Showing posts with label right wing lies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label right wing lies. Show all posts

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Lindsey Graham, our very own Queen of Hearts, screams "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!", AKA: "IMPEACH! IMPEACH!"

So, to continue with this hysteria about President Obama and the Taliban loving Bergdahl, as the basthit crazy bigots on the right like to scream, ranting frantically until they finally fall in a heap, grabbing their pearls, on the fainting couch(Yep, I'm talking to you, Lindsey!), now starts the "IMPEACH! IMPEACH! IMPEACH!" wave of all good cooked up conspiracies that the right love to lie about.
We have the ex-congressman Allen West who demands, yes DEMANDS! that President Obama be impeached for prisoner exchange! He did it all wrong, didn't ask permission from congress...cuz he's supposed to cuz congress said so. We have John McCain saying that these prisoners were the worst of the worst! He'd never agree to this! Except that he had before he hadn't. That Obama was, again, shown weak in negotiating and knowing about terrorism! Oh, and let's not forget the real batshit rightwing crazies, aka, the "religious right". There's Bryan Fischer, of the Focus(as in target?) on the Family getting all apoplectic about the Taliban prisoners, Bergdahl and impeachment. OH! And let's not forget that "great patriot"(she says with an eye roll), Oliver North, who said that President Obama is financing the terrorists(he means the Taliban)! Yes, the Oliver North who was convicted of the Iran Contra Affair--you know actually financing terrorists! Yes, I know the conviction was overturned, but not because he wasn't guilty, but because of a technicality.

So, all this hand wringing, pearl clutching and fainting, there must be some truth in it, right? Ahh, not really.
Let's take all of these lies separately.
1. The Taliban are terrorists!
The Taliban have never been added to the list of Terrorists by Homeland Security. Although I would agree the Taliban are one of the worst groups to rule a country, they have never attacked America, that was Al Queda and those men were from Saudi Arabia, not Afghanistan or Iraq. Am I the only one who paid attention to geography in school? And on to the next silly hysterics:
2. These five were the worst of the WORST!!
Do we have to have all of the hyperbole? Really? Of the five that were released, only one could be actually considered a strategist who could be used within a terrorist organization. Three were involved in the Afghan government, including one that was in the police department. Check the link above for evul librul fact thingies.
3. It's against the law cuz Obama didn't report to the congress 30 days in advance.
Yes, there is a law, its tied to the funding of the military, that says that Obama must notify the congress. This "law" came into fruition right around the time that Obama became president...hmmm.....and every time it comes through, President Obama issues a statement saying that he will not abide by this law since he feels its unconstitutional and every time Congress attached this to a Defense funding bill, he'd attached the signing statement. Oh, and since Congress did not take it to court when he issued the signing statement, they, in effect, said he was correct and they agreed with him. This means that not only did he not break the law, Congress agreed that they, also thought it was beyond their reach and they knew it.
On the other hand, during this administration, Republicons has leaked more information to the press just to stop the President from getting something accomplished, so why would he trust them with a matter like this? In fact, Senator Saxby Chambliss has already said that if he had known about the exchange before it happened he would have told the press, even knowing that would jeopardize an American soldier(why should he care about soldiers?). In fact when there was a meeting on the trade, the majority of congress members didn't attend! So how upset or worried about this are they? Me thinks dost thou protest too much.
4. He negotiated with terrorists and we never do that!
Umm, check #1, Taliban are not on the terrorist watch list, have never been considered a terrorist organization. On the other hand, we've never done it is an outright lie. Ain't that right Ollie?
5. They will come back and attack us!
Under George Bush, Bush let go 500 Guantanamo bay prisoners, with a 30% recidivism rate. President Obama has released 80(yep, these 5 weren't the first, you must have been sleeping on a park bench for the other 75) with a recidivism rate of only 5%. So who is it that doesn't understand how people attack us and why? The same president who allowed 9/11 to happen in the first place. The White guy.
5. The Right object to this based on principle, not on Obama Derangement Syndrome.
I cannot believe you can tell that lie with a straight face. Or maybe you've said it so much you now believe that it has nothing to do with the color of his skin, but anyone who looks at the facts knows you are lying. We, in all of our history, have never left a soldier behind, no matter the reason for his capture, otherwise, we'd have left John McCain to rot in a Vietnamese forest. We'd have left Jessica Lynch behind since, obviously her convoy did not follow orders.
And, we, as a country, and as many if not all countries, have always released prisoners of war when a war in ending. It's just the right thing to do.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

County board public comments, or..."I am a small business owner and I just stumbled on this meeting without any knowledge of anything"....

On 2/11, I to the DuPage county board meeting watching the republican government at work. We have 3 Democratic board members and 12 Republican so it can be a bit one sided. We are of the "upper middle class" venue if you listen to our...um....County Board. It is true that DuPage county has a much higher average income over many other areas of Illinois(our average is $78,000, Illinois average is $55,000), but there are 9 counties, that have an average income of higher than Illinois' median average, all but 2 are northern counties. My opinion? I think our "higher income" is not because of the republicon twitch, but because we're located near Chicago, as are the other 6 counties that make above the median(and that includes Cook).
Full disclosure: the reason I was at these particular meetings was due to my involvement with A Better Illinois, which is a grassroots group that is trying to get a ballot referendum on for the next general election that allows the voters of Illinois the ability to choose a graduated income tax(like 34 of the states now have) or stay with our antiquated misnomer tax system of "flat" which includes corporate loopholes galore. Illinois' tax system has not been really updated since the 1970's and is one of the biggest problems with our funding problems in the Land of Lincoln.
So...I'm sitting and listening to the workings of the board, who are basically wasting time and tax funds by holding a meeting to discuss the viability of sending a resolution to the State Assembly, which doesn't do anything at all in the actual process of putting the referendum on the ballot. Yep, just blowing smoke up their own asses...see how import'nt we are? Not much.
During the meeting there is time for public comment. Yes, I was there to speak, but I wasn't the only one.
There were representatives from different chapters of the League of Women Voters, IEA(one of the teacher's unions) and just regular old folks, shucks, who just came to speak...the same words...over and over again....blah blah blah"blank check", blah blah blah "we pay too much already", blah blah blah "businesses are going to move out!" All seemed to have the same message, sort of like the Stepford wife routine. I smelled something fishy. So, when I got home, I got on the google machine. See, the meetings are taped and you can watch everything over and over again...and everyone's name was right there so it was pretty easy to find out who these people were and what planet they're from.

So, one of the first person that struck me as a bit of a ranty lunatic was Glen Luckinbill who introduced himself as a "small business owner", in fact he said that he owned a business and his wife owned a business--the wording made it sound like there were at least 2 in the family, although there's only one that comes up on the web..which his wife is the president and he the sales executive(hmmm....wonder if they get that lucrative "minority" status since she's the prez?). He went on to say that they used to employ 30, now they employ 17 because of taxes(although the read on the company shows only 3 employees, including the Luckinbills, although I could be missing something), not, of course because of the recession that we've been in, that had nothing to do with it, just taxes. He also said that he and his wife are paying almost 50% of their profits in taxes now and if this went through, OH MY GOD! They'd have to move to another state. OK, so my first question, Who the Hell is doing your taxes?!?!!??!?! There isn't a smart business in this country that's paying that much and if that's true...DUDE, call me, I bet I can do better(but I will be charging him a "gullible" fee).

So the next brainiac I'd like to introduce you to is Jerry Schilling--talk about batshit crazy....I'm talking so far right, he don't make left turns when driving. He began his rant about how we pay too much in taxes, every year the state, county, municipal and other government institution raise taxes, fees, codes and we're being bled to death by taxes! He doesn't want to pay anything in taxes! OK. I really wanted to ask him how he thinks the roads would have been plowed by his house without paying taxes(we've had over 60" of snow), the snow plow fairies???? And the actual fact is that Illinois is a low tax state--we don't tax services, storage, entertainment, automotive service as do all of the states that surround us. We also have a lower tax rate than all of the states that surround us except Indiana(and its Indiana...where they tax services like hair cuts).
So, now what's his background? First, he's in his late 60's/early 70's so unless he's too silly not to retire, he's not paying state income taxes because Illinois doesn't tax retirement income! He runs a blog that complains about every little single thing that government does and he also writes for another rightwing blog(West Suburban Patriots) about, basically the same thing. He also seems to rant alot at the Naperville council meetings and is very upset by the whole smart meter thing, to the point of making a conspiracy out of it.

Then there's Victoria Deppe. Again, the phrases, "worst business climate", "worst unemployment", "highest sales tax", "will raise taxes on those making $18K), "Need to reform pensions and regulations" Illinois is "3rd highest in taxes and unemployment"...so many lies, so little time.
But who is Victoria Deppe? Well she writes on the Illinois Review right wing site, she's involved with the right wing Convention of States that wants to hold a Federal Constitutional Convention cuz they're tired of the Federal Government gettin' in their bidness. This "group" is the loving baby of Mark Levin and Glen Beck and...wait for it...ALEC--so that says how far right and out of step it is with the normal population. And she's a CHRISTIAN!!!! No, not a Christian, but a CHRISTIAN!!!!!, one that embraces the bible and bigotry if the websites that she's on are any evidence...again, she wants gomminint outta her bidness, but also wants gomminint all up in our bedroom bidness. And although I didn't see her being directly invovled in WSP, the Convention of States crap is all over that site.
Hmmm...do I see a pattern, not only of words, but of political bents?
But it gets stoopider....
We have Greg G. from Downers Grove  who's unemployed...but he's also 51 and there has been so much written about how many workers have been laid off cuz of their age..no, that's not it, its cuz of taxes..and rich people are job creators(again, the rich person who doubles as the welfare agency...just create a job without profit? I don't think so). He can't pay more in income tax cuz he paid close to $6K for property tax...in Downers Grove...where I live...I had some scepticism about this cuz he was trying to play the "just middle class unemployed worker" so, since his address was mentioned in the hearings, I looked up his taxes...silly boy...don't you understand the interwebs? He paid less than $5K, yes still a lot, but why LIE about it unless you were playing dramaqueen? Again, property tax is not income tax...and, because of other laws in the Illinois tax structure, if Illinois had a fairer tax system, we in this area are assured to receive more funding which would bring down our property taxes...DUH. Oh...and he mentioned its a "spending" problem again.

So then we have Carol Davis who said she only made $40K a year working 2 jobs. She lives in Carol Stream. The only Carol Davis that comes up in Carol Stream is one that owns a business that makes over $70K.Now, those silly interwebs, they can come up with anyone that lives in an area that has a phone number/address...so, if this isn't the person that owns the $70K business, maybe she lives in a cardboard box behind McDonald's. She was all, "I've never resented a wealthy person, because I never got a job from a poor one"...OH HAHAHAH. And there's no rich person or small business person who makes up a job without having a need for it...and, again, that means that I'm the job creator(because my money is spent, not shipped to the Caymen Islands), not Mr. Moneybags. Oh, and she's on the West Suburban Patriots band wagon and a "prepper"(one that is preparing for the end of the world, as we know it). You know the ones that like to hoard food, weapons, etc. and talk about how their neighbors are the crazy ones? Cuz they're gonna have to shoot their neighbors when the collapse comes down.

So, on to the next economic superstar, Hugh Hamill. He owns a jewelry store...one that sells to other jewelers and customers that make appointments to be serviced...we ain't talking Zales, here! High end/luxury type customers. So, he says, again, we're bankrupt, too much spending, blah blah blah. Oh, and he's going to move his business to Tennessee because Tennessee has no personal income tax. Well, he's right on that to a point, but Tennessee does have an annual 6% tax on all income made by capital gains and investments..you know, stocks and stuff. I'm pretty sure that Mr. Hamill probably has a couple or 3 dollars invested and prolly will pay a capital gains tax considering his business and wealth--hmmm...maybe he didn't think this out too well?

Then there was Jan Shaw, from Wheaton, who's big splash on the google machine is that she ran for a School Board seat and made some disparaging remarks about special needs students...oh, and she is/was a board member on the teabagger site, West Suburban Patriots. This pattern isn't just developing, its a freaking snowstorm!

Then, there was Heidi Holan, again, she also is on WSP. She's also running for office in Illinois. She also has absolutely no knowledge about tax structures or math. Yep the, "spending issues", went into the definition of "fair" from Webster's Dictionary and then told this bizarre story about her 2 sons cutting wood, she pays them $10 an hour, one son works for 9 1/2 hours and she pays him 91.43(she took out the 3.75% for the old Illinois income tax) and the other worked for 10 hours and she paid him $89, cuz she took out the 11% made up income tax...huh?????? That's not how a graduated tax works anyway(both would pay 3.75% on the first bracket of $95, and only the other $5 would be taxed at a higher rate, no bracket jumps up by 8%) but there is absolutely nothing in the referendum about brackets! Is this how taxes work in Heidiland???? Because its not the way they work in the real world. So, she wants to be in the General Assembly and doesn't even understand basic taxes???? Really???? And who works their kids for that long chopping wood????

Of course there were the handwringers from the Koch and ALEC backed Americans for Prosperity and the Illinois Policy Institute, both of which have been shown to be partisan and lapdogs for the uber greedy rich. Both of the spokespersons mention how this would raise taxes on those incomes that were under $18,000, one of them said that it would start at $5000...again, no rates have been scheduled and the only structures that have been spoken about favorably all use similar scales as the CTBA, which would end at less than 7% for the wealthiest and no income tax for those who make less than $9000.., but then when you don't understand basic tax policy and think math is hard, I guess 7 and 11 are the same and paying no income tax until you reach $9000 is the same as paying taxes at $5000.

How crazy are these people? And, just how mean-spirited, selfish and greedy? Boggles the mind of compassionate, thinking people.


Tuesday, December 10, 2013

"Reboot Illinois" or, better name: Rubout Illinois

Reboot Illinois is, allegedly, a "non-partisan" journalistic website/entity that just cares about the financial abuse of our state. It has no agenda, except "reform" and of course, shows "both sides" of an argument, debate or issue...sure. Just ask them.
ReBoot Illinois began within the last couple of years and began by attacking pensions. Yes, I know we have an unfunded pension liability, but we also, as a state, promised state workers that if they took LESS money during their employment, they'd enjoy a secure retirement. The outrageous pensions are those of politicians and appointees, not the average worker.
But I digress...stepping on correct soapbox...


Reboot Illinois is the baby of Anne Griffin. So who is she? She is the wife of Kenneth Griffin and the founder of Aragon Global Management LLC(Hedge fund/vulture capitalist).
She was a major contributor to Emanuel's mayoral campaign to the tune of about $100,000(who favors privatized schools rather than public, as Ms. Griffin does), and a contributor($30,000) to a shadow right wing PAC(Paul Ryan's PAC), Campaign for Primary Accountability. Another $1 Million went to the Romney campaign, Restore our Future. So, she's going to have a so-called "non-partisan" "journalistic" website? Sure...and pigs fly.


But it gets even better...or worse.
Some of the other PACs($467,100 between 2010 and 2012) she has contributed to:

Prosperity Action, of which 100% of contributions went to Republicons
Republican National Committee
National Republican Senatorial and Congressional Committee
Batshit crazy Aaron Schock "Victory Committee"
Every Republican is Craven...oops Crucial(Eric Cantor's PAC)
American Crossroads($250,000)
John McCain 2008
Republican Party of KY(when Paul was running)

So, I'm sorry if I'm not buying the "non-partisan" crap, but really? Millions of $$$ for the right(and many times for the bat shit crazy right), nothing for progressive candidates, but her so called reform site is non-partisan. Ok, so how about a look at the issues on the website and where this "reform" stands on these journalistic adventures.

First and foremost: Overblown Pensions....those evil bloodsucking teachers and state employees who made billions of dollars during their lifespan...ooops, wait a minute, that's Ms. Griffin and her peers...ummm...pensions are badbadbadbad. They are the reason that education has gone down in Illinois, this is the reason that Illinois has such high taxes!!! Its the reason that businesses are leaving Illinois and everybody absofreakinlutely hatehatehates pensions and the loathsome sloths who receive them!

Umm, time to breathe. First the reason education has gone down is because, truthfully, the state has not been funding education as it should, but that has nothing to do with pensions. Education funding is low because Illinois hasn't been paying their bill for that either! But, really, to use the tired argument that we can pay for this or that, but not both is disingenuous and just stupid. The flip of that coin is that Reboot Illinois is the drunken cheerleader for corporate schools...you know, charters? The ones that they can pay the teachers little to nothing, no benefits, work long hours and make money for the corporation that owns them? The ones that haven't shown they are any better than most public, neighborhood schools except they get to pick and choose their students. That means that the kid with a learning or physical disability? Might not make the cut and screw any kid with emotional issues...don't even darken their corporate door! Oh, the beatitudes that are fostered upon charter schools from this website and their co-conspirators would have you believing if your child goes to their "choice" schools, s/he will begin to fart gold.

And, lets not forget the 67% tax lie. See, a couple of years ago, Illinois general assembly voted to raise our measly ass flatulent tax from 3% to 5 for individuals and 5% to 7 for corporations...now, to anyone that can actually do math, that means you are paying 2 cents on the dollar more...if you have no deductions. WHAT!? There are DEDUCTIONS  on our flat tax???? OH YES...whole helluva lot for the corporate whores out there, among other ways to screw the state, but I've written about that in the past. So...how do you come up with a 67% tax increase? By dividing what you paid before by what you pay now. This way, you get everyone thinking that your taxes are like 2/3 of you income, rather than your taxes are $.05(or .07) on the dollar...LESS THAN ALL BUT ONE STATE IN THIS AREA(except, of course, Indiana...but who wants to live in Indiana? They have higher property taxes, higher sales tax, less education programs...ok, sorry this should be another rant...er...post).

Oh, and while the darling of the right wing gets adoration(Scott Walker), the right wing has failed, as has Rubout Illinois(I like this name better) that Scott Walker has caused Wisconsin to become one of the worst states for job creation. In the mean time, while Scottie boy has lost about 10,000 jobs, Illinois has gained over 30,000 jobs. Huh? We gained? Wouldn't be able to tell that from Rubout IL, now could you?

So, why am I so aggravated about this type of site? Because too many of my fellow state retirees fall for their lies. Now, I understand that these same retirees are prolly duped by Faux News also, but how is it that retirees, knowing that their security depends on their pension, can fall for this? Why won't they actually research where this crap comes from? 
Could it be cuz they're still drinking the Ronnie kool-aid? If you tell a lie over and over, sooner or later the naive and the unknowledgeable will believe. Just sad. Now all of you who are retirees, TIME TO RESEARCH, TO INVESTIGATE, TO EDUCATE! Don't let them cut you with your own knife. Please.






Sunday, July 28, 2013

OK you racist idiots JUST STFU--you're making the rest of us look stupid!

I would first like to say that this is not going to be one of my "G" rated posts, that's your warning.
I received an email a couple of days after the Zimmerman so called trial which began with the statement, "This is what Trayvon REALLY LOOKED LIKE"...and showed a photo of GAME, a rapper...you know, a black man that has tattoos on his face? Then the email went on and on about how evil Trayvon was and how vicious...and, OH NO...his worst crime? Serial murderer? Rapist? Shot an unarmed neighbor in cold blooded murder? No, it was the evil selling of marijuana..you know that drug that makes you think you can terrorize the neighborhood, if you can ever get off the couch...
Yes, anyone who is stupid enough to believe this crap...I don't know....is either a COMBINATION or just stupid, racist, hateful, way too high or way too drunk to understand basic human compassion and empathy...oh, and probably a white male(although I've gotten these stupid right wing lies from white women, I would say its 90% white male)...and if you are white and a male, notice, I used the term, "male", not man...I have a male dog, I had a male cat, but I married a man.
But when has it become OK to demonize the victim? We, as women, have went through it as rape victims, with the "what were you wearing? Why were you in a bar? Why were you out after dark?" and, some of that has stopped...but how can women look at this and not think, "Wait a minute....this is very similar to what we were put through as victims"? Too many of us women think that just cuz we're white, we're above the Frey.
On the other hand, how can anyone look at a young person, who just turned 17 and is being followed by a creepy guy and not think he did what we've all told our children to do? Evade, run, and, if no other course, punch his lights out(if  you believe the lies of the Zimmerman defense...where he was being beaten into the ground, but received superficial scratches). Why is it that racists feel that Zimmerman had the right to "stand his ground", but Trayvon, who was being followed by some pasty white guy who looked creepy, did not? Must be cuz Trayvon was black. All I see is a kid who just turned 17 and is acting like a teen...whether white or another color. Why hasn't the (very white)NRA came out with one of the stupid ad campaigns about if Trayvon had a weapon...blahblahblah...oh, yeah, he wasn't white so its better if "his kind" doesn't have anything to protect themselves...specially against white racist wannabee robocops.
And about all of those bad things that Trayvon did...well, what has Zimmerman been charged with? Oh, yeah, nothing big just attacking a police officer(but she was just a female officer...and racists are usually misogynists so that doesn't count), domestic violence(again a female, so for racists, that doesn't count).
I wanted to do a post that discounted the lies in the email I received, but as I read the email, it was just too filled with lies, hate and bigotry and I really felt ill that anyone with any sense could believe that crap...unless they, too, were filled with hate and stupidity...and I can only feel sorry for people who are so filled with hate and fear and stupidity. The only good thing? Many of these racists are over the age of 50 and will die out soon. But, until then, please white racists just SHUT THE FUCK UP...you know the old phrase? Keep your mouth shut so you don't look like a fool...I am so tired of saying, "just cuz I'm white doesn't mean I'm stupid", you're really beginning to make all of us look bad.