SEC that it had acquired part of Hong Kong based Gobal Tech Appliances which makes household appliances in China. Mitt Romney was identified as the person in control of the investment and “sole shareholder”. According to Mother Jones the firm publicly acknowledged that it’s strategy was to profit from US companies outsourcing production abroad. So his denial of being involved in outsourcing is again a flat out lie.
Won’t even get into the FDIC 10 million in debt forgiveness that kept Bain from going bankrupt but what is obvious is every chance Mitt Romney had to make the choice between his morals and profit he always chose profit.
3. OLYMPICS
We often hear “Mitt Romney saved the Olympics”, first off you have to accept that the Olympics where in great danger at the time and needed saving. One of the first things Mr. Romney did was to register as a lobbyist and head to Washington for a bailout. As a registered lobbyist he brought in 1.3 billion dollars to help get the games back on track, it is still a record for government spending on the Olympics more then doubling the 600 million on the 96 Atlanta Olympics.
John McCain called complained at the time calling the federal spending “incredible pork-barrel project” a “rip-off to taxpayers” and even called for a federal investigation. The Salt Lake City Council insisted the federal funds went to legitimate purposes but also added the Olympics where an excuse to get a lot of things done for the city including new roads and bridges.
Sports Illustrated documented “shady” spending including a bridges to nowhere, a millionaire receiving cast to build a road and a billionaire ski resort owner got federal assistance to buy public land. He ended his lobbying career only after a second bribery-style Olympic scandal surfaced showing politicians where offered free tickets to events.
So did Romney “save” the Olympics? I would say no, the taxpayers saved the Olympics and we will never know how much Mr. Romney paid himself as a lobbyist since several of the financial documents have been destroyed.
4. SECRETS
The final thing is the fact that Mr. Romney will reveal nothing to the public, from his tax records which may hide a felony to his time as Governor when as they were leaving they took the hard drives with them hiding all the work that was done. Recently we found out that a lot of the financial and other records from the 2002 Olympics that Mr. Romney “saved” have been destroyed. While every candidate before him has released the names of their big money donors Willard Mitt Romney still refuses to tell us who is bundling money for him, is he doing this so he can give them all favors and jobs if he is elected and people won’t know it’s payback for bribes? What is this man hiding? He is the most secretive candidate in history and makes Richard Nixon seem open and honest.
1. MILITARY SERVICE
Lets start with his military service or lack there of, he was called to service four times during the Vietnam war but chose not to go fight for his country by either claiming school studies or ministry service in France. When asked about it in 2007 he wished he had served saying
“I longed in many respects to actually be in Vietnam and be representing our country there, and in some ways it was frustrating not to feel like I was there as part of the troops that were fighting in Vietnam.”
While it sounds good it is a far cry from what he stated in 1994 when his response was to the Boston Herald with
“It was not my desire to go off and serve in Vietnam, but nor did I take any actions to remove myself from the pool of young men who were eligible for the draft,” Romney told the newspaper.
This last statement is a flat out lie as the man got not one but four deferments to avoid service. He follows in a long history of Republicans running for office who support war while avoiding service themselves. Unlike most others though he protested in favor of the war he would not fight in. This man wants to be in charge of the largest military in the world and make it even bigger, even beating the war drums with Iran.
2. BUSINESS
His business career can be summed up as profit at all costs. While he claims to have left Bain Capital in 1999 he filed as the sole owner until 2002 with the SEC and had a large salary of over 100,000 a year until then so we will go with the SEC facts not Romney’s word.
While at Bain Mr. Romney bought Damon , while being at top executive and financial officer the company was making profits, in 1993 the company was bought by Corning and they immediately spotted a fraud. Turns out that while under the rule of Romney Damon was running a Medicare fraud and charging for tests they did not run. Mitt Romney originally claimed he was a proactive board member who helped uncover the fraud and took corrective actions to stop it. Court records released by the Globe show a different story and reveal that the fraud occurred right up to the time Bain sold the company to Corning and prosecutors gave sole credit to Corning for cleaning up the Fraud. Romney later admitted that the board did not report to federal investigators the findings from the alleged internal inquiry (which sounds like he’s admitting knowing about it but not reporting it). The company was fined over 100 million dollars.
While Mitt originally was pro choice he changed his stance while Governor of Mass to be pro life, this wouldn’t be a big story because people change their minds all the time but a story in Mother Jones makes this a big story. Now this depends on if you believe the words out of Mr. Romney’s mouth or the truth, In 1999 Bain Capital invested in a company called Stericycle which made money in medical waste disposal. Again not a big story except the company collected from family planning clinics which included aborted fetuses, so the pro life Romney is against abortion but all for making money off of it?
In the 2000’s Bain invested in many companies that outsourced jobs to China and India, Mitt claimed he left in 1999 and had nothing to do with that (even though his government filings say different) but even if you believe that story the facts again get in the way. While on the campaign trail he attacked China for stealing American jobs but on April 17,1998 a Bain affiliate filed a report with the SEC that it had acquired part of Hong Kong based Gobal Tech Appliances which makes household appliances in China. Mitt Romney was identified as the person in control of the investment and “sole shareholder”. According to Mother Jones the firm publicly acknowledged that it’s strategy was to profit from US companies outsourcing production abroad. So his denial of being involved in outsourcing is again a flat out lie.
Won’t even get into the FDIC 10 million in debt forgiveness that kept Bain from going bankrupt but what is obvious is every chance Mitt Romney had to make the choice between his morals and profit he always chose profit.
3. OLYMPICS
We often hear “Mitt Romney saved the Olympics”, first off you have to accept that the Olympics where in great danger at the time and needed saving. One of the first things Mr. Romney did was to register as a lobbyist and head to Washington for a bailout. As a registered lobbyist he brought in 1.3 billion dollars to help get the games back on track, it is still a record for government spending on the Olympics more then doubling the 600 million on the 96 Atlanta Olympics.
John McCain called complained at the time calling the federal spending “incredible pork-barrel project” a “rip-off to taxpayers” and even called for a federal investigation. The Salt Lake City Council insisted the federal funds went to legitimate purposes but also added the Olympics where an excuse to get a lot of things done for the city including new roads and bridges.
Sports Illustrated documented “shady” spending including a bridges to nowhere, a millionaire receiving cast to build a road and a billionaire ski resort owner got federal assistance to buy public land. He ended his lobbying career only after a second bribery-style Olympic scandal surfaced showing politicians where offered free tickets to events.
So did Romney “save” the Olympics? I would say no, the taxpayers saved the Olympics and we will never know how much Mr. Romney paid himself as a lobbyist since several of the financial documents have been destroyed.
4. SECRETS
The final thing is the fact that Mr. Romney will reveal nothing to the public, from his tax records which may hide a felony to his time as Governor when as they were leaving they took the hard drives with them hiding all the work that was done. Recently we found out that a lot of the financial and other records from the 2002 Olympics that Mr. Romney “saved” have been destroyed. While every candidate before him has released the names of their big money donors Willard Mitt Romney still refuses to tell us who is bundling money for him, is he doing this so he can give them all favors and jobs if he is elected and people won’t know it’s payback for bribes? What is this man hiding? He is the most secretive candidate in history and makes Richard Nixon seem open and honest.
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