It's Official

It's official. President Obama is an American. For the rising number of doubters, a birth certificate was produced. This puts the controversy to rest and now we can discuss real business....right? Hold on, wait a minute, is Hawaii really a state? Isn't it a tropical island somewhere in the Pacific, like near Guam or Madagascar? And if it is not a state, then he isn't a qualified American and therefore is in the office against Constitutional provisions. So maybe the birthers have it right after all. Maybe the President is simply an alien Muslim extremist intending to do us harm. He isn't really one of us. After all, he didn't earn his way into college, he slipped in as a slick Black man, using affirmative action programs of our welfare state to get his education while the rest of us real people earned our stripes. Obama, what kind of name is that anyway? Sounds strange. He can't be an American. We are being overrun by this sham of a man, a communist trying to take down our system of government. 2012 cannot come soon enough so we can expose this fake for once and for all. What about medicare? The deficit, what is that? War, where are we at war? All I know is that the President is a fake and nothing else matters. I have no job and no education and gas prices are high and it is all Hussein Obama's fault. SADLY THERE ARE THOSE OUT THERE THAT STILL BELIEVE THIS STUFF. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

It's Getting Tougher

These days it is getting tougher and tougher to be a blogger. Particularly when you are an unknown and minimally read one. I try to hit on the right issues, consistent with my theme of reason and truth but it is getting tougher. Why, because there is so much out there that is unreasonable and untruthful that our mainstream media seems to propel forward. Trump now challenging the President's school record, Fox criticizing the President for not making an Easter proclamation {nor did Bush or Reagan}, Republicans abandoning their ideas because they have been embraced by the enemy, birthers co-opting sanity, governors giving up money to build rail systems, gas prices being blamed on reduced drilling in the gulf, and on and on and on. One can lose heart and lose momentum. One can be discouraged and I am. It is tough, but not impossible. I will find the strength to do my part to expose idiocy for what it is. Please join me. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

We the People

So it seems as if "We the People" are restive and unhappy. Today's polls have us hating Congress, hating the President, hating the direction of our country and just about fed up with everything. So I ask, WHY? Would a Dow at 8000 be better? Would a collapsed domestic car industry be better? Would losing jobs be better? Would a shrinking economy be better? Would more troops in Iraq be better? Would a higher payroll tax be better? Would negative consumer confidence be better? Would a 10.3 percent unemployment rate be better? Would private sector earnings misses be better? Now I am the first to admit there are still some fundamental concerns for the world and for our nation, but if you think the current direction is wrong, do you really want to go back a year and a half? If you do, then "We the People" are idiots. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

Standard and Poors

Isn't this the same company that in 2008 gave a thumbs up to all those mortgage backed securities that caused the most calamitous recession in decades? Yup. Their reliability and credibility is very questionable. If this is a ploy to spur our politicians to action then perhaps their motives are good, but tampering with people's portfolios at a time of slow recovery is dangerous. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

Chris Christie

I am a teacher and a NJ resident. I have avoided any targeting in my blog of my Governor. I believe him when he says he isn't ready to be President and I believe that all the hype about his straight talk is due to the fact that at least he is avoiding the nonsensical extremist rhetoric about birth certificates and Trumpesque ridiculousness. It is however time to call him out and to expose him for what he really is. A politician beholden to the interests of big business and the rich. His mean spiritedness toward teacher unions has gained some populist enthusiasm and no matter how he tries to convince us that he loves teachers, his persistent demonization of evaluation processes and benefit spending sticks to us teachers like glue. Having spent decades in the private sector Mr. Governor, I can tell you that mediocrity doesn't exist because of tenure, it exists because of mismanagement and poor leadership in all aspects of commerce and industry, both public and private. If the Governor loses the Abbott case and he probably will, he is already threatening the budget axe on Medicaid and using the usual Republican fear strategy. He won't however, support a small one percent tax on Millionaires claiming the supply side Paul Ryan brand of economic folly. Thanks for nothing Mr. Christie. You are who you are, a smooth talker in KOCH Brothers clothing. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

The Message War

For decades, the Democrats have been losing the message war on taxes. No matter how unfair or unevenly distributed the burden, every time Republicans say Democrats will raise your taxes, they are heard. Democrats always are on the defensive on this issue. Even under President Obama where 95% of Americans saw a decrease in their taxes, incredulously polls suggest that the people favor the Republicans on tax policy. Unless the President and the Democrats shout more loudly and make the case, it will be a losing issue again. So here is what they should say....It is wrong that the greatest tax breaks go the those with the least need. In order to cut our deficit and save the middle class from further program cuts, we are asking the richest Americans to help the rest of us. That's it. Taxes on the rich are too low and this message can sell. Now go sell it Democrats. Where are you Americans for reason and truth.

What is Worth Fighting For?

The recent budget fight ain't worth spit. It was fought on a level so small and so insignificant, it wasn't worth the attention it received. Now the real fight begins. Debate over the debt ceiling, something that most of us do not for a moment understand or comprehend. It will make a great tea party cliche, but the reality is that long term financial credibility and stability of the American economy is at stake when you lower our quotient for lending to foreign nations. The reality is that our debt will only be reduced when job creation and tax revenues reach the levels needed for sustained growth. In the midst of our recovery, now is not the time to politicize our global credit rating. Now is the time to decide what is really worth fighting for. Shared sacrifice is worth fighting for. This does not mean that Exxon and General Electric can avoid all corporate taxes while Mr. Main street earning 40 grand pays his fair share. It does not mean telling seniors that their health is too expensive and their insurance needs to be reduced so that private health care companies get another market to take advantage of. It does not mean that Wall Street forks over 11% in taxes while the rest of us approach 20% It does not mean that the average worker's rail services are reduced, fares are increased, college loan money is made less available and the neediest amongst us suffers while the richest in the nation continue to get tax breaks. These facts simply do not represent what is truly Shared Sacrifice. This is the battle worth fighting for and darn it, we better do it soon. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

Government Failure

This is a two post day.

Our Government is an absolute and complete embarrassment. 15 Trillion in debt and arguments over 30 billion, not even a statistical blip. Arguing over womens' health care support and Public broadcasting. The politics of this all smells worse than any other time in my adult life. Our leaders, R and D and the President who I admire so much, are abject failures in this budgetary fiasco. Shameful, one and all. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

The Donald

Donald Trump was born in the ancient civilization of Mesopitamia and died in the year 2000 BC. He was mummified by a volcanic eruption and recently his mummified remains were discovered. After treatment by current day archaeologists, his DNA was used to clone him and thus, the Donald we see is this clone, or clown if you prefer. Since the cloning process was performed in a lab in downtown London, at the Institute for Genetic reconstruction, there is a real Constitutional issue with his eligibility to run for President. In addtion, his hair was taken from the ass of a camel and his face has been treated with Botox thus giving him this surreal look. Too bad that such a distinguished and competent American may not be able to run for the highest office in the land. Damn the Constitution. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

The Answer is No

President Obama is again meeting this evening with leaders of Congress to cut a budget deal. Mr. President, those of us who remain your most ardent supporters have some advice...Say No. You have given too much already in the name of compromise. Planned Parenthood, NPR, huge breaks for the rich, and meeting the level of spending cuts originally called for by the Republicans. No more to give. You must say NO. You are our leader, now lead. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

Paul Ryan's Path to Prosperity

A catchy phrase for sure. Tough to argue. We would all, after all, love a path to prosperity, for ourselves and for our nation. When you hear Representative Ryan promise to reduce the deficit by 6.2 trillion dollars, you think to yourselves that finally government will shrink. When the gory details of his plan reach Main Street, the path won't feel so prosperous and the support for a nice slogan, will begin to face the realities of our lives. If you look at the plan there are the same tired assumptions about corporations driving job creation and the wealthy spending more on investment with the huge tax breaks and incentives that exist, even in the suggestions for tax law reform that he includes. When you hear the words about the poor and aged getting to choose their health plans through private offerings, this is code for significantly eroding the only health plans that work in our country with some degree of efficiency. Yes, they are expensive and can be curbed, but Ryan believes in their dismantling and wants states to manage them. States, by the way, that cannot manage their own current budgets. As long as the assumptions driven by support for the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us prevail in Republican budget planning, we will have a path to prosperity for a small minority of our people. The rest of us will suffer the rath of their prosperity. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

The Laugh of the Day

No, not Charlie Sheen. The laugh of the day are the Republican candidates for President, that illustrious bunch of boobs, criticizing Obama's record on jobs. The last times Republicans controlled Congress we were losing 600,000 jobs a month and now we are averaging 124,000 new jobs while municipalities slash government jobs. So who should be criticized? Just see who gets the last laugh. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

The Boehner Dilemma

As the latest threat to shut government down looms, we have a further reduction in unemployment and a continuous improvement in job creation. We are far from out of the woods, but the trends look good. Instead of embracing the good news and seizing upon mutual opportunities for continued progress, the tea party movement continues to hold the Republican party hostage to a set of economic values that are embedded in failure. Historically, cutting programs that help to educate, improve health and protect the disadvanataged, have proven to be good for the soul of our nation. Irresponsible and unreasonable cuts for a set of principles founded in bigotry and failed past policies are not helpful to our nation. Speaker Boehner is a decent man. He understands the need for compromise and understands political realities. He also understands how government has a role in lifting the spirit and reality of opportunity for us all. He was elected to lead his party. Not to follow the extremists. Time to lead Mr. Speaker. There is no dilemma. There is only doing what is right. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

It's Hard

I encourage my readers to read Thomas Friedman in the New York Times today. For the first several paragraphs he lists the complicated and hard realities of the Middle East. The challenges we face in engagement with that part of the world are increasingly mired in deceipt, bigotry, hatred, wealth, poverty, friends, enemies, historic inconsistencies and yes, nuance. As President Obama makes the first attempt by a modern President to really understand it all before jumping to war, we ought to rally behind his sense of being sensible. For politicians running for President and current members of the Congress saying such irresponsible things from ignore Libya, to bomb the heck out of Ghadaffi, it is good to have someone reasonable and thoughtful attempting to figure it all out first. John McCain and Dennis Kucinich could be cavalier about American blood and Constitutional mis interpretation, but thankfully the President is a lot smarter than they are. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

The Trumping of America

I bet all the President's opposing Republican candidates wrote their NO speeches before the President even delivered his and that is the usual fare for this crop of embarrassments. Particularly scary is the new birther, Donald Trump who needs publicity more than air. Today he irresponsibly connected Libyan rebels to Iran. No proof, just said it. Soon the new word in the lexicon for those who hate the President at all costs, who put ego before country and who care more about the Iowa voter than the whole America they claim to love, will be known as Trumping. The list of outrage continues to grow..Good. We are much smarter than that. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

The Peoples' Focus

In class today, I tried to impress upon my AP students the importance of global interdependency. Their reaction, was reflective of the population at large. There is incredible difficulty connecting the importance of our trade relationships with China to our commitment to human rights. It is hard to explain how our commitment to fossil fuel drives our foreign policy while impacting our economy. Americans focus on pocket book issues. Guns vs. Butter. In the words of Jim Carville, "It's the economy stupid". Yes it is. The President doesn't want to be perceived right now as a man who cares more for Libyan Oil than he does American jobs. His enemies are piling this message on to the voters and as polls suggest, we are very weary of war and leary of the mission. And yet, I think the President has been crystal clear with Libya and hopefully he will do a good job tonight convincing others. The reality is that Americans are going back to work, the GDP is growing, there is stability in banking and some positive signs for manufacturing. Growth is slow and there remain economic issues unresolved, but if our focus is on the economy, we need to look around. Things are beginning to turn positive. Our focus may be selfish at times, after all we have bills to pay, but our greatness comes from our sense of right and wrong, our sense of humanity and our history of collaboration. There must be a balance between our place in the world, and our place at home. President Obama has a lot on his plate, but I think fair minded people will agree that his focus is the same as ours. The United States must be a partner in the future stability of the world for reasons essential to our economy and our morality. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

Campaign 2012

The Republican party has officially kicked off the 2012 campaign. Its collection of candidates at this point are tea party focused, but their ability to raise money has been helped by the Supreme Court, the Kochs and some Governors. It is time for Obama's surrogates to get down and dirty. While the President is doing his job, we have seen candidates go abroad and criticize his efforts on foreign policy, a traditional no no. We have seen candidates flip flop on every Obama word, just to take the opposing point. We have heard candidates express the agenda of "one term President" without recognizing the President's shift toward compromise and conciliation. We have heard former Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, that lying bastard, blast the President for being weak and too careful. We have heard gay bashing candidates seeking loudly the Iowan caucus voter. We have seen state laws denying a woman's right to choose. We hear a continuous drumbeat against health reform. It has been loud, obnoxious, inaccurate and pathetic. However, history shows this kind of mean spirited and delusional strategy works. We continue to get fear mongering. We have 50 percent of Repbulicans thinking our President is not from this country because facts don't matter to the ignorant or to the conservative media. It is time Mr. President, to campaign for your re-election in ernest. Your surrogates must be aggressive in calling out the liars. They must fill the editorial pages, accept interviews, hit all the Sunday shows. Dominate twitter, facebook and technology. The message must be strong, clear and loud. It is time to expose these despicable charlatans for what they are. Complete and total failures. Donald Trump is a buffoon with money. Sarah Palin is an idiot in nice clothes. Newt Gingrich is an adulterous, lying slob. Michelle Bachmann is the Manchurian Candidate and Mitt Romney is a used car salesman. Do we want one of these people as leader of the free world? Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

Libya

The United States, under authorization by the United Nations, is with its coalition partners preventing a massacre of the Libyan people by Muammar Quadaffi. There will not be a land invasion by American troops and the goal is to have the Libyan people remove Quadaffi, which is our hope. We have installed a No fly zone and for a few more days will weaken Quadaffi forces. WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND? It's not. It's just politics. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

Spelling Bee

How do you spell Khadaffi? This is what I found today:

Khaddaffi
Khadaffi
Khadafi
Gaddaffi
Gadafi
Gadaffi
Quaddaffi
Quadafi
Quadaffi
Qadaffi
Qaddafi

I hope it's the same guy. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

Multi -Tasking

So I guess our President can sign a trade agreement in South America, assist militarily with an international coalition, the Libyan rebels, send help to Japan, order a review of Nuclear plants in our country, prepare a budget and watch a basketball game all at the same time. Wow, a multi-tasking President. How comforting. Now, think of Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachman, or Newt Gingrich doing those things. Let's see, Palin will need a map to find Libya, Bachman will need a history book to find out about our Revolution and Newt will need to find a new lie to spin about his past transgressions and hypocrisy, but not much else.

And, disgraced Representative Rangel from New York's Harlem district? We don't care what you think about Congress's role in Libya. Read Article 2. If you don't like the actions of our President because he didn't support you during your time of legitimate disgrace, then vote against funding the troops and vote against a declaration of War.

Look, I multi tasked today in my blog. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?