The GOP may be fighting for their lives if they continue to let the Tea Party call the shots. The Tea Party is like the old Dixiecrats were in 1948. The Dixiecrats were a group of segregationist that was a part of the Democratic Party. Unhappy with the Civil Rights policies the Democrats were adopting the Dixiecrats tried to bring in new leadership. They were not successful but continued to campaign for “States Rights”. Does that sound familiar? They wanted states to have the right to continue Jim Crow laws and have less regulation so that business could discriminate without the Federal Government stepping in.
In the 1960s political and ideological lines were drawn between the Democratic and Republican Parties. Liberals and moderates moved from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party and conservatives moved to the Republican Party. All of this happened because of Civil Rights. The Federal Government gave equal rights to all people and regulated business to prevent discrimination.
The GOP or the Tea Party is calling for “Less Regulation and States Rights”. They are also saying “No Compromise”. That last one “No Compromise” is almost insane to me. When you are dealing with laws compromise is almost always part of doing business. Right now the Debt Ceiling vote is being held up by the Tea Party members of the GOP because they don’t want any type of tax increase. They say the Government spends too much money. I agree with them on that one. That is about the only thing I agree with them on.
The GOP/Tea Party said they want to take reduce spending to what it was in the 1960s. I would like to see them try to run their home based on the average income of the 1960s. They would be homeless if they tried. When people have that type of ideology you just have to walk away. There are some people that you just can’t work with.
Years ago I was working with a guy on a project. We were supposed to be equals but I knew from the start that we were not. He had the connections needed to make the thing work. Everything I wanted to do he had a problem with and the things he wanted to do he would just implement. Sometimes he would tell me first sometimes he would not. It was his way or no way. People tried to warn me but I always had the mindset that I could work with anyone. Now I know that some people just refuse to work with others. In the end I just walked away. That Is the Tea Party.
The GOP needs to walk away from these people. You can’t work with everyone. Not because you don’t want to but because they will not let you. They want less regulation of business because the free market will force them to do the right thing. WHAT? That is just nonsense. Business exists for one reason and one reason only and that is to make money. The good that they do in most cases is secondary. I am pro-business but they are run by people and people don’t always have the best interest of others in mind.
The Tea Party is a loud and demanding group of people and they say some crazy things sometimes. They say those things over and over without any comments from the leaders of the GOP. One has to assume that the GOP leadership agrees with the things the Tea Party people are saying if they are not correcting them. I know not all GOP people are Tea Partiers but all Tea Partiers are GOP.
The Tea party is the second birth of the Dixiecrats under a different name. They may want to go back to the 1960s but the question is will the GOP go with them and try to drag the rest of us along.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Debt Ceiling
I know even before I start to write this that some of you are not going to agree with me. I know this because the people that read my blog have a large range of incomes. One reader I am guessing makes less than 10K a year, four I think are making in the eight digits and one I am pretty sure is around nine digits or close to it. I could do a post just about one of his houses. The thing is huge. His guest house is bigger than my only house. I also know a few that pretend or talks like they are rich but in reality they are far from it or hide it very well. I say this because I believe your income level has something to do with your political views. It is not the only thing but I believe it plays a part. One of the rich people that I know thinks the way I do about taxes. I know this only because we have had conversations about the debt ceiling and taxes.
In the news for the past few weeks is the subject the Debt Ceiling. The Right Wing wants spending cuts and the Left Wing wants Tax increases. One would think this would be an easy solution but it is far from easy. The Left Wing is willing to compromise but the Right Wing backed by the Tea Party is saying they are standing firm on no Tax increases. Let me say up front that I don’t like the Idea of paying more in taxes. I also don’t like that we are engaged in multiple wars around the world. I didn’t like it when we invaded Iraq. I didn’t like it when we didn’t use the military to save people when Katrina hit New Orleans. I didn’t like it when the Patriot Act was passed and O’bama renewed it. My point is there are lots of things the government does that I personally don’t agree with. That doesn’t mean I should not have to pay my taxes. I hear people say that the government is too big and I agree but this is a big country.
The Right Wing likes to say “it’s not the government’s money, it’s your money”. That’s a load of crap. We as a people have to pay the government. Having the military to protect us, roads to drive on, clean water to drink, air that is somewhat clean, and multiple other offices to regulate business to protect the citizens. These things are not done free of charge. Now if you ask me if I think that the government spends too much or waste lots of money, I would say yes it does. After being in the military for 20 years I can say without a doubt, it wastes lots and lots of money. That being said I can also say people waste lots of money. I will go further and say I waste lots of money. People waste money that is what we do. Should the government looks for ways to save money? I say yes.
This debt ceiling is coming down to the wire. There have already been some spending cuts so I would vote to raise taxes up to 40% for everyone making $1,000,000 and up. For my readers in this group I say I’m sorry and I am very proud of you. Paying taxes is the price you pay for living in this country. When I was in the military it was considered PATRIOTIC to serve your country and possibly making the ultimate sacrifice by giving your life. Why is it that when the government asks for some of your money it is considered Socialism? That doesn’t make sense to me. Giving your time and life is patriotic and giving your money is socialism. Please someone explain that one to me because I truly don’t understand it.
I know people don’t like to have money taken from them. I believe that is why President Bush didn’t have a war tax to fund his wars. If he had done a war tax people would not support it very long. There should be a law stating that for every war this country is engaged in there has to be a tax to support it. That would make more people pay attention to what is going on. I know that would not fix everything but I think it would help. As long as people don’t have skin in the game they don’t care what happens.
I would also end tax breaks for companies making over a billion dollars a year. No tax breaks for companies with more than 50% of their labor force is outside the United States. I would close corporate loop holes. I would do all I could do to raise revenue. While that is being done I would also try to end as much waste as possible. The last thing I would do is take money from the people that already have very little. I know there are people on Social Security that should not be getting it. I just don’t think that number is as high as the amount of money we give away to the multinational companies. There are too many people barely getting by on Social Security and Medicare to cut it.
There are lots of things wrong with this country. Our government is broken. It spends too much on some things and not enough on others. What those things are will vary depending on who you ask. I’m not sure what the answer is or how to fix it. What I do know is that it should not be done by taking away from those who have so little. We should not deprive a person of an education in order to give a rich person a little more money. I don’t have a lot of money and I hate having to give more money to Uncle Sam. What I hate more than that is seeing people lose their home. I really hate to see people that are hungry and forced to live on the street. I hate to hear about the children in Alabama that don’t have enough money for school books but plenty of money to fund the Confederate Cemetery. We can do better than this.
We have the wrong people in office.
In the news for the past few weeks is the subject the Debt Ceiling. The Right Wing wants spending cuts and the Left Wing wants Tax increases. One would think this would be an easy solution but it is far from easy. The Left Wing is willing to compromise but the Right Wing backed by the Tea Party is saying they are standing firm on no Tax increases. Let me say up front that I don’t like the Idea of paying more in taxes. I also don’t like that we are engaged in multiple wars around the world. I didn’t like it when we invaded Iraq. I didn’t like it when we didn’t use the military to save people when Katrina hit New Orleans. I didn’t like it when the Patriot Act was passed and O’bama renewed it. My point is there are lots of things the government does that I personally don’t agree with. That doesn’t mean I should not have to pay my taxes. I hear people say that the government is too big and I agree but this is a big country.
The Right Wing likes to say “it’s not the government’s money, it’s your money”. That’s a load of crap. We as a people have to pay the government. Having the military to protect us, roads to drive on, clean water to drink, air that is somewhat clean, and multiple other offices to regulate business to protect the citizens. These things are not done free of charge. Now if you ask me if I think that the government spends too much or waste lots of money, I would say yes it does. After being in the military for 20 years I can say without a doubt, it wastes lots and lots of money. That being said I can also say people waste lots of money. I will go further and say I waste lots of money. People waste money that is what we do. Should the government looks for ways to save money? I say yes.
This debt ceiling is coming down to the wire. There have already been some spending cuts so I would vote to raise taxes up to 40% for everyone making $1,000,000 and up. For my readers in this group I say I’m sorry and I am very proud of you. Paying taxes is the price you pay for living in this country. When I was in the military it was considered PATRIOTIC to serve your country and possibly making the ultimate sacrifice by giving your life. Why is it that when the government asks for some of your money it is considered Socialism? That doesn’t make sense to me. Giving your time and life is patriotic and giving your money is socialism. Please someone explain that one to me because I truly don’t understand it.
I know people don’t like to have money taken from them. I believe that is why President Bush didn’t have a war tax to fund his wars. If he had done a war tax people would not support it very long. There should be a law stating that for every war this country is engaged in there has to be a tax to support it. That would make more people pay attention to what is going on. I know that would not fix everything but I think it would help. As long as people don’t have skin in the game they don’t care what happens.
I would also end tax breaks for companies making over a billion dollars a year. No tax breaks for companies with more than 50% of their labor force is outside the United States. I would close corporate loop holes. I would do all I could do to raise revenue. While that is being done I would also try to end as much waste as possible. The last thing I would do is take money from the people that already have very little. I know there are people on Social Security that should not be getting it. I just don’t think that number is as high as the amount of money we give away to the multinational companies. There are too many people barely getting by on Social Security and Medicare to cut it.
There are lots of things wrong with this country. Our government is broken. It spends too much on some things and not enough on others. What those things are will vary depending on who you ask. I’m not sure what the answer is or how to fix it. What I do know is that it should not be done by taking away from those who have so little. We should not deprive a person of an education in order to give a rich person a little more money. I don’t have a lot of money and I hate having to give more money to Uncle Sam. What I hate more than that is seeing people lose their home. I really hate to see people that are hungry and forced to live on the street. I hate to hear about the children in Alabama that don’t have enough money for school books but plenty of money to fund the Confederate Cemetery. We can do better than this.
We have the wrong people in office.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Open to Debate
My last two posts struck a nerve for some people or made them uncomfortable. This blog that I write is meant to make people think and it allows me to vent. I want people to post their comments but it doesn't seem to work out that way. Most people either email their comment to me or they say them to me in person. One lady that I respect a lot quoted Mother Teresa to me; "I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there." The setting in which the quote was given to me was not conducive to a long political dialog. I like the quote and understand it. The problem is that I, meaning me, have no problem doing both.
One guy said that I may need to hire a body guard because I should not write about race this way. He said that the things I said were true but I should not put them in writing. I told him that I write about what is on my mind or about things that I come across in the media. The last two were mostly about conversations I had with one person.
The thing is I am pretty open with people that I talk with. People can talk to me about anything and don't have to watch their words when speaking. I like to think that you can speak your mind and do it freely without being afraid you may hurt my feelings. I understand when people are talking to me and not at me. I don't call people names or insult them when we are having a conversation. I want to hear what they have to say. I love to listen to people talk and want to understand the way they think. Even if I don't agree with them I want to hear what they have to say. Most of the time I prefer to talk with people that I disagree with more. People with far right ideas I love talking to more than anything else.
There was a guy one time that told me that he wanted a law that would allow children to go to the Doctor under the parents insurance without the parents knowing anything about it. Because I didn't agree with him he called me an idiot. It was funny to me because he got that upset about a law he wanted to pass here in Nevada. He was also upset because he could not make me think his way. Even though he could already take his daughter to the doctor and give him permission to treat her without him being there he wanted a law taking that responsibility away. I simply didn't agree. I didn't think it was that big a deal but he did. I guess I don't have that strong of an urge to always be right. I do have an urge to speak my mind and share my opinion. Then it is up to you to take it or leave it and to share yours.
The things that I write are not meant to hurts anyone's feeling. Only to open debate on ANY subject. As always your comments are welcomed.
One guy said that I may need to hire a body guard because I should not write about race this way. He said that the things I said were true but I should not put them in writing. I told him that I write about what is on my mind or about things that I come across in the media. The last two were mostly about conversations I had with one person.
The thing is I am pretty open with people that I talk with. People can talk to me about anything and don't have to watch their words when speaking. I like to think that you can speak your mind and do it freely without being afraid you may hurt my feelings. I understand when people are talking to me and not at me. I don't call people names or insult them when we are having a conversation. I want to hear what they have to say. I love to listen to people talk and want to understand the way they think. Even if I don't agree with them I want to hear what they have to say. Most of the time I prefer to talk with people that I disagree with more. People with far right ideas I love talking to more than anything else.
There was a guy one time that told me that he wanted a law that would allow children to go to the Doctor under the parents insurance without the parents knowing anything about it. Because I didn't agree with him he called me an idiot. It was funny to me because he got that upset about a law he wanted to pass here in Nevada. He was also upset because he could not make me think his way. Even though he could already take his daughter to the doctor and give him permission to treat her without him being there he wanted a law taking that responsibility away. I simply didn't agree. I didn't think it was that big a deal but he did. I guess I don't have that strong of an urge to always be right. I do have an urge to speak my mind and share my opinion. Then it is up to you to take it or leave it and to share yours.
The things that I write are not meant to hurts anyone's feeling. Only to open debate on ANY subject. As always your comments are welcomed.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Zero Sum
I was listening to a friend over the weekend go on and on about how white people are discriminated against. He likes to talk and sometimes I think emotion get the better of him and he ends up saying things that he doesn’t mean, so I thought. I say that because he is the only white person that I have ever heard say that. I know lots of white people and with many of them we have had conversations on the subject of race. He is the only one I have heard say that he has the short end of the stick.
Yesterday I was listening to NPR and they had Michael Norton on. He is the co-author of a Harvard Business School study that reveals that whites believe that discrimination against them is on the rise. Also on the show was the author of Color Blind, Tim Wise. This is the link to the show where you can listen to it. It is only about 10 minutes long.
http://www.npr.org/2011/07/13/137818177/racism-as-a-zero-sum-game
My friend talks about how he didn’t get a job because of quotas and how minorities get contracts just because of their race. How there are special awards for black people (BET). Even though that one is not true, BET gives awards to all races. He went on and on about how white people can’t do the same things as black people. I will agree with him on that point. White people can’t call their TV station White Entertainment Television. They have to call them ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, TBS, CNN, MSNBC, MTV, TV Land, Discovery Channel, History Channel; I think you get the idea. On all those stations you will mostly white people. That’s the way it is and that’s the way it always has been. Then came BET and if you wanted to see mostly black people you had a station to turn to. If you notice I said A station, meaning ONE. I’m not sure if he is complaining about black people having a station of if he is complaining that they use the word “Black” in the name. I guess I should ask him. The thing is, if black people had not been shut out then they would not need to create their own home. When you look at the BET Awards, it is a mirror image of the other award shows for white people. BET gives awards to mostly black people and 1 or 2 white people. Whereas the other award shows give awards to mostly white people and 1 or 2 black people.
Rather than complaining about the need to build their own home some white people are complaining about them having a home. When you look at how hard it was for blacks and other minorities to get anything for a very long time in this country. It is amazing to hear people who are upset that they have something. It’s like getting beat in the street then someone complain about you getting blood on the sidewalk. That person complaining is not looking or is unable to see the bigger picture. These people are looking at the result and not the cause.
I know this is not a comfortable subject for many people. I could be like one friend and prefer to not talk about it and almost pretend everything is fine. He feels that because most of the problems happened before I was born that it should not concern me. Some feel that talking about this only creates more of a separation between the races. I don’t know what the answer is but I don’t think ignoring it is the solution either.
What do you think?
Yesterday I was listening to NPR and they had Michael Norton on. He is the co-author of a Harvard Business School study that reveals that whites believe that discrimination against them is on the rise. Also on the show was the author of Color Blind, Tim Wise. This is the link to the show where you can listen to it. It is only about 10 minutes long.
http://www.npr.org/2011/07/13/137818177/racism-as-a-zero-sum-game
My friend talks about how he didn’t get a job because of quotas and how minorities get contracts just because of their race. How there are special awards for black people (BET). Even though that one is not true, BET gives awards to all races. He went on and on about how white people can’t do the same things as black people. I will agree with him on that point. White people can’t call their TV station White Entertainment Television. They have to call them ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, TBS, CNN, MSNBC, MTV, TV Land, Discovery Channel, History Channel; I think you get the idea. On all those stations you will mostly white people. That’s the way it is and that’s the way it always has been. Then came BET and if you wanted to see mostly black people you had a station to turn to. If you notice I said A station, meaning ONE. I’m not sure if he is complaining about black people having a station of if he is complaining that they use the word “Black” in the name. I guess I should ask him. The thing is, if black people had not been shut out then they would not need to create their own home. When you look at the BET Awards, it is a mirror image of the other award shows for white people. BET gives awards to mostly black people and 1 or 2 white people. Whereas the other award shows give awards to mostly white people and 1 or 2 black people.
Rather than complaining about the need to build their own home some white people are complaining about them having a home. When you look at how hard it was for blacks and other minorities to get anything for a very long time in this country. It is amazing to hear people who are upset that they have something. It’s like getting beat in the street then someone complain about you getting blood on the sidewalk. That person complaining is not looking or is unable to see the bigger picture. These people are looking at the result and not the cause.
I know this is not a comfortable subject for many people. I could be like one friend and prefer to not talk about it and almost pretend everything is fine. He feels that because most of the problems happened before I was born that it should not concern me. Some feel that talking about this only creates more of a separation between the races. I don’t know what the answer is but I don’t think ignoring it is the solution either.
What do you think?
Monday, July 11, 2011
Independence Day
On the 4th of July I got this Tweet: Independence day, the day in the history of our great nation that we decided that ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL. Enjoy it and remember it.
I tried to ignore it but I could not. The next day I responded to it by saying that the Tweet was not correct. It sounded good and I understood what they were trying to say but ALL MEN were not free at that time. I said in response that all WHITE MEN would be a truer statement. That too was not correct. What I should have said was ALL MEN (except black men) were created equal.
The reason I am posting this is because the person that made the Tweet emailed me saying that their Tweet was correct. I know some people don’t like to let little things like FACTS get in the way of their argument. Some people like to argue just because they don’t want to be wrong.
I don’t think they were trying to be disrespectful. I think they were just feeling patriotic and wanted to share the feelings thru Twitter. Maybe I should not have responded to it and just let it go. There is NO part of me that thinks this person is racist in any way. I was just surprised when they disagreed with me and said they were sticking to the original Tweet. We spent about 6 hours emailing each other disagreeing on what I call documented facts and they call my opinion.
I understand some white people don’t like admit that this country treated black people like animals. That doesn’t change the facts. I don’t blame the white people of today for the things that happened many years ago, but that doesn’t change the facts. I understand that it is a shameful part of America’s history, but it doesn’t change the facts.
They said “enjoy it and remember it”. So let’s remember it.
On July 4th 1776 this is what was written: When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
I’m not going to post the entire Declaration of Independence. They went on to list several grievances they had with the King of England regarding the treatment of the colonist. They didn’t bother to exclude black men (I believe) because they considered them to be the same as cattle and chickens. Some of the people that signed the document were slave owners. These are FACTS not OPINIONS. Slavery is an ugly part of America’s history and you CAN NOT dress that turd up.
My reason for posting this, other than just needing something to blog about, is I would like to hear from people that feel that I should not have responded to the Tweet or that the Tweet was correct.
I tried to ignore it but I could not. The next day I responded to it by saying that the Tweet was not correct. It sounded good and I understood what they were trying to say but ALL MEN were not free at that time. I said in response that all WHITE MEN would be a truer statement. That too was not correct. What I should have said was ALL MEN (except black men) were created equal.
The reason I am posting this is because the person that made the Tweet emailed me saying that their Tweet was correct. I know some people don’t like to let little things like FACTS get in the way of their argument. Some people like to argue just because they don’t want to be wrong.
I don’t think they were trying to be disrespectful. I think they were just feeling patriotic and wanted to share the feelings thru Twitter. Maybe I should not have responded to it and just let it go. There is NO part of me that thinks this person is racist in any way. I was just surprised when they disagreed with me and said they were sticking to the original Tweet. We spent about 6 hours emailing each other disagreeing on what I call documented facts and they call my opinion.
I understand some white people don’t like admit that this country treated black people like animals. That doesn’t change the facts. I don’t blame the white people of today for the things that happened many years ago, but that doesn’t change the facts. I understand that it is a shameful part of America’s history, but it doesn’t change the facts.
They said “enjoy it and remember it”. So let’s remember it.
On July 4th 1776 this is what was written: When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
I’m not going to post the entire Declaration of Independence. They went on to list several grievances they had with the King of England regarding the treatment of the colonist. They didn’t bother to exclude black men (I believe) because they considered them to be the same as cattle and chickens. Some of the people that signed the document were slave owners. These are FACTS not OPINIONS. Slavery is an ugly part of America’s history and you CAN NOT dress that turd up.
My reason for posting this, other than just needing something to blog about, is I would like to hear from people that feel that I should not have responded to the Tweet or that the Tweet was correct.
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