Thursday, January 31, 2008

Support The Troops?

I have heard one of those radical right bumper stickers pop up again. Just when I thought it was dead and buried. I am sure you have heard it. When defending the occupation they grasp at straws and say “Well we haven't been attacked since 9-11”. WHAT!? WHAT THE HELL!
What kind of mind numbingly narrowminded warmonger bullshit artist do you have to be to say something like that? It appears to me that America is being attacked everyday and Americans are dying everyday. We are being attacked far more than ever and have far more people that are willing and want to attack us. Of course the people that spew the we aren't being attacked line are the ones that try to demonstrate their jingoist piety and try to smear the other side with one of their other bumper sticker lines “support the troops”. It's things like this that make me wretch in disgust at the deadly clowns on the radical right. It is why I can have no respect whatsoever for them or their pronouncements. Just what do they believe in and will it change when we have a different president? History say yes. They have no core and no care about anything but building up their own chest puffing false pride and phony superiority. The same thing has happened to me when it comes to the evangelical so called Christians. I would never want to be a part of their religion. I find their hypocrisy and false piety stomach turning. If you want to honor Jesus be a blessed peacemaker for they will be called the sons of God. If you want to support our troops then don't forget them and the lives they have sacrificed and the attacks that they face everyday of their life....however long that life lasts.

Monday, January 28, 2008

What Do We Do For Our Economy?

How do we fix our economy? Let me tell you, 300 dollars of candy or election year bribe money is not going to fix it. That kind of stuff comes from the mind of people that want to look like they are doing something while they avoid the big things that need to be done. The overriding problem is people don't make enough to raise a family even when they work hard. Here's some ideas on some things that could make a major difference in that area.

1) Universal health care that takes 5-10% of our GDP instead of 15-20 %(and rising every year).
A foreign car company recently looked at locating in the US. Even with huge tax breaks they opted to go to Canada because their universal health care was more valuable to the company than all the tax breaks. I know the right knee jerks universal health care but if they have an idea that will work better lets hear it. It sure isn't health savings accounts or trusting our money to the wonderful stock market. I'm not up for gaming my health care dollars.

2.) Take the tax bonuses away from the giant multinational corporations and give them to small or medium small businesses. Give this to them primarily and largely to assist them in giving pay raises. These are the people and the businesses that drive the economy and will encourage more local and regional businesses that are full U. S. businesses benefiting the people that live in the area instead of China or India or New York or LA.

3). Change the playing field in trade and give the advantages to wholly U. S. companies. Encourage revival of the manufacturing base of the country so we can provide for ourselves independently as a country. Manufacturing provides jobs for those who aren't college material or suited for white collar or service work. A job where they can work and earn a living for them and their family and take pride in what they do. . The manufacturing skills these people have may be vital to our country someday.

4.)Invest in alternative energy in a big way. A very big way. Set speed records on becoming energy independent. Patents on U.S. innovation is something that can bring money back to our country instead of sending it somewhere else. Manufacture of these technologies provides jobs and will save consumers money, clean the environment and excite young people about science and learning again.


There is a brief synopsis, not intended to be complete, on what we can do beyond rebate candy and tax cut bumper sticker campaigns. The mindless idiocy of our political dialog is infuriating to me. I blame Rush and Sean and little orphan Annie for much of our national stupidity. Some day I hope we have talk show hosts that will stimulate the mind instead treating it as some kind of rah, rah, no brain needed, sporting event. Some day I have hope we will have leaders in both parties that want to think and come up with real answers to the problems we face instead of acting just to look like they are doing something.. Right now they are hard to find on either side of the aisle.