Monthly Archives: March 2011

Sunday Roast: Main Street Contract for the American People

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Is this complicated?  Srsly, really?  What am I missing here?

Who has a problem with all Americans having a job, a good wage, a home, their health, a safety net (if they need it), and an education?  Yes, yes, that’s a rhetorical question — lots of people have a problem with the whole concept, and in fact, object to it quite strenuously.

There are two Americas. One where Wall Street gets bailouts, and another where public schools and safety net programs get slashed.

Where the wealthy elite get tax cuts extended and estate taxes removed, while working people see their retirement plans, health coverage, pay, and bargaining rights gutted. Where people who rob banks go to prison, but bankers who rob people get bonuses and bail outs.

I totally understand that the wealthy who get those tax cuts, and the banksters who rob us blind and then get bailed out BY US, would be against the ‘small people’ having decent jobs, wages, education, etc.  After all, they greatly benefit from keeping us stupid and poor.  But what about the ‘every man?’

The Tea Party, who are praised as a populist movement, are against the minimum wage.  They claim it’s un-Constitutional.  Of course, the minimum wage is by no means a ‘decent wage,’ it’s not much above poverty wages, really, but apparently even that is too much.  We ought to depend on the so-called free market and the benevolence of our patron/employer to recognize our great worth as employees, and then most assuredly they will shower us with the money we so richly deserve as totally awesome workers.  Right…

The Tea Party, that amazing populist movement, would like to see the Department of Education abolished — again, it’s apparently un-Constitutional.  It’s the same with Social Security and Medicare.  Interestingly, the Republican party — which the Tea Party claims is absolutely not what they are all about — while not riding so hard on the un-Constitutionality of the above, are also against public education, Social Security, Medicare, as well as unemployment insurance, and jobs creation in general — as evidenced by the Republican-led House having not introduced a single jobs bill since it took power in January.  Wow, I am SO surprised…

Again, when we get down to basics (and reality), is this really all that complicated?  Thoughts…?

This is our daily open thread.  Please feel free to comment on this and any topic.

If You Think What’s Happening In Wisconsin Is Bad…

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… wait until you take a look at the bill the Republican majority in Michigan is poised to ‘shove down’ the public’s throat…

Unions and others oppose the legislation because it would give broad new powers to emergency financial managers, who are appointed by the state treasurer. Those powers include the ability to nullify collective bargained agreements, imposition of new agreements for those bargaining units which will have effect for as much as five years after the EMF leaves office and the ability for the manager to dissolve local governing bodies of schools and cities. The EMF would also have the power to eliminate any local ordinance or law he or she decides to eliminate.

(emphasis mine)

Good Lord… would this not establish a virtual Republican dictatorship in perpetuity, as long as Republicans can stay in office? Why even bother to hold local elections anymore, if a handful of ‘emergency financial managers’ answering only to the State Treasurer have nearly unlimited power to dissolve all and any local governments, eliminate any law or ordinance, and effectively break any contract they choose?

At this time the bill has been passed in both chambers of the Michigan Legislature and will assuredly be signed by Governor Rick Snyder as fast as possible, after some minor reconciliation… such as, whether a human being must declare a state of financial emergency, or can a CORPORATION or BUSINESS be vested with this power?

Yes, you read that right… depending on what Republican legislators decide amongst themselves, a CORPORATION may soon have the power to dissolve any local government in Michigan they deem to be in a ‘state of financial crisis’, send ALL locally elected officials packing, and install their own administrators in perpetuity, and all with the Governor’s blessing. No doubt, minority Dems will have NO SAY in the final decision.

Let the voiding and nullifications begin!

So much for Republicans and their endless shrieking about the ‘rule of law’… I guess it just pertains to THEIR rule of law. The rest of us? Clearly… not so much.

I can’t imagine this will make it past judicial review, which is almost assuredly coming as we speak. And I am ASTONISHED at the degree of arrogance Republicans put on display when they try such a blatant power grab as this. I’m beginning to think the excesses of the Bush Administration were simply a dry run for what they intended all along and now we’re getting the full-blown production.

Here’s what the ever-articulate Rachel Maddow has to say about it…

The good people of Wisconsin are now working to recall eight Republican State Senators. You can learn more about the recall effort here and here, or even donate and/or volunteer.

It’s on and they don’t intend to quit coming at us.

They will only be satisfied with complete victory and perpetual Republican rule.

The Watering Hole : March 11 – Lend-Lease

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Lend-Lease, a program under which the United States supplied the Allied nations at the time with vast amounts of war material between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of the European war in September 1939, but six nine months before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor (The greatest blunder of the 20th Century). Lend-Lease was called “An Act Further to Promote the Defense of the United States”. Although it did not make the United States a combatant in the war, this act ended the pretense of its neutrality. Hitler recognized this and ordered German submarines to attack US merchant vessels the first sinking occurred in May 1941.

A total of $50.1 billion in supplies were shipped to be used until the time of their return or destruction. Very few, if any, were returned.

This program was a step away from American non-interventionism since the end of World War I and towards international involvement. There was no debt; the U.S. did not charge for aid supplied under this legislation.

During the war, the United States and the United Kingdom paid each other quid pro quo rental for training facilities and airfields in each other’s territory.

Canada participated as a “lender” in the program as well, but as a member of the Commonwealth did not pay for bases in Great Britain.

After the end of the program, the United Kingdom purchased about $1 billion of supplies at discounted prices in order to rearm.

This is our Open Thread. Please feel free to present your thoughts on any topic that comes to mind.

Note: I was born 9 days after Lend-Lease was signed. Perhaps the most momentous event of that month!

The Watering Hole: March 10 – B29

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Many speculate that the B29 Super Fortress was developed in anticipation of the development of the Atomic Bomb.

That is actually not true. Allied losses during bombing raids in Europe were unacceptable, even before the start of the war (WWII). British bombers raiding behind the lines and into Germany went out and as few as 40% returned to base. The decision was made in 1939 to secure bids for a high-altitude heavy lift bomber. By the summer of 1940, the die was cast. Boeing had a contract to develop a prototype and after the raid on Pearl Harbor, the ante was raised to 3 prototypes.

The airframe delivered had many set backs, but by 1944 was partially deployed in Europe and fully deployed in the Asian theater. Battle losses were practically zero, but airframe failures were in the 5-10% range. Along the way, the Atomic Bomb came into fruition and about 4 airframes were modified to carry that weapon. Two of these airframes were used to drop bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The other two were used as observation platforms. At the time Japan capitulated, two more platinum plutonium weapons were rumored to round out the arsenal.

What is seldom mentioned is that more death was rained down in Tokyo in nighttime raids using incendiary weapons. Upwards of 100,000 deaths from a single raid in 1945.

Life was cheap in those days!

This is our Open Thread. Please feel free to present your thoughts on any topic that comes to mind.

The Watering Hole: Wednesday, March 9, 2011: Hump Day: Right Now!

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Right now, people are killing in Libya, to keep a ruthless dictator in power.

Right now, people are dying in Libya, for a hope of freedom for their fellow people.

Right now, Gabrielle Giffords is struggling to re-learn how to live.

Right now, people in Guantanamo prison face military tribunals and indefinite detention.

Right now, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove, et al, are free to make millions on the lecture tour circuit while avoiding any scrutiny from the press.

Right now Bradley Manning is being held in isolation, stripped naked every night, because he is suspected of leaking information to Wikileaks.

Right now, the American people are a frog in a pot of water, and it’s getting hotter. Those of us who see what is going on are silenced. The working class is pitted against itself, and even “progressives” fall into the trap.

Think about it. Of the few rich people who have spoken out against the abuses of the rich, how many have said, let’s buy out Rupert Murdoch? Let’s buy Limbaugh’s contract and put him out to pasture? IT HASN’T HAPPENED!

So, what’s the choice? Follow the path of Ghandi, and many will be killed, as is what is happening in Libya right now. Follow the path of rebellion, and many will be killed, as well.

Follow the path of Christ: turn the other cheek? And you become a subservient population, but live. Remember, Christ wasn’t marked for execution until after he overturned the tables of the money-changers.

In the longer scheme of things, those who love will triumph over those who hate. But those who hate will kill millions in the interim.

So, let’s live in the moment, and give a toast to Love!

This is our daily open thread — What’s happening right now in your world? How does that fit in, in the grand scheme of things? Do your challenges seem insignificant in comparison? Or are you one of he unsung heros that never makes it into the limelight? Are you the Wind beneath someone’s Wings? Feel free to post on this or any other topic that comes to mind, right now.

The rich get more and more rich, on the backs of…everyone else

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(Center for American Progress, image & numbers source)

How much longer can/will we allow this to go on?  How long can the 98% continue to prop up the bank accounts of people who have more money than they could ever spend, before we break completely?