Month: April 2011

The Housing Crisis In America: Not Just Mortgages, But Rents!

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A lot has been heard and published about the mortgage crisis faced by millions of American homeowners, many of whom are being manipulated and deceived by the banks that hold their mortgages, when the homeowners are in trouble but are promised assistance that does not occur.

What has not been so recognized is the crisis that millions of renters also face. About one out of four renters, over 10 millions, are now paying half their pre -tax household income on rent and utilities, the highest percentage in a half century!

Rents are rising rapidly due to homeowners who have lost their homes, and to young people attempting to leave the nest of their parents, although many are actually returning home after being away at college for four or more years.

So housing rises to the top of the list of major problems, and this is not including those who are becoming homeless!

And in the midst of all this, what are the Republicans doing in Congress to deal with this crisis, as well as unemployment? NOTHING, as they would rather spend time talking about cutting Medicare, and their party prefers to dwell on the theory that Barack Obama was not born in the United States, as if that creates jobs or housing for the millions who are suffering in this nation!

Haley Barbour’s Explanation Of Why He Is Not Running For President!

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Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour surprised a lot of political observers by announcing he would not run for the Republican Presidential nomination today, but his reason for not running is somewhat unique in being stated openly.

It is not because of his insensitivity to the issue of race in Mississippi!

It is not because he has the image of being too close to powerful lobbyists.

It is not because he recognizes that the country is not about to elect a Mississippian to the White House, because of the terrible image that state has in the national mind.

It is not because he is willing to admit that it will be difficult to defeat President Obama in 2012.

No, it is none of the above! Rather, it is because he is unwilling to give a TEN YEAR commitment to the venture of running for and winning the Presidency for two terms, which is indeed a ten year commitment!

This is a refreshing way of someone saying why he will not be a candidate, totally true but unusual, as no one to the author’s knowledge has ever used that as the reason not to run!

Barbour is smart enough to realize that it just might not be worth it to sacrifice a decade of one’s life to run for a job that is a massive headache, ages the person, and often shortens his life span, with the level of stress and tension he has to deal with for a salary that, compared to corporate leaders, athletes, and entertainers, is quite inadequate!

And to run for the glory and historical reputation that the position represents just might not be enough of an appeal for many to sacrifice their time and their health!

Senator Bernie Sanders’ Guide To Corporate Freeloaders!

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Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders has come up with a list of what he calls “Corporate Freeloaders”, corporations that have failed to pay taxes to the US government, and demonstrate an arrogance that is infuriating!

At the top of the list is Exxon Mobil, paying no federal income taxes, but receiving a rebate from the government, while making $19 billion in profits in 2009!

Bank of America is second on the list, making $4.4 billion in profits, but gaining a $1 trillion bailout from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department, and even receiving a $1.9 billion tax refund!

General Electric is third on the list, cutting American jobs by one fifth, earning $26 billion in profits over five years, and receiving a $4.1 billion tax refund!

The rest of the list includes oil companies Chevron, Valero Energy, and Conoco Phillips; banking and finance companies Goldman Sachs and Citigroup; and in transportation, Boeing and Carnival Cruise Lines.

So, in summary, it is the oil and energy companies, the banks and finance companies, plus transportation companies and General Electric, who have willingly robbed the nation of needed tax revenues!

Is there any way to justify this? Is it “Christian values” to refuse to pay taxes? Is it moral or ethical to do this? Or is it just plain greed, selfishness, and corruption that explains how the top American corporations can have no limit to their lack of patriotism and commitment to the advancement of the American people, instead of just themselves?

Haley Barbour And Ron Paul: One Out Of GOP Race, And The Other In!

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Republican politics is more amazing by the day!

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, a power player in the party apparatus as head of the Republican Governors Association, has decided NOT to run for President, although many thought of him as a “heavy hitter”! Barbour was liked by lobbyists in the party, but that was precisely why he looked undesirable to others, along with his insensitive comments about African Americans in Mississippi fifty years ago, which made him radioactive, as we are not about to elect an old Southern type to the White House in 2012. But many thought he would run, so his decision not to run is a big surprise!

Does this benefit anyone? YES, probably former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who continues to look like the “dark horse” who might emerge from the pack, with similar views to Barbour, but a much better public image and presentation than Barbour was capable of demonstrating. Barbour has a lot of friends and associates who could be valuable to anyone he might endorse, and it is highly unlikely he would back either Mitt Romney or Jon Huntsman!

At the same time, Congressman Ron Paul of Texas is forming an exploratory committee to run again for President, despite the fact that he has absolutely no chance to be the nominee!

Paul’s libertarianism on domestic policy and his opposition to America’s role in overseas military adventures can appeal to many, but even with Tea Party backing, there is no possibility to believe that he could, at age 77, win the nomination or the Presidency. He is a gadfly who is more annoying to the GOP than anything else, and has already been ridiculed in the past when he ran in the 2008 primary season!

The only good thing about Ron Paul running is that it prevents his son, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, from entering the race, as he could be more of an annoyance and potential threat than his father! But we must realize that Rand Paul will certainly run in future campaigns, a highly regrettable situation!

So the Republican Party wends its way toward total disaster in the Presidential race, while at the same time committing suicide politically with its”bully” Governors and the Paul Ryan plan to eliminate Medicare, both developments causing major headaches for the Republican Party in polls all across the country!

40 Years Of OSHA: Something To Celebrate!

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Forty years ago this month, after President Richard Nixon had signed into law the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at a time when 14,000 workers had been killed on the job, the agency went into business.

Since then, workplace fatality, injury and illness rates are down 65 percent, but still 4,000 workers on the average die on the job even today.

Four million still suffer workplace injuries and illnesses.

The battle for safety at workplaces continues, but OSHA has made a tremendous difference, and we should salute the agency and President Nixon for the improvements that have occurred in the past 40 years!

And also recognize that big business corporations had resisted such legislation, but it was forced on them by a Congress and a President who understood the need for such an agency!

The Crisis Within The Republican Party For 2012!

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The Republican Party, once a proud party, is in total disarray, as all the attention is grabbed by what many call the “joke” candidates who have no chance to win, and yet are promoting a terrible image for the party, so much so, that the American people are totally unimpressed!

And yet, there is growing discontent with President Obama, due to the budget crisis, the stubbornly high unemployment, and the soaring gasoline prices, but there is no valid alternative!

At this point, there could be a landslide effect toward Obama, similar to what was the situation when Lyndon Johnson walloped Senator Barry Goldwater in the 1964 election, and in fact, no candidate gains 20 percent support in the latest polls, similar to what Goldwater had 47 years ago!

The control of religious conservatives and Tea Party activists are entrapping all reasonable, rational thought, and holding hostage any realistic, mainstream candidates from emerging!

Face the facts! The following so called “candidates” are disasters in the making in any order: Donald Trump, Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Herman Cain, Gary Johnson, Haley Barbour, and any others who come out of the woodwork to claim they wish to run!

The “birther” issue and the race issue and the gay issue have destroyed all of the above from serious consideration by anyone with intelligence!

The only “serious” candidates, but lacking excitement for now, are Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Jon Huntsman, and really stretching it, Mitch Daniels and Jeb Bush, who have evinced no interest in running, but would have to be seen as serious and viable were they to announce for President!

Any “bully” Governor, such as Chris Christie, Scott Walker, Rick Scott, Rick Snyder, or John Kasich, would be counterproductive, as all of them have caused great opposition and controversy!

It is time for Republican leaders to follow former George W. Bush advisor Karl Rove and do everything they can to derail all the loonies, and promote Romney, Pawlenty, Huntsman, Daniels or Bush as the ONLY viable candidates out of a sad group of people who betray the Republican heritage since 1854–the Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and yes, even Ronald Reagan!

In Times Of Disillusionment About Government, Something To Be Proud Of!

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In this time, when disillusionment about our national government is at its peak, it is nice to stop and reflect about something government does that we can all be proud of!

One might ask: What can that possibly be? The answer is today is the 211th anniversary of the creation of the Library of Congress, our national library in Washington, DC, which holds our most significant national treasures, along with the Smithsonian Institution and the National Archives!

Approved under John Adams for its first appropriation, the Thomas Jefferson personal library became the basis of much of the early library holdings.

Despite two major fires in the War of 1812 by the British and in the 1850s by pure coincidence, the library continued to grow, and is considered the largest library in the world, as well as the national library of the United States, containing the manuscript collections of most of the Presidents through Calvin Coolidge, as well as thousands of other famous Americans in all fields of endeavor.

Additionally, more than 17 million books are contained within the Library, which has three major buildings, and includes all published monographs in the nation, as well as many from overseas, with all published books having a Library of Congress number.

Also, there are millions of maps, photographs, audio and video recordings, prints, and drawings within the various departments of the Library of Congress, and the Congressional Research Service does heavy duty work for all members of the legislative branch.

Some of the best days of the author’s life were spent years ago doing research in the Library of Congress, spending many months researching for eight hours a day for the book he published, with the hours going by very quickly, often forgetting lunch, being fascinated by the documents and manuscripts one was holding in his own hand!

The quest for knowledge goes on, and it is the best part of what American government does, and as one thinks about the problems and crises of the past, it gives one hope that somehow we will deal with the future as we coped with the past!

In any case, knowledge is power, and one must NEVER forget that!

The Lack Of Reality Of The American People As Shown In Public Opinion Polls

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It is becoming very clear that the American people, based on public opinion polls, at least, are living in a dream world, avoiding reality!

Polls indicate that the people do not want entitlement cuts to deal with the debt problems the nation faces.

At the same time, they do not want to see the debt limit raised next month!

The lack of economic knowledge and understanding is pitiful, as indeed many Americans lack the ability to balance their own checkbook or take care of their own finances, and yet, somehow, magically, they seem to think that the only thing that matters is do not touch anything, and refuse to recognize that entitlements must be paid for, and that the good faith and credit of the United States government is at stake if the debt limit is not raised!

While it is clear that most Americans want the corporations and the rich to pay more taxes, it is also clear that even doing so cannot resolve the debt or deficit crisis!

The fact is that all of us will have to pay MORE taxes in order to sustain the entitlements that most Americans do not want to be cut back! There is no free lunch, as the saying goes, and praying for divine guidance will also not be enough to deal with reality!

So the answer is to make sure that corporations and the top two percent of the people pay a higher tax rate as they paid under Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton.

Secondly, all of the rest of us will also have to pay higher taxes and stop complaining about it, since we want the various entitlement programs to be sustained.

Third, there is an essential requirement to start cutting back on overseas defense bases and military commitments, which are having a horrible effect on our budget deficits.

Fourth, there is a dire need to reform the Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security system long term, so as to sustain them. Anyone who suggests no changes is being totally irresponsible!

Fifth, the debt limit MUST be raised next month, as not to do so would be totally reckless, dangerous, and detrimental to the economic welfare of the nation, as well as the world at large!

Finally, the spirit of compromise somehow must be promoted, or else the nation will at some point be in as dangerous a situation internally as it was 150 years ago, with economic class warfare, age warfare, racial warfare in the offing, a horrific thought!

A spirit of nationalism, and bipartisanship, is sorely needed, and right now, to resolve the nation’s ills!

Richard Nixon And Republicans: Never The Twain Shall Meet, And Not Because Of Watergate!

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Today is the 17th anniversary of Richard Nixon’s death, and it is clear that the Republican Party would not wish to claim ownership of the 37th President.

First thought of most readers would be that, of course, the Republicans would repudiate him because of the Watergate scandal which led to his resignation in 1974.

While certainly Watergate is an embarrassment that most Republicans would wish to repudiate, it is much more the case that the party would reject Nixon now because of his leadership in domestic reforms in his time.

Imagine, Nixon, in comparison to Republicans today, would be considered a “liberal”, even though he hated liberals and did everything he could to oppose the liberal philosophy, and even had his Vice President, Spiro Agnew, go after the “Radic Libs”!

But in fact, Richard Nixon extended the Great Society of Lyndon Johnson with such legislation as:

Consumer Product Safety Commission
Environmental Protection Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Amtrak Rail System
Wage and Price Controls
Harry Blackmun on the Supreme Court
Affirmative Action
Support of the Equal Rights Amendment
Cost of Living Allowances For Social Security

And the list goes on: the fact is that Nixon could have vetoed these Democratic party initiatives, but instead promoted them and signed them into law!

So, for good reason, Richard Nixon would be repudiated by today’s right wing Republican Party, for being “too damn liberal”!

Town Halls Turn Against Republican Budget Plan To Destroy Medicare As We Know It: A Reversal Of 2009-2010!

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In 2009-2010, the Obama Health Care plan received belligerent responses in many Town Halls for Democratic members of Congress, leading to much controversy and many confrontations!

Now, the tables have been turned, and Republican members of Congress are discovering in Town Halls that their constituents do NOT want Medicare destroyed, which the Republican budget plan of Congressman Paul Ryan represents!

The problem is that 235 Republicans in the House of Representatives just voted a week ago to adopt the Ryan plan, and as many predicted, it is becoming an albatross around the necks of the Republicans, and could lead to a massive switch in seats again, putting the Democrats in control of the House of Representatives after the 2012 election results are in!

What the Republicans refuse to recognize is that the American people, by large margins, including Independents, Republicans, and even Tea Party Movement people, want Medicare preserved as it is!

It is not just the senior citizens of this nation who like Medicare; it is also their children! And also, the seniors are not just selfish for themselves, but really feel strongly that their children and grandchildren should be entitled to the same excellent health care represented by Medicare!

Yes, Medicare is expensive and has cost overruns! But the answer is not to change Medicare into a voucher system which will victimize future senior citizens, but instead to TAX appropriately, as every other Western industrial nation does, so that EVERYONE is entitled to excellent health care in the long run, not just the short run!

And it is time to TAX the WEALTHY and the CORPORATIONS, both of which have a responsibility to all of us for their good fortune, and must play their role in promoting the best health care available!