Don't Be Fooled

Some would have you believe that there is no real difference between the two major political parties. They say the Republicans and Democrats are both owned by the 1% and there's really no point in voting. Those people lie and the reason they lie is so YOU won't vote and it will be easier for Republicans to get elected. Don't be fooled. Here's a handy chart that compares some of the major differences in how Democrats and Republicans view various issues:

Another source from Addicting Information lists 15 major differences between the two parties. See this link for the complete listing:  http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/05/09/fifteen-differences/

After looking at the chart and reading the list of 15 differences, you will see that Democrats and Republicans are very different in their approach to problems. There are many other articles you can find by Google searching - Differences between Republicans and Democrats. Some are written from a particular political slant, but, they do point out differences. So, the next time you hear or read that there's no point in voting because both parties are essentially the same, realize that they are telling you lies and just want you to sit out the election. Don't be fooled!

#ILoveObama

I love this photo of President Obama by Pete Souza.

The perfect shot to exemplify what many wanted to believe about him when he first ran for president. We wanted to believe he had magic in his fingertips. We wanted to believe that he could fix everything. We wanted to believe that he could, somehow, make all his campaign promises come true. Sadly, we learned that he is merely a human being and he has to work within a system that we helped create.

Many will accuse him of not getting more done while he had majorities in both houses of Congress during his first two years in office. What those accusers don't realize is that those majorities still didn't back his entire agenda and that the Senate was encumbered by the filibuster rule and only briefly during those two years had 60 votes to override a GOP filibuster. In the House, where Nancy Pelosi was Speaker, the Blue Dog coalition stubbornly refused to go along with the agenda. Yet, even with those obstacles, President Obama still managed to get many things accomplished. See this link for some of them:  http://www.theprogressivesinfluence.com/2015/03/milt-shook-updates-obama-accomplishments.html

Now, President Obama is in his 4th quarter and we have failed him by our inaction in the 2014 midterm election. Our Congress is more dysfunctional than ever before in history. Will we learn our lesson? That's what I want all Liberals and Progressives to ask everyone they encounter. We have a chance to turn things around. We can work our butts off to get Democrats elected at every level of government. All elections matter. Our school boards, our county boards, our state governments all make decisions that effect the lives of all of us. Please get involved politically at any level and support candidates who believe as you believe.

What Do We Stand For?

Democrats have their own 10 Commandments and more. It's called the Democratic Party Platform. The 2012 Platform was called Moving America Forward. Here is a link to it:  http://www.democrats.org/democratic-national-platform
If you read it carefully, you will see that it is the antithesis of the Republican 10 Commandments.

Now, we on the left need to make sure that everyone sees the differences. Will you help spread the word?  By the way, The Mad Asshatter is a great page on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Mad-Asshatter/509956375727738?fref=ts

Social Media Manners

Today, I witnessed some exceedingly bad manners on a group Facebook post. It all started when a member posted a vague reference to President Obama. He said "Obama is a Keynesian". The post was intended to confuse and illicit angry responses. In case you don't know John Maynard Keynes was an economist. See this link for more:  http://www.maynardkeynes.org/ 

Now, the person who posted it knew that and some in the group also did, but, many responded as if the post had read, "Obama is a Kenyan". They accused the original poster of being a birther. He remained vague and confusing in his responses. When some called him out as being deliberately confusing, he continued to insist he merely wanted to engage in conversation on the subject. People continued to jump into the thread without reading prior posts. It quickly became a circus.

Now, I want to ask you this, "If you are at a gathering and you come upon some folks having a discussion, do you jump in a attack one of them?" "Wouldn't you listen for a bit trying to figure out the gist of the conversation?"

Of course, the original poster, having gotten the reaction he was seeking, simply left the conversation.

Was he a troll? I think so. But, what about the other good folks in the group that he tricked into attacking him and others who were trying to explain that the conversation was about economics, not birth place?

There really is such a thing as social media etiquette. There are some basic rules for how we interact on social media. In my opinion, it is worth taking a few minutes to read up on it and try to follow them.  See:  http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/work-life-etiquette/manners/social-media-etiquette

If you don't care for that one, there are many other sites you can Google. Let's all try to do a better job of communicating. After all, that's what social media is all about isn't it?

Sabotage

Sabotage is a very strong term. It means deliberate action. People who sabotage others are traitors and bullies who want their own way. Dictionary.com puts it into perspective with this definition: 

"any underhanded interference with production, work, etc., in a plant,factory, etc., as by enemy agents during wartime or by employees during a trade dispute." I don't know about you, but, I'm thinking of the GOP in our Congress.

Colbert I. King in the Washington Post recently opined on the subject of insurrection against President Obama.  He wondered if the GOP in Congress would back our president and the executive branch or side with Red States if they openly defied President Obama. I wonder too. We know they vowed to obstruct the actions of his administration from the first day of his first term.  They vowed to make him a one term president. They have fought him tooth and nail on every initiative of his administration, even the ones they previously were supporting. So, if they don't fit the definition of saboteurs, I don't know who does. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-rising-insurrection-against-obama/2015/04/03/d00e39f6-d94f-11e4-ba28-f2a685dc7f89_story.html?postshare=7811428176963474 

King states, "the resistance out West to federal authority has been received in virtual silence on Capitol Hill. It’s almost as if the GOP Congress wanted an uprising against the president."

King goes on to compare President Obama to President Lincoln and warns that we who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. 

What do you say? I say, it is time to demand that our members of Congress start acting like they represent all of us and not just the Tea Party or the Corporations.  

Technology Wins

The tentative Iranian Nuclear Agreement was announced today on Twitter. Amazing isn't it? At least to anyone over the age of 30. "Found solutions," Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted. "Ready to start drafting immediately." "U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sent a tweet saying that "parameters to resolve major issues" have been reached." 
http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/02/world/iran-nuclear-talks/

Like it or not, this is how we learn things now days. I don't know what's coming next to us via technology, but, I do know that one either adapts or loses out.

Technology will also play a huge roll in determining whether the parameters of any agreement are being met. If you find yourself resisting the lure of new technology, please let go of your fear and do your best to learn how it works. 

Change is the only constant and the pace of change has been accelerating over the past decade. Adapt or perish. This is the law of the jungle and the reality of our lives in the modern world.

How to Tell Whether You are Republican or Democrat?

Here's a little, silly quiz to see which party best suits your needs.
1. If you see a little child wandering along a busy highway, do you:
    a. readjust your mirror and keep on going
    b. pull over, call 911, try to get to child before they get hurt.
    .

2. You believe that :
    a. women are sex machines and do not deserve contraception because they will really act out.
    b. contraception is useful to help women and their families achieve a higher standard of living.

3. You hear that a bus load of illegal immigrants is heading to your town's processing center:
    a. get out your protest signs and go yell at them to go home!
    b. organize a group of people from your church to collect clothing, toys, food items to donate to the             center.

4. You see a same-sex couple coming down the courthouse steps with their marriage license and family.
    a. you yell at them and tell them they are going to hell
    b. you smile and think how great America is becoming.

If you answered a then you aren't a Democrat.