This blog has two parts, neither of them are about things that are good for the country. The first part is about John McCain, who says exactly the opposite of what he does. The political cartoonist Tom Toles said it all in today's Washington Post. See the cartoon here. if you are familiar with Toles's work, you know that he places a very small comment at the bottom of his cartoons. Note the comment today especially closely. It reflects the sentiments of many.
The second part of this blog concerns the selfish, short-sighted no vote in Congress yesterday. That act did not just affect Americans, it affected the livelihoods of people throughout the world. In my view, the leaders of of the House, on both sides, should be voted out of office in the next election, including Speaker Pelosi. She couldn't resist the sniping in her comments just before the vote. While this is probably not the reason the measure failed, it certainly was not helpful and it was NOT a model of bipartisan leadership. She has not delivered on significant pieces of legislation requring bipartisanship in this term and she should step down from her role as Speaker.
But accountability must be borne by all members of Congress who voted against this legislation. The final vote, by member, is recorded here. Each of these members voting no should be held accountable.
Well, Rovian politics is back in its full hypocritical, Unconstitutional presence in Indiana, suggesting that the Republicans are worried about that state. It's hard to believe that a thinking clergyman with an IQ beyond moronic cannot understand the reasons why churches are protected from paying taxes. If they advocate for candidates (and not issues, many of which ARE moral), they are becoming political platforms for the party they support and should be denied tax exempt status. Frankly, the IRS should crack down vigorously when such violatons occur and invoke sanctions swiftly to keep the practice from spreading.
"Anyone voting for Obama is schizophrenic" was the mantra for the sermon by the "Rev" Ron Johnson Jr. of the "Living Stones" church in Crown Point, Indiana, south of Chicago. He is part of a group, funded not coincidentally by a group from Arizona, that contends that clergy have an obligation to advise their congregations how to vote. Apparently, the members of Living Stones congregation are unable (or unwilling) to think for themselves.
For those who do, I might suggest that the schizophrenia suggested by their pastor is best known by himself, who is providing a first hand account of contradiction in action. There may not be many unemployed, homeless, or citizens without health insurance in Crown Point, but if there are, only but for the grace of God go others who sit smugly and silently in their pews as though they were divinely protected from such sitations. And, anyone who knows scripture, would recognize that policies compassionately aimed at addressing these inequities are what Christianity is about. The Bible is more focused on how people treat other people with compassion and selflesslessness than it is about finding ways to justify the greed and self-interest that hide behind so many Republican policies. That, in my view, is the hyprocrisy that ought to be pointed out as a guide to living life in a Christian way at the Living Stones church.
I'm going to be looking for ways to support efforts to discover these politicos in clerical garb and make sure they are exposed and accountable to the law. I hope you will join me in condemning this violaton of our Constitution. Future posts will contain information on how you can help.You can start by sending the Reverend a piece of your mind. See the church website here, complete with flag waving propoganda.Contact the church here. We must stop this nonsense if we want to preserve the principles of our Constitutional democracy.
We find the country in a financial crisis, and one that was predicted by many, because of a fundamental flaw in the philosophy advocating de-regulation. The flawed premise, proved over and over again to be untrue, is that without oversight, people can be counted on to regulate themselves and do the right thing. That principle may apply in some situations, but when it comes to money and greed, it fails miserably.
It is indisputable that Wall Street failed catastrophically to adequately regulate itself. Everyone had their hand in the cookie jar, and the cookie jar broke. Having broken the cookie jar, one might expect the perpetrator, as a Mom would expect a youngster, to apologize and offer to do something to make things right.
But, with THIS Wall Street, supposedly populated by some of the best and brightest from Business Schools and the financial industry, apologies, confessions and repentance are curiously absent. There has been no admission of error, no acknowledgment of misjudgment, and no recommendation for resolving the mess that has been created coming from the perpetrators. At the very LEAST, one would expect that someone among them, someone with a scintilla of leadership or moral responsiblity, would recommend that the 800 financial firms on the "protected list" agree to ante up a fund of some sort to assist distressed homeowners —or fund a panel of experts —or to voluntarily agree to future standards of conduct or restraint in compensation or risk tolerance. In short, no contrition has been observed.
No, not even a peep has been heard. And in that deafening silence, an admission of malfeasance and selfish interest screams loudly to the rest of the country. They, the barons of Wall Street, the super well compensated and the entitled, are apparently not people who can be trusted or respected. And to that, one can only say shame on you Wall Street. In the end, you may end up getting worse than you deserve. And when that occurs, look closely in the mirror, and be ashamed of what you see, because there is no punishment that will ever make up for the damage you have done to the country, the trust you have breached, and the moral responsibility you have rejected. You deserve to be repudiated.You deserve to be taught a lesson in humility. Shame on you, Wall Street.
How come Republicans don't get it? On each vital issue, and there are several, my friends, the Paiin-McCain ticket (her description, not mine) is no more than a hastily fastened together attempt at pretending they have solutions to important problems. The trouble is, once you get past the generalities, you've heard enough, because it s the same greedy, corporate backed, "entitlements for the few" story we heard under the failed policies of George W Bush.
Take health care, for example, McCain's approach to fixing health care follows the same failed drumbeat they have been advocating for the past 10 years. Their "solution" is to let the market take care of it. Perhaps they imagine the market taking care of itself like the financial system did? The truth is, the market doesn't care about dying sick people. It only cares about profits, and apparently at any cost to the well-being of Americans.
Health care is not like buying shoes. You have a choice with consumer goods, so the playing field is level. But when you MUST buy, and urgently, and there are a limited number of providers, you're pretty much stuck with what the piper wants you to pay. That's why our heallth care approaches based on "competitive markets" have been dismal failures. And it's also why the countries with the healthiest people on earth don't do it that way. They believe that people should not have to give up their homes or erase their life savings because of a illness. And by removing that fear, countries with real systems reduce stress and actually contribute to the health of their populations by doing so.
The NUMBER ONE cause of bankruptcies in the country is NOT people overextending their credit cards or investing in houses they cannot afford... it is health care. If you think you are safe with your existing policy, read the fine print. If it caps benefits at $1 million, you had better hope nothing serious happens to you, since that amount could easily disappear in 3 months. Then, you're expected to spend down your life savings and at the end file bankruptcy to keep your car and house from the overpaid insurance bureaucrats who get milliions along with their stockholders at the expense of your suffering.
Health care is one of the most important issues to be decided in this election. Let's not have any more of the ridiculous (and ridiculously expensive) chaos that currently strangles our system. Other countries pay less per capita and get far more. Don't let insurance lobbyists tell you that a single payer system is like socialized medicine. That's untrue propoganda brought to you by the people in charge of Insurance companies. Consider this, despite what you might hear, 95% of Canadians are happy with their system—a single payer system. If it was drastically wrong, wouldn't that figure be different? The Canadians aren't stupid. In fact, their literacy rate is higher than ours.
I recognize that Obama's approach falls short of a single payer system. But it is a huge step in the right direction, and it is far better approach than being okay with 47 milliion people without any insurance. Palin and McCain don't get it. They want more people to declare bankruptcy to pay for their healthcare. Their do nothing, seat of the pants approach gets us nowhere. Like the bridge Sarah Palin claims she "didn't support".
Please pass the truth about health care along to all of your friends and family who may be inclined to vote for Palin-McCain. Tell them that a vote for Palin-McCain is vote to keep things as they are...a terrible mess!
It is said among informed students of human behavior (and experts) that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior! That is why it is so very relevant to examine what Sarah Palin has done in positions of leadership. Has she governed from the center? Has she welcomed points of view that differ from hers? Has she been a leader for ALL the people? These are key questions because the past eight years have been marked by a clear inability to bring people together, mostly due to only rare attempts to seek compromise or get everyone on the same page.
People can say what they want about Palin's family, her designer frames, her courage, and her commitment to religion, but how has she governed? What seems to be important to her besides power itself? And how has this been revealed in her actions and decisions as Mayor of Wasilla (a city of 5500) and as Governor of Alaska?
You can get a glimpse of her public demeanor through watching the interviews done by Charles Gibson. A more complete picture is provided in this article appearing today in the Washington Post. Read it, evaluate it, and as appropriate send it to your friends and relatives. You can find the link here.
As you read, ask yourself the following questions:
Does her experience qualify her to be Vice President (or President?)
Does she govern from the center? Is she a leader for ALL the people?
Doe she abuse power by intimidating the opposition and allowing her personal views to determine decisons?
Has she shown concern or insight for the key issues of the day: health care, education, sustainability, global warming, alternative energy, and the economy?
Since Alaska, almost unique among the states, exists on its oil and gas royalties, is she able to understand and find intelligent solutions that are not tied to a government treasury fed by big oil?
You be the judge. The measure of a person is better determined through their deeds rather than their words.
The New York Times blasted John McCain and Sarah Palin over their tepid and pandering (to voters and the oil industry) approaches to solving the energy crisis in America. In the editorial, found here, the Times rightly makes the assertion that McCain has switched positions on offshore drilling and he has missed key votes extending tax credits for wind and solar energy. With 3% of the reserves and 25% of the demand, there is no way that more drilling will solve this problem. Is there anyone in the country who does not fully understand that yet?
Palin supports drilling in protected areas, has doubted that global warming is caused by people, and is fine with letting the polar bear become extinct so her state can drill some more oil and distribute royalties to its citizens. We must make certain that no politician lets us continue the failed policies of the past, which can only be described as representing a country in denial. Now that gasoline prices have abated some, I hope that people will not begin to return to the insanity of purchasing fuel guzzling large cars. In my view, just because a person can afford to drive a Hummer does not mean that person is entitled to wasting fuel we all need and thus contributing to fuel costs that drive up the costs for everyone. As difficult as it is to contemplate, we may need to tax inefficient cars and trucks at a higher rate to account for the reality that oil is a finite resource and can no longer be consumed wantonly.
The letter reprinted below concerning Governor Sarah Palin's political career arrived this morning. It provides an apparent first hand account of Governor Palin's history in elected positions of public trust. And so I am posting and hoping that many get a chance to see it. If it has already crossed your inbox, I hope you have forwarded it on to many.
An important psychological principle is that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Whatever vote you cast in this upcoming political election, be sure it is fully informed, and please do what you can to encourage informed participation from others. If we take our rights for granted, we might not fully notice if they are taken away. -----Original Message-----From: Anne Kilkenny <annekilkenny@hotmail.com <mailto:annekilkenny@hotmail.com> >Date: September 1, 2008 12:20:01 AM PDTSubject: re: SARAH PALIN
I don't know about you, but I found it troubling that a prosepctive Statesperson, a Governor, and a candidate for the 2nd highest position in the Free World, could and would be so dismissive of the accomplishments of Senator Obama. It's one thing to be a polictical opponent and have differing views, yet another to disrespect the hard work that Obama has put into his life's work, and the millions of people that support him. This is the same old polictics of no ideas, so lets just attempt to tear down the 'other' guy, in hopes that America is so myopic, as to fall for it yet again.
The change in America that is happening now, is that just as many people are not only receptive, but embrace the idea of presidential candidate that happens to be black, as much as a vice-presidential candidate that happens to be a woman. Governor Palin shoed low-class in her attacks on Obama, especially since she and her family have no stones to throw, as we are still discovering. SHe did a disservice to herself, her family, the State of Alaska, and America but casting a pejorative shadow upon the Democratic nominee. Her intersts and the interests of America would best be served by propping up her ideas against that of my candidate, and then seeing whom America selects.
I disagree with the media; Palin speech was nothing but rhetoric and conjecture, with absolutely no substance. It was a Speech Class 200 level delivery, and clearly not written in her own words. Perhaps this is why she attended 5 colleges in 6 years before she attained her bacheor's degree. Perhaps this is the reason that a tiny town of 9,000 received 27 million in federal earmarks, and the 47th largest state by population, received the largest federal earmarks per capita, when she was Mayor and Governor, respectively, and she is the so-called reformer. She supported the Bridge to nowhere, before it was a political commodity to reject. ANd, I'm sorry Barack, but it's NOT okay to parade your 17 year-old daughter around, as teen pregnancy is not a natiowide problem. By the way, Governor Palin vetoed a line-item in her first budget a program for homeless teen mothers. Thats good that her daughter chose to keep the baby, if that's true, , and she will be married, if its willing, but in no way is that little girl ready to have a child, and its a problem.
I commend Barack Obama, not for the candidate that he has shown us he is, and not for the leadership he has demonstrated, but for the person that he is, and the character that he has, not to be drawn into the senseless salacious narrative that John McCain and the Republican party are trying to bring to the American people.
Just some thoughts, folks!
MG
Obama made a wonderful selection in Joe Biden. What a powerhouse team! The very best of both worlds, I'd say.
Biden brings enthusiasm along with his three decades of no-nonsense Washington experience. There's a saying about "knowing where the bodies are buried". Well, I imagine Joe know where a lot of those bodies are buried and he's not going to be bullied by the McCain-Rove smear tactics. And Obama has selected someone he can depend on and someone who will have his back. This surely will be Biden's last round of public office so he'll be focused on the VP-ship like a laser beam.
This is very, very good news.
Pam Hood / pam4obama@gmail.com
I'm so proud of my new license plates!
http://www.beguine.org/yobama/photos/yobama.html
Onward,
Waiting with the rest of the known universe to get the official word on the VP. I'm one of those "don't open the presents until the exact day" folks. I've seen some accounts online already, but I'll be darned if I'm going to accept them as fact until my dear little Blackberry "tweets" at me!
Come on people! We Can Do It! Just 74 more days! Do something each day to get Obama elected.
I just emailed a letter to some newspapers:
John McCain's pandering to the middle class does us all a disservice. No one begrudges him his wealth. But rather than be honest with Americans, he over-promises the benefits of his energy plan while misrepresenting Obama’s. Rather than proposing an intelligent, well-reasoned, and fair position on taxes as Obama has, one that puts the middle class first, McCain offers only more of the same Bushonomics which favors big business and the wealthiest Americans. For the sake of our national economy and for the sake of the financial well-being of our individual families, we simply cannot afford McCain as president.
Okay, here's the breakdown for this week's 125 calls to Ohio:
After 625 total calls to Ohio on behalf of Barack, here is my total call breakdown:
This is not an original idea, but I think it would be fitting if everyone celebrated Barack's birthday with a small donation to the campaign! I recommend a random contribution...it's amazing how powerful a small unexpected donation is on a friend or stranger's page! It has the effect of being a threefer-it helps the campaign, it makes the recipient feel good ('cause everyone loves a surprise!), and it makes you feel like you've done something for the world today.
Go ahead...just do it! Even $5.00 is a help! I just did, and it feels great!!!
Keep the focus...let's sprint all the way to the finish line, win and do us all a favor!
In a front page story today (Sunday, August 3) The Washington Post reported that low wage workers in the US "are gripped by increasing financial security as they inch along an economic tightrope made riskier by pervasive job losses and rising prices." Yet, the article continues, "Still, they remain inspired by the American Dream.."
The report was informed by a survey conducted in June and July by Howard University in conjunction with the Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation and included those working more than 30 hours per week and earning less than $27K per year. These are workers who are likely not to receive benefits such as health care, vacation or sick leave. Not surprisingly, they have no financial cushion to protect them against the unexpected.
It is remarkable that low wage earners remain optimistic about the likelihood of things being better in the future. They have hope despite the worsening situation they confront. This is a population that should see, in the Obama campaign, a more certaiin lifeline. Why? Because Obama believes that we need to come together as a society and create a nation where the least privileged among us has hope. Obama seeks a nation in which we support each other in unity, and where diversity is seen as a strength.
