NEW HOUSE BUT SAME OLD POLITICS

I am old enough and cynical enough not to expect a lot in the way of ethics and honesty from politicians. Their first priority is always getting re-elected; then comes the welfare of their party and satisfying the expectations of the lobbyists who pay them the big bucks so that first priority can be achieved. The welfare of the country and citizens always seems to be pretty far down on the list, if considered at all.

At no time has this been more evident than with the vote to raise the debt ceiling. My own representative, Republican Rick Crawford, has issued a statement after voting in favor of this monstrosity, detailing all the wonderful things this bill will accomplish.

Our elected officials obviously think we are idiots. The question is, are they right? This was an entirely manufactured crisis. This problem has existed for years, but rather than seek a real solution, the cowards in D.C. just played politics with the issue and delayed dealing with it. Then when faced with Barack Obama’s arbitrary deadline and vicious attacks by Obama’s minions in the press, Republicans, even several who had vowed loyalty to the principles of fiscal responsibility espoused by the Tea Party, caved to the pressure and for all practical purposes just removed the limit on Obama’s credit card.

Of course, on paper there are several limitations that we are being told will insure that taxes are not raised, wild spending is curtailed and peace, harmony and financial sanity will reign throughout the land. Right. On paper we should have a budget, and that hasn’t happened for the last three years. Just think about that for a moment — the government of this country is operating without a budget. We have a President in office who apparently has little knowledge of and no respect for the Constitution and laws of this country. Is there any chance whatsoever that a few limitations in this statute will stop him from doing whatever he likes?

The really sad thing is that on one level I can see some justification for their vote. There appears to be nothing Obama is not willing to do to advance his own political fortunes. As inept as Bush was, I never once questioned that his intentions were for the good of the country. There is also no question that the economic problems we are facing are quite serious or that for Barack Obama and today’s version of the Democratic Party, the only thing of importance to them is winning elections and amassing more power. They would take the entire country down if they thought they could pin the deed on Republicans and gain an advantage in the upcoming elections.

This despicable behavior is made possible primarily because of the lack of an independent competent press. All of the Little Rock stations reported this story the same way: “if the debt limit is not raised by Obama’s deadline, default will occur on that day and such default will result in the downrating of the nation’s credit rating and this will all be the fault of those crazy Tea Party terrorist/extremists.” The CBS affiliate, KTHV, even had a misleading, overly simplistic little true/false test hawking the Obama line on the “crisis.” They also encouraged people to tell their representatives to “get it done.” The other stations at least pretended to be less partisan, but their reporting fell squarely in line with official Obama propaganda.

Despite the slanderous attacks on Tea Party members, however, they are the only members of Congress who are behaving with any integrity whatsoever. If we can ignore the rantings of the media and focus on electing enough Senators and Representatives in the mold of Tim Scott and Jim Jordan and electing a President who, unlike Obama, is both competent and whose aim is to do what is best for this country, eventually our financial affairs can be put in order. If not, this country will turn into a really bad combination of Mexico and Greece and will be wholly owned by China.

Games Political People Play with Our Lives

Our elected officials never cease to amaze me with their cavalier attitudes about the legislation they pass which affects some of the most important aspects of our lives.  Our access to healthcare is currently the necessity targeted to be FUBAR by Congress and The Messiah.  Several versions of another one of those gargantuan bills that none of them even read or make the slightest attempt to understand are making their way through the legislative process.  And the Democrats are getting so good at this game they are now not even bothering to hide their contempt for the voters.

First we had Henry Waxman’s smirky response ridiculing concerns that legislation was being passed without sufficient examination of the provisions contained therein.  He hired a speed reader to come in to make a mockery of the whole process.

And the ranking Republican member of the Committee was equally offensive in going along with the joke.  It’s just a party a day with these scumbags; they don’t give a second thought to the effect their actions have on our lives.  As long as the lobbyists and their great leader The Messiah are all happy, all is well in DC-land.

But not to be outdone, John Conyers has now openly announced that “we don’t need to read no stinkin’ legislation.”

Wow.  Two whole days and two lawyers he says he needs.  Excuse me, but aren’t many of those officious little twits working as staffers in most Congressional offices lawyers?  What exactly do they do if not advise them on legislation?  How exactly do they decide which legislation to support?  Just seek advice from lobbyists bearing gifts?

If we do not vote these jackasses out of office at the next election, our country and our lives and rights are going to be changed, and possibly irreversibly changed, so dreadfully that we probably can’t even comprehend the extent of the damage we will suffer.  And yet they have the audacity to continue with the letters requesting campaign contributions from us.  I have two on my desk right now from Mike Ross, who seemed to be spearheading the little show of defiance the Blue Dogs staged in order to get a few meaningless cosmetic changes in the healthcare legislation.  Of course, then they promptly rolled over for the obligatory tummy-scratch from Obama and his cronies.  I don’t know why he sent me the request; I don’t live in his district and can’t remember contributing to him before (although as a recovering Democrat, I probably did).  I’m seriously considering sending him a Snausage.

STEREOTYPES, PIGEONHOLES AND POLITICS AS USUAL

Sarah Palin has just figuratively (and how I wish it was literally) poked a sharp stick in the eye of the political establishment and its public relations department, the mainstream media.  Good for her.

I’ll confess that until shortly before  McCain selected Palin as his running mate, I don’t believe I had even heard of her.  Since that time, I have become a real admirer of her toughness, her honesty, her tireless work in behalf of the people of Alaska and this entire country, and what I think of as just her “normalness,”  if there is such a word.  To think of someone who has achieved all that she has, especially considering her relatively young age, as just a regular person is in itself a tribute to her remarkable ability to connect with all us “little people,” the ones other politicians spend so much time lying to about how much they are helping us and so little time really acting in our best interests.

Since her announcement she would be resigning, the media and her fellow politicians have wasted little time in trying to spin this to their advantage; and, to my dismay, many usually supportive of Palin seem to be buying into their baloney.  The script, as written by mediawhores and political opponents, is so predictable as to inspire not much more than a yawn by this time.  There’s the usual stuff:  she’s pretty, so obviously she is a brainless bimbo; she has a loving husband and children and actually cares for those children herself, so she’s obviously unstable; she’s from Alaska, so she obviously is an ignorant hick; she has a degree from the University of Idaho, so she’s obviously an uneducated, ignorant hick.  And while I really haven’t even scratched the surface of all the crap that’s been thrown at her, their favorite has now become:  she’s a quitter (and its corollary:  this reflects badly on women everywhere because, whatever reasons Palin may have given for her resignation, what it really shows is that women just can’t take the heat).  To which I respond:  You wish.

Palin has stuffed the political playbook, as written by people like Karl Rove and David Axelrod, down the throat of the good old boys who think they will always run things.  She has not only strayed from the proverbial beaten path, she seems to be planning to build a whole new highway.  If she does not succeed, it will not be her fault — it will because we, the voting public, who are always carping and complaining about the lazy, crooked politicians, have not recognized and supported honesty and excellence when we have the chance.

Sarah Palin, through absolutely no fault of her own, was faced with an almost impossible choice.  She realistically evaluated the price being paid and to be paid by the State of Alaska and her own family if she remained in office and chose to do what was best for everyone.  If she chooses to run for higher office, be it Senator or President, or raise campaign funds for those political allies brave enough and smart enough to openly support her, she will at least be able to set foot outside the State of Alaska without having an ethics complaint filed against her.  She has also pulled off the not-too-shabby feat of turning the reins of state government over to her ally, the eminently qualified Sean Parnell, who will now have long enough in office to show Alaskans what he can do before running for re-election as an incumbent.  (I will admit she has an advantage here — her Lt.Gov. isn’t Joe Biden.)

Let us consider the calibre of those who are hounding Sarah Palin.  First, but probably least important in the grand scheme of things, are the soulless scum attacking her children on a regular basis, in print and on the airwaves and internet.  Then we have the misogynistic Democrats who worship at the altar of the incompetent Barack Obama and want to destroy Palin because they rightly see in her a threat to him and his gang of Chicago thugs now in control of our country.  I’ll bet Eric Holder is livid — he gives Ted Stevens a get-out-of-jail-free card, sends him back to Alaska to get Palin, and she just does an end run around the whole bunch.  Nice try, Eric.  Maybe next time.

And let us not forget her damn-with-faint-praise Republican rivals, outwardly supportive but never missing a chance to try to inflict a wound themselves.  Sadly for them, boring, untalented little wusses that most of them are, it’s much like watching a rabbit (maybe the same one that frightened Jimmy Carter all those years ago) attack a lioness.

Probably her most dangerous enemy is the eternally Obama-fellating press.  I do not fathom how any person in this country still believes even one word published or broadcast by these weasels.  It’s time for us to make decisions based on something other than their lies.

Sarah Palin has stood up for the citizens of this country  against the special interests and their front people, while having to endure one of the most vicious campaigns of abuse ever leveled at a public figure.  And I have no doubt that she will continue her fight.  But she doesn’t have anyone in Hollywood turning out movies or making television shows shaping public opinion in her favor — they are overwhelmingly dedicated to promoting the fictional fabulousness of Obama.  And she could probably count on one hand the real friends she has in the political establishment — it does not serve their interests to have an honest person in office because they suffer by comparison.  All she has to help her in her fight is the ordinary and average citizens of America.  You know — us — the ones actually making the country work and who would be well served by having someone like her in national public office — the ones not wearing Jimmy Choo (or whoever) shoes, or jetting off to Paris for date-night.  The ones who have to pay for our own houses because we don’t have a buddy named Rezko who’ll foot the bill (probably with taxpayer money).  The ones who think “right to choose” means just that; and that a woman who chooses to have, care for and genuinely love a child with Down’s syndrome should be admired, not vilified.  The ones who think making grade-school-level sexist jokes about a woman running for office is not the proper platform for a political party.  The ones who are so sick of seeing our country sold out to lobbyists and special interests that we just want to scream (or slap the nearest politician).  The ones who wonder if we’ll ever see honest election results again instead of what we have now, which is bogus returns resulting from bullying and other assorted dishonest and unethical maneuvers and tactics.

If we stand idly by and leave her to fight alone, it will send a message to Obama-type misogynists/politicians, the news media/entertainment industry and blogging sites like Huffpo and Kos that it’s perfectly fine with us to attack women politicians not on the issues, but in the most outrageous, sick personal way possible.  If Barack Obama had been subjected to such treatment, he would not only be resigning, he would be whimpering in a corner somewhere sitting in a pool of his own urine.   But in spite of the fact that Palin has more fortitude, more ability and more experience, she is being forced out; and Obama is being lauded as if he were the God he truly believes himself to be.

It’s time we take back our country and put it in the hands of someone who believes in the principles on which it was founded.  I believe Sarah Palin is that person, and it is my hope she has plans that will spell retirement for Obama and the political machines presently controlling both parties.   It will be quite the task, climbing back out of the hole that Obama is digging for our country; but with real leadership from Palin and hard work on our part, it can be and simply must be done.   We just have to hope the Chinese don’t foreclose on the entire country before 2010.

FRUSTRATIONS OF COMMENTING ON BLOGS

Yesterday I became rather frustrated at the amount of attention being given to the Sanford scandal and the lack of attention being devoted to the stupid  bill currently being railroaded through Congress.  I put a couple of comments up on blogs trying to call attention to the fact that a vote is expected shortly in the House on the Clean Energy and Security Act.  This Act has many flaws, but chief among them is that it allows Wall Street speculators to participate when carbon credits are auctioned.  Since I do not want said speculators to do to this entire country what Enron did to California a few years ago, it is my fervent wish that everyone put enough heat on our elected officials in the House that the greedy little bastards our honorable representatives vote this turkey down.

I agree that Sanford is a lowlife, but such appear to be common in politics; and since it appears he cannot at this point even be elected constable of Podunk Township, I am content to allow his wife to deal with him however she sees fit.  I just really don’t consider it my business.  At some point, unless the wife actually needs some sort of assistance, for us as total strangers to continue to focus so intently on this family becomes little more than voyeurism or meddling.  If this was my husband, I would not want the entire world to be discussing this ad nauseum.  I would only add that I hope she realizes what a very fine negotiating position she is in, and if he whips the old theory on her that husbands in this situation sometimes try, that the affair is over but I still want to be friends with her and you are a neurotic controlling bitch if you don’t think this is completely hunky-dory, I hope she picks up the nearest blunt object and beats him severely about the head and ears and possibly in the groin area.  But enough about that.  I’m just joking, mostly.

Anyway, I posted a comment on someone else’s blog to the effect that our energies might be more useful if directed toward trying to prevent passage of the aforementioned bill.  No one much agreed, words were exchanged, and then my comments would no longer post, except the ones begging to be allowed to post a response to something directed at me.  It didn’t happen, but I see this morning that my response was finally allowed on.

Now, the people on this blog certainly do not owe me any space on their site.  Although  I read it fairly often and always find it informative and entertaining,  I comment infrequently and have donated to the cause only one time in an extremely small amount; so I’m in no position to be criticizing them for not posting my replies.  However, it is quite frustrating to be denied a rebuttal, especially since some of the comments directed to me seemed  rather demeaning and insulting (to be fair, as were my responses).   And for a little more fairness, my response may have just been trapped in the spam filter; although none of my pleas to have the response allowed on seemed to suffer that fate.

The more important issue is the lack of civilized discourse on the internet.   Is it no longer possible to disagree with a statement without also belittling the writer and engaging in childish name-calling and the hurling of insults?  Is it also no longer possible to engage in discussion without having your statements completely mischaracterized, misstated and misinterpreted before you are then subjected to the belittling, name-calling, and hurling of insults?  Is there just to be no more courteous, respectful exchange of ideas?

This  lack of tolerance for a differing opinion and the unwillingness to even listen in good faith and with an open mind to someone else’s genuine and politely stated beliefs and opinions is very disturbing.  It is, of course, simply an extension of the Obama doctrine of demonizing and personally destroying opponents, but it is a sad day for this country if the attitude  unless you completely agree with me you are a worthless piece of crap (and if you are a woman, you are also an intellectual lightweight whose arguments demonstrate “fuzzy logic”) spreads any further.     I’m not talking about the deranged ones who go from blog to blog putting up nonsensical, insulting diatribes simply because they enjoy being asses — I don’t understand why any blog allows such comments to be posted; but surely we can disagree and maybe even give consideration to the possible merit in another’s views without all this rancor.

OUTRAGE OF THE DAY

Our Tax Money at Work?

One thing is sure in life — when people start spending tax funds, money is no object.  Taxpayers of the State of Arkansas are learning this lesson all over again watching  legislators and Lottery Commission members go about setting up the lottery voted in last year to provide college scholarships.

First some legislators had to meet to work on the legislation to set up the Commission.  But they couldn’t meet in just any old conference room.  The only place meeting their stringent requirements was the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute at Petit Jean Mountain.  After all, it’s tax funds so money is no object.

Apparently they enjoyed the digs enough to recommend the place to the Commission itself because they then scheduled a two-day retreat there.  They needed to hear from the director of South Carolina’s lottery, a Mr. Ernie Passailaigue, to discuss all the issues concerning lotteries and select a director from the 70 or so applicants.  And the winner was . . . (wait for it) Ernie Passailaigue. Oh, snap, he pulled a Cheney and got the job himself.  Oh, man, too bad for all you guys who acted in good faith and actually went to the trouble of going through the process of applying.  And Passailaigue didn’t come cheap.  He allowed as how he could see his way clear to come to Arkansas for only $324,000, which is a raise of about $100,000 from what he was making in South Carolina.  One director seemed to be a little confused, thinking they were hiring a coach, which may explain the amount of the salary; and don’t worry about the fact that most similar-size states seem to pay their lottery directors under $200,000, because after all, this is tax funds, so money is no object.

A couple of fun facts:  the Governor of Arkansas makes about $87,000.   As Vice President, Cheney made about $208,000.  But it’s not like those jobs involve doing something important like being a lottery director.  And it’s not like we need the money for anything else, like roads.  And remember, it’s tax funds, so money is no object.

I guess next is procuring office space for the lottery director.  It’s obvious he’s a high maintenance dude, so that’s probably going to be expensive.  Think he would settle for that luxurious triple-wide Huckabee brought in?  And staff.  And probably a car or two, or maybe a fleet of cars, hybrids, hybrid SUVs maybe.  Only the best for our lottery director.  And remember, it’s tax funds, so money is no object.

A word of advice to any students out there hoping for a scholarship out of this mess:  better be working on Plan B, ’cause you’re gonna have grandchildren trying to get into college before this bunch lets go of the public teat.
http://arkansasnews.com/2009/06/09/lottery-commission-approves-directors-324k-salary/

FORMATION OF NEW POLITICAL PARTY TO CLEAN HOUSE (AND SENATE)

Government is broken in this country.  If this great nation is to survive in the form that our forefathers established and so many in our military fought and died to preserve, it is imperative that we remind our elected officials why they were sent to Washington.  I can think of only one way to get their attention in order to do that — replace them in the next election.

Thomas Jefferson said, “A government afraid of its citizens is a Democracy. Citizens afraid of government is tyranny!”  We are well along the path to tyranny.  Some might justifiably argue we are already there; but, in any event, certainly our government no longer fears its citizens.

Our representatives in Washington only care about three things:  getting themselves re-elected, increasing the power of their own party, and doing the bidding of the lobbyists paying the all-important bribes necessary to accomplish the first two things.  Making decisions based on what is good for the country and its citizens has not been done in Congress or by any political party for several years now.  The Republicans gave us eight glorious years of George W. Bush.  Just when we thought no party could elect a President worse than he, the Democrats rose up, said “Yes, we can” and did it.  And the behavior of the Green Party in 2000, running Ralph Nader while knowing full well this would draw enough votes from Gore to ensure victory for Bush, indicates they are just the same power hungry, unprincipled bunch of liars as are found in the two major parties.

My perspective is that of a liberal former Democrat completely disillusioned by the realization the party she had loyally supported and believed in all these years is nothing more than the political equivalent of a drunken frat boy.  That party is dead to me forever, yet I cannot quite become an enthusiastic Republican because I still admire the Clintons and am put off by the incessant Clinton-bashing that seems to be the hallmark of that party.  I am a fiscal conservative with liberal views on many issues, and about the only person I wholeheartedly admire in today’s politics is Sarah Palin.  I am sickened by the present incarnation of both parties because I am old enough to remember a time when the people we sent to Washington were willing to at least occasionally put aside their differences and work together in good faith to negotiate solutions to our problems.  It is quite the understatement to say we are now faced with serious economic problems.  The Democrats are freezing Republicans out of having any real input, doing everything but actually sticking out their tongues and taunting nyaa, nyaa, we won, suckers, deal with it.  And to be fair, such moronic, childish behavior is just a continuation of what the Republicans did when they were in control.

There is not even one member of the House or Senate who is truly doing the job he or she was sent to Washington to do. Day after day, it’s outrage after outrage.  And then, to add insult to injury, we were recently treated to the spectacle of members of the House bringing in a speed reader to mock our concerns that Congress was not sufficiently acquainted with all the provisions of the complex legislation they were so cavalierly passing.

It is obvious the misgivings of our Founding Fathers about the dangers of political parties were well founded.  It is unlikely, however, that at this point we can completely do away with the system we have of candidates being fielded by political parties.  What we can do is just clean house — vote ALL of them out.  We don’t need a term limits provision — we just need to turn out and vote for their opponents.

I hereby announce the formation of a new political party:  The Anti-Party Party. Everyone is welcome.  Registration is not necessary; there are no meetings or dues or rules or officers, and you won’t be getting any letters in the mail asking for money.  All you need to do is make sure you are registered to vote in plenty of time to participate in the 2010 national elections, find out where you vote, get yourself there and vote these greedy jerks out of office.

Opinion polls show that while everyone has a low opinion of Congress in general, most people still like their own representative.  As Ann Landers used to say, people, wake up and smell the coffee.  They are all complicit in the debacle that is upon us.  I would not be so angry if I thought their decisions were being made and their votes cast based on their own heart-felt beliefs rather than an addiction to power and money and the sweetheart deals thrown their way by the bankers, insurance companies, drug companies and other corporate entities and special interests running (and ruining) our lives.  And after we the people are given the shaft on every important issue coming up for a vote, we are then subjected to a constant barrage of spinning, lying and bamboozling to try and convince us it was really all for our benefit — I believe “it’s for Main Street, not Wall Street” is the phrase of the hour.  They think they can do whatever they want to us, and, with the help of the press, which has actually gotten so bad it makes even the old government-run Russian news bureau look like a paragon of truth, convince us it’s all for the best.  Baloney.

Every member of the House of Representatives has to stand for re-election every two years.  If everybody in this country who is mad about the way things are going will turn out and vote with us, we will have an entirely new House of Representatives.  If the ones elected in 2010 have not gotten the message to stop the outrageous spending and siphoning away of our liberties that have occurred in the last few years and that Obama is continuing at an ever-increasing pace, then we’ll clean house again in two more years.  As the saying goes, shampoo, rinse, repeat — until they start doing their job of acting for the benefit of our country and its citizens rather than doing whatever the lobbyists want.

While this new party has no membership rolls or dues, it does have a slogan:  Do Your Job or Lose Your Job.  We have the power to bring these people under our control; we only need to exercise it.  They want us not to vote.  Don’t make it easy for them to win by staying home.  And don’t be put off by trying to make the best choice from a bunch of losers — vote for the person most likely to unseat the incumbent.  It won’t take the parties long to get the message — anyone not putting the country first will be voted out at the first opportunity.  DO YOUR JOB OR LOSE YOUR JOB!

And if one of your senators is up for re-election this year do the same thing to them.  I don’t care what promises are made or allegations leveled or mud thrown, I’m voting against the incumbent.

If you agree with what I have written, please do not let anything prevent you from voting next year.  Talk to your family, friends and neighbors about this.  Do everything you can to spread the word.  We simply must do something now, before it’s too late.  And I realize wholesale numbers of people casting ballots against every incumbent is the voting equivalent of a two-by-four upside the head of both parties, but tell me anything else that will get their attention. I will never again vote based on party affiliation, but I truly believe there are good people out there interested in a career of real public service, not this game playing oneupsmanship they are currently inflicting on us.  It’s time to let the parties know in no uncertain terms — if you want our support, you’d better find better quality candidates and run them.  We’re no longer putting up with the incompetent, self-interested professional politicians you’re running now.

DO YOUR JOB OR LOSE YOUR JOB!

VOTE AGAINST THE INCUMBENT!