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.