Midwest

War On The Liberal Arts In Florida, Texas, North Carolina: The Promotion Of Dumbness!

Ronald 1 Comment

The right wing Republican Governors of Florida, Texas, and North Carolina have declared war on public funding of the liberal arts at the state university level in their states!

Considering that poverty is very high in these states, and educational attainment is lower than in the Northeast, Midwest, and Western states, it is clear that the Republican Party in these Southern states wants to keep people dumb, and prevent the promotion of skills that are essential for a good productive life–like reading, writing, analyzing, and simply THINKING!

A person who gains a college education with little or no exposure to the liberal arts is a person denied basic knowledge and appreciation of the great contributions of mankind over the millenniums!

To say that no one needs to major in anthropology, or literature, or history, or classics, etc is to declare war on intellectual pursuits, and it is clear that we have many people coming out of college ready for the technical and business worlds who have no basic communicative skills, but are simply robots who cannot read, write, analyze or think clearly!

And to say that different fields of knowledge are unworthy is to declare war on the whole point of education, to make people better human beings, not just train them for a field of work that might, very likely, disappear over the course of a work life!

To gain intellectual skills is to gain vision, gain a sense of humanity and compassion, and to have a quality life, not one only judged and based on materialism and greed!

These governors—Rick Scott, Rick Perry (and his likely successor, Greg Abbott), and Pat McCrory–prefer stupidity and ignorance, as that makes it easier for them to pursue their right wing goals to undermine the future of their states, among the lowest in achievement, and bound to get worse with this kind of damaging attack on the liberal arts! They are only out to promote the top one to two percent, and want a work force that is unable to compete in a way to advance and, actually, challenge the establishment elite!

Those who do not know the past are doomed to repeat it! We still need anthropologists, historians, poets, playwrights, artists, musicians, and others in the liberal arts, as part of a humane society, and no student should be denied the opportunity to major in any of these or other liberal arts fields, and they are often better educated than those who come out of colleges with no exposure to the liberal arts!

There is a need for a strong reaction to this detrimental attack on basic human knowledge by the scholarly community!

The “New” South Vs. The “Old” South

Ronald 10 Comments

The American South has undergone a lot of change in the past half century since the March On Washington in 1963.

Many Northerners have moved South; many people of African American and Latino heritage have grown up in an environment where segregation and open prejudice is gone: and we have seen Southern Presidents who completely represented a different image of the South.

So we have President Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas, who overcame his past and his heritage, and promoted the Civil Rights Revolution, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

We have Jimmy Carter of Georgia, the first Southerner elected from outside since Zachary Taylor in 1848, representing the “New South” Governors elected in 1970, including Ruben Askew of Florida and Dale Bumpers of Arkansas. Carter promoted advancements in civil rights and human rights, and demonstrated then, and right up to this moment, that he is a very principled, decent man.

And we have Bill Clinton, elected Governor of Arkansas, representing the New South tradition after Dale Bumpers had initiated it in Arkansas, and being a major promoter of civil rights and equality during his Presidency, as much as Johnson and Carter.

And we have John Lewis, the only surviving speaker at the March on Washington, now 73 years old, and carrying on the tradition of his mentor, Martin Luther King, Jr. He has been an exemplary Congressman from Georgia, and truly the conscience of the nation on civil rights!

These four gentlemen, three Presidents and a Congressman, represent the best of the “New South”!

The “Old South” was thought to be overcome, particularly over time with the death of Strom Thurmond, Jesse Helms, and others of their ilk.

But as it turns out, the “Old South” mentality has survived even past these two GOP leaders who promoted segregation and hate, as the 2013 Republican Party, with the evil influence of the Tea Party Movement, is working very hard to back track on racial equality, racial progress, racial justice, and using code language to appeal to the bigots and racists who remain in America, whether in the South or Midwest or Great Plains areas of the nation, and hoping to repeal the progress of the past half century.

They do this without shame or embarrassment, and that is what is most troubling, and they even have their talk show hosts on radio and television and cable, who spew forth hateful and divisive propaganda with no apologies–Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity et al—and make millions on promotion of hate and division, rather than trying to bring us together and move forward!

So the “Old South” is, ironically, surviving in the party of Abraham Lincoln, Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner and the other principled Republicans of 150 years ago, who fought against the “Old South” and slavery, and would, if they were here today, hold their heads in their hands, and weep over what the Republican Party they loved, has become!

The Republican Delusion That They Can Win The Presidency And Majority Status Just By Having More Whites Voting!

Ronald 6 Comments

The Republican Party is truly delusional in their belief that they can win the Presidency and majority status in the future as long as they can convince more whites to vote, than did so in the Presidential Election of 2012.

With the percentage of whites in the population declining, and with the reality that it will continue to decline, this is a losing strategy in so many ways.

Not all whites would vote Republican, even in the South and Great Plains and Mountain West, GOP strongholds, and certainly NOT in the Northeast, New England, Midwest, and Pacific Coast, and in parts of the Mountain West.

Not all whites would wish to back the right wing policies of Republicans toward women, minorities, labor, and on other issues, such as the environment and science.

Not all whites would endorse the social conservatism of the religious right, particularly with a decline in religiosity among younger whites and voters generally.

A majority of whites who vote Republican are old, and once they pass the scene, many younger whites will have a greater influence on elections, and combined with those who are social liberals, female, and minority background, will NEVER vote Republican because they know that the Republicans are trying to ignore them, if not undermining their right to vote!

With their backward, regressive, vindictive policies toward the middle class and the poor, along with their anti women, anti labor, anti environment, anti minority viewpoints, the GOP will insure that they will be dinosaurs, looked back upon as a historical curiosity as to the issue of how they self destructed despite many warnings as to their self suicide by refusal to adapt!

Same Sex Marriage Advanced In Year Since Joe Biden Made It A Front Page Issue

Ronald 10 Comments

It has been a year since Vice President Joe Biden publicly endorsed same sex marriage, followed three days later by a similar endorsement by President Barack Obama.

We are on the cusp of Minnesota becoming the 12th state to allow same sex marriage, with the states adopting it, including::

Massachusetts
Connecticut
Vermont
Maine
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
New York
Maryland
Delaware
Iowa
Washington

Following Minnesota, the following nine states are likely to adopt same sex marriage between now and the end of 2014:

Illinois
New Jersey
Hawaii
Michigan
Oregon
Colorado
New Mexico
Nevada
California

That will mean that 21 states with 45 percent of the nation’s population will have adopted same sex marriage as part of their law.

The only groups that oppose same sex marriage by a majority are:

Less educated Whites
Over 65 years of age
Republicans
Evangelical Protestants
Tea Party Movement

The South and the Great Plains, heavily Republican, are united against same sex marriage, while the New England and Mid Atlantic states, some of the Midwest, and the Pacific Coast, predominantly Democratic, are for it!

Census Bureau Report On Presidential Election Turnout Bad News For Republican Future

Ronald 3 Comments

The Republican Party is in deep trouble for the long term future, as Census Bureau figures show a decline in percentage of whites who voted, while African Americans surpassed the percentage of whites voting.

In the Midwest and Southeastern US, the black vote grew dramatically, which is why Republicans are still determined to do whatever they can to prevent the black vote by whatever method they can conjure up. 66.2 percent of black voters participated, compared to 64.1 percent of the white voters participating.

Voter turnout declined overall to 62 percent from 64 percent, and it is clear that younger voters have declined in percentage, from 48 percent to 41 percent.

Women had 64 percent participating, compared to men at 60 percent, with white turnout declining n 39 states among both men and women.

The groups that demonstrated least participation include single people, unemployed, renters, and those with only high school or some college education. a worrisome sign for the future, with the economy’s improvement the only way these groups might increase participation.

If the Democrats can keep the same groups and percentages backing them in 2016 as occurred in 2012, the Republican party will rapidly decline as a contender for the White House, and first signs are that Hillary Clinton will be likely to keep the coalition going and,, possibly, improve on it!

The “Right To Work” States: Mostly Republican And Very Backward And Abusive Toward Workers!

Ronald Leave a comment

When one investigates which states are “right to work” states,. which means anti-union and low paying states, one discovers that almost all of them are Republican states, and extremely backward and abusive toward their own population!

There are now 24 states, nearly half the nation, that have taken steps to move back to the 19th Century, even though we are now in the 21st Century!

It includes the following states by geographic section:

South—Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.

Midwest and Great Plains—-Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota,

Mountain West—-Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming

Notice that the only states that voted for Barack Obama and the Democrats were
Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, and Virginia!

It is amazing how people who live in these 24 states do not rise up in outrage as they are being victimized by Republican governments in those states, and realize that even the five states which voted for Barack Obama all have Republican Governors and legislatures!

And the “right to work” laws promote economic progress? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Instead, it victimizes those stupid enough to vote the anti labor party, the Republicans, who have ALWAYS been anti labor, over and over again into state power!

Who Was The “Racial” Candidate? Obama Or Romney?

Ronald 2 Comments

Conservative pundits and many whites who voted for Mitt Romney last Tuesday, in fear of the “black Socialist from Kenya”, love to say that Barack Obama is the “racial” candidate, elected because of those “damned” minorities, and that is the only reason, they say, that he won a second term.

That is a MASSIVE LIE, as actually Mitt Romney was, CLEARLY, the “racial candidate”!

“How can you say that?” is the retort.

Well, here are the FACTS, not myths!

Whites were about 72 percent of the voters, and Romney received about 88 percent of his votes from whites!

Barack Obama received 39 percent of the white votes, including from working class voters in the Midwest, who appreciated his saving the auto industry, which meant their jobs. They did not care that he was black, while many Republican voters were openly racist!

Now, the facts are that, of course, Obama could not have won without black, Hispanic-Latino, and Asian American voters! So what, as ideally, any candidate should win from a diverse coalition of voters?

So Obama won 93 percent of the black vote; 71 percent of the Hispanic-Latino vote; 73 percent of the Asian American vote; 60 percent of voters 18-29; 52 percent of voters 30-44; and 55 percent of the female vote; 56 percent of single men; 67 percent of single women; and 50 percent of college graduates. This is a diverse coalition, which is to be saluted!

But also realize that without the 39 percent white vote, Obama would not have won, as two thirds of 72 (the total white percentage of the national vote), is about 28 percent, and Obama won with 51 percent of the total vote, which means the “minorities” were about 23 percent, and whites 28 percent of that 51 percent.

So white support gave Obama his victory!

Urgent To Defeat “Tea Party” Republicans Running For Senate—Akin, Mourdock, Fischer

Ronald 4 Comments

There are three “Tea Party” type Republicans running for Senate seats in the Midwest, who are facing tough fights by Democratic opponents, and the hope is that all three of these irresponsible Republican nominees are defeated.

The three are:

Congressman Todd Akin, challenging incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill in Missouri.

State Treasurer Richard Mourdock, challenging Congressman Joe Donnelly in Indiana.

State Senator Deb Fischer, challenging former Senator Bob Kerrey in Nebraska.

Akin, Mourdock, and Fischer represent extremism that would create more conflict and confrontation in the US Senate. And Akin and Mourdock have made outrageous statements about rape, angering any decent person who cares about women’s rights.

McCaskill has been a courageous Senator, and Kerrey was once a Presidential candidate twenty years ago, who now has been endorsed by his former Republican Senate colleague, Chuck Hagel, a true example of crossing the aisle. Both Kerrey and Hagel were outstanding US senators, and once could wish that both were still in the Senate, but now there is an opportunity to return Kerrey to the Senate.

Donnelly is a responsible moderate Democratic Congressman, who would be a great improvement over Mourdock although neither would fully replace retiring Republican Senator Richard Lugar, defeated by Mourdock in the Indiana Senatorial primary this past spring.

These are certainly key Senatorial races to watch on Tuesday night!

Ohio Remains Strongly For Barack Obama With Six Days To Go To Presidential Election

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Ohio, the state that EVERY Republican President has won from Abraham Lincoln to George W. Bush, remains strongly behind Barack Obama, with six days to go to the Presidential Election of 2012.

It seems as if Mitt Romney may be gaining in other “swing states”, according to some polls, although others show otherwise, but without Ohio, Romney would have to win all of the rest of those states to pull out a victory, and despite the Gallup national poll, which shows Romney ahead, the Nate Silver–NY Times model seems more likely the final result.

And if Obama wins Ohio and the election, the likely major reason will be because Obama saved the auto industry in Ohio and the Midwest, while Romney, despite his father’s involvement in the industry, will willing to allow it to die, and take with it, million of jobs, including ancillary industries.

“The October Surprise” Is The Wrath Of Nature!

Ronald 2 Comments

The traditional line is that in any Presidential campaign, there is an “October Surprise”, which can transform the race.

Who would think it is the wrath of nature, represented by Hurricane Sandy, a “Frankenstorm”, a storm of the century, which will soon devastate the Northeast and Midwest, an area of over 60 million people, and will likely cut down voting numbers, although many have participated in early voting, some indications being possibly 40 percent of the voting population.

This could have a dramatic effect not only on the Presidential election, but on Congressional and state elections, and transform our future in ways we cannot yet imagine!

This can, therefore, be seen as a moment of crisis, and a moment for urgent leadership by President Barack Obama, and appropriate reaction by Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

If power is out for an extended period of time, it could lead to millions not voting, and could also lead to lawsuits regarding close election results.

One has to wonder what the power of nature is trying to say to us, a country deeply divided, and sadly, unlikely to change as a result of this highly charged Presidential Election of 2012!