Women Brought Those GOP into the World and We Can Vote Them OUT of Congress!

Ladies, and the men who love them, it is time to make our voices heard. The actions of the GOP in Congress  and in state legislatures across the country have made it very clear that our concerns are not their priorities. The SCOTUS justices on the highest court in the land who were appointed by Republicans continue to rule against us as well. This latest ruling may well send more women to the polls this year than any GOTV effort we could marshal.

Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitas Zungia better known simply as Kos wrote an encouraging entry on the site. It is called:

"Democrats need women to vote, Hobby Lobby will deliver"

You can read it yourself here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/06/30/1310677/-Democrats-need-women-to-vote-Hobby-Lobby-should-deliver#

In the piece, Kos, mentions the GOP's brief "rebranding effort" and notes their current "To hell with the ladies" attitude. He says there will be a woman president in 2016. (Guess who.) And, that she will appoint the next Supreme Court Justices. Well, I sure hope he's right because I've had enough of the GOP and the rulings of this court. 

If you know anyone who still asserts the moronic idea that there's no difference between the two major political parties, please refer them to the article and encourage them to open their minds and seek valid information sources. 

Will We on the Left Let Issues Divide Us?

Many forces are working diligently to divide the Left. They know they can beat us if they keep us focused on conflicting issues. If they can get us upset with Democrats over __________, ___________, &_________, etc. (You fill in the blanks.), then maybe we'll stay home in November. Let's be smarter than that. Whether you are a Yellow Dog, Blue Dog, Independent, Green, or other, this is the year to vote for Democrats! Put aside some of your key, heart-felt, issues and just do it! I am not kidding. Look what has happened since Republicans got control of the House of Representatives. Every good thing that passes the Senate, gets stalled in the House. Imagine if they also have control of the Senate! Do you think they will preserve whatever it was you put in those blanks above?

Please take a few minutes and check out this website: http://www.mytimetovote.com/ Believe me it is worth bookmarking and returning to when you have a question about politics or need to know anything about elections.

One tab I especially liked was the elections by state tab. I live in Illinois and this tab gives me tons of useful information about my state: http://elections.mytimetovote.com/illinois.html  It was on this tab that I was able to see census data comparing Illinois to the country as a whole. It also had links to key pieces of legislation enacted in my state legislature.

You can sign up on the site for the social side and receive notifications and alerts about upcoming elections: http://social.mytimetovote.com/ There's even a community forum section if you are so inclined.

"MYTIME2VOTE is a comprehensive one stop voting empowerment organization with the goal to both instill in the American citizens the importance of their participation in the democratic process of our great nation and to give them the tools and information to do it." http://www.mytimetovote.com/content/about.php

What Can We Do?

People are asking on social media what we can do about the state of our nation. I sense their utter frustration  in the question. Because we didn't do what we should have done in 2010, we are paying a price for not voting. I am saying "we" even though I sure did vote in 2010 and I am sure many others did as well. But, not enough of us did. Now we have our "DO NOTHING" Congress! Many of the GOP Congressional leaders told us when Barack Obama was elected that they were determined to make him a one term president. They got their Tea Party friends together and went to the polls and many Democrats sat it out as they often do for midterm elections. To make matters worse, we re-elected Barack Obama in 2012. Now, the GOP leaders have really dug their feet in; there is NO WAY they can work with him or those they answer to will set up candidates in the next primary and out they will go. They did it to Eric Cantor and tried to do it in Mississippi.

So back to the title question. What can we do? My answer is what we should all do in EVERY election. Get informed, get registered, vote early if you can, help others to get registered and vote. There is really no excuse for someone to be uninformed unless they are illiterate. The library has computers, magazines, and newspapers. There are hundreds of websites that are non-partisan and are doing their best to get the most accurate information to the citizens. Fair Vote is just one of many great websites.

http://www.fairvote.org/ This is a great site that is full of many types of voter information. "FairVote educates and empowers Americans to remove the structural barriers to achieving a representative democracy that respects every vote and every voice in every election."  

I am especially interested in their Reform 2020 initiative. Check it out here: http://www.reform2020.com/
I plan to write more about this site and the Reform 2020 initiative in future posts. In the meantime, please call your county Democratic party and ask how you can help turn out the vote for November 4. I know you don't want to wake up on Wednesday, November 5 with Republicans in charge of both Houses of Congress!

OUTRAGE!

Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States gave us two more reasons to vote for Democrats. Civics 101 teaches that presidents appoint justices. We currently have 5 of the 9 justices who were appointed by Republicans. Think about that and what they have done just in the last few years. Thursday's rulings are outrageous. Here are two articles explaining why:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/06/26/1309716/-Supreme-Court-effectively-kills-presidential-recess-appointments

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/06/26/3452966/buffer-zones-scotus/

https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveDemocratsMovingForwardNotBack?ref_type=bookmark

Highlights from Two Current Ballot Measures

As with any good thing, there is also a flip side. Ballot measures are essential to our Democracy; but, they can also lead to dangerous, outrageous measures getting on our ballots. Today's post will highlight a couple measures that primary voters will decide.

In the August 5 Missouri Primary, citizens will see this question: "Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to include a declaration that the right to keep and bear arms is a unalienable right and that the state government is obligated to uphold that right?" The amendment was sponsored in the Missouri General Assembly by State Senator Kurt Schaefer (R-19) as Senate Joint Resolution 36." http://ballotpedia.org/Missouri_Right_to_Bear_Arms_Amendment_(August_2014)

The Missouri Governor, Jay Dixon (D), chose to place it on the August 5 primary ballot rather than the November 4 General Election ballot. The Ballotpedia website gives some background on gun laws in Missouri. It also tells proponents of the measure as well as opponents. As you can imagine, Republicans and the NRA are in favor of the measure.

Also on the August 5 Primary Ballot, only in Michigan, is the Use Tax and Community Stabilization Share, Proposal 1.

http://ballotpedia.org/Michigan_Use_Tax_and_Community_Stabilization_Share,_Proposal_1_(August_2014) 

Interestingly, this is a tax supported by Republicans! "The measure, upon voter approval, would reorganize the state use tax into a state share tax and local community stabilization share tax."  This measure has bi-partisan support and is being touted as a "win-win" for communities and citizens in Michigan. 

Both of these ballot measures were referred to citizens for a vote by their state legislatures. Only citizens who chose to vote in the primary will have a say in their passage. This is why voting in EVERY election is a right and a duty for every citizen. Ballotpedia and other websites, as well as local newspapers, help citizens to be informed.

Ballot Measures Empower Citizens

Ballot measures are vital to our Democracy and provide citizens with ways to participate and vote on policy issues at the local and state levels of government. Citizens in 26 states can use the initiative process to gather signatures and bring an issue to a public vote. Why only 26 states? The answer is because the other states have severely limited citizens rights. According to http://www.citizensincharge.org there are three main benefits of citizen initiatives. They are: better policy, holding legislatures accountable, and higher voter turnout. Initiative and referendum have been a part of our country's history since it was founded, but, those rights are being attacked and limited more and more each year.

In the spring of 2010, Citizens In Charge Foundation sponsored a poll of citizens in all 50 states and the majority responded in favor of citizens having the right to put measures on the ballots. The results were clear across the country. In every single state, Americans supported the initiative and referendum process by better than two-to-one margins.
In 48 of the 50 states, the margin of support was greater than three-to-one; in 40 of 50
states, citizens supported the initiative process by a four-to-one or greater margins. http://www.citizensinchargefoundation.org/files/Full%20Poll%20-%20Americans%20Want%20a%20Direct%20Say%20in%20Government.pdf

The http://www.citizensincharge.org/ website is a treasure trove of vital information for citizens who are interested in learning more about ballot measures and helping to preserve this essential part of our democracy. For a great, short video about a progressive organization dedicated to preserving the ballot initiative measure see this: http://ballot.org/ Please take a few minutes of your time and get involved today.

Ballot.org has the latest news on which measures are qualifying and carries the latest headlines on election issues. Stay informed and be involved. Our future depends on inform and involved citizens.

2014 Ballot Measures

Do you know the difference between an initiative and a referendum? I didn't until I started researching this post. Some of the ballot measures have already been approved by the voters during their Primary Elections earlier this year. Some initiatives have filed signatures and are awaiting certification to be place on the ballot. And some have not been certified for various reasons. There are One Hundred and Eight questions with certified spots on the ballots in 38 states as of June 4, 2014:  http://ballotpedia.org/2014_ballot_measures

So, here is the definition of initiative: "The ballot initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can bring about a public vote on a proposed statute or constitutional amendment.  Ballot initiatives are also called, depending on the state, "popular initiative," "voter initiative," "citizen initiative" or just "initiative." Twenty-four states allow ballot initiatives, which are a form of direct democracy." http://ballotpedia.org/Initiative  But wait, there's more: "Ballot initiatives may take the form of either the direct or indirect initiative. Under the direct initiative, a measure is put directly to a vote after being submitted by a petition. Under the indirect initiative, a measure is first referred to the legislature, and then only put to a popular vote if not enacted by the legislature." Refer to the previous link for more details if you are interested in learning which states allow and a brief history of initiatives in US History.

"A referendum has two distinct kinds of direct democratic votes that often get the designation of referendum: veto referendum and legislative referendum. Increasingly, the latter is being called a legislative referral." http://ballotpedia.org/Referendum

 "Here are the definitions to the two:

• Veto referendum. When a state legislature passes a law, and citizens collect signatures to place that law on the general election ballot so that the voters of the state can decide whether to keep it or nullify it. In some states, this is known as a citizen referendum.

• Legislative referral. This is a ballot measure that is placed on the ballot because a state legislature votes to have it appear on the ballot. In other words, no citizen signatures are collected to place the measure on the ballot."

"In 2014, there are seven election dates during which statewide measures will appear on the ballot." You can check to see if your state is one of them by going here: http://ballotpedia.org/2014_ballot_measures#By_date

My state, Illinois, has three measures on the ballot for the November election. I think an informed citizen needs to know what measures are on the ballot well before election day so they can make informed decisions and realize the implications of their vote. The measure I am most interested in is the advisory question (AQ) to raise the minimum wage. Look at the information available here on the measure: http://ballotpedia.org/Illinois_Minimum_Wage_Increase_Question_(2014) There are so many great websites providing voters with information that there really isn't a valid reason to be uninformed or to sit out an election because you aren't sure about the candidates or issues. 

Mississippi Primary Run-off Election Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Mississippi held its primary election on June 4, 2014. Because no candidate secured more than 50% of the vote that day, a run-off election will be held between the top two candidates on the Republican side of the Senate election. The Democratic candidate, Travis Childers, was selected in the June 4 primary. The two Republican candidates are incumbent, Thad Cochran, and his Tea Party opponent, Chris McDaniel. According to National Journal, Cochran was named as one of the top five incumbent Republican Senators at risk of losing his primary election.

The situation is so serious for the incumbent that it is reported in Daily Kos Cochran is asking Blacks in Mississippi to help him win. See the article here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/06/20/1308410/-Cochran-seeks-primary-bailout-from-Mississippi-s-African-American-voters

Cochran is seeking help from shipyard workers too: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/22/thad-cochran-runoff_n_5519097.html

Cochran's campaign got a boost last week when football great, Brett Favre cut an ad for the candidate. See it here:  http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/06/watch-brett-favres-hail-mary-ad-for-thad-cochran/

The McDaniel campaign has been funded by various Tea Party groups and has been one of the uglier ones so far this season. A recent campaign event turned into a shouting match between the candidate and a senior citizen. Here is the link for that story: http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/chris-mcdaniel-campaign-event-heated

For more information on Mississippi elections see: http://ballotpedia.org/Mississippi_elections,_2014

The Utah Primary - Oh It's Red Too!

 Tuesday's primary in Utah is mainly for the state houses. They hold state political conventions to nominate their candidates.

The Congressional candidates were determined at the nominating conventions and will be on the November 4, 2014 ballot. One of the four Congressional districts currently has a Democratic representative, Jim Matheson, but, he is retiring. The other three are solidly Republican. For information on the Democratic led district and the candidates there see this link: http://ballotpedia.org/Utah's_4th_Congressional_District_elections,_2014 Mia Love is the Republican Candidate to replace Matheson. For a little background on Love, see this Politico article: http://www.politico.com//story/2013/12/mia-love-jim-matheson-decision-101277.html

Other links of interest regarding Utah elections include:
http://elections.mytimetovote.com/utah.html

http://ballotpedia.org/Utah_elections,_2014

http://politics1.com/ut.htm

The State Offices will not be on the ballot until 2016 (with the exception of a special election for Attorney General which will be on November ballot) and the two Senators, Orin Hatch (R), and Mike Lee (R) are not up for re-election until 2018 for Hatch and 2016 for Lee.

So, if you are a registered Democrat, please go vote for your state senators and representatives next Tuesday.

The New York Primary

If you want to know anything about the New York Primary Election on Tuesday, June 24, 2014, then this website is for you:  http://www.elections.ny.gov/ Another one that I've used for voter information is http://www.politics1.com/ny.htm and it is also full of useful information. On that site I learned there are 13 official political parties in the state of New York. Neither Senator from New York is up for re-election this year. There are 27 Congressional Districts. Ballotpedia highlights five Congressional races that are to watch: http://ballotpedia.org/New_York_elections,_2014#Races_to_watch_in_New_York Currently the Democratic Party holds 21 of the 27 Congressional seats.

The State Assembly Primary Election is not next Tuesday, but, instead will be held on September 9, 2014. The primary election in New York is a strictly closed primary, meaning only registered party members can vote in the party's primary.

The Democratic Governor, Andrew Cuomo, has a challenger in the primary. Her name is Zephyr Teachout. The appropriately named Teachout is a professor at Fordham University. See this article for more: http://www.ithacajournal.com/article/20140616/NEWS10/306160013/Governor-hopeful-begins-New-York-primary-challenge

For an exhaustive listing of voter information, I recommend Project Vote Smart: http://votesmart.org/elections/voter-registration/NY#.U6HfiPSIBiQ

The tabs on the website give options from Elections & Candidates, to Issues, and Government Officials. There really is no reason why any voter needs to be uninformed. So, if you live in the state of New York, please be sure you are registered and know where your polling place is located. Vote Democratic.

Oklahoma is Red and Getting Redder

There are five political parties in Oklahoma, the Constitution, the Green, the Libertarian, the Democrat, and the Republican according to http://politics1.com/ok.htm  The Republican's hold most of the major elected offices. The only contentious race seems to be in Congressional District 2 where incumbent Markwayne Mullen faces a strong challenge by Conservative candidate Darrell Robertson. http://www.modbee.com/2014/06/16/3393289/okla-congressman-faces-challenge.html
According to this article, folks are upset with Mullen because he "fell in" with Republican party leadership and turned his back to the Tea Party who supported his election. Mullen won the seat from Democrat Dan Boren when conservatives won many seats in 2012. Mullen can also be remembered by his vote to deny funding to victims of hurricane Sandy.

For more on the Oklahoma Primary go here: http://ballotpedia.org/Oklahoma_elections,_2014

This website http://www.ballot-access.org/2012/05/new-voter-registration-tally-in-oklahoma/ actually shows that there are MORE registered Democrats than Republicans in Oklahoma as of the deadline last April.

You know what that means don't you? If Democrats only show up and vote, they can win some races. 

So, if you are a registered Democrat in Oklahoma, please show up and vote next Tuesday.

The Maryland Primary

On Tuesday, June 24, 2014 the voters in Maryland will set their slate for the November Mid-term election. The Democratic Governor, Martin O'Malley cannot run again due to term limits in that state. There are six sets of Democratic Governor/Lt.Governor candidates in this primary. According to Real Clear Politics: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2014/governor/md/maryland_governor_democratic_primary-4141.html current Lt.Gov. Anthony Brown and his running mate, Ken Ulman have double digit leads heading into Tuesday's vote.

Maryland is a solid Blue state and neither of their Senators faces re-election this year.

For concise voter information please check: http://elections.mytimetovote.com/dates/maryland.html
and http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2014/index.html

Maryland has a mixed primary system and the parties can decide who may vote in their primary election. According to http://ballotpedia.org/Maryland_elections,_2014 the parties have closed the primary to voters outside their party. Maryland also has on-line voter registration. Early voting has already commenced in Maryland.

If you live in Maryland and have NOT already voted early, please vote for Democrats next Tuesday.

The Colorado Primary

On Tuesday, June 24, 2014 citizens of Colorado have the opportunity to set the slate for the November 4 General Election. There are 10 candidates for Governor. Citizens who vote in the primary next Tuesday will decide which candidates will be on the ballot for the general election. If you live in Colorado and do not vote next Tuesday, the ones who do will pick the candidates for you.

There are six candidates for one of the Senate seats from Colorado. The other candidate will not face re-election until 2016. Mark Udall is the Democratic candidate in the primary. Colorado has a semi-closed primary election system. On the primary day, citizens can change their party preference. This means that previously registered voters can, if they choose, change their party affiliation and vote for a candidate in a different party.

This website: http://elections.mytimetovote.com/colorado.html has many interesting statistics and facts related to the Colorado elections this year. For example: here are the registered voter stats:

Total Registered:	2,869,245
Democratic:	899,031
Republican:	938,939
Libertarian:	20,890
Unaffiliated:	997,461
Green:	7,079
As of: 03/04/2014

Also interesting is the fact that Colorado allows same day voter registration. That means that unregistered voters can show up with proper documents, register, and vote at the same time.

Two other sources for information about Colorado's elections are: http://ballotpedia.org/Colorado#tab=Overview__26_Elections

http://elections.mytimetovote.com/dates/colorado.html

Senator Mark Udall is in difficult primary next Tuesday. He faces a challenge from Rep. Cory Gardner(R). The situation is so critical that President Obama is coming to Colorado to campaign for Udall. Per: http://coloradopols.com/diary/category/udall 

For more information on Colorado elections check the Secretary of State's website FAQ's: http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/FAQs/ElectionDay.html 

If you live in Colorado and want to keep your state Blue, please be sure to vote for Democrats next Tuesday.

Are You Scared Yet? You Should Be!

Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight.com has updated his prediction regarding a Republican take over of the Senate. Back in March he rated GOP chances at 5.8. That's statistical talk for them gaining the 6 seats they need to take over a majority and put Senator Mitch McConnell in charge. Nate's June 8th prediction is 5.7. Still in the danger zone, so Nate leans strongly toward Republicans having control of both houses of Congress.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/fivethirtyeight-senate-forecast-toss-up-or-tilt-gop/

The good news is that according to Silver, there are 10 races where he gives each party a 20% change of winning. Obviously, nothing is set in stone and many things can happen on the way to November 4th.

Silver also reports an enthusiasm gap between Republicans and Democrats with GOP slightly more enthusiastic than Dems.

Because he relies on data from polls, Silver points out that the quality of polling is problematic. He notes that polling firms that use industry standards in their data collection show slightly higher results for Democrats.

There are several races where Democratic candidate have improved chances over what they had in March. And likewise, there are several where he says Republican chances have improved.

I think the biggest point here is the old computer programmer acronym, GIGO. Garbage in, garbage out. The predictions anyone makes regarding the outcome of the Mid Term election November 4 are only as good as the polling data used to make those predictions.

So, let's not get discouraged Democrats. Let's rise to the challenge, gather our resources, and march on to victory this Fall. What do you think will happen if all the registered Democrats actually vote?

A Cautionary Tale

When my children were little I used to read them the Maurice Sendak book, Pierre, A Cautionary Tale in Five Chapters. If you've never read it or would like to hear it read, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYDfzo4njqQ

People don't seem to care. When people are working and living paycheck to paycheck or don't even have a job, it is very hard to get them involved in the voting process. I have personally heard a wide variety of reasons (excuses) for not voting. Most of them boil down to not caring enough to do it.

When I served as a trustee on my township's board, we rarely had anyone in attendance at our meetings. It was not until the road district supervisor planned to close as road that was no longer in use and trade the land to a strip-mining company that we started to have citizens attend our meetings. 

Very few of us are determined to know the candidates, the issues, the election dates and requirements. Unless and until there is something that hits us in the pocketbook or effects us close to home.

Voter apathy is real and is especially prevalent at midterm elections. Many just figure that their vote isn't that important and they don't need to trouble themselves to get to the polls.

Last Spring in a nearby community, the mayor won the election by TWO votes. The next day TWO absentee ballots came in the mail that were post-marked in time and were for the other candidate. So they ended up tied and the race was decided by a lottery. 

So the next time someone tries to tell you their vote doesn't matter, please tell them how the mayor was elected in Havana, IL in 2014.
http://www.cinewsnow.com/news/local/Havana-mayor-decided-by-lottery-203108351.html

Please care, don't end up like Pierre! Vote for Democrats!

Polls and Pundits

What do the polls and pundits know? Apparently, nothing! Eric Cantor's defeat in Tuesday's Primary Election in Virginia proves that point. All of the internal polls and DC pundits had Cantor soundly defeating his opponent, David Brat. Even the Tea Party shunned the race.
 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/12/us/politics/david-brat-waged-solo-fight-against-eric-cantor.html?_r=0

The Democrats in the 7th Congressional District did not even field a candidate until the last minute. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/meet-jack-trammell-the-democrat-who-will-face-david-brat-the-man-who-beat-eric-cantor/2014/06/10/df00f972-f10a-11e3-914c-1fbd0614e2d4_story.html

Why did the Tea Party and the local Democrats ignore this race? They did because they listened to the polls and pundits. There is a lesson here for all political campaigns. I don't know if the pols will pay attention to the lesson because they are very slow learners.

In my opinion, people are fed up with politics as usual and they are showing up to voice that opinion with their votes. We have less than five months to show potential voters the difference between the two main political parties. If you are uncertain that there is a difference, I invite you to read the new GOP Manifesto here: http://ygnetwork.org/roomtogrow/ I have been commenting on each chapter for the past few weeks in this blog. 

Then read the Democratic Platform from 2012. http://www.democrats.org/democratic-national-platform If you still think there is no difference, then please contact me through the blog so we can dialogue. 

Please be sure you are registered to vote, have the proper ID's and know where your polling place is located. Vote early if you can and help others to get to the polls. Last, but, not least, vote for Democrats.

GOP Fighting for You and Your Kids??NOT!

My mom always said, "Talk is cheap!" This GOP manifesto is more cheap talk. They say they have pro-family policies to strengthen marriage and give kids a shot at the American dream, yet, every single measure in Congress to do that has been blocked in the Senate and House by Republicans. They vote over and over again to give more tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires. You know actions speak far louder than words. If they truly wanted to help the middle class, they would have raised the minimum wage. They would have passed the #RenewUI bill and not kept demanding more offsets. This entire "Room to Grow" document is merely rhetoric, high sounding phrases that when carefully examined reveal their true agenda. Read it and realize what they really plan for America: http://ygnetwork.org/roomtogrow/

Here's their plan in a nutshell and you can take it to the bank because it's what they've been doing:

decentralize, privatize, and deregulate

There are 147 days until the November 4 midterm election. Please be sure you are registered to vote and that you know where to vote. Then, vote for Democrats.

GOP Reforms to Help? Parents Balance Work and Family

I didn't think the GOP could get any farther from the reality of working class people; but, this chapter clearly shows that they can. In reading the introduction to the chapter, I came across a sentence that shows where they are coming from. Check this out:

"Proposals to create federally-funded paid leave programs, for example, could lead to women having few job opportunities, particularly in leadership positions." 

What? Are you kidding me? Paid leave could lead to women have few job opportunities? Does that even make sense? It reminds me of when a GOP spokesperson once said the answer to worker's healthcare needs was simply creating healthcare savings accounts. For people who are deciding each week which bills to pay and which to set aside so they have enough for food, a HSA is pie in the sky and unrealistic. And dear reader that is my assessment of the entire chapter of this GOP manifesto. They just don't have a clue what working families need. 

Download the chapter and read it for yourself: http://ygnetwork.org/labor-tax-fiscal-reforms-help-parents-balance-work-family/

Then, to be fair, read what the Democratic Platform has for working families: http://www.democrats.org/democratic-national-platform

In my opinion, the Democrats have a far better understanding of what working parents and families need to be successful. Please vote this November 4, and vote for Democrats.

GOP Ideas for Regulatory and Financial Reform

I will give you three guesses what the GOP have in mind for reform and the first two don't count! If you said loosen regulations, you win the prize!

Here it is in a nutshell: "The surest way to foster a more entrepreneurial economy is to limit regulation, reform the financial system, and allow for “permissionless innovation,” in which innovators of all kinds are given the room they need to experiment with new business models without fear of running afoul of incumbent-protecting regulations."

http://ygnetwork.org/regulatory-financial-reforms-combat-cronyism-modernize-economy/

So GOP have taken a term used to describe internet openness and applied it to ALL new businesses. Does that make sense? Should everyone with a new idea for a company be allowed to start up a business and not be subject to rules and regulations? I don't think so! And if you don't either, then please GOTV in November and Vote for Democrats. Democrats want new businesses to develop but believe we need regulations to check corporate greed and profit taking tendencies. 

http://www.democrats.org/democratic-national-platform

http://www.whitehouse.gov/economy/middle-class/dodd-frank-wall-street-reform

Republican Plans for Energy Reforms

While our President was announcing new standards on C02 emissions for power plants, the GOP manifesto complains about too many regulations! Yes, according to their plan, the evil regulators must be reined in before they ruin everything. According to the manifesto:

"Congress must undertake serious oversight of regulatory agencies, to deter officials from misusing their power and improperly administering the laws." ...."Most of all, Americans must finally be given a voice charting the nation’s energy future, instead of having radical new energy policies imposed upon them by regulators and ideologues."

If I am understanding our President, the EPA will take comments from the public before issuing their final policy. Does that sound like policies imposed upon us? 

For more information on the new rules and the process for implementation, go here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/02/epa-carbon-rules_n_5428632.html

Lastly, again, I encourage you to vote during the midterms and vote for Democrats.

Jobs! Are you Kidding me?

How gullible are you? GOP have claimed that jobs are their priority. Okay, then, where are the jobs? Under the title, "Employment Policies to Get America Working Again", the GOP Manifesto plans to roll back licensing requirements, offer relocation assistance in place of unemployment benefits, and temporarily lower minimum wages for long-term unemployed. Are you kidding me? They are still clueless! Do we want any of that? Ridiculous! Imagine, telling unemployed people you will help them relocate! What if they own their home or their kids live next door? Doesn't matter, no unemployment for you just relocation help! Heartless! Soulless! How about lower minimum wages to put long-term unemployed back to work? Will that help? If you think this sounds like crazy-talk, then be sure to vote in November and vote for Democrats!!

http://ygnetwork.org/employment-policies-get-americans-working/

Here's a better way: http://www.whitehouse.gov/economy/jobs