Unconditional Surrender In November

When the Allies began their assault on Fortress Europe, Eisenhower laid out the groundwork for all to see including the enemy. There would be no settlement of the conflict other than unconditional surrender.  It was acknowledged that completely wiping out Germany was our objective, and therefore any means necessary to do so, would be employed.

It also communicated to the Germans that once we began overpowering them, that they were eventually going to lose.

It is with that same foresight and passion that we must assail the biggest enemy America has faced since.  The Republican Tax Cuts.  These have crippled a nation once so economically strong it was going to pay off its entire debt by 2008.  These cuts have destroyed an entire class of people, the middle class, who now are scrambling to figure not just how to live well, but how to survive retirement until their death. Meanwhile, copious amounts of the middle class monies have been sucked up by the giant vacuum cleaners of insurance companies, medical billing companies, gas stations and utilities, all funneling into the pockets of 1% of our citizens.  The 99% are left with nothing.

The Republicans are in disarray.  Laura Ingram is calling for Mitt Romney to start swinging. Rush Limbaugh is yelling for Mitt Romney to get up off the mat.  Bill O’Reilly is screaming for Mitt to start punching.  Sean Hannity is foaming at the mouth for Romney to start hitting Obama.. It reminds you exactly of what happens in a ring, when one of the boxers begins to get groggy from getting hit too much, and at that point, you can tell it is just a matter of time.

Do not relax and wait for a split decision.  Now is the time to go in for the kill.  Left, left, left, stomach, right, left, stomach, left, left, right, right, right, and with every hit, remember every family that has lost its bread winner, with every hit, remember every family that has lost its house, with every hit, remember every family whose pension got stolen by corporate America, with ever hit, remember every tax dollar not paid by the obnoxiously wealthy, with every hit, remember it is what brings America back up off its knees.

All democrats are responsible.  This is not a battle between two candidates.  It is a battle for the soul of America.  On one hand you have all that is good:  hard work, family, health, retirement, owning ones own home, self respect, honor, and integrity, and on the other side, you have people who think they have the God given right to make themselves rich off your hard work and pay you nothing for your efforts.

It is a war between mankind, and bacteria.  Up to now the bacteria was winning.

Here is what every Democrat needs to do up to November 6… Whoever, wherever, however, whatever, whenever one of these infectious Republicans opens their mouth, you respond with these five words.

I’m…… sorry….. That’s …… Not…….. True……..

National Healthcare is unconstitutional and must be repealed/ I’m sorry, that’s not true.

We need to cut taxes, cutting taxes creates jobs/  I’m sorry, that is not true.

We need to nuke Iran today, not one city, the entire country/  I’m sorry, that is not true.

We need to invade Syria right now/  I’m sorry, that is not true.

We need to eliminate Social Security to balance the budget/  I’m sorry that is not true.

The Republicans have a working budget; the Democrats won’t pass it/  I’m sorry that is not true.

The Republicans worship God; the Democrats worship Satan/  I’m sorry, that is not true.

The Republicans could fix America if it just weren’t for Democrats/ I’m sorry, that is not true.

If billionaires pay one penny more in taxes, the entire solar system will explode/  I”m sorry, that is not true.

Grover Norquist came from God, he is not mortal/  I’m sorry, that is not true.

Giving poor people the right to healthcare is un-American/  I’m sorry, that is not true.

The only reason we have unemployment is because people are too lazy to work/ I’m sorry, that is not true.

As long as there is one Burger King job unfilled, there should be no unemployment insurance/ I’m sorry, that is not true.

I’m sick of people doing nothing and getting welfare, while billionaires do nothing and pay no taxes/  I’m sorry, that is not true.

That was fun, but you get the point.  Whether around the water cooler, at a bar, on the bus, in the church basement, with the old man, on Rick Jensens talk show, ……. it is time to stop the lying.   and when you do, others around you will say you are exactly right, and pile on that republican so he won’t know what to say next.

As Americans it is our duty to swear that, as citizens of the United States of America, it is our duty to keep up the fight until we get unconditional surrender in November….

Unconditional Surrender in November.

At What Price, Loyality?

This is going to my hard core Republican friends. Why are you still supporting Romney?

1) You know he is not going to win.
2) You know as the election heats up, his Bain Capital experience will make Republicans untouchable for decades.
3) You can’t pin down where Romney stands on anything.
4) He tied his dog to a car.
5) He stands with black people and says “Who let the dogs out, woof, woof.”

Most of you are telling me, “I certainly can’t vote for Obama. I guess I’m not voting for President this time.”

Let’s say, just for argument sakes there was a presidential candidate out there who says to have good government you need: …………………

1. Become reality driven. Don’t kid yourself or others.
Find out what’s what and base your decisions and actions
on that.

2. Always be honest and tell the truth. It’s extremely
difficult to do any damage to anybody when you are
willing to tell the truth–regardless of the
consequences.

3. Always do what’s right and fair. Remember, the more
you actually accomplish, the louder your critics become.
You’ve got to learn to ignore your critics. You’ve got to
continue to do what you think is right. You’ve got to
maintain your integrity.

4. Determine your goal, develop a plan to reach that
goal, and then act. Don’t procrastinate.

5. Make sure everybody who ought to know what you’re
doing knows what you’re doing. Communicate.

6. Don’t hesitate to deliver bad news. There is always
time to salvage things. There is always time to fix
things. Henry Kissinger said that anything that can be
revealed eventually should be revealed immediately.

7. Last, be willing to do whatever it takes to get your
job done. If you’ve got a job that you don’t love enough
to do what it takes to get your job done, then quit and
get one that you do love, and then make a difference.

Honesty. Integrity. Principal.

Sounds good so far. Let us say just for argument, he had chief executive experience. Let us say just or argument that he once ran a state, one of the fifty in this union. Let us say while governor, this is what he did…..

During his tenure, New Mexico experienced the longest period without a tax-increase in the state’s entire history.

1) He cut the rate of government growth in half,

2) Left the New Mexico state government with a budget surplus and 1000 fewer employees (without firing anyone),

3) Privatized half of the prisons in the state,

4) Brought a state-wide school voucher system to New Mexico.

5) Vetoed 750 bills (more than all the vetoes of the other 49 Governors in the country at that time, combined) with only 2 overrides, earning him the nickname Gary “Veto” Johnson.

6) In 1999, Johnson became the highest-ranking elected official in the United States to advocate the legalization of drugs.

7) Shifted Medicaid to managed care.

ISN’T THAT WHAT YOU WANT? ISN’T THAT WHAT WE NEED?

Can you not think of a better way to show your lack of enthusiasm over a wealthy capitalist buying his way to the top of your ticket, by voting for someone who has character, who does what you’ve always wanted, a doer, not a talker?

And to think…. you were simply just going to throw your vote away.

His name is Gary Johnson. He is the new party’s candidate for President.

Remember Republicans. It is your values that are important. If your party has given up and moved on from your values, don’t think you have to be loyal to the word…. “Republican”… What you have to be loyal too, is yourself. Always. Never lie to yourself.

You don’t need to waste your vote on Romney. You probably need to find more about this guy, Gary Johnson, and then throw your support behind him.

Don’t worry it is not one of the two parties on whose ticket he is running. Remember, at one point in time, the Republican Party was a once a third party too. One that went mainstream because of its core values, its principles resonated with everyday American People.

Ben Franklin Would Disapprove of Private Insurance Today

I heard insurance was first proposed by Ben Franklin… His philosophy was that if everyone paid a little bit into a kitty of sorts, there would be plenty of funding available to rebuild if disaster struck… One can afford a small pittance. but tragedy is often catastrophic.

Stability over the entire market would continue through any tragedy and long term planning could become more accurate and the economy could grow, even if just from facing less setbacks….

Somewhere along the line, that sentiment became distorted. Perhaps it was because the number 10 contributor towards George Bush in 2000, was the insurance industry? Since then Health insurance premiums in states rose between 88 percent and 145 percent in the past decade, far outpacing wages and overall inflation.

Can contributions of $1,000 to $20,000 really buy significant influence? Yes, and they do, because most of it comes from an elite donor class and groups of donors with shared policy agendas.

Generous political donors are not representative of the rest of America. Only one-quarter of one percent of the population of the United States gave a hard money contribution of $200 or more. Under today’s financing laws, policy for the rest of us is being held hostage by those privileged few…. 000.25% controls the other 99.75%. State Reps! Remember that the next time Wayne Smith takes you out to dinner…

Yeah, maybe that’s why we need health care reform… Ben Franklin’s plan got corrupted by greed….

It is really odd that insurance worked well for 200 years… Only during the last 8 have we ever been denied benefits for which we bankrupted ourselves to pay for in the first place…..

It is time we return to Ben Franklin’s ideal. It is time.

Check Comments…

Today’s intellectual allotment was strewn throughout comments on a multiplicity of posts.

🙂

Who Is This?

This is a guessing game. It’s supposed to be fun. You do the guessing. I’ll reveal the answer at some point in the future. Bottom line, I am interested in how this plays out. (To keep answers out of moderation, no links please.) You may use the categories above for some helpful hints, but knowing me, don’t expect to find the answer that easily.) 🙂

1) Foreign policy/defense: I want American imperialism rolled back and American interventionism halted, as the same time we begin to pull free from the military/industrial complex by slashing the budgets for defense and homeland security to reasonable levels.

2) Civil libertarian issues: I want to see gay marriage legalized; drugs decriminalized; Real ID abolished; the Patriot Act gutted; and immigrants viewed as human beings. I want intrusive government the hell out of my life.

3) Fiscal sanity: I want a government that stops growing and taking an ever-expanding bite out of my paycheck; I want to see wasteful programs cut, and to have Congress faced with the same sort of imperative the Delaware General Assembly had to face this year: balancing the budget.

Really, What Is America?

I wasn’t looking for the answer, but found it anyway. If you really want to understand America, you find it in its true essence, stripped naked to its core, at a rest stop on I 95 Easter weekend.

As you get out of your car and walk to the facilities, in twenty feet you see the entire human genome pool from all five continents. Indonesians, Africans, Arabians, Indians, South and Central Americans, Europeans, both Eastern and Western, American Indians, and Eastern Asians. And one hasn’t even stepped into the building yet.

There are senior citizens, nursing babies, traveling groups of kids, parental escorts, young lovers, newlyweds, toddlers, and the generic middle agers in jeans.

Obviously some are wealthy…..and just as obvious, some are dirt poor. But most fit in the general category where no one can tell by a quick glance.

Some well dressed, some in hoodies, some in jeans, others in caridgans, some wearing coats, some rushing through the cold with their interior clothes still on….

Some in sandals, some in thongs, some in flip-flops, some wearing Timberlands, others in Nikes, an occasional high heel, some open toe shoes, many with non skid soles……race their way up and down ramps, stairs and in and out metallic doors.

This wealth of diversity, made equal by one thing:………the pressing urge to urinate or defecate or do both simultaneously. Standing in the cavernous hallway, the flow is obvious through the doors, turning to the left, and into the inner sanctums where one finds the toilets. Then minutes afterwards, they wander out randomly, meander until they get their bearings, then once decided, head either to food or out again to their waiting vehicles.

If you want to understand America, this is where you see us up close. Here you see the bigness that other countries can’t match. Here you see diversity, an amalgamation of everything, again a trait no other country can equal. Here you see our nations purposefulness, each person attending to their individual need, focused on their own self fulfillment, generally oblivious to the diversity surrounding them, driving our economic engine forward to the tune of 2000 dollars every 60 seconds.

Here you see some waffling at price, others worried about time, and yet the money changes hands at each of the cash registers, twice every 60 seconds.

America is about individuals, intent on achieving dreams in a timely manner, doing what is best for them, and coming from everyplace on the globe to do it. America is about human energy. Moving resolutely, making subtle economic decisions that no algorithm can predict. And seconds after they step out through those doors, their spot is taken by another, who is then replaced by another, all portraying the same manner as did each one before them.

That is the closest broad band definition of America that one can make, and even still, it fails to capture the energy, buzz, and full economic implication of what America truly is. For the spirit of America is too broad to fit one definition. Conservative? No. Liberal, absolutely not. Just a mess of individuals each carrying his own values, who occasionally can unite behind a single issue, and with a force incomparable upon this planet, drive forward any necessary changes.

America is not one color, race, gender, age or economic strata. It is the combination of all of the above.

It is not always pretty. With 200o gallons of raw sewage entering the filtration plant every second, all that energy, drive, and determination has some dire consequences.

But somehow, the aggregate of 2000 individual decisions being made every second……..works.

And that metaphorically speaking, is exactly what America is.

A body of individual cells, each intent on its own survival, working side by side, to make this exquisite and wondrous body politic, one that still all the world holds in awe, and furtively still struggles to emulate.

America is still…..a force to be reckoned with………………….

Mike Castle’s Ancestor

Needing a break, I was rambling through comments and found this one by Al Mascitti. Well,… it wasn’t a direct quote but he said over at DWA something along the lines of this: Benjamin Franklin said that if you want an idea succeed, don’t try to take credit for it.

Then as I was going through Hallmark cards for a birthday apology, I came across this one….which instantly became my favorite…..

“Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” –

Two times in an hour– must be for a reason– Hmm. Does anyone else have a favorite Ben Franklin quote they wish to share…..?

Think of it as campaign material one can throw against Mike Castle on the trail….

” Well, Mike, it is funny you should say that, because your great ancestor, Ben Franklin, had this to say about that topic:………………..”

That Castle guy…….He is so out’ta here………….