Yin and yang

It seems an anti-abortion group, Life Always, is running billboards in President Obama's hometown (aimed at African-Americans) with his picture that state that every 21 minutes a future leader is aborted. 

Seems to me they could also run one with a picture of Charles Manson that states that every 21 minutes a future serial killer is aborted, maybe with another picture of some guy wiping his hand across his forehead and saying "Phew!"

I mean, you never know, right?

Peace,
emaycee

Happy Birthday Obamacare!

In case you missed it, Healthcare reform turned a year old last week, and its conundrum continues--as evidenced by these three pieces, all featured on the same day in the Free Press.  Sister Mary Ellen Howard, in a guest column, says we should not deny the benefits that the reforms have given us, like stopping insurance companies from deciding whether you live or die (or end up in bankruptcy court) and extending benefits to the millions without health insurance.  Rep. John Dingell, the Michigan dean of the U. S. House, says it helps out seniors with doughnut hole gaps in their prescription coverage, allows young people to stay on their parents coverage until age 26, wipes out pre-existing condition limitations, and will cut our deficit.  And James Oliphant, in his "analysis," while trying to play the traditional media game of giving both sides of the debate equal airing, repeats numerous republican falsehoods without supporting proof and basically  turns it into a political question, rather than a bettering human welfare issue.

Methinks I need to read a whole hell of a lot less of traditional media "analysis"....

Peace,
emaycee

I see said the blind man

There have been a couple of telling pieces over the past week in the Free Press.  The first dealt with pay raises of roughly $19 million for U.S. House staffers.  The second with increased payroll spending at Michigan colleges.  I find it highly coincidental that in the midst of labor uprisings in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan two such pieces as fit so neatly into the republican narrative would appear within a week in the Free Press.  The pay raises, of course, are government spending out of control, contributing to the deficit, overpaid government workers, ad nauseum.  The payroll increases, of course, are overpaid union members, overpaid government workers, bloated government spending, the conservative anti-education agenda (the less we know, the less they can pay us), ad nauseum.

I might (well, probably not, but what the fuck) be able to overlook this were the Free Press to have run a piece on GE making $14.2 billion last year but paying zero income taxes (can you say "don't want to piss off the paying advertisers"?) or a piece on Bank of America paying zero taxes for the second year in a row and claiming a $1 billion tax credit because they ran their business poorly (can you say "ditto"?).  For some odd reason, they don't seem to run a lot of pieces like Think Progress....

Who better serves middle America's agenda?  And doesn't charge $13 bucks a month to whine that you make too much money despite that college education and the Phd which cost you a pretty penny?  I rest my case....

Also, can someone please explain to me why, because of all their expensive and time consuming schooling, very few people bemoan doctors their generally lucrative careers, but don't feel the same about college professors above average wages despite all of their expensive and time consuming schooling?   Just wondering....

Peace,
emaycee

North Dakota it is!

Earlier this year I made the point (more or less) that the choice facing Michigan as a member of the freezing fucking cold belt (those states roughly in Michigan's latitude, all of which are known for their arctic like weather) was whether we wanted to be a middle of the pack state (Wisconsin or Minnesota) or a state that basically no one except those who live there give a fuck about (North Dakota or South Dakota). Looks like Gov. Snyder is making that choice for us...and the winner is...North Fucking Dakota!

Woo-fucking-hoo!

Being a former CEO, Gov. Snyder likes the unilateral power that comes with such a job, and he's doing his best to make the job of governor as dictatorial as possible with his emergency financial managers and public sector union busting. Give Brian Dickerson his props--kind of amazing how much republicans hate government having power over us until it involves busting public unions. I smell...bullshit in the air!

In addition to being able to cut your pay, dissolve your union, and oust your democratically elected leaders at the whim of an emergency financial "manager," Michigan citizens will now also be able to collect, at twenty weeks, the least lengthy unemployment benefits in the nation. Thanks once again, Governor! According to Jase "I Hate The Middle Class and The Poor" Bolger, Michigan's Speaker of the House, this was needed to strike "a balance between helping the unemployed in the short term and helping the job providers in the long term." What the mother fucking fuck? Corporations in Michigan need another tax break on top of their $1.8 billion giveaway? Jesus fucking Christ, most of our unemployment crisis has been caused by the ineptitude of the auto industry executives and we want to reward them even more for being incompetent?

Sometimes it seems as if I've entered an alternate universe where down is up, hot is cold, and logic is nonexistent.

Peace,
emaycee

Why Liberals struggle as much as we do

For the record, I've never used a sexist term to refer to a female republican....

Ever wonder why so few Americans self-identify as Liberals? Ever wonder why we have so much trouble getting candidates elected and our agenda enacted despite the fact that most Americans agree with our values? Look no further than this piece in today's Daily Kos. While I agree that Bill Maher calling Sarah Palin a "twat" was an extremely poor choice of words, it doesn't rate a mention, let alone a lengthy diatribe in the Daily Kos. At a time when our people are fired up by rallies in the midwest (which holds states that if we desire victory in 2012 are vital to our efforts) over issues that matter--pay cuts to the middle class, destroying public sector unions, cutting benefits to working people, trying to end collective bargaining rights--Kaili Gray is wasting our time because she's a bit squeamish about an ill-conceived choice of words.

I swear to God, the powers that be in the republican party have to laugh their asses off every time they see one of these type articles that take Democratic eyes off the true goal with an issue that looks petty and not particularly astute.

Peace,
emaycee

Libya, Schmibya

Can the Dems in Washington please do us all a favor and skip all of their posturing over the President's actions in Libya?

100,000 people didn't rally in Wisconsin over Libya. Gov. Kasich in Ohio and Gov. Snyder in Michigan do not have plummeting approval ratings over Libya. The Democrats chances in 2012 are not rising over Libya.

It's good jobs, good jobs, good jobs--that's what voters care about.

Peace,
emaycee

I love the smell of (republican) fear in the morning

Old Nolan had another beauty of a column this past Sunday--not only for its utter deafness to the plight of working Americans, but also because the fear of the working class uprising turning the tide back to the Democrats was palpable. And judging from this poll (yes, I know it's early, but with the tea party effectively controlling today's republican party, does anyone see the republican party changing course between now and November 2012?), the Democrats already have a chance to take back the House in 2012.... Three points in old Nolan's column bear noting: 1) His claim that public sector workers concerns about their sacrifices ring hollow with private sector workers who have already taken pay cuts, are paying more for their health benefits, and have lost their pensions. I'd like some examples of each please, because in my experience I know of no one who took a pay cut (we went a year without raises at the company I work for, but if they'd cut our pay they'd have had mass exodus and they know it--the job just isn't that great or well paying), the cost of everybody's benefits has been going up for years, and most of us have no fucking clue what it's like to get a pension and know how fucked up our 401ks are. Methinks old Nolan has been attending too many of those sparsely attended, old white guys meetings also known as tea party gatherings. 2) His claims that these public sector union protests are not about collective bargaining rights. Horseshit. He cites the contract changes given by the UAW to the Big 3 automakers as to how it should be done. You'll note, however, the UAW did not give back its collective bargaining rights--reason being, when business turns around, they're going to come back and ask for their fair share. Why should public sector workers accept any less? 3) I'd be willing to bet there are plenty of policemen, state troopers, firefighters, and teachers who would be awfully surprised to find they are a "privileged class of workers." Because, you know, I'm amazed at how many of my son's teachers talk about their yearly vacations in Europe, and how many Lexuses I see parked in front of the local fire station.... In the end, what republicans failed to understand is just how pissed off those of us in the private sector are at the shitty deal we've been handed by our companies--through no fault of our own. Why in the hell would we begrudge our friends and neighbors their paltry livelihoods? And raises the question we should be asking of every sitting republican legislator and every future republican candidate: Why do you hate people who actually work for a living? Peace, emaycee

One lyin' nerd

Kudos to our new Governor--in less than three months, his approval rating has already dipped to a low point it took former Gov. Granholm six years to reach: 33%. His approval rating among Democrats is 10%--ten fucking percent! Man, that's George W. Bush territory, and he hasn't even been in office 90 days. If the election from last November were held today, Virg Bernero would defeat Snyder 47-45--that's a 21 point turaround from the 59-41 troucing Snyder gave Bernero. Think those approval ratings are bad now? Wait until the fine citizens of Michigan find out that Snyder's $1.8 billion tax giveaway to the businesses of Michigan resulted in next to no new jobs. How low can you go, Governor? Continuing the cheery thread, thanks to Snyder's overreach, Debbie Stabenow's re-election chances have improved dramatically: she now holds double digit leads over four hypothetical republican challengers (including former Michigan Secretary of State, Terri Lynn Land, who I believed was the republicans best potential candidate). And party I.D. now has the Democrats back to 2008 levels, which has to be good news for President Wishy Washy. Note to republicans: if you're going to run as a moderate, it really helps if you govern as such. Governing as a radical tends to really piss off the opposition--and, surprisingly enough, the people whose very names implies their centrist nature: Independents. Anybody want to guess how many Michigan Democrats vote for a "moderate" republican in 2012? My guess is pretty darn close to zero. Peace, emaycee

Eight long years....

Today it has been eight years since the start of the Iraq War...has the time, the expense, the loss of American and Iraqi life, the thousands of debilitating injuries, the blow to the American psyche caused by another republican liar been worth it?

In a word: no.

Peace,
emaycee

Sound of insane man screaming here

The Free Press continued its march to irrelevancy yesterday with this dim-witted editorial on cutting the federal deficit. It's bad enough that they continue to bury their collective heads in the sand concerning Gov. Snyder--"bold plan" would be about as far away from my description of Snyder's proposed "budget" as you could possibly get (I'd prefer union busting, middle class destroying, myself)--but they continue to give the completely false impression that Social Security is in some way responsible for a significant chunk of the federal deficit. I'll type this very slowly for the Free Press' editorial staff: SOCIAL SECURITY DOES NOT ADD ONE PENNY TO THE FEDERAL DEFICIT AND NEVER HAS BECAUSE IT IS PAID FOR THROUGH A PAYROLL TAX THAT ALL AMERICANS PAY AND IS NOT TIED TO THE FEDERAL BUDGET YOU FUCKING IDIOTS! Want to get really "serious" about cutting the federal deficit? Raise taxes on the wealthy, invest heavily in infrastructure, withdraw all troops and support from Iraq and Afghanistan, and reduce the military budget by 1/3 to 1/2. Problem solved pronto. Peace, emaycee

Republican bullshit

Seems the MEA, Michigan's largest teacher's union, is sending out feelers for possible teacher strikes. The republican response? One Jase (what the fuck kind of name is Jase? Sounds like some punk ass high schooler) Bolger, republican House Speaker from Marshall, said, "I encourage teachers to send a clear message to the union bosses [Aside: what the mother fucking fuck? Union bosses? What, are we filming a remake of On the Waterfront?] that they are out of control and Michigan's children need to come first." Seriously. He fucking said Michigan's children need to come first--except of course for that $470 per pupil cut so we can have that 1.8 billion cut in business taxes. And except, just one more time, for the EITC, so we can have that 1.8 billion cut in business taxes. The sheer hypocrisy of losers like "Jase" is completely beyond me--and what's even scarier is that there are people stupid enough to actually buy his bullshit. Gov. Snyder and his republican cronies in Michigan's legislature have only one concern--busting Michigan's unions at the expense of the standard of living of Michigan's middle class. So please spare us the Snyder's reinventing Michigan malarkey...it's pure Michigan bullshit. Peace, emaycee

The conversation we should be having...

Mitch Albom--and, Lord, will miracles never cease--does a nice job here of explaining the damage done to traditional media when idiots make fake videos, like, say James O'Keefe and his NPR stunt a couple of weeks ago...though he doesn't do a very good job of explaining why the traditional media keeps getting burned by these fake videos. (Ahem--speaking of which...how come our side never does this? Can't we get a video of some tea party bozo throwing around the "n" word a few times?) However...am I the only one who's bothered by the fact that the debate we're not having is whether or nor the tea party actually is racist? I mean, heaven forbid that the liberal media pick on those poor white guys by actually, you know, telling the truth. Peace, emaycee

It could be worse--it could be raining

The Detroit News posits this week that "cutting business taxes will lead to more jobs and higher wages in Michigan." Ha, ha, ha, ha, hee, hee, tee hee, tee hee, hoo-haha, hoo-haha. guffaw, guffaw, giggle, giggle, ho, ho, ho.... Are these fucking people fucking serious? I don't even think tea party goons believe that bullshit--well except for the higher wages part, because those tax cuts will make for some nice raises for Michigan CEOs and their corporate executive brethren. For the rest of us, not so much. As for the jobs, well...corporate profits are at their highest since 1993, and unemployment in America is still hovering near 9%. Not exactly hard to do the math. Peace, emaycee

Well lookee here...

From Wisconsin to Ohio to...Michigan--ta-da! In an earlier post I noted our own Gov. Snyder's stealth attempt to accomplish the same union-busting, middle class destroying that Gov. Walker did in Wisconsin by giving unilateral powers to emergency financial managers. It's a done deal.... This bill is a disaster in the making--it effectively takes away our voting rights and turns municipal financial disasters into republican wet dreams to sell our hometowns to the highest bidders. So why is Stephen Henderson--the liberal (what the mother fucking fuck?) voice of the Free Press--telling us to stop the hysteria on financial managers? My guess is, once again, surprise, surprise, media fail. Fortunately, we have many alternative sources for our news these days, and anyone wanting to learn the truth about republican Gov. Snyder's plans can check out Think Progress's piece on the republican Governor's plan to cut corporate taxes by 86% while raising taxes for the poor and middle class; or their piece on how the republican's power grab may be unconstitutional; even better, Joan McCarter of the Daily Kos is calling on us Michiganders to hop on the recall bandwagon and get the constitutional amendments ready for the voters...where do I sign up? And I still subscribe to the Free Press because...can anyone give me a good reason I should? A couple of nice pieces that you'll also never see in a traditional media outlet (e.g., the Free Press) are this one by Robert Creamer which is full of mind opening stats, explains why we need unions now more than ever, and posits (and I believe) that what unions are fighting for in Wisconsin (and I'll add Ohio and Michigan to the mix) is the very survival of the middle class. The other, by U. S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, is a nice nostaglic look at her upbringing in a union household (and brought back a few memories for me of being raised in one for at least a few years) and speaks to the continued relevance of unions in America today. Look for the union label indeed.... Peace, emaycee

Thank you Wisconsin republicans!

Who could ever have imagined, after the disaster for Democrats that was the November 2010 elections...

...that my mailbox would be exploding with e-mails from Liberal and Progressive groups like it hasn't since the elections of 2008?

...that I would actually be devouring them with enjoyment?

...that I'd be donating money again to the cause (even though I can't afford it)?

...that Rachel, Lawrence, and Big Ed would be frothing at the mouths every night over republican overreach and I'd be hanging on every word?

...that I'd be writing letters to the editor assailing the republican war against the middle class (okay, okay, I would have done that one anyway)?

...that unions would be the good guys?

...that the American people would finally begin to understand that the class warfare they've been warned against has actually been going on for quite a while and they're losing badly?

...that the Democrats might (key word) actually have a chance to reverse the losses--especially in the U. S. House--in the 2012 elections?

...that Liberals, Labor Unions, and Democrats would be as fired up as they've been since George W. Bush was spending his days fucking Americans over?

Thank you Scott Walker and the Wisconsin republican state legislatures--it's all because of you!

Peace,
emaycee

Truth to power

After the fiasco that the republicans created in Wisconsin (if you need a link, you need to get out of your room and watch something other than American Fucking Idol), the only message that Liberals need to project over the next twenty months is this: republicans, tea party members, and conservatives hate the middle class. They actually think we make too much money and have too sweet of a benefit package. Not just public sector workers--all of us. It's as simple as that. Peace, emaycee

Really?

You have got to love the utter hypocrisy in this bullshit--for a group of people who resent the government at every turn, they sure do seem to love giving unlimited power to it when it suits their purposes. For those not familiar, here in Michigan Gov. Snyder has decided to take the Scott Walker option on unions by doing an end around. Rather than outright strip their collective bargaining rights, Snyder wants (and will probably get from the middle class hating republican majority in our Michigan legislature) a revamped emergency financial manager law, i.e., giving the person appointed to oversee a failing municipality the right to break collective bargaining agreements if the appointee feels they are a detriment to the solvency of said muncipality. The News wants us to believe the unions protesting the law are protesting too much and that this would almost never happen. What the mother fucking fuck? How stupid do these people think we are? But, really, I'd be in favor of this as long as it also gave the appointee the power to decide that businesses not being taxed enough could have their taxes increased in distressed municipalities if it would add to their future solvency, and if such appointees could also end corporate welfare if they felt it was a detriment to the state's future solvency. My guess is The Detroit News would have zero respect for this completely fair addition to the law, and as a result, are little more than another in a long line of conservative hypocrites when it comes to their complaints about government overreach. They can also go fuck themselves. Peace, emaycee

Creating your own reality

One of the things we Liberals really suck at is pulling opinions out of our ass, facts be damned. We like our opinions to be cemented with facts, be it statistics or polls. We speak truth to power. Unfortunately (and a lot of blame can be laid at the feet of our lazy national media) this does not work in our favor. Republicans are marvelous at telling us what America wants, regardless of whether or not its true. Apparently fox news, tea party members, their fellow republicans, and conservative pundits and personalities make up 90% of their inner circles--because they are utterly clueless when it comes to understanding what the American people want. Old Nolan has published a couple of beauts over the past two weekends. In the first, old Nolan waxes rhapsodically about two governors and the freshman class of congressman who all have one thing in common: they're listening to the voters. Uh...not so fucking fast there, Nolan. The first governor cited was Michigan's own Rick Snyder: as I noted in an earlier post, Michigan's voters are hardly overwhelmed with Gov. Snyder's proposals. Apparently Gov. Snyder's ears are filled with waxy build-up, because Michigan voters aren't feeling the love. The second was Wisconin's Scott Walker--who is dealing with a two week protest which has basically shut down his state capitol and his disapproval rating after two months in office is at 57%. Apparently Gov. Walker is suffering from short term hearing loss, because I'm not even sure were Charles Manson to be elected governor of Wisconsin could his ratings plummet as quickly. The last group cited by old Nolan is the republican freshman class of congressmen and their budget cutting mania. Seems, oddly enough, the American people are a lot more interested in jobs than cutting the deficit, and even stranger, can't really decide what they want cut, though it's definitely not Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, or K-12 education. And hell, over 80% of us are in favor of taxing millionaires to help balance the budget (same poll as last). Apparently the republican freshman class is completely deaf because less than 20% of Americans are in favor of cutting entitlements and giving tax cuts to the rich. What the motherfucking fuck, Nolan? In the second, Nolan laments the AWOL Wisconsin 14, and claims with what one would assume is a straight face, that they are defying the ballot box. One can assume that old Nolan felt, after the can of whupass the Dems opened on republicans in 2006 and 2008, that Senate republicans who filibustered virtually everything the Dems proposed were also defying the American people. And you know what they say happens when you assume.... In the end, though, I'm beginning to believe (though not completely sold), like Robert Creamer in this piece, that our future lies in pinnning our money, hope, and future with labor unions--they're not perfect, but it's people power and it's the best fighting tool we have against corporations, wall street, the wealthy elite, and conservative pundits who are much better at lying than we are. Peace, emaycee

Pay a lot of attention to the man behind the curtain

I don't want to be a killjoy, but today's U. S. Jobs Report (the best job creation in three years) may not be all that it's cracked up to be--I've often wondered just what kind of jobs are being created, and judging from Meteor Blade's piece in The Daily Kos it's the low paying kind. Low paying jobs represent 49% of the current job growth, mid level paying jobs 37%, and high paying a mere 14% (high paying jobs also represented 40% of the job loss in the latest recession).

I know republicans, tea party members, and billionaires are happy for the working people of this country to just have a job, but as for myself, I'm thankful for the Wisconsin 14.

Keep on keeping on, ladies and gents.

Peace,
emaycee

For the record

Can I be one of the few ordinary people in the United States who just flat doesn't give a fuck about the deficit--either statewide or nationally? I...just...do...not...give...a...fuck. Want to fix it? Get people good paying jobs, get the unemployment rate down to 4-5% and all your troubles disappear. It's not a cutting issue--it's a revenue issue. Period.

Peace,
emaycee

Boehner's boner

The Daily Kos focuses on Boehner drinking from a styrofoam cup, which is all well and good (everybody likes green policies, nobody bases their final vote for a candidate on them), but the key words are these: most Americans don't have a clue about the true cost of entitlement programs, Boehner proclaims.

Because, you know, there's nothing Americans like more than being told by a politican that they don't have a clue about programs they really like.

If the Dems would only develop a spine, they'd win the House in 2012 in a walk--the republicans are fucking handing it back to them.

Peace,
emaycee

The mild-mannered radical (not)

Well the pundits have spoken on Gov. Snyder's budget (at least in the Free Press).... Props to Stephen Henderson--he's usually one of those wishy-washy vaguely liberal (think President Obama) pontificators, and while there's some of that in his piece on Snyder's budget, he basically makes a lot of good points, especially with regard to the EITC. He's right--cutting services for the poor is not going to make Michigan a better state. Now that Rochelle Riley has decided to follow Mitch Albom's career path (mindless, completely thoughtless drivel) thank God the Free Press has added Jill Alper's thoughtful new columns. Alper absolutely nails Snyder's budget--republican bullshit to help corporations and the wealthy elite and do absolutely nothing to create jobs or help the working people of Michigan. Media fail--for a Princeton grad, Brian Dickerson isn't as thoughtful as one might surmise from his educational background. He's buying into the cult of personality surrounding Gov. Snyder, calling him a mild-mannered radical. He got the first half right, but Snyder is no radical. Truly radical would have been to call for a graduated income tax and more investment in Michigan, not less. He's a republican--a nice enough gent, but nothing really much different than Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, or any other conservative who thinks the rich should get richer at the expense of the other 98% of Americans. Uh...there was also a piece by John Truscott. Suffice to say, it was his usual fellation of tea party members. Enough said. Perhaps the most telling opinions are these: 62% (32% favor) of Michigan voters oppose the K-12 cuts; a Free Press poll shows horrible numbers for the Governor: 53% (41% favor) are against taxing pensions, 58% (36% favor) against cutting the EITC, 49% (43 % favor) are against replacing the business tax. Even worse for Snyder? His numbers have dropped from 59 favorable/8 unfavorable to 44/27. Whoops! Note to Dems: please remember these policies the next time you cast a vote for a republican in anger. Independents might heed the same warning.... Peace, emaycee