Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Tax and Spend Republicans

It comes as no surprise that congressional Republicans are now wanting to raise taxes, but not from the rich. It was only a matter of time that they would choose this point in time during President Obama's presidency to demand an increase in payroll taxes to raise revenue. Where is the outrage from the Tea Baggers? What happened to Republican House Speaker John Boehners' rehashed slogan of "read my lips..., no new taxes!"? Republican hypocrisy knows no bounds, and now it seems that their stance reaffirms their war on the middle-class and poor. President Barak Obama did extend the payroll tax break, and wants to keep it, but now the "no taxes, period" Republicans want to reinstate only those taxes that 99% of actual working Americans have benefited from.
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According to The Associated Press reporter Charles Babington, "Many of the same Republicans who fought hammer-and-tongs to keep the George W. Bush-era tax cuts from expiring on schedule are now saying a different 'temporary' tax cut should end as planned. By their own definition, that amounts to a tax increase". If the Republicans really feel that way, it opens up new dialogue to not only let all of the Bush tax cuts to expire, but to rewrite the tax code to include equally taxing the very rich and all large organizations. That is being fiscally responsible not only from a Democratic point of view, but equally fair for that 1% of Americans to pay their share. Warren Buffet wrote an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal on the very subject of how fair it would be to rewrite the tax code to raise much need revenue, not only to actually create jobs, but to pay off the nation's debts in the process.
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While Republicans continue to spend audacious amounts of tax payer money to the "job creators" rich and large organizations, no job has actually been created under such Republican philosophy. However, when jobs do develop out of necessity, Republicans are quick to claim credit. A new jobs bill will soon be introduced to the House of "Representatives" from President Obama, it is to have everything in it that is wanted and need by both sides, even Tea Baggers would favor it (hard to believe, huh?). Unfortunately, the party of "No" is going to shoot it down simply because it is a Democratic plan. When Republicans screeched that "they (the Obama administration) have no plan, they miss led a nation to vote them into office. Funny thing, though, they never had a plan for the poor, middle-class, and real small business to succeed in any way or form, but only to score political points from the gullible, narrow-minded people who continue to vote them into office. It makes one wonder how anyone would side with a party out to destroy their way of life to only represent the wealthy.
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As Republicans spend tax money as fast as they can kick a kitten, they have now made their hypocrisy even more transparent.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

The Bragger and the Secesionist

As Republican House Speaker John Boehner admits to "getting 98% of what he wanted", it only leaves the actual question of to whom he is actually representing. The "deal" that he claims is his, is an actual job killer in most public sector careers and some private sector careers such as in education and social services. Other cuts include Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid, Planned Parenthood, infrastructure, environment, local and federal government. It is essentially a return to the height of the Bush era when millions of people lost their jobs in order to secure the bottom line for most large businesses and energy companies, only in this instant, it is a denial to allow necessary spending in the public sector to grow more jobs. It is the belief that most Republican office holders espouse as a government growing bigger. Obviously it is not so. It is an excuse to create more unemployment in order to secure the expansion of the private sector. Current college graduates are now finding it more impossible to find good jobs they need to pay off their student debts.
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It is not just federal government employees that are losing their jobs, local governments are also feeling the impact of job losses under a Republican mandate, especially in red states. Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnel admitted that using terroristic tactics to get what they wanted worked and acknowledged that they would do it again in the next round of budget talks that continue to exclude revenue increases to the top 1% and large organizations that have benefited from tax cuts for 10 years. Republicans often spin the term "revenue increase" as a blanket term for raising taxes on everyone. The truth of the matter is a reinstatement of taxes to only the rich and large businesses and energy companies, not the American people. Is it fair that for those with the means to support themselves continue to benefit from the Bush tax cuts while the rest of the nation lose the benefits they put into through payroll deductions?
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While the only concession that was made available to the American public were Pell grants for poor college students, the grants themselves did not increase to commensurate with the increase in college tuition, books and supplies, and dorm accommodations. Instead, they will incur more debt, even with full-time jobs (if they can find any). As the Republicans and their marriage to the Tea Bagger party continue to block real progress, one has to ask why would anyone continue to vote for those (Republicans) whose aim is to completely eliminate the middle-class and create a two class society: rich and poor. This is what Boehner is bragging about.
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Now that the presidential campaign season is now in full swing for the many Republican candidates, Texas Governor Rick "Pretty Boy" or "Gov. Good Hair" Perry has thrown his dead coyote into the presidential campaign ring. It is bad enough there are enough kooks to shake a stick at among the many Republican presidential hopefuls, Perry, a 2.2 GPA college graduate in Animal Science at Texas A & M, "believes" he has the solutions to correct that which his previous boss created (Bush's GPA was a 2.7, and both were cheerleaders). As he and many other Republican candidates continue to blame the wrong person and party for the inherited mess, Boehner and Co. continue to implement their plan to block any progress President Obama and his administration. Not only is that clear defiance to a sitting president, it is all out class warfare on all Americans of any class.
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The reason why for the reference to Rick Perry as "Pretty Boy Perry", is because of his extramarital affair to a male aide and to a male chef at the Governors' Mansion (before the mansion "caught on fire"). Barely a week back from his political prayer-palooza, Perry has already stirred the shit in the pot for making an overt threat against Ben Bernanke, a Republican economist appointed by Bush, for actually doing his job to kick start a sputtering economy that continues to recover from Republican over spending on tax cuts and two unpaid for wars. Perry also said that Texas schools teaches both evolution and creationism. Too bad nobody told that to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), who rebutted his comment to note that Texas public schools currently do not teach creationism. It would be easier to note the many times Perry has threatened seceding from the Union because of his belief of an overreaching government. Ask Perry about how he forced a law to pass that required 10 and 12 year old girls to get "vaccinated" with a drug solely made by a pharmaceutical company owned by one of his friends, or how he has made laws restricting the EPA from doing their job to ensure polluting companies reduce carbon emissions, or even how he quickly signed into law restricting women to intrusive and embarrassing procedures to get an abortion. In all three cases, he is the "overreaching government" that he rails against and wanted to secede from. It should be known that Perry does not speak for all Texans and that some of us are embarrassed that we now have a Bush clone wanting to be president.
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So far, no word from the bragger, and no sense from the secessionist.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

The Deal and the Shaft.

According to Republican House Speaker John Boehner, the agreement reached on the deal is not what both sides want, but lives up to GOP principles. Such principles include "holding the President accountable". Accountable to what? Another GOP principle that comes to mind, based on the outcome of this "deal", is to only represent the wealthy and large businesses by not raising taxes. For now, it does not matter since the Bush tax cuts will expire in 2012 anyway. However, it would have been helpful and really made "the deal" actually balanced in a bipartisan way. Yet, another GOP principle that is implied, is further cuts in social security and medicare/medicaid, thus ensuring disabled people and senior citizens struggle more to survive. Talk about your death panels. Finally, another Republican principle continues to be practicing political terrorism by using the debt ceiling crisis as a means to get what they want, not what the American people need. It is just a matter of the upcoming vote.
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Although it is apparent that the Republicans have no heart, it is also apparent that the Democrats have no balls. The deal that was reached by the House and Senate may extend beyond 2013, but it is without sacrifices that furthers the Republican agenda by making an amendment to the constitution to only suit their needs. However, there are a couple of concessions that may actually help. Even though Boehner and most GOP'ers now say "they won", there are some modest compromises that include some cuts in the private sector that includes defense and the war ending in Afghanistan and the illegal war in Iraq. Under Bush, he believed that putting the country in a state of war would yield unity, job growth, and help the economy even further. NOPE! It did unite the country briefly enough for GOP photo ops and V. P. "Dick" (-head) Cheney's business partners to monopolize on the no-bid contracts to profit from both conflict.
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As Republicans are quick to blame President Obama and his administration on the woes of the country, the facts still show that President Obama inherited the mess 90% of Americans face. Bush and the GOP threw a big party with the surplus left by President Clinton, ignored the warnings of an imminent attack by terrorists, maxed-out the country's credit cards, waited months before going to war that turned into a quagmire, allowed big business and the oil companies to gouge prices on the American people, trashed the country, stripped away rights, caused the greatest loss of jobs, and, according to the Congressional Budgeting Office (CBO), showed no new job growth during both of Bush's terms in office. Did tax cuts and corporate welfare create jobs as declared by Republicans? Obviously, they did not. They only created job losses and will continue to do so as long as Republican policies remain in place.
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Republicans like to use "visual" words that have positive implications for their party and those who support them, such as calling large business organizations "job creators" Technically, they are job creators, but only on foreign soil. Boehner likes to use the term "job killers" to label Democratic policies. So far, the Republicans in the House of "Representatives" are the real job killers when they take away funding to services and kill Democrat-written bills that actually create jobs. Where are the jobs, Boehner?
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As President Obama and his administration continue to try to work with Republicans, one has to wonder how anyone can work with a group that is only working to sabotage the Obama administration, the barely recovering economy, and force more Americans into unemployment just to bring down a sitting President. According to the Constitution, it is treason. While Republicans continue to use political terrorism to get deals for their billionaire friends, it is also apparent that they also use such tactics to give the American people the shaft, including the middle-class and poor that voted for them.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

The Republican Cause and Effect of "No Compromise".

As our elected officials continue to come up with a plan both sides can agree upon, it becomes even more clear that there cannot be an actual deal struck if one side continues to withhold on compromise. One side has already made two plans that included some sacrifice to social programs such as social security, medicare/medicaid, health care, and veteran benefits, but just enough to keep them running without shutting them down. Both plans were rejected because they contained equal cuts in tax breaks to corporations and energy companies, as well as having the top 1% pay their fair share of taxes.
Although one side continues argue against raising taxes, they forget that there are no taxes being raised, but only reinstated back to levels before the Bush tax cuts. During the Clinton years, there was actual economic growth that started with a revision of the tax code at all levels. The result caused one of the greatest economic expansion in both the public and private sectors that resulted in an economic surplus Bush would inherit. One of the many questions that was asked was, "how did we get into the mess we face today?" the answer is obvious and very simple: the Bush tax cuts.
During the Bush years, the tax code was rewritten to favor only the private sector and the top 1% of Americans (the rich). Most industries (especially the oil and energy industry) were deregulated for such organizations to earn profits. The result caused the greatest loss of jobs and professions. The middle-class would see their jobs go overseas as well as experience home foreclosures, thus having to either become part of the growing number of poor or having to work two jobs just to keep the house. Many families had to mutually separate in order to survive economically or just to survive. Today, those same tax cuts and corporate loopholes are now being said by all Republicans that they are needed to create jobs. On the contrary! It is the reverse. They (existing "tax cuts" and corporate loopholes) have not created jobs since their inception under Bush "W", only job losses.
Organizations did save a lot of money for growth and expansion, but under newly deregulated rules, they lined their pockets and were able to afford to move overseas to pay workers pennies over dollars. Doing so would help break up unions, no longer pay workers' health care, and turn over the pension fund to CEO's and stockholders. The Bush tax code was so rife with loopholes, troubled organizations were able to take advantage of the rules and rewrite their accounting books to show a profit and rob their employees of their retirement pension fund and 401K's and pocket the money as big bonuses for the top CEO's. Year after year, more jobs were lost and continue to lose jobs today, based on the assurance that such "tax cuts" are creating jobs.
As Republicans continue to play partisan politics, middle-class Americans who voted for them are now having voter's remorse. This is due to the fact that the Republicans in charge are not really representing all of their constituents, but only the top 1%. The only promise they made that put them in the House of Representatives was "jobs, jobs, jobs". Where are the jobs, Boehner? Now, they continue to hold the nation hostage under the threat of default while continuing to defy the President. This is tantamount to actual treason against the Constitution and all Americans.
Still, there are poor and middle-class Americans who continue to vote Republican, blinded by their swinging balony of hate and fear, simply because there is a black man in the Oval Office. They often say that President Obama is "...not their President". Yes he is! Deal with it! Republican politicians continue to laugh at those who are not rich and continue to vote for them, while stripping away their rights to collective bargaining and denying women the right to choose. Republicans often preach about smaller government and overreach, but we continue to see Republicans push for health care repeal, increased tax cuts for the rich, inventing new laws to strip women's rights, and deny immigrants a chance to become Americans. The latter is hypocrisy at it's best since all Republican office holders are decendents of immigrants and would deny today's immigrants the chance to become Americans.
Today, there is a war of the classes. The goal of the Republicans is to have only two classes: rich and poor. If they win and pass a new debt ceiling bill, the middle-class and poor will have to continue paying for the nations' debt incurred by the Bush "tax cuts" and two unpaid for wars, while the Republicans. There was uncontrolled spending under a Republican president but no outrage by the same Republicans who are outraged today. As they continue to say the Obama Administrations' spending is out of control, it is only because they (Republicans) say so with no proof (as usual). Now, they (Republicans) would continue political terrorism and bring the country to the brink of default simply because they do not want to compromise by closing corporate loopholes, cutting back on tax incentives, or reinstating tax rates for the rich equally with cuts in social programs most Americans use, need, or have earned through payroll taxes.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

“The People Have Spoken!”

At the time when John Boehner took the gavel and became the new Speaker of the house, he proclaimed "the people have spoken..." implying American voters chose Republicans as the right choice to create jobs. Although there are many reasons why more voters believed Boehner and his cohorts would begin introducing job-creating bills on the House floor, Speaker Boehner chose to put Republican ideological agendas on the House floor with no jobs bills at all. Instead, Boehner, coordinating with Senate Republicans, held the nation hostage by refusing to pass unemployment benefits to the unemployed workers who had lost their jobs under the Bush administration. That was not representing the American people. That was representing American business interest.
It is now obvious (or at least it should be) to the American people that theyhad no intention to create any jobs at all as they promised in their campaigns and only continue to push Bush-era policies to keep giving millionaires and billionaires, big businesses and energy companies more corporate welfare and tax breaks while stripping away women's rights, collective bargaining, and rigging upcoming elections by redistricting to favor only Republican candidates and disenfranchise minorities and senior voters. To be fair, there are more millionaires and billionaires who agree that they would prefer to pay their fair share in taxes as some polls have shown,
Alas, the people have spoken again and they are now telling the Boehner Bunch to work on what they promised in the last election. Boehner, along with Cantor, McConnell, Kyle, Bachmann, and the other Republican nut-bags, can no longer keep lying to the American people, nor can they regain Tea Bagger support because they were not "right" enough for the movement. The only ones left most republicans can run back to for support are the lemmings who only vote Republican simply because they are Republican, and the ultra-conservative evangelical born-again Christians like Ted Haggard and John Haggee; a disgraced conservative evangelist and an anti-Semitic blowhard.
Just recently, President Barak Obama upped the ante for Republicans by offering, to the dismay of many Democrats, 4 trillion in spending cuts that included trimming Medicare and Social Security: a Republican wet dream which they (Republicans) refused. Was it a ploy by the President to call the Republican's bluff? If so, it exposed the Republicans primary goal of denying President Obama any more successes. The Republicans have, again, made it very clear that they would prefer to sabotage the American economy with no jobs bill on the House floor at the expense of the American people.
The people have spoken again, but the Republicans continue to have selective hearing.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Who Is The Most Right of the Right?

The race to become the top Republican to challenge President Barack Obama has now come to a full swing! (unless Rick Perry decides to run, also). Let their records speak for themselves, unedited and without the fluff!
It is amazing how these "candidates" have no real issues to talk about except bash President Obama and any Democrat that has yielded actual success. It seems that there is an actual Republican policy in place to purposely sabotage the country in order to make the Obama administration a failure. The ones who have suffered the most continue to be the middle-class and the poor who still struggle with unemployment and underemployment created by the previous administration. The only primary Republican plan each candidate truly has is to insure President Obama is a one-term president.
It is obvious that the key concepts Republicans continue to use is fear and hate coupled with non-factual claims (also known as lying), as well as blaming the current President for the faults of W and his corporate/cronyistic administration.
Now, it is a contest among the Republican presidential hopefuls to determine exactly who is the most "right" in the right wing. As Republican and Tea Party candidates continue to misinterpret and rewrite history to favor right-wing philosophy, it leave more room for hypocrisy to become apparent.
For actual "conservative" republicans, Mitt Romney is technically favored to lead his party to challenge President Obama. However, Michele Bachmann, a Tea Party favorite, is also favored to do the same and become the first female president. There is only one problem for each of the two candidates: the Republican party itself has made it very clear that no Mormon or female will ever become president from within the party itself under actual conservative beliefs.
Mitt Romney continues to defend his own health care policy from the very Republicans who attack President Obama's health care law. Before President Obama was sworn into office, every Republican from under every rock supported Mitt Romney's health care law. Now, they are against it because President Obama used Mitt Romney's health care law as a template for all Americans. As for Michele Bachmann, she must convince all republicans that she is the right choice for the Republican Party despite her gender.
In both cases, each has to "out-right" the other candidates in who can falsify actual successes, misinterpret facts, revise history to support their philosophy, continue blaming the wrong person for the country's economic woes while causing the damage themselves and, most importantly, continue attacking President Obama and Democrats and blaming them for everything including dandruff.