Here We Go Again…

The President has come forward to say that his view of same-sex marriage has evolved to the point where he is now in support of same-sex marriage.  Thank God we have a President who is able to speak the truth about his beliefs, even when they change, and when they are in conflict with the viewpoint of  about one-half of voters.  Unlike Mitt Romney, he doesn’t change views to satisfy whatever audience he is in front of; he takes stands that sometimes are difficult, but which are necessary, right and just.  Jack Cafferty on CNN thinks this is simply “pandering” to certain voters, but ignores those voters Obama stands to lose because of this decision. 

This is a prime example of getting side-tracked into areas that don’t speak to the needs of most people.  Same-sex marriage is a side-show for most, but politicians and pundits who don’t have the real interest of people at their core, are easily led down a primrose path to think that this is somehow important to our well-being.  It may well be important in certain people’s lives, but it is not of consequence politically because the whole matter has been left to the states, and continues to be their decision.  Little will change just because the President has evolved his viewpoint.  The states still have the ability to decide what to do about this issue.  And, so far, the score is 32-0.  Thirty-two states have decided that marriage between a man and a woman is the only acceptable standard.

So, if you want to decide your vote on the basis of this one social issue, and ignore all the other critical issues that are confronting our nation at this time, then you deserve every bomb that radical Republicans, who support traditional marriage, can throw at you:

• Destruction of social security, Medicare and Medicaid, as well as the positive aspects of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
• Protection and enhancement of the rich in every way possible at a cost to workers and middle class
• Elitism at all levels: education, health care, housing -- too many of the rich want special privileges for themselves only -- YOU they don’t care about!
• Use of government structures and power to control aspects of your life that they believe should be controlled:  no more abortions; no more easy access to contraception; greater control over immigrants and all minorities, such as using the judicial and prison systems to incarcerate - and thus remove - “them“ from society; segregated housing as much as possible; segregated public schools - or better, private schools that cater to the elite and are not run by government no matter who goes to them;  no marriages except heterosexual ones;  maximum health care only for those who can afford it -- much less for those who can’t (minimal vouchers from the government to buy inadequate insurance); fundamentalist religion as the arbiter of morals and politics. 

It comes down to a few in this country controlling the minds and the actions and the lives of the many.  It’s known as Plutocracy or Oligarchy - the rule of the rich or the rule of an elite few over all others.  But, it’s worse than that:  at its foundation, this ideology -- these principles -  are part of the root of socialism or communism.  Radical Republicans want you to focus only on what they regard as socialism:  government control of services and of industry and production.  However, that is only one aspect of a socialist or communist state.  The more important element is the control of your mind, your heart and your everyday life.   

That is what Republican radicals are after, and that is what they will drop on you as soon as they get the chance.  These radical Republicans are not out to give you more “freedom;” they are out to limit your choices, to control your actions, to standardize your religion, to take away whatever bargaining rights, appeal processes, choices you think you have, so that their ideology and their ideals and their opinions will determine how you lead your life. 

Their chant of “more Freedom” is a sham.  They use that word to lull you into complacency.  They want you to believe that voting for them will lead you to a greater openness, with more choices and opportunities available to you because some large government is no longer telling you what to do, or coercing you into certain large systems like provision of health care or public schools.  But you are being led astray. 

You believe they mean what they say.  But they have proven over and over again that what they say is not what they mean; their very phrases are propagandistic:  “the Red Menace” - the “Evil Empire” - “government takeover of health care” - “Pro-Life” - “weapons of mass destruction” - “job creators” - “the national debt is strangling us” - “social security is going bankrupt” - Medicaid is out-of-control” - “reduce taxes on the rich and jobs will be created and all will prosper.”  I’m sorry:  these false aphorisms go on and on, but accomplish nothing other than the capture of unthinking minds.   Ask yourself: am I being bamboozled?  Taken in?  Led down a primrose path?

Of course you are.  Radical Republicans are notorious for diverting your attention from important issues.  They would rather agitate your mind with the issue of “religious freedom” when what is truly at issue is women’s rights.  They would rather divert you from the growing gaps in our society between the haves and the rest of us who make up the vast majority, by convincing you that there is “class warfare” being perpetrated.   Their very favorite is, of course, to convince you that there is some kind of government plot or cabal or movement designed to strip you of something:  “Obamacare” - “government takeover” - “fraud, waste and abuse” - “welfare queens” - “illegal immigrants” - “attack on Christianity” - “global warming myth.”

One of the great scare tactics and diversionary tactics is their insistence on the national debt as the worst possible situation we face as a country.  Once they convince you of the absolute urgency of tackling that problem with immediate budget cuts (austerity measures), the closer they are to ridding us of all the governmental programs that are in place to help the less-than-elite among us.  That’s right.  The national debt issue, and the drastic cutting of government programs to alleviate that debt, hide their real intent: to void all the Democrat programs of the past that they believe re-distribute their wealth to other “classes” of people. 

So, let me ask you.  When has the national debt not been alleviated and resolved by a steady and persistent effort applied over several years?  We do not burden our children and grandchildren with the national debt.  It gets resolved by prudent government control of spending, by taxing all at a progressive rate, by reforming and restructuring how we do business as a government, by asking for certain targeted sacrifices as temporary measures (such as the 55 mile an hour speed limit during a gas crisis; or, a rationing system on one or more commodities; or a rule like the “Buffet Rule” The “Volker Rule” or “Glass-Steagall”-- rules that limit the exploitation of one group of us by another).

The national debt is a ruse - but albeit a problem to be solved judiciously over a period of time - but it is not the crisis for our children or for us that you have been led to believe in order to get you to back the real agenda of the destruction of government programs for the middle class, the working poor and the very poor.  (More to come on this in future blogs). 

And so, we come to a final thought.  Radical Republicans are your worst enemy because they want to use government to control you, but not in the ways that they rail against.  They want to use government to: re-distribute all wealth to the wealthiest; promote an evangelical religion as our standard and as a pervasive force in government; control our ethics; force minorities into restricted ghettos (including privately-run prisons so they can make money off their captives); take away consumer protections so that businesses and banks and brokerage firms can operate in an unfettered manner; make our education system one that the elites control and use to their advantage while the rest of us have to struggle just to pay tuition; reduce women’s rights (one of the most common aspects of dictatorial regimes is their insistence on the abrogation of women’s rights; the diminution of their place in society); and, force austerity measures on all but the military.

But government is there for other reasons: to prevent chaos and plunder; to protect the vulnerable; to provide for the sick and the indigent; to protect the basic rights of every citizen; to insure opportunities for a better life, especially through the best education possible; to defend the citizenry and the nation against forces intending to do us harm; to encourage the development of business and labor; to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit; to make our environment safe and eminently livable;  to encourage research and development in order to enhance our lives; to control the forces of greed and corruption that want to swallow us whole; to promote conditions that help create jobs.  These are a few of the legitimate reasons why we have governments, and why we hand over to governments some of our “freedom” in order to enhance the welfare of us all as a nation, as a commonwealth, as a familial entity.

So, do not be taken in by the propaganda of the Right-wing.  They are the true socialists; they are the true abusers of governmental power; they are the fomenters of class warfare; they are the believers in government of the elite forced upon the rest of us.  Do not be Bamboozled!

What Frightens and Distracts You?

Whatever it is, Republicans are sure to exploit it!  They are in the fear-mongering business.  Remember Death Panels?  Recall Al Qaeda and their imminent plans to get us?  How about Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq?  And, the assault on our borders -- all those (Mexican) foreigners coming across our borders to take our jobs, use our services, and perpetrate heinous crimes upon us?  What about Social Security being broken and needing immediate reconstruction?  Or, how about the waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicare system?  Or, for goodness’ sake, the takeover of our legal system by Shariah law?  And finally, how about the socialist takeover of our government by Obama and his followers?  It’s three years and a few months into his first term, and no signs yet of a socialist takeover.  In fact, Obama in many ways is far too conservative to even consider such a thing.  Besides, a socialist government is one in which all industries, utilities, and services are under government operation through the use of government employees.  We aren’t even close, and won’t be, but Republicans still talk about it as though it is true.  They love to scare you!

On another scale, recall:  ObamaCare will somehow change the doctor-patient relationship (it hasn’t); it’s a government takeover of health care: why then are all those insurance and health and drug conglomerates still in business, controlling what happens with your health care?  According to FactCheck.org: “contrary to years of constantly repeated Republican rhetoric, the health care law (if allowed to stand) will constitute a relatively minor expansion of the government’s share of health care spending, which was already large and rising due to the aging population…”  And, what about those $500 billion in new taxes Obamacare is supposed to produce?  Seen any yet?  No, because it’s another exaggeration designed to scare you.  Many of the items in the Affordable Health Care Act  called “taxes” are actually fees or penalties, just one of which is targeted at individuals who choose not to be covered by insurance.  Most of the actual taxes are “narrowly targeted at groups from tanning-bed users to health company CEOs,” and owners of “Cadillac Plans” designed for rich people, according to PolitiFact, and do not affect the average taxpayer.  So, don’t be frightened by the Republican lies and half-truths!

We could go on, of course, because those Radical Republicans never stop with their falsehoods.  Obama is a Muslim, a socialist, an attacker of religious freedom, and is instituting “class warfare.”  The President and fellow-Democrats are accused of stifling job creation because they want to tax the rich and corporations at a fair rate.  And how about those conservative Justices on the Supreme Court who claim that corporations are equivalent to individual citizens in terms of their rights to free (political) speech?  Romney declares that “corporations are people.”  He also claims that regulations are a burden on businesses and the economy.  He never mentions the important role they play in protecting consumers; instead he claims that “federal agencies today have near plenary power to issue whatever regulations they see fit.”  The one I especially like is the accusation by Romney that the President keeps “apologizing” in foreign countries for America’s actions.  I’m sure Osama Bin  Laden would love to have had such an apology!  Romney is just full of these false claims.  Read his so-called “Plan for Jobs and Economic Growth” if you doubt this, and then check his claims on PolitiFact or FactCheck.

Most of this false rhetoric is used to frighten voters away from the important and primary issues.  However, there is another intent here, and that is simply to distract you from the real issues facing this country.  For which, by the way, the GOP in general, and Romney in particular, have neither a Vision nor a real Plan.  That is why, in essence, it is important to keep focused during this “crazy season.”

A sportscaster in my hometown used to sign off every one of his radio programs with one catch phrase:  “keep your eye on the ball!”  We are entering two seasons where that phrase is especially apropos: baseball and election races.  Even before we have party nominees, the presumptive candidates are moving full speed ahead in their campaigns.  We are already being bombarded with snipes and counter-snipes; claims and counter-claims, and election day is six months away!  All the more reason, then, for voters not to become distracted.  We all need to keep focused on certain basic principles or outcomes involved with this election. 

First, who can best lead us out of this recession?  I submit that President Obama is already doing that.  Since he came into office, job growth has out-performed job losses, the American car industry has been saved, manufacturing has increased, small businesses have been given tax breaks and incentives to spur their growth, and wage earners have seen their payroll taxes reduced.  There is a slow but steady trend toward recovery.  To contemplate replacing Obama’s balanced approach with that of  Republican austerity measures, of drastic cuts in government services, and above all, with more benefits for the richest among us, is a disaster waiting to happen.   President Obama has a balanced plan toward growth and recovery spread over a number of years.  Romney has no plan at all except the same old remedies that got us into this recession in the first place: tax cuts for the rich, tax breaks for the out-sourcers of jobs and industries, and less regulation of greedy corporations so that they can increase their profits at the expense of the health, safety and prosperity of the average worker and his or her family. 

Secondly, then, who has YOUR best interest at heart?  Who cares about the middle class?  Not Mr. Romney and his fellow-travelers who pay a lesser percentage in taxes than you do.  Do you really believe that the rich and their shills in Congress are going to give up their breaks, their perks, their special privileges, their welfare payments from the government once in office.  Not on your life!  They have already demonstrated their propensity to take millions from the public coffers while the rest of us get by on stagnant wages and fewer services.

Finally, who has a Vision for the future?  Just ask yourself if Romney has any Vision at all, past the canards that he and the Republicans spew forth whenever they get the chance.  Then consider: who wants to rip away health care for all citizens, as well as  environmental protections? Who wants to raise interest rates on student loans and restrict student loans and grants to a bare minimum?  Who wants to restrict the rights of women and their ability to earn equal pay for equal work?  Who subsidizes big oil, wants more nuclear power plants, and believes in hydro-fracking?  Radical Republicans, and Romney, of course.

The President, in sharp contrast, knows what the future demands: we must have better teachers and better schools; we must have a wide variety of higher education to meet the demands of a technological society; we must move toward energy independence and away from dependence on foreign oil, but we must, at the same time, protect the environment; we must have incentives that encourage businesses to maintain their presence within the United States; we must have responsible and practical regulations and agencies that protect the interests of the consumer while not unduly burdening corporations and small businesses; we must invest now in infrastructure repair and innovation or our industrial and manufacturing future will be compromised; we must encourage research and development in order to nurture innovation and entrepreneurship in all areas of life; we must reform our entire health care system to the benefit of all of our citizens.  The President has already begun work on all of these issues and has produced and signed legislation, as well as Executive Orders, to advance on all of these fronts.  Check out Whitehouse.gov or Obamaachievements.org for specifics.  Our purpose should be to help him realize his Vision for America to whatever extent is possible over the next four years.

Don’t be distracted by sideshow issues like Ann Romney’s stay-at-home career or issues that states control like same-sex marriage, or Romney’s teen-age “high-jinks.“  Stay focused, instead, on the demonstrated short-comings of the Tea Party-dominated Republican Party that is fast losing its moderate Senators, Governors and Congressmen, most of whom were willing to cooperate in a quest to legislate practicable laws and benefits for the citizenry.   Governor Romney has allied himself with the radical Republicans in Congress like Eric Cantor and Paul Ryan.  He will not be seeking your protection, your safety, your prosperity, or your well-being; but he will be looking to reduce your wages (union-busting), your benefits (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Health Care reform Act), your protections (getting rid of regulations and agencies like the EPA), and your opportunities (for home mortgages, personal loans, tax deductions, well-paying jobs, job training and a decent education). 

Unless you keep your “eye on the ball,” YOU will be the loser, because the interests and fabrications of radical Republicans are not in your best interest.            

The VIOLENCE In Our Midst

Are you a violent person?  Most people aren’t, but some may become such, depending on the circumstances.  Strange, then, that most of us go along day-to-day without violence as a part of our living.  At least, we probably see it that way.

Let’s look at the topic from another angle.  If you aren’t a violent person, and you basically abhor violence, do you tolerate violence being done to you and to others?  Well, you probably react in such a way as to protest against any possibility that you would tolerate violence against yourself, your family, or someone known to you in your community.  But where does that leave those unknown to you?  Let’s focus a bit more.  Do you tolerate violence perpetrated on others with whom you are unfamiliar?  I suspect most of us would have to answer a reluctant yes, because we have all experienced episodes of violence upon others that have not fallen within our sphere of life or been close enough to us to move us to protest.

Think now of that rather famous quote from Pastor Niemuller of Germany that goes:

 “First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

So, the question becomes:  are there forces out there that are perpetrating forms of violence against members of our communities or our nation that we are ignoring?  And, to be more focused on ourselves: are there forces of violence that are being perpetrated upon me and my family of which I am basically unaware because I have gotten used to ignoring it when it falls upon others because I don’t recognize it’s nature?

Before we answer, it’s necessary to take a little detour to explore that word “violence.”

Of course, we are probably most familiar with the definition that has to do with the use of physical force to injure, damage, or destroy.  Undoubtedly, most people think of that when they use the word.  Or, perhaps, they think of a devastatingly or explosively powerful force like a hurricane or an active volcano.  But what about that definition that deals with another whole side of violence in the realm of feelings, rights, or propaganda.

However, here’s what I’m talking about:

“unjust or callous use of force or power, as in violating another’s rights or sensibilities and the harm done by this“;

Now we are in a realm that affects us all.  And, surprisingly enough, we are in the arena of politics, with a vengeance.

Women, the disabled, the elderly, union members, government workers, the unemployed, the poor and homeless, children, minorities, and each one of us are all the victims of this kind of violence.  We are already targets of the violent misuse of power and wealth, and yet the voices against this form of violence are too quiet.  Thank God for the Occupy Wall Street folks who have had the courage to speak out and protest these forces, but they have been ignored, unheard, beaten, arrested, and removed from their locations so that their protest can be kept “under control.”  That is always the way with those who disturb the status quo, the comfortable, the complacent.  They end up being put down, put out and put in some sort of detention.

Therefore, you ignore and eschew the following at your own, and your family’s and your community’s peril.  They are coming for the others, and what have YOU chosen? Silence?  They will come for you next….  Here’s what I’m talking about.

The Power of the One Percent.  There is nothing more dangerous than an elite who believe in their right to control, manipulate and coerce those considered somehow having  less value or worth than they believe they themselves possess.  The Koch brothers, Charles and David, are the epitome of this attitude, and the poster boys for the very rich right-wing radicals who want to take over our government, our society and our lives.  They believe that their ideology and beliefs must hold sway no matter who objects.  In Fact, the billionaire brothers bankroll a vast network of organizations that work to undermine the interests of the 99% on issues ranging from Social Security to the environment to civil rights.

Here are a few examples of their background and activities from the website that promotes the video:  The Koch Brothers Exposed.

Koch Industries, which the brothers own, is one of the top ten polluters in the United States -- which perhaps explains why the Koch's have given $60 million to climate denial groups between 1997 and 2010.  Koch Industries has an annual production capacity of 2.2 billion pounds of the carcinogen formaldehyde. The company has worked to keep it from being classified as a carcinogen even though David Koch is a prostate cancer survivor.

The Koch's are the oil and gas industry's biggest donors to the congressional committee with oversight of the hazardous Keystone XL oil pipeline. They and their employees gave more than $300,000 to members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in 2010 alone.

From 1998-2008, Koch-controlled foundations gave more than $196 million to organizations that favor polices that would financially enrich the two brothers. In addition, Koch Industries spent $50 million on lobbying and some $8 million in PAC contributions.  A Huffington Post source who was at a three-day retreat of conservative billionaires said the Koch brothers pledged to donate $60 million to defeat President Obama in 2012 and produce pledges of $40 million more from others at the retreat.  The Koch's are also suing to take over the Cato Institute, which has accused the Koch's of attempting to destroy the group's identity as an independent, libertarian think tank and align it more closely with a partisan agenda.

Since 2000, the Koch's have collected almost $100 million in government contracts, mostly from the Department of Defense.  The Koch brothers' combined fortune of roughly $50 billion is exceeded only by that of Bill Gates in the United States.  The Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs accused Koch Oil of scheming to steal $31 million of crude oil from Native Americans. Although the company claimed it was accidental, a former executive in this operation said Charles Koch had known about it and had responded to the overages by saying, "I want my fair share, and that's all of it."

The Power of Multi-national corporations  Of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51 are corporations while only 49 are countries, based on a comparison of corporate sales and country GDPs.  Adam Smith, in his famous book the Wealth of Nations, saw corporations as working to evade the laws of the market, trying to interfere with prices and controlling trade.  It is that tendency toward control that needs to concern us all. 

According to an article from global issues.com, in September 2011, an analysis of over 43,000 transnational corporations (TNCs) identified a relatively small group of companies, mainly banks, with disproportionate power over the global economy.  An even tighter 147 (about 1%) of these were described as “super entities” that controlled 40 per cent of the total wealth in the network.

This combination of Corporate wealth and influence can reach various parts of societies through various means, which many other entities don’t have the ability to do, since others lack the financial resources that corporations have: 

• Influence on general populations via advertising and controlling the mainstream media.
• Influence on public policy and over governments. This can range from financing large parts of elections, to creating corporate-funded think tanks and “citizen” groups, to support from very influential political bodies such as the Council on Foreign Relations
• Influence on international institutions, such as the World Trade Organization, as well as international economic and political agreements. 

Corporations have used and expanded the human right of free speech to mean the unlimited right to put corporate money into politics, and have thus taken control of our major political parties and politicians;
Military contractors grew to enormous size as a result of WWII and a permanent arms industry came into being, what Dwight Eisenhower called “the military/industrial complex.” It now lobbies our government to buy its products and use them in wars around the world. 
Corporations have used the 4th Amendment’s human right to privacy to keep out OSHA, EPA, and to hide crimes.  Why do you think that their shills - the Republican Right - keep denigrating the EPA?
Corporations have lobbied states to change corporate charter laws to eliminate “public good” provisions from charters, to allow multiple purposes, and to essentially be guaranteed an eternal existence.
Corporations claim the human right to economic activity free of regulatory restraint.

Violations of human rights, control of trade negotiations and treaties, large scale tax avoidance, hiding profits in off-shore bank accounts, often fighting social causes and policies not only in this country but elsewhere -- the pressure to compete and to realize ever-increasing profits is driving many large companies to the lowest common denominator of operation, thus doing violence to the well-being of people and nations.  These corporations and even some nations actually seek out places where poor labor regulations can be taken advantage of in an unfair way, or by not supporting—or even opposing—international or national bodies and policies that could help to ensure fairness.
 
Wal-Mart is often cited by critics and some mainstream media as the quintessential prototype for what this “culture” tends to create (from alternet.org): 

• A downward pressure on wages
• Discrimination against women in particular
• The lack of adequate health care coverage
• Using illegal immigrants to do menial work
• Workers illegally fired for trying to form a union
• Wal-Mart spends millions to thwart workers' basic rights, giving its union-breaking staff priority on resources (like corporate jets) over even higher-placed managers
• Wal-Mart is in cahoots with the Chinese government, raking in profits by condoning the violation of basic international labor standards.

The U.S.consumer is unwittingly supporting a process that is leading to more exploitation, not only of people in other countries, but of tax payers and consumers in this country.  If you don’t like violence done to you and others, then beware the culture of rich, multi-national corporations.  Their basic interest is not in your interest. Violence?  Again, a definition for you to consider very carefully:

“unjust or callous use of force or power, as in violating another’s rights or sensibilities and the harm done by this“