Looks like Pope Francis may be following Matthew 21:13 to the letter...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/02/us-pope-bank-insight-idUSBRE9310GC20130402
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
FB Rant...
I posted the following on a friend of mine's Facebook Page, as we had been going back and forth over the upcoming Presidential Election.
"The one thing I have been mulling over is that there is a fundamental problem our political system is encountering at the Federal level. Regardless of whether you are a big government or small government person, there is one fundamental f...unction that I feel the Federal government no longer plays, America’s Cheerleader. It used to be that our Federal politicians swung for the fences to enable big ideas: The Transcontinental Railroad, the Lunar Landing, the Space Shuttle program, The Interstate Highway System, Nuclear Energy, National Parks System, etc. There was a time when people acted in the best interest of the collective rather than just solely on their own self interest because they realized that instead of taking over more pieces of our pie, the best way to grow was to increase the overall size of our pie.
Today, maybe I am the one with the red, white, and blue tinted glasses, but it seems like there used to be a sense of partnership. That while there were always differences in some of the minutia, when it came to playing to win, there was real collaboration, a sense of unity and pride across the government, business owners, and workers. Why does everything have to be a battle? Unions vs. Business Owners, the Government vs. its citizens, Religious vs. Other religious/non-religious… My grandfather was a union steel worker for Republic Steel in Canton as was his brother. When the line went down, they talked about the need to get it back up and running, because the COMPANY was losing money! As a steel worker with an 7th grade education, he saw the big picture and understood what it meant to play long-ball. But today, we are getting mired in the minutia of differences and our government’s playing small-ball. I don’t know about you, but I am not “inspired” by anyone in this town; not Obama, not Romney, not Gingrich, not even my guy Ron Paul would I consider “inspirational.” It seems like no one has a vision. No one has big ideas. No one has dreams. It’s just about healthcare, taxes, and the size of the Federal Government. How boring and mundane is that? Do we remember Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington, Roosevelt, etc. because of their tax policies or their stance on abortion or marriage? No. We remember what they did when they had the bully pulpit. We remember the actions they took and how they inspired the country to be better than we already were.
I am a Gen Xer which means I grew up when pretty much every single institution came crumbling down; Watergate destroyed our faith in our elected officials; our wars destroyed our faith that America only went to war out of necessity; Swaggart, Baker, and some Catholic priests destroyed our faith in religious institutions; Jayson Blair, Dan Rather, FNC/MSNBC and others destroyed our faith in a non-biased, ethical press; an in our own homes, many moms and dads destroyed our faith in the institution of marriage…The list goes on and on. So while I may be an apathetic, cynical Xer, it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to be truly inspired just once.
I want someone to come in with some ideas on how we make America better, not just teleprompter talking points. I want someone who puts politics and partisanship aside and does what is best for the majority of Americans, not individual special interests. Why can’t people like Boehner and Obama be friends? Goldwater and Kennedy were political rivals AND friends! How scandalous!! What do we have in today’s politics? We have Cheney as the VP and President of the Senate telling Senator Leahy to “Go f**k yourself” on the floor of the Senate. We need more collaboration, more trust, and more understanding of the similarities we have rather than the differences. We need more partnerships rather than stalemates. We need our politicians reaching out to industry and saying, “How can we help make things better for you?” rather than “You now must comply with Regulation 7, section B, paragraph 2 of the new XYZ Act.” Unions and Business owners need to understand that they are in this thing together. That if the business thrives, that creates more opportunity for all.
Sorry for the rant…But until someone can inspire us as a collective and model the type of collaborative leadership we need, the sunset of the American Dream will continue."
"The one thing I have been mulling over is that there is a fundamental problem our political system is encountering at the Federal level. Regardless of whether you are a big government or small government person, there is one fundamental f...unction that I feel the Federal government no longer plays, America’s Cheerleader. It used to be that our Federal politicians swung for the fences to enable big ideas: The Transcontinental Railroad, the Lunar Landing, the Space Shuttle program, The Interstate Highway System, Nuclear Energy, National Parks System, etc. There was a time when people acted in the best interest of the collective rather than just solely on their own self interest because they realized that instead of taking over more pieces of our pie, the best way to grow was to increase the overall size of our pie.
Today, maybe I am the one with the red, white, and blue tinted glasses, but it seems like there used to be a sense of partnership. That while there were always differences in some of the minutia, when it came to playing to win, there was real collaboration, a sense of unity and pride across the government, business owners, and workers. Why does everything have to be a battle? Unions vs. Business Owners, the Government vs. its citizens, Religious vs. Other religious/non-religious… My grandfather was a union steel worker for Republic Steel in Canton as was his brother. When the line went down, they talked about the need to get it back up and running, because the COMPANY was losing money! As a steel worker with an 7th grade education, he saw the big picture and understood what it meant to play long-ball. But today, we are getting mired in the minutia of differences and our government’s playing small-ball. I don’t know about you, but I am not “inspired” by anyone in this town; not Obama, not Romney, not Gingrich, not even my guy Ron Paul would I consider “inspirational.” It seems like no one has a vision. No one has big ideas. No one has dreams. It’s just about healthcare, taxes, and the size of the Federal Government. How boring and mundane is that? Do we remember Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington, Roosevelt, etc. because of their tax policies or their stance on abortion or marriage? No. We remember what they did when they had the bully pulpit. We remember the actions they took and how they inspired the country to be better than we already were.
I am a Gen Xer which means I grew up when pretty much every single institution came crumbling down; Watergate destroyed our faith in our elected officials; our wars destroyed our faith that America only went to war out of necessity; Swaggart, Baker, and some Catholic priests destroyed our faith in religious institutions; Jayson Blair, Dan Rather, FNC/MSNBC and others destroyed our faith in a non-biased, ethical press; an in our own homes, many moms and dads destroyed our faith in the institution of marriage…The list goes on and on. So while I may be an apathetic, cynical Xer, it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to be truly inspired just once.
I want someone to come in with some ideas on how we make America better, not just teleprompter talking points. I want someone who puts politics and partisanship aside and does what is best for the majority of Americans, not individual special interests. Why can’t people like Boehner and Obama be friends? Goldwater and Kennedy were political rivals AND friends! How scandalous!! What do we have in today’s politics? We have Cheney as the VP and President of the Senate telling Senator Leahy to “Go f**k yourself” on the floor of the Senate. We need more collaboration, more trust, and more understanding of the similarities we have rather than the differences. We need more partnerships rather than stalemates. We need our politicians reaching out to industry and saying, “How can we help make things better for you?” rather than “You now must comply with Regulation 7, section B, paragraph 2 of the new XYZ Act.” Unions and Business owners need to understand that they are in this thing together. That if the business thrives, that creates more opportunity for all.
Sorry for the rant…But until someone can inspire us as a collective and model the type of collaborative leadership we need, the sunset of the American Dream will continue."
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Orwell: 27 years too early?
It looks like we are on the precipice of an Orwellian future in this country. Who knew that the “Hope & Change” many people voted for in 2008 would include reigning fiery hell down upon US Citizens, the continuation of an American-run gulag, an usurpation of Judicial Branch powers by the Executive Branch, and the potential end to over 130 years of Posse Comitatus.
This is completely unacceptable. It is time for citizens to finally band together and take the control of this republic back from those who seek to make us all subservient to them. The government is to be of the people, for the people.
Thomas Jefferson said it best, “When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” We all have rights protected under the Constitution of the United States. They cannot be taken away by zealous politicians seeking to amass more power for their own gains. We have to get over the squabbling amongst ourselves between black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Catholic, protestant, Mormon, Jew, Muslim, atheist, homosexual, heterosexual, northern, southerner, conservative, libertarian, blue collar, white collar, unionized...While we continue to bicker over who's right on the smaller things, we are all taking our eyes off the ball; the erosion our fundamental and civil rights as Americans. So it is time for all of us to stand together for our rights, and declare to the political class: Molon Labe!
This is completely unacceptable. It is time for citizens to finally band together and take the control of this republic back from those who seek to make us all subservient to them. The government is to be of the people, for the people.
Thomas Jefferson said it best, “When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” We all have rights protected under the Constitution of the United States. They cannot be taken away by zealous politicians seeking to amass more power for their own gains. We have to get over the squabbling amongst ourselves between black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Catholic, protestant, Mormon, Jew, Muslim, atheist, homosexual, heterosexual, northern, southerner, conservative, libertarian, blue collar, white collar, unionized...While we continue to bicker over who's right on the smaller things, we are all taking our eyes off the ball; the erosion our fundamental and civil rights as Americans. So it is time for all of us to stand together for our rights, and declare to the political class: Molon Labe!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Pots and Kettles
So, I happened across this blog posting when someone sent it to me: One Black Man’s Point of View: A Black Man, The Progressive’s Perfect Trojan Horse. Now here's the problem I have...We can't in one breath yell that the attacks on President Obama haven't been racially motivated and then turn around and say that the only reason Obamacare was pushed through was because the POTUS is a black man. If that's the only reason, shouldn't he have only been able to get half of it passed? The race, religion, or girth (tip o' the hat to Taft) of the POTUS has nothing to do with any of this. I am going to tell you how it works 'round here...
Something bad happens (say 9/11, the banking disaster, Madoff, Enron, the domestic autos on the verge of bankruptcy, you name it) and the populous get upset and shake their fists and gnash their teeth. The politicians say, "Wow! The populous are pretty pissed off because they are shaking their fists and gnashing their teeth. I want to get reelected, so I have to do something to show I am listening to them. I don't really care if it helps or not, but I have to do something, because, you know, the election and all."
So they quickly swing into action with all the grace and intelligence of a recently decapitated chicken, and write some BS piece of legislation. It goes to some committee, and pork and other BS gets added. By this time the populous has had a bit of time to cool down, but now they are getting more pissed off because they have heard what BS Congress is now trying to pass, so then other politicians, who also want to get reelected say, "Wow! The populous is pissed off at what we are trying to pass. So I wanted to get reelected, so I will oppose this legislation and add some other crap into it, because, you know, the election and all."
So then it goes around and around and around until they shine some turd into the prettiest turd you ever did see, and they pass it. Then there is some ginormous loop-hole they left open wide enough to drive an Abrams Tank through which doesn't fix whatever the original intention of the legislation was. So some idiot goes on the TV and says, "Gee, that's a problem we need to fix, gosh darn it! Because the populous is pissed off and I want to get reelected...Errr...I mean, because I want to serve the great people of Massigankotas!" and the whole cycle starts again. That's why people in this town, for the most part, are jackasses!
Something bad happens (say 9/11, the banking disaster, Madoff, Enron, the domestic autos on the verge of bankruptcy, you name it) and the populous get upset and shake their fists and gnash their teeth. The politicians say, "Wow! The populous are pretty pissed off because they are shaking their fists and gnashing their teeth. I want to get reelected, so I have to do something to show I am listening to them. I don't really care if it helps or not, but I have to do something, because, you know, the election and all."
So they quickly swing into action with all the grace and intelligence of a recently decapitated chicken, and write some BS piece of legislation. It goes to some committee, and pork and other BS gets added. By this time the populous has had a bit of time to cool down, but now they are getting more pissed off because they have heard what BS Congress is now trying to pass, so then other politicians, who also want to get reelected say, "Wow! The populous is pissed off at what we are trying to pass. So I wanted to get reelected, so I will oppose this legislation and add some other crap into it, because, you know, the election and all."
So then it goes around and around and around until they shine some turd into the prettiest turd you ever did see, and they pass it. Then there is some ginormous loop-hole they left open wide enough to drive an Abrams Tank through which doesn't fix whatever the original intention of the legislation was. So some idiot goes on the TV and says, "Gee, that's a problem we need to fix, gosh darn it! Because the populous is pissed off and I want to get reelected...Errr...I mean, because I want to serve the great people of Massigankotas!" and the whole cycle starts again. That's why people in this town, for the most part, are jackasses!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Bigger than Too Big to Fail
According to The Fiscal Times, "Wall Street firms — independent companies and the securities-trading arms of banks — are doing even better. They earned more in the first 2 1/2 years of the Obama administration than they did during the eight years of the George W. Bush administration, industry data show."
So, banks were “too big to fail” and the federal government’s answer was, “Let’s make them even bigger.” But I guess that really shouldn't surprise me. The government declares “war on drugs” and the drug trade gets more bloody, it declares “war on poverty” and more people are now living in poverty, it declares “war on terrorism” and we become the aggressors. Yet, it fails to do many of its core functions such as, oh, let’s see…How about pass a budget?
It still amazes me that so many people feel that government needs more power and more control. I wish the Federal government would spend more time focused on perfecting what it already has on its plate, rather than seeking more ways it can screw things up. Asking the Federal government to help us out of the financial crisis is like smoking cigarettes to cure your lung cancer.
So, banks were “too big to fail” and the federal government’s answer was, “Let’s make them even bigger.” But I guess that really shouldn't surprise me. The government declares “war on drugs” and the drug trade gets more bloody, it declares “war on poverty” and more people are now living in poverty, it declares “war on terrorism” and we become the aggressors. Yet, it fails to do many of its core functions such as, oh, let’s see…How about pass a budget?
It still amazes me that so many people feel that government needs more power and more control. I wish the Federal government would spend more time focused on perfecting what it already has on its plate, rather than seeking more ways it can screw things up. Asking the Federal government to help us out of the financial crisis is like smoking cigarettes to cure your lung cancer.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Shadow Norton
Looks like there may be a chink in the Eleanor Holmes Norton armor. Too bad this call of her pimping herself didn't come out prior to the primary. It also appears no one can get a hold of Delegate Norton to comment. The voicemail link was posted on Drudge, so you know it's made it's way around the globe and back, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out...Hopefully another incumbent with loose ethics will be on the chomping block. Besides, what good has she done? Almost 20 years in "office" and she has been unable to bring Congressional Representation to DC. Maybe she ought to do a little less begging to lobbyists and a little more begging to her fellow Representatives to pass the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009.
Mad as Heck
It's been a while since I have updated, so I am going to pack a few things into this post...
- I think it is outrageous that the head of HHS, Kathleen Sebelius, has basically threatened the health insurers that by speaking out about the health “care” law and the additional costs it creates, they will likely be cut out of new markets mandated by that law in 2014. Any insurer that is not allowed to participate in those markets, loses a access to potentially 30 million participants, which would most likely be the death knell for any insurer. Pretty much it's "You are either with us or against us." Now...Where have I heard that type of rhetoric before??? This is the kind of Hope and Change I was looking for; a continuation of our government acting like a group of thugs and bullies to its own citizens.
- One of the selling features of said health “care” law was to “have (employer) premiums drop by 3,000%.” This law would reign in health care premiums and stop them from increasing at such rapid rates. They debated for nearly a year about this and wrote detailed legislation; nearly 2,000 pages of detail in fact. And it passed! Oh glorious days! Let’s start seeing some of that 3,000% reduction…Bring me some change! (And dollars too). Huh? A loophole? WHATCHUTALKIN’BOUT Feinstein? “It is a very big loophole in health reform,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said. So the very thing that has angered voters about health care, and one of the longest poles in the health care law tent, is a loop hole? This is incompetence at its very finest!
- So, of course, with the health “care” law being the crown jewel of the Democrats list of legislative victories since the 2008 election, they of course would be touting their victories to the little people back home, right? “Democrats spend on anti-health-reform advertisements” UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE!
I don’t want to sound completely anti-health care reform. I think there were some things that were good in the legislation, such as not denying coverage to people with preexisting conditions, eliminating lifetime caps, and supposedly reducing premiums. But that is going to come at a price, no matter how much Sebelius wants to run around, hands over her ears, yelling “I’m not listening! I’m not listening!”
And believe me, the GOP doesn’t have any better answers. If they did, they wouldn’t have been trounced in ’08. Gingrich I think has lost his mind, McConnell and Boehner might want to compare notes, and Michael Steele appears to be persona non grata in the GOP. The GOP is going to run this year on one of the platforms I most detest in politics: “I’m not that guy.” That’s what I hated about the Vincent Gray campaign here in DC.
With the current vacuum of political leadership, it’s no wonder that the Tea Party has been making some major gains. And, in the beginning, I was very hopefully about this movement. But now that Tweedledee and Tweedledum are driving the Teetotaling Grizzly Bear Express, that’s not something with which I care to get on board.
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