Month: April 2012

The “Buffett Rule” Is The “Reagan Rule”, But Instead Cut Food Stamps: Republican Party Message To America!

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The “Buffett Rule”, the idea that those who earn more than a million dollars a year should pay a tax rate of 30 percent, more than their secretaries and other workers, was defeated in the Senate on a party line vote on Monday, with only Susan Collins of Maine voting with Democrats, and Mark Pryor of Arkansas voting with the Republicans, and 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster being unable to be accomplished.

Of course, the “Buffett Rule” is really a restatement of the “Reagan Rule”, the assertion of the 40th President that one should not expect an employee to pay a higher level of taxes than his or her employer. It is an embarrassment to the GOP of 2012, that they are actually defying their icon, their god, their “savior”, who they claim to be following and worshiping, but only when they choose to follow his lead. The fact that 72 percent of the American people in polls support the “Buffett Rule” has no effect at all on the Republicans, as they argue that $50 billion over ten years collected if the “Buffett Rule” went into effect is a “drop in the bucket”!

Meanwhile, the Republicans wish to cut spending on food stamps, the main source of funding for nutrition for poor families, attacked as socialism, but they insist that cutting it over ten years, saving $33.2 billion, is substantial, and must be done as part of the Paul Ryan budget plan in the House of Representatives.

The Republican Party has no conscience, as they are willing to take from the poor to give more tax cuts to the rich. They are Robin Hood in reverse, with no second thoughts!

So 4,000 families will benefit from the defeat of the “Buffett Rule”, while $46.4 million Americans, who are already dependent on food stamps for survival will see an 11 percent cut in monthly benefits after September 1.

The long term unemployed, who lost their jobs through no fault of their own, will now suffer even worse, as we now live in a society in which government leaders do not care about what hunger means, and do not care about the desperation of millions left behind, a large percentage of them children and single mothers, as long as the elite continue to get tax cuts!

Rocker Ted Nugent, Mitt Romney, And Threats Against Barack Obama

Ronald 3 Comments

Ted Nugent is a long time singer and musician, defined as a hard rocker and hevy metal musician, performing since age 10 in 1958.

Nugent has been a great influence on others in the hard rock and heavy metal music business, and has become well known for his conservative views on politics and public affairs over his long career.

Nugent is certainly entitled to have his views and to express them, but as with any public figure, and really any person, there is such a thing as going too far, if one threatens anyone, and particularly a public figure, and most significantly the President of the United States, whoever he happens to be.

In other words, there is the concept of “clear and present danger’, which allows government to prosecute anyone who threatens the breakdown of law and order, the promotion of bloodshed and violence and anarchy by one’s use of language.

Ted Nugent has reached that level of objectionable and dangerous language, and is being investigated, appropriately, by the Secret Service.

What did Nugent say?

At the National Rifle Association conference this past weekend in St. Louis, Missouri, Nugent said that if Barack Obama is reelected, he (Nugent) will either be dead or in prison. He spoke to a group of mostly young men, riling them up, by talking about decapitating Barack Obama and calling him a piece of excrement. He also bitterly criticized Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Attorney General Eric Holder, and used threatening language against them.

One could sense that Nugent was provoking these gun enthusiasts with feverish language against the Commander in Chief, and could certainly have the effect of making some young man, similar to John Hinckley, Arthur Bremer, or Lee Harvey Oswald, be motivated by the comments of this famous rock star to attempt to bring harm against President Obama, or actually assassinate him, which would be a horrible tragedy beyond belief.

Mitt Romney has been endorsed by Ted Nugent, but he needs to make a clear statement of condemnation of Nugent, and repudiate his endorsement, as who would seriously wish to have the backing of an unstable public figure who, despite his right to criticize, shows a total lack of respect for the office of President, if not the individual in that office.

But don’t bet on Romney taking a principled stand, as he has failed to do that constantly during his political career.

The Likeability Factor: Obama 56, Romney 27!

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A new poll shows that on the issue of Likeability, Barack Obama scores 56 percent to Mitt Romney’s 27 percent!

Realize what this means: Romney has the lowest likeabiity rating in modern Presidential election history!

This is not a laughing matter, and the more one sees Mitt Romney, the more one tends to dislike him.

The author used to think that Mitt Romney was the best of the group running for President, except for former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, and he seemed moderate enough to be barely acceptable, if he were to win. This is what the author used to write on this blog, but NO MORE!

The man is insufferable, obnoxious, elitist, snobbish, arrogant, phony, unpleasant, uncaring, distrustful, unprincipled, and has a sense of entitlement. Are those enough adjectives?

Notice that the top leaders of the party are now, grudgingly, coming around to endorse him, but they do not sound thrilled or excited about Mitt Romney. He does not inspire loyalty, commitment, or emotion in any Republican, all of whom, by their wording and body language, show they are resigned that Romney will be the nominee, and simply see him as the only alternative to get Barack Obama out of the Presidency.

The reality is though that Barack Obama is NOT going to be leaving the White House until January 20, 2017, as the American people do not LIKE Mitt Romney, and nothing he can do, after all of the verbal flubs he has made in the past year, will be able to resuscitate his candidacy, which enthuses NO ONE!

51st Anniversary Of Bay Of Pigs Fiasco: Time To Open Up To Cuba

Ronald 2 Comments

Today marks the 51st anniversary of the Bay of Pigs fiasco under President John F. Kennedy, the failure to overthrow Fidel Castro and Communism in Cuba.

Often thought to be possibly the worst action of the Kennedy Presidency, it simply emboldened Fidel Castro, and it led to the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, leading to the most dangerous moment in the Cold War between America and the Soviet Union.

Had it not been for cooler heads on both sides, including President Kennedy’s brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, the world as we knew it might have come to an end in a disastrous nuclear war.

In the years since, negotiations went on with the Soviet Union until its downfall in December 1991, and relations with China, the largest Communist power, ensued, and despite many problems and issues between China and the US, we are now marking 40 years of contact with that nation.

But our involvement with Fidel Castro, and now his brother Raul Castro, has been very minimal, and an embargo on trade has failed to overwhelm Cuba, even after the Soviet Union collapsed.

Instead, for political reasons, the influence of Cuban Americans in the Republican Party, and particularly in Florida, has led to the refusal to deal with Castro, which all other nations do, and has made us look ridiculous.

Dealing with an evil government which denies human rights to its citizens is not a good thing, but yet we deal with many governments diplomatically, who do just that, deny basic human rights to its people.

If we were to deal only with governments that guarantee equality and human rights, we would be isolated from contact with much of the world, as sadly, much of the membership of the United Nations is governed by abhorrent leadership.

The point is that Cuba will sometime soon see a change of government, as with Fidel Castro reaching 86 this summer, and Raul Castro in his early 80s, we could have a dramatic effect on the future of that island nation if we began diplomatic ties and stopped the ridiculous, ineffective embargo that has gone on now for more than half a century.

It is time that we decided that we are not going to allow the Cuban American community of South Florida, which is indeed becoming more diverse, in any case, simply by the changing attitudes of the younger generation, to dominate the issue of the future of Cuban relations.

And as part of that, we need to have people willing to stand up to the dominant, older, right wing forces in the Cuban community, who are not interested in democracy in Cuba’s future, but only in establishing a right wing government that favors the wealthy who were forced out of Cuba in 1959-1960, and want to influence the future of that nation through their family connections, but have poisoned politics in Florida and the nation by their intransigence on the Cuba issue all these years.

And therefore, it is time for the Miami Marlins to stop pandering to those in the community who have called for the firing of manager Oscar Guillen because he had the “nerve” to speak his mind about Fidel Castro. IF we do not promote freedom of speech, how are we any different than what has gone on in Cuba for the past half century? And although the author thinks Fidel Castro is reprehensible, that does not mean that Oscar Guillen’s job should be based on denial of his right to his personal views, whether you and I agree with such views!

Hopefully, in a second term, Barack Obama will be able to move forward on the issue of opening up to Cuba, as a plan for the future of our relations with that island nation, soon to change simply on the basis of time passing and leadership leaving the scene!

Modesty And Humility: Not Traits Of Mitt Romney, As Compared To Wealthy Presidents!

Ronald 3 Comments

Mitt Romney was born with a “silver spoon” in his mouth to a father who was a success story in the auto industry.

Mitt Romney had the opportunity to attend Harvard for a law degree and a business degree.

Mitt Romney was able to use personal contacts, through his wealthy family, to multiply the wealth of the Romney family.

Mitt Romney grew up with an attitude of entitlement, that he was ordained to lead because of his family connections and business contacts.

Mitt Romney is not the first modern President to have similar advantages.

Theodore Roosevelt had these advantages. So did Franklin D. Roosevelt,. John F. Kennedy, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.

But none of the above wore their wealth quite like Mitt Romney!

All of them engaged in politics more than Mitt Romney, who took the route of the least government service and experience, a minimum four years as Massachusetts Governor.

All of the other wealthy Presidents at birth had their own character flaws and shortcomings as we all do.

But none of them were cocky and arrogant, at least in public, quite like Mitt Romney is!

And none of their wives quite acted as Ann Romney is displaying, also an attitude of entitlement and arrogance!

It is one thing to be wealthy. It is another thing to boast about it, to emphasize it, to be cocky and arrogant, and act as if one is entitled!

What Mitt Romney and Anne Romney lack is a sense of modesty and humility!

The other Presidents tried very hard to make the American people forget their personal wealth and status, although, of course, it was there for all to see!

But Mitt and Anne Romney exude wealth, and make it out to be a virtue they wish to publicize.

And no one really likes a wealthy person who acts this way. It is not a nice character trait to brag or to boast.

Rather, it is nice when one goes out of his or her way to divert attention to one’s wealth, and to show concern for average Americans who are not so fortunate.

So Theodore Roosevelt showed concern with labor rights.

So Franklin D. Roosevelt showed concern about the poor during the Great Depression.

So John F. Kennedy planned a War on Poverty, and concern about racial discrimination.

So George H. W. Bush showed concern about the problems of the disabled and handicapped.

So George W. Bush showed concern about health care prescription costs for senior citizens.

How has Mitt Romney displayed concern for those less fortunate than himself?

The answer is that he has NOT displayed concern for anyone less fortunate, wanting to see the auto industry collapse, as just the tip of the iceberg as to his lack of care about how ordinary people are affected in their daily lives. He has displayed lack of concern about labor rights, the plight of the poor, discrimination against Hispanics and Latinos, and the cutting of Medicaid for the disabled and elderly.

This man has no “heart”, and while one who is cynical might argue that the other wealthy Presidents were just putting on a facade of concern, the old saying goes: Action speaks louder than words!

Mitt And Ann Romney: A Sense Of Entitlement And Arrogance, And “Spoiled Brat Prima Donnas”!

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Mitt Romney has the gall to laugh and say he wants Barack Obama to “start packing”! He shows himself to be a “spoiled brat prima donna”, who has a sense of entitlement, and a high level of arrogance!

And Anne Romney, who once might have been thought to be a “nice lady”, now comes across as a “spoiled brat prima donna”, who says that she got an early “birthday gift” by the outrage that erupted from the comment of Hillary Rosen about her last week. She also has a sense of entitlement, and a high level of arrogance!

Mitt Romney has made it clear that motherhood as an option is fine for privileged women such as his wife, but not for poor women, who, with children as young as two years old ,should be expected to pursue the “dignity of work”!

The more one thinks about Ann Romney, one has to wonder if she did not have all kinds of help bringing up her five sons!

If she did not, then her husband is more of a “male chauvinist pig” than anyone imaginable, considering he certainly could afford to have help for her!

Also, it must be said that Ann Romney, as a teenager, saw a handsome, rich guy named Mitt Romney, realized it was her meal ticket so she would not have to work, and was willing to convert to the Mormon faith, tell her parents they could not attend the wedding in the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah, and then had the gall to allow her dead father, who was an atheist, to be converted posthumously to the Mormon faith!

Is this a woman to admire? Yes, one might say, because she has overcome cancer and has had symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis for years.

Well, those conditions are indeed terrible, and we can sympathize with her on those factors, but how about the many poor and middle class women, many of them single mothers, who have faced the same situation, and did not have the availability of health care that a wealthy lady like Ann Romney has had, and in many cases also could not afford the treatments needed, and therefore have not survived to the age of 63 as Ann Romney has!

Ann Romney is no longer a sympathetic figure, sorry to say, and it is clear both Romneys have a sense of entitlement and a high level of arrogance!

What the American people need to do is let them know on November 6, 2012, that they can go back to their wealthy private life, with the obscenely big mansion in California, with the automobie elevator, and leave America alone!

Mitt Romney: Obama Needs To Tell Us His Future Plans In Office, But I Will Not Do The Same! The Double Standard!

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Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the likely Republican Presidential nominee, has been highly critical of President Barack Obama over a comment made to Russian President Dmitry Medveded about needing some time until after the upcoming election before he could follow through on plans for agreements.

Romney lambasted Obama, and insisted that he needed to fully reveal all plans, both foreign and domestic, as the American people were entitled to know what his agenda was for the next four years.

In the short run, that seemed to make some sense, but now the hypocrisy of Mitt Romney has emerged, as he was at a Palm Beach, Florida gathering of extremely wealthy people last night, and was unwilling to allow media in to listen.

But some information leaked out anyway, including the general idea, but not specified in detail, that Romney intended to end the Department of Housing and Urban Development cabinet agency, which his own father, George Romney, had headed under President Richard Nixon. He also mentioned a desire to combine other cabinet agencies, but said no details would be given to the American people before the election.

Romney has also talked in broad generalities about foreign policy changes, including a threat to attack Iran, but does not wish to be specific in any way.

So what Mitt Romney is saying is:Trust me, and give me power!

But he insists that Obama must be very specific and out in the open about everything he might be planning.

If such was to be a requirement of any Presidential candidate or President, then all past candidates have violated such a stipulation. That is not the way government works, Mr. Romney, and particularly since you have a double standard, that Obama must reveal everything, but you do not have to, the answer is that you have, for the umpteenth time, totally lost credibility!

Controversy Over Florida State University Law School Graduate: Should Illegal Immigrant Be Admitted To The Florida Bar?

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The issue of illegal immigration, particularly that of children brought here from foreign lands at a young age, has arisen again with a new controversy over a Florida State University Law School graduate who is applying for admission to the Florida Bar.

Should a 25 year old man, brought here from Mexico at age 9, who was the valedictorian of his high school class, who was an Eagle Scout, but still is an illegal immigrant, who arrived with his parents on a tourist visa which eventually expired, be allowed to practice law in Florida, rather than face possible deportation?

A former President of Florida State University, also a former head of the American Bar Association, is the attorney for this young man, who has excelled in everything he has ever tried, and did not hide his illegal status when he applied to college and law school.

Additionally, three other former heads of the American Bar Association, with two of them also former heads of the Florida Bar, also back this young man in his quest to be able to get a law license in Florida, but anti immigrant amnesty groups bitterly oppose any such concession.

The student’s Congresswoman, Kathy Castor, also backs him, and calls for the passage of the DREAM Act, designed to give children of illegal immigrants the opportunity beyond high school to contribute to the nation in the military or by going to college, rather than forcing them as adults back to a country they have no memory of, and having wasted taxpayer money spent on their education to age 18.

This is an issue that bitterly divides the American people, but it really victimizes young people simply because of what their parents have done, failing to recognize the great talents and abilities these young people could contribute to the nation they love, if only given a chance.

History Favors Obama and Democratic Party Second Term Presidencies

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In the discussion over whether Barack Obama will have a second term of office, one must consider history as a guide.

If one looks at the facts, one discovers that only THREE Democratic Presidents have ever been defeated for re-election–Martin Van Buren in 1840; Grover Cleveland in 1888 (even though he actually won the popular vote by about 100,000 nationally); and Jimmy Carter in 1980.

So in the past 124 years, only one Democrat has lost re-election, and face the facts, Barack Obama is NOT Jimmy Carter and Mitt Romney is not Ronald Reagan!

Grover Cleveland came back to win in the following election over Benjamin Harrison who had defeated him in 1888, being the only nonconsecutive terms President in American history.

Woodrow Wilson had a very close contest against Charles Evans Hughes for re-election in 1916, but won.

Franklin D. Roosevelt still had over 20 percent unemployment when he first ran for re-election in 1936, but won a landslide over Alf Landon, as well as solid victories over Wendell Willkie in 1940 and Thomas E. Dewey in 1944.

Harry Truman overcame all polls and defeated Dewey in an upset victory in 1948, even after the opposition party had won both houses of Congress in 1946.

Lyndon B. Johnson won the biggest popular vote landslide in history over Barry Goldwater in 1964.

Bill Clinton won a solid victory over Bob Dole in 1996, despite having lost both houses of Congress in 1994.

And despite criticisms, Barack Obama has a positive record of achievement in his first term to match that of Wilson and FDR in their first term and Lyndon B. Johnson in his first year, and more than Grover Cleveland, Harry Truman, and Bill Clinton in their first term, and Jimmy Carter in his only term of office.

So don’t bet too heavily on Obama losing re-election in November!

Shocking Figures: Every 80 Minutes, A Military Suicide!

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New information reveals the shocking statistic that every 80 minutes, 18 times a day, 6,570 times a year on the average, a person in the military, or a veteran, commits suicide due to depression, caused by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Some shoot themselves; others take pills; others stab themselves; others drive their car into an accident; others set themselves up to be hit by auto traffic or a train or truck; others jump to their death.

Our reaction to this wave of suicides is inadequate, as the military attempts, while a soldier on duty, or when he is a veteran, to avoid the responsibility to help these people, as it is costly.

And there is supposed to be the attitude of dealing with mental problems on one’s own, as to admit psychological or mental problems is seen as a weakness, particularly among males, part of the “macho” image that, sadly, exists, in American society.

Often, these people do not just take themselves down, but also their wives, children, friends, or total strangers, as too often they go berserk in public places, such as shopping malls, work places, and college campuses.

This is a clear and present danger to the society, as well as to these unfortunate heroes who have sacrificed for their country, and are not being treated with dignity and compassion!