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.

I’ve written many times about the “invisible” cabal that is attempting to take over America’s government from the right (actually, it might be better to say trying to destroy our republic from within) – using the auspices of the republican party as their “vehicle” – and, as every day passes, I see more and more evidence they are creeping their way toward success.  Unfortunately, the democratic party seems to be unwilling or unable to understand the gravity of what is going on.  I recently wrote (again) about “the family” – a group of right wing zealots who believe in the authoritarian principles of people like Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini and their authoritarian approach to leadership in the name of Jesus Christ as the secret to “gaming” the American system of government – and they (the “family”) have their “tentacles” into the circle of people “inhabiting” the upper echelon of the WORLD’S wealthiest “leaders.”  This group has been slowly expanding since the day Franklin Roosevelt first initiated the “New Deal” in the 1930’s (as they reviled the pro-labor policies of FDR), and they are well on their way to reversing every last benefit Roosevelt pushed through for America’s middle class and its “working poor.”  In my youth (the 1950’s and 1960’s) America’s government was centered on a “bottom up” approach to the “general welfare” of “we the people.”  In 1980 the “top down” approach was thrust upon an unsuspecting public.

It took until the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 for those behind this movement to gain ANY traction as “mainstream” politicians and leaders.  Of course, Reagan famously initiated the so-called “trickle down” economic philosophy of the “Chicago Boys” who were the devotees of Milton Friedman.  Still, those directly involved in “the family” remained “under cover.”  In fact, Doug Coe, the man who succeeded the original family “guru” (Abraham Veriede) demanded his “followers” operate in TOTAL secrecy.  To this day I don’t believe many in America’s general population understand this group is behind the “National Prayer Breakfast” that EVERY president seems obligated to attend (along with some of the worst dictators in modern WORLD history – men like Suharto from Indonesia or Pinochet from Chile, to name a couple examples) so that America’s public can continue to be fooled into thinking that our leaders and the World leaders who attend actually “follow Jesus.”  That’s the part that’s the most offensive to me because I guess you’d have to classify me as a “liberal” Christian.  These people have “duped” a large portion of America’s “conservative Christians” into blindly supporting them, despite their militaristic, selfish, and “un Christian” actions.  I spend a lot of thought trying to figure out where the above mentioned “tentacles” of this movement have already reached, and the more I find out the more anxious I become, especially for my children and grand children.

So, tonight I was watching Mike Papantonio on “Free Speech TV’ who has a show called “Ring of Fire” (if you’re not familiar with this man, please “Google” Ring of Fire TV or Ring of Fire.com) and he reminded me of the damage being done by a group called ALEC – the “American Legislative Exchange Council.”  I have NO DOUBT this DESPICABLE group is “connected at the hip” to “the Family.”  When you start uncovering the depth of the right wing “thrust” into America’s “heartland,” you quickly realize these people have unlimited funds, they are smart, they are patient, and they appear to me to be without conscience.   ALEC (I’ve written several times before about them and you can easily find out all you need to know with a quick internet search) is a group connected DIRECTLY to the wealthy “leaders” who comprise “The Family” and they write “legislation” for the state and local legislators around America who manage to get elected (almost ALWAYS republicans – but, I don’t think democrats are totally innocent on this “atrocity”) but don’t know how to govern themselves.  The legislation ALEC “provides” for these hapless legislators comes directly from the board rooms of the corporate interests that fund the group.  Papantonio listed a few of their “clients.”  Walmart, Federal Express, Exxon, Coca Cola, “big pharma,” the tobacco companies, and essentially, anyone with a vested interest in reversing the successes of the “New Deal” and successive progressive programs.

Of course, the obvious public “fight” they’re “pushing” is the privatization of Social Security, the voucherizing of Medicare, and the elimination of Medicaid.  They are attacking (and have been attacking) every remaining remnant of the labor unions in America for years – focusing now on Teacher unions, Police unions, Fire Fighters unions, and basically any public employee union still in existence.  Their attention is slowly swinging toward the few remaining “private” unions and they won’t rest until there’s nary a union left in America.  In fact, it was the union movement in the 1930’s which motivated Veriede to begin this anti union “movement” in the first place.  Of course, as an anti worker “movement” they had little trouble finding funding from wealthy business owners who wanted to quash America’s labor force “in the name of Jesus.”  (Just the thought of these people makes my stomach queezy)  Somehow, since the days of Reagan, they’ve got this solid group of “conservative Christians” who continually enable their bad behavior because they’ve convinced the “Christian right” they are opposed to abortion – and, that issue alone has allowed them to surreptitiously do a lot of “un Christian” stuff!

Papantonio gave a long list of the agenda being pushed by ALEC and their funders.  To me, as a person who believes in the middle class and the “blue collar” members of our society, this is unnerving to say the least.  ALEC is writing legislation to, as I mentioned above, kill unions and America’s right to form unions, they want to do away with the minimum wage, overtime pay, sick pay (in places they’ve passed – or attempted to pass – legislation making it illegal to offer sick pay to workers), child labor laws, vacation pay, workplace safety laws, environmental protection laws, public schools, food stamps, unemployment insurance, they want to prevent workers from being able to sue employers that cheat them, and I could go on and on (I recommend you check out “Ring of Fire TV” on “Free Speech TV).  The sorry truth is that the people behind “The Family” and ALEC have unlimited funds and they are savvy enough to be able to convince America’s work force to continually vote against their own self interest.  I want to say something negative about America’s “low information voters” but the truth is that this right wing “cabal” has a stranglehold on America’s so-called “liberal media” as well, and this media has absolutely no scruples!  (Tonight, I was watching Jon Stewart as he mocked the right wing’s attempt to equate the problems with the roll out of “Obamacare” with President Bush’s folly in the Hurricane Katrina disaster.  Stewart “gets it” – he’s the only member of the “media” – he’s on “Comedy Central” – who shows the roll-out of the right wing propaganda “machine.”  Showing one “pundit” after another (Fox “news” centered – of course) repeating the same “talking point” with the Goebbels philosophy of “repeating the same lie over and over until the people [the above mentioned “low information voters”] believe it’s true.

It’s as if these people (“The Family,” ALEC, “conservatives”) are trying to bring back jobs to America by reducing our workforce to one that is competitive with the Chinese workers through what many (including me) call a “race to the bottom.”  And, of course, this isn’t all on republicans as I’ve stated many times on this site.  (After all, NAFTA and GATT were signed into law by Bill Clinton) I just believe the republicans behind this “movement” are much more sophisticated than the democrats and they remind me of the tale of the turtle and the hare.  The democrats win an election (as in 2008 and 2012) and this group just keeps PLODDING along as if they didn’t notice.  They’ve got a plan and they’re “sticking to it.”  Their solution to the FACT there are way more democrats (and democratically leaning independents) than republicans is to find creative ways to keep democratic (leaning) voters from the polls.  And, they’re very good at what they’re doing.  As I said, they control our “liberal media,” they’ve got control of the courts, they’ve “gerrymandered” their way into a fairly safe position in the House of Representatives, they’re close to having a majority in the Senate, the Citizens United Supreme Court decision has given their “deep pockets” exponentially more power, and they just need to find a candidate for president who can put a coherent sentence together.  GW Bush “had it” (the presidency AND both houses of congress) but bungled his way out of office in disgrace, but with their “hold” on our media and their willingness to put power ahead of “we the people” they’ve already created a political environment in Washington DC where it’s as if Bush/Cheney never existed.  (Evidently, with the comparison of the “Obamacare” roll-out to Hurricane Katrina, their “historical revisionism” is being accelerated as we get closer and closer to 2016 – it shouldn’t be too long and we’ll be hearing that the Iraq war was worth the toll in lives and treasure – ugh!!)

In fact, after Bush/Cheney screwed up the plan (the “permanent republican majority”) so bad, this “cabal” with the increasing help of ALEC has been “turning up the heat” in places where most people don’t even notice.  They are inching away at control of state legislature after state legislature with some EXTREMELY worker UNFRIENDLY legislation that they’re getting passed – in places, almost unnoticed – because they’ve gone into the local political districts around the nation and taken full advantage of their understanding of our system.  The irony is that a “movement” that overtly operates with a “top down” approach to government (that is, they know what’s best for the rest of us – “trickle down”) is slowly gaining strength from a “bottom up” strategy aimed at gaining power.  It was this “local” legislative strategy, for example, which allowed republicans to gerrymander in NUMEROUS house districts that are now “safe” for republicans no matter how bizarre their representatives behave in congress.  As long as they “toe the line” there will be plenty of money to get them re-elected.  And, of course, they all know that as soon as they “stray” from the “party line” there will be a “primary challenger” who will have access to all the money.

As I’ve said many times, if this group is successful in creating their “permanent republican majority” (in the words of Karl Rove), it will be very difficult to “turn the tide.”  Things like this blog (and others) will come under attack just as “liberal talk” has been virtually removed from the public airwaves.  Very few people I know have any concern, for instance, that a company (Clear Channel) essentially owned by Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital, has a near monopoly on the political “talk” you can access on the radio airwaves.  They’ve canceled station format after station format (liberal talk, that is) since Romney’s defeat in the last election to little or no notice that I’ve seen from the general public.  Our truckers, and others who are “on the road” a lot are still being “fed” by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Lars Larsen, and others who are more than willing to say whatever they’re told to say for their fat paychecks.

So, while I continue to lament the FACT the ONLY place I can turn, realistically, for a “worker friendly” solution to this problem is the democratic party, I hope that more and more people will gain an awareness that our political system, which during my lifetime seemed stable, is teetering on the brink.  People like the Koch brothers, the Walmart heirs, the DeVoss family, the Coors family, the many CEO’s on Wall Street who believe they are actually producing something as they trade in money and manipulate the commodities most of us depend on – for obscene profits – essentially, those who form “The Family” for most of my lifetime have made up the “fringe” element of America’s political scene.  Many come from organizations like the John Birch Society, the Klan, and other extremist right wing organizations.  I have always felt that one of America’s great strengths was that people like this had a right to free expression of their ideas.  I just never would have guessed to what lengths they would go to gain ultimate power.  Their clear willingness to follow the “end justifies the means” approach to political power along with their enormous financial resources has put them in a position to “game” the system set up by our founders.  All through the book “The Family” there is evidence that, to these people, “democracy” is an ineffective way to “govern.”  They are attempting to succeed at the biggest fear of our founders – and that is to “beat” the principle of “checks and balances.”

The ENDLESS attacks on the president (the same thing happened during Bill Clinton’s presidency) allow these people to control the government even when they are on the “outside.”  Clinton ended up agreeing to legislation that, looking back, couldn’t have been more effective for this “cabal’s” interests than if he was a republican himself.  The “free trade” agreements, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (which has allowed the right wing to control our “liberal media” – and contract it into the interests of about 9 corporations – the last time I checked), and the deregulation – the worst of which was the repeal of Glass Steagall – all were Clinton “successes” which helped to lay the “foundation” for the mess we find ourselves in today.  Now, republicans are blocking EVERYTHING, and a president’s natural ambition is to push an agenda forward.  As I appeal to people to educate themselves as to what is REALLY happening, my fear is that in the desire for the so-called “grand bargain” President Obama will agree to something that will simply (and unknowingly) push this agenda closer to its ultimate goal.  And, trust me on this one, a “grand bargain” that sacrifices advancements to programs like Social Security and Medicare is NO BARGAIN at all!  This is a WAR for the heart and soul of America, and I pray that the American middle class and working poor will “wake up” before it’s too late – and vote these people (republicans) out of office!

I’ll end this “rant” by asking the question: “How can any working class American support a party that is working OVERTIME  to insure that MILLIONS of Americans have NO ACCESS to health care?”  This all makes absolutely NO SENSE to me!

If you’ve been reading my thoughts on this blog for any length of time you know that the driving “force” behind my thinking is the IMPORTANCE of purging republicans from our national (and state) legislature(s).  I’ve been an interested observer of the American political scene since the election of John Kennedy in 1960.  (I remember my parents arguing about Eisenhower v Stephenson in the 50’s, but I was too young to give it more than a passing thought).  Kennedy was assassinated during my junior year of high school and I still remember all the students in tears and the school sending us home due to the tragedy.  I could go on and on with all the memories, but over the past 10 years I’ve read MANY books that have uncovered the underlying “scheme” of the “modern” republican “conservatives” – and, to me, it’s FRIGHTENING.  I’m presently re-reading “The Family” by Jeff Sharlet and it’s sobering, to say the least.  I won’t go into detail tonight about my concerns (you can read some of my previous posts in the archives) any more than to say that I believe those “pulling the strings” in the background of republican politics are undermining the American values that my parents and grand parents fought so hard for after the stock market crash of 1929.  The depression years spawned Roosevelt’s “New Deal,” which led to the “Great Society” of Lyndon Johnson and Kennedy AND advances to America like Medicare, Medicaid, the Civil Rights Act, and the Voting Rights Act. (to name a few advances)  Republicans have been busy trying to UNDO the New Deal and its aftermath since its inception.

That all being said, I’ve also lamented that the only place people like me have to turn in this battle for what I call the heart and soul of our nation is the Democrats.  I’ve done my share of criticizing President Obama with the caveat that I hope he SUCCEEDS.  (despite my obvious disagreement with GW Bush – again, you can check the archives – I NEVER hoped he would fail!)  When the president succeeds, all of America succeeds!  The reality, however, from my perspective (I guess I’m a liberal based on the evolution of political jargon over the years), is that President Obama has not been the “progressive” that many of us thought we were voting for in 2008 (and 2012 – in fact, many in 2012 were, I believe, doing what I did – and that’s voting against the candidate with 137 Cayman Island tax “havens” – Mitt Romney).  I started expressing my concerns about President Obama from the start of his presidency when I claimed his blocking the investigations into the ILLEGAL activity of the Bush/Cheney regime was a TERRIBLE decision, and quite possibly a violation of his oath of office – he promised to defend the constitution and the laws of the land.  Certainly, everyone knows that authorizing TORTURE (just one of the illegal transgressions of Bush/Cheney) is illegal and violates our laws and our constitution.  Of course, there was more, and I’ve always been suspicious of the lack of will to uncover what was REALLY happening under Bush/Cheney by Obama and his Attorney General Eric Holder.  (In my mind I’m questioning: “Are they doing the same stuff?”)

I clearly remember our president promising the most transparent administration EVER, yet it appears what we’ve ended up with is one of the most secretive.  Now, while the republicans are busy attempting to undermine President Obama’s “signature” achievement (“The Affordable Care Act” ie “Obamacare’) they haven’t shown much interest in uncovering the NSA abuses that were clearly initiated under Bush/Cheney and, apparently, continued (or accelerated) under the Obama administration.  This is very “unnerving” to me and, I believe, one of the reasons why so many Americans have “thrown up their arms” in disgust and can see little or no difference between republican or democrat.  Democrats have had the GOLDEN opportunity since 2006, when the American public finally realized the folly in Bush/Cheney’s ill advised invasion of Iraq, to take the “high road” and push America in the idyllic direction so many of her citizens (including me) are so anxious to see.  Instead, the Democrats appear to be “feeding from the same trough” as the republicans (just getting a bit less food – ie MONEY from the lobbyists) – and have managed to draw up only enough courage to make it look as if they’d like to be progressive – it’s just that in today’s America that means battling the so-called “liberal media” and losing that FUNNEL of money coming from the “money changers.”  The recently exposed SPYING of the NSA (even though people like me have been pointing out the probability this has been “ongoing” since the day Obama took the oath of office) is a grave threat to the principles this nation was founded on!

It never ceases to amaze me that “conservatives” are continually attacking our president because he’s attempting to help MILLIONS of Americans gain access to our health care system (without those of us lucky enough to have health insurance paying their way – when emergencies arise) and claiming that a population that is armed to the teeth is protected by the second amendment of the constitution – all the while claiming President Obama wants to take away “our guns.”  However, from the “right” there is nary a whimper about the government spying on its citizens – well, at least there wasn’t until Edward Snowden made his disclosures that have our president and many in congress in a tizzy.  Evidently, they believe the 4th amendment to the constitution should be purged as a result of 9/11.  Honestly, I believe this is an area where our president is vulnerable – probably not legally because of the so-called “Patriot Act” Bush/Cheney rammed through congress post 9/11- but, if you’re one who thinks as I do, I wasn’t voting for someone who would continue the abuses of the Bush administration.

On this issue, I now believe Obama chose not to investigate the illegal wiretapping of Bush/Cheney because he felt the necessity to continue it.  I’m sure the “weight of the nation” and its safety feels a lot different when it’s “on your shoulders.”  Regardless, I believe our leaders are bound by their oaths of office to follow the constitution unless it is amended by “we the people.”  Obviously, during this “21st century” such a thought seems inconvenient to our leaders (on both sides of the isle).  Does anyone besides me find it ironic that our government will spend MILLIONS attempting to prosecute people like Wiki leaks’ Julian Assange or the aforementioned Snowden for exposing the truth about the functions of America’s government while giving tacit approval to TORTURE?  In Snowden’s case he’s ignited a long overdue debate in America on the propriety of our government spying on its own people and even its allies abroad.  Evidently, that “transparency” Obama talked about during his campaign should have said something like: “What the American public doesn’t know won’t hurt them.”  Or maybe that should say, won’t hurt us – meaning the government officials who are behind this spying.  Since 9/11 all any government official has to say to justify illegal government activity is that it’s done in the interest of “national security.”

I’ve mentioned many times on this site that as far as I can tell, the more money we (America) spend on “national security” the less secure we are.  We now live in a country where the politicians from both sides of the isle operate by a policy that is promoted via FEAR.  It was FDR who so eloquently said, “We have nothing to Fear but Fear itself,” and, evidently those who have been working endlessly to undo Roosevelt’s “New Deal” are using that very strategy to generate their success.  Unfortunately, the democrats have been somewhat a rudderless ship for several years now and I feel they’ve adopted the same strategy.  In their defense I have to say that what they (democrats) are mostly suggesting I (we) be afraid of is the looming “permanent republican majority” that is the brainchild of the invisible cabal of BILLIONAIRES behind the right wing attempt to take over our nation (from within).  However, President Obama’s administration is justifying their continued authorization of this spying as being necessary for the “national defense.”  Despite the FACT the 4th amendment of the constitution clearly is being (and has been untold times) violated.

While I’m on this topic, here’s more that should be in the national discussion about Edward Snowden’s revelations.  Snowden was working for a “private” corporation as he was gathering all his information – you know, part of the republican attempt to privatize every last corner of our nation.  Booz Allen Hamilton is a “defense contractor” that is owned by the Carlyle Group which has the fingerprints of government officials (mostly “conservative” republicans) who are the mainstay of the “merry go round” in Washington where officials trade their integrity for the millions waiting in the wings once out of office through the corporate cabal that is fundamental to the issues I’m constantly writing about.  Do we really want all of our personal information being monitored by those who believe the rich and powerful should rule the world.  All you have to do is “Google” (I even hate to make that suggestion anymore, because I think Google falls into a similar category) Booz Allen or Carlyle Group and you’ll find where their “tentacles” are attached.  Really, it’s a bit scary.  (Booz Allen and Carlyle, for example are closely connected to Bain Capital – the “private equity” firm of Mitt Romney)  With a little creative thought I think you can get the picture here.

So, instead of going along with all this in the name of “National Security” I believe President Obama and the democrats should (and should have been) bring(ing) this invasion of our privacy to a halt.  Furthermore, the attacks on Snowden and the journalists who were his conduit are frightening in themselves.  One of the major problems in America right now is that our “liberal media” (if there is anything left of it) is quaking in its boots because of the backlash it can expect from any REAL investigative reporting.  (For example, Greg Palast, a true investigative reporter, has to work through British media) Honestly, isn’t that what true investigative journalists are supposed to be doing?  Many times I’ve pointed out that Bill Clinton’s support of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was, to me, heresy.  The result has been the shrinking of the number of media outlets to the point where just a handful of “conservative” corporations control our “liberal media.”  Just recently I asked Sirious XM why a station I listened to (that gave me access to Randi Rhodes) was no longer available and their response was that it was cancelled through an agreement with “Clear Channel;” essentially saying this one corporation owns ALL the available “talk radio.”  I’ll try to make this short:  Clear Channel is owned by Bain Capital (yup, there’s Mitt Romney again) and they’ve been cancelling “liberal talk” all across America since their guy was defeated last November. These corporate interests want to shrink the message available to the general public.

In my mind, the democrats are just exacerbating the situation when they enable the clamping down on “whistle blowers.”  How many more Snowden’s will there be based on the reaction to his “outing” our NSA for its illegal activity?  And,  I recently read the reporter who funneled Snowden’s message is now overseas due to his fear of retribution from our political establishment.  This scenario (reporters being intimidated along with whistle blowers) is being repeated all too often in today’s climate.  Americans had better soon wake up to what is happening as our nation’s very foundation is being chipped away.  I’ve said many times that freedoms (or rights) are much easier given up than reclaimed.  What’s been happening in America over the last 30+ years has seemingly become acceptable to many due to their “busyness.”  Many people I know (and they are mostly college educated) repeat Fox “news” lies as if it’s the truth.  When challenged, they become defensive and “don’t want to talk about it.” The feeling that America has evolved from a “We” society (post New Deal) to a “Me” society (post Reaganomics) is disheartening.  We (Americans) must share the blame for allowing this to happen and we share the responsibility to reverse this “trend.”

Surely, there’s problems with “both sides of the isle” in America, but when you take a close look at what’s happening on the “right,” the consequences of allowing them to “win,” to me, is dire.  Yet, I have a hard time supporting democrats like Obama who are continually seeking some kind of grand bargain – that apparently includes a continuation of NSA spying, drone attacks,  and “compromises” to things like Social Security, Medicare, Food Stamps, unemployment insurance, Head Start, and I could go on – with republicans.  I look forward to the day when America’s leaders are truly focused on “The General Welfare” of ALL her citizens!  (wouldn’t it make sense, for example, for our leaders to ACTUALLY demand adherence to things like the 4th amendment AND to be attempting to “fix” the problems with Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the “Affordable Care Act” rather than fighting/arguing over their existence? – OK, I digress – and, I’ll end this rant right here – after suggesting you check out an “independent” senator named Bernie Sanders.  He’s one politician that, it appears to me, is not “owned” by corporate interests – if that’s possible)

It will probably take me a week or two to finish this post (thought) but, as today is day one of the “government shutdown” I wanted to put a couple thoughts down before I lose them.  First, I really hope that President Obama and the democrats in congress don’t “blink.”  I started predicting this kind of shenanigan shortly after Obama took office because of his consistent pandering to the “right wing” of the republican party.  He failed to allow the (PROPER) investigations that SHOULD have happened post Bush/Cheney.  That, in itself, sent the ENTIRELY wrong message to the republicans, who at the time, should have been looking at a generation in the minority.  Subsequent to that, President Obama has “caved” time and again in his search for the “grand bargain,”  in the process only succeeding in deflating his “liberal” base.  I think it should be apparent to all that you can’t bargain with the likes of people who are funded by a small group of MULTIBILLIONAIRES who could care less about the people on Main Street.  The so-called “Tea Party,” therefore, has unlimited funding and their supporters have scared the hell out of every rational thinking republican in congress to the point where they (the rational republicans – if there are any left) are acting like the “sheep” that made up the Third Reich in Germany in the 1930’s.

Should President Obama do as he did with the “Bush Tax Cuts” and “compromise” with these blackmailing thugs, what do you think will be next?  Just look at their laundry list of “wishes” and you should get the point.  They want less regulation on all things “carbon,” (hello Koch brothers) they want the Keystone XL pipeline, they want the end of the Affordable Care Act (referred to as “Obamacare”) – with nothing to replace it (and, by the way, people like me aren’t too happy with “Obamacare” because it’s the republican solution to our health care problems – instead of a single payer “Medicare for all” system – they (republicans) hate it because they don’t want our “colored” president to get credit for anything – even if they agree with it – I’m going to say it – they’re RACISTS!) – they want Social Security and Medicare “privatized,” they would just as soon get rid of Medicaid (it’s for poor people), they want the end of public education, they want the end of the minimum wage (even though they’ve succeeded for years in keeping it too low), they won’t rest until the last union in America is a memory, and they want permanent war.  (That’s the “route” many of them are using to get so rich it’s OBSCENE).  Obviously, Obama should have never pandered to these thugs in the first place – but it’s definitely time to TAKE A STAND!!!

In my last post I tried to give readers an idea about Naomi Klein’s great book “The Shock Doctrine.”  In a “nutshell” the book documents the corporate, CIA, government, and “Chicago boys” partnership that has bludgeoned the economies of nation after nation around the world.  I suggested that those who “believe” in Milton Friedman’s “free market” philosophy and are behind the ensuing “movement” (which includes today’s republicans) were applying their theory on the United States in a more “stealth” manner than the sudden “shocks” they’ve imposed on other countries around the world.  Economic shocks that devastated one country after another and led to increased poverty, disease, and totalitarian states in places where people’s “free will” was thwarted.  Places like Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Brazil, Indonesia, Poland, Russia (post Gorbachev), Iran (in the 1950’s), and most recently in Iraq – these are countries whose economies and middle class citizens have been destroyed post “shock doctrine.”  (sound familiar – it’s just that in America it’s happening piecemeal – so far) Well, I’m beginning to think that I have understood this all wrong (and, honestly, I hope I’m wrong about these thoughts) – here’s what’s been churning in my brain today:  Are the “tea party” republicans really going to take America “down” by forcing a default on our nation’s debt in the next few weeks?  That would create the kind of “shock” the “Friedmanites” drool over and have imposed on these other countries – I’m asking myself, why not here?  There’s way more profit they can “squeeze” from the middle class in America than they’ve already got!

As I’ve stated many times on this site – these right wing thugs control our “liberal media” so, with them having their “say” in congress, what’s to stop them?  Most of the “tea party” obstructers live in “gerrymandered” districts that provide them with a free ticket back to their destructive “seats” no matter what damage they cause to the rest of us with the help of the funding from their rich benefactors.  Already, we’re seeing the results of their “ways” as the so-called sequester has become, evidently, America’s new way of government budgeting.  Of course, it has no material effect on any of these “tea party” thugs, it simply makes things more difficult for the “least among us.”  I have to say, it hasn’t had too much effect on me either, but – as a sixth grade teacher in a high poverty school – I’m seeing the effect it’s having on MANY children (I’m assuming this is happening across our land) who are stuck in families that have had support pulled from them due to our need to (continue our wars but) cut their benefits. (including, unbelievably, FOOD STAMPS)  Our media will NOT do its duty to be reporting the TRUTH about the devastation that’s going on in our own nation – because it doesn’t affect them and they’re “employees” of the very culprits who are at the head of the problem.  Kind of like hoping the fox WILL protect the hen house – and we all know how that story ends, don’t we???

Additionally, the courts have been STACKED with right wing nut jobs for the past 40 years.  Antonin Scalia is known for “hanging out” with the likes of Dick Cheney, the Koch brothers, and others of their “ilk” but you never see him recusing himself from issues which he’s got an obvious conflict of interest.  I can’t even put into words my disappointment and disgust with Clarence Thomas.  The man has no scruples – he just does what he’s told.  I actually defended him in conversation when he was seeking Senate confirmation, and now I realize all the “stuff” brought up against him by democrats who were, at the time vilified in the press, was real.  He should never have been confirmed and, based on his associations with right wing thugs and his wife’s, he should be removed from the court.  And, then there’s Roberts and Alito – the two of them have violated their word regarding “judicial activism” given during their confirmation hearings to the point of great alarm in my mind.  Essentially, they lied to congress and we all know they’ll NEVER be held to account.  The result, so far (of their legislating from the bench), has been (just to focus on the two most egregious decisions to me) Citizens United (which could totally destroy our democracy) and the gutting of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (which will allow the disenfranchisement of millions of American voters).  “Citizens United” has allowed UNLIMITED and SECRET spending in our election process (everyone should be aware of the damage that’s already been caused, and understand the BILLIONAIRES have just begun to figure out how to abuse that “privilege” even more-so) and, at the same time, the voter suppression legislation was “laying in wait” for the court’s assault on the Voting Right’s Act  and  all those right wing and RACIST republican Secretary’s of State across America (who, again are being bankrolled by these “invisible” BILLIONAIRES) that are hell-bent on SUPPRESSING the voting rights of minority voters, students and young people, and the elderly – especially in areas where people might vote democratic – have already “kick started” their plan – jettisoning it into “high gear.”

Combine these two troubling issues (the “liberal media” – controlled by and living in fear of the right wing “conservatives” – and the stacked court system) and you should be able to see how there’s a scenario where this small minority in the House of Representatives may really attempt to take the rest of us “over the brink.”  There’s little we can do to provide them the same kind of “accountability” they’ve been imposing on “Main Street” since the days of Ronald Reagan.  Apparently, there’s either no courageous republican’s left in the House, or there’s more right wing “whack jobs” out there than the rest of us realize.  My district, (Southwestern Washington) has a republican representative whom I’ve contacted on several occasions and who I believe, under better circumstances I could support (she really seems to be a nice and honest young lady).  However, she goes along (like the rest of the republican “sheep”) with EVERYTHING  they do – it’s EXPECTED!  Well, I’m soon to write her to let her know that in the 2014 election I will do EVERYTHING I can to help WHOEVER the democratic candidate is – to DEFEAT HER!  I’m really sick of politicians who base their votes on the MONEY they can count on from the BILLIONAIRES.  And, it will be difficult to DEFEAT her, because they will fund her reelection bid due to her willingness to support their EXTREME agenda.

This whole government thing has finally come to a HEAD and, as I stated above, our president has NO CHOICE but to STAND FIRM and reject ANY “compromise” the republicans might try to cram down his (and our) throat(s).  It’s not only time to tell them where to “get off,” but maybe the investigations of Bush/Cheney that were blocked 5 years ago should happen now.  I don’t believe there’s a statute of limitations on prosecuting torture and murder.  I doubt there’s a statute of limitations on prosecuting war profiteering, but even if there is, don’t you think the American public should be made aware that the very people who took us into Iraq made HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of dollars from their fiasco?  Obviously, I not only feel (DEMAND) that President Obama STAND FIRM, I would love to see him finally FIGHT BACK!

I was in church tonight and we were praying for our local and national government.  We were praying for unity.  I was praying with the rest of our congregation and people from churches throughout the community in which I reside.  I really want that – but, I realize that, as Christians, we can’t just idly sit by and watch politicians – many who have gained power via the voting “block” of the “Christian right” – destroy the fundamental premises of our nation which were fought for and pushed to the “surface” by “liberal” Christians over MANY, MANY years.  It’s ironic to me, that the Civil Rights movement in America was spurred on over many years by “liberal” Christians (from the days of the original constitution) and now we have a block of “right wing Christians” supporting a political movement that is clearly founded on RACISM.  This faction, I’m convinced, believes in Friedman’s “shock therapy” approach to forcing a minority “will” on people who just don’t “understand.”  Their shock therapy philosophy is leading us, as a nation, into one self inflicted crisis after another.  (evidently, until the rest of us get so “turned off” by the entire process that we just let them have their way)  There is no way to achieve UNITY in our nation as long as the media and “we the people” allow those who are behind this “shock” treatment of our government  and us (meaning, again, “we the people”) to even be considered part of the mainstream of political thought.

They’ve used a brilliant strategy to “hoodwink” the rest of us over the past 40+ years and they’re not going away.  The racists and the greedy corporate executives will always be a part of this (and probably every) society, but it’s up to “we the people” to push them back under their “rocks.”  The administration of GW Bush/Dick Cheney put the “free market” movement on steroids (keep in mind, Democrat Bill Clinton allowed this to “simmer” during his administration and he made several unthinkable blunders – the Telecommunications Act of 1996, NAFTA and GATT, and the repeal of Glass Steagall all of which played right into the hands of those “invisible” BILLIONAIRES sponsoring this “tea party” assault on our system of government) and Obama’s unwillingness to reverse the EXCESSES of Bush/Cheney has allowed him (and the rest of us) to be “backed into a corner.”  The ONLY way out is to FIGHT our way out – and, I was just lamenting this to my 24 year old son – I hope (and pray) we do it at the BALLOT BOX.  The alternative is not healthy for our children and grandchildren – who deserve a better America than what we are apparently willing to leave them – those of us who are the “baby boomers” and have benefited so much from the struggles of our parents and grandparents.  I keep asking myself: “How can we Americans who’ve benefited so long and so much from the “New Deal” and “Great Society” allow the “tea party” to gut it for our children and grandchildren?”

Obviously, I’m feeling a bit passionate tonight.  What I thought would take several days (or more) to write, came out in a matter of about an hour.  I’m going to post this as written and I apologize for any “foo-pahs” in my writing, but I feel this one is best uploaded “as is.”  If you feel as I do, follow Thom Hartman’s advice and get active.  This story is going to end bad if the American public continues to allow the “tea party” to run ruff shod over the rest of us.  President Obama won the last election (handily) and, except for the gerrymandering the democrats would have re-taken the House.  The republicans seem to dismiss that as an unfortunate “bump in the road” – but irrelevant as to their “plan.”  This reality is unimaginable to me.  I keep asking myself: “How could we allow our country to fall to such depths?”

It’s time for LIBERALS, progressives, independents, and pragmatic republicans to get off their collective BUTTS and pull together to rid this nation of these obstructionist racists from the “tea party” and pull together to actually find practical solutions to America’s mounting list of problems.  I sit in church with many people who I know have opposing political viewpoints to me, but I’m sure that – without the vitriol – we could find ways to make our system work as it was intended by our founders.  Unfortunately, many of these good people still think Fox is a “news” outlet.  Somehow, the depth of the propaganda scheme needs to be EXPOSED to America’s “mainstream.”  These “tea party” republicans are working to “game” the system all the while as they claim to be following the constitution.  The hypocrisy and the lying about EVERYTHING has pretty much numbed most people I know – but, the reality is that it’s NOT OK and it’s time we all said so with our ballots.

Well, I’ll end by saying the MAJOR fear of our founders when they created the brilliant system of “checks and balances” in our constitution was EXACTLY the republican “nirvana” – which is one “faction” controlling the entire system of government.  (Karl Rove calls it the “permanent republican ‘majority'”) As Thomas Jefferson would say (at least I believe this is what he would say) “we the people” are the final “check” and it’s up to us to rein this thing in so that sensible people will have a chance to once again “rule the day” in Washington DC.  (I “get” that’s a HUGE undertaking, but the first “step,” in my mind – is voting OUT every republican possible – until the “tea party” is purged from their caucus)  Here’s a good way to start – write President Obama and DEMAND that he not give even an INCH to these blackmailing hostage taking political racist hacks!

I’m reading, for the second time, “Shock Doctrine” by Naomi Klein.  I’ve long felt the book should be required reading for American adults who wish a better insight into the TRUTH about who America’s REAL government has functioned for since the end of World War II.  Additionally, last week I watched the movie “The Butler” which was an additional riveting look at what many of us in America have been shielded from by our “liberal media.”  The spike in overt racial hate since the election of Barrack Obama is nothing new, I’m sure, from the perspective of Black Americans who are “mature” adults (that is, around my age or older – I’m a “baby boomer”).  For me, being the natural optimist that I am, it is deflating and discouraging.  However, in reading Klein’s great book, my eyes are opened (re-opened in this case – evidently, I’ve got to read things more than once) to the very real THREAT posed by the right wing cabal that is motoring the republican party toward domination of our political system in a way that defies the original intent of our founders (and, our voters).  The “Shock Doctrine” clearly points out how, with the help of America’s CIA, American corporations and the economists known as the “Chicago boys” enabled vicious dictators to overturn several democratically elected governments in the southern part of South America in the 60’s and 70’s – with the result being imprisonment, torture, and murder for tens of thousands of “leftists” in the countries of Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, and Uruguay.

These atrocities were not limited to this “Southern Cone” of South America; the CIA orchestrated the overthrow of the democratically elected leader of Iran in the 50’s for the “Shah of Iran” – who was a brutal dictator that killed and tortured Iranians en masse and led to the bitter hatred of the United States continuing in Iran to this day.  Additionally, the “Shock Doctrine” was the “philosophy” behind the ousting of Saddam Hussein in Iraq orchestrating the disastrous “free market” experiment there.  I will attempt to gather my thoughts in a way that isn’t too scatter-brained to get my point of this post across, but if you’re having trouble making sense of what I’m trying to say, please read that book.  I believe what is happening in America today is the result of the “Shock Doctrine” – which had its “testing” done in Chile and Argentina (and other “third world” countries – I forgot to mention Indonesia) – being turned on an unsuspecting American public.

Now, there are many besides myself who recognize the threat people like Charles and David Koch, the Coors family, the DeVoss family, the Walton family – these are some of the people with the unlimited funds (sometimes referred to as ” the top one tenth of one percent”) – and their mouth pieces who will say anything for their bloated salaries (like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Lars Larsen, and many other right wing “talkers) – pose for Americans who believe in a “bottom up” government designed to help “The least of these” (in the words of Jesus Christ).  The “New Deal” instituted in the years of Franklin Roosevelt, followed by the “Great Society” of the Lyndon Johnson years led to America’s great middle class.  The aforementioned people (the infamous Koch’s and others) have been committed to the abolishment of every aspect of these great programs since their inception.  It has been a long process for them and I’m finally realizing the depth of their commitment which “turned the corner” with the election of Ronald Reagan and has stealthily been picking up “steam” since.  Prior to that, the Kochs and the rest of their “ilk” were marginalized extremists who were on the outside of American politics.  As I’m reading Klein’s book it’s becoming apparent to me that the American public had better take notice of this threat, because their core beliefs are scary.  The Koch brothers, for example, come from the heart and soul of the John Birch Society and Koch Industries has an annual income in excess of ONE HUNDRED BILLION dollars.  They are spending hundreds of MILLIONS to push their philosophy on the unsuspecting American public.  This is the Ayn Rand “The rich should rule” philosophy.  (another “must read” to better understand this “cabal” is “The Family” by Jeff Sharlett).

The people behind this movement use the phrase “free market” to shield their REAL intentions.  For some reason when you throw the word “free” into the conversation Americans seem to think that must be a good thing.  Well, when you find out what their real FREE MARKET really is, you begin to understand the true motivations of those who worship at the alter of Milton Friedman (the “free market” guru) and Ronald Reagan (the president who turned this movement from a fringe element of our society into mainstream “thought”)  Recently I was listening to the Thom Hartman radio talk show and Thom was debating someone directly from the free market philosophy – I believe it was someone from the Heritage Foundation.  The person (I didn’t catch his name) based his entire argument in defending “trickle down” economic theory (which is based on Friedman’s philosophy) by saying that during the years of Reagan and GW Bush “more wealth was created than at any other time in America’s history.  I have no idea if what he said was factual (Hartman didn’t respond as I would have) – but, the fallacy of his argument, to me, lies in the REALITY that during this time whatever wealth has been produced has become entrenched in fewer and fewer hands.  During the years he was talking about, real wages of the workers in America have dwindled while the wealth of the top 1% has skyrocketed.  No matter how you look at the “free market” argument, if you’re an average person, it should cause you to gag.  It’s almost as if they’re using the same philosophy used to sell lottery tickets – if there’s even a chance you can get filthy rich, the system is “good.”

This “free market” philosophy has been “tested” all across the globe with frightening results.  The worst part is that it seems to come directly into conflict with democracy.  In each of the countries where the economic “shock treatment” has been instituted, not only have the economic results been pathetic, but millions of people have lost their lives, their property, their loved ones, etc.  Iraq is the most extreme example, as I read Klein’s book.  Hundred’s of thousands of Iraqi’s have been killed because of the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld push to turn the Iraq economy into a privatized oasis for multinational corporations.  Additionally, 4 MILLION plus Iraqi’s were displaced by the results of our providing them with “free markets.”  (Not to mention the torturing – which was entirely consistent with previous versions of the “shock doctrine” in places like Chile, Indonesia, Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Poland – the theory goes something like this: if someone opposes the “free market” shock – they are removed from the scene – one way or another)  I guess you could say this “free market” philosophy, once in place, relies almost exclusively on the FEAR factor for its success.  As you can imagine, many people respond unfavorably when they realize they’re being FLEECED by corporate behemoths.

In reality, virtually every example of the “shock doctrine” has resulted in authoritarian government at the expense of elected government.  Mohammad Mosaddegh was attempting to turn Iran into a democracy (he was the duly elected prime minister) and he was ousted in a coup d’etat orchestrated with the help of Britain and the United States.  Salvador Allende was the elected leader of Chile who was ousted by a coup orchestrated from inside the CIA (and the other countries I’ve listed above have the same stories) who installed the ruthless dictator Augusto Pinochet.  The similarity in every one of these countries is the removal of a democratically elected leader for a tyrant.  (of course, the tyrant was willing to “work with” America’s corporate interests)  In Iraq, despite the FACT that Saddam Hussein was a tyrant, the American authorities quickly realized, after removing him from power, their dream of a “free market” takeover of Iraq would be impossible with a “democracy” so they imposed their own “democracy” – which fueled the insurgency that turned Iraq into “hell on earth.”

What makes this all even more obscene to me is that Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Richard Perle, Douglas Feith, Eric Prince, and many other republican  “insiders” made HUGE profits (we’re talking in the hundreds of MILLIONS) at the expense of the Iraqi people and the unsuspecting American taxpayers.  (This reminds me AGAIN of why I consider Barrack Obama’s decision to “look forward instead of back” – allowing the Bush/Cheney criminals to walk away without even an investigation, one of the most disappointing presidential decisions of my lifetime)  Their “free market” consists of “private” corporations (friendly ones at that who gain incredible “no bid” contracts) feeding from the public trough.  That is, Halliburton employees pumping gas for American troops at TEN TIMES the cost of the troops themselves doing this.  However, in the eyes of people like Rumsfeld and Cheney, this requires cutbacks in the number of “government employees” – ie troops while, at the same time, funneling HUGE profits into the bank accounts of their crony capitalist friends.  (and, of course, themselves!)

The number of innocent people who’ve been murdered, tortured, displaced, or “disappeared” due to this movement that is centered at the University of Chicago and is pushed by the right wing of the republican party is in the MILLIONS.  That alone should, in my view, be getting the attention of more journalists in America than just Klein (although, I’m sure there’s other books out there documenting this deplorable American reality).  This goes back to what I’ve been trying to point out for several years now and that is America’s “liberal media” is anything BUT liberal!  In fact, I’ve come to believe that those in America’s media are afraid of the backlash that will result if they actually probe into the real mechanisms of our government.  Remember Dan Rather?  He had the audacity to probe into the phony military records of GW Bush, who was a drug user, a philanderer, a heavy drinker, and an AWOL Air Force “pilot” who couldn’t be trusted to fly planes and who didn’t show up for his required duty.  That was Bush’s way out of serving HONORABLY during Viet Nam – but, didn’t give him even the slightest pause as he sent thousands of Americans needlessly to their deaths in Iraq along with the aforementioned HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of Iraqi’s.  Rather was fired almost immediately and that, to me, was a part of the “shock doctrine” that’s even more subtle than the “free market” mantra they profess.  Reporters seem to have been “shaking in their boots” since.

In America today, we’re seeing this same pattern of behavior played out with the demand for “austerity” from the republicans (they’re using the “sequester” to get their way) while continuing to allow corporate interests to pillage the American taxpayers by the BILLIONS.  Since the Supreme Court anointed the Bush/Cheney regime we’ve seen the off-shore havens become a tax avoidance “wet dream” for America’s uber rich (people like Mitt Romney) who believe paying taxes is an assault on their right to be greedy, we’ve seen MANY multinational corporations avoid ANY taxes at all and yet find ways to ream the American taxpayers for HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS in corporate WELFARE.  They don’t want the victims of their financial overreach to be eligible for food stamps, but they’ll fight to the death for their corporate subsidies.  This fleecing of the public “trough” is the same thing the “Chicago boys” have promoted in country after country around the world.  I guess that was all practice for their real goal of turning their pillaging against the American public.  And, as of this writing, I don’t think too many Americans have even a clue as to what is happening to them.  They realize things are really messed up, but they don’t understand the real cause.  (we’re busy arguing about abortion, gay rights, etc.)

What can be done to stop these people?  Well, I prefer to continue my push to urge VOTERS to remove republicans every chance they get from national and local offices.  The problem with that approach, of course, is that in our society that leaves us with the alternative of voting for democrats.  That has been a lifelong frustration for me – although more so of late.  I really was behind President Obama (and, I truly hope he succeeds) – but, I haven’t seen a move away from the “Chicago boys” philosophy in a clear distinctive manner.  To me, Larry Summers is right out of the mold of the “free market” pillagers.  Tim Geithner was another “Goldman Sachs” crony who helped to push this “non-recovery” recovery on us post 2008 meltdown.  These people were quick to find TRILLIONS to prevent Wall Street from TOTALLY ruining the world’s economy (I’m talking here about GW Bush and his Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, but Summers and Geithner – I’m convinced – were right “there’ on the bailouts). The corporations continue to flourish under Obama (despite their apparent “hate” for him) and he is running out of time to convince me he’s not simply a lessor part of the problem (yes, he’s a great improvement over a republican – but, I’m still waiting for the “change I can believe in – maybe the “tea party’s” push to “shut down” the government and/or default on America’s debt – will convince him to aggressively fight back – I’m seeing some encouraging signs of late).  It is preposterous to call President Obama a “socialist” or a “liberal.”  To me, he is a pragmatist who leans too far to the right.  (I suppose the republicans have moved so far to the right that it makes our president seem like a liberal to many)

And, furthermore, it appears the United States will be spending more on the MILITARY than the rest of the world combined for the foreseeable future, while continuing to arm brutal dictators around the globe as long as they have the resources we need in exchange for our weapons.  And, to listen to our “liberal media” you have to wonder whether they are even capable of looking at our government policy from any lens besides the one we’ve been brainwashed to believe over the past 40+ years.  The only people in the world who seem to be ignorant of the depravity of America’s CIA, for example, are Americans.  I’m still wondering how President Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize.  To me, the republicans should be lauding him over his leadership of our military.  (bin Laden’s dead and Syria is about to give up their chemical weapons – peacefully, but certainly the result of Obama’s resolve to respond to their use – which I have to admit I was not in favor of)

We’ve been convinced that our military and our CIA (and our militaristic policy) are “keeping us safe.”  To me, the reality is that the United States of America is going down a self-destructive path that is headed to a disaster – that I certainly can’t predict or define – of great proportions.  President Eisenhower warned us about the “Military Industrial Complex” – and, that is what is allowing this “shock doctrine” to even be part of the discussion.  I don’t think “we the people” even begin to understand the stranglehold that corporations like Lockheed Martin, Halliburton,  General Electric, the Carlyle Group, Bechtel, Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Booz Allen (of the spying fame), and I could go ON AND ON – have on our system of government.  The leaders of these entities are behind the “shock doctrine” movement (in America it’s referred to as “privatization”) and, we all know, they’ve virtually BOUGHT AND PAID FOR our congressional leaders who are NOT going to pass legislation that causes them (the legislators) to lose the “support” of these companies (there’s too many companies to list, but click here for a better idea of the magnitude of the problem).

I believe the more money we funnel to our militaristic corporations to “keep us safe,” the less safe – we in America – will be!  Keeping us safe is not the REAL objective of those behind the “shock doctrine” (or, if you will, the “free market” movement).  Their objective is to CONTROL the government and pillage the American taxpayers for every cent they can before they are “uncovered” – at which time they will do what Halliburton did – and, move their operations to somewhere in the world where they can avoid accountability.  (unfortunately, with the opposition being democrats – they don’t really need to fear accountability)

I have to start this post by reminding anyone who might happen upon this site that I’m a middle school teacher and not an economist.  However, I’m also a father and a grandfather and the evolution of America’s economy, as I see it, is right toward the top of the issues that are alarming me EVERY DAY!  Lately, I’ve been taping, from Free Speech TV, the show called “Ring of Fire” which is hosted by a person who’s becoming one of the people in America that I most admire, Mike Papantonio.  Before I go on, I would recommend that you either watch the TV version of “Ring of Fire” or listen to the weekly radio show that includes co-hosts Robert Kennedy Jr. and Sam Seder.  I found the TV version because the radio version was one of the casualties of the demise of “liberal” talk radio in Portland, Oregon – thanks to Mitt Romney and Bain Capital which owns (and controls) Clear Channel.  It is my understanding that part of the “blow-back” from Romney’s defeat at the polls in 2012 was the “shuttering” of “progressive talk” all across America.  I have since signed up for XM radio and now I’ve discovered “Free Speech TV” on the satellite so I still manage to get some perspective from people who are not part of the so-called “liberal media.”  (I hope by now anyone happening on this site realizes what a JOKE calling our mass media “liberal” is)

What prompted my thoughts today was a couple discussions which took place on “Ring of Fire” TV.  As usual, they had to do with the subversive work of those behind the present day republican party to undermine the fabric of America – and, while it wasn’t mentioned on the show, I believe the “powers that be” who are behind the scenes “pulling the strings” of the republican “puppets” won’t be satisfied until America has regressed into “third world” status.  And, I have to add here that probably the most frustrating part of all this is the culpability of those in the democratic party who are trying to feed out of the same “trough.”  I just last night re-read a post I made a few years ago and I feel even more strongly today that members of congress should be required to wear DECALS of anyone who provides them with financial support on their clothing (like pro golfers or NASCAR drivers).  That way when unscrupulous congress persons Like Phil Gramm, who in the late 1990’s was responsible for so much deregulation of the financial world (which he’s now profiting handsomely from) writes legislation that benefits his funders (and, in this instance, his wife who was on the board of Enron) at least we have a clearer vision of his TRUE motives!  We have a partnership between Phil Gramm, Larry Summers (OMG – soon to be head of the Fed???), and Bill Clinton (among others) to thank for the dismantling of Glass-Steagall (if you don’t know what that is – click here for one perspective) which has turned the financial behemoths on Wall Street into Alien like entities that are sucking the life out of the middle class of America.  We are witnessing GREED personified and if you haven’t read Karl Marx and his predictions on the ultimate destruction of capitalism, it should be an interesting read, to say the least, at this point in America’s history.

The two issues that really caught my attention recently (on “Ring of Fire”) were; first, the reporting on Wall Street excesses (I’ll try my best to restate them, but if you really want the “scoop” check it out for yourself) like commodities fraud and their attack on the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – which scares the Wall Street bankers because they can’t control it.  The second was an extremely interesting discussion on the state of higher education in America.  I have some personal thoughts on that “front” as I’ve been a middle school teacher for the last 20 years of my working life and have been witnessing first hand the assault on American education coming from the “right.”  In both instances we see the corporate powers of America doing everything in their POWER to tilt the “playbook” in the direction which FUNNELS billions of dollars into their “coffers.”  It’s sickening that all this is happening, and it’s even more sickening feeling as if our government has been de-frocked to the point where they are unable to do anything about it (the fleecing of our nation).  Anyone who’s been paying attention for the past several years knows that republicans are trying to “shrink the government until it can be flushed down a drain.”  The damage of allowing this philosophy to even be part of the discussion is becoming enormous and it will take a mammoth national effort to reverse the carnage to our system of government.  (In the meantime, we’re seeing the possibility of a “lost generation” of America’s emerging youth as this travesty continues.

First I want to talk about the Wall Street banks – although, the emerging student debt crisis is part of that problem as well – who are in control of a HUGE portion of America’s economy and who don’t PRODUCE anything!  They are strictly in the business of MAKING MONEY.  Using creative mechanisms – with little to no oversight – to simply generate income – at the expense of the American public.  On “Ring of Fire” TV there was a discussion of how banks Like Goldman Sachs have purchased HUGE warehouses and they are buying commodities, storing them, moving them around, and manipulating the supply in a way that allows for them to make huge PROFITS at the expense of the general consuming public.  And, as they do with virtually all their schemes, they find ways to circumvent what few laws are still on the books to regulate their behavior.  For example, the storing of commodities.  On the show they used aluminum as the example.  Goldman Sachs will purchase HUGE tonnages of aluminum and store it in warehouses to keep if off the market and push the price higher, at which time they then sell and push the price of the commodity higher than it would have otherwise been if the users of the aluminum were buying it from the manufacturers.  They circumvent the laws against storing commodities by moving the commodity from one warehouse to another (for example, they can’t store it in “one” place for more than a specified number of days – so, they just switch one batch with another from a different warehouse), from which the commodity in that warehouse is moved to the other one.  Quite the creative scheme, and evidently, the profits from this manipulation are HUGE and the costs are born out by the consumers in higher prices.

The comparative example used was a previous scheme by the infamous Koch brothers who purchased large oil tankers, filled them with oil, and then “parked” the tankers off shore until the price moved up in some unsuspecting area of the world and then “conveniently” they showed up with a tanker filled with oil.  It’s a great scheme to make money, but – considering all these “free market” proponents are behind these schemes to undermine the “free market”- at what point do “we the people” decide that the “national interest” is more important than Wall Street’s interest.  I guess a better way to say that is;  When, in America, is Main Street going to become more important than Wall Street?

The bottom line here to me is that the misbehavior of the “too big to fail (jail)” banks on Wall Street has not only NOT subsided since the “crash” of 2008, but it has intensified.  And, I can tell you this with confidence – should the next “crash” happen during President Obama’s remaining term, he won’t be able to blame this one on the republicans.  Yes, they are making things difficult – as difficult as they possibly can (they want him to FAIL) – but, Obama has shown an inclination to cower to Wall Street since his first days in office.  And, now we’re looking at the distinct possibility of Larry Summers as the head of the Federal Reserve Bank – which will just be confirmation that Wall Street will continue to rule unabated.  Apparently, the vision is for America to be a society with a distinct “upper class” and a shrinking middle class.  This brings me to the discussion of the higher education system in America.  We’re pushing students in droves through EXPENSIVE university educations, encouraging them to take on HUGE amounts of debt in student loans, letting the bankers profit handsomely from these loans, and then turning those who succeed and graduate into an economy which has few opportunities for them to earn enough to pay off their loans and begin their careers in any kind of a comparable fashion as to those who are presently making America’s laws.

As a long term middle school teacher, I’ve seen first hand the change (since GW Bush instituted “No Child Left Behind”) to a “top down” approach to educational reform which, unfortunately, finds its roots in our politicians in Washington D.C. and the corporate “heads” who are funding them.  We are “pushing” the idea of “college for everyone” to students as they enter the sixth grade – with few in the educational environment even understanding what kind of future we’re pushing these kids into.  The politicians are the “puppets” of the corporate elite in America and they have little to no perspective on what is important to the students in America – especially, to students in a high poverty school such as the one where I teach.  The “high stakes testing” which accompanied “No Child Left Behind” has been absurd, in my view, since the day it was instituted.  The objective (that ALL students would be at the same level by 2014) was absurd on its face, yet those of us in the schools are too busy teaching to become political activists. (and, most have no desire to do so, that’s why they’re teachers)  Now, we’re seeing the republican party on a national campaign to denegrade public school teachers in their attempt to push public education into the graveyard of public institutions in America destroyed by “privatization.”  I’ve focused on teaching students to learn to think for themselves and to think critically in my years in the classroom, but the pressure to prepare them for the high stakes testing is enormous because the funding is tied to the results.

What you end up with is WHITE test makers – many who are presumably in the university education departments – writing tests for Black, Asian, Hispanic, Islander, Russian, etc., etc. students who often times have no idea what the questions are asking  (again, I’m teaching sixth graders).  My experience has shown me that despite my efforts to assure students that should they “fail” the tests, that doesn’t mean they’re failure as students, many end up “giving up” by the time they’re in the 10th grade.  The high school drop out rate has increased dramatically since 2000 and the reports I’m getting from people associated with students entering college is that many are ill prepared for the challenge.  Now, I don’t know if that’s because the challenge has changed, but my instincts tell me it’s because the curriculum has changed due to the “importance” of all the high stakes tests.

I realize the economy is changing and the opportunities for our young people are changing, but I just don’t think you can expect our public schools to be “manufacturers” of “workers” for the Apple, Microsoft, IBM, and other corporations who would like our public schools focused on producing ready made employees.  At the university level, that should be the “program,” but in the middle schools and high schools I believe teaching students to think for themselves, emphasizing basic skills, and making sure that the curriculum includes more than a focus on math and reading tests should be the focus.  At my school there is no longer a wood shop, it’s been years since there was a welding program, the arts are being “squeezed,” and there is a lack of creative freedom for teachers.  Additionally, the teaching of how our government functions and the importance of citizen participation seems to be one of the victims of “high stakes” testing.   I just don’t think EVERY student is a candidate for “college” and I’m concerned that too many students who would be very successful in “trade” type education end up dropping out of school before they discover their gifts. Additionally, I know too many young adults who have no idea how our government functions or any interest in participating in the process.  This plays into the “hands” of people like the Kochs who are committed to the philosophy (of Paul Weyerich) that the fewer people who vote the better the republican chances of success at the polls.

Getting back to what the discussion was on “Ring of Fire” – the financial toll on America’s youth who are proceeding through college is an impending national crisis.  You can’t reasonably “saddle” a large number of young people with HUGE debts (and the banks are anxious to increase the interest rates on these student loans to exacerbate the problem) and not eventually face another “bursting bubble” from potential defaults from young people who can’t find employment sufficient to start their lives and pay for the loans.  When this “bubble” bursts I can see (and hear) the republicans now blaming Barrack Obama!

I’ve got plenty of issues with the Obama administration – but, the reality is that I genuinely hope that President Obama succeeds.  Trying to do so in the face of a republican party that is OPENLY working to insure our president FAILS makes it difficult for me to voice my gripes toward our president here – as I see nothing more important in America these days than making sure this republican assault on the fundamentals of our system is what FAILS!  (for example, the NSA issue is a serious breach of my confidence in our president.  I’ve stated many times on this site his reluctance to reverse the ill-gotten gains of the Bush/Cheney regime (and allow investigations into their illegal activity)  was a HUGE blunder on Obama’s part – and, unfortunately, I see him as continuing way TOO MUCH of the Bush policies.  Issues like the Head of GE – Jeff Immelt being an adviser on “jobs,” Michael Taylor of Monsanto being a leading adviser for the FDA, Larry Summers as chief economic adviser, Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary, and Eric Holder as Attorney General (along with other examples) are clear evidence that the obscene influence of Wall Street and Corporate America on the policies coming from our nation’s capital continues under Obama.)  I see evidence of many Americans on the “left” pushing to turn the “tide” against the forces funded by corporate America – but, it will be a long battle and it won’t be won until those of us on the “progressive” side (I really want to say liberal) have a leader in the White House who has the same attitude put forth by FDR – that the corporate heads “Hate me, and I welcome their hate.”  This is a WAR for the heart and soul of America (if you’ve read any of my previous posts, you’ve probably read that from me before – I keep pointing it out!)

If the republicans succeed in gaining their “permanent republican majority” – that is control of the congress, the courts, the White House, the media (keep in mind, the Kochs and Rupert Murdoch are attempting to purchase the Tribune Corporation – which includes the Los Angeles Times and other leading newspapers, and should they succeed, the SHRINKING of perspective in our “liberal media” will get even more DIRE) pushing back will be extremely difficult.  They are smart and they’ve been working on this since before the election of Ronald Reagan which was the impetus which gained them the real “foothold” that made their “dreams” possible.  The Citizens United Supreme Court decision and the gutting of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by the Roberts Court are integral parts of this scheme.  We’re living in a nation that is experiencing CAPITALISM gone wild, and if “we the people” don’t stop it at the voting booths soon – I believe the right wing cabal will spend unlimited amounts in the 2014 elections in an attempt to gain control of the Senate – and, should they succeed, it will be one more “nail in the coffin” of the remnants of the “New Deal.”  The right wing extremists of the modern day republican party won’t quit until they’ve either gained a stranglehold on America’s government or they’re voted from office.  People like Papantonio are putting up a great effort to inform “we the people” as to what is REALLY happening with our government – however, I believe it will be a losing battle until we get progressive politicians in Washington DC in sufficient numbers to expose the republicans for what they really are! (I hate to beat a “dead horse” – but, had Obama chosen to allow the investigations into the Bush/Cheney abuses and had he the courage to reverse their abuses of executive overreach – we could now be experiencing “The change we can believe in.”)

I’m presently reading “The Man who saved the Union, Ulysses Grant in War and Peace” by HW Brands.  It’s a very interesting read and I’m about through his early life up to the end of the Civil War.  As I’m reading this book and thinking about the “tea party” faction in the republican party I can’t help but draw some parallels.  It’s becoming more and more apparent to me that the issues that divided America in 1860 are still “hanging on” today.  It took Barrack Obama’s election to bring this out in the “open.”  William Sherman was one of Grant’s “lieutenants” during the war and he vented a frustration similar to one many on the left are having in present day America when he loathed the (what I will call the “liberal”) press.  Here’s an interesting quote from Sherman as he’s lamenting the destruction “from within” that was tearing America apart: “The press was the enemy as much as the rebels were” Sherman said.  “War cannot cease as long as any flippant fool of an editor may stir up the passions of the multitudes, arraign with impunity the motives of the most honorable, and howl on their gang of bloody hounds to hunt down any man who despises their order.  We can deal with armies who have a visible and tangible existence, but it will require tact and skill and courage to clip the wings of this public enemy.”  Kind of a present day reference to the likes of Fox “news,” Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Lars Larsen, Bill O’Reilly, and the rest of the minions of the right wing money machine that “hunts down any man who despises their order.”  And, of course, if you don’t get my sarcasm about our “liberal” media – the media I’m talking about is not liberal at all!

I’ve been writing about the propaganda campaign that’s been going full tilt since the days of Ronald Reagan since I started this blog (if that’s what it is???  :o).  Sherman referred to the press that was attacking Lincoln and the generals who ultimately defeated the secessionists in the South when he complained about “any flippant fool of an editor (who) may stir up the passions of the multitudes, (and) arraign with impunity the motives of the most honorable.”  Now, I will be the first to admit that it’s becoming harder and harder to recognize “the most honorable” when talking about our leaders in Washington D.C. – but, it’s quite apparent to me that the corporate interests behind the “tea party,” Fox “news,” politicians like Sarah Palin (“he pals around with terrorists”)  and the aforementioned political pundits (hacks) act like a “gang of bloody hounds to hunt down any man who despises their order.”  My fervent wish as I”m writing this is that this type of behavior gets expunged from our acceptable political practice “sooner rather than later” and we can somehow avoid evolving into a society in which a vicious cycle of accusatory politics is the norm.  As Lincoln himself said, “United we stand, divided we fall” when he committed to defend the constitution and prevent the southern states from leaving the “Union.”  It seems to me that our present day press, which – if you haven’t been paying attention – is controlled almost entirely by a select few “conservative” corporations, is thriving on the philosophy of dividing the public in America in order to allow their benefactors to continue the great plundering of America’s unsuspecting taxpayers.

The press should be trying to educate the American public with factual information regarding our leaders in Washington D.C. all the way down to our local governments.  The reality is that the right wing forces being “pushed” by the likes of the Koch brothers and other wealthy and powerful sources in America (and, unfortunately, abroad) realize that by dividing Americans and turning the focus of our (we the people’s) attention onto divisive issues, they are able to stealthily gain a stranglehold on our system of government in a way that will ultimately (if we don’t stop them) be difficult to overcome.  They make up their own “facts.”  The more I read about American history and the more I pay attention to what’s “happening” in today’s “world,” the more alarm I feel. (And, consequently, the more I seem to write)  If you just take a short moment to examine the recent history since the so-called “Reagan Revolution” I think you’ll maybe understand what I’m trying to get across here.

I was talking to the man who fixes my cars today and we reminisced about the differences before Reagan and after.  And, he’s basically a pretty conservative person – a mechanic, a farmer, and a person who’s spent his entire life in a rural setting.  Additionally, he’s the classic “small business” person.  The first thing that changed when Reagan won the “White House” was the beginning of the “trickle down” economic theory which essentially was a smoke screen to facilitate the greed of America’s wealthy class.  The tax rate on the upper 1 or 2 percent of Americans was around 70% for their top income (in today’s dollars, I believe income in excess of $1 MILLION) and that was cut more than in half (I’m working from the top of my head here, so keep in mind that I’m not using exact numbers – feel free to check them out and clarify).  Additionally, the attack on unions was put into full force (and organized – an organized ATTACK on organized labor) and, maybe worst of all, the so-called PRIVATIZATION movement was initiated.  The first real EVIDENCE as to the folly of Reagan’s “revolution” was the QUADRUPLING of the budget deficit within a year or two of the first tax cut.  Reagan actually cut taxes for the wealthy while raising taxes on working class people – and got away with it because our “liberal media” allowed him to do so.  Reagan’s personality resonated with many Americans and the republicans first initiated  Goebbels “Big Lie Theory” during Reagan’s presidency.  And, the media bought into it “hook line and sinker.”

Just think if Barrack Obama had the same results as Reagan.  Since Obama took office the yearly budget deficit has dropped almost in half.  After Reagan’s first five years it was AT LEAST five times the deficit he inherited.  Obama managed to finish the job of getting Osama bin Laden while during Reagan’s years we lost HUNDREDS of troops in a terrorist attack on an American barracks in Lebanon (I believe it was something in the neighborhood of 300 American and French troops) and, within four months, despite claims to the contrary, Reagan withdrew all American troops from Lebanon.  Think of the republican response to Benghazi and just imagine if Obama had done what Reagan ACTUALLY did!  Reagan and his cabinet carried on an illegal war (Iran Contra) at the clear defiance of Congress and then one by one lied through their teeth about it (this action included “Bush 41”) to Congress and the courts.  Those who were ultimately convicted of serious law violations were all PARDONED and the theory that “if the president does it, it must be legal” was reborn (after being debunked during Nixon’s reign).  Honestly, think about the republican reaction if Obama should do such a thing!  And, what would Grover Norquist say about “tax increases?”  President Obama is trying to get the upper tax rates to the level of the Clinton administration – which is heresy to the republicans.  Well, Reagan did reduce taxes – mainly on the wealthiest Americans – but, at the same time his eliminating of deductions (really, that’s a euphemism for raising taxes) affected the Americans with the lowest incomes.  On that one, I suppose if Obama did that, the present day republicans (might not) complain.  (Actually, they wouldn’t agree to ANYTHING Obama was “for”)  When Reagan took office we were the largest “creditor” nation in the world.  By the time he left, we were the largest debtor nation.  I’ve yet to hear the “tea party” refer to that phenomenon!

As I study American history I find multiple circumstances where there’s  great disagreement between politicians and political parties.  However, I’ve yet to find an example of one party FOCUSING their efforts (ie – “our first priority”) on a president’s FAILURE – save for the Civil War and Lincoln’s avowed plan to save the union.  Technically, however, at that time the southern states had seceded from the union so I don’t consider it a comparable situation to today’s republican party (nationally) committed to making sure a president FAILS.  I’ve been saying this since the first day I heard Mitch McConnell, Rush Limbaugh, and Jim DeMint throw out the “talking points” that their (the republican party’s) first and foremost objective was to make sure President Obama FAILS – the only explanation for that plan is that Obama is a person of color and they (the republicans) want to make sure “we the people” don’t make this “mistake” again.  The FACT that their actions are crippling our government’s ability to intervene in the most desperate places (like our urban areas) is irrelevant to them. We’ve seen multiple evidence of legislation with overwhelming public support (the public option in healthcare reform and registering guns just to name a couple examples) being “torpedoed” simply because it’s more important to them that Obama FAILS, than if America succeeds.  They are entrenched in their “top down” philosophy of propping up the “rich” and the only welfare they believe in is “corporate” welfare.

Republicans are responding to the changing demographic in America in a very strange way.  Although, when I try to look at their “strategy” from someone who’s seeing things from a racist perspective, they have a difficult challenge.  They want to keep their “place” as the “white” ruling class in a country that is evolving to where whites will soon be a “minority.”  Instead of changing their philosophy to attract minority voters, it appears to me they are ramping up their efforts to gain their “permanent republican majority” through the stealth methods I briefly referred to above.  (Thanks to our right wing Supreme Court, republicans have the Citizens United decision to allow them to continue buying politicians and elections along with the gutting of the Voting Rights act to facilitate their strategy to suppress the minority vote in America)  And, the media I’ve been referring to has a huge part to play in this, by making sure that the American public has NO IDEA what’s REALLY happening in our government.  Yes, the republicans are very subtle (usually) in their “race baiting” – but, they find ways to assure their right wing base that they’re “all in” on the white supremacy “thing.”  From Ronald Reagan’s initiating his original campaign in a hotbed of racists (Philadelphia Mississippi, click here if you don’t understand my point) to John McCain’s reference in a presidential debate to Barrack Obama as “That one” I’ve been witnessing this crap (republicans subtly spewing out their “code”) my entire adult life.  Honestly, I really did think Obama’s election was a great step forward, but it really clarified the reality of the BATTLE for civil rights that is still paramount (and raging) in America today.

Obviously, the WAR for the heart and soul of America continues.  In essence it’s been ongoing for over 200 years and the “force” behind today’s republican agenda is grounded in maintaining the power with the white “ruling” class.  On many occasions on this site I’ve referenced the book “The Family” by Jeff Sharlett and you really need to read that to better understand the magnitude of what the progressives in America are up against.  However, this really is a WAR and the so-called (self described) “liberal media” continues to act in a way consistent with the complaints of General Sherman during the Civil War.  Right wing editors are stirring “up the passions of the multitudes, arraign(ing) with impunity the motives of the most honorable, and howl(ing) on their gang of bloody hounds (Limbaugh, Hannity, Larsen, Boehner, McConnell, etc.) to hunt down any man who despises their order.  In the case of our president, no matter what he proposes, they will attack him.  Therefore, it seems as if nothing is getting done.  Yet, I feel that if the left will mobilize and help the general public to sift through the BS it is possible to vote these present day republicans out en masse.  Just as in the days of the Civil War it was a HUGE challenge to overcome the attack dog press; however, it can be done, “but,” as said by General Sherman, “it will require tact and skill and courage to clip the wings of this public enemy.”

America has always overcome these right wing challenges to the foundation of our nation through strong leadership.  Lincoln came along at just the right time.  Grant reluctantly took his important place in the history of this nation at just the right time.  FDR came along at just the right time.  JFK was snuffed out by the forces behind today’s right wing movement, but he came at the right time.  I’m confident someone will emerge in the next few years to continue America’s push to prove that people CAN govern themselves in a way that is designed to benefit the masses (and not the few).  I was naive to think that President Obama was that leader.  His rhetoric was enticing, but I’m just not convinced he understood the challenge he was facing.  He’s got three years left, but he’s enabled the republicans to control the agenda and until I see him call them out – that is, draw a clear line on their overt obstruction, I don’t see him as the leader who “turns the tide.”  When FDR referred to the wealthiest class of Americans by saying “They are unanimous in their hate for me, and I welcome their hate,” he made it clear that he understood the challenge of progressivism.  The next American “FDR” who “welcomes the hate” from the right will find a large portion of America’s electorate vigorously supporting him or her!  Can you imagine how the Koch Brothers and Fox “news” will respond if America’s next president is a woman????

Recently I’ve been hearing some words coming from our president that are more in line with what I was expecting upon his first election, but I have to admit that I’m somewhat deflated by some of his ACTIONS since attaining the “White House.”  I don’t think I’ll EVER get over his decision to BLOCK all the NEEDED investigations of the Bush/Cheney cabal that clearly believed themselves ABOVE THE LAW.  That action, in itself, I think empowered the republicans to initiate this OBSTRUCTION that has been going on since day one of the Obama administration and which has gained so much “steam” that the potential “accomplishments” of those behind the republican “scene” are getting scarier all the time.  In addition to the ill advised policy of “looking forward instead of back” that President Obama put forth shortly after his inauguration in 2009 he has “deflated” his liberal “base” on several occasions.  (I will never forget Obama’s first “chief of staff,” Rahm Emanuel calling liberals “f_____ng retards”) He extended the “Bush Tax Cuts,” he followed the Bush negotiated exit from Iraq, we’re still in Afghanistan (I’ll NEVER understand that one), he’s put Social Security “on the table,” (regarding negotiations to reduce the debt that Social Security has no part in), and now I’m hearing that Larry Summers could be the next chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank.  That is the same Larry Summers who, in a coalition with Phil Gramm and other right wing republicans, orchestrated the end of the Glass-Steagall requirement that banks be banks and investment houses would not be gambling with American’s savings accounts.  The repeal of Glass-Steagall led to the “too big to fail (jail)” Wall Street “banks.”

I’m just beginning tonight’s rant with that caveat because I believe Obama’s rhetoric has become just that to many on the left (like myself) because of his “republican lite” reality in so many ways.  I continue to be one who longs for President Obama to SUCCEED in the face of a HUGE onslaught of right wing money aimed at insuring his FAILURE, but I’m just not sure he (or his advisers) “get” the reality of the “WAR” that is going on in America as I write this – and, it’s not a war coming from some external force, it’s that war from within that President Kennedy warned us about over 50 years ago.  Most people don’t understand the threat of people like the Koch Brothers (Charles and David Koch) and the stealth strategy they’ve been following for MANY, MANY years.  For example, not many Americans (including myself until recently) know about the “American Legislative Exchange Council,” (ALEC)  or the Heritage Foundation – both the outgrowth of the Koch’s whose father was a founding member of the John Birch Society.  These organizations are real threats to anyone who believes in the founding principles of America which were personified in the “New Deal” of Franklin Roosevelt and furthered during the years of Dwight Eisenhower (you don’t hear many republicans praising Eisenhower), JFK and Lyndon Johnson. The advances brought forth from Roosevelt’s election in 1932 until Reagan’s election in 1980 created the world’s greatest “middle class.”  These Koch funded groups are “chipping away,” little by little, every advancement for working class Americans they can and their sophisticated methods are bearing more and more “fruit” as time goes by.  They have unlimited funds, they have no sense of integrity (money, power, and profit are their motivators), and they are VERY resolved.

In reality, the political climate in America was changed by the election of Ronald Reagan (FBI informer) in 1980 to allow for institutions like ALEC and the Heritage Foundation to flourish.  Reagan led the charge to undermine the strength of Unions when he “busted” the Air Traffic Controllers union on national TV.  Since that day the number of unionized Americans in the workforce has declined to less than 10% from something approaching 35%.  It is not a reach to say that republicans are “anti-union.”  They will not be happy until there’s not a trace of a union workforce left in America.  They hate things like the minimum wage, unemployment insurance, social security, medicare, overtime laws, safety regulations, pollution regulations, bank regulations, and I could go on (and on) – anything that benefits us “little people.”  Read “The Family,” by Jeff Sharlett – it will open your eyes to their philosophy that the rich and powerful should make the rules – PERIOD!  (I’m not kidding when I point out they’ve adopted parts of Nazi philosophy along the way – this group has been fighting the New Deal since its inception)

If you don’t know – ALEC is a corporate funded group which writes corporate friendly (“conservative”) legislation for members of state legislatures and includes “funding” for the legislators who initiate their agenda. (in other words, they’re buying local politicians all across America)  This is probably happening in a legislature near you.  One reason ALEC has been more in the news is because they are the “force” behind the “Stand Your Ground” laws put forth (and supported by the NRA) and passed in something like 31 states nationally.  It is this “Stand Your Ground” law that apparently allowed the Sanford Florida court to “exonerate” George Zimmerman for murdering Trayvon Martin. (I’m assuming you’re familiar with that case)  It should be obvious to you that this is a “wake-up call” to all Americans who believe in civil rights.  I just finished reading a book about the Summer of 1919 when Blacks in America were tortured, beaten, and lynched in unbelievable numbers and this is the era that the people behind ALEC wish to return us.  (Check out the recent Supreme Court decision gutting the voting rights act and put it all together with Citizens United, “Stand Your Ground,” and the efforts to ensure our Black president “FAILS” and you should get my “drift”)  Click here to find out all you need to know about ALEC.

Then there’s the Heritage Foundation (a “Think Tank”) That was founded by one of the Coors Beer family and Paul Weyrich – famous for encouraging voter suppression – and supported by a long list of right wing “conservatives” including the Kochs.  (click here for the list supporters)  They are run by Jim DeMint, former racist senator from South Carolina.  Their website encouraging you (and me) to join, in their quest for 1 MILLION members is promoted by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.  Now, if you’ve listened to 15 minutes or so of Limbaugh you know he’s an overt racist and misogynist.  Hannity, on the other hand, (at least when I’ve been able to stomach a few minutes of his schpeel) is much more subtle than Limbaugh.  The other day I was listening to about 10 minutes of a conversation Hannity was having with someone regarding the George Zimmerman murder of Trayvon Martin (I actually happened on this accidentally on my XM car radio) and I was astounded at the number of racial “code words” spewing from Hannity’s mouth as he attempted to guide his unwitting guest through the conversation.  Personally, I prefer the Limbaugh type who come right out with their beliefs than someone as sleazy as Hannity.  These people are the “face” of the Heritage Foundation which is focused on the reversal of the “New Deal” and “liberalism.” (you know, the “mess” – as they refer to it – brought about by things like unions, bank regulations, civil rights, voting rights, child labor laws, etc., etc.)

An offshoot of the Heritage Foundation is the CATO Institute – with Charles Koch as one of the founders.  This is another right wing (libertarian) “Think Tank” that has as its purpose the elimination of as much of the “New Deal” as possible.  Their funders include a wide range of corporate interests who presumably benefit from, in the words of Grover Norquist, “shrinking government to the size where it can be flushed down the drain.”  It didn’t surprise me to see the oil companies and tobacco companies as their sponsors, but computer related companies like Microsoft and Sun were a bit unexpected to me.  Here’s the link to info about CATO.

I’m just pointing this all out to show the depth of the assault on America’s middle class.  Obviously, I believe the advancements that have come since Roosevelt’s election in 1932 have tremendously moved America in a positive direction.  In my mind, all you need to do is go back and study American History beyond what’s in the text books and it should be clear to you that the attacks from the “right” are dangerous and serious.  People like the Kochs, the Coors, the Scaife’s, the Walton Family (Walmart), and others with unlimited funds are not the people I want to depend on to do the right thing for us “little people.”  They have bank accounts that are beyond the imagination of “we the people.”  Their power grab is exactly what Thomas Jefferson was worried about as the American Constitution was evolving.  These “think tanks” are behind the “permanent republican majority” strategy that intends to suffocate America’s working class into a proletariat like under-class.  And, they’re succeeding while the rest of us are too busy to notice.  They obviously have control of the Courts and they virtually have control of congress (via the filibuster in the senate) along with control of our “liberal media.”  (calling our media “liberal” is such a sick joke to me that I don’t know how people can still be falling for that one – this is where the “Big lie theory” comes in)

This gets me back to President Obama.  He was elected to reverse the abuses of the Bush/Cheney regime and he, instead, chose to ignore them – and, in some instances, perpetuate them (i.e. – the “data mining” of U.S. citizens phone and email conversations).  As our president pursues his “grand bargain” – which includes cuts to programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. (I’m not totally sure how aware he is that the republicans would love nothing better than to “rid” America of these “socialist” safety net programs) – apparently thinking he MUST get SOMETHING  done in the face of this unbelievable obstruction from the “right,” I’m a bit confused as to what he envisions as his legacy.  I’ve stated this before, I hope he understands the FOLLY of being the Democratic president who allows Social Security and Medicare to be undermined.  I TRULY hope he has no intention of letting the likes of Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, and others on the “right” help to “fix” our social “safety net.”  Their “fix” would be to get rid of it!

There’s not much time left for the reality of the situation to sink in to President Obama.  If he really wants to accomplish what he was elected to accomplish, he needs to join the FIGHT to rid this nation of the present day republican party.  Now, I’m not saying the republican party per se – I’m talking about this “Tea Party” infected, right wing, Koch Brothers, etc. party – the “conservative” party that’s been hijacked by right wing extremists in cohorts with the authoritarian corporatists.  Traditionally, the republican party has been the “home” of some great American statesmen – Dwight Eisenhower, Everett Dirksen, Mark Hatfield, Tom McCall, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Rockefeller, and I could go on (those are a few names off the top of my head) – and, people like the Koch’s and the Coors’ and the Scaife’s, etc. were always on the “fringe” due to their extreme (and selfish) corporate and “libertarian” views. It will take a mammoth effort by “we the people” to get the message across that this republican party is unacceptable in 21st Century America, and we need strong leaders to stand strong against a very sophisticated “enemy.”  President Obama has the opportunity to lead the way, but he’s got to quit envisioning his “grand bargain” that sets the cause of America’s middle class back to the “robber baron” days.  Obama, himself, in my view is pursuing policies comparable to a moderate republican of days gone by.

For most of my life I’ve disagreed with many republican positions (although not always), but I could respect their place at the table and appreciate many results of bipartisan “negotiations.”  For example, Bob Dole is a republican who I generally disagreed with but mostly always respected because of his ability to communicate “across the isle.”  Actually, John McCain fell into that category until he ran for president and somehow got “sucked in” to the extreme right – possibly upon his choice to associate himself (almost unbelievably to me) with Sarah Palin.  In fact, the reality that republicans were comfortable with someone as uninformed as Sarah Palin being “a heartbeat away” from the presidency says it all to me regarding the depth of thought ruling that party today.  I’ve listened to several former Reagan officials who are almost as alarmed as myself regarding the direction of the “conservative” movement, but, in the end, it will have to be President Obama (or President Clinton – Hillary), or someone who “gets it” to be the leader of the FIGHT to put this present day republican movement back where it was after 1932 and the election of FDR.  I honestly thought Obama understood that when I originally voted for him, but as I watched his first choice of Emanuel, Summers, and Geithner to lead us out of the MESS that Bush/Cheney left I was somewhat alarmed.

I keep hearing, as stated above, the rhetoric that implies our president understands the issue, but he hasn’t shown me the where-with-all that would encourage his LIBERAL base that he’s serious about taking on this fight.  In actuality, I believe the republicans will not allow him ANY successes – NO MATTER WHAT – so, success will only be measured in how much progress he can make in leading this nation to purge the republicans from the congress.  Due to the gerrymandering of 2010, it will take a mammoth effort to regain control of the House and by firing up America’s working class LIBERALS I believe many of the worst offenders of the racist OBSTRUCTION in the Senate (Like Mitch McConnell) can be defeated.  Democrats should be doing everything in their power to make sure people like John Boehner, Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, McConnell, and others have to FIGHT to retain their seats in congress.  If President Obama would concentrate his efforts on the importance of regaining control of congress and making sure the American people (liberals) understood the importance of electing Democratic presidents until the Supreme Court is purged of people like Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas (unfortunately, Justices Roberts and Alito will be there until my children are my age – ughhh!) I believe he can energize his LIBERAL base to the point where they can overcome all the dirty tricks of the republicans.

Remember, with Citizens United (if you’re still not aware of what that is, Google it – it’s one of the worst Supreme Court decisions to come down in the HISTORY of the United States – the epitome of judicial activism) the republican corporate cronies will be FLOODING every future election with MONEY and misleading (to lying) advertising designed to BUY elections.  Additionally, the Supreme Court recently GUTTED the Voting Rights Act and republican Secretary’s of State all over America are already busy initiating voter suppression plans designed to limit voting by minority voters, students, and elderly people who already find it difficult in many precincts to vote.  (Remember, in places like Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania – in the last election, people in predominantly democratic areas had to wait in line up to 9 or 10 hours to cast their votes.  Obviously, many people are not able to do that.  It is at the voting booth that the revolution needed in America MUST take place, and republicans are (and will be) doing everything they can to stop it!  It will take more than empty rhetoric for President Obama to energize America’s Liberals to persevere in this BATTLE!  He needs to change his focus from the “GRAND BARGAIN” (that republicans will NOT agree to – and democrats like me don’t want) to the “GREAT BATTLE” – with the goal to purge the “Tea Party” republicans and those leading assault on the “New Deal” from Congress.  Only then will it be possible for an agenda that addresses the REAL problems of America!  (the failing infrastructure, the decaying inner cities, the unemployed and under employed, those without health care, the militaristic foreign policy, the “too big to fail” banks, too much corporate money in politics, corruption in Washington DC – and in American politics in general, etc., etc.)