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.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Saturday, June 7, 2014
The Right Wing is cheering a POW's return? NOPE, The black guy did it.
I'm sure anyone reading this has heard about the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl that was engineered by President Obama and the cheers from the Right Wing...until they got the marching orders of "SSSSHHHH, the black guy did it, bad, bad, bad!"
I know, I know, I'm playing the race card, it has absolutely nothing to do with the black guy, it has to do with we've never done this before, trading prisoners or something for some silly soldier...except we have. Right John McCain? Well, that was different. OK, how about St. Ronnie? Trading 1500 missiles for 3 hostages and hosting the terrorists? To Iran? Which, the hostage takers then turned around and grabbed 2 or 3 more Americans to see what they were worth.
Oh! It's because he was a deserter! He walked away! He's not worth it!
OK, he may have walked away, may have left his post, but we don't know why. And, I, for one, have to question the sanity of any person who would walk away from the subjective safety of a military base into war torn Afghanistan...on his own...without any weapons or vehicle, supplies. So there's that. But, again, so we leave him with the Taliban? We don't bring him home? We don't care what actually happened? Even though we have worried, since his capture 2009, about what may happen to him?
BUT, due to the information leaked by Chelsea Manning, the New York Times was able to trace through the daily log of Afghanistan activities/chronology to find out that Sgt. Bergdahl had walked off the base on different occasions, always to return(reasons being to watch a sunset/sunrise, pretty non-terrorist stuff). Also blown out of the water with these logs was the story that 8 soldiers died looking for Bergdahl. Only 2 died during the active search and they died in another province, not looking for Sgt. Bergdahl.
But to watch the trashing of Sgt. Bergdahl and his family from the right is so heinous. Of course, the right says that "we" think of him as a hero. Only people I've heard throwing the "hero" label around have been the right. No, again we, on the left and most in the center, act as adults. Bring the young man home, sort out the details/facts and then figure out what should be done, but at best its all very muddied territory.
So why have they decided he's a traitor(besides the fact that Obama got him released without blowing anyone up)? Well, because the Taliban said so. They said he was helping them, because he was in 4 videos produced by them and he hadn't got his throat slit by them, so that means the Taliban is telling the truth. Of course the Taliban would have NO reason to lie to us, right? Why is he a "deserter" because the honest, truth loving Taliban said he walked away from his post/went out drinking/maybe he left to use the latrine/or it was because he decided to go AWOL for a few days in the posh hotels in that area...because the Taliban would not lie to us, right? Since we have shown them nothing but respect and honesty in all these years, right? The reports that have been released(thank you Chelsea Manning) are, at best ambiguous about why he walked off his post.
So, did he do something wrong? If he did, doesn't 5 years in Taliban custody warrant punishment? Or have we, as a country, gone off the deep end and enjoy to see torture of our own soldiers? Its time for him to come home, and, as adults, we can sort this out in our courts, our country. It's time for the right wing/republicans/teabaggers to grow the fuck up and act like adults, instead of petulant childish bullies just obstructing and gossiping their merry way to far right PACs instead of thinking about the young man that has been held prisoner and, like we have done in every other war, we didn't stop until we brought him home.
I say, Welcome home Sgt. Bergdahl, may peace be with you.
I know, I know, I'm playing the race card, it has absolutely nothing to do with the black guy, it has to do with we've never done this before, trading prisoners or something for some silly soldier...except we have. Right John McCain? Well, that was different. OK, how about St. Ronnie? Trading 1500 missiles for 3 hostages and hosting the terrorists? To Iran? Which, the hostage takers then turned around and grabbed 2 or 3 more Americans to see what they were worth.
Oh! It's because he was a deserter! He walked away! He's not worth it!
OK, he may have walked away, may have left his post, but we don't know why. And, I, for one, have to question the sanity of any person who would walk away from the subjective safety of a military base into war torn Afghanistan...on his own...without any weapons or vehicle, supplies. So there's that. But, again, so we leave him with the Taliban? We don't bring him home? We don't care what actually happened? Even though we have worried, since his capture 2009, about what may happen to him?
BUT, due to the information leaked by Chelsea Manning, the New York Times was able to trace through the daily log of Afghanistan activities/chronology to find out that Sgt. Bergdahl had walked off the base on different occasions, always to return(reasons being to watch a sunset/sunrise, pretty non-terrorist stuff). Also blown out of the water with these logs was the story that 8 soldiers died looking for Bergdahl. Only 2 died during the active search and they died in another province, not looking for Sgt. Bergdahl.
But to watch the trashing of Sgt. Bergdahl and his family from the right is so heinous. Of course, the right says that "we" think of him as a hero. Only people I've heard throwing the "hero" label around have been the right. No, again we, on the left and most in the center, act as adults. Bring the young man home, sort out the details/facts and then figure out what should be done, but at best its all very muddied territory.
So why have they decided he's a traitor(besides the fact that Obama got him released without blowing anyone up)? Well, because the Taliban said so. They said he was helping them, because he was in 4 videos produced by them and he hadn't got his throat slit by them, so that means the Taliban is telling the truth. Of course the Taliban would have NO reason to lie to us, right? Why is he a "deserter" because the honest, truth loving Taliban said he walked away from his post/went out drinking/maybe he left to use the latrine/or it was because he decided to go AWOL for a few days in the posh hotels in that area...because the Taliban would not lie to us, right? Since we have shown them nothing but respect and honesty in all these years, right? The reports that have been released(thank you Chelsea Manning) are, at best ambiguous about why he walked off his post.
So, did he do something wrong? If he did, doesn't 5 years in Taliban custody warrant punishment? Or have we, as a country, gone off the deep end and enjoy to see torture of our own soldiers? Its time for him to come home, and, as adults, we can sort this out in our courts, our country. It's time for the right wing/republicans/teabaggers to grow the fuck up and act like adults, instead of petulant childish bullies just obstructing and gossiping their merry way to far right PACs instead of thinking about the young man that has been held prisoner and, like we have done in every other war, we didn't stop until we brought him home.
I say, Welcome home Sgt. Bergdahl, may peace be with you.
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.
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.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Bruce Rauner--the new Jacob Marley...or a Romney wannabe
Bruce Rauner has been stomping on Illinois for the Republican Primary. He's been rallying against the "union bosses" and praising charter schools. Now? He wants to lower the minimum wage in Illinois which put a big smile on the other three Republican candidates. See, this is another chip in his "just a regular guy" armor. The whole nation, when polled, is in favor of raising the minimum wage to at least $10 an hour. Rauner wants to lessen our minimum wage which is $1 above the federal. So, then, he tried to pedal back...in the northern regions...thinking that the Southern areas wouldn't compare what was said in the Northern areas.
See, Illinois is the only state that travels through the "rust" belt, the "corn" belt and the "bible" belt of America...we are a microcosm of the USA in many ways( and yes, we have our tech belt also...and we're getting pretty good at wine also!). We have a very diverse population, but, I would venture a guess that none of us like being played for a fool and most of us have, at least, a TV and access to what candidates say in all areas of the state.
Mr. Rauner loves to do his commercials in Cabella gear and his $18 watch, but I really doubt that's how he looks at board meetings at his venture capitalist groups. In fact, let's talk about his home "roots".
To ensure that his daughter could get into one of the most prestigious charter schools in Illinois, he first bought and used the address of condo that's near Millennium Park. When it was shown that he used influence(and maybe a $250K bribe...err...donation) to the Walter Payton Charter school, he tries brushing away the reports by saying his daughter was good enough grade wise, it was because of illness that she didn't automatically qualify.This is just another political attack on him. Sorry, Mr. Rauner, but I'm sure there are many children who could qualify, grade wise, but because of absenteeism, were refused, but didn't have the ability to pull out $250K to smooth over the questions or to call their "friend", Arne Duncan(who was head of schools in Chicago at that time), to get some dispensation for their child.
Then there's the Stuart Levine thing.....
Stuart Levine is legendary in Illinois politics as a "fixer", he's testified for the prosecution against Rod Blagojevich, William Cellini and Tony Rezko and was sentenced to his own 5 year sentence for money laundering and fraud. Mr. Rauner's ties with him? Mr. Levine was paid a salary of $25,000 a month by one of Rauner's companies to acquire government contracts. Twenty Five Thousand dollars a MONTH. So, being fair minded, I looked to see how Mr. Rauner answered questions about this. He didn't. All he said is it just another political attack. I don't know about anyone else, but when I'm looking at a candidate, specially for governor, I'd like to think I'm smart enough NOT to vote for the guy who has ties with a convicted felon who took down another governor--this already smells really bad.
Then, comes the "fund-raising". Mr. Rauner's campaign is very proud of their "fund-raising" skills, having about $4 Million dollars. They don't mention that $3 Million has been donated by the candidate himself! So, in reality, the campaign has raised less than $1 Million. Yes, that's a good amount of change, but it doesn't mean that he has so much support, it means he can self-fund his campaign because he's a multi-millionaire/billionaire.
And let us not forget that last, "Regular guy that I'd like to have a beer with"...GeeDubya...2 illegal wars, the worst recession(I'd say depression) since 1930 and how many unneeded deaths and anger toward our country? Rauner ain't that much different, knows how to go walmart and laugh all the way to the bank as he screws the working poor and middle class.
See, Illinois is the only state that travels through the "rust" belt, the "corn" belt and the "bible" belt of America...we are a microcosm of the USA in many ways( and yes, we have our tech belt also...and we're getting pretty good at wine also!). We have a very diverse population, but, I would venture a guess that none of us like being played for a fool and most of us have, at least, a TV and access to what candidates say in all areas of the state.
Mr. Rauner loves to do his commercials in Cabella gear and his $18 watch, but I really doubt that's how he looks at board meetings at his venture capitalist groups. In fact, let's talk about his home "roots".
To ensure that his daughter could get into one of the most prestigious charter schools in Illinois, he first bought and used the address of condo that's near Millennium Park. When it was shown that he used influence(and maybe a $250K bribe...err...donation) to the Walter Payton Charter school, he tries brushing away the reports by saying his daughter was good enough grade wise, it was because of illness that she didn't automatically qualify.This is just another political attack on him. Sorry, Mr. Rauner, but I'm sure there are many children who could qualify, grade wise, but because of absenteeism, were refused, but didn't have the ability to pull out $250K to smooth over the questions or to call their "friend", Arne Duncan(who was head of schools in Chicago at that time), to get some dispensation for their child.
Then there's the Stuart Levine thing.....
Stuart Levine is legendary in Illinois politics as a "fixer", he's testified for the prosecution against Rod Blagojevich, William Cellini and Tony Rezko and was sentenced to his own 5 year sentence for money laundering and fraud. Mr. Rauner's ties with him? Mr. Levine was paid a salary of $25,000 a month by one of Rauner's companies to acquire government contracts. Twenty Five Thousand dollars a MONTH. So, being fair minded, I looked to see how Mr. Rauner answered questions about this. He didn't. All he said is it just another political attack. I don't know about anyone else, but when I'm looking at a candidate, specially for governor, I'd like to think I'm smart enough NOT to vote for the guy who has ties with a convicted felon who took down another governor--this already smells really bad.
Then, comes the "fund-raising". Mr. Rauner's campaign is very proud of their "fund-raising" skills, having about $4 Million dollars. They don't mention that $3 Million has been donated by the candidate himself! So, in reality, the campaign has raised less than $1 Million. Yes, that's a good amount of change, but it doesn't mean that he has so much support, it means he can self-fund his campaign because he's a multi-millionaire/billionaire.
And let us not forget that last, "Regular guy that I'd like to have a beer with"...GeeDubya...2 illegal wars, the worst recession(I'd say depression) since 1930 and how many unneeded deaths and anger toward our country? Rauner ain't that much different, knows how to go walmart and laugh all the way to the bank as he screws the working poor and middle class.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Illinois Politics, the Newest Soap Opera
In Illinois we are facing a very dark gubernatorial election; Governor Pat Quinn on the Democratic side and the four Stooges on the Republican side: third timer State Senator Pat Brady(the author of the "KILL THE PUPPIES" bill fame--he authored a bill that would allow mass euthanasia of shelter dogs by gas chamber), State Senator Kirk Dillard(who used to be a moderate republican, now has become a SKY IS FALLING teabagger shill), State Treasurer Dan Rutherford and carpetbagger....er...venture capitalist Bruce Rauner.
OK, so now you know how much respect I have for them, but I'm not supposed to, I'm the Union Thug Gramma! Oh, but there's not much love going on in the republican camps either....
Seems there's a new attack ad against Kirk Dillard, who, in many ways has been written off as a "has-been" because of how he ran so far to the right after the 2010 primary. Even tho he's had trouble raising money, mainly because of this turnabout from moderate to batshit crazy rightwing nutjob(OK, I'll take the nutjob back, he really isn't), that the right doesn't know which Kirk Dillard is going to show up for the governor's mansion. But, it seems that someone is trying to muddy the waters. See, Dillard has always said that Jim Edgar(Governor after Thompson, during the 90's--one term) and this video first uses the song, "I touch Myself" from the 90's and ends with saying this video was brought to you by Kirk Dillard and friends at MSI--which was a soft core scandal of Edgars that surfaced in 2000.
And then, there's the new group, Republican Fund for Progress and Jobs that just recently formed. The Head of this group is the former Aaron Schock Chief of Staff, Steven Shearer, Schock is another teabagger(aka batshit crazy) who is supposed to represent Peoria and Springfield(among other areas) in congress, but can't seem to ever make it out to his Peoria office, feeling much more comfortable in what could be called Illinois' beltway-Springfield. Now, this new group is saying they are just trying to educate voters about the candidates, but when Schock was thinking about running for Governor, Rauner paid for attack ads against him. Think maybe that might come back to haunt him? I hope so.
Now, Rauner has gotten the endorsement of the Cook County Republican Party(wow, all 30 of them?), but it still may become a primary Heathers trap---real bloody and lots of bad publicity.
And that's fine with me. Let's get the red meat out now and hope that people vote for someone who actually cares about the people of Illinois, not just the bottom dollar of campaign funds.
OH. The other big high school drama is "WHO'S BEING NICE TO DEMOCRATS...EWWWWWW" There have been push issues about Dillard giving less than $1000 to the Obama Inauguration Fund, not his campaign fund, but after he was elected. A whole $ 924. Like that was gonna make a difference, what, you think that paid for a table of republicans to go to the balls? The way the batshit crazy rightwing media is spinning it, you'd think that Dillard financed Obama's presidential campaign by himself!
On the other hand we have Rauner...who has given truckloads to Rahm Immanuel and,{PERISH THE THOUGHT} maybe even MIKE MADIGAN(OK, I feel I need drama music) and all of this will be coming out.
OK, gotta admit, love the hysterical drama queen persona of the republicant party when they turn it on themselves. Seems to fit well.
OK, so now you know how much respect I have for them, but I'm not supposed to, I'm the Union Thug Gramma! Oh, but there's not much love going on in the republican camps either....
Seems there's a new attack ad against Kirk Dillard, who, in many ways has been written off as a "has-been" because of how he ran so far to the right after the 2010 primary. Even tho he's had trouble raising money, mainly because of this turnabout from moderate to batshit crazy rightwing nutjob(OK, I'll take the nutjob back, he really isn't), that the right doesn't know which Kirk Dillard is going to show up for the governor's mansion. But, it seems that someone is trying to muddy the waters. See, Dillard has always said that Jim Edgar(Governor after Thompson, during the 90's--one term) and this video first uses the song, "I touch Myself" from the 90's and ends with saying this video was brought to you by Kirk Dillard and friends at MSI--which was a soft core scandal of Edgars that surfaced in 2000.
And then, there's the new group, Republican Fund for Progress and Jobs that just recently formed. The Head of this group is the former Aaron Schock Chief of Staff, Steven Shearer, Schock is another teabagger(aka batshit crazy) who is supposed to represent Peoria and Springfield(among other areas) in congress, but can't seem to ever make it out to his Peoria office, feeling much more comfortable in what could be called Illinois' beltway-Springfield. Now, this new group is saying they are just trying to educate voters about the candidates, but when Schock was thinking about running for Governor, Rauner paid for attack ads against him. Think maybe that might come back to haunt him? I hope so.
Now, Rauner has gotten the endorsement of the Cook County Republican Party(wow, all 30 of them?), but it still may become a primary Heathers trap---real bloody and lots of bad publicity.
And that's fine with me. Let's get the red meat out now and hope that people vote for someone who actually cares about the people of Illinois, not just the bottom dollar of campaign funds.
OH. The other big high school drama is "WHO'S BEING NICE TO DEMOCRATS...EWWWWWW" There have been push issues about Dillard giving less than $1000 to the Obama Inauguration Fund, not his campaign fund, but after he was elected. A whole $ 924. Like that was gonna make a difference, what, you think that paid for a table of republicans to go to the balls? The way the batshit crazy rightwing media is spinning it, you'd think that Dillard financed Obama's presidential campaign by himself!
On the other hand we have Rauner...who has given truckloads to Rahm Immanuel and,{PERISH THE THOUGHT} maybe even MIKE MADIGAN(OK, I feel I need drama music) and all of this will be coming out.
OK, gotta admit, love the hysterical drama queen persona of the republicant party when they turn it on themselves. Seems to fit well.
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.
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.
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Sunday, September 29, 2013
History, Gardening, Dinner and Democracy--All Mashed Together
Warning: I'm waxing philosophically here...could get deep....
I garden. Yes, its a verb, not just, I have a garden. I've enjoyed gardening since childhood, having grown up in a family that had farmers on both sides and an uncle(Mike) who owned 5 lots, 4 of which were garden plots. I remember going to his home and "helping" by pulling up the carrots and picking the tomatoes and enjoying other stuff like the the rich smell of carrots and turnips just out of the earth always excited me...go figure.
During this time, I remember people complaining about the differences between real and "store bought" produce. My uncle was of the opinion that the "company" farms( i.e., not small family farms) were "manipulating " the plants so they could grow all year long even tho that wasn't normal. Most people just sort of laughed at Uncle Mike behind his back--see he was old fashioned and just really didn't understand about "progress".
Well, as we now know, that's basically what happened. I was reading an article about the tomato and how, in the 70's, the agriculture corporations came out with a "season-less" tomato. Did it taste like a tomato? No, but their idea was to flood the market, marvel at being able to have tomatoes, cheaply, all year round...and in a decade, no one would really remember what "real" tomatoes tasted like and the agra-businesses would make money.
This is a Genovese Costulo tomato, the one on the right is a Brandywine. Not a perfect round sphere, but oh so luscious, who needs pretty when you have taste?
So...it sounded like something that would work, and it did for many a year, but most people who grew up with real tomatoes remembered the sweet, juicy treat and dreamed of the summer days when the deep red fruit was available...maybe a plant on the balcony, maybe one of the small family farm kiosks that are available in some towns, but they remembered.
So, now, go to the present. Not only are Farmer's Markets in every town, but they're packed with people looking for those summer treats that are full of flavor! They've become fluent in the language of tomato--heirlooms, determinant, indeterminate, Box Car Willie, Lunch Box, Brandywine, Genovese are all well known adjectives and pronouns rather than just Big Boys and Early Girls. The consumer has gone even farther by growing their own, demanding organic and wanting to know which products are GMO or not! So, in other words, the citizens are debunking the corporations ideas and, if not winning, making a dent in the idea that people will just settle for what we shove at them.
Also, because of my gardening, we eat a lot more "fresh" stuff--no canned tomatoes for this family, nosireebob, when I'm cooking, I have fresh tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squash, herbs, spices...but this does mean a bit more work for me. I mean it is easier to just open a can and throw it in. No weeding, no seeding, no waiting. Right now, between par-boiling tomatoes to make sauces, I'm roasting peppers, slicing up squash, freezing peppers. Also, giving some of it away, to friends, to our church(we have a summer program about sharing your gardening "wealth") and not doing it just because I'm overwhelmed by the bounty(I've got about 2 gallons of tomato sauce at this time and I've roasted at least 40 peppers), but because its good to share and to give to others that have less than you. Yes, its a bit messier than just going to the supermarket, which more and more is looking like SlaveMart, but its a much more satisfying feeling.
Yes, two of my 80% home grown meals--stuffed peppers and a tomato/mac dish. The only added ingredients that were bought? Ground beef and cheese for one, a chicken breast, whole grain pasta and cheese for the other.
So, how does this warp into democracy? We have been forced into this political farce by big bidness buying the republicon crazies, who, since Reagan, have made government the "bad guy". We've been taught that we shouldn't have a War on Poverty or a Great Society, both of which did take a bite out of being poor, but that being poor is criminal...while giving more and more of the People's wealth to the corporate sluts. We've allowed the greed of human nature to become honorable position, unless, of course, it may truly affect us(like those teabaggers that carry signs, "Keep your gov't hands off my Medicare!", kinda sad when people don't know that Medicare is a Government program, eh?).
Education funding is cut, but more money sent to the War Industry and the Prison Industry. Republicons try to cut food stamps by billions of dollars, while giving twice that amount to the agra-business whores who do lap dances for them. We are told that this evil president has made the deficit so much worse...without most of the media yelling, "LIARS!" at the top of their lungs(since the deficit has shrunk faster under President Obama than the last 3 or 4 Republican presidents. But, most of the media has also been bought by the corporate whores who own most of the media, so why would they turn away from the golden idol?
Its time we, the American people, stand up and take a real look at what is happening. We did it with food, an important ingredient of life and we need to do the same with democracy...another sweet luscious fruit of an earlier generation. Its time to learn the lessons of being somewhat old fashioned...and remembering that we are the Government, we are the ones that fire the Government representatives, but we need to spend time to educate ourselves on what is happening and what is important, not just what the sound bytes tell us. Yes, soundbytes are easy, but they just aren't as satisfying as the truth and compassion for your fellow human being.
I garden. Yes, its a verb, not just, I have a garden. I've enjoyed gardening since childhood, having grown up in a family that had farmers on both sides and an uncle(Mike) who owned 5 lots, 4 of which were garden plots. I remember going to his home and "helping" by pulling up the carrots and picking the tomatoes and enjoying other stuff like the the rich smell of carrots and turnips just out of the earth always excited me...go figure.
During this time, I remember people complaining about the differences between real and "store bought" produce. My uncle was of the opinion that the "company" farms( i.e., not small family farms) were "manipulating " the plants so they could grow all year long even tho that wasn't normal. Most people just sort of laughed at Uncle Mike behind his back--see he was old fashioned and just really didn't understand about "progress".
Well, as we now know, that's basically what happened. I was reading an article about the tomato and how, in the 70's, the agriculture corporations came out with a "season-less" tomato. Did it taste like a tomato? No, but their idea was to flood the market, marvel at being able to have tomatoes, cheaply, all year round...and in a decade, no one would really remember what "real" tomatoes tasted like and the agra-businesses would make money.
This is a Genovese Costulo tomato, the one on the right is a Brandywine. Not a perfect round sphere, but oh so luscious, who needs pretty when you have taste?
So...it sounded like something that would work, and it did for many a year, but most people who grew up with real tomatoes remembered the sweet, juicy treat and dreamed of the summer days when the deep red fruit was available...maybe a plant on the balcony, maybe one of the small family farm kiosks that are available in some towns, but they remembered.
So, now, go to the present. Not only are Farmer's Markets in every town, but they're packed with people looking for those summer treats that are full of flavor! They've become fluent in the language of tomato--heirlooms, determinant, indeterminate, Box Car Willie, Lunch Box, Brandywine, Genovese are all well known adjectives and pronouns rather than just Big Boys and Early Girls. The consumer has gone even farther by growing their own, demanding organic and wanting to know which products are GMO or not! So, in other words, the citizens are debunking the corporations ideas and, if not winning, making a dent in the idea that people will just settle for what we shove at them.
Also, because of my gardening, we eat a lot more "fresh" stuff--no canned tomatoes for this family, nosireebob, when I'm cooking, I have fresh tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squash, herbs, spices...but this does mean a bit more work for me. I mean it is easier to just open a can and throw it in. No weeding, no seeding, no waiting. Right now, between par-boiling tomatoes to make sauces, I'm roasting peppers, slicing up squash, freezing peppers. Also, giving some of it away, to friends, to our church(we have a summer program about sharing your gardening "wealth") and not doing it just because I'm overwhelmed by the bounty(I've got about 2 gallons of tomato sauce at this time and I've roasted at least 40 peppers), but because its good to share and to give to others that have less than you. Yes, its a bit messier than just going to the supermarket, which more and more is looking like SlaveMart, but its a much more satisfying feeling.
Yes, two of my 80% home grown meals--stuffed peppers and a tomato/mac dish. The only added ingredients that were bought? Ground beef and cheese for one, a chicken breast, whole grain pasta and cheese for the other.
So, how does this warp into democracy? We have been forced into this political farce by big bidness buying the republicon crazies, who, since Reagan, have made government the "bad guy". We've been taught that we shouldn't have a War on Poverty or a Great Society, both of which did take a bite out of being poor, but that being poor is criminal...while giving more and more of the People's wealth to the corporate sluts. We've allowed the greed of human nature to become honorable position, unless, of course, it may truly affect us(like those teabaggers that carry signs, "Keep your gov't hands off my Medicare!", kinda sad when people don't know that Medicare is a Government program, eh?).
Education funding is cut, but more money sent to the War Industry and the Prison Industry. Republicons try to cut food stamps by billions of dollars, while giving twice that amount to the agra-business whores who do lap dances for them. We are told that this evil president has made the deficit so much worse...without most of the media yelling, "LIARS!" at the top of their lungs(since the deficit has shrunk faster under President Obama than the last 3 or 4 Republican presidents. But, most of the media has also been bought by the corporate whores who own most of the media, so why would they turn away from the golden idol?
Its time we, the American people, stand up and take a real look at what is happening. We did it with food, an important ingredient of life and we need to do the same with democracy...another sweet luscious fruit of an earlier generation. Its time to learn the lessons of being somewhat old fashioned...and remembering that we are the Government, we are the ones that fire the Government representatives, but we need to spend time to educate ourselves on what is happening and what is important, not just what the sound bytes tell us. Yes, soundbytes are easy, but they just aren't as satisfying as the truth and compassion for your fellow human being.
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