Political Rebuttal

Rick Perry Too Expensive

2011-08-30T06:05:00.000-07:00

Rick Perry is the current front runner for the GOP presidential nomination. This may be a positive thing for our President in his bid for a second term, but the cost could be devastating, and for a very wrong reason: a showdown with the religious extremist of this country would be very divisive, and thus, very expensive culturally.

People of faith are for the most part very good and honest folks whose intentions are usually just. The problem emerges when these same well meaning people feel that their world view must be forced upon the entire nation We already have certain fear mongers spewing hateful innuendo about the possibility of Muslims of the country attempting to institutionalize Sharia law here in America, while at the same time vowing to force their interpretation of the Jewish and Christian paradigm onto our own constitution. These religious extremists have the twisted notion that the founders of this nation intended to establish a Christian nation here in the New World. How is this any different than the establishment of Muslim nations of the Middle East or north Africa? None, and sound minded individuals should be fearful of Biblical Law becoming the guiding force for our form of government.

I call this extreme religious coalition the "world is flatters". They base their faith on the Old Testament view that the Earth is the center of the Universe and that science is the working of the devil. This nation can't afford Rick Perry, the cost to our constitutional form of government is too great. Our founders fervently believed in freedom; all kinds of freedom including freedom of association, freedom of the press, and very importantly, freedom of religion. They founded a nation of Christians, not a Christian nation.

Speak up!!!!!!

No Seperation

2011-07-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

The line between the separation of Church and State is not only being crossed but being erased. Potential Presidential candidate and current Governor of the state of Texas is holding a "prayer" conference next month. Only Christians are invited. "Just let God solve our nation's pressing problems."

Religion has always equaled politics and the founders of this nation new this. One of the major issues they had with English control of the American colonies was The Church of England being shoved down their throats. Look it up!!! Two hundred plus years later the Christians of America are shoving their worldview up the ass of those who believe the founders new better. I bet the earliest Christians would be very quick to warn of such bigotry. They were persecuted for hundreds of years before the then super power of the Western World adopted Christianity as their official religion.

Next will come a fascist, dictatorial, autocratic government with the nuclear armaments to indeed "prove" that the end of the world is coming. Just push a button and then: "There, I told you so."

Does anyone see this as a major problem? Speak to me!!!!

2011-07-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

Submitted by plusadmin on March 1, 2001 in 14Adam SmithArrow's theoremfree marketgame theoryinvisible handPrisoner's Dilemmasocial choiceMarch 2001

"...every individual necessarily labours to render the annual revenue of the society as great as he can. He generally, indeed, neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it. By preferring the support of domestic to that of foreign industry, he intends only his own security; and by directing that industry in such a manner as its produce may be of the greatest value, he intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. Nor is it always the worse for the society that it was no part of it. By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good."

In this passage, taken from his 1776 book "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" Adam Smith set out the mechanism by which he felt economic society operated. Each individual strives to become wealthy "intending only his own gain" but to this end he must exchange what he owns or produces with others who sufficiently value what he has to offer; in this way, by division of labour and a free market, public interest is advanced.

Smith is often regarded as the father of economics, and his writings have been enormously influential. Nowadays, "invisible hand" explanations are invoked to explain all sorts of phenomena, from scientific progress to environmental degradation. In the modern context, mathematicians study "invisible hand" processes as part of Game Theory, the branch of mathematics that deals with payoffs and strategies (see Game Theory and the Cuban Missile Crisis) in Issue 13 of Plus.

Smith was profoundly religious, and saw the "invisible hand" as the mechanism by which a benevolent God administered a universe in which human happiness was maximised. He made it clear in his writings that quite considerable structure was required in society before the invisible hand mechanism could work efficiently. For example, property rights must be strong, and there must be widespread adherence to moral norms, such as prohibitions against theft and misrepresentation. Theft was, to Smith, the worst crime of all, even though a poor man stealing from a rich man may increase overall happiness. He even went so far as to say that the purpose of government is to defend the rich from the poor.

Here is a description of the way Smith imagined the universe operates:

•There is a benevolent deity who administers the world in such a way as to maximise human happiness.

•In order to do this he has created humans with a nature that leads them to act in a certain way.

•The world as we know it is pretty much perfect, and everyone is about equally happy. In particular, the rich are no happier than the poor.

•Although this means we should all be happy with our lot in life, our nature (which, remember, was created by God for the purpose of maximising happiness) leads us to think that we would be happier if we were wealthier.

•This is a good thing, because it leads us to struggle to become wealthier, thus increasing the sum total of human happiness via the mechanisms of exchange and division of labour.

It is clear why Smith says that moral norms are necessary for such a system to work - in order for exchange to proceed, contracts must be enforceable, people must have good access to information about the products and services available, and the rule of law must hold.

_________

Mr. Smith was a Scottish social philosopher in the 18th century and only later became known as "the father of economics". His fore cited work has ever since has been the Bible of Modern Capitalism. It then becomes abundantly clear why this paradigm has always, today more than ever, been top loaded. The wealthy, with few exceptions, are not very moral people.

Smith goes on to suggest that "the invisible hand" of free markets will ultimately benefit all of society unintentionally (remember Smith was a social philosopher first). Everyone becomes more prosperous because God wants it that way. In my view those of which I refer (the most wealthy) are godless. Furthermore, they use the religious people of this nation to keep them in power by convincing them that they are on the side the devout. I emphasize, the religious are being used, and they vote against their own economic interest because they have been brainwashed to believe that this godless cabal is protecting their social interests.

Invisible hand? Trickle down? My ass!!!

Please comment.

American Decline

2011-07-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

Just another example of the decline of the United States of America is the defunding of NASA and our space program. After the U.S. victory over the Soviet Union we are now going to be dependent on Russia for the launch of U.S. astronauts into space. What perfect definition of irony.

This is a most visible example of our abandonment of scientific study an development in this country. What the heck, we no longer train enough science and math and engineering specialists in this country and more dependent of foreign scientists anyway. Why worry about training scientists in this country when we can import them as easily as we can import tee shirts from China. Cut education, cut job training, end NASA. Why not? America itself is on the chopping block as well.

The end of NASA, the end of Medicare, the end of fairness in equal opportunity, the end of Western Civilization.

Don't have the balls to comment?

Trickle Up Economics

2011-07-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

An entire generation of Americans have grown and matured being hammered with the dastardly economic untruth that if only the richest of us are allowed to keep a greater share of their income they would invest it in America and this increased wealth would "trickle down" to the working classes. Even David Stockman, a major architect of this lie, admitted on public radio that this was a falsehood when it was introduced to Americans by President Ronald Reagan. It simply doesn't happen, yet the lie is perpetuated. "We can't raise taxes during a recession" is one of the lies the liars rant. Crap!

Statistics or math do not lie however, and they indicated that for over the last 30 years economic growth has indeed coincided with increases in taxation on occasions. President Reagan himself raised taxes several times during his tenure as our president. Under Bill Clinton the marginal tax rate was well above today's and America enjoyed the greatest economic growth of its history.

The face of the lie of "trickle down" economics is actually "trickle up". Any dollars saved for investment by the richest of the rich is invested in other countries, not America. If it were up to me I'd have them up on charges of treason. What patriots? Patriotism was big rallying propaganda under Bush II and used to marginalize anyone who disagreed with him on his war of choice, Iraq. Where are such patriots today? I know!!! They never existed. The money trickles to the top and the top is where it stays.

Comment, please!

Anarchy Potential

2011-07-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

The future of Western Civilization itself may be in serious jeopardy as a result of the rampant greed that persists in the financial systems from Europe to America. The enduring economic crisis grows ever more precariously close to complete collapse.

Currently the disparity between the richest and poorest sector of our society is greater than any other nation in the world, and this rift continues to widen. The highest paid hedge fund managers do not even contribute to any economic productivity what so ever. How long do these arrogant bastards believe the rest of our citizens are going to take this fucking? I suggest until the lower middle class, some may even use a near caste system term like "socially significant" class, begins to loose their livelihood. I also suggest that this calamity is just around the economic corner.

History is the best predictor of the future and it is always those that know this most intimately are those who most refuse to accept it. When great civilizations disintegrate it is the result of the arrogance of the ruling and /or political elite, which in this country are indistinguishable. A "winner take all" attitude is the quintessential formula for social disaster.

The first week after the inauguration of our current president the leaders of the opposition political party plainly stated that their primary goal was to insure that the new president was a failure. How can any social or economic crisis be addressed with honesty when one group refuses to participate? Hoped for failure is assured but at what cost to the greater proportion of the the nations population? The course is eventual social upheaval, and I see us sitting on the precipice of anarchy. Just look at Greece!

I believe that the greatest hope for ending this political and economic theft lies with the 18 to 25 year old demographic. Activist must begin to organize on college campuses across this country and make sure they understand that it is indeed their future that is most at risk. They must be shown that even their MBA will be worthless unless there is a negative trend initiated in this wealth disparity. The young are always those that formulate the process for political honesty. They should, they must be convinced that their participation in the political process is imperative. We can only hope, for this nation's sake, that they begin to recognize their essential roll in this cause.

Let's here from you, please!!!!

I Blame It On Christians

2011-06-16T04:26:00.000-07:00

The fascists of this country have consolidated their power by coning faithful Christians that it is they who will protect their "family values". Narrow minded individuals, easily convinced of the most absurd, believe that the Republican Party shares their world view. It is not true. Money interests care about money and have made chumps of the evangelical community in order to garner their vote. The gullibility of these people would make Jesus puke. The social conservative Christian voter is being used and has been convinced to vote against their own economic interests. It is shameful how the working class has been abandoned by this voting block. Love thy neighbor? Shit!

Spanking Parents

2011-05-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

The states of Florida, California, and Alaska are discussing, and proposing, legislation that would reprimand, if not down right punish, the parents of children who consistently perform poorly in public education. Parents of children who display patterns of tardiness, absenteeism, misbehavior, and perhaps even poor performance, may be subject to fines and /or other penalties.

I say it is about time! Too often mothers and fathers demonstrate inadequate interest in the educational welfare of there kids. Too often teachers are seen as tax payer baby sitters for lethargic, inattentive, and uninvolved parents. They are oh so eager to point a bony, blameful finger at teachers for their unmotivated children.

The educational system of our country is under attack from shortsighted politicians, feckless administrators, and hapless parents. The United States of America consistently scores lower in scholastic performance than students from other developed nations around the world. Unless this trend is halted, and improved upon, the middle class of this nation is doomed. Uneducated people don't vote, can't find decent paying jobs, and are far more inclined to criminal activity and imprisonment than those who perform well in secondary and post secondary educational settings.

Fewer middle income voters makes for an easier route to fascist and extremist rhetoric and law because of political apathy. Without adequate paying employment potential for future generations our country's tax revenues will further plummet. More incarcerated individuals translates into more tax dollars wasted on human zoos. Parents are the linchpin, the key, the answer to improved scholastic achievement by the youth of our nation.

I would go further! I'd suggest that if your kid makes less than a B- average, the family looses its tax deduction for that dependent. If you are on government assistance (welfare, disability, food stamps, ect.) and your kids (too often too many kids) demonstrate lackluster performance, you loose those government benefits. Fine them, tax them, jail them, kick them in the ass, but get parents involved in their kids schooling. Our nation, and ultimately our civil rights, depend on it.

Scold me, or agree with me, just let me here from you.

All Theater

2011-05-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

Paul Ryan, Republican house majority leader and Wisconsin's 1st district Representitive, this morning on MSNBC's Morning Joe, remarked how despicable was an advertisement, sponsored by some advocacy group, depicting an elderly women being thrown from her wheelchair over and off a cliff. The ad, of course, was an attempt to demonize Mr. Ryan's recent budget proposal that would essentially end Medicare.

This TV ad is admittedly in very poor taste, and as usual, is designed to rouse fear in and among a certain demographic or constituency group. Playing to the fears, and not the hopes, of various groups of this nation is politics at its lowest:; however selling fear is so much easier than selling hope.

As outlined in earlier blog "Everyone's Doing It", both sides of our pathetic body politic continue to use similar tactics and then demagogue the other for doing the very same thing. During the protracted health care debate, the Republican's used a tried and tired set of expressions to scare the nations populace into believing that health care reform was a monumental evil. "Socialized medicine" was one, and another popular euphemism was the suggestion that such reform would lead to so called "death panels". These are essentially identical tactics used by both parties from two different angles to achieve the same thing: fear!!!! What a bunch of chumps.

Please rebut if you will.

So Easy To Steal

2011-05-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

Everyone is well aware of the "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer" euphemism, and it has a long history. How could it be so easy to accomplish such theft and become such a long lived paradigm? Because there so few rich relative to the world's population.

In order for those with little power over the political activity of one's nation to affect change in their favor, many, many, people need to be organized. Those with power need only schedule a meeting, hop a plane, and agree to fix the entire system so it works in their, and only their favor. Consolidation of power is as simple as a handshake in a closed door meeting in perhaps an obscure chateau on the estate of some shadowy, unethical, morally bankrupt robber baron.

These people bye politicians, use fraud and theft on a monumental scale, and are ruthless in their, to this point, successful efforts to rob the treasury's of nations around the globe. They make sure this is accepted by the people of these nations by the skillful use of propaganda and fear. "If you don't bail out the 'too big to fail' institutions the economy will collapse", "If we don't spend trillions on wars in the Middle East terrorists soon will be knocking on our doors, "If we are not allowed to tap the phones of countless innocent citizens soon our religion or faith will come under attack." And the fear mongering continues on and on.

These groups will succeed only up to a point. Just ask Tsar Nicholas II or King Louie the 16th and his Queen, Marie Antoinette.

Let us hear what you think? Come on, speak up!

Israel vs Palestinians

2011-05-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

The Arab / Israeli conflict has never seriously been about the plight of the Palestinian people but only about neighboring countries enmity towards a staunch American ally nestled within the Islamic world. Israel would be in a very tough spot indeed without the continued military and economic support of the United States. Of course this support swings both ways. Without a strong Israel, the U.S. would be in a much more difficult bargaining position when it comes to gaining access to the crude oil of the region.

So why all the hubbub about the people of the former state of Palestine? As long as the Arab world can keep the tensions high, their own position is leveraged in their negotiations to offer access to their natural resources and the Persian Gulf.

A state for the Palestinian people is a necessity, but any progress will not be possible as long as the political parties in Israel and the United States carry such far right, near fascist proclivities. Is it any wonder the terrorists strike? Those were the very same tactics the Jews of the state of Palestine used to gain their independence from British occupation on the way to the founding of the modern state of Israel in the late 1940's.

Let's hear from you!

Social Safetynet

2011-04-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

From the very beginning, the Republican Party has been fighting to end programs designed to provide some measure of security and dignity to the most vulnerable of our population. In the 1930's it was The New Deal, through the 1960's when the battle became Medicare and Civil Rights, Republicans have viewed these programs as entitlements for the "lazy" of our country. Unemployment insurance, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid have always been characterized by the Right as "give aways" to the undeserving.

The tactics from the time of Ronald Reagen have consistently been one of simple bankruptcy. Just end the funding and these "socialist programs" will disappear. Ironically, one of the death knells was sounded by Republican George W. Bush when he signed the Medicare Part D program which provides pharmaceutical coverage to Medicare recipients. The Part D portion of Medicare caused the cost of Medicare to skyrocket as a portion of our country's budget, thereby making it a large target for deficit reduction reactionaries.

The perception today is that Medicare is simply unaffordable. Reforms are necessary but elimination is, and has always been, the goal of the Republican Party. They are on their way to dismantling union organizing, child labor laws, unemployment protection, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, voting rights, and any low income subsidy alive today.

We need to lower the level of our spending, and we don't need more taxes on the majority of our citizens, but we do need more reasonable minded officials to determine how this is to be accomplished.

Let's here your rebuttal.

Intentional Lies

2011-04-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

Republican Senetor, Ron Kyl, strait-faced and speaking on the floor of the Senate, stated without ambiguity that 90% of Planned Parenthood funding is used to perform abortions for "income challenged" women. The factual data shows that the figure is about 3%. Later he pitifully rebutted in a statement that the comment was "not meant to be factual".

Well what the hell did he intend for it to be? He meant for it to be pure propaganda. Plain and simple. Regardless of any one's position on any political issue the least we should expect from elected representatives is misrepresentations, not plain,black and white lies. It has come to this in our current political discourse: one no longer has to even pretend to represent or present factual data. Just lie, admit it was a lie, and your constituency will laud you for it.

Please comment or rebut!

Beck Busted

2011-04-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

Glen Beck is out at Fox. Not soon enough for me. This bombastic, pompous, loud mouth of hate has earned his due: humiliation. His efforts to scare the narrow minded out of their wits became too much lunacy even for the fascist right.

Anyone thinking this is a victory would be wrong. Beck turned into Charlie Sheen even before Sheen, believing he was actually the character he was asked to portray as a fictitious news person. His rants may disappear from TV, but he will remain on radio where his religious followers will continue to believe what ever he has to say, much like they all believe the Bible is a history book. Fools, all of them. Each with only a single view of the world and only they are the ones carrying the truth. Too bad for the rest of us unless we can pull the curtain and reveal the propagandist for what they are; wizards of untruth.

Let's hear from you.

Trickle Down and Supply and Demand

2011-04-04T17:58:00.000-07:00

Both are lies. Politicians and business leaders have colluded to render the free market impotent.Laissez-faire capitalism is nothing more than organized crime.

Who believes gasoline should be at $4.00 per gallon? Who believes the wealthiest should be taxed at a lower rate than the soon to be extinct middle class? Only those who must be told what to believe: the religious. People of faith have believed the crap they have been told for so long they are no longer able to think for themselves. The Republican Party and the money/power interests have made fools of this demographic since the invention of religion. Don't believe me, research it.

Rebut. Let's hear from you.

Education or Bust

2011-03-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

The U.S. should make education in this country more centralized and uniform. Drastic measures are now necessary. Boot camp for kids' education. Parents should be held more responsible for their children's success in learning from the ABC's to calculus. Tax incentives and / or penalties for families can be tied to their kids' attendance, discipline problems, and other performance parameters. School hours should be from 9 to 5 just as if they were part of our workforce. During these extra hours at school homework could be completed, tutoring provided if necessary, and activities such as sports participation, band participation, and other personalized activities be made mandatory to teach character and to reduce lethargy and indifference.

Parents of kids from "welfare" homes should have their benefits tied to their children's education performance as well. If government supported families' kids fail in school or drop out of school all together those families should lose that government provided support.

The burden of a child's learning is dependent on the involvement of their parents. Teachers can't teach kids
who do not believe that their life depends on it. I families have their own economic welfare at stake they will become more involved. More kids in school, fewer dropouts, greater performance, less crime, fewer prisoners, and a greater competitive advantage for our country.

Come on, let's hear from you. Get involved!

Not About The Budget

2011-03-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

The Wisconsin Governor recently busted the Civil Employees Union because of budget priorities, so he says. Why then did the mistress of the leader of the Wisconsin state Senate get hired at over $12,000 the salary of the previous employee holding that position? Nepotism, cronyism, and corruption, that's why.

Progressive Perspective On Social Welfare

2011-03-18T08:28:00.000-07:00

After non-violent protests of the civil rights struggles during the 1950's and 1960's came civil rights legislation at the Federal level. The right to vote, the right to equal opportunity, and the right to equal wages were all worthy and moral objectives. Soon, then President Lyndon Johnson, launched an initive to create

A "Great Society". Also at this time America was bogged down in a conflict of choice in South East Asia against the North Vietnamese communist government. Both the war on poverty and the war in Vietnam were total failures. That "War" against poverty had disastrous unforeseen consequences that endure to the present day.

The purpose was noble; government assistance to mothers and young children abandoned by their husbands and/or fathesr of their children. In theory this would provide just the opportunity these children would need to succeed and hopefully prosper. Such an investment in human "capital" of healthy children motivated by the promise of the American Dream would surely pay social dividends.

The generations that followed the civil rights movement weren't alive to appreciate the fight their grandparents endured to gain the above mentioned opportunities and benefits. Many corrupted the system and viewed this assistance as an entitlement and not an opportunity. This is the government program that gained the social moniker of "welfare". Any incentive to rise above their impoverished situation for the most part never materialized, and as it is formulated, never will. Poor, young, and impoverished women soon learned that they could avoid gainful employment and parental responsibility by getting pregnant and having babies. Their children paid the price.

Later in the 1990's came "welfare to work", another government program, this time designed to ween these mothers off welfare and into the workforce. Too many women again figured out a way to game the system. Now just raising children in poverty wasn't enough to continue to avoid participation in America; they had to stay pregnant. Broods of children were being born and raised in the poorest of conditions and government intervention remains their only means of support.

Raising children in poverty is difficult, but giving birth every 15 to 18 months and providing the support necessary for personal, social, and educational growth to every child becomes nearly impossible. Here is an even darker story. Without the needed parental guidance too many of these children end up in prisons where they are now "cared for" by the prison system. These kids never stand a chance. This reliance on welfare is not too very far from the hideousness of slavery itself. This breeding should be ended by removing the"incentive" for such behavior.

Some ideas for putting an end to this travesty will be addressed in further posts.

Let's hear your thoughts and comments.

Fire The Millionaires

2011-03-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

As most of the good industrial jobs are being sent overseas trickle-down economics has been shown to be a deplorable economic card trick. The bottom four-fitfhs of our population struggle to stay above water, and the upper one-fifth with trepidation attempt to stay afloat, while the top 1 percent are accumulating wealth at an obnoxious rate.

Today there are more than a thousand billionaires thanks to the globalization of economies. With "client-State" capitalism, deregulation, corporate welfare and over half of our Congress boasting of being millionaires, I think it is time to fire the very wealthy from their government decision making positions of power.

With ten percent unemployment, businesses recorded profits in the last quarter of 2010 at the highest annual rate (in non-inflation-adjusted numbers) since records began being compiled over six decades ago. Salaries are falling, there are fewer and fewer good jobs, yet corporate profits soar. What's wrong with this picture?

Here's a joke: A college professor runs into a student from years back and asks what he is working on. The former student informs the professor that he is working on a thesis about the survival of the class system in the United States. His former professor states, "I didn't know there was such a class system in this country." "Neither does anyone else," the young man responds. "That's why it thrives."

This notion that there are no class divisions might be driven by jaded optimism or a fear and that things could be worse. Maybe no one wishes to be considered "working class". The rich get richer and that is the way it has always been. But that shouldn't necessarily require that the poor get poorer as the ultra wealthy continually lobby for new ways to rig the system. Globalization combined with sickening greed and a "pact" between the business mafia and a corrupt electoral system has lead to a near evaporation of the American Dream, at least for a ever growing section of the people of this country.

The recent extension of Bush tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans was assailed even by billionaire Warren Buffett who heretically suggested that they should pay even more. Any mention of class warfare, social engineering , or redistribution of wealth causes both political parties to experience seizures and strokes attempting to distance themselves from such phases. The rich, and the politicians they support, are sure they have nothing about which to worry, but I think we should look them in the eye and say, "Your fired!"

Comment and let's hear what you think.

Obama's At Fault For High Oil Prices

2011-03-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

A monumental tragedy has occurred this week on the island nation of Japan. Earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear meltdowns, and many deaths and injuries. The entire World's heart and assistance go out to those enduring this catastrophe.

Of course we all know who is to blame for this horrific disaster: President Obama! Yes, Obamacare, floods, tornadoes, supernova gamma rays, housing crisis, wall street theft, 2009 bailout of thieving investment banks, and even higher oil prices are all the result of the policies of President Obama. You can bet Eric Kanter, John Boehner, and Mitch McConnell and their ditto heads will suggest Obama has been the catalyst for it all.

Maybe not all, but they are certainly suggesting, no, proclaiming that the energy priorities and policies of the Obama Administration are indeed the explanation for the recent rise in gasoline prices. It is the Right's latest propaganda effort to use any negative incident or trend to convince their hollow-headed constituency to continue to follow them into the desert without water. The EPA, solar power, windmills, moratorium on offshore deep water oil drilling add up to a conspiracy to drive gas prices though the roof in hopes that the nation will share the ideal of energy independence. Such independence isn't the goal of some of the largest corporate giants in the world: the oil companies.

The real culprit is actually the oil industry itself by taking advantage of any "crisis" to boost fuel prices. The "crisis" being the erupting civil war in the North African Nation of Lybia. Uncertainty in the market, they say, leading to speculation of the future price and availability of Middle Eastern Oil. Lybia supplies less than 3% of the world's oil yet prices are up nearly 20%. Just another example the organized crime perpetrated against the people of the globe by the rich and powerful. Justice is as dead as Nietzsche's God.

Comment as to what you think!

Rome Didn't Fall In A Day

2011-03-10T08:40:00.000-08:00

Any great empire is built on differing ideals, "mission statements", to coin a term used by other organizations and institutions. I use the word "great" loosely, not in the context of "good" or "right. The Roman Empire, The Ottoman Empire, The British Empire, The Soviet Empire were all "great" in that they were large, formidable, and powerful.

Some powerful and expansive empires grow over years or decades or even centuries, are long lived, and die slowly. Others, like Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and the USSR of the 20th century rise rapidly and are ephemeral. Of the "great" empires of the 20th century that remain, super powers not empires, one is thriving and growing (China), while the is other (America) is whithering and failing.

The most distinguishing and cherished characteristic of our America is that its founding ideal of government "of the people, for the people, and by the people" is being cheated. A "shining light on a hill" for freedom whose basis of existence has been democracy. People, in theory, choose their leaders and all foreign policy decisions are made by elected civilians and not military warriors. This ideal is under attack.

Republican leaders across this nation since the election of Barack Obama have skillfully used scathing propaganda to confuse a majority of voters into believing that America is being subverted from within. Health care, the stimulus package, questions of the Presidents birthplace, questions of his religious convictions were used to vilify progressive thinkers and their ideas. Phrases like "income distribution", "death panels", "Islamist", "Nazi", "Communist", all have been used to inspire fear and hatred among their constituencies. This artful use of media manipulation succeeded and Republicans overwhelmingly took control of most sectors of the nations decision making bodies.

Within months of their mandate and subsequent swearing into office these newly elected representatives of the people have proposed initiatives to demolish workers unions, to strip college age students of the right to vote, and have even sponsored legislation that would allow the murder of doctors performing legal reproductive procedures under the guise of "justifiable homicide". Additionally, a hearing in Washington is scheduled to debate the radicalization of American Muslims (freedom of religion anyone?). This last effort is nothing more than a play to the most basic of human emotions: fear. It sells better than sex and gains the far right more votes. This simply isn't the American Way!

These particular maneuvers are a few of the tactics of an overall strategy to secure power for the money interests and the ultra right wing ideologues. It's an attempt to end worker's rights, violate civil rights, steal voting rights, condone murder, and foment racist proclivities. It is unfair, it is wrong, it is illegal, and it is immoral. So much for the "family values, moral majority" lie that has been used for nearly 30 years.

As American ideals are torn asunder, our own nation and its virtuous moral authority and beacon of democracy and freedom is on a steep decline. It has taken decades, but the pinnacle of the founding American philosophy is eroding. These believers of near fascism suppose they will last forever. They're sure they have nothing to fear from the voters, and their empire will last into perpetuity. The leaders of the once mighty Roman Empire carried this same arrogance.

Comment as to what you think.

Busting Public Education

2011-03-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

Some decades back, some would argue after forced busing, the quality of public education in this country began to decline. The decline continues to the present and is about to bottom out. Students in America test well below students of most other industrialized countries and even worst in math and science. Our students are not well prepared for the economies of the future which will rely heavily on science, math, and engineering skills.This is the result of the pathetic quality of those in the teaching profession, or more ominously, those damn teachers unions. Right? Wrong!

At one time it was believed that an educated work force was necessary for our democracy to function satisfactorily. Additionally, it was reasoned, that to compete with the Soviets and to win the Cold War American students must be better educated and have a superior intellectual skill set than the Bolsheviks or the American way of life be defeated by the communist's. This proved to be correct. The Cold War is over and and American ingenuity proved to be the difference.

From that victory continuing to present day the cabal of political power and money mongers no longer deem an educated America a necessity. Hell, better yet, lesser educated people of this country are not even likely to participate in our electoral process and that is just fine for those fortunate enough to gain a quality reasoning ability through education. The assault on public education was on.

Budget woes abound these days from local and state governments all the way to the federal level. Spending must be reduced and revenues must be increased. One hardly needs a masters degree in math to manage this calculation. So where do we find the "fat" to cut? Politicians representing the money interests agree that one budget category that can afford to lose funding our public education system. I mean, after all, our education system is failing anyway so why fund it?

The governor of the great state of Florida has just announced that 1.5 billion dollars or so in education cuts is necessary to help balance his states budget expenditures for the nest fiscal year. Without hardly a spare breath of fresh air in his lungs the then announced about 1.5 billion dollars in tax cuts for businesses and property owners. Balanced budget my ass. Not hardly one penny of total deficit reduction. Right in line with the Wisconsin govenors' efforts to break the public employees' union in his state. He too says it is necessary for these unionists to sacrifice benefits to save tax payers' money to reduce the red ink. A ruse! Concessions were agreed to by those dastardly unionists but that wasn't enough. Breaking that pesky union is the only solution.

Sure. That's OK must be their logic. Idiots don't vote so what do the money interests have to fear? I'll tell you what is wrong with this tactic. There are still enough educated "idiots" remaining to kick their asses out of office this next election cycle.

What do you think?

Jobs & Tax Revenue

2011-03-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

Union busting has been the political buzz over the last couple of weeks and the pros and cons of the argument have been debated vociferously. Each side lamenting the dreadful tenets of the opposing position. One side no less vitriolic than the other; each holding to their ideological position.

The debate began in the late 19th century. Workers made great progress from the post-depression era up until the 1980's. Since then the power of workers to bargain has waned to the point where unions are now fighting existentially.

The turning point was the fall of the Soviet Union and the determination that American industry no longer required American labor. Not long after that came NAFTA and the giant "sucking sound" of U.S. industrial jobs being sent overseas. One man of diminutive stature yet of great courage warned of this result. His name was Ross Perot.

During the Ronald Reagan administration it was decided that to achieve some measure of competition in the telecommunications industry AT&T should be "busted" in smaller units. To a certain extent that "busting " achieved its goal. Along came MCI, Sprint, and followed by the growth of cell phone technology. The power of such a large corporation to impede competition had to be curtailed.

Corporations continued to grow in size in the 1980's through a gluttonous period of acquisitions and mergers of smaller companies resulting in further consolidation of economic power. These corporate interests continued to wryly wink at the spirit of our free market system all in the name of synergy. Their lobbying power and thus their ability to influence policy in Washington allowed these giants to become even larger. Hell, even AT&T is once again the megalith it once was.

In a multi-national and global economy I admit that our businesses must have huge resources to compete with government run economies like china and India. But do these multi-national corporate, executives and stockholders have to move their manufacturing out of this country? Steal the livelihood of those who made them rich in the first place? Shaft the American worker?

Unions are not the threat to balanced budgets at the local and state level; it's greed. An "it's all mine," religion. Companies left this country for slave labor and tax avoidance. Jobs sent overseas & lost employment has led to the decline, not only in the American way of life, but in tax revenue that could cover a measure of government deficits.

Let's bring home some of those lost American jobs. Put people back to work and increase the tax base so we can "work" our way out of this mess.

What do you think?

Conflict Of Interests

2011-03-04T06:28:00.000-08:00

It seems some of our cultural values (religion included) are at odds with both our democratic ideals (representative government) and the basis on which our "free market" economy (if the term "free" still applies) is founded and maintained.

The single most collectively shared cultural characteristic of people living in America is religion, specifically the Christian religion. Granted there are various sects or denominations of the Christian faith, but Americans of all political persuasions would probably agree that Christianity is our most dominant shared cultural characteristic. Neither does this indicate that all Christians from all denominations and geographic regions of our country share identical lists of "Christian living" principles or priorities. However, one thing all Christians do believe is that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the quintessential eye witness testimonies to the teachings and preachings of Jesus of Nazareth.

Those New Testament stories describe how Jesus fought stridently to demonstrate and teach the virtues of loving thy neighbor, shared responsibility (we), doing unto others..., peace (the lion lying with the lamb), lifting the poor, and he even chastised the rich by suggesting that it may be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the "Kingdom of Heaven".

From that I present this:

Point 1: The Richest!
A very large percentage of our elected representatives are millionaires or multimillionaires. It is rationalized and justified or argued (especially by those in office) that voters prefer "successful" individuals to represent their interests. This implies that wealth is a fundamental determinant of success. Of course we know that success is demonstrated in many other ways but none of them are so easily quantified.

Point 2: Our Nation's Economy!
Also at conflict with some principles of Jesus' teachings is our economic bedrock of unfettered, unregulated free market capitalism. Advocates of such a system will reference Adam Smith's "On The Wealth Of Nations". Smith's argumentative summation of economic behavior, according to his thesis, is that men will always behave (act) in their own self interest. Here again I see a contradiction with the before mentioned shared cultural values. The reality of "trickle down" economics("voodoo economics" as it was once described by George H. W. Bush) is that there is no "trickle down". A greater and greater burden is carried on the backs of the lower 80% of Americans while the highest 2% quintuple their wealth comparably.

Therefore we have a quandary, a contradiction you could say. The teachings of the founder of our Christian religion (most shared cultural variable) vs. our government by plutocracy (the richest among us)and a theory of economics (unrestrained capitalism) that puts the individual above the whole. That's a conflict of interests if ever there was one.

What do you think?

One Explanation

2011-03-02T07:56:00.000-08:00

Union busters from the NFL to the Midwest are hoping to hamstring the funding capabilities of their political opponents. One of the primary metrics used in determining electoral success in the United States is money raising prospects. Yes, Money! Most always the candidate winning elected office is the one that builds the largest campaign "war chest" measured in $.

First ,our highest court decides that corporations are entitled to the same rights as individuals, particularly free speech. Such rights also include the right to contribute unlimited amounts of money to finance political candidates and political action committees of their choosing. Some may find such a decision a reasonable extension of "human rights". I don't! You may disagree.

Next, the political Right believes it is politically expedient to limit unions from negotiating for better and better wages and benefits. One point: each and employees carries out these types of negotiations with their employer either individually or collectively. Members of labor unions pay dues to their Union so that cash is available to compensate agents engaged in these negotiations on their behalf. Not so sure? Let's hear what you think.

Union dues are also contributed to politicians and political action committees of their own choosing. Fine for one group, says the Supreme Court, "unaffordable" for the other say some Republican governors. Fewer union members around the country means fewer dollars for Democratic politicians thus more electoral victories for the money interests. OK for the wealthiest "individuals", not so OK for the diminishing middle class of this nation.

Class Warfare? You bet!

Let's hear from you.