"Pledge For America" Directed By Corporate Lobbiest!

That, my friends, is not change we can believe in.

In a draft version of The Pledge that was being passed around to reporters before the official release, the document properties list ‘Wild, Brian’ as the ‘Author.’ A GOP source said that Wild — who is on House Minority Leader John Boehner’s payroll — did help author the governing platform that the party is unveiling on Thursday. Another aide said that as the executive director of the Republican leadership group American Speaking Out, Wild’s tasks were more on the administrative side of the operations.

Until early this year, Wild was a fairly active lobbyist on behalf of the firm the Nickles Group, the lobbying shop set up by the former Republican Senator from Oklahoma, Don Nickles. During his five years at the firm, Wild, among others, was paid $740,000 in lobbying contracts from AIG, the former insurance company at the heart of the financial collapse; $800,000 from energy giant Andarko Petroleum; more than $1.1 million from Comcast, more than $1.3 million from Exxon Mobil; and $625,000 from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. So, you think the pledge is really the voice of 'America'?



Since the New Deal, Republicans have been on the wrong side of every issue of concern to ordinary Americans; Social Security, the war in Vietnam, equal rights, civil liberties, church- state separation, consumer issues, public education, reproductive freedom, national health care, labor issues, gun policy, campaign-finance reform, the environment
and tax fairness. No political party could remain so consistently wrong by accident.
The only rational conclusion is that, despite their cynical "family values" propaganda, the Republican Party is a criminal conspiracy to betray the interests of the American people
in favor of plutocratic and corporate interests, and absolutist religious groups.


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Tax Cut the throat of Our Economy!

It's no secret that the rich and power-hungry Republicans are pressing for a full extension of President Bush's 2001 tax cuts -- including income tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. But they are now also including a push for a different set of "Big Daddy War-Bucks" Bush tax cuts -- passed in 2003 -- on capital gains and dividends.



The office of royal Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) is seeking signatures on a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- obtained by TPM -- asking for a full extension of both sets of tax cuts.

"We are writing to request the House consider legislation providing an up-or-down vote to extend the expiring provisions in The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (P.L.#107-16) and The "Jobs and Growth" {LOL} Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 (P.L.#108-27)," the letter reads.



The 2003 cuts are also set to expire at the end of the year. Kingston and his supporters want a vote on the entire basket before the House adjourns in October for election season. "We request an up-or-down vote on the expiring tax provisions before Congress recesses for the October District Work Period," the draft reads. "A balanced and open debate would give Members an opportunity to put their best ideas forward and develop a bipartisan solution for "creating jobs" {i.e. Create more wealth for the rich}."


Commenting on the letter, Kingston told TPM in an interview that the point isn't so much to win the entire policy fight as it is to show the demand for an open debate on the tax cuts, followed by an up-or-down vote on the consensus package.

"Whether it's the '01 or the '03, it wouldn't matter to me so long as we could get a good open debate," Kingston said shortly after filibustering the Dream Act.

It's no surprise that Republicans would want to see all of President Bush's tax cuts extended. In fact they've been fairly explicit about it. But the debate on Capitol Hill has been largely centered on the 2001 cuts, and this latest move represents a broadening of the GOP argument for high-income tax cuts.

Kingston says would likely oppose Pelosi if she used her power as Speaker to influence the outcome -- by, for instance, holding separate votes on middle-income and higher-income tax cuts.




"it would depend on what the tax cuts are," Kingston said. "If this was about class politics, and rewarding one group over another, I'm going to vote no." Wow, big surprise there! They really seem worried about the National Debt.



"Again it's trying to control the process, trying to be outcome focused rather than solution-oriented," Kingston lamented. "I, as a Republican, believe Democrats have a lot of good ideas. I believe a lot of Democrats think Republicans have good ideas.... Leadership in both parties squash both ideas."

"There are a lot of Democrats right now who want to have a vote on the Bush tax cuts in their full entirety."

Kingston's letter currently has 22 signatories, but hopes to land as many as 100.

Funny enough, Kingston may have Democratic support as well. As TPM first reported last week, Rep. John Adler (D-NJ) is also seeking an extension of many of the 2003 Bush tax cuts.

You can read the entire draft below.

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker

U.S.Capitol

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Speaker Pelosi:

We are writing to request the House consider legislation providing an up-or-down vote to extend the expiring provisions in The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (P.L.#107-16) and The Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 (P.L.#108-27).

If Congress fails to act before the end of the year, American families and small businesses will incur a $3.8 trillion tax increase- over $200 billion of which comes next year. This increase will hit millions of small businesses and threatens to take more money out of the private sector. The pending tax increase will impact every American who pays taxes. In addition to eliminating the lowest tax bracket, the tax increases include reinstating the marriage penalty, cutting the child tax credit and resurrecting the Estate Tax.

We request an up-or-down vote on the expiring tax provisions before Congress recesses for the October District Work Period. A balanced and open debate would give Members an opportunity to put their best ideas forward and develop a bipartisan solution for creating jobs. Thank you for your consideration.



It's a popular misconception that Republicans are concerned about our nation's debt problem. It's maybe less inaccurate to say they're concerned about government debt, but that's not really their root concern either, is it? In reality, it's the collective management of our resources they are opposed to, because this puts power in the hands of the people, not (business) corporations.
How have I arrived at this conclusion, you may ask? Because of the way they approach individual (personal) debt. Not only is that kind of debt "okay", Republicans go out of their way protecting their corporate masters' freedom to enslave us with usurial and wealth-destroying practices.
Before I go on, let's take a look at just where we stand financially. Forgive the age of this article (6 years old) and the source (dang Socialists):
US consumer debt has reached staggering levels after more than doubling over the past 10 years. According to the most recent figures from the Federal Reserve Board, consumer debt hit $1.98 trillion in October 2003, up from $1.5 trillion three years ago. This figure, representing credit card and car loan debt, but excluding mortgages, translates into approximately $18,700 per US household.
Outstanding consumer credit, including mortgage and other debt, reached $9.3 trillion in April 2003, representing an increase from $7 trillion in January 2000. The total credit card debt alone stands at $735 billion, with the household card debt of those who carry balances estimated to average $12,000.
I'm sure this comes as no surprise to most of you reading this. Nothing is more depressing than trying to add a few more dollars over the minimum payment on your credit card, just so you can pay it off a year or two before you move into an assisted living facility.
“But with debt levels substantially higher now than they were 20 years earlier, the household sector is more vulnerable now than in the past to rising interest rates,” according to the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal Washington, D.C., think tank. Americans currently spend a near-record 18.1 percent of their after-tax income to cover all debts, with debt service taking the biggest share of income from the lowest-income families.
“We’ve never had so many who owed so much,” said David Wyss, chief economist with Standard & Poor’s.
So yeah, it's a problem. A huge problem actually, and one that adversely impacts the lives of thousands on a daily basis. But instead of working towards solutions for this problem, such as curbing the out-of-control interest rates of predatory lenders, Republicans stubbornly oppose such interventions, and actually try to reshape the issue into either the "freedoms" mantra or one of economic growth:
All the fresh publicity about alleged dirty doings by Goldman Sachs, etc., is beside the point: Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) has produced a bill that skips over the real issues to focus on a Democratic bugaboo — supposedly abusive lending.
Thus, Dodd's bill fails to end bailouts, as many have noted. Instead, it adds new restrictions on credit — which are likely to cost our economy tens of thousands of jobs a year.
Reductions in credit directly result in declines in job creation. We know, for instance, that the two most common sources of funds for starting businesses are home-equity and credit-card debt. The bursting of the housing bubble largely eliminated the first option; now Washington is trying its best to kill the second.
Make no mistake: the pundits, think-tankers and Republican candidates for office know that personal debt is actually the real threat to our freedoms and prosperity, they just don't give a shit. And if you study connections like these, you'll understand why:
Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA): Established in 1999 to ensure consumer confidence in, and long-term success of, the payday advance industry. CFSA spent $2.5 million in lobbying in 2009.
Consumer Rights League: Founded in 2007 by Michael Flynn and Terry Kibbe. Last fall filed federal complaints against Center for Responsible Lending alleging lobbying violations, which have not been proven.
Defend America PAC: Led by U.S. Rep. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the ranking member on the House banking committee, this PAC from 2006-2010 has given $797,000 to Republican lawmakers, including $10,000 this election cycle to North Carolina Senator Richard Burr. Koch Industries has kicked in $5,000 to the PAC this year.
Michael Flynn: Editor of BigGovernment.com and co-founder of Consumer Rights League. Formerly worked for the Reason Foundation and Richard Berman's lobbying firm. Nicknamed "Dr. Evil," Berman has created dozens of pro-business front groups and websites including ActivistCash.com, which has attacked the Center for Responsible Lending, and Econ4U.org, which offers guidance on credit and payday loans.
This ain't rocket science folks, it's simple follow-the-money, conflict-of-interest, bought-and-paid-for corporate advocacy with ideological trappings. And if we're not careful, these snake-oil salesmen are going to sweep our democracy under the rug come November.
Run-of-the-mill Democratic voters out there might be struck with apathy this election season, but those of us who consider ourselves "informed activists" don't have that luxury. If you've read this far, that means you. Can I guarantee that your efforts will make a difference? Maybe not, but I can guarantee that your complacency will have terrible results!!!!



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American History Tea: the Rise of White Supremacy!

"Take these Tea Party Americans by the hand and help them go from crawling to standing independently and then walking toward racialism." - Stormfront member - "Whites Forward"

Not-so-uplifting news, from Cincinatti's WLWT:

Two local attacks with one word common to both -- skinheads. Skinheads manufacture fear as if it was a craft, mixing intimidation and violence. What makes all this even more unsettling is that they’re doing it right here in the Tri-State.

The most recent attack occurred in Covington in August. A resident who asked to remain unidentified said, “I’ve never felt like I’ve had to worry about my safety around here until recently.”

The Covington community around MainStrasse has several gay bars and very little trouble. That’s why people there were surprised when a man tattooed with Nazi swastikas, along with a couple of his friends, was charged with beating two women outside of a gay bar. Police said the attackers shouted anti-gay slurs in the process of knocking the women to the ground and hitting them.

Devlin Burke is the tattooed man accused of leading the attack. He’s also charged with cutting a bystander who saw the attack and stopped to help the victims, sending that man to the hospital.

Not all of them are violent skinheads. Out on the other side of the country, in San Diego, they're trying to pose as normal white folks:

The former Army Ranger and small-business owner is wearing a plaid ivy cap over a shaved head. His T-shirt advertises “American Third Position: Liberty, Sovereignty, Identity.”

Though he asked CityBeat to withhold his surname, Damon is open about his views. He believes the government doesn’t represent the common man, that immigrants are a threat to public safety and employment (particularly in San Diego County, where he grew up) and that white Americans must become conscious of their race. He doesn’t censor himself when a server walks by, and he pays no mind to the customers a few tables over. That’s the point of American Third Position—it’s white nationalism packaged for a mainstream audience.

Damon wasn’t always so tempered with his rhetoric. He was involved with neo-Nazi groups in the past—he has protested, pamphleteered and brawled. “In my youth, like I think a lot of people are, I was just at odds with the world, and you get a little angry and you move with that because it’s kinda all you know,” he says. “As I got older and a little wiser, I saw that what I was doing wasn’t really reaching the regular white guy on the street.”

Damon first came to CityBeat’s attention through the Stormfront.org message board, the central online forum for the full spectrum of white nationalists, from Minutemen to skinheads. Damon participates under the username Cycoville. On his user profile, he identifies himself as “1/2 IRISH 1/2 SCOTTISH 100% CELTIC WARRIOR” and describes where lives as an “island of WHITE in a sea of mud.”

In May, Stormfront members from San Diego, including Damon, formed their own online “social group” to organize barbecues, hikes and a day trip to the Scottish Highland Games and Clan Gathering in Vista. But when one local neo-Nazi tried to use the forum to recruit members for protests against LGBT events—including “Out in Petco Park” on July 1 and San Diego Pride on July 17—Damon was quick to smack down the idea.

“If we want this movement to grow and work, we need to awaken the slumbering White Nationalists, the regular folks, and that doesn’t happen when we go and yell ni99er and fa66ot,” Damon responded on the site. “Makes us look like a bunch of ignorant a$$holes, and who want’s [sic] to be an A## Hole? I sure don’t.”

Damon told the user to be patient; San Diego’s white nationalists have something in the works—American Third Position or A3P.

This kind of mainstreaming has also been popular with Patriot/militia types as well.

It's all camouflage for the same old hate. But with the Tea Parties and right-wing pundits making overt racism fashionable again, it's not any surprise they're coming out of the woodwork again.

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GOP Cock Block Repeal!

The United States Senate voted to block discussion of the 2011 defense authorization bill on Tuesday, effectively halting the passing of the DREAM Act, which would have created a new route to citizenship for certain illegal immigrants, and the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
The Senate voted 56-43 to begin debate on the bill, falling short of the 60 votes needed. Following the tally, Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who sponsored the bill, expressed his displeasure with the homophobic GOP's lockstep, according to WBEZ.com.
"Where is the justice in this decision? At least have the courage to let us bring this matter to the floor, and stand up and vote 'no'," said Durbin, quoted by the news provider. "But to hide behind this procedural ruse — this unanimous consent request — is totally unfair."
The DREAM Act amendment, if passed, would have allowed immigrants who came to the U.S. as children to gain citizenship if they met specific requirements, such as graduating from high school or pursuing military service.
The "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy bans openly gay, lesbian or bisexual Americans from enlisting in the military. The Pentagon is working on a review to determine the impact a repeal of DADT would have on the military.


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Back to the Bush Agenda?

It's no surprise that congressional Democrats are in trouble this year. Historically, the president's party loses seats in mid-term elections. Throw in a stubbornly sluggish recovery to a very deep recession, high unemployment, President Obama's rapidly diminishing popularity and growing dissatisfaction with everything related to Washington, D.C., and you've got a recipe for a very bad November for Democrats.
What's inexplicable is that it could possibly be a good year for Republicans.
Actually, it isn't inexplicable. It's an inevitable outcome of the United States' completely dysfunctional two-party system.
One party's misfortune necessarily means the other party's fortune. What other choice is there for Americans tired of the party in charge?
Still, other than not being Democrats, Republicans are bringing precious little to the table this year in terms of an actual agenda to sell themselves to voters.
There's no Contract for America spelling out what the GOP hopes to accomplish if it retakes Congress. No, as far as Republicans are concerned, November should be a referendum on Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
And that's fine, but don't voters have a right to know what Republicans might actually want to accomplish -- beyond, of course, empty promises to repeal the Affordable Care Act and the recently passed Wall Street reform?
Well, according to Republican leaders, no. No, they don't.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, ROhio, sat down with Washington Post reporter Dan Balz, who asked what voters could expect if Republicans took back Congress. Boehner promised budget cuts but offered no specifics about what Republicans would cut. He promised entitlements would be reformed but did not say how. Balz asked if Republicans would push to privatize Social Security again, and Boehner replied, "I have no idea."
Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y., had this to say about the elusive Republican agenda: "I don't think we have to lay out a complete agenda -- from top to bottom -- because then we would have the national mainstream media jumping on every point trying to make that a campaign issue."
Certainly having your party's agenda become a campaign issue could be problematic, especially if your agenda appears to be a return to the thoroughly rejected policies of the past that most Americans believe are responsible for the nation's current economic predicament.
From all indications that Republicans have let slip, that, astoundingly enough, appears to be the plan: The GOP wants to reinstate the Bush agenda.
On a recent broadcast of "Meet the Press," National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Jon Cornyn were asked to name a difference between Republicans' current agenda and the Bush agenda.
Sessions said, "We need to go back to the exact same agenda that is empowering the free enterprise system rather than diminishing it." Because that worked out so well the first time?
Let's take a look at the Bush agenda and how it compares to what Republicans are pushing now:
Budget-busting tax breaks for the wealthy? Check. Republicans say they want to extend the Bush tax breaks into the next decade, despite having no intention of paying for the nearly $700 billion price tag for keeping the tax breaks for the richest Americans.
Minimal regulation of industry and commerce? Check. In fact, Boehner called for a one-year moratorium on any new federal regulations.
And, well, that's about it. The Republican agenda can be summed up as tax cuts, deregulation and a vague promise to be more fiscally responsible -- a promise Republicans utterly failed to keep last time America trusted them with power.
Certainly Americans do not have such short memories. They must recognize that the last time we tried this strategy the nation's economy nearly collapsed.
But the recovery from that near-collapse is slow. Americans, as usual, seem ready to take out their frustration over a poor economy on the party in power leaving the only choice to reward the other major party -- even though a recent Bloomberg National Poll found that voters believe President Bush's policies are more to blame for that poor economy than Obama's.


In a rational world, voters would never hand back the reins of power to a party that wants to return to failed policies.
Then again, in a rational world, there might be more than two real choices.


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Red Team Hate!

Hate does seem to be a pretty big deal for the Red Team. The GOP and all of its sundry followers/fans/enablers seems, now more than ever, to be defined by nothing other than who and what they hate. Start with Democrats, "liberals," "the Left" and work your way from there through every corner of American life and culture that tends not to vote Republican; gays, nonwhite immigrants, Muslims, non-Christians, the poor, organized labor, teachers, professors, lawyers, journalists, Hollywood, non-country musicians, Europe ...

But there's also a tendency on that team to talk an awful lot about what other people hate; "Liberals hate America!" "John Kerry hates the troops!" "Democrats hate capitalism!" "Obama hates white people!" That's why Beck's famous comment didn't bother me so much; I spent most of Bush's term hearing my right-wing friends (some of whom are now ex-friends) tell me that I had a "deep-seeded hatred" for something or other, because, you know, anyone who didn't worship Mr. Bush had a "deep-seeded hatred" of America, or the troops, or the military, or freedom, or democracy, or the Constitution, or capitalism, or Israel...

It's obvious to me why the Red Team is so wrong about the Blue Team, and everyone else who is not on the Red Team; they project the way they think onto us.


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The Main Street Party!

We need to start a new party. One that's based on being anti-corporation. Fighting to bring back small business and gets rid of legislation and policy that favors corporate corruption. I'd call it 'the Main Street Party'.
A party that erases partisan ideology and brings opportunity back to mankind like it was a hundred years ago in America. A party that would revive the American dream. A party that would put the quality of life over profit. A party that would build an economy around green technologies and thrive from it.
If this sounds right to you then let's get this party started!


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We Need Enemies To Be At Peace

-A Lesson In Life From The Dalai Lama-


So if we truly wish to learn, we should consider enemies to be our best teacher!
Friends and Enemies
I must emphasize again that merely thinking that compassion and reason and patience are good will not be enough to develop them. We must wait for difficulties to arise and then attempt to practice them. And who creates such opportunities? Not our friends, of course, but our enemies. They are the ones who give us the most trouble, So if we truly wish to learn, we should consider enemies to be our best teacher!

Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts. -Buddha
For a person who cherishes compassion and love, the practice of tolerance is essential, and for that, an enemy is indispensable. So we should feel grateful to our enemies, for it is they who can best help us develop a tranquil mind! Also, it is often the case in both personal and public life, that with a change in circumstances, enemies become friends.
So anger and hatred are always harmful, and unless we train our minds and work to reduce their negative force, they will continue to disturb us and disrupt our attempts to develop a calm mind. Anger and hatred are our real enemies. These are the forces we most need to confront and defeat, not the temporary enemies who appear intermittently throughout life.
Of course, it is natural and right that we all want friends. I often joke that if you really want to be selfish, you should be very altruistic! You should take good care of others, be concerned for their welfare, help them, serve them, make more friends, make more smiles, The result? When you yourself need help, you find plenty of helpers! If, on the other hand, you neglect the happiness of others, in the long term you will be the loser. And is friendship produced through quarrels and anger, jealousy and intense competitiveness? I do not think so. Only affection brings us genuine close friends.


It is often the case in both personal and public life, that with a change in circumstances, enemies become friends.
In today’s materialistic society, if you have money and power, you seem to have many friends. But they are not friends of yours; they are the friends of your money and power. When you lose your wealth and influence, you will find it very difficult to track these people down.
The trouble is that when things in the world go well for us, we become confident that we can manage by ourselves and feel we do not need friends, but as our status and health decline, we quickly realize how wrong we were. That is the moment when we learn who is really helpful and who is completely useless. So to prepare for that moment, to make genuine friends who will help us when the need arises, we ourselves must cultivate altruism!

If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work. -Thich Nhat Hanh

Though sometimes people laugh when I say it, I myself always want more friends. I love smiles. Because of this I have the problem of knowing how to make more friends and how to get more smiles, in particular, genuine smiles. For there are many kinds of smile, such as sarcastic, artificial or diplomatic smiles. Many smiles produce no feeling of satisfaction, and sometimes they can even create suspicion or fear, can’t they? But a genuine smile really gives us a feeling of freshness and is, I believe, unique to human beings. If these are the smiles we want, then we ourselves must create the reasons for them to appear. -Dalai Lama from Compassion and the Individual.


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Angry Rich People Are Not 'Populists'

BY karoli CROOKS AND LIARS
SEPTEMBER 20, 2010

At last, someone has seen the Emperor's New Clothes and called them what they are. Paul Krugman tears down the myth of the 'angry populist movement' and gives a peek into who they really are.

Yet if you want to find real political rage — the kind of rage that makes people compare President Obama to Hitler, or accuse him of treason — you won’t find it among these suffering Americans. You’ll find it instead among the very privileged, people who don’t have to worry about losing their jobs, their homes, or their health insurance, but who are outraged, outraged, at the thought of paying modestly higher taxes.

The rage of the rich has been building ever since Mr. Obama took office.

[...]

For one thing, craziness has gone mainstream. It’s one thing when a billionaire rants at a dinner event. It’s another when Forbes magazine runs a cover story alleging that the president of the United States is deliberately trying to bring America down as part of his Kenyan, “anticolonialist” agenda, that “the U.S. is being ruled according to the dreams of a Luo tribesman of the 1950s.” When it comes to defending the interests of the rich, it seems, the normal rules of civilized (and rational) discourse no longer apply.

At the same time, self-pity among the privileged has become acceptable, even fashionable.

Oh, those poor, poor babies, having to pay higher taxes after enjoying some of the lowest historical tax rates ever. And the little darlings seem to have short memories, too, because they can't seem to process facts very well. Especially facts that show empirically and beyond all doubt that higher tax rates actually make them richer, not poorer.

And when the tax fight is over, one way or another, you can be sure that the people currently defending the incomes of the elite will go back to demanding cuts in Social Security and aid to the unemployed. America must make hard choices, they’ll say; we all have to be willing to make sacrifices.

But when they say “we,” they mean “you.” Sacrifice is for the little people.

Oh yeah. I forgot. :)



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The Tea Puppets!

I must have missed that section of the US Constitution where Thomas Jefferson promised upper-class tax cuts and no religious buildings for brown people. The Tea Party is rewriting history to suit their needs. After two years of these hyper-patriot anti-everything nuts came to be, most of America still doesn't understand what these people are.
The Tea Party is nothing new. It is merely the latest incarnation of the right-wing fringe that predictably overheats whenever a left-of-center reformer is elected to the presidency. It was the John Birch Society and the National Indignation Convention in the early 1960s, the Moral Majority and other “New Right” groups in the late 1970s, and Rush Limbaugh’s “dittoheads” and the militia movement in the 1990s.
Only, this group has been molded and shaped by the mouth of corporate media. The ratings hungry talking heads have jammed their ideology in the ears of white American cowards, creating the monsters you see today. Theyre creating a huge barrier around the rich and powerful corporate gang of thugs, all the while taking America to the poorhouse.
The number of people living in poverty has climbed to 14.3 percent of Americans, with the ranks of working-age poor reaching the highest level since at least 1965.
The Census Bureau says that about 43.6 million people, or 1 in 7, were in poverty last year. That’s up from 39.8 million, or 13.2 percent, in 2008.
The number of people lacking health insurance rose from 46.3 million to 50.7 million, due mostly to the loss of employer-provided health insurance during the recession.
And Republicans are running on a platform of repealing the health care bill and blocking tax cuts for 98% of Americans. Too surreal for words. The rich won't be happy until the poor are dead and the middle-class a thing of the past (and I'm starting to believe that's the end goal)!
In an interview with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show former President Bill Clinton explained and broke down the true purpose of the Tea Party. Clinton said that Tea Partiers are pawns in a game and, “The people that are funding this Tea Party are trying to weaken the government… so that they can have unaccountable private power.” We need to snap these tea-baggers out of their trance; if they really care about America they would go after the real threat.....Corporations!



The 'Original Tea Party' fought against corporate influence over government:

...At the same time, there was commercial stagnation and trade depression throughout Europe following the lull in the post-Industrial Revolution period. The desperate directors of the company attempted to avert bankruptcy by appealing to Parliament for financial help. This led to the passing of the Tea Act in 1773, which gave the Company greater autonomy in running its trade in America, and allowed it an exemption from the tea tax-which its colonial competitors were required to pay. When the American colonists, who included tea merchants, were told of the act, they tried to boycott it, claiming that, although the price had gone down on the tea when enforcing the act, it was a tax all the same, and the king should not have the right to just have a tax for no apparent reason. The arrival of tax-exempt Company tea, undercutting the local merchants, triggered the Boston Tea Party in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, one of the major events leading up to the American Revolution.

The East India Trading Company lobbied parliament so that they could be tax exempt, while destroying their smaller American competitors. Bailing out 'too big to fail' corporations. It would be like Wal-Mart lobbying for tax breaks and legislation that would favor the corporation (like Citizens United), while they step on small businesses and bankrupt them! Who's the REAL TEA PARTY? I believe it's the progressives who are actively protesting against the open door between Wall Street and Capital Hill!


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Red Turns Green: China Surpasses America

What a contrast. In a year that's on track to be our planet's hottest on record, America turned "climate change" into a four-letter word that many U.S. politicians won't even dare utter in public. If this were just some parlor game, it wouldn't matter. But the totally bogus "discrediting" of climate science has had serious implications. For starters, it helped scuttle Senate passage of the energy-climate bill needed to scale U.S.-made clean technologies, leaving America at a distinct disadvantage in the next great global industry. And that brings me to the contrast: While American Republicans were turning climate change into a wedge issue, the Chinese Communists were turning it into a work issue.

"There is really no debate about climate change in China," said Peggy Liu, chairwoman of the Joint U.S.-China Collaboration on Clean Energy, a nonprofit group working to accelerate the greening of China. "China's leaders are mostly engineers and scientists, so they don't waste time questioning scientific data." The push for green in China, she added, "is a practical discussion on health and wealth. There is no need to emphasize future consequences when people already see, eat and breathe pollution every day."

And because runaway pollution in China means wasted lives, air, water, ecosystems and money - and wasted money means fewer jobs and more political instability - China's leaders would never go a year (like we will) without energy legislation mandating new ways to do more with less. It's a three-for-one shot for them. By becoming more energy efficient per unit of G.D.P., China saves money, takes the lead in the next great global industry and earns credit with the world for mitigating climate change.

So while America's Republicans turned "climate change" into a four-letter word - J-O-K-E - China's Communists also turned it into a four-letter word - J-O-B-S.







A Wind Power Field Near Xinxiang, China Chris Lim




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