Is There Nothing Worth Fighting For?

In my last post I stated some of the things I feel strong enough about , that I am willing to stand up and fight. In response, I have been told on one hand there is nothing people will fight for and then told they will fight for individuals rights. I hope this does not mean, we have become a nation of narcissistic, self absorbed children. We are all part of the human race and when we become so cold and calloused, that the least of us are left to suffer, I am tempted to say the hell with this let me join another group. We have an imperfect government, so instead of fighting to make it better for all of us we want to use it to serve only our own interests. I am sure Danny will respond that I am making his point, but I am not. The items I fight for are not those things that are in my best interest, but for the benefit of the whole. Yes, I support single payer health care, to eliminate the middle man, otherwise know as the insurance companies. What service to they provide? We pay them. They take our money. They strip 30% or more for their costs, which include huge bonuses and salaries for the CEO. Then they decide to pay if we need health care. Danny, says the government is not capable of doing anything right and cannot be trusted to do this correctly and save us money. I say the government is the people and we the people have to be involved in ways to make the government, whether it is administering health care or any other service, do it right and at a fair and competitive cost. What better individual right is there then the right to be happy and secure. Health care and being healthy would promote this. I know, in my opinion, it is a broad interpretation of the Constitution, but I feel that when you look at the preamble, "promote the general Welfare, " and when you look at the "commerce clause" in Article 8, this is justifiable. I am going to write a quote from President Theodore Roosevelt, during a speech he gave in April, 1910. "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds, could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena. Whose face is marred by dust, and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcomings, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause, who at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory or defeat." I choose to fight for the less fortunate. I choose to fight for the children and the elderly. I choose to fight against the elite and corporate entities that are willing to destroy our nation, for greed. I choose to fight against inequities and racism. I choose to fight for education for all people , so they can climb out of the despair of poverty. I choose to fight whenever the powerful try to take advantage of the weak. If these are the windmills I choose to joust with. So be it, at least I know that when my time comes I can look back across my life and know that in the end I choose to enter that arena to fight, and if I fail I will also know that I strive to achieve something that had greater meaning then myself. This is what I choose. When you  are taking you last breath, will you be grateful for the opportunity you had  to fight or will your last moments be filled with regrets.

We Should Not Be Able to Make a Living Wage.

I was going through some of the comments, by Danny, pertaining to unions. One of his comments really jumped out and I wanted to respond. He stated that auto workers made, with benefits, 70 to 80 dollars an hour. An independent study, done at the time when the government intervened, showed the actual cost were closer to 40 dollars an hour. Danny was emphatic in his response that the COSTS WERE PASSED ON TO US, THE CONSUMER. He is right and I will not argue the point, I never did, that consumers do pay the labor costs in all products produced. Two realities as it relates to this. One, why do you think the companies have moved their production facilities out of the United States, to cut costs. The American workers were not willing or able to live in our economy with the wages of a few dollars a day. So the corporations, did the patriotic thing and shipped jobs overseas and even took tax breaks while they did this. I am sure if we were willing to live way under the poverty level and live in cardboard boxes on the road side, those jobs would still be here, but at what cost to the average worker. The second point, is while these same CEO's shipped jobs out did they take pay cuts to make products cheaper and increase the profits for their company? The big one now, who pays the multi million dollar salaries for the management team? COSTS ARE PASSED ON TO THE CONSUMER. You are concerned with the cost increase caused by the average worker, just trying to live and with dignity, but are unconcerned by the cost that is passed on by the management, that is trying to maintain several houses. The other part of this equation is they get their money whether the company performs or not. Their contract is not contingent on performance, but if profits are down they lay off the line workers or close down plants. This is what you are fighting for? I choose to fight for the average person. Join me. Come over, to what you would call, the dark side.

As much as I try to ignore him, Donald Trump is still a jerk.

President Obama, released his birth certificate from the state of Hawaii. No president has ever been asked for this in the past. John McCain, who was born in the Panama Canal zone, which was, American soil at the time, was never asked for his. What a ridiculous waste of time. When the birth certificate, which I have looked at, was released, what did Donald "the Jerk" Trump say. "I am proud of myself for forcing the president to release this." Proud of himself for what? He stated that he had people on the ground and what they were finding concerned him. When asked about the supposed people on the ground, he refused to answer the question. He was pressed for an answer, but again, he refused to answer. Why, because in my opinion, there were no "people" on the ground. Once again Donald "The Jerk" Trump showed exactly who he is. An egotistical, clownish, blowhard, that should not have one person take him seriously for, not just the presidency, but any job. I have said it once and I will say it again, "Donald, your fired." Now please shut up and let people that have intelligent thoughts speak.

Unions are Different Then Corporations

Yesterday, I wrote about the unions and how they are the average man. Danny seems to be missing the point to this and I will try and clarify. Yes, and I stated this in the blog, unions did go too far and yes there was corruption. I do not and never have supported any position or view 100%. There are flaws in many things we do, whether it is unions, government, or our personal lives, because we are humans and are inherently flawed. My point to Danny and my readers is this, unions represented the average person and made the middle class in America, the engine that drove our economy. Danny made statements in his comments that make it seem that unions were and are anti American. Let me look at this. He feels that in collective bargaining the rights of the workers are superseded by the unions. He feels that by making a person join a union again we are taking away their right to work. The key word here is bargaining. The workers are under no obligation to accept the union position on the contract. We vote. How un-American to actually have an election and the results are for the majority. Oh. wait that is how we choose our leaders and that is how they make the laws and that is the framework of  America. You ask whether the forty hour work week is a right. No it is not a right. Is it fair. Absolutely. Look at the history of American corporations and it is littered with abuses by the companies, that you seem to be so intent on protecting. They overworked people. There was no time for relaxation and family time. The work condition were unsafe and many people were either killed our disabled on the job. Do we have the right to be safe. Yes, this is a right. Profits for companies were above the welfare of people. You have one negative line about the companies and everything else is about the evils of unions and Middle class Americans. We work more hours then any other industrialized nation in the world. We are more productive then any other group in the world. and are we compensated fairly? In my OPINION, no. See this is my opinion. You have stated that fairness is different from person to person and what is fair. I believe that fairness is more consistent then you believe. I believe that most people know what is fair and corporations and the leaders of theses companies, know that they are not fair. Unions have fought this. You mention the money spend by unions on elections. Number one it is far less then corporations. Number two, the union leaders are elected and if you disagree with the leadership, you state this and work to overturn them in elections. Corporations, have and this happened to me, used PAC money collected from their workers to promote the agenda of that particular company. They did not ask for my vote anywhere along the line. It was contribute because it was the right career move, period. You will say they have elections by the stock holders and the Board of Directors. Who do you think owns the majority of stock. the average person, or the CEO? The CEO may own millions of shares and vote accordingly. The board of directors are a joke, in most corporations. They rubber stamp the CEO's agenda, because that same person sits on the board at their company. It is the "old boys network". In conclusion, I will take unions anytime over the elite, that run our corporations, to oversee what is best for me and the average American. We need the rights and dignity of everyday people protected, and unions, though imperfect are the best way to achieve this.

Don't Let The Bastards Win.

Lately I have enjoyed looking up words and meanings in the Webster Dictionary and using the actual meaning in my blog. The word Bastard is an offensive or disagreeable person. In this case it is intended for the elite, wealthy and the corporate entities that are destroying the American economy and with it, Middle Class Americans. I am trying to get people to take up the fight and stop them. I listen, everyday, to regular people and what I am hearing is not good. People are losing hope. People are believing that they do not matter. People are believing that no matter what they do it will not change the current drift in our American way of life. I have some news for all of you this is exactly what the Bastards want. They have most of our money and now the only thing left for them to take is our dreams and hopes. I for one will not let them have mine and you should be willing to fight and keep yours. They bombard us with propaganda every day in their efforts to strip even our dignity. The Bastards sit around in their boardrooms, around the country each and everyday coming up with new ways to take more from us and convincing us to fight with each other. As long as our attention is split by going after unions, fighting over health care, that would benefit us all, and making us believe that we are the enemy instead of them, they win.  We are not each others enemy. They are. The elite, the corporations, the extremely wealthy, Wall Street. They are the ones taking and giving nothing in return. Imagine fighting a war, when your side fights each other and not the enemy. That seems ridiculous, doesn't it? This is what they have us doing. They control the media. They control the politicians. They control the money. Guess what, as bleak as this sounds, they do not control us. That's right they do not control us unless we give up. I won't! When you pump gas into your car today or tomorrow, think about the oil companies that are gouging us for that price they charge. Think about the fact that they make billions every year and yet pay no taxes, because of corporate welfare.  Get angry. When you go to the store and pay more for bread and milk because of those same fuel costs. Get pissed. Don't let that feeling pass. Tell everyone you know, the truth. It is time to stand up and take back our country. It is time to stop the bickering between us and stop the greed. It is time to contact our leaders and let them know that when they vote for the interest of wealthy and elite, we will remember and replace them. It is time America! Don't let the BASTARDS win. I won't.

Unions are the average man, not the enemy.

In one of Danny's comment to me, he demonized the unions and leaves the impression that they are the enemies of America. Nothing could be further from actuality and truth. The unions, I will agree, have in some issues gone too far. Some of the leader became corrupt and misused funds that were meant for the workers. The point to remember is that at their core, unions use the strength of many for the betterment of all workers. In history they are the group that made things such as, the forty hour work week and overtime available for people. They promoted the idea of insurance through the workplace. The safety of working men, women and children. The child labor laws. Fair wages and fairness in the treatment and promotion of the average person. As I stated before there are incidences where unions went too far, but can anyone fairly say that the pendulum has not swung too far toward the companies now. I have worked in two union jobs in my lifetime, once on the railroad for a summer and once for several years in the construction trades in Pittsburgh. Both times were, for the most part, positive experiences, and I made excellent wages and had job protection. I worked hard and was rewarded by never facing a lay-off. The companies I worked for wanted to keep me working for them so during slow periods they would have me do work, at union wages, around their other businesses. The idea that unions control everything and that companies could not fire someone is completely false. They did not fire you, they laid you off and then you had to hope that there were other jobs available at the union hall. The same people that are attacking unions are silent in their complaints against corporate abuses. In Florida we have the right to work laws. Sounds great, huh? The problem is this gives companies the right to fire anyone for any reason. I wonder who this laws helps and who it hurts. Hint, the corporations were the ones that supported it and lobbied and lied about the intent of the law. Unions did and still do protect the rights and dignity of the average American worker. Let me repeat this, unions did and do now protect the rights and dignity of the average American worker. Corporations have one and only one job and that is to make obscene profits. Not just a fair return, they want it all. Why do you think they are willing to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to get their agendas passed and make the laws in this country favor the companies and the elite. It pays off quite well for them. Watch the documentary, "Inside Job", to see this. Unions are everyday people and Danny, you talk about the sheep of this country, blindly following our politicians, you need to take off the blinders and realize that corporate America is the real evil behind the collapse of our country. It is not my imagination that since  Reagan the difference between the average American and the top one percent, is the greatest in our history and growing further apart. The elite want people, that think like you, to continue to swallow their swill, that the problems today are caused by American heroes, the men and women that serve and protect us each and every day.  The problem in America is greed. The type of greed displayed by the huge corporate interests. I have seen the enemy and it is not my fellow middle class folks, it is the people that are sworn to take every last penny they can from Americans so they can have it all. Wake up Danny, and all of you that think, the solution is to give more to the rich so they can create jobs. They are not and will not work to help us. Unions and union workers are the last bastion of economic freedom left for us.  Let's protect and assist them, because they are, like you and me, regular people.

Frozen in Fear, The New American Story

Where is the leadership? Where is the direction? Where is the American Spirit? I ask these questions because I believe that the biggest problem facing America is FEAR. Franklin Roosevelt said it most directly, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." We have become paralyzed by inaction. We would rather sit back and whine then find bold sweeping solutions. We would rather let our "so called" leaders take us down the path of timidity, then step forward and embrace a challenge and solve problems. The leadership today has us so afraid of debt that instead using the solution of rebuilding America, we want to quietly give up the fight and let them drive us down the road of destruction. We have trillions of dollars in worth in America that is sitting idle, while a small group of the elite, consolidate their wealth and power. This money could be put to use rebuilding our infrastructure and getting people back to work with good paying jobs. Corporate leaders no longer look at the long term growth of their companies, they only want short term profits. They fear the future, where the business leaders of the past embraced the idea of plowing money back into development, the CEO's today are afraid that the bonus money will dry up and they will have to cut back to only three homes. This is the point where people will accuse me of not wanting wealth to grow. I am actually the opposite. I want wealth to grow, but for the right reasons. I do not care that Steve Jobs and Apple create new products that consumers demand and then they grow their wealth. They create jobs and something of value. I do not begrudge car manufacturers from making the next generation of autos that fly out of the showrooms. Again they create jobs and products that are needed. I have problems with financial service industry wealth that is created by manipulating the system and robbing people, by betting both sides and without them having to assume the risk. That is where the greatest amount of wealth was created in the last 20 years. I am angry that deregulation allowed and still allows, this industry to go unchecked. Watch the movie, "Inside Job." This will open many eyes, if you are really concerned about the direction of our country. Today people are afraid that if they dare to confront the rich and powerful they will be crushed. The opposite will happen. If we loose the fear of failure and confrontation we will succeed in bringing down the corporate structure that has taken over the direction of America. We will defeat the greed. We will defeat the complacency. We will, the people, lead and form the future of our country. Defeat fear!

Welcome Back Danny!

My friend Danny has rejoined following my blog, to this I say, "Welcome Back." Those of you that have been following this blog over the last couple of months, know that Danny and I are the opposite on most issues. That is what I enjoy the most. Danny has a great sense of humor, but he is passionate about our country. We like the debate most of all. Even if we are close on issues, we will find the difference so we can debate. He has made several posts and most of them I disagree with to some extent. One of the main areas of contention, is the idea that the Federal Government cannot operate a program efficiently. We are the Federal Govt. and if the system is broken, then we must look at ourselves and solve the problem to make it run properly. We are the blame, not some vast, unknown entity, called government. He makes the point that we could operate schools better with vouchers. What would that cost all of us. Just because the vouchers allows us to pick our school, what about transporting children from one part of the city to another? Who will oversee the day to day operation. Who will evaluate, the teachers, administration and the students. Yes, I agree that parents have to be more involved, but if they fail, the students fail and if the students fail the country fails. The domino effect would be devastating to our corporations and economy. We are failing now because of so little parental involvement. I do not want to punish our children and destroy their futures because of it. The federal govt. provides direction and funds, the state and local govts provide the education. The parents and voters elect the local and state govts and should be providing input and direction. Is this a failure of government or the failure of us. You decide!