Words have meanings

The Republican party of late has often been a party that says something but then does the complete opposite.

Nothing says Fiscally Responsible like a government shutdown and credit default!

Nothing says Protect the Constitution like proposing a Constitutional amendment!

Decreasing spending can be done without shutting down the government and tanking the economy.  Balanced budget laws (whether or not the Federal government should be prohibited from borrowing is a different topic) can be passed without an amendment.

It’s not as though the only rules Congress has to follow are Constitutional laws.

Words have meanings.  You cannot simply say you’re fiscally responsible and then completely fail to pass a resolution to fix the debt ceiling problem.  The House of Representatives is a total and complete mess.  The results of the mid-term elections have left the House in total disarray.  This group has managed to pass only 1 bill regarding the debt problem – and they knew when they passed it that it had zero chance of getting through the Senate.  Since it failed, they have sulked around and pouted instead of getting back to work.

Boehner, who has been leading this charge, has found that his “great” method of handling the debt was such a flop that within an hour of receiving a review from the CBO, it had to be re-written.

The House of Representatives is a joke.  To paraphrase The Borowitz Report, the House is governing about as much as Farmville people are actually farming.

 

YEAH!! Senate kills Tea Party debt plan

It’s a dangerous period with time winding down quickly – and the entire economy hanging by a thread… now is NOT the time for amending the Constitution.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/22/senate-kills-tea-party-debt-bill_n_906724.html?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl4|sec3_lnk1|80303

Everyone who is (A) planning to live past 67 and (B) Has less than $4 million, should be against cutting Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security.

But the point is that a Constitutional Amendment is not something you rush through at the last hour. I’m not saying that we should not consider a balanced budget law (though I’m not sure a Constitutional amendment isn’t a bit extreme). I’m saying that it is a significant proposal that needs to be thoroughly examined and studied before it’s implemented so that it doesn’t blow up in our faces in 10 years.

When you have a gun to your head, you don’t start examining how to build bullet-proof headgear. Tea Partiers need to quit playing around and get a deal done, instead of trying to get their name in a history book.

How scary is the debt-ceiling debate? The consequences of a default are pretty scary. Predictions are difficult to agree on, but none of them are good. It’s well explained here:
U.S. Default Would Likely Cause Stocks, Bonds, Dollar To Collapse
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/17/us-default-markets-consequences_n_901070.html

So cut whatever – anything but Social Security and Medicare.
– Legalize it. “Legalize what”, you say? Whatever. Legalize marijuana. Legalize prostitution. Whatever. Only legalize it for 1 year. I bet we can cut the deficit in half in 12 months! Kidding? More or less. Some say marijuana is less dangerous than booze. We forego tons of tax revenue and instead spend tons of tax dollars hunting and prosecuting the traffic.
– Raise the taxes on smokes and booze.
– Increase fines and decrease jail time. Decreases costs while increases revenue.
– Increase penalties for companies hiring illegal aliens.
– Declare a date and give illegals who have proof of being here by July 22nd a subset of Social Security numbers that allows them to work and pay into Social Security, but not withdraw benefits.
– Stop fighting on foreign soil for a few years. The cost of buying and transporting gas to power generators that provide AC in battle areas is larger than NASA’s budget. Blackhawks, tanks, and armored transports get less than 1 mile per gallon. I’m thrilled we got Bin Laden – and my hat is off to Obama for getting it done after 1 1/2 years in office. Now, pack everything up and head home. We can’t police every country forever.

I’d rather see a Constitutional Amendment on term limitations for Congress. I don’t think we need to rotate everyone every few years – but I don’t think we need to have the same lawmakers for 40 years, either.

Texas Schools to ‘Revisit’ Evolution

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas State Board of Education meets this week for the first time under its conservative new chairwoman appointed by Gov. Rick Perry and is expected to rekindle the debate over teaching evolution and the origin of life in public schools.

Are you kidding me??  I learned this was settled decades ago in the Scopes Monkey Trial.  This is scary.

Perry, who is considering a run for president and has embraced social conservatives in Texas, named Barbara Cargill chairwoman earlier this month. Cargill, a biology teacher considered to be one of the more conservative board members, disputes the theory of evolution and voted to require that the theory’s weaknesses be taught in classrooms.

Dinosaurs were not “Jesus-ponies”. 

The board has been known to make controversial moves. It adopted a social studies and history curriculum last year that amended or watered down the teaching of religious freedoms, the civil rights movement, America’s relationship with the United Nations and hundreds of other items.

In one of the most significant changes, the board diluted the rationale for the separation of church and state in a high school government class.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/20/texas-evolution-education-schools_n_905020.html

Texas man executed for 9/11 revenge killing

“If you come to Texas and kill someone….we’ll kill you back.”  — Ron White.

In a solid display of justice, Mark Stroman was executed for targeting and killing Muslims after 9/11. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/20/mark-stroman-executed_n_905292.html?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl1|sec1_lnk2|79799

A Facebook Alternative?

I hope this is a Facebook alternative.  I’m sick of FB’s lack of respect for personal information.  Too much abuse and too many hacks.  I hate the setup where interacting with an entity through it’s app almost always requires me to share way too much personal information and give them the ability to write on my wall. 

I realize the developer chooses this, but my complaint is that FB gives them the power and does not grant me the right to reject it and control my own information.  For instance, perhaps I am OK giving an entity my profile pic and ability to write on my wall, but I want to reject the ability for them to grab all my friends’ information – I cannot do that.  As a result, I rarely interact with business/apps, which means a portion of the social network is unavailable. 

So I welcome Google’s entrance (re-entrance).  I have not used the service yet, but I plan to.  My initial fear is that it will be similar to Facebook in how much data it gives to marketer’s via apps and interfaces.  Just because I make a comment on some blog or news site does not mean I want my comments posted across my social network – nor do I want to have to worry about settings for that every time I want to write a comment.  I also don’t want everyone who goes to that site to see my comment tied to my picture, name, and location.  I have a job and like you, I don’t always want my boss in my personal life.  As our personal lives now extend to the Web, we want to be able to protect it. 

So, I look forward to trying Google+.  To that end, here’s a newbie’s guide:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/12/google-plus-guide-tips-for-newbies_n_896350.html#s307613&title=Start_By_Finding

Just keeping working: Companies love employees in their 60’s

So we (‘we’, Republicans and Obama) raise the Social Security retirement age and we cut back on Medicare eligibility and benefits…what’s the problem?  You just need to work a little longer.  Companies love to hire people in their 60’s. 

The elephant in the interview room: Are you being passed over because of age?

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2649-Job-Search-The-elephant-in-the-interview-room-Are-you-being-passed-over-because-of-age/?SiteId=cbmsnhp42649&sc_extcmp=JS_2649_home1&gt1=23000

 

 

On the debt ceiling:  “Republicans are adamantly opposed to any tax increases, even if it is limited to closing tax loopholes for the wealthiest Americans.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/14/moodys-considers-downgrading-us-credit-rating-amid-stalemate-over-debt-limit/#ixzz1S6S7dFBO

Bad Obama, Bad GOP Congress

TARP bailout of financial firms (who caused the problem in the first place). 

Stimulus rescue for automakers (who failed to keep pace with fuel efficiency increases) and the auto execs and unions (who are both making too much money). 

War in Iraq (for absolutely no reason). 

Tax cuts for the most successful businesses (makes little sense, supply-side economics is proven to be a failed theory). 

Tax cuts for the richest Americans (makes no sense)   

And now Congress and the President wants to screw everyone (everyone who plans on getting older) buy cutting Social Security and Medicare benefits?  Now – after all these other programs were funded…now you are trying to offset it by screwing me?   Now all of a sudden the deb ceiling is important?  Two trillion in Iraq wasn’t a big deal.  700 billion for TARP wasn’t a big deal.  770 billion for stimulus wasn’t a big deal. 

But now Congress wants to cut Social Security – because they already spent the money on Wall Street execs and Iraqis and now they need my retirement funds that MY taxes funded??  How could that even get out of Congress? 

Hats off to the Democrats in Congress, as they are holding the line on protecting Social Security. 

Beyond that, to hell with all those Republicans in Congress and Barack Obama who apparently want to raid the retirement savings to fund their overspending.  I’m not yet sure who I’m supporting for President in 2012.  If Social Security or Medicare/Medicaid is cut because Washington overspent, it won’t be anyone who voted ‘Yes’ in Congress nor will it be the person who signed the bill into law. 

You can tell alot by how a society treats its elderly population. 

I sure didn’t donate my money in support of healhcare reform only to have Obama sign in a Republican law that removes/restricts/reduces my Medicare/Medicaid benefits.

GOP: Cut Medicare to fund tax cuts for the rich

How in the world can anyone suggest that we cut taxes on the richest 2% of Americans and we fund it by cutting Medicare and Social Security?  How do you even look at yourself in the mirror – that’s horrible.  We’re not talking about raising taxes, we’re talking about letting the cuts expire. 

If Jesus was in Congress, would he vote for tax cuts for the rich – or resources for the elderly?  The Tea Party needs to stop espousing a Christian outlook, its sacrilege.  It’s a group of short-sighted narrow-minded hypocrites (who apparently don’t plan on aging). 

And Boehner and your Republican cohorts, you don’t fix the mess by screwing the old people.  No, your companions should not have reduced regulation on America’s financial system – it had catastrophic effects.  No, you should not have bogged us down in a pointless war in Iraq where there was no Al-Qaeda and no WMD’s.  But you can’t fix your mess by stealing from the working class of America. 

And I sure as hell didn’t donate to a bunch of health-care reform causes so that Democrats could give away the health-care I will desperately need when I’m in retirement.  Give up Medicare – are you out of your mind?  I could stomach cuts in every other department.  When you cut benefits from old people, old people need to just go out and get a good paying job with benefits.  Oh…a 72-year-old typically can’t get a well-paying job with benefits?  (Morons).  It’s hard enough for a 62-year-old to hang on to his job.  After accruing raises and vacations, companies can’t wait to lay them off at the first downturn. And try to find a job when you’re 60.  It can be done, but the odds are really against you.  And to immediately affect the annual budget, you have to start making cuts right away.  It doesn’t help to say “In 20 years, we will change Medicare ages/rates”.  So if you’re 45 or 50, you should get in your time machine and go back and start handling your retirement fund differently.

Stop sending missiles and jets into Libya. Stop fighting in Iraq.  A BlackHawk gets about 0.7 MPG and they’re used all over the place.  Park the tanks, they get about 0.6 MPG.  Armored transports and jets ain’t cheap and neither are the armaments.  My god, the annual cost of air conditioning for US war soldiers is larger than NASA’s budget!  Let’s put the cost of war in perspective. 

And for god’s sake quit doing missions in Libya!  Are you out of your mind, Obama?  Send them a note that says “You should have done this 10 years ago.”

Shocking!

BREAKING: Reports say the president just offered to cut Social Security benefits, if Republicans agree not to let the U.S. default on its debts.¹

It’s his offering to the out-of-control Republicans, who are threatening to crash the economy in order to ram through savage cuts to crucial government programs.

 

It’s sickening to think that millions of seniors would have to sacrifice in order to appease Republican hostage-takers. 

 

Especially because every poll shows overwhelming majority of Americans support raising taxes on the rich and protecting Social Security and Medicare.²

 

But there’s still time to stop this “bargain” in its tracks. Whatever deal the president offers Republicans will need Democratic votes to pass Congress. So we need Democrats in Congress to stand strong and oppose any benefit cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

 

Can you sign our emergency petition to Democrats in Congress and tell them to stand up and tell the President they will not vote for Social Security and Medicare benefits cuts?

 

Add your name here.

 

President Obama is making a huge mistake that will cost our country dearly.

 

This is one of those moments where we either stand up and demand that the Democrats in Congress show a real spine. Or we sit back and watch the Republicans destroy decades’ worth of progress.

 

Will you help send a message demanding that Democrats draw a clear line in the sand: no cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits? 

Click here to add your name:

http://pol.moveon.org/bad_debt_deal/

 

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Wes, Elena, Julia, and the rest of the team

Source: 

1. “In Debt Talks, Obama Offers Social Security Cuts,” The Washington Post, July 6, 2011  
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=210871&id=28665-17654405-lAYvFTx&t=5

2. “Poll: To Reduce Deficit, Most Americans say Tax the Rich More,” CBS News, January 3, 2011 
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20027036-503544.html