I just HAD to re-post this because I do NOT get how people do not understand what the Republican agenda is since it is right in front of us almost daily. It is insanity rehashed but somehow we do not see it when melded into the fabric of our news as a non-event.
Robert Reich
Now
that Paul Ryan is Speaker of the House, keep a wary eye out for Ryan’s 7
favorite ideas (they’re also cropping up among Republican presidential
candidates):
1. Reduce the top
income-tax rate to 25 percent from 35 percent (a huge windfall to the
rich at a time when the rich take home a larger share of total income
that at any time since the 1920s).
2. Cut corporate taxes to 25
percent from 35 percent (a giant sop to corporations, the largest of
which are already socking away $1.2 trillion in foreign tax shelters).
3. Make these cuts without adding the budget deficit by slashing
spending on domestic programs like food stamps and education for poor
districts (now, 18% of the nation's children are in poverty, and these
cuts would only make things worse).
4. Also by turning Medicaid
and other federal programs for the poor into block grants to the states,
and let the states decide how to allocate them (in other words, give
Republican state legislatures and governors slush funds to do with as
they wish).
5. And turning Medicare into vouchers that don’t keep
up with increases in healthcare costs (which would in effect cut
Medicare for the elderly).
6. Deal with rising Social Security
costs by raising the retirement age for Social Security (making Social
Security even more regressive, since the poor don't live nearly as long
as the rich).
7. Finally, don’t raise the minimum wage but let it
continue to decline as inflation makes it irrelevant; instead, provide
poor workers with a larger Earned Income Tax Credit (enlarging the EITC
is a good idea, but we need a higher minimum as well).
Bottom line: Beware Paul Ryan.
What do you think?
This consistent theme of stealing from us through the legislative process is a Republican thing. Repeatedly breaking every program in sight and taking the good of the common good to the ground is, as often as not, a theme backed by the Big Money of the 1%.
Many issues today revolve around a form of fairness and whether or not we are actually seeing fairness in our politically driven marketplace. In reading Robert Reich's book Saving Capitalism (for the many not the few) it becomes clear that without rule makers having a sense of what is and is not fair in setting policy we lose the purpose for which rule making should be doing its job FOR society. We are buried in Lobbyists and Lawyers making Legislators and the departments that make the rules for the marketplace unfair. The Lobbyists and Lawyers, pretty much by definition, want rules that keep their constituents free of regulation. They cry that regulation is a bad thing even though it is what keeps us safe. They imply that it is no longer a "Free" market if you regulate it. Nothing could be further from the truth. They propose over and over again ways to free the market so that it is more efficient. Right now they are winning and we are losing. Markets NEED regulation... without regulation we can be given shoddy products, forced into predatory arrangements and generally cheated out of our money. Without regulation there is no market.
If we look under most of the problems we face today there is a theme that says the Unregulators have stolen from us the ability to have a fair marketplace. Subjects like Net Neutrality or Foreign Trade Agreements may not be on the top of the reading list for most people so it is easy to see how the Unregulators have rigged the game quietly while no one was looking. In the case of what sorts of cars can be sold (safe or unsafe) or what industries are subsidized we do not have access to the agents of change even if we see what has to be done as individuals. For things like bankruptcy laws or the insurance industry the grip of the industry itself is so tight that we cannot even get a thumb nail under the cure. The entire interlocking set of regulations is too detailed for the average person to follow and fix. This leads to frustration with the system. We become easy prey for the politicians that say,"I have the solution," even though all they have is more ways to mess with the already broken system.
For the most part it is Republicans who have corrupted the system with the help of a few Democrats. That way you get to hear phrases like, "Bi-Partisan Support," when, in reality, it happens that something is passed with very thin margins that works against the normal/average person. We have elected people through the deception of money buying our allegiance through advertising distorting the facts/truth. It's the Blue Ribbon Committee that lies to us about the intent or the reason for making a certain decision. It is the money under the vote that has preordained a decision against the good of the People.
So, there you have it, right now we are fighting against the money that has corrupted the system. We are fighting for our financial existence. We are fighting against the lies that pervade the media we used to rely on. We are fighting for a livable community for the many not the few. We are fighting against the 1% who own almost everything in sight and have worked tirelessly to own the rest. We are fighting for our next generation and their right to live in a sustainable way, in harmony, on the planet.
At times like these there is a gnawing sense that I am missing something. I mean, political sense does not very often make for an understandable world. Here is Donald Trump being Trumped by... wait for it, Ben Carson in Iowa! It was a thought that occurred to me this week that the lunatic fringe IS the Republican party. I know, right? You're saying,"How could you not have known THAT?"
Deep down I have felt for a long time that Republican self destruction made this case a long time ago. It is the reality of it that has struck me anew. The Republicans are looking ever more desperately for a viable candidate that the Uber-Rich can control. They had that in Romney. They had that in spades with Bush. But now, they cannot find anyone who will fill that bill for them. What they know how to do is to buy a candidate... but the controls are broken when it comes to finding a candidate that real people can relate to. Since the Uber-Rich seem to be unable to relate to anyone not spouting the dumb stuff they believe and/or want you to believe they will never be able to find that needle-in-a-haystack.
If that doesn't hit you between the eyes then how about this.
That's where the real conversation taking place in the country is. That is, this is one expression of what actually matters to most people. The Republicans are clueless on this conversation because they have strayed to a place that is so incredibly heavy handed in trying to control the national conversation. They do not control that conversation. That is why, I think, the "pundits" no longer can sway the ideas that are being the discussion's focus.
I suspect that by now you can SEE where the conversation really is. Of course there is more but it butts up against this set of "talking points" quite well. The social issues are there too. In every case the radical positions are staked out by the Republicans to show that they are in line with what is traditionally lunatic fringe thinking. They do not make sense of issues like livable wage, black lives matter, foreign policy, military spending and so forth.
In fact, the Republicans cannot seem to understand that to have military spending above 40% of the budget harms the economy and foreign policy. The money wasted on military spending could promote all the things that citizens NEED. Military spending, by definition, is wasteful. We are set to create destruction on a massive scale when we go to war. We blow up bombs that cost millions of dollars per copy as if we have done something positive. Yes, we paid the people who work on such things to create them but then we eliminate that value in a single second. This does not even begin to describe the waste we create for others on the planet. Beyond this we are not including the on-going cost of maintaining the military veterans in the military budget... where it belongs. The Republicans like to say that they are strong on defense but that truly ignores that they are weak on Veterans. If we include veteran costs in the military budget the overall cost of war is more clearly recognized.
The Republican agenda is clear even if you are not fully paying attention.
So, there is a theme to the meme here perhaps? There is nothing that comes from Republicans that is POSITIVE. It is always about what they are against. Always negative. We can rhyme this set of ideas with what money has bought in America.
If the letters are too small click on the meme to see it larger and when you're finished press the Esc key. Until next time.
It is amazing how distracted we can become. The current media knows and uses this against us. Take ABC news... now owned by Disney for instance. There is not a single night where they do not mention a Disney property as if it were a news story. It's always done with a smile and an, "Aw shucks," moment or a "Coming Attraction," shout. The rest of the news is appallingly bland and corporate in tenor as well. The issue is to distract from anything that might actually get you engaged in the process of living a real life. It's similar to the sports addiction.
This political season sees us deep into the weeds and ignoring real issues... unless you are aware of Bernie Sanders. Economic inequality, college tuition, Social Security / Medicare, Black Lives Matter, gerrymandering, immigration reform and sooo many more are at the root of the real issues. Getting money out of politics, breaking up the big banks, Medicare for all (single payer medical coverage), taxing the rich (for their fair share) are all on the table this time. Voting in a way that will give us a better Supreme Court, better environmental policy and foreign policy, a living wage and generally making life good again is the paramount focus for average people this time around. The mix is to attack, fight back, against the continuous on-slaught of the Uber Rich against the middle class. The demolition of the Unions and the "Right to Work" (for less) laws that have given the employer ALL the bargaining chips is part of this. Privatizing the prison system is part of this attack on the middle class. Feeding the Constitutionally mandated Postal Service a poison pill is part of this attack on the middle class. Republicans repeatedly breaking the functions of government and then pointing and saying, "See government can't do anything right." is part of this. Six corporations owning 90% of the news media (print and broadcast) is part of this.
What are the real issues? It comes down to this... Capitalism is now structured so that only the Rich make the rules. Without realistic rules that benefit the many we will be drained of all resources until the Rich then move on to other places to rape and pillage. In this country we are back stopped by the Constitution the fore sees the possibility of political revolution every few decades to right the ship and keep our government acting to better the lives of all rather than the few. For now this is the time for such a political revolution.
These are but a few of the memes that say what this is all about.
And so it goes. There IS a movement to unseat the corrupt and replace it with reasonable and forward thinking.
That wraps up another post... see you next time.
If only it were as simple as electing a President. Yes, we need a President with the correct ideals but on its own that is only a small part of the problem. Without a Congress willing to work on the REAL issues we have not done enough to fix what is wrong. We need Governors, legislators at the state level, City Council Persons, Mayors and all the rest that hold to the better values. Even then there is no consensus of what "correct" is on every issue.
It is the strong debate and vigorous engagement in the process that produces what is correct. We need the continuous engagement to arrive at a Good Place. When we are not looking the wrong policy takes hold.
The definitions we now use are so heavily redone by "think tanks" that it is difficult to have a conversation without starting at the very beginning (of the country) and trying to agree on what we mean when say something. There is little agreement on what history means or what history is correct. There is far less understanding when the tangential discussion gets to more complex things that need to be understood to understand what is attempting to be discussed. Economics comes to mind. In any event, that is what makes us seem to stand on either side of the room and yell at each other. It accomplishes little.
Just another day in Paradise.
Following American political thought is an interesting exercise these days. The difference in how Democrats actually debate versus the donnybrook that is a Republican "debate" is a special look into brains versus brawn. The Republicans use bullying tactics and yell louder while hurling insults at the opponent of choice. The Democrats, while not perfect, actually talk about issues that are current and offer real solutions. At the end of the debate there should be a shake of the hands all 'round and more discussion. That is what you see from the Democrats... and not so much what you see from the Republicans. It is the difference between strict talking points and carefully considered, still open to continued discussion and new ideas, answers to question of policy.
Here is the interesting thing to me. We still tend to condense the broader ideas to short bumper sticker representations. It is just how we inform ourselves in the onslaught of media misinformation.
This pushes back on the Jeb Bush nonsense about he won't give away Free Stuff.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz has given us a series of bad decisions and there is a call for her to step down. What bad decisions you ask? There is no 50 state strategy for this election cycle. The debates are limited to six for the Democrats and she will not listen to anyone wanting to increase that number. Those are just a few. The hash tag #ResignDebbie is a reflection of this.
The end of the problem for Bernie Sanders is in how Americans come to understand the meaning of Socialism. We tend to be fairly uninformed about what it really is. I have seen many versions of this meme. It leads to a discussion of what goals and policies would work for us... rather than the one percent of richest Americans.
While there are many broader memes there is a distortion of of what "Freedom" actually means. The Right seems to think that wrapping themselves in the flag and saying the word "Freedom" is the same thing as being free. Franklin Roosevelt had explained that being free from want and need is the basis of real freedom. That idea is mostly ignored by the Right-wing.
Distortions of our history seem to be another tool of the Right to discourage discussion and discourse. What do we do when faced with this incredible (un-credible) version of history? Often, because it is yelled at us, we just stop talking. Truly this is the result the Right wing bullies want. I got tired of this a long time ago and feel that pushing back is required in our system of government. Hunting down the perpetrators and pushing back again and again is absolutely necessary.
There is a lot of feeling here about what is right for the country instead of what is Right for the country.
Until next time.
Ha!!! The meme wars are on. It is part of American culture that we understand bumper sticker/sound bite logic very quickly. We love political cartoons and we enjoy fast minds that can translate political thought into humor. The memes are busily showing the way to the coming election. Studying them from a specific viewpoint with a lens of the pulse of who will be a positive influence on the culture and reality of America is a fascinating past time for many of us.
Here are a few samplings from this last month or so:
The first one is an expression of what ticks off most of us. Capitalism in unrestricted mode is as tilted a system as was the old feudal system. It shows the top as the small cross section of the populous that it is. We are stuck in that in every aspect of our lives.
The second is about the problem we face when we allow "free speech" to be based on ignorance. If knowledge and facts can correct ignorance, that is, if they are allowed to surface in the discussion without being shouted down by the bullies, we have free speech. If not what we have is the fewest people shoving their ideas down our throats via bumper sticker logic.
The third meme is just a display of what the left is seeing clearly and is a reflection of the last 40 years of Reaganism. The dismantling of the good the government can do is replaced by the Republican party following the pattern of breaking government, then pointing to the dysfunction that happens and lastly attempting to privatize the things that they broke. It is as if we are stuck in position and will transfer the money and the power to the top without saying, "Enough is enough".
The last is an expression of distrust of what politicians say versus what politicians actually do and why they do it. Money IS the issue in politics these days. Anyone that says otherwise is not paying attention.
The underlying problems are recognized, assigned a value and spread across Social Media (SM). Today we trust SM more than Main Stream Media (MSM) and we have selected lots of friends based on whether we can learn from what they post. The saying is, "The revolution won't be televised...", "...it will be tweeted". The distrust of MSM is heavy on the Left but since the MSM is now owned by six (6) major corporations that bear to the Right it is mouthed by the Right. It no longer matters if you watch Fox, NBC, CNN, CBS and so on. Some people have turned off their cable altogether and have gone to other means of watching TV... the rise of Roku and Hulu and other means is increasingly a signal that we do not wish to or want to be so heavily influenced by MSM and the Right.
The only campaign to understand this change so far is the Bernie Sanders' campaign. Strangely the others have a sense that this is so but have yet to "get" it. More memes to follow but I think that is a pretty good front end assessment for now.
