Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Uncivil War -Tea Party & Billionaire Birther Versus Blue Blood Republicans

 Donald Trump - Hollywood Walk of Fame

Signs of trouble in the family are brewing. As election season draws closer the mainstream Republicans are trying to keep their odd relatives in the back room, but they keep going out of the window and talking to people outside, this will get ugly.

One of the flagship signs of strife is when what seemed like a runaway train conductor in Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona pulled the emergency brakes and vetoed a bill that would have required proof of citizenship from Presidential candidates in Arizona. That proof of citizenship could have included baptism or circumcision certificates. Brewer said the bill was a bridge too far. That is saying a lot in the current climate.

Now the Republicans have a different problem, a billionaire birther who won’t stop talking about the birthplace and citizenship of President Barack Obama. Donald Trump is out of control. Trump is not subject to the pressures of Karl Rove or any official in the Republican Party. Trump is a runaway train that came out of nowhere and is leading the Republican Presidential polls.

Donald Trump has unlimited media access and has not found a news camera that he does not like. Trump is on television every week with the top rated show on NBC in the Celebrity Apprentice. Who would have imagined that the real Americans would get behind a New York billionaire as their champion to take their country back.

After the Republican Party used Tea Party enthusiasm to make gains in the 2010 mid-term elections, they now expect them to go to the back of the bus and be quiet. Tea Party members and birthers are not going away quietly. Now the Republicans have to deal with the odd Uncle sitting in the middle of their living room because they didn’t tell him that his behavior was strange when it suited their purposes.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Rush Limbaugh Calls Obama Voters Savages

Rush Limbaugh Calls Obama Voters Savages

Rush Limbaugh officially kicked off his 2012 election campaign of President Barack Obama bashing by calling Obama supporters vile, savages and walking debris. This was in response to the President speech to the nation on the 2012 budget.

Republicans were outraged over the fact that President Obama illustrated the difference in approach to addressing the nation’s budget issues by drawing a contrast between his approach and theirs. What is so interesting is that the Republican position was already written in black and white in the form of Congressman Paul Ryan’s budget plan.

Ryan’s budget plan laid it all out and was passed by the House of Representatives on April 15, 2011. Ryan’s budget proposes to end Medicare as we know it and distribute it out as vouchers that do not guarantee full cost coverage for medical care if private insurance costs increase. Another part of the Republican plan was to maintain the Bush tax breaks for the rich while slashing Medical coverage for seniors.

What President Obama pointed out was a system that hammered on the poor and elderly while allowing the rich to become richer was unfair and painted a pessimistic view of America. Republicans were outraged that their actual written plans for the United States was presented to the American public as a plan that favored the wealthy over the old, poor and sick. Well.

Now there seem to be hurt feelings that the President pledged to protect older Americans from potential lack of health coverage due to escalating private health insurance costs versus the Medicare guarantee that is in place now.

There is a line of thought that says to the Republicans that in order for them to avoid being publically called Scrooge then don’t put his mask on and wear it around town. Now Limbaugh goes into the gutter to express his view, but Limbaugh is not elected to any office and only plays to an audience that shares his views. The Republicans on the other hand should represent everyone in the districts and states, not just the rich that contribute to their campaigns.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

2012 Budget Fight – Democrats Can Thank Sarah Palin For Advantage


Big Business Wants The Precious

The United States government avoided a shutdown at the last minute, but a fight for the future of the United States looms as the 2012 budget battles takes shape. Democrats can thank Sarah Palin for giving them the upper hand in the Senate.

The next few months will determine if the United States emerges out of the dire financial situation it finds itself in as a nation that abandons long held principles of compassion for personal and political gain or as a country reclaiming the core of it greatness. The stage is set and in many ways the lines on the field of battle have been drawn.

The coming budget fight is a test of what this country will be for the next 50 years or more. You see the United States is viewed by many as something to be exploited for the gain of certain groups while others view it as a idea that represents a way of life, those two opposing points of view are at war.

Take the lines drawn in the near government shutdown that recently took place, all the way until the last hours the budget measure was held up by an added measure that would have defunded Planned Parenthood that had very little to do with actual budget numbers. In the end the Planned Parenthood defunding measure was removed from the final bill. In a separate measure Republican Congressman Paul Ryan authored a 2012 budget that basically ends Medicare as we know it an transitions to a voucher system that allows seniors to purchase health care from private insurance companies. Ryan’s plan may not become law, but it signals the difference between how the same issued is viewed, one view is from a need to provide guaranteed care to seniors and the other is to provide something for care to seniors, but there is no guarantee that it will be enough. An article titled “Paul Ryan Budget Proposal Approved By House Panel ” by Ricardo Alonzo-Zaldizar and Alan Fram April 6, 2011 and published in the Huffington Post goes into details of Ryan’s budget plan.

Ryan’s plan basically turns health care for seniors over to private insurers, with all of the issues that everyone has with private insurers of escalating cost etc. How long would it be before private insurers and medical providers increased the cost of care beyond what vouchers would cover? If vouchers could not cover the costs of the medical car required then suddenly seniors need to come out of pocket or be basically uninsured.  The attack on Planned Parenthood had a similar tone, but was approached from a cynical angle of not funding abortions. There is a law that prevents federal funds from being used to fund abortions.

So there you have it. Will the United States rewind the clock using the need to control our national debt to a time where seniors are left to fend for themselves on health issues? Will women continue to be under assault on their freedoms when it comes to reproductive health? The push to move more functions to private companies will be loud and intense. The Environmental Protection Agency will be under attack and branded as too restrictive as exemptions on what emissions it can regulate have already been surfaced.

Get ready as a push for profit over serving the public has begun. All is not lost as the Tea Party Republicans only control the House of Representatives. Of all people, Democrats may have to thank Sarah Palin backed candidates like Sharon Angle and Christine O’Donnell as the reason the Republicans don’t control the Senate. Sarah Palin helped provide a firewall against the Tea Party, you betcha.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Trump’s Trumped Up Birth Certificate? Where Was He Born? Is He One Of Us?

Donald Trump Star Hollywood Walk Of Fame


Donald Trump has produced a birth certificate, but it turns out it was not official. Questions abound as his mother was born in Scotland, his wife in Slovenia and his plane seems to be registered in the Bahamas, can this guy even run for President?

An article titled “Trump Failed To Produce Birth Certificate” by Ben Smith March 28, 2011 and published in Politico exposes the issue. Did Trump manage to throw himself under the bus? After going into full birther mode, Trump fell short of producing the long form birth certificate that he is clamoring for President Barack Obama to produce.

Trump’s birth certificate that he released to NewsMax came form the hospital that he claims to have been born in and not from the Department of Health, where official birth certificates come from with the city registrar’s signature on the document. Doesn’t the Donald have people to research these things? Did he say I’m fired to someone after this gaff?

How do we know that this guy is not some plant from the beginning to one day assault us with distracting television shows and muddle up the election process while the real puppet masters run the show. Come on Donald, show the American people your real birth certificate so we know that you are a natural born citizen.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

UAE - United Arab Emirates Contribute 12 Jets To No Fly Zone In Libya

 UAE F-16

UAE Mirage

The United Arab Emirates is the first Arab nation to contribute fighter jets to the no-fly zone coalition patrolling Libya. The mix of aircraft has not been confirmed, but speculation is that 6 F-16s and 6 Mirage fighter jets will join the air fleet.

The participation of an Arab country in active combat engagement sends a strong signal that this not simply a group of western countries imposing their will on another Arab nation. An article titled
UAE contributes 12 planes to Libya no-fly zone: US official” by the AFP March 24, 2011 and published on Yahoo News has details on the announcement.


Below are specifications on the F-16 and Mirage fighter jets.

Mirage 2000 by Dassault
General characteristics
  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 14.36 m (47 ft 1 in)
  • Wingspan: 9.13 m (29 ft)
  • Height: 5.20 m (17 ft)
  • Wing area: 41 m² (441.3 ft²)
  • Empty weight: 7,500 kg (16,350 lb)
  • Loaded weight: 13,800 kg (30,420 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 17,000 kg (37,500 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1× SNECMA M53-P2 afterburning turbofan
    • Dry thrust: 64.3 kN (14,500 lbf)
    • Thrust with afterburner: 95.1 kN (21,400 lbf)
Performance
  • Maximum speed: Mach 2.2 (2,530+ km/h, 1,500+ mph) at high altitude/ 1,110 km/h (690 mph) at low altitude
  • Range: 1,550 km (837 nmi, 963 mi) with drop tanks
  • Ferry range: 3,335 km (1,800 nmi, 2,073 mi) with auxiliary fuel
  • Service ceiling: 17,060 m (59,000 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 285 m/s (56,000 ft/min)
  • Wing loading: 337 kg/m² (69 lb/ft²)
  • Thrust/weight: 0.91
Armament
  • Guns: 2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 554 revolver cannon, 125 rounds per gun
  • Hardpoints: 9 total (4× under-wing, 5× under-fuselage) with a capacity of 6,300 kg (13,900 lb) external fuel and ordnance
  • Rockets: Matra 68 mm unguided rocket pods, 18 rockets per pod
  • Missiles:
    • Air-to-air missiles:
      • 6× MBDA MICA IR/RF
      • 2× Matra R550 Magic-II and 2× Matra Super 530D
    • Air-to-surface missiles:
      • 2× AM.39 Exocet
      • 2× AS-30L laser guided missile
      • 1× ASMP tactical nuclear cruise missile
  • Bombs: 9× Mk.82
Avionics
  • Thomson-CSF RDY (Radar Doppler Multi-target) radar


F-16 by Lockheed Martin
General characteristics

    * Crew: 1
    * Length: 49 ft 5 in (15.06 m)
    * Wingspan: 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m)
    * Height: 16 ft (4.88 m)
    * Wing area: 300 ft² (27.87 m²)
    * Airfoil: NACA 64A204 root and tip
    * Empty weight: 18,900 lb (8,570 kg)
    * Loaded weight: 26,500 lb (12,000 kg)
    * Max takeoff weight: 42,300 lb (19,200 kg)
    * Powerplant: 1× F110-GE-100 afterburning turbofan
          o Dry thrust: 17,155 lbf (76.3 kN)
          o Thrust with afterburner: 28,600 lbf (127 kN)

Performance

    * Maximum speed:
          o At sea level: Mach 1.2 (915 mph, 1,470 km/h)[39][92]
          o At altitude: Mach 2+[92] (1,500 mph, 2,410 km/h[1]) clean configuration
    * Combat radius: 340 mi (295 nm, 550 km) on a hi-lo-hi mission with six 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs
    * Ferry range: 2,280 NM (2,620 mi, 4,220 km) with drop tanks
    * Service ceiling: 60,000+ ft (18,000+ m)
    * Rate of climb: 50,000 ft/min (254 m/s)
    * Wing loading: 88.3 lb/ft² (431 kg/m²)
    * Thrust/weight: 1.095

F-16C block 52 with conformal fuel tanks.
M61A1 on display.

Armament

    * Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan 6-barreled gatling cannon, 511 rounds
    * Hardpoints: 2× wing-tip Air-to-air missile launch rails, 6× under-wing & 3× under-fuselage pylon stations holding up to 17,000 lb (7,700 kg) of payload
    * Rockets:
          o 4× LAU-61/LAU-68 rocket pods (each with 19× /7× Hydra 70 mm rockets, respectively) or
          o 4× LAU-5003 rocket pods (each with 19× CRV7 70 mm rockets) or
          o 4× LAU-10 rocket pods (each with 4× Zuni 127 mm rockets)
    * Missiles:
          o Air-to-air missiles:
                + 2× AIM-7 Sparrow or
                + 6× AIM-9 Sidewinder or
                + 6× IRIS-T or
                + 6× AIM-120 AMRAAM or
                + 6× Python-4
          o Air-to-ground missiles:
                + 6× AGM-45 Shrike or
                + 6× AGM-65 Maverick or
                + 4× AGM-88 HARM
          o Anti-ship missiles:
                + 2× AGM-84 Harpoon or
                + 4× AGM-119 Penguin
    * Bombs:
          o 8× CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition
          o 8× CBU-89 Gator mine
          o 8× CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon
          o Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser capable
          o 4× GBU-10 Paveway II
          o 6× GBU-12 Paveway II
          o 4× JDAM
          o 4× Mark 84 general-purpose bombs
          o 8× Mark 83 GP bombs
          o 12× Mark 82 GP bombs
          o 8× Small Diameter Bomb
          o 3× B61 nuclear bomb
    * Others:
          o SUU-42A/A Flares/Infrared decoys dispenser pod and chaff pod or
          o AN/ALQ-131 & AN/ALQ-184 ECM pods or
          o LANTIRN, Lockheed Martin Sniper XR & LITENING targeting pods or
          o up to 3× 300/330/370 US gallon Sargent Fletcher drop tanks for ferry flight/extended range/loitering time.

Avionics

    * AN/APG-68 radar

Michele Bachmann To Form Presidential Exploratory Committee

 Michele Bachmann
It seems that Michele Bachmann is throwing her hat into the ring to run for President. She stated that she will form a Presidential exploratory committee by June or sooner.

An article titled “Michele Bachmann to form exploratory committee in June, possibly earlier ” by Shannon Travis goes into her announcement. There may end up being two sides to the Republican Presidential race. One side could contain Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin and Donald Trump. The other side could feature Mitt Romney, Haley Barbour and Tim Pawlenty.

It may be good to have this mix, because the sideshow crowd could keep the public awake as they listen to real points being debated by the serious side of the group. Think of the spectacle, birtherism, fiscal policy and you're fired all on the same stage.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Japan Earthquake Triggered Tsunami Damage In The United States Of America

Tsunami Damage In The United States of America
The United States is a long way from the power and destruction of the 8.9 earthquake and resulting tsunami that devastated Japan. We all send the Japanese people good wishes and prayers for a full recovery. Even with thousands of miles of ocean to cross the power of the tsunami still made an impact on the United States.

Initial reports said that the tsunami wave went around the Hawaii Islands, but video evidence show that a glancing blow was struck on the big island of Hawaii in the town of Kona over 3,850 miles from Japan. Unbelievably, cities in California were affected over 5,478 miles away.

Although the scale of damage in the United States can’t begin to compare with that in Japan, the tsunami managed to claim a life over 5,000 miles away from where it started. An article titled “NorCal man drowns trying to photograph tsunami” by the

Michele Bachmann Says She Will Show Birth Certificate If She Seeks Presidency

U S Representative Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann, Republican Congresswoman from Minnesota, said the first thing she would do if she ran for President is offer her birth certificate. This could be considered a very transparent appeal to the birther crowd that she is on their side.

There are not a shortage of serious issues to be dealt with in the world today, but talk of presenting a birth certificate seems to be to of mind for Representative Bachmann in importance. Will the constant attempts to undermine the legitimacy of President Barack Obama never end? If an elected politician really does not believe that the President was born in the United States, then come out and say it in no uncertain terms and stop the wink and nods to the fringe elements. An article titled “'First thing I would do is offer birth certificate'” by Bob Unruh March 11, 2011 and published on the WorldNetDaily website goes into Bachmann’s statements to a talk radio show host.

As the time for candidates that will run for President of the United States to declare their intentions fast approaches, the field could range from veterans like Newt Gingrich,  mainstream types such as Mitt Romney and fringe candidates like Michele Bachmann. What is interesting is the prospects of televised debates with such a wide variety of personalities sharing the same stage. Will Bachmann present her birth certificate on live television and challenge the other candidates to do so as well?

In any event, veiled references that continue to challenge the validity of President Barack Obama should be replaced with direct statement or end altogether. Elected officials that feed into the paranoia for political gain without stating if they believe the President was born elsewhere are being dishonest and lowering the importance of their office.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

United States Tsunami Readiness Weakened By Proposed Republican Budget Cuts

 Tsunami

When the budget ax swings on anything that can be made to sound frivolous there are times when reality snaps everyone back to reality. The earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan managed to shine a spotlight on proposed Republican budget cuts that could reduce the effectiveness of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii.

An article titled “Proposed GOP budget cuts target tsunami warning centers” by Lucy Madison March 11, 2011 and posted on the CBS News website goes into the particulars of the budget cuts that are proposed. This follows a pattern as budget cuts proposed thus far nibble around the edges of the real problem. If the usual pattern was followed this cut for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency and the National Weather Service would be characterized as cutting nonessential and frivolous spending, until the disaster in Japan occurs.

Imagine the finger pointing is a similar sized tsunami that devastated Japan  were to hit an area in the United States without adequate warning and it was traced back to a budget cut that could have been avoided. There is no way to know where a tsunami is headed without the proper technology such as monitoring buoys etc.

There are always items that can be cut from a budget that sound frivolous to someone in Kansas, but are critical to the coasts and the reverse is true as well. One thing that should not be on the frivolous chopping block is protection from severe, although rare, events like hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis. We have New Orleans, Indonesia and Japan as proof of the need for as much warning as possible.

Did Scott Walker And Wisconsin Republicans Just Reelect President Obama In 2012

President Barack Obama

Did the hard line and some would say union busting actions by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and the Republicans in Madison, Wisconsin just reelect President Barack Obama in 2012?

What President Obama and the Democrats failed to do may have happened in slow motion in front of everyone. The old saying of give a dog enough rope and he will hang himself just occurred in real time. Walker made a miscalculation on how fast he could ram through his union stripping measure. He thought the majority he had in the Wisconsin state senate would allow him to hammer the stripping of public union collective bargaining rights though under the cover of needed budget cuts. What walker did not count on was the walkout of 14 Democrats in the state Senate that would not allow the vote on the budget bill to take place due to rules that required a quorum.

The 14 Democrats went to Illinois and did a 4 corner slowdown that allowed the facts to emerge to the public that the budget reduction had been agreed to and that Walker still kept saying that ending collective bargaining rights of public union was a budget matter. It became clear that Walker’s desire to strip the bargaining rights of public unions was a separate desire unrelated to state budget issues. Then came the fake Koch brother phone call where Wisconsin Governor Rick Scott appeared to be in league with other Republicans in a plan to bust public unions across the country for reasons unrelated to fiscal issues. Scott Walker continued to forcefully repeat the same line even after it was clear that the union had already agreed to financial concessions.

Then the Republicans maneuvered to vote on a separate bill to strip union bargaining rights that had nothing to do with the Wisconsin state budget because it could be passed without the 14 Democrats present. The measure stripping public union bargaining rights passed and then the emperor had no clothes, but he will be informed that he is naked later. The appearance of a Governor and Republicans pitting themselves against teachers and other middle class workers to side with corporate interests left a bad taste in the mouths of many and served to wake up a battered, but groggy middle class. Now the reality of what is important to the wave of Republicans that were swept in was made clear and many in the public feel it must be stopped.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Are Sweatshops Coming Back In A New Form?

Sweatshop USA
Many are too young to remember sweatshops. Sweatshops were largely in the garment industry and small groups of desperate workers worked long hours for low pay, in isolation and without any bargaining power.

The classic definition of a sweat shop was connected with industrialized America and included the following traits:

         Prevalent in the garment industry origin between 1830s and 1850s
         Desperate Workforce
         Long Hours for low pay
         Child labor may have been employed
         Dangerous working conditions
         Sweater/Subcontractor – had a workforce that did work for client, kept workers isolated and unsure of who the ultimate employer was, quickly replace workers for any reason
         Workers Inability To Organize – due to isolation
         Unions and labor laws largely ended sweatshops in the United States
         Most garment related firms outsourced production to other countries that employ sweatshop practices

Labor laws and unions effected changes that largely did away with the practices and conditions that created an environment that was friendly for sweatshop formation. Now in the 21st century are we set for the formation of a new type of sweatshop environment, not in sewing factories, but in corporate America, schools and government facilities? The reality is we may be already there. This is the current situation:

         Desperate Workforce – millions of unemployed workers – Some with benefits exhausted

         Sweater/Subcontractor – staffing firms – outsourcing – temp to perm – 6 month contract jobs etc.

         Workers Inability To Organize – union membership low and unions being busted as in Wisconsin and elsewhere

         This new sweatshop environment is invading all classes of work from public education, business professionals, health professionals and trade workers

What we are currently experiencing is a situation of surplus high-end workers that are becoming increasingly desperate after prolonged joblessness. The unemployment rate fluctuates as much from those giving up on searching for jobs as from new job placements. Many salaried workers have higher workloads and work longer hours than ever. Those trying to get back into the workplace often find themselves signed up with staffing firms and outsourcing companies that are the new age sweaters. Some find themselves working for companies on a temporary basis with hopes to move into a permanent position. Others find themselves getting back into the workforce on 6 to 12 month contracts that are often are not renewed because companies don’t want to take them onto their permanent payroll.

As for unions and collective bargaining, union membership is at an all time low. Unions are under attack and some are having their bargaining rights stripped like in Wisconsin. An article titled “WISCONSIN BUSTS THE UNIONS” by the Associated Press March 10, 2011 and published in The Huffington Post describes the move to strip public union bargaining rights in the state of Wisconsin. The key words are higher workloads, lower job security and little to no worker negotiating leverage, it sounds eerily similar to a sweatshop environment.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Are We Back To “Shut Up And Work” - Wisconsin GOP Strips Union Bargaining Rights

 State Flag of Wisconsin
The Wisconsin state Republicans separated the measure to strip public unions bargaining rights from the budget bill and passed the separate piece of legislation. In one move, what took decades of effort to gain was stripped in one fell swoop.

What exactly are we dealing with here in the midst of a severe economic downturn? It seems that there was the though that the harsh economic times would create a climate receptive to hardball type tactics even if it was against teachers and other public workers. An article titled “GOP rams anti-union bill through Wis. Senate” March 9, 2011 and published on the MSNBC website goes into what took place in Wisconsin.
 Why are millionaires and billionaires from all over the country sitting on the sidelines watching what should be a Wisconsin state matter, of course the answer is always money.

It’s All About Money

You see there is gold under the frozen tundra in Wisconsin and other states if those pesky unions can be moved out of the way. Just like the privatized prison system is a booming business, privatized school systems are the next big growth industry. Have you wondered about all of the recent trashing of public school teachers? With tight budgets gripping the country would it not be a relief for private industry to swoop in and say, “Let us take this budget item off your hands and allow us to run this for you.”

There is always a revenue angle to most of what goes on in this country and this is no different.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Sarah Palin’s Parents Said They Sleep With Guns After Death Threats


 Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin’s parents said in an interview that after receiving death threats, they now sleep with guns at their side. Palin’s father Chuck Heath related the story to a BBC reporter in an interview.

An article titled “Sarah Palin's Father: 'We Sleep With Guns'” published in the Huffington Post February 7, 2011 goes into the details. It seems that the negative emotions generated his daughter, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has also landed on her parents. Is this what it is like to be in the same orbit as Sarah Palin.

It seems that the shooting in Tucson that left several people killed or injured ratcheted up the threats and Sarah Palin’s response in which she invoked the term blood libel made matters worse. It is not unusual for public figures to draw attention that is negative, but to have it spill over to parents so strongly seems to be an indication that negative feelings caused by Sarah Palin are extremely strong.

It is hard to remember that outside of Alaska not much was known of Sarah Palin before John McCain literally grabbed her out of nowhere and made her his running mate for the 2008 Presidential campaign. In reality the rest of the United States and her parents may have known more peace if she had remained unknown and stayed in Alaska.

Parents should not have to suffer for the actions of their children, but the toxic environment Sarah Palin helped to create is now coming back on her and those closest to her.

Find Out What’s Driving The Birthers, Deathers And Fringers


What a strange world, from Presidential birth certificate conspiracy theorists to a Congresswoman calling the administration a gangster government. Why are people behaving this way? It is insecurity, find out where it comes from and who is pushing it.

Something is amiss in the fabric of our great country and it is not just a deep recession. There are sign of a deep cultural divide that has some teetering on the edge of paranoia. The ultimate other apparently has landed in out midst and he is plotting to hand over our nation to the enemy like an overripe fruit. Never mind that President Barack Obama was elected by almost 70,000,000 Americans in a resounding victory over Republican John McCain.

Is this some form of mass hypnosis that has taken hold of a sizable portion of the population? No, this is the execution of a plan to exploit the fears of a segment of citizens for political gain and profit. Dog whistles and code words are flying around and some take them to heart. Throwing around terms like socialist, Marxist and gangster government are designed to create fear in the mind of some. The message is that they are coming to get you. This gang led by a President with a Muslim name wants to take your money, freedom and guns.

This type of fear mongering has turned into a cottage industry and those peddling speeches, books and television shows that pander to those feeling have become wealthy. An article titled “Sarah Palin's Earnings Over 9 Months Estimated at $12 Million” by Brian Montopoli April 13, 2010 and published on the CBS News website details Sarah Palin’s earnings from speeches and books over the first 9 months after she resigned as Governor of Alaska. Glenn Beck, Mike Huckabee and others are also fattening their bank accounts by selling fear to the fearful.

Let’s cut to the chase, some feel they are losing their deserved place in the pecking order of America as the economy changes and demographics shift. It is one of the oldest techniques in the world to sow fear and division to gain power and profit.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

President Obama Produces His Birth Certificate And …


The thing that so many have clamored for has finally been produced. President Barack Obama produced his long form birth certificate and the reaction to it was shocking.

One of the first responses was, “He’s still a Muslim.” Of course, this is a hypothetical situation, but is exactly the type of response that would come from those with 10, not 1 reason they don’t support President Obama. Those ingrained attitudes are also exactly the reason President Obama should not show his long form birth certificate.

Barack Hussein Obama is the legitimate President of the United States. He was voted in by the people and sworn in by the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. President Obama met all of the requirements of the Constitution, election commission and every state's requirement for inclusion on ballots for President of the United States.

The other reason the President should not buckle to calls to produce a long form birth certificate is the satisfaction it would provide to the faction pushing the “He is an other” conspiracy theories. The satisfaction that group would get from having the sitting President complying with their requests would be immense. The symbolic damage of President Obama showing his birth certificate would be like he was pulled over, asked for his papers and that image would never go away. The individuals riding on the birther bandwagon are in a world of their own making and President Obama showing his long form birth certificate will not grant him acceptance into that club.  

Now some of these states have bills coming to their legislatures that require a birth certificate as a part of qualification to be included on their ballot for President. It is questionable if any of these measures will become law. An article titled “Ga. latest state to propose "birther"” by the Associated Press March 2, 2011 and published on the CBS News website goes into the details on the measure in Georgia. These laws seems to like rules change imposed in some sports when a player comes along and takes a quantum leap beyond everyone else participating.

This is the state of American politics today with code words, finger pointing and fear mongering as the order of the day.

Donald Trump Polls Higher Than Romney & Pawlenty For President – Bad Sign For GOP

Republicans seem to be balking at becoming the first to formally throw their hats in the ring to run for President. Maybe they should be, as a recent poll has Donald Trump ahead of Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty.

An article titled “Donald Trump Positive Rating Higher Than That Of Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty” by Sam Stein and published in The Huffington Post details the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll that tested for the favorbility rating of potential Republican Presidential candidates. Trump beat Romney by 1% point and Pawlenty by 10 percentage points.

The fact that Donald Trump has a higher positive rating than other potential Republican Presidential candidates indicates that their lack name and image recognition on a scaled dwarfed by President Obama. Mitt Romney has run for President and may be the most viable contender against Obama, but he still failed to beat a man that probably has no chance of becoming President.

It almost appears that the Republicans would rather sit this one out if they could and wait for 2016 when President Obama could not run anymore. If there seems to be a high probability of losing then why would you possibly hurt your chances for 2016 by running a futile campaign?

It could turn out that this is the year that the Republican primary contenders and eventual candidates burnish their resumes, boost speaking fees and sell more books by adding the term former Presidential candidate to their biography. The serious politicians will show up in 2016.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Bully Politicians Attack Teachers, Public Workers And Single Mothers


 Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels

There seems to be something new that has replaced bullies at school and that is the bully politician. The bully politician seems to be pushing around teachers, firefighters, government workers in general and single mothers.

Governor Scott Walker is kicking workers in public unions even after they have agreed to financial concessions to deal with the state of Wisconsin budget issues. In other corners teachers seem suddenly to be scapegoats for our poor education system results. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee decided to take a round house punch at single mothers.

Is this a new trend to beat up on soft targets? An article titled “Mike Huckabee’s Portman slam marks a week of controversial comments” by Holly Bailey March 4, 2011 and published in Yahoo News goes into some of Governor Huckabee’s controversial comments. The former Presidential candidate made a reference to Oscar winner Natalie Portman as possibly glamorizing unwed motherhood. Single mother have one of the toughest jobs in the country and to get a slap like that was uncalled for.

Governor Scott Walker and others involved in a head-on assault on public labor unions have manage to gain supporters that are somehow painting public employees as a privileged class in society. An article titled “Mitch Daniels on Monday: ‘The elite in American society, really, are government unions” by Jim Geraghty February 23, 2011 and published in the National Review details how Indiana Governor Jim Daniels stated that government union are the new elite in society. He stated that their pay and benefits are much higher than the public they serve.

Consider the situation and what is missing from the story. Many public workers such as teachers have college degrees as a requirement as do workers in other areas of government service. A word force that contains a large degree of college degree holding individual should have a decent average wage level, but to call public workers elite because they have decent pay, benefits and job security is a stretch. There was a time when decent pay, benefits and job security was a good thing.

Ask public employees about their job security with state and local budget shortfall and looming layoffs. An article titled “Unemployment falls below 9%, government cuts 30,000 jobs” by Steve Chiotakis March 4, 2011 and published on the public radio.org website examines how the overall unemployment rate for February 2011 went below 9% while at the same time 30,000 government workers were laid off. It seems that the tag of elitist is misplaced and maybe it belongs on the people throwing the term around.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Mike Huckabee’s Hypocrisy, Criticizes Natalie Portman Skips Bristol Palin, Baby Mama Drama

Why did Mike Huckabee have to go all the way to Hollywood to find an unwed mother to pick on? The potential Presidential candidate could have just looked at his Fox News coworker, Sarah Palin and asked her if it was ok for him to pick on her daughter Bristol. For some reason Huckabee is working overtime to embed himself like an Arkansas tick into the minds of the far right wing as their guy when it comes to hot button social issues.

Huckabee criticized Portman for glorifying being pregnant and unwed with comments she made in her acceptance speech. What about Bristol Palin, who has built her notoriety largely on the fact that she was an unwed mother and daughter of her famous mother, Sarah Palin. Natalie Portman just won the Academy award for best actress, the fact that she is unwed and pregnant really does not factor into her fame.

If not for the fact that Bristol Palin was a pregnant, unwed teenager during her mother’s campaign for Vice President, she would have just been another one of Sarah Palin’s children, but her pregnancy was her notoriety. Bristol has used her unwed condition to become wealthy and famous. Sarah Palin’s daughter has been on one of the most popular shows on television, Dancing With The Stars die to her rise to fame.

Governor Huckabee you picked on the wrong unwed mother. It is much harder to become an Oscar winning actress with enormous talent that happens to be pregnant than to be a pregnant high school dropout and then rise to fame. It seems that your coworker’s daughter has sent a far more damaging message. You chose to select your baby mama drama by thinking you can double down by bundling a social issue with Hollywood elitism and get in deep with the far right fringe.

Birther Bills Try To Block President Obama From 2012 State Ballots


 President Barack Obama


Here we go again. Multiple states have bills designed to force President Obama and any other Presidential candidate to produce a full birth certificate before being included on those states' ballot. The bills have made their way to state legislature in many states. An article titled “Ga. latest state to propose "birther" bill” by the Associated Press March 2, 2011 and published on the CBS News website goes into the details on the measure in Georgia. According to the article 10 other states have bills pending including Texas, Arizona, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Connecticut, Maine,  Tennessee and Indiana. Montana previously defeated such a measure.

This is the real start of the 2012 Presidential campaign. Possible Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee made a statement recently that President Obama’s world view was influenced by his Kenyan upbringing with his Kenyan born father and grandfather. Huckabee later said that he misspoke and meant to say Indonesia instead of Kenya. President Obama grew up in Hawaii and spent four years in Indonesia as a child with his mother and stepfather, but was primarily raised by his mother and grandparents in Hawaii and that is in his biography.

It is more than a coincidence that a legitimate and former Presidential candidate would come out with Obama birth certificate talk before any Republicans officially declare to run for President. It is the first dog whistle to alert a certain voting block that he is with them, just in case he runs.

Wasn’t the birther business supposed to be old news? Well it never went away; it just died down for a while. The efforts to declare President Obama an illegitimate President seems to never end and some just won’t give in on the birth certificate business because those pushing it feel it is a disqualifier for a man they don’t think they can beat in 2012.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Fewer Cops, Firemen, Teachers, Schools & Bad Roads - Broke America



We slide slowly into the abyss when it comes to the government services that we have taken for granted for years and it is a result of basic math ruled by the deep recession. We have to realize that the landslide that was the economy going over the cliff began in full force during September, October and November of 2008 before the election of President Barack Obama. That means that we have been mired in this situation for 2 years and 5 months.

While private industry tends to feel the effects of an economic downturn immediately, government entities tend to lag behind in feeling the pain because their revenue sources are affected later and over time. Businesses runs on more of a real time basis on monthly and quarterly revenue changes. Dips in revenue for a company will be met with changes on the cost side in the form of employee layoffs or other actions if the declines are lasting. Government revenues will dip later if an economic downturn lasts long enough.

Most state, local and national governments can weather small or short dips in tax income by dipping into special funds or floating a bond to accomplish special projects. When a downturn lasts as long as this one and then is compounded by the real estate collapse, then it is a 1 2 punch. Drops in consumer spending is killing state and local sales tax income. The housing crisis, falling property values and foreclosures severely dented property tax revenue that cities, counties and schools depend on. After two years the buffer is gone and there is simply not enough tax money coming in to meet past spending requirements.

The revenue shortfall means less of everything that we took for granted. Fewer policemen, firemen and teachers, but we may have more potholes in the streets. As an example the Dallas Independent School District is looking at possibly laying off 3,100 teachers, 800 support personnel and other cutbacks. Some cities are reducing police officers and fire fighters. On the other side of the coin is less to spend on things like street maintenance and repair. Many cities are already in the hole due to extra costs from dealing with cleanups after huge winter snow and ice storms.

So what does a country feel like with no local public pools open, as some cities have gone to,and fewer public library branches. When will the first news story come up where service cutbacks are blamed for some crime taking place because of reduced police presence or a home burns down because the closest fire station was closed due to budget cuts. The response will be sobering as we realize that there is a new reality at hand in the United States.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Is The State Of Wisconsin The Last Stand For Labor Unions


                             Wisconsin State Flag

The government worker standoff in the state of Wisconsin is like something rarely seen in the United States, true civil protest against a system that workers feel is meant to strip them of dignity and bargaining power. The tone from Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is an old one filled with pre-union age code words wrapped in modern vernacular.

A statement from the Governor says that managers must have the ability to manage is his rational for stripping bargaining rights from the public unions although they have agreed to fiscal concession to deal with state budget issues. That statement translates into I make the rules, you have no say, so shut up and take it. This same theme has been echoed in other states, although the delay caused by the protests and Democrats leaving the state of Wisconsin has allowed the light of day to shine on the real issue, which is not the budget, but breaking the union.

In this strange time we live in public employees have somehow become the bad guys. Teachers, firemen and other civil servants are no being painted as spoiled elites. This must stop. Fire fighters were the heroes after the  September 11 attacks on the Wold Trade Center and now they are being branded as part of the problem. Some regular Americans are buying into this line of thinking and some politicians know that hard times are the ideal field to sow seeds of division.