Just as the deficit has become a topic where only the spending can be discusses, labor has become an issue where only entitlements have been discussed--salaries, benefits, right to organize, etc. I would argue that part of this change is due to the left not having new ideas and benefits they want to extend to workers, so there is no counter-balance. However, the majority purpose for the switch toward defending the ownership class is due to Fox having a stable, consistent, and constant message for the country. It doesn't matter what you say, as long as you keep saying it and saying it loud, people will listen. The left doesn't need Olberman--he's no different than Maddow, and not as impassioned as Ed--but for that he speaks in lofty language, making people feel the left is arrogant and haughty.
Fox is genius. They have pundits like O'Reilly and Beck, then they splash in "news guys" who are outrageously biased themselves (you can tell just from their facial reactions). Beck says something, O'Reilly reports on Beck, the news guys start their segment with, "its all in the news today that..." and spew whatever crap Beck started off with. Then they throw on the hottest news team on the planet. Those women, airbrushed and plastic-ed up for HDTV, never a hair out of place, find a way to be empathetic to the ruling class and think arguments for the working class are silly or disgusting. Just watch Megyn Kelly for one day, you will see how stark the comparison is just in her expressions depending to whom she is speaking (woohoo! Didn't end that with a preposition!). One of the most important aspects of the Ailes machine is the kick to commercial. Every Fox anchor does it, they are crafty professionals to say the least. In an effort to bring equal time to a segment they allowed to be dominated by their Republican colleague, they will finally let the opposition speak for about 20-30 seconds--an eternity in the news industry these days. The opposition is heard and ready for reply, but the anchor will throw a lasting dig, something to cut the entire argument in half--well, if you want Communism in this country and are ok will murdering babies, I guess we just disagree...We'll be right back and when we return the panel will join me to demonize the last guy's comments even more. Cut to commercial, sell gold, insurance, and medicine. Back to Fox, Beck reviews the news he helped create, taking an even more drastically right position, and round and round it goes. Bill O'Reilly is now looked at as the most balanced person on Fox. Someone explain that to me right after you explain the tides to Bill.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Calling the Shots
I was did the whole cycle this weekend, as usual. That is to say, my TVs are in a continuous stream of Fox, MSNBC, and CNN and I make sure to catch Maher and Meet the Press to balance it out. When I say balance it out so many may think both are liberal and with MSNBC and CNN, why do I need more liberal bias for my opinion? Well, because Fox is on message when MSNBC is on Lockup. Fox is selling small government and gold when CNN has Piers Morgan delving into the deep insights of the Kardashians. Fox is warning us of the Muslim Brotherhood's inevitable infiltration of the Egyptian revolution. The are setting the stage, the agenda.
Bill O'Reilly the other night had a Democrat and a Republican on to discus the budget. Bill prefaced the interview with a diatribe about the nanny state and how everyone expects the government to take care of them, warning of a Grecian downfall. I forget who was being interviewed, but remember that it was a pale, balding Democrat set far away from Mr. O'Reilly, sandwiching a gorgeous blond woman with a perfect smile who was almost holding hands with the host. To his credit, and almost as a set up, the Democrat started talking about raising the revenue in the country with increased taxes. That was brought up just in time for the beautiful blond to blurb that taxes dont bring up revenue, Bill agreed, then kicked to commercial. Upon return (I switched away, but couldn't bring myself to care why Bob Barker was on CNN), Mr. O'Reilly had a wonderful posture on the subject. Allowing the uneasy Democrat to make his point again about how taxes at the upper level need adjustment, Bill cut him off. The topic is the budget. Not taxes. Budget means how much money the country spends, so all it addresses is how much money the government can cut to reduce the deficit. The idea that the country might take in revenue was a different conversation for a different day. I recalled at that moment how Bill Maher mentioned that the top 400 income earners in this country made as much as the bottom 100 million earners last year. That's what I mean by balancing it out.
Meet the Press started with David Gregory telling the country that the discussion it was having was about spending cuts. That would be the topic, the Republicans set the topic, he even admitted, and the hour would be committed from that point on to which budget cuts were better than the other. Obama adding to the defense budget and cutting the non-military discretionary budget (basically everything he has control over) was not enough for the Republicans, and he should have known it wouldn't be. With a majority in the Senate and huge approval ratings for a very popular President, much is being conceded to the Right.
A TEA Party woman was arguing on Fox that the teachers in Wisconsin are getting too many benefits. Her argument was that as a small business owner she did not have the ability to collectively bargain for better health care rates and pays about $800 a month for her family of four. My head almost explodes as I recognize the irony that the organization she is speaking from was formed in response to a government program that would create competition and greater equality in health care, especially for small business. Fox then flips to a gorgeous woman mentioning that state employees get benefits and pay they would not otherwise get in the private sector. Host agrees without question, cut to commercial. Beautiful.
The rebellions in the Middle East are not about human rights. They have little to do with foreign policy or freedom. The true cause of the revolts is the cost of food. Many are starving, others have to devote their entire income to feeding their families. The people look up and see their leaders experiencing the most lavish of lifestyles while they perish. This is not the first time we have seen the Proletariat raise up, nor will it be the last. What we need to see in our own country is that our ruling class is not the politicians. The status quo is not ruined by one party or another. Instead, it is the removal of the upper class from the discussion. The ruling class in our society are the billionaires and corporations whose opinions and agendas are put at the forefront of the discussion of our national situation instead of our much more serious issues of energy dependence, education, health care, poverty, and infrastructure.
"We have to live within our means," is the new mantra on Fox these days. Remember, the budget is only what we spend, not what we take it, that has been made clear. Those words make people scared. The people at the lower levels of the income structure already feel they are living within their means. So do those in the middle and even upper middle classes. When politicians and pundits say, "live within our means," they instill a general fear in the majority of people that there will have to be some sort of cutting back in their lives. I am waiting for someone to argue "means." There are an awful lot of people in this country making and holding a whole lot of money. They have been for 30 years, reaping essentially all the benefit of the Conservative policies of the past 30 years. This has gone on without much resistance as the standard of living in this country has accelerated greatly over the same period, mostly due to cheap foreign labor and technological innovations.
Soon though, if the trend of stepping on every single worker and eliminating their right to assemble continues, if the national guard is called in in Wisconsin, if the government continues to try to fund itself on a equal plane as if this country has no socio-economic tiers, if we keep allowing the channel with the most consistent message spouted by the most beautiful people call the shots, we are in for a greater fall than Egypt. With enough downward pressure, those TEA Party people will stop arguing that government employees do have the right to have better benefits, and start arguing that they deserve those benefits as well and those people who are living the dream while they clean their sheets are going to have to pay for it. How far do we have to go until this revolution? It is my hope we never get there and correct ourselves before collapse, but one thing is for sure: you had better not have Americans going hungry.
Bill O'Reilly the other night had a Democrat and a Republican on to discus the budget. Bill prefaced the interview with a diatribe about the nanny state and how everyone expects the government to take care of them, warning of a Grecian downfall. I forget who was being interviewed, but remember that it was a pale, balding Democrat set far away from Mr. O'Reilly, sandwiching a gorgeous blond woman with a perfect smile who was almost holding hands with the host. To his credit, and almost as a set up, the Democrat started talking about raising the revenue in the country with increased taxes. That was brought up just in time for the beautiful blond to blurb that taxes dont bring up revenue, Bill agreed, then kicked to commercial. Upon return (I switched away, but couldn't bring myself to care why Bob Barker was on CNN), Mr. O'Reilly had a wonderful posture on the subject. Allowing the uneasy Democrat to make his point again about how taxes at the upper level need adjustment, Bill cut him off. The topic is the budget. Not taxes. Budget means how much money the country spends, so all it addresses is how much money the government can cut to reduce the deficit. The idea that the country might take in revenue was a different conversation for a different day. I recalled at that moment how Bill Maher mentioned that the top 400 income earners in this country made as much as the bottom 100 million earners last year. That's what I mean by balancing it out.
Meet the Press started with David Gregory telling the country that the discussion it was having was about spending cuts. That would be the topic, the Republicans set the topic, he even admitted, and the hour would be committed from that point on to which budget cuts were better than the other. Obama adding to the defense budget and cutting the non-military discretionary budget (basically everything he has control over) was not enough for the Republicans, and he should have known it wouldn't be. With a majority in the Senate and huge approval ratings for a very popular President, much is being conceded to the Right.
A TEA Party woman was arguing on Fox that the teachers in Wisconsin are getting too many benefits. Her argument was that as a small business owner she did not have the ability to collectively bargain for better health care rates and pays about $800 a month for her family of four. My head almost explodes as I recognize the irony that the organization she is speaking from was formed in response to a government program that would create competition and greater equality in health care, especially for small business. Fox then flips to a gorgeous woman mentioning that state employees get benefits and pay they would not otherwise get in the private sector. Host agrees without question, cut to commercial. Beautiful.
The rebellions in the Middle East are not about human rights. They have little to do with foreign policy or freedom. The true cause of the revolts is the cost of food. Many are starving, others have to devote their entire income to feeding their families. The people look up and see their leaders experiencing the most lavish of lifestyles while they perish. This is not the first time we have seen the Proletariat raise up, nor will it be the last. What we need to see in our own country is that our ruling class is not the politicians. The status quo is not ruined by one party or another. Instead, it is the removal of the upper class from the discussion. The ruling class in our society are the billionaires and corporations whose opinions and agendas are put at the forefront of the discussion of our national situation instead of our much more serious issues of energy dependence, education, health care, poverty, and infrastructure.
"We have to live within our means," is the new mantra on Fox these days. Remember, the budget is only what we spend, not what we take it, that has been made clear. Those words make people scared. The people at the lower levels of the income structure already feel they are living within their means. So do those in the middle and even upper middle classes. When politicians and pundits say, "live within our means," they instill a general fear in the majority of people that there will have to be some sort of cutting back in their lives. I am waiting for someone to argue "means." There are an awful lot of people in this country making and holding a whole lot of money. They have been for 30 years, reaping essentially all the benefit of the Conservative policies of the past 30 years. This has gone on without much resistance as the standard of living in this country has accelerated greatly over the same period, mostly due to cheap foreign labor and technological innovations.
Soon though, if the trend of stepping on every single worker and eliminating their right to assemble continues, if the national guard is called in in Wisconsin, if the government continues to try to fund itself on a equal plane as if this country has no socio-economic tiers, if we keep allowing the channel with the most consistent message spouted by the most beautiful people call the shots, we are in for a greater fall than Egypt. With enough downward pressure, those TEA Party people will stop arguing that government employees do have the right to have better benefits, and start arguing that they deserve those benefits as well and those people who are living the dream while they clean their sheets are going to have to pay for it. How far do we have to go until this revolution? It is my hope we never get there and correct ourselves before collapse, but one thing is for sure: you had better not have Americans going hungry.
Friday, February 18, 2011
No Taxes, No Spending, No Service
They said they would, and now you have to deal with it. The Republican Party is shrewd. They get in office and spend money they don't have. They lose an election, then run again on fiscal responsibility. Well, the things they cut when they get back in are not the same things they spend money on. In fact, they raise alarms about debts they created which may or may not be things to panic about, then cut all the programs that actually help the economy in favor of tax cuts that do nothing. We are seeing this play out in Wisconsin right now.
Tens of thousands of people, mostly state employees, have been protesting inside and out of their capitol. They are fighting what would amount to about a 7 percent decrease in their wages (13 percent net decrease if you consider the loss in benefits) brought about by the desire to balance the state budget. Now, it is important to realize, Wisconsin is not the only state in the spending slashing mood, and it is also not a poor state. In fact, the average wage earner in Wisconsin makes about $3100 more per year than the average American. The problem is that there just is not enough money coming in to the state coffers to pay for the things the people have come to expect. This seems like a simple idea, and it is. The solution is to either get more money coming in or reduce the amount of money going out. Now, cutting programs such as helium storage or studies on wild boars and whatnot are easy. Usually they are a few million bucks here and there that were pork-barreled in to get a bill through at an earlier date. Nowadays, though, there just aren't those programs around to cut. Nowadays, we are down to teachers, fire fighters, police, infrastructure projects, and the like. The things government provides that people forget are government while they are railing against all government (oddly those people usually have an American flag on them somewhere, despite hating everything the government has ever done other than lower taxes).
So now the other side is protesting. No more TEA Party rallies needed, the Republicans won, so they just have to put crazy back in the bag for another few years. Cut off some heating assistance for the poorest of the poor, eliminate some scholarships, and the Republicans will appease those people long enough to get them to vote on their side again next time. The real cuts, though, go to the core of the American way of life. Fewer teachers, furloughing state officials, taking away benefits from fire fighters and the like. The Republicans have framed the argument so well, saying they have no option but to cut. The only other way would be to tax, and that can't happen, the people don't want that. And the Republicans are right. The state budgets are in dire straits. Budgets do need to be brought to more manageable levels and should not be running deficits. And if Republicans were to raise taxes, the entire premise of their party would dissolve. Unfortunately for them, public funds are spent on the masses. Money that goes to schools effects most people in the state. Police, fire fighters, nurses, Planned Parenthood, construction projects, etc. all have direct effect on the masses. And the masses are coming out. Too bad they forgot to on the day it mattered back in early November.
My hope in all this is that the teachers don't go back to work. It would be a pleasure to see fires burn entire neighborhoods and riots rage without police presence. People, especially those in the midwest, need a little taste of anarchy to remind them what tax dollars really pay for. Wisconsin is one of many states that has seen disproportionate growth at the top and stagnation at the bottom (read Pulling Apart: Wisconsin's Growing Income Inequality on cows.org). The lowest income earners have gone from about 18,700 to about 20,100 during the past 30 years, whereas the top tier has gone from about 88,800 to 120,400 during the same period. The growth, just like the rest of the country, has been concentrated at the top with no management of that disparity. Because there are always more people at the bottom than the top, the disparity has to be balanced with increased taxes on the top percentile in order to continue to educate, fund, and sustain order.
People need to recognize there is a difference between wasteful spending and spending in general and that taxes are not something that just comes out of their paycheck and disappears into the mist. It seems the American people have been placated and coddled so much they have forgotten what exactly taxes pay for. Maybe a prolonged strike will remind them. Hopefully it goes long enough that the kids can't graduate this year for lack of school days. Maybe that will be enough of a wake-up call for people to get it. Watching the Democrats in that state flee in order to prevent a quorum is so appropriate after the 4 years of the same thing by the Republicans in the US Senate. The people of Wisconsin are lucky their representatives have enough concern for their state to stand up even when the electorate did not do so for them. One thing about the Republicans though, they did think this through. With all these cuts they are going to force though, they are definitely going to need all those guns.
Tens of thousands of people, mostly state employees, have been protesting inside and out of their capitol. They are fighting what would amount to about a 7 percent decrease in their wages (13 percent net decrease if you consider the loss in benefits) brought about by the desire to balance the state budget. Now, it is important to realize, Wisconsin is not the only state in the spending slashing mood, and it is also not a poor state. In fact, the average wage earner in Wisconsin makes about $3100 more per year than the average American. The problem is that there just is not enough money coming in to the state coffers to pay for the things the people have come to expect. This seems like a simple idea, and it is. The solution is to either get more money coming in or reduce the amount of money going out. Now, cutting programs such as helium storage or studies on wild boars and whatnot are easy. Usually they are a few million bucks here and there that were pork-barreled in to get a bill through at an earlier date. Nowadays, though, there just aren't those programs around to cut. Nowadays, we are down to teachers, fire fighters, police, infrastructure projects, and the like. The things government provides that people forget are government while they are railing against all government (oddly those people usually have an American flag on them somewhere, despite hating everything the government has ever done other than lower taxes).
So now the other side is protesting. No more TEA Party rallies needed, the Republicans won, so they just have to put crazy back in the bag for another few years. Cut off some heating assistance for the poorest of the poor, eliminate some scholarships, and the Republicans will appease those people long enough to get them to vote on their side again next time. The real cuts, though, go to the core of the American way of life. Fewer teachers, furloughing state officials, taking away benefits from fire fighters and the like. The Republicans have framed the argument so well, saying they have no option but to cut. The only other way would be to tax, and that can't happen, the people don't want that. And the Republicans are right. The state budgets are in dire straits. Budgets do need to be brought to more manageable levels and should not be running deficits. And if Republicans were to raise taxes, the entire premise of their party would dissolve. Unfortunately for them, public funds are spent on the masses. Money that goes to schools effects most people in the state. Police, fire fighters, nurses, Planned Parenthood, construction projects, etc. all have direct effect on the masses. And the masses are coming out. Too bad they forgot to on the day it mattered back in early November.
My hope in all this is that the teachers don't go back to work. It would be a pleasure to see fires burn entire neighborhoods and riots rage without police presence. People, especially those in the midwest, need a little taste of anarchy to remind them what tax dollars really pay for. Wisconsin is one of many states that has seen disproportionate growth at the top and stagnation at the bottom (read Pulling Apart: Wisconsin's Growing Income Inequality on cows.org). The lowest income earners have gone from about 18,700 to about 20,100 during the past 30 years, whereas the top tier has gone from about 88,800 to 120,400 during the same period. The growth, just like the rest of the country, has been concentrated at the top with no management of that disparity. Because there are always more people at the bottom than the top, the disparity has to be balanced with increased taxes on the top percentile in order to continue to educate, fund, and sustain order.
People need to recognize there is a difference between wasteful spending and spending in general and that taxes are not something that just comes out of their paycheck and disappears into the mist. It seems the American people have been placated and coddled so much they have forgotten what exactly taxes pay for. Maybe a prolonged strike will remind them. Hopefully it goes long enough that the kids can't graduate this year for lack of school days. Maybe that will be enough of a wake-up call for people to get it. Watching the Democrats in that state flee in order to prevent a quorum is so appropriate after the 4 years of the same thing by the Republicans in the US Senate. The people of Wisconsin are lucky their representatives have enough concern for their state to stand up even when the electorate did not do so for them. One thing about the Republicans though, they did think this through. With all these cuts they are going to force though, they are definitely going to need all those guns.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Super Bowl Bailout
Yesterday I heard the people who missed the Super Bowl due to faulty seats are suing the NFL for 5 Million dollars. The NFL has already offered a three times refund on their tickets as well as a free trip and tickets to the next Super Bowl. Now, I admit, it sucks to get booted from an event, I can only imagine it being a Super Bowl. The Cowboys and the NFL were bound to do something to fix the issue, and they did. What they didn't bank on was the culture of the United States. We are both a greedy and desperate people.
We are the marketing and advertising guinea pigs of the world. Constantly being flashed images of the next thing "you just have to have." Not only are ads everywhere, but celebrity is splashed in our faces every day as well. Seeing so many people on yachts with a helicopter makes a yacht without a helicopter just seem primitive. I mean, whose yacht doesn't have a helicopter? Only losers. Now, I'm not saying anything new here in mentioning that the US is big consumer engine that is driven by greed and fed by savvy marketing. In fact, having all that choice and freedom to buy everything the world has to offer is the new great promise of America. Yeah, sure, freedom of religion and assembly too, but who uses those? It's the ability to but mangoes during winter in North Dakota that people truly relish. Americans are greedy, and for good reason, the opportunity to be greedy is glamorized and presented to us on a daily basis. The problem is not the greed, it's the desperation.
The top 1 percent of the country has 42 percent of the wealth in the country. Their net worth is greater than the total of the bottom 90 percent. Upward mobility has essentially ended as well, the President not withstanding. What this creates is a desperate nation. One that would be rallying on the streets of DC like so many in Cairo, were we not dumbed down, over saturated with entertainment, and provided a decent standard of living on the pittance thrown at us by the elite classes. Of course, every penny of what Americans make need to be spent in order to have a decent lifestyle, and anything left over will be squandered at the altar of those advertising guys...you gotta admit, they are great at getting us to buy stuff. So what is the dream of it all? Wal-Mart. McDonald's. Coka-Cola. NFL. Hopefully an American can have a slip and fall at a big store, spill a drink on their lap, find a finger in a can, or even get kicked out of the Super Bowl. It's the American lotto, baby! The American dream has become one that is based on getting paid absurd amounts of money for something minor that a corporation "did to you." Now, the inclination is to blame the whiners. Blame the people trying to get money they don't really deserve, why are they trying to game the system? But the reality is that we need to examine the root cause.
The glamorized, advertised image of success in this country has gotten so far away from what any American can even hope to attain on their own that ripping open the Golden Ticket is the only way we as a people see to succeed. When one man works for 20k a year and another makes 300 Million a MONTH, there is a disparity that the former can never even fathom closing. The only way is to either win the lottery or hit the jackpot...a big fat law suit. That greed coupled with desperation is on display right now as people grab for a little taste of the good life. Let's not forget, Jerry Jones has a 400 Million dollar television. I say give it to them. Let a few more people in those gates, don't worry, 5 Million won't keep them there long. And it certainly wont get them a yacht with a helicopter.
We are the marketing and advertising guinea pigs of the world. Constantly being flashed images of the next thing "you just have to have." Not only are ads everywhere, but celebrity is splashed in our faces every day as well. Seeing so many people on yachts with a helicopter makes a yacht without a helicopter just seem primitive. I mean, whose yacht doesn't have a helicopter? Only losers. Now, I'm not saying anything new here in mentioning that the US is big consumer engine that is driven by greed and fed by savvy marketing. In fact, having all that choice and freedom to buy everything the world has to offer is the new great promise of America. Yeah, sure, freedom of religion and assembly too, but who uses those? It's the ability to but mangoes during winter in North Dakota that people truly relish. Americans are greedy, and for good reason, the opportunity to be greedy is glamorized and presented to us on a daily basis. The problem is not the greed, it's the desperation.
The top 1 percent of the country has 42 percent of the wealth in the country. Their net worth is greater than the total of the bottom 90 percent. Upward mobility has essentially ended as well, the President not withstanding. What this creates is a desperate nation. One that would be rallying on the streets of DC like so many in Cairo, were we not dumbed down, over saturated with entertainment, and provided a decent standard of living on the pittance thrown at us by the elite classes. Of course, every penny of what Americans make need to be spent in order to have a decent lifestyle, and anything left over will be squandered at the altar of those advertising guys...you gotta admit, they are great at getting us to buy stuff. So what is the dream of it all? Wal-Mart. McDonald's. Coka-Cola. NFL. Hopefully an American can have a slip and fall at a big store, spill a drink on their lap, find a finger in a can, or even get kicked out of the Super Bowl. It's the American lotto, baby! The American dream has become one that is based on getting paid absurd amounts of money for something minor that a corporation "did to you." Now, the inclination is to blame the whiners. Blame the people trying to get money they don't really deserve, why are they trying to game the system? But the reality is that we need to examine the root cause.
The glamorized, advertised image of success in this country has gotten so far away from what any American can even hope to attain on their own that ripping open the Golden Ticket is the only way we as a people see to succeed. When one man works for 20k a year and another makes 300 Million a MONTH, there is a disparity that the former can never even fathom closing. The only way is to either win the lottery or hit the jackpot...a big fat law suit. That greed coupled with desperation is on display right now as people grab for a little taste of the good life. Let's not forget, Jerry Jones has a 400 Million dollar television. I say give it to them. Let a few more people in those gates, don't worry, 5 Million won't keep them there long. And it certainly wont get them a yacht with a helicopter.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Sex, Guns, and Habanera
I was watching Megyn Kelly the other day and she was, as usual, condemming someone. It's ok when she does it, though, because she's in Carson Daly's old studio, so she's obviously hip, and she is supremely attractive, so we should all try to be more like her, duh. Anyway, she was talking about how awful abortion is and how it shouldn't be paid for, not even a penny, by taxpayers. Obviously she has never made a mistake in her life, mostly because she is a good Christian woman, of course. Obama had called abortion a "right to be used sparingly," or something like that, and Megyn (she even spells it kinda hot) said, "what other rights should be used sparingly?" "No, really, can you name another right we have in the Constitution that should be used sparingly? No." This, nostrils flaring, veins cracking the make-up, was her impassioned argument. Well, I was not the guest on the show that particular day, so I will reply here...the right to bear arms.
It's amazing to me how the same people who defend gun rights are so religious. What about "Thou shalt not kill," is vague? What else do guns do than kill--and if you are going to say they protect you, aren't you supposed to "turn the other cheek?" Everyone turns to the second amendment and says it's our right to have guns as Americans. True, but why aren't priests and nuns packing? Go figure, it's as if they believe in an afterlife. Does the freedom to "bear arms" mean I can have a nuke? No. How about a Gatling gun? A bazooka? Is there ever a reason for an individual to have anything other than a simple handgun or rifle? Not really, unless they are trying to mount an assault.
Maybe the best part of living in the United States is that we can buy more of what we want than the rest of the world, because satisfying our needs is relatively inexpensive. However, when we are purchasing a weapon, we should instead be concerning ourselves with if we need it. The idea that I can go to Walmart and purchase a gun just as easily as a Playstation and the registration process is about the same for both is pretty silly and people should recognize that. How is it that I have to see a doctor to get penicillin, but a gun a can get without a note? Please just stop saying that guns are great for everyone to have and in the same breath praise the Guy who told you not to kill anything. Oh, that goes for the death penalty too. Pick a side, folks.
Beyond that note, let's look at the politics of the AZ shooting. 2012 is going to Obama, that's clear just from listening to him speak. Every time anyone does, they listen and he makes sense. That is a whole lot more than any Republican can say right now. In 2016 the GOP, if it can get over its inherent racism (tough task), will put up Marco Rubio for President. As a Cuban, he will be able to codify the Hispanic vote, even though his policies will screw over the community, but that's beside the point. The only response the Dems will have is Giffords. Yeah, that's right, a pretty blond woman from a red state who is sympathetic to the Hispanic community, AND got shot in the head. Get Richardson behind her, maybe even as a VP, and they have a good story. If Rubio gets in and does just one thing for the Hispanics, the Republicans will own the Hispanic vote for 20 years or more. Can't let that happen, for the sake of the Hispanic community and the country. Get well soon, Gabby, you got a lot of work to do!
It's amazing to me how the same people who defend gun rights are so religious. What about "Thou shalt not kill," is vague? What else do guns do than kill--and if you are going to say they protect you, aren't you supposed to "turn the other cheek?" Everyone turns to the second amendment and says it's our right to have guns as Americans. True, but why aren't priests and nuns packing? Go figure, it's as if they believe in an afterlife. Does the freedom to "bear arms" mean I can have a nuke? No. How about a Gatling gun? A bazooka? Is there ever a reason for an individual to have anything other than a simple handgun or rifle? Not really, unless they are trying to mount an assault.
Maybe the best part of living in the United States is that we can buy more of what we want than the rest of the world, because satisfying our needs is relatively inexpensive. However, when we are purchasing a weapon, we should instead be concerning ourselves with if we need it. The idea that I can go to Walmart and purchase a gun just as easily as a Playstation and the registration process is about the same for both is pretty silly and people should recognize that. How is it that I have to see a doctor to get penicillin, but a gun a can get without a note? Please just stop saying that guns are great for everyone to have and in the same breath praise the Guy who told you not to kill anything. Oh, that goes for the death penalty too. Pick a side, folks.
Beyond that note, let's look at the politics of the AZ shooting. 2012 is going to Obama, that's clear just from listening to him speak. Every time anyone does, they listen and he makes sense. That is a whole lot more than any Republican can say right now. In 2016 the GOP, if it can get over its inherent racism (tough task), will put up Marco Rubio for President. As a Cuban, he will be able to codify the Hispanic vote, even though his policies will screw over the community, but that's beside the point. The only response the Dems will have is Giffords. Yeah, that's right, a pretty blond woman from a red state who is sympathetic to the Hispanic community, AND got shot in the head. Get Richardson behind her, maybe even as a VP, and they have a good story. If Rubio gets in and does just one thing for the Hispanics, the Republicans will own the Hispanic vote for 20 years or more. Can't let that happen, for the sake of the Hispanic community and the country. Get well soon, Gabby, you got a lot of work to do!
Just a Little to the Right...OK More...More...
The Republicans have flanked the country with the swiftness and skill of Patton. Through doing things like shouting out during last year's State of the Union, setting up a network full of beautiful people with attention seeking graphics and appealing visuals, and developing the Tea Party to appease the 70% of Republicans who are retarded gun-toters who will vote against their own interests because they think Jesus invented bullets. Damn, they have a Democratic President who wants to cut spending all the time, and they still call him a Socialist. Because of the Tea Party, the Republicans can own 2/3 or the news cycle by pretending they are different parties. Meanwhile consistent losers like "I Eat Too Much Candy" Crowly sit on CNN and promise that Republicans will be out of office if they dont perform. Wrong. After the gerrymandering and the Citizens United decision, there will be very little losing on the Republican side. As long as they keep the public dumb and behave incompetently, they stay in power. What a joke.
I could have heard the same State of the Union from Bush, but the Republicans (who stay on their lofty perch by having the Tea Party do their dirty work) will skew this as the most liberal event since Lilith Fair (that's a Lesbian rock concert, for the old folks). But honestly, if you can look that Bachmann and think there is sanity on the red side of the isle, you are more delusional than those who insist the world is 6000 years old. Anyone who doesnt have HBO, go back somehow and watch Rachael Maddow on Bill Maher Jan 21. Fantastic. Wish Obama wasnt castrated the first 3 weeks of his presidency. Fuckin Donkeys. Hee Haw!
I could have heard the same State of the Union from Bush, but the Republicans (who stay on their lofty perch by having the Tea Party do their dirty work) will skew this as the most liberal event since Lilith Fair (that's a Lesbian rock concert, for the old folks). But honestly, if you can look that Bachmann and think there is sanity on the red side of the isle, you are more delusional than those who insist the world is 6000 years old. Anyone who doesnt have HBO, go back somehow and watch Rachael Maddow on Bill Maher Jan 21. Fantastic. Wish Obama wasnt castrated the first 3 weeks of his presidency. Fuckin Donkeys. Hee Haw!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Undercover Pimp
What Fox is doing--and make no mistake, Roger Ailes and Rush ARE the Republican party, they set the agenda daily--on the abortion issue right now is disgusting. To try to siphon away the pennies tossed at Planned Parenthood which give the poorest and most vulnerable people in the country decent care is just disturbingly foul. They are wrapping it up in this ACORN-esque tape with nurses giving abortion advice to a so called pimp. Cleverly, they are not showing the tapes but for small clips. Well, for those of us (me) who keep the news on 24/7, you can piece it together. In reality, its a guy going in there, getting abortion advice, then saying the girls are prostitutes, then mentioning some are underage. The nurses give them basic procedures to follow to get the abortion, such as..."we don't take their information down" (the doctor does that). Also, "you don't have to be their parent to bring them in," (just their guardian). And in a separate tape, there is a nurse helping someone get an abortion when the discussion indicates the patient was impregnated through incest. The nurse says they are discreet in those situations and can get around the parental waiver in those situations (is there another way?). They are using this to say that Planned Parenthood is dealing in sex trafficking. Awful. More and more every day these people make me want to throw up. How much is enough for them? At this point they are going after such low-level programs with such tiny price tags, blaming these things for the deficit, just to laugh at the poor people squirming under their boots. There are not people in the world hoping one day they can get an abortion in a shitty clinic deep in the ghetto. These programs have been set up so we dont descend into chaos. When is Obama going to get some Weiner (D-NY) in him and start yelling...I mean YELLING at these disgusting people for their awful, horrible attacks on the ants they see from their ivory tower?
On the AZ shooting, January 10, 2011
Watching Meet the Press after the assassination attempt of an AZ representative, the first major assassination attempt that I can recall--too young for Reagan. What strikes me is how similar the debate is to every other issue that goes poorly for the Republicans. This kid, writing about how police have no Constitutional authority, is obviously a product of the Tea Party and radical right movement. Most upsetting is the way the coverage of him is being treated. This should be a condemnation of media outlets which give equal legitimacy to things like the Tea Party as they do honorable and intelligent people. This kid who shot up a Safeway has never known a world without cell phones, internet, or war. Imagine being 10 years old when 9/11 hit, family stocking up with more and more guns, living close to the border that everyone is telling you terrorists and rapists are crossing daily.
With the complete disregard society has treated its youngest over the past 10 years, such displays of attention seeking an statement making will only increase, I fear. The need for self-expression, the grab for glorified fame, and the celebrity of the Virginia Tech and Columbine shooters is too appealing to pass up for misguided, mishandled youth who realize their voices will never be heard, they will not receive their 15 minutes of fame as promised. The same type of criminal rebellion the country saw in the early 80s is on its way now, but so much more potent as their acts will be magnified by the very media and attitudes that supplied the feeling of being ignored and marginalized.
The worst part of this discussion though, is the belief the right has put forward and the left has conceded too, that there are crazies on both sides. Both sides are guilty, there are extremists on the left and right. What a joke. Throwing blood on a fur coat, protesting whaling ships, and living in tree houses to protect forests are far different expressions than assassinations and blowing up government buildings (Tim McVeigh, OKC).
The left needs to get aggressive on this. Point out that the violence is being perpetrated exclusively by the right and make the connection of these actions to the amount of fear and hate mongering in the Party. There is a consequence to scaring people on a daily basis and giving everyone guns. If everyone sings Kumbaya and holds hands at a vigil, though, the real responsibility of catalyzing this hatred and distrust will once again dissipate and the lesson will again pass unlearned.
This outburst is just the tip of the iceberg that political commentary 24/7 with equal respect given to both sides regardless of factual information is producing. Us lefties need to emphasize that it is ALWAYS the right doing crazy things. There would never be a concern about a hippie shooting Sarah Palin, deserved as it may be. There would not be a need for extra Secret Service around a President who was against gay marriage. The racists, the gun-slingers, the people who dragged James Earl behind a pick-up in Texas a few years ago--these are not liberals and it should be pointed out.
I am sick of the two groups being equal when its advantageous to be for the right, and the left is demonized when the shoe is on the other foot. It's the same as comparing Charlie Rangle's corruption (what amounted to just tens of thousands of dollars over a 30+ year career), to John Ensign, Larry Craig, or Duke Cunningham who perpetrated some of the most ridiculous scams of all time on their constituents. These things are not the same. Having your brother appointed to a post is very different than flying to Argentina to pursue a mistress on state funds.
If we keep treating these indiscretions as equal to each other just because they are both bad things, we put ourselves in a position where rape and jaywalking deserve the same condemnation. Ugh. So frustrating, I cant even think of a proper way to sum this up and tie it together with a witty remark. Sigh.
And the one guy who should be whacked never will be. Glenn Beck. Not a single hippie with a rifle?
Mark
With the complete disregard society has treated its youngest over the past 10 years, such displays of attention seeking an statement making will only increase, I fear. The need for self-expression, the grab for glorified fame, and the celebrity of the Virginia Tech and Columbine shooters is too appealing to pass up for misguided, mishandled youth who realize their voices will never be heard, they will not receive their 15 minutes of fame as promised. The same type of criminal rebellion the country saw in the early 80s is on its way now, but so much more potent as their acts will be magnified by the very media and attitudes that supplied the feeling of being ignored and marginalized.
The worst part of this discussion though, is the belief the right has put forward and the left has conceded too, that there are crazies on both sides. Both sides are guilty, there are extremists on the left and right. What a joke. Throwing blood on a fur coat, protesting whaling ships, and living in tree houses to protect forests are far different expressions than assassinations and blowing up government buildings (Tim McVeigh, OKC).
The left needs to get aggressive on this. Point out that the violence is being perpetrated exclusively by the right and make the connection of these actions to the amount of fear and hate mongering in the Party. There is a consequence to scaring people on a daily basis and giving everyone guns. If everyone sings Kumbaya and holds hands at a vigil, though, the real responsibility of catalyzing this hatred and distrust will once again dissipate and the lesson will again pass unlearned.
This outburst is just the tip of the iceberg that political commentary 24/7 with equal respect given to both sides regardless of factual information is producing. Us lefties need to emphasize that it is ALWAYS the right doing crazy things. There would never be a concern about a hippie shooting Sarah Palin, deserved as it may be. There would not be a need for extra Secret Service around a President who was against gay marriage. The racists, the gun-slingers, the people who dragged James Earl behind a pick-up in Texas a few years ago--these are not liberals and it should be pointed out.
I am sick of the two groups being equal when its advantageous to be for the right, and the left is demonized when the shoe is on the other foot. It's the same as comparing Charlie Rangle's corruption (what amounted to just tens of thousands of dollars over a 30+ year career), to John Ensign, Larry Craig, or Duke Cunningham who perpetrated some of the most ridiculous scams of all time on their constituents. These things are not the same. Having your brother appointed to a post is very different than flying to Argentina to pursue a mistress on state funds.
If we keep treating these indiscretions as equal to each other just because they are both bad things, we put ourselves in a position where rape and jaywalking deserve the same condemnation. Ugh. So frustrating, I cant even think of a proper way to sum this up and tie it together with a witty remark. Sigh.
And the one guy who should be whacked never will be. Glenn Beck. Not a single hippie with a rifle?
Mark
The Alpha
This effort has come about from thousands of emails tossed about between my family and I. Aunts and uncles, dad and siblings have all been throwing their opinions at each other in witty banter for years now. Not one for technology (I went without a cell phone for a year and a half just because I didn't want to be bothered), I usually sit the fights out until everyone has their say, left and right, and believe me, my family has both. When everyone has finished with their friendly, over-educated discussion, I hit "Reply All" and start going off.
This exchange was working just fine for me, and still is. However, when I see people like Eugene Robinson or Judge Napolitano on TV, it makes me want to scream as their input only scratches the surface of the true arguments. The fact that people like that influence our culture and politics is shameful. Oh, and I'm a big lefty, so maybe AOL will HuffPo me and let me retire without ever making a dime! (The answer, Rupert, is yes, I will sell out, but it will cost you a whole lot more).
If there are any questions in regards to any of my posts, bring 'em, I'll reply.
Rudy
This exchange was working just fine for me, and still is. However, when I see people like Eugene Robinson or Judge Napolitano on TV, it makes me want to scream as their input only scratches the surface of the true arguments. The fact that people like that influence our culture and politics is shameful. Oh, and I'm a big lefty, so maybe AOL will HuffPo me and let me retire without ever making a dime! (The answer, Rupert, is yes, I will sell out, but it will cost you a whole lot more).
If there are any questions in regards to any of my posts, bring 'em, I'll reply.
Rudy
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