It's the economy, stupid

All this talk about the election is beginning to drive me crazy. Americans are beginning (beginning?) to resemble preschoolers. We are impatient with anyone who is in office, we want overnight solutions to complex issues that took years to develop and if someone doesn't provide immediate results, we demonize them.

Republicans win back half of one of the three branches of government and suddenly they think they're on a mission from God. I am so sick and tired of the pandering and empty words from both parties and even more torqued by the tea party people who talk a blue streak of self righteousness.

I believe that Americans vote their pocketbook in every election. This election was a referendum on the state of the economy. "It's the economy stupid." If the Democrats want to stay in office and get on the good side of America they better find some way to get the economy moving. Otherwise, it's Republicans again in 2012.

There's not enough beer for me ! ! !

Tea Party Republicans Are a Sad Joke

This Tea Party movement is taking on the signs of a sad joke. This morning, USA Today has an interesting article about the Tea Party movement and the powers that are trying to co-op it.

As a Practical Libertarian, I have been against high deficits, high national debt and high taxes for years. But where were all the Tea Party people when George Bush wiped out the budget surplus he inherited, created his own huge budget deficit and more than doubled the existing National Debt from 5 trillion to over 10 trillion?

I'll admit to being a cynic at times, but the Tea party movement is nothing but hot air. The well meaning people who started it are falling by the wayside while the political animals in the Republican Party are taking it over as their own little pet project. The problem is that people like Sarah Palin and Dick Armey are the same type of Republicans who drove our country to the edge of the abyss in 2008.

Let me be clear. I believe that many top Republicans these days are are two faced liars. From George W. Bush and Dick Cheney to Rush Limbaugh to Sarah Palin. These are the people who would double your deficit and gladly encourage Wall Street to do whatever the hell they please right up to the edge of the cliff, and then bail them out. Also, please don't blame Obama for the financial mess and the bad economy. TARP was passed while George W. Bush was still in office. Bush and Henry Paulson bailed out the banks and AIG after their eight years appeared to be ending in a spiraling death-spin.

Republicans under Reagan and George W. Bush are responsible for the the two largest increases in both federal spending and the national debt. Do not be fooled by these charlatans. I call them "Borrow and Spend Republicans". These fakers can blow our money faster and more effectively than anyone. They've just learned to hide it better.

I support and balanced budget which includes a concrete plan to reduce the National debt. For more information about a responsible approach to fiscal conservatism, check out the Concord Coalition, a non-partisan group trying to shed light on the mounting debt problem in the United Sated government.

Do not fall for these fakers and liars from the who want to co-op the ideals of the Tea Party movement and use it for their same old "borrow and spend" tactics. Borrow and Spend Republicans are worse than Tax and Spend Liberals. Enough with the lies.

Finally, the first phone I must have

I interrupt all my previous post writing to say a few words about the new Fender 3g My Touch phone.

I'm a blues nut, a guitar nut and a serious musician. Up to today, I had no interest in a cell phone other than as an emergency device. Now I "have" to get one of these. My friend George in New Hamster will tell me that Clapton is an old has been, but I don't give a S**t. This is the bomb. YOU CAN EVEN STRUM IT!!!!

Did Obama miss the boat?

On NPR this morning I listened to several reports about President Obama’s popularity rating and voter’s complaints about his agenda since taking office. My first reaction was to shake my head at how fickle voters can be. American voters have always been willing to put their Congressional Representatives and Senators back in office, but like to blame the President for whatever ails the country.

Obama rode a wave of “throw out the bums" during the election of 2008. In retrospect, there is no other explanation for his win. I’ve listened to all the arguments about how Americans wanted healthcare and wanted the troops out of Iraq and on and on. I don’t believe most of that. Americans have and always will vote first with their pocketbooks. In 2007, American pocketbooks were getting nailed, business was slowing and our economy looked shaky and vulnerable.

This might have been a chance to go after special interests and expose some of the “best and brightest” in Banking and Wall Street for what they are; poor managers who didn’t direct their companies well, can’t accept responsibility and deserve to be tossed. Obama might have taken the case to the American people that each one of us bears responsibility for managing our own affairs and if we have a mortgage we can’t afford, then maybe we can’t afford the house. At the same time, Obama might have put the screws to banking and finance and forced some real honest talk from the financial sector about just how bad they screwed up. Instead, he let everybody off the hook, supported the idea of bailing out American Big Business from end to end and looked the other way.

When Roosevelt came into office in 1933, he addressed the financial crisis by announcing a bank holiday and new legislation to reform banking and the economy. Roosevelt recognized that the a sound economy was the key to everything else. If the eonomy is sound, then we can move forward. If the economy has major problems, then nothing is safe.

I fear President Obama assumed the economy would bounce back and missed his opportunity to get it fixed. Our budget deficit is much too high and the banks and Wall Street are back to business as usual. The Bush Recession might be behind us, but the economy still is in tank, the American people are still hurting and Wall Street thinks it won another bet.

How can we forget so quickly?

Check out the transcript of this conversation between Bill Moyers and Thomas Frank. I watched this on PBS the other day and even with my cynical take on the world I was amazed at the way right wingers can stretch, bend and twist the truth. (read the transcript)

It reminds me to remember to refer to our current mess as the "Bush Recession". I wish Obama would use that phrase every time he opens his mouth to answer a question or talk about the economy. The Republicans controlled Washington for eight years, got us into two unfinished wars and drove the country into the biggest hole since the Hoover (a Republican) did it in 1929. How can we forget this? (read the transcript)

I am so tired of politicians right now. Obama is doing his best to pass a health care bill which will be flawed at best and might actually drive the country's debt over the edge into financial failure. At the same, John McCain tries to pretend to be some sort of tough guy beating up National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair at the Homeland Security hearings yesterday. McCain looked like he was running for office again. Someone please tell him the election is over. (read the transcript)

And how about Sarah Palin? I don't even have words to describe her recent book and Fox contract. And she calls other people trailer trash? Let's just say that when I looked in the dictionary under "piece of work", I saw her picture. (read the transcript)

This post is a bit dis-oriented, I'm just so disgusted with our leaders right now.

Scott Brown and Politics 101

Now that Massachusetts has flipped it's lid and elected a Republican to Ted Kennedy's seat, the world must be about to end.  Having lived in New England for the better part of forty years, I know something about The Bay State. The Democrats have a stronghold on the Legislature and have for decades. 
However, Republicans have controlled the governor's seat for 30 of the last 48 years.  The Governor has been a Republican 62.5 percent of the time since 1961. 

Having said that, Massachusetts Republicans are more moderate in their approach.  A good example is William Weld who was a US Attorney during the Reagan administration and Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997.  Weld is conservative, but in a small L way.  The people of Massachusetts are far less liberal in many ways than the rest of the country realizes.  Puritanism and social conservatism still lingers there. 

I am not surprised that the senate race went to the GOP.  Voters are fickle and the past year has been filled with bad news.  Scott Brown was a well spoken candidate who sounded moderate positions, and got voters to trust him.  He says he supports the Massachusetts version of Universal Health care (see link to 'The Economist'), but now is opposed to the National Health care bill in Congress.  

What Scott Brown did was he tailored his positions and statements to the average, working Joe and Jane. In my opinion, the average worker these days is hoping to hold onto what they have and is sitting tight until the economy gets better. They don't feel they can afford to pay more taxes and they see the Democrats
trying to push thrugh a large new plan when the economy is in the toilet.

Scott Brown has studied politics 101 and ran a great race.  He memorized his soundbites and delivered them flawlessly.  I'd be surprised if he believed half of what he said, but then again I'm a skeptic. 
    

Democrat, Republican, Libertarian? How about a new Party?

I've devoted quite a bit of time thinking recently about my political beliefs.  I used to be a fairly staunch Democrat in the old Clinton Days, but I just can't agree as much  with the party anymore.  The National Debt troubles me more than ever.   I have trouble seeing how a National Healthcare plan is going to be possible when our economy is in such trouble at the same time we already owe so much. 

I definitely am not a Republican because of their tremendous defense of Big Business, self righteous, we are right attitude and their pandering to Evangelical Christians.  I am a Christian from a Lutheran background, but my religious beliefs are based on tolerance and complete separation of church and state.  Republicans have good ideas on small business and small government, but they never seem to follow through on their talk.  Newt Gingrich and his Contract with America went no where and George W. Bush increased the size of both the government bureaucracy and the National Debt to insane proportions.  When Republicans complain about the Democrats and the size of the budget its like listening to Rush Limbaugh complain about illegal prescription abuse.

Libertarian philosophy attracts me, but the problem with the Libertarian Party quickly comes into focus.  The party platform is clearly small government, but to the point where people and businesses are on their own.  Bar the door and load the ammunition. Libertarians trust the free market on everything from immigration to the environment to the economy.  I only have to think of Mexican drug lords, the City of Pittsburgh pre-Clean Air Act and Bush's recession to see that government does have some role in keeping things on track for the common good.

I hear the questions already. What exactly do I think is best?  Here's a few ideas.

1. A strong Federal Government based upon the existing US Constitution, established and maintained for the protection and benefit of its citizens.  Corporations and other non human entities of any sort are not citizens.  Each citizen has one vote.

2. Absolute separation of church and state.  All citizens are given the responsibility to respect and tolerate other religious views.  Religion shall not be regulated, endorsed or controlled by the government.  Religion shall not intrude on the government.   

3. A Strong National Defense focused on protecting our country without having to be the global police officer.

4. An economy based on minimal but necessary regulation.  The government's job in the economy is to maintain a level playing field for all businesses and to protect citizens from corporate and business abuse and neglect.  
A fundamental principal shall be that no business is too big to fail.

5. Foreign policy based on respecting other nations sovereignty backed by a strong national defense capable of acting as a capable deterrent to attack from another country.

6. The government's role in the environment is to establish standards for clean water, air and safe disposal of toxic waste.  Dealing with problems related to climate change no matter the cause falls under the responsibility of the federal government.      

7. Lobbying of elected representatives by corporations is illegal.

I don't think I'm done yet, but you get the idea.