The Making of a Man

It is no doubt that women have gotten the shaft in the history of American culture. Even today, board rooms, legislatures and think tanks remain in male hands. Improvements, without a doubt. Near equality? Getting closer, but even though rules and laws are in place to approach real equality, it eludes us. When you look at the issues that women are more motivated by...health care, education, peace, you see a gender that gets it. My gender, tough as nails, willing to fight, willing to nurture Don Draper has a different agenda. One may ask, why is Anne Romney seemingly running for President while her husband pretends to be the nominee? Why have women become the focus of this election thus far? It isn't because the issues are different, it is because Mitt Romney is different. Historically, this decent man, moderate to the core has become a rabid conservative to win the election. People are making judgements about him based on what he is saying now and comparing it to the past. They do not like what they see. No matter how he will try and spin it, the new Mitt Romney has been made by his party's extremists. It will take more than an etch a sketch and a wife to change this. Sorry Mitt, you have let yourself be made by the right and neither your spouse or your super pac commercials can change this. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

The Youth Vote

One of the great successes of the 2008 Obama election, was his ability to mobilize the young voters in this country. Not to acceptable levels, but to improved levels. In the upcoming election, most unbelievable to me, the race will probably be close and the pundits are predicting that the President won't be able to rely on the energy of youth at the same level. There is concern that they are disappointed and disengaged and may skip the election altogether. I do not think the President is unaware of this and he will do what he can, but it is unthinkable to me, that with everything at stake, younger voters will allow their frustration to result in a no vote. This helps, obviously, Mitt Romney. So, young voters, hear me roar.

There is nothing wrong with going to college. It is not an elitist thing to do, not something to be condemned, but nurtured. If you chose not to go to college, then frankly you are hurting yourself. It is your choice, but education is a blessing and something that is good. Only one candidate, President Obama encourages and supports it. If you want loan money available, vote Obama. If you care about the environment, green jobs, an overreliance on polluting fossil fuels that we love so much, then vote Obama. His energy policy contrary to the lies of his enemies, is balanced and supports future initiatives in solar, wind and other clean technologies. It is your future, your air, your environment. The choice is clear, vote Obama. If you care about jobs and careers, only one candidate is willing to invest in infrastrucure repair, improved technologies and funds for science, innovation and exploration. These are not witchcraft as the Republicans would have you believe. Vote Obama. I can go on, and will in future posts, but the youth of this country cannot sit idly by, cannot get discouraged because of the politics of destruction, they cannot fall prey to ignorance and stupidity. They must vote. I will vote for the President. I simply ask the youth of this great nation to listen to Mitt Romney, compare what he says today with their ideas for the future, and the choice will be clear. Mitt Romney will say anything that Conservatives want to hear, in a phony and completely disingenuous way. Listen young people, hear and make the right choice not for me, but for you, your generation and your country. There is still time. Get psyched, get excited and get involved. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

A Bad Guy

In his job at Bain Capital, Mitt Romney was a business barracuda. He cared about one thing only, to make money for himself, his company and his clients. In that focused world, he was successful. As a politician and a man who wishes to lead the free world, he is just a bad guy. He has no conviction. He says the most preposterous things about the President, the country and himself wihout any connection to the common man. He is not trusted by his own base, denies his previous moderate convictions out of an "I'll do anything to win the nomination" philosophy and is content to buy the election through his super pac support. (In fairness, so too will the President have super pac money). Mitt Romney denies being a flip flopper but on every single major issue he has shifted his positions and just is not a trustworthy type. The narrative about his great business skills may be correct with the Olympics (where he went borrowing Federal dollars by the way) and Bain, but as for running the nation, a whole different story. The more we see of Mitt Romney, the less we like of him. I have no faith in his ability because I just do not trust him. He is too slick, too polished, too robotic and too disingenuous for me. He is just a bad guy for the job. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

Priorities

Rick Santorum was not my kind of candidate but he certainly has his priorities straight. May his family find strength during their challenging time.

The Romney Dilemma

In an effort to win the nomination, Mitt Romney has embraced, to use Chuck Grassley's sentiments, stupidity. Not of the President but of the electorate. He has jumped on the Republican bandwagon of Obama bashing with fervent and relentless fiercity. These rants, however, will be a problem for the eventual nominee. Forget the fact that he has lost women and hispanics with his non criticism of Limbaugh Beck rants and support of gender politics and immigration politics at their worst. Forget the fact that he is already an unlikable and reluctant choice of his own base. He is facing a big dilemma. How does he convert to his original moderate core after having embraced such extremism? Contrary to the narrative, Mitt Romney when working for Bain capital was more of a destroyer of jobs and opportunities than a creator. He did the dismantling of companies quite well and made a lot of money for himself and his clients. No crime, but now as he pivots toward the real election he will find himself having to explain why he criticizes the President's committment to the future excellence of our nation. Obama supports community college, supports high tech industries such as alternate energy, he supports tax credits for businesses that move us toward modern roads, rails and runways. He supports funds for updating our antiquated air travel GPS system, an improved electric grid and other engineering type projects. He supports huge commitments to education and teachers. Romney is only about deregulation, trickle down and nurturing ignorance as a candidate. There are approximately 5 million unfilled jobs in this country. With 15 million un or underemployed Americans, it seems as if it is a no brainer. BUT, companies cannot find people who fit the mold for these jobs of the future. We are uneducated, untrained and unprepared. Mitt Romney supports nothing to remedy this situation. President Obama does. Who is stupid Senator Grassley? Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

The Romney Rule

The Romney rule...Just tell people who hate Obama what they want to hear, true or not and then lie. Also, ignore any good news, including today's announcement that we had the lowest unemployment claim level in four years, and the Fed. decided growth is strong enough, not to engage in QE 3. You go Mitt. Keep hating, keep lying and keep being you. I love it. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

Bombs Away

The Romney Obama War has begun. Romney has started with his lies saying that there has been more job loss under Obama than during any President since the depression. This lightweight, liar of a candidate, with no moral conviction or belief system better watch out. We may start telling the truth about him...that is better than lying. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

The Ryan Budget

Today, President Obama will call the Ryan budget a "trojan horse" and an example of "social Darwinism". From Today Co Host Sarah Palin on down, most Americans will not understand the literary reference nor the scientific reference and this is more due to our State controlled, unequal education process, but that is for another day. What this budget does, is cut all programs that help the needy. What this does, to use the Republican strategy, is to cause real class warfare...the perpetual pattern of the rich vs. the poor. Not just this, it also reduces our commitment to research, to protection of the environment, to alternate energy sources, to a host of other subjects that will point to an educated and bright future for our country. Mr. Ryan may be smart, he may seem like the youthful energy needed for a party run by right wing extremists, but his vision for America is no vision at all. It is a vision for his own electability as he continues to seize upon the ignorance of so many of us who just don't get it. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

More on the Mandate

When I am ready to retire, hopefully I will not need to rely on my social security. For the most wealthy in this nation, social security is pocket change. If I am lucky, and certainly for those that are rich, I could care less about social security. Yet, I am required to pay a payroll tax for the trust account intented to pay benefits to those eligible. I would like to stop paying FICA...but I cannot. I am obligated to pay into the trust fund for benefits for others as a collective responsibility. Payroll taxes are the law. Is the Supreme Court about to declare this mandate as unconstitutional if challenged? I think not. For those who are volunteering not to buy health insurance, you are negatively impacting those of us that do. You will be taken care of at hospitals and Medical offices if you are sick and I will still pay for it. To me, the mandates are exact...they require a payment for the collective good of our nation. Supreme Court justices are well advised to see the obvious parallel. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

Lets Have A Moratorium on Information

I am calling for a moratorium on information. Just for a little while. It is tiresome listening to supposed experts claim, suggest, predict and postulate on everything from economics, medical information and world events with such differences of opinion and such confusing data and contradictory evidence that it is making my head spin. I just don't want fourteen different analysts to look and twenty different economic reports and go from doom to happiness with every waking moment and every ridiculous interpretation. They simply do not know more than everyone else and are tiresome advocates for their own books, programs, egos and self aggrandisement. Shut up for a while. Your silence will be welcome...at least for a little while. I will keep dreaming. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

The Unreliable Conservatives

The Supreme Court has markedly shifted to the right over the last three decades. As history shows, the pendulum swings and history also disappoints Presidents whose choices for the court do not always meet their hopes and expectations. The litmus test for Conservative justices has always been judicial restraint and original intent of our founding fathers when they wrote the Constitution. Politicians love to rail against activist judges...love to criticize courts for over involvement in the affairs of state and have relied on four reliable conservative justices who always seem to tow the conservative interpretive evaluation. Not so fast...not so reliable. It is impossible to be sure which way the court will rule on the Health Reform Bill just from the questions they have asked these last few days but if the pundits are correct, the conservative justices seem to be leaning toward its destruction. If this happens, it won't be the judicial philosophy of these justices that will prevail, but their political philosophy. This is a shame, will be a dark mark on their tenure and more important, will throw out their claim of judicial restraint. Too Bad. Let us see. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

Let us Remember

If, and it is certainly unclear, the Supreme Court strikes down the provision of the insurance mandate, let us remember that this was an idea born out of the Conservative Heritage Foundation, embraced by the leading candidate for President on the Republican ticket and supported by Republican Presidents and Republican members of Congress. This was also reluctantly supported by President Obama as a compromise away from single payer care in an effort to get some Republican support. It never came, but their idea survived. Now they condemn it as unconstitutional and try and shift the blame to Obama. These realities are indisputable and must be remembered as the process unfolds. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

The Health Care Debate

As the high court continues this fascinating and interesting look at the limits of Congressional power, there is something else that must or should be on their minds.....Politics. As the branch of government least political in theory, it has thrust itself, as it has in the past, in the middle of a political firestorm and a Presidential election. With this in mind, I believe they will consider other important issues....the legitimacy of the Obama Presidency, challenged by the crazies, the incendiary and hurtful rhetoric that would be leveled against a President who will be condemned for impeachable offenses against the Constitution and lastly, giving voice to those in the nation that are simply uninformed, ridiculously stupid and ignorant of the issues that affect the future of our nation. You may be able to argue the legal merits of both sides of the mandate for purchasing insurance, but the realities of a decision of unconstitutionality would reverberate throughout the land in ways that are assuredly destructive. I am confident they will keep all of this in mind. Past practice indicates that the court is hesitant about undoing signature legislation. The appropriate way to deal is through legislation,not as Republicans always fear...activist judges. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

All of a Sudden We are All Justices of the Supreme Court

It is amazing to me that people are lining up in DC to provide pressure on the Supreme Court. Elected officials who have never even read the Constitution are going on TV so sure of their legal interpretations. Cable pundits are invoking Madison's ideas as if they are historians and an onslaught of inaccuracy, political bombast and nonsense is coming out of the mouths of the candidates. It is as if overnight, our nation of the uneducated and ill informed has suddenly graduated from Law School and we all have become Constitutional scholars. As Dr. Jonathan Gruber, noted economist from M.I.T. and aide on health care legislation for Romney's Massachusetts plan and Obama's efforts has said, and I paraphrase, [a one sentence lie is easier to sell than two sentences of truth]. This has become the reality of the Affordable Health Care Act, passed by Congress two years ago. People do not understand it, are listening to the easy misinterpretation and do not even realize that the bulk of this bill is still almost two years away from being implemented. Yet half of us seem to be so sure it is unconstitutional. We don't understand it, but we want to kill it. The President is at fault for this as are the Democrats that passed it. They have not been able to articulate the message in terms that people can understand and appreciate. Hopefully this changes before the election, but if you take the pieces of the bill, it is overwhelmingly popular. When you get the one sentence lie, we get concerned that socialism, government takeover and killing grandma with death panels is what the bill is about. In an upcoming and somewhat historic three days, the Supreme Court will judge three aspects of this Law and determine through its evolved responsibility of Judicial Review (no, not the founders original intent)whether it meets the standard of Constitutionality, mostly through the Commerce clause. In a nation that is polticizing everything away from the court, I have confidence that the justices will leave their personal politics at home and come to the conlusion that health care affects us all, that we all pay for it one way or another, and that the collective good of the nation, trumps the amateurs that are hoping for the law's death. If Congress and the people really do hate the bill, then let them try and repeal it. This will not happen and I prefer the side that has established health care as a right, over those who would deliberately harm our national wellness. We are not all Justices of the Supreme Court. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

"Etch a Sketch"

It is easy to understand why the Romney campaign is trying to downplay the "Etch a Sketch" remark made by a lead advisor of the campaign. It is also appropriate not to jump on every word and every clip of every speech ever made by a person out of context. In this case however, these words are so typical of the man who wishes to represent the Republican party as President that they need not be trivialized. Mitt Romney's history is clear; he does not have roots that are consistent with what he is claiming to be and therefore is being untruthful and disingenuous as he looks for votes. When I was a boy, I loved playing with "Etch a Sketch". I used to imagine scenes and ideas and try to duplicate them on the screen. "Etch a Sketch" is a toy, it is a game. Running for President is no game Mr. Romney. It is serious business, it requires conviction, honesty and sincerity....qualities that you have conveniently erased from yourself. I hope you have lots of time after November playing with your toy....don't play with the American people. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?

One More Reason

One more reason for why a young person should vote Democratic....

THE PAUL RYAN REPUBLICAN BUDGET. THEY OUGHT TO READ IT.

One More Reason

One more reason for why a young person should vote Democratic....

THE PAUL RYAN REPUBLICAN BUDGET. THEY OUGHT TO READ IT.




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Why a young person should vote Democratic?

Here is an answer to Mitt Romney's question:

-so women have the freedom to make choices
-so college students can get low interest loans to pay for tuition
-so middle class workers and small businesses are incentivized
-so the defense budget does not drown us in fear and debt
-so fossil fuels become one of our sources of energy, not all
-so health care is available for all
-so banks and brokers are restrained from unchecked abuse
-so the foundations of protecting the disenfranchised are not destroyed
-so voting is not suppressed based on race or income
-so troops can come home from Afghanistan
-so the uneducated can become educated
-so bigotry, hatred, ignorance and prejudice can continue to diminish
-and that is just a few

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Why I Do Not Like Mitt Romney

I do not like Mitt Romney. I have never met him but as a citizen I have to be able to decide on who to support in any election. I am an unapologetic supporter of the President and hope he is re-elected and I do not believe the nation will be destroyed or fall apart under a Romney presidency, but I just do not like him. Here is a man who does not have a conviction or a moral compass. It shifts with the daily vicissitudes of the primary camapaign. His history as a candidate and governor is fraught with inconsistencies in position and his description of his own accomplishments are just not accurate. He tries to be southern in the south but this obvious pandering is so dishonest that it makes me so angry. He is one of the wealthiest and most elite candidates we have ever seen and yet he tries to pin the President as just another Ivy School elitist liberal. With each new day, Romney changes his priorities and speaks in non substantive platitudes. He says nothing. He offers nothing. His supposed tax plan released when all the other candidates released one, actually raises taxes on the middle class while expanding breaks for the wealthy. Today he continues to bash Obama on gasoline, on foreign policy, on education, and yet he offers nothing....nothing. He cannot answer straight on anything. Will there or won't there be a role for the Dept. of Edcuation? He makes up stories about meeting people who have refused to look for work because gas is too expensive. Who are these people? Do they have names or faces? He panders non stop and looks silly doing it. He offers no opinion on Afghanistan and in the same interview says withdraw early and stay there. He runs from his past if it doesn't meet the conservative smell test and then he rewrites the history of his accomplishments as if he has no memory. I just don't like him. Mostly because he is a liar, he is not real and he is a big phony who wants to be President just because. I hope we are smart enough not to buy it. I don't like Mitt Romney. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?