Monday, December 15, 2008

Where oh where have our jobs gone?

It is a given that if an economy is to grow, demand must increase. For demand to increase, people need to have more money to spend. In order for people to have more money to spend, they have to have GOOD PAYING JOBS!! Why is this a mystery to so many people, especially politicians?

Consider this statistic from the federal government...from 1994 to 2007, net manufacturing employment has declined by 3,654,000. According to the World Resource Institute, manufacturing was 20.3% of our GDP in 1987, and in 2007 it was 11.7%...that's a 43% DECLINE!

By the way, in 2007 the financial services/real estate sector was 20.4% of GDP.

This year alone we've lost millions of jobs and we have politicians who want to see more pink slips come from the auto industry.

We're diving right into another Republican Great Depression. (borrowed from Thom Hartmann)

Wakeup, America! We need to make things again. We need tariffs! We need PROGRESSIVE policies and legislation to begin to counteract the disastrous results of Reagnomics.

People need good, union jobs that pay a living wage...not a minimum wage.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Truly despicable

It's truly despicable that a small cadre of republican senators actively want to sacrifice hundreds of thousands if not millions of jobs all in an effort to cripple the UAW. It's clear beyond doubt that this weeks killing of the bridge loan legislation for the auto industry was nothing more than an attempted murder of good union jobs in the country. It isn't even politically motivated...union busting will NOT bring in more voters to the republican party!!! Even the Dark Lord, Dick Cheney this week knew the writing on the wall...

At a closed-door GOP lunch on Wednesday, Dick Cheney tried to convince Southern Senate Republicans to pass the White House auto bailout bill. If they didn't, he warned, "it's Herbert Hoover time."

Check out the list of senators who voted YES for 700BILLION dollars for the financial industry bailout, but voted NO for the auto workers...

http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/12/12/tarp-yes-auto-no/

Someone get me the transcripts of the hearings with the bankers and financial heads where THESE senators grilled them on THEIR pay, on THEIR EMPLOYEE pay, on how THEY TRAVELED to the hearings, on how THEY are going to restructure their companies to not let this happen again....$700,000,000,000.00 given out without ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS!

With the election of Obama, trickle down Reaganomics HAS to be dead or dying. However, until the next congress, these dastardly senators will do everything they can to maintain life support for policies that are ruining this country.

It's sickening.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

C'mon, Islam...join the 19th century

My title is stolen from a Bill Maher schtick where he comments on how Islam is stuck in the 7th century.

This morning, I read in the Guardian that ritual "honor killings" have increased 70% in Basra, Iraq.

Human Rights Watch defines "honor killings" as follows:

Honor crimes are acts of violence, usually murder, committed by male family members against female family members, who are held to have brought dishonor upon the family. A woman can be targeted by (individuals within) her family for a variety of reasons, including: refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being the victim of a sexual assault, seeking a divorce—even from an abusive husband—or (allegedly) committing adultery. The mere perception that a woman has behaved in a way that "dishonors" her family is sufficient to trigger an attack on her life.

Read the Guardian article here http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/30/iraq-honor-killings-women

This barbarism occurs all over the world in the name of religious faith.

Wake Up, Humans!! Stop believing the lie of religion.

Friday, November 28, 2008

How about some lovin' for Joe the Auto Worker??

The financial institutions (banks, investment houses, etc.) have spent years getting fat and happy using questionable loans, mortgage backed securities, derivatives, consolidated debt objects...all of which are under the radar and non regulated.

And when these esoteric contracts blow up in their faces, they come to us, the taxpayer, begging for a hand out.

We don't tell them to suck it up, change your business practices, and re-organize out of bankruptcy.....we oblige them to the tune of trillions of dollars.

But when the auto companies can't get cash from these same banks....which every business relies on for keeping inventory and meeting payroll, our government kicks them in the teeth and tells them they need to change how they do business...and, by the way, maybe they should just go through bankruptcy.

Once again, the average worker (Joe the Auto Worker) can just go suck eggs...we're only interested in helping out Jack the Banker.

Wake up America!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Work begins...

With the election of Obama, America has been given a 2nd chance....for everything. We last had this chance immediately after 9/11. Bush had the country (and the world) in his hands...hell, even Iran was holding candle light vigils for 9/11 victims.

And did he ask us to sacrifice? Did he ask us to do everything we could as a nation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil?

No.

He told us to go shopping. That's it. He then proceeded to pull us out of international treaties, invade 2 Muslim countries, and cause the loss of life on a HUGE scale.

We now have a chance to reverse this deadly course our country has taken. Obama, the democrats, and even moderate republicans have an opportunity to heal our nation, repair our international reputation, fix our economy, and give us hope for the future.

But, let's not forget...Obama is NOT "our leader". No American president is supposed to be a leader...our president must listen to the people and represent us accordingly...it is OUR responsibility to make it known to Obama and our government exactly what we want and need.

The work begins now.

Wake up, America!!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Sometimes a duck....

From January of 1995 to January of 2007 (12 years) the Republican party has maintained control of the House and Senate. (during the 107th congress, control shifted temporarily to Dems with the Jeffords defection from the GOP)

For 8 of those years, Jan 2001 - Jan 2009, the Republican party has controlled the White House.

Using Ronald Reagan's great question...Are you (or the country)better off now then you were 8 or even 12 years ago?

It's a simple question...if you answer YES, then you will most likely vote for McCain even knowing that he admitted to voting to support Bush policies over 90% of the time. But that doesn't matter to you because you LIKE what has happened to our country under conservative control.

But if you believe we are NOT better off now, then now is the time for a change of control in Washington.

Yeah, it's a simple way to look at it, but....sometimes a duck is really a duck.

Conservatives, you've had your try....now step aside and let us give it a go!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The New Deal being replaced by a "Raw Deal"

Don't be afraid.....be downright terrified!!

The Bush administration not only wants us (the congress) to write them a blank check for $700 BILLION dollars, according to the actual propsed legistlation, NO ONE CAN ASK ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW IT'S GOING TO BE USED!! Here's the text of Section #8

"Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency."

Do we want this administration to mis-manage another pile of money??????

Call you congresman/senator and yell loud and strong..."DON'T DO THIS!"

WAKE UP!

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Foxes guarding the henhouse

Folks, let's get serious here.

Ever since Ronald Reagan uttered the famous quote that the 9 most terrifying words in the English language are "I'm from the government and I'm here to help", true conservatism's ideal of slow change and limited government, began to be replaced by a new form of radical conservatism.....NO GOVERNMENT! For almost 30 years, the Republican party has been slowly but successfully taken over by individuals like Grover Norquist, Tom Delay, Karl Rove, et. al. with only 2 items on the agenda...destroy the federal government (ala Norquist's wish to shrink the size of the federal government in order to drown it in the tub) and to do whatever it takes to keep Republican rule permanent. While Bill Clinton was a thorn in their side, Clinton still managed to govern economically more to the RIGHT then to the LEFT (NAFTA, GATT, WTO, welfare reform, don't ask don't tell). And the right still impeached him for lying about a blow job!

The 1994 "republican revolution" and the contract on America, was a sea change in the move forward to the 2 agenda items. They controlled the house and senate along with a very divided supreme court. Add to this the infamous "K" Street project that placed Rick Santorum and Tom Delay in charge of telling corporate lobbying firms who they could hire as lobbyists....yes, only hire those who are favorable to the republican positions or don't' expect any access to Congress. Finally in 2000 they found their "cheerleader" in chief, George W. Bush. With Rove's help along with the supreme court, Bush was appointed to the presidency. Now the right had control of all 3 branches of government.

9/11 was the next event that rocketed the new (neo)right wing agenda forward. Dick Cheney took control of all things secretive, Don Rumsfeld set about screwing up the military, John Ashcroft started to cover up bare breasts on statues, and Ari Fleischer told the press that Americans have to be careful of what they say. And, by the way, the corporate media donned lapel flag pins, while being told by the administration that their access to information would be restricted should they dare to ask tough questions....which led to the elimination of any investigative journalism of the government, and a sharp increase in stories about celebrities and blonds who go missing on exotic island vacations.

Now throughout all this, Bush and the right spent taxpayer money like a drunken sailor. Both on 2 wars and an explosion of ear marked appropriations. Things got so surreal that Tom Delay, when asked about Bush not vetoing a single republican spending bill told the Wash Times in September of '05 "...there was no fat left to cut".........and the press moved on!

So for almost 30 years of "Reaganomics" we have a federal government and the republican party taken over by people who "claim" they want to reform government, and some outright espouse wanting the demise of it (Norquist).

Now John McCain has picked a VP who gave a rousing speech to the Alaskan Independence Party convention in support of a group who wants nothing less than to secede from the USA to become their own nation. WE CANNOT GIVE THE KEYS TO OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE!

Let's kick the foxes out of our hen house this November.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Karl Rove, Experience, and Palin

Recently, Rove was on Face the Nation and said this about Obama possibly picking Tim Kaine, Gov. of Virginia....

"With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he's been a governor for three years, he's been able but undistinguished. I don't think people could really name a big, important thing that he's done. He was mayor of the 105th largest city in America. And again, with all due respect to Richmond, Virginia, it's smaller than Chula Vista, California; Aurora, Colorado; Mesa or Gilbert, Arizona; north Las Vegas or Henderson, Nevada. It's not a big town. So if he were to pick Governor Kaine, it would be an intensely political choice where he said, 'You know what? I'm really not, first and foremost, concerned with, is this person capable of being president of the United States?'"

Unfortunately, you will NOT see this pursued by anyone in the corporate media world.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

When a duck is really a duck

McCain's pick of Gov. Palin is being disussed as a brilliant strategy to strip women voters who supported Hillary Clinton. Many talking heads are trying to spin this pick as a calculated, winning move that will put McCain in the White House.

I think it's just a wild, stupid move from a guy who is desparate to win.

Think about it...he's met her twice and the 2nd time is when he offered her the job.
She is anti-choice, believes in teaching creationism in public schools, no international experience, supported Pat Buchannon for president in 2000, etc.

And McCain thinks she will woo Hillary voters?? Is he serious?

McCain has lost it.

Let's face it, this is not a brilliant move....it's just plain dumb.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Gov Palin supports Obama's energy plan

This has been taken DOWN from the Governor's web site.....
________________________________________________________________________________

Palin Pleased with Obama's Energy Plan
Includes Alaska's Natural Gas Reserves Printer Friendly

No. 08-135

August 4, 2008, Fairbanks, Alaska - Governor Sarah Palin today responded to the energy plan put forward by the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

“I am pleased to see Senator Obama acknowledge the huge potential Alaska’s natural gas reserves represent in terms of clean energy and sound jobs,” Governor Palin said. “The steps taken by the Alaska State Legislature this past week demonstrate that we are ready, willing and able to supply the energy our nation needs.”

In a speech given in Lansing, Michigan, Senator Obama called for the completion of the Alaska natural gas pipeline, stating, “Over the next five years, we should also lease more of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska for oil and gas production. And we should also tap more of our substantial natural gas reserves and work with the Canadian government to finally build the Alaska natural gas pipeline, delivering clean natural gas and creating good jobs in the process.”

Governor Palin also acknowledged the Senator’s proposal to offer $1,000 rebates to those struggling with the high cost of energy.

“We in Alaska feel that crunch and are taking steps to address it right here at home,” Governor Palin said. “This is a tool that must be on the table to buy us time until our long-term energy plans can be put into place. We have already enjoyed the support of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, and it is gratifying to see Senator Obama get on board.”

The Governor did question the means to pay for Obama’s proposed rebate — a windfall profits tax on oil companies. In Alaska, the state’s resource valuation system, ACES, provides strong incentives for companies to re-invest their profits in new production.

“Windfall profits taxes alone prevent additional investment in domestic production. Without new supplies from American reserves, our dependency and addiction to foreign sources of oil will continue,” Governor Palin said.

Monday, August 18, 2008

McCain's Lies

If you watched the Pastor Warren forum over the weekend, you saw and heard McCain tell a story about how a prison guard in Vietnam shared a christian moment with McCain by drawing a cross in the sand.

It seems that this event was also experienced by Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

What a coincedence

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/17/122230/161/239/569299

Wakeup, America!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Steiger"wierd" strikes again

Well, tuned in last night to hear John Steigerwald ranting that he doesn't want the government controlling his healthcare. I guess he would rather take his chances with the for profit health insurance companies. What does he get for his efforts???

1. No guarantee that he won't be dropped from coverage for any reason.
2. Possibly denied claims for no good reason.
3. Rates that continually increase to keep paying stock dividends and CEO salaries.
4. 47 million Americans without insurance. (These folks have to wait to get really sick and go the ER for health care.) Doesn't this raise the cost of insuance for everyonce else?

Let's all support HR 676 that would expand Medicare to ALL Americans. What could be better for America than all of our citizens content in the knowledge that they won't have to worry about getting the health care they need.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Single payer health care, Karl Rove, and Inherent Contempt

This morning at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, I attended a press conference sponsored by the Western PA Coalition for Single-Payer Healthcare. The event brought together folks who are advocating legislation basically extending Medicare to all Americans. The feds will pay the bills, and the private sector will handle delivery of the health care. Sounds like a good deal to me!

State Senator Jim Ferlo's office reserved the room and the Senator was there to introduce speakers including Donna Smith recently in the movie Sicko and is co-chair of the Healthcare not Warfare campaign with PDA (Progressive Democrats of America), as well as labor leaders, other politicians and a visit by Congressman John Conyers of Michigan! It's his bill that is up for debate on extending Medicare (HR 676) to all Americans.

What a fantastic event! The speakers were great and had everyone applauding and cheering the prospect of a single payer system. Ron Codario, M.D. (steering committee of Western PA Coalition for Single-Payer Healthcare and member of Healthcare-NOW and Physicians for a National Health Program) was there to urge everyone to get out there and get this passed NOW!

Rep Conyers was inspiring and couldn't help but get the crowd excited with how his committee is dealing with Karl Rove and Harriet Myers thumbing their nose at being sobpoenaed to Congress...he told the crowd that he may use the power of Inherent Contempt of Congress to arrest Rove and place him in the jail cell below the captiol! YES!

All in all a great event and I'm more hopeful that we can build enough support to get HR 676 and PA State legislation passed so that all Americans can sleep better at night knowing they won't have to lose their livihood to save their life!

Wakeup, Americans!

Here's some pics from the event...








Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Code words, Moses, and the Terrified Christians

The McCain camp wants to reach the Terrified Christians and let them know that Obama is the Anti-Christ!

Watch it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUpM42X-DCs

Wakeup, Americans!!

Monday, August 4, 2008

Please thank a liberal!

Joe Republican: A Day in the Life of a Conservative
Re-posted by Frank J. Ranelli

Thanks to; John Gray, Cincinnati, Ohio

Like the Way You Live? Thank a Liberal!


Joe gets up at 6:00 am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure they are safe and work as advertised.

All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employers medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, now Joe gets it too. He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo; His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air.

Joe walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation days because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn't think he should loose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

It’s noon time, Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposits are federally insured by the FSLIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Depression.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten mortgage and his below market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his life-time.

Joe is home from work, he plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dads; his car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards.

Joe arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electric until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republican's would still be sitting in the dark).

Joe is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.

Joe turns on a radio talk show, the host's keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn't tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day) Joe agrees, "We don't need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I'm a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have".

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Steiger"weird" Watch!

Yeah, I'm a talk radio junkie. Locally, KDKA radio offers up mostly right wing, conservative screeds from local and national personalities. Lately, a local sports guy has turned to hosting a political talk show, his name is John Steigerwald.

While I've enjoyed Steigerwalds commentary and interviews related to the Pittsburgh sports scene, his political talk show creds show that he should have stayed with sports.

Recently, I tuned in and heard him chanting the latest conservative mantra of "Drill More Oil!". His favorite catch phrase is Shutup and Drill. So, I called in to ask a simple question of the host. I asked John why the oil companies are not currently dirlling on millions of acres of land that they lease from the government (us, that is). Well, John proceeded to stammer, spit, and cough and just couldn't come up with a quick quip of an answer to that one. His best was "We have to trust the oil companies to know how and when to drill."

Good one, John. Trust the oil companies.

Actually, to be fair, his initial answer to my question was "Oh, that's the Democratic answer!" In return, I asked "Well, what's the reailty, John?" Which was the trust big oil line. However, he still couldn't give a reason why drilling was not currently being done on leased land. Well, I asked another...."Why isn't drilling being done now with the thousands of dripping permits already issued to oil companies?" Again, spit, stammer, and cough.

Oh well, all I wanted was to give John a chance to show how much research he's done on a subject that he clearly is passionate about...unfortunately, all he cares about is getting T-Shirts made that say Shutup and Drill.

Guess we just need to sit back and trust that big oil will always do the right thing.

We'll check back in on ol' Steiger"weird" on occasion just to see how its going.

Wakeup, Americans!

Where have you gone, Tim Russert?

Ok, just watched MTP with Leiberman and Kerry, Brokaw, et. al.

As I am sitting there listening to Joe hammer home the need to drill more off shore saying that it's "safe" to do so now, I'm waiting for Brokaw to show him photos of the gulf after Katrina and to point out the government's own numbers for the millions of gallons spilled into the gulf.

Nothing.

Such a softball and Brokaw wouldn't even swing at it. Man, I miss Tim.

Wake Up, Americans!!

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Big oil and Drilling for $$$

Ok, so the latest screed from the right (as well as the media) is that we can provide quick relief for gas prices and also screw the likes of Hugo Chavez by just letting Exxon/Mobil drill, drill, and drill for oil off our shores.

We are being told by John McCain that current drilling technology is clean, and safe. Please tell that to the gulf coast residents that lived through Hurricane Katrina

http://www.katrinadestruction.com/images/v/damaged+energy+facilities/

So we know it's not clean nor safe. But, let's say that more oil is pumped from US offshore rigs. Somebody please tell me what impact that will have on oil prices? Now? 6 months? I'm looking for someone to give me numbers here.

The fact is even if we drilled in ANWR, and everywhere we could off our shores, AND we didn't sell it on the open market but kept it for our selves, it would serve our needs for about 1 year according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Wakeup, Americans!

WWJD?

WWJD? No, it's not what you think. The "J" is for Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson.

I'm reading Thom Hartmann's fantastic book: "What Would Jefferson Do?". After listening to the right wing and evangelicals constantly bring up the Founders when try to make a point, I thought it was time to find out what REALLY was on the founders minds.

Read this book, I'm begging you. I'll write more when I'm finished.

Wakeup, Americans!