Is America Worth Saving?

As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day and the birth of our nation, it has occurred to me, is America worth saving. I look around me and all I see is apathy and disinterest in our country. We no longer seem to have one purpose and one direction. Over two hundred years ago the founders of the American dream, were able to place the birth of our nation ahead of their own interests and make the needs of everyone central to our success. Many times over the course of our history, leaders have made America's well being paramount in their decisions. The industrial and business leaders put aside their greed and created an economy, that was the envy of the rest of the world. Americans have always worked hard and they were rewarded with the greatest opportunities the world has ever seen. Our fellow Americans would always be there to lend a hand if anyone of us, suffered. We put aside our differences and came together. We worked together. We practiced our religions in our own way, but together, respecting those differences. We played together and formed communities. We fought together when any foes, foreign or domestic threatened us. Most importantly we put America and Americans far ahead of our own interests to make the most amazing incredible country in the history of mankind. This experiment was worth everything to so many, who have even sacrificed their lives to preserve it. What do we do today? We don't vote, because it is inconvenient. We do not listen to our leaders to make sure they are doing their jobs, to serve us. We have let corporate and elite money become the centerpiece to our elections, so that the person with the biggest stash of corrupt money wins our elections. We have allowed the control of OUR country to belong to someone else. Why, do we do this? We do not want to be accountable. It is easier to sit and complain, then it is to read, and learn. We watch meaningless programs on television, instead of spending a few minutes educating ourselves. It has me starting to ask the question. Is America worth saving. Do enough people really care about America, or is their only concern  about themselves? I need to see that spark, that drove the founders. The spark where they were ready to give up everything including their lives to have the freedoms we take so much for granted today. The spark that drove Patrick Henry to declare, "Give me liberty or give me death." The spark that drives the phrase, "We the people"' It is cliche, but true. Freedom is not free. It is work. Hard work and if America is worth saving, we all need to do the hard work of saving it. Let me know what you are doing or are going to do to save America. Join me, because I DO believe our country is worth saving.

Thank You, Mr. President! Give them Hell!

Yesterday, our President, finally did what I have been waiting for. He evoked "Give Em Hell Harry," Harry Truman style and called out the Republicans, for their inability to get the debt ceiling and economic crisis done. You know the President was right in what he said, because the Republican leaders and pundits are screaming foul. For two years the right has tried to take away women's rights, decrease social programs, cut education and attack the President at every turn. My President did what I wanted yesterday and started to call them out. The response was typical for Congress. Boehner and Cantor, came out immediately and stated that they will still stand with the corporations and elite and will not put elimination of tax breaks on the table. That is all I need to know about the Republicans and Tea Party. They will take from the Average American and continue welfare for corporations and wealthy. They will place the most vulnerable in our society at risk, but will do nothing to their wealthy friends. For my part I E-mailed the White House and followed it up with a phone call to voice my support for President Obama. I stated emphatically, that I stand behind him and am willing to support him in every way. This is what we all need to do. If you are a middle class American, elderly, poor, white , black, Asian, Hispanic or any other person that does not fall into the elite wealthy or corporate greed leader ,category then you should do the same. Call the President. E-mail him. Let him know loud and clear that we are with him in this fight. It is our fight. We will not let our country become further enslaved by special interest. Stand up and speak out now. Speak out loud and let everyone know. This is a fight we have to win if we are to keep the American promise. We cannot  lose.

Felon Governor Scott, kissing up to Billionaire Koch Brothers.

Florida's felon Governor Rick Scott was secretly off to Vail, Colorado this past weekend to kiss the rings of Charles and David Koch. Mr. Scott, knows that by bowing and grovelling to these two men, his campaign coffers will be filled with riches beyond his wildest dream. What, you have never heard of the Koch Brothers! Let me fill you in. When I think of them my first thought is the 1983 movie, starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy, Trading Places. In this movie the Duke Brothers, played by Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche, have all the money they could ever want or need, so they now want to use their power and wealth to control people. The Koch brothers are just like the fictional Duke brothers in that since they have all the money they could ever use, they have now turned their money and power toward politics. Their number one priority is to keep President Obama from being re-elected. Their number 1-A priority is to buy off and influence our Congress and Senators. They do not stop at the federal level, they are very much involved at the state and local level. They use their money and help elect and then influence, again the politicians to keep everything, for Koch Industries, exactly the way, the brothers want. Koch Industries are involved in oil, asphalt, chemicals, natural gas, energy, commodities trading, plastics, ranching, paper and pulp, financial services and many other areas of industry. Their father started the company and they were fed with the the silver spoon. Over the years Koch Industries have been fined hundreds of millions of dollars for pollution and environmental destruction. They seem to feel this is just a cost of business. They pay fines in the millions, while they make billions of dollars in profit. They have exported crude petroleum to Canada without proper U.S. authorization. Twice they have been fined for stealing more oil from federal and Indian land without paying for it. This is just the tip of the iceberg, where Koch Industries are involved. I am sure that just like Scott the Koch brothers try and contend,  they were not aware of these violations.
    Now back to the secret meeting in Colorado. The Koch brothers invited Scott and Governors, John Kaisch of Ohio, Bob McDonnell of Virginia and Rick, "Secessionist" Perry from Texas. All Republicans and all governors that are or have been involved with stripping workers rights in their respective states. When reporters, looked at Scott's itinerary, it was blank. This was the first time since being elected Governor. Scott's office issued a statement saying, "All they had to do was ask". It was the weekend and none was available. How convenient. Now we know for sure, who owns Florida, Texas, Virginia and Ohio. The Koch Brothers. They have the best politicians money can buy. So as the meetings broke up and the various governors dispersed around the country, the four politicians, genuflected and kissed the rings of the most powerful men in the country, the Duke, oh sorry, I mean the Koch Brothers. Americans need to wake up, or some day the Koch's and people like them will own America and we will be left without a country.

Lies Politicians Tell Us. The Debt Limit.

Raising the debt limit will NOT increase our debt. The politicians want you to believe that if we raise the debt limit that is a green light to spend more money. The debt limit is what we have already spent. Think about it this way. You have a five hundred dollar limit on your credit card. Your wife wants to go out to dinner on your anniversary. This should be O.K., because you have five hundred dollars to spend and dinner should cost no more then one hundred dollars. Now the caveat. Your wife wants to buy a new outfit to wear for dinner. She finds the new dress, but realizes that she needs new shoes and a new purse. New pantyhose is needed. She goes to the Salon for a hair cut and style. By the time she is done getting ready for dinner, the card has reached four hundred and seventy five dollars. Now the new dilemma. You could suggest you go to dinner at McDonald's, but quickly realize that would carry a death sentence. You opt for the next thing which is call the bank and ask them to raise your limit to six hundred dollars. Technically you are spending a little more then you already have, but believe me when I say, once you have committed to dinner you have already spent that money. This is what raising the debt ceiling is comparable to. Increase the credit limit to cover the bills coming in. Let's continue. If the debt limit is not raised at the bank on your credit card, what does the bank do? They charge you a fee. They freeze your limit and refuse to increase it in the future. They raise the rate they are charging you in interest. This means that all of this combined costs you  more money. That is what would happen to American's credit. It would cost us more money in fees and interest, plus most if not all of our creditors, would stop buying our debt. We would be in an economic mess. FUBAR!!! My suggestion is this. If the Republicans want cuts in spending, let them start first with the elimination of the tax breaks for the big corporations and the wealthy. Level the playing field and then we can talk about Social Security, Medicaid Medicare and all of the other programs the Conservatives want to cut. I am tired of the politicians starting with the middle class programs and then never going back to the cuts for corporate welfare and subsidies for millionaires and billionaires. The lie is the politicians tell us, they want spending cuts before they will stop economic chaos. Stocks are dropping again. The bond market is ready to fall through the bottom. The time is now for the Republicans and the Tea Party to stop screwing with us and increase the debt limit for the spending we have already done. Then we can eliminate the tax breaks that would increase revenues. Then finally we can look at ways to preserve and shore up Social Security and the health programs for our citizens. Anything less will leave us F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition. FUBAR. Pass this on to all of the politicians and tell them to get busy working for us. We could suggest they read the book, "Economics For Dummies", to help them figure it out.