Why Congressman Patrick Murphy Withstood GOP Sweep

In the wake of the Republican tsunami nationally, many may find it surprising that Congressman Patrick Murphy, a Democrat, won reelection in a Republican leaning district, in a decidedly Red state. And he won the election by almost 20 points.

As a former registered Republican I, along with many voters in Florida's 18th district, recognized that Murphy, during his first term, put politics aside and worked across the aisle to accomplish many things for the benefit of our veterans, small businesses and the environment. He exhibited effective leadership through  keen focus and positive action. Though criticism is an essential part of policy, Murphy zeroed in on tangible plans of action.

I hope that others learn from this election and recognize that when an elected official represents his constituents, and essentially does what he is elected to do, without regard for political labels, he will get the support of the majority of the people he represents.

Somebody Get Obama A Cowboy Hat

Sources from the underground media are bringing to the surface "facts" that show that President Obama is running this country right off the range.

In a brazen attempt to arm the 99%, using a misconstrued interpretation of the Second Amendment, a secret committee is crafting a proposal aimed at a government funded gun give to provide every man, woman, and child, over the age of seven, with a gun of their choice.

It has also come to light that Obama's multi-faceted energy policy was instituted solely to undermine the Keystone Pipeline System by rendering it not economically viable, thus costing jobs and corporate profits. Hussein Obama betrayed his Arab brethren and brought down the price of gasoline solely for this purpose.

And, without much coverage from the lamestream media, Obama recently entered into a pact with Communist China regarding carbon omissions and global warming. Surely he must realize that this will directly impact the bottled water industry and cost jobs, or at least corporate profits.

Letter to Jim

Politics/History/Economics are all linked. Your education and genes have enabled you to have great evaluative powers and foresight. And they have given you the ability to live a good life regardless of the state of the current body politic. And that is what the financial aristocracy is counting on. The problem for  idealists like myself is how to communicate your keen observations and get people to listen and understand.

Your last communication dealt with the notion that liberalism is viewed by most as a pejorative term. And the notion of labels may be at the crux of why capitalism today has become analogous to Sherman's march to the sea. And those in the path appear stultified.

The fickle nature of labels allows idiots on the far right to justify anything by using them. The best illustration I can think of at this moment is the presidential election between Republican Teddy Roosevelt and Democrat Alton Parker. If the election occurred today I'm sure Fox News would be supporting Parker and I'm willing to bet that if you looked at an electoral college map Roosevelt's base would be remarkable similar to Obama's.

I think that the right's "bullying" is accepted by many- both men and women- as a sign of manhood, strength, as almost American. A much younger girlfriend told me that the current term is "swag". Perhaps people that view the world in a sane manner and have virtue, as a result of education, experience and breeding, should take a lesson from Teddy and begin to "speak softly and carry a big stick."

I also receive many robo-emails from Democratic PACs and organizations. I even got a few from Rick Scott as a result of a letter that someone in his staff misinterpreted. I recently responded to one from Debbie Wasserman-Schultz saying that I will not be donating in the near future, and, in the suggestion box commented that Dems should "grow a pair"! 

Right on, Jim!

Is the Tea Party Leading America into the Dark Ages? Rare essay by Will Poor and Lame

I think that there are many parallels between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the current situation here in America. And looking at these parallels is not for the faint of heart. It is often accepted by historians that one of the major causes of the Dark Ages was the invasions by the barbarian hordes; and that the barbarians set in motion a reversal of centuries of learning and scientific investigation.

Like the composition of America today, the situation was a little more complex. Over time as the Roman Empire grew and became more complex, those in power found it expedient to "dumb down" Roman citizenship so that the people didn't ask too many questions. And those who wanted to seize power in the outlying regions took it further as they realized that fear of a central government would give them power, and the more ignorance they encouraged, the more fear they could engender in the local populace before "rescuing" them from the barbarians by delivering them into a feudal system of organized exploitation and violence.

The stark difference between the fall of the Ancient Roman Empire and the America of today is that the "barbarian hordes" are perceived to be a certain segment of the American population and some immigrants. So long as people believe this notion and, also, that they have the chance to join the ranks of the Republican "book cookers and outsourcers" if the barbarians are neutralized; and that this is what the Founding Fathers envisioned, nothing will change. Ironically the sycophants have very, very little chance of joining the ranks of their masters.

 

Enlightened people do not wish to be part of those ranks. But most of them are accomplished artists, creative business leaders, educators, and hyper-competent public servants. Many live a quasi-bohemian life full of economic compromise as I do. 

Many people still believe the distortion that all people are responsible, in some way, for the injustices and misfortunes in their lives. And that is just plain bunk. In fact increasingly people are becoming expendable ciphers whose purpose is to serve the financial aristocracy. Tom Wolfe's A Man in Full explored this idea better that anything I can recall reading.

The New Media Age- truly the "massage"- facilitated the rise of the Tea Party and the further entrenchment of America's economic aristocracy. Social Media, characterized by Facebook, Twitter, "Smart" Phones, and the Internet has had a desensitizing and "dumbing down" effect on the population. People have shorter attention spans, read less, fail to comprehend cause and effect, and absolutely fail to comprehend the Big Picture.

Now this is ironic. A political philosopher stated over a century ago that "the production of too many useful things results in too many useless people." Technology though invaluable to what I do to pay the rent, does enable me, as well as many people and small businesses to do without the services of some people. This was not so decades ago. And the overall economy adjusts, and the money "saved" trickles upward.

Finally, the emergence of the global economy has all but ended patriotism- don't be fooled by flag waving and lapel pins- and international relations has become a red herring, for the most part. There is a New World Order but not the one the Tea Party rants about.

I remember a conversation with a friend some years ago where he expressed his frustration over the fact that, if he couldn't get his point across in a paragraph most people would not read what he had written. And this is a real problem for a civilized society. It is a problem that home schooling for profit education won't fix, nor will praying for self along with a big donation to the Church of the Sacred Bleeding Heart. It's going to require a change in values and seeing education as necessary for an enlightened society, as it was when I was a boy; not merely as a tool to try to become a millionaire.

Warren Buffett, Values, and Motives

As near as I can tell, the investment philosophy of Warren Buffett is based on inherent value, and on investing for the long term, notions that have been foreign to much of main stream Wall Street for a long time.

I truly believe that Mr. Buffett understands that life is difficult for middle class and working Americans. The lives of most Americans vacillate between being tedious and boring to being excruciating and frightening. But life has some really great moments and events which some way, somehow make it all worthwhile. I'm pretty sure that Mr. Buffett understands this. And I believe that this understanding is reflected in his investment philosophy.

I tried to muster some righteous indignation over the Burger King inversion, but looking at values and motives I cannot. Since the inversion is designed to strengthen (possibly save) the company, and make it more competitive for the long term,  it is a good thing. And if they bring Tim Horton's clam chowder to the States it is a very good thing and may produce a few great moments.

The verdict in the corruption trial of former Governor Bob McDonnell illustrates this notion of values and motives in another way. The former governor's defense was predicated on the idea that his wife was responsible for all the high crimes, and that he was merely a victim, and had been separated from her for some time.

I personally believe that it is not my business, nor the public's business when it comes to what goes on between a husband and a wife, with the exception of outright abuse, regardless of who they are.

However, this man ran a campaign on family values. He claimed that his fundamental belief  in a Christian family made him a man in full and separated him from others. He intimated that his family should serve as a model. As a result of the trial, it is apparent that the values he actually holds, at best, illustrate his hypocrisy. And his motive, with hindsight, was to bamboozle the citizens of Virginia. When the chips were down he threw his wife under the proverbial bus. I guess, in this case, the Good Lord has decided to make Bob McDonnell pay for his sins.

Hey, Sarah Palin, Whom Did You Kill?

A few readers may remember the rifle sights imposed over the faces of political leaders on Sarah's

website a few years back and the subsequent shooting of Representative Gabby Giffords, a federal judge, and members of her staff. These were political leaders that Sarah in her infinite wisdom, deemed too liberal.

Well, dear Sarah has pulled the metaphorical trigger again only this time it is random shots at the entire American public. She seems to forget that as a public figure, one that refuses to fade away, and one that most assuredly is the source of many a nightmare for John McCain and his former staffers, she has an impact on the misguided and the uninformed.

She recently stated after receiving a speeding ticket in her home state of Alaska, that she was not speeding, she was qualifying, making reference to NASCAR. Implicit in her statement is the notion that laws, including speed limits, are bad and should not be obeyed. With our current Culture of Media I wonder how many misguided young people will ignore speed limits and kill or harm themselves or innocent bystanders, because they are "qualifying". I wonder how many urban cowboys will "race" home from the local bar and not make the finish line. And I won't even get into the increases in auto insurance rates for local communities.

Four years ago when I started writing the political posts for this website, I received a critique from the founder of the Commonweal Institute. She told me that I should tone down the rants so as to sway those people that will consider, or at least look at, my arguments and point-of-view. Over the course of the four years my truths and positions have shifted moderately. And at times I have tried to lighten up on the harsh criticism.

However, I truly believe that the entire Republican Tea Party, Sarah included, is almost pathological and that no argument or fact can change them.  The only remedy for our country is to get them out and keep them out of positions of power.

Climate change deniers are now using a familiar talking point to support their position. They merely respond to questions about climate change by stating that they are not scientists. This is perplexing to me as many of the deniers are on the Congressional Science Committee. Most Tea Party members of Congress are not doctors either. When they have a ailment, they go to doctors for analysis and treatment. When they or one of their family members or loved ones is diagnosed with a serious illness, I'm sure they do not tell the doctor that it is balderdash and that they are not doctors!

Tea Party Fiddles While America Burns

The saying, "Nero fiddled while Rome Burned" makes reference to the Roman Emperor Nero who in actuality was not playing the fiddle while Rome was burning. Ancient Rome did not even have "fiddles". Nero actually was performing in a play. He was acting on a stage, while Rome was burning.

I believe the actions of the Tea Party officials in our Congress, both in the House and Senate, strongly parallel the actions of Nero.

This week, three of the most successful and wealthy America businessmen, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Sheldon Adelson, three billionaires with divergent political views, got together and collaborated on an op-ed piece for the New York Times. In the piece these Job Creators chastised members of the US Congress for shirking their responsibilities and not doing the job they were hired for. The focus of the article was on the implementation of immigration policy, and the three wise men reiterated that all parties are very close to agreement in terms of policy and solution; and that it is wrong to do nothing and sabotage progress for political gain.

Like the right-wing commentators they model themselves after, Tea Party politicians make for great theater. But like the entertainers they emulate, they lack substance and are ineffectual on their own. It is shameful and disgraceful that they use their jobs, not to enact laws and carry out America's business, but rather for self-promotion, to pander to their base, and for profit. And while the Tea Party officials do all this America is burning.

The Rise and Decline of the Middle Class

My first "real" job out of college was working for a plastics manufacturing corporation located in Manchester, Connecticut. One of my managers was an organization specialist from Gent, Belgium. During the course of one long conversation he explained to me how America had benefited from World War Two. He told me that as a result of the war, the manufacturing capabilities of the entire world had been wiped out. From England, to the rest of Europe, and from Russia to Japan, factories were in ruins. After the war, if you wanted to buy a toaster, you had to buy American.

This one factor greatly stimulated the expansion of the middle class. Coupled with the array of social programs and "safety nets" that were instituted a decade earlier by the American government to manage the Great Depression, the American middle class grew and prospered.

My conversation with Abe was in the early 1980's, during a recession, much milder than our most recent one. Abe warned me that the rest of the world had rebuilt their factories since the war. They had "modernized", and were in an advantageous position to compete with American manufacturing, which had not, modernized that is.

Decades have passed since my conversation with Abe. There has been a revolution of technology and information. New products have been designed and new factories have been built. Though most great inventions are born in the United States, more often then not as a result of subsidies from America taxpayers, manufacturing and distribution continues to be relegated to the rest of the world. And this is a result of politics and business practices, and has nothing to do with modernization.  Remember that Henry Ford realized it was good business to pay employees enough to buy the products they built.

Ironically, or maybe not so, the Counterculture of the 60's and 70's was primarily comprised of baby boomers, a product of the thriving middle class. Despite the many defects of the movement, it caused indelible changes to our societal structure in the realm of civil rights, sexual mores, women's rights, and our attitudes towards war. One of the factors that ended the Counterculture movement, and at the same time cemented in place many of the "causes" and social issues fostered by the movement, were the actions of Patty Hearst and those of the Mansion family. The establishment through compromise and change, and a sort of "bringing into the fold", absorbed positive elements of the movement and, at the same time, condemned and ended the violence.

The middle class, a source of change in recent American history, is rapidly declining. And much of the progress is being undone. Perhaps this is why the Republicans and the financial aristocracy are doing everything they can to destroy it.

Is Capitalism Part of Human Nature?

All human beings have basic needs and complex needs. Doing what it takes to meet and satisfy those needs encompasses the spirit of capitalism. Whether through hard work and utilizing the "proper channels", whatever they may be according to the societal norms at that particular time in history, or through cunning and guile and even crime, humans practice capitalism.

The socialist experiment of the USSR failed because humans are human. It failed because the Soviet Socialist Republic practiced avid capitalism on the world markets, and in the black and gray markets that operated within its society.

Those that argue against welfare and entitlement programs, programs that strip humans of their incentives, have some merit to their arguments. However, holding those positions, they necessarily must be in favor of anti-trust legislation, labor laws, and higher wages, the lack of which also strips humans of their incentives. For, such a state doesn't resemble the free market capitalism they profess to hold in such high esteem anymore than the socialist state they profess to oppose.

Many, many years ago I attended a lecture by William Kunstler at Wesleyan. The one thing I remember from that lecture is Mr. Kunstler's emphatic statement that all healthy people desire to work and achieve.

One thing that is lost in the current politics of the day, is that because of wage stagnation coupled with drastically increased productivity which has led to a drastic increase in the concentration of wealth in the hands of fewer and fewer humans, some of the many working people must use "entitlement" programs, to "subsidize" their income, to satisfy their basic needs. And those that work and cannot satisfy their basic needs are stripped of their incentive.

Florida, a decidedly Red state under Republican Governor Scott, according to the numbers, has hardly recovered from the Great Recession. Florida's real unemployment rate is 11%. The number of people without health insurance is at 25.8%. And the foreclosure rate is among the highest in the nation. The few pockets of economic health in the state have Democratic leadership.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

This does not appear to be the case when it comes to the Republican members of the COTUS. Driven by, and most often in alignment with the right-wing media, characterized by Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, they have morphed Congress into an antithetical "Ivory Tower". Only their tower is built from strip-mining tailings, the muck from oil spills, and fracking sludge.

They have passed very few meaningful bills. They point the finger at virtually everything, and are defined by unbridled obstinacy and opposition. When they do act it is almost always as a "lobbyist" for Big Business and specifically the fossil fuel industry.

Secretly, and out of media scrutiny, most, save the most delusional members of the Republican Party, acknowledge that global warming is real and that the economic impact to America in the future is beyond the comprehension of most people. They also acknowledge that income inequality represents a grave threat to our country, our economy, and, in time, will impact our national security. But they refuse to publicly acknowledge the gravity for fear of loosing the favor of their real employers.

So they "parrot" the empty angry words of the right-ring media. Driven by the words, they use their position to stymie the efforts of those American leaders that seek to make a positive difference, that seek to solve problems; leaders that deal with reality and science, not platitudes and arcane notions. They impede those leaders who are truly working to make America great for all its citizens.

And the "icons" of the right-wing media excuse themselves by stating that they are only speaking words, and the words are meant to entertain. And they have accrued great wealth speaking those empty angry words.

There is a new succession movement in a very poor rural part of California. Though the amount of taxes paid by this region is miniscule when compared with the rest of the state, they claim that they want more representation and freedom. Like the Tea Party candidate from Idaho, Greg Colletti, whose ten children were on Medicaid while he was denouncing the federal government and crying out loudly for freedom, what the secessionists really want is a bigger piece of the government pie. Like most Republicans, they want greater representation, greater access to power and government monies, with little or no taxation and no responsibility.

Did America's Founding Fathers Believe the World is Flat?

Of course they did not. Otherwise they would not have ventured forward, and our country would not exist.

The Tea Party is a minority in our country. Their very being is sustained and nurtured by hatred and fear, and characterized by selfish, self-centeredness. They use religion to deny science and reality. By using very selective interpretations of the Bible and US Constitution to serve their needs and ends, they claim faith and righteousness. And this state of self-delusion, they equate to freedom.

Yes, America is exceptional. And the Tea Party has every right to exist in this manner. But there is a line.

President Obama is a black man. As an old white guy, I cannot and will not pretend to imagine what it is like to be a black man in America. Yet with all the hatred and fear directed at him, he has remained "cool" and done an exceptional job given the resistance from the party that symbolizes itself with a coiled serpent. Kind of makes me believe that, in the universe, there is a power greater than man, and that power must be behind him.

The primary reason that the Tea Party has had the impact that it has had, is solely because it is conditionally supported by the plutocracy. With the rise of the global economy and the Information Age, characterized by rapid technological change, which, incidentally causes this old guy's head to spin, we are witnessing "domestic" imperialism. Because America cannot return to times prior to globalization and the Information Age, when most of the world was truly America's oyster, the middle class/working class has become the new third world.

I believe in the fates, furies, and God. We may be approaching the beginning of the oilman's last hoorah. With the undeniable existence of global warming and the noble movement towards alternative energy sources, the oilman's obsession with insane wealth and power is not beyond comprehension. Egging on flat-earthers, to achieve that end makes perfect sense. With the revelations about Rancher Bundy's huge federal welfare subsidies, akin to those of Big Oil, more and more common folk are going to realize that the world is not flat.

Heisenberg

Heisenberg, in addition to being the name of Walter White's alter ego in the television show Breaking Bad, was an actual 20th century scientist that formulated the uncertainty principle. Put simply, and using the uncertainty principle in the social sciences, the principle postulates that when a human being measures or evaluates something, the cognitive experiences of that human being will be reflected in the measurement or evaluation. The measurement or evaluation will be distorted due to that person's life experiences, ethics, values, and cognitive makeup.

In the political arena, when Rick Scott of Florida states that his parents had it rough, and he wants everyone to have the same opportunity he had, he is not lying. So to in the 2012 presidential election, when Mitt Romney stated that his grandparents had it rough, and he stated that he wanted everyone to have the same opportunity that he and his father had, in his mind, he was not lying. For both Scott and Romney, and most on the far right, everyone is the set of white Anglo-Saxon Christian males and their children. The set also includes- and they view this as proof of their newly acquired open-mindedness- the super rich and the race of people known as corporations. Anyone outside this set is irrelevant and expendable, and subject to subjugation by everyone inside the set to create opportunity.

Is Democracy Too Expensive and Ultimately Unaffordable?

The members of the Republican Tea Party Congress are doing any and everything that they possibly can to inhibit and dismantle the Federal government. They spin reality and the truth, and they utilize every possible procedural and legal loophole to stall and defund the Federal government. They rationalize and justify what they are doing by stating that the deficit must be resolved immediately, and that America can no longer afford to make investments in it's citizens at the current level. They believe that the quality of life, freedoms and economic opportunities that Americans have known for almost a century cannot be sustained.

Republican Tea Party controlled states feature the suppression of voting rights, extreme religious intolerance, suppression of a woman's constitutional right to an abortion, and extreme economic and social injustice. These almost feudal plutocracies make Putin's Russia look like a progressive wonderland. These freedom lands, ironically, partially are funded by the efforts, human energy, and taxes of the progressive states.

The real makers in America are the educators and educational institutions, the innovators and the inventors, the tradesmen, soldiers, and the American workers. The real takers are the New Derivative Thinkers on Wall Street, the raiders like Mitt Romney, who break-up and sell companies, move jobs overseas, destroy the lives of hard working Americans, and make the American taxpayers partially fund their obscene profits. The real takers are also the Private Sector Vampires epitomized by Rick Scott whose company committed Medicare and Medicaid fraud, while making him a multimillionaire. The real takers are also men like Rick Perry who conspired with UBS, to use the Texas teachers' pension fund in an attempt to profit from a gamble on how long teachers would live. The real takers are the leaders in the Red states that cause and enable all this to go on.

America: A Tale of Two Cities

President Obama and the Progressives have stated that their number one goal for the remainder of Obama's term is to address the issue of wage disparity and income inequality. The presence of income inequality during the last three decades is indisputable and is not being challenged by anyone. Those on the far right, including Rand Paul and Eric Cantor, acknowledge that income inequality exists.

The real problem for our country is that those on the far right do not view this as a bad thing. However, they do view government measures designed to intercede, mediate, and reverse this, as a bad thing. When the government "spies" on people to thwart terrorism, protect intellectual property, or prosecute fraud and theft, it is evil. When Google does it, it is good business.

The far right ostensively is focused on deficit spending. However, they are not against deficit spending per say, when it benefits their constituency or serves their ends. They oppose deficit spending only when it is aimed at interceding, mediating and reversing income inequality. If it enriches the top 2%, which it has done for decades, it is a necessary evil. If it allows a minimum wage worker to feed his family, it is an unholy abomination.

Obama and the Progressives are pushing for a minimum wage hike. If accomplished, this will be a temporary fix. Initially it will provide a stimulus to the economy and provide benefits to the working poor and middle class. Inflation will follow. For a small minority of this sector, for the prudent, student loans and mortgages will be paid with "cheaper" dollars. For the majority of this segment of America it will be even harder then it is now. The cost of rents, food, and healthcare for the 99% will rise accordingly. And America will be one step closer to a Third World country.

As I have stated over and over again, the solution lies in a very progressive tax code and Keynesian economics. The presidencies of Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Dwight Eisenhower attest to this truth. God save the middle class. Certainly the Tea Party won't. As a man in the "winter" of his life, I am able to manager a wry smile.