Republicans Start the Year Off with Typical Stupidity

I guess Republicans didn't get the message in the election.  Losing the Presidential election and losing seats in both houses of Congress didn't drive it home.  So they just keep pushing their tired, ridiculous agenda.  Within the first few days of the new year, I've read about two extremely stupid bills being proposed by Republicans (gives me a good idea of what to expect for the next two years). 

First, while the Violence Against Women Act and the Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill go unapproved in Congress, Republican Michelle Bachman announced that she introduced the first bill of the 113th Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  Despite passing similar bills 33 times in the last useless congressional session that didn't go anywhere, Republicans apparently don't mind wasting millions more passing the repeal (the first 33 times cost an estimated $50 million to taxpayers). 

This morning, I read news of another Republican that has decided to waste taxpayer money by introducing a bill that would allow public schools to require the recitation of the Lord's Prayer.  Indiana state senator Dennis Kruse, who attempted and failed to get creationism taught in schools last year, filed a bill that would allow Indiana schools to force children to recite the Lord's Prayer, although the bill allows for individual students to opt out.  In this case, the Republican in charge of the Indiana state senate was intelligent enough to recognize that this bill is an unconstitutional waste of time.  He assigned it to the rules and legislative procedures committee and said that it was a clear violation of the first amendment. 

That leads to the question of why these legislators are introducing bills that they know will fail.  The answer is that they want to make a statement.  They believe that their agenda should be forced upon the rest of us, regardless of whether we want it or not.  They choose to make a statement that costs us millions of dollars.  Meanwhile, they complain about frivolous government spending. 

This just illustrates the hypocrisy of the Republican agenda.  They say they want to stop spending, but waste millions on bills they know won't pass.  They say they want smaller government, but want to write more laws restricting the freedoms of specific groups.  Ask them why, and they'll tell you that there's a difference between conservative fiscal policy and conservative social policy.  Of course there is, that difference is called hypocrisy. 

I can respect a true libertarian.  They don't want government intrusion at all.  They want very little government in either fiscal or social policy.  While I may not agree with much of their agenda, I can respect them for having a solid belief and applying it to all aspects of government. On the other hand, today's conservatives are simply hypocrites who only push their ideology as far as it benefits their agenda.  They are perfectly willing to compromise their ideology to make a statement about their beliefs (which is ironic because they refuse to compromise with anyone who believes differently in order to get things accomplished).  Maybe this is why their party is imploding...no one, not even their own party members, can really a group that doesn't live up to its ideals and proves itself full of hypocrites over and over.  Hopefully all of this silliness and waste ends after the 2014 election when many of these people are removed from office. 

The Fall of Conservative Ideals Protects America's Future

In the last month, we have witnessed a political party that has been shaken to its foundations.  Immediately after the American people sent a message to Republicans that we will not accept their extreme and harmful beliefs, the fighting began within the party.  The loss was blamed on everyone from urban voters to Governor Christie, Mitt Romney, and Rush Limbaugh. 

Conservative business people have punished Americans for our choice in the election by laying off workers.  Others have threatened to reduce hours for employees to avoid paying for health care.  Many of those companies have backtracked on their threats after their sales dropped. 

The decay of the party continued with the announcement that Tea Party Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) would be resigning.  While his replacement may not be any better, at least we've gotten rid of this guy and have a chance to replace him with someone less extreme.  On the reverse side, Senator-elect Elizabeth Warren, the bain of Wall Street, will join the Senate Banking Committee which has oversight of the rules and regulations under which banks operate. 

Approval of gay marriage has grown and new states are issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples today. 

Some conservatives are working to have Boehner replaced as Speaker of the House because he removed because of his decision to remove some far-right conservatives from committees.  The extremists and Tea Party element in the Republican party are panicking because they feel their power slipping away.

Republicans are experiencing backlash from their refusal to ratify a United Nations treaty that protects the rights of disabled people.  The treaty makes the Americans with Disabilities Act a non-binding international standard and would not have changed any U.S. laws.  It's been signed by President Bush in 2006 and again by President Obama in 2009.  Former Senators Bob and Elizabeth Dole (R) and a small contingent of current Republican Senators (John McCain, Dick Lugar, and John Barrasso) also supported the treaty. 

In what has to be one of the most devastating aspects of the Republican implosion, multiple business executives have come out to discredit the notion that tax hikes on wealthy Americans will hurt jobs.  Executives such as Warren Buffet and Fed Ex CEO Fred Smith, among others at companies like Goldman Sachs and AT&T, have stated that they would support an increase in the tax rates for the wealthy.  Smith described the idea of those increases killing jobs as "mythology." 

Of course conservatives are panicking and fighting through all of this.  They are watching their ideology fall apart.  The people of the United States, even many of the wealthy, are seeing that we can't continue to operate under conservative theories and maintain our position as the greatest country in the world.  We have to support each other, we have to provide for our people, we have to maintain a strong middle class.  The greatest nation in the world can not be an aristocracy.  The greatest nation in the world cannot have the best health care, but refuse to provide coverage for all of its citizens.  The greatest nation in the world cannot allow discrimination of any kind.  The greatest nation in the world cannot claim to be founded on the idea of freedom of religion, and freedom from religion, while writing religious beliefs into laws and limiting people's rights based on those beliefs.  The greatest nation in the world cannot support conservative ideals and remain great.  In my eyes, the United States is truly the greatest nation in the world.  This is why we are seeing the walls of conservative rhetoric fall before our very eyes.  The people of the United States have stood up and said, "We will not allow elitism and discrimination to run our lives!  We will live our lives supporting the ideas of fairness and equality, concepts that our people have fought and died for over hundreds of years!  We are all in this together!"  And I'm loving every minute of it.

Jesus was a Socialist

Conservative Christians.  That's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one.  I know that conservatives like to think of themselves as the "Christian right," but they couldn't be further from the truth.  Aside from the fact that they like to focus on the condemnation of homosexuality in the Bible (while conveniently ignoring all of the accompanying verse), they seem to have no understanding of the instructions that Jesus left for Christians.  With that in mind, I thought I would point out a few of the verses that they have forgotten in their attempts to blend their religion into their politics. 

Let's start with the condemnation of taxes.  Many conservatives think that taxes are terrible.  What they fail to remember is that the Bible respects the collection of taxes:

Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:7)

Jesus also instructs people to pay the taxes that the government has declared they owe:

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. ¹⁶ They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. ¹⁷ Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
¹⁸ But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, ²⁰ and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
²¹ “Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Matthew 22:15-21)

All of the screaming that conservatives do about taxes being too high seems to go against the instructions that are laid out in the Bible.  Of course, their next argument is that they will pay the taxes, but the taxes shouldn't be so high.  They call the President socialist and talk about how he is "evil" and even the "anti-Christ."  Again, there are some verses that they seem to have forgotten about the people chosen to lead our country:

¹⁷ “The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people." (Daniel 4:17)

In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.  (Proverbs 21:1)

⁶ This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. (Romans 13:6)

¹³ Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. ¹⁵ For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.  (1 Peter 2:13-15)

Obviously the Bible is telling us that we need to respect our political leaders.  If this is true then I say that the disrespect that conservatives have been showing President Obama during his term and the election is contrary to the commands given to Christians in the Bible.

Now the part that you have all been waiting for...the constant complaints that President Obama is a socialist.  While I don't believe that, there is another famous leader who could be considered a socialist.  In fact, I believe with all of my heart that, if he had lived today, his words would be condemned by the very conservatives who claim to live by his teachings.  Yes...Jesus would be considered a socialist.

And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”  (Luke 3:10-11)

³⁴ Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸ And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹ And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40)

⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,  (Acts: 2:44-46)

³² Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. ³³ And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴ There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold ³⁵ and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (Acts 4:32-35)

When conservatives condemn "redistribution of wealth," they are actually condemning the teachings of the one man whom they pretend to revere among all men.  The one they say they are supporting when they throw the first stone at homosexuals and people of different faiths and backgrounds.  They forget that the teachings of Jesus were radical and progressive in his time. 

I am a liberal Christian.  There are many of us.  We do what we can to follow the teachings of Christ...all of them.  We don't pick a verse and use it to take away the rights and equality of a group that we fear and hate.  We don't teach our children that it's okay to submit to greed as long as you earned the money.  We believe in what the Bible tells us about loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.  We are here to give our neighbor, whether he is poor, of a different religion, of a different race, or of a different sexual orientation, a hand up in the world.  We are the Christian left and we will not stand for ignorance, hate, and greed being justified by our faith. 

Churches Participating in Pulpit Freedom Sunday Should Lose Tax Exempt Status

It seems today that I am finding many blog-worthy topics to discuss.  I just read an article posted on Facebook by the The Everlasting GOP Stoppers that discusses Pulpit Freedom Sunday.  This is an attempt by a bunch of pastors across the country to bait the IRS into investigating them.  Here's how this works:

Churches enjoy federal tax exemptions.  Tax law stipulates that tax-exempt organizations, such as churches, cannot engage in partisan politicking.  These churches will preach decidedly partisan sermons, video tape them, and send them to the IRS.  This is an effort to bait the IRS into investigating them and offer them an opportunity to challenge the law.  The leaders of these churches claim that this law stifles religious liberty and free speech.  Here's why they are wrong.

The law does not say that religious organizations cannot campaign or engage in partisan politics.  It doesn't say that they can't actively support a particular candidate.  What it says is that, if they choose to engage in these activities, they can no longer remain tax exempt.  Let's be clear about tax exempt organizations...being tax exempt is a privilege, not a right. 

The real problem I have with this is that these are supposed to be religious leaders.  What kind of religious leader will knowingly violate a law when they are being given a gift in their tax exempt status?  What does that teach your church members?  Take the gifts given to you, but do nothing in return?  That's a pathetic excuse for a religious leader. 

If I were the decision maker in this instance, I would use the tapes from these churches and simply revoke the tax exempt status of each organization.  No investigation.  Why investigate when you have the proof provided by the organization itself?  Let them take it to court.  They will lose.  And they should be ashamed of themselves for this behavior.  This is the kind of behavior that gives religion a bad name, and they will have to answer for that someday. 

Romney's Tax Release Misses the Point

I don't think Mitt really gets it...well, that's the understatement of the century.  Today, the Romney campaign released his 2011 tax returns.  The returns show that he paid a 14.1 percent effective tax rate.  The problem is that he manipulated his taxes, effectively overpaying so that his actual taxes conformed to his earlier claims about how much he paid.  He did this by not claiming some of his charitable contributions.  Before any conservatives try to say that this shows that he is a great guy...don't be fooled.  First, it is obviously a political ploy meant to keep him from looking like a fool for overstating how much he pays in taxes.  Second, he has the ability to claim a deduction on the charitable donations he didn't claim for 2011.  He can claim this deduction after the election, making the current rate meaningless.

But what he really missed is that it's not about the numbers.  It's about the dishonesty.  He released a "summary" of his taxes dating back to 1990.  Why a summary?  Why not just publish the returns?  Because there is something there to hide.  That is the only possible reason he would allow the speculation and accusations to continue.  What he is hiding is obviously still the hot topic of debate.  Is it his tax shelters?  His close ties to Bain investments?  Questionable tax practices?  We don't know because he won't do what every candidate has done since his father released 12 years of returns in 1968.

I think that Romney believes releasing a few numbers to the public will make us all forget that he is still very obviously hiding something.  I also imagine that he'll be very surprised over the next month and a half when he is still on the receiving end of continued attacks about his suspicious, and likely unethical, tax activities. 

Republican Elitism Exposed

Well, I wrote this earlier today and had problems posting it.  So I re-wrote it for you here:

Thank you Romney supporters for finally making the point that I have been trying to get through the heads of middle and lower-class conservatives for a long time now.

At a fundraising event supporting Mitt Romney, supporters talked to a L.A. Times reporter.  Here's what I found interesting.  First, two of the people quoted in the article refused to give their names to the reporter.  One of the two said that it was because he feared that it would harm his business if he did.  I wonder why?  Could it be that people know what Romney is about and don't want to give their money to a person who supports a corporate puppet candidate?

The other supporter was even more fun.  I can't paraphrase what she said because it's actually too good:

"We've got the message," she added. "But my college kid, the baby sitters, the nails ladies -- everybody who's got the right to vote -- they don't understand what's going on. I just think if you're lower income -- one, you're not as educated, two, they don't understand how it works, they don't understand how the systems work, they don't understand the impact."

 Let me highlight the best part for you again -

"I just think if you're lower income -- one, you're not as educated, two, they don't understand how it works, they don't understand how the systems work"

First, let me point out the anacoluthon in her statement.  In case she reads this, that means that the syntax of her sentence changed mid-sentence.  She began by using the pronoun "you" and finished with "they."  That is a grammatical lesson from one "lower income" person who is "not as educated" to a rich, elitist, Romney supporter.  

So, according to the rich elite, because someone is low income they are obviously less educated.  Well...let's look at a list of people who weren't very well educated:

• Abraham Lincoln - one year of formal schooling
• Amadeo Peter Giannini - founder of Bank of America and high school dropout
• Andrew Jackson - President, General, Attorney, Judge, Congressman - no formal education
• Ansel Adams - world-famous photographer and high school dropout
• Barry Diller - founder of Fox Broadcasting Company
• Charles Culpepper - owner and CEO of Coca Cola and high school dropout
• Dave Thomas - billionaire founder of Wendy's and high school dropout
• Frank Lloyd Wright - never attended high school
• Henry Ford - did not attend college
• Michael Dell - founder of Dell Computers dropped out of college
• Rush Limbaugh - millionaire media personality dropped out of college
• Steve Jobs - Apple founder and college dropout
• Bill Gates - Microsoft founder and college dropout
• Walt Disney - no explanation needed - high school dropout

This is just a sample of the list.  So if these people aren't lower income how can they not be well educated?  The answer is because this woman's ideas are asinine.  The sad thing is that she in not in the minority when it comes to the Republican mindset.  These people actually believe that because we make less money than they do, that we are not as intelligent.

So, because these people have money, they must be more intelligent and we should just be putting the people that they like in office.  Never mind the fact that those people will likely work to make their rich friends richer and keep us ignorant poor people in our places.

But, what about the fact that over half of the recent college graduates are unemployed, you ask?  Well they don't count because they are poor.  According to this person's theory their education probably wasn't very good otherwise they should be rich like her.

The point is that there is a predominant elitist attitude in the Republican party.  They work very hard at convincing the middle and lower-classes that they are trying to protect their freedom and create jobs by giving themselves huge tax breaks.  How exactly does their paying less taxes result in me making more money or my neighbor getting a new job?  The theory is that these rich people will not just take the money to the bank, but use it to create new jobs.

Let's look at what Warren Buffet, one of the most well-respected and richest businessmen in the world, has to say about that:

"to those who argue that higher rates hurt job creation, I would note that a net of nearly 40 million jobs were added between 1980 and 2000. You know what’s happened since then: lower tax rates and far lower job creation."

So, to recap, Republican supporters show their elitism even though their arguments make no sense and they are contradicted by someone who has reached the pinnacle of the business world.  Yet so many middle and lower-class people will still vote for Romney swearing that he will make things better for them.  Don't worry, if he manages to win, the upper class will thank you for your support by dropping off your pink slip on the way to the bank.

Political cartoons by David Horsey

Healthcare Reform Defined for the Conservative Mind

For all of my conservative friends – here’s a way for you to think about the health care reform without being too upset.



First, just assume that the government just levied a 1% tax on everyone. That’s obviously within their power. Now, you don’t have to like it, but there’s nothing unconstitutional about it.


Next, in an effort to help out Americans, they have given us a way to exempt ourselves from the tax. All you have to do it carry health insurance. Since the majority of Americans either already have insurance, are on Medicare or Medicaid, or are under economic hardship and income thresholds that exempt them, they will be exempt from the tax.


With all of this…we get to insure that healthcare costs remain reasonable for the foreseeable future! It doesn’t look so bad when you see it from this perspective does it? I know…you conservatives can’t approve of anything sensible if it is passed by a liberal. Oh well. You can lead a conservative to affordable healthcare, but you can’t make him think.

Copyright © 2009 Universal Press Syndicate
Retrieved from http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/politicalcartoons/ig/Healthcare-Cartoons/GOP-Hearing-Problem.0_aG.htm

Buzzwords

Earmarks! Conservative! Liberal! Amnesty! Illegals! Taxes! Spending! Obamacare! Jobs! Debt! Job Creators!

Heard enough? Are you ready to walk into the polls and cast your vote for me? No? Why not? Most likely, you will walk into the polls and vote for a candidate this November with little more than a list of buzzwords you heard from their commercials or from some political analyst. I’ve seen a trend in the recent elections that has been disturbing me. Many political ads and commercials have been using buzzwords to entice voters lately. Now I have no problem with the use of buzzwords. I know a little bit about marketing and I know that buzzwords are a part of marketing that is used every day in advertising. This isn’t about the use of buzzwords along with clever marketing…it’s about people voting simply on buzzwords.

Oh, you don’t do that? Well, let’s test that statement. Have you said, “The government can’t just keep spending” anytime recently? Or maybe you’ve talked about how the country is going so far into debt? I doubt that very many can honestly say that they haven’t uttered something along these lines in the last few years. So the next question is, what do you really know about these topics? What is the country’s debt? What was it before the incumbents took office? How does the government spend money? What is the debt ceiling? What does Keynesian economics mean? Does our government practice this? If you can answer these questions accurately, then this post doesn’t apply to you. If not, you may have fallen into the buzzwords trap along with the majority of the country.

Seriously, what do they really tell you when you listen to an analyst or watch a commercial? Let’s take a look at a typical commercial from the recent primaries. This commercial was for Richard Mourdock, a candidate running against 35 year Senator Dick Lugar. This commercial has absolutely nothing to say. There are some checklists though…they have Dick Lugar with the words “Bailouts,” “Tax Hikes,” and “Obama Justices.” Then they have one with Mourdock with the words “Opposes Bailouts,” “Fights Obamacare,” “Balanced Budget,” and “Less Debt.” There is literally no substantial information or justification for voting for this guy except for the fact that he knows how to use buzzwords. Ask yourself…what is his record? What are his qualifications? Don’t know? Maybe because they don’t want to tell you anything if they know they can get the votes by using a few key terms with no real meaning. Here’s the scary thing…he won the primary. A 35-year incumbent lost his seat to buzz words. Now, I’m not saying that I would want Lugar in office. I had a problem with him that had nothing to do with any of the buzzwords. I think that some people had the same problem concerning his residency, which cost him dearly. Regardless…he still lost to a man who campaigned with buzzwords.

This brings me to the use of social hot topics to scare people into voting. While I’m vehemently against political parties (a topic for a later blog), I do recognize that the chances of them going away any time soon is insanely slim to none. Unfortunately, what I have seen many politicians doing lately is using social issues as selling points to scare people away from voting for the other party. Both sides use gay marriage to scare people – immigration has become an issue – and if I hear one more thing about the President’s nationality or religion, I might just snap. First, unless you are gay, why in the hell does it matter to you if marriage between two homosexuals is legally recognized in the U.S.? If you believe marriage is a legal contract, then the government has no right to refuse marriage based on a religious belief. If you believe that it is a religious institution then THE GOVERNMENT HAS NO RIGHT TO REGULATE IT BASED ON A RELIGIOUS BELIEF. Here’s the bottom line…it comes up before elections because one side says that if you vote for the other party gays will be able to marry and we’ll all go to hell, turn gay ourselves, or your marriage will mean nothing and your spouse will leave you. This is to scare you into voting how they want you to vote. The other side presents the issue hoping to look like the defenders of the weak riding in on their stallions to defeat the evil oppressors. While I must say that I do support gay marriage, I would really love to see something actually done about the issue so that the political pandering would all just go away.

Immigration – good grief. Everyone is blaming everyone else for the immigration problem. Here’s the fix…build a big ass wall. It will put a crap load of people to work and reduce the amount of illegal immigration. But, wait! Don’t forget that it has to be paid for…so your taxes will have to go up. You can’t have everything you want. To fix this immigration problem the government will have to spend money. Deal with it and stop letting the politicians scare you into thinking that we will lose our sovereignty and become Mexico, Jr. if you don’t vote for them.

The last one that I will briefly address is the nationality and religion of the President. Here’s the thing…stop questioning it. It’s old and boring. The man will not be removed from office. His credentials have been checked, verified, and re-verified so many times that he is probably the most confirmed citizen in United States history. Every court case that has been lost trying to prove he’s not is just adding to the mountain of evidence that there is no justification for this garbage. Oh, and I do believe that this has everything to do with the man’s race. Don’t like being called a racist? Deal with it. If you are still questioning this after this amount of time and all of the evidence that has been put forth, you are doing it for reasons of race. If you say otherwise, you are a liar, sir.

Now his religion. Oh my gosh…he’s a MUSLIM! Well, he’s not…but that’s a great way to scare the hell out of the ignorant rednecks in the U.S. After 9/11, the words Muslim and Islam have almost become profanity. Who gives a crap if the man is a Muslim? Since when did that have any bearing on his Presidency? Oh, I forgot…it’s because bigotry against Muslims is accepted now that a few extremists who called themselves Muslims (which I take issue with) attacked and killed a bunch of Americans. As I have written before…these kinds of views are the most unpatriotic and offensive views that I can imagine coming from citizens of this great country. A few weeks ago, my cousin was interred in Arlington National Cemetery after he was killed in action serving as a Marine. Do me a favor and don’t spit on his grave, the graves of those like him, and the face of those who have served and still serve to protect our freedoms by spreading your hate and fear. This is a nation of acceptance and tolerance. If you are afraid of a Muslim in office then you belong elsewhere. And if you allow this kind of garbage to sway your vote, then you are as bad as those who spew this filth in the first place.

These people think that you are dumb. They think that they can throw a bunch of words with no substance at you and you will run right out and cast your vote for them. The question is: are you going to prove them right? Are you going to vote for buzzwords, or for a representative?