The Heat is on! Who's left for GOP President?

  The Republican Party is once again desperatly seeking a candidate to unite the extreme with the corporate establishment. Mitch Daniels destroyed hopes in the party by deciding that he would not run. With Corporate Donors without a clear place to throw the money names are suddenly being thrown into the ring that previously weren't thought of.

  Influential Corporate dollars are attempting to coax Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush , Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell or New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to run. After stoking the fire of the tea party the GOP establishment seems to be in a bind. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is considered the closest to a front-runner, but his support for his state's health care plan has destroyed him with the far right and doesn't appear to be recovering.




  With Daniels out of the race, the GOP is back to square one, looking for a candidate who can keep the big money happy, and keep the base Energized. Can such such a candidate materialize in time? The field is looking scarce and Tea Party favorites like Bachmann or actually gaining momentum....

Most Republican Successes happen under Democrats

Am I the only one who has noticed that the biggest successes for Republicans and big business has happened under a Democratic President?



Let me lay this out and then Progressives and Liberals can ask themselves how they allowed it to happen.




1977: Jimmy Carter signs The Emergency Natural Gas Act As a result of this legislation There are hundreds of unregulated natural gas suppliers operating in the United States.


1993: NAFTA

eliminated "barriers" of trade between the US, Canada and Mexico. it brought the immediate elimination of Tariffs on more than one half of U.S. imports from Mexico. as a result Jobs shipped elsewhere by American companies wanting to exploit cheap labor. .



1994: Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act
This Legislation repealed previous restrictions on banks from operating in multiple states. It also allowed banks to acquire other banks or set up branches in other states without creating separate off shoots.

1999: , Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act :
This Legislation repealed the Glass–Steagall Act, allowing commercial banks, investment banks, securities firms, and insurance companies to merge.




Here we are in 2011 right after a huge financial crisis caused by deregulation championed by Republicans who successfully "bullied" the legislation through by holding parts of the government hostage.

They did it again in 2010 by stripping the Health care bill and holding out on unemployment benefits to ensure that the top brackets keep the Bush tax Reduction.
They are currently seeking cuts to Medicare , Medicaid and Social Security in order to privatize and drive profits for big business.




When are we going to put our foot down and start holding Democrats accountable? Being a "team player" has cost us our society , our livelihoods and The American Dream.

It needs to end!

Americans are in love with Socialism but don't know what it is!

  It's amazing to me how Americans supposedly hate "Socialism" and America is supposedly "Center Right" yet Americans are in love with Socialism.




  It's apparent that Americans by large don't have the slightest idea that The Military , Social Security , Public Education and Medicare are in fact all socialist programs.







  The word "socialist" has become a undefined boogie man in American politics. Americans often use words like "Nazi" and "communist" as synonyms for socialist when it really is far enough from reality that those who say it should be considered foolish.





  It really is sad that Americans will make foolish statements like "Communism means the Government controls everything" or "Nazi's were Socialist because it means National Socialist" When the first is a gross understatement and the second is just like saying China is actually a "People's Republic". The reality is Fascists (Nazis) and Communists are almost exact opposites in regard to ideology and philosophy.

  All of this is simply the result of politics , propaganda and the fact that when World History is thought in grade school they typically tip toe around the politics of the Communists and Nazis.


Either way the fact remains that Americans by large margins oppose cuts to the socialist programs in the United States.




(SOURCE)


 and largely support raising the taxes on high earners back to previous rates.

A more recent poll had the following results regarding raising taxes and cuts to medicare.





(SOURCE)



Someone please explain how Americans can both be against and for Socialism? , While your at it please explain how this is a "center right" country.

If you "Want your Country back" We have to Raise Taxes!

    What I find simply amazing is the lie that seems to be a recurring theme throughout American History. We're fed the delusion that lowering the tax rate on the rich will some how  coerce  these high earners into creating jobs. We're told to believe this absurdity that if they have more money they'll be more willing hire and create new competitions.



    Of course that's nothing but nonsense that just sounds good to people who know little about how economics work. The fact of this matter is that the middle and lower classes both create and consume the jobs. How? The middle class creates the demand for a product or service and the owner then responds by creating jobs in order to meet that demand. These people having more money has little to do with the creation of jobs and the reality is , jobs are created by smaller moderate profit companies.



    In 1922 under President Warren Harding(Republican) the tax rate on top earners began to go down and by 1925 under President Calvin Coolidge and 69th Congress(Republican) the tax rate on top earners dropped from 46% to 25%. This was one of the leading causes of the "Roaring Twenties" ,which in simple terms was economic bubble that ultimately popped when it was painfully seen that demand for products and services were non-existent as most of the money had gone to the top 2% of the country.



      In 1933 During the first 100 Days of Franklin Roosevelt's term the tax rate on High Earners increased to 63%. In the Next few years sweeping legislation such as The Glass–Steagall Act , Robinson–Patman Act , and Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 were passed. 


  In 1941 The United States entered World War II accelerating the recovery because we now had a Minimum wage , the right to unionize, and regulation on the businesses that caused most of the problem. America Thrived for a few decades with a strong middle class

Chart illustrates Historical tax rates (Source)

     Fast forward to 1981 under President Ronald Reagan the tax rate is reduced to less than 70% for the first time since 1938 and by 1988 it takes a dive to below 30%. This inevitably starts the same kind of reaction we had in the 1920's where businesses grew at an exponential rate while wages remained stagnant and the cost of living increased. They still however had those pesky regulations holding back profits and in 1999 The Glass–Steagall Act was repealed and now in 2011 rights of unions are under attack and we stand with a potential budget deal that brings the tax rate back to 1929.


Where can it go from here?

Ronald Reagan's Birth Certificate Is A Fake!

   

  I find amount of stupidity surrounding discussions about president Obama's Birth Certificate amazing. In response I've decided to pull former President Reagan's Birth Certificate to see if the same "logic" can be applied to Reagan's birth certificate.









I've noticed a few things about this document that could be used as "proof" in the same way they use their "proof".




1. There is no raised seal indicating that the document was notarized by the state.




2. As anyone can clearly see the witness signed the date 1942. Reagan was allegedly born in 1911. Where is the real one? If it even existed




3. At the bottom is the date issued which reads June 20, 1991. Why did Reagan not present proof of his birth until 10 years after he assumed the Presidency?




  Apparently this is enough "proof" to conclude that Reagan may have been illegitimate. We should push this issue and have every disgusting bill he signed voided. Conservatives need to prove he was born in the United States.

Mark Warner to put Social Security on the chopping block

Mark Warner Democrat from Virginia

Mark Warner on "Face the Nation" stated that the supposed "Bipartisan Gang of six" will refuse to look into raising taxes but will take a look at Social Security.




“We’re going to make everybody mad with our approach“because we’re touching every part of the problem all the entitlement programs, looking at how you make Social Security more sustainable.”





Just who is "everybody" Mr. Warner? From this angle it looks like you're willing to throw workers under the bus in order to protect the corporate and wealthy tax cuts and loop holes.


Warner's Rationale for a possible attack on Social Security is this


" There are 16 workers for every one retiree 50 years ago, three workers for every retiree now."


This of course is an old tired Conservative talking point that is highly deceptive and proven absurdity. The Numbers they use reflect the rates from around 1950 to 1951. These numbers are in fact a statistical anomaly which resulted from an influx of new people into the program. In fact by 1955 that number was cut in half and by 1975 the rate was at it's current number. The fact is even a 2:1 ratio is sustainable so long as the economy either remains stable or is growing. Isn't it amazing how the ratio has been about the same for around forty years and the program hasn't yet failed to supply adequate benefits? Mark Warner should know better than to spread such absurdity. This is another corporate point in the ultimate attempt to privatize and take possession of Social Security and Medicare.

Democrats DO NOT need negotiate on Debt Ceiling

As I stated in another post Republicans will NOT allow the US to default because the day after the US Defaults on it's debt Wall Street would cease to exist. The default would destroy the assets of the major banks sending Wells Fargo , Bank Of America and the rest into bankruptcy. The shareholders of the Wall Street banks would be wiped out and their top executives jobless. If you believe the Republicans would allow their biggest donors be destroyed in such a way you've not been paying attention.




Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said the following on the 10th

"I think we have more leverage on the debt ceiling,Because unless  51 Democrats want to vote to raise the debt ceiling and all the Republicans vote against it, they’re going to have to give us something in the way of a systemic reform."




  The goal here is to scare congressional Democrats into making absurd concessions like they've been doing for the last three years. When are Democrats going to wake up and realize that Republicans don't have a good hand they simply have a damn good poker face? It's time Democrats call their bluff and simply allow them to look like the hypocrites they are.




  Isn't it amazing that after holding out to the very last second Republicans ended up voting on the original deal concerning a possible Government shut down? In fact Democrats didn't need to concede the 38 Billion. Top Republicans had absolutely no intention of allowing a government shut down just like they will not be caught not voting to raise the debt ceiling.