UNION APPROVAL

The headline said “Labor Unions, Benefits understood have almost never been less popular.   Then we find out from the story that 52% of Americans support them. We do find Republicans support is only at 26% a drop from 51%.  After a decade of orchestrated attacks on unions, 52% seems quite good. 

Congressional support is at 13% and 7 of the last 12 Presidents had or has a job approval rating less that 50%.  The Tea Party’s approval rating is 25%.  What we hear all the time from the media is that the Tea Party’s support is so powerful.  To my eye that doesn’t seem true.  The media likes to down play union support, but play up the Tea Party.  The man who wrote this article seems to have fallen into that trap.

MESSAGES FROM THE GOP

Michelle Bachmann suggests the recent earthquake and hurricane are a message from God.  To warn politicians to start heeding divine guidance.

Pat Robertson said the crack in the Washington monument is a sign from God, and the recent earthquake signals the coming of Christ.

Glenn Beck said the hurricane and earthquake were a warning to the American people.   I have to wonder why God chooses these people to talk to.

Eric Cantor again states no disaster relief unless it can be taken from some other program. This belief must be taken from a different religion, one that states to hell with the people, suffering is no big deal.

Rick Santorum accuses his critics as having “gone out on a Jihad” against him for his anti-gay stance.

Rick Perry called Social Security “a crumbing monument to the failure of the New Deal” and he compared the program to a bad disease.

My favorite is Mitt Romney’s “corporations are people my friend”

With people like these in our country, why do we need enemies from outside?

MARCO RUBIO

I have heard the dumbest thing I think I have ever heard.  Marco Rubio (R-FL.) said programs like Social Security and Medicare weaken us as a nation because people don’t have to worry about the future so they don’t save because that is the government’s job. If this idiot has ever worked for a living he would know that people are working all the hours they can to make ends meet.  All the while they are paying into Social Security and Medicare.  In my entire life I have never heard anyone say they didn’t have to work or work hard because they had the government to take care of them.  He thinks that society in general will take care of the needy and sickly.  I would ask this goof if he is going to pay for my heart transplant or pay for my cancer treatment.  I don’t think that is going to happen is it.  Social Security is not the gold at the end of the rainbow.  It just helps in your retirement.  Of course Republicans like him think that all employers should pay very little and offer no benefits. Then we could go back to the time before these programs when the life expectancy was about 60yrs.  Then we wouldn’t really have much of a need for these programs would we?  Of course this guy is living off the government dime.

STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES

Rick Perry like John Kyl before him is now saying his book isn’t really meant to be factual.  The difference is when Mr. Perry is confronted about some issue he spits out  the phrase get a copy of my book and read it.  This is hypocrisy of the first degree. I am not sure if he thinks his supports are that stupid or he is that stupid. I would like to think he is that stupid.  From what I have seen and heard of him I think the latter is correct. On the other hand so many of the Republican contenders say so many stupid things and go merrily on their way.  I wish their followers would at least hold them to some sort of standard.  You have Romney attacking President Obama for health care reform, even after he did the same thing before him.  Bachmann is always criticizing government programs why she has benefited greatly from several. It almost feels sometimes that the goofier they are the more their followers like them. If you are running for President at least have some credibility and hopefully for all of us have the best interest of the country first.

WORKERS AND UNIONS

As the standard of living of the middle-class in the United States is falling, so is union membership.  There is a correlation between the two.  Unions made the middle class and you can be thankful that they did.  Most of us would not be living as well as we are if it wasn’t for the unions. Even non-union labor has benefited from unions.  Now unions are being demonized by the powerful in this country. They say that unions are the cause of all the troubles in this country at the moment. They have no problem with corporations that are sending jobs overseas,  or corporations that pay no income tax, or these same corporations that are sitting on billions of dollars rather than investing them at a time when this country needs all the jobs it can get.  Is this patriotism or is it greed, or maybe it is just political.  They would rather hurt this country than giving a helping hand to the current President. The time comes when you have to stand up and be counted. It is time to fight back.  Become more active in politics. Don’t take their word for anything. You can check out things so easily now.  When these politicians are coming after things that you have been paying into for your entire working life you know that isn’t right.  If you are young and think social security won’t be there for you, you have been brainwashed by the people who say that social security is doomed.  These very same politicians have been using the money from the social security trust for years.  Now they want to say oops sorry.  Medicare is a great thing, it has been demonized since its inception in the 1960’s all those terrible things that were going to happen never did. But that doesn’t stop them.  The politicians and the corporations that own them have an agenda.  Weaken workers by attacking unions, take away the safety net for people, and deregulate everything.  Let the environment go back to the way it was. You don’t have to go back that far and see the quality of some rivers and air in this country. Some rivers were completely dead.  Now they are almost back to their natural state.  Why would corporations be against keeping the environment clean?  They want to pollute because it is easier and cheaper. Greed!  Why keep out unions?  That is easy. They want to go back to the days when they had complete control over your life.  They had people living in their houses, buying from their stores.  The people were completely dependent on the companies.  If you think it can’t go back to them days, you are wrong. The time will come when you will have no choice. Thousands of people fought for unions, and many died to get them. This is not the time to go back a hundred years and repeat the process.

YOU HAVE TO PAY TO PLAY

 Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI.)   Is thinking of charging people to attend his town hall meetings.  These kinds of guys have no business being in politics.  They don’t want to be asked questions they don’t like. They only want soft-ball questions.  Ryan had to call the police because some unemployed constituents were in his office and wanted to ask him some questions.  He of course didn’t answer any.  This is the reason to charge people; they have no jobs so I guess that means they don’t have the money to attend one of his town hall meetings.  Why should anyone be surprised by this.  This is the guy who wants to do away with Social Security and Medicare.  The working people of this country are just a nuisance to these clowns.  You know the people who actually want to make a livable wage and provide for their children.  If that happens how those struggling could corporations survive?

HAND WRITING ON THE WALL

The Oho legislature and Governor Kasich passed an anti-union bill earlier this year.  The people are scheduled to vote later this year if that bill will take effect.  Governor Kasich and his cronies have seen the hand writing on the wall, and have offered to compromise on the bill.  It’s too late.  Kasich knows this bill is going down to defeat, and he is trying to save face.  I hope the people of Ohio don’t succumb to any of his schemes.  These goofy Republicans who got themselves elected last year and have tried to screw the working people of this country are starting to realize that it won’t be as easy as they thought.  There is a lot of work to do yet, but we are on the right track.

JIM THOME

Jim Thome hit his 600^th homerun yesterday.  It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.  I have heard some people question his chances of getting into the hall of fame.  These people are idiots.  Of course most sports writers and sports pundits are.  If Thome was a Yankee or a Brave there wouldn’t even be a question of his getting in.  They would be falling all over themselves praising him.  We will have to wait at least 5 years to find out, but my guess he will get in on the first ballot.  I know most baseball records in the last few years have come under scrutiny because of steroids, but Thome has never been mentioned.  Nice guys do finish first sometimes.

RICK AND MICHELLE

Now that Rick Perry is officially running for President, my wish may be coming true.  I have hoped that Perry and Bachmann would team up as the GOP’s candidates for President and Vice-President.  If these two clowns actually win a state I would be amazed.  Since I can’t predict the future though who knows this might be the two who capture the Presidency.   If this happens I think I will lose all hope for the future of this country.  If this country gets fooled by this two, or think they actually make sense then there is no hope.  The sad thing is how can we be fooled by another clown from Texas.  We only just barely survived the last wanna-be cowboy.  Perry’s lack of intelligence makes George W. Bush seem like a genius. Bachmann has actually accomplished nothing in her time in Congress, other than getting her face out there for some of the most stupid comments of all time. The choice will be stark and easy to make in my opinion.

LABORS TIME TO ROAR

Next week August 9^th Wisconsin has 6 recall elections.  It’s time to see if the outrage that was manifest earlier this year at Governor Walker and his minions in the legislature is still percolating or people have just accepted  being gouged by the Republicans.  My hope is that all six of the Republicans go down in defeat, but I think that is just wishful thinking on my part.  In Ohio this fall, they have on the ballot the attempt to do away with Governor Kasich’s attack on labor. I think I like this approach more than Wisconsin’s for the simple reason if  labor wins in Ohio the bill doesn’t take effect. In Wisconsin the law will be the same, but at least it will stop any more attacks by the Republicans for the time being. My other hope is if these things turn the way I want, maybe the national Democrats will grow a set, and get out there and fight for the working people instead of caving at every turn.

RACISIM

Congressman Doug Lamborn(R-CO.) was talking about the debt ceiling debate.  He said he didn’t want to be associated with the President.  It’s like touching a tar baby and you get it, you’re stuck. Tar baby is a racist term that I haven’t heard in years, but Mr. Lamborn thinks it’s okay to use.  Or  how about Marilyn Davenport a member of the Orange County Republican Party, and Tea Party activist, who circulated an email with the words  “Now you k now why –no birth certificate under a picture of chimpanzee’s with President Obama’s picture super imposed over the little chimp. Rush Limbaugh has so many where to start. Here is a couple. He called President Obama, Barack the Magic Negro.  To a female black caller. He said “Take that bone out of your nose and call me back.”  Or how about Haley Barbour the Governor of Mississippi reminiscing about segregation in the south when he was growing up.  He said things weren't so bad, of course he wasn’t black.

This is the state of the Republican Party.  These people are supposed to be leaders, but instead are fostering hate.