My Two Cents...

I am sick. I am sick of hearing, seeing, reading anything about Donald Trump, and it pains me to just have to type that name into this blog post, because it means both of us are being exposed to the toxicity that goes with the name.
In my world, Sarah Palin is Voldemort--just saying her name gives her far more power than she deserves.
I do not plan to give Donald Trump any more publicity, nor do I want to cause my readers any further distress, so for the rest of this election season (Lord, may it be short!), I will refer to him as "Mosquito". More accurately, ""Mosquito Larvae"--something that is born from a stagnant entity, that feeds on humans, and then infects them with disease. More recently, mosquitoes are being blamed for Zita virus; a virus that is particularly dangerous to those who are breeding children, causing those children to be born with abnormally small heads and unformed brains.
We don't like mosquitoes. We find them annoying, persistent, and fear they will infect us with something we do not want. We try our hardest to get rid of them. but they seem to multiply over night; one mosquito can give birth to thousands. We fear that if there's one, there's more, and fear they will come into our house, and hurt all those we love the most.
That just about sums up Mosquito Larvae, doesn't it? His annoying buzzing, his hateful speech--it's given rise and energy to so many others. The words and actions of those he's energized make us uncomfortable; we despise them, and fear for those they are targeting. We have not yet found a way to eradicate the hatred that Mosquito Larvae has spawned in our society, but someday--hopefully some day soon--WE, the people of the United States, will find a way to remove Mosquito Larvae from his current position of power.
Maybe we all are to blame for allowing Mr. Larvae to get such a hold on our country. But it's important to go back and identify the roots of this situation, and make sure it NEVER happens to us again. EVER.
I started this blog in September, 2008. I had just witnessed the crowning of Voldemort as the "woman for the people", and it sickened me. I started writing just to maintain a little of my sanity.
In October, 2008, Voldemort and her running mate, John McCain, were out on the campaign trail. Voldemort, in particular, was attracting huge, raucous crowds. She had her talking points, but often, she would rile up the crowds by talking about Barack Obama in ways that were, shall we say, less than gracious. People in her crowds loved that stuff, and would proceed to take things further. 
In case you didn't go to the link, people in Voldemort's crowds shouted, "Kill him!" (speaking of Barack Obama), and shockingly, Voldemort did NOTHING to stop this hate speech. NOTHING. As far as I can tell, NOBODY associated with the campaign did anything to quell this hate speech. It was ugly, it was vile, and the vice presidential nominee in 2008 was never once chastised for it. Hell, she became more popular than ever.
Up until 2008 (in my memory), presidential campaigns were about issues, not inciting hatred and violence against an opponent. Of course, I never witnessed a George Wallace rally. I actually wrote a Letter to the Editor about it in October 2008. Due to the silence of the majority of the GOP party, the accepted message that rang out, loud and clear, was "It's an Us vs. Them Country. We need to do all we can to divide, never to unite."
Fast-forward to 2009. As momentum for the Affordable Care Act was gaining steam, a group of GOP party officials and "hangers-on" created the Tea Party. Ah yes, those Tea Partiers. Dick Armey rented a bus, and the GOP spent untold millions on "getting the word out" to just the right people--the people they could frighten, and the people who didn't know they were being duped--those who believed whatever Voldemort and Faux News told them to believe. Faux News is the official mouthpiece of the Republican party (any of you reading this are welcome to argue that point with me), and they spew lies as fast as their commentators can make the false statement. The real men in charge of the GOP thought they could control those Tea Party members, but boy oh boy were they wrong.
In 2010, the Tea Party movement broke from their overlords, and a significant number were elected to Congress. It was a sad, horrible day in America, and yet I don't think any of us could have predicted what was to come. THAT was going to be too horrible, too ridiculous to even contemplate.
I have mourned for the Republican Party that I remember from my youth. By not standing up to the likes of Voldemort, for not speaking out about the lies being spread, not condemning hate speech when it happened, EVERY TIME it happened, they lost their party. The GOP is broken, fractured, and has been taken over by Mr. Mosquito Larvae--a spewer of hate, an inciter of violence, a man who has no plans, no policies, no vision. It's sad, and yet it could have been so preventable.
Let's learn from this. Let's stand up against the hatred and the vitriol that is claiming our country as its' own. Let's say, loudly, "NO" to anyone running for office without a vision, without a plan, for making our country better FOR ALL.
Let's put Mr. Mosquito Larvae in a box, in the dark, away from sources of nutrition and the oxygen needed to spread his disease.
Let's do it, together. Our children deserve far better than we are giving them right now.

Will This Never End???

I'm not talking about the rain, although I could--the middle section of the country has kind of been inundated recently.

No, I'm talking about this torrential pouring of GOP presidential candidates--so far, there are ELEVEN viable candidates, with another FOUR viable candidates still "exploring".






Seriously, it takes a mighty special ego to say, "I've got something to offer that NONE of the other 14 candidates for president don't have." Because if you are a white male GOP candidate, you do not have anything special to offer. You all just blend together (unless your name is Bush, but that's a blog for another time): you are pro-gun, anti-woman, anti-poor, anti-already born child, and pro-pro-pro-business and money.
 It's mind-boggling to look at all of them, and wonder why they couldn't admit to themselves that maybe...just maybe....there's someone else that THEY could support?? That could be a better candidate, a better mind, a better president than they could be?? REALLY??
The media are already planning the GOP Presidential Debates, and with 15 viable candidates, it's going to be hard to fit them all on the stage at once--it's going to be worse if others decide to run and demand to be recognized.
So, I have a solution, and Faux News is welcome to use it (for $476,000,000,000,000). I think Ben Carson (African American), Bobby Jindal (Indian American) and Carly Fiorina should automatically have a place on the stage--they all have a unique perspective that, try as they might, the white male candidates do not.




The white, male candidates? They will be a part of a pool--like a Press Pool of sorts. Among themselves, they can choose two representatives for the debate. I don't care how they choose the two representatives--arm wrestling, knife-throwing, spitting contest--they just need to figure it out.
Because aside from Donald's hair, and Jeb's last name, and Christie's size, the rest are talking suits. All saying the same thing: "                     ."

Scenario # 1

The year is 2026.  It's an off-election year, and President Rand Paul knows the GOP face very little opposition in these elections from the dispirited and decimated Democratic Party.  In fact, he sees this off-year election as an opportunity to showcase his Vice President, Rick Perry, and to add numbers to the 47 out of 50 GOP-controlled state legislatures--as if they need any help!  On the national level, control of the Senate is not a "given", as the Democrats learned in 2014-2024.  All it takes is being complacent, and a turn of 2-5 seats.  The House is pretty secure, as you can count on voters to bitch but vote for the same darn guy every time.
But to be fair, the legislatures of those 47 GOP-controlled states are pretty much staffed with figure heads--everyone knows the real power rests in the hands of ALEC .  ALEC has always been 2 steps ahead of everyone, all the time.  Back in 2010, the GOP put all their resources into state elections, and it paid off--districts were gerrymandered to ensure safe seats, and then ALEC went to work, drawing up legislation to be passed in states--Voting Right laws and Anti-Abortion Laws were their crowning achievements, and by the time the average American adult woke up, it was all over.  Now, President Paul is not only secure in his re-election, but has to spend very little money to get there.  There are such deep, grateful GOP pockets out there--ha ha!!!  The rich just keep getting richer, and once the Koch brothers learned how to sign on to Facebook, the ballgame was over. 
Not that any "average" American has time to "surf the net".....
The turning point was definitely Texas, in 2013.  Women's health clinics were closed throughout the state, and abortions after 20 weeks were banned.  Oh sure, women (and some men) were angry, just as they had been in Wisconsin, South Dakota, Kansas, Iowa, Virginia, and other states, but the GOP (and ALEC) knew the attention span of an average voter was about 2 days, and then they were distracted by something on television, or the internet....Add to this the fact that young voters, once they feel defeated by something, just stop voting, and it was the beginning of a GOP cakewalk.
Soon, Americans just forgot, because it was the law, and it really wasn't so bad, and well......it seemed like it was just the poor it really affected.  And, it's hard to be angry clear until the next election....
2014 was a really good election year for the GOP.
And 2016?  The GOP was ready for that sucker that got elected president--they had learned much from the previous eight years--distract the voters, keep the "riff raff" from voting, and bury the elected president under with "scandals".  Then there was their media--Fox and other "friends"--they kept the GOP base riled up and voting, and it worked!  By 2018, the Democratic Party never knew what hit them, and now?  It's like people don't care any more...
The GOP knew it had it made when Obamacare was repealed.
So, what's life like for Americans in 2026?
It depends.  If you're wealthy, things never change--they just keep getting better.  If your wife, daughter, or girlfriend gets into "trouble", there are plenty of other countries to fly them to, countries where abortions and birth control are safe and legal.
But here, in the good ol' US of A?

1. Women's clinics are a thing of the past.  With the GOP landslide wins, and the Supreme Court increasingly conservative, Roe v Wade was overturned in 2021.  The citizens of the US rapidly learned that the GOP and ALEC were not just aiming to prevent abortions--they were aiming to prevent ALL forms of birth control.  One by one, states are successfully passing "Personhood Amendments" (stating life begins at conception), and the Supreme Court is upholding them.  
2. There is not one organization left to fight for reproductive rights, or to actually fight for women and their families.  People became complacent, thought Planned Parenthood would always be there, forgot to mail them a check once in a while.  Same with all those other organizations fighting for social justice for all people. 
3. There are far fewer women in the workforce.  There is no maternity leave anymore, and with families getting larger and larger, most women decide it's less expensive to stay home.  Most families could use the extra income though; 5-8 kids are a lot to feed.  The average man has to work 2 jobs to support his family.
4. Less than 30% of women go to college or a trade school.  There's just no money to send them, or the money is spent on their brothers' education.  College is extremely expensive, and why would a woman want to go to college anyway?  She's just going to get pregnant and have to give up her job.
5. Most students are not qualified to go to college anyway.  Back in 2008-2014, after the financial crisis's hit, most states decided it was a good idea to 1) Cut education funding, and 2) Keep women from making their own reproductive choices.  So now, with so many extra kids in schools, states are woefully unprepared, there are teacher shortages, and class sizes of 40-45 are the norm.  Unless, of course, you can afford to send your kids to private school...
6. Prisons are overflowing.  Poverty rates are sky-high, so kids are not ready for school (Head Start and free early childhood education is a thing of the past).  Kids drop out early--to help support their families, because they can't learn anything anyway, or because the local drug dealer has made them an offer they can't refuse.  It's a vicious cycle:  poverty--->low education attainment---->prison...And to think we almost had a handle on it in 2014...Add to this the women and doctors who have been imprisoned for trying to end a pregnancy--dwindling every year, but still trying to get away with it.
7. Women are dying at a rate not seen since the 1800's.  Clinics are closed, the Affordable Care Act was overturned...women can't afford prenatal care, so there are far more complications during childbirth.  Women who used birth control to prevent pregnancy for health reasons do not have access now.  There are no exceptions for rape and incest, so the rate of children (10, 11, 12-year olds) giving birth is at a rate never seen before, and the death rate of these "mothers" is so very, very high.  Women who wish to end a pregnancy for whatever reason are resorting to the methods women used prior to 1970--coat hangers, "potions" sold by quacks (now available on the internet!), knitting needles, "back alley" doctors.  And many of them are dying.  Horrible, painful deaths.
8. Tuberculosis and other communicable diseases, once thought "extinct", are spreading so very rapidly through cities and suburbs in the US.  Larger families, a shortage of affordable housing, rising poverty rates, no affordable heathcare--contagious diseases are epidemic.    
9. There are just too many people on this planet, and far too few resources.  When women and men could decide when to have children, or even whether to have children at all, our planet stood a chance.  But not anymore. Clean water, clean air?  Ha!  The GOP deregulated industry as fast as it could, once it could.  Other countries followed suit.  Not that it really mattered--more people need more resources; resources that are not always in infinite supply.  And all those extra people, using all those things that heated up our environment?  The planet got warmer.  The drought of 2012 and the flooding of 2013 paled in comparison to what's happening in 2026!  Crops are failing at alarming rates, just as the population is exploding.  There are food shortages, and food riots, across the United States.   Animals and plants that were once abundant are extinct--eaten.     
10. Canada has closed its borders to Americans, and they are constructing a fence.  There are just too many Americans, desperate for affordable health care, desperate for birth control, desperate for jobs, for a better future for their children, just desperate--they are streaming over the border, and the Canadian economy just cannot support any more.

In 2026, there are a couple of bright spots, as President Paul is quick to point out.

1. "Illegal immigration" is no longer an issue.  Nobody has crossed INTO America in years.  
2. Marriage equality for all.  You see, with mothers dying in childbirth, and orphanages filling with kids whose parents have died from disease, or who just can't afford to keep them, it's "every couple on deck"--even those lesbians and gays have to be counted on to take a kid...or 4...
3. And, "God Bless America"!  The 1% have finally killed the last union--with all those extra citizens, corporations don't need to put up with any backtalk from anyone; you complain, you're fired.  And your family is out on the street.   

Think about it....my scenario is not too far off the mark, is it?

All Hail the New Leader of the GOP--Rush Limbaugh

The Republican Party has a new leader, and it's not Michael Steele. It's Rush Limbaugh, and we who are more level-headed (98% of the US, by my unscientific measure) should be very happy. The more press he gets, the more sound bites, the crazier he sounds and the more he alienates potential voters.
Now, why doesn't anyone in the GOP get this? As a matter of fact, there were a number of Republicans in power who actually felt obligated, not only to apologize to Limbaugh after denouncing him for his remark that he hoped Obama failed, but to kiss his ass afterward that. You can see the full clip from the Rachel Maddow Show , but the powerful who are so easily intimidated are: South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, RNC Chair Michael Steele, and the biggest boot-licker of them all, Georgia Congressman Phil Gingrey.
Lest we forget, 2 years from now, how crazy the head of the Republican Party is, here are a few quotes from the big mouth on the big head of Rush Limbaugh:

"The phony soldiers." --on U.S. service members who support withdrawal from Iraq

"He discusses his service in Iraq, the wounds he suffered there, and he says to me in this ad, 'Until you have the guts to call me a 'phony soldier' to my face, stop telling lies about my service.' You know, this is such a blatant use of a valiant combat veteran, lying to him about what I said, then strapping those lies to his belt, sending him out via the media in a TV ad to walk into as many people as he can walk into." --denouncing an ad by VoteVets.org featuring Iraq war veteran Brian McGough by likening him to a suicide bomber

"He is exaggerating the effects of the disease. He's moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act. ... This is really shameless of Michael J. Fox. Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting." --on an ad by Michael J. Fox endorsing Claire McCaskill for Senate for supporting embryonic stem cell research

"And don't forget, Sherrod Brown is black. There's a racial component here, too. And now, the newspaper that I'm reading all this from is The New York Times, and they, of course, don't mention that." --on the 2006 Ohio Senate primary race involving then-Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who is white

"This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation...I'm talking about people having a good time, these people, you ever heard of emotional release? You ever heard of the need to blow some steam off?" --on the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal

"Too many whites are getting away with drug use...Too many whites are getting away with drug sales...The answer is to go out and find the ones who are getting away with it, convict them, and send them up the river, too." --in 1995

"I am addicted to prescription pain medication." --in 2003

"Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society."

"We're not sexists, we're chauvinists -- we're male chauvinist pigs, and we're happy to be because we think that's what men were destined to be. We think that's what women want."

"She comes to me when she wants to be fed. And after I feed her -- guess what -- she's off to wherever she wants to be in the house, until the next time she gets hungry. She's smart enough to know she can't feed herself. She's actually a very smart cat. She gets loved. She gets adoration. She gets petted. She gets fed. And she doesn't have to do anything for it, which is why I say this cat's taught me more about women, than anything my whole life." --on his cat

"She sounds like a screeching ex-wife." --on Sen. Hillary Clinton

"I've been racking my brain. I've been trying to figure out how Bob Dole's luggage got on my airplane...I told the doctor, I said, 'Look, I'm worried about the next election.' ... A misunderstanding." --after he was detained by custom officials for possessing Viagra with a prescription made out in someone else's name

"The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies."

"They oughtta change Black History Month to Black Progress Month and start measuring it."

"Sorry to say this, I don't think he's been that good from the get-go. I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well." --on Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, while working as a commentator on ESPN

"The only way to reduce the number of nuclear weapons is to use them."

"There are more acres of forestland in America today than when Columbus discovered the continent in 1492."

Mister Rogers Gives the Republican Response

If you are interested in watching the Republican response to President Obama's speech last night, I suggest the C-Span version. It's an uncut, unbiased version of Gov. Bobby Jindal's remarks.
As I watched Gov. Jindal walk to the microphone, I was struck by a couple of things. First, why does the Republican party insist on perpetuating the myth that it's a multi-racial organization? To refresh your memory, I suggest you watch highlights of the 2008 Republican National Convention--I haven't seen a crowd that white since, well, probably the 2004 Republican National Convention. I find it offensive that the power in the GOP insist on digging up the few members of color in their organization, thinking they will fool us all into believing they are truly a representative sample of their membership. We are not that stupid.
Then Gov. Jindal began to speak. My mind immediately flashed an image of Mister Rogers--this guy sounds like he's addressing a group of preschoolers. I tried to get over his delivery style, and focus on the substance, but it was difficult. The following are some notes I took while I listened to his remarks:
1) Talked about his father, having to pay off the hospital bill in installments after the birth of Bobby. Ummmm......most middle and lower class families have to pay hospital bills in installments--health care is so appallingly expensive that it's the norm, not a glowing exception. What kind of health plan does Gov. Jindal have? Could we all have that one, please--you know, the one that leaves nothing to be repaid?
2) He told another story; this one about a sheriff, standing up to the incompetent bureaucrats during Hurricane Katrina. Does Gov. Jindal not realize that those bureaucrats were appointed by George W. Bush, a Republican? And that most of America knows for a fact the Bush Administration contributed to the suffering after Katrina by mishandling and mismanaging the crisis?
3) I'm getting very tired of hearing the same lie over and over again--from McCain, Palin, and now Jindal. To paraphrase what President Obama said in his speech last night: he is NOT, I repeat NOT going to raise taxes on the middle class. Perhaps the Republicans think the middle class somehow includes people who earn more than $250,000 a year--if that is the case, they truly do live in their own little world. People in the middle class would be over the moon if they could earn that much in a year, or even in 2 years.
4) Democrats did NOT "reject the Republican plan". First of all, there wasn't a "plan" from the Republicans, and secondly, I can't count the number of times that President Obama reached out to Republicans in the days leading up to the discussion of the Stimulus Plan. Just 2 days ago, President Obama invited over 130 leaders, of all political persuasions, to a Summit on Fiscal Responsibility. He made a point of calling on Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), an obnoxious, outspoken critic of the Stimulus bill. President Obama asked for Cantor's input, for his ideas. Cantor's response? It was the biggest show of ass-kissing and boot-licking I have seen in a long time. Nothing of substance, no ideas, just "Thank you, Mr. President, for inviting us here today." Reminded me a little of Golum in "The Lord of the Ring" movies.
5) Jindal had the hilarious audacity to criticize the Stimulus plan for including money for volcano monitoring. Huh? God forbid we would want to know when a volcano would erupt, thus preventing another natural disaster. No, that would be bad.
6) Further, he decries money for high-speed rail. Then, in the next breath, he says the Republicans are all for energy conservation. Isn't mass transportation a way to conserve? And wasn't he listening to President Obama's speech? The part where he states the three most important areas to focus on are: energy, education, and health care? Jindal makes it sound like the Republicans were the ONLY ones to think of that.
7) It was especially gratifying for me, a blogger, to hear Jindal throw out that well-worn Republican argument for school choice. Here's the thing about school choice--if your child is not handicapped in any way, parochial and charter schools will welcome them with open arms. However, if your child has any kind of disability, that school is not required to teach them, nor will they be equipped to do so. Public schools are required to teach each and every child that comes through the door, no matter what. The United States is almost the only country in the world with this requirement, and we should be proud of this policy. Wonder why children in countries like Japan do so well on standardized tests? Kids with any kind of disability do not take these tests. In some cases, they are discouraged from attending school. It's easy to score well on tests if none of your students are ESL students, from an impoverished background, deaf, blind, or non-verbal.
8) Finally, I'm getting tired of the GOP mantra of "tax cuts", as if "tax cuts" will be the magic fairy dust that will turn the economy around. I'm no economist, but don't income tax cuts help only if you're actually working (i.e. earning an income)? Income tax cuts also don't help the poor or the elderly, who don't pay income taxes. Ditto for those individuals who are wealthy enough to move their money out of the country, or wealthy enough to hire a tax attorney to figure out ways to avoid paying those pesky income taxes. Over the past 20 years, tax cuts in general HAVE helped the upper class, and now the divide between the upper and middle class is a much wider chasm. Maybe the Republicans welcome this gap; if so, then by all means they should keep pushing their "plan" of tax cuts. But me? I'm putting my money on the other guy, and the other party. And I have economists who are giving me hope about the success of the Stimulus bill.
I really, really don't want to offer any advice to the Republican party, but if they are thinking about offering up Gov. Bobby "Mister Rogers" Jindal as their candidate in 2012, they might take to heart the words he sings every day in the neighborhood. You know:

"So, let's make the most of this beautiful day.
Since we're together we might as well say:
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neighbor?
Won't you please,
Won't you please?
Please won't you be my neighbor?"

The best thing the Republicans could do right now is to reach out, unselfishly, to their neighbors the Democrats, and get to work for this country. Politics be damned.