I just read an article saying how Republicans refuse to budge on the debt ceiling. Usually this always means a Democratic cave… like we’ve seen with health care, jobs, climate change, wall street reform, unemployment, etc.
However, Obama seems to be staying strong. He’s quoted as saying (not verbatim):
What we’re seeing here confirms what the American people think is the worst about Washington: that everyone is more interested in posturing and political positioning and protecting their base than solving real problems. Eric, I could get well above the numbers the GOP is talking about with revenue increases. I am not afraid to veto this and I will take that message and defend it to the American people. If we default, it will be a tax increase on every American. My responsibility is to the American people. I have reached the point where I say, ‘Enough.’ I have sat here long enough and no other President – Ronald Reagan wouldn’t sit here like this. I’ve reached my limit. We’ve reached the point where something’s got to give. You’ve either got to compromise on your dollar for dollar insistence or you compromise on the big deal, which means raising taxes. Eric, don’t call my bluff. I will go to the American people on this. This may bring my presidency down, but I will not yield on this.
I hate to say this but it is about time. We want Obama to be strong on tough issues like this. I’m glad he’s deciding to do it now.
We’re behind you, President Obama!
The past few weeks have not been good for the Progressive movement, or the Democratic Party for that matter. Besides losing Anthony Weiner (one of the few Progressives in Congress), other severe blows have been happening which further damages this country.
Defeat For Unions
Last Thursday in New Jersey, the Assembly passed legislation which increases the cost union workers have to pay for health insurance and pensions. Just like in Wisconsin, the unions were more than willing to compromise but drastic action was taken by Republicans to shut them down. Another blow for the unions who are responsible for building up the middle class in this country.
Supreme Court Ruling For Walmart
What crap is it when the Supreme Court comes to the aid of big corporations, again? Female workers who feel discriminated in the male dominated corporation known as Walmart have lost their ability to file a class action lawsuit. Employees who want power in numbers to battle abuses in the court system now cannot. Recognizing corporate-wide trends seem to be of no use. Imagine if auto companies didn’t have to recognize trends… there would be no recalls. Oh no, I think I gave the right wing some ideas…
Supreme Court Ruling For EPA
The mighty Supreme Court put a stop to any city or state which dares to be more stricter than the EPA. (A similar ruling happened during the Bush years with California wanting to increase their MPG regulation on vehicles.) The right is so hypocritical with all this “states rights” bull shit when they don’t have the power to supersede federal regulations? I don’t hear the Tea Baggers or the Republicans going after the Supreme Court on these issues (or any issues for that matter since the most important are 5-4 rulings).
No Tax Increases
With Boehner walking out on budget talks there doesn’t seem to be any common ground except where the Republican is standing (yet again). Obama is pretty much being forced to allow the richest of the rich to get away with billions of dollars in taxes that they should have to pay. Taxes haven’t been this low since 1950. Facing the approaching cap on the debt ceiling, Republicans prefer to take money from the middle class through drastic cuts in Social Security and Medicare rather than their real constituents, the rich.
Weak Withdraw
Alright Obama for wanting to almost withdraw the surge he put in place in Afghanistan. By 2013 we will still have more troops in Afghanistan than there were when Obama took office.
- Let’s see how much further to the right these rich white dudes can go. #HowLowCanYouGo #RepublicanDebate 8:00 PM EST
- “Obama Depression”? Hello? It started during Bush. 8:03 PM EST
- I’m just going to be pissed off all night. #RepublicanDebate 8:08 PM EST
- So extending the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthy wasn’t one thing right with the economy? 8:14 PM EST
- What a great story! Loss of jobs, an economic crisis, the biggest wealth inequality in history… Wow! 8:24 PM EST
- We’re already the lowest corporate tax rate! And the EPA? From job killing to people killing! 8:29 PM EST
- Thousands of blue collar jobs would have been lost, not to mention the US NOT having an auto industry if we didn’t do the auto bailout. 8:40 PM EST
- So the poor states should deal with their own hurricanes and tornadoes. Brilliant! You just alienated most of your base. 8:51 PM EST
- If you “stand for life” how come you don’t want poor people to have health insurance? #CNNDebate 9:27 PM EST
- So whether or not you’re a US citizen should be turned on to the states? Really? #CNNDebate 9:32 PM EST
- I learned that whenever you can’t think of a good answer to a question, blame Obama or say “give power to the states”. #CNNDebate 10:02 PM EST
It goes without saying that I’m pretty upset about this whole situation with Anthony Weiner. He is one of my favorite congressmen. I believe he truly has the best intentions for America and I feel I can trust him (yes, even after all those photos and chats). I believe him to be one of the few good guys.
I think the media has blown this thing way out of proportion. Congressman Weiner didn’t have sex with anyone. Nor did he break any laws (of course pending the 17 year old girl investigation).
His district is smart. His district doesn’t want him to go. They know him to fight. He’s one of the only ones who actually fight for progressive values and what’s right.
I think it’s wise of him to take a leave of absence and get his shit together before continuing representing people. His personal life obviously needs to get in order before he can properly continue the fine job he’s doing.
I’m just really upset this had to happen and very upset at the media for making it a circus. The likes of David Vitter (who actually broke laws) is still in Congress. No high ranking Republican officials asked for his resignation.
Maybe if the media wasn’t so stupid and if American’s weren’t so obsessed with sex they’d actually report on things that matter, like the debt ceiling.
Yet another gem from one of my Republican friends:
If people really believe that these are our biggest problems, no wonder this country is in such bad shape.
It cost the United States $1.2 trillion dollars, ten years, and over 900,000 deaths to finally get Osama bin Laden. Granted not all of the money or treasure was used just to get him. We spent needlessly in places where he was not and for reasons that don’t make any sense.
Now that he’s dead, who won? We as Americans are still scared. We still have to go through full body scans and shoe checks at the airport. We still have the Patriot Act which takes away our rights as Americans if we were to be called a terrorist. We still torture. We still have Gitmo opened. We still have two wars going on that had nothing to do with bin Laden.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and basically everything we did post 9/11, we made al Qaeda stronger. Instead of one big branch, they separated. Store owners, ordinary citizens, and people who have nothing to do with bin Laden can be al Qaeda. They saw us steamroll into their country, killing their people; we breed that hate. We responded to their violence with more violence.
I do have to point out, I appreciate how they buried bin Laden at sea, like an Islamic funeral; instead of lord knows what some people in this country would have preferred.
However, I’m sure us cheering in every major city in the US that he was dead angered some too. (Remember how we saw some Muslims cheering that September 11th happened?) Why can’t we be better than that? If we’re so “exceptional” how come we torture, how come we celebrate our enemies deaths? I believe that just gives them more reasons to hate us.
I actually have a little bit of time today to catch up on some news. I read a Barack Obama Report Card and decided to blog about what I think his report card should be.
Political Identity: C.
I know who Obama is. I know his vision for this country. I just don’t see the path on which we’ll get there. So far in his path he hasn’t taken the courageous steps I had hoped he’d take. He needs to better stand up for the middle class and the poor. Instead he panders to the rich too much. He needs to go further to the left and stop appearing so right. In some regards, he’s further to the right than Reagan.
Campaign Team: D.
Where was his team during the 2010 elections? He should have had them assembled to help out his fellow Democrats. He did a brilliant job in 2008, but come 2010 they were no where to be found. I understand it’s not his election, but he still should have gotten more motivation out there to help out his party. We barely heard from him.
Leadership: D.
Like I said, he needs to stop giving into the Republicans. Where’s the leader I thought he’d be? This trait is where he needs to be more like Clinton and get it his way or no way. He starts with a compromise on everything. That’s no way to get what you want.
Attributes and Values: A.
I know what they are, I know what he wants to fight for, I just don’t see him putting up much of a fight. I would trust Obama if it was only him, but it’s not. He has to deal with people who want everything opposite of what he wants and stands in the way of everything; and that is killing his presidency.
Organization: B.
He needs to get ready to get in there again. Let’s hope he hasn’t lost so much of his base he can get them back. He needs to start to get the youth out there again and motivate them. They took him to his victory in 2008.
Position Relative To His Opposition: A.
If he took the time and explain to people what he’s for and what he wants, no doubt more people would agree with him. Like most things I debate with my colleges and friends about. Once I explain to them what should be, they agree (a lot of the time). I believe most people would see what Obama wants if he better explains it to them. Instead he lets the right twist things then we get “death panels” and “Obama raised taxes” lies.
Domestic Issues: D.
He still hasn’t done anything meaningful to get this economy back on track. He needs to concentrate more on infrastructure and America’s foundation. Health Care Reform was great. He also needs to fight back more on the budget cutting the Republicans want to do that will only hurt the poor and the middle class which will further sink the economy. Starting with cuts on the poor and the middle class are not the way to earn trust. Start at the bloat, at the top.
Foreign Issues: C.
He hasn’t closed Gitmo, he started us in another war, we’re still in Iraq and Afghanistan, our defense budget is still bloated. However he has drew back most the troops from Iraq, Libya was a success, and the world’s opinion of us has risen. If the Republicans want cuts in the budget, Obama should first suggest the Pentagon, of which if they were to audit would find billions worth of waste. Get completely out of Iraq and Afghanistan and we’d be amazed at how much more money we’d have for the real problems of this country.
Relations With Party Base: D.
I feel a little alienated by Obama. I think he has a lot of work to do in order to stimulate his base again. We’re definitely not going to go out and vote Republican, but I can see a lot of us sit it out.
I often wonder what the Republican idea is to save the middle class and to stop the humongous gap between the rich and the poor. Oh yeah, there is none.
From 2007 to 2009 (even with the economy being crap), Wall Street profits have gone up 720% while unemployment doubled and home equity fell 35%. The middle class is becoming extinct.
The top 1 percent of this country saw their income grow from 8% of the pie in the 1980’s to over 36% now. The top 400 income earners (400 people) make more than the bottom 50% of us. It’s because of welfare for the rich.
I am tired of the rich getting all the breaks. We are all suffering because of their greed and their hold on Washington. We’ve been sacrificing for them all these years; it’s time for them to make the sacrifice. They’ve gotten all the help with the economy sinking (bank bailouts, tax cuts). We’re the ones who need it, not them.
I’m glad people are finally raising up to it in Wisconsin and other parts of the nation. It’s time for people to stop voting against their best self interest and it’s time our politicians listen to the middle class.
Before
- Obviously Michele Bachmann wasn’t there when the Republicans read the Constitution at the beginning of the year. #TCOT #TeaParty 8:40 PM EST
- Wow, what a leader. That’ll kick off my #SOTU and absence from tweeting. 8:42 PM EST
- No one’s talking about Joe Wilson? Will he be gagged? #HeresHoping 8:50 PM EST
- That’s the entire #SOTU, Obama shaking everyone’s hands. 9:09 PM EST
State Of The Union
- Bill Maher said it best. The common ground seems to always be where the Republican is standing. #SOTU 9:15 PM EST
- New jobs will come from China… and be there too. Where are those cars and computers made? China. #SOTU 9:24 PM EST
- So we’re supposed to stroke research and development by not spending? Got it. #SOTU 9:25 PM EST
- But when parents have to work 12 hour days just to make ends meet, it’s kinda hard to teach those good principles. #SOTU 9:31 PM EST
- Wasn’t there a hiring freeze for teachers in most states? #SOTU 9:34 PM EST
- Yes there are many illegal immigrants in our schools, but the DREAM act killed their chances of being citizens. #ThanksRepublicans #SOTU 9:37 PM EST
- These other countries actually invest in their infrastructures. We should take a lesson from them. #SOTU 9:39 PM EST
- Obama hasn’t even mentioned NAFTA or lack of terrifs which hurt jobs in this country. #SOTU 9:45 PM EST
- Debt began a decade ago? Try three decades ago with the Republican hero, Reagan. #SOTU 9:48 PM EST
- We knew he’d say it. “The state of our Union is strong.” When is it not strong? Why is it always sugar coated? #SOTU 10:14 PM EST
Republican Response
- You didn’t cut spending a few years ago. Huge debts are due to Republican spending. 10:28 PM EST
- And even more people would lose their coverage if #HCR wasn’t passed. And the health insurance mandate? A Republican idea. 10:29 PM EST
- You thought endless borrowing was alright under Bush. 10:33 PM EST
Tea Party Response
Barely worth mentioning, but I’ll make a few points that I didn’t on twitter since the Tea Party Express website was slow:
- So the economic collapse had nothing to do with failed Bush policies or lack of government regulation which helped to ship jobs overseas?
- The stimulus saved jobs that would have been lost. That’s a fact. And the stimulus would have done a lot more if 1/3 of it wasn’t tax breaks.
- Did I miss something? I don’t hear anyone telling me what light bulbs to buy.
- Nothing was stopping businesses from dropping health insurance before, so why didn’t they? It would have been a lot cheaper.
- I remember gas being a lot more expensive under that oil man Bush.
- I’ll pay $100 million in government regulations if I can drink clean water, eat clean food, and buy safe products. Thanks.
- We can start making things again when we reinforce tariffs and stop giving tax breaks to companies who ship jobs overseas.
John Boehner, soon to be Speaker of the House, has been crying a lot lately. However, judging by Boehner’s votes, he doesn’t seem to be all too sincere about the things he “cares” and “cries” about such as children having the same opportunity as him for the “American Dream”. Here’s some of his recent votes:
- Voted against SCHIP (the program that provides health care to poor children)
- Voted against the stimulus (which gave people/saved jobs, among other things)
- Voted against the 9/11 first responders bill (which gave health care to those who helped clean up 9/11)
- For free trade and trade agreements that made it easier to ship jobs overseas
- Wants to cut everything except defense in discretionary spending (such as education, infrastructure, agriculture which only accounts for 43% of discretionary spending)
- Opposes hiring more women and minorities
- Opposes federal funding for health care
- Voted against the DREAM Act (which would give children who were brought here at a young age a path to citizenship)
- Opposes amnesty and a path for undocumented workers becoming citizens
- Voted against modifying bankruptcy laws (which would have avoided foreclosures)
- For cutting education (also voted against grants for minority colleges and green public schools)
- Voted against HCR (which had laws against children and people being denied health care due to preexisting conditions, among many other things)
- Voted for spending that ran up the national debt during Bush (which leaves the debt to our children)
- Voted against middle class tax cuts
A very good actor, that tan man is.
As promised, my list of achievements the 111th Congress and Barack Obama have accomplished:
- American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the stimulus) – tax credits for home buyers, making work pay, etc
- Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (health care reform) – ends lifetime caps, no denial for pre-existing conditions, etc
- Student loan overhaul – cuts out the banks or the middle men saving over $63B
- Increased fuel efficiency standards – 35 MPG by 2016 when it was originally by 2020
- Overturned the EPA (Bush) ruling that California couldn’t set it’s own MPG regulations
- Allowed federal funding for stem cell research
- Expanded the federal hate crimes bill to sexual orientation or gender identity
- Dismantling of nuclear weapons and limiting when they can be used
- Withdrew troops from Iraq – did so three months before the planned timeline
- Equal pay for women
- Two Supreme Court Justices – two women
- Car Allowance Rebate System (cash for clunkers) – statistics say increased fuel efficiency an average of 9.6 MPG or 61% for cars turned in
- Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform & Consumer Protection Act
- Increased federal regulation of tobacco
- Set fuel efficiency standards on trucks and vans for the first time
- Tax incentives to hire the unemployed
In these times we’re living with a global recession of this magnitude, of which experts have claimed would take generations to clean up, you have to admit they’ve done a lot of good with the bad hand they were dealt.
I’ve felt that extreme dislike for the Democrats; extreme dislike for Obama. But I realize, this list, this blog post, I could go into so much detail of each item and it would seem endless; and I’m sure I’ve missed some. These are just highlights. If you go into specifics about these, you really do see a great picture of the grand things Obama and the Democrats have accomplished in just two years time.
If I may ask, give them two more years. If after two years, things are still hellish, then vote them out. Putting the Republicans back in office would spell disaster for this country (as we’ve seen), and this time, it’s worse. There are so many extreme candidates in this race like Sharron Angle, Ken Buck, and Rand Paul. Lord knows what our country would look like if they get power.
Regardless, I plead with you, like I have before, go out and vote tomorrow, November 2, 2010. Even if you’re 100% discouraged by anything and everything, just go. Every vote matters and every vote counts. This nation is too hurt to sit this one out. Get your say. No one can stop you. There’s nothing to fear.
I probably have better things to blog about like the email I just got and had to reply and debunk, but Bill Maher had a rant which I felt needs to be said more (though not verbatim). He was talking about Virginia Thomas and that whole message thing, but it morphed into talking about Citizens United.
Because of the Supreme Court decision last year, which her husband ruled on, which basically negated McCain Feingold, in all this secret money in checks they say up to twenty million dollars from hedge fund managers, from fat cats; and people don’t know where it’s coming from. It’s coming into this election. This is a giant scandal which of course people don’t care about anymore than they care about Darfur because it’s not on Dancing With The Stars.
The Tea Party likes to coin the phrase “Wake Up America”, I think it’s true. But America needs to actually wake up to the corruption and propaganda and anything else they actually believe from an email, Fox News, or from a 30 second commercial. They need to stop watching their reality TV and get back to their actual reality and fact check and do research into their candidates before blindly voting. There’s so much unchecked money going into this election, and it’s not going to stop. Republican candidates don’t even care who’s putting up propaganda to attack their opponent, just so long as they win.
To try to encourage more turn out at the polls next week, I’ll be blogging my long list of achievements Obama and this Democratic controlled Congress has had over the past two years. They have been the most productive Congress since the 1960’s.
Thought I’d blog about things Sharron Angle has said since it’s close to the mid terms.
2010: Angle: “People ask me, ‘What are you going to do to develop jobs in your state?’ Well, that’s not my job as a U.S. senator.”
2010: Angle: “The Second Amendment is the right to keep and bear arms for our citizenry…This is for us…This is for us when our government becomes tyrannical…”
2010: Angle: “The Federal Department of Education should be eliminated. The Department of Education is unconstitutional and should not be involved in education, at any level.”
2010: Angle: “We needed to have the press be our friend … We wanted them to ask the questions we want to answer so that they report the news the way we want it to be reported.”
2010: Angle: “I’m not even sure where in the Constitution our federal government is supposed to be involved in Medicare.”
2010: Angle: “We need to phase Medicare and Social Security out in favor of something privatized.”
2010: Angle: “Whenever I say privatize I don’t mean governmental privatization. I mean actual free market privatization.” (When asked on if Social Security should be privatized.)
2010: Angle: “I hope that’s not where we’re going, but you know if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies…”
2010: Angle: “I’ll tell you the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out.” (In the same speech as the above quote.)
2010: Angle: “The whole point of an interview is to use it like they say, ‘earned media,’ to earn something with it… And I’m not going to earn anything from people who are there to badger me and use my words to batter me with.”
2010: Angle: “Not in my book.” (When answering if there’s any reason for an abortion. When asked to follow up on rape or incest she claims “God has a plan and purpose for each one of our lives.”)
2010: Angle: “No it doesn’t.” and “Thomas Jefferson was actually addressing a church and telling them through his address that there had been a wall of separation put up between the church and the state precisely to protect the church.” and “To protect the church from being taken over by a state religion. And that’s what they meant by that.” (All quotes when questioned about her views on the separation of church and state which arises out of the Constitution.)
2010: Angle: “I feel the same about legalizing alcohol.” (When asked about legalizing marijuana, she expressed her opposition and said this.)
2010: Angle: “What is a little bit disconcerting and concerning is the inability for sporting goods stores to keep ammunition in stock… That tells me the nation is arming. What are they arming for if it isn’t that they are so distrustful of their government? They’re afraid they’ll have to fight for their liberty in more Second Amendment kinds of ways. That’s why I look at this as almost an imperative. If we don’t win at the ballot box, what will be the next step?”
2010: Angle: “UN has been captured by the far left and has become ineffective and costly. The UN continually threatens US sovereignty, with endless rhetoric and treaties and it has not become the umpire on fraudulent science, such as global warming. The United States needs to withdraw from the United Nations and work solely with America’s willing allies.” (From her campaign website)
2010: Angle: “I keep hearing about Muslims wanting to take over the United States.” and “On a TV program just last night, I saw that they are taking over a city in Michigan and the residents of the city, they want them out. They want them out. So, I want to hear your thoughts about that.”
2010: Angle: “My thoughts are these, first of all, Dearborn, Michigan, and Frankford, Texas are on American soil, and under constitutional law. Not Sharia law. And I don’t know how that happened in the United States.”
2010: Angle: “I believe that there’s not sound science to back that up.” (Talking about global warming.)
2010: Angle: “I took a little criticism for it yesterday based off that I should find something good in that bill to save and there was nothing good in this law.” (Regarding the PPACA (HCR) bill of 2010.)
2010: Angle: “Right now, we say in a traditional home one parent stays home with the children and the other provides the financial support for that family. That is the acceptable and right thing to do.”
2010: Angle: “I was just saying that we are over regulating some of our industries and of course the oil and petroleum industry is one of those that we’ve been over regulating and that’s what has kept us dependent upon foreign oil and of course that dependence gets us into big trouble overseas and we need to not have that dependence, we need to come back and explore our domestic resources and take the regulation off.”
Other miscellaneous from Sharron Angle:
- She tried to pass legislation (Assembly Bill 580 of the 1999 Nevada Legislature) which would have required doctors to tell women seeking abortions that there was a “scientifically reported link between an induced abortion and an increased risk of developing breast cancer later in life”
- She favors the termination of the Energy Department and the EPA
- She favors the termination of much of the IRS tax code
- She favors eliminating Social Security
- She favors the complete elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts
- She equates the Holocaust with 9/11
- She believes that American cities have been taken over by militant terrorist organizations who are running under Sharia law
- She does not believe the Constitution mandates the separation of church and state
- She voted against fluoridating drinking water
- She believes rape and incest are part of God’s plan
- She wants to put nuclear plants inside Yucca Mountain
- She voted against enforcement of restraining orders from other states
The Republicans released their “Pledge to America” if they regain control of Congress later this year. It’s full of the same old same old rhetoric you’d expect from the selfish GOP, such as extending the Bush tax cuts. It omits how it’s going to pay for them as well as what they plan to do about entitlement programs (like Medicare and Social Security). They also want to overturn the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (health care reform) the Dems passed earlier this year. Furthermore, they want to put an end to the stimulus.
I just have to wonder, when HCR starts going into effect and the American people FINALLY see the good it will do, will the GOP jump on the bandwagon like most of them did with the stimulus? Or with the auto bailout?
I’d also like to know who’s buying Newt Gingrich’s recent comments? Seriously, is that guy off his rocker or what?
What scares me is that people actually listen to and believe it. I know a few of them myself. They’re anti-Muslim, far right conservatives who actually buy into these scare tactics. They preach that Muslims are going to take over our country, that we’re beginning to implement Sharia Law, they think Obama wants socialism, they think this country to be founded on Christian beliefs, and they actually believe Fox News to be factual.
And they think I’m wrong when I dispute their “facts”!
I try to see the other side of things, but I can’t even wrap my mind around it… To think that our country is in serious jeopardy and ready to be taken over. Who do these people really want their country back from? Last I checked, we as AMERICANS still had it.
I actually had one guy tell me to hell with the Bill Of Rights if it stops Muslims from building a Mosque near Ground Zero. What are some people in this country becoming and when will they stop? What could be next? Showing up to rally’s wearing KKK clothing?
It’s getting old hearing all these people complain about the Mosque they’re building TWO BLOCKS AWAY from where the WTC used to be.
The fact is that it’s protected under the first amendment. However, that won’t get through these people’s minds. It’s protected, there’s no debating it, no matter what people say or do.
The closest thing people tried to stop it was to get the building declared a landmark. The landmark commission voted 9-0 that the building is NOT a landmark even though debris from the WTC touched it. Most the buildings in NYC would then have to be declared landmarks if that was so.
It’s on private property, it will be private church, how can government try to stop it? It’s protected under the first amendment, there’s no debate. Also, there’s separation of church and state which some people seem to forget.
It baffles my mind, it’s so hypocritical to rant and rave “PATRIOTS, PROTECT OUR COUNTRY, FREEDOM ISN’T FREE, THE TERRORISTS WANT TO TAKE AWAY OUR FREEDOMS… yada yada yada.” Yet, they’re protesting to take away the freedoms of other people? I don’t get it. They need to listen to themselves. What freedoms will we have if we keep taking them away, one by one, in the name of terrorism?
And some people forget that some Muslims died on 9/11, too. To cave on this would hand the terrorists a victory. They would have disrupted those people’s freedom to speech and religion. Are we supposed to treat Muslims different than everyone else? I don’t think so. That’s NOT what this country is about.
I really don’t know how I contain myself now. Why I’m not screaming at the top of my lungs. I just fucking blogged about the need for government regulation and for government to step in and do something less than two weeks ago.
Since then two more people died because of another mine collapse and eleven people have lost their lives due to BP’s oil explosion. And not to mention the countless thousands of fish and wildlife that will die because of this oil rig explosion which could be worse than the Exxon Valdez.
Hypocrites. All those tea partiers preaching their “Drill Baby, Drill”… where are they now to help clean up this mess? Where are the Republicans who touted “Drill Baby, Drill”? Why aren’t they protesting in Arizona over the recent immigration law which allows government to get in your face if you “look illegal”? Or in Oklahoma where Republicans passed legislation to make a sonogram mandatory for getting an abortion which is clear government intervention? Or what about the entire Bush presidency?
The oil spill, the mining “accidents”, the hypocrites all make me sick.
I boycott Exxon because of Valdez and now looks like I’ll be boycotting BP.
This shit shouldn’t happen.
As I stated in my previous blog post, the need for government regulation has become increasingly more important. After previous administrations, so much government regulation has been taken away or not enforced. The deregulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, toys from China, the coal mine incidents, the economic collapse, ENRON, deregulation of our finance, energy, communications, transportation, etc. Many times after the fact have we realized maybe there should have been something put in place or enforced so bad things don’t happen, like with the current recession.
What comes to mind most recently (besides the coal mine explosion) is what’s going on with Toyota. Just the other day Consumer Reports came out and said the Lexus GX is unsafe and should not be bought. Now Toyota has stopped sales of its Lexus. It takes an independent magazine by a union to do enough safety tests to realize that a vehicle is unsafe for the road? The NHTSA didn’t find it? Even the Prius gas pedal wasn’t found by our “government regulations”. WTF?
Everyone thinks government regulation is a bad thing, but they are put in place for a reason; to make our cars safe, to make where we work safe, to make our food and water safe, to make our buildings safe, etc. To ensure that we won’t get hurt physically or financially by companies, to protect us.
We need government regulation because without it, we will get hurt. It happens time and time again when regulation is taken away or not enforced. We need a go between of companies and people and the government is the only thing to do it right. To look out for the people because that’s who the government represents. Contrary to what the SCOTUS says, corporations are NOT people.
It can’t just be a “states rights” thing either. Prime example, look at all the influence the coal industry has in West Virginia. Massey kicked the unions out. The unions couldn’t even help with the rescue effort. Massey got away with operating an unsafe mine and 29 people lost their lives because of it.
I know all these “don’t tread on me” people claim differently but the government is supposed to have the best intentions for the American people. That’s its job.
If the recent deaths in the West Virginia and China mines isn’t enough to make us switch to alternative energy, I don’t know what is.
China said by the end of the year 8,000 less efficient and less safe coal mines will be closed. Their mines are less safe because they don’t have the OSHA requirements that we do. However, the United States does face disasters in mines still as shown in recent and past events.
Alternative energy like wind and solar don’t nearly have the dangers that mining coal does (and oil drilling for that matter). Alternatives saves more lives and reduces climate change, which saves our planet.
If we do keep using coal (signs point to yes), we should most definately enact more restrictions on companies who mine. Massey Energy got fined $382,000 last year, according to the Washington Post, for safety violations, allowing coal dust to pile up, and not having sufficient fire gear. That shouldn’t happen in this country.
Back in 2007, I said the same thing with the collapse of the Crandall Canyon mine. There should have been more harsher regulations in place. I even blamed Bush for easing safety enforcements which could have prevented deaths in that incident (and, perhaps, the recent incident).
Bill Maher said something last week that was 100% true. Too long for twitter…
“You ever watch House or Gray’s Anatomy? It’s like ten or twelve doctors for just you. All they do is treat you and then they go home and fuck each other and think about you. That’s the fantasy.”
Makes a strong case for watching Nurse Jackie instead of House.
Unfortunately I don’t have much time to write about this since work has been real busy. I just wanted to say a few things about the bill.
I don’t like the whole thing. I’m not in love with it. I don’t like a lot of stuff that’s in it. Having said that, I do believe it’s the best we can do right now and if I were a member of congress, I would have voted for it. I wanted more in the bill like a lot more regulation on insurance companies and a robust public option (let alone ANY public option). But like Kucinich and other progressives, I had to put those wants aside and realize this bill is the best we can do now.
People who won’t compromise get in the way of democracy. The entire Republican party basically refused to compromise. They couldn’t see the good things about the bill like no exclusions on preexisting conditions and adults can stay on their parents health care until 26. Even Bart Stupak wanted to vote no on the bill unless Obama issued an executive order for no funding on abortion (which that was assumed in the bill anyway… I guess Stupak just needed it underlined and in BOLD).
Stupak did compromise and he did vote for the bill (to which he does deserve a thank you). Republican’s couldn’t and I believe they’re on the wrong side of history yet again.
Now, what I’m scared of is people not knowing or realizing that this bill helped them, just like how some people don’t realize that Medicare is a government run program. I’m worried that those teabaggers will not realize that when they get sick, their insurance company can’t drop them like they used to before this bill.
I’m also worried that when (big IF) the Republicans regain power in 2012, they’ll get the credit for the bill when it takes effect in 2014 (kinda like Obama took credit for the new GI bill which Bush passed). I’m also worried that they won’t get the bad rep for NOT supporting it.
I do hope that progressives won’t give up on wanting a single payer universal health care system like the other first world countries. Nancy Pelosi declared HC solved. Progressives don’t think so. I just hope they don’t give up the fight. I know I won’t.
Enough ranting… I also wanted to point to a good resource about information about the bill: www.politifact.com . It’s a bipartisan site with lots of good stuff.
