Category Archives: Government

Corporate America’s Shadow Government

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Ever wonder why, when Arizona passes an anti-immigrant bill, suddenly similar bills show up in other state legislatures? Or why, as North Carolina legislators introduce a Voter ID bill designed to suppress minority and student votes, similar bills are making their way through dozens of other states?

It’s not coincidence. And it’s not merely some sort of copycat, legislative follow-the-leader. It’s orchestrated by an organization called ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council).

Sponsored by large corporations, ALEC describes itself as “a membership organization of state legislators which favors federalism and conservative public policy solutions.” More accurately, ALECWatch.org describes the group as “a screen for hundreds of big corporations and trade associations to advance their legislative agendas in state capitols from coast to coast.”

Membership of ALEC’s Private Enterprise Board reads like a Who’s Who of big, greedy corporations and conservative special interest groups: CenterPoint360, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Reynolds American, Wal-Mart, Johnson&Johnson, PhRMA, KraftFoods, AT&T, UPS, ExxonMobil, Altria, State Farm, and, of course, the now infamous Koch Industries, to name but a few.

Here’s how it works: ALEC maintains a staff of “scholars”, lawyers and conservative ideologues who write legislation on behalf of its corporate sponsors. It then distributes the proposed bills for its legislative members to introduce in every state legislature in America. Often the legislators don’t even read the bills which carry their names until after they’ve introduced them. An example is a Florida legislator who, upon introducing a bill on the floor of the Florida statehouse, began reading the ALEC “for your eyes only” instructions that accompanied the bill.

In Arizona alone, ALEC members have introduced more than 50 ALEC–authored bills during the current legislative session. These bills read like a robber baron’s wish list, ranging from cutting corporate taxes to eliminating collective bargaining to privatizing more prisons to eliminating regulations and public oversight of corporations.

There are no comparable organizations for private citizens and progressives. Indeed, ALEC’s website brags that “ALEC is the only state legislative organization that adopts policies and creates model legislation for its members to use in their states. To date, ALEC has nearly 1,000 pieces of model legislation.”

And you probably thought your legislators were elected to work for you! To learn more, read the report on ALEC by Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Independents Selling Themselves, And The Nation, Short.

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For most of my adult life, I was an independent voter. Even though I never failed to vote, I disdained much of the political process. I told myself that both the Democratic and Republican parties were flawed; that their goals didn’t reflect those of the majority of Americans. The few times I had become involved in creating advertising for candidates, I was horrified by the win-at-any-cost mentality of their campaign staffs.

In theory, I relished the ability to vote in either primary and to vote for candidates of either party. In practice, I was a reliable voter for Democrats, although I often wished they had chosen candidates who better reflected my political views; those of a social liberal and a fiscal conservative. Moreover, I told myself that, by being an independent, I could remain above the ugliness that is American politics.

When I moved to Arizona that changed.

You see, several years earlier, I came to the realization that it was unlikely that I would ever vote for a Republican again – any Republican. So when I was asked to fill out my voter registration form, I marked the box indicating I wished to become a registered Democrat. But it was only when I was asked to actively participate in a local unit of the Democratic Party that I realized that my previous Independent status was more a matter of laziness than of principle.

By registering as an Independent, I didn’t have to actively participate in the political process. Certainly, I voted, but I didn’t have to help create a party platform. I didn’t have to go to party meetings. I didn’t have to help register new voters. I didn’t have to help select candidates. I didn’t have to help candidates raise money for their campaigns. I didn’t have to place yard signs and pass out literature for candidates. I didn’t have to canvas door-to-door. I didn’t have to vote in primaries. I didn’t have to call potential voters.  And I didn’t have to help turn out the vote.

I tell my story only because I think our nation deserves better than those who refuse to actively participate in the political process. It deserves better than a bunch of people sitting on the sidelines all the while complaining about the parties and their candidates. If you truly care about your country and its future, you should register with a political party and get involved. Voting alone is not enough.

Tell Teapublicans To Shove It.

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Now that the Teapublican legislators of Virginia have passed a bill requiring women seeking an abortion to submit to a vaginal ultrasound, I would suggest a companion bill.  The new bill would require the male legislators of Virginia and Congressman Dan Issa, along with his all-male panel which testified on female contraception, to have an ultrasound wand shoved up their rectums in search of a brain.

Further, I propose that the anti-woman, anti-middle class, anti-Obama, anti-everything Teapublican presidential candidates be subjected to the same procedure.  It’s unlikely that the doctors would find a single brain among them.

Separation Clause Doesn’t Apply To Contraceptive Mandate.

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The current uproar over mandates that Catholic-owned businesses offer contraception to insured employees seems, at best, insincere.

Ignoring the fact that Catholic Charities receives $2.9 billion of taxpayer money, and that the Catholic Church and other religious organizations own billions of dollars worth of real estate and collect billions in donations without paying taxes, there’s a simple principle at stake. Regardless of its ownership and non-profit status, a hospital or retirement home is not legally a church. It’s a business and an employer. And in order to operate as a business, it must meet a variety of legal and government requirements. For example, it must pay half of FICA for its employees. It must meet OSHA requirements for a safe work environment. It must pay for unemployment insurance and workers compensation. It can’t discriminate. And if it offers health insurance, it can’t choose which procedures or pharmaceuticals it wants the insurance to provide.

Such requirements were put in place to protect employees and our society at large.

Interestingly, Catholic-owned enterprises have already complied with the contraception mandate in 20 states. The Church did not raise a fuss until the Obama administration issued the mandate. Only then did the Catholic Church claim that the mandate violates the separation of church and state. What next? Will the Church claim moral opposition to paying FICA? To paying for unemployment insurance? Will it decide that all pharmaceuticals and medical procedures interfere with God’s will?

If the Church is sincere about separation of church and state, will it stop its practice of campaigning for political candidates from the pulpit? Will it no longer allow its tax-free facilities to be used for political gatherings? Will it refuse to take a position on any political issues?

Some Catholic leaders and, of course, Fox Noise Channel claim the contraception mandate is further evidence of an attack on Christianity. Of course, what organization would recognize attacks more quickly than the church that inspired the Crusades? Or the church that attacked indiginous people in order to force them to accept Catholicism?  Or the church that slaughtered and tortured millions as part of the Inquisition?  Or the church that created an environment for sexual predators in its ranks to attack children?

Ending “Drive-By” Politics.

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Over the past decades, I’ve noticed an increasing trend among Teapublicans. They tend to make a snide statement about Democrats or Democratic principles secure in their belief that you’ll either agree with their statement or remain silent.

They say things like, “We’ve got to get that damned socialist out of the White House.” Or, “This president is going to bankrupt all of us.” If you say you disagree with them, or want to debate the issue, they walk away saying, “I don’t want to talk politics.”

Really? They’re the ones who brought it up!

But, according to these Teapublicans, they’re not being political. They’re just stating a “fact.” I don’t know about you, but I refuse to allow them to spout the latest talking points from Fox News Channel and walk away. Certainly they have a right to their opinion, and they have every right to say it. But I have a right to politely refute their statements and debate the issues. I have a right to call their statements as I see them: Drive-by cheap shots.

According to political correctness, there are two things that should never be brought up in polite conversation: Politics and religion. However, for many years, it has seemed that Teapublicans and Christian evangelists have felt free to say whatever they want. For what it’s worth, here is my policy going forward. If someone asks about my religious beliefs, I will tell them it’s none of their business. Religion is a very personal and private matter of faith.

On the other hand, if someone makes a political statement – even as a drive-by – I will not let them walk away without expressing my point of view. I hope you’ll join me. Polite debate of the issues is not only healthy for our nation. I believe it’s our responsibility. We cannot afford to bite our tongues and allow the uneducated, the uninformed, and the misinformed to dominate our political dialogue.

Our silence has made it all too easy for big money interests and their supporters to take over our government.

A True Conservative.

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During the Teapublican primaries, we’ve all heard candidates who claim to be true conservatives. But upon listening to their plans, I have come to the realization that the only things they really want to conserve are their own fortunes.

It was during a recent Teapublican debate that I discovered I’m definitely not a liberal – never have been. I’ve been a conservative all along.

I believe in conserving clean air and water. I believe in conserving our forests, our streams and our oceans. I believe in conserving wildlife. I believe in conserving fossil fuels by not using them wastefully. I believe in conserving our natural resources by not subsidizing large corporations to exploit them. I believe in conserving our Constitution. I believe in conserving the Bill of Rights which provides equality and the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. I believe in conserving the separation of church and state.

I believe in conserving lives by only going to war as an absolute last resort. I believe in conserving taxpayer money by eliminating corporate subsidies, off-shore tax havens and no-bid defense contracts. I believe in conserving American middle class jobs. I believe in conserving the American tradition of building things rather than destroying them through vulture capitalism. I believe in conserving the rights of workers to bargain for fair compensation. I believe in conserving our electoral system by banning contributions from corporations and lobbying groups.

I believe in conserving our citizens’ homes and savings with common-sense regulations for greedy financial institutions. I believe in conserving our citizens’ health by providing access to affordable health care. I believe in conserving safety nets such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. I believe in conserving the rights of all people to pursue the marital relationship of their choice. I believe in conserving the rights of women to control their own bodies even if I disagree with some of their decisions. I believe in conserving our future by providing all children with the opportunity to receive a good education.

Finally, I believe in conserving America’s standing as a role model for the world rather than as a bully. And I believe in conserving the idealism that has always driven Americans by focusing on what can be, rather than what once was.

Lies, Damn Lies and Teapublican Lies.

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In every field or endeavor, there are people who have difficulty with the truth. Most of us tell the occasional little white lie, often to keep from hurting another’s feelings. Many of us tell lies to make us feel better or to explain a mistake. And then there are chronic, sociopathic liars who make statements that are provably false.

It’s in the latter category where Teapublican candidates, Fox News Channel hosts, religious conservatives and their supporters reside.

Want to kill Medicare? You vote to replace it with vouchers then tell your constituents that you voted to “save” it. Want to lower taxes for the wealthy? You re-position attempts to eliminate tax subsidies and create fairness as “Class Warfare.” Want to kill the EPA? You tell people that environmental regulations are “killing job creation.” Want to help your corporate funders privatize government agencies? You talk about “government waste” and let corporations cherry-pick the most profitable functions. Want to distract voters from your role in the collapse of our economy? You blame it on the poor, minorities and unions. Want to get rid of ATF and the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency? You simply block the appointment of the agencies’ directors. Want to make President Obama a one-term president? You block virtually every job creating initiative then tell people that his economic policies have failed.

The load of B.S. coming from Teapublicans would fertilize every planet in our solar system.  And it’s growing by the minute.

How do they get away with such blatant, provably false claims? They count on creating anger and mistrust in government. They count on people who are uninformed or misinformed (in other words, Fox News viewers). They count on voters who won’t take the little bit of time needed to research their outrageous claims.

Will their lies work again in 2012? How informed are you? How about your friends and neighbors?

Presidential Backstabbing.

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Before President Obama was even sworn into office, our economy and housing markets completely imploded. The economic collapse was labeled the Great Recession – the worst economy since the Great Depression. After the Bush-endorsed bank bailout, President Obama rescued our automotive industry and requested a stimulus bill to get our economy moving again. In requesting the stimulus bill, he said he hoped it would reduce unemployment, holding it to 8 percent or less. Yet despite the stimulus, unemployment soared to more than 9 percent and Republicans denounced the stimulus as an expensive failure.

On the surface, it would seem Republicans were right. However, it is now obvious that President Obama was fighting against a stacked deck – the result of inaccurate reporting. More than two years after Obama took office, the Congressional Budget Office released data showing that the original collapse was far worse than originally reported. More recently, the National Realtors Association admitted that sales of existing homes have been overstated.

The new data means that the stimulus bill was far from a failure. Rather it was woefully inadequate. Had Congressional Republicans agreed to the original, larger stimulus, we might have seen the economy rebound by now with greatly reduced unemployment. Instead, Republicans fought for a smaller stimulus, and many fought for no stimulus at all!

Moreover, Republicans have blocked every attempt to improve the economy. They have blocked increased regulation of the financial industry to prevent future meltdowns. They have blocked any and every attempt to force the wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes. They have blocked every attempt to remove anachronistic tax deductions for oil companies. They have blocked attempts to remove tax incentives for corporations that ship jobs overseas. They have invoked the filibuster a record number of times. They have blocked a record number of judicial and department nominees.

Teapublicans have done everything possible to make President Obama a one-term president, regardless of the harm they cause to the economy and the nation in the process. All of this has become abundantly clear.

The only remaining questions are whether or not American voters are smart enough to recognize the backstabbing for what it is. And whether or not they will make Teapublicans pay.

A Nation Without Government Is No Nation At All.

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One of the ideological leaders of the Republican Party and the Tea Party movement, Grover Norquist, famously said, “I don’t want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it to the bathroom and drown it in a bathtub.”

Ronald Reagan once said, “…government isn’t the solution to the problem. Government is the problem.” He also said, “The most fearful words in the English language are I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

Of course, the Teapublicans have turned these quotes into mantras that drive everything they do.

For those who are inclined to jump aboard the bandwagon of anti-government sentiment, I’d like to pose a few questions. If there is no government, who is going to defend you against terrorists and rogue nations? Who will build your roads and bridges? Check the safety of your foods? Check the qualifications of your doctors? And of your teachers?

Who will monitor the safety of your airlines? Of your drinking water and air? Who will pay the salaries of your police forces? Fight your fires? And help you recover from natural disasters?

We (you and I) created our government agencies to do what we can’t do for ourselves. The days in which we could live without efficient and effective government ended when we ceased living on farms. When we ceased raising our own food and making our own clothes. Government is now as necessary as the air we breathe and the water we drink.

Without effective government, our nation would more closely resemble Somalia, Afghanistan and Columbia than England, France, Germany, Norway or Sweden.

Teapublican Lie #26.

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“The Housing Collapse was created by Democrats, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.”

If you listen to Teapublicans, you’d think Democratic Congressman Barney Frank was almost solely responsible for the collapse of the housing market aided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. And they’d have you believe that the collapse is further evidence of an out-of-control federal government that forced banks to loan to the poor then guaranteed loans that could never be repaid.

Yet it was legislation authored and passed by Republicans that led to the collapse.

For example, in 1986, the Reagan administration eliminated tax deductions for credit card interest. Since interest on mortgages was still deductible, that encouraged many Americans to use their homes as credit accounts through home equity loans and refinancing.

The Republican-sponsored Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 excluded capital gains taxes on home sales encouraging speculation on real estate investments.

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 deregulated financial institutions permitting banks to risk their customers’ deposits on risky investments.

Finally, Republican deregulation contributed to mortgage brokers and financial institutions writing questionable sub-prime loans in order to collect the origination fees. The loan originators then packaged the loans into mortgage-backed securities selling them to investors. They were even able to mitigate their risks through credit default swaps that allowed them to pass much of the risk onto other institutions such as AIG.

The result of all this was to encourage Americans to view their homes as investments. Those who did not already own a home felt that they could be shut out of the housing market if they didn’t act soon.  That encouraged them to overlook the looming balloon payments of Adjustable Rate Mortgages.

By 2006, the US housing market was a house of cards ready to collapse. And it did.

As for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, their only apparent role in the collapse was through the Community Reinvestment Act that encouraged banks to reduce discrimination by writing loans to borrowers in low and moderate income areas. But, in 2006, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac insured only 24 percent of subprime loans and the Community Reinvestment Act affected only one out of the top 25 subprime lenders.

So Teapublican anger about the housing collapse is entirely misdirected. They have almost no one to blame but themselves.