The United States: Past, Present, and Future

A triple history is being played out before our very eyes at a time of great challenges.  The Bush administration is coming to an end; a new year is dawning and a new administration will assume the governing of America.  Written records have been found that date back 5 thousand years that deal with the past, present and future of that time period.

 

The ancient people of Sumer (The Sumerians) where civilization began took the events as a portend of what would happen because they believed the past was the key to the future.  The Sumerians said they were taught that man lived by destiny and fate.  That destiny (NAM) was a predetermined course of events that was unalterable, could not be changed and was preordained.  That fate (NAM.TAR) was a predetermined course of events that could be altered or changed.  Their beliefs can guide the incoming administration for a better future and to learn from the mistakes of the outgoing administration and the past.

 

President Bush decided to be a war president so he set out on a predetermined course to go to war in Iraq.  He failed to understand that decision was not his or the country's destiny.  His decision could have been altered or changed (fate) at any time.  He failed the test of a true leader.  Bush's lack of understanding those two basic principals has caused our country great damage around the world.  His concept of being a President-King who can do what he pleases has to be reversed by President elect Obama.  America's destiny is not to run the world but we are fated to be a good steward of the world because of our ideals and our President and the people can alter and change our fate when the need is called for.

 

Tyrants around the world fail to recognize the difference between destiny and fate and as a result end up being fated by history.  Knowledge about the past is the key to the future because it gives us the opportunity to change our fate.  WWII should teach us that nuclear  weapons should never be used again and that using nuclear weapons is not our destiny in the future.

 

The destiny of earth is to orbit the sun.  It is not alterable.  But man's fate on earth can be changed and altered at any time.  That is the key to the future.  Great leaders understand the difference between destiny and fate.  President Kennedy knew the U.S. was not destined to invade Cuba during the Cuban Missile crisis and knew our fate in that situation could be changed.   President-elect Obama hopefully will realize man on earth is only destined to die and that whatever is fated to man can be changed or altered for a better world.

 

Note:  The dictionary lists the words destiny and fate as interchangeable, however, the Sumerians believed otherwise.

Economic Recovery and the Middle Class

The economic recession that is playing out shows just how much the middle class should receive a tax reduction benefit as one of the first priority of the new administration.  Everyone knows that the middle class is the first to feel the effects of a recession but Republican policy have never taken that into consideration.

 

Job losses, weaker pay and weaker benefits hit the middle class the hardest and now other consequences from the recession are taking its toll on the middle class.  Louisiana just announced it will have to cut back its budget because of the recession and guess what programs are going to take a hit.  Yea, you guessed right, health care and other programs that are designed to help the middle class.  It is happening all across state governments.

 

Our economist tell us that spending represents 71% of the economy.  When the middle class is pushed farther and farther down their disposable income becomes insufficient.  The transfer of wealth from the middle class to CEO's and executives instead of sharing the good times with the average worker is one of the causes.

 

Federal and state tax codes should be revised to benefit the middle class and adjusted from time to time so their income can stay ahead of inflation and other causes that erode their incomes.  The present tax codes favor businesses but they do not use those benefits to expand business, create jobs or sustain the economy.  It is used to increase their greed.  The current economic conditions is proof.

 

It is time the middle class is put front and center and be at the heart of any economic recovery and tax reduction.

Republicans: The Anti-American Ideology Still Exists

Senate republicans torpedoed a bill that was passed by the House to provide $14 billion in loans for General Motors, Chrysler and Ford.  Republican Senator Bob Corker led the way by insisting that the UAW give him a date certain by which the union would reduce their own wages to be competitive with the foreign auto plants in the U.S.

 

I don't know of any taxpayer who likes the bail out of any industry but when the economy has already lost 1.9 million jobs so far this year and the country has a President who never had an economic policy, some thing has to be done to strop the erosion of jobs and the economy.  Those Senate republicans really showed their true colors because their opposition was not about the bail out, it was about breaking the union.

 

Not one of the Senate republicans proposed that the CEO's and executives of the auto industry work for salary only, no bonuses or other compensation for the near future.  But they want the union to take another cut by a date certain. 

 

President Bush, who is eager to find something to accomplish before leaving office said his administration would furnish the industry some kind of emergency life line if talks with congress failed.  The hint was he would use some of the money from the $700 billion already approved by congress.  The democrats in congress asked the President a month ago to use some of that same money for the auto industry and he refused.  It is just another example of this President being out of touch with what is happening with the economy. 

 

The average American, hopefully is starting to realize just how phony the republicans in congress really are.  Is it any wonder why the economy is in such bad shape under George Bush and the republicans.

The George W. Bush Presidency:

I have often written about Mr. Bush being a small person and it is all coming front and center now as he prepares to leave office.  His lack of character and integrity is now playing out in his final days on the job. 

 

It was reported how the Bush administration has issued talking points to his cabinet members to go out to the news media and talk about his accomplishments the last 8 years.  Never mind that Presidents usually stand on their record with out having to tell the people how good they have been.  Those  talking points follows the talking points of Bush himself during the run up to war with Iraq when he and his administration tried to brain wash the people with lies about Iraqi WMD.  This is a President who believes in his own lies and thinks if they are repeated over and over they will become facts.

 

Ben Feller, Associated Press writer reported that Bush, speaking at West Point told the cadets, "That today's military is stronger, more agile and better prepared than the one he inherited in 2001.'  But the fact is Bush's unnecessary war in Iraq stretched the military so thin it did not have enough troops to fight the real war on terror in Afghanistan and now 7 years later we are talking about sending more U.S. troops to that country from Iraq.

 

Never in my lifetime has a sitting President passed off so many problems that he himself created to the new President-elect.  Mr. Bush is leaving office just like he governed, "passing the buck."  He is such a small person in stature.  Despite his self serving statements history will record his Presidency as a house of cards, a house that can easily collapse.  The change over from the Clinton administration to the Bush administration has been an 8 year disaster for the country and its people.  What a shame.

The Economy Continues Its Downward Spiral

The Labor Department announced that the economy lost 533,000 jobs in November.  That brings the total job loss for the first 11 months of 2008 to 1.9 million.  The unemployment rate increased to 6.7%.  The number of unemployed workers increased 2.7 million since December 2007.  Currently there are 10.2 million Americans unemployed.

 

About the same time President Bush acknowledged the fact that we are in a recession, the second one to take place on his watch.  A new report said the recession actually started in December 2007.  Just a few months ago both Bush and McCain said the fundamentals of the economy were sound.

 

The job losses are a blow to each individual who has a family and other responsibilities to take care of. Its a personal loss with repercussions.  There is a real face behind every job loss and the greed and policies that put our nation and the people in this economic mess has to be reversed. 

 

The November job losses were the highest in 34 years, since December of 1974.  It is note worthy, that occurred doing the republican administration of Nixon-Ford.  President Bush and the Reagan-Bush administrations trickle down economics ideology has been in place 20 of the last 28 years and has been an economic failure.  Not only have they been the party of record deficits and debt creation, they have been the party most responsible for letting corporate America do as they wish with no checks and balances.

 

Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 have bankrupted the federal treasury at a time when the country and its people most need a treasury in the black to take care of the cost that is needed to revive the economy.  Don't be surprised if you see the republicans in congress and the neocon journalists call for cutting back Social Security and Medicare and other needed programs that truly help the people.  It is going to happen as sure as the sun comes up tomorrow.  That is the real reason behind the Republicans ideology. 

The India And Pakistan Problem

India, Pakistan, and Israel was the subject of one of my articles on 11/14/07 concerning their nuclear capabilities and the fact that they were not a member of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty like the U.S. and other nuclear powers.

 

Those three countries operate their nuclear facilities without checks and balances and are a threat to world peace.  The tragic terror attack on India at Mumbai recently points out the need to bring those WMD under control before they are used.  India has said elements from Pakistan had carried out the attacks and that those elements trained inside Pakistan.  Pakistan insisted it was not behind the attacks.

 

Both India and Pakistan have attacked each other for years over disputed territory.  Such attacks and now this major terror attack at Mumbai could push them over the top to resort to nuclear weapons. All it would take is one of their leaders to miscalculate.  President elect Obama and other world leaders should make it a priority to have all three nations join the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty so checks and balances can be put in place.  Diplomacy has to set in motion a means of communication that would take place instead of violence.  The U.S. should also take another look at its relationship with all three countries. 

Diplomacy From A Position Of Weakness

Secretary of State Condi Rice met with Indian officials in New Delhi and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen met in Islamabad, Pakistan with president Asif Ali Zardari.  The occasion was in response to the Mumbai terror attack that took place recently.

 

Rice and Mullen are looking for ways to have India and Pakistan act in a responsible manner in tracking down the terrorists and have Pakistan crack down on a Kashmir based terror group leading the list in the Mumbai attack.  Rice has asked both countries to cooperate and to do so transparently.  She also warned Indian officials against a hasty reaction to the attacks and not create other unintended consequences. 

 

The Bush administration and Rice have no creditability with either country on the terror problem and especially with Pakistan.  The administration has backed former Pakistan leader Musharraf with billions of dollars in aid, said he was an ally in the war on terror even though the Bush administration knew he let terror groups operate and train in Pakistan.  Rice and this administration have a real problem when they talk about being transparent and hasty reactions.  There was no transparency by Bush in the run up to war in Iraq and the consequences that followed are still acting out.

 

The U.S. is less safe now under Bush and the U.S. has lost its moral mantle of world leadership under Bush.  V.P. elect Joe Biden said long ago Bush had a Musharraf policy but no Pakistan policy and if the American people want to be honest with themselves, could make a good case that Bush has never had a foreign policy.  January 20th can not arrive soon enough.

Continuation Of A Corrupting War

America and the world found out long ago that the war and occupation of Iraq over WMD that did not exist was an unnecessary war and that Iraq was no threat to the security of the U.S. or the middle east.  The public also found out after the fact that the Pentagon urged retired military officers to appear on the cable networks during the run up to war to promote the war and talk about the Iraqi threat.

 

Now the war, approaching its sixth year at a cost of over $600 billion and over 30,000 U.S. casualties including over 4000 deaths and who knows how many innocent Iraqi's, David Barstow of the New York Times reports the following:

 

Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey who has appeared over 1,000 times on NBC and its cable sisters since the 9-11 attack signed a consulting contract with Defense Solutions, a tiny military contractor with a slender track record.  Four days later he swung into action with a personal note and 15 page briefing packet to General David Petraeus strongly recommending Defense Solutions and its offer to supply Iraq with 5000 armored vehicles from Eastern Europe.  McCaffrey did not mention his new contract with Defense Solutions in his letter to Petraeus, nor did he disclose it when he went on CNBC that same week and praised the commander Defense Solutions was now counting on for help.  Mr. Barstow also reported in testimony with congress McCaffrey criticized a Pentagon plan to supply Iraq with several hundred armored vehicles made in the U.S.A. by a competitor of Defense Solutions.

 

Barstow also reported, on NBC and other public forums, McCaffrey has consistently advocated wartime policies and spending priorities in line with his corporate interests.  But those interests are not described to NBC's viewers.  He is held out as a dispassionate expert, not someone who helps companies win contracts related to the wars he discusses on television

.

 

Our men and women in uniform have been betrayed by those retired Generals who promoted this war and then went on to profit from this unnecessary war.  The Iraq war has been a corrupting enterprise in so many ways and the American people will never be told the truth.  President Kennedy was right during the Cuban Missile crisis in 1962 when he refused to accept a military invasion of that island as the only option that was being pushed by the military.  President Kennedy had the wisdom to implement another military option which prevented a war and saved thousands of lives.  President elect Obama needs to keep his promise to the people and end this war in Iraq and all the corrupting influence associated with it.

The Magic Word

President-elect Obama has held several news conferences lately to talk about the economy and what he plans to do early in his administration to address the severe problem the country faces.  He also said after the economy is back on track and working he would focus on returning to balanced budgets.  Those two words are magic.

 

The president-elect has assembled a good economic and fiscal team with the experience to create for the country and its people a sustained economy and job creation.  Fiscally, they know what is required to balance the budgets and create surpluses.  They also know the benefits that would produce.

 

The people have a right to be concerned about the billions of dollars committed to the bail outs already announced, however, that is a drop in the bucket compared to the record deficits and debt created by the last 3 republican presidents over the 20 year period they served.  Interest alone to pay for the money borrowed to finance the deficits and debt is almost half a trillion dollars a year.

 

Obama is right to make it policy to balance the budget and reverse the out of control spending that happened on the republican watch.  A sound fiscal policy will allow the U.S. to meet its obligations made to the people and do those things that really matter and make a difference for the country and its people.  Keeping the Magic alive is the right thing to do.

Corporate Betryal Of America And The Public

There is a sad and sorry story being played out in our current economic meltdown and unfortunately the average American is paying the price.  Loss of jobs, benefits and reduction in pay, higher unemployment, reduction in buying power, increase in poverty, loss in savings and retirement accounts and the list goes on and on.

 

And I hope the people and elected officials notice the businesses the tax payers money is bailing out and the businesses that are asking to be bailed out are all mega companies and large conglomerates who merged with or bought out other competitors over the years.  Some have ventured into businesses where there was no prior experience.

 

Every time these companies buy out competitors they increase their own wealth and reduce competition resulting in monopoly and higher consumer prices.  When they take over another company they issue talking points that go something like this:  The acquisition will make for a better and more responsive company to cut cost, give better service, products and prices for the consumer.  But it never happens.  What the CEO's do with the additional revenue and profits is line their own pockets with huge bonuses, stock options and other rewards at the expense of their workers.  It should also be remembered that all these mergers and buy outs of other companies result in a loss of jobs.

 

Corporate America also has a history of lying to congress and the people.  The mega banks were supposed to advance the quality of ones financial life and are now looking for a hand out.  The major oil companies who bought out many of the independents said it would allow them to increase drilling and production but drilling and production has been going down for years.

 

A priority of Congress should be to put a hold on any mergers or buy outs until further notice.  Corporate America has proved it can not be trusted.  They have not earned the respect of the people and during this crisis they have not displayed any leadership to accept responsibility and act with wisdom.  We know and are experiencing the havoc that greed has forced on the people and the country.

 

The time has come for our new President and congress to ask this basic question in their planning and future actions and decisions.  "Will the decisions be of benefit to the people and the country?"  The answer must be yes for true change. 

Republicans Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin

There are those in the Republican party who are pushing Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as the future leaders of the Republican party.  Television journalists have picked up on this and are now given both a lot of coverage. President-elect Obama's election and the democrats addition of seats in the House and Senate in this months election have the republican party in a tizzy.

 

Governor Jindal has been in office for less than a year so as of this date he does not really have a record to run on.  Nor has it been established yet that he has good judgement, an important element in governing.  In fact he has been out of state a lot campaigning for McCain and in state for John Kennedy who ran against Mary Landrieu and her senate seat.  Jindal talks a good game but his ideology is like other Republicans who put themselves on a pedestal and look down on everyone else who does not share their ideology.

 

Jindal's administration after taking office passed a ethic reform bill that most people think has no teeth.  While preaching ethic during his campaign for governor, his own campaign had to pay a fine for violating the ethic laws.  Jindal's leaders in the Louisiana legislature passed a bill giving lawmakers a big fat pay raise and then Jindal said he would not step in. When public pressure got so great he finally vetoed the bill.

 

Governor Palin during the presidential campaign showed she is a typical republican who's method of campaigning is to personally attack her opponents instead of telling the people what shestands for and what her policies would be.  She wanted to identify with the soccer moms and create an identify as a good old girl with a wink and a smile.  National candidates should identify with the nation but Palin continued to divide the people.  Remember her comment about the real America.

 

She is now bashing those who said she was a drag on the Republican ticket.  The people had it right, she and McCain just had nothing to offer.  If Jindal and Palin represent the best the Republican party can offer as future leaders of the party they will continue to be a turn off.

The Cost Of Seniors Health Care And Other Medical Costs

Healthday News in an article published in the New Orleans Times Picayune of 11-23-08 reported the following.  Researchers who analyzed Medical and National Health Interview Survey data reported the cost of medical and productivity for 2007 among Americans 65 years and older was $196 Billion.  This covered six major illnesses examined in the study:  Chronic Lung disease, ischemic heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, pneumonia and gastrointestinal illness.  The cost in 2000 was $135 billion.

 

Ischemic heart disease was the most expensive at $60 billion.  These cost are expected to go up as people live longer.  I have commented before about this problem and how common sense can reduce this ever increasing cost burden on our people and the country.  Another report in the September/October 2008 issue of WebMD magazine points out the cost of allergies medication cost $5.7 billion annually while visits to doctors cost $300 million for office visits. 

 

The answer is prevention and education that people can easily do and obtain to reduce their dependence on prescription drugs and medical cost.  Most seniors belong to HMO's and many provide free membership at fitness centers that provide regular exercise work outs, cardiac exercise and other information on how to take care of ones health.  It is known that some forms of high blood pressure and diabetes can be controlled with out medication with the proper diet and exercise.  Other health problems can be helped in the same way.

 

Cities, states and the federal government should have as a priority programs to educate the people what can be done to better take care of their health and reduce their medical cost.  This should be done on a regular sustained basis and people should be urged to be a part of prevention at an early age.  Governments can do this through advertising, the inter net, literature, public announcements and other avenues that would not be costly to governments.

 

Prevention is the vehicle that will not only lower medical cost for the individual and government, it will also lead to a more active and healthy life style for the people.  The alternative is the price we are now paying with no end in sight.  There is no government or individual who can afford to pay for future health cost at the increases we have seen in the last 10 years.  Prevention and a good physical fitness program will allow the people to take charge and control their own health and medical cost.

Reality And Fact: The Missing Link

There is a difference between reality and fact.  It is the common thread that is missing in the Republican ideology of  "trickle down economics" and corporate American's selfish version of wealth building.

 

Bush's tax cut favored the wealthy in the "trickle down" fashion like past republican Presidents.  The same can be said of their ideology of non governmental regulation.  They tried to sell this worn out approach as reality even though the facts have proved them wrong in the past and again even now.

 

Corporate America has the same problem with a different twist.  They like the big tax breaks and loopholes in the tax code and say they need that to compete and create jobs.  They too pass that off as reality but the facts say it does not work except to make their CEO's wealthier.  They never talk about the facts even when they are appearing before congress about the economic meltdown.  They still deny any responsibility. 

 

For to long, the people have disregarded the facts.  Republicans have been saying for 30 years that democrats are the big spenders and will raise the people's taxes.  That is their reality but the facts are it is the republicans who are the big spenders and get into the average Americans pocket in a hundred different ways.  This administration has proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

 

It is time the people make themselves understand the facts and put this knowledge to good use.   Remember, it is those who try to pass off reality for fact that live a fairytale.  Those who understand facts will make a difference.

A Democratic President and Democratic Congress

During the closing days of the 2008 presidential campaign, John McCain and Sarah Palin were asking the voters, "do you really want a Democratic president and Democratic Congress?"  The implication was, if that is the case, there would be no checks and balances and Congress would just be a rubber stamp of Obama's policies and programs.  The Republican nominee was not doing too well with the voters on the real issues, so a new tactic was tried.  It too failed.

 

The case has already been made that the Republican Congress did indeed rubber stamp Bush's policies during the six years they controlled Congress.  Their leaders met every day and produced talking points for their members to repeat over and over again; there were no descent among their rank and file.  

 

The same can not be said about the Democratic party.  The fact is that the Democratic party does not issue talking points for their members to follow like robots.  The Congressional Democrats will be with Obama on most of the critical issues facing our country but will put their stamp on many of the issues, and there will certainly be some descent within the party. 

 

The country will do better under Democratic control because of Democratic independence and their vision of being progressive and the fact that Democrats won't be spending time on issues that divide us.  

The Republican Governors Conference

Republican Governors met in Miami on November 13 to map a future for their party after the GOP's devastating election day defeats.  The governors said the future of the GOP rests within their ranks (the governors) and not Washington politicians (Senators and Congressmen). 

 

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty said that in his view, the Republican party needs more than a combover.  Other comments included a need to reach out more as a party and become more inclusive.

Gov. Palin said, "we are the minority party, let us resolve not to be the negative party.  Let us reach out to Barack Obama, show him how lower taxes provide opportunity for the private sector to grow." 

Obviously, the theme of their conference was that Republicans are looking to their governors to fill the leadership vacuum.  But lets look at what has actually taken place with in the Republican party, both on the national and state level.

 

During the 2008 presidential election, Republican governors failed to reject and denounce the personal attacks by the McCain-Palin ticket and the divisive issues they conjured up.  Once again, the governors failed to promote an inclusive campaign and were silent on the issue; they just went with the flow.  Many of them even appeared on television and used the talking points of the national Republican party.  They did not practice what they now preach. 

 

Gov. Palin's above comments are laughable when she says "lets not be the negative party."  She had a great opportunity to actually be positive as a V.P. candidate and change the tone and she blew it big time.  

 

If the Republican governors really want to change their party than they need to stand up and speak out to the neocons who have been running their party and say enough is enough.  Time will tell if they have the wisdom, character, and judgment to do so.

Karl Rove Lost His Genius

Republicans and journalists have said many times that Karl Rove was a genius planner of GOP campaigns.  His M.O. of personal attacks was taught to him my his mentor, Lee Atwater, the originator of the Willie Horton T.V. attack add; when Atwater passed away, Rove took up the torch of the politics of personal destruction.

 

However, the last two elections have not been kind to Rove.  During the 2006 Congressional elections, he maintained up to election eve that the Republicans would keep control of the Senate and House.  Rove, however, was wrong and the Democrats won both chambers of the Congress.  His personal attacks strategy was again on display for Senator McCain's campaign for President, but the voting public sent him (and his tactics) down to defeat again.

 

Mr. Rove's tactics represent a Republican party that still can not articulate what it stands for.  It points out a lack of character when the party who has been in power for 8 years can't talk about their record or successes and most resort to lying about and distorting their opponents' positions.

The Middle Class Tax Cut

President-elect Obama's promise of a middle class tax cut is needed more now than ever before.  It is estimated that consumer spending represents 70% of the economy and with the economy in free fall, retail sales down big time and still falling and the unemployment reaching 10.1 million people, the middle class is in a bind with too few dollars to spend.

 

The people who have benefited the most from republican trickle down economics are holding all the cards now.  These are the people who were supposed to use the money to grow the economy and create jobs.  Yet so far this year through October the economy has lost 1,179,000 jobs and the economy is in its second recession in 8 years.

 

A substantial tax cut for the middle class will go a long way to help revive the economy and put the middle class back in the ball game to some degree.  The big problem is that the middle class has fallen so far behind, part of their tax savings will have to go to pay off debt and to replenish savings.  That is good also but it means less money to use for buying to keep our economy running and hiring people.

 

In addition to the tax cuts, the middle class needs better paying jobs and a larger share of the profits they help create.  Corporate America must no longer be able to reap the benefits of what their workers produce without sharing those benefits with the worker.

 

The tax cut should be only the first step to help the middle class advance its economic power and Obama and his administration should keep that as a priority.  That would be the greatest foundation for a sustained economy and job creation.  President Kennedy said over 40 years ago business needs customers to have a productive economy.  It should be obvious that has never changed and it is playing out today.

 

It should be noted the 10.1 million workers without jobs is the highest since 1983 when Reagan was in office.  Republicans have run the country 20 of the last 28 years, yet it was the democratic administration of Bill Clinton who achieved the greatest economy and job creation and where the middle class did better.  President-elect Obama's administration will turn things around for the middle class, the economy and job creation.  Twenty years of trickle down economics should be put to bed with good reason.

Israel and Palestine

Last year, after seven years of being disengaged on the Israelis and Palestinian problem, President Bush and Secretary of State Rice set out an agenda to forge an agreement on the long running problem to be concluded this month, November.   The idea was to finally get involved so the Bush administration would have a foreign policy triumph before he leaves office.  But it is not to be.

 

The Los Angeles Times reports Rice has just completed her latest and final visit to the middle east and acknowledged the failure of the talks to reach a peace deal by the end of the Bush administration.  The Times article also reported:

 

       

         Hani Masri, a Palestinian analyst and columnist said, It's dead, and they don't want to admit the

         failure.  All it produced was a model for negotiations until the end of time. 

 

         Menachem Klein, a political science professor at Israel's Bar-Ilan University, said the negotiations 

         produced no tangible progress while the situation on the ground actually moved backward in the past

         year. 

 

The American people would do well to remember that Bush blamed the lack of progress on the problem at the foot of Yasser Arafat.  Well Arafat passed away in 2004 and still no progress.  Israel has to share in much of the blame as well as a detached Bush.  Israel is still building settlements on Palestinian land and this issue is a huge problem. 

 

When Obama takes office his administration needs to pursue the problem head on and put the responsibility on both nations to work out a workable and lasting peace in the middle east.  Obama needs to make sure the U.S. does not favor one side or the other; the U.S. has turned a blind eye for too long to Israeli transgressions.  Why would any nation be willing to be part of any agreement that is not even handed?

 

Obama needs to ensure the right approach is taken in future talks and make it clear that both Israel and Palestine will be held accountable if progress is not made.  The status quo has to come to an end.

Escalation in Pakistan

The war in Afghanistan is seven years old and for the past several weeks we have read reports of our drones attacking Taliban and al Qaeda targets with missiles inside Pakistan.  Why now seven years into the war and not before?  What is behind these recent attacks?  We always knew the Taliban/al Qaeda were there in that region.

 

The answer lies in the type of person we have as President.  Mr. Bush's performance and reckless behavior in fighting the war on terror is dismal.  He faces the prospect of leaving office in a few months with the lowest approval rating of any President in recent memory.  The reason for the recent attacks in Pakistan is a political decision by Bush to finally try to get bin Laden before he leaves office to improve his rating and salvage his Presidency.  One will remember it was Mr. Bush himself shortly after 9-11 who said bin Laden was wanted dead or alive but then failed to pursue him. 

 

Seven years of war in Afghanistan and almost six years of war in Iraq have already been recorded in history.  Those years can not be rewritten and history will not be kind to Mr. Bush.  The American people gave Mr. Bush two chances to serve and uplift America a its people, but he lacked the wisdom, character and humility to serve as President.

An Analogy Of The Iraq War

Generally speaking, when things go wrong in America, the issue is usually faced early.  However, not everything is.  This brings us to the War in Iraq.

 

During one of my travels to Alabama in January of 2005 with my wife to celebrate our 50th, I read an article in the Mobile Register Sound Off section and I quote as follows:

 

                                        

Something is not right here, folks:

      Our President has just announced there are no WMD in Iraq and we will now stop looking.  People, this

      is the reason Bush gave for invading a country.  Does anyone in this country even care?  Thousands of

      people are dead over this.  We are treating it like a footnote to a brief announcement from the White

      House.  What is even more alarming is that he says knowing what he knows now, he would do it again.

 

I saved the article because it represents my own thoughts but I never thought almost 4 years later we would still be in Iraq.  The news media failed the people and the country big time concerning this war and the people failed themselves by reelecting Mr. Bush to a second term.  Sadly, Mr. Bush is not capable of admitting his mistakes.  If ever a President needed to be impeached, it is Mr. Bush.  His own actions and words have convicted him.

 

Mr. Bush is now trying to nail down a security pact with Iraq that will keep our troops there till 2011 and beyond.  He is trying to tie the hand of the new President.  Every one should read the book, "The War Within" by Bob Woodward.  It documents how the President and senior people on his staff played politics with the war especially before the 2006 congressional elections and never told the people what was actually taking place in Iraq.  He told the people just the opposite.

 

The writer to "Sound Off" was right about this war being treated like a footnote to a brief announcement from the White House.  Our men and women in uniform deserve better from the Commander in Chief.

Another First for PolitiDose

A $25 billion loan for the auto industry has already passed congress.  A $700 billion bailout of several Wall Street firms and the Financial Industry has passed congress.  Now auto makers are asking for more federal money to help them survive.  Their lobbyist have been talking to congress now for several weeks and it is in the news every day.  The congress is supposed to take the matter up soon in a lame duck session.

 

Thomas Friedman in his November 16 editorial about the auto industry got it right under the heading, "Automakers Drive Themselves To Doom."  He asked the question, "do we have to subsidize Detroit sothat it will innovate."  He also described the business as "a very un-innovative business culture and visionless management."  That brings us to the title of this article.

 

On July 23, 2008 I wrote in politidose under the heading, "Innovation: Lost In America."  That article described exactly what is going on today in our business world and why it is happening.  I outlined the problem.  I will not repeat it again here because the article can easily be pulled up on politidose.

 

Corporate America and our elected officials because of Corporate lobbying has become a partnership in greed.  If President-elect Obama is serious about cutting political strings to lobbyist it will be one of the most sound economic decisions he will make. 

 

Greed stands in the way of innovation.  The industries who are in trouble have proven that.  Corporate America can not be trusted to regulate itself, that has also been proven.  Obama and the democratic controlled congress will have an opportunity when Obama takes office to use legislation and other forms of regulations and common sense to redirect our economy where it works for all Americans and not just the wealthy.  The administration must demand innovation to meet the serious challenges we face as a people and a nation.  The average American worker has to share more in the wealth he helps create.  The opportunity is here now and actions needs to be taken.

 

I am of age to remember the effort of American industry and its people during WWII how our country pulled together with innovative idea's and products to successfully defend the country.  That same spirit needs to be reclaimed to replace the greed that has brought our country and its people to this sad state we now find unfolding.  The time to act is now.

A New Beginning

One week ago today, the torch was passed to Barack Obama who will be sworn in as the 44th President on January 20.  

 

The new President will face a host of old and ongoing problems that will need to be addressed --- some, very early on.  And, of course, new problems are bound to surface like always, so it is important that President-elect Obama surround himself with experienced people who can make a difference for our country.

 

It is especially important that the President carry through on his campaign promises to the people; likewise, it is important for the people to realize that those promises can not be implemented in a short period of time.

 

The President-elect and the Democratic controlled Congress should make it clear they intend to balance the federal budget and put our fiscal house in order which can be accomplished with a sound, broad-based economic plan to create a sustained economy with job creation.  Such a plan would lift the middle class and return to them what has been absent during the last 8 years.

 

The transfer of wealth from the middle class to the wealthy has to be stopped, and the average worker should share more in the profits they help create; no CEO should be compensated 400 times more than his average worker. The present economic meltdown should serve as a lesson and example of corporate greed that does nothing to create jobs. 

 

I would hope President-elect Obama with his advisers and the military can find a way to refocus in Afghanistan and eventually withdraw our troops from there while at the same time protecting our country from terrorist acts. We also must end the Iraq war; the people of Iraq are capable of protecting their own security, and, when all is said and done, Iraq and Iran will be close allies contrary to what the neocons have been saying.  Bottom line: occupying soil in the middle east will not unite the various factions.

 

When Obama takes office in January it will close the books on a administration that governed by fear and ideology.  Unfortunately, serious problems created by Bush will still be there for Obama to encounter, but I am convinced he will meet the challenges and truly change direction for our nation.  

Time For Change

Another Republican administration will come to an end in two months with the economy in shambles, massive job losses, layoffs, rising unemployment, massive deficit spending, and debt.  If that sounds all too familiar, it's because that is a description of the republican record and you read it first here on politidose in several articles going back to early this year.

 

Of the last three Republican presidents, Ronald Reagan did the best with the economy, but it too went into decline 18 months before he left office.  He then turned the mess over to Bush 41 who never got hold of the economy and ended up losing his reelection bid to Bill Clinton.

 

All three Republican presidents repeated the same mistake.  They never had a broad base economic policy to create a sustained economy or job creation and instead believed in trickle down economics.  Neither Reagan, Bush 41, or Bush 43 balanced the budget in the 20 years they served, and they are responsible for the majority of the massive national debt which is now in excess of $10 trillion.  It was less than one trillion dollars when Reagan took office.

 

The present Mr. Bush's failed policies are responsible for the massive melt down of the economy and the hardships facing our country.  Republican administrations have repeated and will continue to repeat (if given the chance) the trickle down policy that favors the wealthy over the middle class and has resulted in the greatest transfer of wealth in history.  No economy can be sustained if the middle class does not have the means and resources to fuel the economy.  That is the shameful republican legacy.  It was a Democratic administration led by President Clinton which presided over the greatest economy and job creation in the last 50 years and it was the Clinton administration that advanced the middle class.

 

Those three republican presidents had 20 years to achieve a sustained economy and job creation and help the middle class but they failed the test.  It is time for a change.  Vote Democratic on November 4. 

Overlooked In The Debates

In the second Presidential debate, Senator Obama said if elected President his top priority would be to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels along with other steps to make America "green. " The  news media failed to pick up on this.

 

Making the "greening" of America a priority makes sense, especially at a time of economic crisis.  The greening of America will create new, sustainable jobs quickly.

 

Many times when America has a crisis, we tend to overlook a lot of little things that add to the crisis and as a result never really solve the underlining causes.  The next President will have the opportunity to put our economic house in order.  The worst thing that could happen with falling oil and gas prices is to return to the status quo and have another repeat of higher energy costs down the road.

 

Our new leader has to make the government work for all the people, especially the middle class, who bear the heaviest burden in every economic crisis.  A growing and sustained economy with job creation is fueled by middle class spending, and without that, the economy does not work.  Tax breaks that favor the wealthy at the expense of the middle class do nothing for a sustained economy and job creation; all one has to do is look at the last 8 years and where we are today on the economy.

 

Senator Obama said an Obama administration would set priorities and it should.  One of the things we need to do early on is to get our own fiscal house in order and go back to balancing the federal budget.  That would solve the great majority of our economic problems and let us do those things that really matter and make a difference for our nation and its people.

Tax Facts

The following information was published by Parade Magazine in its October 12 issue.  The below covers income from less that $19,000.00 (the bottom 20% of earners) to $111,600.00.  I think everyone will agree those brackets cover the "middle class" that both candidates talk about.  The readers can judge for themselves just what plan helps the "middle class" the most.

  Obama's Plan:

 

If you make:                                                 Your average tax savings would be:

Less than $19,000.00                                                                            $567.00

$19,000.00 - $37,600.00                                                                         892.00

$37, 600.00 - $66,400.00                                                                       1118.00

$66,400.00 - 111,600.00                                                                        1264.00

 

McCain's Plan:

 

Less than $19,000.00                                                                               $21.00

$19,000.00 - $37,600.00                                                                           118.00

$37,600.00 - $66,400.00                                                                           325.00

$66,400.00 - $111,600.00                                                                         994.00

Obama's Not Muslim, But So What If He Was?

A Must Watch Video: Gen. Colin Powell

Obama's September Fundraising

Another short post, but this is another absolute shocker that's coming out this morning.  In the month of September, in one month, Barack Obama raised $150 million.  This unprecedented fundraising haul came from 632,000 NEW donors plus old donors returning to support Barack.  And to demonstrate the extent to which the Obama campaign is truly a campaign of the people and not one run by the rich and well-connected, the average donation was under $100.  Great job Democrats and other Obama contributors, keep up the tireless work so that come November 5, we have a President-elect who cares about the Middle Class and will bring true change to all of our lives.  

(John McCain, in comparison, has just $84 million to spend from September to November since he took public financing.) 

O M G: Powell Endorses Obama

Today on Meet the Press, Former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs will endorse Senator Barack Obama for President.  Sure, a Powell endorsement of Obama was always rumored, but I never thought that it would actually come to fruition. Powell, a long time Republican, I though, was sure to either stay neutral or endorse his party's candidate, John McCain.  And while Powell no doubt deserves some blame for the Iraq War, politically, this endorsement is huge for Obama and an even bigger embarrassment for John McCain.  

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Actually, make that 100,000 words....

Republicans May Censure Their Own

In a story carried by the New Orleans Times Picayune, Roger Villere, the state GOP chairman, and the Louisiana Republican Party is considering ways to discipline more than two dozen prominent Republicans publicly backing incumbent Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu over her GOP opponent, Treasurer John Kennedy.

 

Villere was quoted as saying, "When high-profiled elected Republicans endorse Democrats, it sends the message that we are not united and confuses the Republican message."  In other words, party comes first and the country comes second, and if you are a Republican official you should not have a right to endorse the candidate of your choice or that candidate you think is best qualified to serve the people.  As extreme as that sounds, that is the exact message of Villere and the Republican Party.

 

As a Democrat, I don't get particularly concerned when Democrats disagree with their party on certain issues; I would rather have Democrats have their own independent thoughts rather than just follow the party line.  Republicans meet every day, come up with talking points, and repeat the message over and over like robots; Democrats don't have that problem.

 

The most embarrassing episode for the GOP in this intense Senate race is that four major Republican officials from St. Tammany Parish (where Kennedy lives) are supporting Senator Landrieu.  The real story here is that Senator Landrieu is doing her job representing the people she serves, and even Republicans are aware of her bipartisanship and importance as a senior senator.

The Wealth Parade Continues

Because of what is happening on Wall Street and in the financing industry, lets take a look back at the May 5 issue of Forbes Magazine where Forbes ran a story on the top 20 individual earners of hedge and private equity funds.  Those top 20 earned a combined total of $18.7 billion last year, up 43% from 2006.  Part of the headline reads, "crumbling home prices and $100 oil helped wall street's highest earners to pull in $19 billion last year."  If you averaged out what those 20 earners made, their average earnings would be $935 million each in 2007.  

 

T. Boone Pickens was one of the 20, earning $1.2 billion.  His hedge fund, BP Capital Equity, grew 24% while his commodity fund grew 40% due to large positions in Suncor Energy, Exxon-Mobil, and Occidental Petroleum.  This is the same T. Boone Pickens who now wants to replace gasoline with natural gas as the fuel for automobiles.  

 

Those 20 earners are only a drop in the bucket of the wealthy; their power is so great as to be able to manipulate the financial markets for their own personal gain.  When the market loses 700 points, and price shares are dropping, they are the ones with the financial resources to scoop up those shares.  There is nothing wrong with being wealthy, but when 1% of the people own 50% of stocks, that's called a monopoly.

 

To make matters worse for Americans, the following headline appeared in a major newspaper on September 30.  "Three institutions have been gobbling up financial giants as fast as they fall, building unprecedented market power."  The three to which the headline referred were Bank of America, Citigroup, and J.P. Morgan Chase --- just what the average American needs, another powerful monopoly to control money and wealth and to stick it to the average working American. 

 

If ever our country needed people power, middle class people power at that, it is now.  We have the votes to change things this November, and it is our duty to do so.

The Truth About Taxes

Parade magazine recently ran an article that examined the tax plans of Senators Barack Obama and John McCain. Tax policy expert Alan Viard of the Conservative American Enterprise Institute said the following:

 

While the aggregate tax cut is bigger for McCain, a larger number of voters get more money under Obama's plan.  Obama is choosing to emphasize tax cuts for the middle class, whereas McCain's strategy is to keep rates lower at the top as a way to facilitate long-run growth.  For example, a person with an income of $1 million could see his taxes increase under Obama by $94,000, whereas under McCain's plan he could save $48,000.. 

 

For those who follow the economy and past tax plans of Republicans, one can quickly see McCain's tax plan represents the failed ideology of trickle down economics.  As recent as seven years ago, President Bush pushed his tax plan that benefited the wealthy and said that his tax plan would create a sustained economy, new job creation, and investments by the business community.  So far, those objectives have never been reached, and instead we have had two recessions, Wall Street and financial market melt downs, and the use of billions of dollars of taxpayers money to bail out corporate America.

 

The country can no longer afford this Republican tax give away at the expense of the average American. Where is the long-run growth that Republicans promised?  Nowhere to be found, and now it's time for the middle class to have the benefit of tax relief.