Who Broke It?

The Republicans obviously don't believe in “you break it, you own it!” It was not Dodd-Frank or Elizabeth Warren who crashed the economy in 2008. It was Wall Street and the Big Banks who crashed the economy, and it was in large part the repeal of the Glass Steagall act that allowed them to do it. Neither Elizabeth Warren nor Senator Dodd nor Congressman Frank got so big and recklessly greedy that we had to bail them out. It was the Big Banks and Wall Street we had to bail out. What bothers me the most about people who vote for Republicans is not that they refuse to listen to reason but that they simply ignore all the contradictions contained within their own arguments. I mean here they are screaming about the TARP bailouts as if keeping the world economy from collapsing was the most terrible thing anyone has ever done, yet they steadfastly oppose any regulations that could prevent the big banks or Wall Street from crashing the economy again! The only thing I can conclude from this is that in spite of all their histrionics, the Republicans actually enjoy shoveling billions of tax payer dollars out to greedy, irresponsible banks and greedy, irresponsible Wall Street Firms.

According to some recent articles the Republicans are now trying to run against Elizabeth Warren by saying the Democrats are too afraid of her to compromise on cutting any of the regulations governing the banks and/or Wall Street. All I can say is that she must not be too scary because the Cromnibus bill of 2015 gutted Dodd-Frank by requiring the FDIC to insure derivatives. And yes, they still sell derivatives even though derivatives were a huge part of the problem leading up to the crash of 2008. Unlike Republicans, I really do object to private institutions that are too big to fail and too recklessly greedy not to fail.  In fact the Cromnibus bill is what made me realize how much we need Elizabeth Warren!

So here is my answer to Republicans vilifying her: “You might be right about Senator Warren being the gadfly who reminds her fellow Democrats of their duty to their constituents, but I do not recall her becoming so big and reckless that we had to spend billions of dollars bailing her or her party out!"

No Budge - Budget!

"Paul Krugman is a must read today."  That is what Xaxnar wrote on Daily Kos, and he is right.  The proposed Republican budgets are unacceptable to anyone who is concerned about the financial well being of ninety-five percent of our citizens, and "unacceptable" is putting it mildly.  The title of Mr. Krugman's article in the March 20, 2015 edition of the New York Times is "Trillion Dollar Fraudsters," and with good reason.  As Mr. Krugman wrote, Mr. Ryan claims his proposal would balance the budget when in fact it would actually cause a much greater deficit, and it would do this while destroying Medicare, the Affordable Care Act and most of the earned benefits programs and safety nets ordinary citizens have earned.  Furthermore, these proposed budgets are frauds that depend on, magic asterisk, cuts that are unspecified and designated only by what we must assume to be "magical" asterisks.

Mr. Krugman correctly maintains that "... this isn’t normal political behavior. The George W. Bush administration was no slouch when it came to deceptive presentation of tax plans, but it was never this blatant. And the Obama administration has been remarkably scrupulous in its fiscal pronouncements..."

In regard to why the Republicans are doing this, Mr. Krugman said: "Think about what these budgets would do if you ignore the mysterious trillions in unspecified spending cuts and revenue enhancements. What you’re left with is huge transfers of income from the poor and the working class, who would see severe benefit cuts, to the rich, who would see big tax cuts. And the simplest way to understand these budgets is surely to suppose that they are intended to do what they would, in fact, actually do: make the rich richer and ordinary families poorer."

It is almost unbelievable that the Republicans are doing this at a time when the disparity in wealth between the top five percent and everyone else is so great that even Ted Cruz and Paul Ryan are trying to blame the Democrats for causing it.  Where they are going to find people stupid enough to believe that is beyond me.  Maybe we should ask Fox News; they seem to own stupid.  At any rate, President Obama and the Democrats must not budge in rejecting those outrageous budgets!  Take this fight to the streets if necessary.  If the Republicans want to shut down the Government again in order to steel from the poor and give to the rich, it is a fight we should engage in with every ounce of strength and reason we possess!

Don't Shame Our Ancestors

A Gallup Poll shows that only 39% of the respondents have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party and only 37% of the respondents have a favorable opinion of the Republican Party. All right, So what the hell are you going to do about it?

They who say “I can't” never will! They who say “what is the use” are useless! The brave men and women who were attacked and beaten by police officers during the voting rights march in Selma Alabama in 1965 did not throw up their hands in despair. They did not say I can't; instead they moved forward, and the violence they faced only strengthened their resolve to overcome. They bled for you and they prevailed. Similarly, the brave men and women who fought for collective bargaining, fair wages, and safe workplaces did not give in to despair; they continued to fight and they bled. To give you just a few examples of what it cost: 19 coal miners were killed in the Lattimer Massacre in Hazleton, Pennsylvania in 1897 and 17 miners were killed in the Anaconda Road Massacre in Butte, Montana in 1920. It was not until the National Labor Relations Act was passed int 1935 that the blood and suffering of many Union Members in many places over the years finally paid off.

What would those brave civil rights leaders who were beaten, shot or hanged for demanding their basic human rights say to those of you who sat at home during the mid-term elections, thereby meekly submitting to the unconscionable laws Republican Legislators and Republican Governors passed in an effort to keep you from voting. What would the brave union members who were beaten and/or killed when they stood up to the plutocrats say to those of you who sat at home during the mid term elections and let the greedy and/or the stupid re-elect Republican Legislators and Republican Governors such as Scott Walker, who actually boasts about suppressing the vote and union busting? If you are willing to give up your right to vote or refuse to exercise that right there really is no hope! And if you think unions do not matter anymore Click Here.

The reason why people are becoming so disillusioned is because we are moving backwards. Real wages are slipping, college educations are once more becoming something only wealthy kids can afford, and everyone is afraid of being laid off of work. Believe me, I can understand the angst. It does not help when one of our major political parties (the Republican Party) is pandering to lunatics and putting its own interests ahead of the interests of this country. If you think that statement is hyperbole let me remind you of just a few of things the Republican Party has done:

1. Shut down the government.
2. Damaged the full faith and credit of the United States by holding the debt ceiling hostage thereby threatening to make the United States default on it its debts.
3. Threatened to shut down the Department of Homeland Security.
4. Threatened to shut down the Federal Aviation Administration and thereby extorted the busting of the aviation labor unions.
5. Tried to privatize Medicare with the Ryan voucher plan.
6. Have consistently opposed all plans to reform the tax code if those plans eliminate the incentives to export our jobs or remove overseas tax havens for companies and wealthy individuals.
7. Interfered with crucial nuclear energy negotiations with Iran by sending the “Dear Ayatollah” letter. This is a clear violation of the separation of powers stated in the Constitution and a violation of the Logan Act.
8. I might add that Republican Presidents have also inflicted on us the worst Supreme Court ever!

Although the Republican Party is far worse than the Democratic party, it easy for me to understand why people are unhappy with both parties. The problem is that bad trade agreements and radical Republicans passing anti-labor laws have decimated the labor unions thus making both parties more dependent on the plutocrats for campaign contributions. Citizens Untied greatly exacerbated the problem. MONEY RULES! There is no doubt about money ruling. But you still have a voice and a vote. Generally speaking the smaller the election (or the fewer the number of voters) the easier it is to buy the election, but that does not hold true if a large number of people opposing the money interests engage with their neighbors and get them to the voting booths. When people get involved Mr. Got-bucks will often spend a ton of money to no avail. So the first rule if you want to change things is to get involved on a local level. Support worthy local candidates who will not gerrymander all the lunatics into safe congressional districts, and who will represent labor unions. Labor Unions protect jobs, even none union jobs. Believe me, the last thing a labor union wants is a bad trade agreement. Unions depend on companies making things here, whereas businesses chasing cheep labor have a strong incentive to export your job. The next thing to do is e-mail politicians about issues and sign petitions regarding crucial issues. People who write and sign petitions are usually activists and that makes politicians pay attention. Congressmen are particularly vulnerable because the smaller the district is the more important the activists become.

As the next election approaches ask yourself a very simple question: In this day when corporate profits are higher than ever and the disparity between what the top two or three percent is paid and what the average person is paid is greater than ever, what the hell is trickling down? The answer to that question should tell you to vote against trickle down Republicans who want to cut taxes for the rich and cut all earned benefits programs such as Social Security and Medicare!*  And I do mean it should tell you to get off your butt and vote! If you do not think your vote counts just look at the dismal results of the last mid-term elections. The low voter turn out during those mid-term elections allowed the most militant right wing lunatics to create a congress in their own image!

Hey, no one is asking you to go out there like your ancestors did and bleed for the cause. We concerned citizens are simply asking you not to waste the economic miracle your ancestors struggled so hard to achieve just because you are too damn lazy to pay attention and vote! Do not ignore the primary either. Elections do not just decide which party runs the government they also decide the direction that party will go. The lunatics have taken over the Republican Party because they are the activists and largest block voting in the primaries. I now say it its time for the progressives to become the activists and once again make the Democratic Party the party of working men and women!

*Just take a look at the latest budget proposed by the Greedy Old Plutocrats.  This topsy turvy (Republican) budget actually presumes that the poor in this country have too much money and the billionaires have too little.  This budget also makes it perfectly clear that the proposed tax cuts for the rich will come out of your hide!  

Example For Bottom Rungers

All right you bottom rungers, the Republicans have done it again. They have provided you with the example you want. Now when you do something dumb you can say: “Well, at least I'm not as stupid as that Senator Cotton (mouth) of Arkansas. Unlike him, I didn't bite into something I couldn't swallow or digest and then try to tell folks I'd do it again while I'm still choking on it. No sir, I'm not that stupid. I'm smart enough to admit making a mistake when everyone with two cents worth of smarts knows I'm the one who messed up! If you're an Arkie I bet you can go me one better; I bet you can admit you made a mistake by not voting against ol' Senator Cottonmouth. Come to think of it, he's not the only one trying to defend putting on the Presidential breeches and writing a 'Dear Ayatollah' letter that was so stupid and damaging you thank God that none of the Senators who signed it are the President. That Mitch Kan-tuck and duck creature signed the 'Dear Ayatollah' letter, and he is now doing the same thing Senator Cottonmouth is doing. So are other Republican Senators.

Golly gee! Does this mean I'm smarter than a whole bunch of Republican Senators? The way they've been acting for the last six years sure makes me hope so!”

Law Breaking GOP

Can you Believe this? A presumably ignorant freshman Senator, Tom Cotton from Arkansas, wrote an open letter to Iran and the Leading Republicans in the Senate actually signed it! The letter warns Iran that any treaty negotiated by the President must be approved by the Senate and that any executive agreement must be ratified by both houses. The letter also states that President Obama's term ends in two years and the next President could revoke at any time an agreement that was done by executive order and does not have the approval of Congress. The obvious purpose of this letter is to present Iran with an implied threat about dealing with President Obama.

The question in my mind is whether the Senators signing this letter are merely ignoramuses, or shameless demagogues who are so intent on undermining the President that they will work against the interests of this country. Unfortunately the evidence strongly suggests they are both. So let me take them back to a high school civics class and remind them of what they should have learned there. As those morons said in their letter, the Constitution provides for a separation of powers. It is the President who is responsible for negotiating all treaties and agreements with foreign nations. The role of Congress in approving treaties or agreements is internal, by that I mean they have no role in negotiating with a foreign government any changes they might want to make to any treaty or agreement.  It is up to the President to renegotiate with the country in question if Congress will not consent to the treaty or agreement as presented. The salient point here is that our founding fathers did not want 47 ignorant, partisan legislators interfering with important negotiations. They made this absolutely clear when they passed the Logan Act of 1799.

The Logan Act forbids unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments, and no Senator or group of Senators is authorized by the Constitution or by any custom or law to negotiate any treaties or agreements on behalf of the United States. Furthermore the language in the act is broad enough to include in its definition of prohibited acts this unconscionable letter to Iran from those Republican Senators. The Senators who signed that letter are therefore in violation of the Logan Act, and the potential damages caused by their criminal act are serious. By undermining the President of the United States the Senators who are guilty of violating the Logan Act have escalated the tensions between Iran and United States, thereby making it more difficult for the President to reach an agreement with Iran regarding nuclear power.

What will the Republican dullards do next? WAR, is that what they want?  Would they declare war without a request from the President? I do not want to be that much of an alarmist, but I have to say their usurping of Presidential power in this instance and the potential consequences of them doing this exceed all bounds of reason.  It is also a criminal act and a clear violation of the Constitution they claim to revere!  It really should make you wonder how far they will go!

Grandiloquent Inquisition

Gand Inquisitor Gowdy is eagerly riding the soiled coat tails of Grand Inquisitor Issa on the road to absurdity. Forget that Grand Inquisitor Issa ignored the fact that a Republican Congress denied the funds Hillary Clinton requested to provide protection for our embassies and consulates, or that Issa ignored thirteen instances under George W. Bush that were every bit as bad as Benghazi. Forget that Issa demonstrated how phony the issue of Benghazi was by misrepresenting the evidence in such a blatant manner that even his fellow Republicans felt compelled to replace Grand Inquisitor Issa with Grand Inquisitor Gowdy (or is that Gougey?). And please try to suppress the yawns, the groans, and the giggles. I know this alleged issue has become so old and tattered and politically inconsequential that only right wing dullards cheer the sight of it rising again like a moldy flag of desperation. But this time the Republicans promise something new.

It seems as though Secretary of State Clinton had the temerity to do something every Secretary of State has done since government officials started using e-mails – to wit she used her private e-mail account when conducting the government's business. There was no law against her doing that at the time, but that has not stopped the hue and cry of Republicans who have nothing but fear and loathing to sell. There is a law against it now so it obviously should not have been done then, they piously say. What is Hillary hiding? Could it be the same thing all those other Secretaries of State were hiding? Or could it be something connected to the fizzling issue that has been chafing the elephant's crotch since 2012?

Grand Inquisitor Gowdy insists that he needs all of Hillary's e-mails to get to the bottom of Benghazi, and apparently to get to the bottom of whatever else he might want to scratch. Mr. Gowdy is encouraged in doing this by the drama casters in the lame stream media who are agog over allegations that Hillary Clinton might have deleted something relevant. She is a Clinton after all, and we all know scandal follows the Clintons. “Give us all,” they wail. “We want it all!” That apparently means even the documents that are classified. That will not happen, and the sound they will hear as the Republicans try to tie Hillary's use of her private e-mail account to Benghazi will be the sound of snoring! The real news flash is that no one who is inclined to vote for a Democrat is going to be impressed by grandiloquent accusations about Benghazi and e-mails; that boat load of bull shit has already sailed! The lame stream media would be well advised to stick to the real issues and leave the phony ones to the Fox disinformation factory.

Alternative To TPP

Not too long ago I added to my permanent links a link to a post on Randy Smiley's blog entitled "Human Right To Employment."  As Randy pointed out Article 23 of the United Nations Statement of Human Rights includes the right to employment and other economic rights such as collective bargaining.  In an article entitled "Congressional Progressive Caucus Offers A Real Alternative On Trade" posted on Ourfuture .org by Robert Borosage, Mr. Borosage discuses the alternative offered by the Progressive Caucus, and why we need this alternative.  As Mr. Borosage said: "The principles lay out elements of an alternative trade strategy, one built to benefit workers, not investors, and to serve the public interest, not the special interests of global companies and banks. The CPC seeks more trade, but on terms that will strengthen working families, not sabotage them."

What struck me was how well the trade principles proposed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus conformed to Article 23 of the United Nations Statement of Human Rights.  Below are short descriptions of the trade principles stated by the Progressive Caucus.

Protect Congress’ Authority to Set Trade Policy

Restore Balanced trade

Put Workers First

Stop Currency Manipulation

Expand Buy America Procurement Practices

Protect the Environment for Future Generations

Prioritize Consumers above Profits

Protect Nationhood Rights

Secure Affordable Access to Essential Medicines and Services

Respect Human Rights

Provide a Safety Net for Vulnerable Workers

It is time for President Obama to listen to the Progressive Caucus and for us to demand the implementation of these trade principles.

Bibi Bozo

Someone should tell Bibi Bozo that it is a very bad idea to interfere with the domestic politics of your most important ally. This is particularly true if you pick the wrong party. First Bibi Netanyahu supported Mitt Romney during the 2012 presidential election, and then he accepted what he knew to be a partisan and very controversial invitation from John Boehner to address a joint session of Congress. Mr. Netanyahu accepted that invitation to do something he has already done ad nauseam, and that is to criticize President Obama's attempts to deal with Iran.  Specifically, Mr. Netanyahu's purpose was to interfere with President Obama's negotiations with Iran. Of Course Mr. Netanyahu claimed there was nothing personal about this; erase the very thought from you mind. Mr. Netanyahu says he merely objects to the terms of an agreement that has not even been reached yet. It does not matter that Mr. Netanyahu does not know what the terms of that agreement will be; he knows President Obama and can easily tell you what he thinks the agreement will entail. The worst part about Mr. Netanyahu making this address is that he did not even offer any new information that might be important enough to justify insulting the President.  Mr. Netanyahu has said it all before, and he still has no alternative to the negotiations, other than lets you and Iran fight!

Sorry Israel, but if you are going to re-elect Netanyahu, you really need to find a way to reign him in. I do not want to see our relations with Israel strained, but we cannot and must not tolerate his outrageous behavior!