Blatent Bad Politics

Sen. Mitch McConnell has said openly and repeatedly that his number one priority is to make President Obama a one term president. I give him credit for his honesty. I believe he shares this priority with nearly all the GOP. It is not surprising, really, but the implications are frightening. In order to guarantee the President fails you need the country to fail. Is it any wonder then why we are bickering over raising the debt ceiling (that everyone seems to agree needs to be done) rather than getting people back to work. They don't really intend to get people back to work. In fact, the worse the economy gets, the better chance they have of taking the office in 2012. Apparently failure is not only an option for them it is required. I have no doubt they would intentionally let our national credit rating slip to achieve this goal. The process may have already started and could be irreversible.

I've said before that the GOP is holding this country hostage to get their way. But it didn't start with the debt ceiling debate or even last December when they threatened to shut down the government. It actually started directly after the last presidential election. We will continue to be held hostage until they have gotten their way and the country fails. We must not let them doom this country to failure. I want this country to recover and thrive - not because I'm a Democrat but because I'm an American. A grand economic recovery might indeed get President Obama re-elected. Does that mean we, as Americans lose? No - it means we win and win big.

We can't trust any decision by the GOP to be the right decision for the country if the goal is failure. Any politician who's primary goal is the failure of America should be fired immediately.

You can lead a horse to water - but not if it won't get up

I am so tired of hearing the Republicans say that President Obama isn't "Leading". I've never seen a President work harder at trying to find compromise and get things done. But you can't compromise with those who will NEVER budge. Democrats have proven they are willing to work out a compromise on many issues - including health care reform and the Bush tax cuts. Republicans just say NO. That's not compromise.

Since I mentioned health care reform - was the President "leading" when he supposedly forced it down their throats? I think it would have been better leadership if he simply pushed the reform through the way it was originally drafted. But the President did lead and compromise happened - which totally ruined the reform in my opinion. But You can't have it both ways.

Apparently the GOP form of "leading" is to just have the water delivered to the resting horse so the horse doesn't have to bother to get up.

Personally I think President Obama should lead by telling all the spoiled Tea Party brats to just go home. That would be great leadership in my opinion.

Spending vs Investment

There is a big difference between "spending" and "investing". If you put your money in the stock market you are investing it - attempting to make your money grow. In the same way - when the Government invests money in our infrastructure and stimulus programs - we are "investing" our tax dollars to stabilize the economy and help it grow. Once people are back to work on the new roads trains and bridges they will earn more money and tax revenues will increase. In fact they will make more money building those projects. It's way more complicated than that but it is important to understand that when the GOP claims Democrats have a spending problem, they don't understand the concept of investments. The stimulus programs that helped bail out the auto industry saved those companies from bankruptcy, kept the people working and the loans are being paid back. It was not money "Spent" it was money "Invested". Investments take time to work. If you put your money in the stock market today and pull it out a week later, you will likely not make a profit - and in fact you may lose money. Smart investing takes time.

Every investment has risk. If there were a guaranteed investment strategy - we would all be rich. Some investments work well - others may fail. The auto industry investments seem to be working, while the bank bailouts are very questionable. If we learn from those that fail we can invest more wisely the next time. If not we are doomed to failure. The jury is still out on whether our stimulus investments were done wisely - but it is important to realize that it is way too soon to tell.

The Great Divide

It's been said that there are two sides to every story. But does that imply that there are always two correct answers? That is not likely. The United States is faced with a terrible division when it comes to politics. I consider myself a moderate Democrat, but I'm finding these days there is no middle ground when it comes to politics. The divide between the Republicans and Democrats has gotten so wide in recent years it seems impossible to build a bridge. So if it is unlikely that there are two correct answers, who is right and who is wrong? This question concerns me and I often contemplate if my beliefs are possibly the wrong ones. After all, I want to do the right thing for this country and when I cast my vote I make those choices. Am I making the correct ones? So far I believe I am and I'll try to explain why.

We do not live on this earth alone. There are nearly 7 billion people living on this planet. In the USA we have a population of nearly 312 million. We cannot live as if we are individuals - we must live as a society. Voting records will demonstrate that where there are large concentrations of population, there tends to be a more Democratic liberal leaning base. In rural areas will find a more Republican conservative base. Why? In my opinion, it is because when you have a group of people living together you realize that you must work together as a society in order to accomplish goals. In a large group of people you will see clearly that some people are stronger than others. Some people seem to have incredibly good luck while others can't seem to catch a break through no fault of their own. Some people will take advantage of the system and others will put in more effort than others. It is easy to see all these different types of people when we are grouped together. Conversely, when people live in isolation, they only see their own situation. They either make it or break it. A person that succeeds in isolation will assume everyone should. They do not understand the different personalities that make up the human race. At this point in my life I am fortunate to have lived half my life in relative isolation and half immersed in a large society. I now understand the different struggles we all have in our lives. I favor government policies that take all of us into consideration - especially those less fortunate than me.

There is another reason why I think the liberal political views are correct. That involves inclusion - which is another factor influenced by the number of people you come in contact with each day. Back where I grew up in South Dakota we were nearly all the same race and religion. I was raised christian as was almost everyone else near me. There was no question about Christmas, Easter or any other religious holiday and nearly every business was closed on Sunday. Everyone agreed. Well - actually since I grew up on a reservation I guess I had a head start on dealing with different cultures. Plus I was also gay back then but thought I was one of a few isolated cases. Anyway, it wasn't until I moved to S. Florida that I realized how many other races and cultures there are in this great nation. I now celebrate those differences and truly believe they are what make us special. I also learned that I am one of millions of other homosexuals that live in this country and around the world. My eyes were opened to the diversity that is the human condition. I now support government policies that are inclusive to all of us - not just a select few. We are a nation of immigrants and unless you are Native American like so many of my friends back on the reservation, you are a descendant of immigrants. Our government must work with all these cultures and races with policies that work for everyone.

On the economy the divide is huge and in fact, there is a fundamental difference between the two parties. Republicans believe supporting corporations is the key to a strong economy. They are guided by a "trickle down effect" where money from the top flows to those below. Democrats believe in smaller privately owned businesses - the "Mom and Pop" type shops. With this smaller business model we believe more people have a shot at making a decent living. Historically the economy was strong before fast food chains, giant Walmart stores and near monopolistic corporations (think the 50s). Meanwhile, I've worked for some of these larger corporations and nothing has ever "trickled down" to me - they have always paid as little as they could get by while a few at the top made out like bandits. Therefore I believe it is the right thing to support smaller middle class businesses.

Republicans believe there should be bigger government involvement in our personal lives with regard to abortion, homosexuality and other religious and ethical issues. At the same time they believe in smaller government oversight for food quality, the environment, and corporate ethics. Democrats believe quite the opposite - stay out of our private lives but protect the environment, enforce food safety and keep the corporations and banks from stealing our money. This one seems like a "no brainer" to me - yet the divide widens.

I am not here to imply that Democrats are always correct we make plenty of mistakes and there is always a few corrupt individuals on either side. However, the fact is that we do live in a society and we must support politics that work for the good of all. That's why I believe that in the great divide, Democrats are on the correct side. There is no "We" in "Me" unless something is upside down. I support the Democrats - the party of "We" and I think it is the correct thing to do.

Celebrity Fantasy Crush

Blair Underwood hasn't called in weeks. I know he is very busy but I hope I haven't upset him somehow. Maybe its the whole "JaRule" thing all over again.

Gov. Scott - Give Back My Money!

Since taking office only months ago, Florida Governor Rick Scott (Not so affectionately referred to as Dick $cott) has refused multi-millions of Federal funds that were to have provided the state of Florida needed infrastructure improvements and vital social programs. Just this week Gov. Scott and the Republicans refused millions that were to be used to assist elderly people recover from nursing facilities and be able to get back into their own homes. Gov. Scott is refusing these funds to make a Tea Party point - that we don't need these federal social programs at the taxpayer expense. But here is the big problem I have with that:

THAT IS MY MONEY YOU ARE REFUSING!!!

I am a tax payer in the USA and a resident of Florida. You are stealing that money from me and every other tax payer in this state. It is not your money to refuse! If you want to make a Tea Party point - please make it with your own money! And please don't use the money you already stole from us in the massive Medicare fraud you instigated.

IT'S MY MONEY - AND I WANT IT NOW!