Thursday, November 09, 2006

Posturing, Posturing, Posturing

If you ask a McDonald's Restaraunt owner what are the three most important considerations when opening a new store, she will tell you "Location, Location, Location!" The political version of merchandising is "Posture, Posture, Posture!"

The President has postured himself as now being willing to make certain changes and conditions conducive to bipartisanism. For example, Bush's firing of Rumsfeld demonstrated that he now get's the idea that the Nation is not the least bit pleased with his Iraq policies and all that goes with them.

Speaker Elect Pelosi has been posturing as a bipartisan leader. She is posturing herself as a Speaker who will not seek the impeachment of Bush, nor wisely seek an immediate exodus out of Iraq. Collin Powell said it best when he said, "You break it, you fix it." As a Nation we're stuck with this mess.

Republicans are posturing themselves as humble. After six years of locking the Democrats out, they are now eager to reach across the aisle.

Democrats are posturing themselves as now having power, but willing to share that power in a bipartisan effort to get some things accomplished for the Nation.

So far there has been talk, talk, talk, and posture, posture, posture. This is all well and good but it doesn't mean a damn thing, yet. America is eagerly waiting to see if the words and postures we see in Washington are going to translate into real bipartisan action on the issues that matter to the people.

I'm hoping it's not all rhetoric, but the elected acting with the integrity expected of men and women who hold office!

We're cheering for you Washington. Make us proud!

Pelosi and Dems Call for New Direction

Speaker Elect Pelosi has been pushing the Democrat’s Plan for the future “A New Direction For America”. It seems the Republican Party’s claim that the Dems have no plan has clearly been political spin designed to scare voters into voting for the GOP. It didn’t work. So what do the Dems have in mind? I’ve copied a couple of things including the Six Priorities for ‘06. Take a look:

Democrats believe that America needs –
and Americans deserve –
a New Direction that provides
security, prosperity,
and opportunity for all.
House Democrats, 109th Congress
With integrity, civility and fiscal
discipline, our New Direction for
America will use commonsense
principles to address the aspirations
and fulfill the hopes and dreams of all
Americans. That is our promise to the
American people.

SIX FOR ‘06 - PRIORITIES FOR ALL AMERICANS, NOT JUST THE PRIVILEGED FEW

REAL SECURITY - AT HOME AND OVERSEAS

Reclaim American leadership with a tough, smart plan to transform failed Bush Administration policies in Iraq, the Middle East and around the world. Require the Iraqis to take responsibility for their country and begin the phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq in 2006. Double the size of Special Forces to destroy Osama Bin Laden and terrorist networks like al Qaeda. Rebuild a state-of-the-art military capable of projecting power wherever necessary. Implement the bipartisan 9/11 Commission proposal to secure America’s borders and ports and screen 100% of containers. Fully man, train, and equip our National Guard and our police, firefighters and other first responders. Honor our commitments to our veterans.

PROSPERITY - BETTER AMERICAN JOBS, BETTER PAY

Prohibit the Congressional pay raise until the nation’s minimum wage is raised. End tax giveaways that reward companies for moving American jobs overseas.

OPPORTUNITY - COLLEGE ACCESS FOR ALL

Make college tuition deductible from taxes, permanently. Cut student loan interest rates. Expand Pell Grants.

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE - LOWER GAS PRICES

Free America from dependence on foreign oil and create a cleaner environment with initiatives for energy-efficient technologies and domestic alternatives such as bio-fuels. End tax giveaways to Big Oil companies and enact tough laws to stop price gouging.

AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE - LIFE-SAVING SCIENCE

Fix the Medicare prescription drug benefit by putting seniors first by negotiating lower drug prices and ending wasteful giveaways to drug companies and HMOs. Promote stem cell research that offers real hope to millions of American families who suffer from devastating diseases.

RETIREMENT SECURITY AND DIGNITY

Stop any plan to privatize Social Security, in whole or in part. Enact real pension reform to protect employees’ financial security from CEO corruption and mismanagement, including abuse of the bankruptcy laws. Expand personal savings incentives.


To be fair, the New Direction Plan is 31 pages in total. You can find it here:

Also important to all Americans is the fact that the Dems are promising Bipartisan efforts to bring about this New Direction. It all looks good. Combine all this with the immediate changes in the Whitehouse, and there seems to be hope for the Nation.

I hope all parties can remember – WE’LL BE WATCHING!

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

"Bush's Brain" Can't Do Math

I listened to National Public Radio last week as Karl Rove was being interviewed at "Radio Day" held under a large tent on the Whitehouse grounds. Among other things, Rove said:
  • "Politics is a complex equation."
  • "I'm looking at 68 polls a week. You may be looking at 4."
  • "I'm looking at all the races. I'm looking at all these and they add up to a Republican House and a Republican Senate."
  • "You may end up with different math, but you're entitled to your math and I'm entitled to the math."

After yesterday's election, the results show a very different end than what Rove's math predicted. I'm suspecting all of Rove's rhetoric was spin, or he just doesn't get the New Math.

Admittedly, Rove has planned some brilliant politics and election schemes. However, just like in the movie when someone says "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain," the curiosity of the Nation becomes too great and we look behind that curtain. We've seen lies, spin, partial truths, bait and switch, and smoke and mirrors about everything from reasons to go to war in Iraq, how things are going in Iraq, to congress abdicating power to the President, and on, and on, and on. The Nation has sensed that our leaders are simply no longer trustworthy. To that end, the Nation spoke in a unified and loud voice at the ballot box. NO MORE. No longer will the people be satisfied with dishonest, mean and angry leaders who do not have the best interests of the Nation at heart. No longer will the people be satisfied with business as usual in Washington D.C.. No longer will the people be satisfied with laws written by Corporate America. No longer will the people be satisfied with "Stay The Course". It's time for the change we have voted for. It's not a "new start", it's a lateral shift in thinking. The Nation can't start over because we have a set of National circumstances that must be dealt with.

  • Unaffordable Health Insurance
  • Rising costs of College tuition
  • Prescription drugs without pharmaceutical bidding and competition
  • The war in Iraq
  • The war in Afghanistan
  • Proper equipment and gear for our military
  • The lobby scandals
  • The Culture of Corruption
  • An unbalanced budget and Pork Barrel spending
  • Unfair tax breaks for the wealthy and corporate America
  • A polarized nation
  • and more
So, what's the answer? BIPARTISAN ACTION ON BEHALF OF THE NATION! It's time for open and honest debate concerning the state of the Nation with all effort being put forth to work for the best interests of the Nation. America and be well again! America can regain the international respect we once held with utmost care. During World War II when comic books created such heroes as Superman, we heard a lot about Truth, Justice and the American Way. I think, as corny as it sounds, it is time we got back to that kind of sincere, heartfelt and humbling work, seeking
TRUTH, JUSTICE AND THE AMERICAN WAY!

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Monday, November 06, 2006

GO OUT AND VOTE

It's easy to tell from my Blog that I am a Liberal. Proud of it. This year (and usually) that means I vote Democrat because they are the progressive party. It's been the progressives that have brought us powerful change for the future, while strongly maintaining human rights, and a purposeful drive to care for the poor.

To me Republicans have, especially of late with the Bush fiasco, been for

  • tax cuts for the rich,
  • diminishing civil rights for the people,
  • privatization of government programs that have worked for years, such as Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, and the like (creating profiteering opportunities for businesses)
  • nation building (Iraq and Afghanistan, neither of which are stable), and
  • creating a state similar to that which we have read about in Orwell's "1984" and Huxley's "Pala Island". Welcome Big Brother!

We are on the verge of losing life AND LIBERTY as we have known it. The pursuit of life, liberty and happiness can only be afforded by the middleclass and up, and the middleclass is quickly losing its footing. Government is on the verge of becoming the true "Big Brother" and the masses are becoming unnecessary.

  • We don't need huge numbers of people for the military.
  • We don't need huge numbers of people for manufacturing.
  • We don't need huge numbers of people for farming.

Computerization, robotics, and efficient machines have taken more jobs than we can count. Jobs outsourcing and illegal aliens have taken a further toll. With nothing but a paradigm in economic theory, the rich won't need people much at all. I suggest that with the globalization of business, that paradigm in economic thinking is already beginning to happen.

The rich believe they are carrying the weight of the poor. They are carrying the weight of the financial responsibilities of the Nation. Their taxes are paying the bulk of the bills of the Nation. In other words, it is their financial power and their dollars that are carrying us. Now, since there is no longer a need for huge numbers of people, and since there is an exponential growth of the population, the very wealthy are worried that the world system will blow up, and they will "lose it all". In my opinion, I don't believe either political party is concerned with this coming change. With all this power, I repeat here a saying I first heard in 1970 from Bill King:

ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY

Of course, these are only my musings. They may be wrong - BUT, they may be right. Just like the Tylenol commercial says
Stop. Think.
It takes a little work to research the candidates and the causes, but it is so necessary. Our FUTURE depends on our willingness to do it. I recommend that you start with the National Party websites, then look at neutral "watchdog" websites (if you don't have Internet access - try the library, it's free). So DO IT, THEN GO OUT AND VOTE. Of course I hope you'll vote with me. Still, the point is VOTE. Get involved. It's your future too.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Kerry is a Red Herring - Get Back To The Facts

C’mon GOP, give us a break! John Kerry in his press conference on Monday made reference to the fact that the educated elites don’t join the volunteer military, but the poor - middle class, join the service for several reasons. Of course Kerry’s real point was that Bush was just a "C" student (so we’ve been getting a "C" Administration). As a former Navy Recruiter (Three years) and as an administrator at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS - where kids go to join the military) here’s how I believe the military gets kids to join up: The advertising promises a great life with tons of friends with lots of things to do. When I viewed Army of One at http://www.army-one.com I’m struck by the pictures which appears to be clearly aimed at minorities. These guys look more like Gansta Rappers than successful college students. Of course the biggest indicator of who is targeted for recruitment is where the recruiters go.
  1. Recruiters are assigned high schoolsRecruiters are given the scores of the ASVAB test (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), a test which is used by the military to determine which jobs the potential recruit is qualified for.
  2. Recruiters do not recruit on college campus. (because these people have a chance for a future other than Iraq).
  3. The Marine Corps is famous for telling applicants that once they have tested, the are obligated to join the Corps.
  4. Many recruiters will result to coercion if it’s plain it will work.
  5. A huge number of recruiters lie to prospects about what they’ll get:
  • What job they'll get
  • Where they’ll be assigned
  • What military life is like
  • Anything that will move the prospect to take the ASVAB test and join.

Recruiters are taught sales techniques because they have to sell kids on the idea of joining. All recruiters use psychology to get prospects to apply.

  • "Aren’t you patriotic?"
  • "Do you want the terrorists in America killing your mom, dad, sister, brother, etc?"
  • "Aren’t you man enough?"
  • "You’re a wussy if you don’t join."

And as a side note, everyone should be aware that Recruiting Duty can make or break a military career. Just as in any sales job, quotas are key. Make or beat your quota and you're a hero - for that month, because there is a new-month-a-comin'. It doesn't end there. The military is key about "flavors" (races) though the official stance is that they are not. The pressure is astronomical to succeed. It's no wonder that many recruiters succumb to lying - at least "white lies" to make it.

Further, Kerry didn’t say the people in the military are stupid or dumb. He said the people, at least most of them, used the military to get the money together to get to college with the GI Bill. Let’s look at the ROTC program. Again, people are getting four years of college paid for AND they're getting paid at an E-5 level. Almost no one who has the cash to go to college uses these programs. One other thing that Kerry is aware of that most Americans are not aware of s that the Army offers large bonuses for prospects to take certain jobs. So, why all these things if the people joining the militaryLet’s take a look at where recruiters are working by financially defined areas. From National Priorities we find the following:The comparison between 2004 and 2005 indicates that upper-middle and high-income neighborhoods have fallen in representation from 2005. In other words, wealthier neighborhoods are less represented in 2005 than they were in 2004. All neighborhoods with median household incomes between $30,000 to $54,999 increased in proportion. All neighborhoods with median household incomes $55,000 or more decreased. Taken together, the entire range from $55,000 and above became more under-represented. Keep in mind the latest reports are that interest rates for college loans are getting higher and higher, scholarships are getting tighter and tighter. It’s getting worse - not better. As these conditions worsen, the GI Bill looks better and better.Don’t get me wrong. I believe in a strong military. I’m retired military. I believe in security and protecting America. I’m not in favor of the GOP lying about why kids join the military. If college was easy to pay for, the GI Bill would be worthless. But it’s a prime reason for joining the military. Everyone wants to get ahead. And after all, that’s what America is all about.