One-party Republican rule in America
By louisehartmann
Yesterday – a District Court Judge in Wisconsin blocked implementation of Scott Walker’s union busting bill while arguments are heard that the bill violated the state’s Open Meeting laws. Since Republicans passed the bill with less than a one-hour notice – in the dead of night – they essentially broke a state law that requires at least a 24-hour notice. But with Wisconsin’s anti-labor bill tied up in the courts – Republicans in *Ohio* are one step closer to busting up unions in their state.
The state House passed legislation yesterday that strips collective bargaining rights from public workers – similar to the Wisconsin law. Democratic State Representative Dan Ramos argued the bill would leave “hundreds of thousands of Ohio’s families with less job security, lower wages and, in many cases, no job at all.”
But that’s exactly the name of the game for Republican Governors around the country – take out the middle class – wreck the economy – and sabotage President Obama’s re-election efforts next year – all so they bring about one-party Republican rule in America and pass their agenda of, by, and for millionaires and billionaires without any of those pesky working people standing in the way.
Comments
#2
Those who can think logically - use reason- and check facts will not let GOP win in 2012 This new 2010 GOP congress is drunk with power -busting unions-who fought for fair wages- OT pay- paid vacations- work place safety things we all enjoy 7 want- GOP wants to take away workers right to bargain- deeply cut heat for poor - cut our kids education at a time when test results are down- cut students grants - cut senior care - cut free health climics that save us down the road- yet they had no problem granting huge millionaire / billionaire tax cuts as the first thing on their agenda. Are voters listening or asleep as usual or worse getting their ' news' from Fox Beck Hannity and Limbaugh ?
#3
I am seeing that goal, of, by and for millionaires and billionaires, as having been accomplished long ago. The question for me is what the endpoint is as they pursue the last drop of blood in the veins of the public. Whoever "they" are (the Koch brothers obligingly have volunteered their mugs for the posters) they apparently still see some meat on the bones of the American Carcass. Or another way of putting it is, "Is there a limit to depravity?"
#4
Gov. Rick Scott did it in Florida. Next stop- privatize Florida hospitals.
#5
Frankly, unfortunately I do think it is lost. They own the media (except a few voices out there), they have the most money for advertising and for some reason they seem to think like a collective block and are in such lock step with the visionaries in their party that there is no dissention. The only HOPE we have is that the American public will actually wake up and realize that they have been voting against their own best interests for years. I don't think the Democrats have the answer however. I wish all the registered Democrats would go to the Socialist party, we need a true left in this country. The Democrats have moved to fill the void in the right that the Republicans made when they shifted to the radical right. Look at Obamas picks for various appointments and my point is made for me. A few years ago I read Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein and what she described is going on here in the US, England and it is downright scary. If you haven't read it, get it and read it and tell everyone you know. My idea for a bumper sticker is this: If you get a paycheck you have no business being a Republican.
#6
In a word: YES! They will get away with it because people are to lazy, and preoccupied with American Idol to get out in the streets to do anything about it. STRIKE NOW! Send a message they cannot ignore.
#7
Sure they will, because everyone is talking instead of doing. It's comparable to the military allowing their enemy to confiscate their weapons right before their eyes without any hinderance. After the enemy has stolen all of their weapons, they look at one another, debate on what they should do and then run head long into an open field where they get blown to shreds. It is absolutely sickening to listen to all of this BS. It's like an army of 10 thousand adults running from a 3 year old with a squirt gun. How much more sickening can it actually get?
#8
Are we searching for love? "War ~ Search and destroy. One has to wonder if these contiuous wars are just a warm up for a all out war in the middle east. Take a look at this clip what Wesly Clark has to say about the truth of the middle East! Very interesting??>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8H6RomGjJM&feature=player_embedded
#9
If these Republican Stooges succeed in the creation of a post-feudal system, their wealthy Lords better all have the following, gated communities that resemble castles of Edward I with the Varangian Guard at the gates. The French Revolution will have seemed like a meek protest in contrast to what will come.
#10
I have to wonder why most Americans are willing to vote againist their own interests which is leading to One Party Rule
Who is benefiting from the Tea Party?
Did most Americans benefit from extending the tax cuts for people making more than $250,000 a year? No
Do most Americans benefit from continuing cooperate Welfare to the Oil Companies to the tune of $4,000,000,000 a year - No
Maintaining tax loopholles so GE, Bank of America - Don't pay taxes - No
Do many Americans ( especially vulnerable Americans) who can't give millions to astroturf organizations like Bankruptamerica.org ( thank you Carl Rove) From Woman, Infants and Children - Yes, Food Stamps- Yes ( 45 millions that is one in five Americans), grants to city, counties, and towns - yes ( these grants pay for new fire trucks)
So why isn't the media asking the Tea Party Representatives how they can sleep at night when they are increasing the hardship that most Americans face and only helping less than 1% of the population?
I would called HR 1 - extreme, unbalance and basically deprives most Americans of very basic services
#11
I read The Shock Doctrine two years ago, and it has blown my mind to see it happen here so soon after I became familiar with what to look for. I agree we need a true left party. Let's start one or something. I am so sick of just complaining online about the situation, but I live in Texas, so what else can I do until people wake up? UGH! I want to go protest the banks, but no one will sign up. It is so frustrating.
#12
I agree; I think the only way is a general strike--country wide. I am more than willing. I make $1400 a month teaching college with no benefits, so what do I have to lose? Not a damn thing in a right-to-be-exploited state.
#13
Republican Governors’ are claiming that by lowering ‘our’ state’s corporate taxes and the cost of labor, we will create jobs in ‘my’ state. If we lower corporate taxes in ‘my’ state to be lower than those in ‘your’ state, to attract manufacturing, how low do we go? And what kind of state bidding war is going to compete and bring jobs back from China, Indonesia, India, etc, where wages are calculated in dollars/day? But people all over my state of Wisconsin, believe that, yea, if we lower the cost of Wisconsin’s corporate taxes, and the cost of labor, 'we' will attract manufacturing….just ask the 700 people Scott Walker spoke to at last night's speech in Janesville, WI where GM use to be a leading employer. When will 'WE THE PEOPLE' wake up?
#14
We are in a race to the bottom. Corporate taxes are being reduced to the point where, in Wisconsin, corporate taxes as a percentage of total taxes paid are half of what they were 30 years ago. In Florida, the Republicans want to reduce already very low corporate taxes to zero. I think it is interesting to note that Florida leads the country in unemployed, as a percentage of the population, but has very low corporate taxes and no personal income tax. Businesses do not relocate because of tax rates. They do, however, relocate when the business gets huge incentives (giveaways) that are destructive to the quality of life in the state. I don't know when we will wake up. Many of the people I know are vehemently anti-union, but are beneficiaries of union activities. In Wisconsin, Walker gives $140 million to corporations and his rich contributors, but claims a "budget crisis" because of a $137 million shortfall. He seems to get away with it. I am NOT optimistic.
#15
Good on ye, Thom, for the recent observation that we should call the spade that has been digging this country into a hole "The Bush Great Depression."
There may be some quibbles about the use of "Great Depression," since that may be a technical term in the dismal science of economics, not the same as an "un-great" one ... although either way, whether you get shot or beheaded, it's bad for your health.
I'd like to propose another term that you and the others I listen to on KTRC in Santa Fe (NM) might want to start using:
The term "Progressive" says more about sensible Americans trying to advabnce the country than the term "Liberal," which the Rush-ians of the world of talk radio have demonized. Fine. Now ....
Let's use the companion term, "REGRESSIVES" to describe Mitch "Dr. No" McConnell and John "Speaker No" Boehner, and the rest of the folks who are trying to drag this country down and hold it back.
The opposite of Progressive is Regressive.
-0-
That leads into another gripe that you can save for another day, but I hope you'll have time to read it someday: it's a rotten crummy shame that progressives let the regressives set the tone for our national discourse. They come up with the nasty term "Obama-care" and the progressives start using it. They make "liberal" sound like people who beat their mothers, and liberals accept that implied definition, with apologetic shame. The list goes on, and we can all add to it.
There's a reason, of course, and we all know it, so deep inside us that we don't even realize it. People with brains and sensitivity listen to what others say, and give them a fair shake. They're -- let's face it -- liberal: willing to listen to people who don't agree with them. Ah, but not the regressives, the reactionaries, the self-proclaimed conservatives. Their response, as the old joke has it, is "The answer is no, what's your question." while the intelligent human being (exemplified by Pres. Obama) iss the one who says "I'll listen to what you have to say, and consider your point of view."
If you remember the first "Indiana Jones" movie, there's a scene where a native attacking Indy goes through a showy routine twirling his sword as a ritual challenge to a duel. Indy whips out his pistol and shoots the guy dead on the spot. That is, forgive me, Dr. Jones, the "Just say No" reaction of the reactionary right-wing cabal. "My mind's made up, don't confuse me wiwth facts" seems to be their motto.
My point, Thom, is this: An intellectual dueller like Obamaa or any progressive thinking -person, is at a fatal disaaadvantage against that kind of attitude: "Yes, you may be right" is an invitation to "Of course I'm right, you wimp, you've just admitted that I am. So you've agreed to be reasonable and do it my way, So shut up and go way until I want more money from you, you stupid jerk."
Letting the bullies set the tone of the debate means they win, every time. Case in point, the right-wing move to cut benefits to the people who pay into the funds, and divert that money to the people who support the GOP campaign funds. With "Pseudo-Citizens United," giving corporatiions the right to control the mediaa wiwth stolen money, the averagely intelligent worker who watches tele-pap forty hours a week (not a confirmed statistic, but is there one?), all those regressive campagn spots elicit "You may be right" ... which pretty soon leads to "Of course they're right! Let's vote for 'em" Hey, does anybody rememeber Barry Goldwater's slogan, "In your heart, you know he's right"? As George Santayana said, we're doomed to repeat history if we don't remember and reflect on the past.
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#16
I have said it many times - The American People were ripe for "Suckerhood"!
WE have been taken! By a well-financed and very rich Plutocracy who own our souls lock, stock and barrel! For 40 years now the neo-cons have had one message - WE WANT TO OWN it all and eventually we will. So the American people have been suckered into the neo-con net by wedge issues such as - Abortion, Taxes, Big Government - Liberals - welfare state - etc etc etc. Day in and day out, on the plutocratic media, this message has been pounded into their heads.
Well now we are all reaping the result. You see, 99% of Americans are WORKING people (which includes most if not all conservatives and tea-Party folk) They to have jobs, homes, and have to face retirement and health care. The Plutocrats are busy destroying it all!
And yet, we all seem to be oblivious to it all. We don't seem to realize that this destructive ideology of the neo-cons and the Plutocrats is all “Pie-In-The-Sky" moonshine! It IS DESTROYING AMERICA! Their ultimate goal is to make MONEY. And they have come up with this scheme that if they concentrate all the wealth and power into a hands, buy all the politicians and judges, repeal all the working class laws that guarantees a middleclass, eliminate all public schools so the coming generations can be dumbed down, eliminate all labor laws so they can have cheap labor (crazy you think – Maine loony-tunes gov le page wants to repeal child labor laws so they can pay 5.20 an hour instead of the 7.40 we have now! And this is being planned in all other republican states!)
Most Americans actually believe this crap! And they have convinced 50-75% of Americans of this nonsense. Millions of Americans in the last election have effectively voted to eliminate their own jobs!! Before the next election in 2012, America will lose another 1-2 Million jobs. Count on it. And it may be worst. And it is all planned by the neo-cons. Their logic – if the economy is so bad in 2012, the people will blame Obama and the Democrats, and so the American people will be so pissed off that they will re-elect the repugs in another landslide, thus assuring a plutocratic victory!
They are actually doing this. And they simple DO NOT CARE about the American people and all the misery this will cause. They simply do not. Bottom line – they do not have enough of the Billions they have now and they just want more.
These people are not Americans. They are not Patriotic. And they simple do not care about their country. Why should they – they can buy countries where their billion are welcome. They are Traitors in my mind.
What to do. First BOYCOTT Fox Lies! Then Boycott all media outlets that spread lies and distortions. Hold a Country wide Boycott! National Strike! Anything to make the AMERICAN people wake up here! We are all being led to the Slaughter house by these Plutocrats. We fought this war before – it was called the Revolutionary War against an Imperial Dictatorship. We Won then. We can do it again. We have to or we all better plan on becoming stomped-on subjects of the new dictatorial plutocratic regime that is coming!
#17
Since Americans are not good at listening to facts or thinking, we have to reach people on a different level. Well, that's a big subject, but for example, check out my 30-second spot with footage of recent protestors pushing to enter the Tennessee State Capitol and take their "state of the state" message to Rich Oil Man and Governor Bill Haslam.
"Chop from the Top" Link on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoB-FSvHlcM
My web site: www.StopCorporateTakeover.com
#18
I read that Republican Paul Ryan's budget has MORE tax cuts for the WEALTHY in it ! The Greedy Koch Brothers own the Republicans and the Tea Party. Republicans & the Tea Party are woven from the same cloth as Tricky Dick Nixon. December, 2010 Republican Tom DeLay was convicted of money laundering. The GOP & the Tea Party are disciples of SATAN & get graft from the evil Koch brothers. Republicans are greedy CROOKS AND LIARS, and are evil Plutocrats and evil Libertarians. They are possessed by the GREED of the DEVIL. The evil Koch brothers give graft to the Republicans & the Tea Party. Republicans & the Tea Party give big tax breaks to the wealthy, yet stomp on middle class families, Senior citizens, women, Blacks, Hispanics, YET Republicans & Tea Party give massive tax cuts to the wealthy like Tyrant Trump, Koch Oil Tycoon Brothers, Steve Forbes, monopolist Bill Gates, Mayor Bloomberg, Bush Family Oil Dynasty. Boycott evil Koch Industries and Georgia Pacific.
#19
Really, the Democrats ran away like a bunch of cowards and you people are whining about the republicans passing it anyway. Boo hoo hoo.
it is time someone stood up for the tax payers against the corrupt goon unions that elect corrupt democrats to negotiate with that abuse the tax payers to buy votes.
We all know that democrats only support unions woith other people's money. That is why they would never drive an american car unless they build them and then it is maybe 50/50.
#20
Really, attacking the Koch brothers while the democrats are so in bed with EVIL george soros and companies like GE. Give me a break.
Also, i notice you are not complaining about your tax cuts. I thought you actually cared about the social programs for the poor. Oh wait, you are a democrat, you only weant hand outs for yourself.
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