Don't just sit by and watch your Democracy as if it was a bad TV show. Take a few minutes to participate in it!
It is time to contact Obama and other Democratic leaders to get them fired up to take on the Republicans before the mid-term elections. You can call Obama at: 202-456-1111 to leave a comment and you can email him by clicking here.
This is what I said when I called:
"This is Obama's last chance to energize the Democratic base and get them to the polls by truly standing up to the Republicans and the corporations they represent. Obama was elected by a wave of popular support and we need him to lead like a populist leader. The Republicans will lie and obstruct to cause the Democrats to look bad and the Democrats need to go on the offensive and not let the Republicans frame the debate."
and because I prefer to be more wordy, this is what I emailed to the White House: (click here to email the White House)
"Obama, it is your last chance to fight for the people who elected you! You must stand up now against the Republicans and corporations and do so with action, not just words.
I worked hard to get you elected. I hit the pavement and my wallet in your support. It is clear you have tried to lead this country in a bipartisan manner, which I respect in principle. However the Republicans and Conservatives who have created the problems we now face have only one goal in mind and that is the defeat of the Democrats. They are willing to lie and obstruct to prevent our government from solving the problems we face in order to get elected. An odd strategy that seems to be working.
In your centrist governing style you have failed to make changes that your base feel are important. On the economy, health care, the wars, climate change, you name it, where you have gotten laws passed they are so watered down that many do not see them as much change at all. The democratic base is not fired up by your actions and this could prove devastating in the upcoming elections both for the Democrats and our country.
You need to take on the Republicans and the corporations for which they stand. If you do, you will have powerful influences against you but you will have the majority of the American people at your back. It is your last chance to stand up and fight hard for the working majority in this country - you were elected under a wave of popular support, now you need to govern like a true populist, or I fear you may not be governing for long."
Friday, September 10, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
the upcoming (extremely important) elections
Lots of news has been on my mind lately but I have not had time to write about it. I am also trying not to just bombard people with bad news (although we should be aware of what is happening) and rather write about positive things or at least areas where action is needed and possible.
Well voting is one of the most important things each of us can do to have an impact on the country and world in which we live. So I just want everyone to get excited about participating in the upcoming elections and to spread the word that people must get out and vote. This is an EXTREMELY important election.
Now I know excitement for voting is up for those energized by the fact we have Democrats in the Whitehouse and in the majority in congress. Unfortunately for the Democrats (and our country and world) those folks who are energized are the ones who are on the right side of the political spectrum.
The Democrats have been governing from the corporate middle - trying to appease corporate interests and gain Republican support - while at the same time trying to tackle some huge problems - health care, wars, recessions, climate change, etc. This has not gained them support from the right as the Republicans do everything to make the Democrats fail, knowing that if the government fails, Dems will be blamed, and the Republicans will have a better chance in fall elections. Proving that the Republicans are great at winning elections and horrible at governing.
A perfect example of this was the health care bill. The bill went to extreme lengths to make health care companies happy and it was nearly identical to the bill proposed by Republicans many times in the past. Yet nowt that the Democrats tried to pass it the Republicans refused to support it and in fact attacked it with such lies as "Death Panels" and that it is a "government takeover" of health care.
This style of governing by the Dems, while not gaining support from the right, has caused them to lose support from the left. Those on the left see many of the problems such as the economy and health care as being rooted in corporate greed, meaning to fix these things you cannot be on the side of the corporations as many of the Dems are.
Progressives, myself included, are disappointed by the fact that the Democrats are not pushing for a more populist, progressive agenda and many are not fired up to vote for the Democrats - some will not vote, perhaps some will vote for a third party.
This is the Democrats fault and may be their downfall but it is essential that we do what we can to prevent the Democrats from paying the price for their lame political maneuvering.
The Republicans and conservative Democrats have created the problems we now face by cutting taxes which created our deficit, starting wars that increased it, pushing deregulation that led to the recession, oil spills, salmonella outbreaks, etc. Their strategy of dealing with the deficit is to cut programs that help the poor and middle class - health care, education, social security, housing, etc. And they want to cut taxes further and push more deregulation - further entrenching our problems.
So the Republicans screw it up, the Dems take charge, the Republicans prevent the Dems from fixing the problems by obstructing congress completely, they blame the Dems for the problems since they are in charge, the Republicans plan to do more of what caused the problems if they get elected, and it looks like this strategy might translate into a Republican sweep in November. A sad statement of Americans.
We cannot let it happen - we must work hard to get the Dems elected and we must be proud to vote for them. Even though for me I am mainly voting against the Republicans, I am proud and excited to cast my vote against the party that is destroying this country.
To those who say the Dems and Republicans are the same, here are a few illustrations why this is false:
When the Democrats recently passed a law to give money to local governments to prevent the lay off of teachers, firefighters, etc and to pay for it by closing corporate tax loopholes they had to pass it despite Republican efforts to stop it.
Recently the Democrats, in reaction to the recent supreme court decision that corporations can donate unlimited money to political campaigns, tried to pass a law saying that at least the corporation must disclose to which political campaigns they are donating. The republicans blocked it.
The Democrats have tried to close many loop holes in the corporate tax code to make corporations return to paying taxes like they did a decade or two ago (this could reduce the deficit by hundreds of billions or trillions of dollars) - the Republicans fight them every time (so much for fiscal conservatives).
Obama wants to let the Bush tax cuts for the top 2% expire - (I think for a total of about 800 million dollars) - the Republicans vow to fight him.
The list can go on and on and on.
The Democrats in congress are diverse - there are progressives and conservatives - they do not always agree and rarely do they all agree. This is because they represent America. The Republicans in congress almost always vote united, this is because they represent a narrow agenda - that of the corporate super rich of the world. (of the world because more and more of them are moving to places like Dubai as they destroy this country and take its wealth with them)
We need more Democrats in government and less Republicans. Period. In primaries push for more progressive Democrats but we need to embrace the democratic party as our best hope for the future and keep these poisonous Republicans out.
The Republicans running (and maybe winning) this November are pushing for things like the abolition of social security and public education. Meg Whitman promises further cuts in California, a state that has been shredded already. 'Downsize government and help business' is their motto. Problem is they only downsize government social programs - still spending crazy amounts of money on private jails, military occupation, etc and by helping business like Carly Fiorina's Hewlett Packard offshore tens of thousands of jobs and offshore their banking so they pay no taxes in the US. Corporations used to contribute 33% of the Federal Budget and now they contribute just 12%. No wonder our country is broke and the CEOs of these companies are so wealthy they are financing their own political campaigns.
And Let's not forget that by downsizing government they mean fire workers - sounds like a great idea when we are fighting unemployment. Government jobs are the bulk of the jobs out there since corporations chose to employ people in other countries when they can.
As usual, I have rambled more than enough...
God help us of the Republicans take control of congress - please help get out the vote for the Democrats.
Well voting is one of the most important things each of us can do to have an impact on the country and world in which we live. So I just want everyone to get excited about participating in the upcoming elections and to spread the word that people must get out and vote. This is an EXTREMELY important election.
Now I know excitement for voting is up for those energized by the fact we have Democrats in the Whitehouse and in the majority in congress. Unfortunately for the Democrats (and our country and world) those folks who are energized are the ones who are on the right side of the political spectrum.
The Democrats have been governing from the corporate middle - trying to appease corporate interests and gain Republican support - while at the same time trying to tackle some huge problems - health care, wars, recessions, climate change, etc. This has not gained them support from the right as the Republicans do everything to make the Democrats fail, knowing that if the government fails, Dems will be blamed, and the Republicans will have a better chance in fall elections. Proving that the Republicans are great at winning elections and horrible at governing.
A perfect example of this was the health care bill. The bill went to extreme lengths to make health care companies happy and it was nearly identical to the bill proposed by Republicans many times in the past. Yet nowt that the Democrats tried to pass it the Republicans refused to support it and in fact attacked it with such lies as "Death Panels" and that it is a "government takeover" of health care.
This style of governing by the Dems, while not gaining support from the right, has caused them to lose support from the left. Those on the left see many of the problems such as the economy and health care as being rooted in corporate greed, meaning to fix these things you cannot be on the side of the corporations as many of the Dems are.
Progressives, myself included, are disappointed by the fact that the Democrats are not pushing for a more populist, progressive agenda and many are not fired up to vote for the Democrats - some will not vote, perhaps some will vote for a third party.
This is the Democrats fault and may be their downfall but it is essential that we do what we can to prevent the Democrats from paying the price for their lame political maneuvering.
The Republicans and conservative Democrats have created the problems we now face by cutting taxes which created our deficit, starting wars that increased it, pushing deregulation that led to the recession, oil spills, salmonella outbreaks, etc. Their strategy of dealing with the deficit is to cut programs that help the poor and middle class - health care, education, social security, housing, etc. And they want to cut taxes further and push more deregulation - further entrenching our problems.
So the Republicans screw it up, the Dems take charge, the Republicans prevent the Dems from fixing the problems by obstructing congress completely, they blame the Dems for the problems since they are in charge, the Republicans plan to do more of what caused the problems if they get elected, and it looks like this strategy might translate into a Republican sweep in November. A sad statement of Americans.
We cannot let it happen - we must work hard to get the Dems elected and we must be proud to vote for them. Even though for me I am mainly voting against the Republicans, I am proud and excited to cast my vote against the party that is destroying this country.
To those who say the Dems and Republicans are the same, here are a few illustrations why this is false:
When the Democrats recently passed a law to give money to local governments to prevent the lay off of teachers, firefighters, etc and to pay for it by closing corporate tax loopholes they had to pass it despite Republican efforts to stop it.
Recently the Democrats, in reaction to the recent supreme court decision that corporations can donate unlimited money to political campaigns, tried to pass a law saying that at least the corporation must disclose to which political campaigns they are donating. The republicans blocked it.
The Democrats have tried to close many loop holes in the corporate tax code to make corporations return to paying taxes like they did a decade or two ago (this could reduce the deficit by hundreds of billions or trillions of dollars) - the Republicans fight them every time (so much for fiscal conservatives).
Obama wants to let the Bush tax cuts for the top 2% expire - (I think for a total of about 800 million dollars) - the Republicans vow to fight him.
The list can go on and on and on.
The Democrats in congress are diverse - there are progressives and conservatives - they do not always agree and rarely do they all agree. This is because they represent America. The Republicans in congress almost always vote united, this is because they represent a narrow agenda - that of the corporate super rich of the world. (of the world because more and more of them are moving to places like Dubai as they destroy this country and take its wealth with them)
We need more Democrats in government and less Republicans. Period. In primaries push for more progressive Democrats but we need to embrace the democratic party as our best hope for the future and keep these poisonous Republicans out.
The Republicans running (and maybe winning) this November are pushing for things like the abolition of social security and public education. Meg Whitman promises further cuts in California, a state that has been shredded already. 'Downsize government and help business' is their motto. Problem is they only downsize government social programs - still spending crazy amounts of money on private jails, military occupation, etc and by helping business like Carly Fiorina's Hewlett Packard offshore tens of thousands of jobs and offshore their banking so they pay no taxes in the US. Corporations used to contribute 33% of the Federal Budget and now they contribute just 12%. No wonder our country is broke and the CEOs of these companies are so wealthy they are financing their own political campaigns.
And Let's not forget that by downsizing government they mean fire workers - sounds like a great idea when we are fighting unemployment. Government jobs are the bulk of the jobs out there since corporations chose to employ people in other countries when they can.
As usual, I have rambled more than enough...
God help us of the Republicans take control of congress - please help get out the vote for the Democrats.
Monday, June 7, 2010
How to vote in California on June 8th.
How to vote in California on June 8th.
(I wrote this weeks ago, I guess I better get it out...)
I just read my ballot and I am fired up. I cannot believe the anti tax people. But I will get to that later.
I am registered Green so I will not go into the candidates in my primary. If you are Republican, well I heard today that Dick Cheney endorsed Meg Whitman. That is enough for me to wish I was registered Republican so I could vote against her. I was shopping at Goodwill in the mission district of San Francisco the other day and the music playing stopped and I heard a woman's voice: "I will CRACK DOWN on illegal immigrants and I will CRACK DOWN on sanctuary cities like San Francisco!!" It was an odd thing to hear, and the tone of voice was driving home fear. It was Meg Whitman. I screamed out in the Goodwill "Oh no! She's coming to crack down on us!"
State Propositions:
Prop 13: Yes, Prevent people from having an excuse not to do improvements for earthquakes
Prop 14: NO. This will eliminate 3rd parties. Top two vote getters go to the final election regardless of party. You will never get to vote for a 3rd party again. Party members should be able to select their candidate.
Prop 15: Yes: The beginning of campaign finance reform.
Prop 16: NO NO NO NO NO NO This was put up by PG$E who does not want green renewable competition! Marin, for instance, wants to provide consumers with a choice of green energy and this prop. would prevent that. It takes away the competition that capitalism is supposed to be based on.
Prop 17: NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO This means that someone who helped out the world by not driving for a few years would have to pay more than someone who has continuously clogged our streets and polluted our skies. If you commuted by bike for a few years or traveled over seas or served in Iraq you should not pay more for insurance!
Well just a quick note on the anti tax people on my ballot. We are trying to pass a local parcel tax of $150 to make up some of the money that the state cut from our local schools - if it passes we hire back the teachers we fired this spring, if it fails Noah will be in a class of 30 kids with one teacher, instead of 20.
Now the Community Colleges of our County are also trying to pass a parcel tax of $34 a year to make up for their cut budgets. The argument against it cries - We pay enough tax already!!!! Give me a break - $34 a year on a parcel in one of the most richest counties in the Country. The community college is key to giving education to people who will become working tax payers. Keep them uneducated and they will make less money, require more government assistance, and pay less taxes. You get what you pay for and if you don't want to live in a 3rd world country we need to pay taxes so our government can function.
(I wrote this weeks ago, I guess I better get it out...)
I just read my ballot and I am fired up. I cannot believe the anti tax people. But I will get to that later.
I am registered Green so I will not go into the candidates in my primary. If you are Republican, well I heard today that Dick Cheney endorsed Meg Whitman. That is enough for me to wish I was registered Republican so I could vote against her. I was shopping at Goodwill in the mission district of San Francisco the other day and the music playing stopped and I heard a woman's voice: "I will CRACK DOWN on illegal immigrants and I will CRACK DOWN on sanctuary cities like San Francisco!!" It was an odd thing to hear, and the tone of voice was driving home fear. It was Meg Whitman. I screamed out in the Goodwill "Oh no! She's coming to crack down on us!"
State Propositions:
Prop 13: Yes, Prevent people from having an excuse not to do improvements for earthquakes
Prop 14: NO. This will eliminate 3rd parties. Top two vote getters go to the final election regardless of party. You will never get to vote for a 3rd party again. Party members should be able to select their candidate.
Prop 15: Yes: The beginning of campaign finance reform.
Prop 16: NO NO NO NO NO NO This was put up by PG$E who does not want green renewable competition! Marin, for instance, wants to provide consumers with a choice of green energy and this prop. would prevent that. It takes away the competition that capitalism is supposed to be based on.
Prop 17: NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO This means that someone who helped out the world by not driving for a few years would have to pay more than someone who has continuously clogged our streets and polluted our skies. If you commuted by bike for a few years or traveled over seas or served in Iraq you should not pay more for insurance!
Well just a quick note on the anti tax people on my ballot. We are trying to pass a local parcel tax of $150 to make up some of the money that the state cut from our local schools - if it passes we hire back the teachers we fired this spring, if it fails Noah will be in a class of 30 kids with one teacher, instead of 20.
Now the Community Colleges of our County are also trying to pass a parcel tax of $34 a year to make up for their cut budgets. The argument against it cries - We pay enough tax already!!!! Give me a break - $34 a year on a parcel in one of the most richest counties in the Country. The community college is key to giving education to people who will become working tax payers. Keep them uneducated and they will make less money, require more government assistance, and pay less taxes. You get what you pay for and if you don't want to live in a 3rd world country we need to pay taxes so our government can function.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Dear Obama, This is Your Chance
Dear President Obama,
Presidents are often defined by how they deal with unforeseen events. The Gulf Oil spill is now your opportunity to define your Presidency.
I voted for you and recognize many of the changes you have made in the way our government works. You have had to deal with many challenges left to you by previous administrations. In addressing these challenges you have failed to make the fundamental changes which would address the root cause of these problems. The question you need to ask yourself, is should the Federal Government fight to protect the interests of its citizens and the world in which we live or should it work to protect the unlimited power and greed of the corporate elite?
The BP Oil Spill is another example of how the past 30 years of deregulation and laissez-faire policies by the government has had devestating results. Three weeks before the blow out you said new drilling technology is safer. You failed to mention that although Canada, Norway, and Brazil require this safe technology, we do not. In fact BP admittedly did not even possess the tools to deal with an accident nor did they even have a plan of what to do.
Deregulation led to our economic crisis yet you kept those responsible for these policies in charge of our economy. The Health Insurance Industry has made health care unaffordable to many Americans yet you failed to address this problem. Massey Energy, private military contractors, the pharmaceutical industry, the energy industry. You name it, the power and control they have over the Federal Government is dangerous. Just as BP is demonstrating again (this is not their first case of criminal negligence as you must know) that left on their own, corporations do not look to the future nor do they have any reason to care about people or the environment. They care about profits. The role of the government is to make laws and make sure the corporations act responsibly.
It is time you deliver true change - especially if you want people like myself who worked hard for your election to be motivated to go to the poles in support of you and your party again. I am a green party member who may have to return to my party.
You need to return true balance to the Federal Government. This does not mean compromise with the corporate conservatives. Compromising with them basically gives them what they want. Health Care and Wall Street reform are great examples. If you want to provide balance you need to fight for the people and the environment - the corporate class and their lobbyists have more than enough power. We need you to take them head on and return reason to this country. Historically you have many bold, transformative Presidents from whom to draw inspiration.
A criminal investigation into BP is a start. Bringing back common sense regulations over industry - look at what other countries do to require safer oil drilling. But then you need to apply this across the board. Every issue facing our nation - national security, food security, water security, economic security, environmental security, energy security - they are all pitting uncontrolled corporate greed against the interests of humanity and the global environment. Corporations can still exist, do business, and make their CEOs and investors incredibly wealthy, but they need to be given LIMITS and rules under which they are allowed to operate.
Obama, it is time for you to lead, time for you to deliver the CHANGE those of us who voted for you were HOPING for. I still have the audacity to hope.
Danny Boyer
Half Moon Bay, CA
Presidents are often defined by how they deal with unforeseen events. The Gulf Oil spill is now your opportunity to define your Presidency.
I voted for you and recognize many of the changes you have made in the way our government works. You have had to deal with many challenges left to you by previous administrations. In addressing these challenges you have failed to make the fundamental changes which would address the root cause of these problems. The question you need to ask yourself, is should the Federal Government fight to protect the interests of its citizens and the world in which we live or should it work to protect the unlimited power and greed of the corporate elite?
The BP Oil Spill is another example of how the past 30 years of deregulation and laissez-faire policies by the government has had devestating results. Three weeks before the blow out you said new drilling technology is safer. You failed to mention that although Canada, Norway, and Brazil require this safe technology, we do not. In fact BP admittedly did not even possess the tools to deal with an accident nor did they even have a plan of what to do.
Deregulation led to our economic crisis yet you kept those responsible for these policies in charge of our economy. The Health Insurance Industry has made health care unaffordable to many Americans yet you failed to address this problem. Massey Energy, private military contractors, the pharmaceutical industry, the energy industry. You name it, the power and control they have over the Federal Government is dangerous. Just as BP is demonstrating again (this is not their first case of criminal negligence as you must know) that left on their own, corporations do not look to the future nor do they have any reason to care about people or the environment. They care about profits. The role of the government is to make laws and make sure the corporations act responsibly.
It is time you deliver true change - especially if you want people like myself who worked hard for your election to be motivated to go to the poles in support of you and your party again. I am a green party member who may have to return to my party.
You need to return true balance to the Federal Government. This does not mean compromise with the corporate conservatives. Compromising with them basically gives them what they want. Health Care and Wall Street reform are great examples. If you want to provide balance you need to fight for the people and the environment - the corporate class and their lobbyists have more than enough power. We need you to take them head on and return reason to this country. Historically you have many bold, transformative Presidents from whom to draw inspiration.
A criminal investigation into BP is a start. Bringing back common sense regulations over industry - look at what other countries do to require safer oil drilling. But then you need to apply this across the board. Every issue facing our nation - national security, food security, water security, economic security, environmental security, energy security - they are all pitting uncontrolled corporate greed against the interests of humanity and the global environment. Corporations can still exist, do business, and make their CEOs and investors incredibly wealthy, but they need to be given LIMITS and rules under which they are allowed to operate.
Obama, it is time for you to lead, time for you to deliver the CHANGE those of us who voted for you were HOPING for. I still have the audacity to hope.
Danny Boyer
Half Moon Bay, CA
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
very interesting elections!
Well yesterday we had some very interesting elections across the country which have been part of a trend in politics: anti-incumbent, pro "outsider" sentiment.
Obama and the Democrats rode this wave of "bringing CHANGE to Washington" to power two years ago and unfortunately did not change enough so they are now the incumbents ready to lose.
So we have more progressive Democrats beating out the "Republican Light" Democrats (which makes me immensely happy to see) in the primaries and Tea Party backed conservatives beating out incumbent Republicans.
In yesterday's election the Democrat backed by Obama lost (shows you how his leading from the middle sits with Democrats) as did the Republican backed by the Republican establishment.
This of course will have the effect of moving each party away from the middle, further polarizing our government which could make congress less effective but it will also have an interesting effect: it will give voters in the middle more difficult choice.
Of course my personal bias comes in here. I would hope that thoughtful fence sitters will listen to progressives and realize they have well thought out positions that support American Jobs, security, education, environment, economy, etc. Progressives are the real Democrats as opposed to the corporate puppets that so many Democrats have become (Obama included).
The Tea Party and far right, on the other hand, are pushing for more of what has gotten everyone so upset at the government: less regulation making fuck ups like Enron, Goldman Sachs, Massey Energy, and BP even more likely to kill people and ruin our economy and environment as well as "less taxes" which translates to less taxes for the rich and corporations all of whom have enjoyed such a reduction of their taxes in the past 30 years that it has made our government insolvent - unable to pay its bills and requiring it to go into debt and cut vital social programs which actually help our economy and nation by educating people and taking care of people when they need help so they can get back on their feet. 3/4 of corporations, according to Forbes Magazine, do not pay any taxes in the US and this includes corporations like Exxon Mobile who made the largest profit in human history at over $40 Billion (I think in one quarter) and payed no US taxes according to Forbes. While pay for CEOs and the very weathly has skyrocketted in the past few decades their tax rate is one third of what it was for most of our nation's history.
The classic quote from a Tea Party candidate for the California Senate "I am going to lower taxes and fix the public schools". Sorry but anyone who knows California and the plight of public education in the state know how ridiculous this sounds.
Another dangerous and crazy platform of the Tea Partiers: Global Warming is a myth. Deregulate they say. What we need is more CO2, "Drill Baby Drill" you know the deal.
Of course the Tea Party also has a very racist element. Check out their party platforms and speeches and it is full of hate of minorities and immigrants. They also want less government across the board, which of course is code for "let the corporations get away unregulated" but of course the Tea Party crowd either sees themselves in that corporate elite or they are being tricked by clever marketing (or both). This last point is critical. The government needs to regulate big business. If they don't we see what happens everyday. BP kills people and devastates the economy and environment (two months before the accident, letters were sent by whistle blowers warning of BPs lack of adherence to safety regulations to the government outfit that was supposed to enforce those laws. Massey Energy commits 47 safety violations in month leading up to its deadly coal mining disaster. AIG, Goldman Sachs, and the rest of the Too Rich To Fail go unregulated and not only wreck havoc on our economy but now they have put Greece in the tank and Euro on the brink of collapse. Of course as AIG is now being propped up by our tax payer money so if Greece really goes down so does the US economy once again.
So bottom line. Progressives beating (or even almost beating) the likes of Blanche Lincon who didn't even vote with the Democrats on key issues: great news!!!
Tea Party candidates beating Republicans. Well intersting, hopeful, and scary. Hopeful because perhaps this splintering of the Republican party will help Democrats. (not all Republicans will vote for a Sarah Palin style candidate I hope) But scary because if these corporate shills get into power they will further undermine our Democracy.
Obama and the Democrats rode this wave of "bringing CHANGE to Washington" to power two years ago and unfortunately did not change enough so they are now the incumbents ready to lose.
So we have more progressive Democrats beating out the "Republican Light" Democrats (which makes me immensely happy to see) in the primaries and Tea Party backed conservatives beating out incumbent Republicans.
In yesterday's election the Democrat backed by Obama lost (shows you how his leading from the middle sits with Democrats) as did the Republican backed by the Republican establishment.
This of course will have the effect of moving each party away from the middle, further polarizing our government which could make congress less effective but it will also have an interesting effect: it will give voters in the middle more difficult choice.
Of course my personal bias comes in here. I would hope that thoughtful fence sitters will listen to progressives and realize they have well thought out positions that support American Jobs, security, education, environment, economy, etc. Progressives are the real Democrats as opposed to the corporate puppets that so many Democrats have become (Obama included).
The Tea Party and far right, on the other hand, are pushing for more of what has gotten everyone so upset at the government: less regulation making fuck ups like Enron, Goldman Sachs, Massey Energy, and BP even more likely to kill people and ruin our economy and environment as well as "less taxes" which translates to less taxes for the rich and corporations all of whom have enjoyed such a reduction of their taxes in the past 30 years that it has made our government insolvent - unable to pay its bills and requiring it to go into debt and cut vital social programs which actually help our economy and nation by educating people and taking care of people when they need help so they can get back on their feet. 3/4 of corporations, according to Forbes Magazine, do not pay any taxes in the US and this includes corporations like Exxon Mobile who made the largest profit in human history at over $40 Billion (I think in one quarter) and payed no US taxes according to Forbes. While pay for CEOs and the very weathly has skyrocketted in the past few decades their tax rate is one third of what it was for most of our nation's history.
The classic quote from a Tea Party candidate for the California Senate "I am going to lower taxes and fix the public schools". Sorry but anyone who knows California and the plight of public education in the state know how ridiculous this sounds.
Another dangerous and crazy platform of the Tea Partiers: Global Warming is a myth. Deregulate they say. What we need is more CO2, "Drill Baby Drill" you know the deal.
Of course the Tea Party also has a very racist element. Check out their party platforms and speeches and it is full of hate of minorities and immigrants. They also want less government across the board, which of course is code for "let the corporations get away unregulated" but of course the Tea Party crowd either sees themselves in that corporate elite or they are being tricked by clever marketing (or both). This last point is critical. The government needs to regulate big business. If they don't we see what happens everyday. BP kills people and devastates the economy and environment (two months before the accident, letters were sent by whistle blowers warning of BPs lack of adherence to safety regulations to the government outfit that was supposed to enforce those laws. Massey Energy commits 47 safety violations in month leading up to its deadly coal mining disaster. AIG, Goldman Sachs, and the rest of the Too Rich To Fail go unregulated and not only wreck havoc on our economy but now they have put Greece in the tank and Euro on the brink of collapse. Of course as AIG is now being propped up by our tax payer money so if Greece really goes down so does the US economy once again.
So bottom line. Progressives beating (or even almost beating) the likes of Blanche Lincon who didn't even vote with the Democrats on key issues: great news!!!
Tea Party candidates beating Republicans. Well intersting, hopeful, and scary. Hopeful because perhaps this splintering of the Republican party will help Democrats. (not all Republicans will vote for a Sarah Palin style candidate I hope) But scary because if these corporate shills get into power they will further undermine our Democracy.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
BP, three strikes you're out!
OK so BP had an accident. It killed people. It is devastating the lives and livelihood of countless people and wrecking havoc on the environment.
BP has recently lobbied heavily against stronger safety standards.
BP has been on probation and fined for many safety violations.
BP plead guilty to felony conduct in its lack of following safety regulations that led to a deadly explosion at a Texas refinery.
BP was found guilty in its lack of up keep of its Alaskan pipeline that led to an oil spill in fragile Arctic habitat.
Now the supreme court has said corporations are people. If people commit felonies they go to prison. If they get out on parole and violate their parole they go back to prison. If you are a repeat offender you go to prison for a long time. In California we call it "three strikes, you're out". The third strike could be smoking a joint.
If someone commits a crime that kills people they can get the death penalty.
If corporations are people they should be able to get the death penalty when they kill people. Or at least go to prison for a long time.
Instead corporations pay fines which amount to a slap on the wrist. These corporations make billions and pay millions.
The same supreme court that said corporations are people drastically reduced the payout that Exxon had to pay for the Valdez spill.
Lobbying has created a situation where as of now BP will not have to pay more than something like 700 million in damages for the current spill. Which may make Obama's promise that BP will pay ring a bit hollow.
Corporations like BP and Massey energy who continue to break safety laws and and up killing people should be out of business. Period. Give them the death penalty.
As a side note I would like to thank BP for doing what environmentalists have tried to do but failed: prevent future offshore oil drilling in California! Swarzenager had supported future oil drilling but now that he saw the BP spill he withdrew his support and said "never in COLLIEEFOURNIA".
for details of BP's crimes go here:
and a short video I just saw with a similar view point:
BP has recently lobbied heavily against stronger safety standards.
BP has been on probation and fined for many safety violations.
BP plead guilty to felony conduct in its lack of following safety regulations that led to a deadly explosion at a Texas refinery.
BP was found guilty in its lack of up keep of its Alaskan pipeline that led to an oil spill in fragile Arctic habitat.
Now the supreme court has said corporations are people. If people commit felonies they go to prison. If they get out on parole and violate their parole they go back to prison. If you are a repeat offender you go to prison for a long time. In California we call it "three strikes, you're out". The third strike could be smoking a joint.
If someone commits a crime that kills people they can get the death penalty.
If corporations are people they should be able to get the death penalty when they kill people. Or at least go to prison for a long time.
Instead corporations pay fines which amount to a slap on the wrist. These corporations make billions and pay millions.
The same supreme court that said corporations are people drastically reduced the payout that Exxon had to pay for the Valdez spill.
Lobbying has created a situation where as of now BP will not have to pay more than something like 700 million in damages for the current spill. Which may make Obama's promise that BP will pay ring a bit hollow.
Corporations like BP and Massey energy who continue to break safety laws and and up killing people should be out of business. Period. Give them the death penalty.
As a side note I would like to thank BP for doing what environmentalists have tried to do but failed: prevent future offshore oil drilling in California! Swarzenager had supported future oil drilling but now that he saw the BP spill he withdrew his support and said "never in COLLIEEFOURNIA".
for details of BP's crimes go here:
OSHA: Ongoing Safety Violations at BP's US Refineries Endanger Employees' Lives
and a short video I just saw with a similar view point:
Corporate Bombs Demand Justice Too
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Letter to Obama re: offshore oil drilling
Dear Mr. President,
I was disheartened to hear your speech on March 31st when you announced that you would lift the moratorium on drilling for oil off our coast. In your speech you even made the point against it by explaining how little oil we actually have compared to how much we use.
You said it was time to "move beyond the tired debates of the left and the right, between business leaders and environmentalists..."
I hope the current tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico illustrates clearly that rather than 'tired debates' we are talking life and death here, not just of the workers killed but the very biological system which allows us all to live and our economy to thrive.
I worked hard for your election, in a large part to prevent the "drill baby drill" camp from taking control of our government. I do not agree with much of your politics but I thought energy and environmental issues was one place I did agree with you. I have been disappointed in this area, for rather than trying to move on from the old debates I had hoped you would take the side of the environmentalists. I had hoped you would be bold, audacious, and a transformative leader, at least when it comes to energy and the environment.
An example of such leadership can be found in a young man named Timothy DenHerder who as a freshman at Macalester College spearheaded a program called the Clean Energy Revolving Fund (CERF). I believe a massive government program modeled after this program would be the kind of intelligent action you should take as President. Best of all the program pays for itself and would easily allow us to conserve more than the energy we could get from new off shore oil drilling.
The CERF is quite simple. College students got together and installed inexpensive energy and water saving devices in a home. The money that was saved from the reduction in energy and water use was put into a fund that was used to do further energy saving actions in other homes. This fund grew as did their actions to the point where they replaced all the light bulbs in their University.
I know you have done some things like this but nothing on the scale required. Imagine leading the nation to rally around the idea of energy efficiency (it saves everyone money - easy motivator). Reduce the electricity we use, invest in electric cars, break our dependence on foreign oil and our temptation to drill off our coasts, make the US a leader in green technology and CO2 reduction, create good jobs. Of course you know Van Jones so these ideas are not new to you.
The offshore wind farm in Cape Cod is another example of an action your government has taken that is in the right direction.
Doing what is needed and what is right does not always mean comprimising and finding middle ground. Sometimes you need to take a side and be willing to push hard against those who disagree. In fact the middle road often means watering down good ideas to the point they will not be successful. A little oil drilling can still lead to oil spills. Please say no to new oil drilling and yes to energy conservation and clean energy.
Still trying to be a supporter of yours,
Danny Boyer
I was disheartened to hear your speech on March 31st when you announced that you would lift the moratorium on drilling for oil off our coast. In your speech you even made the point against it by explaining how little oil we actually have compared to how much we use.
You said it was time to "move beyond the tired debates of the left and the right, between business leaders and environmentalists..."
I hope the current tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico illustrates clearly that rather than 'tired debates' we are talking life and death here, not just of the workers killed but the very biological system which allows us all to live and our economy to thrive.
I worked hard for your election, in a large part to prevent the "drill baby drill" camp from taking control of our government. I do not agree with much of your politics but I thought energy and environmental issues was one place I did agree with you. I have been disappointed in this area, for rather than trying to move on from the old debates I had hoped you would take the side of the environmentalists. I had hoped you would be bold, audacious, and a transformative leader, at least when it comes to energy and the environment.
An example of such leadership can be found in a young man named Timothy DenHerder who as a freshman at Macalester College spearheaded a program called the Clean Energy Revolving Fund (CERF). I believe a massive government program modeled after this program would be the kind of intelligent action you should take as President. Best of all the program pays for itself and would easily allow us to conserve more than the energy we could get from new off shore oil drilling.
The CERF is quite simple. College students got together and installed inexpensive energy and water saving devices in a home. The money that was saved from the reduction in energy and water use was put into a fund that was used to do further energy saving actions in other homes. This fund grew as did their actions to the point where they replaced all the light bulbs in their University.
I know you have done some things like this but nothing on the scale required. Imagine leading the nation to rally around the idea of energy efficiency (it saves everyone money - easy motivator). Reduce the electricity we use, invest in electric cars, break our dependence on foreign oil and our temptation to drill off our coasts, make the US a leader in green technology and CO2 reduction, create good jobs. Of course you know Van Jones so these ideas are not new to you.
The offshore wind farm in Cape Cod is another example of an action your government has taken that is in the right direction.
Doing what is needed and what is right does not always mean comprimising and finding middle ground. Sometimes you need to take a side and be willing to push hard against those who disagree. In fact the middle road often means watering down good ideas to the point they will not be successful. A little oil drilling can still lead to oil spills. Please say no to new oil drilling and yes to energy conservation and clean energy.
Still trying to be a supporter of yours,
Danny Boyer
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