Is there truly a cabal of wealthy people who secretly control America?

          This is an odd topic, although it is something that has been presenting itself to me more daily. Each day I watch news, read the paper, read on the Web or debate one person or another, it seems that this subject is slapping me in the face. The more I read, the more it seems I am being force fed garbage, something to keep me off the this elusive subject. The Internet is veritable smorgasbord  of conspiracy theories. The news and the papers are obviously controlled by the wealthy elite, so we only get the stories they want us to read. My ideas on the subject are in constant evolution and not 100% clear yet. I just want to present them, just to get them out and hopefully get some input from others. I also want some of these thoughts solid so I can always refer to it.

              I want to start with the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve is not controlled by the government, it is controlled by private bankers. Odd, right, one would assume that it was a government entity. For a period of time our dollar was backed by gold. That switched, I apologize  for being vague but I am not going in depth about this part, and money became backed essentially by the full faith and credit of the United States. It is made up out of thin air, it means nothing and comes from no where. That, you would think makes our dollar worthless, but it doesnt. Now every dollar that we borrow from the Federal Reserve, yes our government borrows money from private bankers, has to be payed back with interest. So every dollar created puts the United States further in debt to wealthy bankers. It creates a system of perpetual debt, leaving the super wealthy in control of our government.

            Let’s move to Citizens United next. This ruling by the Supreme Court allowed dark money to flood into our politics. Dark money is money that comes from unknown sources and cannot be accounted for. It also allowed individuals to contribute more to political campaigns and to be able to hide who it was contributed to. Let’s be very clear, this does not benefit the poor or middle class. I gave $15 to President Obama  in 2012 and $10 in 2008. There is a new bill Republican lawmakers are trying to pass that would triple the amount people could contribute without declaring any of it. Now interesting statistic I keep seeing is that 94% of candidates that raise the most money win. Now Congress had a 9% approval rating yet 94% were reelected. I hope you caught that anomaly as well. 9% approval is very very bad. Interestingly, just for example, the Koch Brothers contributed approximately $325 million, that is accounted for in the last election cycle. That is according to the Washington Post. Now how does that help the poor?

             Now to Voter I.D. laws. Who do voter i.d. laws affect? The poor of course! The rate of fraudulent voting of the sort Republicans are trying to stop is about .00002%. Does that really seem like something that would warrant this much action? Especially because Republicans have seemed reluctant to take any action at all. Why is this an issue? In 2008 when then Senator Barrack Obama was running for President, the poor overwhelmingly voted for him. His speeches motivated the country and helped assuage voter apathy. 93% of the African American vote went to President Obama and minorities  as a whole were generally in his corner. How can the wealthy elite keep their puppet in office if people vote? They cant. They had to do something, their lobbyist marched into our capital to manufacture a new issue. Voter fraud. By requiring I.D., people who live in inner cities and do not drive, nor have the finances to own a car could not vote. Unfortunately for the wealthy we were protected from poll taxes. But it didn’t end there, Republicans ended early voting or shortened it, closed polls early, created long lines by having less polls, machines switched votes from Democrat to Republican and they even used voter intimidation. In 2014, about 30% of the population or less voted. It seems they got their sheep back in the herd.

            Those are the big ones I wanted to cover. But here is more food for thought. The rolling back of part of the Civil Rights Act that helped protect minorities rights to vote in districts that have had past issues. Low wages and the decimation of Labor Unions. Unions were the middle classes great protector. The continual attempts to decimate the EPA. Saying the EPA makes it where business can’t compete because of regulations. The illegal foreclosures by banks, who paid a pittance of a fine and didn’t have to give the homes back. Bank executives getting bonuses while crashing the economy, destroying people’s pensions, 401 KS and decimating our workforce. No prosecution of any of these people who committed illegal acts, while our prisons are over crowded by poor people with Marijuana offenses. The complete control of the mass media, holding each to their own standards and showing a blatant avoidance of the truth. In fact, many tell outright lies more then they tell the truth, Fox News. The worse part of this is the absolute ignorance of so many Americans. The easiest way to make the middle class forget about the rich, is to make them hate the poor. We are so gullible.

          Is it a true conspiracy? Did I paint a clear enough picture? The answer to both, I don’t know. The idea is still coming together for me as I dig through more and more. It is a theory, but truth, not sure yet. This I will say. There is an eternal battle going on in America. At its root is income inequality, which is at its highest since the 1920s. The DOW Jones is setting records dailly, but we are only getting minimum wage jobs. Why? 95% of the wealth made over the last six years has gone to the top 5% of the population. Class warfare is undeniably one of the biggest issues in America. It seems as if the wealthy elite have clung to power for so long, that any perceived attempt to dislodge them from power will be met with fierce resistance. Even at the loss of our great country. Cabal or greedy men? They might be one in the same.

2014, a year closer to the end of America?

         The title may seem conspiracy like or even reactionary, but it is not far off base. If we honestly look at some of the things that transpired this year, you have to admit that this isn’t our parents America. The land we live in has fallen quite short of what I thought we were. But this is a disappointment I have gotten used to. Republican and Democrat blaming each other, while both are suckling Wall Streets teat. More insane nut bags threatening our “monkey” President Obama, because his skin color is bothering them. Conservatives pining for the time when white American men were the only people who mattered. Cops not just being bullies, but now shooting and killing unarmed black kids, then saying they felt threatened. Then trying to understand how an adult justifies shooting 12 times at someone running away, while my 10 year old daughter tells the grown up it is wrong. Cops using an illegal choke hold to kill a guy who was selling “loosey” cigarettes, only to hear more adults justify it. Then trying to explain to my 10 and 13 year old kids what is wrong with these people without calling them dumb. This list can go on and on. But seriously, what the hell is wrong with us?

            Everyone screams that things need to change, but when your voice is heard the majority sit home. The American society has failed. We are in general a weak and lazy group. Not all, as I said in general. To show our unhappiness we sit home, to show our social disobedience, we sit home. Sitting home and not participating seems to be the universal answer. America is the way it is because of US, WE THE PEOPLE CREATED THIS MESS. Our apathy has left a shell of a nation for my children. When we can change something, we do not because the devil we know is better then the devil we dont. Unfortunately we have left the fox in the henhouse, we stopped paying attention. Now everything seems corrupted, anyone with the tiniest bit of power has eaten the poison apple. Who cares, no one was watching them. Cops are beating black kids, don’t break the law. Killing black people, don’t break the law. But a black kills a white and all hell breaks loose. Politicians, even the ones where I live are under investigation for being corrupt.

           I love the freedoms I have but I have been negligent of my responsibilities as well. As a democracy, we are responsible for the actions of our representatives, we stopped telling them what to do because they quit doing it. If I stopped doing my job, I would get fired. CONGRESS SHOULD BE FIRED!!! 9% approval yet 94% reelected, what is wrong there. This apathy goes right into how people think. It is easy to hate and be bigoted, doesn’t take any thought. Simple minded people hate people based on color and creed. Stupid and loud people hold a lot of power in this country. How did we allow this? Money is some cases, because in some warped world money means intellegence. Laziness in others, why debate a dumb person, they will never change. We all seem to listen to the loudest speaker, typically the most ignorant person in the room. So this because our education system failed us or just because we lost faith in everything?

             I don’t have any answers. I can’t tell you what is right or wrong. I can tell you that my convictions are changing. I have always been a very liberal Democrat. The liberal part has grown stronger, I believe we need to help one another, foster a sense of community and continue to help the weakest among us to rise above where they are. We are a wealthy country who needs to commit resources to our infrastructure, education, homelessness and better health care, as well as mental health. We need to reel in the police, educate, better training and better mental health screening, as well as holding them accountable for their actions. The same needs to be done with our leaders on all kevels, state, local and federal. As well as TV and radio personalities who spread vitriol and lies. Time for all to be held accountable for their actions. That is a start. To improve our government, term limits for House, Senate and Supreme Court Justices. Time to remove money from politics and deny personhood of corporations. Even the playing field, end lobbying. The Democrat part has been called into question. I agree with them more, but they are also guilty of putting money before the people.

         In general 2014 was another year we failed our children. I will not anymore, my children will see that I believe it is time to stand. There is a movement in this country, it has been building slowly but it is building. I think it will reach a crescendo soon and we will see massive change. It is a dangerous and beautiful time to be alive. We will take our country back. We need to reverse the trend and improve in all aspects. If not America Jay be doomed to fail. Happy New Year! HAPPY NEW AMERICA!!!!

GOP insists President Obama is a dictator as they try to take away our religious freedom.

          GOP reaction to President Obama using executive orders borders on hilarity. He is using executive orders to raise the minimum wage for federal contractors in the future. He is also going to use them to stop gun sales from overseas, to starting a database of those with mental illness, none if these are meant to confiscate even assault weapons.

President Obama has issued 167 executive orders. President Reagan about 390, President George W Bush issued 291 and President George H W Bush issued 165 in one term. Obviously issuing executive orders is not unconstitutional or an impeachable offense. One party seems to defer to their corporate sponsors whims on the majority of issues. Before anyone goes off about corporate sponsors, yes both party’s have them. But the majority of the GOP campaign contributions in 2012 came from big business. How can you dispute this?

I hear all of this conspiracy nuts calling him a dictator. Obviously facts are trumped by beliefs in this case, as in many other political cases. He took over a horrible economy, a banking sector and investment sector full of criminals and a Republican party that was bent on his failure at any cost. The American people ceased to matter. We had been thrown to the side. Yet the Tea Party took their false grass roots movement to the people. False because grass roots are not funded by billionaires like the Koch Brothers. They screamed about protecting the Constitution, while stealing your rights behind your back.

In North Carolina people’s rights to protest are stamped upon. People are arrested for peacefully protesting the Governor’s radical agenda. In Louisiana they are teaching creationism in public schools, which the Supreme Court ruled was unconstitutional. In Louisiana a Muslim boy was told to change his religion or pick a different school. This again is a violation of the First Amendment. Is this how you protect the Constitution? By picking and choosing what works for you.

I do not blindly follow President Obama. I do not agree with the TPP, I believe it is inherently bad for our manufacturing sector. It is not right to ask private companies to compete with government subsidized ones. That is just part of my dislike. The Monsanto Protection Act is a horrible piece of legislation. It offers zero protection to consumers. But for the GOP to harp on controversies that were proved to be false is ridiculous. Benghazi is yheir answer to everything. Republicans falsified emails, concocted stories and cut funding to give more security, but never mention any of that. It is time to govern, not sully a Presidents reputation.

We are recovering despite obstruction from certain groups. The stock market is higher than ever. The ACA is up and working, helping many Americans. There has been job growth for quite some time. The debt is falling, government spending is falling, why is he looked on so disdainfully? I see people saying he is the worst President ever and shake my head. What did President George W Bush do? Is that immediately forgotten? We have a good man in office, who like any other man makes mistakes, but he cares and tries to do the right thing. I think that is how he should be remembered.

The Republican government shutdown.

           I spent yesterday awestruck at how people would blame President Obama for this shutdown. As odd as it sounds these people are saying Republicans are doing the right thing. Shutting down the government to shutdown a law you don’t like is incredible. The ACA is law and that will not change. Why is helping people get affordable health care such a problem?

Republicans want to negotiate, at the last minute. The 18 times Democrats tried to negotiate and go to conference since April were apparently not good enough. Republicans shot it down everytime. Why negotiate at the last minute? To fool gullible Americans into thinking they care. They are not negotiating, they are trying to force an issue through hurting the American people and economy. That is not governing, I don’t know what it is. Sadly people buy into this.

Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and all these other right wing radio host spread hate. They dislike President Obama’s policies, so they spew vitriol in order to polarize the public that listens to them. They spread lies about the ACA, which host Chuck Todd said the main stream media does not need to correct. Isnt the media a vehicle for the public to learn the truth or is it just a vehicle to spread Republican rhetoric. Sadly it seems to be the latter. They, those who are closest to the mess that is Congress know the truth. But the truth doesn’t seem to matter.

The American public is being duped by a party of hate. This is a party that was against medicare, social security, food stamps, extending unemployment, the Veterans Jobs Bill and VAWA. Isn’t it obvious that these people do not care about the American public. These are the people who give rich farmers free money, $200 billion to corporate welfare and believe corporations are people that aren’t governed by the same laws as people. This is a party controlled by corporate interests. The Tea Party was created by the Koch brothers, who have ties to the NRA and ALEC. How is that grassroots?

Republicans were giddy about shutting the government down, their own words. Michelle Bachman came out and said how proud she was of the stand they are taking. Do they not realize they lost the election? The people spoke, overwhelmingly in favor of the ACA and President Obama. Get over yourselves and move on. Govern our country and stop holding the people hostage. America does not negotiate with terrorists. Especially ones in our own government.

Government shutdown, the Republican way of throwing a temper tantrum.

             The last time Republicans refused to negotiate on the debt ceiling our country had its credit rating downgraded. Why does a political party refuse to compromise?  President Obama has tried to work with Republicans since day one, despite Mitch McConnell and other Republican leaders making him a one term president their number one priority. Obviously hurting the economy or making Americans suffer doesn’t get in the way of their attempts to accomplish this. They lost, President Obama is in his second term. What is different?

Republican demands are simple, get rid of the ACA and do things our way or we will shut the government. Many of these Republicans voted to expand the debt ceiling 7 times under George W Bush. The same Bush who oversaw the largest jump in the National debt, from a surplus to about 11 trillion. They voted for the Bush tax cuts, which added about 2 trillion to the debt and 2 unfunded wars. But when President Obama is in their they become fiscal hawks. Where were you when the train derailed?

So why are we here? Why is a government shutdown looming? Each continuing resolution the Republican led house has passed is attempting to defund or change the ACA. What Republicans won’t tell you us that the plan to repeal the tax on medical machines for hospitals or other offices, a 2.32% tax by the way, will cost the government about $28 billion. The President tried to get Republicans involved in the ACA process but they refused, saying they would stop it. They didn’t, it is the law of the land, found Constitutional by the Supreme Court. So are Democrats and President Obama wrong for not negotiating on the debt limit? NO!!! They already tried, Republicans didn’t want to.

The GOP is worried about their corporate sponsors, those that lobby and pay for their services. They do not work for the Democratic majority. Unfortunately this is the society Republicans want. They want the gap between rich and poor to continue and they want American people in debt. It is a version of a Feudal society. They do not believe in Democracy or the Constitution they state they protect. They are willing to hurt the country for a Corporate formed ideology, what is referred to as a ruling class.

On Friday I listened to Mitch McConnell and his cohorts speak after a vote. One was speaking about President Obama and Democrats need to adjust their energy policy. It came from a man who recieved $700,000 from Natural Gas and Oil companies since 2006. As well as a party that recieved over $23 million in donations from the Oil industry since 2007. They recieved 88% of all donations from the Oil industry in that time. So as they say the proof is in the pudding. Look at the numbers and think about why Republicans are willing to shutdown our government and risk our economy.

Where did our elected leaders go?

           In 2009 President Obama took over as our first African-American president. That was the day government shut down. The Republicans vowed that making him a one term president was there number one priority. They would do anything to make that happen. In their efforts to unseat him, they did irreapairable harm to America. They created a divide so wide that if you disagree with a conservatives point of view, you are a Nazi, a marxist, a socialist and a traitor.

Health care costs were raging out of control. Increasing about 200% since the year 2004. I did not have a copay in 2004, meds cost 10-20-30. By 2008 I was paying $65 a week and 20-35-55 for meds. Office visits went from $10 to $20 and specialists $25 to $75. The ACA was put into effect to stem the rising costs, help get the uninsured insured at a reasonable rate and stop people being denied for pre-existing conditions. Despite the President and Democrats trying to stem health care costs, which were crippling our manufacturing sector, Republicans railed against it. In fact they have voted 41 times to repeal it, costing us $60 million dollars with those votes, some fiscal hawks right. What is wrong with stopping people from losing their homes when they get sick. Shows who Republicans really work for.

Republicans attacked President Obama over unemployment. While at the same time shooting down his jobs bill, which would have created a million new jobs. They said the unemployment rate was to high. But when the president got it under 8%, they said the president doesn’t create jobs. Republicans took over the House in 2010, they have not created a single job. They are much more concerned with anti-abortion laws and religious laws. The president’s economic plan is working despite sequestration and continued Republican interference. If Republicans were willing to work with Democrats maybe their input would be in these bills, possibly even improving them.

Paul Ryan, John Boehner and several other prominent Republicans have said that there is no longer a debt crisis. Yet these so called budget hawks try to take the country hostage on the debt ceiling. First this is just for bills that Congress already approved. Why would they not approve money for spending they already approved? It is a domestic terrorist attack designed to further an agenda that caters to corporations, ALEC, the Koch Brothers and NRA amongst others. These is not what our forefathers envisioned when they wrote the Constitution.

Does the Republican party really mean what they do?

             Many of the things the Republican party are currently doing are inherently unAmerican. The Constitution seems only to matter when it helps their corporate masters. The lobbyist, Koch Brothers, ALEC and the NRA are some very prominent puppet masters. The will of the majority has been pushed to the side. Do Republicans even realize what they are doing?

Take Gun Violence. Instead of pursuing a possible solution they spout out the rhetoric they are fed by their puppet masters. All the numbers shown by independent researchers directly contradict the numbers put forth by the NRA. The areas with the highest amount of guns tend to have a very high crime rate. About 5,000 people have been killed by gun violence since Sandy Hook, yet Republicans refuse to do anything about gun violence. The public wants action, yet Republicans stall and protect the money.

For 2 years Republicans complained about President Obama and Democrats not creating enough jobs, despite Republican efforts to thwart any type of job creation. They have held the House for 3 years, yet have not created any jobs. They denied the Obama Jobs Bill and the Veterans Jobs Bill, yet have passed 44 anti-abortion measures and another 90 religious bills. They say they want the corporate tax lowered, yet when President Obama offered it, they refused. They refuse to help the average American.

Republicans seem to enjoy holding Americans hostage with the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling enables us to pay the bills we have already incurred. They raised it 7 times for Bush 43 and another 7 or so for Reagan. This is the first time a President had to fight to raise the debt ceiling. The last time Republicans did this it resulted in a credit downgrade for the U.S. Are they truly willing to default on America’s bills to further their agenda?

Then we have the way Republicans talk about race. Anne Coulter referred to President Obama as ‘Putin’s Monkey” several times in an interview. Another Republican Senator called Latinos “wetbacks”. A Republican leader in Pennsylvania said the Voter I.D. laws were put in place to prevent minorities from voting. This is not what are forefathers had in mind when they drafted the Constitution. It is not for our representatives to pick and choose from.

Do Republicans really expect to be taken seriously? They keep pushing the will of the people to the side for corporate interests and then try to tell us all the good they are doing. They are slimming their voting pool. Democrats already outnumber them, their actions are pushing more people away. They talk about a broken system, they broke it. They are also prospering because of it.

The true travesty of the Trayvon Martin murder.

               The true travesty here is that a 17 year old boy had his life taken from him. He could have been a doctor, a lawyer, the next Martin Luther King Jr. or even a criminal. Who could say? But he was robbed of the chance of being any of those things. I do not know him personally,  but that is not necessary to know it is horrible that his parents don’t get to see him grow into the man he could be. As Trayvon Martin lies in his grave, his murderer walks free with the murder weapon.

George Zimmerman walking free is a slap in the face of all law abiding citizens. Those who follow the rules and don’t use some corporate law to get away with murder. He banked on the fact that a young African-American boy could not get a fair trial in that area even in death. Instead of trying George Zimmerman, they seemed to be trying the victim, Trayvon Martin. If African-Americans were not disenfranchised before, many surely will be now.

Many refuse to recognize this as a Civil Rights issue. Saying a man protected himself against a suspicious character. But this decision shows that it is ok for a Caucasian to kill African-Americans with little fear of being prosecuted. The issue here is that every life is sacred and you only get one. For any man to murder someone outside of protecting their home and walk is inherently unAmerican. We have police for a reason and vigilante justice is against the law.

Part of the travesty is how this truly revealed the bigotry hidden in the Republican party. Democrats and progressives alike believe George Zimmerman should have been convicted. This truly showed how many Americans believe they are superior because of the color of their skin. It even showed that in politicians. It also showed how Republican politicians put lobbyists and groups like ALEC and the Koch Brothers before the people. It also shows the race agenda of these powerful lobbyist groups. We need to join together to vote these bigots out in order to set America on its true course. All men are created equal, even a 17 year old walking with an Arizona Iced Tea and a bag of skittles.

Tea Party threatens to abandon Republican party members that they see as to moderate.

            The extremist group known as the Tea Party is threatening their own party, instead of just the nation as a whole. Compromise is apparently a dirty word to the Tea Party. Even though our Democracy has been built on compromise, Tea Party members refuse to do it. Any Republican party member who will work for all the people is too moderate and needs to go.

The Tea Party likes to portray themselves as a grassroots organization. That could not be further from the truth. A grassroots movement is not funded by billionaires, the Koch Brothers in this case. The Tea Party are just an extension of the Koch lobbying arm. They seem to walk lockstep with the Kochs on just about every issue.

The Tea Party and other Republicans say government spending needed to be cut. The odd part is that Red States, Republican run states take more government money than Blue states, Democrat run. Red states get more government money back than they pay and Blue states pay the government more money than they recieve in return. So the Tea Party realistically want to cut their own people off. Corporate Welfare, supported by the Tea Party, outspends Social Welfare and Foodstamps $200 billion to $80 billion. Not to mention their support for Military spending, which s higher than the next 10 countries combined. The Tea Party doesn’t want cuts to these programs.

The sad part here is that the Tea Party hates President Obama. The more you talk or debate Tea Party members their hate seems to be based on his color. The Tea Party tends to support the Constitution in ways that benefit them. They seem to have a very nonsensical view of the Constitution. Most don’t know the full 1st and 2nd Amendments. They only know the parts that they have been told. Sadly our country has been held hostage by an extremist group and their religious fervor. What really seperates the Tea Party from Al Qaida or the Taliban?

Governor Corbett and unConstitutional GOP Policies wastes time and money.

              Another of Governor Corbett’s landmark policies was determined by the Commonwealth Court to violate the Pennsylvania State Constitution. His Human Services Block Grant Program got hit this time. Ths 2012 program, was said to give counties flexibility to spend Human Services funds where they most needed them. There was also another 10% slashed from their budgets.

Apperently it was so flexible in its interpretation of State Law that it went outside the bounds of the Constitution. Court reviews of laws presented by Governor Corbett and the Republican party are quite normal over the last 2 years. The Voter I.D., Act 13, stripped municipalities of the ability to establish their own zoning regulations. The elimination of the Adult Basic Health Care Program. It provided Health Care for working Pennsylvanians and partially paid for tabacco settlement funds. Republicans first attempts at reapportionment were all found unConstitutional.

Governor Corbett’s lawsuit against the NCAA was dismissed. His plan to privatize the Pennsylvania state lottery was rejected by the attorney general. The truth is the laws Governor Corbett is trying to pass are a waste if taxpayer money. The Governor’s office has spent almost $3 million on consulting firms for the lottery alone. If House Republicans would allow fair debate in the House these expenses could be avoided. During both the Act 13 and Voter I.D. debates, Democrats brought up the issue of Constitutionality only to be rebuked.

If Corbett’s liquor privatization and pension schemes get signed they will likely see court. Governor Corbett, just like Republicans nationwide care little for what the people want. It seems as if the Constitution only matters if it works in their favor and if not they stomp all over it. It is just a matter of time before they overwhelm the people and we are governed by the Koch Brothers.