Sunday, March 20, 2011
Moving my politics to a new home
I've realized that I need to move my political posts to a new home. An occasional rant is okay, but the way America is going, I'm going to have much more than an occasional political post. I will stick to knitting on this blog from now on. Political stuff can be found at A Teacher's Reflection from now on.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
A Follow-Up to My Last Post
I am both apalled and outraged by the cowardly action of the Wisconsin Republican Senators and their ringleader, Scott Walker. Using an unethical, and probably illegal, method, they passed their discriminatory anti-union bill without having a single Democratic vote. The 14 Democratic Senators are still out of state, and they weren't even advised of the vote, much less present for it.
Their actions are completely un-American. I can't believe anyone growing up in America, with all the benefits that confers on us, would participate in what is clearly a power grab by an arrogant Republican, who seems ready to use any methods to consolidate all power in his hands, and use that power to destroy the middle class, their state constitution, the environment, and turn Wisconsin into a Corporate State. Portions of that law give Walker the right to sell, without any oversight from anyone, any energy plant he wants, to allow the use of public land for any purpose he desires. It strips every public employee, except the police and firemen (whose unions support(hopefully that is past tense, now) Republican candidates, of any union benefits.
Republicans made sure that the Wall St. companies honored their contracts to give employees enormous bonuses, saying we had to allow them to do that so that they could continue to entice the "best and brightest" people to work for them. What a crock. Their "best and brightest" already managed to crash the US economy. The Republicans wanted to make sure they paid those villains millions of dollars so they can do it again? But teachers, nurses, health care workers, custodians ~ Republicans don't think they're worth honoring. Cut their pay, take away their unions, fire them for any reason whatsoever ~ like demonstrating against this sickening display of arrogance? ~ it's okay to do that. They're only the middle class. Republicans don't have any interest in them. Middle class people aren't rich enough to be considered, I guess.
I am just sick over this. No matter what party you belong to, I hope you realize what this means to America. It's the end of the middle class, if we allow this attack to succeed. Remember that old saying, "First they came for the Jews, and I wasn't Jewish so I didn't protest. Then they came for the Catholics, and I wasn't Catholic, so.... And then they came for me, but there was no one left to protest."
Their actions are completely un-American. I can't believe anyone growing up in America, with all the benefits that confers on us, would participate in what is clearly a power grab by an arrogant Republican, who seems ready to use any methods to consolidate all power in his hands, and use that power to destroy the middle class, their state constitution, the environment, and turn Wisconsin into a Corporate State. Portions of that law give Walker the right to sell, without any oversight from anyone, any energy plant he wants, to allow the use of public land for any purpose he desires. It strips every public employee, except the police and firemen (whose unions support(hopefully that is past tense, now) Republican candidates, of any union benefits.
Republicans made sure that the Wall St. companies honored their contracts to give employees enormous bonuses, saying we had to allow them to do that so that they could continue to entice the "best and brightest" people to work for them. What a crock. Their "best and brightest" already managed to crash the US economy. The Republicans wanted to make sure they paid those villains millions of dollars so they can do it again? But teachers, nurses, health care workers, custodians ~ Republicans don't think they're worth honoring. Cut their pay, take away their unions, fire them for any reason whatsoever ~ like demonstrating against this sickening display of arrogance? ~ it's okay to do that. They're only the middle class. Republicans don't have any interest in them. Middle class people aren't rich enough to be considered, I guess.
I am just sick over this. No matter what party you belong to, I hope you realize what this means to America. It's the end of the middle class, if we allow this attack to succeed. Remember that old saying, "First they came for the Jews, and I wasn't Jewish so I didn't protest. Then they came for the Catholics, and I wasn't Catholic, so.... And then they came for me, but there was no one left to protest."
Saturday, March 5, 2011
A Political Post, so you may want to avert your eyes
Well, hopefully you won't, but who knows? I think anyone who reads my blog knows I lean liberal, politically. I voted for Obama, and I'll likely vote for him again. I support the Health Care Reform he got passed. I think he's too careful, and too in love with the "bipartisan" bit, but I still support him.
And given what's happening in Wisconsin, I hope many, many more people will begin to support him, as well. The national media isn't really covering it, but Gov. Scott Walker is busy creating his own fiefdom in Wisconsin. He has pushed through, with the connivance of the Republicans in their legislature, laws that give the governor unprecedented power. Suddenly, he gets to make all the rules for the departments that carry out the laws passed by the legislature. The legislature doesn't get to approve those rules until after the governor has approved them. The elected heads of the departments of Justice and Education are now subject to having their rules approved by the governor. Medicaid has been turned over to a Walker appointee who has publically stated many times that Medicaid should be abolished. The heads of the state assembly, state senate, and state police are members of the same family, and Walker just made the "daddy Fitzgerald" the top cop in the state. Walker gave himself the power to sell off power plants at will, in no-bid sales, without review by anyone. Same with public lands. Walker has closed access to the Wisconsin capitol, in direct violation of a court order, then "reopened" it with draconian police presence (not the local police, who refuse to become "palace guards" ~a direct quote from the head of the Dale County police), subjected people who want to enter the building - not an office or the voting chambers, just come in - to pat downs, metal detectors, police escorts, no freedom to move about without that escort. Talk about intimidating! Talk about unconstitutional! Even the state constitution states unequivocably that access to the capitol building must never be limited in any way.
So, my question is, why aren't the national media covering this? They've paid some attention to the protests over the union-busting attack by Walker, but the rest of his power grab seems to be under the national radar.
For some Republicans, their gains in the midterms have been overblown to become a mandate for them to gut government programs, to change the rules to give them more power, to do away with regulations that protect the public in favor of businesses with no incentive to ensure clean air, clean water, environmentallly sound practices. I doubt that many of the voters were actually approving most of that. The last election was about anger, anger at the recession, anger at the goverment which didn't seem able to make the recession go away. I understand that. I felt that anger for more than 8 years as I watched the last president create that recession, with unjustified wars, with cronyism in energy policies and even in conducting the war. I was very, very angry. The Bush administration trampled the Constitution into the ground, and with its pro-business, anti-public bent, allowed businesses to do what businesses always do when they aren't held responsible ~ they wrecked the economy. Just in time to give that wreck to a Democrat, who they promptly blamed for it. Just as a reminder ~ the Recession began in 2008, Obama took office in 2009. And every step that Obama took to repair the damage was opposed by the Republicans. Regulate Wall St.? Regulations are bad! cry the Republicans. Spend some money to create jobs, keep schools open, prevent people from losing their homes and jobs and futures? Spending money is bad, especially if it goes to middle class or poor people! cry the Republicans. But wait! Let's give tax breaks to people, let them keep more money themselves. One catch ~ tax breaks only go to people earning more than a million dollars. The Republicans loved that. One problem, however. Those tax breaks balloon the deficit, which is the new 'watchword' of the Republican party. The deficit is BAD! We have to cut spending right now! We have to decimate programs that provide food for the poor, that provide nutrition counselling for pregnant women and newborn babies. We have to cut all funding for the EPA, for Planned Parenthood, for education, for regulatory agencies that might hamper businesses from doing what they want to do. That tax break for millionaires was okay, but feeding poor people isn't. Letting women have access to health care isn't.
If you care about democracy, if you care about the ability of the middle class to continue, if you care about decent jobs that respect the workers, about clean water, clean air, access to National Parks, access to your government representatives, then it is time to step up and speak out. The "Republican" agenda is disastrous for anyone not a CEO or a millionaire. Don't be taken in by the words of senators or representatives that insist that their actions are all about taking care of you. Their actions are all about taking care of themselves and their wealthy friends. Don't let America become a third world nation, led by an insular elite for their benefit. It's never too late to stand up and say, "Wait! We don't do that in America!"
And given what's happening in Wisconsin, I hope many, many more people will begin to support him, as well. The national media isn't really covering it, but Gov. Scott Walker is busy creating his own fiefdom in Wisconsin. He has pushed through, with the connivance of the Republicans in their legislature, laws that give the governor unprecedented power. Suddenly, he gets to make all the rules for the departments that carry out the laws passed by the legislature. The legislature doesn't get to approve those rules until after the governor has approved them. The elected heads of the departments of Justice and Education are now subject to having their rules approved by the governor. Medicaid has been turned over to a Walker appointee who has publically stated many times that Medicaid should be abolished. The heads of the state assembly, state senate, and state police are members of the same family, and Walker just made the "daddy Fitzgerald" the top cop in the state. Walker gave himself the power to sell off power plants at will, in no-bid sales, without review by anyone. Same with public lands. Walker has closed access to the Wisconsin capitol, in direct violation of a court order, then "reopened" it with draconian police presence (not the local police, who refuse to become "palace guards" ~a direct quote from the head of the Dale County police), subjected people who want to enter the building - not an office or the voting chambers, just come in - to pat downs, metal detectors, police escorts, no freedom to move about without that escort. Talk about intimidating! Talk about unconstitutional! Even the state constitution states unequivocably that access to the capitol building must never be limited in any way.
So, my question is, why aren't the national media covering this? They've paid some attention to the protests over the union-busting attack by Walker, but the rest of his power grab seems to be under the national radar.
For some Republicans, their gains in the midterms have been overblown to become a mandate for them to gut government programs, to change the rules to give them more power, to do away with regulations that protect the public in favor of businesses with no incentive to ensure clean air, clean water, environmentallly sound practices. I doubt that many of the voters were actually approving most of that. The last election was about anger, anger at the recession, anger at the goverment which didn't seem able to make the recession go away. I understand that. I felt that anger for more than 8 years as I watched the last president create that recession, with unjustified wars, with cronyism in energy policies and even in conducting the war. I was very, very angry. The Bush administration trampled the Constitution into the ground, and with its pro-business, anti-public bent, allowed businesses to do what businesses always do when they aren't held responsible ~ they wrecked the economy. Just in time to give that wreck to a Democrat, who they promptly blamed for it. Just as a reminder ~ the Recession began in 2008, Obama took office in 2009. And every step that Obama took to repair the damage was opposed by the Republicans. Regulate Wall St.? Regulations are bad! cry the Republicans. Spend some money to create jobs, keep schools open, prevent people from losing their homes and jobs and futures? Spending money is bad, especially if it goes to middle class or poor people! cry the Republicans. But wait! Let's give tax breaks to people, let them keep more money themselves. One catch ~ tax breaks only go to people earning more than a million dollars. The Republicans loved that. One problem, however. Those tax breaks balloon the deficit, which is the new 'watchword' of the Republican party. The deficit is BAD! We have to cut spending right now! We have to decimate programs that provide food for the poor, that provide nutrition counselling for pregnant women and newborn babies. We have to cut all funding for the EPA, for Planned Parenthood, for education, for regulatory agencies that might hamper businesses from doing what they want to do. That tax break for millionaires was okay, but feeding poor people isn't. Letting women have access to health care isn't.
If you care about democracy, if you care about the ability of the middle class to continue, if you care about decent jobs that respect the workers, about clean water, clean air, access to National Parks, access to your government representatives, then it is time to step up and speak out. The "Republican" agenda is disastrous for anyone not a CEO or a millionaire. Don't be taken in by the words of senators or representatives that insist that their actions are all about taking care of you. Their actions are all about taking care of themselves and their wealthy friends. Don't let America become a third world nation, led by an insular elite for their benefit. It's never too late to stand up and say, "Wait! We don't do that in America!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)