Category Archives: Misc

Misc

The fight is on for the soul of America…the real one…

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Well…this one starts with just one simple question: What kind of a country do we want to be? I think we need to answer this question; to step back from the daily grind and our personal prejudices and, for a change, try to think of what is good for the country and not just our party or ourselves. This one just isn’t working…sometimes the writing process fails and I’m left here staring at this damn computer; erasing everything and starting over and that has happened three times already…maybe this isn’t one I can get my head around…

Going to try again… what I was getting at before was to ask some questions that would help define what kind of country we want and what kind of citizens we want to be…

Do we want to really live what the constitution says or do we want to use it as a political prop to be trotted out and used to bludgeon people over the head? Do you believe that all citizens have equal rights or don’t you? Do you believe that the constitution guarantees freedom of religion or don’t you? Do you want our leaders to continue to spew hatred and division or do you want them to try to be adults and tackle the problems that face this country? Do You believe that 45 million people should be able to afford basic healthcare or are they on their own? Okay…this isn’t really what I wanted to say….I am just blocked today…maybe I’ll just let it rest for a while and go on to other topics….

Misc

Here’s another thing..

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Well…there is another issue that I wanted to touch on today, and that is the controversy that has arisen over Verizon and Google’s vision for the future of the internet and the gutting of the way it runs now. The proposal from these two communications giants, is to change the way that the internet works now; that all the data packets that come to or from any website or computer are treated the same to one where the people or companies that are willing to pay a premium will have their data packets given preference to those that don’t. Why do I even have to tell you that this is just a really bad idea; that again, the rich will get richer and take control of one of the last egalitarian bastions of our society?

And, guess who is supporting the companies grab for higher profits and more control? Good guess, the repubs, as always. These same ones that scream about government control of anything are more than willing to hand control over to companies that don’t answer to anyone but their profits because they know it will benefit them. I hope they understand that if they do this the political winds can change and they may be on the other end of the stick? What happens to groups like the tea party or even the RNC when they have to pay extra to get their voices heard? I hope there are reasonable people out there that can recognize that what has made the internet great is the fact that an upstart muckraker like me gets the same access to the net as a billion dollar corporation and there is nothing that anyone can do to silence me or you. Geez…

Misc

A simple solution….

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Well…have been reading a lot about the problems that Toyota has been having with unintended acceleration in many of their vehicles. The latest conclusions that have come from the investigations is that a majority of the incidents were caused by mis-application of the pedals…meaning that the people in some of the accidents were pressing on the wrong pedals..i.e. pressing on the accelerator when they thought they were stepping on the brake; similar to the problem that Audi had in the 80′s that almost killed the company. After some thought…well, not a lot I’ll admit, I just remembered they way that I leaned to drive automatic transmission cars….I use my left foot on the brake and my right foot on the accelerator. Instead of the billions of dollars that are being spent to idiot proof cars so people can’t make mistakes, why not just train people to use both of their feet to operate their cars? If the brake and gas were discrete operations that were done with different feet, the opportunity for people to press the wrong pedal would be reduced significantly. Yeah, I know..not earth shattering or politically astute but some times the simple things that pop into my head really do have some merit…to me, anyway….

Misc

When did we accept going backwards?

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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….

Misc

same to you Vaughn Walker…

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Well…bet you thought I wouldn’t follow through and get to this topic, one that I think is really important to the growth of this country and ensuring that all people are treated equally under the law; dismissing the tyranny of the majority. Judge Walker ruled that prop 8 out in Cali violated the constitution, especially the 14th amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law, and the due process rights of gays and lesbians. All I have to say to that is: it’s about time…and all of the gnashing of teeth and hand wringing by the right that included the idea that gay marriage would impact heterosexual marriage was dismissed as having no merit. It’s about time that someone called these idiots out on the lies that were used to get the prop passed and to also call the right on their continuing political calculation of using the constitution when it suits their purpose and abandons it when it doesn’t support their prejudice. When are people going to start to connect the dots with those folks; that the only thing they want is to remake America as a playground for the rich and connected…and those who vote for them deserve what they get. Geez….

Oh, forgot to say “thank you Judge Walker” for a ruling that will advance the cause of civil rights more than almost anything that has happened in my long lifetime. Can’t wait to see how the right-wingers on the supreme court twist themselves into knots trying to vacate this decision..which I know they will…disappointing..

Misc

A party called the Reasonables….

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Well…on the eve of the primaries here in Michigan, I thought it might be an idea to start to put down on paper (or on the computer) what I propose should be the manifesto or platform of the the new political party called the Reasonables that I want to start. To begin, anyone can be part of the party; from the right, left, or center…I don’t care…but anyone who joins will be required to follow a few guiding principles whose purpose will be to change the toxic political landscape.

First….there will be no shouting allowed. None of the ranting that passes for political dialog these days.
Second….there will be no attack advertising by any of our candidates…it will be limited to policy statements that show what you are for…and solutions to the problems facing us.
Third…there will be no lying or distortions in our discussions or political interactions….truth will be our motto…
Fourth…you will be required to know what you are talking about…all opinions are not equal and ignorance will not be tolerated…
Fifth…..any candidate of ours will be required to put the country first…not business or his or her re-election…
Sixth….there will no mention of religion, or god, or Jesus by any of our candidates…religion will be a private matter and the separation of church and state will be supported…
Seventh….any candidate will use public financing of the election…there will be no billionaires buying seats in congress…
Eighth….our party will support and champion individual rights over those of the government and business….

That’s about it for now…as time goes on, I’ll be adding what I think is important to this platform and I welcome any comments on what you guys think should be done since we are building this thing from scratch…more later…

Misc

Maybe a little light in the darkness?

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Well…have been thinking about how we can get out of the mess that the hyper-charged politics of the day have put us in and a couple of articles I read today might be the start of this climb. Normally, I like to read conservative columnists to try to understand where they are coming from, since I truly believe that good ideas are good ideas no matter if they come from the right or left…and I don’t want to be one of those people that just automatically dismiss anyone’s ideas. In David Brooks column today (I should add that Brooks is a well known conservative commentator) he walked across the aisle and with an unbiased eye, looked at Obama’s agenda and could admit that some of what has been done was necessary and will be effective in addressing many of the problems that face us today. But what was also refreshing was his making objective, well thought out suggestions on how to do better and improve the legislative agenda. So, to David Brooks I say thank you…can you transplant your brain into the rest of the right?

The second column I read today was by Kathleen Parker in the Washington Post and it was not about politics at all; but about what it is like living in the neighborhood she lived in in DC. Again, Parker is a staunch conservative columnist who I rarely ever agree with but today she made a point that I think needed to be made…that is that the American values of friendship, community, and love are not just embodied in the folks that Palin and her Ilk call the “real Americans”; from small towns and rural areas…but can be found all across America; no matter where you live. One of the things I found so striking about the article was her oh so kind words about the neighbors who were the rocks of the neighborhood; who were such a stabilizing influence…but who also happen to be gay men who have lived in a committed relationship for 25 years. I was pleasantly surprised to find that one of these men is a columnist that I read in USA Today…Craig Wilson. I don’t know Kathleen Parker at all, but for a committed conservative to finally speak out against the bigotry that is an integral part of the Repubs, and in such an elegant way, gives me some hope that the principled people that I know still reside in the conservative movement are getting their voice back and will be heard more often. But, then I read some of the comments to this heartfelt piece of writing and it made me sick…the haters were out in force and my tiny little spark of hope that I have been nurturing was buffeted almost to it’s end. But not all the way…I refuse to let the haters stomp on the flowers that have grown up through the cracks in the hate of the world….so, thank you Kathleen for you wonderful column.

Misc

Don’t shop at Target….

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Well…with the recent supreme court ruling that corporations can freely contribute to political campaigns, some of them have started to do just that…and with predictable results; they are donating to predominately repub candidates who they can rely on to favor businesses over the people. Target is one of those companies and I will not have profits that I have helped them make go to political causes and politicians who want to go back to the days of Bush..to the days when de-regulation of business led to the biggest meltdown since the great depression. We progressives need to become more aware of what is going on in our country and use both our political and economic power to make sure we don’t go backward, to make sure that the small steps in leveling the playing field that have happened in the last two years are not lost. So…I will never set foot in Target again and I hope that some of the rest of us will do the same….after all, profit and power is all they understand and it is up to us to take some of that profit and power away…

Misc

Phyllis Schlafly is still in the 50′s…..

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This is a placeholder until I get done working out…I have to comment on some statements that Phyllis Schlafly made this weekend campaigning for a repub here in Michigan.

Well…I’m back…decided to get a bike ride in, too, before I came back to this. I’m not going to bury the lead this time….just going to give you Sclafly’s (who is the head of the anti-feminist Eagle Forum) quotes at a fundraiser for republican Rocky Raczkowski who is running for congress from Michigan. She started out by saying “obviously the blacks voted for Obama…but, do you all know what group was the second biggest? Unmarried women, 70% of unmarried women voted for Obama, and this is because when you kick your husband out, you’ve got to have big brother government to be your provider.”

I am just stunned by these comments; that this kind of attitude is still in the mainstream of the republican party and is a harbinger of what you will see if you vote these troglodytes into office. Oh, ole Rocky did the republican dance of condemning the comments but that is just diving for cover when one of their own speaks what is really in their minds. That whole party is still mired in the 50′s when Phyllis was flitting from country club to country club; when you could have one income families make enough money that they could have a good life…but the repubs and their cronies made sure that ended.

Phyllis, I can give you many good reasons why unmarried women voted for Obama that you can’t understand…they are tired of the invisible discrimination that goes on in the good old boy networks that still dominate American business life..they are tired of having the choices in their lives limited by a repub party dominated by men…they are tired of being second class citizens that the Christian Taliban would have stay home barefoot and pregnant….to me, that shows a lack of respect for more than 50% of our population; a resource that we need to make this country a better place…my life is better for the strong women that have been in it (that includes my daughter and, of course, G, K, and T) and to dismiss them as needing to be dependent on anyone is a slap in the face that is all too common coming from the repubs…geez….