A nightmarish scenario...
Of what might happen if Republicans refuse to raise the debt limit, is beginning to emerge. According to analysis by the Bipartisan Policy Center – if the debt limit isn’t raised by the end of February – then a chain reaction of events will happen that will ruin both the United States’ and global economy. To begin with, the Treasury Department has to make roughly 100 million payments a month, to pay for things already spent by Congress. Without an increase in the debt limit – those payments will not be able to go out.
Yes, in the short term, the Treasury can prioritize what they pay out first – and keep payments to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Education, and Defense going for a little while – but that would mean everything else would cease getting funding after March 1st. That includes food safety inspectors, prisons, researchers, courts, the FAA, and the list goes on and on. And then there’s the subsequent shock to global financial markets, that will occur once America defaults on her debt – and the benchmark interest rate for US debt skyrockets – forcing rates on credit cards, mortgages, and complex derivatives to spike as well. The interest on our debt will go up – revenue into the government will go down – and we’ll be in an even worse fiscal situation than we were before.
This would be a nightmare for everyone. Yet, it’s exactly what House Republicans are willing to bring about, unless President Obama agrees to significant cuts in Medicare and Social Security Insurance programs. There’s no other way to describe this than economic terrorism. And the President must cut off negotiations with these terrorists right now – and embrace either the 14th Amendment, or the trillion-dollar platinum coin, to raise the debt limit on his own
Comments
My Proposal
Thom, Louise, Ken, Palindromedary, and fellow readers, I have composed a 7 part solution to the current political, economic and social crisis that I believe is the only solvent way to cure our National woos. Here it is:
1. Thom and Louise, please ban the words "Liberal" and "Conservative" from this Live Blog. To me they are dirty words! They do nothing but to sow discord and arouse negative emotions. I for one disagree with far too many people to be categorized as agreeing with any group. I find these references to be both limiting, insulting, and demeaning.
2. We must stand up immediately and make it very clear to our representatives that we will accept no solution that reduces our precious social programs. The time has come for us to draw a line in the sand. My recommendation is for everyone tomorrow to call their representative and the President of the United States and demand that not one cent be cut from Social Security or Medicare no matter what. Tell them We The People are willing to accept any consequences for the action; and will support our representatives 100%. In addition, threaten them that without their cooperation you will never again vote for them or anyone else in their party. The time has come for We The People to seriously consider another party in our elections. Think of this occasion as an opportunity to empower such an option and to make it clear to our representatives that we have had it.
3. My father at his highest earning capacity was taxed at about 50%. I know because he complained about it frequently. His disdain however never interfered with his willingness to accept every hour of overtime that came his way. If he didn't mind paying his fair share than why should anyone earning 1000 times more than he did? I believe this is a reasonable amount to request our highest wage earners to pay in taxes. Let's all consider a compromise where we can mandate that taxes for any income bracket will never exceed this amount.
4. Cuts in spending? The reasonable question that is being averted is how can we make appropriate spending cuts to reduce waste. I say Social Security and Medicare do not qualify as waste. These programs are essential. The Defense Budget on the other hand is pure waste. We The People have no obligation or pressing need to maintain military bases or fighting forces anywhere on the planet except for the United States of America. "Fight them there so they won't come here"? Are you serious? Personally, I can't speak for Ken, but I'd be surprised if he would fear fighting any opponent with a home field advantage. Myself, though a pacifist, would be first in line to take on such a threat. I'm sure I'm not alone. The popular touted rational is that these expenditures are necessary for National Security. The fact of the matter is that these expenditures are necessary to protect our National Interests. Our National Interests are nothing more than the interests of our National Corporations that happen to exist in our Nation. We need to cut off this hand-out to the Corporations. Not only is it draining our national capital; but it is also plunging our Nation into enormous dept, soiling our reputation around the world, and costing the lives of our future citizens. As the Uncle of two members of our National security forces I demand that our Leaders reassess our Military policy and make reasonable cuts in Defense spending immediately! Give the Rich the break in taxes I mentioned and the opportunity to invest the windfall in hiring their own Mercenaries to protect their own Corporate interest. No more American lives or dollars for foreign oil fields or gas pipelines!
5. When I was in college my dream was to utilize my talents to create my own factory manufacturing products; and, providing a decent income for many happy American families. I envisioned my ideas resolving problems and making life easier for people all over the world. "Industrial Flight" as it was called back then, and later NAFTA and Free Trade made that dream unattainable. These obstacles are also making balancing the budget and paying off our debt unattainable. We must remove these enemies to the American Dream and reinstate our Tariffs on foreign goods. We need to revive our GDP, and eliminate the threat of cheep foreign imported goods by reinstating our import taxes with a vengeance!
6. Social Cohesion in the American Family is missing and must be restored to resolve many preventable social tragedies. Small Agricultural societies have strong social cohesion within the family unit due to interdependence. This interdependence is missing in large Industrial societies who have weak social cohesion within the small family unit because of a lack of any social cohesion. Social cohesion is the bonds that represent not only love; but, respect, responsibility, reliability, and support. It's existence is critical in building self esteem, self respect, and self reliance. I feel that we can augment our small loosely tied family structures to resemble the Agricultural Model by modifying our Educational Institution. Children at a young age must be exposed to real world earning experiences to build their self esteem as well as develop the social cohesion of their families. I know that child labor is taboo in the United States at this time and I do not advocate bringing back child sweat shops. However, student apprenticeship programs need to be a part of our School agenda. In addition, children participated need to earn school credits as well as cash in order to accomplish this objective. This way children can help support their family's, learn the value of a dollar, and earn their own self esteem at a young age. They can help our nation eliminate its dependence on illegal foreign labor and build their self respect at the same time. It worked in my father's generation, and it can work now!
7. Finally, Democracy as we know it needs to evolve. People such as ourselves, at home with computers and internet connections need to have the ability to engage the political process on the official level. We need to be able to not only voice our opinions on line; but also to be able to effect legislation composition and enactment into law. To me, this is the very essence of Democracy--the ability of the populous to enact and enforce law as it sees fit with as little intermediary influence as possible. I purpose an Amendment to the Constitution that would allow any citizen with an internet connection to purpose any law they see fit. That law would be posted on line and if it received enough votes would be subjected to a populous vote and become law if a majority sees fit. This proposal would eliminate the need for a Congress, an Executive branch of government; as well as Public unrest and redress. The representatives would be the people themselves and the Executive would be the instantaneous electronic vote of all the people. To me, this is the ideal model of Democracy!
I ask your help in bringing about these necessary and essential evolutionary changes.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
DAnneMarc
Oh, good, what a relief, from the way it sounded I thought you were going to do something physical that would wind up in the papers. Refer to: #40.
Quote DAnneMarc: "I promise you I have a plan to deal with these arrogant and greedy... 'people'."
Your proposal..#53 looked like it took a lot of thought and effort to write and it is great that you have thought so much about it. But from my perspective it doesn't seem like much of anything will deter the course that we are are about to experience.
One idea that had been backed up by some very wealthy people who paid and sent out petitioners to all the malls and other public places failed in their efforts...thank goodness. I say that because I believe that they were just using us, making untrue statements about their real intentions.
Americans Elect made themselves sound like they were going to usher in a new way of doing things too..using computers and on-line voters to select and vote for the third party candidate that would "represent the people".
The fact that they were backed by "invisible" wealthy financiers made the whole thing stink. All of the rhetoric in the fliers and on their web site promised that this new way, and the president they helped put into office, would change everything in favor of the people.
They played upon the discontent of both the Republicans and the Democrats and even got my signature until I began to have doubts and started to investigate what they were all about. You can do a Google Search on Americans Elect and on their founder, Peter Ackerman, if you are interested. Remember Michael Milken and the Savings and Loan scandals? Ackerman got rich off from all of this and was known as Michael Milken's right hand man. And if you really do some deeper investigations you may find that he may be involved in organizations that sound like they are benevolent but, in fact, may be involved in assisting organizations like the CIA overthrow other governments...by subversion from within those countries.
Anyway, your idea of using computers for creating or voting for various laws, etc.: We can't even rely on electronic voting machines. And despite the fact that many people use computers for home banking, many are not aware of just how often people's bank accounts are compromised by hackers...and banks are supposed to be the safest on-line transactions.
All one has to do is search for all of the instances of hackers breaking into accounts. The news media...at the behest of the banksters, no doubt...don't want it widely known just how unsafe it is to do on-line banking. Sure they have the best encryption, ostensibly, but do the bank customers know if their computers are key-stroke logger free? No viruses or trojans installed with rootkits that evade detection?
And what about the certificates of authority (CA) that are used for verifying ones identity for encryption? Google Diginotar..a company that was compromised by a hacker who stole all of the CAs that could be used to spoof identities and decrypt transactions. And there were others as well. Man in the middle attacks are also done to intercept identities, capture passwords, even though they are encrypted.
I went to a web site, after I learned of it from Steve Gibson's Security Now podcast, called Pastebin.com which is a web site where anyone can post information anonymously. Mostly programmers can post a software program they've just created to share with others, or any number of other things...even some porn. This web site was often used by hackers to post advertisements that they wanted to sell info on bank accounts. They listed the names, banks, bank account numbers, and the balances..but would sell the passwords to anyone who wanted to buy them. There were thousands of them. And I saw this a number of times with all different bank accounts. Credit cards were also listed. I think this web site finally cracked down on this practice. 4chan.org is another rather rogue web site..although I've never seen any bank accounts like on pastebin.com
Your insights and cautions about 'electronic Democracy' are very valid. However, I assure you I've spent a lot of time envisioning this system--since I was 3 years old to be specific. I am aware of the technical dangers as well as the social benefits. I don't necessarily believe we may be ready now for such a system; however, I fully believe in my heart and soul that such a system is lurking in our future. It is time we grab the bull by the horns and make it so!
Remember, where there is a will there is a way!
DAnneMarc: But having said that...I believe that you had some good ideas except I don't know how one would get a nation to change it's practice of familial isolationism. Seems no one wants to hang around for very long listening to the ravings of the geriatric set.. If they wanted to do that...they'd be reading many of us right here on this blog..I think you are much younger though...at least you still have a job...good going..hang in there! The younger set are more into much shorter missives with code words like OMG and LMAO. Good thing too..they'd get arthritis in their fingers at a much younger age trying to text on those tiny buttons...and we don't even know how it will affect their eyesight... squinting to read those tiny words...or attempted words...nobody's perfect...even though I'm sure they all think they are.
And I'm all for our government living up to it's obligations and promises in Social Security and Medicare. Cut Pentagon spending, a whole bunch.
But I disagree with the idea of giving tax breaks to the rich so that they can hire mercenaries to fight their wars. They are already pretty much doing just that now. I think we should abolish mercenary armies. Tell Blackwater or Xe or whatever name they are using now to disband...cease and desist. And all those other MIC leaches to stop in their slime tracks...poof...gone...history.
On taxes, I believe there should be a gradual progressive income tax...ie: on increments of say $1,000 starting at somewhere above poverty level....be taxed a fraction of a percent for each $1000 per year so that the fractions add up so that the more you earn, the more you pay. I also believe that there should be an upper limit to what a person can earn. Say, $1billion...and above that will all go to a government controlled charity as determined by the voters.
No one will ever be able to spend $1billion in their lifetime. And most of these people can either retire...or keep working because they are driven by something that is greater than money alone. They would be praised as saints rather than the crooks they are believed to be today. And the billion could be any other number that seems right to most people...more or less.
And yes, we need to get the big money out of politics...problem is how do we do all of this? It's one thing to think of doing these things and another to get them implemented.
I think many people are finally coming to the realization that their votes don't count...really..and that making phone calls or writing emails to our government officials don't count either. What are they really voting for? Really? We have a corrupt system and trying to make changes to that system is futile. It is going to take something beyond politics as usual to effect real change...unfortunately.
It's scarey for sure...but it's going to happen...eventually, if those in power don't relent and change. I'm pretty much of a pacifist myself, even though I won't hesitate to defend myself if attacked. But, if more people really realized just what they were about to fight for....they wouldn't even join the armed forces anymore.. unless they were starving..it sure isn't for our freedoms or our liberty or democracy....those are all empty words uttered by propagandists working for the criminal system we currently live in.
Many of our service people come to realize, after the fact, what it is or isn't all about and, unfortunately, they often commit suicide..or turn to drugs..something they don't like to even mention in the major news media.
DAnneMarc: Wow! How precocious! 3 years old and you were already trying to solve the world's problems! I understand, from my dad, that my special talents at about that age, or maybe younger, was that I had a knack of breaking out of my crib. He said that the crib was very well built and sturdy but I'd shake it so hard that he thought it would fall apart. A couple years later, not yet in school, I had chased several kids up a tree. They were several years older. Too bad they didn't have YouTube back then...maybe that tree scene would have gone viral. But, I don't remember any of it. Sometimes, I'm lucky if I remember yesterday or even what I ate for breakfast this morning. But, occasionally, some things from the distant past pops out...like last week.;-}
Maybe this is an act of futility, but for what it's worth- I decided to write the president this evening. Tomorrow I'll be sending what follows, hand written:
With due respect, President Obama, I implore you to stand firm on raising that debt ceiling. Surely as a constitutional scholar, you must know how illegal it is, what the Republicans are doing. The stakes are so high, there's no room for error. You can't negotiate with psychopaths & terrorists; it's always their way or the highway. You've got to exercise the powers availed you as president, by the 14th Amendment, to ensure this basic obligation is fulfilled with or without Congressional support. Failing to do so, you would subject everyone on the planet to a level of chaos & catastrophe perhaps never before seen. Is this the legacy you wish to leave behind, after two terms as our president? (Con't)
(Con't) The fate of the world is at your mercy. Extreme as this may sound, we are living in extreme times. What you are dealing with is a Congress taken over by terrorists & thugs, beholden only to a narrow, self-serving agenda. They're just a pack of thieves, more than willing to wreak havoc on this country and the world if they don't get their way. This latest stunt of theirs, refusing to raise the debt ceiling, is an act of financial terrorism. So determined are they to rob our Social Security Trust Fund, they are holding the entire world hostage. So awful are the potential consequences of their deadly game, they might as well be holding guns to our heads. If this country doesn't pay its debt, the world economy will collapse and life as we know it is over. So what side are you on, Mr. President? Is this the "change" we're supposed to "believe" in?
You are the only person who can stop these thieving predators. Please stop them, before it is too late.
- Aliceinwonderland
Golly gee GLOBAL a world without liars and theives!?!?Whatever will we do???
How about a world without poor people, or a world without homless families, or a world without hunger, or a world without wars, etc...
Possable??? No...Not while the world is full of greedy selfrighteous assholes!
...but I can dream, can't I?
Please don't abandon your campaign to get rid of billionaires -- what happened to the twitter hash tag? We need to unify and educate and share information. We need to share your video clips together with your hash tag.
Also we need a twitter tag for your show -- like Chris Hayes has us #uppers which trends. #ThomHartmann exists but it is too long. #Thom and #Hartmann seem to exist for other things but maybe we could reclaim it. Perhaps this is a discussion that should be had on the message boards.
Happiness in abundance in this new year -- and always.
"Greed of the corparations came first"
Many believe that if they work "hard" they will get ahead and become well off.
Try telling that to retail stores clerks who are not hired full time because the employer does not want to pay benefits, whose wages are low with no hope of a living wage, and many working two jobs to get by. Try telling that to people in many manufacuturing positions whose companies have to compete with Chinease wages, "temporary" workers who work over a year, jobs being "out sourced".
I have personal experience working as a clerk in retail, and as an assembler of electronics. I can tell you that if you can find a job with mediocere wages, full time work, and regular benefits you are doing well. Getting ahead means getting an education that you can only afford with student loans you will pay for probably the rest of your life, because so many "colleges" are ripping you off, and you probably will not have any grants or scholarships to fully fund your education. Try looking for a scholarship. How do you sort out the scam ones from what may be a real one? Many "colleges" are offering $1,000 scholarships just to get you in the door and rip you off.
Okay -- another matter that shouldn't be forgotten, re Chuck Hagel, from Wikipedia:
"In 1996, Hagel ran for the open US Senate seat created by the retirement of Democrat J. James Exon. Hagel's opponent was Ben Nelson, then the sitting Governor of Nebraska. Hagel won and became the first Republican in twenty-four years to win a Senate seat in Nebraska. Six years later in 2002, Hagel overwhelmingly won re-election with over 83% of the vote, the largest margin of victory in any statewide race in Nebraska history."
WAS the voting done on his former company's machines?
Have you talked to Brad Friedman of The Brad Blog about this? If there is something there, please discuss on your show. Thanks!!
(Or are we ignoring the issue because certain Republicans don't like him?)
Wow !! I wanted to join this discussion yesterday, but now I'm glad that I couldn't. I just read the whole debate a couple of times, and Palin's defense of progressive taxation, in real time and against strong opponents, was absolutely amazing; - Great job Palin !!!
But some additional background information on 'my' progressive tax plan that started the debate is necessary because, quite obviously, it isn't my plan; I 'borrowed' most of the ideas, - many of them from Thomas Jefferson:
Jefferson, who was serving as ambassador to France during the writing of our Constitution, personally witnessed the concentration of wealth that plutocratic government created and perpetuated in Europe, and condemned it in his writings: "they have divided their nations into two classes, wolves and sheep. I can apply no milder term to the governments of Europe, and to the general prey of the rich on the poor."
This experience led Jefferson to suggest a very important and proper role for democratic government; - to redistribute wealth:
" I am conscious that an equal division of property [ wealth ] is impracticable. But the consequences of this enormous inequality [ the result of plutocratic government ] producing so much misery to the bulk of mankind, legislators cannot invent too many devices for subdividing property."
Which led Jefferson to suggest a way for government to redistribute wealth:
" Another means of silently lessening the inequality of property is to exempt all from taxation below a certain point, and to tax the higher portions of property in geometrical progression as they rise. "
With what goal in mind? In his book "Rights of Man", Thomas Paine, a favorite of Jefferson, suggested a twenty to one wealth ratio between the richest and poorest productive members of a society. But, since millions of working Americans have a net worth of nothing, a twenty to one ratio between the richest and the average of all productive members is more reasonable.
Why is redistribution of wealth by government necessary? The best answer I have ever seen was written by a Greek named Aesop over 2500 years ago:
" A lion and other animals formed a corporation to provide food. The fox made the plans; the birds found the food; the dogs tracked it down; the wolves dispatched it; the oxen carried it back; and the lion divided it. After he divided it the lion took one share of the meat for himself because he was their leader, and he took the rest because he was the king of the beasts. The sinews and bones were all that he left. "
The wisdom of this ancient fable still applies today. Those at the top of a corporation decide the value of every member's contribution, including their own. And, like Aesop's predatory lion, they usually decide that they "earned" and should get a lion's share of the profits.
Because of this flaw in the nature of humans, high tax rates on the rich and low on the poor are absolutely necessary to recover property unfairly taken by predators and return it to the producers.
Oops; computer error.
Damn, another computer error. And no wonder, it's getting light outside; - I worked on this all night!
THERE'S NO WONDER W.W.T.J.D.
...declare todays destructive corporate government an Enemy of the State, dismantle - once again - the banking system, and shame us all for being so foolish for not exercising our RIGHT to alter or abolish a government that is destructive of an EQUAL RIGHT to LIFE, LIBERTY, and THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.
Thomas Jefferson with an assault riffle and a full metal jacket...Now there's a second coming!
Another computer error. This site is not working properly.
Palindromedary,
The constant theme in this venue is to rage against the "haves", lament the plight of the poor downtrodden working class and to focus on the conspiracy between the Koch Brothers and their hirlings in congress and on K Street to "do us out of what's rightfully ours". But to those of us educated in another time, who have read Zinn, Chomsky and others, there is a more salient problem; the fact that, as a society, we have allowed ourselves to be stripped of our all important capacity for "critical thinking". If Howard Zinn's "People's History" doesn't convince any thinking person that the human condition has always driven the greed and inequity in this country, nothing will (I don't know how many copies of this book I've given away). What has changed, however, is the willingness of a society to slip into the comforting arms of instant gratification, easy creature comforts, and most of all, to avoid the unpleasantness of questioning authority. We've done it to ourselves. The most powerful weapon we have at our disposal is to reach out to the younger generations and do the best we can to open their eyes. Griping about the status quo is cathartic, but futile.
Obama blew it----the very best deal he would ever get was going off the cliff in January and then negotiating.
He is doing this bit by bit and he will screw it up just like last time.
He is an Eisenhower GOPer Not a real Progressive....the only reason he got my vote is there was a fascist running against him.
Reply to #62
All of those conditions exist because predatory 'businessmen' bribe lawmakers with campaign contributions and promises of retirement jobs paying millions a year in return for votes for laws that drive down wages.
There is only one way to end the buying of laws by predators; - entirely publc financing of lawmakers' campaigns and retirements.
I agree with you Thom! Let's get this done. The president should lead the way. We gave him permission to be a leader. No, we require that he lead this term.
Johngutta: Wow! I have never really read much of Thomas Jefferson or Thomas Paine...maybe I should! By the way, there is a podcast that you might be interested in if you have itunes...called The Thomas Jefferson Hour. I have a lot of the episodes but have never actually listened to them...so many other podcasts took up much of my time...till my ipod crashed..one day, perhaps, I'll get a new one. I know I can listen to them on my computer as well...but again I have so many things that keep me busy that it is hard to fit in another.
That was an interesting Aesops Fable. Another series of Fables or Tales comes from, originally, early India...but adopted and translated into Arabic by some early Arabian..I think the Indian versions were called The Tales or Fables of Bidpai..aka Panchatantra...aka Kalila wa Dimna (the 'wa' is arabic for 'and') which is the Arabic version (but is still available in English). I searched, over the years for a version on-line and now have found one. You can download the pdf files in either English or Arabic. There is an illustration on each page and children would have no problem at all reading them. Some tales are similar to Aesops. But, in Kalila and Dimna..starting from the beginning..one tale leads into the next and the next. The end result is suppose to have taught the reader something about how to live one's life with wisdom and warnings of various traps that one should watch out for in life.
A pretty good description of Kalila and Dimna here:
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/197204/kalila.wa.dimna.htm
About your computer crashing...I wonder if it had anything to do with the monthly (2nd tuesday) Microsoft Updates (providing of course if you are using MS and not some other Operating System). MS updates can sometimes cause problems occasionally on some computers...just a thought.
"Mmuolo" said about President Obama: "He is an Eisenhower GOPer not a real Progressive... the only reason he got my vote is there was a fascist running against him."
I hear ya, brother. And that's why I voted for him too. I still do believe that if fewer of us voted for Obama, opting instead for more progressive and more desirable candidates, we would have had a more fragmented progressive electorate, resulting in the worst possible outcome. Instead of a Progressive Commander & Chief, or the weak-kneed, cowardly centrist we wound up with, we'd have an ugly fascist in the White House. That's how our system is rigged, folks. Those of you who voted for the better-but-marginalized candidates can keep congratulating yourselves for being so much smarter and purer at heart than us "fear voters" and having "clean hands". But thanks to us 'fraidy cats, fascist dictator wannabes like R & R will have to wait a few more years before trying again. And try they will. - Aliceinwonderland
Old Blue: You are right, of course, but cathartic feels so good...guess that's a form of instant gratification...got to relieve the stress some way. Maybe that's similar to voting for Obamatron...the automatron. "We are Borg...you will be assimilated...resistance is futile"
good eye! just seeing if people are paying attention!! she does work amature night for tips!lol
Aliceinwonderland: Well, I voted for the third party candidate. Obama was pretty much a shoe-in in the state in which I live anyway. I too am glad that Obama is there instead of Romney, in a way. He's way more charismatic and he didn't get rich ruining people's lives by playing capitalist games like buying out companies and trashing jobs. On the other hand...had Romney got elected...maybe the revolution would have happened already. Maybe it would have happened had McCain/Palin won in 2008. Maybe that was the whole ruse by the ruling elite...to put in a charismatic, young, black man speaking a form of rebellion in his campaign speeches who may have presented an associative appeal to the growing rebellious crowds. And he may have been put in for the very purpose of diffusing the angst of the potentially rebellious crowds. Maybe that was their plan all along..Obama is really their man, playing a role. ♫ It's Howdy Doody time. It's Howdy Doody time. ♫ or..How about Lamb Chop. That may very well be just what Obama is...and he has gotten away with it...rather...the ruling elite has gotten away with it because many people still have hope that Obama will change.
Would that have been good? Bad? Violent? Non-violent? Who knows? But at least it would have been a change from the current status quo. And the revolution would have occurred on the Republican's watch..not on Obama's.
The only thing I heard from Obama supporters prior to the 2012 elections was "Once Obama is reelected..he'll change and do things differently than the first term". I highly suspected that this would not happen. So, all of you Obama believers and supporters...hey, thanks a lot for delaying the inevitable revolution. The longer we wait the weaker we become...and yes, I realize that I sound like I am full of fury...signifying nothing. I'm certainly not going to be the first one to start a revolution. Not martyr material for other fellow cowards too chicken to even follow. But it sure feels good to rant sometimes.
And speaking of rants.....Hey, how about that Piers Morgan interview of Alex Jones!?
That was really something wasn't it? I've never heard Piers Morgan so shut up and shut down by any of his previous guests. I almost felt sorry for Piers....naw!!!! I do hope someone produces a transcript, however, it was really hard to understand everything that was said...and Alex Jones had a lot to say...for sure. Check it out on YouTube...it went viral. Alex Jones going viral? Now there is an understatement! By the way...I'm all for deporting Piers Morgan...sounds like a great idea...send him back to England where they even lead the US in domestic spying and gun control and speech control.
SLOW YOUR ROLE ALICE!!!
Thanks to all the "frady cats" who didn't cast an honest vote we are still up the creek without a paddle...And our snake tongue leader is President OBAMNEY!
I read a few different statistics recently that showed more than 33% of the people that cast a vote for Obama actually prefered a 3rd party candidate; out of that 33%, 27% said they liked Jill Stein, and a wopping 24% of registered republicans voted for Green Party Candidate Jill Stein. To bad those 27% didn't follow their gut.
What all of us need to do from now until the next campaign is push hard to get Jill Stein and Rocky Anderson in the debates. The more people I talk to the more people I discover that felt their fear vote was a waste. We just need to build and fund a strong 3rd party platform and stick to it!
Good luck with your letter...Don't forget to mention to MR Obamney that you unwantingly cast your vote for the lesser of two evils. Wait, he already knows that!!!
Cheers!
The Obamanible 'No' Man...The Ice Man Cometh!
'No'--because he really is from the party of 'NO'...a Republican subversive...
Johngutta: I agree!
By the way...if you are using Ubuntu version 12.10 Unity then it probably has malware installed on it. This is rather old info...I just learned of it.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/privacy-ubuntu-1210-amazon-ads-and...
Yes Palindromedary I was quite a precocious child. My parents wrote in their baby book about how I wouldn't shut up for days after I returned from the hospital. They said I made no sense, "just baby talk". But I wouldn't shut up.
I was probably 6-7 when I had my first traumatic experience. I was watching a State of the Union Speech by Richard Nixon with my mother and father. He spent almost half an hour trying to justify the war in Viet Nam. I can't say how, but I was infuriated. I knew he was lying through his teeth. How could a Leader be so unscrupulous and deceitful? I demanded that my parents arrange for me to give a counter speech on Television.
They both burst out laughing. They told me no one is going to listen to a little baby. Yet I was dead serious. The laughter continued. My mother mocked me saying, "So you're all right, and the world's all wrong?" I insisted she was right! I received more mocking laughter. I was indignant!
I can't begin to tell you how pissed-off I was. I remember little of my childhood times as clear as that moment. I'm convinced that experience has contributed to a wide range of serious emotional issues throughout my life.
This story might give you an idea of my actual age. Anyway, my determination to perfect my plan to 'enhance' Democracy was born that day.
I'm sure one of your main doubts to my evolutionary upgrade, item #7 of my Proposal (comment #53) is how to maintain the security and integrity of the code controlling on line voting. You've mentioned the Diebold voting machines and how their security measures aren't reliable. Of course, you are right. My security plan however is so simple and unorthodox that you will agree when you hear it that it has great potential for success. It has the immediate advantage of being conceived by a distraught child and not a corporate entity.
Unfortunately, I will have to explain the details when I have more time. I want to explain the technology so that anyone can understand how it works. I'm still working on that explanation. Stay tuned!
DAnneMarc
You probable think the WWE is real to!
Alex Jones is nothing more than a loud mouth bafoon from Texas, and is ultra envious of Rush Limbaugh's penis. Most Texans - who are mostly uber conservative white christians - think Alex Jones is a wack-o and an embarassment.
Alex Jones is a waste case...And I usually am supportive of conspiracy theorist. Alex Jones is the reason why rational conspiracy theorist are stereotyped as loony.
Reply to #70
Our "new Democrat" President and "new Democrat" Senators are way too smart to have 'blown it'. Clearly they did what they were bribed to do by the ultra-rich; - make sure that the top marginal estate tax rate did not go back up to 55%, and the top marginal capital gains tax rate did not go above 20%.
The capital gains rate was lowered to 20% in the late 1990's by another "new Democrat" - Bill Clinton. Clinton was persuaded to do it by Robert Rubin, a Wall Street operative. That cut fueled the Dot-Com bubble. Rubin also persuaded Clinton to support the deregulation that caused the housing bubble in early 2000 and the resulting financial crisis six years later. Obama, another "new Democrat", chose Rubin to be his economic "expert" in 2009, which is in large part why there was no hope for change.
All of this, along with the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, proves that the Democrat 'fight' with the Republicans to control our predator class is a sham; - and that most of our 'Democrat' lawmakers have also been bribed.
We must end the bribing of our lawmakers, and there is only one way to do it; - entirely public funding of campaigns and retirements.
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
Hello All
Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.
Please follow us across to hartmannreport.com - this will be the only place going forward to read Thom's blog posts and articles.
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Loren Bliss: I agree totally!