Occupy Wall Street and Scare Conservatives

How can you tell Occupy Wall Street is making the Republicans uneasy?  

Mayor Bloomberg accused the protesters of trying to "take the jobs away from people working in this city."

Rand Paul is afraid the protesters will start seizing i pads, because they believe rich people don't deserve to have them.  Huh??

Herman Cain seems to think the protesters are jealous of rich people.  He also thinks it's their own fault if they're poor and out of work.

Romney calls it "class warfare."

Eric Cantor calls the protesters a "mob."

I call it Democracy.

Stay tuned.

Rick Perry: Darling of the Tea Party

Well, it's settled. Rick Perry will be the GOP candidate for President. Orly Taitz, Queen of the Birthers, has endorsed him. We'll go ahead and have the Primaries though, ok?

I can't really comment on the two Republican debates, so far,  since I didn't watch either of them. However, I have seen clips of some of the more outrageous comments made by the flavor of the month, Gov. Rick Perry.  Calling Social Security a "Ponzi scheme" hasn't increased his popularity with seniors, even those in the Tea Party, I'll wager. But, that was just one of those silly comments politicians love to make to get the media stirred up and talking about, endlessly, so they won't be paying attention to the other really mean things the candidates say.

In my opinion, nothing says more about the blood-thirsty, mean-spirited characters of the Tea Partiers and Republicans in general than the loud applause when Perry stated he hadn't given a second thought to sign the death warrants of a couple of hundred prisoners in Texas. Now, I see what they mean when they say, between G.W. Bush and Perry, Bush is the smart one. The surprise is that his attitude didn't cause much of a stir with the media. But, if you watched the faces of the other candidates, even they seemed surprised by the outburst.

The media gave it a mention or two in passing, but quickly got back to subject of Social Security.  Brain dead Gloria Borcherd peered myopically into the camera and asked, "Is Social Security unconstitutional?" as if it were a new concept.  Note to Gloria: That question was asked and answered in the years following its enactment. Guess what the answer was.

The same question is being asked and answered in the affirmative about the Health Care bill in all the Federal Courts but one, so far. It has been a tremendous wast of time and money by the Attorneys General of various red states.

But, I digress.  The question is, "who will be the next Republican candidate to drop out of the race? My guess would be Rick Santorum. We can expect Newt Gingrich to stay in as long as it is monetarily worth his while and the increasingly un-lovely Michele Bachmann will probably hang on a while longer. Mitt Romney will be there 'til the last dog dies, and Huntsman has some staying power. As for the rest, it'll be a race to the bottom of the pile. I predict that, unless it is discovered that he has a harem,  the candidate will be Mitt Romney.

Remember, you heard it here.

Stay tuned.

Scattered Thoughts

Aries By Rick Levine
You bounce from one thought to the next today, making it difficult to complete anything that you start. Every idea that pops into awareness warrants your serious attention until the next one pulls you in a different direction. Although you may not be able to eliminate the current distractions, you can influence how you respond. Thankfully, if you stay aware of your tendency to wander, you can keep bringing yourself back to your center.

Ain't it the truth?

The main thought I had today was, "I wonder what this Republican Congress has been up to while the media has obsessed 24/7 over the recent events in Cairo."

Another thought was, "Oh, goody! The Godfather is on all day on AMC. And, all night.

And then, I took a nap.

Stay tuned.

Batten Down The Hatches

It looks as though, in spite of our best efforts to keep it from happening, Congress is going to start messing with Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. If anyone believes that seniors and the poor will be better off when the dust clears, I have some swamp land I'd love to sell him/her.

Various Republicans have appeared on television lately, claiming that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are a drain on the deficit because they are unfunded.

Wrong, on both counts. The only thing unfunded about them is the Medicare Part D Prescription plan that was passed by Republicans during the Bush Administration.The entitlements have never affected the deficit because they are self-funded. Social Security has never been counted in determining the deficit. Why must the Republicans keep telling this lie? And, why doesn't someone in the Media correct them?

This is the first year that Social security has suffered any kind of shortfall, and it wasn't much of one.

It is amazing to me that so many people in this country want to blame the elderly and poor for the country's financial problems. And, now, they want to punish them by cutting back on the only safety net they have. I can't think of any good reason for this attitude except that they are simply mean-spirited and lacking in compassion for those less fortunate.

Personally, I think if we can bail out the banks and auto industry while conducting two wars, we ought to be able to bail out Social Security. The Veterans' Administration could stand a little help in that way, too.

Where are the Grey Panthers when we need them?

Say tuned.

Long Ago and Far Away

Are you old enough to remember what the Democratic Party used to be? My parents were mostly non-political. My earliest memory of my father's political preference was listening to him rant and rave against Harry Truman and his "crackpot" ideas about "socialized medicine." He voted for Eisenhower, of course. Sorry, Daddy, but you were wrong. I don't think my mother ever voted. So I became a confirmed Democrat by choice, not because it was a family tradition.

I came of political age while John F. Kennedy was running for President and, although I was not yet old enough to vote for him, I campaigned for him tirelessly, manning booths and playing in the traffic, going up to stopped cars and asking if I could put a bumper sticker on them.

There was no question about what the Democratic Party stood for in those days. They were good at articulating their concern for the "common man" and defended their beliefs, loudly and often. There was none of this wishy-washy crap we're witnessing today. No Blue-Dog Democrats to speak of back then, but plenty of Yellow-Dogs.

Now, we find a bunch of cowardly wusses, dithering around, trying not to lose the big buck$ they get from big busine$$, while at the same time trying to claim to be the same party they used to be, looking out for the "little guy." Their actions belie their claims, when they pull stupid stunts like putting off the vote on Bush's tax cuts.

They have a golden opportunity to shine the light of truth on the Republican Party, by bringing the bill up to a vote containing only the middle-class tax cuts, and letting the Republican Party vote "No," as has become their custom in the past years. This could be very damning for the Republicans, and could make a lot of difference for the Democrats in the coming election.

Apparently, the Democrats have become gutless wonders. This is just the latest in a long line of bills that should have passed easily, but had to be watered down.

Don't get me wrong. I'm still a Democrat. I always will be. I believe if you want to change something, you have to get in the middle of the fray and fight for it. You don't abandon the whole just because you are disappointed in the few.

So, I'll keep on trying to remind present day Democrats what their party used to stand for, and hope enough people are still around who remember. And, maybe the party will find its way back.

Stay tuned.

Shame, Shame, Shame

Starting tomorrow, One Million people will lose their unemployment benefits. We have the highest unemployment in this country since the great depression. There are already six applicants for every available job.

Today, every single Republican in the Senate, plus Democrat Ben Nelson voted against extending benefits for another six months. Why? Because they think it will help them politically - the Republicans, anyway. Who knows why Ben Nelson voted against it. Just contrary, I guess.

Even worse, various Republicans justified their "no" votes by characterizing the unemployed as "spoiled," "lazy," "hobos," "drug addicts," and "animals."

When are the American people going to open their eyes and realize that the Republicans are nothing more than a collection of nasty, mean-spirited, greedy, corrupt individuals who would, if they got the chance, do away with all help for the needy, children, and seniors. And, they are starting with the unemployed.

For shame.

Stay tuned.

It Takes All Kinds - But Not These, Please

Many years ago, I knew a wily old country lawyer who often referred to a certain class of people as the "Maggots of Society". He was referring to people who were possessed of a kind of free-floating anger that they could never pinpoint. I'm sure you know people like this. They are generally dissatisfied with their lives, but can never figure out how to change their circumstances.

They are the people who are against every idea put forth that would lead to the betterment of the community. They are largely uneducated, semi-literate at best. They are naysayers, who don't even understand what they are speaking against. They are largely white, and at least the southerners among them are racists.

Until recent years, if you asked them exactly what they were angry about, they couldn't give you a definitive answer. Their anger was usually aimed at some local officials or businessmen, because they never read newspapers or thought much about the world in general.

All that changed when Fox News came along. Gradually, it dawned on them that the Fox News people were saying things they wanted to hear. A new world of hatred opened up to them, and soon, they were expressing anger at the national government, Democrats, the Congress, the Senate , the President and above all, liberals in general. How satisfying it was to finally have a target for all of their dissatisfaction.

Fox News told them to be mad at the Government for bailing out the banks. It never occurred to them to be angry at the banks, instead. They were incensed to discover, through Fox News, and members of the Republican party that the new Democratic President was a Muslim and had not even been born in this country. The Republicans became their new best friends.

They were warned that healthcare reform would be disastrous, and the government would raise taxes, loot Medicare, take away their rights to see the doctors of their choice, and would decide when it was time for them to die. Hot diggety-dog! Now, they were really mad! So, they started to band together and probably for the first time in their lives, got interested in politics. Sarah Palin was their sweetheart. She spoke their language, by golly!

They started organizing and having meetings to rant and rave about the things and people they hate. But, first they had to have a name. They were encouraged by Republicans, who know how to take advantage of ignorance when they see it. So, it came to pass that those same people, who would have been called the "Maggots of Society" by a savvy old country lawyer, became today's "Teabaggers".

So endeth the lesson.

Stay tuned.

A Mind Like An Unmade Bed

The title says it all. There is so much I want to say about the healthcare debate that the words are just rattling around my head like a pinball machine. That is to say, my thoughts are scattered.

So, while I'm trying to pull myself together, I'd like to say a few words about "Cash for Clunkers." It has been wildly successful.

Naturally, the Republicans are agin' it, although that doesn't stop a bunch of them from jumping on the bandwagon and "cash"-ing in on it. They continue to complain about the billions being spent and the restrictions placed on it. But, they can't find a way to call it a failure. Here are a few things "Cash for Clunkers" has accomplished:

1. It has gotten some gas guzzlers off the road, replacing them with new, fuel efficient vehicles. No "previously owned" vehicles are available.

2. It has helped car dealers' clear their lots just in time for the 2010 models to come out.

3. It will encourage auto manufacturers to build more eco-friendly cars that get ever better mileage.

4. It helps the middle-class, something the Republicans seem to hate to do.

But, I think Jay hit upon the real reason the Republicans in the House and Senate do't like "Cash for Clunkers". They haven't been able to find a way to enrich themselves through it.

Stay tuned.

Cynicism Run Amok

Here is the "before" and "after of John McCain's choice for Vice-President.












The first one is Sarah Palin as beauty contestant, and the second one is Sarah Palin, good Republican woman.

That sound you heard early Friday morning was the collective dropping of Republican jaws when John McCain announced that his choice for Vice-President was Sarah Palin. He even had to glance at his cheat sheet to remind himself of her name.

When you consider how many very worthy Republican women were available to him, i.e.: Condi Rice, Kay Baily Hutchinson, it passeth understanding how he rationalized his decision to choose someone with so little to bring to the ticket.

If he wanted to chase away the women who backed Hillary, and threatened to bolt and vote for him, he couldn't have done a better job of it. Her political philosophy couldn't be farther from theirs. She's pro-life, pro-guns, pro-NRA, and anti-gays. Of course, he has solidified his evangelical base, all the right wing wackos, but at what cost? There were plenty of people in his party who are very unhappy with John McCain being the candidate, but were willing to be good soldiers, so to speak, and support him. But now? That will remain to be seen.

This choice just screams volumes about McCain's opinion of women in general, too. He's saying, in effect, you girls are just so dumb and empty-headed that you will accept anyone I choose. So, get back in the kitchen and shut up.

Much as I hate to admit to one or two tiny faults, I'm going swim over to the shallow end of the polical pool and own up to one failing by telling you my first impression of Ms Palin. With that hairdo and those dorky glasses, I thought she looked like one of those "cult" members from Texas, only better dressed. There, I feel better, now that you know I'm human. Then, I found the picture of her with her short shorts and deep cleavage and wondered, "Will the real Sarah Palin please stand up?"

I also wonder how Cindy McCain feels about her hubby's choice.

This could get interesting.