Big scary words

For centuries there have been fables and common sense wisdom warning us to be weary of things that sound too good to be true or too awful to be true. Yet today it seems we just can't see the wolf in sheep's clothing. For the benefit of society I present buzzwords that notify you to stop paying attention.

Big government. When someone uses the term "Big Government," what they are really saying is "I like collecting a handy government paycheck, but really hate having to think or answer to my constituents." If any Senator, Congressman, or other elected official really was against big government their first and only accomplishment in office would be eliminating their own job and others. They're not doing it.

"It's too long & complicated": We've heard this a lot lately regarding health-care reform legislation. Also, people say the same about our tax code. "It's too complicated for people to understand." "I couldn't read the whole thing." First of all, if your representative says they couldn't read a piece of legislation because it was too long, fire him (or her). Seriously, that is what they are paid for. If you didn't do your job, you'd get fired. That's a representative's job.

The national debt is $100,000 per person: Guess what, you're not going to get a bill in the mail for $100,000, so why look at national debt that way. Anyone who says this is just trying to scare you into supporting an irresponsible government who is not accountable for anything.

Family values: I shouldn't even have to touch this. How many Senators, Congressmen, and government officials have been busted for their questionable ethics? When one of them cries family values, you know they are just trying to take your attention off of real issues.

Tax cuts: Almost all of you are paying less in taxes now than you would be during the Reagan administration. You will continue to pay less taxes in the foreseeable future. If you really think taxes are what is going to push you into poverty, it's time for you to move to another country or become a hobo. You are more likely to find needles in Halloween candy than you are being taxed to poverty. Yes, taxes seem like a burden, but it is something that helps finance society. Could they be lower? Most likely, but they won't reduce without proper management and responsible government.

Immigrants are stealing your jobs: They're also stealing your yard tools, impregnating your daughters, destroying the sanctity of marriage, and poisoning the water hole. Seriously, have you ever filled out employment paperwork? You had to provide identification, social security number, even a birth certificate. So how did an illegal immigrant take that job from you without proof of citizenship? Stop believing that the boogie-man is out to get you.

Tax & Spend Democrats: Do you honestly believe that there are representatives who really get off creating useless reasons to tax you? What does that accomplish for them personally?

Christian nation: Go back to your history books and refresh your memory. Settlers left England to get away from an oppressive monarchy and its over-bearing Christian religion. First amendment people: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." That means a neutral nation who does not support or condemn any belief. Period.

Unconstitutional: This is a tricky one, but I can tell you the last thousand-plus times someone has stated something was "unconstitutional" they couldn't even quote the part of the constitution that would involve the subject. When someone throws the constitution card, run the other way.

Socialism: The red-scare lives on. It's time to let it die, just like communism.

Wealth redistribution: Along with the previous word, this is just another way to frighten us from demanding the government do its job.

These are the buzzwords that special interests have found will stop people in their tracks. Everyone gets so frightened when these things are mentioned that they take their attention off what is really best for society and themselves, and they roll over allowing progress to be squashed. Rather than running scared when someone says "big government" how about taking the time to learn what is actually happening on the hill and how it will affect you. Turn off the cable and write your representative. Tell them you want improvements, not talking points.

There are real problems in our government, let's discuss the real problems rather than these make-believe distractions the less-responsible members want us to pay attention to.

Liberal madness

A group of chemically imbalanced lawmakers in Utah have discovered the word "liberal" in the Utah State Constitution. Many rules and statutes state that the rules should be "liberally construed." Sen. Howard Stephenson and Rep. Curt Oda will be wasting taxpayer dollars to discuss the removal of all instances of the word liberal from the document.

Liberalism, from the latin word liberalis, meaning of freedom. Historically, liberalism has meant the opposite of communism, supportive of capitalism and free-market. The founding fathers of America stated they wanted a nation based on liberal principles. Even the supposed overlord of the modern republican party, Ronald Reagan was called a pioneer of economic liberalism.

The word liberal is pretty simple. It means given freely or abundantly. Who doesn't like a lot of something? Really? The United States is in love with the concept of liberal. Dining out? Portions here are quite liberal. A serving of ice-cream is only 6 oz, but order it anywhere and they're sure to give you a liberal serving. We aren't happy with 24" televisions, we want a liberal amount of screen space. Homes in most U.S. cities aren't conservative with space, the homes and yards are liberally sized. The U.S. is liberal about everything. Look at the size of our muffins!

Talking politics? It's a pretty liberal nation who allows people the freedom to pack heat, be as wealthy as Bill Gates or Jay Leno, or allow their president to declare war without adequate evidence of hostility. Okay, back away from the politicizing...

The point is, the word liberal means all the things America loves, but fear-mongers are actively trying to put fear in our hearts. It does not mean communism and denial of freedom. Once again, when something sounds too outrageous to be true, it likely is. Don't buy into the hype.

P.S. The name of the blog does not refer to a political philosophy, but refers to something we should all be fighting for. Our freedoms should be given liberally. Government should not be able to tell us how many ounces we are allowed to drink. Make mine A Liberal Pour!

You're going to hell

Although my progressively growing frustration with the lack of humanity among people has prompted me to be silent from this blog for a while, I came across a story that needs to be shared with others. Religious in nature, but that is my point. Today, politics in America have more to do with faith and ignorance in upbringing rather than the rational thought that should be driving people to vote in their own best interests.

Please read Dave Gorman's experience, and think about your own beliefs or those around you. If you have ever looked at someone and believed they are living in a way that will cause judgment by your god, you need to re-evaluate your life and beliefs. You've taken it too far. If you know someone like this, perhaps it is time to step up and talk to them.

The myths that paralyze us

“The great enemy of truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived and dishonest – but the myth – persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the clichés of our forbearers. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

-- John F. Kennedy, June 11, 1962 at the Yale University’s commencement address.

What myths are pervasive in out nation? One does not need to look too far before running into one of these myths that prevents our people from achieving progress.

Why does the rest of the world hate America?

My apologies to the weak of heart, or those who do not read the actual message.

Can we give rational people any more reasons to hate America? There's the image you get from television and movies of the ultra-rich and indifferent characters who live in giant houses, all have staff waiting on them, drive the best cars, and eat out at fancy restaurants every night. But many can reasonably understand that's all for show and not the norm of the American population. A vocal minority of Americans have to give the world real reason to think we're morons.

"Obama is a socialist!"

"This fascist Democratic party!"

"Don't let the government control my body!"

The nonsense goes on and on. There is no reason for any of this kind of talk. No reason at all.

What a slap in the face to the nations of the former U.S.S.R. who lived under communist rule. To the people who have truly been oppressed. To people who have no opportunity to build their own wealth. To those who cannot choose what they want to do with their lives. To nations who have struggled for their sovereignty.

Fuck you America!

Many are heading to town hall events carrying guns because they are afraid of having their rights taken away. In many other nations, that type of behavior would result in being imprisoned or executed on site. Is anyone trying to take away their rights? No! Never has President Obama said he seeks to eliminate the 2nd Amendment. He has stated that there needs to be controls to keep people safe. Is that horrible? That our leader wants people to live in safety? It must be, seeing that our President wanting people to not be ripped off by our multi-billion dollar private insurance industry that is responsible for thousands of deaths.

Fuck you America!

Is it any wonder why people in other nations look at America with disgust? We have people complain about things that aren't even real problems. We have right-wing politicians who grand-stand over issues that the rest of the world cannot fathom. And many of our citizens are too blind and ignorant to see the truth while they jump on board and show disrespect to the people who have truly suffered.

Our nation can be truly great, but to get there we need to stop acting like victims to problems that we have absolutely no idea about. If President Obama got his way in everything he wanted we would not be anywhere near fascism, we still wouldn't know what socialism really looked like, and we would still have more freedom and opportunity than any other nation on earth.

Does the entire world really hate America? No. Which shows there is a compassion among people that needs to exist in each and every one of us in the U.S.A. Stop mocking the pain that so many others have suffered.

Read a book America. Just try to put yourselves in the shoes (or lack thereof) of people who truly lived through oppressive government atrocities.

We're here to kill your grandmother, and Stephen Hawking

Is anyone listening to the real citizens of Canada, United Kingdom, France, and other nations who are being used as examples against healthcare reform in the U.S.? Yes, the real people who do not live in fear of bankruptcy if they get sick. The ones who only have the worry about getting better, and who have working hospitals and doctors that have all the technological advances and time to cure them.

Not the missionaries and other U.S. residents who have their tales of "when I was in X Country..."

People outside of America cannot fathom paying what we do for healthcare, and that all that money we pay in magically disappears when we are laid off without any notice. But that doesn't stop the GOP (with funding from the insurance companies) from spreading rumors about how horrible healthcare is outside of the U.S.

Twitter users in the UK have been criticizing America and the republicans for this nonsense. That's right, people in the UK are talking about how much they love their healthcare.

But what will you believe? The politically motivated, and lobbyist paid lies of the right-wingnuts? Or Stephen Hawking, who set the record straight? Wing-nuts have been claiming that government involvement in healthcare would kill people with severe handicaps, and those who are elderly and burdensome on the healthcare costs. Some even pointed to Stephen Hawking himself, who rebutted the notion, saying he is only alive today because of the UK's National Health Service.

Out of the 110,000 preventable deaths in the United States each year, that could have survived if they had access to proper healthcare, how many of those could be contributing members to the scientific community? How many could be entrepreneurs? More importantly, how many of them are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, neighbors, friends to people that lost them before their time? Think about that, I'm sure there is someone in your family, amongst your friends, who cannot afford healthcare. Someone who cannot visit a doctor before things get too late, and their only choice is rushing into the emergency room at the last minutes of their life. How will it affect your family when someone is lost? Truth hurts. Ignoring it hurts even more.

Fear factors, & a simple response

Linda K. Brown wrote a nice, simple, and to the point rebuttal to the myths that are being spread about the proposed healthcare reforms.

Please send this to your local paper, your crazy GOP representative, or any other place where these myths are being published.

If you're really afraid of a giant government who does not represent your best interests, do nothing and let the crazies succeed. If you want your government to answer to you, then take real positive action. Allowing the insurance industry to win just makes us weaker, and ensures we will not get ahead of our financial crisis. Healthcare reform is the best way to ensure every American is doing their part to contribute to the economy.

Representative Chaffetz does not want to hear the truth

Had an interesting call with a staff member of Representative Chaffetz' office. If you call to share your views, you are ridiculed, told you are wrong, and told that everyone who calls the office opposes any public healthcare options.

Being me, I wasn't pleased with that reply and spent the next twenty minutes pointing out the facts about public healthcare. The kind that works in every other prosperous nation on earth. It was responded to with near screaming about how "the French don't look healthy. I've never seen a French person that looks good." She also told me that no insurance company gets into the business to make a profit, and that they don't make that much money. Then argued that "almost all hospitals are operating in the red."

I told her it was interesting that I could pull up the financial reports of every publicly traded insurance company and see their massive profit margins, excessive executive pay, and prove everything she said wrong. I told her about the internet, and how you can search each insurance company and examine their financial statements.

Then it was time for gloves off. I pointed out that Congressman Chaffetz has not represented anyone in his time in office, but simply just wants to vote against everything like a political puppet. She called me rude. To which I said, "you can tell me that I am out of touch with reality, insult an entire nation, and yell at me that my research, friends, and family are lies, then have the audacity to call my very true statement rude. What has the representative done to contribute to anything he has voted against, or provide reasonable alternatives?"

The conversation turned. Now the "I'm right because I have a script" turned into, let's discuss things that the representative believes would help. The basic solution was, having local chamber of commerce collectively negotiate lower insurance rates for small businesses and individuals. When I asked how that reduced insurance company overheads and reduced their profits, she asked if I would support rules that would make all the insurance companies non-profit.

Wait, can the U.S. Government force businesses to be non-profit? I suppose they could, but then is the aid to Rep. Chaffetz proposing government takeover of the insurance companies?

Hmm, semantics I suppose. It's okay for the government to force businesses to not make money, but we're afraid of giving our government the ability to provide affordable healthcare.

Trying to force the insurance companies to play by new rules will only result in rising costs. Public healthcare is not socialism, but the government telling private industry how they can operate does seem a bit totalitarian to me. Now who's fighting for freedom? Not Representative Chaffetz and the GOP.

Istanbul, not Constantinople

Just a cross-post that combined my two passions, marketing and politics. Hope you enjoy.

When we talk about government waste, this is the real definition. Not investments in infrastructure and public improvements that our current administration is undertaking.

When politics becomes a game of "who's running the homeowners' association" they are not helping anyone. Government's role is to protect the people and provide the basis for a society. Not to subsidize marketing efforts for corporations and manipulative entrepreneurs.

Healthcare reform - It is necessary

First, a couple of facts:

The private insurance system in America is more socialism than public healthcare because the few pay for the many. If you're upset about paying for other people's healthcare, you must oppose our current system in which if you are paying premiums, co-pays, etc. you are paying mostly the costs of the uninsured. All rates are higher because of the problem of hospitals and doctors having to recoup their costs from uninsured and bankruptcies.

Second, almost 60% of all bankruptcies are due to medical bills. Over 75% of those families were insured. The lesson: playing by the rules and being responsible does not work. That means the system is broken. That would be like showing up for work, doing your job, and having them hand you a bill rather than a paycheck.

America needs healthcare reform, and it needs to stop being run by for-profit unregulated corporate giants. The myths about "social healthcare" are nonsense. It works around the globe, and provides better quality of life for residents in nearly every country on earth. France has public healthcare, it's cheaper than American premiums, and has more choice than the American system. Rather than listening to ignorant talking heads who are just trying to improve ratings, here is a great grid to show highlights of Single payer vs. public option.

Become informed, don't listen to the sensationalism.

Jason Chaffetz is still a big friggin idiot

Between life being extraordinarily busy, and my growing frustration with humanity so easily led astray by so-called conservative philosophies, I haven't taken the time to write anything here for far too long. But I just wanted to point out that Jason Chaffetz is indeed a complete liar and tool of special interests. 

Today's Salt Lake Tribune reports on a Congressman Chaffetz who now is okay with earmarks, as long as they're good ones. The freshman wants to call good earmarks "Congressionally Directed Spending." Proving that he has no integrity whatsoever, he claims this is a reform effort. 

Jason, renaming something is not reform. It is an elimination of transparency and creative marketing to fool the public. Next time you're in the neighborhood, why don't you give me a call and I can explain what your job is. Maybe then you can actually show up in Washington and do something productive rather than wasting everyone's tax dollars with your "marketing efforts."

The irony is so thick, this will require a chainsaw

If the ridiculousness of the right-wing stays on trend this way, we are going to have pie tosses & seltzer water by Senators in giant shoes by the end of next year. Now they are calling for people to teabag Democratic congressman & The White House to oppose the deficit spending of the Obama administration.

REALLY??

Have these nutjobs really forgotten that Bush inherited a surplus and raped that to the highest deficit levels we've seen in decades. While he destroyed our financial position we also began experiencing the worst recession and highest unemployment since the Great Depression?

This shows the real power and danger of the right-wing. People who are suffering the worst economic fate possible are being convinced to protest against a president that actually will create growth in our country. 

The point of the original Boston Tea Party was "no taxation without representation" which is exactly what we had the past 8 years. We had a government that took our taxes, but gave nothing back. The irony is so thick here. Obama is making government responsible for its constituents, and its spending. 

Problem is, it seems as if common sense is not what that portion of the population wants. They want nonsense, and they are getting it in abundance.

Oh yeah... Also I should point out that this whole "teabag" concept was created by wealthy corporate lobbyists. 

Why's everybody picking on poor Chaffetz?

In my usual fashion, I'm slow to getting around to the next blog post. But figured I needed to since there has been so much great conversation about our esteemed friend Jason Chaffetz.

Why is our freshman Congressman being picked on so much? Because he deserves it.

For a guy who criticized Chris Cannon and the Republican leadership so much to get into office, he sure isn't doing much to oppose the corruption and inaction of his party.

On March 27, the infamous cot-sleeper sent a letter stating his opposition to the President's plan for climate control. The "cap & trade tax" as it is being called would increase costs to utility companies, but what is debatable is how much, if at all, it would affect residential energy users. But Chaffetz was quick to distribute scare tactics to everyone. Simply because he is one of our nation's most partisan puppets.

I'm not going to get involved in the debate of the details of the budget proposal, but simply illustrate how flawed Congressman Chaffetz argument is. Let's keep this nice and simple.

According to his "research" (which is heavily assumptive and highly disputable) the increased energy costs for the state of Utah is $3.01 billion. Chaffetz simply takes this number, and divides it by the population to illustrate how much each person will be affected. To which he points out that it divides out to $1,115.47 per person, or, almost $290 per month, per family (again, simply estimating that a family is 3.01 people). 

Here's the obvious problem. Who uses power, and how much is used? Looking at only the population ignores that there are offices, stores, and other buildings that use power. So you must add every Walmart, shopping mall, restaurant, sports arena, etc. to the number that $3.01 billion is divided by. Now, do we really think that the average Utahn consumes the same amount of power as a Walmart Supercenter, or the Energy Solutions Arena? How about Trax, which consumes electricity to power their trains? All considered, a residential household's average power consumption is dwarfed by these businesses. 

Commercial and industrial buildings account for much more energy use than a household. So if we just thought about it for a second, we'd realize that the $290 per family would be considerably less, even if the estimates are correct. Then we'd also need to consider the larger mansions, apartment buildings, and other structures that would create a large variability in energy consumption.

So obviously, the figures that Chaffetz is proposing are nothing more than a fear tactic to promote his horribly partisan beliefs. When we ignore the facts is when we are mislead as a nation. Tell Congressman Chaffetz to do his job and represent us, not try to scare us into supporting partisan politics. 

Taxes, taxes, taxes... It's always all about taxes

Just wanted to emphasize something, since the noise machine simply will not be quiet about the T word.

Even if the Republicans cared at all about tax cuts for anyone who was not already a billionaire, would it matter? Let's assume they really are about tax cuts.

When you're unemployed, how does a tax cut help you?

When you can't pay an insurance premium, how does a tax cut help you?

When sales taxes are increased on groceries to cover your state's budget deficits, how does an income tax cut help you?

People in the middle class, please understand that your taxes could be cut to zero and that doesn't help you keep your house from being foreclosed on. If you're not making enough (or any) income to survive, what do tax cuts accomplish for you?

By the way, when the ultra-wealthy get bigger tax cuts do you really think they're just going to give that money away through new jobs? Why do they care? That would be a form of their wealth being redistributed.

Think about it.

Fireside conversation about economics, with a drunk conservative sympathizer

Sitting at the pub last night when a friend introduces a Twitter n00b to me. I honestly don't remember how an introduction turned political, but somehow it did. The young girl tells me that she likes what the Democrats do for us socially, but likes the Republican's economical policies much more. To which I had to reply that the only Republican economical policy is "Screw you all!"

She wanted to explain her argument to me, which I was happy to listen to, yet warned her that she can tell me why she feels that way only for me to prove everything she says is wrong. She had a look of surprise, but wanted to justify her position.

"Did you know that 1% of citizens pay 40% of all taxes? Do you really believe that is fair? As most of those people are small business owners who are struggling to survive right now."

She made this too easy on me. First, I asked her if she had any concept of what those top 1% make. She replied that her parents were in that number, clarifying that her parents were wealthy, she was not. So I asked her if her parents made more than $40,000 per day, why does she work, and further, why is she drinking Bud Light in a place like this. If her parents were in that top 1% they would make more than the average person's annual salary each day. Therefore, why would she work at all when her parents could hand her two days worth of pay and have her rolling in cash. 

Further, does she understand that the statement "pays 40% of the taxes" doesn't mean paying 40% taxes on their income. The real number is about 22% for these people. Let's do the math, and that means your parents make at least $10,000,000 annually, we're rounding down for simplicity. 22% would be 2,200,000 in taxes. Leaving them with only a measly $7,800,000 in their pocket, which is more than 150 times what the average American earns. (It's actually 177 based on these numbers, but I didn't break out the calculator right there).

So it takes 150 or more average Americans to pay the same amount of taxes that the top 1% do. Further, that is personal income tax you're talking about, which doesn't mean the total taxes collected in the country. So of course those who are extremely wealthy pay a greater share, the average person does not make anywhere near the amount of money so how could they contribute more? But the real point is this, you and your family do not benefit from Republican economics. Actually, you are worse off than you should be. You've been poisoned with lies to convince you to vote against your best interests by a power-hungry mob who despise the social good which you say you like. My only question to you now is, shouldn't it be time to talk to your parents about real economics and beg them to stop supporting and propagating this ridiculous mentality?

This is what is wrong with our nation today. Average people with modest lifestyles have been convinced to follow a system that hurts them. Sensationalism gets all the attention and people fall for it because very few of us are happy with our incomes and lifestyle. But the way to make things better is not by following the myths of tax breaks. Tax cuts can put maybe a thousand dollars in our pockets annually, when we are spending more than that each month in interest & insurance costs alone. So what would truly enhance your life? A measly tax cut, or health care reform that could save each of us $1000 per month?

Socialist! (Really? That's your best argument?)

If you ever want to understand political media, you just need to drive to your local elementary school, find a group of boys playing something competitive, and wait for the insults to fly. 

"Stupid!"

"Four-eyes!"

"Dickweed!"

"Turd burglar!"

"Socialist!"

Wait, socialist? Sorry if that threw you off. I put that word right where it belongs in our context today. Hasn't that been the best argument against everything President Obama is trying to do? Immediately, the right-wingers resort to calling him a socialist. Here is why:

Schoolyard insults are the result of being upset and not having the mental capacity to effectively argue with the person you are upset with. The rage of emotion is greater than the brain's capacity to construct a solid reason why one is upset. So rather than, "I don't like you because you're more popular than me and I'm jealous of your shoes. I am a great softball player, but you won't choose me for your team because of your personal feelings against me." The child says, 

"Your mom's a slut!"

Socialist simply is being used because "communist" is no longer a believable term for the American people. It has become passe. So they all agree to use the term "socialist" to make people believe that progressing society is bad for them.

This last Tuesday, President Obama held a press conference to discuss the economy. First, I think it is amazing and respectable that he was willing to take questions rather than deliver an oval-office speech and hide behind a "no further comment" press secretary. If you listened to what he said, there was nothing even remotely close to socialism. He spoke of private employers creating jobs, of people financing homes, and of strengthening the economy. There was no mention of work-houses, handouts, forced employment, wealth redistribution, nor is any of that in the actual policies of our president.

I propose that since the right-wing is simply playing schoolyard games, that they at least should be creative and entertaining. Therefore, can we agree to never call anyone a socialist and purely make every attack on politicians a "your mom..." joke?

Capitalism debunked

I remember hearing it repeatedly during business school, the purpose of the corporation is to increase shareholder wealth. This was the doctrine of our world. In every business decision we were to consider whether it increased shareholder wealth. Now the "King of Modern Management," Jack Welch, who is attributed to have started this belief has come out to deny the intelligence of that statement.

“On the face of it, shareholder value is the dumbest idea in the world,” he said. “Shareholder value is a result, not a strategy . . . Your main constituencies are your employees, your customers and your products.”

So all this time companies have been doing business wrong? You would think having the focus on the wrong aspects would lead to a catastrophic event like... what we are currently experiencing. 

This does not mean that shareholder wealth is not important. What it means is that looking at the short-term financial manipulations to cover for the inadequacies of your plans to take care of your employees, who will satisfy your customers with your products is what a company is meant to do. When you succeed at that is when you will increase shareholder wealth through actual sustainable activity.

Write that down.

Don't deny the billionaires their new car of the month

The court of public opinion is so confused over what to think of the AIG bonuses. On one hand, the outrageous payroll and the concept of retention bonuses for rich executives who contributed to the failure of the company. On the other, the legality of fulfilling the contracts made. So what is right?

I'm not going to analyze the legal aspects, but just point out the double-talk by the conservative media and the majority of the Republican party. They are against big government spending, but then rally around AIG and try to sell us on the fairness of these contracts. They wanted auto-workers to have their contracts renegotiated, but want these million dollar bonuses paid. If you are still not convinced that the Republican party is being wagged by wealthy elitists who want to screw over the working class, shouldn't this be all the proof you need?

See Representative Gary Peters discuss the double standard that is happening here. This is the problem that people need to be aware of. So many of our representatives preach how much they are doing for the average working man, but in reality everything they do is exactly against what is good for each and every one of us.

It's a blame game, don't let the cheaters win

You are outgraged when the olympian is found to have used steroids. You are livid when a dirty ref makes a bad call. You want justice when a CEO has lied and manipulated books to fraud investors, but at least 30% of the U.S. population seems to have no problem with the lies, cheating, and stealing by the republican party. In fact, it is swaying public opinion and causing average working people to believe that Barack Obama is doing a bad job. 

Why all the bad press? Because we have a president who is doing what is right, rather than be concerned with playing nice with politicians and the ultra-wealthy influencers. The republican party is, in conjunction with the wealthy influencers, trying to stir fake populist rage to maintain their wealth. It's a simple trick they've been using for years, speak loudly and distort the truth, get the masses to become enraged and you get them to vote against their best interests. 

The economic situation is entirely due to a complete failure by the Bush administration and the republican congressional leadership which has been following the failed Reaganomic theories for too long. We need responsible government, which means tax money should be collected and spent on infrastructure, improvements, and exactly what all of these spending proposals are for. No more tax cuts for the giant corporations and ultra-wealthy 1-2% of the population. We need our country back. 

Robert Reich has an excellent post on the madness of this right-wing populist rage:

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/robert_reich/2009/03/is-obama-responsible-for-wall.php

Why believe his crap, when it's all a joke to him?

Straight from the horse's mouth is the explanation that what you hear on talk radio and commentators on television is indeed simply entertainment for entertainment's sake. Not a day goes by when I don't hear someone who is so outraged with Obama's stimulus plan, or our national budget, or the tax & spend democrats, etc. etc. etc. All of it is nonsense. There is little to no fact about the "liberal agenda" it is simply an orchestrated act of entertainment to get people fired up. 

If everyone would just shut this nonsense off, silence Limbaugh, Hannity, the Coultergeist, and all the other Anti-America terrorists our nation could succeed and unify behind solving our problems. We must not support hatred simply to keep more entertainers on the air. We have plenty of nonsense on the airwaves that is not harming people.

Who profits from kindness?

Each day, I am petrified for my children. I am petrified for the future. I feel completely helpless to protect them from the crisis of our nation. I'm not afraid of the national deficit, as it has been here for decades and does not actually personally effect any of us. But I am afraid of a large number of our citizens who behave so irrationally that they can sway the court of public opinion to act against all of our best interests.

It is not the people that truly follow their best educated beliefs and become activists for their causes. I love activism and the lively debates that come of passionate individuals debating. But this group of people are not thinking for themselves, they are being wagged by an ultra-wealthy 2% of our nation who figured out they can manipulate a majority to do whatever they want.

It is the sheep that frighten me. People so susceptible to follow that they act against their own interests to support an ideology with no facts or real benefits to themselves. For several decades we have been told in America that tax cuts were the way to support growth in society, that a completely deregulated free-market system allows us all to be rich, and that universal health care would leave us dying in the streets. Yet there is not a single nation on earth following these recommendations and showing the example of wealth and prosperity.

I'm straying from the specific issue that I want to address, which is we are being lied to. There is no grass-roots conservative movement who is trying to revolt against big government spending and fighting for fiscal responsibility. There is however a majority now in Congress that is trying to legislate these values. But a large percentage of our recession struck nation is morally opposed to the actions of our government because of a handful of billionaires who feel threatened by the idea that they may lose their grip as the empirical power of America. I ask every citizen in this country why they would support 2% of our population to maintain the ability to oppress the rest of us and keep us from achieving a better life for ourselves. Because that is what is happening today.

The uprising known as the Chicago Tea Party, of which we are all supposed to believe is a citizen uprising trying to protect each and every one of us from government oppression, is a hoax orchestrated by a handful of wealthy people who care less whether you live or die. Yet many will fall for this, and believe that our government is not trying to act in all of our best interests. Please read these accounts that prove there is not an independent revolt against our President's actions.
http://jeffrey-feldman.typepad.com/frameshop/2009/02/tea-party-movement-planned-months-ago-by-gop-billionaires.html
http://exiledonline.com/exposing-the-familiar-rightwing-pr-machine-is-cnbcs-rick-santelli-sucking-koch/2/

The bloggers and journalists are not going to become billionaires for their work in exposing this. They are simply doing what is right to help us all be informed of the evil shepherds that are abusing the sheep in our nation.

We all must battle these myths with fact. Debate your neighbors, your family, and anyone you hear spouting this nonsense. But leave the emotion out of it. Simply attack with fact, and if you can convince one person to think for themselves you are a savior of our nation.

Oops, I did it again...

So our friend Jason in the House has managed to fix the proofreading marks, but maybe those could have helped refine the language used in my latest letter.

The term "so-called stimulus bill" seems so much like a scorned 14 year old girl writing a nasty letter to her ex-boyfriend. Call me picky, but I'd like a bit more professional conduct from my representative.

His "reasons" were the typical press sound-bites that we heard from the conservative media, all of which were quite counter to the truth of how this bill came about.

"The pork-laden non-stimulus bill was finalized under cloak of darkness, just before midnight last night. Members of Congress had less than 12 hours to review over 1,200 pages of federal government largesse before voting on it today. The bill is symbolic of the Democratic Party's broken promises with the American people. It is not at all representative of the "change" promised by the new Administration."

Really Jason? That's the story we're going to stick with? You are saying that reinvesting in our nation is not change?

His reasons go on, starting with the big fear-factor of how big the deficit currently is (as if that is a determining factor of how we need to change our country, why don't we just give up?), and states that the bill spends too much on welfare. I suppose we're just supposed to wait for the billionaires to give money to the poor and unemployed? That's been working so far, hasn't it?

Read for yourself. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll question why he asked Rush Limbaugh to write this for him.

http://chaffetz.house.gov/2009/02/statement-of-congressman-jason-chaffetz-regarding-american-recovery-and-reinvestment-act-of-2009.shtml

Premature e-circulation?

Apparently they were working out some bugs in the Congressional offices of Jason Chaffetz. I received this letter via e-mail, and promise I've changed nothing. This is actually how it arrived to me.

First of all, I had written to Mr. Chaffetz a few times, but never in regards to E-Verify or anything even remotely close to immigration. Personally, I could care less. So I wonder how much Mr. Chaffetz actually values his constituents' input.

Second, the proofreading marks sure put that caring touch on. It showed me how much he really cared by not even bothering to personally check this document before it was sent.

Is Jason the clown prince of Congress? Or was this all planned and part of the ultimate show of transparency in government?