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The Decline Of The Middle Class In America And Who Is To Blame

October 17, 2013 by Mark

Now that we have a short reprieve from the debt crisis and government shutdown, we should look at what caused the decline of the middle class in America.

Anyone who disagrees that the middle class has declined only needs to look at their own household budgets to see this is not a myth. The President ran his campaign on “rebuilding” the middle class. Statistics prove that income levels for the middle class has remained basically stagnant for the last 40 years!

While the middle class incomes have stagnated, the incomes of those at the top have risen dramatically. Here’s what I am talking about:

Income for the top 20 percent has increased since the 1970s while income for the bottom 80 percent declined. In the 1970s the top 1 percent received 8 percent of total income while today they receive 18 percent. During the same period income for the bottom 20 percent had decreased 30 percent.

In the 1970s the top 0.1 percent of Americans received 2 percent of total income. Today they get 8 percent.

In 1980 the average CEO made 50 times more money than the average worker while today the average CEO makes almost 300 times more than the average worker.

As Warren Buffett, the second richest man in America, famously said, “There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.”

We have been struggling in a slow recovery from the great recession of 2008. From 2009 to 2012, average real income per family grew modestly by 6.0% but the gains were very uneven. Top 1% incomes grew by 31.4% while bottom 99% incomes grew only by 0.4%. Hence, the top 1% captured 95% of the income gains in the first two years of the recovery. From 2009 to 2010, top 1% grew fast and then stagnated from 2010 to 2011. Bottom 99% stagnated both from 2009 to 2010 and from 2010 to 2011. Preliminary statistics for year 2012 show that top 1% incomes increased sharply from 2011 to 2012 while bottom 99% incomes grew only modestly.

In the 1980′s Ronald Reagan introduced “Supply Side Economics” commonly called the “trickle down effect”. He popularized the controversial idea that greater tax cuts for investors and entrepreneurs provide incentives to save and invest and produce economic benefits that trickle down into the overall economy.

In other words, if government economic policy focuses on making the rich richer, the benefits will “trickle down” to everyone else. As supply-siders are fond of saying, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Since Supply Side economics came to dominate American economic policy during the Reagan administration, the rising economic tide has certainly lifted a lot of yachts, but at the same time it has left most of the row boats stuck in the mud.

The past quarter century of Republican economics has proven that the trickle down theory is just a convenient excuse to justify an economic policy favoring the rich, with the benefits trickling up to make the very wealthy even wealthier.

Okay, so how did all of this happen?  Many will blame Reagan and his trickle down effect.  Many will blame greed of the CEO’s.  Many will blame outsourcing.  There are actually thousands of reasons why the middle class has declined.  However, there is one item that is commonly overlooked, and never talked about.  All of this is the fault of the American People.  That’s right, it is all our fault.  We allowed the one entity that protected our wages to be made the evil villain and allowed its influence to wane.

It all started back in the 1970′s.  At the time we saw many factories shut down, manufacturing jobs were being lost by the boatful, and we allowed our politicians to hoodwink us into believing that the Unions were totally to blame.  As a result, Unions were villainized, their influence in collective bargaining was weakened, and the decline began in earnest.

I have to admit, I was one of those who was hoodwinked!  I looked at the argument the other side was making and figured if the Unions weren’t inflating wages and benefits, we could make things cheaper and better compete on the global market.  I am here to announce that I was wrong!!!  The Unions were not inflating wages and benefits, they were protecting us from greedy owners who only looked at profits and didn’t care about the workers.

People were saying we were losing jobs overseas because of the Unions and their demands.  But, we were really losing our jobs overseas because the manufacturers were using outdated, cumbersome, and inefficient equipment.  Rather than spending capital and modernizing their factories, the found it cheaper to close them down and move overseas where they were building new modern factories.  And, we all bought into their argument that it was the Unions fault.

It was difficult growing up on the south side of Chicago.  That was the true blue-collar area of the City.  I watched as Wisconsin Steel shut down.  Inland Steel shut down.  Pittsburgh Paints shut down.  U.S. Steel shut down.  It went on and on until just about all of the manufacturing jobs in the area were shutdown. What we overlooked at the time, was the owners of the facilities didn’t shut down, they simply moved overseas and took our jobs with them.

Because of all of the shutdowns in the 1970′s, the Unions lost their popularity and their influence on our behalf.  That has directly resulted in the stagnation of the middle class and the upswing in the top 1%’s wealth.  It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out either.  Look at Wisconsin and Ohio where the governors blocked collective bargaining for government workers!  In Detroit, the “Manager” appointed by the governor is more in favor of paying bond holders than in paying city workers their pensions!  They are still villainizing the Unions.  The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the middle class is disappearing.

Taking into account Wisconsin, Ohio and Detroit, the real problem is that too many of us are still buying into this crap!  There are still thousands of people who still blame the Unions.  They still think that fighting for a livable wage for them is going against their interests!  It is time for the American Worker to start standing up for themselves again.  We must stop rolling over every time our politicians tell us it all starts at the top.  Remember during the last election when Mr. Romney kept yelling “we built this”?  Well he was wrong.  The rich did not build it.  We the workers of America through our sweat, blood, and sometimes tears BUILT IT!

I say it is time we own up to our mistake from the past and to tell our politicians to stop their war on the working people of America.  It is time we actually join the war and fight back!  There is absolutely no justification for anyone in this country who puts in a full day’s work to be forced to live below the poverty line.  The minimum wage is the biggest contributor to the rise in poverty in this country!  The minimum wage MUST be raised to a livable wage, and we must trust our Unions again!  Otherwise the American middle class will completely disappear!

Posted in Bloggin, Conservative Bullshit Debunked, Economics, General, News & Current Events, Politics | 5 Comments »

The Canadian Says The Senate Must Listen To American People

October 16, 2013 by Mark

Watching all of the continued buffoonery going in Washington today, I saw a news conference Mr. Cruz held about the upcoming vote in the Senate to reopen the government and extend the debt ceiling.

He used his usual line that the Senate should listen to the American People about the Affordable Care Act. One of his tired quotes is that over 2 Million people have signed a petition to defund “Obamacare”.

I remember the petition he is talking about. It came on all the cable news stations. Hell, even MSNBC allowed the commercial to be run. The first time I saw the ad, I figured what the heck. I called to number just to see what would happen. When the computer picked up, I was asked to press 1 to defund Obamacare or 2 to keep it going. Naturally I chose 2.

About two months later, just to keep track, I recalled the number. The option of pressing 2 was deleted. Now I can think of only two reasons for the second option to be deleted. One is because no one was choosing it. The other is because more people chose option 2 than option 1. Wouldn’t you think that if the overwhelming number of people calling chose option 1 they would extol how much more people wanted to defund rather than keep it going?

But, let’s get back to Mr. Cruz. He claims that over 2 million people signed the petition. That means, according to his math, the American People want Obamacare to go away. Okay, I’m all for a challenge. Let’s look at the numbers.

There are over 350 Million People living in the U.S. Even assuming the 11 Million figure for undocumented aliens living here that still leaves over 339 Million people. We can also assume that at least a third are children with no right to vote. So, 339 Million divided by a two-third equals 226 Million people who are of voting age.

The final tally of the 2012 Presidential Election had over 126 Million People voting.  Of that 126 Million votes cast, President Obama received over 65 Million of them. Mr. Romney received over 60 Million of them.

Now, one of the biggest issues in the 2012 Presidential Election WAS the Affordable Care Act. Mr. Romney wanted desperately to repeal the law, and naturally President Obama wanted it to remain on the books. If Mr. Romney had won the election, the law would have certainly been repealed.

Funny thing though. In mathematics , 65 Million votes beats 60 Million votes any way you look at it. Now, Mr. Cruz says he has over 2 Million on a petition to defund the act. That is even less than the margin of victory for Mr. Obama.

Okay, Mr. Cruz, you want the Senate to listen to the American People. It appears that they are doing exactly that. The American People have spoken very loudly and you lost!   Plus, please remember that 90 per cent of the American People want Universal Background Checks when purchasing a gun.  75 per cent of the American People wanted the Jobs for Veterans Bill passed.  And, 70 per cent of the American People did not want the government shut down or the debt ceiling not raised just to defund the Affordable Care Act.  It is evident that the only members of the Senate who are not listening to the American People is you and Senator Lee.

Just for once, why don’t you follow your own advice and listen to the American People. Just for once, why don’t you just shut the hell up and go away!!!

Posted in Bloggin, Conservative Bullshit Debunked, Fiasco, General, Health, Math, News & Current Events, Politics | 2 Comments »

Shovels are Shovels, Hammers Are Hammers, Nails Are Nails, and Plain Talk Is Plain Talk

October 16, 2013 by Mark

This morning, we sit and await, again, for the Senate to finalize their great compromise for ending the government shutdown and raising the debt ceiling. But, as I mentioned yesterday, it is only for a short period and we will have a “do over” in a few months if it passes.

With that in mind, I think it is time to have some plain talk about what the Pee Party has done, said, and lied about. I know, some people think that every time one of these idiots flap their gums they automatically lie. But I want to point out to everyone just how despicably treacherous their lies really are.

Last Sunday a group calling themselves the Million Vet March showed up at the WWII Memorial. Of course, Mr. Cruz availed himself as well as the failed governor of Alaska. Now, just for the record. I checked with several of my fellow vets and no one has ever heard of these “marchers” or their cause. I also contacted several true Veterans Groups and they all disavow what happened on Sunday. The whole thing smelled more like a Pee Party March that a true Veterans gathering. Veterans do not want a piece-meal approach to opening the government.  We want it all opened so all Americans benefit.

Anyway, Mr. Cruz wanted to ask one simple question: “Why is the government spending money to put up barricades to keep veterans out of the memorial?” I have his answer. It is because you personally worked diligently to shut down the government. With the government shut down, security personnel cannot perform their duties because the government can’t pay them. As a result, it is a matter of safety to ensure no one has access.

If it were to be kept open without proper security and someone was injured or died while visiting the memorial, Mr. Cruz would be the first one screaming that the government was at fault because they shouldn’t let people in someplace that wasn’t protected properly. Any headline for Mr. Cruz is a good headline.

But, Mr. Cruz failed to mention that his party was desperately trying to reduce benefits for these very same veterans. Because of the shutdown, and especially if we go off the fiscal cliff, any disabled veterans who attended this “march” will not receive their benefits including their pensions. Why did Mr. Cruz fail to mention that? Additionally, the Republicans have continuously tried to slash the VA budget. Why didn’t Mr. Cruz mention that?

As for the failed governor, she doesn’t even rate a mention from me other than to say she is the most UN-AMERICAN person in American Politics! ‘nough said!

If you remember, a couple of weeks ago, Mr. Cantor showed up in front of the cameras with several members of his chamber wearing their white doctor coats. During this charade, he stated that they wanted to fund the NIH so cancer patients would get the care they needed. What he didn’t say was how much funding he was willing to let go to the NIH. Was it the budget before the shutdown? Was it the budget less the $1.3 Billion cut he proposed last year? Or, was it the budget less the $1.6 Billion cut he proposed the year before? And what was the justification for these cuts? The government shouldn’t be funding what should be private research. It seems it is okay to shred the NIH budget, but he is shocked that it actually affects real people.

During this press conference Mr. Cantor went on to say things like WIC, Food Stamps, etc. should also be funded. He failed to say at what levels they should be funded at. Again are they to be funded less the $20 – $40 Billion cuts he wants in these programs?

The Republicans especially the Pee Party are trying desperately to tell the American People that the government shutdown is the fault of the President and Senate Democrats. Can they please explain to me if that is true, why was Mr. Cruz making the rounds on conservative talk shows weeks BEFORE the shutdown saying they wanted the shutdown and then would piece-meal open parts of the government that were popular and keep the rest closed.

They claim that they want the government OUT of people’s lives.  Here are the things they think will keep government out of our lives.  They want to de-regulate the markets.  They want to reduce personal income taxes for the wealthy.  They want to eliminate the minimum wage.  They want to eliminate a woman’s right to choose.  They want to restrict contraception availability to women.  They want women to be paid at 70% of what men in the same job make.  They want only THEIR prayers forced on our school children.  They want to ban gay marriage.  They want to eliminate the EPA, OSHA, Dept. of Energy, Dept. of Education.  Seems they want to control our lives more than any other group in our history!

See this comes down to two simple facts. This whole mess is the contrived doing of a minority of one party in one chamber of the Congress. Fact one: This faction does not believe in the American Way of Life. They only believe in power! Elections don’t mean anything to them. If you lose the election, simply take the entire country hostage to get what you want. They don’t care about their constituents, the American People, or for that matter God. They simply want power to make sure they control our lives.

Second Fact: These people are, simply put, bigots who cannot accept the idea that the American People elected a black man to be President. And, the fact he was re-elected just rubbed salt into their wounds. Of course, they have a back-up plan. If you can’t win elections because the majority of the people don’t like you, simply rig them so you can predict the outcome. Make sure people against you can’t vote. Make sure your district is made up only of like-minded nitwits. Gerrymander the districts to make your power base safe.

Remember, the Pee Party is where the Birthers live.  They believe President Obama is illegitimate because they can’t believe he was actually born in Hawaii.  However, they don’t seem to have a problem following someone whose birth certificate clearly states he was born outside the U.S.  Why are the birthers silent about Mr. Cruz and his plan to run for President?  Could it be because he is whiter?

So, to speak plainly, we have a bunch of bigots and hate mongers who are totally against the American Way of Life trying to formulate their own little coup against the government and the American People. Oh, they wrap themselves in the flag they hate, the God they hate, and the American Dream they hate and spout whatever they think will get them elected.

Is this really what America is all about? Do we really want to go down the path to a dictatorship? Are we really that lazy that we cannot see what is going on? Or, are we actually going to do something in 2014 and vote these despotic haters out of office?  I’m sorry to say this, but if things continue on this path, one day you will be walking down the street and a man in a leather trench coat will approach you and say “Papers, Please”.  Maybe then you will wonder how did it all go wrong.

Posted in Bloggin, Conservative Bullshit Debunked, Fiasco, General, News & Current Events, Politics, Race | Leave a Comment »

Let’s Play Another Round Of Kick The Can Down The Road If The “Stupid People” Allow It

October 15, 2013 by Mark

Here we go again.  The Senate is reportedly close to a deal that will reopen the government and extend the debt ceiling.  The government would be funded until January 15, 2014 and the debt ceiling would be extended until February 7, 2014.  The deal would also require a joint conference between the Senate and the House to hammer out a formal budget for 2014.

There are reportedly two items of note in the deal.  The first would provide additional measures to verify income subsidies under the health care law (one thing the Republicans really want) and the other would delay a reinsurance fee under the health care law (which the unions really want).  Sounds like a fair compromise if it can get done.  But, that is the real questions: “Can it get done?”

In the Senate, Mitch McConnell is one of the driving forces behind the deal.  It seems that Mr. McConnell can actually read the polls which are hammering the Republicans as the root cause of the shutdown.  Other Republican Senators seem to share his idea that something must be done, or the Republican Party as we know it may go the way of the Dodo Bird.  Let me be clear about this.  I am not a fan of Mitch McConnell.  I find him to be a total “waster” as some would put it.  He lacks depth of feeling towards anyone but himself.  However, I must give credit where it is due.  Remember, McConnell is facing a Pee Party Primary opponent, and a very strong Democratic opponent in 2014.  For him to break with the Pee Party movement here is a sign that at least he has some backbone.  We must give him some credit for that.

That said, the deal still faces the “stupid people” in the House.  Seems they would rather default and keep the government closed because as one put it “no deal is better than a bad deal”.  Of course, we already know that according to the “stupid people” the only “deal” is where they overthrow the governmental process and get everything they want.  The “stupid people” don’t know how to spell deal much less make one.

That brings us to Mr. Boehner.  You know the spineless Speaker of the House who has proven that he is only interested in keeping the title rather than actually being a Speaker of the House.  Can he get any deal past the House?  If he goes by the “stupid people’s” role of only bringing legislation to the floor that has the majority of the majority backing it before any vote, it won’t pass.  The “stupid people” will ensure that it never does.  Rep Huelskamp (R-KS) has already said: “Anybody who would vote for that in the House as Republican would virtually guarantee a primary challenger.”  The extortion from the “stupid people” continues in the House.

But then, who is the real Speaker of the House?  It it Mr. Boehner or Canadian Senator Cruz?  There is more evidence that the Canadian is trying to be more of a speaker than Mr. Boehner.  Last night, Mr. Cruz met with 15 – 20 HOUSE Republicans at a bar in D.C.  Seems they were discussing their plans about how they should respond to a tentative Senate deal to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling without addressing Obamacare in a substantive way.  At least the choice of a bar as the site of their meeting is appropriate.  They have been making Americans drink more since they came into office.

So, as a deal is trying to be worked out in the Senate, the country will hold it’s breath wondering if Mr. Boehner can actually BE the Speaker of the House and deliver on it.  Or, will the House Republicans rally around their foreigner hero Mr. Cruz instead.

But, the one thing that is being missed in all of this is the fact that we are simply “kicking the can down the road” again.  Right after the holidays, we will be right back here where we started.  If you really think that the “stupid people” will actually negotiate in good faith over a budget deal, you are sadly mistaken.  They will take their usual vacations, string things along, and wait for the deadlines and then try again to overthrow the democratic process.  Remember, Anarchists do not believe in democracy.  They get their way by taking hostages and using extortion to get their way.  The “stupid people” are nothing less than Anarchists and will ruin our country to get what they want.

My father once told me that negotiating with “stupid people” is like arguing with a bar stool.  The stool never hears what you have to say and doesn’t really care about it anyway.  In that respect, the “stupid people” are the same as bar stools.  Problem is, they are far more dangerous to the common good than a bar stool.

Posted in Bloggin, Fiasco, General, News & Current Events, Politics, Sour Grapes/Pouting/Whining | Leave a Comment »

Christian Conservatives And Evangelicals Are Really Anti-Democratic

October 14, 2013 by Mark

The so-called Value Voters held their annual symposium last week.  They rolled out the usual suspects for their speeches including Canadian Senator Cruz, Paul Ryan, Senator Lee, and other hate mongers to express their “values” to the crowd.  This brings up the real fact that Christian Conservatives and Evangelicals are really anti-democratic if not downright un-American.

I believe that the religious argument is a root cause of the mess we are in right now.  Although I do have my own deeply held spiritual beliefs, I am not what most would call a practicing follower of any of the religions.  Though through my upbringing, I have studied religion quite extensively.

We have recently heard all too often the Republicans wrapping themselves around god when they talk about their budgets, opposition to the Affordable Care Act, and other political issues.  That was very evident at the Value Voters Symposium last week.  Quite frankly, I am sickened by their use of god to justify their prejudices.

But, then again, isn’t that what religion really is? We all have our prejudices, and you can find a passage in the one of the religious books that justifies them. For example, when the South had their equal but separate laws, they used a passage of “each shall seek their own kind” to justify their discrimination.

But, the real reason I am sick of anyone using religion in political debates is because religion is actually anti-democratic! Now before you go off the deep end either cheering me or damning me, think about it for a minute. If you really take a close look at the Bible, it reads more like a Monarchy than democracy.  We don’t refer to our President as Lord.  Nor, do we have Presidents “appointed” by god as Monarchy’s have their Kings “appointed” by god.

It doesn’t matter which religion you belong to either. The premise is the same. Christians believe only they will reach heaven. Muslims believe everyone else is an infidel and therefore banned from Paradise. Jews believe they are the chosen people, etc. It all boils down to one principle, I am better than you because of my religion.

When you keep that in the confines of religion, I guess that is okay. Everyone has the right to believe whatever they wish. However, when you bring that into politics, then you cross the line and actually become anti-democratic.

In America, Christians are currently in the majority.  As a result, there are a lot of people who claim that this country was founded as a “Christian Nation”. If you actually read history, that is an incorrect belief. This nation was founded to be a secular nation. The main reason the separation of church and state is in the constitution is to keep the government from telling you what you have to believe in. Remember, at the time of our nation’s founding, just about every nation on earth had a national religion. If you didn’t follow that religion, you were in deep trouble.  Remember the history lesson that says the Pilgrims came to America to flee religious persecution?

Separation of church and state is supposed to mean exactly that.  The government cannot tell you what religion you must follow.  But it also means that your religion cannot dictate to the rest of the country what they must believe or how to live.  Here is where it starts getting tricky.  In a democracy, the majority is supposed to rule, yet the minority is supposed to be protected by the law.  If the majority belongs to one type of religion, the temptation is ever-present to ensure their religious beliefs become law.  But once that happens democracy fails because the minority is not protected.

It is incumbent upon our legislators to pass laws to protect the common good.  It is also incumbent upon them to ensure that the common good represents ALL of the people and NOT just their religious beliefs.  We have had a long history where the common good was upheld without limiting it to one religious belief.  Unfortunately, when politicians start wrapping themselves in religion to justify their positions, or worse just to get votes, the common good flies out the window and national religion becomes a reality.

I’m sorry to say this, but in my opinion, Evangelicals and/or the Christian Conservatives have killed what most people would consider true Christianity in this country.  They are the ones who rail against the working poor as lazy.  They are the ones who claim that their riches are a result of God’s blessings.  They are the ones who say if you are not gaining riches it is because you don’t believe properly.  They also claim that they are saved simply because they believe Jesus is their Savior.  They don’t seem to believe their actions have anything to do with their “being saved”.

As an example, Michelle Bachman, among others, claims to be a “born again Christian”.  Yet she and the others continuously vote against Food Stamps, Welfare, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, Unemployment Benefits, Job Bills, etc.  That doesn’t sound very Christian to me.  It seems that Ms. Bachman and her cronies have forgotten that Jesus gave the world only two commandments.  The second of which is to “love your neighbor as yourself”.  I guess she believes that only applies to her rich neighbors where she lives.  She and the others forgot that Jesus also said: “what you do to the least of you, you do unto me”.

It doesn’t stop with politicians either.  Our friends over at the Foreign Owned Xenophobic News network are continuously railing about the ”War on Christmas” and how President Obama really wants to impose “Sharia” law in the U.S.  The self-proclaimed prophet Bill O’Reilly blurted out on air that Christ was killed over taxes.  If that is true, then it is the one and only time that the Romans killed someone for actually advocating people pay their taxes.  Remember this from the bible:  “When asked if we should pay our taxes, Jesus said show me a coin.  Then he asked, whose image is on the coin.  The reply was Caesar’s.  Jesus then said, then give unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and give unto God that which is God’s.”  Sounds to me like he is telling his audience to pay their taxes.

And don’t forget all of the Pat Robertson’s of the world preaching their vial dialogue on air.  They are against everything that does not fit nicely into their perverted view of Christianity.  Lots of preaching against the gays, the poor, the Muslim, the Jew, etc.  Be against one of them, and you are certainly against god.  After all, doesn’t Pat say he speaks directly to god?  After listening to him speak, it surly must be a one-way conversation with Pat doing all of the talking.

It is also apparent these people are being quite casual about what they believe in.  They seem to pick and choose the parts of the bible they want and throw out the rest of it.  How often do you hear Christians quote the Old Testament?  I was taught that Christianity was based on the New Testament and that the Old Testament was only there to prove Jesus was the savior promised after the fall of Adam and Eve.  Isn’t the Old Testament based on the Jewish Torah?

I am not against religion.  Nor am I against people believing in the religion of their choice.  I am against anyone, regardless of their religious beliefs, who impose those beliefs on me or my nation.  Now may be a good time to point out to my Christian Conservative friends that  the Apostles actually disagreed as to whether or not Christianity was a Jewish Religion, or if it should be opened to gentiles.  If the other side of the argument had won the argument, the Roman Empire would never have become Christian.  Europe would never have become Christian.  And the probability is that you would now be Muslim instead of Christian because the Moors would have probably overrun Europe.  Either that or you would be a Pagan.

The time has come for Religion to go back to being Religion, and our government go back to being secular with the common good as its premise.  Otherwise, if the current crop of Conservative Christian Republicans have their way, we will soon see Christian Sharia as the law of the land.  That is anti-democratic.

Posted in Bloggin, Church & State, General, News & Current Events, Religion | 1 Comment »

Why Raising The Debt Ceiling Without Opening The Whole Government Would Be The Wrong Thing To Do

October 11, 2013 by Mark

Yesterday, the Republicans sort of blinked. With polls reaching the depths of despair for them, and Wall Street and Big Business shouting, they finally offered a short-term deal. They are willing to raise the debt ceiling and then negotiate over opening the Government. Now as one who is potentially affected by this, I want this deal turned down. The Government must be opened as part of the deal. Otherwise, the hostages will still be held by the Republican Party.

I know we have talked a lot here about the NIH, Death Benefits, WIC, etc. But here are some additional examples of the fallout from the Government shutdown that are not talked about.

In the State of Texas, it seems that schools who offer lunch programs send a bill to the Texas Government each month for reimbursement for these lunches. The State then pays the bill from Federal Money they receive to support the lunches. No money is presently available. So, will lunches continue? That will be up to the State if they can afford to keep the project going.

There has been a lot of talk about the military. One item that has been left off the table is that commissaries and exchanges have been closed. Doesn’t sound like much. However, as a retired military man, I can tell you these stores are vital to support our troops. They offer savings on food and clothing that cannot be matched in the private sector. And, with many military personal already eligible for Food Stamps, these closing are having a major impact on the monthly budgets of our servicemen and women.

A privately owned restaurant/tavern in Philadelphia is forced to close for the duration of the shutdown. The tavern is located inside a building inside the Independence National Historical Park. Since the park was forced to shut down, the tavern was informed it had to shut down as well.

There was recently a major traffic accident in Tennessee. A church school bus, a truck and several cars were involved with several people being killed. Normally the National Transportation and Safety Board would investigate such accidents to determine cause. But, with the shutdown, there is no investigation from the NTSB.

Miners are till going down into the mines for the resources that make our economy go. However, the Mine Safety and Health Administration has had to drastically reduce it inspection force. Additional, if a disaster would occur, the MSHA would recall additional workers, but response times would be delayed.

A private Tourism Company in Hawaii is reportedly losing $50,000 per day due to cancellations of tours because the parks in Hawaii are closed. Additionally, the USS Arizona Memorial is also closed resulting in lost revenue. The State of Hawaii takes in about $11 Billion in tourist revenue each year. But, as a result of the shutdown, they are expecting a large chunk of that money being lost.

It is harvest time in the farm belt. Many farmers receive subsidies or loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help with the costs of the harvest. However, because of the shutdown, farmers cannot cash their USDA checks. There isn’t any money to pay out.

Finally, from Pee Party central, a massive blizzard in South Dakota last week killed over 20,000 head of cattle.  That is up to 20% of the herds. Under normal circumstances, the USDA would help out these ranchers. First the Farm Service Administration would assist in removing the carcasses. But with the shutdown, the FSA is closed down. Removing the bodies is an extreme health necessity because they can spread diseases to the rest of the herd and to people. Furthermore, the USDA help the ranchers by compensating them by paying at least a portion of fair market value for each head lost. This softens the blow to the ranchers. But, since Congress has not passed a Farm Bill, that money is unavailable. Even if it was available, it couldn’t be processed because the USDA is closed during the shutdown.  Many ranchers are expecting to be forced out of business as a result.

These are just some examples of how the Government Shutdown is affecting thousands of average people across the country. They are in addition to women not being able to get formula from WIC, Seniors not getting their meals from Meals on Wheels, etc.

That is why we cannot allow the hostages to remain in the custody of the Republicans. Seems their values don’t include suffering American People.  We must open the whole Government in any deal and then get to work on a real budget.

If you know about more such examples, please share them. Maybe, just maybe, if we shout loud enough, we can drown out the Pee Partiers and get things moving again.

Posted in Bloggin, Economics, Environment, General, Health, News & Current Events, Politics, Travel | Leave a Comment »

The Art of Listening And Decision Making

October 10, 2013 by Mark

In the movie Casablanca, there is a point when Rick’s is shut down by Louie. Rick asks “what grounds do you have to shut me down”. Louie replies: “I’m shocked, shocked that gambling is going on in here”.

In the lead-up to the Government shutdown, Congress was warned by just about every government agency what the effects would be. They were warned that NIH would stop taking in new patients. They were warned that death benefits to fallen soldiers would be delayed. They were warned that national parks and monuments would shut down. And the list goes on.

Now, every time the news media runs a story about one of these things actually affecting real people, the Pee Party and Republicans run around shouting: “I’m shocked, shocked this is happening”.

It appears none of them ever learned how to listen to anyone. When warned, they simply shrugged their shoulders and said “oh, well”. Then when something happens that puts them in a bad light, the “shocked” scenario blurts out of their mouths.

I would like to point out to our members of Congress that actually listening to someone speak means you must HEAR what they are saying and actually process what the words mean. I wish I could get them to “listen” to this, but I guess that is too much to ask. Because, you cannot HEAR anything when you already made your mind up to go the other way.

The art of making decisions also seems foreign to them. We continually hear that Mr. Boehner wishes to negotiate with the President. But, they cannot decide WHAT to negotiate about. I know I have said this before, but what the hell are they NOT thinking about?

Want proof? Here are some conflicting items on their “wish list” for negotiating.

•House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan penned an op-ed asking for a compromise over entitlements and tax reform, but didn’t mention anything about the president’s health-care law

•Hours later, Speaker John Boehner went to the House floor to insist that Obamacare is still on the table

•The firm run by the conservative Koch Brothers distanced itself from any effort to defund the health-care law and instead called for Congress to cut government spending, per NBC’s Michael Isikoff

•Heritage Action meanwhile, wants to take the debt ceiling off the table and focus instead on Obamacare (even though it has received money from the Koch Brothers)

•And then yesterday afternoon, social conservative Ralph Reed asked Boehner to end subsidies for abortion under the health-care law (yes, abortion) as part of any deal to fund the government or raise the debt ceiling.

If you are confused by this disturbingly conflicted wish list, you are not alone. Here is a majority in the House of Representatives who can’t figure what they want. Yet, they are willing to let the government stay shuttered and threating default of the national debt causing massive hardships on people including THEIR constituents.  By the way, from what I have read, if you have your retirement tied up in 401(k) accounts you can kiss it goodbye if the government actually does default. Something to think about.

Did you notice that even the latest Evil Empire the Koch Brothers are telling them to stop the nonsense over the Affordable Care Act? You may at first think that they have a heart. Nope. What they really want is for the EPA and OSHA to be abolished. They don’t want those pesky government agencies coming around anymore checking on their pollution or safety record.

So, here we sit. Waiting for the Pee Partiers and their slaves in the Republican Party to try and figure out what they want, and paying the price for their ignorance.

Next time you hear one of these arm-chair patriots screaming about the effects of their shutdown, just remember Louie in Casablanca. But, unlike the movie, let’s hope that all Americans remember this fiasco and it results in backlash rather than “the start of a beautiful friendship”.

Posted in Bloggin, Conservative Bullshit Debunked, Economics, Fiasco, General, News & Current Events, Politics | 2 Comments »

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