President Obama, Congress, and Fellow Citizens;
#1 FACT: EVERY THING THAT IS PAID FOR IN THIS COUNTRY IS PAID BY CORPORATE AMERICA!
There are some disturbing “disconnects” in our much troubled Nation. IE. Toward the end of the Vietnam war the American Public was all up in arms about the culture of killing and guns in America. There was a big public push to get all toy guns out of toy stores. By the end of the war you could not find any trace of or reference to a gun in any toy store in America! After the war ended, and by the time the Christmas shopping season came, every toy store was LOADED with toy guns of all types! Same kind of thing with the SSS (Selective Service System). Especially minorities but generally all working class Citizens were tired of being the ones drafted and having to fight and die on the front lines while the rich got college deferments or went straight into the military as officers, mostly sitting in offices or at least well behind the line of battle. By the end of the war congress had changed the rules so ALL draftees were treated the same. Six months later We went to an all volunteer military. With incentives, such as signing bonuses, and educational benefits. Low and behold, we are right back to Minorities and Working class Citizens doing the dirty work of fighting on the front lines. The rich and cowardly don’t even have to worry about being drafted or even doing any military service! And! Here we are! Again taking away those incentives such as, signing bonuses and educational benefits from our Brave, Courageous, Very Essential Military Front Line Citizens!
In the same vein, How many times have We The People lobbied through unions or other groups for better mental health coverage from Employee Health Plans and other insurance coverages? We get some level of improvements only to have them decreased and/or disbanded very quietly by Employers and insurance carriers. Here We are again needing better MENTAL HEALTH programs. Politicians are not pushing for better mental health care because they are in this TUNNEL VISION mode about gun control!
If you look just a little you can probably come up with two or more examples that have had a direct affect on your life.
#1 FACT: EVERY THING THAT IS PAID FOR IN THIS COUNTRY IS PAID BY THE WHOLE OF THE BUSINESS COMUNITTY!
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SOCIAL VIOLENCE
What I don’t understand about all this rhetoric about gun violence, and no-one is talking about, is two of the most glaring reasons we are experiencing gun violence and increased suicide rates. (1) the FACT that SO many Americans are underpaid if they are working at all. This puts so much pressure on the population and there is no end in sight! (2) BULLYING! This starts with the SUPREME COURT and two particular rulings [A] ruling that “corporations are people” with the very obvious political assumption that the extra money would give GOP candidates an extreme advantage in an election. [B] A previous ruling that grants individuals and corporations the right of “EMINENT DOMAIN” to take my or your property for their own use. The richest, most powerful leaders in business and finance are literal bullies in the way they do business. Under the “Chaney Administration”, millions of taxpaying Americans lost their jobs to illegal immigrants that were not just invited into the U.S.A., but were actually imported in many cases. Add to that the millions of LEGAL AMERICAN CITIZENS who have lost jobs because the company moved to Mexico, China, etc. Also millions have had their wages reduced by all manner of pressures applied to workers and Unions. This culture of selfishness and bullying starts at the top and “trickles down” through society, each level bullying the one below until at the very bottom, the most vulnerable, helpless, least hopeful have no-one to pass it on to. We end up with SUICIDES, INCREASED CRIME, AND MASS KILLINGS. !!! IF WE WANT MEANINGFUL CHANGE IT HAS TO START AT THE TOP !!!!
Definition: EGOMANIAC – Obsessive preoccupation with oneself.
EGOTISTS tend to RISE to the top in matters of MONEY and POLITICS. They make GREAT DICTATORS and FLOURISH in leadership rolls. CAPITOLISM is the almost perfect breeding ground for egomaniacs!
Since nearly 100% our leaders are and always have been egomaniacs, What are we to do? Well OBVIOUSLY they are not all “bad” people. Probably only about 0.1% are “bad” people! Part of the problem is that our population has grown SO large that a very small percent of the population now can have a significant number of people in it. They have only one goal and that is to advance THEIR particular agenda.
IT IS SELF DEFEATING FOR A GOVERNMENT TO BE MANAGED BY SUCH SELF SERVING PEOPLE and GROUPS.
It has been proven, to the detriment of our great nation that BOTH Political Parties are engaged in this VERY DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR.
I hope and pray that you will take this to heart and re-assess your attitude about your and my, God Given, Second Amendment RIGHTS!! And the rest of the “Bill Of Rights”!
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Along about the 1970’s Our Nation was having major problems with gang violence and drive-by shootings. I don’t remember the exact time frame or the presidents involved, But! President #1 made it his #1 priority to attack the gang violence issue full force. He encouraged and provided financing for Community involvement programs, got Law Enforcement up to date training and equipment, and got mental health programs started. By the end of his term, drive-by shootings were rare and the gang problem was pretty much under control. Two or Three more years and there would have been little or no gang related problems! Enter President #2 of the other party. He said there was too much money being spent on social programs and those things were the responsibility of state and local governments not Washington. He disbanded the whole program. IMMEDIATELY the gang problems came back, gang memberships grew like wild fire, drive-by shootings resumed. Then we need GUN CONTROL!!!
Time, after time, after time the American Public gets involved in the business of of the Nation and get things changed for the better, Only to have politicians go in behind our backs and undo our hard work! We sit around like a bunch of cabbages waiting to get watered, expecting our Politicians and God to take care of us. Neither is doing the job.
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The 1st and 2nd articles of the bill of rights are the pillars that our constitution and our country are built on. if you castrate the 2nd amendment, our constitution and our country will be left standing on only one wobbly leg. Already, there are about %0.01 of our population who own or controls over %90 of the wealth, businesses and power of this country. if you castrate the 2nd amendment these self same egomaniacs may just decide they have enough power to lay waste to our very precious freedoms.
Make no mistake : this knock down, drag-out brawl about taxes is about power!! The less power the government has the less our votes count!!!
I joined the national guard at age 17 ½’, spent one year on active duty for the Berlin crisis, spent ten years in the guard. I take the oath of Military Service very seriously.
Politicians and Public Servants: you took the oath of office to “preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States of America”. if you don’t have the morals, wisdom, and strength of character to live up to that commitment you need to resign you post immediately!!
Please please stand up for our constitution!!
protect my right and your right and the right of even yet to be born citizens, the god given right to defend self, family, property, and nation!!
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Tax cuts! We are constantly bombarded with arguments about “TAX CUTS”. There is also debate about school finance and voucher programs for private and religious schools.
In both of these subjects the real debate, although NO ONE is talking about it, is POWER! Power to control MONEY. Power to control LEADERSHIP. Power to control the destiny of our country, and indeed our very lives.
They talk about how Warren Buffet pays less taxes ( about 15%) than his secretary (about 17% to 20%). But, lets look at this inequity a little closer. Assuming she earns $60,000 in gross income and it costs her $40,000 for all her living expenses, that leaves $20,000 in disposable income. Her net taxable income might be about $45,000. Multiply that by 17% equals $7650 in taxes. Of her $20,000 in DISPOSABLE income she is paying 38%. $20,000 minus $7650 leaves her $12,350 net disposable income.
Now lets look at Warren Buffet. If he made $250,000,000,000 in gross income and we subtract the same $40,000 living expenses equal $249,999,960,000 in disposable income. Even if his net taxable income is $100,000,000,000 15% equals $15,000,000,000. This leaves him $234,000,000,000 in net disposable income.
These numbers are totally fictitious but you can see my point that Warren has SO much more money than his secretary it isn’t really comparable. And the tax disparity is definitely not fair by any standard! I am not saying that Warren Buffet doesn’t deserve to be rich. He is a smart guy with excellent business savvy, and got where he is using the rules we let our congress make into law.
Back to TAXES. Without a proper tax policy we will not have the money to properly manage our country’s business. The super rich people who are in control of our country now want more control and if “We the People” do not wake up and figure a way to turn things around we will soon find we have no control and possibly no UNITED STATES OF AMERICA to call home. All ready, look at what Dick Cheney,Carl Rove and Tom Delay have accomplished during the last “George Bush Presidency”.
First thing our last republican controlled federal government did was lower income taxes for the richest people and the business community. Followed by more tax cuts, rules changes and deregulation.”They” even changed definitions whenever it would give them an advantage. All this put SO much money in their pockets that they really had no place to use it all. So what they did was start buying all kinds of investments. The stock market went wild. We, the People are reaping then results of these selfish, bullying tactics!
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“CIVIL” WAR ?
Is the United States of America in a civil war, now as you read this? Civil War? Uncivil War? Class Warfare? Social Warfare? Financial Warfare? Political Warfare? ARE WE AT WAR WITH EACH OTHER? How do we know when we are at WAR? Is it when the first Sabre is pulled from its sheath, or When the first shot is fired? When does the war end? Is it when the last Sabre is in its sheath, or When the last shot is fired? WAR NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER STARTS WITH THE “FIRST SHOT” !! WARS ALWAYS START BECAUSE OF SOCIAL ABUSES, INEQUALITY IN WEALTH, RELIGION, RACE, SOCIAL STANDING,AND/OR POWER that festers and boils, and angers until someone decides “I’ve HAD ENOUGH!”, or, A Dictator or Oligarchy decides they have enough POWER AND RESOURCES TO “CONQUER MY ENEMIES!”. Where is our country today? Where are YOU today. HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH? DO YOU CARE ENOUGH TO BECOME POLITICALLY and/or SOCIALLY, and/or FINANCIALLY involved to make a DIFFERENCE ?!!!! I sincerely Pray that for my sake, your sake, and the sake of our beloved United States of America that You Do Care. Because I believe WE are in a civil war! Look at the Great divide in wealth and power, the acrimony our political parties hold for each other! When 0.1% of the population holds approximately 90%+ of the wealth and power and wants MORE! What do you call it?! When “they” continue to lay off workers and move jobs overseas to the detriment of the NATION and it’s CITIZENS; What do you call it?! When “they” come after our very Constitution with the goal of taking away our ability to protect Our Selves, Our Families, Property and Nation!! WHAT DO YOU CALL IT!! I tend to think, I want to call it, WAR ! Not a shooting war but a Sociology-Political War.!
Take a close look at where the U.S.A. is today and compare it to Germany from about 1933 to 1940. Replace HITLER with the OLIGARCHY that is in control of our government, businesses, banks, etc.. Know also that Blackwater of Iraq war infamy is the Oligarchy’s private army. They have changed the name but they are still alive and well.
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Supreme Court Justice John Roberts should be the last person to commit crimes against the Constitution! He took the “Oath of Office” and proceeded to commit a VERY political act of terrorism. He lead the Supreme Court decision to unfairly allow Corporations to act as individuals for the purpose of campaign financing. This gives CEO s and Corporate Board members three to six times the number of contributions as the average citizen. They can make Personal donations, Corporate contributions to each candidate they are supporting. Then they can make personal and corporate contributions to each Political Party they support, Then they can make personal and corporate contributions to each Super Pack. Plus they can create Super Packs on behalf of themselves and their businesses. The average citizen has no where near enough money to compete fairly!!
Next He Personally cast the deciding vote on the National Version of ROMNEY CARE. You might ask “Hey, he supported OBAMA CARE didn’t he? Wasn’t that a magnanimous thing to do?”. On the surface YES. But lets look a little deeper. This allowed Supreme Court Justice John Roberts to determine that ROMNEY CARE is a TAX not a insurance premium. This allowed the GOP to assert that President broke His Promise to not raise taxes on the middle class! Could Supreme Court Justice John Roberts decision have been POLITICALLY MOTIVATED??? I THINK MAYBE SO!!! The GOP used this decision in exactly that way!! They hoped this would give Romney enough ammunition to defeat President Obama, then the GOP could repeal the National Version of ROMNEY CARE.
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President Richard Nixon started a “5 Point Plan” for the Republican Party which I will identify as the GOP for the rest of this narrative. What the GOP has done with this list is nothing short of criminal and treasonous
1) NORMALIZE RELATIONS WITH CHINA.
2) MARGINALIZE UNIONS OR GET RID OF THEM ALTOGETHER.
3) BRING WORKING CLASS WAGES IN THE U.S.A. MORE IN LINE WITH THE WORLD
4) MODIFY BANKING AND FINANCE RULES AND REGULATIONS
5) TRY TO BRING ORGANIZED CRIME OUT OF CRIMINALITY AND INTO LEGAL BUSINESS
RESULTS:
1) The China policy was a good and necessary pursuit and has been largely accomplished.
2) Unions were one of the major reasons for the prosperity enjoyed by America from the end of WWII. They brought people out of abject poverty and into what we now call “The Middle Class”. Our Union forefathers (brothers and sisters) fought hard, ugly battles to gain the many privileges we enjoy today. Union, nonunion, and Managers all enjoy the labors of our brave Union Pioneers. Unions are now weak and Unionism is at the lowest point since its inception. When President Reagan fired the air traffic controllers unionism took a BIG hit. I’ve never never figured out what changed but something sure did. “We The People” of this Great Nation need to stand up for ourselves, our future and our past and take back our heritage.
3) Corporate America has been forcing wages lower since about 1980. (By the way, How can you tell the difference between a “business man” and a “republication”? You can’t. About 85% of the time they are the same person). They have been forcing wages lower by closing union shops and reopening as non union, forcing changes in union contracts by threat of the previous method. Unions are, to be fair, responsible for some of the backlash generated against unions. In Pueblo Colorado, C.F.&I Steel closed it’s doors because of the outlandish union contract that had built up over the many years. Among the many benefits negotiated was that every seven years each employee would get six months paid vacation on top of the five weeks paid vacation for the other six years. Top hourly wages in 1970 were about $26.00 per hour. The steel plant reopened about seven years later and some of those who were fired still had not found a steady job and were happy to hire on at about $7.00 per hour. Under the guidance of the “Chaney – Rove Presidency” taxes were cut for the rich and corporations, trade laws modified to make it easier and more profitable to move businesses overseas. They literally opened our borders for unrestricted migration for whoever wanted to come to the United States. Our Country was flooded with illegal immigrants including many, many criminals. Republican owned businesses fired fast food workers, warehouse laborers, packing plant (both meat and vegetable) workers, hotel/motel maids, construction laborers (both skilled and non-skilled), and many others with this ill-gotten labor pool putting millions of taxpaying workers out on the street, of whom, many lost their housing and retirement savings and more. During the “Chaney – Rove Presidency” businesses would manufacture and ship more goods than they were selling, especially leading up to an election, to make the GNP look better to the Voters. I personally witnessed this driving an 18 wheeler delivering merchandise for a large retail chain. I was delivering to a small outlet in a small southern Colorado town and there were five garden tractors for that store. The manager came out, looked at the list and said “ What do they expect me to do with all these tractors? We do not sell that many in a year. Look at my storage area! I’ve got to call and see if i can refuse these.” There were twelve garden tractors, UN-boxed, stacked in his relative small storage area. “They” made him take delivery! More. Leading up to the 2008 election as soon as it was clear that Barack Obama was going to win the Presidency, republican businesses started closing their doors and moving overseas. there was a literal avalanche of businesses moving out of America. I believe this was a two point plan, first – force wages lower, second – make the economy SO BAD that President Obama would not be able to dig his way out in four years or maybe even eight years. Further proof of this is the total obstructionism followed by the republican party during the last 4 years. On top of that add the totally negative media campaign the Republican party and conservative TV and radio talk shows that pound our ears with 24 hours a day 7 days a week! They have kept up a literal brainwashing of any one who listens to them for six + years now. More. Have you noticed how the only “green” companies that have gone bankrupt are those the got government guaranteed loans? Is there more to this than meets the eye? The GOP said it would do whatever it takes to make sure President Obama is a one term president. Their hatred seems to have no bounds. It seems they are willing to bankrupt Our Nation, Our Constitution, Our very lives, to achieve their goal of total financial dominion over America. MONEY IS POWER! How far beyond our borders do they strive for dominion. By the GOP’s actions and words it is “OUR WAY OR THE HIGHWAY”!! During “Chaney – Rove Presidency” they would not negotiate with the democrats for the SIX years they controlled the Presidency and both houses of congress and for the last two years of the “Chaney – Rove Presidency” after Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives the GOP blocked every piece of legislation they could to keep job growth down.
4) Banking and Financing : After the Great Depression Congress wrote legislation that created watchdog groups to regulate Banking and Financing. This system worked very well until the Nixon, Reagan,and “Chaney – Rove Presidencies” virtually decimated them. When President Reagan changed the banking laws, Someone had a great idea! They lobbied for it, got it put it into the new banking and financing bill. After it was law they executed their plan. It involved giving the head of each “Savings and Loan” office total power over which loans would be approved and which ones not. It turned out that republican investors who wanted to “develop a piece of property” got loans for the full development cost of the entire project including the land, often multimillions of dollars. Not too bad so far, right? The problem came when payments came due none were made! When the property was foreclosed on there were no signs of development! When they went after the corporation the loan was given to it had ceased to exist or gone bankrupt. Millions of Americans lost their retirement savings and other moneys they had invested with “THE SAFEST INVESTMENT” in America!!!! Savings and Loans. When Bill and Hillary Clinton applied for one of these gift loans they were turned down. They were not part of the “in” crowd! Bill and Hillary were later to “thank their lucky stars” for that. After Bill was fairly and legally elected President and Ken Starr went on his eight year witch hunt harassing the Clinton’s and all their friends. The GOP knew even before Ken Starr started the investigation that the Clinton s were innocent because they already had the paperwork from their loan request that was turned down. (SIDELIGHT : The Special Prosecutor position as it was commissioned at that time had NO boundaries! Ken Starr was a literal god! He was above the Constitution and all federal and state laws! Ken Starr spent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on a witch hunt! The story does not end here though. I 100% believe history will prove the following hypothesis correct. The witch hunt was just a cover for the real purpose of Ken Starr’s excesses. Toward the end of Clinton’s Presidency the GOP leaders said “Hey this special prosecutor position as it is has way too much power. We need to put some controls of any future prosecutor.” The GOP had plans to install one of their own as president at the next election. They had plans of what they wanted to accomplish and wanted to make sure no special prosecutor would be able to interrupt their plan. We all were first hand witnesses to their runaway excesses in changing any law or rule that would increase profits for Corporations, Investors, banks,real-estate moguls ,etc. Credit card companies started acting more like loan sharks than legal lenders. As proven throughout the “Bush – Cheney – Rove Administration” the GOP acted more like thugs than elected officials. End of SIDELIGHT). More. Not this county nor any other country can long survive without a strong healthy business community. When the “Bush – Chaney – Rove Presidency” was in the throes of its reign and their self made depression was starting to avalanche they went to Financial Secretary Paulson and said “ What can we do to fix this?”. His answer was “How about a Government Bailout? Give me $850 million dollars and I will try to fix it”. Democrats in Congress said hold on! how about some accountability here. Chaney & Paulson said there isn’t time for such foolishness and gave Paulson about $350 billion$! Immediately, that money disappeared and there was no way to trace where it went, or who got it! POOF it was gone! That “investment” seemed to make NO headway in stemming the tide toward financial Armageddon for the USA. Paulson came back with outstretched hands and said give me more I can’t help if I don’t have more! Democrats in Congress and then Senator Obama said WAIT A MINUTE. Quick Congressional action then put some rules on any other bailout money and Paulson was replaced. Still much of the bailout money went to increasing the size of the major banks and centralizing power in the financial sector. After Senator Obama was sworn in as President, the GOP OLIGARCHY vowed to do “WHATEVER IT TAKES” to ensure President Obama “IS A ONE TERM PRESIDENT”!!!! Much of what they have done involves doing the maximum to delay the financial recovery from the “recession” they and their policies instituted. They continue to this day to close businesses and lay off workers to keep the unemployment levels high. The only label I can think of to describe the GOP Oligarchy is “TRAITOR”! All those GOP Congress men/women took the “Oath of Office” and swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States Of America and all she stands for! What they did was anything and everything but that! The central power of the GOP Oligarchy is the very very Rich Powerful People and Conservative Christians. The GOP is in no way Democratic or even Republic in their structure. What they are is greedy capitalist ego manics bent on remaking America into what ever idol they are worshiping. Is the idol themselves? Or maybe just $$$$$? What the GOP is doing is most certainly not Christian! Christ most certainly does not represent the INHUMANE policies of the GOP henchmen that knowingly duped financially unsophisticated people into taking out home mortgage loans they could not afford. Christ would not approve business professionals who close their doors and move out of the USA to increase profits and wreak havoc on the Country they “SO LOVE”! How any good, bad, or even indifferent Christian could in any way support the GOP or virtually any GOP candidate I have absolutely no idea!!! BUT! They go blindly along, following the GOP Pied Piper never questioning, never ever challenging their Masters. The GOP should rename itself the “Grand Old Christian Party” ! Or the “RUBICON PARTY” (the “party of no return”)!
)5This Organized Crime category is much more nebulous. Because of it’s very nature this took place out of the view of public scrutiny. If it took place,and I am absolutely convinced it did, it was a kind of patchwork endeavor with a success rate of ZERO. Organized crime never went out of business but it did make inroads into legitimate business and government. I have talked to many people about this and every single one said something like “I believe it! I see SO much corruption in our government!”. There are no solid examples i can list. But, during and after Nixon I saw the Funeral Home industry get taken over by nationwide enterprises within a period of two or three years. I saw La Quinta Motor Inns open between one and three locations in all the major cities across America in a period of two years, and continue building more for several years after. This took a TON of $CASH$!! Where did it come from??? Other than that we listen to the news and hear about things that do not add up right. I do not have the education, sophistication, or power to investigate this properly. Everyone knows it’s there! I hope somebody will take this and run with it.