Most of us having been watching the growing "Occupy Wall Street" movement the past few weeks. It is a lose-knit group of people mainly venting the frustration felt by the majority of Americans concerned about the inability of our financial and public institutions to solve the economic problems that have put millions out of work and sapped our savings and even our will to believe in the American Dream.
The protesters, and many other American across the country, are frustrated and angry. We are frustrated and angry over the lack of any real solutions, but I don't think that alone is fueling the protests in Manhattan and other American cities. What has finally gotten the great silent majority (Remember that term?) of Americans to take notice and raise their voices is the disconnect between the general population and the people in Washington, New York and our state capitals.
Even President Obama doesn't get it. He has made attempts to make us think he understands, but it is all too obvious that he doesn't. He is busy campaigning for his take-it-or-leave-it "jobs bill" when what most of us want is for him to find a way to work with the Nough Boys in the Republican Congress.
The Republicans want to continue the status quo for Big Business, while Obama says he wants to use a balanced approach of budget cuts and new taxes to try to dig us out of the current jobs and financial disaster. That makes sense to many of us. The problem is, he is not addressing the issues many of us see as critical to regaining the support and trust of what the protesters refer to as "The 99%."
Many of the financial problems seem to stem from the melt down of the housing market caused by the deregulation of the banking and financial industries started by Bill Clinton and continued under the Bush Administration. Obama continues to employ several of the same people who helped strip away many of the regulations that protected the middle class. This has allowed big banks and financial firms to bilk millions of Americans out of their homes and retirement savings with reckless, immoral and illegal schemes.
We have the fox guarding the hen house. He needs to clean house and get some new faces with new ideas into his inner circle. Next, he needs to demand that the institutions that we bailed out with our tax dollars stop doing business the same way. The people who caused the problems continue to make big profits, pay big bonuses to their executives and sit on large amounts of cash while the rest of us struggle or even sink into the financial abyss. The President and Congress do nothing to right this wrong. We wonder why nobody has been put on trial for this huge immoral transfer of funds from the masses to the corporate robbers. The president says most of what they did was not illegal. That means he believes that some of it was illegal. Go after those who committed the crimes you think you can prove; put them in jail and take back the looted funds. How hard is that to understand?
Mr. President, it is time to shake things up. You are a sports fan and understand that if the team is not achieving its potential you have to make changes. Fire the assistant coaches, or we, the owners of this country, will fire you. We believe that the game is rigged and is working in favor of the new Robber Barons.
This is becoming class warfare, but it is a war being created by the business elite and their cronies in government. They claim that we want to steal from the rich and give their hard-earned money to the rest of the people. That is, of course, not true. We want to stop giving billions of dollars to major corporations and make them stand on their own. The business and government elites don't understand this. They yell class warfare, when all we want is a square deal.
The politicians are only trying to maintain their status and their place in the food chain, and the place of those who keep them well-fed and in office. We want a fair economy; capitalism not cronyism. Don't believe the robbers who say that we can't take the advantages from the "job creators." We have been funding them for decades. Where are the jobs? They are sitting on the cash they got from our taxes and living the high life, while much of the rest of the country struggles to stay afloat. That's not fair and the American people are starting to figure that out.
Beware awakening the sleeping dog. It's bite can be very painful, just ask the former leaders of Egypt.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Sucking us Dry
News Report -
* At a Brooklyn hearing yesterday of the legislative task force on redistricting, several local Democratic lawmakers got into testy back-and-forths with capital region Assemblyman Jack McEneny, a fellow Democrat who co-chairs the redistricting panel. Councilwoman Letitia James scolded the panel in testimony for not having any African-American members, then made an inaccurate point about the panel, which prompted McEneny to blurt out, “You’re wrong.” That led James to compare McEneny to Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina, of “You lie!” fame. Later, Assemblyman Nick Perry groused that the public could not attend the hearing because it was held at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday. McEneny responded that nighttime hearings would end at 3 a.m., telling Perry, “What if everyone went over the five minute limit – as you did? … Maybe we’ll just have to end with elected officials next time.”
Isn’t it long past time for Jack McEneny a double-dipping, almost invisible dinosaur to just go away? Let’s hope that the Democrats of Albany County blow this guy out of the water at the next election. He should be the poster boy for those who want to institute Recall in NYS.
this the the Assemblyman that you almost never see or hear anything from who retired from the NYS Assembly a couple of years ago and began collecting a full pension, then went right on holding onto that Assembly seat, collecting a full salary and benefits on top of a pension for the position from which he retired. He sees nothing wrong with ripping off the taxpayers of NY in this shameless money grabbing tactic.
* At a Brooklyn hearing yesterday of the legislative task force on redistricting, several local Democratic lawmakers got into testy back-and-forths with capital region Assemblyman Jack McEneny, a fellow Democrat who co-chairs the redistricting panel. Councilwoman Letitia James scolded the panel in testimony for not having any African-American members, then made an inaccurate point about the panel, which prompted McEneny to blurt out, “You’re wrong.” That led James to compare McEneny to Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina, of “You lie!” fame. Later, Assemblyman Nick Perry groused that the public could not attend the hearing because it was held at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday. McEneny responded that nighttime hearings would end at 3 a.m., telling Perry, “What if everyone went over the five minute limit – as you did? … Maybe we’ll just have to end with elected officials next time.”
Isn’t it long past time for Jack McEneny a double-dipping, almost invisible dinosaur to just go away? Let’s hope that the Democrats of Albany County blow this guy out of the water at the next election. He should be the poster boy for those who want to institute Recall in NYS.
this the the Assemblyman that you almost never see or hear anything from who retired from the NYS Assembly a couple of years ago and began collecting a full pension, then went right on holding onto that Assembly seat, collecting a full salary and benefits on top of a pension for the position from which he retired. He sees nothing wrong with ripping off the taxpayers of NY in this shameless money grabbing tactic.
It Shouldn't Be This Hard
If the Republican Nough Boys would just shut up for a minute and listen, some of the proposals put out by President Obama, like reforming the tax code (I know, I’m dreaming) and the way we deliver and pay for healthcare make sense.
The Tea Partiers are wagging the Republican Party’s tail by demanding that there be no tax hikes; at least for their friends and supporters. They really want us to believe that adding a couple of thousand dollars to the amount of taxes paid by folks making a lot of money will cause them to move and stop creating jobs. So, remind me, how many jobs did those Bush tax cuts for the rich actually produce? Most people, and banks, are just hanging onto that extra cash. Add the costly, stupid and maybe criminal incursion into Iraq, stir in the deregulation of the banking and financial industries begun by Clinton and continued by Bush and Obama and you have the makings of the economic meltdown.
Raising the income level for tax increases to $500,000 and tweaking Medicare and Medicaid to reduce those costs a little seem to make sense to most of us. I think if you picked about 100 citizens at random and put them in a hotel with some of those $16 government corn muffins and they would probably come up with a decent package of cuts and revenue enhancements. Then we could have Rambo, Dirty Harry and MR T deliver it to Congress and glare at them until the dweebs sign it, resign and go home; in that order. We can elect a bunch of new people and give them a shot at some graft and free limo rides for a while.
Pissed off does not begin to express the disgust with which I view this ugly, rotten, dirty and self-serving political climate in this country. I am willing to be I am not alone, but will we have the balls to push the people we send to D.C. and our various state capitals to stop selling their asses to whoever will pay for the reelection to do what is right for the country? I hope so, but I'm not holding my breath.
The Tea Partiers are wagging the Republican Party’s tail by demanding that there be no tax hikes; at least for their friends and supporters. They really want us to believe that adding a couple of thousand dollars to the amount of taxes paid by folks making a lot of money will cause them to move and stop creating jobs. So, remind me, how many jobs did those Bush tax cuts for the rich actually produce? Most people, and banks, are just hanging onto that extra cash. Add the costly, stupid and maybe criminal incursion into Iraq, stir in the deregulation of the banking and financial industries begun by Clinton and continued by Bush and Obama and you have the makings of the economic meltdown.
Raising the income level for tax increases to $500,000 and tweaking Medicare and Medicaid to reduce those costs a little seem to make sense to most of us. I think if you picked about 100 citizens at random and put them in a hotel with some of those $16 government corn muffins and they would probably come up with a decent package of cuts and revenue enhancements. Then we could have Rambo, Dirty Harry and MR T deliver it to Congress and glare at them until the dweebs sign it, resign and go home; in that order. We can elect a bunch of new people and give them a shot at some graft and free limo rides for a while.
Pissed off does not begin to express the disgust with which I view this ugly, rotten, dirty and self-serving political climate in this country. I am willing to be I am not alone, but will we have the balls to push the people we send to D.C. and our various state capitals to stop selling their asses to whoever will pay for the reelection to do what is right for the country? I hope so, but I'm not holding my breath.
Friday, June 10, 2011
It's Only Fair
The news below was reported by Jacob Gershman in the Wall Street Journal.
Wait, what did I miss? When did we start holding elected officials accountable? Politicians beat up photographers, slap staffers, betray the public trust, hide their dealings with people doing business with the government, misuse public property, and yet seldom seem to suffer any legal ramifications. Hey, we are usually too dumb even to pay attention to what they are doing after we elect them let alone vote the bad ones out of office.
Lawmakers in Albany say they're tired of being treated as punching bags. One is taking those concerns literally.
State Sen. Eric Adams, a Democrat from Brooklyn, wants to adjust the penal code so that sentences for assaulting elected officials are harsher than for attacking regular civilians.
He's proposing to establish the felony offense of assaulting an elected official. Those convicted of such a crime would face up to 5½ years—more than double the maximum term normally handed down.
"If we're holding elected officials accountable for their role as public servants," said Mr. Adams…
Wait, what did I miss? When did we start holding elected officials accountable? Politicians beat up photographers, slap staffers, betray the public trust, hide their dealings with people doing business with the government, misuse public property, and yet seldom seem to suffer any legal ramifications. Hey, we are usually too dumb even to pay attention to what they are doing after we elect them let alone vote the bad ones out of office.
All that said, I think Senator Adams is right. Politicians are sometimes targeted because of their notoriety, so the law is a good idea and probably should be enacted. However, It should not even be considered until the Legislature passes an ethics law that will actually hold elected officials accountable for their actions while in office. The ethics law should also make them reveal who they and their outside business entities do business with and how much they earn from those dealings. The law must also make sure that there will actually be proceedings against legislators who violate the public trust and the law of the land. The recently passed ethics legislation will not do that.
One more thing; this Legislature must also outlaw the outrageous situation that allows members of the Legislature, like Jack McEneny, to retire from their job as a Legislator and collect their retirement while also collecting a salary and stipend as a full-time Legislator.
No wonder so many people want to punch these dickweeds.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Great Day
This is reposted from early 2010 since it blew up with an earlier blog.
Okay, I'm sure it wasn't as big a deal for her, but yesterday was special for me. I drove my youngest daughter to an open house for accepted grad students at a college about 90 minutes from home. She's been accepted at two good schools and wait-listed at another. Smart kid.
The morning began with breakfast at a diner before we hit the road. She was dressed in business casual clothes and had on real shoes and makeup. She looked great. No big deal you think for a 21 year old college senior. Oh contraire. This is a kid who wore almost nothing but sweats, sneakers and flip flops for the first 18-19 years of her life. She played basketball and soccer through high school and then continued soccer in college, so had lots of athletic wear, but not a great deal of variety in street clothes.
I always pictured her older sister, also an athlete for most of her life, as the hard working serious student. She will graduate from Optometry school fourth in her class in June. Take a closer look dummy (nickname my brother gave me). Little One (my nickname for her) is entering a serious Masters program and is already looking ahead to doctoral programs at other institutions. Wait; when did the quick-as-a-cat athlete with the brains to generate grades without an outward appearance of hard work, turn into a serious student with a definite career plan? Long before I was smart enough to recognize it, I assure you.
Life hasn't been too bad for me so far. I will always have doubts about some of the choices I've made regarding career - such as it is - and some of the bizarre personal decisions in my portfolio, but there is no doubt that seeing these two terrific young women grow up has been a privilege. I say with no false modesty at all that their mother, and their own strength of character, is the reason they have become who they are. I am thankful to have been along for the ride.
I sometimes think about how fast it has gone and will often tell them both how much I miss them when they were younger; and I was smarter and more relevant. I then think of something my mother said late one night when my brother and I were having one of our after dark talks. She told us how much she enjoyed being around us as young adults. We could discuss books that contained words of more than one syllable and form opinions about important topics. That has now happened with my girls; and is not such a bad thing after all. They have discovered most of my faults and, shall we say, idiosyncrasies by now and accept them for what they are. We sometimes have those interesting conversations I remember having with my mother and brother. They will always roll their eyes at some of my words and actions, but are becoming more tolerant of the weirdness as they get older.
I'm still not prepared to be a responsible member of society except when absolutely necessary, but I certainly don't mind being known as my daughters' dad. When they turn out as well as these two have, it is certainly good for the image to be associated with them, rather than some of the people and experiences before they came along and changed my life.
Okay, I'm sure it wasn't as big a deal for her, but yesterday was special for me. I drove my youngest daughter to an open house for accepted grad students at a college about 90 minutes from home. She's been accepted at two good schools and wait-listed at another. Smart kid.
The morning began with breakfast at a diner before we hit the road. She was dressed in business casual clothes and had on real shoes and makeup. She looked great. No big deal you think for a 21 year old college senior. Oh contraire. This is a kid who wore almost nothing but sweats, sneakers and flip flops for the first 18-19 years of her life. She played basketball and soccer through high school and then continued soccer in college, so had lots of athletic wear, but not a great deal of variety in street clothes.
I always pictured her older sister, also an athlete for most of her life, as the hard working serious student. She will graduate from Optometry school fourth in her class in June. Take a closer look dummy (nickname my brother gave me). Little One (my nickname for her) is entering a serious Masters program and is already looking ahead to doctoral programs at other institutions. Wait; when did the quick-as-a-cat athlete with the brains to generate grades without an outward appearance of hard work, turn into a serious student with a definite career plan? Long before I was smart enough to recognize it, I assure you.
Life hasn't been too bad for me so far. I will always have doubts about some of the choices I've made regarding career - such as it is - and some of the bizarre personal decisions in my portfolio, but there is no doubt that seeing these two terrific young women grow up has been a privilege. I say with no false modesty at all that their mother, and their own strength of character, is the reason they have become who they are. I am thankful to have been along for the ride.
I sometimes think about how fast it has gone and will often tell them both how much I miss them when they were younger; and I was smarter and more relevant. I then think of something my mother said late one night when my brother and I were having one of our after dark talks. She told us how much she enjoyed being around us as young adults. We could discuss books that contained words of more than one syllable and form opinions about important topics. That has now happened with my girls; and is not such a bad thing after all. They have discovered most of my faults and, shall we say, idiosyncrasies by now and accept them for what they are. We sometimes have those interesting conversations I remember having with my mother and brother. They will always roll their eyes at some of my words and actions, but are becoming more tolerant of the weirdness as they get older.
I'm still not prepared to be a responsible member of society except when absolutely necessary, but I certainly don't mind being known as my daughters' dad. When they turn out as well as these two have, it is certainly good for the image to be associated with them, rather than some of the people and experiences before they came along and changed my life.
Friday, May 13, 2011
The Real John McCain Stands Up
This is the John McCain I remember and respect. His voice is the most credible in the Senate on this particular issue. He is absolutely right when he says we are supposed to be better than this. I believe this is exactly the kind of stance most Americans would point to as an example of what they consider to be American Exceptionalism.
Most Americans don’t want us to be the world’s police officer or the bully on the block. They want us to be on the side of right in every fight; not the side that will benefit us most economically or politically. Many Americans still view America as an ideal. America stands for opportunity, fairness, righteousness and the rule of law.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43007276/ns/politics-more_politics
Most Americans don’t want us to be the world’s police officer or the bully on the block. They want us to be on the side of right in every fight; not the side that will benefit us most economically or politically. Many Americans still view America as an ideal. America stands for opportunity, fairness, righteousness and the rule of law.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43007276/ns/politics-more_politics
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
BE VEWWY, VEWY CAREFUL
New system will allow government to supersede all cell phone traffic to blast emergency messages. Read more here…
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/05/09/2011-05-09_new_yorkers_soon_to_get_emergency_cell_phone_alerts_in_what_bloomberg_calls_quan.html
This is a great idea, but must be watched closely to make sure that cell service is not interrupted to prevent people from communicating or getting information when they want or need it. This should be used only in times of an extreme and imminent emergency. If I'm in the midst of an obscene phone call, I don't want somebody reminding me about alternate side parking or to remember to pay my taxes. I fear that it is only a matter of time before some dimwit in the legislature or Congress decides to sell time on this system to businesses for commercial messages. We do have a shortfall in revenue, you know. Paranoia runs deep.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/05/09/2011-05-09_new_yorkers_soon_to_get_emergency_cell_phone_alerts_in_what_bloomberg_calls_quan.html
This is a great idea, but must be watched closely to make sure that cell service is not interrupted to prevent people from communicating or getting information when they want or need it. This should be used only in times of an extreme and imminent emergency. If I'm in the midst of an obscene phone call, I don't want somebody reminding me about alternate side parking or to remember to pay my taxes. I fear that it is only a matter of time before some dimwit in the legislature or Congress decides to sell time on this system to businesses for commercial messages. We do have a shortfall in revenue, you know. Paranoia runs deep.
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