Rick Perry

The “Two Ricks”: Dangerous To The Less Fortunate People Of Texas And Florida!

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It is really a sad state of affairs when the Republican Governors of the two largest GOP governed states (Texas and Florida) refuse to consider expansion of Medicaid, and also reject willingness to start planning health exchanges to promote development of ObamaCare, now that the Supreme Court has declared it constitutional.

Texas is the second largest state in population, and Florida is fourth, and that means millions of unfortunate Texans and Floridians will be victims of the refusal of the “two Ricks”, Rick Perry and Rick Scott, to accept federal money, and face the facts that citizens will die because of the refusal to provide health care to the needy and disabled of their states.

It is reprehensible and shows no conscience, as both governors play politics, and make ObamaCare seem radical, when the basis of it is RomneyCare, and the Heritage Foundation and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich endorsed the idea in 1993 as an alternative to so called HillaryCare, the proposal of President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton for a more advanced health care system than ObamaCare is.

ObamaCare is far more limited and, really, conservative in nature, but it is all part of the plan to oppose EVERYTHING promoted by President Barack Obama.

But with the Supreme Court having backed ObamaCare, for these two large state governors, and others, such as Scott Walker of WIsconsin, Paul LePage of Maine, and other GOP governors, to work to undermine it, knowing that it affects the lives of millions of the less fortunate among us, is beyond rational thought!

149th Anniversary Of Battle Of Gettysburg: States Rights Battle Won Then Being Revisited Again!

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On this day in 1863, the Union army defeated the Confederate army at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and prevented any further Confederate advancement into the Northern states of America, the decisive battle of the Civil War.

It was the turning point of the Civil War, and having visited the battle site, and heard stories of ghosts that still linger today, and recognizing the tremendous losses of both sides in the three day battle that was topsy turvey until the third day of the battle, one is humbled by the fact that it decided the issue of states rights, even though the war went on for nearly two more years.

It is ironic that the Republican Party under Abraham Lincoln fought against states rights, but now the Republican Party is more Southern than anything else, and has revived the issue of states rights in fury over the Affordable Care Act being declared constitutional by the Supreme Court last week.

So Southern governors, including Rick Scott, Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry, and Bob McDonnell, and joined by northern Republican governors, including Scott Walker, Rick Snyder, Paul LePage and others, are declaring “war” on setting up programs to deal with the oncoming “ObamaCare” in 2014, and in Congress, Republican leaders are making their campaign on repeal of “ObamaCare”, even though the chances of that are nearly zero.

So the GOP is fighting the Civil War all over again on another battlefield, against their own history, and they are doomed to lose yet once again!

And get this, Mitt Romney, the Republican Presidential nominee, is trying to veer away from “ObamaCare” as the major issue, causing a split within a party that has no love lost for him!

Good luck, Republicans, but you will face an historic defeat in November, while Abraham Lincoln weeps in heaven at what you have done to the party that fought states rights!

Disgraceful GOP Governors Will Fight Expansion Of Medicaid!

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The Supreme Court decision backing “ObamaCare”, sadly allowed the states an “out” on expanding Medicaid coverage to the sick and needy who do not have health insurance coverage. In so doing, it allows Republican Governors to continue to resist giving any health care services to the poor, and will likely require federal intervention once the election is over, and hopefully, the chance to repeal “ObamaCare” is over, with Democratic gains and the victory of Barack Obama over Mitt Romney in the Presidential Election.

The despicable Governors include the usual ones–Southern governors, including Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Rick Perry of Texas, Rick Scott of Florida, Bob McDonnell of Virginia, Nikki Haley of South Carolina among others; and other Republican Governors elsewhere, including Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Paul LePage of Maine, Rick Snyder of Michigan, and Sam Brownback of Kansas, among others.

These Governors have no conscience, and do not give a damn about protecting the health of their own less fortunate citizens. And yet, they are all concerned with preserving “life” when it refers to fetuses, but no concern once the fetuses are born!

What a disgrace beyond belief!

Texas Education Goals: DO NOT TEACH CRITICAL THINKING!

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The Texas state government is promoting a concept of education that DOES NOT TEACH CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS!

Imagine this: The second largest state in population and land area, the state which sets the standard for most textbook sdoptions nationally, because of their large student and youth population, has set a goal of discouraging thinking, analyzing, interpreting of learning materials!

How backward can Texas be, which is already in the bottom ten on most educational standards under Governor Rick Perry!

The right wing evangelicals and Tea Party activists are at work, and they do not wish to encourage young people to develop their own ideas and thoughts!

After all, IF young people think, analyze, interpret, and challenge, that is a threat to parental authority and religious doctrine, which promotes obedience without question!

What kind of future does this nation have if we allow what Texas is doing to, effectively, promote obedient people who have no thoughts, who are KNOW NOTHINGS, such as Governor Rick Perry himself?

This is the problem of states rights, and is an argument for nationalizing the educational curriculum, as that is the only hope for high educational standards and the ability of America to compete in the 21st century!

The Difference Between John McCain And Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum And Other Republican Presidential Contenders Of 2012

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Mitt Romney demonstrated no guts or courage today when a woman in a crowd in Ohio said that Barack Obama has committed treason, and Romney said nothing.

Rick Santorum had a woman make derogatory comments about Barack Obama, claiming he had no right to be President, and Santorum said nothing

Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and other Republicans running for President in 2012 all had similar events occur, weirdly each time with women, and said nothing.

But in 2008, John McCain courageously spoke up when another woman made similar statements of disrespect for Barack Obama, told her she was wrong, and that Obama was a good man, just someone McCain disagreed with on issues and ideas.

John McCain was then applauded for what he said and did, and the opposite reaction of Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and others to the same situation in 2012, particularly with Barack Obama being President now, not just a nominee, makes John McCain look even better!

But think about it: would Bob Dole, the 1996 Presidential nominee, have reacted the same way as McCain? Would Richard Lugar, likely to lose his Senate seat this year because of his decency and statesmanship, have reacted the same way as McCain? Would other “decent” mainstream Republicans of the past, such as Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Jack Kemp of New York, and even present Senators Olympia Snowe of Maine, Susan Collins of Maine, and Scott Brown of Massachusetts react the same way as McCain? The answer in all cases is YES!

This demonstrates how extremist the top leadership of the Republican Party in Congress and the Presidential race has become, and Mitt Romney needs to be roundly condemned for his refusal to react promptly to that woman today! It is clear that Mitt Romney does not have the character and decency to be our President!

The 2012 Republican Presidential Candidates: A Group Embarrassing To American Politics, Except For Three!

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The Republican Presidential race for 2012, now effectively over, was a terrible embarrassment to American politics and history, with only three candidates fitting the image of being serious, mainstream candidates.

Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul were all, at best, “cartoon” characters, not coming up to the standards expected by most sane, rational Americans for the office of President of the United States.

However, three candidates did fit the standard of what one would expect of a major party nominee for President.

With all their shortcomings, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, and Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts all fit into the arena as legitimate candidates.

And there is a possibility that Romney might select Pawlenty for Vice President, making for a very sane, responsible ticket, which could, in theory, give Barack Obama a “run for his money” in the Presidential race.

But the whole craziness of the Republican Presidential battle helped to marginalize Romney, and destroyed the candidacies of Pawlenty and Huntsman.

2012 will not be remembered as one of the great years of exceptional candidates offered by a major political party for the Presidency of the United States!

Speculation About Reported Alliance Between Mitt Romney And Ron Paul: Could It Lead To Rand Paul Being Vice Presidential Running Mate Of Romney?

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Political pundits, including Joe Scarborough of MORNING JOE on MSNBC, have noticed what seems like a warm friendship between two Republican Presidential candidates, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

It has become obvious that Ron Paul has spent a lot of money on attack ads in various states against Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, and now Rick Santorum, as each has become a major challenger to Mitt Romney. He has also attacked them on debate stages, as he did last night against Rick Santorum.

This seems very weird to many observers, as Mitt Romney is not a libertarian or a believer in the withdrawal of America’s involvement overseas, which Ron Paul stands for.

And Ron Paul is too old to be considered as a running mate, but then it is recognized that his son, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who is 49 years old, has already said he would be honored to be considered for Vice President, a very strong hint that a deal could be struck to put Rand Paul in the Vice Presidential slot as a way to unite diverse elements of the GOP for November.

In many ways, it would be a “shotgun marriage”, but not the first in American history, as for instance, the team of Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Nance Garner in 1932; the team of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon in 1952; the team of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1960; and the team of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush in 1980, were not based on close friendship or ties between the Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees. They were done for maximum political advantage.

The problem with this possibility of Mitt Romney teaming with Rand Paul is that it puts Rand Paul and his extremist libertarian philosophy a potential heartbeat away from the Presidency, although the positive side for Romney is that it makes a Libertarian Party challenger less likely or, at least, less able to draw away votes if there is one, such as former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson. Ron Paul has a lot of supporters, who could be drawn to support Mitt Romney, if he selected Rand Paul.

So this new rumor makes one think that it could be a way to help Romney clinch the nomination and have somewhat united support, but the thought of a possible President Rand Paul would be a radical change unacceptable to mainstream and centrist political attitudes.

The Likely End Of The Republican Presidential Debates: A Relief For America!

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With last night’s 20th Republican Presidential debate, it now seems likely that we have seen the last of the debates until the three Presidential debates and one Vice Presidential debate in the fall.

The end of the debates could not be soon enough, as what they revealed made us wish for them to end mercifully for those of us who felt a commitment to sit through them, while rolling our eyes and covering our mouths in disbelief.

They revealed the incompetence, recklessness, stupidity, and lack of compassion of this motley group of Republicans, past and present, and the horror of imagining any of them becoming our President next January 20.

Sure, some were worse than others, and on that scale, Mitt Romney looks to be the “best” of the survivors, but that is a pitiful test of competence.

To have had such fools as Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, and Rick Santorum even imagining themselves as “qualified” to be President demonstrates the extent of hallucination and arrogance of these four candidates.

Looking back, it could be argued that the two best candidates had no chance at all–Jon Huntsman and Tim Pawlenty–because the GOP crowds at these events proved that they were total airheads and Neanderthals, who one had to believe was just those crowds, and not potential Republican voters nationwide. If this is indeed the norm of Republican registered voters, which with lots of prayer can be hoped is not the case, then this country is doomed to go into the Dark Ages, rather than into the Enlightenment of the future world. But then, the historical Enlightenment was a challenge to, and skeptic of, the power and influence of organized religion over government, and the thought that we are receding into the pervasive influence of religion over government which led to the struggle for separation of church and state is a terrifying sense of deja vu!

The Republican Party has abdicated its right to the Presidency and to control of Congress, until and when they start displaying responsibility, intelligence, and sanity, making them worthy of national power again.

Wanting to believe in the intelligence and humanity of the American people at large, one can only hope reason and compassion win, and that Barack Obama achieves the victory he so richly deserves for dealing competently with the biggest set of problems faced by any President since Franklin D. Roosevelt!

The Total Hypocrisy Of Christian Conservatives: Not Interested In Social Justice!

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President Obama spoke this morning at the National Prayer Breakfast, giving the usual impressive speech he is capable of, and spoke of his Christian beliefs including the need to care for others, and give up some of what he has to help others.

For this, he was immediately attacked by Christian conservatives led by Ralph Reed, who used to work with the Moral Majority and Christian Coalition led by Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, as Reed asserted that Obama is distorting the message of Christianity by promoting activism to assist those less fortunate. Obama endorsed Social Justice Christianity, something advocated as early as a century ago during the Progressive Era by such ministers as Washington Gladden, Walter Rauschenbusch, and Josiah Strong.

Reed, now associated with the Faith and Freedom Coalition, argued that Christianity had nothing to do with what Obama advocated: caring for the least among us (the poor), being your brother’s keeper, and demanding much of those to whom much has been given.

The Republicans intend to make religion, their conservative Christianity, an issue, as they declare war on Barack Obama, who they claim is out to destroy religion. Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich have made this a key issue specifically. Their sick view of religion would be enough for anyone of conscience to wish to be an atheist, rather than a hypocrite!

Good Riddance, Rick Perry! Don’t Let The Swinging Door Hit You On The Way Out!

Ronald 1 Comment

So Rick Perry has exited the GOP Presidential nomination race, and not too soon!

An embarrassment to himself and his state, he made one start to admire another former Texas Governor, George W. Bush, which demonstrates just how mediocre Rick Perry proved to be.

Here is a man who:

1. Suggested that his state might secede from the Union.
2. Said South Carolina was at “war” with the federal government.
3. Called Social Security a “Ponzi Scheme” and a “monstrous lie”, knowing that he was lying through his teeth.
4. Proposed re-invasion of Iraq.
5. Said Medicare is unconstitutional.
6. Said President Barack Obama is a socialist, knowing that was a lie too.
7. Could not remember the cabinet agencies he wanted to eliminate.
8. Allowed a likely innocent man to be executed, rather than investigate the issue further, in order to show how tough he was.
9. Had miserable debate performances, showing lack of knowledge and details.
10. Has the thought that he might reconsider running for President in 2016, the ultimate example of narcissism and egotism.

Rick Perry, don’t let the swinging door hit you on the way out! Good riddance!