One of my favorite reads is “The Hightower Lowdown” a newsletter written by Jim Hightower and full of REAL progressive MAIN STREET common sense.  I just finished the latest version and Mr. Hightower makes a compelling case (much better than I have done) for what is being termed a “Financial Transactions Tax” (FTT). This would be a miniscule (0.5%) “sales tax” on shares traded on Wall Street.  I was originally introduced to this idea by Peter DeFazio who suggested a more modest tax (honestly, I hope Wall Street lives to regret “panning” DeFazio’s proposal) of (I think) 0.25% back when the TARP bailouts were still fresh in everyone’s mind.  According to Hightower a FTT would net the American economy somewhere in the range of $350 – 400 BILLION each year – and, it would come essentially from the speculators who are using high powered computers to trade large amounts of stocks sometimes by the seconds (and, of course, the same people who are responsible for the TRILLIONS of taxpayer money spent to “bail out” Wall Street).  That is, they buy a huge volume of some stock and almost instantaneously resell it with a razor thin margin that nets them HUGE profits based on the quantity of the transaction.

The reality of all these “speculative” transactions is that they produce NOTHING of benefit to our economy.  And, as Hightower so expertly explains, while they are paying NO tax on their transactions, the rest of us are paying up to 8 to 10 percent on the things we purchase.  These “bankers” have become about as popular (or maybe even less popular) than the politicians they’ve purchased in Washington DC.  They are the ones who’ve been manipulating the political scene since the arrival in Washington of Ronald Reagan to the point where they’ve eliminated any discussion of “increased taxes” from the political arena.  They’re busy trying to “reduce the size of government to where it can be flushed down the bathtub drain” while, at the same time PILFERING BILLIONS if not TRILLIONS of dollars from MAIN STREET in America.  I don’t know about you, but I see something terribly wrong with this picture.

Just stop and think for a moment: why would they want to “shrink government to the size where it could be flushed down a bathtub drain?”  To me, the answer is easy.  Government is the ONLY  chance those of us on MAIN STREET have of keeping these people in “check.”  In reality, they want NO regulation of their business practices – even though they’re GAMBLING with, by some estimates I’ve seen, over 50% of America’s wealth.  To me, that’s ridiculous on its face, and after enduring the last “crash” it seems to me that it’s “high time” to “reel” these people in.  And the FTT seems as if it’s the logical first step on how to do it.  Kind of an easy way to ask these people to repay the money they’ve been pilfering from our economy for the past 30 years.

And, please, don’t give me the response that this would hurt everyone.  Even in the days when I was trading a small number of shares of stock (more than most people I know) a 0.5% tax would have been inconsequential.  The issue arises for the day (or minute) traders who are seriously GAMBLING in the market (which would include the large Wall Street firms like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, etc. – the “too big to fail” monstrosities created via the deregulation boom started by Reagan) with money gleaned from Main Street.  It’s still hard to believe, in my mind, how “we the people” have allowed ourselves to buy into the so-called “trickle down” theory of economics.  How many “bubbles” need to burst, or how many downturns do we need to experience in order to “get it?”  Or, do we actually need another Great Depression to figure out that the Wall Street bankers (I liken them to the “Robber Barons” of the early 20th century) are incapable of social responsibility without a little “help?” (regulations)

There is a concept known as GREED.  It is a very real and powerful entity.  It was the cause of the great crash of 1929 and it will rear its ugly head again if we let it.  You might not be my age, but back in the 1950’s – with a republican president (Dwight Eisenhower) the top tax rate for people in the “1%” was something in the range of 90%.  It would be the same today as saying after your first MILLION in income, your tax rate will be 90%.  Now, I’m not even advocating going back to that (although, the republicans seem to want to turn the clock back in every way except tax rates  – do you find that curious at all?) rate of taxes, but I do believe there should be a disincentive for GREED and hoarding of cash.

During the days of Tom Delay in the House of Representatives, the “green light” was issued for the formation of all the tax “havens” in places like the Cayman Islands.  Corporations were almost encouraged to move their manufacturing facilities to overseas locations where they could find cheap labor and working conditions minus regulations.  They’re trying to reverse engineer the same situation (they want no taxes and no regulations for business) here in America.  Many people call it the “race to the bottom,” and I still know a large number of my own acquaintances who don’t even understand what is happening.  The stories about the greed and arrogance of the people on Wall Street are endless, yet “we the people” continue to vote in politicians who enable the “Robber Barons.”

Of course, we all know that virtually EVERY republican in Congress has taken a “no new taxes” pledge and they know they will be “primaried” if there’s even a hint they would vote for such a thing.  So, the question becomes, how do we get this Financial Transaction Tax past the roadblock that would be republicans in Congress?  Well, if you’ve been around here much you would know my answer;  vote out EVERY republican possible during the 2014 election and replace them with democrats (or republicans) who are committed to legislation that would make the FTT a reality.  And, that’s just a start – in my view.

The next step is to INCREASE taxes on the incomes in the upper realms of earners in America.  The stated purpose of the higher taxes on the higher earnings back in my youth was to encourage those with the high earnings to invest that money in areas that worked for the “common good.” (that was the basis for all the tax deductions which still exist today) In those days America was more of a “we” nation – I’ve stated many times that Ronald Reagan pushed us in the direction we find ourselves today – which is more of a “me” nation.  For example, corporations were encouraged to re-invest profits into their businesses to make them more efficient and also to invest in the backbone of their businesses – their workers.  Today, it seems the goal for CEO’s is to figure out how to gain higher levels of compensation and, clearly (or at least it seems to me), stockholders are more important than workers.  Through the rollback in “taxes on the rich” which was set in motion by Reagan, our corporations have become more focused on short term gain than the long term interest and health of their companies.

I don’t buy the argument that the possibility of huge incomes is the “motivator” of innovation.  Innovation was happening at a tremendous rate prior to Reagan’s assault on the American “fabric” created by the New Deal of FDR and carried on through the administrations of Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson.  In reality, it was until Reagan hit the scene that America had a “bottom up” economy.  Yes, there were “bumps in the road,” but America’s work force was on a steady growth pattern until Reagan hit the scene and started cutting taxes for the wealthy (and, increasing them on the rest of us) and leading the anti-union crusade – which has existed until this day.  There was an old saying back in the day when I was part of a basketball team: “You’re no better than the last man on your bench.”  While I realize that is idealistic when related to society, it’s clear to me that the health of a nation begins at the bottom.  Government should be focused on helping those at the bottom – because that helps ALL of the rest of us.  When those at the bottom have jobs they have money – and, when they have money they spend it – which (obviously) fuels the economy.  Mitt Romney stashing a QUARTER BILLION (based on estimates I’ve read) in the Cayman Islands to avoid taxes is NOT stimulating the economy with that money – he’s hoarding it.

I could go on and on here (like, double the cut-off of payroll taxes for Social Security, create a “Medicare for all” health care “net” – repeal “Citizens United”) but I’ll leave this as a vote for what I read in Jim Hightower’s “Lowdown.”  Support congressional members who will help to enact a Financial Transaction Tax on every stock transaction on Wall Street.  A Financial Transaction Tax is a great way for Wall Street to begin repaying America’s taxpayers for the money they’ve pilfered from our economy.  As I write this, institutions like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley (and others) are still getting ZERO percent money from the Federal Reserve Bank and using it to make HUGE profits at the expense of the very taxpayers who are supplying it.  The Wall Street bankers believe in austerity for everyone but themselves.  The FTT is a great way to send them a CLEAR message from Main Street.  Enough Already!!!

Some of my thoughts (concerns) are becoming more clear as I continue to observe the “functioning” of America’s (what I believe to be) dysfunctional government.  I’ve been lobbying for the demise of the present day republican party (as it’s presently constituted) while at the same time lamenting the “tepid” nature of the democratic party.  The democrats want things to “return to ‘normal'” so bad I’m guessing some of them are experiencing attacks of hives.  The problem is they seem to believe in the “I want my cake and eat it too” theory.  Here’s the rub, the republicans aren’t going to “give” them what they want.  The inside of the republican party has been hijacked by what used to be called the “right wing fringe.”  For example, the Koch brothers are right out of the John Birch Society – a group of white supremest, anti communist fanatics who attacked Dwight Eisenhower as a “liberal” and a “communist sympathizer.”  The Kochs are funneling untold amounts of their fortune (a fortune nearing $100 BILLION) into America’s political system via “Citizens United” with the money going to republicans who are willing to “toe the line.”  (you’ll notice republicans all vote the same ALL THE TIME!)

Then there’s the “religious right.”  (I call it the religious wrong)  These are the “Christians” who are proponents of the “prosperity gospel” and who have adopted the propaganda techniques (as have the rest of the republican “leadership”) of Joseph Goebbels – the “minister of propaganda” for the Third Reich in Nazi Germany.  I’ve written several times about “The Family” – a group of “conservatives” in congress (mainly republicans) who believe in the Christian dominionists.  These are people who believe that the rich and powerful should rule the rest of us.  They use the word “Jesus” to convince Christians to support them and, as Jeff Sharlet points out in his book “The Family” and, I’ve read elsewhere, these dominionists have adopted the authoritarian principles of some of the world’s most ruthless dictators and aligned them with Jesus.  They’ve been working to “free” the rest of us from the “burdens” of the New Deal of FDR (“burdens” like: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment insurance, the 40 hour work week, child labor laws,  unions, environmental protection, civil rights laws, food stamps, I could go on, but I’m sure you’ve got the idea) since 1933 when Roosevelt began the fight against the “Robber Barons.”  (guess on what side today’s republicans fall)

So, here’s the latest “frustration” for me.  Just recently, a “bipartisan” group of congressional “leaders” “came together” on a budget “compromise” that was immediately “blasted” by the right wingers (mentioned above) and applauded by many democrats.  This is a great example of what I see as the problem.  There was LITTLE in the “compromise” for democrats to be applauding except that something FINALLY got done.  I’ve been worried for some time that President Obama was looking for any excuse to sign something that was “bipartisan.”  Senator Chuck Schumer from New York hailed it as a “step in the right direction.”  In a nutshell, that’s the problem I see with democrats and that’s why I’m so concerned for what lies ahead for our children and grandchildren.  To them, any bargain is the “grand bargain.”  Today I got an email from a pro-Obama group hailing “how far we’ve come” since the republicans “shut down the government.”

That’s really why I’m so leery of supporting democrats, even though I often feel it’s the only “choice.”  While the democrats are busy patting themselves on the back for getting a “budget deal,” I have no doubt the republicans are “cooking” up the next “crisis.”  That will probably come with the next time the debt ceiling needs to be raised.  In reality, that’s a much larger “stick” for republican whack jobs to “wave” around than threats to “shut down the government.”  (Now that there’s a budget bill passed they’ll be proclaiming how they passed a budget to prevent democrats from “shutting down the government” – I’ve written often how they use authoritarian propaganda techniques, but look up the meaning of political projection – republicans are expert at this)  I can virtually guarantee you that when it’s time to “raise the debt ceiling” there will be political hostage theater at its republican finest.  What will they be after?  Well, my guess is that Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will be back “on the table” – even though that ‘s the only “benefit” (getting those programs “off the table”) that many progressives see with the recent budget compromise.

While the message should be about a political party that refused to extend unemployment benefits to the long-term unemployed and is focused almost entirely on preventing MILLIONS of Americans from having “affordable health insurance” along with an endless argument for lower taxes for the rich, it will be back to Social Security and Medicare.  I’m telling you, these people (the right wing republicans) won’t quit.  The only way to stop all this is to VOTE them out of office (at least under present circumstances – and, I hope things don’t continue to deteriorate to the point where the “down and out” resort to other means).  Democrats need to understand that placating republicans is a LOSING battle EVERY TIME!  And, progressive thinking Americans need to make sure they send a message to democrats that those who are “feeding from the same trough” as the republicans are “next.”  America’s government is CORRUPT beyond belief, and it’s up to “we the people” to “fix” this.  We still have the right to vote, and we need to use it to clean up the MESS in Washington DC.

Take the “Affordable Care Act” for example.  When this bill was before Congress there was a national consensus of about 75% favoring what was called a “Public Option.”  Essentially, that would have given Americans the choice to buy into a Medicare like government run health care system.  If you were paying attention, you know that there was over $1 BILLION spent lobbying Senators as the law became more and more cumbersome and less and less acceptable to the American public.  The lobbyists for the Insurance companies succeeded in preventing the “Public Option,” the lobbyists for the Pharmaceutical industry succeeded in maintaining high drug prices, and “we the people” got something that the best you can say about it is that it’s “better than nothing.”  I have friends who desperately need health insurance and, as of January 1st, they will have it.  But, you’ve still got republicans (who, by the way, came up with the idea of how this bill was written in the first place) doing everything they can to undermine the bill (instead of helping to fix it) and they are going to great extremes to “poison” it with the public.

I read a statistic today that two of our bastions of the “liberal media” have not written ONE article that is positive about the so-called “Obamacare” while they’ve sent a constant barrage about the problems with the roll-out.  However, in my small little place in this world, I’ve already witnessed several people who have gone without seeing a doctor since the so-called “meltdown” of 2008 when their businesses collapsed – due to the reckless behavior of Wall Street and our financial “leaders.” (Alan Greenspan was cheering on the sub-prime mortgage mess until it imploded and he, along with most of the “leaders” who’ve been in charge of America’s treasury, on “both sides of the isle,” have been in cahoots to remove regulations put in place during the Great Depression designed to prevent exactly what happened in 2008)  What makes me (and many others) so angry is that it’s the people like my friends who will soon have health insurance because of the Affordable Care Act (and, despite the FACT they’re NOT Obama supporters, they are very thankful that they can go to a doctor again and not have to worry about bankruptcy) who are taking the “brunt” of this Wall Street MISBEHAVIOR while the Wall Street bankers and the politicians who do their “bidding” are back to business as usual.  In fact, while my friends have been suffering the effects of this crisis for over 5 years now, it didn’t take the bankers and politicians more than a few uneasy months to get back to doing what they do.

And, while – when I say “politicians” I’m talking about BOTH parties – (like it or not, practically speaking America is a TWO party government) the reality to me is that the WORST of the two is the republican.  At least some of the democrats show a spine and a fighting spirit aimed at helping “the least of these.”  (a few examples: Bernie Sanders (from Vermont), Alan Grayson (from Florida), Jeff Merkley (from Oregon), Sherrod Brown (from Ohio), Dennis Kucinich (from Ohio – a victim of Citizens United money spent by the Koch brothers and gerrymandering designed to defeat him), and Elizabeth Warren (from Massachusetts) and there’s a woman from Texas running for governor that appears to be a strong democrat – I can’t think of her name – again, evidence that there’s a few “fighters” out there)  The sad TRUTH all “progressives” (liberals) must face is that the “moneychangers” who are backing this republican vendetta on our system of government (remember, their stated objective is to “reduce government to the size where it can be flushed down the bathtub drain”) have unlimited monetary resources – and they’re using them in very effective ways.

For example, just think for a moment on what motivation a company like BP would have to be spending MILLIONS on advertising about how great life at the “Gulf” is – several years after they were responsible for pumping MILLIONS of BARRELS of oil into some of the most pristine habitats in the world.  If you haven’t figure it out, let me help you – it has NOTHING to do with you or me using their products.  Simply put, BP understands that the media outlets that are receiving their CASH are most UNLIKELY to do ANY reporting of the real damage they’ve done to the Gulf of Mexico understanding that BP’s funnel of MONEY would then stop “flowing” their way.  Corporate interests in America are SOLELY focused on their bottom line and the media outlets (which have the same focus) are NOT going to “bite the hand that feeds them.”  I could give other examples of this sophisticated way of large corporations buying “insurance” against negative publicity through “public service” advertising.  (One more example: I could never understand why large accounting companies like Arthur Andersen would advertise on national TV to an audience that would NEVER need their services – until, I read how they were surreptitiously helping large corporate interests (like Enron) dodge their tax bills – their “advertising” was simply insurance against “investigative reporting”)

Then there’s what I believe is the biggest problem (unless you’re one of the right wing republicans) – and, that’s “Citizens United.”  If you’re still in the “dark” on what Citizens United is – I’ll explain:  it is the WORST Supreme Court decision in my lifetime.  Citizens United essentially OVERTURNED at least 100 years of attempts by politicians to control the effect of MONEY on politics.  The court not only overturned the McCain-Feingold legislation (called “The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002) which was an attempt to control “soft money” in political fundraising (I believe this was meant to put limits on the amount of money that could be raised) and “issue advocacy ads” – which are now bombarding the TV in a seemingly endless attempt by special interests to influence unsuspecting voters – but, they unleashed a barrage of money from corporate interests into the political “arena” with no requirement for accountability.  Not only is the political advertising we’re watching MISLEADING (I’m being nice with my “phraseology” here) – but, it would take a TOTAL fool to believe that there’s NO foreign interests in our elections after Citizens United.  The very corporations which have been designated as “people” by our right wing Court are MULTINATIONAL corporations.  Does it take a genius to “get” this?

I still CLEARLY remember President Obama, in his State of the Union address, shortly after Citizens United became “law,” pointing out how this decision would unleash FOREIGN MONEY into our political process.  As he said this the cameras were on Samuel Alito – one of the guilty parties in rendering this decision – who was shaking his head as if to say “no way.”  Well, this is my response to Judge Alito: WAY!!!!  And, the worst part is Mr Alito – thanks to you and Judge Roberts  (both of you claimed you were opposed to “activist judges” – yet, this is the MOST activist decision in my lifetime) “We the people” have NO IDEA where all of this money is coming from!  (Well, we know people like the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adleson are spending money in the HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS – but, there was over $3 BILLION spent in the last election and that amount will continue to rise – and “we the people” will have to continue to WONDER where it’s coming from.  (my conservative friends claim it’s coming from George Soros – my contention is that we don’t know and we SHOULD)  Honestly, I don’t know how Judge Alito and Judge Roberts sleep at night.

I’m going to end this latest “rant” with a thought generated from my weekly discussion with a friend who is a conservative Christian and with whom I love to discuss the “issues of the day.”  We disagree on many things, but we can talk to each other – and, our conversations allow each of us to grow.  This morning he made a point that I believe is extremely valid (in response to my continued amazement as to why “working class” Americans would continue to vote in republicans) – and, me not being a democrat (I definitely lean that way) I believe democrats should heed.

When a republican (like my friend) thinks of someone who votes for a democrat, they immediately feel that person is “pro-abortion.”  I think he’s correct and, I believe the democratic party needs to address that issue STRAIGHT UP!  (there are so many issues we could ALL agree on)  In my heart, I have to believe there are very few people who actually “BELIEVE” in abortion.  I think the issue goes much deeper than that, and I’m not going to delve into it more at this time, but it’s an issue that underlies our politics whether we want to believe that or not.  There’s a huge difference between being “pro-abortion” and being “pro-choice.”  I’m not even sure where I fall on the issue other than to fully understand the FACT that when something requires food and oxygen to survive it is a living thing – and, there’s no way I’m “pro-abortion.”  I know of circumstances that really give me pause – based on “life’s reality” experienced by people very close to me who’ve had to “face” this “choice” – but, I also know no issue should be based on skirting the FACTS.  My last point is that, if my friend is correct, (and, I believe he is) that this issue is a roadblock for people even discussing progressive solutions to problems, then it should be addressed.  Poor children shouldn’t be denied food (Food Stamps) because voters vote republican over the issue of abortion.  (and, my friend is correct that: this is a republican AND democratic problem and to suggest otherwise if foolish and will get us nowhere)

And, if my friend happens to read this, I apologize for using the phrase: “whack jobs” above – it just came out!

I’ve been “railing” against republicans on this site since I educated myself on the true origins of our invasion of Iraq during the Bush/Cheney regime (an act of illegal, dishonest belligerence that will evidently go sans accountability due to President Obama’s unwillingness to honor his pledge to uphold the constitution and the laws of the land) and I’ve been reading as much as I can in an attempt to better understand our national issues and what might be done to solve them.  Repeatedly, I’ve stated I’m a lifelong “independent” voter – although, since the days of the “Reagan Revolution” I’ve tended to be a supporter of democrats by default.  About 3 years ago the district I live in voted a young lady who is a republican to the House of Representatives (Jaimie Herrera Beutler).  As I do often (also, with the Senators from my state – Washington) I email her regarding my concerns over certain issues.  The more I do this, the more I realize why so many Americans are getting TURNED OFF by the “state” of our political system.

I’ll give a good example of what I mean.  I have many friends who are in their mid to late fifties to early sixties who’ve found themselves unemployed – some for the first time in their lives.  Some of these good people are losing homes they’ve lived in for over 20 years – or being forced to sell homes they’ve been in since the home was built many years ago.  I’m not even sure of how many of these people will be affected by the federal government cutting off extended benefits for the long term unemployed – I just think of them every time that issue comes up.  To me, with what I’ve learned about the “meltdown” of 2008 (which is when many of these people saw their lives turned “upside down”) and the people responsible along with the government’s response (Trillions of dollars sent to Wall Street) I have a very difficult time understanding why Congress would fail to extend these benefits – at least until our “jobless rate” gets below 5 or 6%.  Keep in mind, when the government statistics say unemployment is at 7% – I believe the ACTUAL rate of unemployment is closer to TWICE that amount.  And, that doesn’t even take into consideration the number of people who are under-employed.

So, I sent an email (which was generated from an online solicitation) to Representative Herrera encouraging her to (and knowing that as a republican she can’t) vote to extend these benefits.  In return I got the usual “canned” response to the inquiry that her staff puts together in an attempt to appease those who might contact her.  (I’m sure this is the “normal” way of doing “business” for every person in Congress) However, this time her response included a “mini lecture” on the need for further deregulation of the banks as a way to stimulate job growth – suggesting that was what should be done and inferring a no vote for the extended unemployment.  The day I received her response was the day AFTER I finished Joseph Stiglitz’ “FreeFall” – a detailed book which clearly explains the cause of the crash of 2008 (bursting of the “housing bubble”) and critiques the government response.  In a “nutshell” Ms Beutler’s response made me a bit angry.  So, I decided I would clarify my position for her.

What followed was me finding her website (the URL she included in her response was not valid – which I found curious on its own merits – why would a sitting member of Congress not know her own web address?) and, this time, writing an EXTENDED response that was not generated from an online source.  I pointed out to Ms Beutler many of the deregulations that have been enacted since the “Reagan Revolution” have led to this “bailout” and several others preceding it (if you’re as old as me you probably remember the “Savings and Loan crisis” which happened in the 80’s – and, curiously enough – one of the Bush brothers was right in the middle of that one too).  To suggest that the solution for the 1.3 MILLION Americans who will lose unemployment benefits is more deregulation is ABSURD.  I shared that thought with Representative Beutler.  I also reminded her that every dollar “invested” in unemployment benefits returns almost twice that amount ($1.70) to the economy.  People spend that money.  We have a consumer based economy – when you pull that money out of the “system” it will lead to LESS CONSUMERS!  (and, likely, more unemployment)

When I finished with my latest correspondence with my representative, as usual, I felt better.  Even though I know there’s disagreement, I felt as if I’m doing my small part to be part of the “process.”  As I teach my 6th graders, I want them to grow up to be responsible, productive, participating members of our society.  We “get” to govern ourselves – with that goes responsibility.  I’m often frustrated by the lack of will of my peers to participate in the process more than reading (or listening to) the “talking points.”  Well, the response I got from Ms. Beutler pretty much says it all – explains why so many people just “hunker down” and try to take care of their “own space.”  I got the EXACT same “canned” letter back from representative Beutler that I had just “taken apart” in my response to the first one.  Even though I know they don’t read the mail (they “require” you to identify whether you’re a Mr., Ms., or Mrs., and you MUST give a topic before they’ll accept an email – evidently, to make it easier to get that “canned” response out quickly) I held out hope that someone would notice that my response was TO THEIR response.  Of course, that would put me into the naivete or idealistic or optimistic, or FOOLISH category, wouldn’t it?

While writing this post, my son happened into my study and I listened to his frustration at being a very bright young man who works hard and is, at least to this point, confined to the world of minimum wage jobs.  In his case, some of the issue is his own doing, but he makes very valid points about how the corporate interests are prohibiting workers from unionizing and how they do everything they can to prevent workers from even gaining benefits – like health insurance, vacation pay, sick pay, overtime pay, etc.  The “bosses” feel empowered to intimidate workers and creating the atmosphere that you could lose your job, at the bosses discretion, at any moment.  I’m seeing this same attitude being “pushed” into the education community.  I’ve been a teacher for over 20 years, and the attacks on public education are “ramping up.” The republicans I’ve been “railing” against have aligned themselves with the extreme “right” elements of our society and we’ve been “slipping” backwards since the day Reagan moved into the White House.

In my heart I keep telling myself, for instance, if she could vote her conscience, Representative Beutler would not withdraw support for all these workers (I’m guessing a large percentage of them are over 50) who are about to become even more financially desperate.  I believe she MUST send these “canned” responses (which are pre-programmed for her by her “bosses”) in order to receive the money that will allow her to be re-elected.  Any deviation, I’m sure, means a well funded “primary” opponent.  People like the Koch brothers, the Coors family, The Walton family (Walmart heirs), the DeVoss family, Karl Rove and his supporters, etc., etc. – have adopted the authoritarian principles of leaders who bring disgust to the minds of Americans my age (I’ll let you figure out who I’m talking about).  I’ve written several times about “The Family” (Read Jeff Sharlet’s “The Family”) a group of “conservatives” who proclaim authoritarian principles in the name of Jesus.  These people have enough money to make it EXTREMELY difficult to stop them – they are behind the “Tea Party” movement and the now OVERT attempts to finish dismantling the remnants of the New Deal of FDR.  Along with the “dominionists” in the Christian community, they have “hijacked” the republican party – so, even if Representative Beutler wanted to support extending benefits to the long term unemployed, it would be political suicide.  The people behind the scenes of the present day republicans don’t believe in any unemployment benefits, let alone extended ones.

But just think what that means for the rest of us.  If we keep voting these people (republicans with the “sheep” mentality) we’ll continue to lose the benefits our fathers (and mothers) and grandfathers (and grandmothers) fought so valiantly for back in the 30’s and 40’s – and, some of us fought for in the 60’s.  This was a “we” nation in my youth – up until the so-called “Reagan Revolution” and we’ve been losing more and more ground to the selfish few at the top of the “wealth ladder” ever since.  For the Christians who blindly vote republican because of the abortion issue I would just say look around you at the people who are going to be even worse off because our republican congress won’t extend benefits to the long term unemployed.  While I’m sure there are some “deadbeats” “gaming” the system, most of the people in this situation are genuinely desperate for work that is not there.  Instead of cutting their benefits we should be finding ways to stimulate our economy by creating jobs that would allow them to regain their self-respect.  I went through this in the early 90’s and will be forever grateful for the employment security department which “retrained” me so that I could then teach 6th graders.  In my mind, anyone who doesn’t understand the value of supporting our workers as they are necessarily retrained – due to circumstances beyond their control – is either not paying attention to reality or they’re watching Fox “news” or listening to the likes of Rush Limbaugh.  If you fall into that category – with all due respect – SHAME ON YOU!

If you read this and it’s not yet time for Congress to recess (that’s right, they’re planning to go home to their warm and wealthy homes and leave these struggling workers in the “lurch”) call your congress person and  let them know what you think.  I will tell you that I’ve called Representative Beutler’s office and the person on the phone realized I wasn’t a “cookie cutter” republican and they hung up the phone on me – without letting me finish my point.  So, I send the emails in the hope that if there are enough emails sent, maybe she’ll listen to reason and find the courage to stand up to whoever is pulling the strings for her party.   The recent budget “compromise” (that President Obama is encouraging congress to pass) doesn’t make cuts to Social Security and Medicare (a bottom line issue for most “progressives”) but it leaves this issue out and, additionally, prevents additional taxes on corporations and the wealthy (at least as I understand it – which, evidently, is the only way to have any chance for republican support) So the bottom line is, How can we, as Americans, support a party that is focused on tax cuts for the wealthy but opposes unemployment benefits for workers?  I really don’t understand how people can vote for them (republicans).

I started writing on this site after my frustration with America’s government boiled over with the (to me) unbelievable invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the subsequent FIASCO that found America’s finest (our troops) being ordered to essentially dismantle a nation which was ABSOLUTELY no threat to America’s national security.  In fact, during the years of Ronald Reagan, many of the perpetrators of our Iraq “strategy” were supplying Saddam Hussein with weapons and support as Iraq and Iran tried to destroy each other.  Since the day I started reading books as a way of informing myself about the ACTUAL actions of my government, I’ve been progressively more disenchanted with the “truth” as I’ve been able to discover it.  Most of my “rants” have focused on the, in my view, un-American actions of the republican party – and, more specifically, they were generated from the illegal and immoral actions of the Bush/Cheney regime.  There are books upon books which point out, in disgusting detail, the mismanagement and unethical actions that led to the FIASCO’S in Iraq and Afghanistan.  For example, over the years I’ve been convinced that Bush/Cheney had no intention of EVER capturing Osama bin Laden – the 9/11 attack simply gave them the “green light” to invade Iraq as they had been “planning” for several years in their “Project for a New American Century” meetings.  (see “The Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein)

This all being said, somehow I’ve forced myself to attempt a “bipartisan” approach to my disappointment with my own government.  While, as I’ve stated many times, I feel I have no choice but to rely on democrats to undo the misdeeds of Bush/Cheney (and the “Reagan Revolution” before them), I’m sadly coming to the conclusion that America’s government – both parties – is so “infested” with corruption that it’s almost depressing thinking about it.  The democrats seem to be satisfied with the “status quo” no matter what that might be.  I’ll try to explain.

In 2006 the American people voted out the republican control of Congress in a CLEAR vote against a continued occupation of Iraq (and seemingly endless occupation of Afghanistan).  What we got for our efforts was the so-called “surge” and at least another 1500 American troops (and untold numbers of Iraqi’s) perished as a result of this “face saving” strategy (for those of you who are my age – Viet Nam era – do you see the parallels here?).  One thing that has become crystal clear in my adult lifetime – America is incapable of admitting mistakes.

In 2008 “we the people” voted in a Democratic Congress (by large majorities) and President Barrack Obama.  During that election cycle the American economy was undermined by the “money changers” who are feeding the American politicians by the BILLIONS of dollars.  The campaign slogan of “Change you can believe in” implied to me a reversal of the disastrous (and, in some instances, illegal)  policies of the Bush/Cheney regime.  As the Bush/Cheney group was leaving their “free market” “conservative” “capitalism” philosophy behind, they were bequeathing TRILLIONS of precious American taxpayer dollars on America’s financial/gambling sector known as Wall Street.  The most Socialist transfer of wealth I’ve seen in my lifetime – only with the wealth going from us at the bottom to those at the “top.”  With two illegal and poorly managed wars and a disastrous financial meltdown leading to the so-called “Great Recession” you would think it would have been quite easy to implement the “change we can believe in.”  For heaven’s sake, “Main Street” was losing close to a MILLION jobs per month in the last 8 or so months of the Bush/Cheney years.  (and I’ll add some additional thoughts later about the trillions going to Wall Street)

What we got was almost three more years in Iraq – in essence, the Obama administration carried out the withdrawal from Iraq which was negotiated by the Bush administration prior to their taking office.  While we eventually got most of our troops out of Iraq, there was no courageous leadership shown by President Obama in the process.  And, as far as Afghanistan is concerned, it’s almost 2014 – as I’m writing this (we’ve been there for almost 13 YEARS) – and, we are still entrenched in the country known throughout history as the “graveyard of empires.”  (with some reports suggesting there’s a plan for another 10 years of occupation – yikes!) I guess we didn’t learn much as we (and Osama bin Laden) ushered the Soviet Union into their demise largely due to a failed “mission” in Afghanistan.  (Honestly, it seems to me that not many of our “leaders” have learned much from HISTORY – as the saying goes, those who ignore history are destined to REPEAT it)

And, regarding the bailouts of Wall Street – we, basically, got the same response from President Obama as he took control of the nation’s “reins” regarding the economy.  Instead of allowing the “too big to fail banks” to FAIL – and go through the normal process corporations which are bankrupt go through – our government continued with the TARP bailouts and funneled the rest of Hank Paulson’s $700 BILLION plan (which was just the “up front” portion) to stabilize the banks – with assurances of TRILLIONS more to cover their future liabilities.  Additionally, these banks got even BIGGER and the Federal Reserve bank has been pumping them full of cash at the rate of nearly ZERO percent interest for the 5 years since the “meltdown.”  Now, it’s pretty hard for me to blame that on Bush/Cheney.

When President Obama decided that he had the “power” to block ALL investigations of the wrongdoing (which we all knew about) of the Bush/Cheney crew I couldn’t believe my ears.  I believe the words he used were “we’re going to look forward instead of back.”  I’ve written before many times what a TERRIBLE decision that was – practically, legally, and morally.  From the practical viewpoint Obama has seen five years of unfettered attacks from republicans determined to assure that he FAILS.  Now, really, do you think that would have been happening if ALL the misdeeds of Bush/Cheney had been put on display for the entire nation to “digest?” (that would include the lying us into war, authorizing torture, outing a CIA agent, undermining the Justice Department, purposely eliminating regulations (which led to mining disasters and the deep water oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexic0), and the aforementioned TARP bailout to list a few of the misdeeds)  Really, the republican congress is STILL “investigating” Ben Gazi – what was Obama thinking?  From a legal point of view – how can a president justify “looking forward instead of back?”  That would be the end of all crime.  Here’s how it really works – you MUST look back to determine if crimes have been committed.  If I get a traffic ticket and plead “not guilty” – how can I be prosecuted if someone doesn’t “look back?”  The message Obama sent was exactly what so many of us tried to make sure never happened again during the Watergate fiasco – and that was when Richard Nixon said, “If the President does it, it MUST be LEGAL.”  It took a lot of “bipartisan” work to prove the statement FALSE – yet, President Obama, in my view, undermined that entire process with his “pardoning” of Bush/Cheney. (along with “pardoning” Wall Street)

Then there’s the moral aspect to this.  I’ll let you connect the dots regarding the moral aspect of “looking forward” regarding the wars (and the torture), lets focus on the TARP bailouts for that one.  I knew almost immediately that I was going to have some issues with President Obama when he chose Tim Geithner as his Treasury Secretary and Larry Summers as his chief financial adviser.  Geithner was instrumental in creating the atmosphere that caused the “crash” of 2008 in the first place as head of the New York Fed – it was like hiring the FOX to fix the HEN HOUSE!  And, Summers was instrumental (along with Robert Rubin) in very republican like deregulating during the Clinton administration – including the disastrous repeal of Glass Steagall (a depression era regulation designed to prevent the “too big to fail banks”) and preventing regulations on derivatives.  Plus, I’ve heard no one speculating on Paulson’s motives for devising the HARP bailout in the first place.  Let’s take a closer look at that aspect of this disaster.

Paulson was Bush’s Treasury Secretary and a former head of Goldman Sachs.  He waited until Lehman Brothers (investment bank) collapsed to act in attempting to prevent a total collapse of the financial system via the TARP bailouts.  To this day I believe Paulson is claiming he did this for “Main Street.”  And, I have to add that I’m not educated at all (other than a few books – including Joseph Stiglitz’ “Freefall”) on economics, but I’m pretty sure Paulson had a personal “stake” in saving Goldman Sachs.  According to Stiglitz, had the government allowed Goldman Sachs and the other banks who were “over leveraged” – I hope I’ve got that summation correct – to go into “receivership,” the executives would have been purged and the stockholders would have been the big losers.  The bondholders would have become the stockholders.  Again, hoping I’m explaining this correctly (“Freefall” is a hard book for someone like myself to read because it presupposes a higher knowledge of economics).  What I’ve wondered since that time is what level of stockholder in Goldman Sachs was Paulson?  How much did he personally stand to lose had they failed?  Was he really that concerned with “Main Street” as he egregiously VIOLATED his “Free Market” principles?  (Ironically, it’s the people who supported Paulson and the republicans who are so willing to throw the term “socialist” at President Obama – go figure)

If you read “Freefall” and then listen to (or read Paulson’s point of view today) you can see where the problem lies.  In a recent article I read on the internet (you can read it yourself by clicking here) Paulson is claiming there’s another “crisis” on the horizon.  As I read his article he’s placing the blame (still) for the “bubble” that “burst” in 2008 on the government and now government agencies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  Stiglitz also sees another “bubble” disaster on the horizon, but he sees the problem (more as I do) as the government excusing Wall Street’s reckless behavior and encouraging them to believe (companies like Goldman Sachs, Citibank, Morgan Stanley, etc.) they are too big to fail and that “we the people” will bail them out again the next time.  It didn’t take them long to be right back doing the same “creative” money making (laundering) schemes that created the problem in 2008.  The arrogance of taking the BILLIONS in up front bailout money and issue HUGE bonuses in the face of HUGE failures seems to have made more of a negative impression on Stiglitz than it did on Paulson.  According to Stiglitz (and other authors I’ve read) the “cost” of the bailouts is considerably larger than the initial $700 BILLION.

Paulson says that the money’s been repaid and then some, Stiglitz contended there’s a liability in the TRILLIONS that isn’t apparent as we look at the TARP bailouts from the “front page” perspective.  Again, I don’t understand anything more than it’s obvious to me the Wall Street “elite” are squeezing as much wealth out of this nation as they can before the rest of us “wake up.”  They’re “investing” BILLIONS in our politicians – to the point (as I stated above) the level of corruption in Washington DC is almost suffocating – it’s depressing!  This is the aspect of all of this that disappoints me the most.  Allowing the top (less than 1%) tier of Americans to continue to control the agenda is NOT the “change I can believe in.”  Obviously, this is NOT Obama’s fault – it’s just that I believed he understood the gravity of the situation and that he was committed to stopping it (I’m beginning to feel, as of this date, he’s getting there – although it may be too late).  When Hank Paulson suggests there’s another crisis on the horizon – well, there’s a republican who says something I can agree with – just for completely different reasons.  I’ve stated many times on this site, I believe there’s a “war” for the heart and soul of America being waged and it’s almost as if one side (middle class America) still doesn’t realize it.

We (America) have become a nation that is almost unrecognizable to people like me. (and, I guarantee you, the rest of the world is looking at us like WHAT IS GOING ON?)  We’ve got a major party that’s blocking food stamps, unemployment benefits, trying to eliminate overtime pay for workers, cutting back on early childhood education, opposing “welfare,” and FOCUSING their efforts on making sure 50 MILLION Americans don’t have access to health care.  At the same time, they’re in favor of tax havens for the wealthy in places like the Cayman Islands (their last presidential nominee has something like 137 “tax shelters” there), they support enormous subsidies to corporations making HUGE profits (corporate welfare – I’m sure you can see the irony on this one), and while they’re calling our Democratic president a “socialist” they’re propping up large banks with BILLIONS of taxpayer money (isn’t that the epitome of socialism?).   And, maybe worse for me, we have the opposition party that’s willing to go along with much of this (the democrats have put Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid “on the table” in budget negotiations – unthinkable from my perspective).  When you read “Freefall” you see that America’s hypocrisy goes much deeper than our internal issues.  Just one reason why we’re losing our standing world wide (and the price for these actions is going to be greater as time goes by) is how we dealt with America’s banks creating a WORLD WIDE crisis.  In the aftermath our banks have been “fed” by the Fed (OK, it’s a pun) at nearly ZERO per cent with a flood of capital – while in “third world” countries where the crisis spread (our banks were selling their garbage securities to unsuspecting buyers world wide) capital necessary to reverse the damage of the “bubble’s bursting” has been as high as 50%.  We throw money at the problem (almost free money) while telling them to “tighten their belts.”  Again, this part of the problem seems “bipartisan” to me.  Our “leaders” seem to have a superiority complex that those in other nations are very much tiring of!

So, what do we do?  Is there a solution?  Well, eventually there will be a solution – it just seems to me the question is how much trauma do “we the people” want to endure before getting there?  I continue to believe “step one” is voting out ALL (practically speaking – as many as possible) republicans from national legislatures and state legislatures (I’m OK with a different party to replace them – remember, they replaced the Whigs back in the days of Abraham Lincoln – somehow, I don’t think he’d recognize today’s “republicans”).  I’m sure you can see the same issue with this solution.  That leaves us with Democrats.  Honestly, they would need to be on notice that “feeding from the same trough” ie – surviving off of donations from large corporations – isn’t in the interest of their job security.  Somehow, “we the people” need to get a level of reporting in our media so that we KNOW who’s taking money from whom and what issues are they voting for.  I’d love to see a “channel” dedicated to just that.  Exposing the corporate “sponsors” of our politicians.

Stiglitz makes a compelling argument to work toward a “balance” between government regulation of business (mainly Wall Street) and the need for “free markets.”  We all need for corporations to be financially profitable.  It just doesn’t help our nation to have a shrinking few controlling the vast majority of America’s wealth.  CEO’s are not the backbone of America.  This country was turned into the greatest nation on earth with a thriving middle class of productive WORKERS.  Yes, we are evolving and our economy is evolving, but anyone who’s thinking (and I’ve written extensively that many are) that America (and the world) is best governed by the wealthy elite is fooling his/herself.  The gates on their gated communities tells us they believe they are “above” the rest of us.  I believe they are wrong.  To me, if we in America, don’t soon remember what elevated our nation to a leadership position in the world, and soon, those gates will come tumbling down.  Supporting the opportunity for success and wealth is good, supporting greed is NOT!  Somehow, “we the people” in America need to come together to support a “bottom up” approach to government.  Until we do that, I feel we will continue our descent towards second rate status.  Presently, we are a classic example of an “empire” in decline.  This all seems so surreal to me, I will continue my attempt at understanding the root cause of why this is happening to my country.