Letter To Texas Governor Rick Perry

Dear Governor Perry,

We saw your interview on the news last night and frankly we were surprised by your comments.

The reporter was asking you about the wildfires that have destroyed over 2 million acres of your fine state.  In your response you criticized the federal government’s “failure to provide the assistance that your state needs in this time of crisis.”  “It’s funny, you said, they take care of Alabama but do nothing for Texas.”  Wow!  Were you really complaining that you and your constituents were not being properly cared for by the federal government?  That is so unlike you!

After all, are you not the same Governor Perry who over the past two years campaigned against “big government and its interference into the lives of Texans?”  Are you not the same Governor Perry who ridiculed the “nanny state that we have become?”  Are you not the same Governor Perry who said that the only federal government you wanted was “one small enough to drown in the bathtub.”  And are you not the same Governor Perry who threatened to “secede from the union if the feds didn’t quit meddling in your state affairs?”  We are pretty certain that was you.

We are also certain that while you were making those hyperbolic statements you and your fellow Texans were requesting and receiving more money in federal hand outs than any other state in the union accept California.

With all due respect, Governor, you are a liar and a hypocrite.

If you and your fellow Longhorns want to leave, that’s fine.  But before you do there are a few things that you might want to consider:

-You will need to find a way to replace Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid because 70% of your constituents want them left just the way they are. 

-You will need to find a way to make sure that the water you drink and the air you breathe is safe.   The air will get a bit murky what with all the pickup trucks and oil wells.

-And don’t forget the prescriptions.  You’ll have to figure out how to make certain they are safe as well. 

-Food safety shouldn’t be a problem because ya’all hunt. 

-And you probably won’t need any cops because ya’all got guns.  You Texans do like your guns…yesssir, you do.   

-Your folks will have to pay for their own education; but you can figure that out later.

-And you will have to build toll booths on all of your interstates because that is the only way you will be able to afford the repairs.  We can’t figure out how you’ll maintain the surface streets…but dirt roads aren’t so bad and you don’t need to fix them.

-You will have to figure out how to replace the EPA and FEMA because those oil guys can be sloppy at times.

-You’ll be able to build a fine wall to keep out all those pesky Mexicans and you’ll be able send the ones you already have back home.  But then we’re not sure who will pick your crops, muck your stalls or mend your fences.

-Life will be so much simpler because you can do away with unemployment benefits, the welfare department, housing and urban development, Planned Parenthood and all those other irritating social programs that just make folks lazy.  Of course all of those folks will need jobs.  Hmmm!  Maybe you can just send them packing with the Mexicans.

-And you won’t have to establish a military because, well, ya’all got guns…yessir you do.

So go ahead and leave Governor Perry; and take those foolish enough to have elected you as well.  But before you go hand over the “Take Care of Me” hotline number that you have so frequently dialed in the past.  The big, bad federal government won't be taking your calls any more.

Sincerely,

     

A Day Of Celebration

If you were not one of the 2 billion people who watched today’s Royal Wedding you missed a truly uplifting event.  The celebration of the union of Prince William and the now Princess Catherine marked the first time that a “commoner” married into the royal family since 1660.  The future King of England took as his future Queen a young woman whose parents are entrepreneurs and whose ancestors were coal miners.  The significance of this union was not lost on the British people.

Hundreds of thousands flocked to the streets in hopes of catching a glimpse of the happy couple.  At a time when the country is suffering through very difficult economic times the wedding offered the Brits an opportunity to forget the difficulties of the day and celebrate their heritage and their hope for the future.  This was a day for the British people; and they were not disappointed.

As we watched the events unfold we were struck by a couple of things that played out behind the scenes.

The US media coverage in the days leading up to the event was filled with cynicism.  Even during the early portions of the day’s coverage sarcasm was commonplace throughout the reporting.   We Americans do not understand the fascination with the Royals; and as is typical with all things that are “Non-American” we tend to view them through the prism of inferiority.  Today was no exception.  But as the day’s events unfolded the tone changed completely.  Crazy as it seems, the sarcasm and cynicism gave way to exclamations of joy and happiness as the reporters were genuinely swept up by the moment.  Normally stoic journalists were brought to tears.  One typically sarcastic talking head was heard to comment over the airwaves: “this is a fairy tale”.  While this behavior may not be professional it offers the best example of the mood that swept through all who were there.  It was truly a magical event that brought a sense of hope for the future.  There is certainly nothing wrong with celebrating that.

The other thing that was striking had nothing to do with the Royal family.

We tend to forget that today a young man was married.  This is a young man who tragically lost his mother at a very early age.  This is a young man who was forced to grieve that terrible loss under the ever probing eye of the media.  A man who along with his brother was forced to build around himself “a circle of trust”; that small group of individuals who he could let in without fear of reprisal.  An angry youth, a rebellious teen,  a distrustful young adult; this is a man who after a ten year courtship finally found security and comfort in his now and future bride.  This is a man not unlike any other; except this young man bears the weight of his country’s expectations on his shoulders. 

We watched history being made today.  And we as Americans should view these events with respect rather than cynicism. We should join with the Brits in their celebration; for it was not that long ago that we too were subjects of that same monarchy.  Nobody does pomp and circumstance like the Brits and they were doing it centuries before anyone landed on Plymouth Rock.

But even if you cannot bring yourself celebrate all things Royal; then celebrate the fact that a fine young man got married today.

 

           

An Extraordinary Day In American Politics

Yesterday was quite an extraordinary day in American politics.

The President of the United States conducted a press conference during which he, with great fanfare, released the long- form of his birth certificate.  The President stated that the country had more important things to do than debate his birthright.  He then rushed off to conduct an interview with Oprah.

Real estate and media mogul Donald Trump took full credit for the President’s disclosure.  “I did a very good job on this…I have done a great service to the American people… I was told everyone wanted to see it and I was the only one that got him to do it….I got him to do something that nobody else could and I take great credit for that.”  He then began to question the validity of the President’s college transcripts.

The President’s political opponents immediately shifted gears.  After two plus years of questioning the President’s citizenship and demanding concrete proof of the legitimacy of his Presidency; they called his releasing of the birth certificate a distraction from more important matters. 

Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said: “The President ought to spend his time getting serious about repairing our economy, working with Republicans and focusing on the long-term sustainability of Medicare, Medicaid and Social security.  Unfortunately his campaign politics and talk about birth certificates is distracting him for our No. 1 priority…our economy.”

Never one to miss a chance in the spotlight; Sarah Palin tweeted that the media should not let: “the WH distract you w/the birth crt” from stories like the public comments of Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve.

A London newspaper “The Independent” summed it up best with a headline referring to yesterday as: “The Day America Took Leave of Its Senses”

All of this begs the question… why did the President give in to his critics and release his birth certificate…and why now and not months ago?   

The birther movement has taken hold in America.  Nearly 25% of Americans believe that the President was born in another country; and 45% of Republicans say they agree.  The movement had also begun to erode the support of independents and the elderly; groups critical to the President’s re-election.  The White house feared that when a legitimate Republican challenger emerged from the primaries he or she would be allowed to remain above the fray; appearing reasonable while the Tea Party folks ginned up the birther controversy.

The White House believed that this was also a good time to take the offensive.  They saw that by releasing the Presdient’s birth certificate they could discredit the birthers.  At the same time they could attach the radical and now discredited birthers to the mainstream Republicans…Republicans that support the very radical, Medicare killing Ryan economic plan.  The White House saw an opportunity to score political points; and they took it.

The White House was also concerned about Trump.  As one pundit said: “Trump has become the Joe McCarthy of our time.”  He is willing to repeat outrageous accusations without any factual basis in order to promote his agenda…himself.    While Trump is a shameless, self promoting windbag who will never be elected President; his constant belaboring of the birth certificate issue was gaining more and more traction.  The White House remembered the “Swift Boating “of presidential candidate John Kerry.  They were not going to allow Trump to “Swift Boat” candidate Obama.

But all of this misses the larger point.

There is one other aspect to this that few in the media are willing to report.  Would any of this have happened if the President were not of African American decent?  If Barak Obama had the same international upbringing, excelled at the same Ivy League schools, were elected President of the Harvard Law Review, State Senator and President of the United States and was white; would this controversy have ever occurred?  Would his accomplishments not have been hailed as a shining example of the American Dream?  Or would his birthright and collegial matriculation have undergone the same intense scrutiny?  Doubtful!

From our prospective, yesterday was a day in which the Presidency was marginalized.  The most powerful office in the world was somehow lessened by a ridiculous political movement.  It is a movement that has at its core a deep seated resentment; a resentment that continues to fester within the underbelly of our society.

Looking back, it was quite an extraordinary day in American politics.  It might in some ways have been funny were it not so sad.

            

Our Costly Addiction To Oil Continues

There are very few things that can raise the ire of the American public like an increase in the price of a gallon of gas.  Oh, we will debate heatedly over the right to choose, spar vociferously over our foreign policy and reach the point of fisticuffs over gun control, but nothing, nothing raises our collective dander like the escalating price of gas. 

We are obsessed with it.  We will drive miles out of our way for the satisfaction of saving pennies on the dollar.  We will cancel the family vacation rather than spend an extra few dollars on fuel.  We will base the major purchase of a new car to a large extent on its gas consumption.  We will properly inflate our tires, remove excess weight from the trunk and seek more fuel efficient routes to work, all to save a few miles per gallon.

 Polls show that many Americans view the quality of American life through the prism of the price at the pump.  The lower the price the more satisfied we are with the way we live.  And historically the popularity of the sitting President declines as the price of gasoline rises; even though practically he can do nothing about the cost.

The price of gas affects our psyche.  It alters our moods.  It affects our very way of life.  We are addicted to it and yet we do nothing to break our selves free from its power.

As the price at the pump reaches $4.00/gallon we hear more and more discussion about our dependency on oil.  The most recent salvo involves the outrage over the $4 billion dollars in subsidies that we give to the big oil companies.  The vitriol will grow even louder tomorrow when big oil is expected to announce record breaking quarterly profits.

 This weeping and gnashing of teeth is nothing but political noise.  It is the same noise that we heard when gasoline reached $3.00/gallon.  It is the same noise that we heard when the BP oil spill coated our shores.  Nothing has changed.  

 And nothing will change until we develop a comprehensive alternative energy policy that weans us from oil once and for all.  Until then our costly addiction to oil will continue and we will have no one to blame but ourselves.        

Connecting The Dots

It is hard to fathom how the current events in the Middle East and northern Africa could have any bearing on the welfare state here in the US.  But yesterday the media reported on two seemingly unrelated events that if history is any indication will be inexorably linked in the future.

The Associated Press reports that in light of the escalation of violence in Syria the State Department has ordered personnel at the US Embassy in Damascus to leave the country and has encouraged all Americans in the country to do the same.  The White House has stepped up its condemnation of President Bashar Assad’s regime and has begun to draw up sanctions against the president, his family and his inner circle to pressure them into halting the aggression.

Does this sound familiar…it should.  We have seen this strategy before.  First the government issues statements of righteous indignation.  Then economic sanctions designed to pressure the offender to back off are put into place.  Next comes the rally speech before NATO, the insertion of CIA Special Ops personnel, implementation of a no fly zone, strategic bombing of command and control installations and finally boots on the ground.  This is what we do as self proclaimed protector of the planet.

The seemingly unrelated story concerns American’s growing dependence on government assistance.

USA Today reports the Americans depended more on government assistance in 2010 than any time in our history.  A record 18.3 % of the nation’s total personal income was from the government in the form of Social security, Medicare, food stamps, unemployment benefits and other social programs.  The report states that actual wages accounted for 51% of our income; the lowest share since the government began keeping track in 1929.  This trend shows no signs of easing especially with 77 million baby boomers just beginning to access Medicare and Social Security benefits.

So how are these two events related?

Congress is currently debating measures to decrease spending and cut our nation’s growing deficit.  The focus has been on cutting entitlements.  The Republicans have offered a solution which focuses on slashing entitlements and social programs while maintaining the current Bush tax cuts.  At the same time they have encouraged the President to ramp up efforts in Libya, maintain our operations in Afghanistan and take a strong stand in Syria. And the Republicans are not alone.  The President seems to be pressuring Iraq into letting us stay past the end of the year while the Iraqi government want us out.

A large percentage of the world has grown comfortable with America operating as the world’s protector.  Many nations have grown accustomed to outsourcing their military budgets to the US.  This is a phenomenon that started when an economically weak Western Europe needed American assistance to hold off the advances of first Nazi Germany and then Communist Russia.   But Western Europe is no longer weak and Nazi Germany and Communist Russia no longer exist.  We need to stop providing military subsidies to the rest of the world.  We need to spend that money here at home. 

There is no question that our entitlement programs need to be fixed.  But slashing benefits at a time when a rapidly growing number of our aging population need medical services, are having difficulty finding jobs or are reaching retirement age is not the answer.  The problem is the exorbitant cost of our health care delivery system and until Congress is willing to go up against the doctors, the hospitals and the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries the cost of entitlements will continue to soar.  Slashing health care benefits is easy but cruel.  Bucking “Big Pharm” and the powerful insurance lobby is the difficult but the right thing to do.

Democrats and Republicans talk a great deal about spending cuts, deficit reduction and foreign policy strategy.  But they don’t seem interested in discussing the one thing that they both promised to provide…jobs, job, and jobs.  If you lower unemployment you also lower the amount the government pays in unemployment benefits, food stamps and other social programs.  So how do we increase jobs?

One way is by rebuilding our crumbling, outdated infrastructure.  Former Pennsylvania Governor and current MSNBC contributor, Ed Rendell said we could rebuild and modernize our entire infrastructure including light rail and broadband connectivity for $110 billion per year.  So where do we get $110 billion?  The cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan cost American taxpayers $150 billion per year.  Just think of the new jobs and the increase in business and commerce that we would generate by modernizing our infrastructure.  Just think of the lives that would be spared if we were no longer at war in the Middle East.  It seems like a pretty good trade off.

America cannot afford another military conflict.  We cannot afford the three wars in which we are currently engaged.  And every dollar that we spend in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya is a dollar that could be spent here at home.

So you see there is a connection between these two stories.  We have a clear choice.  We can spend the money on modernizing our infrastructure, fixing our entitlement programs and improving the lives of the American taxpayers.  Or we can continue to act as the world’s police force, subsidize the military budgets of half of the world and continue to defend France against the advances of Belarus.                       

The Three Amigos Meet The Three Stooges

In case you may have forgotten, the United States is at war in Libya.  US Special Operation forces are on the ground, US bombs have been dropped on Libyan command and control targets and US Predator drones patrol the air.  The goal is to remove Colonel Gadhafi from power.  What happens afterwards is anybody’s guess. This has been identified as a NATO operation but its success or failure is totally dependent on the extent of US military involvement. 

There are already signs that the operation is failing.  Gadhafi is not interested in leaving.  He has successfully held off the NATO backed rebel advances to the point of a military stalemate.  Our NATO allies are calling for even more US intervention.

Back here in the states sabers are rattling.  Senators McCain, Graham and Lieberman are calling for the President to ramp up his efforts in Libya.  They fear the repercussions of a Gadhafi victory both in terms of US prestige and the subsequent escalation of Libyan sponsored terrorist attacks.  An increase in US activity seems eminent.

We all know that Senators McCain, Graham and Lieberman have never met a war they didn’t like.  You can always count on these Three Amigos to lead the charge for interjecting the US military into every international crisis.  But sometimes their lack of forethought makes them look more like the Three Stooges; for while urging the President to “ramp up” his efforts in Libya they are calling for fiscal economic restraint and drastic budget cuts here at home.

Republicans have always managed to somehow walk the tightrope between fiscal restraint and military aggression.  They are as easily willing to blow things up as they are to cut heating assistance to the poor and elderly.  The fact that McCain, Graham and Lieberman are calling on the President to spend billions in Libya while at the same time refusing to raise the debt ceiling in order to stem government spending seems lost on them.  But then again they are emblematic of many of their party brethren.

This country is broke and Libya is not our war.  If the Three Amigos genuinely fear for our economic survival then spending must be stopped.  Libya is a good place to start.

       

Actions Speak louder Than Words

The Republican Party has always been about reducing the size of government.  They hate big, intrusive, activist government.  You will find the reduction of government, government spending and de-regulation at the very core of every Republican campaign platform.  It is what they live for.  Their icon Ronald Reagan said it best: “government cannot solve the problem…government is the problem.” 

So it is interesting to see how Republican controlled legislatures actually govern once they take office. Rachel Maddow and her nightly MSNBC news hour have been all over this for the past couple of days.  Her reporting is telling.

In those states where Republican governors have taken office there has been a major shift in the intrusion of their state governments on the lives of the citizenry.  Not less government….but more government.  Government overreach is running rampant in those states where Republicans have seized control.  For example:

25 states have enacted voter registration laws that make it harder to vote.  They require proof of citizenship in the form of birth certificate or passport in order to register to vote.  These laws were passed under the guise of immigration reform but they are in fact designed to make it difficult for blacks and Hispanics, who typically vote Democrat, to register.  Say goodbye to voter registration rallies.

15 states have passed legislation that the state government, not your doctor, will determine whether or not you can have an abortion.  Doctors are provided a script which they must read to you in lieu of counseling.  It is illegal for them to stray from the script.  We thought the right to choose was already law in this country.  Apparently not in these fifteen states

5 states have passed legislation that requires those applying for unemployment benefits to pass a drug test before benefits are paid.  You have to pass a drug test before you can collect the unemployment benefits that you paid for.  

4 states have enacted legislation stripping public employees of their right to collective bargaining.

2 states have passed legislation requiring you to produce proof of citizenship whenever you are stopped by law enforcement.

1 state has passed legislation that allows the state government to take away the citizens’ right to choose their elected officials.  This is where Maddow is at her best.  The Michigan state legislature has passed the Emergency State Takeover Bill.  It allows the state to administer “Financial Marshall Law” by taking over any city, county, municipality or township within its borders.  In essence, for any number of reasons that it deems applicable, the state can overrule your vote and remove your elected officials.  Or they can leave them in place but render them powerless.  The state appoints an Economic Financial Manager who takes over the day to day operations of your town.  The EFM can maintain your little burg or recommend that it be rolled over into a neighboring community.  EFM’s have been used before in other states.  Typically they come in and work with the local officials to correct the management and financial concerns and then they leave.  Not so in Michigan.  The state has already taken over the little town of Benton, Michigan.  Maddow goes into great detail of how Benton, a poor mostly black community with a per capita income of $10,000, stands in the way of a gated luxury home/ golf club development.

These are just a few examples of big, intrusive activist government; all undertaken by newly elected Republican legislatures who had promised to do just the opposite.

 We see this all the time.  Conservatives are great at screaming about the evils of big government.  But after they leave their anti-government rallies they have no problem applying for unemployment benefits or cashing their social security checks.  Did you know that when asked if they supported Paul Ryan’s plan to overhaul Medicare over 70% of those who identified themselves as conservatives or Tea Party members said “No”.  An actual sign at a Tea Party rally read: KEEP YOUR GOVERNMENT HANDS OFF MY MEDICARE.  This same hypocrisy can be found in their governing practices as well.

Republicans inside the Washington beltway are great about espousing the virtues of their small government policies.  But what they SAY in Washington in entirely different from what they actually DO back home.  Just ask the folks in Benton, Michigan.

Rachel Maddow’s reporting on this topic is excellent.  Check out the clips on the RACHEL MADDOW SHOW at MSNBC.com.