Fuck pinching pennies while poverty reigns supreme!

Americans need to stop thinking of our government as a money making entity, like a corporation or company of some sort. The United States of America does not have to answer to shareholders or an investor’s board. America does not need to show a profit on it’s financial reports or guarantee dividends to anyone on a quarterly basis. In case everyone has forgotten, the sole purpose of a government is to protect the welfare of it’s citizenry. So, in these financially fucked times, the government should be expected to address the needs of the American people and maintain a standard of living in this nation that we can be proud of. We should not be concerned with whether or not they spend a shit load of money in this stimulus package (or in the following packages that will inevitably come) because that is what the fuck the money is in their hands for. Taxes are collected to service the communal needs of our people & holding back grant money or welfare funds or any other entitlement cash in the name of fiscal responsibility is unacceptable. How can we consider our nation among the greatest in the world when we allow the working class to become paupers & virtual serfs? How can we be proud when we allow our nation’s children to receive sub-standard educations or sit back while our system of higher education becomes the province of the wealthy because average folks can’t afford to continue their schooling? Is this really the “land of the free & the home of the brave” if we allow the wealthy few to run cowardly from their social duty crying foul, when they have been sitting pretty for the past eight years, benefitting from Bush’s tax cuts, from no-bid contract deals, from reduced regulation and other such bullshit? I’m sure you can agree that allowing our nation to slip into economic depression and then abandoning the masses in order to protect the wealth of the few is a detestable and shameful course of action. How is the GOP’s stance on the stimulus package any different? With that having been said, I leave you with some thoughts on the subject from some of the planet’s greatest minds:

 

“Poverty is the worst form of violence.”  -Mahatma Gandhi

“It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish”   -Mother Theresa

“Love conquers all things except poverty and a toothache.”   -Mae West

“In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.”    -Confucius

“The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all.”    -G.K. Chesterton

“I believe that, as long as there is plenty, poverty is evil.”  - Robert Kennedy

“We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.”  -Aesop

“Our major obligation is not to mistake slogans for solutions.”   - Edward R. Murrow

“Laws for the liberal education of youth, especially for the lower classes of people, are so extremely wise and useful that to a humane and generous mind, no expense for this purpose would be thought extravagant.”  - John Adams

“States are not moral agents, people are, and can impose moral standards on powerful institutions.”  -Noam Chomsky

 

These D-Cups are all I have room for on my chest, so let me unload some shit…

There are a few current events that have been bugging the shit out of me & since I’ve been occupied with the whole moving & schooling things, I haven’t had a chance to speak on them. Now that I’m bored & suffering from a bout of insomnia, I’ll do just that.

First, this broad with the 14 kids that the media is all up in arms about? Yeah, it’s actually none of our fucking business. I personally believe that Nadya Suleman is a masochistic nut job for carrying & delivering octuplets, not to mention the fact that this enormous super-birth brought her total number of offspring to fourteen (a wholly unmanageable number of rug rats, in my opinion) and she is doing the parental thing solo, which is tough for women with only one child to rear. BUT… just as my reproductive decisions are mine to make, her crazy-ass reproductive marathon is her own business. Anyone concerned about the kids draining public resources because Mommy isn’t wealthy enough to pay their entire way through life can chill the fuck out – since I’m not gonna’ have any, we’ll just say I gave her my Right To Bear A Working Class Kid Passes. It all will even out in the end. For more insightful discussion on this topic, see the following bloggers posts.

  Bitch Magazine’s Blog: The War on Choice: When Life is Chosen (Eight Times) and Update on Mother of Fourteen: Nadya Suleman

Bitch Ph.D. : Punching Bags (this one has some pretty interesting links to still more discussion of Suleman’s uterine abuse)

 

Second, to all my fellow Starving Students, there is a really good piece up on Easily Distracted about soaring textbook prices that might make your ass blow a gasket. Fucking over priced, god damned…

Third, I was very intrigued by a post over at Progressive Historians entitled White Washing History-No Queers Please. I was intrigued because I’m a nerd like that, but you non-history buffs may be interested in the subject, so I thought I’d mention it. Basically, the gist of the piece is that conservative folks hell bent on censoring higher education are using the economic crisis as an excuse to eliminate courses they deem unnecessary or inappropriate or morally bankrupt. As if being broke means you also have to be ignorant…

Finally, I think it’s beneficial for everybody to take a second & read Maritzia’s Thoughts post entitled Claim Your Privilege, People.  We all have to be aware of the place we each come & how our perception of reality effects our world view before we toss out judgment on others, y’know? I, for one, was born white in a culture that assumes white skin is the default setting. I may have crappy parents, but I was born into a family that values education & that certainly gave me a heads-up. Think about it for a second &, possibly, reconsider some of the preconceived notions or unfounded opinions you maybe lugging around… Hmmm…

And how does that benefit us again?

Anyone that filed their state taxes after February 1st & received an I.O.U. in place of their refund OR any state worker that was recently laid off / paid with an I.O.U. OR any student whose Cal Grant has been suspended OR any other Californian that has had it up to their eyeballs with the ridiculous squabbling in Sacramento over the passage of a damned budget will be happy to hear that legislators are working all weekend to finally handle the fucking business & agree on a damned budget proposal. Finally, right?

It’s too bad that our elected officials are giving up nearly $1 billion in corporate tax breaks, just to ensure that enough Republican politicians vote in favor of the budget bill, and then they plan on dumping another $14 billion in temporary tax hikes on us Average Joe Taxpayer-types. Higher vehicle licensing fees, sales taxes, gasoline taxes, & income taxes, plus a decrease in the amount of dependent care tax credits that Californians are allowed to claim and a reduction of more than $690 million in spending for higher education, will grease the budget bill just enough to allow it to pass through the legislature & right through the Gobonator’s hands. Joy.

2008? Fuck that guy…

Last year blew. It sucked serious donkey balls. The entire set of 365 days was sent from Beelzebub himself to showcase the conditions down below. Seriously though, 2008 was a crap-tastic year that I won’t be nostalgic for any time soon. An informal poll, conducted over several bouts of public binge drinking, confirmed my suspicions that ‘08 wasn’t very popular with the masses either. Why? Let’s review…

* The final year of President Bush’s reign seemed to drag on, a seemingly endless period of an unpopular government making unpopular decisions without regard or foresight. Must have been the extra leap-second tacked on to the end of the year. Or maybe it was the string of stupid shit his administration gave us in 2008.

* The official beginning of the Global Financial Crisis. The U.S. stock market lost it’s will to live. People’s IRA’s & 401K’s were left on their death beds, gasping for breath while the federal government avoided even acknowledging the recession for months after it became clear to everyone else. The price of gasoline soared past $100 per barrel for the first time EVER and went up to $147 per barrel by July. Food prices also went through the roof internationally, sparking riots in the developing nations & a surge in Top Ramen sales domestically. American financial institutions imploded and took out much of the world’s national economies in the process. The Big 3 car manufacturers applied for welfare. Once mighty corporate giants have been falling like flies & Chapter 11 bankruptcy appears to be the chic business move this season. Essentially, 2008 brought the financial “OUCH” heard ‘round the world.

* Politicians were disgraced by the truckload in 2008. NY Governor Elliot Spitzer was linked to a prostitution ring & resigned. Sarah Palin was knocked for behaving like a diva & blowing thousands of bucks on a wardrobe, while running on the Working Man’s Party theme. Rod Blagojevich just got caught trying to sell Obama’s seat in the Senate. Banner year for crooked politicians it was.

* California legalized, then prohibited by Constitutional Amendment, the right to same sex marriage. The Proposition 8 campaign proved that American’s will believe whatever bullshit they see on television ads, however illogical & flat-out untrue it maybe. For the record: Kids can’t go on field trips without parental consent, so a lesbian teacher didn’t force her students to attend a gay wedding against their parent’s will. You don’t formally “learn” about marriage in school, so “teaching” it was never a threat. Families, Marriage, and Children were not endangered by Bill & Ted’s holy matrimony. You were duped.

* The Beijing Summer Olympics. Lamer sports than the Winter version, karaoke at the Opening Ceremonies, and too much compliance with the Chinese government’s media regulations. Why allow China to host the Games if you don’t illuminate the social climate of the nation? That is the point of having a host nation! The mainstream media tip-toed around discussion of Tibetan separatists, the Communist nation’s prosperity despite the lack of capitalism, and China’s zeal for political and religious oppression. Instead, we heard all about the air quality and how capitalist values are gaining popularity in Mao’s land. What a waste of an opportunity. Plus, China whipped our Red, White, & Blue asses when it came to bringing home the gold (except in swimming! Go Phelps!).

* Cyclone Nargis hit southern Asia on May 2 & became the deadliest cyclone of all time, killing an estimated 147,000 people with thousands more missing. Since it made landfall on the politically unstable nation of Burma/Myanmar, the international relief aid was minimal & doled out by an unpopular government more concerned with the political repercussions of Nargis than the cost in human life. Relief workers were initially denied access to the afflicted regions, resulting in unnecessary suffering and starvation, by Burma’s military junta. There have been reports of government workers trading food and supplies for physical labor within the refugee camps & exploiting the suffering of Burmese citizens like a bunch of assholes. Yet another public relations fuck-up for the military junta of Burma & another atrocity suffered by the Burmese people at the hands of their own government. Other climate concerned happenings included June’s Typhoon Fengshen that killed hundreds in the Philippines, February’s tornado outbreak in the U.S. that left a record 58 people dead, a snowstorm in January that resulted in 133 dead Chinese folks, Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna, & Ike slammed the Caribbean & the still recovering Gulf Coast, and the Santa Catarina floods in Brazil caused mass evacuations and 126 deaths in late November. 

* August 7th saw the start of the 2008 South Ossetia War between Russia and Georgia. The separatist region of Georgia, the South Ossetia mentioned in the conflict’s title, was backed by the Russian government in opposition to Georgia’s claim on the territory. When Georgian forces tried to punk the separatists, Russia sent in troops & the mutual ass beating commenced. Technically, the war ended by mid-August but there has been an on-going stream of reports about violent incidents in the border region & Georgia’s diplomatic relations with Russia are not exactly doing well. Especially when the Russians give vocal support to every sect that wishes to free themselves from Georgian control.

* Comedians George Carlin and Bernie Mac; Hollywood Hotties Brad Renfro & Heath Ledger; Ideologically Entertaining Right-wingers Charlton Heston, Tony Snow, & Jesse Helms; South Park’s own Isaac Hayes; the Iconic Bettie Page; and Nixon’s nemesis “Deep Throat” (a.k.a. Mark Felt) all kicked the bucket in 2008.

* The heavy metal band Quiet Riot (“Come on feel the noise, Girls rock your boys…”) disbanded. Now, these washed up rockers will be available to lend dull & asinine commentary to even more Vh1 Countdowns. The Police officially ended their run & I am personally fearful of the crap-music of Sting’s solo career, which he now has more time for, so The Police’s demise is tragic in my book. Scott Wieland was booted from Velvet Revolver & an actually promising rock act was announced dead… probably overdose, huh Scott? The most embarrassing musical fiasco of the year was undoubtedly the return of the New Kids on the Block. A close second was the long-awaited release of Guns N’ Roses “Chinese Democracy”. Talk about yawn-worthy tunes.

* Thailand has been in a state of political turmoil throughout 2008. The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) resumed it’s popular protests of the Thai government’s policies & diplomatic relations with Cambodia. PAD protesters invaded & occupied the Government House (the Thai version of The White House) in August, causing the temporary freeze of transportation and communications in the country. Several airports were seized by the PAD. In September, violence erupted & the Thai government declared a state of emergency, but Prime Minister Samak was ousted shortly thereafter & the declaration was revoked. The Thai Supreme Court has since dissolved the nation’s three top political parties, sort of like calling “Do Over!” in the political realm. The country is now as politically divided as our own nation & an ease in the turbulence isn’t foreseen in the near future.

* 2008 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of the Potato and the International Year of Sanitation. 'Spuds and sewage? Not exactly appealing, interesting, or awe-inspiring. Let’s make ‘09 tasty & entertaining by naming it the International Year of Baklava and Explosive Demolition!

* The lamest sequels & other dumb films were prolific in 2008. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? Rambo? Australia? The Day The Earth Stood Still? Answer: Super fucking sucky cinema.

In conclusion, FAREWELL 2008 and Fuck Off!  

Rachel Maddow: Making the news something I can watch again!

I adore Ms. Rachel Maddow. It’s not because she’s the first openly gay anchor of a prime time news show. It’s not because she is a self-described feminist with obvious liberal political leanings. It’s not because she used to host one of my favorite Air America radio shows, Unfiltered, with none other than Public Enemy’s Chuck D. The main reason that I adore Rachel Maddow is she has made the news bearable for me to sit through. In this era of Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, and Chris Matthews, I find it excruciating to watch even a half-hour of televised news because the Talking Heads of the mainstream media outlets have the journalistic integrity of Stephan Glass and the debating skills of a toddler in the throws of a tantrum. They avoid asking the important questions & instead, waste my time by discussing the merits of Obama’s flag pin or whether America is ready for a female President. I blame these idiots for the downfall of our civilization since they are responsible for spreading the misinformation that so many Americans live their lives according to & they neglect their duty to keep the American people informed, thus perpetuating the idiotic state of the Republic. In contrast, Rachel Maddow keeps it real & handles the business at every weekday on her MSNBC show, The Rachel Maddow Show, which airs directly after Keith Olbermann’s Countdown & can be seen online at THIS website (or YouTube, if you want to avoid the repeticious commercial that MSNBC forces down your throat every two clips). If you have wondered where TV’s sane people are, look no further! Maddow & Olbermann host MSNBC’s most watched shows & that proves that plenty of other people are sick of O’Reilly’s guest abusing interview tactics and Chris Matthew’s idiotic (and sexist) commentary. Maddow’s show includes segments like Just Enough, where pop culture reporter Kent Jones runs us down on the fluffier side of the news, Talk Me Down, where Maddow goes head-to-head with experts on various issues that try to talk her down from her current opinion on the matter, Lame Duck Watch, where Maddow keeps tabs on Still President Bush, and Ms Information, where she calls out the important stories that have gone un- or under- reported. The show has enlightened my understanding of several current events (the stock market crisis, the auto industry loan-bailout) because Maddow has a way of breaking it down to lay-man’s terms without dumbing it down. She has taught me what a T-bill is, why we adjust the Atomic Clocks & why that even matters, and has explained The Bush Doctrine in terms of it’s illegal possibilities. She’s sarcastic, she’s smart, and she’s in-touch with the concerns & questions us Normal Folk have about the state of the Union. Whenever I don’t get specifics of a current political event, Maddow is my Go-To Gal. If I could be any TV personality it would be her (or, maybe, Samantha Bee).

The Executive Posse, or Barack’s Back-Up Squad

As Inauguration Day creeps closer & the mainstream media tries it’s best to avoid any discussion of President Bush, the hot topic seems to be Obama’s cabinet appointments. After all, the birds in your flock say a lot about your feathers, right? But then again, the nation didn’t give much of a shit when Dubya sent John “There Is No UN” Bolton to the damned UN or when he appointed a veterinarian to head up the Women’s Health Department or when he chose John Ashcroft as his first Attorney General after the man lost a Congressional race to a dead guy that wasn’t even on the ballot. Anyhow, I guess a look at Barack’s Posse to Be can’t hurt & a review of what these Cabinet members do might be beneficial. After all, these dudes & dudettes are the power-holders we didn’t even vote for, but they run shit just the same. [Pictures of Cabinet members are ordered chronologically, if you were curious. I like to be able to put faces on the policies I am annoyed with, so I've extended the privledge to you, Dear Reader]

THE BIG FOUR These are the highly coveted, most prestigious, and most influential Cabinet positions:

Secretary of State: Heads up the Department of State & is guru of foreign affairs. If there is negotiating to be done with a dignitary, embassies that need to be holla’d at, or non-military overseas policy to be determined, this is the go-to appointee. Currently held by Condi Rice, but she was preceded by Bush’s original Token Black Guy, Colin Powell. Barack has chosen one-time rival Hillary Rodham Clinton to serve, upon Senate confirmation that is. This appointment is notable because it shows that the Feds are coming to terms with the fact that women should be represented in White House positions that weald considerable power. Bill Clinton had Madeline Albright, Bush II has Condi, and now Obama has Hillary. It might be a while before a lady becomes Commander in Chief, but at least this Top Dog position has been de-gendered!

  

Secretary of Defense: This Secretary is all about the military & armed service concerns. (S)he advises on, formulates, & carries out defense policy, as well as supervises the Joint Chiefs of Staff (six military leaders that advise the civilian world about how shit is). Current SecDef is Robert Gates (named one of the nation’s best leaders by U.S. News and World Report in 2008) & Obama has offered him the position in the next administration. Gates is the successor to Bush’s most obnoxious cabinet member Donald Rumsfeld (“Needless to say, the President is correct. Whatever it was that he said.”). Barack’s decision to retain Gates is notable as well. Instead of trying to start all over with a new & uninformed Defense secretary in the midst of two wars, Obama is banking on Gates’ know-how to assist with the clean-up efforts.

        

Attorney General: Top legal eagle in the States & head of the Department of Justice. This Sec is the chief law enforcement officer in the country & chief legal advisor to the Prez and staff. Currently held by Michael Muckasey (“not every violation of the law is a crime”…actually, that’s the definition of a crime!) since the 2007 fall of Alberto Gonzales (resigned after allegations of perjury & a politically motivated firing spree). Prior to the disgraced Gonzales, Bush appointed the mother of all idiots, John Ashcroft (opponent of desegregation legislation, covered the boobs on the Sprit of Justice statute, loved the War on Drugs & proved it by attacking California Legal Marijuana clinics & Tommy Chong). Barack has named Eric Holder. This guy served under Bill Clinton as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and the Deputy Attorney General, being the first black person to serve in both positions. He was also part of the crack legal squad that took down Michael Vick on dog fighting charges.

Secretary of the Treasury: Runs the Treasury & is in charge of finance or monetary matters. This sec. advises on tax policy, public debt, and is Chairman of the Social Security & Medicare Trust Funds. Currently, the dumbbell at the helm of our sinking ship is Henry Paulson (a.k.a. Billion Dollar Bail Out Boy)but Bush had two former SOT’s, including John Snow (disgraced by questionable ethics regarding his personal $10 million Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae holdings, so he resigned in 2003) and Paul O’Neill (Predicted the economic crisis way back in 2002 & suggested a tax increase, then objected to the Iraq invasion, so he was pushed into resigning in 2002). Obama is expected to appoint Timothy Geithner, a former career staff official at the Treasury that served under five different Secretaries of the Treasury.

THE REST OF ‘UM The Cabinet is also composed of the following 11 members. Don’t let the lesser sounding titles fool you, these folks are shot callers in the Capitol.  

Secretary of Homeland Security: Bush created this position in the wake of 9/11 & it is supposed to focus on matters of domestic safety. The SoHS is the boss of the Secret Service, the Coast Guard, Boarder Patrol, and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). The current Secretary is Michael Chertoff (co-author of the Patriot Act, force behind the Mexico boarder fence construction, scrape goat for post-Katrina wrath), who succeeded Tom Ridge (creator of the idiotic color-coded terror alert system). Obama wants Janet Napolitano for the job. Napolitano is currently Arizona’s governor in her second term, was the state’s first female Attorney General, & represented Anita Hill in her 1991 sexual harassment suit against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The general consensus in the progressive blog-o-sphere is that she will be the weakest link that right wing Senators will attack when the time comes to confirm Obama’s Cabinet appointees. Her approach to Arizona’s immigration issues focused on penalizing the people that hire illegal immigrants and she forced the National Guard to take on the responsibility of sealing the boarders, rather than take the Republican-friendly approach and attack the immigrant population with discriminatory policy and policing efforts. This will not go over well with the Good Ol’ Boys in Congress, no matter how much sense it makes to you or I.

  

Secretary of Commerce: Focused on business & industry (as if any aspect of the Bush Administration isn’t). Currently it’s Carlos Gutierrez (former CEO of Kellogg Co., supporter of the Central American Free Trade Agreement), preceded by Donald Evans (wanted to open Alaska’s wildlife preserve to oil drilling, former CEO of a major energy company). Obama has named Bill Richardson as his nominee. Richardson ran against Obama for the Democratic nomination until he dropped out of the race in January 2008. He is currently in his second term as New Mexico’s governor. Under Clinton, Richardson served as energy secretary and UN ambassador. He served seven terms in Congress and is considered one of the nation’s most accomplished Hispanic politicians. I guess the best way to keep your fellow Dems on your side is to put them on your team.

          

Secretary of Labor: Advises on legislation addressing unions, the workplace, and business-person controversies. This is the Cabinet position held most by female appointees. I guess women in the workplace are appropriate on the federal level. Elaine Chao (villainess of the worker’s safety crowd & alleged corporate tool) is our current SOL & is the only Cabinet member to serve under Bush for his entire tenure. Obama has picked another gal, Carol Bellamy to follow. She has been the Director of the Peace Corps, Executive Director of UNICEF, & currently serves as CEO of World Learning, an international organization that promotes global citizenship through educational programs in 75 nations. Man, I am glad to see the smart folks returning to the White House en masse.

    

Secretary of Health & Human Services: This position is supposed to be concerned with the human condition & the Sec is responsible for advising the Pres on matters of health, welfare, and income security programs. The SoHaHS is supposed to carry out health policy & educate the populace about the government’s programs. It is currently held by Mike Leavitt (believes avian flu is the biggest threat to the USA, has been called out for questionable tax evasion practices), who succeeded Tommy Thompson (key player in Bush’s campaign to remove science from health research, attempted to withhold true costs of Medicare Prescription Plans from Congress). Obama wants Tom Daschle in the position. Daschle is a former Senator & leader of the Senate Democrats during their minority days under Clinton. He was a target of the 2001 Anthrax Attacks perpetrated in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy & it is believed that he was targeted because of his support for a woman’s right to choose. Critics of Daschle’s nomination, myself included, are concerned that his long established ties in Washington make him a seasoned politician, which is exactly what we (I) don’t want in the White House. Obama is a refreshing change to Business as Usual because he lacks experience playing the Washington political game, but Daschle is well versed in the Way Things Go in the Capitol. We’ll see I suppose…

Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs: Addresses matters related to veteran’s benefits. Currently held by James Peake (the operator behind the disastrous military health care system now in place), preceded by Jim Nicholson (notoriously downplayed the numbers of mentally ill veterans), who was preceded by Anthony Principi (after leaving office, he headed the company that got busted for overcharging the Dof Vet Affairs for veteran’s physicals). As of yesterday, Obama named retired General Eric Shinseki to the post. Shinseki was the first Japanese-American four star general in the Army & is best known for locking horns with Donald Rumsfeld over the Iraq invasion & the inadequate number of troops the Bush Administration initially sent into battle. Our veterans & troops will no doubt appreciate having a SoVA that actually is concerned with their wellbeing, rather than just another mouth piece for state propaganda.

No Word Yet The remaining cabinet positions have yet to be named to Obama’s Dream Team, but speculation is abuzz among political pundits & junkies. Political junkies, not heroin junkies (they aren’t much for Cabinet appointments, I’m told).

Secretary of Education: Obviously this Secretary is all about the book learnin’. Currently, Margaret Spellings holds the position (she was one of the principal authors of No Child Left Behind, is vocally anti-gay, & has been called out for being “asleep at the wheel” where student loans are concerned by allowing corruption and conflicts of interest to spread). Before her, Bush had Rod Paige at the Education helm (he hired the dude that planted propaganda about No Child Left Behind & was fined for his actions). Possible Obama picks include Caroline Kennedy (yes that Caroline Kennedy), Chicago’s school chief Arne Duncan, NY’s school chief Joel Klein, Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius, and Virginia governor Tim Kaine.

 

Secretary of the Interior: Overseas the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service. (S)he also appoints citizens to the National Park Foundation board. Basically, this Secretary is a glorified groundskeeper, but power is found it the Interior’s control of coal & mineral deposits on public land, off-shore oil, and hydro-electric dams. Most of the time, the Interior position is held by a person from the Western States. Current Bush-guy is Dirk Kempthorne (holds the all-time record for protecting the fewest species during his tenure & is being sued for playing favorites with New York Indian casinos), previously it was Gale Norton (was involved in the Jack Abramoff scandal & is a hardcore supporter of gay discrimination legislation). Candidates under review for Obama’s Cabinet include Montana governor Brain Schweitzer, former director of the Fish & Wildlife Service Jaime Rappaport Clark, and Congressman Jay Inslee of Seattle.

             

Secretary of Transportation: What do you think this Secretary manages? The rails, the roads, the skies, yadda’ yadda’. It’s currently Mary Peters (the Teamsters run a firemarypeters site in her honor), was previously Norman Mineta (the only Democrat in Bush’s Cabinet & longest serving SoT ever). Possible Obama nominees include Minnesota Rep. Jim Oberstar, New York Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Kahn, and Illinois Rep. Jerry Costello.

         

Secretary of Agriculture: Runs the United States Forest Service, the Food and Safety Inspection Service, the Food Stamp Program, & the Cooperative State Research, Education & Extension Service (it advises farmers & gardeners on planet shit). The newest SoA is Edward Schafer (thinks there is no problem with eating cattle that mysteriously dies), preceded by Michael Johanns (anti-gay marriage, anti-reproductive freedom, anti-environmental protections, apparently anti-sanity) and Ann Veneman (named Executive Director of UNICEF by Kofi Annan & was a possible Obama running mate candidate back in the day). Obama’s picks are very hush-hush right now, but I'll relay info as I get it.

    

Secretary of Housing & Urban Development: Obviously in charge of urban housing matters & concerns. I wonder if any of Bush’s appointees have ever lived in an urban housing development. His current guy is Steve Preston (appointed in April of this year without any previous experience in housing matters… at all… during a housing crisis), Alphonso Jackson preceded him (allegedly illegally distributed funds & contracts based on political affiliation, was named in the Countrywide Loan Scandal), and Mel Martinez came before that (he served as co-chair of Bush’s election campaign in Florida in 2000 & was one of the three Senators that pushed Terri Schiavo into federal courts). The newest Secretary maybe Obama’s close friend & CEO of Habitat, Co. Valerie Jarrett, South Carolina congressman James Clyburn, or Illinois’ congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.

     

Secretary of Energy: Deals with energy production & regulation, educating the public on energy matters, and developing new technology & alternate energy sources. Also responsible for nuclear waste disposal & maintenance of environmental quality. Currently held by Samuel Bodman (does not believe that greenhouse gases and global warming are linked), preceded by Spencer Abraham (jokes about being in porn as a youngster, wrote a bill to abolish the Department of Energy before he was nominated to head the mo’fo’). Potential energy Secretaries include General Electric Co.CEO Jeff Immelt, retired Army general Wesley Clark, or former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia & Mississippi governor Ray Mabus.

  

 

Holy Smokes, Batman! The evil doers are still at it!

Let us not relax & bask in the promising glow that is emanating from President-Elect Barack Obama; there is still a slew of bullshit, baloney, and bastardry before us, Dear Reader. It is true that the Transition Project for Obama/Biden has issued an anti-discriminatory policy that includes not only race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, and sexual orientation; it also includes gender identity in a trailblazing move towards inclusion and building an Executive Branch that recognizes ALL Americans, instead of pretending that the only valid citizens are hetero-normative White Bread God-Fearing cronies of the Commander-In-Chief. This is a big deal, y’all. It is also true that the embarrassingly disastrous Global Gag Rule is about to become extinct. The in-coming Administration has announced it’s intentions to repeal the Rule, which bars international family planning groups that receive U.S. aid dollars from providing information on abortion, whether or not the procedure is legal in the countries they operate in. The repeal is a welcome change that will undoubtedly save thousands of lives by allowing these groups to discuss abortion as an option, provide clinic referrals, and inform women about the consequences of illegal or unsafe procedures. This ban was instated the very first day of Dubya’s reign & it’s fade-to-black moment is long overdue. There is also truth in the reports that say Obama’s team has already compiled a list of more than 200 Bush Era policies that he plans on reversing immediately after inauguration. The G.W. handiwork on Barack’s chopping block are those actions considered most onerous or ideologically offensive, such as: funding caps on federal stem-cell research that held the scientific community in a chokehold since 2001, denying states the right to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to appease the Big Auto & Utilities industries at the expense of the environment, the lax (non-existent) system of food and drug regulation over at the FDA that has based certification solely on the research submitted by the food or drug distributors, and the shamefully inadequate allocation of tax dollars for the Children’s Health Insurance program that millions of American bambinos could seriously use. We can begin to say Adieu to these politically-motivated and down-right detrimental administrative actions; this is thankfully true. Never the less, we should not assume that All is Well in these United States just because the mammoth turd that was G.W. is finally getting flushed. If you look closer at the toilet bowl, you’ll still notice the crap stains and shitty odor left behind. Disgusting metaphor, I know, but let me explain:

 

***** Freedom and Equality Receive a Massive Bitch-Slap in California, Florida, Arizona, and Arkansas*****

Here in the home of such notable gay-friendly sites as the Castro and West Hollywood, supposedly liberal & lefty California passed Proposition 8, a ban on same sex marriages. Similar legislation was passed in the Sunshine State and McCain’s Congressional stomping grounds. Plus, an unmarried couple adoption ban was passed in Arkansas, which effectively removes gay couples from the ranks of eligible parents. I must say that I am not entirely surprised by the legislated bigotry in AK, FL, or AZ, but I am still in shock about my beloved home state’s support for such an unnecessary and fucking mean piece of legislation. 52% of the voters approved the Constitutional Amendment that redefined marriage as being between a man and a woman. Wow. How did that happen? Media mouth pieces spoke plenty about the support Prop 8 received from the African-American community, but since the initiative's campaign was primarily financed by the Mormon Church, I think this blame is miss-guided. I’m more than a little pissed about the blatant religious dogma behind Prop 8 & even more annoyed about this particular church’s involvement. Don’t they have a state of their own? Utah was created by the (once polygamist) Mormons & is very much an extension of the church to this day. It seems to me that the Latter Day Saints outta’ recall their own questionable matrimonial history and avoid too much attention being cast on their political arm. Church-State separatists, like myself or our Founding Fathers, might not look to kindly at their continued tax-exempt status, y’know? As I predicted to anyone that would listen, Prop 8 has been promptly challenged in the court system. Attorney Gloria Allred, representing California’s first gay newly-weds Robin Tyler and Diane Olson, filed a suit against Prop 8 on November 5th. Entire counties & metropolitan areas have rebelled against Prop 8 & it’s discriminatory bullshit by also filing suit against the state. So far, Santa Clara County, Los Angeles County, the City of San Francisco, and the City of Los Angeles have teamed up to challenge the violation of civil rights in the state’s Supreme Court. 

Further reading on the subject can be found in The Nation’s commentary section, titled Marital Discord: Why Prop 8 Won, by Richard Kim. He addresses the disinformation spread by the Yes on 8 campaign (It will be taught in school! Obama’s anti-gay!).  Also, Shameless Magazine’s blog talks about the support statistics overlooked in the rush to blame black voters for Prop 8’s passage, titled Are we still at the Oppression Olympics?.  Protests against Prop 8 are currently be organized nationwide by Jointheimpact.com & are set to kick off on Saturday, November 15th. There is even a Stockton protest listed on their page HERE. Holla’ back at the Haters on Saturday morning & I just might share a doobie or two in solidarity. Keith Olbermann choked me up in this special comment about Prop 8, located HERE. For a more local sarcastic take on things, see SFGate’s Culture Blog, titled I Think I Just Got Screwed by Prop 8. Does That Make Me Gay?, by Beth Spotswood.

***** Speaking of Bitch-Slaps, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia thinks Domestic Violence is No Biggie****

After the Supreme Court heard a case dealing with the scope of the Federal Gun Control Act, Scalia (who has never been accused of being a softie, a lefty, or even a Nice Guy) dismissed the notion that persons convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence should be disarmed by saying “it’s not that serious of an offense.” Transcripts of the hearing are located HERE and the exchanges between the Justices and the Department of Defense attorneys make for some disgustingly dismissive reading. A run down on what was at stake in this case from the LA Times is located HERE.

To be entirely forthright, I am urban-born & raised in a city with serious anger management issues so I tend to support gun control regulation. I don’t own one & don’t ever plan to because I have been known to lose my shit from time to time and a gun presents the opportunity to make a bad situation much much worse. In the case of people that have been convicted (that means “are guilty” as far as the law & the state are concerned) of domestic violence, however misdemeanor the charges, it is in the public’s best interest that those individuals lose the right to bear arms. That is exactly where we don’t want guns – in the hands of a person that loses their shit on their significant other. It makes sense. It’s a bug fucking duhh in my book. For Scalia to suggest that a misdemeanor D.V. charge signifies an acceptable level of spouse beating for gun ownership purposes is just nauseating. What a dick.

Last month was Domestic Violence Awareness Month & apparently, no one made the effort to inform Justice Scalia just how serious the offense really is. Allow me to illuminate the subject:

The US Department of Justice Violence Against Women Office reports, as of 1999, one out of every four American women will experience intimate partner violence in her lifetime. FBI statistics show domestic violence claims the lives of more than four women every day.

Guns are the most commonly used weapons in domestic homicides and, in recent years, nearly 1/3 of all the women murdered in the U.S. were done in by their husband’s/boyfriend’s sharp shooting.

A recent UCLA study found that when guns were kept in domestic violence homes, 2/3 of surveyed individuals reported them being used by a batterer to intimidate, threaten, or harm.       

Dude, if you’re battering your partner, you’re ill-equipt to handle the responsibility of gun ownership. And Justice Scalia is a dick. No bones about it.

OMMFG!

Yes we can, Bitches! I am so fucking proud of all the homies that worked at the polls, volunteered at the phone banks, canvassed the ‘hoods, and handled the fucking business! I can’t even solidify a thought at the moment. I’ll speak on it later.

Just when I thought it was safe to quit yammering about politics…

That dip-shit Republican VP candidate, Sarah Palin, has to start spewing stupid bullshit… again.

Last night on NBC Nightly News, Brain Williams asked Palin whether she thought abortion clinic bombers were terrorists. She responded by saying: “I don’t know if your going to use the word ‘terrorist’ there”. WTF? What do you mean ‘I don’t know’? She has been so freakin’ sure about William Ayers being a domestic terrorist, emphasizing his ties to Barack Obama whenever given the chance, but the woman doesn’t know if people that blow up public medical facilities, without regard for the people in or around them, to promote their extreme religious views on abortion are terrorists? The definition of “terrorist” is “a radical who employs terror as a political weapon; usually organizes with other terrorists in small cells; often uses religion as a cover for terrorist activities” (according to Wordnet). People, like the wack-jobs associated with the Army of God, certainly fit the definition! Palin proves my worst fears about her in one fateful sentence: She is not on the ticket for any other reason than to appease the extreme Christian right by appealing to their worst qualities. Why didn’t she just say “Of course clinic bombers are terrorists!”. That wouldn’t offend anyone except the most radical Christian terrorist sympathizers! How dare this woman label herself a feminist or a patriot, when she can’t even acknowledge that bombing a medical facility in this country is a terrorist act against the American people & to do so in the name of one’s religious beliefs makes these loonies no better than the hijackers responsible for 9/11! I am in shock, because I honestly didn’t think a mainstream politician in this day & age could get away with spouting such unbelievable bullshit on national television. Wow. Watch the video:

To clarify, Sarah Palin just identified Ayers as a terrorist for targeting federal buildings, mere symbols of our government, but doesn’t think the label applies to people that target citizens of this country & public facilities used by these citizens. As if the American government & it’s buildings were somehow more sacred than the people living here. Un-fucking-believable.

Let us review her asinine logic:

First, William Ayers, the man she insists on mentioning whenever a mic is in front of her, was a co-founder of the Weather Underground, a radical left organization active in the late 1960’s & early 1970’s. In October of 1969, the Weathermen incited a “riot” in the streets of Chicago, later referred to as the “Days of Rage”, intended to show just how pissed many Americans were about the on-going war in Vietnam. In the words of Ayers himself:

"The Days of Rage was an attempt to break from the norms of kind of acceptable theater of 'here are the anti-war people: containable, marginal, predictable, and here's the little path they're going to march down, and here's where they can make their little statement.' We wanted to say, "No, what we're going to do is whatever we had to do to stop the violence in Vietnam.”

Bill Ayers & his companions kicked of the Days by bombing a statue commemorating the police officers killed in the 1886 Haymarket Riot (I’ll discuss that boon-doggle in another post). The blast blew out a shit load of windows, but harmed no one. The “riot” consisted of (at most) 350 protesters smashing the windows of cars & buildings for a mere four blocks before a police barricade of 1000+ officers splintered the group by using tear gas, billy clubs, pistols, and, on two occasions, ramming police vehicles into the crowd at full speed. The “riot” lasted a half hour.

After Fred Hampton (leader of the Black Panthers) and Mark Clark (B.P. member) were gunned down in their home while sleeping by Chicago police (assisted by the FBI & it’s COINTELPRO ideology), the Weathermen went underground & issued a “Declaration of a State of War”. Then they bombed several unoccupied police vehicles.

The Weather Underground bombed the U.S. Capitol mailroom on March 1, 1970 to “protest the U.S. invasion of Laos”, the women’s bathroom at the Pentagon on May 19, 1972 “in retaliation for the U.S. bombing raid on Hanoi”, and the Harry S Truman Building on January 29, 1975 “in response to escalation in Vietnam”. These actions were preceded by communiqués that provided evacuation warnings & not a single police officer or civilian was killed in the attacks. Read the FBI files on the WUO HERE. The organization took credit for 25 bombings of courthouses and Department of Correction offices, the attacks being retaliation for the murders of various Black Panther inmates at the hands of correctional officers or in response to the murder & assaults during the Attica Prison Riots. In 1970, the Weather Underground accepted $20,000 to break LSD advocate Timothy Leary out of prison & smuggle him to Algeria, which they executed non-violently & were never charged with.

After the Vietnam War ceased, the Weathermen essentially disbanded. The federal government dropped all charges against William Ayers after misconduct on their part surfaced. Ayers went on to pursue a career in education, currently he is a professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago. His work in educational reform led to the fated meeting of Ayers and Obama (a congressman from the state of Illinois). The two served on the board of a community anti-poverty group &, later, Ayers donated to Barack’s re-election fund.  

In the eyes of Sarah Palin, William Ayers is unquestionably a terrorist. In my humble opinion, Ayers took to heart the message in our Declaration of Independence: “to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.” Certainly the atrocities of the Vietnam War & the civil rights abuses, hell…flat out murders, at the hands of the U.S. government can be considered “destructive” to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Bombing shit may not have been the most socially acceptable course of action, but voting & peaceful protest wasn’t doing much and I can’t blame anyone for getting frustrated.

Now, on the other end of Sarah Palin’s Terrorist-O-Meter…

Abortion clinic’s have been targets of extremist Christian terrorists since shortly after the Roe v. Wade decision was passed down in 1973. Stalking, kidnapping, murder, attempted murder, assault, arson, clinic bombings, and vandalism have been perpetuated by extreme Christian terrorists in the name of a radical pro-life agenda. Over 200 bombings & arson attacks have been committed since Roe; many of the perpetrators never being tried do to the statute of limitations running out before charges were brought. Still others escaped prison time by pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. The first documented arson occurred in 1976, when an Oregon clinic was attacked by Joseph C. Stockett. Most recently, arson attacks were made on a Virginia clinic in May of 2007 and a New Mexico clinic in December of 2007. A bomb planted in an Austin, Texas clinic in April 2007 was defused by a bomb squad without resulting in injury. All three cases are, as of yet, unsolved.

Beginning in October 1998, abortion clinic terror expanded to include the threat of anthrax attacks. Letters sent to clinics would contain powdery substances & threats that the recipients were going to die by exposure. As of 2002, 654 such letters have been received by clinics nationwide. In 2001 alone, 554 letters were sent out by Clayton Waagner, an escapee of DeWitt County Jail in Illinois & a member of the Army of God. In his own words (as posted on the AOG website):

"So the abortionists don't get the wrong idea, I don't plan on talking them to death. I'm going to kill as many of them as I can.... It doesn't matter to me if you're a nurse, receptionist, bookkeeper, or janitor, if you work for the murderous abortionist I'm going to kill you."

Waagner has since been recaptured & tried for various crimes in several states, including threatening to use weapons of mass destruction and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

Unlike the Weather Underground’s zero death toll, the Christian extremists responsible for abortion clinic violence have murdered seven people in their quest to “protect life”. The first was Dr. David Gunn of Pensacola, Florida in 1993. He was shot three times, at point blank range, while exiting his car at the Pensacola Women’s Medical Services Clinic by Michael Griffin (now serving a life sentence for murder). Paul Hill, a dedicated anti-abortion advocate, appeared on national television calling Griffin’s action “a justifiable homicide”.

In 1994, 69-year old Dr. John Bayard Britton and his body guard, James H. Barrett, were shot and killed at the Ladies Health Center of Pensacola, Florida by Paul Hill, the same man that spoke on behalf of Michael Griffin a year earlier. Britton’s wife June was also injured in the attack. Hill was executed in 1993 for the murders. Also in 1994, receptionists Shannon Lowney and Leanne Nichols were gunned down at two different clinics in Brookline, Massachusetts by John Salvi. Five others were injured in the attacks. Salvi confessed to a non-lethal attack on a clinic in Norfolk, Virginia committed days before the murders in Massachusetts.He would later commit suicide while serving two life sentences for the murders. In 1998, Officer Robert Sanderson was killed in a clinic bombing in Birmingham, Alabama while working as a security guard. A nurse was also injured. The now-infamous Eric Robert Rudolph, also responsible for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic bombings, was convicted of the crime and is serving a life sentence.

Most recently, in 1998, Dr. Barnett Slepian was shot and killed in his home in Amherst, NY by probably the most prolific anti-abortion terrorist, James Kopp. Slepian was taken out with a high-powered rifle through his kitchen window, in front of his wife and children. James Kopp was placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitive List in 1999, while on the lam throughout Europe. He was eventually captured in France in 2001 and charged with reckless murder with depraved indifference to human life. Kopp has been linked to the shooting of Dr. Garson Romalis of Vancouver, Dr. Hugh Short of Ontario, Dr. Jack Fainman of Manitoba, and an unnamed physician in Rochester, NY.  

The Army of God is the extreme pro-life version of al Qaeda. It is an underground network of domestic terrorists who believe that the use of violence is appropriate and acceptable as a means to end abortion. The first mention of the Army & it’s mission is thought to have occurred in 1982, when clinic arsonists, Don Benny Anderson and brothers Matthew and Wayne Moore kidnapped an Illinois abortion provider and his wife. In 1984, the organization sent death threats to Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun and took credit for several clinic bombings, as well as bomb attacks on the National Abortion Federation and the ACLU offices. James Kopp, Eric Robert Randolph, and Clayton Waagner have identified themselves as AOG members (Kopp is even mentioned in the group’s manual, under it’s Special Thanks section). Other key members of the AOG include Michael Bray a.k.a. the “Chaplain” (a man that has been jailed for clinic bombings and publically applauds similar actions taken by others), Neal Horsley ( head of the American Coalition of Life Activists, the host of the now-defunct Nuremberg Files website which posted the name, addresses, phone numbers & personal information of abortion providers with the injured ones highlighted & the murdered ones stricken out, and the Abortion Cams site located HERE, which posts photographs and video of patients, staff and physicians entering and exiting clinics), Shelley Shannon (convicted arsonist & serving time for the 1993 attempted murder of Dr. George Tiller, also referenced in the Special Thanks section of the AOG manual), and Donald Spitz (the host of the AOG’s website, located HERE).

How Sarah Palin can see a gray area with regards to the terrorist actions of these people is beyond me. Visit anyone of the sites I’ve linked to & I’m sure you would agree. I know this post has been long & rather detailed, but the point had to be made. William Ayers is constantly vilified for his actions against a corrupt government waging an unjust war in Vietnam. Sarah Palin has made sure you know his name & understand he is, in fact, a domestic terrorist.  Yet the Army of God, Eric Randolph, Paul Hill, James Kopp … Governor Sarah Palin would not use the word “terrorist” to describe them. I wonder, what would she call them?

Slacker Uprising & The Youth Vote

Michael Moore’s latest expose on American politics, titled Slacker Uprising, has been released on the internet HERE. The flick is free to watch and download, so there is little reason NOT to see the damned thing. Moore’s film focuses on his attempt to mobilize the 18-29 year old demographic during the 2004 Presidential Election with a tour of college campuses across the nation. Moore recognized the power of the young buck voter & how we are untouched by the Reagan Era politics of our parents, therefore we are more likely to vote as Lefties. This upcoming election promises to prove to the rest of the nation just how right Moore is about that. Basically, George Bush’s presidency has scared the shit out of us & forced our political awakening. This time around, the Democrats listened & have given us a candidate we can get excited about. If any of y’all are still on the fence or are still apathetic about the election, let’s review the candidate’s positions on the shit we care about, that way you don’t waste your vote! Or worse yet, assume it doesn’t matter as so many falsely did in the last Presidential election. 

**** The Economy: fuck the stock market & even the housing market, since most of us don’t have investments or property. BUT we are affected by unemployment or under-employment, dwindling federal & state financial aid for students, and budget cuts to other social programs we depend on to keep our heads above water (See an interesting take on the financial crisis from the POV of a fellow broke American HERE to see what I mean) . What are the candidate’s planning on doing for us in the lower echelons of the economic ladder?

Obama / Biden:  According to an analysis of his tax plan by the Tax Policy Center, Obama would cut taxes on the 95 percent of filers who make less than $227,000 per year and raise taxes on the 5 percent whose incomes exceed that amount. Compared with current policy, Obama's tax plan would increase government revenues by $627 billion over the next 10 years. Obama has criticized globalization that "favors only the few" and has called for amending NAFTA, if necessary, in order to protect American workers. He also favors closing tax loopholes that reward companies that offshore jobs, supporting firms that create U.S. jobs and improving transitional assistance for workers displaced by foreign trade. Also, the Boys in Blue advocate a $50 billion emergency economic stimulus plan. The money would go toward 1 million jobs for rebuilding infrastructure and schools, and helping local governments avoid budget cuts. The plan would create a $25 billion "Jobs and Growth Fund" to invest in infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, and to save jobs. He also called for a temporary lifting of taxes on unemployment insurance benefits as a way of giving more relief to families, a suspension on tax penalties for early withdrawal of retirement funds, and an immediate extension of unemployment insurance for an additional 13 weeks to help families that are being hit hardest by the downturn. Barack Obama’s camp also proposes a Homeowner and Financial Support Act. "First, it will provide capital to the financial system. Second, it will provide liquidity to enable our financial markets to function. And third, it will do what I've been calling for since I supported legislation on it early last spring, which is to get serious about helping struggling families to restructure their mortgages on more affordable terms so they can stay in their homes," he said during a September speech. In his own words…

 

McCain / Palin: McCain would make Bush's "temporary" tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans permanent. His plan would cut taxes on top earners by $23,000 per year. He would cut taxes for all other Americans as well, but his cuts would only be deeper than Obama's for those earning between $112,000 and $227,000 -- about 20 percent of the population. Compared with current policy, McCain's tax plan would decrease government revenues by $595 billion over the next 10 years, meaning that new spending cuts would be necessary to avoid growing the deficit even larger. He supports current trade policy & insists that trade is all about opportunity, that NAFTA has had an "unambiguously" positive impact on the U.S. economy, and that the status quo must be continued. McCain has called for the creation of a Mortgage and Financial Institutions Trust (MFI) to help companies avoid bankruptcy while protecting their customers. The money would also help consumers restructure loans so they can keep their homes. During the second presidential debate on October 7, McCain unveiled a proposal aimed to ease mortgage troubles for many Americans. The plan would direct the federal government to buy up bad mortgage loans from banks and homeowners. They then would be converted into low-interest loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration. He proposes that withdrawals from tax preferred accounts -- IRAs and 401(k)s -- should be taxed at the lowest rate of 10 percent in 2008 and 2009. The policy would apply to the first $50,000 withdrawn from such accounts each year. He suggested ending the taxation of unemployment insurance benefits for 2008 and 2009 and proposes increasing the amount of capital losses which can be used in tax years 2008 and 2009 to offset ordinary income from $3,000 to $15,000 and reducing in the maximum tax rate on long term capital gains to 7.5 percent in 2009 and 2010. If you don’t know what a “capital loss” is, this plan doesn’t apply to your broke ass. The Senator’s thoughts on the economy…

**** The War in Iraq: Since it’s our peers over there fighting this Rich Man’s War, what exactly do these guys plan to do as Commander in Chief, when they hold the lives of these men & women in their hands?

                   Obama / Biden: From the beginning, Barack opposed the use of military force in Iraq. The Obama campaign says their proposed schedule of withdrawal would remove them from Iraq within 16 months and be complete by summer 2010, but would maintain a residual force to perform specific missions in Iraq, like targeting remnants of al Qaeda, protecting U.S. service members and diplomats, and supporting Iraq's security forces. He has pledged to commit $2 billion toward an international effort to support the more than 4 million displaced Iraqis & has made it clear that the United States seeks no permanent military bases in the region. Obama has helped pass laws designed to assist homeless veterans and improve care for wounded veterans. He has received an 80 percent approval rating from the Disabled Veterans of America and a B+ rating from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

 

                   McCain / Palin: McCain has famously declared that the United States will remain in Iraq until "victory" is achieved -- even if it takes another 100 years.He has long refused to name target dates for troop withdrawals, claiming that it would be tantamount to giving terrorists a timeline for defeat. More recently on the campaign trail, however, he has claimed that Iraq can be "won" by 2013. Still, he has said he reserves the right to reassess the situation upon taking office. McCain's record on veterans' issues is abysmal. He was given a D rating from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and the Disabled American Veterans reports that he has voted for legislation benefiting veterans only 20 percent of the time. McCain voted against health care funding for veterans in 2003, '04, '05, '06 and '07. And unlike Obama, McCain refused to support the Webb GI Bill, which was critical to ensuring that soldiers who enlisted with the hope of eventually going to college would be able to do so. Check out this Oops! Moment where he admits it’s all about oil…

*** Health Care: I don’t know about you, but I’m piss-ass scared to get sick! That is simply something that I cannot afford. Since I live in such a wealthy nation, my fear shouldn’t be ok with the candidates. Right?

                 Obama / Biden: Obama has stated that he believes health care should be a right. Obama's plan would drastically reduce the number of uninsured (from 47 million to about 18 million) and would require children to be covered. Obama would create an additional social safety net: a public health plan that would give people without access to insurance through an employer or entitlement program like Medicare guaranteed coverage with the same comprehensive benefits that members of Congress now enjoy. He estimates the cost at between $50 billion and $65 billion, to be paid for by eliminating Bush tax cuts for those earning over $250,000. His plan would allow Americans to purchase medicines from other developed countries if the drugs are safe and prices are lower than outside the United States. Says he would repeal the ban that prevents the U.S. from negotiating with drug companies.

                 McCain / Palin: McCain has stated that health care is a responsibility. McCain's plan would have little effect on the uninsured population. He would place a $3.6 trillion tax on workers over the next 10 years and use revenue from that tax to give people a credit ($2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families) to purchase insurance on the open market. The trouble is, the average family policy costs $12,000, and it's much harder for an individual to negotiate good prices than an employer. His plan would increase awareness and promote the use of existing children's health insurance programs while expanding community health centers & he says he would foster greater competition in the drug markets "through safe re-importation of drugs and faster production of generic drugs."