For 100 years after Abe Lincoln freed the slaves America has built a strong middle class and lifted people of all races out of poverty. Strong unions helped pass many pro worker laws and regulations that insured that hard working people were treated fair and paid for their services. This worked well until the 1980’s when Ronald Reagan rode into power, since then the corporations and republican party has worked non stop to turn America back into a slave nation.
The 1960’s and 70’s saw strong work forces and people making a good living working hard, factories were flourishing and people were living well even with one parent staying at home raising the family. Then came the 1980’s and corporate America installed a puppet in the White House and slowly began the genocide of the middle class, it was not done all at once but over time and slow so no one would notice.
1. Destroy the Unions and weaken labor - this has been done the last 30 years and republicans have spent millions on slandering unions in hopes of turning public opinion against them and making Americans forget all the great things they have done for America. Then came “Right to Work State” laws that allowed company workers to work in union plants and enjoy all the perks of the unions but not have to pay the benefits. This led to a rapid decline in membership from around 25% in the 1980’s to about 10% today.
2. Convince people that attacking the rich was a mistake because this was America and if they work hard and play by the rules they could be one of those rich people. This again is all talk as America ranks near the bottom in class mobility behind most industrialized nations. Like with many things in the GOP plan it has more to do with marketing than actual facts. Since the 1980’s peoples incomes have stayed the same while the rich have increased their wealth at record levels.
3. Put people into debt - With the “new” economy a college degree is a must, so most Americans have to get loans to attend even the cheapest university. After graduation that starts your corporate life with about 100,000.00 in debt and it only gets worse from there. Then you need a car and a roof over your head costing a large chunk of your income, add in health care costs and it barely leaves people any money and causes them to live paycheck to paycheck.
4. Cut the safety nets - Right now Medicare and Social Security allow seniors to retire and enjoy their golden years, this is the white whale of the republican party. If they can sever these safety nets then people will not be able to retire and will be forced to slave away until they are put in a grave.
With these steps the GOP master plan of returning America to a slave nation was underway, now all they had to do was get rid of all those pesky pro worker laws that unions got passed. Over the last 10 years you have seen a massive attack on those laws including a recent attempt to do away with overtime pay for people who worked more than 40 hours a week. There was even a recent attempt to justify corporations giving people cancer or other diseases if their “cost benefits” shows that it’s best for America.
This is why you will see republican fight to the death over things like Healthcare for all and raising the minimum wage, they are afraid if you save money and don’t need the health care you may not need to keep that job you don’t like. Millions of Americans stay in low paying jobs they do not like so their family can have healthcare even if it means they need to find a 2nd or 3rd job to put food on the table. This is also why the scream about the “takers” and “welfare state” because they don’t like the idea of people getting assistance and not having to rely on their corporate masters.
While Lincoln freed the African American from slaves Reagan and the GOP has spent 30 years trying to return to what they would call the “glory days” and allow corporations to control Americans. As long as they can keep us sick, uneducated and poor they can run every aspect of our lives and the day that people wake up and demand fair treatment for their hard work it will keep getting worse until the day we find ourselves working for food and needing a loan to see the doctor. We need to return to the days of strong unions and workers rights and stop watching the rich get richer and the poor hard working Americans being driven to an early grave. They want us to work until the day we die, sadly we hang on because in America no one can afford to die anymore because it will just leave their family and loved ones with more debt to pay for the funeral.
When you see or hear of republican laws being passed that they say will “create jobs” and help the “job creators” take a hard look at them and see what they really do. I’m betting it puts the working class further into death or danger while helping the rich get richer. When you hear them say “it’s about jobs” point out that it really isn’t but it’s about income. Slaves had jobs and unless we wake up we will all become slaves and that’s what republicans want the end outcome to be.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Who Really Ran up the Debt?
While I could make a case that most of debt run up today on defense is due to the failed policies of Ronald Reagan I’ll just stick with the facts we know and can prove.
Bill Clinton left office in 2001 with four years of surplus and the debt was projected to be paid off by 2009. So if Bush would have done nothing we would not only be debt free but have a huge surplus right now. When you say Bush added 5 trillion to the debt and Obama 6 trillion that is a flat out lie.
Bush - He did add 5 trillion in new debt but when you take into account that the debt was projected to be paid off when he left office you can add the original 5 trillion in debt to his total. Instead of having a nation debt paid off in 2009 it was 10 trillion dollars. Add onto that 10 trillion that by just continuing the spending from 2008 we would have added an additional 4 trillion to the debt so that’s a total of 14 TRILLION that can be linked to the policies of President Bush.
Obama - when he took office the debt was 10 trillion, by doing nothing it would be over 14 trillion dollars today just by keeping the policies that were in place when he was sworn in. today it stands at 16 trillion meaning he has added to the debt but only to the tune of 2 trillion. When he came into office the deficit was over 1 trillion dollars a year and this year due to spending cuts and a stronger economy it will only be 750 billion meaning he has actually slowed down the growth of debt and cut the deficit.
So using facts it can be argued that
President Bush is responsible for 14 Trillion
President Obama is responsible for 2 Trillion
Bill Clinton left office in 2001 with four years of surplus and the debt was projected to be paid off by 2009. So if Bush would have done nothing we would not only be debt free but have a huge surplus right now. When you say Bush added 5 trillion to the debt and Obama 6 trillion that is a flat out lie.
Bush - He did add 5 trillion in new debt but when you take into account that the debt was projected to be paid off when he left office you can add the original 5 trillion in debt to his total. Instead of having a nation debt paid off in 2009 it was 10 trillion dollars. Add onto that 10 trillion that by just continuing the spending from 2008 we would have added an additional 4 trillion to the debt so that’s a total of 14 TRILLION that can be linked to the policies of President Bush.
Obama - when he took office the debt was 10 trillion, by doing nothing it would be over 14 trillion dollars today just by keeping the policies that were in place when he was sworn in. today it stands at 16 trillion meaning he has added to the debt but only to the tune of 2 trillion. When he came into office the deficit was over 1 trillion dollars a year and this year due to spending cuts and a stronger economy it will only be 750 billion meaning he has actually slowed down the growth of debt and cut the deficit.
So using facts it can be argued that
President Bush is responsible for 14 Trillion
President Obama is responsible for 2 Trillion
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The Real American Story
We hear how you can be anything you want in America and that may be true from people who can afford to get the education they need or from foreigners who are used to third world countries but the truth is that there is no “American Dream”. Most stories end like the one you are about to read and while it hasn’t been written there is no happy ending.
Background
Ruth and Robert had worked their whole lives and played by the rules, they never asked for or received a “handout”. Robert joined the military and served during the Korean War, sorry “conflict” as we would later find out it wasn’t a war. After getting out he married the women he loved and went to work in a powdered metal plant. Things were good and we were living the dream until the 80’s. After Ronald Reagan became president things started to change and you could no longer take care of a family with one income, with the prices of everything rising and incomes flat not most families needed both parents working full time jobs just to live the life they were used to. Ruth got a job at the same powered metal plant as her husband until he retired in 2001 at the age of 63 and having put in over 20 years of hard labor. In 2004 he went in for routine surgery and due to a medical issue came out disabled both mentally and physically. Ruth took up extra shifts and was working 60 hours a week or more until she went into the hospital on March 17th 2012 and was diagnosed with colon cancer. Again thanks to a screw up by the doctors and hospital she spent 8 months in the hospital and now is permanently disabled and can no longer work.
In 2001 Ruth inherited an estate with 2 houses, 2 cars and about 200,000.00 in cash. While the estate was at the lawyers office the secretary spent the 200,000.00 in cash. When ordered to pay it back she wrote out checks for 165,000 which bounced so she was taken to court for the bad checks. The court ruled in Ruth’s favor and the women was given 7 years probation and ordered to pay back the money 150.00 a month. While there was no money and the it was being held up in court the bills on the homes and cars still needed paid so one of the houses was sold and a mortgage taken out on the other one.
Today
Today they both need constant care and need help doing the things most people take for granted like getting in and out of bed or going to the bathroom, Ruth has a colostomy bag which needs constant care. They went from living on their own and bringing in over 5,000.00 a month to needing assistance and living on their social security which is about 2,000.00 a month and while their income has cut in more than half their bills have only gotten bigger. After living over 60 years independently they finally bit the bullet and asked for some help just to find all the doors closed because they own a home and make too much money.
Asking for Help
First we applied for help with the veterans office and were denied because Robert wasn’t active during “war time” since Korea was considered a police action and not a war.
We applied to the welfare office for any assistance and got help for Robert with his prescription drugs and to pay a home care worker 3 hours a day to take care of him, this lasted about 3 years until Ruth had to apply for assistance. The inheritance Ruth had fought 10 years for was settled in 2011 and she officially inherited the cam which she gave to her son but could not put in his name because of the mortgage. The welfare office notified her that because of the camp she does not qualify for any assistance and because it wasn’t reported for Robert he would be dropped from any help himself (even though the camp was not owned when Robert filled out the paperwork). On top of that they still have the option of going after Ruth and Robert for any assistance he has received from them.
So now we are still paying all the bills that were paid when they made over 5,000.00 a month but have the added price of over 20 prescription between them which will no longer be subsidies through the welfare office and monthly doctors appointments and the threat of having the home care worker terminated. This has made me realize that working hard and playing by the rules doesn’t pay in America, you think your life is great but one sickness can take it all away from you. I often here politicians say America is the greatest country in the world but I say we could be but are far from it. Until people lose the threat of being homeless or having to choose between food on the table or pills in the cabinet we will always be a second rate country. You can not call yourself a great nation and turn your back on citizens who helped build and defend it while coddling and sucking at the tit of corporations and big business. When I hear people cry “ I build this” it pisses me off, without the generations who came before you who won our independence, built the road and bridges you wouldn’t have anything.
Instead of bragging about what you have and what you think you built how about helping all the men and women who worked themselves sick and are now suffering or the men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line day in and day out so you can buy a new plane or hire a new maid. Remember while you’re receiving a free dinner or drinks at a club because you’re rich or famous all the people who will go without food and children who will go to school hungry or sick because their parents can not afford to feed them or allow them to stay home. If you judge a country by it’s poorest and most vulnerable than America is far from the greatest country in the world and until people wake up and see that America is no longer “we the people” but currently “we the rich and powerful” nothing will
Background
Ruth and Robert had worked their whole lives and played by the rules, they never asked for or received a “handout”. Robert joined the military and served during the Korean War, sorry “conflict” as we would later find out it wasn’t a war. After getting out he married the women he loved and went to work in a powdered metal plant. Things were good and we were living the dream until the 80’s. After Ronald Reagan became president things started to change and you could no longer take care of a family with one income, with the prices of everything rising and incomes flat not most families needed both parents working full time jobs just to live the life they were used to. Ruth got a job at the same powered metal plant as her husband until he retired in 2001 at the age of 63 and having put in over 20 years of hard labor. In 2004 he went in for routine surgery and due to a medical issue came out disabled both mentally and physically. Ruth took up extra shifts and was working 60 hours a week or more until she went into the hospital on March 17th 2012 and was diagnosed with colon cancer. Again thanks to a screw up by the doctors and hospital she spent 8 months in the hospital and now is permanently disabled and can no longer work.
In 2001 Ruth inherited an estate with 2 houses, 2 cars and about 200,000.00 in cash. While the estate was at the lawyers office the secretary spent the 200,000.00 in cash. When ordered to pay it back she wrote out checks for 165,000 which bounced so she was taken to court for the bad checks. The court ruled in Ruth’s favor and the women was given 7 years probation and ordered to pay back the money 150.00 a month. While there was no money and the it was being held up in court the bills on the homes and cars still needed paid so one of the houses was sold and a mortgage taken out on the other one.
Today
Today they both need constant care and need help doing the things most people take for granted like getting in and out of bed or going to the bathroom, Ruth has a colostomy bag which needs constant care. They went from living on their own and bringing in over 5,000.00 a month to needing assistance and living on their social security which is about 2,000.00 a month and while their income has cut in more than half their bills have only gotten bigger. After living over 60 years independently they finally bit the bullet and asked for some help just to find all the doors closed because they own a home and make too much money.
Asking for Help
First we applied for help with the veterans office and were denied because Robert wasn’t active during “war time” since Korea was considered a police action and not a war.
We applied to the welfare office for any assistance and got help for Robert with his prescription drugs and to pay a home care worker 3 hours a day to take care of him, this lasted about 3 years until Ruth had to apply for assistance. The inheritance Ruth had fought 10 years for was settled in 2011 and she officially inherited the cam which she gave to her son but could not put in his name because of the mortgage. The welfare office notified her that because of the camp she does not qualify for any assistance and because it wasn’t reported for Robert he would be dropped from any help himself (even though the camp was not owned when Robert filled out the paperwork). On top of that they still have the option of going after Ruth and Robert for any assistance he has received from them.
So now we are still paying all the bills that were paid when they made over 5,000.00 a month but have the added price of over 20 prescription between them which will no longer be subsidies through the welfare office and monthly doctors appointments and the threat of having the home care worker terminated. This has made me realize that working hard and playing by the rules doesn’t pay in America, you think your life is great but one sickness can take it all away from you. I often here politicians say America is the greatest country in the world but I say we could be but are far from it. Until people lose the threat of being homeless or having to choose between food on the table or pills in the cabinet we will always be a second rate country. You can not call yourself a great nation and turn your back on citizens who helped build and defend it while coddling and sucking at the tit of corporations and big business. When I hear people cry “ I build this” it pisses me off, without the generations who came before you who won our independence, built the road and bridges you wouldn’t have anything.
Instead of bragging about what you have and what you think you built how about helping all the men and women who worked themselves sick and are now suffering or the men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line day in and day out so you can buy a new plane or hire a new maid. Remember while you’re receiving a free dinner or drinks at a club because you’re rich or famous all the people who will go without food and children who will go to school hungry or sick because their parents can not afford to feed them or allow them to stay home. If you judge a country by it’s poorest and most vulnerable than America is far from the greatest country in the world and until people wake up and see that America is no longer “we the people” but currently “we the rich and powerful” nothing will
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Corporate Slavery 2012
Let me first say this isn’t to demean slavery in any way, it was the darkest time in America and one that should be apologized for. This is just my opinion and if it offends anyone I am sorry.
Return of Slavery?
Beginning in the 1980’s after the corporate president took office we have seen the destruction of middle class and a vast expansion of the poor. Reagan came into office and immediately rammed through any legislation that Wall Street and big business demanded he pass even at the expense of the majority of Americans. All the work done in the previous 50 years to help raise people out of poverty and create a fair playing field were systematically dismantled creating a new slave class.
For 50 years, and with the help of unions, Americans had begun to build a good life for themselves. A family could have one parent work and one stay home to raise the children and live in comfort and for the first time be able to own their homes, cars and even take vacations. This was the American dream and a majority of families were living it.
Starting in the 1980’s that dream slowly started to become a nightmare as legislation after legislation was passed first weakening unions than strengthening corporate power. It was no longer possible for 1 parent to work and support a family and in some cases both parents had to work just to live the same life they were accustomed to. Health care was no longer a right that everyone had access to and was slowly becoming a privilege that most couldn’t afford. This was the first shots that began a decades long genocide of the middle class.
For years the republican party fought to give tax breaks to the rich and powerful putting more money in their pocket while cutting aide to the poor, elderly and disabled and fighting with every breath to keep the minimum wage low and prevent people from making a good living anymore. The nuclear family exploded and we saw a huge increase in single parents struggling to get by and record homelessness, the republican solution to this problem was to act like they didn’t exist.
You have to look no further than Mississippi to see what happens when republicans are allowed to put all their programs into place and run things like they want. The citizens are kept poor, uneducated and have little access to healthcare, add this with loose gun laws and you see the state also ranking near the top every year in gun violence. This is the final step that was stared by President Reagan and later continued and still be fought for today.
While it’s not slavery in the horrible sense that we have know it in the past it is what I call corporate slavery. With all the cuts in food stamps and insurance for the poor Americans have no choice but to take jobs they hate or are overqualified for but need it to put food on the table and have health care for their family. Many no longer have the luxury to find jobs they want or like because if they leave the ones they have they will lose their homes or worse.
Republicans have made most Americans slaves to the corporations that fund their elections and thanks to the supreme court it will only get worse. Corporations can now spend billions to get the people they want elected and keep us slaves to the corporate machine. If we stand up to the rich and powerful who have enslaved us we immediately hear “Class Warfare” and are put down as being jealous of the rich.
How do they get away with this? They keep us divided on issues like abortion, gun control and make people who work think those who are too sick or disabled and receive welfare do so because they are lazy. Republicans have been promoting a middle class civil war for years and until we wake up and unite we will keep fighting amongst ourselves when we should fight against the people keeping us down. The sad thing is that the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street have things in common but due to the corporate media you will never hear that on TV, the media is owned by the same ones who want to keep us indentured servants who are just glad to be getting the little we are getting. Until America wakes up an unites we will always be in debt and under the control of a small group - We are not the United States of America right now we are the United States of Corporations and have become a plutocracy were the will of the few is cherished over the will of the people.
Return of Slavery?
Beginning in the 1980’s after the corporate president took office we have seen the destruction of middle class and a vast expansion of the poor. Reagan came into office and immediately rammed through any legislation that Wall Street and big business demanded he pass even at the expense of the majority of Americans. All the work done in the previous 50 years to help raise people out of poverty and create a fair playing field were systematically dismantled creating a new slave class.
For 50 years, and with the help of unions, Americans had begun to build a good life for themselves. A family could have one parent work and one stay home to raise the children and live in comfort and for the first time be able to own their homes, cars and even take vacations. This was the American dream and a majority of families were living it.
Starting in the 1980’s that dream slowly started to become a nightmare as legislation after legislation was passed first weakening unions than strengthening corporate power. It was no longer possible for 1 parent to work and support a family and in some cases both parents had to work just to live the same life they were accustomed to. Health care was no longer a right that everyone had access to and was slowly becoming a privilege that most couldn’t afford. This was the first shots that began a decades long genocide of the middle class.
For years the republican party fought to give tax breaks to the rich and powerful putting more money in their pocket while cutting aide to the poor, elderly and disabled and fighting with every breath to keep the minimum wage low and prevent people from making a good living anymore. The nuclear family exploded and we saw a huge increase in single parents struggling to get by and record homelessness, the republican solution to this problem was to act like they didn’t exist.
You have to look no further than Mississippi to see what happens when republicans are allowed to put all their programs into place and run things like they want. The citizens are kept poor, uneducated and have little access to healthcare, add this with loose gun laws and you see the state also ranking near the top every year in gun violence. This is the final step that was stared by President Reagan and later continued and still be fought for today.
While it’s not slavery in the horrible sense that we have know it in the past it is what I call corporate slavery. With all the cuts in food stamps and insurance for the poor Americans have no choice but to take jobs they hate or are overqualified for but need it to put food on the table and have health care for their family. Many no longer have the luxury to find jobs they want or like because if they leave the ones they have they will lose their homes or worse.
Republicans have made most Americans slaves to the corporations that fund their elections and thanks to the supreme court it will only get worse. Corporations can now spend billions to get the people they want elected and keep us slaves to the corporate machine. If we stand up to the rich and powerful who have enslaved us we immediately hear “Class Warfare” and are put down as being jealous of the rich.
How do they get away with this? They keep us divided on issues like abortion, gun control and make people who work think those who are too sick or disabled and receive welfare do so because they are lazy. Republicans have been promoting a middle class civil war for years and until we wake up and unite we will keep fighting amongst ourselves when we should fight against the people keeping us down. The sad thing is that the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street have things in common but due to the corporate media you will never hear that on TV, the media is owned by the same ones who want to keep us indentured servants who are just glad to be getting the little we are getting. Until America wakes up an unites we will always be in debt and under the control of a small group - We are not the United States of America right now we are the United States of Corporations and have become a plutocracy were the will of the few is cherished over the will of the people.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
How Benghazi exposes republican hypocrisy
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.
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.
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.
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