Category Archives: Tea Party

The Trouble With Arizona.

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In recent years, Arizona has earned a reputation as hot, crazy, extreme and angry.  I hate to admit it, but these characterizations are all accurate.

Certainly, the “Valley of the Sun” surrounding Phoenix reaches summer-time temperatures that would make Satan drool.  But the extreme heat could also refer to Arizona politics.

You see, Arizona was settled by Confederate soldiers and Confederate sympathizers who were escaping the aftermath of the Civil War.  Drawn here by the prospects of ranching and prospecting for gold, these people were literally running away from civilization.  Of course, that might also describe many of the more recent arrivals.  Since the invention of air conditioning, conservatives from Southern California, New England and the upper Midwest have been drawn to Arizona by its reputation for conservative politics.  Tired of being part of a political minority in their previous states, they came to Arizona to get their cowboy on.

This is, after all, the land of Barry Goldwater.

Now in the political majority (albeit a slight majority), these people buy cowboy hats and guns and strut around like the bullies they are.  Our legislature reflects this mentality.  Over the past 8 years, the Arizona government has cut nearly $2 billion from public education because Teapublicans consider it a form of socialism.  As a result, according to some surveys, our state now ranks 51st in spending per pupil (behind all the other states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico).  The Arizona legislature has sold off our state buildings, even our state capitol, to private enterprise resulting in millions of additional spending per year.

The Arizona legislature and our finger-wagging governor signed SB1070 into law – not just to reduce the number of undocumented immigrants, but to further populate the private prison industry.  This despite the fact that Arizona already leads the nation and the world in the percentage of its citizens that are incarcerated.  In fact, Arizona spends 40 percent more on prisons than any other state in the Union (that is, if you still consider Arizona to be part of the Union).

In recent years, the state has closed many of its state parks and many of its Interstate rest stops despite the fact that tourism is Arizona’s largest industry.

Now many Arizona conservatives are pushing a sovereignty bill that would attempt to reclaim national parks and federal lands.  Of course, this would be unconstitutional.  But that doesn’t matter to these ideologues.  We already lead the nation in the number of lawsuits and legal challenges to the federal government.

Of course, many of us are working hard to change the state and it’s renegade image.  Our reward is to have political signs stolen, cars vandalized and numerous physical threats.

So Kansas, you can now enjoy a sigh of relief.  Your state is no longer considered the wackiest state in the nation.  Arizona has seen your wackiness and raised you a large sum of stupidity.

Teapublican Obstinance Jeopardizing Economy Again.

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Last Fall, Teapublican demands that Democrats make drastic cuts to the so-called “entitlement” programs led our still fragile economy to the very brink, resulting in the first ever downgrade of our credit rating.  While Democrats were willing to make cuts, Teapublicans steadfastly refused to consider revenue increases such as letting the Bush tax cuts expire for those who make more than $250,000 per year in adjusted gross income.

Now Teapublicans are at it again.

They refused to discuss the budget and debt ceiling until after the election, hoping that they would gain control of the White House or Senate so they could force through their own agenda.

In the meantime, the uncertainty is causing manufacturers and other large corporations to hold back on investments in production and hiring.  As a result, our economy is growing at a much smaller rate than it might otherwise.  And, if Teapublicans again push deficit discussion to the brink, they just might cause our economy to go over the cliff again.

Don’t believe me?  Read It’s Even Worse Than It Looks by Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein.  It details the history of the dysfunction of our political system and places much of the blame on Newt Gingrich and the new breed of ideologues in the Teapublican caucus.  And before you think the authors are “wild-eyed” liberals, Mann is a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution and Ornstein is a resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

Get Yer Guns Before Obama Bans Them!

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For the past four years, the National Rifle Association has fomented panic among the pistol-packing, assault rifle-collecting gun nuts that President Obama is going to take away their Second Amendment rights.  Of course, this fear has about as much veracity as the claims that President Obama is a foreign-born, un-American, freedom-hating Muslim.  But wingnuts and the NRA have never let the truth get in the way of a good fear-baiting story.

The truth is that Obama has never publicly stated a position on gun ownership.

Nevertheless, the NRA-fueled concerns persist, creating a huge windfall for the gun industry.  Domestic gun sales have soared.  And with each new mass killing, the sales spike higher, putting even more guns in the hands of the paranoid, the bullies, the cowards and the mentally-disturbed.  According to Sturm, Ruger & Co. President and CEO Mike Fifer, “It took us nearly all of 2011 to build 1 million firearms, but in 2012 we accomplished it on August 15th.”

The NRA rumors and racist lies about Obama have even given birth to a new industry – that of “prepping.”  Demand from hate-mongering wingnuts, domestic terrorist groups and the tinfoil hat crowd has led to thousands of Americans building “safe houses” and stocking them with enough food to last for years and enough weapons to launch World War III.

Of course, it can’t all be credited to the irrational hatred of our first black president.

Some preppers believe in the Mayan 2012 “prophecy.”  Some believe the Teapublican lies that liberals have led our nation to the precipice.  Others are worried about the black-shirted “New World Order” taking away our freedoms.  Even more are worried about the growing Latino, African-American and immigrant populations which will relegate angry old white people to minority status.

Let freedom ratta-tat-tat-tat…er, ring.

In The Public Interest?

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In 1934, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was given the power to license wire and broadcast communications, demanding that licensees prove they operate “in the public interest.” Not long afterward, the FCC implemented The Fairness Doctrine, which required licensees to present issues of public importance and do so in a manner that was deemed “honest, equitable and balanced.”

Unfortunately, the Fairness Doctrine was eliminated in 1987, following years of attacks by the political right beginning with Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew. Since then, our media has failed on almost every level…except for generating massive amounts of money.

It’s no coincidence that, following the end of the Fairness Doctrine, broadcast stations and networks have been swallowed up by large media conglomerates.  To maximize profits, the new owners diminished long-established news-gathering organizations, such as the once-proud CBS News which was home to legendary newsmen like Edward R. Murrow, Douglas Edwards, Walter Cronkite, Eric Severeid, and far too many others to mention.

At the same time, radio was hijacked by blathering, angry wingnuts such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.  And the newspaper industry has been virtually replaced by on-line “news” sites that provide a few headlines with little depth or context.

The result of all this is that we no longer have in-depth reporting, especially with regard to politics.  TV networks are filled with “human interest” and are almost devoid of “public interest.”  The most popular cable news network is little more than a megaphone for Teapublican talking points.  Radio is filled with conservative lies.  And newspapers have redirected their efforts toward local news gathering.

(Ironically, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones and Vanity Fair, which were once special interest magazines, are now doing more in-depth investigative reporting on national and international issues than nearly all of the so-called “news” media combined.)

It is precisely this news void that has allowed the Republican Party, the Tea Party and its unscrupulous candidates, such as George W. Bush, Richard “The Dick” Cheney, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to become serial liars. And we’re all paying a price for it through tax cuts for billionaires and tax subsidies for large corporations, resulting in enormous deficits and endless wars of choice.

What can you do about it?

For one thing, you can ask your Congressional Representative and Senators to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. You can demand your state universities teach students that journalism is more than mere reporting; it’s a never-ending search for the truth. You can call out candidates whenever you hear them lie. And you can support the few media left that actually practice real journalism.

Do Teapublicans Actually Know Anything?

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For several years, surveys have shown that the majority of Teapublicans don’t know that President Obama was born in the United States.  The polls have also shown that a significant number of Teapublicans think Obama is a Muslim.

Now polls in Ohio and North Carolina show that approximately two-thirds of “very conservative” Teapublicans think former governor Mitt Romney deserves more responsibility for ordering the killing of Osama bin Laden than President Obama!

Say what?

Romney ordered the killing of bin Laden?  Now that would have been quite an accomplishment for someone who has no current standing in the federal government.  Nevertheless, that is what the polls show.

Is it any wonder that so many Teapublicans believe their lieing leaders?  Is it any wonder that poor and middle class Teapublicans continue to vote against their own self-interests?  Is it any wonder that our nation’s politics are so fractured?  How can anyone hope to negotiate and compromise with officials who represent these people?

No doubt these are the same people who think the Earth is only 6,000 years old, and that our ancestors rode dinosaurs.

Teapublicans are doing everything possible to keep Democrats and minorities from voting this election by requiring new photo IDs.  Instead, maybe they should require an intelligence test for voting.  If they did, we might not see another Teapublican president or Congress in a generation.

Most Problems With Government Are Local.

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It is said that all politics are local.  The same could be said for government interference.  While Teapublicans rage at the federal government for “over-regulation,” the truth is that most federal regulation is necessary.  As with most everything else, the Tea Party’s anger is misguided.

Without the EPA, our rivers would still be on fire, our drinking water would be filled with chemicals, and the simple act of breathing would life-threatening.  Without the FDA, packaged food companies might still be peddling unsafe meats and food additives.   Without the National Transportation and Safety Department, our cars might still be unsafe at any speed.  And without the FAA, airlines might feel free to cut corners on aircraft maintenance.

I think you’d agree that most federal government regulations are necessary, and they don’t really threaten job creation.

Most federal programs are surprisingly efficient.  Medicare is more cost-efficient than private health insurance.  Social Security spends a small percent of its budget for administrative costs.

It’s much different at the local level where red tape and burdensome regulations abound.  Want to build a manufacturing plant?  You need to wade through city, county and state governments to do that.  Want to open a retail store?  Welcome to the licensing and zoning commission.  Want to rent out the basement of your home?  You need to check zoning laws and buy a license for that.

There’s an old saying that you can’t fight City Hall.  There’s a reason it doesn’t mention Washington.

For more, read The Teapublican Book of Lies available at Amazon.com and other on-line bookstores.

“Rampant” Voter Fraud?

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Teapublicans claim to be concerned about vote integrity.  So, in order to assure everyone that there is not massive voter fraud, they have passed strict voter ID laws in a number of states – primarily so-called “battleground” states.  In doing so, they are forcing tens of thousands of voters to seek new photo IDs.

A lesser known Teapublican tactic is to restrict voting hours and the number of days for early voting.  In Ohio, Teapublicans have eliminated Sunday voting, which has been highly popular amongst African-American voters.  In response to the predictable outcry, the Ohio Secretary of State said there should be no special accommodation of any group of voters (especially those who are most likely to vote for President Obama).

In summation, Teapublicans are so concerned about the sanctity of our right to vote that they are willing to keep tens of thousands from exercising that right.

To explain their actions, Teapublicans have cited voter fraud.  They use anecdotal evidence that felons, dead people and non-citizens have voted.  That prompted investigative reporters to examine the facts.  News21, a Carnegie-Knight investigative reporting project, found just 10 cases of alleged in-person voter impersonation since 2000.  10 cases out of 146 million registered voters!

Those numbers tend to be supported by an investigation by the Bush administration which found only 86 cases of alleged fraud out of 300 million votes cast.  (Of course, the administration did not report on the voter suppression and voter fraud in 2000 that gave Bush the presidency in Florida.)

Teapublicans say they aren’t trying to suppress the vote.  They say one incident of voter fraud is too many because it could affect the outcome of an election.  Who do they think they’re kidding?

For more, read The Teapublican Book of Lies available at Amazon.com and other on-line bookstores.

“Legitimate” Rape.

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In 2011, Teapublicans introduced a bill that would ban federal funding for abortions through Medicaid except in cases of “forcible” rape, incest, or to save a mother’s life.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri and Rep. Paul Ryan (Yes, that Paul Ryan) with the intent of redefining rape.  You see, Teapublicans believe that “forcible” rape is the only legitimate rape.  Apparently they believe rapes which are the result of threats, physical intimidation, or “date rape” drugs don’t really count. Therefore, in Teapublicans’ feeble minds, those victims should not be allowed to seek an abortion.

The bill was eventually withdrawn after a huge backlash from women voters.

But Akin, Ryan and company haven’t given up on their attempts to redefine rape.  In fact, they want to take their anti-woman, anti-abortion agenda even farther by passing a Constitutional amendment outlawing all abortions.  They also want to redefine “personhood” by passing legislation that says human life begins at conception.  This would give a fetus all the rights of a person, meaning that all abortions would be treated as murder regardless of the circumstances.

The Teapublican plans hadn’t received a lot of attention.  But that changed over the past weekend.

In case you were lounging on another planet, Rep. Akin was asked during a TV interview if he supported abortion in the case of pregnancies caused by rape. He responded, “From what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare.  If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist, and not attacking the child.”

Here’s an idea:

Let’s put Akin, Ryan and all the other Teapublicans who believe in this nonsense in the general population of a maximum security prison.  I’m betting that, within days, these guys will understand the real meaning of rape in all of its many forms.

The only thing lacking would be the joy of them carrying “Bubba’s” baby for the next 9 months and caring for it the rest of their lives.

Why You Should Hate Teapublicans. Let Me Count The Reasons.

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1 – Richard Nixon’s Watergate break-in intended to literally steal an election. 

2 – The “Southern strategy” in which the GOP embraced racists. 

3 – The “Moral Majority” in which the Party embraced “social” issues. 

4 – Reagan’s union-busting. 

5 – Elimination of loan interest deductions resulting in huge tax increases for the middle class.

6 – Cuts to capital gains taxes and estate taxes on the wealthy. 

7 – Reagan’s Iran-Contra plan which financed Central American death squads.

8 – Deregulation of Savings and Loan institutions resulting in the loss of billions.  

9 – Gun laws putting military-style weapons in the hands of millions. 

10 – $60 million witch hunt and impeachment of President Clinton. 

11 – Massive voter suppression giving the 2000 election to George W. Bush. 

12 – Bush’s failure to act on warnings of a 2001 terrorist attack. 

13 – The Bush tax cuts.

14 – The unnecessary and completely unfunded war in Iraq. 

15 – “Swift-boating” of Vietnam War Hero, Sen. John Kerry. 

16 – Richard “The Dick” Cheney. 

17 – The outsourcing of our military to corporations. 

18 – Awarding government contracts to corporations with offshore “headquarters.” 

19 – Deregulation of banks resulting in mortgage fraud.

20 – The Great Recession.

21 – Subsidies and tax breaks for corporations that send jobs offshore.

22 – Fox News Channel and right-wing hate radio. 

23 – Unsubstantiated claims about President Obama’s birthplace and religion. 

24 – The Tea Party.

25 – Sarah Palin, Michele Bachman, Steve King and Paul Ryan. 

26 – Attacks on women’s rights. 

27 – Attacks on the LGBT community. 

28 – Plans to repeal The Affordable Care Act. 

29 – Assaults on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. 

30 – Obstruction of hundreds of President Obama’s appointments. 

31 – Filibusters. 

32 – Buckley v. Valeo resulting in a ruling that money is free speech.

33 – Citizen’s United which gave corporations the same rights as people.  

34 – Voter ID laws intended to steal the coming election.

35 – Attacks on Public Broadcasting, education and the environment.

36 – Blaming the poor and the unemployed for our deficit.

37 – Blaming teachers and first responders for our deficit.

38 – Trying to balance the budget on the backs of the poor.

39 – Vilifying immigrants to get votes.

40 – The debt ceiling debate.

41 – Embrace of Ayn Rand’s self-centered philosophy.

42 – Lies, lies and more lies.

Learn more in The Teapublican Book of Lies available from Amazon.com and other on-line bookstores

Nausea And Palin Are Synonymous.

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Snarky Sarah doesn’t like President Obama’s speeches.  She calls them nauseating, probably because he’s using big words she doesn’t understand – like ethics and civility.

In the past four years nobody has epitomized snarky attacks more than Palin.  From the time she burst onto the national political scene at the 2008 Republican National Convention, she has shown a mastery of disgusting and cheap attacks that few possess.

Of course, anytime anyone struck back, she cried foul.

Now she’s outraged that the pro-Obama super PAC, Priorities USA, has attacked Romney’s role in Bain Capital.  She has accused the PAC of coordinating its efforts with the Obama campaign and she demands an investigation.  She has even accused the mainstream media of “prostituting themselves for a job, for interviews, for access to the Obama administration…”

Hmmm…you sure you want to go there, Sarah?

Instead of finding issues with the Obama campaign, the investigation just might reveal the extent of the coordination between GOP super PACs, Fox News Channel, the Romney campaign and you.