Republican Mantra: Our Children and Grandchildren

It makes me so angry when I hear Republicans (mostly) talking about how “our children and grandchildren are going to have to pay for this” as an argument against President Obama’s plans for alternative energy, education, and health care.

I think if my children and grandchildren could grow up in a country where they could breathe, afford to go to college, find a job, and get insurance, that they would be glad to pay for that, versus growing up in a country which, as of now, looks as if it will have clouds of coal and oil fumes to blind and choke my children and grandchildren, who won’t be able find jobs, or afford college, health care, or possibly even food or gas.

I’ve been watching C-SPAN, and almost every Republican repeats this “it’s not fair for our children and grandchildren to have to pay for this” mantra, almost every time they speak. I know what they are really saying: it’s not fair for THEIR children and grandchildren to have to pay to fix the world that THEIR greed and selfishness and shortsightedness have created, even if it means a lower standard of living for MY/OUR children and grandchildren.

These guys weren’t arguing when Bush spent hundreds of billions on the Iraq war, or when the bailout for their rich embezzler banker buddies got hundreds of billions, but when it comes to hundreds of billions to make a better life for the core of America, the working class, the middle (and increasingly lower) class, “NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO SPEND A TRILLION DOLLARS!”

They didn’t seem to be worried about the National Debt before, BUT…

When they hear that it might be spent on solar, wind, and hydrodynamic energy to compete with the coal and oil guys who bribe them to make policies that benefit them, they stand up against spending. When they hear that the big business lobbyists might have to pay taxes to provide health care for the workers who make them rich and die from lack of insurance and retirement benefits (which were reduced over decades to increase the business owners already tidy profits) they stand up against spending.

When they hear that the taxes of the rich might help my poor son go to college to get a good job to not be poor someday, and to compete with their son who is put through the best schools because they profited from friendships with big business that I and my fellow Americans have worked so hard for for so little compensation, and that OUR children and grandchildren, if educated, might want jobs someday that their big business buddies plan on farming to third world countries to save money, they stand up against spending.

Well, I am glad for one that they are standing up! I wish they were standing in line at the unemployment or welfare office, so they would see the need to spend money on PEOPLE!

(You probably thought I was going to say I wish it was against a wall in front of a firing squad, or in a line at a guillotine, or underneath the nooses hanging from the gallows!)

I say, debt be damned!

If Obama wants to spend a trillion a year for 10 years, and it means we can get away from being the bend-over bitches of the middle eastern oil barons, create jobs for our record numbers of unemployed people, and ensure college and health care for at least some of our children and grandchildren, shouldn’t we do it?

These are the same guys who are probably always saying things like “you gotta spend money to make money”.

Well, guess what? Spending money in Iraq/Afghanistan/Iran is not going to make us any money.

It might make your defense contract buddies or your oil stock buddies or you money, but most of us are not seeing a dime.

OUR children and grandchildren need education, jobs, health care, and a clean environment, not more terrorists avenging their dead family members!

I discriminate against racist people

WARNING / CAUTION / DISCLAIMER:

The following article contains offensive racial slurs, which I have heard from others and quoted to make a point about the stupidity of racism, and I neither condone, promote, or use these terms myself, as I find them very ignorant and hurtful.

I am a progressive, liberal, compassionate, and logical human being of mixed-race descent (Scotch-Irish and Cherokee) living in Dallas, Texas.

I am often embarrassed to be associated with white people from the southern United States of America. They are, in great part, racists who think that (I quote their offensive slurs, which I do not use myself) “Niggers”, “Spics”, “Chinks”, “Heebs”, and “Sand Niggers” are the reason that they are poor and unsuccessful, instead of blaming the old, rich, white men who claim to be “Christians” while accumulating ungodly sums of money by raising prices of goods and services, lowering wages, salaries, and benefits, and selling our country out from under us, with jobs, roads, and ports going to the highest bidder. If these poor caucasian saps would instead make friends and allies of the African-American AKA Black, Hispanic AKA Latino, Asian AKA Oriental, Jewish AKA Hebrew, and Muslim AKA Arab people living among them, then we could perhaps make some progress in taking back our country from the true terrorists: the Rich! (I use the “AKA”s above to illustrate that it’s hard to be politically correct and not offend anyone these days, because nobody can seem to decide what they want their group to be called from decade to decade.)

In a recent conversation, I expressed a sincere hope that the positive example set by Barack Obama as a person of color who has acheived much and promises to help his country become better might give pause to the more violent and racist elements of the African-American community and inspire some of them to move forward and let go of the past to forgive the whites of the present for the sins of the whites of the past. The person I was talking too said, and I quote, “They were niggers before he was elected, and they’re still niggers after…”  I was offended, and ended the conversation because not only did I think I would be able to change the person’s mind, but my 3 year old son was present, and I didn’t want him to hear another utterance of the word “nigger”, which, when said in a playful way as a term of endearment, I don’t find offensive whether it comes from a black or a white person, but when, used as an insult to dismiss an entire race of people as ignorant or inferior, infuriates me! I later thought of a comeback, which I wish I had responded with at the time: The people who elected Bush were rednecks before he was elected, and they are still rednecks after…

The Conservative media tells me every day that illegal immigrants from Mexico are taking my jobs, even though they are mostly doing  jobs that I don’t want, while the government gets paid by corporations to send the jobs I do want to China, India, The Phillipines, etc. where they can save a few bucks.

I also grow weary of trying to explain to close-minded, racist, hateful, fearful rednecks how not all Muslims are terrorists, just as not all Protestants and Catholics blow each other up in cafes like the Irish and English have done during their spats. For white suburban Texans to assume that all followers of Islam are suicide bombers is just unrealistic and fanatical, and primarily based on poor upbringing. The average John Doe Redneck is as brainwashed by his government, media, parents, friends and coworkers as the many Middle-Eastern Muslims who, after being told by their leaders at the point of a gun that the West is the “Great Devil”, think that all Christians are two-faced, greedy, empire-minded lunatics who go on crusades to convert the world to their faith, although it is true that many of the wealthy and powerful are.

I am complaining here mostly about racism by white people, which is what I have witnessed the most where I grew up and now live, but I am in no way trying to ignore racism by other cultures. It’s just not much of an issue for me. Even when I’ve been places like downtown Dallas, Oak Cliff, and Pleasant Grove, here in D/FW, and also in poor black neighborhoods in Jackson, MS and Los Angeles, CA, I have barely ever had a black person, even among groups of imposing looking young men, ever be rude to me. On the contrary, I have stopped and asked young black men comparing guns and cars for directions and had them call me brother. In contrast, I have had many unintelligent, undereducated, ignorant whites, especially in Mississippi, Lousiana, and Texas, who have started fights with me for no apparent reason. And I look white. Go figure… I guess they can smell intelligence and open-mindedness and it scares them. Babies, kids, elderly folks, and animals love me, so it’s the rednecks at fault here, not me!

I think the best preventative medicine against future racism is to talk to groups of young kids of various races in groups in school, and let them openly discuss how their parents talk about people of other races, and how it makes them feel, and then let the kids of other races tell them how it makes them feel. Then show the kids how much they have in common. I bet most of them will make friends. Kids learn faster than adults.

As for curative measures for people presently already infected with the deadly (in some cases) affliction of racism, I figure until we figure out how to re-program their brains or make a pill or injection to fix them, we should release all non-violent drug offenders from the prisons and put the racists in there instead.

Let them hate and fear and insult and fight and kill each other where the rest of us don’t have to deal with it anymore.

Maybe early on in evolution, racism helped a herd of tribe of people survive and protected them from other competing groups, but racist people are now as obsolete as fossil fuels. Too bad we are still having to put up with both of them.

Barack may have to give up his Blackberry

Now that he is going to be president, for reasons of national security, Barack Obama may have to give up his Blackberry, and further more, personal email and instant messaging all together. I feel bad for the guy. I mean, I’m sure that getting to be the President has it’s perks, but having to go without a beloved technical gadget or personal email and messaging? That sucks. Read More ->

re: what Obama can learn from Dick Cheney

The Huffington Post has published an article entitled “What Barack Obama should learn from Dick Cheney“.

The article makes some good points about what Cheney-esque procedures could help him influence policy in various positions and branches of the government.

I have to speak out about the scary prospect of Obama actually mimicking any actual Cheney policy:

Cheney is as much the face of evil as the Emperor on the Star Wars movies. He’s a rich angry old man who doesn’t care about the environment or anybody who is not rich and white. He is the true leader of our country. Dubya is a simple-minded figure head for Dick and papa Bush’s other friends in government and private industry. Cheney and his secret underground government are all about allowing Haliburton and other offensive “defense” contractors to build a financial empire across the world by whatever means possible. And if you disagree with him, he’ll shoot you in the face.

Hopefully, Obama won’t learn anything from this demon.

Are Your Parents At Risk? … Have The Talk!

This site is awesome! It’s a parody of the talk to your kids about drugs or sex sites, but it’s a site asking kids to talk to their parents about their McCain/Palin addiction. http://www.mccainfreewhitehouse.org

McCain & Palin described in terms a child can comprehend

This is a fun animated short film explaining why not to vote for McCain/Palin:

Wassup, 8 years later?

Remember the young, happy Budweiser Wassup guys? See them after 8 years of Bush/Cheney:

Joe The Plumber, Inc.

I guess the point of this whole Joe The Plumber movement is that we should feel sorry for Joe, because once he makes it big and gets wealthy and becomes Joe The CEO of Plumbers Corporation International, Obama and the evil liberal Democrats who look out for the commoners like Joe used to be, are going to make more taxes on his exorbitant wealth and obscene profits that he gets by overcharging for goods and services and underpaying his employees and giving them no benefits or taking their benefits away.

McCain and the Republicans want you to feel sorry for the Joe Plumbers, Inc. of the nation, with their 7 houses and 15 cars. If we raise their taxes, they won’t be able to buy fancier clothes for their trophy wives, or go on as many exotic vacations, or eat at as many 5 star restaurants, or buy more houses and cars, or upgrade their helicopters, lear jets, and yachts. Why should the tax burden not be placed instead on their employees, who can’t save for emergencies or retirement, can’t afford to take time off work or go on vacations, and these days, can barely afford gas to get to work, electricity, groceries, and rent, let alone health care or any luxury purchases?

Yes, Obama does want to “spread the wealth”, by taking back some of the money that the rich have stolen more and more from the poor and middle class every year by raising prices and lowering wages and benefits.

What Republicans and other wealthy folks fail to realize that if they keep underpaying and overcharging the lower and middle classes worse each year, that eventually they will have an actual revolution on their hands. Just look at history. There is a breaking point where people must stand up for themselves and demand that they are given what they need. When things get bad enough, it will finally be worthwhile to the common man to actually rebel in ways much more violent and effective than writing and talking about change and hope, so maybe it would be in the best interests of the wealthy ruling class to make some concessions now, and show a little compassion and sympathy and basic human decency, so that later, their heads won’t have to roll.

Viva La Plumbers!

V, for Vote – Remember, Remember, the 4th of November!

V for Vote

The Wealthy and Christianity

I find it impossible, as a logical thinker, to reconcile the fact that many wealthy Americans, primarily Republicans, overwhelmingly claim to be Christians, and also overwhelmingly, no matter how massive their accumulated fortune, take such issue with spreading their wealth around, when it comes to ensuring the well-being of the working class who has made them rich by working for them for low wages and little or no benefits, while paying ever increasing amounts for their products and services.

The GOP, while professing Christianity almost to the total exclusion of other faiths, flying it as a banner like it is our national religion, do not represent many, if any at all, of the characteristics of the man that their supposed faith is allegedly based upon.

Jesus Christ of the Holy Bible was not greedy or stingy. He did not even believe in accumulating wealth beyond what one needed to survive and live in harmony with others and with God. He did not try to have more than he needed, nor would he have, especially at the expense of others. Jesus shared with his disciples, as well as the public at large. He wasn’t stingy with the loaves and fishes his father blessed him with. He never said “this is mine, I earned it, get your own you lazy bums!”.

Jesus Christ would be more accurately described as a Socialist Democrat than as a Capitalist Republican.

I am sure that this statement angers many people, but if any of them read on, perhaps some of them will be able to wrap their indoctrinated minds around the simple truth of what I am saying here…

I listen to John McCain and Sarah Palin and FoxNews and other Republicans in the media complain about how Barack Obama and the Democrats want to raise taxes on the stable, comfortable, wealthy instead of on the already struggling poor and middle classes. I hear them complain about how Obama wants to “spread the wealth” or “share the wealth” or “raise my taxes”, and how he is a “socialist”.

It’s more than a little hypocritical that I didn’t hear any of them complaining when the rich Republicans in charge of the government and the corporations decided that taxpayers should bail them out (SOCIALISM) with a trillion dollars.

I guess, to them, that the Christian way is socialism for the rich but capitalism for the poor?

This is not only very obvious revisionist history, which is unethical, and makes them seem very irrational, not standing up to literary investigation of their proclaimed beliefs, but is morally shameful according to their own bible, which states at the end that it is the word of God and should be altered by no man, which I would assume also means that Jesus and other characters from the books should not be misrepresented.

If Republicans want to be taken seriously when calling themselves Christians, then they should act more as Jesus Christ would.

A popular slogan of modern Christians is W.W.J.D.?, meaning “What Would Jesus Do?”

If Jesus, were a small business owner, or even a corporate executive or share-holder, what would he do?

Would Jesus keep lowering his workers wages and benefits until many of them couldn’t afford their rents and mortgages, their cars, the gas to get to work, food for their families, and health care, while he enjoyed the luxuries of multiple mansions, sports/luxury cars, the finest cuisine, and practically any health care he could possibly ever need?

Would Jesus want the poor to pay the majority of taxes, while his tax attorneys and bank manager buddies figured out loopholes in the law so that he could make millions and billions but only pay tiny percentages while his workers paid 15, 25, 30% of their income to support an infrastructure that they themselves are too impoverished to fully benefit from?

Jesus would not do any of the things listed above. Most Republicans who claim to be Christian would. This means that they either don’t understand what it means to be a Christian, or they do and don’t care and are lying when they say that they are Christians.

Jesus was a brown skinned man with curly brown hair who lived in the middle east, and spread a message of peace, love, understanding, humility, and simple living.

Would Jesus be happy to learn that rich white men with blonde hair and blue eyes had redesigned him as the poster child of rich white people who view poor people and brown people as problems, illegal immigrants, and terrorists?

What Would Jesus Not Do?

Jesus would not vote for a Republican.