Safety Net

The “Safety Net” In Tatters If Republicans Win Total Power

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The “Safety Net”–what makes a society human and compassionate–is in danger IF the Republicans were to win the White House and control of both houses of Congress.

The war on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Housing Assistance, and Pell Grants would be full scale, leaving poor people, young people, children, single mothers, senior citizens, sick and disabled people in a situation which could lead to greater hunger, homelessness, and major health issues that would not be dealt with, except by charity agencies and religious institutions.

But without government, these charitable and religious agencies would be unable to master the crisis that would evolve.

A society which would allow such abandonment is a society that would be going back to the Gilded Age of the late 19th century!

It would be a nation which, already behind in its “safety net”, as compared to other industrial, advanced societies in Europe and Japan, would no longer be a model for the world as a place of humanity and decency about the value of human existence!

This is a spiritual crisis of massive proportions, the concept that millions of our fellow citizens would be abandoned to shift by themselves, something that would lead to mass death and suffering, which would stain America forever!

The Truth About The Safety Net: Full Of Holes And The Worst In The Developed World!

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Mitt Romney claimed two days ago that we have a “safety net” for the very poor, and that, therefore, we don’t have to worry about them.

What a distortion of the truth, as we have the absolutely WORST “safety net” for the very poor in the developed world. It is not enough to say how fortunate our poor are as compared to Africa and parts of Asia and Latin America, as this is America!

Here are the facts:

The official US poverty rate is 15.1 percent, and it does not include the millions of the middle class who have been impoverished by the Great Recession and its aftermath.

One out of five children lives in dire poverty in America, and if one is born into that background, the odds of escaping it are far less likely than for other children.

Our Food Stamp program provides $1.44 per meal to each of its recipients.

Medicaid only covers the poorest children, of parents working at 63 percent of the poverty line, and 37 percent of non working parents. The new health care law would cover the gaps, but Romney endorses repealing it.

Only one in four poor renters get housing vouchers as assistance to pay the rent.

Supplemental Security Income helps the impoverished elderly and disabled, but only 27 percent of this group receives such welfare assistance, while in 1996, 68 percent received such aid. And SSI at its best only lifts those families to 75 percent of the poverty level.

Any person who wishes to be President should have the decency and the compassion to recognize that the “very poor” are not well treated in a society which believes in mobility, and that we MUST do better, and stop having conservatives and so called “religious” people continue to condemn and deplore the poor, and not give a damn about their ability to survive and advance in society, with a sense of dignity! This is a MORAL cause above all!

Defense Of Liberalism And Progressivism: All Major Reforms Brought About By The Political Left!

Ronald 2 Comments

Lawrence O’Donnell on THE LAST WORD on MSNBC this evening utilized an episode of the old series, THE WEST WING, to defend liberalism and progressivism, demonstrating what all people of those persuasions know, but sometimes forget to use in defense against conservatives: that ALL major reforms in this country have come about due to those defined as on the political left!

Liberals and Progressives, (interchangeable names) brought about the following, whether Democrats or Republicans:

Anti Slavery Movement
Woman Suffrage
Social Justice Reforms
Labor Reforms
Voting Rights
Civil Rights Laws
Social Security
Medicare and Medicaid
Environmental Reforms
Consumer Reforms
Women’s Rights Movement
Gay Rights Movement
Disability Rights Movement
Immigration Reform
Anti Vietnam War Movement

What can conservatives claim, except to help the rich get richer; help corporations monopolize; undermine labor; exploit and condemn the poor; support religious groups that wish to restrict human rights; work against consumer rights and environmental regulation; deny voting rights; support slavery and segregation of blacks; deny woman equality in all ways; exploit immigrants and deny them equality; deny the “safety net”; work against equal rights for gays and the disabled; and support military adventures overseas that enrich corporations.

Would any conservative wish to deny the above? If so, write and comment on this post!

Mitt Romney’s Psychological Self Destruction Again Evident!

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Imagine this: Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts Governor, is able to accomplish a major victory in Florida, and he goes ahead in the next 24 hours or less to destroy what he has accomplished!

Mitt had this urge to tease second place finisher Newt Gingrich by pointing out that Gingrich had failed to call him, and maybe had forgotten his number, said with a hearty laugh! That is very stupid, to make fun of the loser, and yet expect that the very competitive and vindictive Gingrich will eventually come around and drop his challenge. After this idiotic move by Romney, he has only guaranteed more grief longer term for his campaign. It also shows the level of arrogance that Romney has, something known before, but made worse by his cockiness after his Florida victory!

But then, Romney, in an interview on CNN, declares that he is not concerned about the “very poor”, as they are well protected by the “safety net”. This is an outrageous statement, as the very poor are in dire straits, and the so called “safety net” is full of holes, and it is no fun to see the working poor struggle to make ends meet every day of their lives! But of course, many Americans, including Romney, would like to forget these people, as they are an inconvenient annoyance!

He is also not concerned about the very rich (like himself) as they don’t need government, a totally true statement, but showing how he can only relate to his own aristocratic class of citizens. But of course, the government must not take away any of the wealth from his class in the form of taxes!

Romney claims he is there for the middle class, but he has shown no evidence of concern, and seems to fail to realize that much of the middle class has become poor due to the policies and programs of the Republican Party for the twelve years they controlled Congress, and their unwillingness to do anything to help these people because it might help make Barack Obama look better.

Romney just shows how out of touch he is with reality, and to expect him to do anything economically in the next four years for the middle class is a hallucination, as his whole record shows he is only concerned with protecting his own, and other wealthy people’s, assets!

Even conservatives, who truly don’t care about anyone but the wealthy, have expressed shock and dismay that Romney actually said what he said. They may, quietly agree with his statement, but trying to be elected and making such statements is tantamount to suicide.

What Mitt Romney has done in one day is guarantee a longer battle for the Republican Presidential nomination, and more “red meat” for Barack Obama and his campaign to use against him. It is almost as if Mitt Romney has a “death wish”, and really does not want to be elected President of the United States!

The Multiple Problems Of Rick Santorum: Why He Would Be A Nightmare For America!

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Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum comes across as handsome, personable, a good speaker, and willing to look people directly in the eye when he meets them.

But these strengths are outweighed by his many shortcomings, as witness:

Rick Santorum was extremely unpopular among his Republican colleagues in the US House of Representatives and US Senate, from John McCain to Jim DeMint, a wide range within a narrow based party.

Rick Santorum became the biggest promoter of “pork”, known as “earmarks”, and made all the right connections with business people so that he has enriched himself since his defeat in the Senate reelection contest of 2006, where he lost by the massive margin of 17 points, despite his 12 years of Senate seniority.

Rick Santorum has a confrontational, take no prisoners approach to his “enemies”, and has absolutist views on many issues, which means he would not unite the American people, and would cause a bigger rift, a bigger chasm, a bigger division, than has existed under Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. He does not have the personality or nature to compromise, or to promote unity. The political atmosphere would be far worse, much more poisonous in a Santorum Presidency, and antagonistic to his “enemies”, more anti media than anyone since Richard Nixon!

Rick Santorum believes in a muscular foreign policy, and would engage America in more overseas military adventures without any pause, which makes him very dangerous.

Rick Santorum has no concern for the poor or the struggling middle class, as he has demonstrated so often, since he believes that no one is responsible to pay more taxes to help the sick, the poor, the disadvantaged, and that we have no social responsibility to each other. He would be the most right wing candidate since Barry Goldwater, but worse than Goldwater, who was a libertarian in many ways, and would not approve of Santorum’s invocation of “Jesus”, and Santorum’s narrow view of Christianity. Santorum would have no problem going back to a theory of Social Darwinism, prevalent in the Gilded Age of the late 19th century.

Rick Santorum believes there is no right to privacy including his opposition to abortion in all circumstances; his extreme condemnation of gay rights in all of its forms; his opposition even to contraception; and his desire to have divorce made more difficult, forcing unhappy couples to stay together as long as they have children under the age of 18. He also believes that consenting adults do not have the right to consensual sex in their own homes!

Rick Santorum claims to speak for the working class, because of his own blue collar family background, including his grandfather, who migrated from Italy and worked in the coal mines, but really he is personally quite wealthy, and only really has shown political concern for WHITE working class, which he is appealing to, and not concern for African Americans or Hispanics, with his statements and actions attacking any assistance or support of the advancements of these minority groups, which have been left behind.

Rick Santorum showed he was not a “compassionate” conservative as President George W. Bush claimed to be, when he said that “pre-existing” conditions involving health care should be given higher premium rates because their “habits” led to the pre-existing conditions, even when a mother saying her child had developed health issues and could not get insurance, questioned him this week at a campaign rally in New Hampshire. Santorum has no compassion or concern for anyone not wealthy, and this is supposed to be a “good Christian”? This is the true hypocrisy of Rick Santorum, promoting selfishness and greed, not what Jesus Christ promoted! And yet, Santorum claims he is the “JESUS” candidate! What an outrage!

Rick Santorum is dangerous to America, as he would promote a repeal of the New Deal and Great Society; would advocate military interventions overseas; would destroy the safety net that exists for those less fortunate and less healthy; and would promote government intrusion in the private lives of Americans, including their sexual behavior.

This is a prescription for a totalitarian government socially, but laissez faire economically, all in the name of JESUS! Just what the Founding Fathers worked so strongly against! We are NOT a theocracy, and the thought of it is enough to make one terrified!

Barack Obama, The Democratic Party, And The American People: On The Way To Separation Or Divorce?

Ronald 2 Comments

President Obama is alienating his progressive base, due to indications that he is willing to negotiate cuts in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, as part of a deal with the Congressional Republicans to avoid a default of the government, as we face the August 2 deadline of the need to raise the debt ceiling.

Various groups, including labor unions, the National Organization For Women, The Alliance For Retired Americans, and Moveon.Org are furious with the President. Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have all made it clear that such concessions are totally unacceptable.

The question is whether President Obama has the courage to stand up to the Republicans and possibly help to cause a default on the national debt, or instead is willing to antagonize his base and sacrifice the support of the Democratic Party’s heritage–the New Deal and Great Society programs that have become our safety net!

It means that either President Obama will cause a “separation” or “divorce” from the American people 16 months from now, or cause a similar “separation” or “divorce” from his party loyalists as he enters the campaign for re-election in November 2012!

One could say that Obama has the choice between the “devil and deep blue sea”, and what he ultimately chooses to do will reverberate in the long run for the nation and his historical reputation!

Republicans And Destruction Of The “Safety Net”

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The Republican party is beginning a “war” on the “safety net” that Democrats have created nationally since the 1930s, and is also reaching into the states, as for example, Florida, to destroy gains made by state employees in a state famous for low pay!

Nationally, the Republican plan, enunciated by Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan and others, is to gain the majority in Congress and work to privatize Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid, along with repealing the Health Care reform legislation just signed into law by President Obama.

In Florida, the dominant Republican majority in both houses of the state legislature is setting out, as we speak, to destroy the Florida Retirement System as we know it, by dramatically changing the system for pensions for teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other state workers.

In many cases, the pensions will be cut by one third to one half for future recipients, and the method by which state employees have built up pension credits will be retroactively negated. Thus, work already completed in past years will be put under a new, much more stingy, pension crediting, and include the need to work more years to be eligible, and sick leave and overtime work in the past and the future will no longer be counted.

This is an outrage, and will be occurring in a similar fashion in other states, and is a harbinger of what is going to happen nationally IF the Republicans regain control of the Congress.

Having done tremendous damage for the 12 years they held the Congress from 1994-2006, and now doing the same in Florida and other states, is there anyone in their right mind who would support the Republican goal of retaking power in the nation’s capital?

More than ever, the Democrats in state governments and nationally must fight “tooth and nail” for every legislative seat and every governorship to prevent further destruction of the “American dream”!