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!!!!

What happened to our Democracy?

         What happened to the great country of America? Why do we not prosper like we did in the 1950s-1970s? What caused the greatest nation in earth to come back to the pack? If you listen to Republicans it is all liberals fault, their policies and entitlements. If you listen to Democrats it is all conservatives fault, horrible policies, war mongering and the trickle down economy. But what caused our current predicament. This is an average high school educated Americans opinion on our decline.

America was very successful in the decades following WWII. There are several reasons for this. I believe first and foremost was the conditions other countries were in. Germany, England, Italy, France, Japan and most of Europe was decimated by the war. This essentially left the world at Americas mercy. We were the only developed country that wasnt decimated and we took full advantage of that. Second was the rise of labor unions. They leveled the playing field with corporations causing better pay and benefits. Workers were happy and American made meant something. Third was the gap in income. It put us in a position where employees believed in their employers. Corporations werent cutting corners for a profit.

When CEO pay began to grow quicker then employee pay we saw the beginning of the decline. Companies off shoring work to make a higher profit despite products that were not made very well. Union membership particularly in the early 2000s declined sharply. NAFTA wad created to help Americans but it worked against us. This was the beginning of the end. Then banks began to work against us. I to this day do not completely understand what they did, but they destroyed pensions, credit, peoples lives and the American economy. Too big too fail and too rich too prosecute.

You may ask “Why all this about the economy and jobs?” It all contributed to the political climate we live in today. The decimation of unions took away one of the major checks on corporations power. Easieast example is Walmart. They make billions in profits, get all of their product from overseas and essentially pay minimum wage. They typically cap employees hours so they dont have to offer benefits. All the while their employees are in every government program that is offered because of the low pay. Walmart is one of the largest employers in the country. Any attempt at unionizing is dealt with harshly. People getting fired, hours cut amongst other things. Workers no longer recieve living wages, all the while corporations and the super wealthy gain more and more of the pie.

Why does any of that matter? Well that is quite easy. 94%. 94% of the time the politician with the most money wins. 94%, a ridiculous number. That means that the people with money get their politician of choice. That means that said politician then works for the cause of the wealthy. That causes an ever growing gap in income inequality. When corporate backed politicians are in charge, corporations essentially are in charge. Take the Stand Your Ground Law, a mess of a law. ALEC writes papers called model legislation, which is a bill that is given to their bought congressmen, who then work to get it passed. Congress no longer works for the people, it works for its puppet master.

Money has bought our government, big money, corporations and super wealthy. These people have destroyed our democracy. We are now at the mercy of our corporate overlords. It is funny to think that not only do you buy their product in a store, but we all bow at the altar of the wealthy. This is what these wannabe oligarchs, feudalists or monarchs want from us. For a while the people were silent, but many are waking up. But it is too late? Can we retake our democracy? Is America the new Rome? I certainly hope not. But in my opinion we are balanced on a precipice.

I realize that this is not the most concise description of our fall. But just open your eyes and look around. People stand up for a tax evader like Cliven Bundy but demonize Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown. When was racism so prevelant, the 1950s. How about the constant attack on women? It seems like a calculated attack to keep rich men in charge of things. The election of President Obama, a black man, seems to upset the apple cart. Why else would certain people say their first and most important priority was to make him a one term president. Democracy is not conservatism or liberalism, it is a combination of all of them. We need to overturn Citizens United, put term limits on Senators, Representatives and Supreme Court Justices. We need to be able to assess their jobs and have the right to immeadiatly fire them. Our democracy is on the line. Lets save it.

Is Ferguson, Missouri a case of the poor and mistreated fighting back or the beginning of a military state?

         Mike Brown was recently shot by Ferguson police. Unarmed, yet shot. Witnesses say his hands were in the air, yet he was shot. Is this the police attacking victims of our economic plight? The greed of the ruling class creating areas of poverty that police believe they need to crack down on in order to prevent crime. The Broken Window policy i have heard it called. Stop and frisk in New York. I think it is racism being disguised as police work.

I read one article after another about this young black man being shot while unarmed. The black guy who was shot in Walmart while holding a BB gun. Cops told him to put hands in air, he complied saying it wasnt real and gets shot. Yet an 18 year old white guy was walking down the road in his neighborhood with a shotgun. When police stopped him, asking for his ID, ge refused. He walked away with a fine. Open carry nutbags who walk around with loaded assault rifles, yet nothing happens. Cliven Bundy, the tax evading trespasser and his nutbag hooligan want to be militia point guns at authorities, yet nothing happens. Armed lunatics waiting for a busload of immigrant children force bus to go different location, again nothing happens. This seem a bit fishy to you?

What started off as peaceful protests about the Mike Brown shooting became a fiasco. Who was at fault? People being arrested, shot and beat by police. What looked like a military strike force in an American city. The citizens rioting in response. None of this is right. These people have the right to protest. We do not live in a police state where protest is not allowed. When a public servant does something wrong, we the people have the right to call them out. Any violence in answer of violence is wrong. But that is easy for me to say sitting hundreds of miles away in my Pennsylvania home. Anyone who says race has nothing to do with this is utterly ignorant or blatantly racist.

President Obama has spoke about this. Attorney General Eric Holder has spoken extensively on this. The Ferguson police chief and Governer of Missouri have spoken about this. The governer has pulled the St. Louis Police out replacing them with the Highway Patrol. Events like this have always happened but it seems like it is more common place. To say that the economic and political climate has nothing to do with this is short sighted.

Republicans and Democrats are not to blame per say. The fact that they allow nut bag extremists to hijack the party and message is their fault. These people have inflamed hate and justify racism. They justify hating one another based on our differences. The NRA has created a mess with their idiotic way of thinking and model legislation they give to their bought Congressmen and women to push through. Hate and indifference has become common place, as well as radical out looks on civil rights. The social climate has changed with the political climate.

I live in Pennsylvania and have not personally seen much of this. But i do know quite a few police officers and the way they think is alarming. You would like to think they would look at each situation differently but I dont think they do. It is a generalization of all cops based on a few so it is not a scientific breakdown. When you send a human being out with orders to target a certain group of people, it will have unintended effects on both groups. It is 2014, you would think we would be beyond this. Sadly this is everyday life for certain groups of Americans. When will this change? Only then can we avoid travesties like Ferguson, Missouri.

The Walmart cycle.

               One meme or article after another tells us to avoid Walmart. Which is absolutely right! They subsidize their company by paying low wages, thereby forcing their employees to receive Federal Benefits. That alone costs American tax payers billions of dollars a year. Not to mention the money they receive from Federal and State governments to build stores or warehouses in their areas or the tax breaks and tax havens they use to avoid paying billions of dollars in taxes.

The Walton family are worth a couple hundred billion dollars. While making these billions of dollars they bemoan employees who ask for a higher wage or the right to unionize. All the while purchasing product from China, a Communist dictatorship that not only manipulates their currency but also subsidizes their companies. The Walton maintain that if they raise pay, they have to raise prices. While saying this they reap profits that have rarely been seen in American history.

Now here is the conundrum. The average person making even $12 an hour is that they do not have alot of disposable income. Electric, gas, phone, taxes and even sewer have all seen precipitous increases, all while this person has been stuck at $12 an hour. A family of 4, with mom and dad both working, will in many cases qualify for Federal Benefits. The failure of corporations to raise peoples pay while making record profits has presented these people with a pickle. Do I shop at a cheaper store and get more or shop at more expensive and get less. Where does this leave them?

At a time when Americans need more help then at possibly any time in our history, we have also found ourselves in a period of hyper-polarization. While these people need help, Paul Ryan and Republicans want to cut Federal Benefits while cutting taxes for the wealthy. Democrats led by Elizabeth Warren are trying to extend unemployment benefits, raise taxes on the wealthy, reel in to big to fail and fix income inequality. Bernie Sanders, the only Independent who really matters, my little joke, is fighting along many of the same fronts as Elizabeth Warren. It has become class warfare. Rich saying the poor dont work hard enough and poor asking for a fair share. All of this while 47 million Americans are on Food Stamps because of low pay or no jobs.

Here is where it comes full circle. These people on the bottom end up shopping at Walmart because of their low pay. By shopping at Walmart they are putting people like themselves out of work, as well as giving the Waltons a false sense that their model is a good thing. The person shopping there doesn’t want to do these things, but what company can compete with a monolithic corporation like Walmart. Of course it would be another corporation. What option do these people have? Even if you dont shop at Walmart, the majority of products are made somewhere else.

Fox News wins right to lie in appeals court, 11 years ago.

         In 1996 Fox News sent 2 reporters out to do a story. When the reporters returned with their story, Fox News wanted them to report blatant lies which the reporters refused to do. The reporters won a 6 figure sum in court for being unlawfully terminated.  Fox News then filed an appeal. In February 2003 a Florida Court of Appeals overturned the original decision and unanimously agreed with Fox News that there was not an existing rule in the United States that required them to report the news TRUTHFULLY.

Bill O’Reilly paid lawyers to argue that it is Fox News right under the First Amendment to distort or falsify the news. So over the last 11 years the most watched news network has been feeding their viewers egregious lies. Why would a news outlet want to report untruths? Do you think they are trying to push their agenda on their viewers by distorting the news? Sadly those who watch Fox News swear by it. They take what is said on there as gospel. How much is actually true?

How many times over the years have Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Ann Coulter, Glenn Beck or Shepherd Smith shaped opinion with lies? Despite GDP growing rather than contracting Hannity continued to say that President Obama’s policy were hurting the economy. That despite overwhelming evidence that disputes his assertions. Why did Hannity further the biryher movement despite the President showing his birth certificate. Even after multiple fact checkers proved Hannity smear as false. But Fox News is Fair and Balanced. Right?

Bill O’Reilly insists that Attorney General Eric Holder is involved in the dismissal of criminal charges against the New Black Panther Party for voter intimidation. Despite it being a different administration that did so. He also denies telling viewers that President Obama hid news about Benghazi motives because he was running for reelection. Another outright lie. Then he said that no one on Fox News ever said you would go to jail if you didnt buy health insurance. Another blatant lie. This list goes on and on. I wanted to list examples, not have them overrun the point of this story. But it easily could have been overrun by examples.

As far as I know Fox News is the only news outlet that fought for the right to lie to their viewers. MSNBC has held several of their talking heads responsible for their actions recently. Requiring on air apologies, as well as the talking heads stepping down. Republicans run to Fox to spout their lies. They are never called out on them despite calling Democrats liars during interviews. I watch Fox News for a few minutes here and there just to see how and what they thinking. It is very disturbing to know that a news channel can fudge the news to further an agenda.

If we allow news outlets to shape the news to fit their agenda, how can we hold our elected officials accountable? How many Fox News viewers hate the President because of lies Fox News told about him? This is why we are in an era of such hyper-polarization. Instead of reporting news they feed the hate. How does that help America?

Why do people think the poor are ruining our country?

       I find it odd that people attack the poor for asking for a living wage. I find it odd that a poor person is demonized for getting food stamps or heat assistance.  I find it odd that people complain about a poor family getting a large income tax check. Why are the poor being so scrutinized?

How many poor people write checks to lobby a politicians? How many poor people have money in tax havens to avoid paying taxes? How many poor people can pay $10,000 to sit at a dinner in order to get an audience with a politician? How many poor people write bills that are brought to the floor of Congress for a vote? How many poor people are convicted of ripping people off for millions? Killing their retirement? Draining their nest egg? NONE.

Most working poor are making $9 or less. They are working 40-60 hours a week trying to care for their family. Yet these are the people that are destroying America. These are the greedy ones because they want a living wage. They are working for Wal-Mart, McDonald’s and other large Corporations. Corporations making billions of dollars a year in profits but cannot afford to pay $10 or $11 an hour. Paying upper management a couple million or billion dollars a year and giving out major bonuses. I am sorry, that is the greedy fools on Wall Street and the Financial Sector who decimated our economy. But it is the poor who are getting to much.

These same people who complain about the poor support Republicans. Believe our country is moving away from the Constitution. They believe that the Free Market is in the Constitution. In fact they do not know anything about the Constitution except part of the Second Amendment. These are people who are lower middle class, which the Republicans destroyed. They believe the American Dream is dead because of Democrats, President Obama giving everything to the poor. These poor ignorant fools know oh so little.

Republicans want to abolish the minimum wage, they voted against the VAWA, they voted against every jobs bill and short changed the Administration every chance they had. They have blocked more Presidential nominees than ever before and have passed less bills than any other Congress. Did the poor do this? Did the poor create and give millions of dollars to SUPER PACS? It has to be the poor, right? It couldnt be the party that Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck support. Those really loud Tea Party people say President will take our guns. The poor have alot to do with that as well.

Class warfare has taken an ugly turn. The less poor are now attacking the lower poor. People are not concerned about the rich fleecing us. But are upset about another poor person getting more than them. This is what Conservatives want. They want the peasants fighting amongst themselves. I know the $80 billion used for welfare hurts our country more than the $200 billion used for corporate welfare. Yes, these billion dollar corporations get subsidized by your tax dollars, then get large bonuses but cannot afford to pay $10 an hour. Seriously, before you speak, THINK. RESEARCH and LEARN. Spouting what FOX NEWS says is ignorant. Considering they went to court to make it ok to falsify news. And won. HAHA! I bet the poor had a lot to do with it.

The disrespect of the Republican party and their media.

              I took the time yesterday to watch Bill O’Reilly interview President Obama. I would say it was quite nice of the President to grant an interview to a man that perpetuates lies about him daily. Bill O’Reilly has complete disdain for President Obama and showed it by interrupting him continuously.  But it is hard to bully a man who will not let you.

When Bill O’Reilly interviews a conservative he lets them speak. Any liberal, Democrat or person who disagrees is attacked with impunity. I sometimes watch just to see how and what conservatives think. Most, not all, tend to bully their fellow debater. Cutting them off, speaking over them, not answering questions they are afraid of the public knowing the answer to or just plain changing the subject. Sadly this is the state of our government today. If you dont agree, you are the enemy, compromise viewed as weakness. Unfortunately this has caused our gridlock.

I watched Michelle Bachmann debate Bernie Sanders. It was a joke. A educated person debating a 5 year old. Michelle Bachmann used all the tactics above. When asked her stance on Social Security, she said she would gladly answer. Yet for some odd reason, she refused. She has over the years said some very questionable things. Why wouldnt she answer a question that many Americans want the answer to? Dont you think that is a bit conspicuous? Look at her record and that of Bernie Sanders. You will see who makes actual sense.

I then watched Paul Ryan in an interview. He said that President Obama is a lawless President. He said it is not the amount of executive orders but the scope. That President Obama is making laws and that is Congress’ job. But he stepped away from impeachment talk. If the President was lawless and disregarding the U S Constitution shouldn’t those sworn to uphold it hold him accountable? If he is lawless, should he not be impeached. Paul Ryan is another blowhard playing to his base.

Although this is a small thing, it drives me nuts. Conservatives refer to President Reagan, President Bush and Mr Obama. Neither of the first 2 are president anymore. President Obama is a sitting president. Afford him the same respect as Governor Romney, Senator Paul, this is disgraceful. President Obama was voted in by an overwhelming majority of people, HE IS THE PRESIDENT. Just because you disagree with his politics or are hurt by him being in office doesn’t diminish that he is PRESIDENT.

This doesn’t mean I agree with President Obama on everything he does. It does mean he is President, deal with it. Do not be disrespectful to the American people by hurting them to tarnish his legacy. We have been hurt enough by dirty bank practices and financial practices. It is time to stand with the people and the will of the people. But maybe your corporate sponsors wouldnt like that? You have to please your corporate masters.

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.

Government shutdown is the leadup to raising the Debt Ceiling.

         First to be clear, the Debt Ceiling is for bills Congress already incurred. It allows us to pay the bills Congress already approved. Under George W. Bush the Debt Ceiling was raised 7 times. That is under a President who took us from a surplus to about $10 trillion debt. He ran up a $15 trillion bill. Where were the Republican fiscal hawks then. Sadly many were ok with this spending.

The extreme right wing of the Republican party, the Tea Party, have pushed a very extreme agenda. The word compromise means surrender to them. They have made it a mission to destroy our government. My way or the highway is not how the Democratic process works. To use dramatic methods to extract every last thing you want is undemocratic. No one ever gets everything they want in the democratic process, they compromise and get the best of both sides. This is why Congress is in gridlock, the refusal to negotiate in good faith.

It is ignorant to blame President Obama for this shutdown. In fact Michelle Bachman said that they were happy with the shutdown. Other Republicans said theg were giddy about the shutdown. Why we President Obama give away the house when Republicans are coming back for more in a few weeks. Republicans are attempting to extract some now and more in the Debt Ceiling negotiations. Democrats are letting the Republican party show their lack of empathy for the American people.

From April until now, Democrats attempted 18 times to negotiate to avoid this shutdown. They were filibustered by Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, Mike Lee and several other prominent Republicans. Republicans have said they will not budge on Debt Ceiling negotiations. Despite the fact they already approved the spending. Very hypocritical stance. They keep mentioning the choice was President Obama’s. What they dont say is that there never was a choice. There was an ultimatum. Do this or we shut down the government. Now the GOP is scrambling to save their tarnished image, which is unsavable.

This is just setting the table for the next showdown in a few weeks. Republicans are making a spectacle of everything in order to polarize the country more. We will be in this same spot or worse in a few weeks. Our economy is taking a severe hit from this shut down. I believe Republicans thought President Obama would blink and negotiate the ACA. They took a calculated risk and lost. Sadly they weren’t smart enough to set up a way out of the mess they put us in. Just don’t move from manufactured crisis to another. Govern intellegently, think about the people. Stop spreading disinformation. The ACA is the law, help people learn it.