Month: March 2011

Unemployment Compensation Being Downsized In Many States!

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In the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, many states run by Republicans are working to downsize unemployment compensation to those who lose their jobs.

We are witnessing more people long term unemployed, including “99ers” who have received benefits for nearly two years, and cannot find work. And many companies are now making it clear that they will only hire people already working, not anyone who is presently without employment.

So now, in the midst of this tragic situation, Florida, Michigan, Indiana, Arkansas, and Arizona are in the process of cutting basic unemployment benefits down from 26 weeks to 20 weeks, showing no concern at what that would do to families!

How obscene these GOP state governments have become, and what they fail to realize is that desperate people often will take desperate action, and gun violence is bound to shoot up as more Americans have no alternative for survival than to commit crimes!

This action by these various states and their governors is a crime against humanity, and it shows that these cynical politicians do not understand the basic reality that “there but for the grace of God go I!”.

This is not certainly Christian values, which conservatives and Republicans love to claim!

The Danger To Academic Freedom At Universities, The Media And All Free Thinkers!

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It is interesting that a person, with no special qualifications other than a big mouth and ability to be outrageous in his statements on radio or cable, can be totally protected in his free speech rights, but if a college professor or intellectual voices his educated judgment, the move is on to discredit him, and destroy him if possible, as a radical or an extremist!

This has happened to Professor William Cronon, the President Elect of the American Historical Association, of which the author is a proud member, for his criticisms of the Wisconsin state government for what it has done and is doing to the rights of state employees regarding collective bargaining, an idea that came to Wisconsin earlier than anywhere else!

Paul Krugman of the New York Times brings attention to this issue in the Sunday edition of his column, and it is, indeed, very troubling.

The same tactic has been used against those scientists who promote climate change legislation, and the aim of the right wing in the Republican Party and in the news media is clear: Do everything to “shut up” the college professors and intellectuals who dare to challenge the right wing agenda of destroying academic freedom and free speech for those who disagree with their agenda!

The Rush Limbaughs, Glenn Becks, Sean Hannitys, Bill O’Reillys, etc of talk radio and television will continue to spew forth their propaganda, but those who oppose their lies and deceptions must not allow themselves to be intimidated from telling the truth, and promoting an open minded look at history, science, public affairs, and every other area of knowledge, as it is precisely these professors and intellectuals who keep the hope alive of a truly educated population who understands history, science, public affairs, rather than the misconceptions and fabrications of the far right, which will stop at nothing to promote their propaganda, and have taken control of the Republican Party, lock, stock and barrel, to the detriment of the American people!

Florida Recall Of Miami Dade Mayor A Warning To Governor Rick Scott!

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The shocking, overwhelming vote for recall of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez should be a warning sign to Governor Rick Scott and others in the state legislature, as well as in Wisconsin and other states, where the elected office holders are acting more like dictators, than servants of the people!

One cannot recall any election or recall where 88 percent of the people voted in unison, an unbelievable landslide of astronomical proportions!

Governor Rick Scott has angered many people with his reckless behavior and disregard for anyone but the Tea Party Movement crowd, that elected him on an agenda of making Florida a “third world nation” in public services!

Already one of the worst states in social services, particularly education and health care, Scott has cut taxes on corporations and property owners while calling for the cutting of education and health care by billions of dollars, and has made it clear that if you don’t agree with him, don’t bother him as he has no interest in listening, and will not answer to the media either!

This man is trying to privatize the state on a massive basis, and he is declaring war on teachers and other public servants, similar to Scott Walker in Wisconsin.

The damage that is being done will make Florida a less desirable place for people to live in and migrate to, and meanwhile, his demand for all public servants to undergo quarterly drug testing will invade privacy rights, and cost large scale financial investments the state cannot afford. One wonders if he has connections with those who would make profits from such testing, and would receive kickbacks, considering his felonious conduct in Medicare scams in the 1990s, for which he only paid major fines, rather than ending up in federal prison, where he should have been today, instead of being Governor of Florida!

If a public worker is shown by performance or behavior to have a problem with drugs or alcohol, then it is proper to test him and hold him or her accountable. But to require all workers to have such a test on a regular basis is bound to be declared unconstitutional, and is an invasion of privacy!

It is amazing how Scott wants to privatize everything, to make government smaller, except when it comes to interference in the private lives of people! Unless there is a problem demonstrating itself at work, it is no one’s business what one does in his or her private time away from work!

Recall of the Governor is essential if Florida is to survive intact for the long term future! Otherwise, the Sunshine State is facing “stormy weather”, which brings to mind, what is the likelihood of Governor Scott reacting appropriately to provide aid were Florida to face a new threat of hurricanes as it dealt with quite well under Governor Jeb Bush in 2004-2005, when the state was hit by eight hurricanes.

The thought that Scott would leave it to private groups, rather than government, in such an emergency, is enough to make one fear any such eventuality. Hopefully, Florida will not be tested by such an emergency!

The Need To Build And Reconstruct Infrastructure For The Future Of America

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America is at a crossroads, and it is essential that America understand the need to rebuild much of our infrastructure, as well as expand our technology to meet the demands of the future, and compete with other world nations, including China, India and Brazil, all emerging powers.

Our highways, tunnels, bridges, train systems, power grid, energy supply, internet networks, and all other infrastructure need a commitment equivalent to the building of the transcontinental railroad system during and after the Civil War; the urgency to the building of the atomic bomb during World War II; the building of the interstate highway system beginning in the 1950s; and the competition with the Soviet Union in the space program to go to the moon in the 1960s.

Millions of jobs could be created in these infrastructure projects, and could help America to compete in the world economy and keep the excellence that America is noted for. But instead, there seems to be no imagination or creativity to look to the long term future in the midst of the present economic crisis.

This requires strong presidential leadership, to move beyond the pettiness and the politics of the minute, and think long range!

Disappointments With Barack Obama: Guns, Labor, And Bradley Manning

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President Obama is overwhelmed with one problem after another, and with no break in stress and tension, as the world and the nation seem to be going from one problem to another.

Already, we have seen four major issues arise in 2011, which are bound to be among the top ten news stories of the year: the guns issue, after the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona in January; the uprisings in the Middle East, particularly Egypt and now Libya, leading to American involvement with NATO, the UN, and the Arab League, and Obama’s decision to intervene militarily against Moammar Gaddafi; the Wisconsin battle over organized labor, which has spread to other states as well; and the disastrous Japanese earthquake, ensuing tsunami, and the nuclear power plants emergency that followed those natural events.

So the ability of Barack Obama to do and say everything that one might feel he should, is, of course, unrealistic, but still there are three key issues that need to be addressed at some point soon by our President.

The first is to take strong leadership on the issue of the need for some greater regulation of guns, as since the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords, and the killing of six others and wounding of thirteen, we have seen the murder by gun of close to 3,000 people. If this is not a national crisis, and with the additional murders of young black youths that we see in Chicago and elsewhere, then what is? It is hard to fight the gun lobby and the National Rifle Association, but the President MUST not sit on the sidelines as gun violence escalates, and the growing danger of political assassination of himself, or some other office holder grows by leaps and bounds as the economy continues to create a crisis atmosphere in regards to jobs and housing.

Secondly, Obama had said during his Presidential campaign in 2008 that he would march with labor if there was ever a threat against the rights of workers, but he has hardly spoken up, and certainly has not gone to Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, or Florida to speak up on the issue and to confront the “Bully” GOP Governors, including most infamously, Scott Walker, John Kasich, Rick Snyder, Mitch Daniels, or Rick Scott, who are destroying the rights of public employees, making them the scapegoat, as these governors favor the rich and the powerful, and set out to destroy collective bargaining. Obama will have to campaign on labor support in 2012, but he has been slow to react publicly with adequate words and actions!

Finally, there is the issue of Private Bradley Manning, who is accused of releasing and disseminating Wikileaks information on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and who is being held in inhumane conditions in the military brig at Quantico Naval Base in Virginia, stripped naked, not allowed to sleep normally, kept in solitary confinement, being mentally destroyed, all on the basis of accusations, but not yet coming to trial.

President Obama made a reference to Manning when asked at a news conference, that he had been assured that what was being done with Manning was totally appropriate, but that is clearly the furthest from the truth. It is clear that his mistreatment is an outrage that the President needs to stop immediately, and it is a tremendous disappointment that he seems up to this point to be totally insensitive to what is happening to Manning.

Urgent action on all three matters is needed, and hopefully, the first will be to relieve Manning of his inhumane treatment NOW!

Mr. President, we believe in you, but you need to take immediate action on all three of the above matters!

The Significance Of National Public Radio: Thoughtful, Incisive Coverage Of News And International Affairs, NOT Propaganda As Conservative Talk Radio Is!

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The Republican Party is out to destroy National Public Radio, which receives a small amount of its support from the federal government, but has been a major asset to the nation in all the years it has existed since Lyndon Johnson first promoted the concept in 1965!

National Public Radio offers thoughtful, incisive coverage of news and international affairs , not the propaganda and distortions of Conservative Talk Radio!

Listening to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Michael Savage, Mark Levin, and the other hate mongers who promote division and falsehoods over the airwaves, offers nothing but ignorance and distortion of the world we live in, and all hate anything foreign and prefer to promote narrow minded Christianity over open mindedness and tolerance. These despicable talk show hosts would rather enrich themselves than educate the American people in basic values and principles of our American democracy, or to assist them to appreciate the contributions of civilizations and societies around the world!

National Public Radio regularly gains massive financial support from thoughtful, educated listeners, who understand how important it is to civil discourse!

If we did not have National Public Radio, we would not have as much knowledge and insight into world events as we do, as many news organizations have cut back on coverage outside the United States because of budget cuts.

National Public Radio offers us the ability to interact with the world in a way that enriches every person who listens!

President Obama and the Democratic Senate will insure that National Public Radio remains available in smaller media markets where there are fewer media outlets, but the budget cuts will make the job of NPR more difficult to disseminate its quality coverage.

For the GOP to attack NPR, and also the educational contributions of PBS at the same time, is a opportunity to look into their souls and see just how narrow minded and bigoted and evil the Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower has become!

Not for a minute would any of these outstanding Republican Presidents tolerate such a narrow minded and jaded view as the leaders of the party have presented themselves in today’s environment! This attack on NPR is an attack on education and tolerance and everything good in human beings, and the promotion of an agenda that could rightly be called an attempt at “mind control” by the plutocracy that now controls the Republican Party establishment, as it assaults human rights in the name of profit!

The Passing Of Geraldine Ferraro: A Symbol Of Progress For Women!

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Former Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro passed away today at age 75 of blood cancer, and this news reminded us of her historical significance.

A Queens Congresswoman for three terms from 1979-1985, Ferraro was chosen by former Vice President Walter Mondale to be his Vice Presidential running mate on the ticket that lost to President Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Ferraro was the first woman and first Italian American to run for the second highest position in the nation, a heartbeat away from the Presidency.

She comported herself well as a candidate, not making a fool of herself, as the second woman to run for Vice President on a major party ticket, Sarah Palin, did so obviously in 2008!

Her being first to run for Vice President guaranteed that she would make the record books forever, and now she has gone into the history books as she is being laid to rest.

She should be highly honored and respected for her achievement, and give us hope that someday soon, a QUALIFIED woman of either party, not Sarah Palin nor Michele Bachmann, will take the oath of office for the Presidency in some future inauguration day in Washington, DC!

British Budget Demonstrations Turn Violent: Is This Portending The Future In America?

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The year 2011 is only three months old, but already we have had massive demonstrations protesting dictatorial government in the many countries in the Middle East, with some of these demonstrations, unfortunately, turning violent. But it is clear the younger generation wants opportunities for a real future, rather than one of poverty and deprivation and lack of human rights.

Sadly, now we are starting to see massive demonstrations and the danger of violence in countries around the world affected by the economic crisis, by citizens who cannot tolerate the massive cuts in education, health care, and other public services that the population of these nations cannot comprehend occurring, as it will hit the poor and the middle class in massive ways, while the plutocracy–the rich and the powerful–of these societies do everything they can to evade taxation or responsibility for their part in promoting the advancement of society!

We have now seen protests against British government actions to promote massive cuts in programs, and it has led to violence by the masses who are being harmed by it, and want the elite wealthy to pay more than they do in taxes, and stop evading of taxes by corporations!

We may have had Tea Party demonstrations before the midterm elections last year in the United States. But as the American people come to realize the extent of tax evasion by companies such as General Electric just revealed this week, and the growing influence of the Koch Brothers and other billionaires in lining their own pockets by manipulating the Republican Party in the states and in the Congress, and the anti labor, anti elderly, anti youth, anti minorities, anti women, and anti public services mentality of our plutocracy which has been assisted by the corruption of the Republican dominated, Koch Brothers influenced Supreme Court majority allowing unlimited corporate spending in the Citizens United Case of January, 2010, the result, unfortunately, is likely a mass reaction in a way highly dangerous of public order!

The American people are not going to permit the total destruction of the middle class and the kicking of the poor to the curb, by selfish, greedy interests who care about nothing but their own wallets!

So portending the future in America is indeed terrifying, as we are going through rougher times now than ever before, and the future seems very gloomy for most Americans, even those who are fortunate enough to have employment, but are being abused by their companies or their government employers in the name of the advancement of personal gain over social responsibility!

Maine Republican Governor Paul LePage And Labor History

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Maine’s new Republican Governor, Paul LePage, may not be noticed nationally very much, but he is now drawing attention as another GOP state executive who is a disgrace in so many ways, and anyone who voted for him should be ashamed at what they have wrought by putting him into the Governorship!

Riding a wave or bitterness and resentment by the Tea Party Movement, LePage was elected Governor, much like Rick Scott in Florida, Scott Walker in Wisconsin, John Kasich in Ohio, Rick Snyder in Michigan, and Chris Christie in New Jersey.

All of the above, and LePage, have declared war on organized labor and working people in general, and have shown how they do not understand the history of this nation, and the long, hard fought battles of the labor movement over the past 150 years to better the conditions of workers, with millions of workers in all fields who never were members of labor unions, but benefiting from the labor struggles and rising to the middle class from poverty because of the sacrifices of others!

Now the wealthy corporate world has declared war on working people, both in unions and outside, setting out to add to their wealth and power while impoverishing every day working people, and they have had willing allies on Capitol Hill from House and Senate Republicans, as well as from Republican Governors, and have succeeded in destroying a century and a half of progress in a very short time!

If what has been happening just since this year began does not cause average, every day working people to rise in protest and to demand an end to the further aggrandizement of power by the wealthy and corporations, then we have truly and, likely, permanently, lost our concept of democracy, and have become a plutocracy, and that plants the seeds for eventual disintegration of our society and potential threat of civil war in the future, on a scale far greater than the event of 150 years ago, which will be commemorated on its opening day tragedy at Fort Sumter on April 12, and over the next four years to follow!

Paul LePage has proved himself totally insensitive to labor history, and he and the other GOP Governors need to be given lessons in the greatness of labor struggle to create better lives for the masses, to educate them in the history they apparently never studied or ignored in their earlier lives!

For LePage to order the withdrawal of a labor mural at the offices of the Maine Labor Department, depicting the triumphs and struggles of labor over the history of the state and nation, is an absolute outrage that needs a prompt response calling for a reversal of his ignorant, insensitive executive order, and a move to demand a recall election for the removal of this incompetent, stupid man who gives not a damn about the average Maine resident!

And for this outrage by LePage to occur on the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of March 25, 1911, causing the death of 146 men and women, and leading to the fight for greater labor reform in New York City and elsewhere, is indeed a sacrilege!

Republican Loonies Start Emerging In The Presidential Race: Michele Bachmann, Donald Trump, And Rand Paul!

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The Republican Party of 2011 is on the road to total insanity, as we are about to enter the season of the loonies running for President, and making the Republican Party look both ridiculous and reckless!

As stated in other blog entries, if the GOP hopes to have a real shot at the Presidency, they need to nominate either Mitt Romney or Jon Huntsman, with the outside possibility of Tim Pawlenty.

But if they nominate Newt Gingrich, with all his skeletons in the closet and contradictions, they lose.

If they nominate Sarah Palin, with all her mindlessness and lack of knowledge and capabilities, they are destroyed.

If they nominate Haley Barbour, with his racial insensitivity and image as a promoter of the Old South and political wheeling dealing, they lose.

If they nominate Rick Santorum, with his emphasis on socially conservative issues, and his concern about man having sex with animals if gays have rights, they lose.

If they nominate Mike Huckabee, after his recent “birther” comments about President Obama and his promotion of himself as a preacher of morality, they lose.

But on top of all the above and their difficulties as candidates for the White House, it actually gets worse!

Those recently emerging as possible seekers of the Presidency include Michele Bachmann, Donald Trump, and Rand Paul–a move from the ridiculous to the loony and insane!

Michele Bachmann has been hinting she will run, because God wants her to run! This woman has proved herself to be absolutely ignorant, prejudiced, confrontational, accusatory in a way that reminds us of Joseph McCarthy at his worst, and just plain stupid, but also dangerous. She also sets up a potential rivalry with another candidate actually dumber than she is–Sarah Palin. If they both run, that should be something worth observing! Bachmann could also present a problem for Tim Pawlenty from the same state of Minnesota, as well, particularly in Iowa, the first state to vote in 2012 in their caucus, and a state where evangelical Christians play a major role, a fact that would make it impossible for Romney or Huntsman, both Mormons, to have a chance at competing!

Donald Trump has the virtue of being intelligent, but he is also arrogant, belligerent, and would be a danger in foreign policy because of his bellicose nature, and crazy belief that one can insult and denounce foreign governments, such as China, and that there will be no counterproductive developments. He could spend $600 million of his own money, but that in itself is obscene, as the last thing we need is for a President to, literally, “buy” the position! However, his involvement in debates should be some of the greatest entertainment ever seen in American politics!

And more unbelievable and loony than anyone would be the possible entrance of RAND PAUL, not Ron Paul, his dad, in the Presidential race. As bad as Ron Paul is in so many ways, Rand Paul is much more radical and dangerous and plain stupid in his assessment of how to deal with domestic and foreign policy! Libertarianism is NOT the future, and would be extremely destructive in the hands of someone who is not even certified as an optometrist by the traditional professional organization of his field, but rather by an organization formed by HIMSELF!

The Republican Party is going to provide a lot of entertainment, but unless, again, they nominate Romney, Huntsman, or Pawlenty, they are throwing away the Presidential Election of 2012 before it starts.

Oh, and by the way, some say, what about Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. The answer is to forget that, as Daniels is having trouble in his state getting legislation accomplished, and his anti labor leadership is not going to work, as the Wisconsin debacle of Scott Walker is going to hurt the Republican Party massively in 2012, and if the GOP does not realize that, they are also doomed!