Saturday, September 29, 2007

John McCain and Religion

Take a look at this interview in which John McCain speaks of politics and religion. I found this interesting:

Question: A recent poll found that 55 percent of Americans believe the U.S. Constitution establishes a Christian nation. What do you think?

McCain responds:
"I would probably have to say yes, that the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation. But I say that in the broadest sense. The lady that holds her lamp beside the golden door doesn't say, “I only welcome Christians.” We welcome the poor, the tired, the huddled masses. But when they come here they know that they are in a nation founded on Christian principles."

Wow, I never knew!

Bush Climate Conference Charade


As expected, the much touted Bush meeting on climate change produced nothing of substance. In fact, the US nows finds itself totally isolated on this issue. According to the Guardian,

"George Bush was castigated by European diplomats and found himself isolated yesterday after a special conference on climate change ended without any progress.

European ministers, diplomats and officials attending the Washington conference were scathing, particularly in private, over Mr Bush's failure once again to commit to binding action on climate change."

They go further and state that "The conference, attended by more than 20 countries, including China, India, Britain, France and Germany, broke up with the US isolated, according to non-Americans attending. One of those present said even China and India, two of the biggest polluters, accepted that the voluntary approach proposed by the US was untenable and favoured binding measures, even though they disagreed with the Europeans over how this would be achieved."

This issue will have to be dealt with eventually. Sooner is much better than later. We need to quit letting politicians be politicians and demand action be taken on one of the most serious challenges that we face as a planet today.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Voting Styles of the Texas Legislature

What ever happened to the concept of 'one person one vote'? Take a look at this video to see the Texas Legislature in action while voting on bills. If this is the way it is supposed to work, I think I'll just vote for everyone in my neighborhood in the next election.

Ah, Democracy in action...

Rush Limbaugh and 'Phony Soldiers'

During his September 26th nationally syndicated radio broadcast, Rush Limbaugh stated that service members that oppose the current policy in Iraq and dared question the war effort were, in his view, "phony soldiers'. What the hell? To repeat...the men and women who have served in the travesty that is known as the Iraq War and who dare question the policy are simply "phony soldiers" (generals included).

This coming from the man who squeezed out of serving when his time came in Vietnam due to a pilonidal cyst or a knee injury (take your pick). This from the man who just the other day was 'outraged' over the MoveOn controversy.

This daily schtick brought to you by Rush, Hannity and the rest is a little tired. These millionaire radio and television hosts always seem to be aghast at anything that the Democrats do or say. The Republicans in Congress are no better when it comes to manufacturing outrage.

It's past time for the so-called angry citizen to quit 'getting their daily marching orders' from these goons and move on in to the 21st century.

As a side, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) had this to say on the House floor. Let's see how long before the Republicans begin screaming about Rush's patriotism...

Thursday, September 27, 2007

GOP No-Show for Morgan State Debate


Once again, the GOP leading candidates have decided to ignore a debate that was to be held at Morgan State University. The topic was minority rights. The reason? Scheduling conflicts, of course. That seems to be the standard line these days. To their credit, Sen. Brownback of Kansas, Mike Huckabee, Reps. Duncan Hunter of California, Ron Paul of Texas and Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Conservative activist Alan L. Keyes, who announced his candidacy last week, will attend.

Remember shortly before this, Univision, the Spanish language network, had also proposed a debate amongst the GOP field but only John McCain signed on.

Frankly I am not a bit surprised that these candidates would rather be a no-show at these types of debates considering the track record of the GOP in relation to minority rights. Switch on to Fox News for about five minutes and see how long it takes for you to hear about the evil and scheming illegal immigrants. The Republican mantra of 'welfare queens', which has been around since the Reagan years and typically refers to African-American women, still predominates their thinking.

The Republicans like to talk a good game about how they've changed and are a party of increasing diversity. Sadly, their actions speak louder than their words.

Ron Pollack on SCHIP

This clip illustrates the anger that many Americans feel, including Republicans, over the White House decision to veto any expansion of SCHIP. Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, was on CSPAN and responds to a caller about this issue. Take a look...

More Chinese Toys Recalled

The lists keeps growing and growing. This from the The New York Times:

"Amid a fresh wave of toy recalls yesterday, a consumer advocacy group said it had found hazardous levels of lead in many toys made out of vinyl plastic, potentially expanding the scope of testing and recalls of contaminated toys.

A random testing of more than 50 plastic toys found high lead content in 11 of them, according to Mike Schade, a campaigner for the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, which helped organize the testing. Ten were made out of polyvinyl chloride, also referred to as PVC or vinyl. Three contained “extremely high” lead levels — a Go Diego Go backpack, a Superfly monkey and a pair of Circo Lulu boots."

Product safety laws are pretty useless when we now import just about everything sold here from China where few if any laws exist.

SCIP and the Expected Fallout


First let me admit that I am not a big fan of columnist and 'dean' of the Washington punditry David Broder of the Washington Post but his article today detailing the plight of the Republicans who voted against the expansion of SCHIP is a good read.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

George Bush Job Interview

Rudy Giuliani's Latest Fundraiser

Is this the only card that this man pulls out over and over? 9-11...9-11...9-11 changed everything...9-11...I'm strong on national security...9-11...I really like guns...Give me a break. Well, there's a new twist to his latest fundraiser. It's called "$9.11 for Rudy" and is the theme of the campaign's "National House Party Night".

Critics were quick to denounce this latest tactic. Democratic Presidential candidate Chris Dodd, spoke out strongly on this issue. Dodd called the theme "unconscionable, shameless and sickening". New Mexico Governor and Democratic candidate Bill Richardson said of the fundraiser, "You know, we shouldn't use a tragedy for politics".

Naturally once criticism of the event begin to surface, the Giuliani campaign denied any knowledge of the theme. "These are two volunteers who acted independently of and without the knowledge of the campaign," Giuliani spokeswoman Maria Comella said. "Their decision to ask individuals for that amount was an unfortunate choice."

I don't know what credentials being a less than popular mayor at the time of the 9-11 attacks in New York City gives someone, much less the title 'America's Mayor'. I know that his persona was amplified times a thousand by the media sycophants and fine tuned into a patriotic symbol. It's past time for him and his campaign to keep dragging the corpses of 9-11 around and run on the issues of today.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

The Costs of War

I had planned to do a post about the upcoming battle between Congress and the White House over the SCHIP, or State Children’s Health Insurance Program. I know how bad our health care system is today and totally support expanding this program that will cover more of our nation's children.

While researching, I always like to read those opinions that don't mesh with my own so I searched several sites to get an idea of exactly why some people oppose this. Unbelievable! The majority of those opposed to this plan to increase coverage state that their primary reason is due to fiscal concern. This comment is typical:

"So we should all march lock step toward socialism because "It is for the children"?

Perhaps we should be more concerned about "Doing it to the children" as we burden future generations with an unbearable tax burden so that we can feel good.
"
They will be so tax poor that they will beg for the government to take care of them.

Or how about the illegal immigration angle brought to you by House Republican Leader John Boehner:

"Illegal immigrants are about to get an unexpected boost thanks to the Democratic Congress,'' Boehner (R-Ohio) warns. "The Democrats’ bill to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) not only provides health benefits to adults and upper-income kids, but it is crafted in a way to allow S-CHIP and Medicaid benefits for illegal immigrants who have broken our laws.''

Now suffice to say that these same individuals utter nary a peep about the TWO BILLION DOLLARS a week spent to keep the Iraq fiasco alive. Nothing is said about documented waste and fraud. Nothing...NOTHING! But try and put some money here at home that millions of our citizens need--well, you're just a socialist or some crap like that.

Let me refresh your memory on Iraq spending with this great article. Read and weep.

Record Winter Heating Bills on the Way

Record prices are in store for heating oil, propane and electricity this winter, government officials said today. According to this AP article:

"Heating fuel expenses this winter will be highest for heating oil, with the average family paying $1,834 for the season, up 28 percent or $402 from last year, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association.

The group expects propane costs to average $1,732, up 30 percent or $384. Consumers that rely on electricity for heat will pay $883 this winter, up 7 percent or $58.

Natural gas expenses will be the cheapest of the major heating fuels, averaging $881, up 5 percent or $50, the group said." the group said.

Existing Home Sales Drop

Existing home sales dropped for the sixth straight month. This is the slowest pace since 2002. In the article, Ian Shepherdson, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, predicted "worse to come thanks to tighter credit conditions."

I talked with a family member yesterday that is contemplating selling her home and she sadly stated that she probably could not sell it for what it was originally bought for. Frankly I do not see the housing market improving anytime in the near future.

The Hypocrisy of the GOP

An issue ad. A single issue ad in the New York Times. A single issue ad in the New York Times that ran for one day. A single issue ad in the New York Times that ran for one day that many people would have never seen.

But wait.....the single issue ad in the New York Times that ran for one day was destined to become one that everyone would see or hear about. Thanks to the 'manufactured outrage' that so characterizes the right wing noise machine, the ad became the topic of discussion. Not the war, not the results of the 'surge', but an ad in the New York Times.

The Republicans have propped up General Petraeus as the 'Savior of Iraq' for a while now. For months were told that no decisions regarding funding or troop levels in Iraq could be made until the famous September Petraeus Reports made the scene. Well, MoveOn changed that.

The conversation has turned from the ad to the substance of the ad. Did the General 'cook the books', as MoveOn puts it? Is the current strategy really working? Talk of the ad throughout the media keeps the attention on the one thing Republicans would rather not be focusing on--Iraq. In this aspect, I believe that the ad has been very effective. The nation needs a serious dialogue in regards to Iraq.

Oh--take a look at Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) as she discusses her 'outrage' at MoveOn. It is a simple lesson in the meaning of hypocrisy.

Monday, September 24, 2007

UAW Strike Against GM- Job Security

The United Auto Workers (UAW) go on nationwide strike against GM.

Bush to Skip UN Global Talks


Once again, Bush will shrug off another meeting of world leaders who will gather Monday at the UN to discuss climate change and global warming. His only appearance in connection with this event will be his attendance at the dinner that will be held later that evening. In his place in the meeting will be Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

He plans the same old tired ploy of having a parallel meeting to discuss his own plans in regards to this issue. The argument is that it is up to each nation to set their limits on emissions that cannot be forged under an international agreement. Read: We will do what in the hell we want to do because business will not be held to any type of standard regarding the environment and/or emissions. In polite speak, James Connaughton, the president's chief environmental advisor, stated "It's our philosophy that each nation has the sovereign capacity to decide for itself what its own portfolio of policies should be."

One of the critics of this policy, Timothy Wirth, a former senator who became an environmental official in the Clinton administration, said "The leadership role of the United States is absolutely essential. Unless the United States decides that it wants to be a major and committed leadership player in this and make very specific commitments, much of the rest of the world is effectively going to hide behind the skirts of the United States and not do anything."

Approximately 80 heads of state will be attending this meeting and 154 leaders and officials have signed up to speak.

I have strong feelings on the issues of global warming and climate change and find it hard to comprehend that the United States has essentially blew off this issue time and again. I have traveled around enough to know that in many other countries, luxuries that are taken for granted in the US are almost unheard of in many places. Countless cars per household, mountains of disposable crap all over the place, air conditioned doghouses...I could go on and on.

I do know many people who take this issue as serious as I do and I also know that many make a conscious effort to do their part in fighting this problem. The old adage Reduce, Reuse and Recycle is a great way to start. Here is a great link for many other ideas that you can incorporate into your life and do your part.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid released a statement today regarding greenhouse gases. It reads:

____________________________________________________________________
Press Release of Senator Reid

Reid, Pelosi Call on Bush to Support Mandatory Limits on Greenhouse Gases

Monday, September 24, 2007

Washington, D.C. – In advance of a global warming conference this week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid released the following letter to President Bush today, calling on him to announce his support for mandatory national and international limits on the pollution that causes global warming.

“Our legacy to the many generations that will follow us will depend upon how we handle the climate crisis and whether as a nation and as a world community we can take real action in time to avoid the worst effects of global warming,” Reid and Pelosi wrote.

Below is the text of the letter:

September 24, 2007

The President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

On Thursday and Friday, representatives of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitting nations will meet in Washington at your invitation to discuss their roles in combating global warming. We call upon you to use this occasion to announce your support for mandatory national and international limits on the pollution that causes global warming.

The overwhelming body of scientific evidence, including the authoritative work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, clearly demonstrates that human industrial activity is the major cause of the global warming now occurring. Climate change is already having profound effects on human and biological systems; to avoid catastrophic climate impacts, we must start cutting global warming pollution immediately. A further increase of approximately two degrees Fahrenheit above today’s global average temperature will risk triggering the eventual loss of major ice sheets and sea level rise affecting hundreds of millions of people.

To stay below this two-degree threshold, we need to reduce worldwide emissions by at least 50 percent by the middle of this century. The U.S. and the world’s other developed countries, which are responsible for most of the carbon dioxide now in the atmosphere and have the greatest technological capability, will need to achieve reductions on the order of 60 to 80 percent.

The world is coming to a crossroads. Most of the countries represented at the Major Emitters Meeting – as well as most countries that will not be present – are working under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol to reach agreement on legally-binding emission limits for industrialized countries and on measures to achieve greater emission reductions from emerging economies under a robust, expanded carbon market. Such a system can provide us with a fair chance of staving off catastrophic warming, while supporting sustainable development and adaptation for all countries.

Your Administration has been pursuing an alternative approach based on purely aspirational targets and non-binding pledges of national action, as was evident at the recent summit of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries. This voluntary approach, Mr. President, cannot succeed in staving off catastrophic climate change impacts. If we are to preserve our world as it exists today, we must take effective action now, both here at home and in cooperation with other nations. We ask for your support of the mandatory measures included in the energy bills passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives which, when enacted, will be a down-payment on preventing global warming. An effective domestic program, however, requires mandatory, market-based global warming legislation covering the full spectrum of U.S. emissions, and we ask you to join us in enacting such legislation in this Congress.

Likewise, an effective international regime must be based on mandatory limits for developed nations and creation of a global carbon market that enables enhanced participation by large developing nations. As your Administration acknowledges, we have had 20 years of success under the Montreal Protocol, the highly acclaimed treaty to protect the ozone layer. The history of the ozone treaty demonstrates that we can successfully construct a binding global regime under which developed countries take the lead and developing countries follow. The ozone treaty averted a genuine global catastrophe. Now we must do the same to stop global warming. We urge you to embrace this effective model in lieu of voluntary approaches that will not work.

Finally, we ask for your commitment that the Washington meeting will not start a separate process competing with negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to which the U.S. is a party, and which is the world’s recognized forum for hammering out the international response to global warming. It is particularly important to recognize that the most vulnerable nations, which will be hit hardest by global warming, are not represented at the major emitters meeting.

Our legacy to the many generations that will follow us will depend upon how we handle the climate crisis and whether as a nation and as a world community we can take real action in time to avoid the worst effects of global warming. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

HARRY REID NANCY PELOSI

Senate Majority Leader Speaker of the House


_____________________________________________________________________

The Falling Dollar


I have read with much interest about the falling dollar. As with everything, there are always two sides with different perspectives on what this means to the economy. Let's take a look.

On one hand, there is the belief that the declining dollar can be a good thing for the overall economy. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com is one of those who see the benefits of a weaker dollar. He says "After the pluses and minuses are all netted out, I think the lower-valued dollar is good for the economy. The growth we're getting from trade is helping to cushion the blow to the economy from housing." Others state that American exports will inevitably rise and with that increased jobs for manufacturing employees.

On the other hand, there is the feeling that a decline in the dollar is not healthy for the economy. They base this on the belief that a falling dollar will not significantly effect the out of control trade deficit. The argument goes that the two main components of trade imbalance- oil and imports from China- which combined account for about 80% of the trade imbalance, are not really affected by the swinging dollar. Peter Morici, an economics professor at the University of Maryland's business school, states "If you can't adjust imports of oil, and most are priced in dollars, and you can't adjust currencies against Chinese yuan, which is pegged to the dollar, depreciating the dollar does not get you where you want to go."

Most of the articles that I read on this subject always deal with the issue from either a trade or business standpoint. The trade deficit will/will not improve..big corporations will benefit ...but my question is- what about the effects on people like me? No, I am not a CEO or a trade magnet. I am just an average guy who sees a declining dollar meaning that the value of what little assets I have lose worth in real value. I see a country that has decimated its own industrial base to the point where there is a fraction of items that were once produced here. As a result of that, I see our stores flooded with 'cheap' imports that will rise in prices.

Maybe I'm a bit gloomy about this issue but I can't really find a silver lining that is good for me.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

John Edwards Speaks Out

Is Edwards the only Dem candidate willing to forcefully speak out on Iraq?

You Know It's Election Time....


when Alan Keyes jumps on the campaign bus!

Greenspan Bashes Bush and Republicans

In his new book The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World, Alan Greenspan criticizes both Bush and the Republican Party for lack of fiscal restraint and out of control spending. He even singles out Bill Clinton for some well deserved praise in regards to the economy. Some of his thoughts:

"My biggest frustration remained the president’s unwillingness to wield his veto against out-of-control spending,” Greenspan writes. “Not exercising the veto power became a hallmark of the Bush presidency. … To my mind, Bush’s collaborate-don’t-confront approach was a major mistake.”

As to Congress, "The Republicans in Congress lost their way,” Greenspan writes. “They swapped principle for power. They ended up with neither.” He singles out Dennis Hastert and Tom Delay and says "House Speaker Hastert and House majority leader Tom DeLay seemed readily inclined to loosen the federal purse strings any time it might help add a few more seats to the Republican majority".

The book, which is due out on Monday, will most likely be the talk of Washington in the next few days.

Friday, September 14, 2007