Apparently nothing. A lot has been
written and discussed on blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and News Channels
on the election post-mortem, particularly what went wrong with the
GOP. We learned that women, Asians, Hispanics, non-white males, young
people and basically everyone other than (old) white males hate the
GOP. Well, according to all of the pundits anyway. And maybe “hate”
is too strong of a word...well, actually, not really. So what happens
when you get your butt kicked? You review the tape. You see what
mistakes you made. Did we not expect this particular play to happen?
And if we did, why did we still screw that play up anyway? That's
exactly what the GOP has done. At least that's what they've said
they've done – they have supposedly reviewed the tape. And others
have done it for them as well. And what do you do after a bad loss,
you fix the mistakes you made and improve on the things you did well.
The only problem is that you really didn't do much right. You lost
because you had a lot of mistakes. A LOT.
So, what has the GOP done to rectify
their problems? Let's see. Leadership is the same. Preibus will
probably be RNC Chairman again. Their message – whatever that is
– is not getting out. They are losing the PR battle once again. On
one hand they talk a good game about reaching out to Hispanics, which
they NEED to do if they ever want to win a national election, and
pretty soon if they want to win in solid Red states that will soon be
in play – like my state, Georgia. But, on the other hand, you have
Ann Coulter going off on Hispancs as being lazy among other
despicable things, and in my state, Georgia HB87 is moving forward
after being stuck in court, and you actually have the Republicans in
the Golden Dome giddy about it. Nice job on the Hispanic Outreach GOP. Excelente.
And now on to the Fiscal Cliff. The GOP
leadership in the House, and Boehner specifically, is losing the PR battle. Purging the conservative voices from committee leadership positions is not helping the conservative cause. In fact, #FireBoehner has been a top trending hashtag on Twitter since his purge of fiscal conservative House members (Rep. Justin Amash and Rep. Tim Huelskamp) from the important Budget and Financial Services committees. President Obama is enjoying approval ratings not seen since the capture and death of Osama Bin Laden. An ABC News-Washington Post poll
released Tuesday indicted that nearly half of Americans approve of
Obama's handling of the negotiations versus the quarter of
respondents who approved of Boehner's. And in a Wall Street Journal/NBC survey released late Wednesday, three-quarters
of Americans say they would accept raising taxes on the wealthy to
avoid the cliff. Here's the thing though, raising taxes on the "rich" (successful) does not solve the nation's huge $16 trillion debt and chronic budget deficits.
Obama refers to Clinton-era tax rates, yet we hear nothing from the GOP requesting Clinton-era spending in return. Balance, as defined in the President’s plan, consists of $4 in tax increases up front for every $1 in loosely defined spending cuts promised down the road. We have a spending problem in Washington and the President's plan simply does nothing to address this. Nice job on the improved messaging GOP. Not.
So, again I will ask the question what
did the GOP learn from the 2012 Election? Nada.
So I get this email from Adrian Saenz, Obama's National Latino Vote Director regarding Immigration.
Omar
--
I wonder sometimes if the Republican presidential candidates realize
there's a cost to what they say.
Even more than usual, they've been
falling all over themselves lately to get Tea Party support by scapegoating
immigrants.
If he wins the nomination, Mitt Romney will have managed to
position himself farther to the right on immigration than any presidential
nominee in recent memory by saying he'd make all undocumented immigrants in the
United States leave.
On Tuesday, Rick Perry was proud to announce the
endorsement of Arizona anti-immigration crusader Sheriff Joe Arpaio, saying that
if he becomes president he'll "detain and deport every illegal alien who is
apprehended." And a day before, Newt Gingrich came out in favor of a new South
Carolina law that allows police to demand the immigration status of anyone they
pull over.
With the Iowa caucuses less than a month away, the GOP
candidates are desperate for their party's right-wing support -- and it's
becoming clearer every day that they're willing to demonize millions of people
to get it.
Among the more than 11 million
undocumented immigrants the GOP candidates are quick to cast off, there are
grandparents, mothers, and fathers who have been here for decades and who have
contributed to our communities, paid taxes, and even put their lives on the line
to defend our country in the armed forces.
"Rounding up" and deporting
them all without any consideration for who they are or how they've become a part
of our country would undo threads that tie our communities
together.
That's not the America you and I believe in. We believe that
instead of dividing or excluding folks, we're strongest when we're in it
together.
That's why President Obama wants comprehensive immigration
reform that will help us abide by our laws while respecting our heritage as a
nation of immigrants.
He supports the DREAM Act so that children of
immigrants won't be punished for the actions of their parents, and he's directed
the Department of Homeland Security to prioritize the deportation of criminals,
rather than DREAMers and family members of veterans or active duty
members.
There's going to be a clear choice in this election, and it's up
to us to let the GOP know that we won't stand by as they attack our communities
in their desperate race for Tea Party votes.
Fight back against the
GOP candidates using Hispanic families to try to score political
points:
It is full of half-truths, however he is right about some of the things the GOP is saying. Nevertheless, what he neglects to mention in his praise of Obama is the fact that Obama should be recognized as the Deporter-In-Chief in addition to Where-Have-All-The-Jobs-Gone-Chief. The Obama Administration has deported more than 1 million immigrants during his term -- more than any other POTUS during the same amount of time.And the height of the hypocrisy is in his closing sentence of "Fight back against the GOP candidates using Hispanic families to try to score political points." Obama is the one trying to score political points by hoping Hispanic families do not realize that his actions are much louder than his rhetoric.
The GOP is not off the hook either. Except for Gingrich, Johnson and Huntsman; the remaining Presidential candidates have been pandering to the extreme wing of the GOP. Rick Perry while governor of Texas was pro-immigrant, but has done an about face for some reason and is now talking about the unrealistic deportation of the approximate 11 million illegal immigrants. Seeking and accepting the endorsement of Sheriff Joe Arpaio is alienating Perry and the GOP further from Latino immigrants. There is a fringe element of the GOP that appreciates the tough talk on illegal immigrants. These are the same folks who believe our government is spending too much money and believe in domestic security. I too believe in these things, however I do not think illegal immigrants are the cause of runaway spending. As for national security, I believe in secure borders but not just to our south with Mexico, but to our north as well with Canada. I know the drug cartels from Mexico get all the headlines, but terrorists can easily slip into our country from the north and through our ports as well.
I belong to an organization Cafe Con Leche Republicans who has sensible solutions to the illegal immigrant problem that most people if they researched and truly understood the issue from an unbiased perspective would agree there are solutions that are fair and equitable. Check us out at http://cafeconlecherepublicans.com/
So now that this debt ceiling "show" is over, I wonder how much (if not all) of it was orchestrated for the American public? The political grandstanding by both parties, the Obama speeches, the behind closed door negotiations -- that apparently the media was privy to -- the deal-to-no deal, and the last minute "compromise" was great showmanship. I mean, isn't that what Americans do well -- put on a good show? Personally, I think this was all a big plan to herd the sheeple into thinking the negotiations were tough but it is in the best interests of the country. They are making it seem like we were so close to defaulting -- which would never happen -- but compromise was made and we are on our way as a country, to living within our means. Really??? In what alternate reality do you think potentially cutting $2.8 trillion over 10 years...OVER 10 YEARS...is going to solve our fiscal problems?
I am certainly no mathematician, but even I can figure out that this is a sham -- a wool pulled over the American citizens eyes. Heck, I will give them the benefit of the doubt...I'll round it up to cuts of $3 Trillion. So, $3 Trillion divided by 10 years is $300 Billion. Right? $300 Billion divided by 12 months is $25 billion. Right? Ok. Now comes the fun part (not really)...In February 2011, the US posted its largest monthly budget deficit in its history at $223 Billion. The good news is that in June that figured improved markedly to ONLY a deficit of $43.1 Billion. The bad news is that it was the 33rd straight month in the red. So, what happens to month-after-month of continuous deficits? Let's put it into something you and I can relate to:
Suppose you spend more money this month than your income. This situation is called a "budget deficit". So you borrow (ie; use your credit card). The amount you borrowed (and now owe) is called your debt. You have to pay interest on your debt. If next month you spend more than your income, another deficit, you must borrow some more, and you'll still have to pay the interest on your debt (now larger). If you have a deficit every month, you keep borrowing and your debt grows. Soon the interest payment on your loan is bigger than any other item in your budget. Eventually, all you can do is pay the interest payment, and you don't have any money left over for anything else. This situation is known as bankruptcy. That is where we are today folks.
So, going back to the math and our great compromise. What does $25 Billion per month in cuts really do when you are constantly having deficits at least 2x that amount? So far this Fiscal Year (October 1 to Sept 30) as of June 30 2011, the Treasury Department has spent $386 billion on interest payments to the holders of the National Debt. That comes out to almost $43 Billion per month on interest payments alone. So those $25 Billion in "cuts" will do nothing when we are paying almost double that in interest payments on our debt. How does that great compromise sound now?
I think it was all a show by our politicians who love the their power and are colluding with each other and the White House to keep us under their thumbs. They wanted the American people to get nervous about the debt ceiling negotiations and worried about default or credit downgrade (which may happen anyway) and then at the last minute...voila! They have saved the day by increasing the debt ceiling and compromising on budget cuts that sound impressive but really are not. They avoided once again making the hard decision on the Entitlement programs which are the biggest fiscal problems we currently face. In the end, the politicians do what THEY do best...argue, name-call, and "compromise" for the sake of the American people...and so they can remain in power and start campaigning for their next election.
I say throw the bums out for good!!! What say you?
I am a first generation Cuban American born and raised in Miami now living in Marietta, Georgia for the last five years. I am a God-fearing Christian. I am anti-abortion. I am fiscally conservative. I support free market capitalism even with some of its inherent flaws. I believe in limited government. I believe in a strong military. The flag flies in my home every single day of the year. I believe America is exceptional…not because of our military power, but because of the people from all walks of life who have emigrated from different countries and come here for the freedom and opportunity to become whoever they want to be. I am anti-Communist. I am anti-Socialist. I am a Republican.
I believe in self-reliance. I believe in compassion and support for those in need to help get them on their feet, however not to be their legs AND feet forever. I am anti-union. I think unions may have served their purpose for worker’s rights a long time ago, but today they serve no purpose other than destroying companies like Eastern Airlines and the auto manufacturers for their own greed. I support Entitlement Reform – we have no choice since the numbers do not add up. I believe that while we have the best physicians and hospitals in the world, our healthcare delivery system is broken. I am anti-Obamacare. I believe competition makes everything more efficient, affordable and better. I support the Fair Tax. I abhor the IRS. I am a Republican.
So, why is it that I can have all of these views and be considered a strong conservative Republican, yet have the following views and be considered a RINO???
I support secure borders. Not just to the south, but to the north as well. I support Comprehensive Immigration Reform. I support the DREAM Act. I believe E-Verify is government intrusion into business. I believe in a guest worker program. I believe the Republican Party is making a HUGE mistake with the Immigration issue. I am Hispanic, Latino, Cuban. I am a Republican.
Why is it that as a Republican, we need to agree with everything the Republican Party says or does? And if we don’t you are considered an operative for the Democratic Party or some George Soros-led organization. This is a microcosm of today’s all-or-nothing society. You are either with me or you are against me; and if you are not with me I am picking up my toys and am going home after I insult you. By the way, the Democratic Party is no different – actually, they are quite worse. But that is for someone else to worry about. I am a Republican.
You can be all of these things and have these beliefs and still be a Republican -- they should not be mutually exclusive. So, until there is a political party that has ALL of these core principles that I espoused including Comprehensive Immigration Reform, I am a Republican no matter what the Tea Party says.
So, you'll probably hear that for the next several weeks...until it annoys you if it hasn't already. Nevertheless, let me be the next one to wish you a new year of good health, much love and happiness, and unlimited laughs. I for one, think we do not do enough of laughing...I mean laughing like when you watch Modern Family or Something About Mary....
Anyway, thank you for being a part of my life. I made new friends and became better friends with a lot of you in 2010 and I hope that in 2011 I continue to learn from you and become a better person (father, friend, son, brother, etc.) because of it. I know the last few years have been challenging for a lot of you...it has been for a lot of people across this great country. So, my hope for you and yours is that 2011 is everything you want it to be. Take time to reflect on the great things going on in your life and be thankful for them. Make a plan for 2011 and what you want to accomplish. Make it realistic. Make short-term goals. Revise them. Go back to them often to make sure you are on-track.
I hope that one of your goals is to make a difference in someone's life...to make this a better place for our children and our children's children. Stand up for what you believe...and more importantly, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Be vocal, be active, be a difference-maker. I plan to!!!
Satellite Radio rocks...but it confirms I have ADD...at least when it comes to music.
Listening to a Counting Crows song on said Satellite Radio and thinking how the hell did the lead singer hook up with Courtney Cox AND Jennifer Anniston...I'd be really pissed if I found out it was at the same time!!
So SIRI goes up b/c the rumor is Howard Stern is re-upping for 5 more years or something like that...who cares? It's not like he's made a big difference either way -- SIRI is still burning cash...but I do LOVE my Satellite Radio!
Speaking of cash...Am I the only one who never has any on me? Ever. Maria thinks so. Please help me with this argument...I'm not lazy, am I???
I've used my debit card to buy gum and a bottle of water at the gas station on more than one occasion...well, it does cost over $1 now for a pack of gum you know...
On a side note, however, it is a good way to get cash back somewhere without having to pay the $2 charge at a non-account ATM...unless you are a BOA customer...those ATM's are everywhere.
If anyone ever decides to make a Layne Staley or Alice In Chains biopic I have the perfect guy to play him in the movie...
Freddie Kruger, aka Robert Englund! Right?! Tell me he is not a doppelganger for Layne Staley.
What a waste Layne Staley was, because Alice In Chains rocked!!
Speaking of wasted talents...my favorite Nirvana song is Come As You Are; Lithium is right behind...1A and 1B.
So, I was very disappointed to find out that Mumford & Sons are not Irish...can't you picture sitting in an Irish pub -- in Ireland of course -- watching them play? Perfect. But, alas...no. At least they are not French!
I really fucked it up this time, didn't I my dear? Didn't I my dear?
Speaking of the Irish...I hope UM beats them down...although I will admit I am not very confident -- these current players at the U are soft.
Ireland is on my bucket list of places I have to visit before I die...
One of my top-5 all time favorite guitarists because of his unique sound and style is from an Irish band, although he is not surprisingly (again)...The Edge. Plus, it's a pretty cool name for a guitarist.
BTW, The Unforgettable Fire is one of my all-time favorites. Very underrated. Extremely so.
Rounding out the top five in no particular order: Alex Lifeson (RUSH), Robert Smith (The Cure), Andy Summers (The Police), Eddie Van Halen (duh?).
Let me get straight to the point; I hate taxes! There, I said it. I feel better already. I wish it were that simple. But did you know that as of 2009, the tax code is approximately 67, 204 pages, about twenty times the size of a Harry Potter book, and much less entertaining. So, with all this talk about extending the Bush tax cuts or not; unemployment up today to 9.8%; extending unemployment benefits forever, etc. the thing we ought to do is reform the tax code by eliminating the income tax and implementing the Fair Tax. By the way, I support the Fair Tax!
Since that is not going to happen overnight (if it ever does), what should we do today? It's not a zero-sum game solution. Nevertheless, both Washington and Wall Street operate in that manner, which probably explains why the entire system is rigged. But I digress...So, the Democrats want to limit the Bush tax cuts to those individuals making less than $200,000, or couples making less than $250,000; while the Republicans want to extend all Bush-era tax cuts and make them permanent for even the 2% of households earning more than $250,000.
I hate the IRS and hate the income tax I have to pay to those SOB's every year on top of what gets deducted from my family's paychecks every other week. But $250,000 doesn't go very far when you have 3 or more children, private school, groceries (don't tell me there isn't inflation) and extra curricular activities (sports, music lessons, etc.). It doesn't go very far at all even if you have none of these things but live in San Francisco or New York City. Lincoln, Nebraska with $250,000 in household income is A LOT different than $250,000 in Manhattan, New York. I dare someone challenge me on that. Heck, I submit that $250,000 in Marietta, GA is different than the two cities I just mentioned. The point is that looking at a static household income like that is part of the problem. With the Fair Tax it doesn't matter how much one makes or where you live.
It shouldn't be viewed as a zero-sum game by the politicians. Good ol' Chuckie Schumer (D-NY) should know better than to say the Republicans want to "Give tax breaks to millionaires". Last time I checked millions had seven digits, not six. And like I said about New York City...So, this is where I tread lightly...I can't believe I am going to suggest this but this country is so screwed that we need to make some sacrifices, so I say tax the rich! Make them pay their fair share. However, my definition of rich is much different than the politicians or elites that debate this stuff. I am talking about wealthy, uber rich individuals and households. Especially people like Paris Hilton and The Kardashians who provide no value to society. I dare someone challenge me on this too! I'm talking about people that make more than $1,000,000 in annual income. I call that rich, no matter where you live.
I can hear the argument from my Republican friends that small business owners fall into this bracket and they are the engine of the economy and if the Bush-era tax cuts expire for the wealthy that jobs will be affected. In the past, this would be my argument as well because those are the talking points of conservatives. I listen to Hannity, Limbaugh much less, Neal Boortz and others. I agree with a lot of what they say. But I'm not dumb and take what they say as gospel either. Let's not kid ourselves -- both sides have their talking points. I agree that small businesses are the engine of this economy and they create more jobs than large companies. I want to be my own boss more than anything, so I'm coming from what I think is a fair and educated support for taxing the uber rich.
So, back to the argument of small business owners being hit hardest. Most small businesses are S-Corporations or Partnerships. S-Corporations and Partnerships do not pay income taxes. Instead, income is passed through to its owners and taxed on their individual income tax returns. Owners of pass-through entities receive income from their businesses in primarily two ways. The first way is through salaries and wages, and the second is through K-1 distributions. Salaries and wages are reported on W-2 Forms and are subject to withholding, social security, Medicare, and federal and state unemployment taxes. K-1 distributions are reported to the shareholder on Schedule K-1, and are not taxable, nor subject to withholding or payroll taxes. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center analyzed IRS data in March 2009, looking to see how many wealthy tax filers could say that half of their income or more came from business income. The center found that, among the wealthiest filers -- the top 1 percent -- only 32.5 percent earned more than half their income from business-type income. The percentages for non-wage income were even smaller among taxpayers earning less. In conclusion, do many wealthy tax payers report types of business income that might be from owning a small business? Sure. But it's impossible to tell how many meet the definition of what most of us think of when we think of small business owners. Other data indicate that among all tax payers who might be small business owners, most would not see taxes go up if the Bush tax cuts for the highest earners are allowed to expire.
What I am suggesting, besides scrapping the whole tax code, is to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for everyone making less than $1,000,000 in annual household income for two-years. Increase the tax rate for anyone who is on The Kardashian's reality tv show or any of those Housewives reality shows or anyone that does not contribute any value to society like Kate Gosselin. Increase the tax rate to 50% on Hollywood actors who make terrible movies yet get paid more than $5 million for it. Increase the tax rate to 75% on Hollywood actors that not only get paid a lot of money to make terrible movies but also hold telethons for other countries and insinuate that Americans (not Democrats of course) are arrogant and selfish and think that America is exceptional. This is tax policy that I can believe in. Besides, I think I just solved the fiscal mess by raising taxes.
If that fails, there is always another option. Fair Tax!!!!!
Now that the mid-term elections are over and the people have spoken that they are tired of our government spending our children’s money and its intrusion into our lives, will things change with the newly elected? I want to say yes; a resounding YES in fact! But, I do not believe it will. Why? Because nothing has really changed – except for a new nameplate outside of the door of the offices of the newly elected. Let’s not kid ourselves that things are going to be different this time around. Not as long as special interest money still exists; not as long as the politicians start thinking about the next election; and not as long as they are preoccupied with the talking points of the establishment on both sides of the aisle. No one is really interested in making the necessary and difficult decisions to right the ship. Sure, some will say cut spending and cut taxes; others will say that we need to increase government spending and tax and regulate, and tax some more just to be safe. The truth is that both are correct to some extent, although I am much more inclined to go the route of the former. Why does it have to be an all or nothing solution for every problem? Life isn’t black or white. You may be able to get away with “because I said so” with your children, but that is not going to cut it in the real world.
We need people that are going to roll up their sleeves, work together to come up with solution(s) and make the difficult decisions – the right decisions. I hope Marco Rubio is someone like that. He appears to be. We need them to do the job they were hired for and we need to hold every single one of them accountable. How about just a modicum of common sense? Is that really too much to ask? I suspect that if Term Limits existed they would all act in a different manner. No more career politicians is a good start IMO!
So, let’s identify the problems we face:
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs.
The economy.
National Debt.
Entitlements (Medicare and Social Security)
For those that are unemployed, jobs are the number one issue they face and rightfully so. For those that are employed, you still may be feeling some anxiety because the economy is not exactly robust because there are so many still unemployed which has a trickle down effect due to little to no demand for products or services. So it comes back to jobs. I believe that the government is not responsible for creating jobs – it is up to small businesses and corporations. The Progressives (Liberals) however, believe the opposite ---- they believe the government should be responsible for creating jobs. We have bloated governments already at all levels – local, state and federal. We need less government workers not more. So, how do you create jobs if not for the government you ask? I have some thoughts and will share those on my next post and will address each in subsequent posts. But I will leave you with this to ponder until the next post…the best thing for government to do is get the F out of the way!!
I am currently reading a book titled "I.O.U.S.A.", which as the name implies is about the amount of debt this country has saddled American citizens with over the last 40 years with no end in sight. In the book the authors refer to four deficits: The Federal Budget Deficit, The Savings Deficit, The Trade Deficit, and The Leadership Deficit. To read more on the four deficits click here.
The number people (government officials) throw out when talking about our budget deficit is currently $12.7 Trillion; which incidentally is a hell of a lot of money. But that figure does not account for the gap between future promised and funded Social Security and Medicare benefits, as well as a range of other commitments and contingencies the federal government has pledged to support.
As of 1 April 2010, the Treasury Department spent so far this year $202 Billion of your money on interest payments to the holders of the National Debt (mostly China and Japan). Compare that to NASA at $19 Billion, Education at $53 Billion, and Department of Transportation at $73 Billion. Those numbers are scary in itself but our REAL national debt is more like $62.3 Trillion, or almost 5 times as much as the $12.7 Trillion number you usually read or here about. As of September 30, 2009, each American’s share (every man, woman and child in this country) of the $62.3 trillion national fiscal burden was over $200,000. And every year in which no down payments or reforms are made to these obligations and promises, the total grows by at least $2 trillion to $3 trillion – or $6,500 to $10,000 per person – on autopilot. I am not going to bore you with the details, but if you are interested in more details read here. Suffice it to say, SCARY, FREAKIN' SCARY.
I am working on a future blog post that will get into the "meat and potatoes" if you will, of the fiscal mess we have allowed our elected officials to get us into. In the meantime, I want to discuss the deficit in leadership and the culture of dependency they have burdened us with.
I came across the following video from a post on Facebook from a friend, Jason Guest. I don't think Obama even needed to be edited into the video to have the same effect on me as it did. It just seemed so relevant to the issues of today. Jason, I agree, I miss that man. Check it out:
I will repeat, our current two-party government system is broken. I wish the same Republicans who today are shouting about programs that we can't afford, would've had the balls to shout at the ridiculous amount of spending when Bush was president. I wish Democrats AND Republicans would not look at every issue as either black or white; or all good or all bad. More importantly, I wish there were term limits so maybe, just maybe, our elected officials would make the right choices even if they are difficult. As Ronald Reagan once said, "A leader, once convinced that a particular course of action is the right one, must be undaunted when the going gets tough". For politicians, throwing money at an economic crisis is far easier than creating a long-term model for growth that is less dependent on debt. For leaders in democracies it is always difficult to get elected on a platform of austerity and more difficult today, as many of their constituents have grown accustomed to government largesse.
That the leadership deficit now seems so chronic suggests that the problem goes deeper than the quality of the individuals who come to power. There is something in the culture that makes leadership even tougher and more perilous than it should be. Why, asked Thomas Jefferson, did the American Revolution create a budding democracy while the French Revolution—coming at virtually the same time and with similar values—ended in tyranny? The answer, he thought, could be traced as much to the quality of the followers as to that of the leaders: American citizens were more accustomed than the French to responsible self-government.
Today it is much different. The only time the word self is used is in the word selfish. Self reliant -- say what? Self-government -- who? Public policy helps determine the kind of society we are. The Obama Democrats, Progressives or New Democrats; or whatever, see a society in which ordinary people cannot fend for themselves, where they need to have their incomes supplemented, their health care insurance regulated and guaranteed, their relationships with their employers governed by union leaders. That is the culture of dependence. Obama Democrats are trying to permanently enlarge government and increase citizens' dependence on it.
And, invoking the language of the Founding Fathers, I believe that this will destroy the culture of independence that has enabled Americans over the past two centuries to make this the most productive and prosperous -- and the most charitably generous -- nation in the world. Seeing our political divisions as a battle between the culture of dependence and the culture of independence helps to make sense of the divisions seen in the 2008 election.
Interestingly, Barack Obama carried voters with incomes under $50,000 and those with incomes over $200,000 and lost those with incomes in between. He won large margins from those who never graduated from high school and from those with graduate school degrees and barely exceeded 50 percent among those in between. The top-and-bottom Obama coalition was in effect a coalition of those dependent on government transfers and benefits and those in what David Brooks of the New York Times calls "the educated class" who administer or believe that their kind of people administer those transactions. They are the natural constituency for the culture of dependence.
In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson initiated the War on Poverty. Thus began the ever-expanding Welfare State. Today, 46 years later, we are no closer to winning that war. Instead, the “war” created a vast and ever-growing constituency that perpetuates the Welfare State — a permanent underclass, a network of government bureaucracies and bureaucrats to administer the welfare state, and, most toxic of all, a culture of dependency.
"My friends, some years ago, the Federal Government declared war on poverty, and poverty won. Today the Federal Government has 59 major welfare programs and spends more than $100 billion a year on them. What has all this money done? Well, too often it has only made poverty harder to escape. Federal welfare programs have created a massive social problem. With the best of intentions, government created a poverty trap that wreaks havoc on the very support system the poor need most to lift themselves out of poverty: the family. Dependency has become the one enduring heirloom, passed from one generation to the next, of too many fragmented families." ~Ronald Reagan from the State of the Union address in 1984.
And to sum it up...a letter (which some of you may have seen via chain emails)to the editor that was published by a Jackson, Mississippi newspaper, Clarion Ledger, on August 23, 2009. The writer is Dr. Roger Starner Jones, a physician who specializes in emergency medicine at the U. of Mississippi Medical Center. This is genuine, verified by snopes.com.
Dear Sirs: During my last night’s shift in the ER, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient with an expensive shiny gold tooth, multiple elaborate expensive tattoos, a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and a new cellular telephone equipped with her favorite R&B tune for a ringtone. Glancing over the chart, one could not help noticing her payer status: Medicaid.
She smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes every day and, somehow, still has money to buy beer. And our president expects me to pay for this woman’s health care? Our nation’s health care crisis is not a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. It is a crisis of culture — a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on vices while refusing to take care of one’s self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. A culture that thinks “I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me.”
Life is really not that hard. Most of us reap what we sow.
A lot has happened since my last blog post...I wish I could say for the better, but not so. So, personally all is well -- we have our health, which is the most important thing; we have good jobs and are successful -- but not rich Mr. Obama. But I worry. I worry about the future of my family. I worry how much more the government is going to steal from my paycheck. I worry about the financial burdens that are being placed on us by OUR government today and the ones on my children and my children's children tomorrow. Ironically, I still have hope. I have hope because the American people are fed up with the status quo in Washington. I think (and hope) that people do not want to be classified as Republican or Democrat; or red or blue. We are free. We are Americans.
In a recent USA Today Gallup poll on April 20, 2010, the following are some of the findings that help confirm my hope:
3 out of 4 Americans polled say they are dissatisfied with the country's direction.
A record low 28% say most members of Congress deserve re-election. The percentage who say their representative deserves re-election drops to 49%, only the second time it has dipped below 50%.
For the first time, both major parties are viewed unfavorably by most Americans. The anti-tax "Tea Party" movement has a favorable rating nearly as high as they do — 37% compared with 41% for Democrats and 42% for the GOP.
Fifty percent say Obama doesn't deserve re-election, and 26% say he deserves "a great deal" of the blame for the nation's economic problems, double the percentage in July.
And my favorite...the nation's fastest growing political party is "none of the above". The number of independent voters has grown faster in the past two years than Democrats and Republicans in at least 14 of the 28 states and the District of Columbia that register voters by party.
Will any of this translate to "real change"? I doubt it. As long as the two-party system exists, the system is rigged. Special interests run the show. And for my liberal friends, special interests do not only include "big business" or the military industrialized complex. It also includes Progressive organizations such as Moveon.org, etc. Understandably there are pitfalls with a third party -- especially for challengers of the incumbent. But I think times have changed. Geez, just look at the Tea Party movement.
Term limits would work for me in lieu of a third or fourth party or whatever. Power begets more power. And whomever is in charge would like to remain in charge, even if it is not part of the "establishment". So truly, we need to blow the system up and eliminate the two-party system. We need to enact term limits. We need campaign finance reform. Then maybe will we get a government for the people, by the people.
Where in the Constitution does it say that Americans have the right to FREE healthcare? Let me be clear: I do believe the current health insurance system needs reform. However, a government-run single payer system is not, I repeat, N.O.T. the answer. I hope you are not of the belief that the Obama administration and Democratic party (especially Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and their like) do not want a government-run single payer system. Although I wouldn't be surprised if you take them at their word...more than half of the citizens (and illegals) in this country are idiots...I mean, they voted for this guy. I'm just sayin'!! However, let's believe Obama when he said that if we were starting a system from scratch a single payer system would be his choice. And since we are not starting from scratch it would be extremely difficult to do because of the infrastructure already in place. This just in...we already have a single-payer system: Medicare. Medicare is run by the government...well, run, as in run like the US Postal service which is now considering eliminating Saturday delivery because they lost $7 BILLION last year and seemingly raise the price of stamps at least twice a year. This is the same government that "runs" Medicare which will be insolvent by 2017. The same government who has this track record: Amtrak, US Postal Service, Social Security (don't count on it for your retirement yet you keep paying into it), Medicare and Medicaid. Seriously??? And you think that at the very least the government should offer a public option?
I am interested to hear your thoughts on the healthcare debate and why you think we need reform.
"Too much information driving me insane". The Police had it right way back then. "Overkill. Overview. Over my dead body. Over me. Over you. Over everybody." Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn. Blogs. DirecTV. CNN. MSNBC. Online. 24/7 news. Blackberry. iPhone. Overkill. Overview. Over my dead body. Michael Jackson this, Michael Jackson that...
I was thinking about this as I was updating my Facebook status on my Blackberry while simultaneously receiving a Tweet from a Sales Blog I follow after checking my portfolio on Fidelity Mobile on my BB. Every second of every day we are bombarded with information -- most of it useless. And the scary thing is that it is getting worse. If you really want to freak out go rent "Eagle Eye" with Shia Lebouf if you haven't seen it yet. I saw it on HBO on Sunday night before True Blood. My feeling is that if this stuff isn't going on already, it will soon. Scary stuff. Very scary.
The thing about information in today's world is that it seems to take a life of its own. People throw shit out to see what sticks and nobody bothers to even verify anything anymore. Garbage in; garbage out. Nevertheless, I admit that I am in information addict. (At least I have taken the first step and admitted I have a problem). I don't have enough time to read everything I want to read on the Internet. I subscribe to way too much shit. My work and my family time have gotten in the way of my WSJ Online, ESPN Page 2, HealthLeaders, Inc., Fast Company, Food Network and Food & Wine (some culture is necessary). Who has time to live an uncaffeinated life anymore??? And football practice is starting soon...Carajo!
Seriously though...No, seriously. The great thing about information and the Internet specifically, is it allows us the ability to go back in time for "gotcha" moments. Particularly gotcha moments with politicians...(You didn't think that this blog posting was not going to somehow be about politics, did ya??? It always comes back to politics). Not only can you go back and read what some politician (usually a Liberal) said during specific issues, but you can actually see what they said on YouTube. Gotcha! I love it! Which, brings me to the issue at hand that has me boiling -- more stimulus by the government. I cannot for the life of me believe that they are already talking about another stimulus. For the one or two of you who are so kind and must have no life that follow my blog, you know how I felt about the "stimulus" that was slammed down our throats like a cheap bottle of tequila earlier this year. People also know I voted for the "other guy", or the lesser of two evils -- but boy, they ain't even in the same time zone. Funny thing what VP Joe Biden said recently that the administration misread how bad the economy was and how effective the stimulus would be. Ya think??? What happened to the Chinese math that was used to justify the stimulus that for every dollar spent it would yield $1.50 in growth. Really?
Read this for some sobering news. How do you think I feel now? How's that workin' out for everyone now??? So another (more) stimulus is the answer? We don't even know how we are going to pay for the first one amongst the many other things we have been spending taxpayer money on, like the auto companies, banks, AIG, etc. And to top it off...government healthcare! $1 Trillion later for that alone, which you know how terrible the government is at estimating anything. How will we pay for that? Good 'ol Rangel has the answer.
Here is my pledge...screw Obama and his administration and Congress. No benefit of the doubt. No, "let's give him a chance", "he's our President now and needs our support". Screw it! And screw all of them. Change is a coming...
I've been kind of busy with work, Lacrosse practice 4x a week, 2, 3 and even 4 games on the weekend, etc. I'm not complaining though -- life is good. Unfortunately for so many Americans, it is not so good -- not good at all. ADP just came out with their March jobs report and 742,000 private-sector jobs were cut in March. Instead of getting better, or not as bad, it just keeps getting worse.
It's hard to remain positive when everything you read, or hear, or see on TV is all negative. America, capitalism, liberty, and freedom as I know it is on assault. Not just in our country, which by the way is bad enough, but by the whole world it seems. I've always heard nobody likes the "guy" at the top, and frankly I subscribe to that point of view with regards to sports anyway. I can't stand the Yankees, Red Sox, Patriots (as a Dolfan, I never have though), Cowboys, Lakers, Celtics, etc. America is the "guy" at the top, and foreign governments and some of their citizens have always been envious of us as the leader of the free world. And secretly, and some not so secretly, are smiling at the mess we have gotten ourselves into. Make no mistake, WE have gotten ourselves into this mess because we all fell asleep at the wheel and let our government do whatever it wanted.
This is where it gets interesting though. The liberals believe it is greedy corporate America and Wall Street taking advantage of us. And the "failed Bush policies of the last 8 years" and the rich getting richer; yada, yada, yada. Maybe some of this is true, but I am sick of the populist rhetoric. On the other side, the Republicans blame Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, and Chuck Shumer. Well, if the shoe fits...The bottom line is that there is plenty of blame to go around. This complex mess we are in is simply because of two intertwined words: power and money. Not solely Wall Street executives and corporate CEO's, but more importantly, our federal government -- our U.S. Congress to be more specific. Do you know of any member of Congress that is not "rich"? If they weren't rich when they were "elected" to Congress they sure are when they leave -- although they don't leave...they do not ever leave. Therein lies the problem!
Capitalism has not failed us. Capitalism is not an inherent corrupt system as many in the liberal media would have you believe. If not for Capitalism, we would not have many of the things we have today. One question...when was the last time something of great value was invented in a Socialist or Communist country in which the government dictates what should be produced, how it should be produced and how much one is going to be paid for producing it? I'll let you get back to me on that one, because it is going to take a while...
Unfortunately, the current administration believes the government is the only thing that is going to get us out of this mess. The federal government is not our savior. The federal government is the problem. If you think the banks had too much power before, wait until the government owns the financial system. Nationalization of all important industries is the prize that this government has its eyes on. They will do it just as they have done with the stimulus package, the budget, AIG, and most recently GM. Under cover at night, covertly they take over a private company or vote on a bill (usually a HUGE spending bill) all under the guise of it was necessary to avert further damage to our economy. So we've gone from an administration labeled as "war mongers" to an administration of "fear mongers"? Well, the people wanted change, and they got it! For me though, it's not the change I can believe in!
I don't know how many of you have noticed the small nuances in how President Obama has "changed" in how he describes certain situations, programs or promises. One that has recently come up on a few occasions and most recently when he was talking about his $3.55 Trillion (who's counting anymore) budget proposal, or whatever expletive you want to call it -- I have a few -- is when he describes energy independence. During the primaries and presidential election he spoke about green jobs, climate change and generally how terrible black energy (oil and coal) is to the environment. As President and during his recent press conference on the aforementioned budget, he said "Our future depends on our ability to break free from oil that is controlled by foreign dictators..." This is exactly how President Bush and Sarah Palin described energy independence. They said it because we import 70% of our oil at a cost of $700 billion per year from countries that don't like us very much, i.e., Saudi Arabia and Venezuela specifically; and we have it in our own country but are unable to drill for it. So my question to President Obama is if it would be okay if it weren't controlled by foreign dictators? That is essentially what he is saying by that statement right?
Does it not make sense to explore and develop our energy needs in our own country? We have natural gas, huge shale deposits, and oil in our oceans that can be extracted with current technology. We can create energy jobs that will develop energy TODAY. I think to depend on technology that currently does not exist for energy that may or may not work and to hang your hat solely on that is a huge mistake. Having the government be responsible for dictating future energy sources is a gamble that we cannot afford to take. Case in point is the hype of ethanol from corn. Remember, how that was the next big thing and how that was going to save our importing of oil??? How did that turn out? More energy and natural resources (water and corn) were required to develop ethanol than anybody talked about while hyping it as the next big thing. What happened to food prices as a result of corn prices skyrocketing? Farmers started to replace their food crops with corn crops for the development of ethanol. It is elementary economics -- supply and demand.
I believe that in order for us to be truly energy independent is to explore in our own country today and to provide incentives for the development of future energy sources like solar, wind, hydrogen and biofuels for tomorrow -- and let the marketplace determine what is best, not the government. It shouldn't be an all or nothing proposition. The Democrats (liberals) do not want to drill in our own country and the Republicans only want to drill. This is another reason why I despise this two-party corrupt system. It's either "all-in" or "fold"; yes or no; drill, baby drill or green energy only. I am tired of narrow minded, short-sighted politicians where every decision is political and based on their next re-election. Unfortunately 85% of this country are idiots and do not realize it's one big sham (or scam); or even scarier, don't care as long as they get theirs.
I propose a movement -- a grassroots movement, to take back OUR country and have true representation like our founding fathers envisioned and sacrificed so much for. If you care about your country and where it seems to be going (not good), and if you want government to get out of the way please join me. We are in a delicate time right now where every day brings us more bad news. How do you think Castro and Chavez came into power? With promises that they would end the corruption and give back to the people, among other things. The government was their savior. Sounding familiar? Check out this article.
Stand up and let your voice be heard. Scream if you have to...you probably will have to because nobody is listening and nobody cares anymore.
