Well…reading and watching the news yesterday solidified in my mind what you will get if the repubs are voted back into power in the mid-term elections. Their latest bit of craziness manifested itself with the vote yesterday on the 26 billion dollar house bill that would provide aid to cities and states and allow them to keep 150,000 teachers along with as many police and firefighters on the job until the economy recovers. To pay for the bill (which the repubs have said is a requirement for any new spending) the bill closes tax loopholes that rewarded companies for sending jobs overseas which you would think is a good thing, right? Nope, not to the repubs..only three repubs voted for the bill (it passed anyway) with the house repub leadership coming out in criticism of the bill as an unneeded tax increase that would slow down the economy. This really shows who they are trying to protect…not the 300K people that will still have jobs..but their corporate donors who have purchased their votes and who have benefited from laws that were dictated by business and passed by their lap-dog repub buddies. If we vote these guys back in, we only have ourselves to blame. Geez…
I’m not usually into conspiracy theories…
Well..this thought popped into my head this morning when I was reading an article about how disappointed business is with Obama and the regulations that have been imposed on certain parts of the economy. I think the article was in the Detroit News and it went on to say that the US Chamber of Commerce is working closely with Repubs on legislation and this dawned on me; I think that one of the reasons that companies are retaining so much profit and not converting that into hiring is that they are working in concert with the repubs to make sure the economy doesn’t recover before the fall elections. They know that with the repubs back in control of the House, they can get their money’s worth again from the repub legislators they have purchased.
The sick thing about this is that they care nothing about the people that purchase or make their products and who make those profits that they are hoarding. Why haven’t these behaviors been seized upon by the Dems as un-American, as a cynical attempt to return to the robberbaron times of the early 20th century? When are we, as a people, going to find out what companies are essential to this plot and make sure they pay in the only place they understand: their profits? You want to take this country back? Then let’s take it back from these plotters, these people who only care about themselves and how much power they can amass. Geez…
August 10th
Well…long day yesterday but you will be happy to hear that, for the third day, no booze at home…I did go out with G last night and we almost had our first argument in over a year…I think we were both crabby and out of sorts so that should not have been surprising….I think I’m going out for my ride early this morning since there is a heavy fog here and that is always fun on the bike…skipped yesterday and feel kind of guilty about it but I had so much to do that I just couldn’t fit it in…more later…
Oh, did have some outrage yesterday but feel much better today….
Charles Krauthammer is an idiot or just a republican shill…
Well…I think I’ve used that title before but ole Chuck’s column today just reinforces that he will say anything to support the Repub agenda. His latest outrage at the executive branch during the Obama administration is a memo that purported to say that this administration is circumventing immigration law by allowing some illegals to remain here and this is another example of “executive overreach” that is rife with the Obama folks and that immigration is the purview of the legislative branch. Oh, really, Chuck? Where the hell were you when Bush used more signing statements to reserve the right to ignore the legislative branch than any president in history? Oh, that’s right, you thought it was just fine for a repub president to do that. Where the hell were you when the Bushies were gutting the fourth amendment with their warrantless wiretaps? Oh, that’s right, writing columns that the most important thing was to protect Americans and it was okay for the Busies to do that. Where the hell were you when Bush and Cheney were putting forth the idea of an executive branch that was above the law? Oh, that’s right, you were cheerleading, agreeing that the Bush executive branch WAS above the law and they could torture, and lie without consequences.
Chuck, don’t you feel bad with your daily displays of intellectual dishonesty? Oh, but that’s right, Republicans have no conscience, or heart, or brains. Geez….
When did we accept going backwards?
Well…I thought I was going to wait until this aft for a new post but an article by Paul Krugman in the NYT opened the floodgates to something that I have been thinking of for quite a while…when did we accept going backwards in this country? All I hear these days is that we can’t afford to pay our teachers, we can’t afford to maintain our roads, we can’t afford police or fire protection, we can’t afford any of the safety nets that keep people from abject poverty, that taxes are too high…but it’s not true. These are all lies that have been accepted by the populace because the repubs have been repeating them so much they have become accepted wisdom…but it is just the way the repubs do business..not unlike the lies the Soviet Union kept telling its people until they believed them. Think of what could be done with the 700 billion dollars that would come from letting the Bush tax cuts expire for the top 2 pct. Even if just applied to the deficit, it would make almost a 10 pct reduction per year.
But, that is not my point…my point is that when I was growing up, rising wages, new roads and other infrastructure projects, and a rising standard of living was what we strived for, was what was expected by everyone including politicians and the everyday worker…but today we’re being told what is not possible, that we have to cut back our expectations, that government is the problem, not the solution. The gains in the standard of living for the middle class that have been fought for over many decades is being destroyed by the blackmail of business that want givebacks or jobs will be shipped overseas as government stands by and gives more and more to the rich. All the while business is sitting on the largest hoard of retained profit in the history of the world…and I will ask the question I always ask: “how much is enough?”
I think we all need to ask ourselves what kind of country do we want? One that goes backward with more and more wealth concentrated in the hands of the rich or an equitable one where hard work is rewarded by good pay and benefits and we go forward, not backwards as a nation? Geez….
August 9th
Well…going to be a busy morning today….but I feel okay since no booze last night…waiting for the storm to hit…rumbling like crazy and it’s getting dark again so that could be fun…no bike ride today, or at least this morning but I probably won’t feel like it later but I might…I promise at least one pertinent topic later on today since once the morning is over, I’ll be done with everything I need to do…more later …
August 8 part two..
Well…out to Ada today to shoot pool with Tom and it was all I could do to keep from killing all of the brats that were running around the place….where the heck are their parents…they were just running wild and it is something the I never allowed my kids to do…geez…and to top that off, tom won for the 3rd time in a row…I’m going to have to pay attention next time and really work at it…but the shot to win this time was a good one so I don’t feel too bad….I know, I didn’t give you anything topical today, and probably won’t until later tomorrow since I have a lot to do at G’s tomorrow morning…work, work, work….but you never know…I may get my brain dried out and have a thought or two…
August 8th
Well…got the bike ride in at 7 this morning…needed to get it done before the storms come which is happening right now….really, really, weird dreams last night that included these gems…the Tardis (you Doctor Who fans know what that is) baby rhinoceroses, my daughter getting killed by a falling missile, helicopters, and fog, lots of fog. You’ve heard this before I know, but I look forward to my dreams and when the good ones happen, I need to write them down…usually here. Have a lot to do today…going to go out to Ada later for free pool and booze…well, the booze is not free but Tom got a check so he is going to pick up the tab today….so that is kind of a Sunday Funday…not much else right now but I do have some stuff to say about the predictability of political commentary today…or, maybe not…not sure right now….more later…
August 7th
Well…did go out for a while last night to meet up with K and V at Logan’s…it was my first Friday out in a long time and had a little fun. Not much going on today…feel a little crappy (yeah, I know, I was going to take it easy on the liver) and I’m trying to motivate myself to get on the bike this morning but not having a lot of luck. That’s about it for now….more later…
August 6th part two…
Well…it’s been a busy morning and I had fun texting T back and forth while she waited for her friend to show up for their ladies day out…she make me laugh like a fricking hyena all the time…hmmmm…Oh, I guess I should do a weekend update but there is nothing to update…no plans at all so far but I would like to do a Sunday Funday if I can drag a few people out but it looks like everyone is out of town and I might just have to amuse myself…which I do all the time. I do have to clean and get some farming done…as always and the weather has gotten so nice it will make that easier….I think I may have the allergies coming back since my head is plugging up and I have no energy… but that could be the whiskey, too…I’m not sure. Not sure if I’m going to write another one today but I might if something stirs me up a little….