22. May 2012 by admin.

When Newark Mayor Cory Booker went on Meet The Press and attacked the Obama campaign strategy, he did more than expose himself as a disloyal “surrogate.”  He pointed to the greatest difference between Democrats and Republicans.

Had he been a Republican attacking Mitt Romney’s campaign, he would have been quickly dismissed as a RINO (Republican In Name Only).  He would have been challenged in the next primary, defeated by the Teapublican base, and his political career would be done.

On the other hand, there is no such thing as a DINO.  A Democrat can go on national television and say anything he or she wants with few repercussions from the Democratic Party.  It’s frustrating for the Democratic base.  We have enough of a battle on our hands fending off Teapublican lies.  We don’t need cannibals devouring the party from within.

Mayor Booker is an impressive young man who seems to be a good mayor. He has shown personal courage by rescuing a neighbor from a fire.  And he seems to have a great future as long as he remembers who politically supports him.  But based on his statements on Meet The Press, he needs the equivalent of a time out.

Posted in Teapublicans, Current Events, Politics | Print | No Comments »

21. May 2012 by admin.

Recently, several of Mitt Romney’s high school friends recounted an event in which they held down a gay classmate at their Michigan private school while Romney hacked off the terrified student’s bleached blond locks.

Certainly, most of us do dumb things as teenagers. And most of us never forget them. I did and said some terribly cruel things as a teen to prove that I belonged with the “in” crowd. I remember each of them vividly and I have long regretted them. Indeed, I wish I could meet with the victims of my cruelty and beg for their forgiveness.

Yet what I did pales in comparison to Mr. Romney’s reported actions.

So when Romney says that he doesn’t recall the incident, what are the possible explanations for his memory failure?

1 – His classmates are lying.

2 – He’s lying.

3 – He committed so many cruel acts that he can’t single out just one.

Since the story has been corroborated by at least five former classmates, we can logically rule out number one. That leaves only two options. Both are an indictment of Mitt Romney’s character.  And both should disqualify him from becoming President of the United States.

Posted in Teapublicans, Current Events, Politics | Print | No Comments »

20. May 2012 by admin.

What happens when you combine the least educated and least curious portion of our electorate with the most selfish and greedy?  What happens when those people are guided by the religious certainty that the Earth is 6,000 years old and that the destruction of our planet will only hasten their opportunity to ride in the golden chariot to heaven?  What happens when they’re led by people who are willing to tell any lie and embrace any falsehood to be elected?

The result is today’s Republican Party.

Of course, they’ll never admit it.  According to Teapublicans, they’re simply trying to rescue America from socialists, communists, fascists and other undesireables such as Democrats, women, school teachers, government workers, labor unions, immigrants, gays, lesbians, transgenders, people of color, and the poor.  I’m sure there are many other “enemies,” but I don’t know what’s inside the minds of Teapublicans.  And, given the ugliness of their rhetoric, I certainly don’t want to peek inside!

The reality is that Teapublican leaders want their followers to fear their neighbors, so they won’t notice the big money interests pulling the strings behind the curtain.  They’re quite literally rigging the system and walking off with the money.  They’ve pushed their tax burden onto the already overburdened middle class.  They collect billions in government contracts and subsidies. And by gaining control of the Supreme Court, they’ve usurped even more control of our political system.

Now they’re out to undermine Social Security and Medicare.  The end result will be to give large financial institutions and insurance companies (both controlled by Wall Street) access to still more of our money.

If more people recognized what’s going on, Teapublicans would never again win an election.  They can’t win based on an open discussion of ideas and truth.  They can only win through a combination of lies, intimidation, dirty tricks and fear.

This year, they are led by a candidate who quite blythely says today what is in direct contradiction with what he said yesterday.  And his followers eat it up.  They’ve manufactured the usual number of straw dogs to excite their base and intimidate opponents, such as ballot measures designed to appeal to their religious base in order to incite more campaigning from the pulpit.  They’ve created PACs and Super PACs with tens of millions in anonymous money to buy votes.  And they are well on their way to repressing minority votes through new voter ID laws.

We’ve seen it all before…in 2000, 2004 and 2010.  And with each passing election cycle, the conversation leans further to the right and ordinary citizens lose a little more control of our country.

Posted in Supreme Court, Teapublicans, Voter Suppression, Religion, Current Events, Politics, Taxes, Corporations, Government | Print | No Comments »

18. May 2012 by admin.

This isn’t so much a blog post as an obituary.  The American Dream was defined as the ability for Americans to rise above their parents’ experience.  The ability to, as the result of education and hard work, become a success.  It is measured by the distribution of wealth and upward mobility.

In both of those measurements, the US now trails most of the world’s advanced nations.  A report by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) found that social mobility between generations is dramatically lower in the US than Denmark, Australia, Norway, Finland, Canada, Sweden, Germany and Spain.

The American Dream didn’t pass into history as the result of natural causes.  It was starved to death by Teapublicans who signed Grover Norquist’s “no new taxes” pledge.  It was bludgeoned by the likes of George W. Bush, Richard “The Dick” Cheney and their cartel of oil companies and military defense contractors.  It was driven off a cliff by greedy Wall Street bankers and their enablers such as former Senator Phil Gramm.

Republicans may have led the attack on the Dream. But many Democrats participated. President Clinton signed the Republican bill that revoked the Glass-Steagall Act allowing Wall Street bankers to gamble with your money and our futures.  He also signed a Republican bill opening commodity markets to gambling.

Many Congressional Democrats cast their votes alongside Republicans to starve government through the Bush tax cuts.  And they added their names to legislation approving the invasion of Iraq.

As the result of these actions, corporations were allowed to rake in large profits while sending our jobs offshore.  They were allowed to stash profits in offshore accounts to avoid paying taxes.  Banks were allowed to privatize their profits and socialize their failures.  The wealthy got even wealthier while paying lower taxes.  Banks got homeowners to sign mortgages at inflated interest rates, then took their homes to support the banks’ gambling habit.

The only question left is what now?  Will we allow economic disparity to grow dividing our nation into the haves and have nots?  Or will we resurrect the Dream?  The coming elections will provide the answers.

Posted in War, Teapublicans, George W. Bush, Current Events, Taxes, Government, Politics, Economy | Print | No Comments »

14. May 2012 by admin.

To those long-time Republicans who fondly remember the Party of Lincoln, the party that held the Union together against the forces of slavery, the party that supported the “live and let live” principles of Goldwater, the party that stood with Reagan against the Soviet Union:  I have some very bad news for you.

That Republican Party no longer exists.

It was hijacked by neo-cons who started a “pre-emptive” war and resorted to torture in defiance of the Geneva Conventions.  These “new conservatives” bought votes with their unfunded Medicare drug plan.  They abandoned fiscal responsiblity by running up huge deficits and massive debt.  And they drove our economy off a cliff.

But they aren’t the only hijackers of your once proud party.  Your party has also been taken over by a group of intolerant zealots who intend to force their own unforgiving brand of Christianity on everyone; people who want to create a nanny state that dictates behavior, particularly that of women, gays and the poor.

Then, in 2010, your party embraced the “Tea Party” and yet another extreme agenda.  These people hate – I mean HATE - our government and anyone who supports it.  They hate public education, “entitlements” and government regulation – even to preserve the environment.  They refuse to compromise.  If anyone even mentions the word, they’re labeled RINOs (Republican in name only) and pushed aside.  They hate immigrants and people of color – any color but white.  And, if they don’t get their way, they threaten to exercise their “Second Amendment rights.”

Despite your best intentions, you won’t be able to fix the Republican Party from within.  There are simply too many of them and too few of you.  There is no Ronald Reagan waiting in the wings to save your party.  Instead, you have “leaders” such as Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum and Paul Ryan - the rising star who follows the self-centered principles of Ayn Rand, instead of those of Lincoln, Goldwater and Reagan.

Sooner or later, you’ll realize that the only real options left for moderate Republicans are to become Independents with no hope of choosing candidates, to form a new party, or to join the Democratic Party which has become the party of fiscal responsibility.

As someone raised Republican turned Independent turned Democrat, I can assure you that you will be very welcome in our party.

Posted in War, Current Events, Tea Party, Religion, George W. Bush, Teapublicans, Culture, Deficit, Economy, Environment, Medicare, Government, Politics, Cheney | Print | No Comments »

12. May 2012 by admin.

As a result of the 2008 economic crash created by the lack of regulation of Wall Street gamblers, new home construction has slowed to a relative trickle.  According to the National Associaton of Home Buildiers (NAHB), the number of housing units started in the U.S. totaled only 609,000 in 2011.  That compares to 1,131,000 in 2006 as measured by the US Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Using NAHB estimates that for each new home built three jobs are created, these numbers represent a loss of more than 1.5 million jobs.  They also represent a loss of $67,000 in federal taxes and $23,000 in state and local taxes for each home not built!

And that’s just part of the problem.  In addition to the jobs lost that are directly related to home construction, there are job losses for landscapers, pool builders, movers, the makers and sellers of furniture, window treatments, appliances and more.  Indeed, a writer for The Outer Banks Voice tracked the number of people involved in building his new home in 2010.  He counted a total of 219!

Now multiply that number of 219 times the 522,000 fewer homes built in 2011 than before the Great Recession and you see the scope of the problem.

But there is some good news.  NAHB estimates 1.7 to 1.8 million new homes are needed each year to accommodate population growth and replacement of older housing stock.  So we are creating tremendous pent-up demand.  Sooner or later, the housing market is going to explode.  But it’s going to take time.  Those who bought homes between 2005 and 2008 were burned by home ownership.  They were taken advantage of by unethical mortgage lenders.  They were foreclosed by uncaring banks.  And even if they didn’t lose their homes, they have found that their homes are worth far less than before.

How do you get these people to forget the recent past and jump into the market again?  Given the low prices of homes and low interest rates, there are plenty of incentives.  But, unfortunately, it’s going to take years.

Americans tend to have short memories, but not when it comes to their money.

Posted in Current Events, Taxes, Labor, Politics, Economy | Print | No Comments »

11. May 2012 by admin.

According to evangelist Franklin Graham, that’s what President Obama did by recognizing gay marriage.  Seriously?  Accepting the right for anyone to love the partner of their choice is an affront to God?  But denying basic human rights to your fellow man isn’t?  Hmmm…What would Jesus think?

I was raised in church and I remember a few things from those days.  If I’m not sadly mistaken, the Bible says something like “Love your neighbor as yourself?”  Didn’t Christ also say something like, “Whatsoever you do unto the least of my people…you do unto me?”  And wasn’t there something about “Judge not, that ye not be judged?”

I don’t mean to be picky, but isn’t Franklin Graham the same person who gushed about meeting former President George W. Bush?  The president who ordered the invasion of Iraq resulting in the unnecessary deaths and maimings of thousands of innocent people?  Isn’t he the same president who renamed torture “enhanced interrogation?”

I’m not the son of a famous televangelist and I’m not a pastor, but in God’s eyes, is not murder, torture and mayhem somewhat more serious than speaking out in favor of gay marriage?

Yet I’ve never heard Mr. Graham condemn President Bush in the same way he condemned President Obama.

I guess I’m resorting to judging another, but if recognizing the basic rights of others is shaking a fist at God, then I have two fists in the air; one with the middle finger extended to Mr. Graham.

Posted in George W. Bush, Civil Rights, Religion, War, President Obama, Current Events, Politics | Print | No Comments »

10. May 2012 by admin.

Remember when you were a child?  Remember when somebody said something bad about you or someone you cared about?  Remember how you too often responded with something that started, “Oh yeh?  Well, you’re a…?”  Or maybe you repeated the ever popular, “I’m rubber and you’re glue.  Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you.”

This childish behavior now extends to the highest levels of our government.  And nobody is better at it than Teapublicans.  It’s as if they’re forever adolescents mentally frozen in the fifth grade.  Witness the Teapublican response to Democrats’ call for freezing interest rates on student loans.  The House passed a student loan bill that was amended to take money from the budget intended for health care. Then, in the Senate, Teapublicans filibustered a student loan bill that didn’t include the budget trick.

“Oh yeh, Democrats, take that!”  No honest debate.  No compromise.  Just another gotcha.

And how about the Teapublican reaction to the anniversary of the attack on Osama bin Laden?  As soon as President Obama posted a commercial commemorating the event on the Internet, Mitt Romney tried to diminish the gravity of the event by saying, “Of course I would have made the same decision.  Even Jimmy Carter would have.”  And the Teapublican megaphone, aka Fox News Channel, was turned up to full volume with all the hosts reading the following Teapublican talking point from their teleprompters:  “It’s as if President Obama is spiking the football in the endzone.”

Really?  That’s the game you want to play?  Ignoring the fact that President Bush played the 9/11 card for almost every event, couldn’t you think of a more adult response to President Obama?  Wouldn’t a grown-up admit that the president made a good decision, congratulate him and simply move on to another issue? 

Apparently, that’s not an option for Teapublicans. 

It seems that as soon as you register as a Teapublican, the Party bosses automatically rewind the way back clock…in your mind.

Posted in Teapublicans, George W. Bush, Current Events, President Obama, Politics, Media, Government | Print | No Comments »

5. May 2012 by admin.

A recent editorial in The Washington Post was headlined, “Let’s just say it: The Republicans are the problem.”  The writers go on to say, “We have been studying Washington politics and Congress for more than 40 years, and never have we seen them this dysfunctional. In our past writings, we have criticized both parties when we believed it was warranted. Today, however, we have no choice but to acknowledge that the core of the problem lies with the Republican Party.”

This is not coming from the so-called “liberal media.”  It’s from one of the most respected and unbiased newspapers in the land; the newspaper that covers both sides of politics from our nation’s capitol. When The Washington Post makes such a statement, everyone needs to pay attention.

This amazing admonishment of the right, follows the revelation of a meeting that took place the night of President Obama’s inauguration.  With the nation having just experienced the collapse of the housing industry, the freefall of the entire global economy, the loss of 4.4 million jobs, the loss of billions or trillions in tax revenues, a bankrupt financial system, huge deficits adding to our national debt and two wars (one unnecessary), all caused by the decisions of an 8-year Republican administration, these ”patriots” seemed concerned with only one thing:  How could they cause the Obama administration to fail?

Unaware of the plot against him, President Obama began his administration by trying to accomplish the goals of his campaign - to repair the fractures in our nation by working with Republicans. He asked several Republicans to join his cabinet in order to heal the nation.  Most declined.  Instead of accepting the president’s hand, Republicans claimed he was not an American citizen and, therefore, not a legitimate president. When the administration and Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and offered loans to the failing auto industry, Republicans cried “Socialist” and organized the “Tea Party” from their most right wing supporters. They appeared at Presidential speeches with guns. They carried signs calling him a Fascist, a modern-day Hitler and threatening to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.

Republican Senators filibustered almost every initiative to create jobs in the hopes that the struggling economy would benefit them politically.  They filibustered and obstructed legislation that would prevent a repeat of our economic collapse.  They refused to allow votes on a record number of presidential appointments, including federal judges and heads of government agencies.  A Republican Congressman even broke long-standing decorum by shouting “You lie” during a State of the Union address.

The stalemate caused by the Teapublican obstruction worked.  Teapublicans took control of the House in 2010.  Still, President Obama reached out to find compromise with the right.  In response, the Republican House Speaker said he didn’t believe in compromise; that he didn’t even know what the word meant.  Since then, Teapublicans have only become more obstructionist, more unyielding and more uncivil.

Now we’re approaching yet another election.  No thanks to Teapublicans, more than a million auto industry jobs have been saved, we’re digging out of the economic abyss, we’ve ended one war and placed an end date on the other, we’ve eliminated the leadership of al Qaeda, and we’ve greatly improved our reputation throughout the world.

By almost every measure, President Obama deserves to be re-elected.  Teapublicans, on the other hand, have earned a place in the very darkest corners of our history.

Posted in Current Events, Tea Party, Teapublicans, George W. Bush, President Obama, Guns, Government, Politics, Culture, Health care | Print | No Comments »

28. April 2012 by admin.

For many years, Teapublicans have cowed Democrats into compromising their ideals.  In fact, Democrats have become so accustomed to withering under partisan attacks many now give up their principles willingly.  Witness the news from just the past two days.

Yesterday, the Obama administration dropped controversial new safety standards for children who are hired to work on farms.  Apparently, the lies and misinformation circulated by Teapublicans that the new standards would negatively affect family farms was enough to make the administration’s testicles shrivel to 2009 size.

Then today it was announced that, with the help of 13 Democrats, the Republican-led House passed a student loan bill that includes cutting the Prevention and Public Health Fund; part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  The end result is to reduce funding for women’s and children’s health programs.

Who needs the Supreme Court?  It would seem that some Democrats are willing to help Teapublicans kill “Obamacare” themselves.

Also today, former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi stated that she was willing to embrace cuts to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare as part of the Simpson-Bowles Plan to reduce the national debt.  Say what?  Whatever happened to protecting safety nets from the Teapublican ax?  What happened to ending tax breaks for the wealthy?  What happened to fairness in opportunity and income distribution?

The events of these past two days capsulize one of the greatest problems with our government.  Teapublicans whine and bully and threaten to get their way without concern for the welfare of our citizens and our nation.  They can count on Democrats to drop to their knees and metaphorically pee their pants.  And Democrats seldom disappoint them.

Damn, it’s difficult to be a Democrat!

Posted in President Obama, Current Events, Politics, Government, Health care, Social Security, Medicare | Print | No Comments »