With some of America's richest men coming out in support of higher taxes on the wealthy; one has to wonder what the agenda is of those in government who are opposing tax hikes. Many of them use the excuse that the lower taxes will allow these 'job creators' to open more positions in America. As these 'job creators' have had these lower taxes for almost a decade now and the number of jobs has gone down not up, I fail to see the validity of this argument.
So, once again, what is the agenda of those in office who continue to oppose imposing higher taxes and closing tax loopholes on that top 1%?
More and more people are coming out and asking that question, and no matter how loud they continue to repeat that same lame answer, we will continue to ask; because that is still our right here in America. They have not yet succeeded in taking that away from us.
And that's My 25 cents...
Monday, August 15, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Greed Corruption Materialism
In the last few days, listening to and reading news stories on money, politicians and large corporations; I have started to feel a huge, yawning pit of helplessness.
Here in America, the divide between the haves and the have-nots in now a chasm. And the people who should be protecting the rights and lives of the have-nots are in the pockets of the haves. There is no clear way out of this quagmire of deceit, lies, greed and selfishness. No one currently in a position of power or running for a position of power is a good option to help re-stabilize society. I certainly do not expect that there will be someone who will follow my beliefs down the line. I do wish that someone would have the welfare of the people rather than someone who is just going to make sure that the interests of the industries that are paying them are seen to.
What I see today are people who are poised to turn back time. Strip the rights of women and minorities, take away the protections for our environment and future generations, forcing their religious views on the public, giving freer rein to those who got us here to begin with, taking away all the protections put in place to keep the haves honest, forcing the have-nots to shoulder more and more of the burden for the haves, taking away or hollowing out any programs designed to give the have-nots a chance to move closer to the haves. No matter what history has shown, the haves seem bent on continuing in their course, seemingly gambling on the hope that nothing will happen in their lifetimes. Increasingly forgetting their obligations and responsibilities in favor of their pleasure. Giving in to their sense of entitlement and lack of accountability.
We see this as well in the, admittedly, horrifying rioting in England. It is true that the rioters are committing crimes and acts of violence but it is reckless (or willful) blindness on the part of the politicians to say that these riots have only the greed and selfishness of the rioters behind it. When it is very clear, even to those of us not in politics that the underlying sickness is the horrifying disconnect between the protectors and the protectees. Today's politicians seem to have forgotten or buried the simple fact that they are public servants, they are there to serve and protect the public. They are not put in office to take money on the side from large firms to look after their interests even if they could bring harm to the public as a whole. The whole job of politicians is to keep that very thing from happening, to protect the public the environment and our future from harm. Corporations do not have loyalty to a particular country anymore, they can go anywhere in the world now. Now more than ever we need politicians to keep the depredations of large corporations and the very rich from grinding down the general public. Large corporations do not but should care that they can only grind down the public for so long before there is nothing more to get from it.
As I have said before, I think that the first thing that went wrong was that we started paying our politicians and quit making it a volunteer assignment. The second error was allowing lawyers to be politicians. I believe that, as they are lawyers and therefore part of the judicial branch, lawyers should not be allowed to become politicians. Third, very few of the current politicians have ever run a business or know anything about budgeting. Its all games and getting their way over all the others or making sure they get a share of the pie.
I do not see a way out of this mess as long as the politicians are willingly blinding themselves to the true issues and unwilling to remove their hands from the pockets of large corporations.
And that's My 25 cents...
Here in America, the divide between the haves and the have-nots in now a chasm. And the people who should be protecting the rights and lives of the have-nots are in the pockets of the haves. There is no clear way out of this quagmire of deceit, lies, greed and selfishness. No one currently in a position of power or running for a position of power is a good option to help re-stabilize society. I certainly do not expect that there will be someone who will follow my beliefs down the line. I do wish that someone would have the welfare of the people rather than someone who is just going to make sure that the interests of the industries that are paying them are seen to.
What I see today are people who are poised to turn back time. Strip the rights of women and minorities, take away the protections for our environment and future generations, forcing their religious views on the public, giving freer rein to those who got us here to begin with, taking away all the protections put in place to keep the haves honest, forcing the have-nots to shoulder more and more of the burden for the haves, taking away or hollowing out any programs designed to give the have-nots a chance to move closer to the haves. No matter what history has shown, the haves seem bent on continuing in their course, seemingly gambling on the hope that nothing will happen in their lifetimes. Increasingly forgetting their obligations and responsibilities in favor of their pleasure. Giving in to their sense of entitlement and lack of accountability.
We see this as well in the, admittedly, horrifying rioting in England. It is true that the rioters are committing crimes and acts of violence but it is reckless (or willful) blindness on the part of the politicians to say that these riots have only the greed and selfishness of the rioters behind it. When it is very clear, even to those of us not in politics that the underlying sickness is the horrifying disconnect between the protectors and the protectees. Today's politicians seem to have forgotten or buried the simple fact that they are public servants, they are there to serve and protect the public. They are not put in office to take money on the side from large firms to look after their interests even if they could bring harm to the public as a whole. The whole job of politicians is to keep that very thing from happening, to protect the public the environment and our future from harm. Corporations do not have loyalty to a particular country anymore, they can go anywhere in the world now. Now more than ever we need politicians to keep the depredations of large corporations and the very rich from grinding down the general public. Large corporations do not but should care that they can only grind down the public for so long before there is nothing more to get from it.
As I have said before, I think that the first thing that went wrong was that we started paying our politicians and quit making it a volunteer assignment. The second error was allowing lawyers to be politicians. I believe that, as they are lawyers and therefore part of the judicial branch, lawyers should not be allowed to become politicians. Third, very few of the current politicians have ever run a business or know anything about budgeting. Its all games and getting their way over all the others or making sure they get a share of the pie.
I do not see a way out of this mess as long as the politicians are willingly blinding themselves to the true issues and unwilling to remove their hands from the pockets of large corporations.
And that's My 25 cents...
Monday, August 8, 2011
Borrowers and Lenders
That's it. I am never borrowing money ever again. If I don't have the money then I can't get it until I save up the money for it. I think that should become the norm from now on. I read once that there didn't used to be storage units until sometime in the 70's and now there are 1000's of acres dedicated to them in this country. If you have so much stuff that you need to put some of it in a storage unit, which also means it's not stuff you need to use everyday, that means you have too much stuff and need to get rid of it. Period.
Acquisitiveness and impatience are two of the hallmarks of our society today. The first as seen by the rise of storage units and the second as seen by the rise of lenders in all their forms. Banks, mortgage companies, credit cards, payday loans. I have read much history and other than not breaking peoples bones, many lenders' practices and rates today make the loan sharks of the past look like school girls. We as citizens of this country have given way too much power into the hands of what are basically mirages as seen most concretely by the meltdown a few years ago and that is looking to be a reality again in the very near future.
So, I have cut up all my cards and made a list of the things I have decided are important to me to obtain for my future. And then I cut that list in half. And then I set up a separate account to save up money to purchase those things. That is how it should be done and that is how I am going to do it and that is how I am going to teach my daughter to do it. We should all start doing this and take back our power.
And that's My 25 cents...
Acquisitiveness and impatience are two of the hallmarks of our society today. The first as seen by the rise of storage units and the second as seen by the rise of lenders in all their forms. Banks, mortgage companies, credit cards, payday loans. I have read much history and other than not breaking peoples bones, many lenders' practices and rates today make the loan sharks of the past look like school girls. We as citizens of this country have given way too much power into the hands of what are basically mirages as seen most concretely by the meltdown a few years ago and that is looking to be a reality again in the very near future.
So, I have cut up all my cards and made a list of the things I have decided are important to me to obtain for my future. And then I cut that list in half. And then I set up a separate account to save up money to purchase those things. That is how it should be done and that is how I am going to do it and that is how I am going to teach my daughter to do it. We should all start doing this and take back our power.
And that's My 25 cents...
London burning...
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-consumers-overseas-20110808,0,6537651.story
corps
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/08/08/290205/verizon-strike-profits/
verizon bad
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/08/london-riots-2011-timelapse_n_921636.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008
"...the riots are very likely the result of a mix of poor policing and social deprivation."
Really?!?!?!?! How about extremely pissed off @ the extreme greed and selfishness by exec's of large corps and politicians in euro and us.
Did I not say the French Revolution? Right now the poor are looting the poor but that could change. If someone figures out a way to channel the anger and frustration these people are feeling and turn it toward those who truly deserve their anger (again not condoning violence of any kind) we may actually see a modern day version of that particular situation yet again. And not that I in any way think that's the best way to handle the situation, but I can certainly understand and sympathize with the feelings that are behind it.
And that's My 25 cents...
corps
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/08/08/290205/verizon-strike-profits/
verizon bad
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/08/london-riots-2011-timelapse_n_921636.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008
"...the riots are very likely the result of a mix of poor policing and social deprivation."
Really?!?!?!?! How about extremely pissed off @ the extreme greed and selfishness by exec's of large corps and politicians in euro and us.
Did I not say the French Revolution? Right now the poor are looting the poor but that could change. If someone figures out a way to channel the anger and frustration these people are feeling and turn it toward those who truly deserve their anger (again not condoning violence of any kind) we may actually see a modern day version of that particular situation yet again. And not that I in any way think that's the best way to handle the situation, but I can certainly understand and sympathize with the feelings that are behind it.
And that's My 25 cents...
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Election
I do apologize yet again blog friends but I can't be quiet about this issue. Those who know me well know that I very rarely let myself feel strongly about anything but in these times none of us can afford to stand back and watch. Read this first article, then whether you are Republican, Democrat, or like myself Independent; email your state representatives, email the President (that is the second link) and tell them to stand up for their constituents because regardless of how much money the rich and big business are giving them they probably won't be in office come next election the way they are going now. Make your voices heard. Regardless of how this Presidency has turned out, the fact that our voices were heard by the record number of voters that turned out should let us all know how truly powerful we are. Again sorry and thank you.
http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=f7302009-cbcd-440e-9a30-405aeebe144f
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=06100e33-14ba-4dbf-9b8d-2766689e57eb
The legislators that are running this country hear ours voices, know what it is that we want them to do. They hear the opinions of the economists and others who see and understand what is going on in our country right now and their proposals (sound, reasonable proposals) on the steps needed to strengthen America and the economy. They are not listening because they are being paid not to. They are being paid by the rich and big business to keep them getting richer without having to repay those who are making that so. These short-sighted people do not care that in the long run, this will hurt them as well. Or, if not them then their descendants. As they will not feel the direct effect of the disaster they are helping to inflict on the whole world they simply do not care. As long as they get to buy another island or bigger yacht or newest jet, they simply do not care what happens to the rest of the world.
We have to make them care, we have to stand up as we did in the 2008 elections. We saw then that our voices can be heard, that we can make a difference. Remember the French Revolution. The aristocrats simply had no frame of reference for what befell them. They simply could not fathom that the common people (though they vastly outnumbered the aristocrats) had the ability or the wherewithal to fight back or to make such a sweeping impact on their way of life.
THEY WERE WRONG
I am not in any way advocating the violence and death that was a part of that revolution. What I am saying is that we need to stand up, we need to be heard, we need to remind those running our states and those in DC that they are there because we put them there. WE DID. Not the rich or the corporations who are pouring money into their private coffers. And we can take them out of office just as easily.
What happened in June was our fault. We sat back down. We thought once was enough. We need to realize that freedom is an ongoing responsibility that never ends. When we sit down, when we remain quiet, when we decide we have done enough; then those who have the money, those that continue to push their own selfish agenda will win the day.
The war for independence, for freedom, for equality will never be over. And though we may have lost a battle by backing off, we can win the next one by standing up again.
Whatever happens this next election day, whomever wins; we will get yet again exactly what we deserve and will have no one to blame but ourselves.
And that's My 25 cents...
http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=f7302009-cbcd-440e-9a30-405aeebe144f
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=06100e33-14ba-4dbf-9b8d-2766689e57eb
The legislators that are running this country hear ours voices, know what it is that we want them to do. They hear the opinions of the economists and others who see and understand what is going on in our country right now and their proposals (sound, reasonable proposals) on the steps needed to strengthen America and the economy. They are not listening because they are being paid not to. They are being paid by the rich and big business to keep them getting richer without having to repay those who are making that so. These short-sighted people do not care that in the long run, this will hurt them as well. Or, if not them then their descendants. As they will not feel the direct effect of the disaster they are helping to inflict on the whole world they simply do not care. As long as they get to buy another island or bigger yacht or newest jet, they simply do not care what happens to the rest of the world.
We have to make them care, we have to stand up as we did in the 2008 elections. We saw then that our voices can be heard, that we can make a difference. Remember the French Revolution. The aristocrats simply had no frame of reference for what befell them. They simply could not fathom that the common people (though they vastly outnumbered the aristocrats) had the ability or the wherewithal to fight back or to make such a sweeping impact on their way of life.
THEY WERE WRONG
I am not in any way advocating the violence and death that was a part of that revolution. What I am saying is that we need to stand up, we need to be heard, we need to remind those running our states and those in DC that they are there because we put them there. WE DID. Not the rich or the corporations who are pouring money into their private coffers. And we can take them out of office just as easily.
What happened in June was our fault. We sat back down. We thought once was enough. We need to realize that freedom is an ongoing responsibility that never ends. When we sit down, when we remain quiet, when we decide we have done enough; then those who have the money, those that continue to push their own selfish agenda will win the day.
The war for independence, for freedom, for equality will never be over. And though we may have lost a battle by backing off, we can win the next one by standing up again.
Whatever happens this next election day, whomever wins; we will get yet again exactly what we deserve and will have no one to blame but ourselves.
And that's My 25 cents...
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Who should I blame first?
I know, the budget again.
Ok here goes.
All of us are to blame for this mess.
Obama for not having a backbone and sticking up for revenue added to the budget deal and restructuring the public programs to make them more efficient rather than hemorrhaging money, therefore reducing their budgets.
Congress, both the House and the Senate, for acting like a bunch of 5th graders. I hate you so I'm going to take the whole country including the people whose interests I'm allegedly voting for. And for taking money from special interest, large corporations and voting their way instead.
Big Business and special interest groups who are feeding off of America and the people who live here but do not feel any sense of responsibility towards them.
The S&P and Moody's for creating this artificial environment in the first place. Then making it worse with this downgrade. Shame on you.
The American people for voting the Tea Party in, in the first place. For not having any patience and voting in a knee-jerk reaction. For giving the Democrats only 1 year to try to fix what took 8 years to screw up and handing the government back to the party and the people that got us here in the first place. So to you I say thank you so very much for screwing it up for the rest of us and stay home next voting season, K?
So we all together made this whole stinking mess and unfortunately the people who could fix the situation are not in power and are not being listened to by the ones who are in power because the ones who are in power are listening to the people who are giving them whole piles of money and f#$# the rest of us who voted them in to office and who's voices they are 'supposed' to be. Thanks so much, a$$h@les.
And that's My 25 cents...
Ok here goes.
All of us are to blame for this mess.
Obama for not having a backbone and sticking up for revenue added to the budget deal and restructuring the public programs to make them more efficient rather than hemorrhaging money, therefore reducing their budgets.
Congress, both the House and the Senate, for acting like a bunch of 5th graders. I hate you so I'm going to take the whole country including the people whose interests I'm allegedly voting for. And for taking money from special interest, large corporations and voting their way instead.
Big Business and special interest groups who are feeding off of America and the people who live here but do not feel any sense of responsibility towards them.
The S&P and Moody's for creating this artificial environment in the first place. Then making it worse with this downgrade. Shame on you.
The American people for voting the Tea Party in, in the first place. For not having any patience and voting in a knee-jerk reaction. For giving the Democrats only 1 year to try to fix what took 8 years to screw up and handing the government back to the party and the people that got us here in the first place. So to you I say thank you so very much for screwing it up for the rest of us and stay home next voting season, K?
So we all together made this whole stinking mess and unfortunately the people who could fix the situation are not in power and are not being listened to by the ones who are in power because the ones who are in power are listening to the people who are giving them whole piles of money and f#$# the rest of us who voted them in to office and who's voices they are 'supposed' to be. Thanks so much, a$$h@les.
And that's My 25 cents...
Friday, July 29, 2011
Losing Hope
I cannot understand how the government expects to fund itself and run effectively with no revenue. We in our personal lives understand that there needs to be money coming in, usually by working for it, in order to be able to pay our bills. We do not simply go out and borrow more and more money to continue to run things and not expect to eventually have to pay it back. It is inconceivable to me that the government and those running it seem to be doing just that and do not see anything wrong with this. We need to bring in revenue, end tax exemptions, close tax loopholes, stop tax havens, stop large corporations operating in this country who feel that they don't owe this country anything. Yes, for now raise the debt ceiling, but raise revenue to pay off our debts instead of slashing more money from already struggling social programs. Listen to the people who put you in office rather than the one's who's wallets your hands are in.
And that's My 25 cents...
And that's My 25 cents...
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