October 2013

And the Civil War continues…. and not very civilly, with brother against brother, cousins who hate each other, and neighbors who want to shoot it out.  The war on women and the poor continues; and Liberals and Tea Partiers can’t find common ground on anything, and hostility is even exacerbated by outright lies like those spewed by the likes of Harry Bulkeley .  So, I’d really like to challenge Harry to show us his methodology in calculating what he claims regarding welfare recipients receiving “$15 an hour– not to work” here in Illinois; his “statistics” for some other states were higher.  I’ll tell you, as a retired public aide worker of 25 years, that it’s difficult to even become eligible for TANF (cash assistance), which is a pittance.  So even if you add SNAP (food stamp) benefits to the cash amounts that very few people receive, the benefits are no-where near what Mr.  Bulkeley erroneously claims.  So what’s his purpose?  There are no hungry and no poor in this country according to him.  I can agree with Harry that the standard of living and standard of poverty have increased in this country, so the “destitute” may not look quite like it did long ago (before thrift stores).  And his claim that many poor are a two-car household?   Yeah, they might be, but their cars hardly compare to the ones in the Bulkeley household.  There are still many unemployed or under employed people who would love to find work, and many who have lost health coverage through no fault of their own.  There are many Americans who live paycheck to paycheck, who struggle to try to afford rent, utilities, groceries, car and health insurance, clothing, childcare and student loan payments.  And Harry says that Liberals are cynical?  Who is more cynical than Harry, and his twin brother from a different mother, Charlie Gruner?  So Harry and Charlie now want to characterize this partial government shutdown as nothing more than a paid holiday for federal workers.  Obama did not shut down veteran memorials, or anything else; the Republican House called for the government shutdown.  The GOP strenuously asserts their propaganda to the contrary!    And Obama allowing a rally on the same veteran mall where veterans moved the barricades to enter?    I suppose Harry thinks that the rallying should have been shot down (like the demonstrators at Kent State).   Charlie compares the “settled law” of slavery, upheld by the Supreme Court  long ago, to “Obamacare”; and says that “constitutional amendments are not immune from repeal”.  That’s pretty “out there”, Charlie!  Give us another ridiculous talking point from Fox Network!  For the record, ACA is not an entitlement!  ACA is a reform of the healthcare system in this country, to enable lower and middle-class citizens to BUY  affordable health insurance (even those with pre-existing conditions), and some tax-payers may be eligible for tax credits for their purchasing of such, just like some tax-payers receive tax credit for paying for childcare or some other expenses. Charlie wants to talk about three bills that were sent from the House and not even brought up for a vote in the Senate?  Charlie, why don’t you Google and see how many bills have been sent to the House and not brought up for a vote?  Speaker of the House, John Boehner, even stated recently that the “House shouldn’t be judged by how many bills they passed, but by the number of bills they rejected”.  Some folks need to crack open a Civics book or at least Google how the legislative branch of government is supposed to work.  Obama won’t negotiate; Obama won’t compromise.  Obama did give in two years ago when faced with the prospect of a default.  That set a bad precedent, and this Republican hostage-taking tactic needs to be quashed so that Congress does not continue to try to impose its will, and weaken American democracy by threatening a shutdown every time a budget proposal or debt ceiling deadline comes up.  SNAP benefits have been cut, and the House wants deep cuts in Medicare and Medicaid.  And more than that, the Republicans want to do all they can to try to diminish, in the minds of Americas, all the accomplishments of Barack Obama.  Because he’s a Democrat and because he’s a black man!  The Republican’s concerns regarding “Obamacare” are not due to wanting fairer policies for their fellow citizens; it’s more about legislators being beholden to the bribes of the American Medical Association, who don’t want an overhaul of the healthcare system, which will weed out a lot of graft.  The legislators are paid really well, but they have expensive life styles, and their supplemental income from lobbyists is the real icing on their cake, and the real motivation for how most of them vote.  That’s the part they leave out of the Civic books.  And so the Civil war continues……