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.

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.

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."

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?

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?