Category Archives: Current Events

Main Street 57, Wall Street 41.

Posted on by

For two days in a row, a bill for financial reform came up 3 votes short in the Senate. All 41 Republican Senators voted to prevent debate. In other words, they voted to filibuster. Polls show the American public overwhelmingly wants to see financial reform because they understand that it was the high-risk gambling on Wall Street that caused the worst economy since the Great Depression. Yet Republicans voted in unison to block it.

Why?

The answer is simple. Republicans say that they want financial reform, but they don’t want it to interfere with the almighty “free” market. It took them 62 years to undo the Glass-Steagall Act and they don’t want to see a similar bill. They don’t want to limit their wealthy and powerful masters’ ability to make outrageous profits from consumers. They don’t want to allow any form of consumer protection. And they certainly don’t want the voting public to see them taking the side of Wall Street in an open debate.

By keeping the debate behind closed doors, Republicans can make deals with bank lobbyists that will keep the money flowing on Wall Street and, more importantly, keep the money flowing toward Republican candidates.

So, for now, we’re treated to a high stakes game of cat and mouse. Democrats will keep asking for debate on financial reform, and Republicans will keep voting to block it. How long before Main Street reminds Republicans who they’re supposed to be working for?

Spill, Baby, Spill!

Posted on by

Following the Democratic rebuff of attempts to drill for oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Republicans began chanting “Drill, Baby, Drill.”  Indeed, it became a mantra of the climate change deniers, the Fox News Channel dimwits and the McCain/Palin campaign. 

Now we have clear evidence of how wrong they were.  (Imagine that!?)

A few months ago, an Alaskan pipeline burst, spilling tens of thousands of gallons of oil onto the Arctic tundra.   This follows another spill in 2006 that dumped an estimated 200,000 gallons of oil onto the tundra.  Indeed, it’s estimated that 500 oil spills occur in the Prudhoe Bay oil fields and along the Alaskan pipeline system each year.  But, if you were to listen to big oil and their Republican supporters, you’d think that oil spills are rare and insignificant. 

Just this past week, a BP oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico resulting in the potential for one of our nation’s largest oil spills and catastrophic damage to our environment.  The deep water well is currently leaking at the rate of 210,000 gallons a day and, if BP can’t close underwater valves, the leak could continue for up to 5 months!  Of course, big oil will likely be forced to pay for the damage.  But a few million dollars won’t act as much of a deterrent.  It certainly won’t restore the environment.  And don’t count on seeing the money anytime soon.  After all, it only took Exxon 16 years to fork over the money awarded to those whose livelihood was disrupted after the Exxon Valdez dumped an estimated 10.8 million gallons of crude oil on their shores.

Is it any wonder that many along the East Coast are concerned about President Obama’s recent decision to yield to pressure from Republicans and big oil to open more areas for off-shore drilling?

Truth is, we’re certain to see more damage to our environment from the decision.  Combined with the plastic “continents” now floating in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, it may well contribute to the death of the most important natural assets on our planet – our oceans. 

Of course, we could minimize the damage and end our dependence on foreign oil by prioritizing renewable energy.  And we’d likely create thousands of high-paying jobs in the process.  Unfortunately, the renewable fuel industry doesn’t have the lobbyists big oil does.

© LaMaster Propaganda – All rights reserved.

The Black & White Case Against President Obama

Posted on by

The Tea Party members say their anger has nothing to do with racism.  Well, if their issues are big government, big deficits and corporate bailouts as they suggest, why all the anger now?  Why not aim the fury at the people who created our recession and debt?  Why not direct their fury at Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and the Republicans who created trillions of dollars of national debt?  Why no anger against George W. Bush for drastically increasing the size of government with his Department of Homeland Security?  Why no fury against George W. Bush for bailing out Wall Street?  Why the belief that President Obama was not born in the U.S.?  Why did no one demand to see Ronald Reagan’s, George H.W. Bush’s and George W. Bush’s birth certificates?  And why were they so willing to look the other way when Richard “The Dick” Cheney was allowed to skirt the Constitutional prohibition on the President and Vice-President being residents of the same state by claiming Wyoming as his residence instead of Texas where he actually lived? 

What has this President done to generate such anger? 

Since taking office, he has brought the nation out of the worst economic times since the Great Depression.  Since taking office, he has actually lowered taxes.  Indeed, taxes have rarely been lower.  Since taking office, President Obama has rebuilt our relationships and stature with all of our allies.  He has rid the world of more nuclear weapons to protect us from terrorism.  He has certainly not tried to ban guns as the Tea Party suggests.  As a matter of fact, he signed a bill permitting guns in National Parks, an act that prompted the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence to give Obama an “F” with regard to gun control issues. 

Then why the Tea Party claims that President Obama is un-American, a Socialist, a Communist and a Nazi? 

What is so unique about this President to generate so much anger and hate?  Hmmm, let me think … maybe it has to do with the fact that he is part Irish.  No?  Well, it certainly couldn’t be that he is half African-American.  That would be racist, wouldn’t it?

Is Fox News Channel Owned By Terrorists?

Posted on by

Let us know what you think.  Does Sean Hannity side with Nazis?  Take our poll.  Is Bill O’Reilly a fascist?  You decide.  Did Glenn Beck have a sex change operation?  What do readers think?  Many say that Sarah Palin is a biggoted sociopath?  What is the real truth?  Did Michelle Bachmann meet her husband while a patient at his mental health clinic?  Vote now.

If you haven’t spent much time watching Fox News Channel, you might think that all of this is a joke.  But it’s what passes for journalism on Fox.  The only difference is that all of the innuendo and snide questions are about Democrats and liberals.  Even when the few journalists on Fox are trying to present their version of news, the type crawling across the bottom of the screen continues to raise absurd questions about the political opposition.  In fact, the bias of the “fair and balanced” network became so obvious, that Fox News finally admitted that the majority (two-thirds) of its programming is “political commentary.” 

Right-wing theater would be a more accurate description.

More recently, the owner of Fox, Rupert Murdoch, was asked to name one Democrat on his “fair and balanced” noise network.  He was unable to.  But he was sure “they had one.” 

If ever there was a rational argument for a return of the Fairness Doctrine, this is it.  If you aren’t familiar with it, the Fairness Doctrine was introduced in 1949 as a policy of the Federal Communications Commission” (FCC).  It required broadcasters to present issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was honest, fair and balanced.  Unfortunately, the Fairness Doctrine was abolished in 1987, likely the result of Republicans unhappy with the media’s treatment of their policies to redistribute wealth upward.  

Since the end of the Fairness Doctrine, we’ve seen a constant rise in right-wing radio and television with no limits on the lies that can be told.  No prohibitions against inciting hatred.  And no restrictions against using the public airwaves to promote political ideology and candidates.  This puts the power in the hands of a few, very wealthy (and largely conservative) media owners, especially since the ratings for liberal media tend to be lower than for conservatives.  After all, for many, it’s more entertaining to listen to some angry, white blowhards rail against government, social programs, minorities, immigrants and taxes than it is to listen to someone promoting equality and social responsibility. 

It’s time for Congress to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.  Without it, the only alternative is to spend hours each week researching political issues to determine the truth – assuming, of course, that you actually care about the future of the nation.

New Poll: Tea Party Members Not Stupid! Just Greedy, Racist and Poorly Informed.

Posted on by

Okay, I have to admit that my recent description of the Tea Party was somewhat flawed.  They are rednecks, but much to my surprise, it turns out that most are highly educated. (Now there’s an indictment of our education system, if I’ve ever seen one.)  A new poll by The New York Times and CBS found that a high precentage of these people are college-educated.  They’re also highly paid and highly confused. 

They say they hate government, yet they love Social Security.  They say they hate the new health care reform bill, yet they love government-run Medicare.  They say they hate the increase in national debt, yet they love the man who created most of it – George W. Bush.  They’re furious about tax “increases,” yet their taxes are lower than at any time during the Bush administration, and the second-lowest in last 50 years.  And they say they’re nostalgic for the fifties and sixties, yet those were the days when taxes were at an all-time high and the nation was in extreme turmoil.

How could these otherwise intelligent people be so confused?  I think I can provide the answer in three words – Fox News Channel.  They rely on the Republican propaganda channel for most of their information.

Indeed, Politico recently revealed a memo from a Political Action Committee leader to the Republican Party that shows the Tea Party Express was actually conceived by the Republican Party with the aid of Fox News.  Why?  The memo states that the purpose was to raise money for the Political Action Committee and Republicans to aid Republican candidates.

I believe there was another, unstated issue.  By focusing anger on President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress over the bailout of automakers and the stimulus package, the Tea Party Express would deflect attention from those really responsible for our nation’s financial meltdown – former President George W. Bush and the Republican Party.

So Tea Party activists, how does it feel to find out that you’ve been used to help the very people who got us into the mess you so deplore?  Or are you so blinded by your racism against an African-American President and non-white immigrants that you simply don’t care? 

Palin/Bachmann in 2012!

Posted on by

Several of the Faux News Channel pundits are openly promoting this pair as the Republican ticket for 2012.  Yes, for President and Vice-President of the United States.  Yes, our United States!  I’m not sure whether to laugh or run to the border out of fear.  Is it possible that the ancient Mayans had a vision of this ticket in 2012 and decided to end their calendar following the election?

The potential for an apocolyptic disaster couldn’t be more real.

Imagine the female equivalent of Laurel and Hardy in charge of the world’s only superpower.  Add Glenn Beck as Secretary of Defense for a Three Stooges-like triumveret.  Throw in a Congress dominated by the Tea Party for even more entertainment value.  At least we would no longer have an immigration problem.  It would more likely become an emigration problem.  Canada and Mexico would have to put up fences and station troops at their borders to keep U.S. citizens out.  It’s even possible that the governments in Iran and North Korea governments would look sane by comparison. 

 Think I’m exaggerating?  Consider the following: 

As a Vice-Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin famously cited Alaska’s proximity to Russia as her credentials for foreign affairs.  In her notorious interview with Katie Couric, Palin was stumped by such hard-hitting questions as “What magazines and newspapers do you read?”  As Half-Governor of Alaska, she was cited in numerous ethics complaints.  Of course, there was also Wardrobe-Gate and the many believable accusations of outrageous behavior by the McCain campaign staff.

Her proposed running mate, Michelle Bachmann is even more of a nut case.  This is the Congresswoman who claimed that the U.S. Census was an Obama plot to place people in internment camps.  The same Congresswoman who famously called for an investigation of Congress because she believed many members are un-American.

Don’t get me wrong.  My feelings toward these two have nothing to do with the fact that they’re women.  My fears are based on their stupidity.  I doubt either of them could match wits with the average 5th grader when it comes to civics, geography, economics, history and finance.  What Palin and Bachmann are good at is stoking anger and hate.  They’ve mastered the snarky comments that resonate with racists and biggots.  They’re expert at fueling hatred for liberals and those who disagree with their political agenda.  And they’re especially good at generating money.

Of course, it may be tempting to vote for them for sheer entertainment value.  After all, lots of people are fascinated by train wrecks.  But do you really want the U.S. to be one of them? 

The bullies of broadcasting.

Posted on by

Most of us have been victimized by bullies at some point in our lives; usually on the school playground.  Even as adults, we also may be victimized by corporations that use their money, resources and power to force us to pay a fee or back down from a situation in which we feel wronged by the company.  There may be no better example of corporate bullying than the constant attacks on ACORN which were aired by Fox News Channel and its right-wing pundits. 

ACORN stands for Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now; and for many years the organization stood up for homeless and the working poor to help them find jobs and housing.  As a minor part of its charter, the organization also helped register voters.  And since many of these new voters voted for Democrats, that incensed the Republican Party and its conservative zealots.

You may remember that, for several years, conservatives angrily accused ACORN of election fraud, and they were frustrated when no state, county or local investigation uncovered any wrongdoing.  Then, last year, the wingnuts found their opportunity.  A young freelance “journalist” approached Fox News Channel with a series of videos that purported to show ACORN employees advising a young woman posing as a “prostitute” and O’Keefe posing as her ”pimp” to lie about her profession and launder her earnings.  Fox News Channel pounced on the gift it had been presented.  For months Fox reveled in showing the James O’Keefe-produced videos.  Indeed, the network practically had it on a continuous loop that played every day for months. 

As a result of the publicity, several of the ACORN employees shown in the videos were fired.  In addition, Congress voted to suspend funding for the organization and ACORN collapsed.  Meanwhile O’Keefe was hailed as a hero for revealing the real “truth” about the organization.  Even when O’Keefe was later arrested for entering a Congresswoman’s office under false pretenses, allegedly to install an illegal wiretap, O’Keefe was still revered by Fox and its conservative audience.

I believe that Fox News Channel not only owes ACORN an apology and equal time for the retraction.  It probably should face charges for libel.  You see, investigators in New York and California, where the alleged incidents took place, have debunked the O’Keefe videos as a hatchet job done with some slick editing. 

Upon investigating the incident in Brooklyn, the District Attorney found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by ACORN.  And, as first reported on The Rachel Maddow Show, California Attorney General, Jerry Brown, concluded that O’Keefe edited his footage to make it appear that an ACORN employee was agreeing to assist the smuggling of prostitutes into the U.S. from Mexico.  The raw footage showed that the ACORN employee was actually trying to elicit more information from the pimp played by O’Keefe in order to help the police intercept the smuggling operation.  Indeed, the employee called the police shortly after O’Keefe left his office.

It seems that the only real scandal is that O’Keefe’s version of the story was so readily accepted and aired by Fox News Channel without corroboration or a thorough investigation.  But that’s what bullies do.

Small government = Big fraud

Posted on by

In 1980, Ronald Reagan declared that the government is the enemy of business and our citizens.  And led by the “Great Communicator”, Republicans set about down-sizing government by eliminating “red tape” and regulations; an effort that continues to this day.  It’s a tantalizing argument.  After all, who wants their taxes to go toward unnecessary bureaucracy? 

Unfortunately, that argument neglects one very important fact:  For a government or, for that matter, any organization to operate efficiently, it must have some way to enforce its rules.  Without enforcement, the criminals, the unscrupulous and the greedy will prosper at the expense of the law-abiding.  By gutting Government regulation, Republicans have encouraged runaway greed. 

Want a few examples?

The financial collapse of 2008 and current recession were the direct result of gutting the Glass-Steagall Act which created firewalls between financial investment institutions, insurance companies and banks of deposit.  The housing crisis was the result of a lack of oversight with regard to mortgage lending.  The estimated $80 billion in Medicare fraud is made possible by the fact that there are precious few regulators.  The run-up in oil prices in 2007 was the direct result of Republican deregulation of the commodity markets.  And the rampant fraud in military and construction projects in Iraq and Afghanistan was the result of no-bid contracts with little to no oversight.

The list could go on and on. 

Yet despite all evidence to the contrary, conservatives continue to push for more deregulaltion.  Why?  For some conservative legislators, it may be a misguided and misinformed philosophical decision.  However, the cynic in me is more likely to believe that our representatives are paid to push for deregulation by the large corporations which contribute to their campaigns.

What else could explain why the conservatives in Congress continue to fight regulation of our “too big to fail” financial institutions even after their misadventures nearly led to the collapse of the world economy?

Hey Republicans! Cram this!

Posted on by

For weeks now, Republicans have been chanting their new talking point; that Democrats are trying to cram health care reform down our throats.  They say that we should just “throw out the current bills and start over with a clean sheet of paper.  If you buy that, I think I can find some mortgage-based credit default swaps to sell you.

Democrats have been making a case for the need for health care reform since the 1930s.  We have millions without health care coverage and tens of thousands die each year as a result.   And those numbers are climbing as rapidly as insurance company premiums.  But Republicans are in no hurry to see health care reform pass.  They’d like to delay it.  Indeed, Republicans controlled the White House and maintained substantial majorities in both houses of Congress until 3 years ago.  The need for reform was no less apparent then.  Yet, in 6 years of Republican majorities, they never once tried to reform any part of the health insurance industry.  There was no talk of tort reform.  No talk of preventing insurance companies from dropping patients whenever they want.  No talk of helping patients with pre-existing conditions.  And the only reason Republicans are concerned with those issues now is that they want to prevent Democrats from dictating to the industry that donates so much money to Republican election campaigns.

The truth is Democrats aren’t cramming health care reform down Americans’ throats.  They’re cramming it down the throats of the Republicans who have spent decades trying to block it. 

Health care reform has already passed.  It passed the House with a large majority and a very similar bill passed the Senate with 60 votes.  The only thing remaining is for the two houses to come to some agreement on the few details that are different in the two versions.  That’s hardly “cramming” it through.

Moreover, prior to the votes, Democrats engaged Republicans in crafting the bills.  House Republicans offered dozens of amendments that were included in the House version.  And despite their majority in the Senate, Democrats let 3 Senators from each party craft the bill.  Yet despite all of their amendments and input, not a single Republican voted for the bill.  In fact, they even verbally attacked their own amendments! 

It’s apparent that Republicans don’t want to address the problems in our health care system.  They merely want to protect the large health corporations and block any form of Democratic accomplishment. 

It’s time for Democrats to ignore the Republican protests and get the bill to the President’s desk for his signature.

America’s New Sport.

Posted on by

The televised “Health Care Summit” highlighted the new reality of American politics.  It has become a sport or, if not sport, a high-stakes game of “Survivor.”  At least that’s the way Fox News Channel, MSNBC and CNN would like you to see it.  They want you to tune in to see which side, the Democrats or the Republicans, will score the most points in the latest tracking poll. 

Who will be portrayed as the latest villain?  Who will stand out to become the MVP?  And who will be shot down in flames? 

Like it or not, politics have become a daily competition for your support and your vote.  If President Obama scores with a speech or a proposal, the RNC with Fox and Limbaugh as cheerleaders, try to rally their base with appeals for fundraising, letter writing, phone calls and demonstrations to counter it.   If John Boehner or Mitch McConnell score, the DNC with the MoveOn cheer squad immediately ask for money and petitions to smack down the opposition.

If the issues facing America weren’t so serious, this might all be great fun.  But creating policy based on the ever-changing opinions of an under-informed public is a lousy way to govern.

Both sides need to stop trying to score points and do what they were elected to do:  Solve problems for the American people.  We still have thousands of Americans in harms way in two wars.  We have millions who are unemployed and losing their homes.  And according to the latest statistics, 33,000 people will lose their lives this year for lack of health insurance.  Many more will face bankruptcy as a result of catastrophic illness. 

These issues are too important for gamesmanship.