Time For Action

Both Presidential candidates and their party have attacked the excesses of corporate America, Wall Street, CEO's golden parachutes, and other extreme benefits to the wealthy.  It's a good sign but remember this is an election year.

 

If both parties are serious about this rape of America, now is the time for Democrats and Republicans in Congress to come together and demand, "no more."  They should put corporate America and their lobbyists on notice.  There will be regulation, oversight, checks and balances, and accountability. No more special favors and no more special access to members of Congress. 

 

The second thing both parties must do is review the tax code and eliminate all the loopholes that benefit the wealthy and well-off.  Loopholes and special favors do not get into the tax code by accident --- Congress put them there and Congress needs to fix it.

 

Reigning in the excess of corporate America won't be easy, but it can be accomplished if both parties exhibit backbone.  The time is right and the voting public should demand action and hold both parties accountable for their actions, or rather, inactions.

Stephanie Tubbs Jones: 1949-2008

I would like to send my condolences to the family of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones.  I think I speak for all of us when I say that I will for always remember her enthusiasm during this primary season.  She was a woman of great accomplishment who served Ohio proudly in the Congress and will be greatly missed.  

Campaign Finance Reform Made Easy

Since we are in the middle of a Presidential campaign and fundraising is still going on by both candidates, lets talk about reform:

 

Senator Obama, after securing the Democratic nomination, informed the Democratic National Committee not to accept any campaign contributions from lobbyists or special interest groups --- a good move for the American people and for politics in general.  However, individual Democrats running for office can still accept campaign contributions from those groups and that has to be changed if true reform is to ever be accomplished.  

Senator McCain, the Republican candidate, on the other hand, does receive contributions from lobbyists and special interest groups and has had representatives of those groups on his campaign staff.  

To complete the circle on the Democratic side, every Democrat in Congress should announce that they will not accept any campaign contributions from lobbyists or special interest groups and will use public financing starting now.  No tricks, no gimmicks, no loopholes --- just plain old fashion common sense that no court can strike down and where the people can get an honest shake.  At the same time, the Democrats should announce that those groups will be seen by them on the same basis they see the average taxpayer.  Access to elected officials should be the same for everyone. 

 

The practice of taking trips with special interest groups or using their planes and lodging also has to stop.  If a trip is necessary, it can be taken by the elected official and his aids.  No special interest people allowed.  The average American would not mind the government picking up the tab if the fact finding trip is necessary.

 

Elected officials would tell you this is naive thinking and it would not work.  But of course it would work if elected officials had the backbone and character to stand up and be counted.  It is very simple: stand up for the American people; no legislation and/or debate is required.  The Democrats in Congress should adopt this approach and change the game while letting the Republican brand die with the present corrupt system of special interest.

George W. Bush: What Could Have Been

When George W. Bush leaves office in 10 months, the U.S. will have gone through a tragedy and a dark age for the past eight years.  Never in my lifetime has our country witnessed so much incompetence, arrogance, and self proclaimed righteousness by our President.  And it happened concerning everything he has touched.  Lets examine the record.

 

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY:  Bush inherited a $5.6 trillion surplus and 4 years of balanced budgets from the previous administration.  He not only blew that in his first year in office, but also gave the country the largest federal budget deficits in history.  When he leaves office he will have added over $4 trillion to the national debt.

 

THE WAR ON TERROR AND 9-11:  Bush failed to fight the real war on terror against the people who harmed our country on 9-11.  The war in Afghanistan is going bad according to recent reports and may even be lost.  We and our NATO allies in Afghanistan still have a token presence there seven years after 9-11.  We just added more Marines and are trying to get NATO to add more troops.  The problem: our resources are being wasted in Iraq instead.

 

THE WAR AND OCCUPATION OF IRAQ:  Bush started the war and occupation of Iraq over WMD that did not exist and tried to plant the seed in the peoples' mind that Saddam was involved with Al Qaeda.  The President did not have the wisdom or character to make sure the intelligence was right.  Instead, he manipulated the intelligence as an excuse to go to war.  After 5 years of war and occupation, the President still can not tell the American people when this war will end or how.

 

SOCIAL SECURITY:  The President sunk any chance of keeping Social Security on a sound footing with his reckless deficit spending and insisting on private accounts.  This is the same President who told the people he would do something about Social Security.  There was enough money in the $5.6 trillion surplus to make a difference in the program, but he blew it.

 

THE ENVIRONMENT:  The President failed to have the U.S. join the Keyoto accord and left the safety of the environment in the hands of the polluters whose only regulations were to police themselves.  Bush has even refused to recognize a problem exists. 

 

LEADERSHIP:  The President lost the moral mantle of world leadership with his arrogant go-it-alone, I'm-right attitude and tried to assume the position of "king of the world."  He also has lost the respect of the American people and his approval rating still stands at around 32%.

 

THE ECONOMY:  The economy has gone through one recession and another one is looming.  $110 barrel oil with no end in sight, job losses, home ownership in peril with record foreclosures, a mortgage crisis, and the President still does not have an economic policy.  He only has a tax policy.  He has no policy to bring down oil prices and no policy deal with all the other economic problems the country faces.  He is without any solutions.

 

SECRECY:  The most secret administration in my lifetime is the current one.  Afraid to let the American people judge the truth for themselves, Bush has openly lied about the Valarie Plame issue.  Cheney has kept his meeting agenda with the energy companies secret.  The President secretly authorized wire tapping of Americans without a warrant from the FISA court.  The list goes on and on, including torture. 

 

A DIVIDER, NOT A UNITER:  The President openly divides the American people with his ideology and arrogance.  He is such a small person he has to accuse people of not supporting our troops when they disagree with his Iraq failures. 

 

THE MILITARY:  Our brave men and women are over extended with 3 and 4 deployments in Iraq with no end in sight.  Our wounded veterans came home to the horrors of the Walter Reed Hospital, where they received treatment or the lack there of.  The recruiting of members in our armed forces has been declining because of the war in Iraq and the toll it has taken on our military families.  Going into the sixth year of war in Iraq, our troops still do not have the necessary equipment to protect themselves.  It's bad enough the President got us into Iraq and refuses to do the right thing by leaving, but he should at least have the decency to care for those he sends to fight the needless war. 

 

CONGRESS:  Bush used the Republican controlled Congress in a partisan way to promote the neocon ideology and to block any legislation proposed by Democrats.  The energy problem, fiscal discipline, a true economic policy, and other progressive policies that could have greatly benefitted the American people were ignored. 

 

MONEY AND GREED:  Bush's policy is let business regulate itself and everything will be fine.  Yea, for the wealthy.  No checks and balances needed.  Plant the seed that oil inventories are being depleted in order to run up the price.  Destabilize the Middle East and Iraq in a war over WMD that did not exist to assist the escalation of oil prices.

 

The list can go on and on, but the American people understand.  The bottom line is that the country and its people were better off in all walks of life under the previous administration and were also safer.  Bush has accomplished just what he set out to do.  Reverse the progress that America enjoyed and instead govern with an ideology that has been destructive and divisive.  

 

This is the President who had the country and the world behind him after the tragic event of 9-11 and so much good could have been done, but he exploited that unity by using the good will of the people to undermine our Constitution and what America and its people stand for.

GOP's Hypocrisy Continues At Bush Press Conference

At his news conference on December 20, Mr. Bush threatened to cancel earmarks (pet projects) that Congress passed in legislation.  He claimed that he ordered his budget chief to review options for not implementing them.  This is the same President who signed every single earmark legislation by the Republican controlled Congress for the first 6 years of his administration.  It is a phony issue by a President who is so small of a person, he still can not tell the truth.  

 

The Democrats, who took over control of Congress, said they would reduce earmarks and they did exactly that in this bill Bush referred to.  A count by "Taxpayers for Common Sense", a group that fights earmarks, reported that the bill sent to Mr. Bush has 25% less earmarks and is less costly than the all time high set by the Republican Congress and Bush in 2005.  Regardless what the subject is, this President just can't tell the truth.

 

Ever since the invasion and occupation of Iraq over WMD that did not exist, Mr. Bush has sent his own earmarks to Congress and outside the budget process at that.  As of this writing, his Iraqi earmarks have totaled close to a half trillion dollars.  Not only is Bush's deficit spending paying for those earmarks, but so is the money borrowed to pay interest for the dramatic increased in the national debt that he has run on the taxpayers.

Once again, President Bush and the Republicans have demonstrated why they are hypocrites.  They utter not one word about their own, record-high earmarks, but when the Democrats cut earmarks by 25%, they cry foul.  

Future Iraq Funding

If President Bush asks Congress for more money for Iraq next year, other than what has already been approved, here is how the Democrats need to handle any such request.

 

Since Bush has always requested money for Iraq outside of the budget process without any plans to pay for the war except to continue his deficit spending, the Democrats should handle it as a separate item and not mix it with any other legislation.  Bring it to a vote and let the Congress vote.  The Republicans can't muster the 60 votes needed in the Senate so the legislation would fail.  Bush will then go into his self serving statement about Democrats not supporting the troops.

 

The Democrats need not be afraid of that any more and should repeat over and over it is Bush who does not support our troops; he sent them off to fight a war and occupation in Iraq over WMD that did not exist.  The reason Bush's approval rating is between 29-30% is because the people understand the way Bush has lied to the country and that it is his own actions that does not support our troops and in fact he is using our troops as pawns to play God in the Middle East. 

 

Keep in mind, if neither Republican or Democrats in the Senate can reach 60 votes, the measure is dead.  There is enough money in the pipe line to bring our troops home safe.  No more funding.

The Rosetta Stone To The War In Iraq (Part II)

Click here for Part I

The most important piece of the Rosetta Stone to the Iraq War was the U.N inspectors who were on the ground in Iraq.  They were there 7 straight years after the 1991 Gulf War and they returned prior to the invasion in March 2003.  Why was that important?  Because after no WMD were found by our own inspectors, Mr. Kay and Mr. Duelfer, the Bush administration, the CIA, and many military officers, especially those who appeared on the cable networks, were telling the American people the reasons we were so wrong were because the U.S. had no humint (human intelligence) on the ground in Iraq. 

 

Well there was the U.N. humint on the ground in Iraq doing their job.  That humint on the ground in Iraq were not only experienced weapons inspectors, but one among them was Scott Ritter, an outspoken American Marine who was on the ground in Iraq from the beginning.  He wrote a book about the inspectors in Iraq after the Gulf War and pointed out that the CIA tried to manipulate the U.N. inspectors and were more interested in spying on Iraq than the hunt for WMD.

 

The U.N. weapons inspectors went back before the 2003 invasion and said over and over again, in public and before the U.N., that they disarmed Iraq, destroyed the weapons they found, and destroyed the equipment used in the manufacture of weapons.  Scott Ritter was on television almost every night in 2002 and 2003 telling the country over and over again that Iraq had no WMD.  The Bush administration along with the others who clamored for the war tried to discredit him and the U.N. inspectors.  Bush would have no part of their "human intelligence" on the ground.  It should also be pointed out that despite Bush's rhetoric about WMD, the CIA could not provide the U.N. inspectors any useful information on these WMD. (Of course we all know why.)

 

George Bush and Dick Cheney tried to undermine the U.N. inspectors and the job they were doing by putting any obstacle in the way they could think of.  Our own inspectors, Kay and Duelfel, proved the U.N. inspectors were right.  Bush knew if the U.N. inspectors were allowed to complete their job as Germany and France wanted them to, there would be no war.  So Bush ordered them out and started a war that the neocons said would be a cakewalk.

Mr. Bush and his neocon team were bent on going to war with Iraq from the very beginning of his administration.  Paul O'Neill, Mr. Bush's first Treasury Secretary pointed out in his book, "The Price of Loyalty", that just 10 days in office and all the talk was about Iraq.  Getting Saddam was clearly the administration's focus.  Condi Rice, the National Security Adviser at the time, said that Iraq might be the key to reshaping the entire region.  

 

Then, still very early in office, O'Neill was reading a document that CIA director Tenent passed out.  It laid out a plan of covert activity around the globe.  At its core was the enabling provision that there be virtually no civilian oversight.  The concept was tell us (CIA) how you want to look Mr. President and we'll handle the rest. 

 

That was an astounding un-American document.  It of course led to the ultimate lie: WMD that did not exist.  The cover up of the truth dealing with the war is still going.  We also know, from all the other scandals of this administration, that they have the ability to escape oversight and disclosure. 

 

I was born during the WWII generation, so I have seen a lot of wars and how our past Presidents acted during those wars.  However, the way Mr. Bush used our military power in starting an unnecessary war and occupation over WMD that did not exist is shameful.  His arrogance, lies, and distortion of the truth and the covert way he has run the White House, have defamed the Presidency and what our country is all about.  Worst of all, he put our men and women in uniform at risk when our national security was not in danger.

 

There was a time when Republicans and Democrats alike in Congress took a stand against President Nixon and told him he had to resign or be impeached.  Those members of Congress put their country first.  It is time for Republicans and Democrats who make up the present congress to draw the line, face their responsibilities as Americans, and inform Mr. Bush he has to go, one way or another.  One more year in office is much too long for this reckless President.  It's time that the current members of Congress put Americans and their country first.

Corporate America: Leaving the Average American in the Dust

Corporate America has the power to transform the quality of life for its employees and the people of this country.  They have failed to do so because of their greed.  They give exorbitant bonuses, stock options, and the like to their CEOs and executives, even when their companies are losing money.  This is done at the expense of their faithful employees who make everything possible for the company.

 

At a time when health insurance and retirement benefits are being reduced for the average worker, (some benefits are being eliminated) CEOs and executives are still receiving their exorbitant bonuses and stock options.  All the while corporate America enjoys the advantage of loop holes in federal tax laws that allows them to pay less tax than the average American.

 

They also enjoy corporate welfare from the federal government under the disguise of need.  If CEOs and Executives were given bonuses and stock options at a ratio that can be related to their average worker's salary, the excess they are now being paid could be diverted to a health insurance fund for their employees.  That would alleviate the reduction in health coverage employees are experiencing.  But, of course, greed gets in the way. 

 

It is also corporate America that spends millions of dollars to hire lobbyists, some have their own lobbyists within their company.  Their purpose is to influence Congress and State Legislatures so they can receive special treatment while the average American, when contacting their representatives, receive either a standard reply or none at all.  

It is time for Congress and State Legislatures to show lobbyists the door and treat them like the average American.  Corporate America and their lobbyists have destroyed the checks and balances that were created to take care of the average person's business.  Their greed has corrupted our system and something must be done to change it. 

Pelosi and Reid Say "No More" To Bush

Finally, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are taking a firm stand against the Iraq War. Both Pelosi and Reid plan to present President Bush with a $50 billion measure for the Iraq War with the condition that the President begins to bring this disaster of a war to an end. This will be the toughest worded spending bill for the Iraq War since Democrats took control of Congress back last November. And if Bush goes against the wishes of the American people and vetoes the spending bill, he will not get his (and I emphasize "his") war funded for the rest of this year and possibly longer.

Even though I am enthralled that Democrats in Congress are finally taking strong, progressive steps to end the Iraq War debacle, I must admit that I wish it didn't come to this. I have stated in the past that it is the Republicans' responsibility to do what the American people want and bring this war to a safe end. Democrats have been fighting to end this war for years, but they simply do not have the numbers to overcome the Republicans. Pelosi and Reid do get unfairly blamed for not ending the war. Americans should not get angry at the Democrats for not ending the war, they should instead put pressure on the Republicans. It is the Republicans who keep the war going; not the Democrats.

With that being said, it is pretty clear that the Republicans weren't going to do the right thing. They refuse to break with their President and they continue to support a failed policy. So what were Pelosi and Reid going to do? I certainly do not think that funding should just be cut off all together. The troops, as Joe Biden has artfully pointed out, deserve to get the equipment that they need. Yet, at the same time, I feel we are doing them just as much harm by not ending this war. So what are we going to do?

Well, in Pelosi and Reid's proposal, I find a sort of "middle-ground." The Democrats are not cutting off funding for the troops; if anything, they are helping them. It is now on George Bush's hands to decide what course will be taken. Will he defy Congress and the American people yet again by continuing the war? Or will he finally recognize that the war is doing nothing but harming America in every way possible? If Bush does the former, he will be in essence cutting the funding off himself. It will then be the responsibility of the Republican's in Congress to override Bush's veto. If they don't, then they will be to blame for not supporting the troops. The Iraq War is no longer a partisan issue; Americans want it to end. And as usual, it is the Democrats who fight and who will continue to fight for the American people. I pray that the President and the GOP do the right thing and support this bill and begin to bring our brave men and women home...where they belong.