unless you are a scientist the discussion is over until the scientific community brings us evidence to the contrary.
Tonight I engaged in a conversation with someone that does not believe climate change is real. It came to a head when they said to me "if we can agree then I will agree with your liberal science if you can agree with my conservative science, the answer is probably somewhere in the middle."
My head is still spinning from this declaration.
I am not writing this blog post tonight for this individual. This person is not reachable. They told me in no uncertain terms that they believe science is politicized and controlled by our government. They also think most of our news is fake news. I am writing this for majority of conservatives that I can can have a conversation with, where both side can agree on the same set of basic facts.
Science is not conservative, nor is it liberal. Science is science and scientists are (or should act as) scientists. There is a thing called "The Scientific Method". Further, science is validated via a
process known as peer review.
Regarding climate change here are some basic pages from credible, well documented sources that deal with the business of science by following the terms and conventions of science. These three sites will lead you to numerous other sites that follow the rigors of science and peddle facts and data.
Climate Change is Real. The consensus of climate scientists based on scientific methodology and science is that climate change is real and it is largely man made. Climate change is not a US Government conspiracy. Here is a list of hundreds of scientific bodies across the planet that hold the position that climate change, based upon the rigors or science, has been caused by human
action.
What most non-science folks need to understand and accept is that very little science (save for laws) ever gets to 100% consensus. But, conservatively 9 out of 10 climate scientists have concluded though rigorous research that climate change is real and being caused by increased carbon dioxide levels caused by man. Let me put this into terms you can understand without being a scientist or needing to become a student of science...
You go to your doctor and she diagnosed you with stage 1 cancer and suggests a course of treatment. Instead of just getting a second opinion, you go to 9 other doctors. They examine you and 7 more doctors diagnose you with stage 1-2 cancer. 80% of the doctors have diagnosed you with cancer and suggest a plan of care for you. Are you going to get treated for cancer, or are you going to listen to the 20% that concluded you do not have cancer?
Conservatively speaking, 90% of climate scientists believe climate change is real. You can likely find 10% of climate scientists that believe climate change is not real. How many of those work for the fossil fuel industry? You can go out and find non-scientific sources like the National Review that spin facts that try to make people believe this is not real.
Climate change is not only real it already is having affects we are experiencing. It is an existential threat to our planet. Think of climate change as you would a freight train with 15 cars moving down the track at 60 miles and hour with 20 miles of track left before reaching a bridge that is 100 feet high and has collapsed.
There will come a point applying the brakes will be too late and the train will go over the bridge. Depending on the point that the train crashes all the cars will likely derail but not all the cars will go over the threshold of the bridge and plummet 100 feet. But, there is also a point along the track that even if we start to break most if not all of the 15 cars will go off the bridge into the abyss.
This is serious shit. I am getting tired of dealing with people that normally are bright in other areas of their lives but for whatever reason have decided to act and speak in ignorance, devoid of any rational facts and data on this matter. If you have evidence that somehow the last administration was directly influencing the scientific community in how they practice their craft please present it for our review. If you think there is peer reviewed science that is not being presented in the mainstream media please show it to the rest of us.
You are free to have feelings on this subject. You are free to believe that there are unicorns, or that 2+2=7. This however does not make your beliefs true or that you should expect the rest of us to somehow validate your beliefs as having any shred of credibility. Science is science. There is no such thing as liberal or conservative science.
Now, there are special interests like the fossil fuel industry that hire hacks to create non-peer reviewed science. We lived through this nonsense with Tobacco and the Tobacco industry regarding smoking and its link to lung cancer and other respiratory diseases.
If you are a scientist, by all means keep studying climate change. If the science community discovers new evidence of peer reviewed science that changes the consensus on climate change then we need to hear it.
If you are not a scientist and wish to believe that climate change is not real that is your prerogative. The rest of us, however are done listening to you and including you as part of the discourse on this particular matter.
In the mean time we need to start solving the problem of climate change at a greater pace than is already happening. Given that we now have a POTUS that believes climate change is a hoax this is going to be an uphill battle.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Monday, February 20, 2017
Conservative, Moderate, Liberal? Take the Breitbart Challenge
Go out to http://www.breitbart.com/
Pick any story and read it. Breitbart does tend to cite a lot of verifiable facts in their stories.
After you read the story scroll down and start reading the comments of their viewers. Remember, I have not selected the story. I have no idea which one you are going to choose. Next, I want you to reflect and answer two questions.
Finally, as an bonus assignment titled "False Equivalency? Yes or No" find me a liberal media web site (here is a url providing a list https://wittymisfitsinc.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/the-50-most-popular-liberal-websites-ranked/ , but do not feel compelled to stick with this list). Take the same challenge I gave you for Brietbart and answer the two questions below.
Now in closing, President Trumps most trusted adviser, Steve Bannon, was the CEO of Breitbart News.
Pick any story and read it. Breitbart does tend to cite a lot of verifiable facts in their stories.
After you read the story scroll down and start reading the comments of their viewers. Remember, I have not selected the story. I have no idea which one you are going to choose. Next, I want you to reflect and answer two questions.
- What percentage of the people commenting do you think you could have a civil conversation with?
- How many posts did you find by readers denigrating "liberals? What was to tone and tenor of their rhetoric?
Finally, as an bonus assignment titled "False Equivalency? Yes or No" find me a liberal media web site (here is a url providing a list https://wittymisfitsinc.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/the-50-most-popular-liberal-websites-ranked/ , but do not feel compelled to stick with this list). Take the same challenge I gave you for Brietbart and answer the two questions below.
- What percentage of the people commenting do you think you could have a civil conversation with?
- How many posts did you find by readers denigrating conservatives? What was to general tone and tenor of their rhetoric?
Now in closing, President Trumps most trusted adviser, Steve Bannon, was the CEO of Breitbart News.
Saturday, February 18, 2017
The Importance of our Democracy
Nobel prize winning economist Paul Krugman wrote an op-ed piece in the New York Times. I found his first paragraph to sum up far better than I can what has transpired.
"The story so far: A foreign dictator intervened on behalf of a U.S. presidential candidate — and that candidate won. Close associates of the new president were in contact with the dictator’s espionage officials during the campaign, and his national security adviser was forced out over improper calls to that country’s ambassador — but not until the press reported it; the president learned about his actions weeks earlier, but took no action."
Do you understand the existential threat this has on our Democracy? If you are a Republican or usually inclined to vote Republican chances are that you were okay with your party holding 33 hearings (4 public hearings) on Benghazi. You really do not believe with all the evidence we have so far that we should not be looking into this deeper? It is time for every American to stand up and ask that we get to the truth on this matter.
Now I want to share with you a recent tweet from President Trump.
Do you really believe that the press is the "enemy of the American People"? The 1st amendment to our Constitution calls for a free press. A free press is an essential foundation of our Democracy.
Are you really planning on sitting on the sidelines as all of this is going down? It only takes a few minutes to call your State Senators and demand an investigation.
"The story so far: A foreign dictator intervened on behalf of a U.S. presidential candidate — and that candidate won. Close associates of the new president were in contact with the dictator’s espionage officials during the campaign, and his national security adviser was forced out over improper calls to that country’s ambassador — but not until the press reported it; the president learned about his actions weeks earlier, but took no action."
Do you understand the existential threat this has on our Democracy? If you are a Republican or usually inclined to vote Republican chances are that you were okay with your party holding 33 hearings (4 public hearings) on Benghazi. You really do not believe with all the evidence we have so far that we should not be looking into this deeper? It is time for every American to stand up and ask that we get to the truth on this matter.
Now I want to share with you a recent tweet from President Trump.
Do you really believe that the press is the "enemy of the American People"? The 1st amendment to our Constitution calls for a free press. A free press is an essential foundation of our Democracy.
Are you really planning on sitting on the sidelines as all of this is going down? It only takes a few minutes to call your State Senators and demand an investigation.
Mass Deportation - The Economic Implications
If case you have not noticed Trump is trying to do everything he said he was going to do on the campaign trail. His campaign promises have actually been one of the few things he does not lie about.
He is now creating a deportation force and wants to use the National Guard to create a massive roundup and deportation. He told everyone on numerous occasions that this was what he was going to do.
There are approximately 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States. To put things in perspective, the following states...
...add up to a little under 10 million people.
Even if he only deported 15% of the undocumented immigrants that would be the equivalent of removing all the people from Idaho.
The economic consequences of eliminating 15% of the undocumented immigrant population (roughly 1.65 million people would have a significant impact on our economy. To put this number in economic perspective, in 2016 the great state of Georgia passed an immigration enforcement law HB 87. This law resulted in labor shortages that resulted in $140,000,000 in agricultural losses, as crops were left to rot in the fields. According to Forbes magazine...
"The Pew Hispanic Center estimated that some 425,000 illegal immigrants lived in Georgia when the legislation was passed – seventh highest in the nation. Those numbers are now down, as hoped for, but the state’s economy is paying a heavy price." They went on to say, " according to a University of Georgia study, farmers were about 40 percent short of the number of workers they needed to harvest last year’s crop."
So let's do some simple math. The loss of 170,000 workers in Georgia resulted in an economic loss of 140 million dollars. And this is just one facet of the economic loss to the state of Georgia. The state of Georgia has a sales tax of 4%. Millions of dollars in sales tax was lost due to these 170,000 missing workers.
It is estimated that undocumented immigrants account for 11.8 billion dollars in state and local tax revenues. [Source: The Financial Times]
Many of you may not be aware that a many illegal immigrants pay Federal income tax. They pay Social Security and Medicare taxes that their employers also match (It should also be noted that while illegal immigrants are paying Social Security and Medicare taxes are not entitled to the benefits.)
Immigration is an extremely complex subject that requires serious thought and action. It will not be solved by building a wall or mass deportation. It will only be resolved by tackling the hard work that takes into account the economic impact that 11 million undocumented workers have on our economy. And, also taking into account the impact that our actions will have on these families.
He is now creating a deportation force and wants to use the National Guard to create a massive roundup and deportation. He told everyone on numerous occasions that this was what he was going to do.
There are approximately 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States. To put things in perspective, the following states...
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Montana
- Delaware
- South Dakota
- North Dakota
- Alaska
- DC
- Vermont
- Wyoming
...add up to a little under 10 million people.
Even if he only deported 15% of the undocumented immigrants that would be the equivalent of removing all the people from Idaho.
The economic consequences of eliminating 15% of the undocumented immigrant population (roughly 1.65 million people would have a significant impact on our economy. To put this number in economic perspective, in 2016 the great state of Georgia passed an immigration enforcement law HB 87. This law resulted in labor shortages that resulted in $140,000,000 in agricultural losses, as crops were left to rot in the fields. According to Forbes magazine...
"The Pew Hispanic Center estimated that some 425,000 illegal immigrants lived in Georgia when the legislation was passed – seventh highest in the nation. Those numbers are now down, as hoped for, but the state’s economy is paying a heavy price." They went on to say, " according to a University of Georgia study, farmers were about 40 percent short of the number of workers they needed to harvest last year’s crop."
So let's do some simple math. The loss of 170,000 workers in Georgia resulted in an economic loss of 140 million dollars. And this is just one facet of the economic loss to the state of Georgia. The state of Georgia has a sales tax of 4%. Millions of dollars in sales tax was lost due to these 170,000 missing workers.
It is estimated that undocumented immigrants account for 11.8 billion dollars in state and local tax revenues. [Source: The Financial Times]
Many of you may not be aware that a many illegal immigrants pay Federal income tax. They pay Social Security and Medicare taxes that their employers also match (It should also be noted that while illegal immigrants are paying Social Security and Medicare taxes are not entitled to the benefits.)
According to a Seattle Times story from December 29, 2011
"Social Security officials keep a record of wages that do not match up with real names and numbers in their system. The record is called the earnings suspense file. In 2009, the last year for which figures are available, employers reported wages of $72.8 billion for 7.7 million workers who could not be matched to legal Social Security numbers."
There was a similar story published on April 5th, 2005 in the New York Times. The point I am making is that illegal immigrants account for billions of dollars a year flowing into our economy.
But, I want to point something else out to you. The New York Times story dates back to over a decade ago. Reality is that we have knowingly been using the labor of illegal immigrants for many decades now. Our Federal government has been collecting taxes for a long time from people that they know are illegal immigrants. For all this time they have buried their head in the sand and done nothing.
During the time they have done nothing illegal immigrants have had had kids that have grown up. This is the only country they know. Is is really moral or fair to deport them back to countries they have never lived in?
Mass deportation will have significant consequences on our economy. It is also a moral issue as well.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Current Movements by Indivisible are Real...
...and if Democrats think that they are only by members of their party they should think again. Many of us involved are independent voters. Many more have never become engaged in politics until now.
...and if Republicans think this is some inorganic movement, or only a bunch of liberals they are sorely mistaken.
Movements like Indivisible are large and diverse. Depending on what Republicans try to do with the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA the movement will become even more politically diverse.
These movements are not Democratic nor are they Republican in nature. They are being led by concerned American citizens that are stunned by the daily nightmare of incompetency that is happening in the Executive branch. Both parties would be wise to pay attention to what is happening.
The American middle class is tired of paying the largest share of money to fund our Federal government only to have laws made that favor the top 1% in America and by Washington lobbyists that are not acting in our best interests.
...and if Republicans think this is some inorganic movement, or only a bunch of liberals they are sorely mistaken.
Movements like Indivisible are large and diverse. Depending on what Republicans try to do with the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA the movement will become even more politically diverse.
These movements are not Democratic nor are they Republican in nature. They are being led by concerned American citizens that are stunned by the daily nightmare of incompetency that is happening in the Executive branch. Both parties would be wise to pay attention to what is happening.
The American middle class is tired of paying the largest share of money to fund our Federal government only to have laws made that favor the top 1% in America and by Washington lobbyists that are not acting in our best interests.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Republicans it is Time to Wake Up and Stand Up - Part 1
I know that the vast majority of Republicans are good people. But all good people have blind spots.
We might be Democrats, We might be Republicans, We might be Independents, We might not give a damn at all about politics
We are straight, gay, married, single, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, grandmothers, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, male, female, Christian, Muslim, Atheist.
We all have one thing in common.
We might be Democrats, We might be Republicans, We might be Independents, We might not give a damn at all about politics
We are straight, gay, married, single, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, grandmothers, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, male, female, Christian, Muslim, Atheist.
We all have one thing in common.
We are AMERICANS
I am going to state this is the simplest terms possible. The evidence of a Trump connection to the Russians is so overwhelming that even if you are a Republican (Voter, Senator, Congress person, Staffer, etc...) it is time you put your country before your party.
I served in the Navy during the Reagan administration. The cold war we had going with the former Soviet Union was real and it was warranted. As Russia and Putin have been making moves to restore what they were once in control of we overtly slipped back into the cold war. Folks this is some serious business. This is stuff that makes Watergate, Benghazi, Iran Contra look like an afternoon selling girl scout cookies.
I disagreed with a lot of what the Tea Party was doing. Y'all waved that constitution in everyone's face in opposition of things the Obama administration was doing that you did not like. Well ...
- It is a fact that the Russians worked to influence our election with the intent of getting Donald Trump elected. They did so by
- Hacking into the DNC server and private email accounts of Clinton operatives.
- Leaking hacked communications through Wikileaks
- It is a fact that Trump used these leaks at every Rally and any chance he got speaking to the press. It is a fact the amount of coverage he received from the media was unprecedented.
- It is a fact that during the campaign Donald Trump called on the Russians to hack and find Clinton's 30,000 missing emails and release them.
- It is a fact that Michael Flynn attended a Russian state dinner and was seated next to Vladimir Putin
- It is a fact that Trumps first campaign manager has done business with the Ukraine government, a government, at the time, with very close ties to Vladimir Putin.
- It is a fact that our current Secretary of State has been an overnight guest in the home of Vladimir Putin.
- It is a fact that Trump aides and associates made repeated contact with senior Russian officials during the 2016 campaign
We certainly do not have all the facts yet. But, we have enough evidence that warrants an independent inquiry into these matters. The investigation needs to be independent. There is little chance that the justice department will act. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was a security adviser to the the Trump transition team. It is even possible he could be involved in this assault on our Democracy.
People, the Presidents National Security Advisor, has just been found to have ties to the Russian government and given that he lied about the nature of his contact with to the FBI (a felony charge). Of course our intelligence agencies knew Mr. Flynn was lying because they were wiretapping the Russian official he was speaking with. DUH, He was colluding with the Russian government discussing, while still a civilian, Telling the why Russia should not worry about the sanctions the current President had just imposed on Russia.
At worst we one of the Presidents closest advisers on matters of national security could be an operative of the Russian government. There are many other scenarios. We are still finding out the facts.
This is some serious shit to deal with. It is time for everyone to wakeup, not to take a deep breath, rather shake your head and mutter WTF??? And, God forbid. What if it comes out that Trump was involved in this or had knowledge of what was going on?
It is time for everyone to stand up as Americans for what is right. This is so big that it is not going away. The truth is going to come out. When it does and you stood up you will be able to look in the mirror and know you did the right thing. Our freedom, our Democracy, and our nation is worth this fight.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Flynn Resigns
Flynn resigns as National Security Adviser. Great choice President Trump. Making America Great for Putin again. Suspect criminal and traitor Flynn will be heading to Russia before we can get him fitted for his orange jumpsuit.
Are we really to believe that Flynn was acting as a lone operative without Presidents Trumps knowledge? NO. Did I fail mention that the Trump administration was informed in January by the Justice Department that based on intelligence that Flynn was compromised by the Russian government and they did nothing. In the mean time North Korea has fired a medium range missile and has weapons grade plutonium. What a great time to have a bunch of unqualified clowns running the executive branch.
In other breaking news Republicans in Congress still searching for their spine.
Sunday, February 12, 2017
The Coming Together of Americans
It is not just democrats that are active. Who has become active and engaged in our political process?
- Independents like myself that generally stay quiet and on the sidelines.
- Americans of all parties that are disturbed by the clear and overt assault on our constitution.
- Americans that are disturbed at the inflammatory rhetoric aimed at our Media and our Judicial branch.
- Americans that typically do not vote.
- Even a smattering of conservatives that are alarmed by what has happened and is disgusted with how the Republican party has not been looking out for their best interests (which was a reason for the rise of Trump within the Republican party, exploitative and disingenuous as it was)
I am an independent that for the past 4 elections does not feel like I have a choice when I vote. The republican party has become a party that has become obstructionist and run by billionaires like the Koch brothers and folks like Sheldon Adelson. Republicans now find themselves in full control of the Federal Government and are struggling to govern.
BUT, both democrats and republicans are controlled by the interests of wall street and special interest lobbyists. We are going through an awakening where "we the people" acutely realize this and are no longer going to accept the status quo. It has taken someone like Trump and Bannon to take over our executive branch to make us understand what truly is at stake.
If democrats think the tides will turn back to them and their business as usual they too should think again.
As we unite across the country "we the people" need to focus on the things we can all agree upon. I think the majority of Americans are aligned on these general themes:
- Good paying jobs that promote a strong middle class
- Affordable healthcare for all Americans
- Continuing our social safety net for our elderly that continues to be largely funded by "we the people"
- Being a leader on the world stage through diplomacy, not through war
- Energy independence
- Being good stewards of our earth
- Maintaing states rights
- Keeping government out of our private lives
- Fiscal responsibility by our federal government
To the extent that our elected leaders can deal with these issues I do not think it will matter to most Americans what party runs the government. It should be the goal of all parties governing to work in the best interests of "we the people"
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Christianity Today?
Christians have become a religion of homophobes, racists, unpatriotic towards our soldiers.
Just consider the Westboro Baptist church whose website is named "god hates fags". Here are a few images of their protests.
And, let us not forget evangelical pastor Kevin Swanson who thinks Gays should be put to death.
According to the Pew Research Center there are 2.2 billion Christians. I have two points to make.
Just consider the Westboro Baptist church whose website is named "god hates fags". Here are a few images of their protests.
!!!STOP!!!
According to the Pew Research Center there are 2.2 billion Christians. I have two points to make.
- The actions and beliefs of extremist Christians in the name of God do not reflect the beliefs and views of the overwhelming majority of Christians.
- I can make an argument to demagogue any political, religious, or business group by citing facts and data taken from a limited cross-section of such populations.
The Pew Research Center estimates that there are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. Extremist jihadists represent a clear and present danger to every country on the planet. The vast majority of Muslims are good and moral people. The vast majority of Christians are good and moral people. I hope you now understand my point about this Administration and their views regarding Muslims.
We divide ourselves when we claim the moral high road to our point of view, to our systems of belief, to our societal norms, to our dogmas. Before you open your mouth and speak, think about what you are going to say.
Finally, there can sometimes be a fine line between your beliefs and those of extremist groups. Consider the following signs.
Both are these messages draw the same conclusion. The difference between the two would be?
Since many well meaning (and some not so well meaning) Christians like to take bible passages out of context let me take two of my favorite Bible verses out of context. I leave you with Luke 6:37
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."
...and...
If you really are a follower of Christ, when it comes to judging others you might want to give consideration to what he had to say on the Subject.
John 8:7
"When they persisted in questioning him, he straightened up and told them, "Let the person among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."
Seldom a day goes by when I do not want to pass judgement on someone or something. These two verses serve to give me perspective. The sign that best reflects my views as a Christian on the LGBTQ community ...
...and, here is a pastor that in my opinion has the proper Christian perspective for any age.
We divide ourselves when we claim the moral high road to our point of view, to our systems of belief, to our societal norms, to our dogmas. Before you open your mouth and speak, think about what you are going to say.
Finally, there can sometimes be a fine line between your beliefs and those of extremist groups. Consider the following signs.
Both are these messages draw the same conclusion. The difference between the two would be?
Since many well meaning (and some not so well meaning) Christians like to take bible passages out of context let me take two of my favorite Bible verses out of context. I leave you with Luke 6:37
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."
...and...
If you really are a follower of Christ, when it comes to judging others you might want to give consideration to what he had to say on the Subject.
John 8:7
"When they persisted in questioning him, he straightened up and told them, "Let the person among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."
Seldom a day goes by when I do not want to pass judgement on someone or something. These two verses serve to give me perspective. The sign that best reflects my views as a Christian on the LGBTQ community ...
...and, here is a pastor that in my opinion has the proper Christian perspective for any age.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Advise and Consent - Supreme Court Justices
When Justice Scalia died the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, refused to put the Presidents pick, Merrick Garland up for a vote before the Senate. The President had 11 months on this term. This type of action is inappropriate irrespective of political party.
I believe the 60 vote threshold for Supreme Court justice confirmation is a good threshold. There is a a case to be made from Article 2, Section 2 (paragraph 2) of the US Constitution that the actual threshold should be 67 votes.
Merrick Garland was a moderate pick. But it really does not matter whether he was a moderate, liberal, or conservative. What matters is that the Senate majority leader would not even put him to the floor for a vote.
Let me first say that while I have had some issues with some of Gorsuch's decisions that he is more than qualified to be confirmed by the Senate. Having said that what the Senate majority leader did was an assault and affront to our political process and Democracy. As such I have called both of my state Senators and told them point blank that if they vote for his confirmation they will lose my vote.
I can see if you are a died in wool Republican how you might think what McConnell did was okay. If a Democrat had done this I could see how a died in wool Democrat might think this is okay. I am neither. I am a fiscally conservative independent that believes in our Constitution and in the rule of law. Unless Merrick Garland is first put up for a vote I do not care who the nominee is. The vote should be no.
If you believe what I believe then you two should call your Senators and tell them the same. If the Republicans decide to lower the threshold to a simple majority (what everyone is calling the nuclear option) then so be it.
I believe the 60 vote threshold for Supreme Court justice confirmation is a good threshold. There is a a case to be made from Article 2, Section 2 (paragraph 2) of the US Constitution that the actual threshold should be 67 votes.
Merrick Garland was a moderate pick. But it really does not matter whether he was a moderate, liberal, or conservative. What matters is that the Senate majority leader would not even put him to the floor for a vote.
Let me first say that while I have had some issues with some of Gorsuch's decisions that he is more than qualified to be confirmed by the Senate. Having said that what the Senate majority leader did was an assault and affront to our political process and Democracy. As such I have called both of my state Senators and told them point blank that if they vote for his confirmation they will lose my vote.
I can see if you are a died in wool Republican how you might think what McConnell did was okay. If a Democrat had done this I could see how a died in wool Democrat might think this is okay. I am neither. I am a fiscally conservative independent that believes in our Constitution and in the rule of law. Unless Merrick Garland is first put up for a vote I do not care who the nominee is. The vote should be no.
If you believe what I believe then you two should call your Senators and tell them the same. If the Republicans decide to lower the threshold to a simple majority (what everyone is calling the nuclear option) then so be it.
Friday, February 3, 2017
My City in Ruins - Without Apology to the Boss
"The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic."
Stalin Supposedly he said this. Stalin was a butcher, an evil man. But, if he did say this it is quite a profound statement on more than just the subject of death. When Obama left office unemployment was at 4.7%. This is pretty much what we consider to statistically be full employment. In a nation that has over 300 million people a 2% unemployment rate (unheard of number) still adds up to be a lot of people.
After Trump was elected I was quite stunned how so many people could have voted for him. It did not make any sense to me. I had to take a hard look in the mirror and understand why. We all live in a bubble of sorts. My bubble is that I work in technology as a software developer. It is a profession that pays well. A profession where the demand for people far outweighs the supply of qualified workers. I have been working in high tech for well over thirty years now.
I have remained employed through every recession and economic downturn. I have seen my wages rise over the period I have been employed. My job has never been outsourced or moved somewhere else. I have been fortunate and blessed. It is easy to look at economic statistics and wonder why so many people are complaining. But as I said even 2% unemployment adds up to a lot of people. And my bubble is one where I have not had to feel the pain of even what happened to us in 2008.
I think 30% of both Democrats or Republicans would vote for a turd on a stick over voting for the other party. I think all the racists and xenophobes voted for Trump. But why did such a scourge of a human being flip counties that voted for Obama? That just did not make any sense to me.
Recently I stumbled across a program on Viceland called Abandoned. This show began to provide the answer for me. It prompted me to spend a lot of time and energy researching what has happened to a lot of middle America over the past four decades as jobs have been outsourced in the name of corporate profit. It caused me to look into rural America where the behemoth, Walmart, a company that employees over 1.4 million Americans, the vast majority making minimum wage. A company that has managed to destroy almost every small towns downtown and drive small family businesses out of business in the name of "low prices." It took me back to Billy Joel's Allentown lyrics written in 1982...
I got past the statistics and started to look at the scars of our once proud landscape.
Whole sections of Cities in ruins
Suburban neighborhoods left abandoned...
Malls left for dead...
Small towns empty and rotting
...and when you realize that this has been going on for over 4 decades you start to get a glimpse of how a guy who calls Mexicans rapist, talks about assaulting woman, and brings out the worst in human nature proclaiming "what do you have to lose" can get elected even though he is total fraud and bullshit artist. You get a glimpse of what some people are feeling. You begin to understand what "The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic." means.
As we protest these corrupt bastards and rich elites that have taken over our Government we need to also fight for these forgotten people. Is technology and automation really more important than employment? Is saving a few dollars on shoes and clothes and food worth putting our neighbors out of work or into jobs that do not allow them to feed their families? As much as I loathe that man and what he represents he is correct when he speaks about these people.
These are important questions you and I need to answer.
Our government, both parties, our business and industrial sector has let them down. Like we are standing up for our Muslim brothers and sisters we also need to stand up for these people as well. Their lives matter. They too are our brothers and sisters.
Stalin Supposedly he said this. Stalin was a butcher, an evil man. But, if he did say this it is quite a profound statement on more than just the subject of death. When Obama left office unemployment was at 4.7%. This is pretty much what we consider to statistically be full employment. In a nation that has over 300 million people a 2% unemployment rate (unheard of number) still adds up to be a lot of people.
After Trump was elected I was quite stunned how so many people could have voted for him. It did not make any sense to me. I had to take a hard look in the mirror and understand why. We all live in a bubble of sorts. My bubble is that I work in technology as a software developer. It is a profession that pays well. A profession where the demand for people far outweighs the supply of qualified workers. I have been working in high tech for well over thirty years now.
I have remained employed through every recession and economic downturn. I have seen my wages rise over the period I have been employed. My job has never been outsourced or moved somewhere else. I have been fortunate and blessed. It is easy to look at economic statistics and wonder why so many people are complaining. But as I said even 2% unemployment adds up to a lot of people. And my bubble is one where I have not had to feel the pain of even what happened to us in 2008.
I think 30% of both Democrats or Republicans would vote for a turd on a stick over voting for the other party. I think all the racists and xenophobes voted for Trump. But why did such a scourge of a human being flip counties that voted for Obama? That just did not make any sense to me.
Recently I stumbled across a program on Viceland called Abandoned. This show began to provide the answer for me. It prompted me to spend a lot of time and energy researching what has happened to a lot of middle America over the past four decades as jobs have been outsourced in the name of corporate profit. It caused me to look into rural America where the behemoth, Walmart, a company that employees over 1.4 million Americans, the vast majority making minimum wage. A company that has managed to destroy almost every small towns downtown and drive small family businesses out of business in the name of "low prices." It took me back to Billy Joel's Allentown lyrics written in 1982...
Well we're living here in Allentown And they're closing all the factories down Out in Bethlehem they're killing time Filling out forms Standing in lineAnd Springsteen's, Youngstown, written in 1995...
To the coal mines of Appalachia The story's always the same Seven-hundred tons of metal a day Now sir you tell me the world's changed Once I made you rich enough Rich enough to forget my name In Youngstown In Youngstown My sweet Jenny, I'm sinkin' down Here darlin' in YoungstownI started to look at the wreckage of our nation. I went out an saw statistics about how farmers had some of the highest incomes in America. But those numbers did not line up with what I learned in a farming class my wife and I recently took. I dug deeper only to find out that much of that income was made off of the farm. Truth be told most small family farms are just not sustainable solely on the farm income alone.
I got past the statistics and started to look at the scars of our once proud landscape.
Suburban neighborhoods left abandoned...
Malls left for dead...
Small towns empty and rotting
...and when you realize that this has been going on for over 4 decades you start to get a glimpse of how a guy who calls Mexicans rapist, talks about assaulting woman, and brings out the worst in human nature proclaiming "what do you have to lose" can get elected even though he is total fraud and bullshit artist. You get a glimpse of what some people are feeling. You begin to understand what "The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic." means.
As we protest these corrupt bastards and rich elites that have taken over our Government we need to also fight for these forgotten people. Is technology and automation really more important than employment? Is saving a few dollars on shoes and clothes and food worth putting our neighbors out of work or into jobs that do not allow them to feed their families? As much as I loathe that man and what he represents he is correct when he speaks about these people.
These are important questions you and I need to answer.
Our government, both parties, our business and industrial sector has let them down. Like we are standing up for our Muslim brothers and sisters we also need to stand up for these people as well. Their lives matter. They too are our brothers and sisters.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Our National Deficit
I have been a fiscal conservative my entire adult life. The thing I appreciate most when Republicans are not in power during my adult life is that they become fiscally conservative.
However, when they are in charge they seem to forget this and go on a spending spree. Reagan did this. The last Bush did this during his 8 years. Our National deficit is currently at 104% of our GDP. This is a problem. I expect tea party voices to start speaking up when the spending starts.
Well the spending is about to start. Paul Ryan has said there will be money for the Wall. He says there will be money for our infrastructure. They are also talking about a tax cut.
So let me understand this. We are going to cut government revenues and increase government spending? How exactly does this add up? How is this not going to increase our deficit? Where is the outrage from fellow fiscal conservatives?
I want to know where the money is coming from to pay for the Wall?
I want to know what programs the Government is cutting to pay for the tax cuts?
It is time for Americans and the media to call these folks out on this bullshit. Deficits do matter. Now that our economy is back on track we need to start reducing our deficit. Ideally we should get it down to 50-75% of GDP. What I am seeing is a plan to massively explode the deficit. I expect fiscal conservative to always be fiscally conservative!
For further reading on this subject:
However, when they are in charge they seem to forget this and go on a spending spree. Reagan did this. The last Bush did this during his 8 years. Our National deficit is currently at 104% of our GDP. This is a problem. I expect tea party voices to start speaking up when the spending starts.
Well the spending is about to start. Paul Ryan has said there will be money for the Wall. He says there will be money for our infrastructure. They are also talking about a tax cut.
So let me understand this. We are going to cut government revenues and increase government spending? How exactly does this add up? How is this not going to increase our deficit? Where is the outrage from fellow fiscal conservatives?
I want to know where the money is coming from to pay for the Wall?
I want to know what programs the Government is cutting to pay for the tax cuts?
It is time for Americans and the media to call these folks out on this bullshit. Deficits do matter. Now that our economy is back on track we need to start reducing our deficit. Ideally we should get it down to 50-75% of GDP. What I am seeing is a plan to massively explode the deficit. I expect fiscal conservative to always be fiscally conservative!
For further reading on this subject:
- The Republican Deficit Hawks Abandon Their Religion
- “Utter insanity and stupidity”: Ex-Reagan adviser unloads on GOP, lobbyists and the myth of the “moderate Republican”
- The GOP’s Deficit Hawks Have Flown Into Trump’s “Wall”
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Love Continues to trump Hate
I am heartened and proud to be an American today. All the Americans that just showed up at the nations airports to protest the ban on travel from 7 Muslim countries. In Victoria Texas after the ban a Mosque was burned to the ground. The local Jewish community gave them the keys to their synagogue. People from all over the country volunteered to sew prayer rugs. The locals set up a crowd source fund that in the first day raised over $800,000 and is now over a million.
In Austin today Muslim high school students went to the capital as they do each year for a day of civics called "Texas Muslim Capitol Day". Last year a group of foul minded, bigoted adults heckled them, took over their microphone, and essentially ruined these students and their parents and teachers day at the State capital. This year 2000 fine minded Texans showed up and made a human chain around this group so they could have their day in peace. These are NOT Muslims protesting at the capital. These are high school students, American citizens that happen to be Muslim that go to the capital each year to learn about their/our Democratic process.
I am proud to be an American as I watch millions of strong, good minded Americans that normally sit on the sidelines come out and stand up for what is right. Stand up for the core principles in our constitution and what makes America so exceptional.
Trump is bringing us together. Maybe not in the way he intended, but he is bringing us together. For me the last 12 days have been one of great hope.
In Austin today Muslim high school students went to the capital as they do each year for a day of civics called "Texas Muslim Capitol Day". Last year a group of foul minded, bigoted adults heckled them, took over their microphone, and essentially ruined these students and their parents and teachers day at the State capital. This year 2000 fine minded Texans showed up and made a human chain around this group so they could have their day in peace. These are NOT Muslims protesting at the capital. These are high school students, American citizens that happen to be Muslim that go to the capital each year to learn about their/our Democratic process.
I am proud to be an American as I watch millions of strong, good minded Americans that normally sit on the sidelines come out and stand up for what is right. Stand up for the core principles in our constitution and what makes America so exceptional.
Trump is bringing us together. Maybe not in the way he intended, but he is bringing us together. For me the last 12 days have been one of great hope.
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