A Rolling Stone Gathers Whatever Is In Its Way

Tags

budget, deficit issues, gas prices, GOP, Israel, John Boehner, Middle East, Obama, teabaggers, welfare

Sir Boehner of Orange is not a man who is cozy with the truth. He, like so many of his cohorts, believe it is a most malleable thing to be twisted and pulled into whatever shape is necessary to feed the agenda they are pushing at any given time.

As most of us know, the sequester is looming on the horizon, and the GOP chatter seems as usual to ignore facts and create a new reality as needed. Thus the sequester is the “president’s idea” as if he designed it as the solution to our fiscal ills.

The Grand Bargain that Boehner continues to claim fell through because the President “changed” the offer at the last minute, is a total lie. In fact Boehner made the deal only to discover that he could not control the crazy element in his own caucus. Because of the Hastert Rule (thou shalt not bring to the floor a bill not already approved by a majority of your party), Boehner knew the deal could only pass with Democratic help. That he was not prepared to do, so he created the myth that the President changed the offer.

Given that time was short and the GOP was threatening to destroy the economy unless they got their way, the President proposed a draconian alternative that would come into play in six months. This was supposed to ensure that a meaningful debate and agreement would ensue to avoid the awfulness of the sequester. The President originally offered a 50/50 deal–there would be a sequester that consisted of half tax increases and half budget cuts. Boehner refused that deal and insisted that all be cuts.

Moreover, at the conclusion of the sequester deal, Boehner bragged to the press and anyone else that would listen that he had gotten “98% of everything he had been asking for” so he declared himself and his Party the winner.

Those are the real facts.

What the GOP continues to miss here, is that we are not so gullible nor so stupid that we don’t know these facts. So, his little attempt to hijack the truth in favor of his new reality only elicits nods and uhuh’s from his own stupid base. The rest of America sees it for the series of lies it is, and of course, realizes that the GOP is still the party that protects corporate interests to the detriment of the rest of us.

No lessons yet learned. The GOP continues to wallow in the mire of lies. It will remain a party that can’t win the big one. It will continue to try to figure out ways to steal elections. It will continue to be the best comedy routine in town.

•

You have heard no doubt that the President is heading to Israel? And when he is there, he’s going to get a Presidential Medal of Distinction. And the Right wing reactionaries are livid. They just cannot understand why the vast majority of us cannot see that this man is a horrid, vile, Commie, Islamic lovin’ Israel hater. I mean they cannot fathom this as it is SO obvious that he has a “visceral hostility toward Israel.”

Their answer is of course that the person giving him the medal, Israeli President Shimon Peres, is just a figurehead, who is not liked by most of the population.

It makes me laugh. And then I read their shock and dismay again, and I laugh a bit louder and longer.

The circus continues.

•

I do so appreciate a Republican who wants to help the poor. Jeff Sessions is ready to do just that. His method? Cut welfare of course. I mean really, it just breeds dependency doesn’t it? At least that’s what Newt said back in the 90’s when he pushed through the welfare reforms that resulted in tens of thousands losing their benefits. (hint: you might find some of these folks among the homeless today.)

Anyway, Sessions is bristling at the idea that the GOP is being called the party of the rich. And in a memorandum, he made it clear that they shouldn’t tie this deep desire to help out our poor by tying it to deficit reduction–that looks bad. Instead cuts in food stamps and such should be tied to helping business get healthy so those jobs become available. As everyone knows giving stuff to the poor just breeds more grabby people. Everyone knows that.

Boy, I feel ever so much better knowing the GOP really has a heart.

•

If you have been wondering why the price of gas has gone up sharply, well, yes you guessed it, you can blame the neo-cons. They pushed sanctions against Iranian oil, making Europe and others refuse to buy any. The neo-cons were sure of course (they always are) that this would not impact American prices.

They were also sure that Saudi Arabia would pick up the slack. (That now seems unlikely).

West Texas oil is selling at $100 a barrel, which is not good either.

All this causes prices to rise (and Iran gets the benefit of that for what oil it does sell).

Thank your nearest Republican today!

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• Boehner pushed the sequester that he now blames on Obama (dailykos.com)
• Setting the Record Straight About the Sequester (whitehouse.gov)

We Shoulda Lost The Civil War

Tags

Alabama, budget, Election 2012, gas prices, GOP, Media, Mike Huckabee, Mississippi, Mitt Romney, park lands, stupid people, teabaggers

Take Alabama and Mississippi.

No seriously, take them.

Okay, that was a cheap shot. Henny Youngman of me.

But seriously, really seriously.

In Alabama, 45% of polled citizens says that the President is a Muslim. An additional 41% are “unsure. In Mississippi, it’s 52% and 36%. In other words nearly 90% of these folks are either unsure or are sure he ain’t no Christian.

In both states, something like only 25% or less believe in evolution as a true theory of how they came to be standing where they are.

Is it the water? Or does dullness naturally sink to the bottom of the continent? I mean, you could find a smarter bunch of people in the Amazon rain forest making poisonous arrows to kill monkeys for stew. Seriously.

They are the national poster states for dumb and dumber. This is down right embarrassing. A Parisian could do a better job of taking a civics test than the average Alabama/Mississippi resident.

THEY ARE VOTING TODAY TO PICK A GOP CANDIDATE.

Does that make a chill run down your back? They are allowed to vote! Talk about your voter fraud. They are walking cases for people pretending to be citizens. My dog could make a more salient choice.

I do believe that both states require mandatory chip identification just so when they get lost, as they often must, they can be sent back to the right home. “Where do you live son?” “I dunno sir, but I think it has a lot of a’s or i’s in it.”

I mean seriously.

¶

It appears that Mikey the Huck is gonna go up against the Rushmore on the radio waves. Good news? Only marginally so. The Huckster has long ago given up any claim to be a nice Christian pastor with soothing sweet uplifting warbles of pleasantry. The Huckster, if you been a watching is urging everyone to sign on the “kill Obamacare” an ad fraught with lies and evil innuendo. In addition, he not all that long ago called the President a Kenyan, returned us to “death panels”, used the  now de rigueur Nazi allusions to all things Obama, and claims Ted Kennedy would have “committed suicide” had he lived to see the Health Care Law. Greed, greed, greed, what it does to people.

¶

The stupid brigade (i.e., GOP House) is gearing up with a new budget. More of the same according to Politico. More money for rich folks and more gutting of medicare. Meanwhile, Willard continues to lie about the President’s record, and then turn around and lie about his own. He’s the one who would destroy Medicare as we know it, and we know he knows it. Trouble is nobody is calling him on it. Except that he doesn’t make himself available to the press, ala Ms Palin. Too many gaffes ya know.

¶

Like this one. Willard need to button up the lip, zip the old zipper when the issue of sports comes along. Unless they are talking about “sport” that is, you know, horses and polo. Then pontificate o’ wealthy one. Otherwise, as I said, mum’s the word.

But Willard, it seems is a stubborn, and apparently rather arrogant asshat who figures, if I made all that money, I must know what I’m doing. So Mr. Bumbles calls a sports radio show in Al-err-bammy yesterday and engages in what he figures is safe territory–spoits!

Now iff’n you recalls, Mr. Bumbles talked about NASCAR just a few days ago, in which he got all perky about knowin’ the NASCAR stuff seein’ as he knew a bunch of NASCAR “team owners”. Those folks can of course be found  tailgating in the infield at the race, guzzlin’ the BUD. Right?  

And surely he was advised that such richy rich stuff was bad, and don’t do it again.

So. . . .

He’s asked about Peyton Manning, newly released Colts QB. And he says:

“I’ve got a lot of good friends, the owner of the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets, both owners are friends of mine,” he added. “But let’s keep him away from New England.”

Yup. He said that. Yup he did.

¶

What is it with the GOP and their hatred of public lands? The party of Teddy Roosevelt, conservationist extraordinaire, is being infested with all sorts who want to give our parks to private interests. The wealthy apparently are not wealthy enough. Willard inexplicably says that he doesn’t “know the purpose of public lands.” You don’t? I guess that is because you don’t understand things that don’t render a profit margin for your friends, Willard?

¶

Gas prices are pissin’ off everyone. And the GOP is out to make as much of it as it can. They blame it on the President. We knew they would. Except that economists and oil experts tell you the President can’t do diddly squat about gas prices for the most part. Read Ezra Klein’s report and get the low down, when your Republican friends (should you have any) start spouting about how Obama’s policies are driving up my pain at the pump. Ain’t so. Remember, Foxy Noise said that Bush couldn’t be blamed for high pump prices a few years ago. Course, they forgot that.  

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• Is Mississippi Racist, Toothless and Idiotic? Bill Maher Video Shows State’s Beliefs [VIDEO] (ibtimes.com)
• Pitifully stupid (horsesass.org)

They Have No Merge Files Button

Tags

Election 2012, Foxy Noise, gas prices, GOP, Health care, Mitt Romney, Romneycare, Rush Limbaugh, wacked media

It really helps to understand the GOP to know that they have no MERGE FILES button. In other words, they minds operate like file cabinets and not computers.

While we receive no information and compare it with all the information we have thus far collected, they simply open a new folder, insert, and place in the cabinet, to be pulled forth as “truth” as needed. If it conflicts with something else already in the file cabinet? They will never know. They will never check. It’s not how their brains work.

In Romney World, television and movies are real. At least some of them. At least the ones he watched that convinced him that he could hire somebody to scrub the information highway of any and all contradictory statements made by his very own self.

It’s good that Willard likes to fire people, because he needs to fire that guy. Right away.

In one of those surreal moments, some elderly type lady stood up in some Romney campaign event and literally begged Willard to guarantee and promise, and say assertively, yes or no, “WILL YOU REPEAL OBAMA CARE?”

He answered, “Why wouldn’t I?” and then went on to blather on about how “from the very start, I always said very clearly, that this is what we wanted in Massachusetts, and it in no way meant it was right for anybody else, any state, and certainly not the federal government.”

Except that.

Except that he did say just the opposite. Not once. Not twice. Not three times, but at least four times so far that have been documented. And with video tape. (Expect this to come up in an ad coming to a TV near you!)

Now, some suggest that the GOP must be dumber than a dead fly on the windshield not to have found any of this stuff until now. But others pipe up and suggest that this might well be coming from the Obama camp, dribbled out now and then, just enough to keep the cauldron simmering. I rather like that idea.

Beyond the phenomenal ability of The Willard camp to not know, remember, or think it can be buried, lies a more puzzling issue. It too can be answered by the merge file syndrome. It is the bizarre hatred for “Obamacare” as it is known throughout TeaMob® land.

Of course, much of this comes from Fox Noise and the far-far-far right, which hates these types of programs (medicare, Medicaid, social security, food stamps, welfare, unemployment insurance) anyway. They have labeled universal health care as the first, fifth or last step before we descend into the hellfire of socialism. The fact that any number of countries have socialism in one form or another and their people seem rather happy (happier than Americans generally) is a point never mentioned.

Anyway, as I said, the right wingnuttery brigade has drunk the kool-aid and they are convinced that universal health care is bad, and more bad. While leads me to this post by Ezra Klein about health care in general.

Here are some facts:

1. Republicans like to demand tort reform to “cut down on frivolous lawsuits” which they claim drive up health care costs. FACT: all lawsuits account for less than one-half of one percent of all costs in health care. Moreover, what is frivolous? It is well documented that more mistakes are made by American doctors than those in any other countries.
2. Fact: 21% of all health care costs are eaten up by administrative costs. This is in the private sector. In Medicare, administrative costs amount to 3% of total costs.
3. Doctors make far more in salaries in the US than elsewhere in the world.
4. Based on a value index, the US ranks far down the list, behind Canada, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Brazil, India, and China. This is overall health of its citizens. The idea that we get the best care is simply not true.

Just a few facts.

NOTE: the idea of merge files is from Robert Altemeyer and his book The Authoritarians. He finds this a universal trait pretty much of the fundamentalist mind. They hold a head full of contradictory information that they never allow to confront each other. Frankly, they are unaware of this probably.

¶

As you might expect, the Foxy Noise Makers are busily trying to attach the rise in gasoline prices to Mr. Obama. Yes, what would you expect. Except that back in 2008, when prices went over $4 a gallon, they were busily trying to remind people that not only was it not Bush/Cheney’s fault, but “”[N]o president has the power to increase or to lower gas prices.“

I guess Foxy should fire the guy who wiped their information highway as well.

¶

I think it runs in the family: Ann Romney says she doesn’t feel wealthy. Awwww, ain’t that special?  Exactly how much would it take Ann, to feel wealthy?

“This is not a political war at all. This is not a cultural war.
This is a spiritual war.”
……………… —US Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum

Oh for a GOP candidate who could keep their mouth shut. So prays Reince *rinsed penis* Priebus . As overheard by The Matrix.

If you think I’m stretching a point, well try running for office in Laurens County South Carolina, where party members must sign a pledge: that among others things claims that they had no premarital sex, will be faithful to their spouse, that your spouse is of the opposite sex, and,.  .  .  . oh who cares what else.

¶

Was it something I said? Can you imagine having to grovel in the hopes of saving your job when you meant every word you said and then some? Welcome to Rush’s world. I’m laughing. I know it’s impolite to chortle at the misfortunes of others, but, God help me, this is a hoot. And, did I mention, deserved? He’s now reduced to pouting, “I’M JUST A RAPPER!”

RUSH: This is all part of the culture deteriorating, because fewer and fewer people and fewer and fewer businesses and fewer and fewer institutions actually have a moral core, or they’re not willing to stand up for their moral core. And you talk about the double standard, one of the greatest illustrations of it is that rappers can practically say anything they want about women, and it’s called art. And they win awards for it. I don’t know about you, I have some television shows that I like, and I TiVo ’em, and the P-word that stands for urinate is common now. Or when you’re ticked off, you are p–. It’s common. The word bitch is common. In sitcoms, in television dramas.

Happy Tuesday.

What’s on the Stove: Vichysoisse and ham and cheese toasted sammies.

Nothing That Follows is Meant to Be a Factual Statement

Tags

abortions, budget, debt ceiling, economy, gas prices, GOP, John Boehner, John Kyl, Koch Brothers, Medicare, oil speculation, PPH, taxes, Women's issues

Sen. Jon Kyl as a Youth

You might have missed it. John Kyl said that PPH uses 90% of its government funding for abortions. It actually uses about 3%. When his office was contacted in regards the discrepancy, they said,

“Senator Kyl’s remarks were not meant to be a factual statement.”

As you can imagine, everyone from Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert down are having a field day.

“Not meant to be a factual statement” is the new “I’m lying in hopes of deceiving people to agree with my position.” And yes Jon, we do understand that “everyone on your side of the aisle” is doing this. But well, you know, what your mom said, “that don’t make it right, boy.”

♦

Johnny “Cheetos” Boehner, is a good little soldier. Word is he’s been asking his parents (big business) if it’s okay to screw around and have some fun with the debt ceiling issue. Word is he was told “NO” or it’s off to the corner for you Johnny. Seems business sees this issue as a good deal different that government shutdowns. Johnny was free to play games on that, but not with the debt ceiling.

Which goes to show you, that sometimes I may actually be right. Remember, just days ago, I urged the President to stand his ground on this issue. Others apparently now agree with me. Wow, do you think I should run for office?

♦

The Ryan budget plan is simply draconian. The man who voted for the Bush tax cuts, the medicare prescription drug bill, and both wars, is now fully willing to protect the rich and destroy every safety net that the poor and seniors have. The issue is now being framed as a moral choice–are we going to put the onus of the budgetary difficulties only on the poor and those least able to weather them, or are we going to do the fair thing, and ask the rich to pay taxes at a rate that many millionaires agree was fair, during the Clinton Administration?

Shall it be children and women, working and poor who bear the brunt or billionaires and millionaires? Sen. Mark Begich asks us to make a moral choice.

And lets not forget, that the deficit problem will disappear if we do only one thing: let the Bush tax cuts expire at the end of 2012. Yes, if the GOP is truly about the business of eliminating the deficit, then it’s a no-brainer. But of course they aren’t really about that are they?

♦

Being nearly 61 years of lovely age, I admit that Medicare and Social Security are on my mind a lot, and I definitely have a “horse in the race” as goes budgetary issues. Our move to New Mexico (at least the easy life scenario) is based at least in part on those expected checks starting next April.

While most “solutions” don’t call for impacts to be made on either that would affect me, I don’t care to get on that slippery slope at all if at all possible. Robert Reich has a post on this issue, and says that Medicare is the solution, not the problem. Good reading.

And further, polling suggests  a plurality of Republicans favor taking no action against Medicare, and instead they favor raising taxes on the rich. Ah, GOP you have a problem I think.

♦

The Contrarian keyed me on to this next one. I was wont to put the blame for rising oil prices on OPEC, and their taking advantage of unrest in the Middle East. Turns out its good old Americans who are doing the dirty deed. Oil speculation, fostered by guess who? The Koch Spawn. As you might expect, the GOP does it best to reduce any regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Koch controls oil from the minute it leaves the well until it is sold to retailers and speculates on pricing, along with its good buddy Enron. Think Progress has this important story. But another example of the rich getting richer and the rest of us paying the price.

♦

A good post entitled “9 Things the Rich Don’t Want You About Taxes.” Shockingly, the GOP has been dishonest with us. Please read all the crap they push and all too many of us take as gospel. All the usual stuff is debunked, along with the idea that tax cuts for the rich create jobs. Yeah, well we kinda have figured that one out haven’t we?

♦

What’s on the stove? Spaghetti with Bolognese sauce, salad, bread

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