it was that bad and we didn’t impeach, shame

Senate to Middle Class: Drop Dead
From Michael Moore

Friday, December 12th, 2008

Friends,

They could have given the loan on the condition that the automakers start building only cars and mass transit that reduce our dependency on oil.

They could have given the loan on the condition that the automakers build cars that reduce global warming.

They could have given the loan on the condition that the automakers withdraw their many lawsuits against state governments in their attempts to not comply with our environmental laws.

They could have given the loan on the condition that the management team which drove these once-great manufacturers into the ground resign and be replaced with a team who understands the transportation needs of the 21st century.

Yes, they could have given the loan for any of these reasons because, in the end, to lose our manufacturing infrastructure and throw 3 million people out of work would be a catastrophe.

But instead, the Senate said, we’ll give you the loan only if the factory workers take a $20 an hour cut in wages, pension and health care. That’s right. After giving BILLIONS to Wall Street hucksters and criminal investment bankers — billions with no strings attached and, as we have since learned, no oversight whatsoever — the Senate decided it is more important to break a union, more important to throw middle class wage earners into the ranks of the working poor than to prevent the total collapse of industrial America.

We have a little more than a month to go of this madness. As I sit here in Michigan today, tens of thousands of hard working, honest, decent Americans do not believe they can make it to January 20th. The malaise here is astounding. Why must they suffer because of the mistakes of every CEO from Roger Smith to Rick Wagoner? Make management and the boards of directors and the shareholders pay for this.

Of course that is heresy to the 31 Republicans who decided to blame the poor, miserable autoworkers for this mess. And our wonderful media complied with their spin on the morning news shows: “UAW Refuses to Give Concessions Killing Auto Bailout Bill.” In fact the UAW has given concession after concession, reduced their benefits, agreed to get rid of the Jobs Bank and agreed to make it harder for their retirees to live from week to week. Yes! That’s what we need to do! It’s the Jobs Bank and the old people who have led the nation to economic ruin!

But even doing all that wasn’t enough to satisfy the bastard Republicans. These Senate vampires wanted blood. Blue collar blood. You see, they weren’t opposed to the bailout because they believed in the free market or capitalism. No, they were opposed to the bailout because they’re opposed to workers making a decent wage. In their rage, they were driven to destroy the backbone of this country, not because the UAW hadn’t given back enough, but because the UAW hadn’t given up.

It appears that the sitting President has been looking for a way to end his reign by one magnanimous act, just like a warlord on his feast day. He will put his finger in the dyke, and the fragile mess of an auto industry will eke through the next few months.

That will give the Senate enough time to demand that the bankers and investment sharks who’ve already swiped nearly half of the $700 billion gift a chance to make the offer of cutting their pay.

Fat chance.

During the Thanksgiving holiday, and probably attempting to go under the radar, AIG is giving top managers “cash awards” to stay with the firm. We’ve been scammed again. Call your Congressperson and ask what they are going to do about it. Seems AIG should be paying our money back at this point. They are over the top in the definition of bold.

Read the article at Bloomberg News online

Could it be, the moment many are waiting for is beginning. It is happening in Texas. Read the story here.

Is this a beginning?  When will Bush get his turn?

Let’s hope that the rule of law is returned and transparency in government begins.

From: open letter to Barack Obama from American Homeowner Resource Center:

“This letter is not the place for a full exposition of the problems in the housing market. If you desire it, we will be happy to provide any further information that you need. However, there is one particular aspect that we would like to draw to your attention.

We recognize that you are in the midst of drawing a group of people around you to help you with the many issues that face you as the new President. We also recognize that your task requires the hiring of quality people, and that this task is a massive one, demanding the screening of countless candidates. To help you in that task, we would like to suggest the names of some people whom you should NOT hire. We list them here for a variety of actions that they have taken in the housing field. But the common element is that they all have not protected the sanctity of the American home. We will be happy to provide details if necessary.”
Willie Brown, former speaker of the California Assembly. He is the one, who as speaker, initiated the Davis-Stirling Act – the legislation that made California homes into cash registers for lawyers and other vendors. He also stated in a C-SPAN interview that he authored the system of superdelegates in the Democratic Party to nullify the voice of the ordinary homeowner.
Gray Davis, former governor of California. When he was in the California State Assembly, Willie Brown tapped him to author the legislation that would turn California homes into cash registers for lawyers and other vendors. He hired the chief lobbyist for homeowner associatons, Katherine Rosenberry, to write the legislation. She testified a few years ago that Gray Davis asked her to take care of the lobbyists.
Jackie Speier, congresswoman from California. As a member of both the California Assembly and Senate, she refused to introduce legislation to curb the abuses in homeowner associations, even though homeowners repeatedly asked her to do so.
Janet Napolitano, governor of Arizona. Homeowners in homeowner associations in Arizona report that they repeatedly asked Janet Napolitano both when she was Attorney General and Governor, to investigate the fraud and corruption in homeowner associations. She refused to so.
Dan Lungren, former Attorney General of California, and currently a House member of the Congress. Even though homeowners filed numerous requests asking him as Attorney General to investigate housing fraud in homeowner associations, he refused to do so. One homeowner, Jim Trautman, who had been working to clear up corruption in his homeowner association, appealed to Lungren for help after he had been hit with fraudulent judgments. Lungren refused to help. Eventually, Mr. Trautman committed suicide.

This is only a small, partial list, but they represent the very people whom citizens want to remove from the political arena. They are some of the reasons why people want change. They represent the very mindset that you campaigned to change. We are working with the victims of home foreclosure fraud on a more comprehensive list and will be sending it to you. In addition, other homeowners from around the country will be contacting you with other names from their parts of the country.

“We know that the task facing you in so many areas is daunting. But as a home is built brick by brick, so a nation is built by the contributions of each citizen. We hope that the above helps in the re-building of a nation that has been ravaged beyond recognition in recent years.”

Update at 10:40 pm

	Hannah-Beth Jackson (Dem)	73,391	53.2%
	Tony Strickland (Rep)	64,562	46.8%

Obama!

Yeah!

November 4, 2008

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Just got a robocall from the Strickland campaign.  In it the recording said something about Hannah-Beth Jackson running a smear campaign against Strickland.  It said Strickland was on the ethics committee – wait there’s something funny about the words Strickland and ethics in the same sentence.  When I think of the Stricklands sending out Joel Angeles in an attempt to stop folks from peacefully protesting, where Angeles is now being brought to court for allegedly knocking an older gentleman on the ground, I have a hard time thinking of Strickland on any ethics committee.  My impression of Mr. Angeles, as I observed the occasion, was that he looked like a thug.

When I think of Strickland’s Green Wave Energy, that does nothing, reportedly having no employees or money, and a Stricland past voting record that was abysmal for the environment, I really have a hard time thinking of Strickland and ethics.  In my opinion, it seems the Stricklands are the ones running a smear campaign. This is not even to mention some of the creepy folk that have contributed to his campaign.  please see prior Strickland posts.

Time to clean up government.

Vote Ferial Masry and Hannah-Beth Jackson.  Let the Stricklands have the time to actually do something with their yet to launch company.

It is unbelievable that California voters must take time to vote on who has the right to marry.  Isn’t this a little too much meddling in personal privacy?  Isn’t this legalizing prejudice and hate?  Just where will this type of focus end?

We can’t allow our Constitution to dictate our personal lives or legalize prejudice.

Vote NO on 8

Some three dozen workers at a telemarketing call center in Indiana walked off the job rather than read an incendiary McCain campaign script attacking Barack Obama, according to two workers at the center and one of their parents.

Nina Williams, a stay-at-home mom in Lake County, Indiana, tells us that her daughter recently called her from her job at the center, upset that she had been asked to read a script attacking Obama for being “dangerously weak on crime,” “coddling criminals,” and for voting against “protecting children from danger.”

Williams’ daughter told her that up to 40 of her co-workers had refused to read the script, and had left the call center after supervisors told them that they would have to either read the call or leave, Williams says. The call center is called Americall, and it’s located in Hobart, IN.

“They walked out,” Williams says of her daughter and her co-workers, adding that they weren’t fired but willingly sacrificed pay rather than read the lines. “They were told [by supervisors], `If you all leave, you’re not gonna get paid for the rest of the day.”

The daughter, who wanted her name withheld fearing retribution from her employer, confirmed the story to us. “It was like at least 40 people,” the daughter said. “People thought the script was nasty and they didn’t wanna read it.” read more

“We were asked to read something saying [Obama and Democrats] were against protecting children from danger,” this worker said. “I wouldn’t do it. A lot of people left. They thought it was disgusting.”

Many will remember the brawl involving Audra Strickland’s Chief of Staff, Joel Angeles, with demonstrators over the summer. As an update, it appears that Angeles has battery charges that are being referred to the California State Attorney General. Read more of the story here.

Ew

The Stricklands need to go.  Their behavior and who they associate with is unbelieveable.

Strickland claims he is a alternative energy executive, however his history doesn’t support that.  Check his voting history, it’s awful for the environment.

Poor Environmental Record

• Strickland voted against legislation created by Hannah-Beth Jackson (his upcoming Democratic opponent), which enabled further restrictions to be placed on pesticide use near schools and other vulnerable sites. (AB 947, vote passed, 8/22/2002)

• Strickland’s lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters is near zero, largely due to his poor voting record on several environmental issues.

• Strickland lists himself as an “alternative energy executive” on the upcoming ballot, despite the fact that his company has so far been denied a permit by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and has generated no revenue. ^[1]

Project VoteSmart indicates the following poor environmental record:

2003 Strickland supported the interests of the California League of Conservation Voters 5 percent in 2003.

2002 Strickland supported the interests of the California League of Conservation Voters 5 percent in 2002.

2001-2002 Strickland supported the interests of the California Park and Recreation Society 25 percent in 2001-2002.

2001 Strickland supported the interests of the California League of Conservation Voters 0 percent in 2001.

2000 Strickland supported the interests of the California League of Conservation Voters 0 percent in 2000.

1999 Strickland supported the interests of the California League of Conservation Voters 0 percent in 1999.

Questionable Finances

In his failed run for state controller, Strickland was primarily funded by software giant Intuit and a group of Southern California Indian tribes with large stakes in the casino gambling business. He accepted over $1 million from these two groups alone, which raised concerns that this was an attempt to influence the controller’s ability to alter state tax policies.^[2]

In 2005, Ventura County Prosecutors investigated the campaign practices of Tony Strickland and his wife, Audra Strickland, who is also a legislator, for adding to their personal incomes by transferring political funds to consulting firms they each own and operate. This seemed to hurt Strickland’s 2006 run for state controller, which would have given him the responsibility of managing the state’s finances.^{[3] Oh Gosh.}

On women’s rights

Clearly Strickland’s environmental record doesn’t support his ballot designation claim.  His voting on women’s, children, and health issues is quite extreme.  It seems to me quite archaic too.  Hannah-Beth Jackson appears better able to steer us through the upcoming years in a more balanced way.

by Evan Halper, LA Times

The owner of a firm that the California Republican Party hired to register tens of thousands of voters this year was arrested in Ontario late last night on suspicion of voter registration fraud.

State and local investigators allege that Mark Jacoby fraudulently registered himself to vote at a childhood California address where he no longer lives so he would appear to meet the legal requirement that signature gatherers be eligible to vote in California. more

There seems to be no end to the Strickland dishonesty.  Most recently he has sent out a mailer that does not declare from where it came, which may suggest it was sent by Hannah-Beth Jackson. By failing to clearly indicate from what campaign the mailer was sent, this broke the law.

Haven’t we had enough of politicians who think they can violate the law and get away with it.  For ethical reasons alone, Strickland needs to go.  Jackson clearly appears to have stronger ethics.  We need to wash this nation clean of law breaking politicians to move forward as a success instead of control by corporate greed and the politicians that support them instead of their constituency.

See more of the story and comments here