Representative Giffords and the folks in Arizona

Upon hearing about the shooting of Congresswoman Giffords, my first thoughts were, "Oh, no, I hope this is not a view of events to come." Any of you that is old enough to remember the killings of the Kennedys, Dr. King or Malcolm X knows that feeling of lost control the entire country endured at that time in history. We have to remember that as emotional as issues may become, the  only way that we change laws or make laws is through the ballot box or courts . We can be contentious on issues and we may be divided on the outcome, but once the decision is made we move forward. Words have consequences and we have to be careful that our words do not inflame issues to the point that they push people to change the course of our nation with violence. We should all keep the Congresswomen, the federal judge, the nine year old child and their families in our prayers. Let us also pray that our nation can have civil discussions on issues and keep the rhetoric to a minimum.

Instead of reading the Constitution abide by it.

I find this hilarious that the House of Representatives, took the time to read the Constitution. I believe, strongly in the Constitution, however again Congress is more about show then about substance. The idea that representatives must show the constitutionality of a law is ludicrous. The separation of powers has Congress making laws and the courts ruling on the law. Now the Republicans want to do the job of the courts. Please do something of value for the people you work for. Us.

The current state of the legislature.

1. I want to comment on the Republicans debate on the "job killing health bill." There is really no debate, only a show for political gain. The health care bill is not going to be repealed and the Republicans know this. If they pass it in the House, it will be defeated in the Senate or vetoed by the President. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that it will save $110 billion over ten years. Now the CBO is not on target, however in the past when they supported the other parties view it was on target. Mr. Boehner and Mr. Ryan would use CBO results if the numbers were supportive of their view. Here we go again, politics are placed higher then results for America. On a side note, Danny mentioned that I admitted that health care premiums have increased since the new health care was put in place. Actually we have ours through Florida Hospital, where Pat works and ours did not go up. In some cases companies have absorbed or not increased costs. Again if health care companies are making huge profits why was there a necessity to increase premiums. Maybe they want to see health care reform fail?

This is just the beginning.

We definitely agree on something else I am having a blast. The more we disagree the more I laugh and enjoy myself. I have had close to seven hundred page views since I started a couple of weeks ago. As I stated in one of my earlier blogs, politics is a passion of mine and I can tell it is a passion of yours. Jessica and Wes keeps saying they want us to get together in person to debate. Someday we should do this. I know it would be as much fun as the blog. I will keep expanding our readership, if you will help me with your insights and contributions. I have some people on face book with some minor exchanges, who I am trying to get them to join you and Jess as commentators. The other point I want to make is that nothing constructive ever comes from passive agreement. We need to have vigorous debate to have progress. Lastly never think you might offend me. I don't offend easily,  if at all  and especially if I am talking politics and how to move our country forward. Thanks again for your thoughts and please continue to fight for your beliefs. In the end it will be worth it. We will regain our beloved America.

One last response for the day.

I an sure as people who disagree with me read my last posting they are thinking, my God, he wants to pay for everything for all people. Quite the contrary. I want all Americans to be paid a fair and living wage so they are capable of supporting themselves. If people are paid a fair and living wage, with fair and reasonable costs for benefits, such as health care and retirement, we would not have to pay and support people. I understand that corporations create jobs and if they are fair with compensation to workers that would be the end of it. They however want to keep costs down by eliminating jobs and control wages. They also receive federal subsidies that are not available to the average working person. They receive tax credits and tax reductions so that their profits are not just good they are excellent, by their standard. Just to be clear, I support people being able to work, advance and make fair and just wages. This would eliminate the need for government interference to level the playing field. The economy would accelerate forward. More jobs would be created. More goods would be bought. More jobs would be created. And so on. Our taxes would go down because we would be collecting more taxes, with more people working. This is how an economy works for everyone. And yes Danny, in case you were worried, the rich would get richer.

Continue response.

The purpose of my list is to demonstrate how difficult it is to just make enough money to meet basic needs, let alone provide for the generation before us. You stated that Grandma and Grandpa are useless. Wow, I sure don't feel useless. I have worked since I was 16 years old. I will continue to work as long as I can. This is what we do. I have never collected an unemployment check, welfare check, food stamps or any other type of federal, state or local assistance. The only checks I have ever received from the government were checks from the Navy and Tax return checks from the IRS. I have always paid my share of taxes and felt that, as I did so, it was my obligation and duty to return something to this country that I love so much. I speak out for the average person because so many are reluctant to do so. They are afraid to face conflict, however I am starting to welcome it more and more. I am tired of the elite, or people who think they are the elite, that state their talking points, that have been hand written by the wealthiest people, that want nothing more then to retain power and control. They do so only if we let them. I will not allowed this to happen. I have stood up before to take on fights and I will not back down from this one.

Continue response.

You state how each generation should take care of older generations. How would that be possible? The summer after I graduated from high school, I worked on the railroad. This was 1970 and I made $13.80 an hour. It was a union job. Think about this. Forty years ago I made better money then  people make today.  How in the world is a person who makes ten dollars an hour supposed to (and now really look at this list) pay rent or house payment ( I am sure you don't support public housing), pay for health insurance(they have to do this because we know you don't want to help), pay for life insurance ( they better buy this because we know you don't want to pay for them to live I am sure you don't want to pay for them if they die), pay to raise a child, (they better have this money because you don't want to pay for birth control or sterilization), put aside for their retirement (you are pretty clear with you views on social security), buy a car or pay for public transportation ( better buy the car you wouldn't want to be bothered with public money for transportation) and have a savings for nursing home care if needed ( no money from you for medicare-medicaid), utilities (although under your plan they can just live without power and use water from the nearest stream, like our forefathers) and food (remember no food stamps). This list is not all inclusive, there may be other items. To be continued.

Continue response.

While I am waiting for people to respond with ideas, I want to respond further to Danny and some of his comments. You speculate that  I am angry at the top 1% , who control so much of the wealth. Let me be blunt I am totally pissed off that people with so much are, for the most part, uncaring and stupid. The uncaring part is self explanatory. The stupid part I will fill you in on. You say that these are the people that are, smarter? How smart are they, when the feeling is that 1% of the population can produce and drive an economy for 300 million people. Read the story of the, Golden Goose and realize that this is the direction of the country. The elite are killing America and it's promise. We the average, hard working middle class have and will again lead this country to new heights. The economy roared with life and vigor, when we made living wages and were not stifled by an oligarchic layer of society. The top wage earners have not worked harder or smarter, that have built their wealth on the backs of the common man. They have created a society of haves and have not, and when the average person, and it is coming, gets beaten down enough , the changes will be fast and furious as the elite try to hold on to power that will be ripped out of their hands and placed where it rightfully belongs in the hands of middle America. To be continued.

Challange to Danny and all of my viewers.

Danny made one comment that I can totally agree with, we disagree. Instead of continuing to go back and forth on health care, I have a challenge. Let's govern. Let's find compromise and solutions. We are all very good at finding fault and disagreeing, let's see how good we are at solutions and agreeing. Health care is my first challenge to all of you. We cannot just say leave it alone and let the free market work it's will. We have been doing this for 40 years and it is getting worse. If we do nothing we will go bankrupt as a nation. We pay more then any other country and cover fewer people. We pay more and get less in return then other countries. The solution is not what we have, before the new health care program. We cannot allow people to die because we sit back and fail to have solutions. I will not go all the way to the right and you should not have to come all the way to the left. We have to be reasonable and compromise, not our principles, but the issue. Is this easy? No it will be very difficult, but this is what our Congress and President face each day. Let us make the politicians understand that governing is not campaigning. Party politics are secondary to the good of the people. We must have solutions that are for all people, not just the wealthy. Please everyone get involved. Be that one voice to make a difference. 

To my friend Danny

The whole idea is we would all work together to make a better system. You attacked entitlements. I dislike that word when we are talking about social security, medicare or medicaid. Do you consider your 401K as an entitlement? No because just like millions of Americans, you pay into it and believe that when the time comes it will be there for you. Look at the history of our country and what happened to people before social security. It would have been more humane to shoot our elderly citizens then to continue letting them live without some support. People work their whole lives, scrape together a little bit of savings and then had it wiped out by one illness, before medicaid-medicare. Oh, just shove them off into the corner somewhere to die, because my liberties are offended that I should have to pay a small amount of money to help them. I asked once and ask again. Why are you not offended by the 1% of the population that has more then the bottom 90%? Why are you not offended by the corporations that make hugh profits and yet pay nothing in taxes, because of tax breaks? You once mentioned that people were like sheep, being lead around by government, yet you blindly follow the spin by large corporations and the wealthiest people.

To my friend Danny

I want to make a couple of statements in response to your comments in general. You throw around the word liberty, as if you or people who think like you only knows the meaning. Liberty is not something that is inanimate. It is living, breathing and an item that we have to be responsible to. The saying, " Of those that have much, much is expected," demonstrates to me part of what our liberties, in America, are. You sound offended that your money, be used for those amongst us that are not as fortunate. What price do you feel is best for our liberties? How about the 9% of our population that has served or is now serving in our armed forces, so you can have these liberties, is that price fair?  How about the 1.2 million people that have died in the wars for our liberties is that a fair price? Not every war we have fought has been for the wrong reasons, but these people have paid a price for our liberties. Do you feel it is and was fair that only 9% served and the others did not, but yet they have the same freedom ad liberties as those who served. What would happen if when the time came and we were called we did not answer that call. You have the right to criticize decisions because other have been willing to give of themselves. Hide behind your indignation all you want. The bottom line is we should be willing to help those less fortunate. Do I believe in handing out everything with people not earning it? Absolutely not. To be continued.

Profits continued

To disclose and for fairness, I do not pay any of the fees mentioned before, so people don't get the impression that I have an ax to grind. Since I am retired from Bank of America, I receive free checking and we have overdraft protection so we don't have to pay overdraft fees. Think about this, they use your money and then charge huge fees to make larger profits and bonuses. When their loans went bad we bailed them out and now they are back to making money. What about the average person?  These are just two examples of industries that do not understand that middle class America is shrinking fast, Want to talk about an endangered species. This all sounds depressing, however I, for one, hold out great hope. I believe in the American people. I believe that we will start to unite in ways that will shake the very foundations that this country was founded on. A new awakening is coming and the top one percent of Americans that control 74% of the wealth is going to hear shouts and voices that will make then tremble in fear. The new revolution will be waged in the political arena and at the ballot box. This is what the founding fathers envisioned. The average American rising up to direct this country to new heights. Join with your voices. Be heard.

Profits continued

Another industry is the banking and financial services companies. They were and are very much at fault for the collapse of the economy. I worked in banking for twenty plus years and know how it works. Years ago banks made most of their money by making good loans to individuals and businesses. They kept the loans on their books so the decisions to lend were solid. They knew that making a profit meant doing your homework, before loans were made. Today they make their profits with fee income. They sell the loans on secondary markets and then service them. They charge a fee for the servicing of the loans. Profit. If the loans go bad the banks do not care beyond the fact that they lose their fee income. How closely do you think they look at the loans, before approving them? The other fees that banks get is on your checking and savings accounts. You overdraft your account and they charge you $35, drop below a certain limit in funds they charge a monthly service charge or use another banks ATM and they charge a fee. These are just a few of the fees that they can get you for. These items my cost the banks pennies, however they charge large sums for profit and greed. More to follow

Profits continued

That house of cards collapsed and then they wanted bailed out for their mistakes. We bailed them out and instead of finding that better mouse trap, they went back to higher bonuses for them. Where does Socialism come into play. The sharing of profits. Why can't the average worker share in their production and wealth? Why does it only go to the upper people of the corporation? Why is the average worker, not part of the management process? One of the industries I have railed against is, health insurance companies. What do they really do. Please, think about it. They collect money from individuals or companies. The money is then split for profits, administration fees and patient care. They are fifteen to twenty percent higher in costs then Medicare. My question is what do they really bring to society, except a middle man. Remember the fight against Universal health care is the government between you and your doctor. The insurance companies are very much between patients and doctors. They determine if they will pay for drugs or procedures that physicians want for their patients. I will continue in new post.

Profits

I know in many instances it seems that I have a problem with people making money or profits. I do not. My problem is with greed and uncaring people or corporations. I do not support a Socialistic movement, but more of a marriage between Capitalism and Socialism. Let me explain. The person who builds a better mouse trap should be able to sell it and make a good profit. The people that build (work) for the company, should make a fair wage and benefits for their work. The workers are then able to go out into the economy and spend their earning to purchase the mouse trap they build. The problem today is the only people who can afford the mouse trap is the CEO's and upper management. They want huge profits plus bonuses to go to themselves and do not care about the people working for them. They have no long range plan for the company and do not want to spend money on new and better mouse traps, or they want a larger write off, for research and development from the government. The problem with their thinking is there is not enough of the extremely wealthy to support a robust economy. The largest group, the middle class, is the engine that drives the economy. Without this we flounder, such as right now. The current wealthy, created their money with slick, financial games. They took other people's money and build a house of cards with it.