Abdication of Democracy

 debate, GOP, government, Hypocrisy, Obama, Politics, Taxes, Teaparty, Truth  1 Response »
Jul 262011
 

This is a very simple concept, and only a simple explanation will suffice… I pondered trying to write this post using only fifty unique words but I am not sufficiently talented to make “I do not like the righties plan I do not like it Sam I am” adequately detail what I mean…

Our democracy is based on co-equal branches of government, when those branches are held by different parties the government cannot enact new legislation unless the parties can reach a compromise that satisfies both sides. In such a case new legislation might not be possible, too bad, deal with it.

The problem comes when action MUST be taken by the legislative branch to continue the basic functions of the government that these disparate players are supposed to be serving. If inaction is not an option than compromise isn’t just an unpleasant reality it is an absolute necessity. The government of the United States of America cannot be shredded by the refusal of elected representatives to participate. The business of the United States requires that those who would pretend to be worthy of inclusion could put aside ego and ideology for the greater good of the nation, those unwilling to do so prove themselves unworthy of their post… period.

Democracy is not unlike herding kittens, progress is never going to be simple or direct, but there are times that all hands must come together to accomplish that which must be accomplished. Refusing to acknowledge that divided government requires compromise is tantamount to abdication of the concept of Democracy. If you have no use for our government, get the hell out of the way, the citizens of this country require more. A government of, by and for the people can only be hijacked for a limited time, when that time is up the pushback will be swift and harsh.

I could not, would not, ever vote.
For taxes on a great big boat.
I will not vote to raise a tax.
balance on the seniors backs!
Not in the dark! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! You let me be!
We do not like them on the rich.
We do not like them silly bitch.
We will not raise a single tax.
Despite all of your stupid facts.
We do not like them here or there.
We do not like them ANYWHERE!

Seriously, this is the level of discourse from the right, and the country deserves better.

 Posted by R. Paine at 8:41 pm

Why Wisconsin Matters

 debate, GOP, government, Hypocrisy, Politics, Taxes, Teaparty, The Economy, Truth  1 Response »
Feb 172011
 

We see a very dangerous dynamic going on in the state of Wisconsin, and the state of Ohio, and the state of Florida and, and…

The GOP is selling the meme that hard working Americans should be outraged that hard working Americans have a tiny bit more than they do…

The Governor of Wisconsin proposes to strip all state workers the right of collective bargaining under the guise of a state budget crisis. The fact is that Wisconsin was projected to have a surplus this year before Gov. Walker cut taxes, additionally stripping workers of their bargaining rights will have little to no impact in the short term.

The Republicans have spent 30 years engineering the largest concentration of wealth that has been experienced in this country since the 1920′s and now they want those that have been decimated, stagnated, downsized and degraded to rip each other to shreds for the scraps left over…

Think about this for just a moment.

The median weekly wage for a non union worker is $717

The median weekly wage for a union worker is $917

The median weekly income for the top 1.5% is $4,807

The median weekly income for the top .1% is $30760

So logically the GOP would like to see those at the bottom of the earnings scale angry and outraged at those barely higher on the scale… oh and while they are at it outrage at the unemployed and those crushed by the housing crisis would very effectively control the 98% of this country that is being fleeced by unmitigated greed.

Now that the GOP have come completely out into the open to blatantly advocate for only the richest and most powerful we had better be prepared to go to the mat because if we can’t beat them when they behave like this there is very little hope.

 Posted by R. Paine at 8:43 pm

The Five Stages of Midterms

 government, media, Midterms, Politics, Teaparty, Truth  Comments Off
Oct 282010
 

“This chick man, Dr. Kübler-Ross, without the benefit of dying herself…” some of us will remember the line from All That Jazz, some will not, all that care will relate to where we find ourselves now.

Let us suppose for a moment that the “common wisdom” (aka media narrative which frequently bares no resemblance to fact) is that Republicans in general and the Teaparty specifically are going to sweep away the Democrats in a tidal wave of electoral frustration Tuesday next and they will “take their country back” presumably to the early 1800′s… How the hell are we rational folk going to reconcile ourselves to life after the midterms should the asshats prevail?

If necessary, we will all deal with it in our own unique manner but for the most part we will travel the same path.

Denial – “This isn’t fucking happening in MY country!, have these people paid no attention to what these idiots have been spouting? There is no way that these people actually won, there must be massive election fraud! ACK!” The fact of the matter is that most people don’t pay attention to the midterms and have very little concept of just how pathetic these candidates are and how difficult and serious the challenges are that face this nation.

Anger - ”Fine, this is just perfect, now I’m going to have to move to Italy where the politicians are horrifically corrupt but at least they have more than three firing brain cells to rub together!” There is no putting a positive blush on this phase, should it be required I guarantee I will wallow in this shit…

Bargaining – “Oh God I promise I will never skip another election! I never thought it would come to this! I never in my wildest dreams believed it was possible! Can we get a do over, I promise I’ll be ‘enthused’ (and besides the Democrats pissed me off…)” This phase will last micro seconds as everyone knows these morons would rather crash the government and abolish the Dept. of Education than admit that they are the least exceptional among us and we have just asked them to LEAD…

Depression – “FUCK” That pretty much sums it up, the sentiment will likely last until the next election, or until the House holds it’s first impeachment hearings or they take up abolishment of the Fourteenth Amendment…

Acceptance – “Arrgh!” The fact of the matter is that the arc of history bends towards justice, this too shall pass, the electorate will snap out of their media induced delusion and discover that American exceptionalism cannot possibly be promoted by lowering the bar to the least common denominator. America will survive, the only question is how much more will the American people have to overcome after another stint of governance at the hands of the GOP. As if the decade wasn’t bad enough.

Of course I remain optimistic that the actual majority in this country will get out and save us all from needing the guidance of Dr. Kübler-Ross.
It’s showtime folks.

 Posted by R. Paine at 8:12 pm

Mad Hatters Matter

 government, Hypocrisy, Politics, Teaparty, Truth  Comments Off
Oct 272010
 

Keith Olbermann provided this stunning argument against the insanity that is the teaparty movement and by extension, the Republican party.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Know someone that hasn’t quite engaged in this election cycle? Someone who is apathetic or indifferent to the result? Please get them to watch, give them the opportunity to understand exactly what is at stake this election. Time is short and the shadows deepening, turn on the light.

 Posted by R. Paine at 7:33 pm

Stomp and Circumstance

 Hate, Politics, Teaparty, Truth  1 Response »
Oct 272010
 

If you haven’t yet seen this video of a 23 year old girl representing MoveOn.org was pulled to the ground and literally stomped on by teaparty supporters of Rand Paul, you need to watch it to fully appreciate this post… You can do that now.

This is verbal art in response to the aforementioned video, actual literary poetry, sheer fucking brilliance (note, if you cringed just now DO NOT click through to the link)

The Rude Pundit Regarding the Kentucky Stomping and Juan Williams

Please share this with anyone willing to see how far we have yet to go.

 Posted by R. Paine at 7:15 pm

Chamber of Converse (advocacy)

 GOP, Hypocrisy, Politics, Rachel Maddow, Teaparty, Truth, Uncategorized  Comments Off
Oct 142010
 

Rachel Maddow takes the GOP advocacy of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and boils down what it means to our democracy in terms so concise that one cannot fail to deduce that ordinary citizens should be horrified that these people have any influence on our elections. Politicians of all persuasions and the media that continue to treat this issue as a non-starter better take heed. Americans get a tad testy when overtly abused by the elite and if you think the Chamber of Commerce doesn’t qualify, think again.

Share this with everyone you know, this election may be that last time we have a chance to stem the tide of corporate cash drowning out the voices of the electorate.

 Posted by R. Paine at 7:40 pm

Free to be put in a cage

 government, Justice, Politics, Rachel Maddow, Rand Paul, Teaparty  1 Response »
May 192010
 

Dr. Rand Paul fresh off his victory in the Republican primary in Kentucky stopped by the Rachel Maddow show this evening and managed to profess his passionate support for the privatization of racism, or at least strong support for those who wish to practice racism… Well you watch and tell me what you think.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Ultimately Rand Paul misses the larger point of freedom, referees are necessary to ensure that the powerful don’t stomp all over the freedoms of the less powerful.

And as is so often the case, Randy Newman has articulated this far better than I ever could

We’re rednecks, we’re rednecks
We don’t know our ass from a hole in the ground
We’re rednecks, we’re rednecks
We’re keeping the niggers down

Now your northern nigger’s a Negro
You see he’s got his dignity
Down here we’re too ignorant to realize
That the North has set the nigger free

Yes he’s free to be put in a cage
In Harlem in New York City
And he’s free to be put in a cage in the South-Side of Chicago, the West-Side
And he’s free to be put in a cage in Hough in Cleveland
And he’s free to be put in a cage in East St. Louis
And he’s free to be put in a cage in Fillmore in San Francisco
And he’s free to be put in a cage in Roxbury in Boston
They’re gatherin’ ‘em up from miles around
Keepin’ the niggers down

Dr. Paul is either stupid or ridiculously naive, I hope it is the latter but either bodes poorly for his inclusion in the Senate of the United States of America.

 Posted by R. Paine at 7:19 pm

Try to remember

 Financial reform, government, Hypocrisy, Obama, Politics, Teaparty, Truth  Comments Off
Apr 262010
 

Bringing financial reform to the floor of the Senate has been filibustered by the Party of no, even though a scant 19 months ago the financial industry threatened to plunge the world into a global depression. It was only the extraordinary actions taken by the Bush administration with the backing of the Democratic Party that staunched a much wider crisis. It was only the continued vigilance and bold stimulus of the Obama administration that thwarted a deeper and more painful recession saving the American people from the worst of the devastation while necessarily re-capitalizing firms that recklessly drove the banking system to the brink of disaster.

And what do those who bothered to pull the financial system out of the fire have to show for their responsibility in the face of a most unpleasant task? The teaparty. An unruly, angry, misinformed mob that wants to punish those who pulled us out of the fire while granting a pass to the GOP for doing nothing then and doing less now to reign in those who actually set up and knocked down the American economy to the detriment of practically the entire electorate.

The President released the following after the unfortunate vote in the Senate today:

“I am deeply disappointed that Senate Republicans voted in a block against allowing a public debate on Wall Street reform to begin.  Some of these Senators may believe that this obstruction is a good political strategy, and others may see delay as an opportunity to take this debate behind closed doors, where financial industry lobbyists can water down reform or kill it altogether.  But the American people can’t afford that.  A lack of consumer protections and a lack of accountability on Wall Street nearly brought our economy to its knees, and helped cause the pain that has left millions of Americans without jobs and without homes.  The reform that both parties have been working on for a year would prevent a crisis like this from happening again, and I urge the Senate to get back to work and put the interests of the country ahead of party.”

It is time for fact to trump fiction, for talking points to give way to public debate for the good of the American people, if you haven’t the chops to have the debate in that forum than we shall continue to understand that your political future is far more important to you than the future of the country, its people and their financial security.

 Posted by R. Paine at 6:31 pm

Rules of the road, er street.

 government, Hypocrisy, Politics, Teaparty, Truth  Comments Off
Apr 232010
 

Logic dictates that the “free market” is an accident waiting to happen. Sensible rules of the road are necessary to ensure our freedom. Think about it for a moment, the highways, freeways and streets have rules and regulations to make things work smoothly and protect everyone.

we do not yield to the larger vehicle.

we do not race each other to see who can get through the intersection first.

in finance the lack of concrete rules and the cops to enforce them is not “freedom” …

its anarchy.

its dangerous.

its stupid.

it ruins lives.

and it is exactly what the GOP advocates.

George Santayana said those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it…

I say that if you can’t remember who crashed our economy a year and a half ago you have no business legislating it’s reform.

 Posted by R. Paine at 6:29 pm

Trickle me Elmo

 government, Hypocrisy, Obama, Politics, Taxes, Teaparty, town halls, Truth  Comments Off
Apr 152010
 

Well America it is tax day and suffice it to say that this day among all days in the calendar inflames the passions of those who pay taxes, those who avoid taxes, those who benefit from taxes and those who feel abused by taxes.

This particular tax day was brought into sharp contrast for me when I had a minor Twitter kerfuffle about tax breaks for small and large companies in America.

My instincts lean towards more tax breaks for small companies and fewer for the large strictly on the basis of the assumption that large companies are already very well represented and therefore have more advantage built into the system than small companies. The surprise for me was when I received via twitter the following challenge “if large companies have income freed up, they hire new employees. Not political. FACTUAL.” I did not even take a moment to think before I replied from what I knew to be true from twenty plus years in the trenches of making small businesses survive in the real economy… Companies hire on demand, profit has NOTHING to do with the acquisition of personnel.

It may be true that companies will retain personnel longer in a down economy based on the profitability of the company but the notion that a company will hire additional personnel due to tax incentives that increase profitability is not only wrong it is insulting to anyone that has ever run a business, large or small.

“Trickle down” economics is an insult to thinking people everywhere the only possible benefit is in a moderate slowdown where the financial windfall could forestall the severance of employees in a recession mild enough that such a delay might blunt the dip to the point of insignificance… or in other words, trickle down only works to save jobs on the way down, not to create them on the way back up.

The argument that large companies cannot afford to pay their fair share in the way of taxes to this nation that is so good to them washes only as a measure of triage, the rest of the time the tax benefit will find its way into the bonuses of the executives that negotiated the tax break, not into the employment of someone who could add to real economy of the nation.

 Posted by R. Paine at 7:41 pm
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