First up, the "economy". I wonder at times if we still have one. Today I saw an article about housing and mortgages. According to a report by First American Core Logic 10.7 million home owners owe more than the homes are worth. 10.7 Million! Ouch. The same report says that 23%, nearly 1 in 4, are "under water". Double ouch!
Oh, but don't worry folks. The stock market has been going up. OK, so, then where are the jobs? Well, they have all been sent off shore. Yep, outsourced. All in the name of profits. Screw the American worker. The corporations and stock holders need huge profits. Americans be damned if there is money to be made. Talk about your sunshine patriots.
And yet, the big banksters will get huge bonuses this year. Almost makes you proud to be an American. Where the regular people starve, but the rich just get ever richer. America, what a country.
Health care? Does anybody have any? Well, our wonderful Congress critter sure as hell do. In fact they have a super health care plan. All government paid for and run by the way. Yep, those very same critters who could never allow "socialism" like national health care have a tax payer financed health care plan that is gold plated and then some. Why don't you ever hear Beck, Limburger, O'Really, or the other morons at Faux Noise talk about that? Makes you stop and think, doesn't it? Well, damn it, it sure as hell should make every American think, and very hard at that. Here our elected "leaders" get super health care, paid for by we the people, and they refuse to let us peons have anything like single payer health care. Can you say hypocrites? YES you CAN!!! And we should all tell them so, every day until WE get a decent national health care for ALL Americans. Rattle their cages. Crap, if that moron Beck can start something, then us sane folks ought to be able to make some noise also.
Email, write, and/or call your elected officials and ask why they get special treatment while we get shit. Might wake a few of them up. It is worth a try at the very least. What do we have left to lose?
The wars. Well, first off, both Iraq and Afghanistan are illegal. Look up international law. In fact, just look at American law. We did NOT declare war on either of these countries. Nope, not at all. Oh sure, Congress voted to "authorize" the president to invade them both. NOT even close to being a declared war people. Congress let more than one president put troops into and then add thousands more troops to the war in Vietnam. Never declared war there either. In fact, the last declared war was World War Two. Not Korea, not Vietnam, not Iraq, either time, not Afghanistan, not Grenada, nor any of the countless other wars America has been involved in since 1945.
Tie to end these two stupid wars of choice. One good point for our current president, he DID say Iraq was not a good war. No kidding?! Well, Mr. President, neither is Afghanistan. Yes, I know, he said it was a war of necessity. Well, he was wrong. Why not just say so and bring the troops home? Hell, it is easy. Just admit that he made a mistake. I have done that myself. It is how I was taught as a kid. Dad always told me that I should admit my mistakes and do my best to not repeat them. Let Go-bomb-them do the same. Act like an adult there Mr. President. You are only human, we all make mistakes.
Oh, and while you are out there bringing the troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan, bring them home from all the other 700+ bases we have in foreign countries. We do not need troops stationed all over the world. I'd allow for the Marine guards at our overseas embassies. They do provide security and they have a long tradition of doing so. They can stay on the job. The rest of our troops need to be here in America. It IS called the Department of Defense, NOT the Department of Defending other countries. Our troops should be in America defending America. NOT in bases around the world. That does not provide security to us, no way Jose.
It is way past time for us to give up this stupid idea of empire. Yes, I said empire. That IS what we have in fact people. If we don't have an empire, why do we "need" 700+ bases on foreign soil? Explain that one to me. Empire has bases in foreign countries, Constitutional republics have NO need for such crap.
America is NOT at all more secure due to all those bases and the two wars we are stuck in. If anything those things make us less secure, less safe. Even the top military brass admit that for every civilian we kill in Iraq and Afghanistan, we create at least one more "terrorist". I put terrorist in quotes there for a reason. Most of those who are fighting our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are NOT terrorists. They are just people who live in those countries and they do NOT want to have a foreign army as occupiers. How would WE like having some foreign army occupying America? You know damn well, we would NOT like it at all. OK, so why should other people like it when we occupy their country? Can you say "double standards"? Of course you can. We are NOT in either Afghanistan or Iraq to promote "democracy". We are in those countries for one thing and only one thing. Huge profits for the military-industrial-bankster-media complex. That is why "we" fight today, for profits, money. And lots and lots of money. It sure as hell is not for any "glory". I have been in war and there is NO "glory" in it at all. Yes, there is heroism and bravery, but no glory, none at all. War is just mass murder. And huge profits for those who never even wear a uniform who get rich from the bleeding and dying of others.
America likes to say it is a Christian nation. Well, as I remember it, Christ said something to the effect of "blessed are the peacemakers". I also recall him being quoted as saying things like "love your enemy" and also "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Well, do "we" want others to come and occupy America? Do we Christians? Remember Christians, actions speak louder than words. Yes, I AM calling you Christians out. Damn right I am. You claim to follow Christ, well show it. I am sick of hearing you Christians go on and on about Jesus and love but you never put it into actions. You should ALL of you Christians, be out emailing, phoning, and writing your Congress critters telling them to stop the wars. WHEn will you do so? I have done that and will continue to do so. When will the Christians step up?
Or is it just old heathens like me who speak out against illegal wars? America is a Christian nation? Well, PROVE it! Or else keep quiet about it.
One final comment on health care. I'm just waiting to see how much more of a cut I am going to have in my Social Security for my Medicare next year. Of course there will be no cost of living increase in Social Security next year. We knew that months ago. But, they have not said how much the Medicare deduction will go up yet. And don't forget that "wonderful" part D also. No doubt it will go up. It has every year so far. And if you have a Medicare supplement that will be going higher also. Count on it. All because our dear leader likes his phony "bi=partisanship" crap. He knows that the elephant gang will never admit he has done anything good. And they never will. The damn fool elephant gang is stuck on one thing only, "no". That is all they have, and maybe some hot air. Oh, and they still have the moose burger bimbo. She is out hyping her new book. Oh joy. Come on Mr. President, give this country a decent, true single payer national health care system. We are the only industrialized country without such a system. World wide America is, get this folks, number 37 in health care. 37!!! That means 36 other countries have better health care than we have. And with the shit coming from this Congress, it will only get worse. Stop listening to that damn "talk radio" and Faux Noise people. Demand national health care for every American. Period.
Oh, and happy turkey day to all.
