Before I depart on a two week hiatus, I'd like to discuss what's really important in my humble opinion. #IMHO Many people get deluded by outside forces into believing that accumulating wealth, high status employment, or achieving fame is what it all about. #IMHO they are sadly mistaken. Sunday night I watched Barbara Walters interview the rich and famous. Here's what I learned from a few of them: Oprah's biggest concern is coming to terms with her weight, Taylor Swift can't go anywhere without drawing a crowd and has no privacy, and David Koch has billions but needs to try to justify his existence by donating heavily to the arts and hospitals so folks will remember him kindly. #IMHO They are more to be pitied than censured.
Here's what I think are really important: your health, your family, and your friends. If you have those three, you are truly blessed. This Holiday season, please try to keep your focus on the important things. I plan to return on January 5, 2015 Happy New Year.
Friday, December 19, 2014
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Good News of 2014
As we near the end of 2014, many media site will be airing their news roundups of the year. I just saw one on the Today Show. #ICYMI you can watch it here: http://www.today.com/video/today/56633061
There was so much negative in the mix that I thought we could all use some good news stories.
Here are a few that I found on GatesNotes.com:
The number of deaths of children under age 5 is falling faster than projected!
2014 was a tipping point in the fight against AIDS with more people getting treatment than were infected.
The rotavirus vaccine is reaching more children and saving children's lives worldwide.
There was a breakthrough in Tuberculosis research leading to new treatment regimen.
You can read the details and more here: http://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/Year-in-Review-2014
Politically there's this: The economy http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/economic-update-where-we-are-and-where-were-going
There's immigration action by the President: http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/presidents-new-steps-fix-our-immigration-system
There's healthcare reform: http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform
There's Obama's judicial appointments: http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/judicial-nominations
There's support for our Veterans: http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/supporting-our-nations-veterans-numbers
There's environmental issues: http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/heres-how-modernizing-our-power-plants-will-make-our-communities-healthier
And there's much more to be found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/
Lastly, there's the fact that even though GOP control both houses of Congress, we still have Barack Obama in the White House.
There was so much negative in the mix that I thought we could all use some good news stories.
Here are a few that I found on GatesNotes.com:
The number of deaths of children under age 5 is falling faster than projected!
2014 was a tipping point in the fight against AIDS with more people getting treatment than were infected.
The rotavirus vaccine is reaching more children and saving children's lives worldwide.
There was a breakthrough in Tuberculosis research leading to new treatment regimen.
You can read the details and more here: http://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/Year-in-Review-2014
Politically there's this: The economy http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/economic-update-where-we-are-and-where-were-going
There's immigration action by the President: http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/presidents-new-steps-fix-our-immigration-system
There's healthcare reform: http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform
There's Obama's judicial appointments: http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/judicial-nominations
There's support for our Veterans: http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/supporting-our-nations-veterans-numbers
There's environmental issues: http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/heres-how-modernizing-our-power-plants-will-make-our-communities-healthier
And there's much more to be found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/
Lastly, there's the fact that even though GOP control both houses of Congress, we still have Barack Obama in the White House.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Ever Notice?
Ever notice how the media ignore gun violence here in America, but spend endless hours covering it other countries? Think Canada and Australia as recent examples. Meanwhile, a killer in Pennsylvania murders 6 members of his ex-wive's family and we get nothing! The NRA must own stock in corporate media. Why is everyone so afraid of them?
Every time there is a mass shooting here in America, we hear that now isn't the time to discuss curbing gun violence. Then, after the news cools, we move on to other issues and never get around to the discussion. Is gun violence our new normal? Will we accept it? I don't know the answer, do you? Is the root cause mental illness, easy access to guns, a tolerance for violence, or something else? According to the linked article, there are 32,000 gun deaths each year in America. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20141216_Gun_violence_is_our_new_normal.html
Imagine if Ebola was taking that many lives! Oh, the outrage we'd hear on right wing media! President Obama would be blamed. Funny how they aren't blaming him for the gun violence! Oh, right, he wants to void the 2nd Amendment and take away everyone's guns.
I say we start talking about gun violence and we don't let up until our elected representatives do something about it. Contact them at Senate.gov and House.gov to demand action. #EnoughAlready
Every time there is a mass shooting here in America, we hear that now isn't the time to discuss curbing gun violence. Then, after the news cools, we move on to other issues and never get around to the discussion. Is gun violence our new normal? Will we accept it? I don't know the answer, do you? Is the root cause mental illness, easy access to guns, a tolerance for violence, or something else? According to the linked article, there are 32,000 gun deaths each year in America. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20141216_Gun_violence_is_our_new_normal.html
Imagine if Ebola was taking that many lives! Oh, the outrage we'd hear on right wing media! President Obama would be blamed. Funny how they aren't blaming him for the gun violence! Oh, right, he wants to void the 2nd Amendment and take away everyone's guns.
I say we start talking about gun violence and we don't let up until our elected representatives do something about it. Contact them at Senate.gov and House.gov to demand action. #EnoughAlready
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
All About ALEC
There are several entities that do their best to control the legislation output in our state legislatures and in Congress. One of these groups is ALEC. That's the acronym for American Legislative Exchange Council. You can look them up here: http://www.alec.org/ ALEC is a non-profit group of conservative legislators. It is also a think tank for conservative ideas. It provides a forum for private sector entities to give their input as to what types of legislation they want passed at the state level. The three driving forces highlighted at the top of their website are: Limited government, free market, and Federalism. In case you missed the Civics class, Federalism is "the constitutional relationship between U.S. state governments and the federal government of the United States.:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalism_in_the_United_States
ALEC actually writes legislation that private corporations want enacted and supplies it to state elected officials. Often, legislators submit it exactly as written by ALEC. This is where we get laws privatizing schools and prisons, weakening public employees pension funds, eliminating rules and regulations on businesses, right to work bills, and open-carry laws.
How do you know if your elected state senator or representative is a member? Well, you can ask. Or you can go here and see if they are on the list: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/ALEC_Politicians
For more information about ALEC, check out this site: http://www.alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed
If you find your representative belongs, please let them know what you think of that. And, please share this information with others so they can also be informed.
Monday, December 15, 2014
Hullabaloo
In all the hullabaloo over the #Cromnibus one important fact seems to be missing in the main stream media. Who put those provisions into the bill at the last minute? Who wanted even deeper cuts to important programs like EPA and WIC? Let us lay the blame for the bad parts exactly where they belong. Don't let the media headlines confuse you. They want you to believe "Democrats Caved" or something like that. Instead, the headlines should read, "GOP love the Banks more than they care about YOU!"
I listened to Senator Barbara Mikulski (D) Maryland speak on the Senate floor about her committee's efforts to get rid of odious riders and budget cuts that GOP were putting into the bill's provisions. This team worked weekends, including the weekend after Thanksgiving, to try to rid the bill of as many GOP nasties as they could.
We on the left will never be satisfied completely with any piece of legislation. We have too many factions just like the folks on the right. What's the old saying about pleasing everyone? "Trying to please everyone is a formula for failure."
In a budget as big as $1.1 Trillion, there are always going to be monies appropriated for things some folks don't think are necessary and monies cut for things other folks think are absolutely essential. But, here's the deal: Sometimes, you have to take the best deal you can get at the time, with the resources you have; and live to fight another day.
If people on the LEFT wanted a truly LIBERAL budget, then perhaps they should have worked harder in 2010 and 2014 to elect DEMOCRATS.
We can do that in 2016 if we keep our eyes on the prize.
I listened to Senator Barbara Mikulski (D) Maryland speak on the Senate floor about her committee's efforts to get rid of odious riders and budget cuts that GOP were putting into the bill's provisions. This team worked weekends, including the weekend after Thanksgiving, to try to rid the bill of as many GOP nasties as they could.
We on the left will never be satisfied completely with any piece of legislation. We have too many factions just like the folks on the right. What's the old saying about pleasing everyone? "Trying to please everyone is a formula for failure."
In a budget as big as $1.1 Trillion, there are always going to be monies appropriated for things some folks don't think are necessary and monies cut for things other folks think are absolutely essential. But, here's the deal: Sometimes, you have to take the best deal you can get at the time, with the resources you have; and live to fight another day.
If people on the LEFT wanted a truly LIBERAL budget, then perhaps they should have worked harder in 2010 and 2014 to elect DEMOCRATS.
We can do that in 2016 if we keep our eyes on the prize.
Saturday, December 13, 2014
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The #Cromnibus is a classic piece of legislation that contains the good, the bad, and the ugly. Rarely does a piece of legislation make it to the President's desk without going through many stages of reconciliation with riders added that make it hard for original supporters to stomach.
First the Good: The bill provides $260 million to respond to a surge of unaccompanied children from Central America coming to the U.S.
The bill provides $3.06 billion in worldwide assistance to refugees of humanitarian crises around the world, an increase of $1 billion.
The bill provides $500 million more to meet the health care needs of Iraq and Afghanistan vets.
The bill provides $7.42 billion for health care and support services for homeless veterans.
The bill includes $40 million more for Veterans Benefits Admin to hire additional claims and support personnel at regional offices.
The bill provides a $108.9 million increase for Social Security administration.
The bill will increase the max Pell Grant award. There will be 8.7 million Pell Grant recipients next yr, an increase of 142,000 students.
The bill has $2.6 billion, increase of $36 million, for grants to states to provide job training skills and assistance to dislocated workers.
The bill increases funding for the agency responsible for protecting the public against unreasonable risks of injury from consumer products.
The long-term funding bill increases the budgets for the SEC and CFTC, to increase monitoring of financial markets.
The bill provides $1.64 billion (increase of $86 million) for nonproliferation activities that reduce the threat of nuclear terrorism.
The long-term funding bill provides a pay raise for military and civilian DoD personnel.
The bill provides $7.3 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF), $172 million more than fiscal year 2014.
The bill dedicates $1.1 billion to helping states, the ATF, the FBI, and the DOJ combat gun violence.
The long-term funding bill provides $30.3 billion for NIH, an increase of $150 million in base funding + $238 million for Ebola research.
The bill will support benefits for the more than 8 million individuals expected to participate in Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.
And it will fund the government until September 30, 2015! source: @SenateDems
And now the Bad: It's $1.1 Trillion dollars and not all of it is spent the way everyone wants, especially Tea Party Republicans.
It's over 1600 pages.
It allows pension benefits of some retirees to be cut.
It allows truck drivers to stay on the road longer.
Probably more bad to be found.
And now the Ugly: Citi Group provided a rider that Republicans slipped into the bill. This allows elimination of a Dodd-Frank requirement that banks separate their trades of financial derivatives, which played a key role in the 2008 financial collapse, from traditional bank accounts, which are backed by the federal government.
Language in the bill would increase the limit on individual donations to national party committees tenfold, from $32,400 to $324,000. Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/left-right-congress-agree-shutdown-spending-bill-stinks/
So, there you have it, the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is reality folks. There's nothing pure or perfect in politics. More details here: http://www.gps.gov/policy/funding/2015/
First the Good: The bill provides $260 million to respond to a surge of unaccompanied children from Central America coming to the U.S.
The bill provides $3.06 billion in worldwide assistance to refugees of humanitarian crises around the world, an increase of $1 billion.
The bill provides $500 million more to meet the health care needs of Iraq and Afghanistan vets.
The bill provides $7.42 billion for health care and support services for homeless veterans.
The bill includes $40 million more for Veterans Benefits Admin to hire additional claims and support personnel at regional offices.
The bill provides a $108.9 million increase for Social Security administration.
The bill will increase the max Pell Grant award. There will be 8.7 million Pell Grant recipients next yr, an increase of 142,000 students.
The bill has $2.6 billion, increase of $36 million, for grants to states to provide job training skills and assistance to dislocated workers.
The bill increases funding for the agency responsible for protecting the public against unreasonable risks of injury from consumer products.
The long-term funding bill increases the budgets for the SEC and CFTC, to increase monitoring of financial markets.
The bill provides $1.64 billion (increase of $86 million) for nonproliferation activities that reduce the threat of nuclear terrorism.
The long-term funding bill provides a pay raise for military and civilian DoD personnel.
The bill provides $7.3 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF), $172 million more than fiscal year 2014.
The bill dedicates $1.1 billion to helping states, the ATF, the FBI, and the DOJ combat gun violence.
The long-term funding bill provides $30.3 billion for NIH, an increase of $150 million in base funding + $238 million for Ebola research.
The bill will support benefits for the more than 8 million individuals expected to participate in Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.
And it will fund the government until September 30, 2015! source: @SenateDems
And now the Bad: It's $1.1 Trillion dollars and not all of it is spent the way everyone wants, especially Tea Party Republicans.
It's over 1600 pages.
It allows pension benefits of some retirees to be cut.
It allows truck drivers to stay on the road longer.
Probably more bad to be found.
And now the Ugly: Citi Group provided a rider that Republicans slipped into the bill. This allows elimination of a Dodd-Frank requirement that banks separate their trades of financial derivatives, which played a key role in the 2008 financial collapse, from traditional bank accounts, which are backed by the federal government.
Language in the bill would increase the limit on individual donations to national party committees tenfold, from $32,400 to $324,000. Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/left-right-congress-agree-shutdown-spending-bill-stinks/
So, there you have it, the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is reality folks. There's nothing pure or perfect in politics. More details here: http://www.gps.gov/policy/funding/2015/
Friday, December 12, 2014
What's a Trillion Anyway?
The proposed budget deal is appropriating 1.1 Trillion dollars to fund our government until the end of September 2015. I don't know about you, but, I find it hard to wrap my mind around a trillion of anything.
According to this site: How Much is a Trillion Dollars? http://ihtd.org/festivalguide/resources/how-much-is-a-trillion-dollars/ a stack of $1000.00 bills would be 4 inches high for a million dollars. For a billion dollars, the stack would be 364 feet high. And get ready for this: for a trillion dollars, the stack would be 63 MILES high give or take a foot or two. Height is one way to conceive of the difference between a million, billion, and trillion.
Another way is in terms of actual money. With approximately 3 Billion people in the world, a million is 1 cent per household. A billion is $3.28 per person or about $9.00 per household. And finally, a trillion is $3,280 per person or $9,000 per household.
Does that help you to see the kind of money our elected representatives are playing with? Don't forget it's our money or money borrowed on our behalf.
I would hope that pondering these numbers would inspire you to become more involved in politics and to keep a better eye on what the politicians are doing on your behalf. Here's one source of information for how monies already appropriated are working: http://www.gao.gov/
Another watchdog group that's been around since 1981 is http://www.pogo.org/about/ Lewis Black explains the project here: Project On Government Oversight Exposes Corruption, Explores Solutions.: http://youtu.be/Ln8QexETcVw via @YouTube
If we don't Hold Their Feet to the Fire, who will?
According to this site: How Much is a Trillion Dollars? http://ihtd.org/festivalguide/resources/how-much-is-a-trillion-dollars/ a stack of $1000.00 bills would be 4 inches high for a million dollars. For a billion dollars, the stack would be 364 feet high. And get ready for this: for a trillion dollars, the stack would be 63 MILES high give or take a foot or two. Height is one way to conceive of the difference between a million, billion, and trillion.
Another way is in terms of actual money. With approximately 3 Billion people in the world, a million is 1 cent per household. A billion is $3.28 per person or about $9.00 per household. And finally, a trillion is $3,280 per person or $9,000 per household.
Does that help you to see the kind of money our elected representatives are playing with? Don't forget it's our money or money borrowed on our behalf.
I would hope that pondering these numbers would inspire you to become more involved in politics and to keep a better eye on what the politicians are doing on your behalf. Here's one source of information for how monies already appropriated are working: http://www.gao.gov/
Another watchdog group that's been around since 1981 is http://www.pogo.org/about/ Lewis Black explains the project here: Project On Government Oversight Exposes Corruption, Explores Solutions.: http://youtu.be/Ln8QexETcVw via @YouTube
If we don't Hold Their Feet to the Fire, who will?
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Sausage Making
Have you ever heard it said that making laws is kind of like making sausage, it's better not to see them being made? It is an interesting analogy. Apparently John Godfrey Saxe is the first to have made that observation: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Godfrey_Saxe And oddly enough, some sausage makers have taken exception with the comparison: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/weekinreview/05pear.html?_r=0
The essential meaning of the reference is that it is messy business making either laws or sausages. How many of us have tried making either one? If you read the NYTimes link above you will have to appreciate the irony as Mike Pence complained about how complicated legislating has become and Republicans pledged to post online any legislation that is up for a vote for at least 3 days before a vote. Ha! Ha! Ha!
If you were elected to Congress, would you know how to get legislation passed? Where do they teach the process? Well, the truth is that most of us don't know. And, we would likely be appalled at the deal making that goes into getting any bill to the floor of either house of Congress for a vote! It isn't as simple as many think it is. You can read the process here: http://votesmart.org/education/how-a-bill-becomes-law#.VIisbPRDuSo This is sort of like reading a document telling you how to ride a bicycle. You will have "head" knowledge but not actual experience. Still, it is good to know the process. But, like riding the bicycle, law making takes skill and practice. Once the deal is done, the end result isn't always what we'd prefer. Often, there are provisions added that we don't like but must accept if the bill is going to get enough support to get a vote. That's reality folks. Just like the raw material that goes into those sausages, the wheeling and dealing that surrounds getting legislation passed isn't pretty. But it is the reality of how things get done.
The essential meaning of the reference is that it is messy business making either laws or sausages. How many of us have tried making either one? If you read the NYTimes link above you will have to appreciate the irony as Mike Pence complained about how complicated legislating has become and Republicans pledged to post online any legislation that is up for a vote for at least 3 days before a vote. Ha! Ha! Ha!
If you were elected to Congress, would you know how to get legislation passed? Where do they teach the process? Well, the truth is that most of us don't know. And, we would likely be appalled at the deal making that goes into getting any bill to the floor of either house of Congress for a vote! It isn't as simple as many think it is. You can read the process here: http://votesmart.org/education/how-a-bill-becomes-law#.VIisbPRDuSo This is sort of like reading a document telling you how to ride a bicycle. You will have "head" knowledge but not actual experience. Still, it is good to know the process. But, like riding the bicycle, law making takes skill and practice. Once the deal is done, the end result isn't always what we'd prefer. Often, there are provisions added that we don't like but must accept if the bill is going to get enough support to get a vote. That's reality folks. Just like the raw material that goes into those sausages, the wheeling and dealing that surrounds getting legislation passed isn't pretty. But it is the reality of how things get done.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Torture Report
Take a look at how Democrats and Republicans are reacting to the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee's redacted summary of its report on the CIA's use of torture. This report has been completed for two years but is only now being released to the public. Actually, we aren't even going to get to see the entire 6,000+ page report. And we may not get that for years. Right wing media pundits are freaking out and saying that the release is all about punishing the Bush Administration. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/09/1350297/-Today-we-learn-more-details-of-the-villainous-behavior-of-U-S-torturers
Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee led by Senator Dianne Feinstein of CA pressed for release of the report. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/democrats-prepare-to-release-contentious-cia-torture-report/
Only one Republican, Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine voted in favor of the release.
So, there's another big difference between the parties. Democrats oppose the use of "enhanced interrogation" and support the release of the report. Republicans are exactly the opposite.
Where do you stand? Our President made it clear where he stands by issuing an Executive Order: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/EnsuringLawfulInterrogations/
Here's what the President said yesterday: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/12/09/statement-president-report-senate-select-committee-intelligence
Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee led by Senator Dianne Feinstein of CA pressed for release of the report. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/democrats-prepare-to-release-contentious-cia-torture-report/
Only one Republican, Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine voted in favor of the release.
So, there's another big difference between the parties. Democrats oppose the use of "enhanced interrogation" and support the release of the report. Republicans are exactly the opposite.
Where do you stand? Our President made it clear where he stands by issuing an Executive Order: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/EnsuringLawfulInterrogations/
Here's what the President said yesterday: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/12/09/statement-president-report-senate-select-committee-intelligence
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Two Views on Immigration Reform
On the Left we have the Democrat's view of immigration reform. The details can be found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration The basic tenets are: border security, strengthening enforcement, earned citizenship, streamlining legal immigration, and cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. Now, that seems reasonable to me. What about on the Right? What are they saying about immigration reform?
In case you missed it, the Senate passed a bipartisan immigration reform bill 18 months ago. The Speaker of the House, John Boehner, has not allowed members to vote on it since it arrived in the House. But, they did vote on another bill that would tear families apart, make it harder for the administration to do background security checks on millions of undocumented immigrants, and would make it harder for undocumented immigrants to pay taxes. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/12/04/house-republicans-vote-make-immigration-system-worse-not-better They basically passed a bill that they knew would never make it out of the Senate or would be vetoed once it reached the President. So, why do that? They can go home to their base and gather campaign funds because they did something to thwart President Obama. (Even though they actually did nothing.)
There you have it: Democrats and some Republicans in the Senate actually want to do something about immigration reform. But the House Republicans refuse to cooperate.
If you aren't happy about this turn of events, please contact your representatives in Congress. Senate.gov and House.gov make it easy to find and contact them.
In case you missed it, the Senate passed a bipartisan immigration reform bill 18 months ago. The Speaker of the House, John Boehner, has not allowed members to vote on it since it arrived in the House. But, they did vote on another bill that would tear families apart, make it harder for the administration to do background security checks on millions of undocumented immigrants, and would make it harder for undocumented immigrants to pay taxes. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/12/04/house-republicans-vote-make-immigration-system-worse-not-better They basically passed a bill that they knew would never make it out of the Senate or would be vetoed once it reached the President. So, why do that? They can go home to their base and gather campaign funds because they did something to thwart President Obama. (Even though they actually did nothing.)
There you have it: Democrats and some Republicans in the Senate actually want to do something about immigration reform. But the House Republicans refuse to cooperate.
If you aren't happy about this turn of events, please contact your representatives in Congress. Senate.gov and House.gov make it easy to find and contact them.
Monday, December 8, 2014
How Do the Two Parties View Racism?
When asked about the Eric Garner grand jury decision, Sen. Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky launched into a lengthy diatribe against government taxation. He was clueless about the racial bias of the grand jury decision and the impact it had on race relations in America.
http://www.salon.com/2014/12/05/rand_pauls_big_selling_point_is_dead_how_clinton_schooled_him_on_criminal_justice_reform/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow
Now, the potential Democratic nominee for president in 2016, Hillary Clinton had a much more typical Democratic reaction. Here's what she said, "“Each of us has to grapple with some hard truths about race and justice in America. Because despite all the progress we’ve made together, African-Americans, and most particularly, African-American men, are still more likely to be stopped and searched by police, charged with crimes, and sentenced to longer prison terms.” You can see worlds of difference between the two responses.
I don't even need to mention Rep. Peter King (R) of New York do I? His comments showed very clearly where some GOP stand. http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/peter-king-believes-garners-poor-health-obesity-caused-his-death
The hard truth is that we still have a racism problem here in America. But, along with that truth is the poverty issue. One party seeks to find solutions to both those problems and one party tends to blame the victims. Let us join with the Democratic Party and support its efforts to eradicate both racism and poverty.
http://www.salon.com/2014/12/05/rand_pauls_big_selling_point_is_dead_how_clinton_schooled_him_on_criminal_justice_reform/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow
Now, the potential Democratic nominee for president in 2016, Hillary Clinton had a much more typical Democratic reaction. Here's what she said, "“Each of us has to grapple with some hard truths about race and justice in America. Because despite all the progress we’ve made together, African-Americans, and most particularly, African-American men, are still more likely to be stopped and searched by police, charged with crimes, and sentenced to longer prison terms.” You can see worlds of difference between the two responses.
I don't even need to mention Rep. Peter King (R) of New York do I? His comments showed very clearly where some GOP stand. http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/peter-king-believes-garners-poor-health-obesity-caused-his-death
The hard truth is that we still have a racism problem here in America. But, along with that truth is the poverty issue. One party seeks to find solutions to both those problems and one party tends to blame the victims. Let us join with the Democratic Party and support its efforts to eradicate both racism and poverty.
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Views on Poverty
Democrat and Republican viewpoints on poverty, causes, cures, and people experiencing it could not be further apart. Remember Mitt Romney's infamous words describing the 47% who are "Victims, who believe that government has the responsibility to take care for them." He said out loud what many GOP believe. Now they are having a war on poverty to fix poverty. The plan: Block grants. Yes. Give the money to the Governors and let them decide who gets what. I'm not making this up!
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/01/the-republicans-inside-out-approach-to-poverty/282943/ So basically, Republicans blame the victims and see any Federal programs designed to help people as tools to keep them in poverty and beholden to the Democrats. They think we want to keep people in poverty so they will vote for Democrats who will in turn keep the social programs alive.
What do Democrats want to do? The plan is laid out in black and white at the Whitehouse.gov website:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/poverty/ Besides the SNAP program which provides assistance in buying food for needy people, the Democratic plan provides for job training and tax breaks for working families. If you think these ideas are worth investing in with your tax dollars, then why not contact your representatives in Congress and let them know how you want them to spend your money? Senate.gov House.gov They make it easy to find them and contact them.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/01/the-republicans-inside-out-approach-to-poverty/282943/ So basically, Republicans blame the victims and see any Federal programs designed to help people as tools to keep them in poverty and beholden to the Democrats. They think we want to keep people in poverty so they will vote for Democrats who will in turn keep the social programs alive.
What do Democrats want to do? The plan is laid out in black and white at the Whitehouse.gov website:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/poverty/ Besides the SNAP program which provides assistance in buying food for needy people, the Democratic plan provides for job training and tax breaks for working families. If you think these ideas are worth investing in with your tax dollars, then why not contact your representatives in Congress and let them know how you want them to spend your money? Senate.gov House.gov They make it easy to find them and contact them.
Friday, December 5, 2014
Democratic vs. Republican Plans for the Economy
There is a huge difference between the two major political parties on how they plan to improve the economy. Republicans think that corporations and 1% people pay too high taxes and middle income and poor pay too little. Democrats, on the other hand, are supporting earned income tax credits and child tax credits. Republicans want to allow those to expire while making tax cuts to businesses permanent. http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/12/republicans-back-to-raising-taxes-on-the-poor.html
Democrats are seeking an economy that works for everyone, not just big businesses. So while Democrats are trying to get legislation passed to help everyone, Republicans are again working for the 1%. President Obama threatened to veto a deal that some Democrats had agreed to in the Senate that would have extended tax cuts for businesses.
Let's support our president and his efforts to help all Americans. The Whitehouse.gov site has the President's plan laid out in clear language and amazing graphics. I encourage you to take a look: http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/economic-update-where-we-are-and-where-were-going
Then let your representatives in Congress know how you feel about the two party's plans for boosting the economy. Contact them at Senate.gov and House.gov
Democrats are seeking an economy that works for everyone, not just big businesses. So while Democrats are trying to get legislation passed to help everyone, Republicans are again working for the 1%. President Obama threatened to veto a deal that some Democrats had agreed to in the Senate that would have extended tax cuts for businesses.
Let's support our president and his efforts to help all Americans. The Whitehouse.gov site has the President's plan laid out in clear language and amazing graphics. I encourage you to take a look: http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/economic-update-where-we-are-and-where-were-going
Then let your representatives in Congress know how you feel about the two party's plans for boosting the economy. Contact them at Senate.gov and House.gov
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Democrats Care About Climate Change
One big difference between Democrats and Republicans is that we care about climate change. We don't waste precious time denying it. For a fascinating look at how life on Earth has changed since you were born, please check out the following link: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141016-your-life-on-earth
Here's an example of the information that I found when I entered my information: During my lifetime a coast redwood has grown another 83'9" @BBCEarth http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141016-your-life-on-earth
That was a ready made tweet that I could share from the website. I could also share it to Google Plus and Facebook directly from the site. How cool is that?
There is so much information here that you can access and share. Please help get this out to others in your social media circles.
Here's an example of the information that I found when I entered my information: During my lifetime a coast redwood has grown another 83'9" @BBCEarth http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141016-your-life-on-earth
That was a ready made tweet that I could share from the website. I could also share it to Google Plus and Facebook directly from the site. How cool is that?
There is so much information here that you can access and share. Please help get this out to others in your social media circles.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
ACA is Saving Lives
Did you know that Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA) is much more than access to healthcare? Many people think that the ACA provides healthcare, but, it is not insurance. In fact, it is much, much more. The ACA actually revamps the healthcare system in America. Quality of care is now a standard by which providers are receiving payment. This law has improved quality of care and that is saving lives. According to this article from Maddow Blog, it is estimated that the law has saved 50,000 patients from dying in the past three years due to avoidable errors. http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/aca-saving-lives-more-ways-one
We know the GOP are coming for ACA. They have told us so. http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/27724-the-gop-is-coming-for-obamacare-by-any-means-necessary
Now I ask you: What will you do to stop them? Will you act? You know the only way we have left now is public pressure. Contact your representatives in Congress at Senate.gov and House.gov and let them know how you feel. You can also tweet to @USSupremeCourt and let them know. Don't put it off till after the Holidays. By then, it may be too late.
We know the GOP are coming for ACA. They have told us so. http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/27724-the-gop-is-coming-for-obamacare-by-any-means-necessary
Now I ask you: What will you do to stop them? Will you act? You know the only way we have left now is public pressure. Contact your representatives in Congress at Senate.gov and House.gov and let them know how you feel. You can also tweet to @USSupremeCourt and let them know. Don't put it off till after the Holidays. By then, it may be too late.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
How Can You Amplify the Voice of the Democratic Party?
How Can You Amplify the Voice of the Democratic Party? And why would you want to? I will answer the second question first. In my opinion, we on the Left can do the most good if we focus our messages on the values, beliefs, and goals of the Democratic Party. We are not going to hear much about it in our main stream media. The people on the Right are good at tearing down what Democrats are trying to do and have done these past six years. We don't need to join them by pointing out our own errors. I also think we should want to because we want to win!
Now, how can the average person help? First of all, they can join Organizing For Action. Just go to https://www.barackobama.com/ and sign up. Next, plan to go there daily and share information from the website. The articles are there, the links are ready to go. You can share directly to Facebook and Twitter.
Sometimes, you are directed from OFA site to Whitehouse.gov for more information. From that site, you have literally thousands of article that you can share directly to many forms of social media.
Why not give it a try? This is one thing you can do to help us #Unite2Fight
Now, how can the average person help? First of all, they can join Organizing For Action. Just go to https://www.barackobama.com/ and sign up. Next, plan to go there daily and share information from the website. The articles are there, the links are ready to go. You can share directly to Facebook and Twitter.
Sometimes, you are directed from OFA site to Whitehouse.gov for more information. From that site, you have literally thousands of article that you can share directly to many forms of social media.
Why not give it a try? This is one thing you can do to help us #Unite2Fight
Monday, December 1, 2014
Can We Talk?
Seriously, I wonder why certain subjects are just too touchy for us discuss in a rational manner. Mention gun control on any social media and you are immediately attacked. Mention religion or not having religion and watch your twitter feed go wild!
#ElizabethLauten found out the hard way how intense the hatred can get. She made a snide remark that is so typical of the GOP hypocrisy about the Obama daughters. Well, the storm is still raging even though she "prayed" about it and apologized. In case you missed it, here's what she said: "Dear Sasha and Malia, I get you’re both in those awful teen years, but you’re a part of the First Family, try showing a little class. At least respect the part you play. Then again your mother and father don’t respect their positions very much, or the nation for that matter, so I’m guessing you’re coming up a little short in the ‘good role model’ department. Nevertheless, stretch yourself. Rise to the occasion. Act like being in the White House matters to you. Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar. And certainly don’t make faces during televised public events." By the way, Ms. Lauten is communications director for Republican Congressman Stephen Fincher of TN.
How can anyone be so clueless (especially a communications director) as to post that remark on their Facebook page? Then her apology compounded the mistake. Even Forbes Magazine weighed in on the whole episode: http://www.forbes.com/sites/elisadoucette/2014/11/30/the-art-of-apologies-and-why-elizabeth-lauten-failed-miserably-at-hers/2/ The apology was lame and insincere and everyone knew it.
So, can we talk? I think we can. But, we must be guided by common civility. When we make snide comments about teenage girls or anyone else, we are asking for trouble. Civility demands that we treat others the way we'd like to be treated. We can disagree without being disagreeable. Really. We just have to make up our minds to "walk a mile in the other person's shoes" before we say something mean and hurtful.
#ElizabethLauten found out the hard way how intense the hatred can get. She made a snide remark that is so typical of the GOP hypocrisy about the Obama daughters. Well, the storm is still raging even though she "prayed" about it and apologized. In case you missed it, here's what she said: "Dear Sasha and Malia, I get you’re both in those awful teen years, but you’re a part of the First Family, try showing a little class. At least respect the part you play. Then again your mother and father don’t respect their positions very much, or the nation for that matter, so I’m guessing you’re coming up a little short in the ‘good role model’ department. Nevertheless, stretch yourself. Rise to the occasion. Act like being in the White House matters to you. Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar. And certainly don’t make faces during televised public events." By the way, Ms. Lauten is communications director for Republican Congressman Stephen Fincher of TN.
How can anyone be so clueless (especially a communications director) as to post that remark on their Facebook page? Then her apology compounded the mistake. Even Forbes Magazine weighed in on the whole episode: http://www.forbes.com/sites/elisadoucette/2014/11/30/the-art-of-apologies-and-why-elizabeth-lauten-failed-miserably-at-hers/2/ The apology was lame and insincere and everyone knew it.
So, can we talk? I think we can. But, we must be guided by common civility. When we make snide comments about teenage girls or anyone else, we are asking for trouble. Civility demands that we treat others the way we'd like to be treated. We can disagree without being disagreeable. Really. We just have to make up our minds to "walk a mile in the other person's shoes" before we say something mean and hurtful.
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