Why Lie?

Why lie?

Why lie, really I cannot believe the lies coming out of Mitt Romney's campaign.

Whoever is strategizing this (I suspect Karl Rove) has decided on every "hot button" issue that will stick, to de-legitimize the President.

One whopper is that the Affordable Care Act cuts over 7 billion dollars out of Medicare. This implies, that 7 billion dollars will be cut from Medicare benefits. The truth is 7 billion or so, it depends on how the efficiencies work, of savings are built into the Affordable Care Act. These savings do NOT come from benefits to Medicare recipients, but streamline reimbursements to insurance companies, cut over payments to insurance companies; in short, bring much needed savings to Medicare operations. The President pledged this during the Affordable Care debate, remember. He told us Medicare efficiencies had to occur, as PART of the new law.

Not ONE word was ever said about cuts in benefits, during the raging debate over the Affordable Care Act. Not one! In fact, I recall some Republicans saying that savings to Medicare were the ONLY responsible factor in the Act. And, Ryan's nefarious "budget" in fact includes these savings in his blueprint for Medicare "reform"; along with a whopping decrease in benefits!

So, the Rove school of political cheating, took advantage of what is an effort to actually shore up Medicare, a provision that Ryan himself has in his "budget", and proclaim it as a benefit cut. In a right world, there would immediate revulsion to this lying.

But this is an election year.

The next whopper is that the President has changed the welfare to work rules, allowing welfare to be paid to people who refuse to work. This is also completely false. The only modification made was years ago, giving states more flexibility in applying workfare rules. The Clinton welfare to work law is substantially the same; even Clinton has said so.

Again, nothing was said, until the election, in what is any out and out lie. Romney knows Americans hate "welfare cheats", Reagan was elected on this racist urban myth. It was a myth then, and a myth now, but is effective in appealing to white males, who hate African Americans and think they are all welfare cheats. The facts that the great majority of people on welfare are white, children, and adults now have to work to get it, are covered up by Romney's lies.

So, Romney continues his disingenuous path of campaigning, that so troubled his opponents in the last primary. Romney is being counseled, obviously, to stretch the truth or outright lie to win.

Finally there are those taxes. Romney has a record of tax dodging that goes back decades. He has a Swiss Bank Account, money in the Cayman Islands (a notorious tax avoidance vehicle), and when confronted about it, he LIES. He says he has always paid taxes, he panders, he pivots.

And, unlike every Presidential candidate before him, he refuses to release his income tax information for more than a paltry two years. He has been running for President for the past two years; and has obviously "cooked the books" to make his income tax record look acceptable.

There is something to hide, that is why he is not divulging his tax records. He is a rich man who cheats on his taxes, because he can afford to hire an army of accountants who work to find every loophole, every dodge, so he pays far less (maybe zero) of what he should pay. I have never been able to understand why multi-millionaires, who have more money than they know what to do with, spend millions to dodge taxes.

Now taking ordinary exemptions, or tax credits that work to improve the economy to encourage investment in the United States are not bad. But the Cayman islands? Switzerland? Really Mitt...300 million is not enough I guess.

What is really hard to understand, is why lie anyway. Romney has plenty of ammunition regarding the sluggish economy; even though the President inherited the mess from George W. But, there are a considerable number of Americans, including the President's supporters, who are frustrated with the tepid economic recovery.

Regardless, Romney lies anyway. He would have us believe that another round of tax cuts for the rich, permanently reducing revenue to the Federal Government, while increasing defense spending will somehow reduce the deficit. That is the same Whopper George W. did, cutting taxes while increasing spending and telling us it will all "trickle down" and somehow work.

2007/2008 proved conclusively, once again IT DOES NOT WORK!!!!

This is the problem with lying to win. Once in office, the practice continues. George W., is a great example. He lied to get elected (he actually didn't get elected, he cheated there too) telling whoppers about being a "compassionate conservative", wanting to "save social security"; etc.

Once in office, when confronted with his own bungling during 9/11, he lied constantly, drawing the nation into two wars. Then he lied about the budget, pushing through a senseless tax cut. He lied about Katrina. He lied about Iraq.

Editorial writers mused about the "alternative reality" that the Bush Administration fabricated to cover everything. This blew up big time, when the "ownership society" (another pack of lies) led to the housing bubble economic catastrophe, that plunged us into a depression in 2008.

You see, reality is still reality. No matter how much lying you do, the facts are the facts. Romney is trying the same tricks as Bush did, telling huge lies to get elected, which leads to then more lies to stay elected. Once lying is rewarded, it becomes compulsive.

When nations follow this path, see Germany 1932 to 1945, the results can be catastrophic.

President Obama has told us the truth, he has never promised what he could not deliver. He told us right off the bat, that the economic recovery would be hard. He counseled that there was no easy way out. He has told us about the energy problems, the educational challenges. He did bring unemployment down, just not enough. He did stop what was a plunge into a depression.

He also promised a medical insurance reform, which he delivered. He promised to get Bin Laden, which he did. He promised to withdraw from Iraq, which he did. He promised to change our approach to terrorism, which he did with positive results; his leadership has killed more terrorists that Bush ever did.

There is an old saying, "Never promise a rose garden". Romney is doing that now, promising and lying for effect. The President is telling it straight.

You choose.

Water in the Bathtub...

Northern California is a land of forests. Much of our forest land, old growth forest, has been cut down. Historical maps show startling evidence of massive clear cutting over the past 100 years.

As clear cut forests grew back, the fire proof nature of the old growth forests were lost. Fire is part of the natural process of ecological forest maintenance. But, old growth forests develop naturally, fire cleanses the underbrush; and those forests are gone.

New growth forests have more undergrowth, more foreign plant species, and burn faster and hotter than old growth forests.

Add to that, the ravages of climate change, and our forests are now like atomic bombs; they don't just burn, they blow up!

The Ponderosa Fire figures to be one of the most destructive in Northern California history. Dozens of homes have burned, thousands of acres have literally exploded.

We have a state rural fire fee of $150 per year. If you have a local fire district the fee is $120 per year; $10 per month; which is about two six packs!

But, Oh My Gawd, the Howard Jarvis Tax Association, is fighting the fee in court, as California's forests burn down. Jarvis is rushing to the taxpayers defense (and destruction) once again.

Over and over again, conservative anti-tax groups have successfully stopped tax replacement revenue attempts. California, and the United States, has cut tax continuously over the past forty years. Meanwhile, California and the United States have kept spending.

In California this has meant adding millions to our prison population as part of the "war on crime/drugs" effort pushed by conservatives who opposed "bleeding heart liberals" who were "soft on crime". Conservatives were able to use scare tactics to convince voters that the best way to treat a heroin addict is to throw them in jail forever (three strikes).

So, California has spend billions on incarcerating everyone they can for as long as possible. This costs money, lots of it. We now spend more money on prisons than on colleges! And crime still is rising!

Meanwhile, in California, any taxes that were cut, to stimulate whatever segment of the economy that was targeted, can NEVER be re instituted. It takes a simple majority to cut a tax, it takes a 2/3 majority to add or even re institute a tax.

California even recalled a governor because he sought to re institute the vehicle license fee, a legally mandated thing to do. That 9 Billion Dollar hit, that got us the governator (one of the worst governors ever) is at the core of the budget deficit today.

An anti-tax pledge has been taken by EVERY Republican in the legislature, pledging to NEVER raise taxes, even if those taxes were previously reduced "temporarily". So, no 2/3 majority....EVER! As a result, state revenues have been steadily declining for at least a decade, while the population, fires, college enrollments, school enrollments;etc., have increased.

Nationally, the Bush Tax Cuts are a perfect example. The Bush Tax Cuts were meant to temporarily stimulate the economy because of the 9/11 Recession, and to spend down the "budget surplus" (that didn't exist for another 10 years), from the Clinton Budget of 2000. Of course, two wars, Homeland Security, additions to Medicare; etc, made the Bush Presidency one of the most spendy in history.

This coupled with the tax cuts created a huge......deficit.

Same nonsense in California, excessive spending in "social criminal engineering" by conservatives, were coupled with incessant tax reductions creating a.......deficit.

So now, the state, which is literally broke, must seek a rural fire fee. Moreover, a small tax increase (actually re institution) is on the ballot to basically forestall massive cuts in state services and education.

And of course, the revenue hawks are on the prowl, screaming that the state has plenty of money, the state is "anti-business" and needs to guess what; cut taxes even more.

So, infrastructure improvements are stalled, colleges are starved, fires are fought but with borrowed money; in fact if the fire fee is stopped, I have no idea how we fight the fires.

Oh, I know, one of conservative friends told me, the local citizens can band together, like in the old days, to fight the fires; thousand acre monsters, burning with the same energy of Hiroshima!? Sure...right!

And the ordinary voter, from a middle class that has been decimated by all this nonsense, STILL believes it is the government's fault, that there is plenty of revenue, that tax cuts are good for them. The middle class in this country stopped trusting the Democratic Party after the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and the Reagan presidency, with disastrous consequences for itself; a classic example of self destruction!

TAX CUTS ARE KILLING THE MIDDLE CLASS. TAX CUTS HURT THE ECONOMY. TAX CUTS DO NOT WORK TO STIMULATE ANYTHING...except a rich person's Swiss Bank Account: see Mitt Romney economic personal stimulus plan #2.

And, guess who doesn't believe any of these facts; what is left of America's white, (especially male high school graduate) middle class.

I predict that Orville Norquist will succeed, government will indeed be drowned in the bathtub. But the water it took to drown government, will be needed to put out the damn fires; and with no water, we will all burn in hell.

It's the revenue.

Once Upon a Time

"Once Upon a Time"

These words have always prefaced fairy tales, night time stories that lull little ones to sleep. Usually, the more fanciful, the more "make-believe", the more magical; the more they are believed by little ones about ready to go to sleep.

Children love a good "story", and reality or facts are definitely not required. Fairies, Prince Charmings, heroes, villains, and other fanciful characters are soothing to a child, and help little boys and girls to sleep.

Usually it is not a good idea to tell stories that are real, because the child needs to be soothed into sleep, coaxed into giving up, which is often hard, but the bigger the whopper, the more they can be lulled into comfortable and blissful sleep.

What follows is the Republican "Once Upon a Time" talking points, that are being used to lull us into sleep.

1. Taxes are bad, and cutting them will put us all in a "good place". And, we can then have more money to go get the evil ones in far away places.

2. Government is bad, even though we are running to be elected to it, but we are the Prince Charmings, Democrats are NOT!

3. The more money one has, the more fairy princess like you become.

4. Democrats are all mean, awful people, who eat children.

5. Heroes are those who cut grandma's health plan, so we all can have more money.

6. Democrats are cutting grandma's health plan, but in a bad way compared to ours.

7. People who are not white, like Snow White, are bad.

8. Republicans are Snow White.

9. Warm, hot weather, that lets you wear your swimming suit in January, is good for you.

10. Cars are fun, they go fast, we need more of them.

11. Oil and gas will last forever.

12. Democrats tell us different (see 10 and 11) but are evil (see #13).

13. Democrats are witches.

14. Fire taxes are bad, even when the forest is on fire. Democrats are setting the fires. (See #13).

15. Babies are made by bees leaving their pollen in Mommy's Stomach. People who disagree with this are bad! Democrats disagree with this.(see #13).

16. There are some bad people who rob from the rich and give to the poor. These people are witches. See # 13.

17. Finally, mommy and daddy's piggy bank is empty, they have had to borrow from grandpa to buy candy. But that is good, because the way to get more money, is to cut grandpas taxes, then we can buy more candy....Democrats say no, but (see #13).

And we all are tucked into bed, and these fairy tales are what lull us into sleep, blissful in the confidence that everything will be all right.

Goodnight Moon. Goodnight Loon/Toon. Goodnight to Mitt, flying over the moon.

Democrats are witches.

Paul Ryan (Rand?) Part 2

Paul Ryan is a Liar Part 2

I have written how Paul Ryan disavowed his lifelong allegiance to Ayn Rand recently. He went from requiring his staff to read Rand's novels, to suddenly denying her completely. This was in response to Catholic Nun's criticism. He then lied, completely lied, that he had never agreed with Rand's philosophy.

Videos have surfaced, showing Ryan, a couple years ago, explaining that Ayn Rand was the greatest single influence on his life and had led him into public service. Ryan goes into great detail that Rand's philosophy on politics, morality and society has driven his decisions and his career choice.

So, he was (is) a Rand disciple (is relative to capitalism, was relative to the immoral and anti-Christian Rand....which is the essence of Ayn Rand!).

And as a disciple, I would think, since Rand died decades ago, Ryan would know of Ayn Rand's history and her positions.

If I am a disciple of someone, I certainly would know that person's complete background if I avow that person was a deciding factor in my career choice, my life philosophy; etc.

Ok, agreed, Paul Ryan is a devotee of Ayn Rand.

Rand was an anti-communist. She was a pro-capitalist. She believed that statism was wrong, that the individual was the most important factor in society. She believed even, that society was not real, that only the individual perception of reality was real.

Ok, so far so good, I can see why Ryan, a conservative libertarian, would adore Rand.

Now, for the hard part. Rand also was a devoted atheist, who wrote in ALL of her works, that faith and religion corrupted society and ruined cultures. She preached that there is no God, that faith weakens morality. In fact, her novels go on and on declaring that faith fatally compromises society.

Paul Ryan is a practicing Catholic. And he is a devotee of Ayn Rand, an atheist, whose philosophy, that Ryan said he adores, attacks religion at every turn.

How on earth can this be? Can you imagine if the same scenario existed relative to President Obama? The airways would be full of the anti-Christian Obama.

But for Ryan, a free pass, on a huge contradiction; and a disqualification for leadership. We are looking at electing as Vice President, a person who has pledged his life choices to an avowed atheist?

Now the next hard part. Ayn Rand was not only an atheist, she was a proponent of "open marriage", (free love), and slept with other men with abandon. She also was pro-choice, advocating abortion when it was illegal in most of the United States.

Ryan has sponsored legislation that would make abortion akin to murder, is a virulent anti-abortionist. You would not be surprised by that, but for him to also adhere to the philosophy of Ayn Rand is remarkable to say the least.

So, to summarize: Paul Ryan, is a Catholic who follows the philosophy of an atheist who was an strong advocate for abortion and free love. And we are to ignore that, because a few weeks, not years ago, Ryan declared suddenly, after a lifetime adoring the very ground Ayn Rand walked on, that he did not agree with her...anymore...since when he was selected to run for Vice President...honest...no finger crossing...maybe.

Bullshit! Pure bullshit. Ryan should explain this mammoth conflict of interest, or resign from his candidacy.

Thanks Mitt!

What if they win and try to govern?

So Mitt the Twitt finally made his Vice President choice. And he chose one of the most divisive and controversial people alive; Paul Ryan.

Ryan is so far to the right economically, he even worships Ayn Rand, an avowed athiest of the 60s, who wrote Social Darwinism is mild, that greed is good, that individualism trumps teamwork, that me, me, me, is best.

And, predictably, the promise by Ryan is that his economic budget plan, will magically revitalize the job market by transferring billions of dollars to the rich, while bankrupting poor people. His plan also guts Medicare, destroys Medicaid, and gives huge tax cuts to the rich.

And, if fully implemented, it would basically de-govern America, eliminating everything from the Department of Education to FEMA.

No longer would citizens have government to aid them in emergencies. No longer would there be government to regulate anything. The Ryan budget essentially enforces the Ayn Rand theory of governing onto the United States.

Meanwhile, the mid-West is burning up, global warming is exploding, petroleum costs are exploding, poverty is spreading, and the poor are multiplying.

No health care, no education, no emergency services, no senior care, no assistance for the ill, the infirm, especially seniors.

The Ryan plan basically would put America back to 1932, BEFORE Roosevelt was elected. This is happening while the dust bowl seems to be reborn, drought is savaging the country, and energy prices are exploding.

This is madness, utter and complete madness.

And, Ryan has commented more than once that the best thing that could happen is to "get rid of the liberals"; ie., round them up and off to the camps.

Rand was a closet fascist, Ryan IS a fascist, and he is running for Vice President of the United States. If they win, the game is over.

Thanks Mitt, you were a rich spoiled jerk when I knew you at Stanford, and your awareness of your country has only declined over the years. Thanks for giving the radical Paul Ryan a platform to peddle his fascist hatred!

Whining, the American Way

Whining, the American Way

We are in the the middle of yet another wildfire in Shasta County. This time the fire, which is finally contained, caused hundreds of people, who live in a remote area surrounding Shasta Lake to be evacuated.

I-5, the major highway linking the west coast together, was closed because of the fire. People were cut off from Redding, that has services, and many wound up being evacuated to Lakehead, CA., a very small village next to the lake with few services.

Evacuatees were upset, because they couldn't get to Redding. They were upset because Lakehead did not have the capacity to be an adequate disaster center. They were upset because of the "inconvenience" the fire caused.

And, thinly veiled, they were upset that federal and state firefighting services did not make them 'comfortable'.

Meanwhile, I am watching CNN, and they are reporting the historical drought that is affecting 50% of counties in the United States. The commentator is explaining that the Mississippi River is running so low, that cargo must be off loaded from barges, else they run aground and block the river. He is predicting that 'consumers' will be 'inconvenienced' by high food prices because the drought has killed millions of acres of produce.

Meanwhile, another report is dealing with the fact that the armed forces cannot fill their ranks, because recruits are so fat they cannot pass enlistment standards. Fully 1/4 of all recruits are too fat, and must lose weight before they can enlist. Remember, we don't have a draft, 1/4 of people who really want to join the service, are failing to qualify. I shudder to see what it would be if everyone were eligible.

Ok, once again, global warming is real. Global warming is a major cause of the world economic downturn we are experiencing. Government will be more necessary, not less, in the future to deal with the multiple effects of global warming AND peak oil; the stuff that is causing the CO2 to spoil the environment is ironically running out, causing more 'inconvenience' to 'consumers'.

Look, damn it, for once pay attention: The free ride is over. The days of cheap energy are done. We cannot rely on cheap petroleum based energy anymore. Global warming is just beginning, once it really kicks in, millions will simply perish from starvation, floods, hurricanes, who knows what else. And, the oil to run the machines to deal with the crops is running out!

Wildfires are caused by drought, fed by a warming earth, that then pours tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, making the whole thing worse. Living in the forest is not smart, given they are now like nuclear bombs, just waiting to explode. And, we all need to stop bitching and start eating better.

The eating part will take care of itself for many, since they won't be able to afford food anymore. People are starving already, and the damn thing has not even really started yet. That's right, we are just at the beginning of real global climate change.

We can slow it down, if we right now reduce carbon emissions. But the rich petroleum companies, who own the Republican Party, will not allow it.

And the only way to cope with this is competent, caring government, that we participate in, for the greater safety and good. We need to share sacrifice, share the cost of recovering the earth.

And, in the face of all this, the cons want more tax cuts for the RICH for Christ's Sake, as the only way to cure our ills. And, their cure for the inconvenience, is LESS GOVERNMENT. As usual, they are going exactly the wrong way!

So, that lady that was bitching about the inconvenience caused by poor evacuation planning, will at least not have the government to complain about anymore; if the cons win.

It will be everyone for themselves. And when we continue whining, we can only whine to ourselves, because we will only have ourselves to blame.

Any many of us, if not all, will die alone, solitary in our whining.

Turnabout is Not Fair Play???

Turnabout is not fair play?

I have read, with some delight I must admit, the reaction Mitt Romney had to Senator Reid's accusation that he has allegedly not paid taxes for ten years. Senator Reid uses a "Bain employee" as his source, claiming that Romney has used the tax code to not pay any federal tax for a ten year period.

And Romney, predictably reacted and announced that Reid "put up or shut up". And of course, the only one who can really "put up" in this controversy, is Romney himself!

My mind shifted to the "Birther madness" we have had to endure for the last four years.

For years, conservatives, both wackos and mainstream, have claimed that the President was not born, or not born in Hawaii at any rate. Even today, after the President's birth certificate has been released countless times, along with the newspaper announcement of his birth in Hawaii newspapers, a nut case sheriff in Arizona claims to have dispatched agents to Hawaii to investigate the "case".

The President, after years of this nonsense, actually released his birth certificate, and still the conservative movement does not "believe" it. They demand proof, they demand the original document, they demand the microfilm for heaven's sakes, they demand what they know the President cannot provide, proof positive according to their standards of proof (that will not allow any proof to satisfy their paranoia).

Now, let's compare that to Mr. Romney, who is squealing like a stuck pig, that he is being treated unfairly, and that Mr. Reid and other democrats, who want his income tax records released for the past ten years, are fear and hate mongers.

What? After three years of a birth "controversy" that has absolutely NO basis in fact, now conservatives are screaming about a reasonable request about a Presidential candidate's tax paying history. This comes as that same candidate has proposed even more tax cuts for the wealthy, including himself.

On the one hand, the President's very citizenship is questioned and that is "fair game". But, when Romney's tax status and payments are questioned, which bears a direct relationship to his campaign promises, conservatives say it is unfair?

What standard of fairness do these guys play under? Specious, bull shit "controversies" are alright when a democrat is being attacked, but legitimate concerns about tax policy and how it has affected a presidential candidate, is out of bounds.

Oh, yes, I forgot, many Senators and Congress persons, have refused to divulge their tax records beyond what is required by law. But the presidency is another, higher standard, especially when tax cuts that benefit the rich, are considered by Romney as the best way to attack our economic woes. Romney's tax status bears a direct relationship to his tax proposals.

There are concerns that Romney stands to personally benefit by the policies he proposes. The President did not benefit at all by producing his birth certificate.

In fact, he lowered himself to a baseless, paranoid standard by giving into the crazies.

Romney is not being asked to "give into the crazies" but is being fairly asked to let the voting public know if he will personally benefit by economic policies he is proposing.

Only by divulging his tax records, will the public know if there is a conflict of interest here. Only by divulging his tax records will we know how Romney has benefited, or will , by the complex tax code changes he proposes.

By refusing to heed calls for this information, Romney continues to fuel suspicions that he is not being forthright in his approach to the American people.

The President, with great reluctance, published his birth certificate to quell a racist and morally corrupt trumped up charge on citizenship.

It is interesting that Romney is staunchly resisting showing more that a year or two of his tax records, when his tax paying background is reflective of his economic principles and values.

What we have then, is a classic double standard. The President is treated with distain and suspicion, even after his birth status is proven beyond doubt, but Romney can withhold documentation forever, that bears directly on his policy recommendations.

What is Romney hiding?