Doing the Right Thing aka Wasted Days and Wasted Nights

While President Obama touts his willingness to compromise, I'm left to wonder what he hopes this will accomplish.  You see, I don't remember Abraham Lincoln's willingness to compromise on the end of slavery.  I don't remember Franklin Delano Roosevelt's willingness to compromise on the New Deal.  I don't remember Lyndon Johnson's willingness to compromise on his vision of a Great Society.  These men left ordinary Americans, through the freeing the slaves and saving the union, through the WPA and Social Security (and a host of others), through the Voting Rights Act and Medicare, in a better position to enjoy the fruits of what America has to offer.  In short, they made life better for us.

Sadly, I fear President Obama, being the Capitulator-in-Chief, will have as his legacy (other than being the first African-American elected President) that he didn't make any life any worse for ordinary Americans.

Hardly a resounding case for greatness.

Peace,
emaycee

A Matter of Degree

Did you know...that 162 laws have been passed this year regarding abortion, 80 of which further restrict the right to choose?  Even though a majority of Americans continue (however much distaste they may have for abortion) to support a woman's right to choose, republicans have still made inroads on an issue of importance to them.  How much could we have accomplished had we remained as vigilant on gun control or the death penalty?

I mention this because of this piece on our continuing losses in the class war.  If we continue to put as much effort into it as we have on past issues, there's going to be plenty of poor and middle class Americans going hungrier and without decent shelter.  Capitulation--or as Obama refers to it, compromise (I smell...horseshit!)--is not an option and we have to learn to throw the right cross because left jabs are getting us nowhere.

If we aren't willing to fight with everything we've got for putting food on our tables, what will we fight for?

Peace,
emaycee

Check your wallets

Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Fantasy Island) says the U. S. House has the modern answer on Medicare--and then proceeds to list some "facts" about the Ryan plan, conveniently omitting the key fact:  conservative estimates are that we'll pay better than $6000 for their "plan."  Considering that thanks to republicans we have no more pension plans, thanks to republicans we've lost fortunes on our 401ks, and that republicans want to cut our Social Security benefits, my question is...how in the fuck do they think we're going to pay for their coverage?

If Michelle Bachman--who hopes higher unemployment (and therefore, more people going hungry and being thrown out of their homes) helps her campaign--and Mitch McConnell--who affirmed again today that the republican's number one priority is defeating Obama (not jobs or increased wages)--are any indication, they don't care.

Kind of makes Rep. Huizenga's claims that he's looking out for my family ring just a bit hollow, don't you think?

Peace,
emaycee

Onward "Christian" Soldiers

"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"

                                                                                                 Matthew 25:40

Apparently Orrin Hatch (R-Hades) thinks the poor in this country just aren't paying their share--obviously, not having any money isn't a very good excuse.  Never mind that Hatch can't get his facts straight (he claims 51% of Americans don't pay taxes, a figure which includes senior citizens, children, and those who don't make enough to file federal taxes and ignores state and sales taxes which the poor most assuredly pay), what kills me about Hatch's idiotic rant is that he's purportedly a Christian.

Now I'm not a theologian, but if I read the above Bible passage correctly, that means that Hatch thinks Jesus should pay more taxes.  Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I don't recall anything in the Bible about Jesus' mansion, Jesus' beemer, or Jesus' bling.  In fact, I'm pretty sure that all that Jesus owned were the clothes on his back and perhaps a donkey--in short, he was poor.  And, according to Sen. Hatch, a leach.

Ought to make for a pretty darn uncomfortable Judgment Day for old Orrin....

Peace,
emaycee

Wouldn't it be great to have a Democrat in the White House?

A few numbers:

• Thirty-two corporations paid less in taxes in 2010 than they did to their executives.
• Child poverty in the United States is almost at 25%--and why this isn't considered a national embarrassment and getting as much media coverage as the Casey Anthony trial says a lot about our "Christian" nation.
• Since 2009, 88% of income growth in America has gone to corporate profits, 1% to wages (ditto above rejoinder).
• Executive pay rose 23% in 2010 at America's top companies.  Did your pay?
• Between 1947 and 1979, productivity in America rose by 119% and median family income by 112%.  Between 1979 and 2009, productivity increaed by 80% and median family income by...11%.  What the fuck?

With numbers like these--ice cream sundaes for the Democratic Party I joined--why in the hell would President Obama come to the table on the debt ceiling talks and not make ultimatums?  Like, I don't know, "Fuck you, your bullshit policies got us into this mess and we're going to tip the scales back to even for the American workers!"?  I mean, how in the fuck do the republicans even have a voice on this one?  For fuck's sake, if someone levelled your house the last time you loaned them your bulldozer, why in the fuck would you give them the keys again?

Unfortunately, as outlined in this piece by Drew Westin, the Demcratic Party's leadership is a shell of its former self, and has become the moderate wing of the republican party. (Personally, I blame Bill Clinton, but others much smarter than I may have another scapegoat.) 

The sad part?  We don't have a choice but to support the President.  With the cockamamie bullshit goings on in Wisconsin, here in Michigan, Florida, and Ohio, you can see how much worse it could get.  Hell, the right to choose is itself enough of a reason.  Still...it sure would be nice if we could inject a little spinal fluid in Obama's back or else help him remember that we're the political party that looks out for those that are drowning and those barely staying afloat--and protect them from the champagne drinking yachts sailing willy-nilly through the harbor.

Peace,
emaycee

And again...

And another reason this country is fucked up....

For all of these people who are convinced that Casey Anthony is guilty (apparently one of the pillars of our justice system--innocent until proven guilty--is completely above their meager intellects) and the jury errored greatly, I have but one question:  since you were there, and actually witnessed Anthony kill her two-year-old, can you please explain why you didn't come forward as a witness?  I mean, for God's sake, it really would have helped the prosecution's case.

I would mention Nancy Grace as being a complete embarrassment to the American legal system but that would be piling on....

Peace,
emaycee

Lindsay Omigod Lohan

This is how fucked up America is--Lindsay Lohan makes a tweet about the Fed printing money (Nobel Prize winning Economist, Lindsay Lohan) and people either think it's a brilliant marketing strategy for the company paying her for her tweet or are disgusted by the utter shamelessness of using and /or cashing in on celebrity.

Unfortunately, no one seems to have noticed the obvious:  what does it say about us that anyone on either side would seriously even consider her to render advice on anything other than how to bang a bong or how to schedule a meeting with your parole officer?  For fuck's sake, you wouldn't trust your neighbor's stoned nineteen-year-old to give advice on your finances, so why in the world didn't everyone just fucking ignore Lindsay Lohan?

Peace,
emaycee

A few of my favorite things...

Thank you, Tom Harkin for talking about looking out for the middle class and actually meaning it.

And Bernie Sanders for holding the President's feet to the fire, which has to be an utterly thankless job.

Bob Cesca for being a funny liberal and getting the Anthony Weiner scandal exactly right.  Plus coming up with a solution for our piss poor tradtional media that actually has a chance of working.  Want to end the freak shows?  Watch something meatier--how novel.

Mitt Romney for looking more and more like John Kerry every single day.  He didn't say it unless he did.  And changed his mind.  But meant something else.  As if.

It ain't much, but it keeps me going.

Peace,
emaycee