LIVE AND LET LIVE

     If the world ran my way, we would all be able to live with our own principals as the witches in all stories lived.  "Do no harm".  Of course this requires the ability to listen to others as to what might be painful to them but not to you.  It really does not matter to me whether someone believes in evolution or not.  However, it is painful to me that I would be expected to believe there is not such a thing when the evidence is so clear that there is evolution in all living things..  No one should be allowed to assume we can live without regulations since few people, if any,  can actually regulate themselves in everything.  We all tend to view the world through our own lenses. It is one of the first rules a therapist is taught.  Start where the patients are, not where you think they should be.
     It amazes me how many politicians we have elected in this country who are unable to listen to others or realize what they were elected to do in Washington or wherever they may be.  The election win did not give them license to think their judgement is better than that of others.  That is why there in no one elected official to decide everything.  Our founding father s tried to build in checks and balances but, at the time, the country was far simpler with fewer people, religions, and needs. President Obama is one of the most fair people I have seen in the office. Nevertheless the collective forces working against his goals, stated and accepted by the voters, have achieved much power  to obstruct.  To use power simply to force your religious, racial, made up morals, and whatever else constricts the lives of others unnecessarily is not what those offices intend by our Constitution,  Yet we see it all the time.  Grover Norquist is struggling to put fear and guilt on all those who signed his pledge never to raise taxes, just as others endeavor to extract promises that they wish to have remain functioning even when circumstances have changed; when to keep the promise would be detrimental .
     Perhaps, as we are learning more about the human brain, there will be a way of testing candidates for office by how their brains function.  If voters actually knew what their vote gets them rather than what is being promised, the lives of all of us would be improved.  How we do things must constantly change to adapt to the changes evolution, rising populations, infrastructural needs and so much else dictates.  Those who fight to keep the 'old ways' fight progress and change to the great injury to progress and all humanity.

IS KARL ROVE, MASTER MANIPULATOR, FAILING THIS TIME?

Karl Rove had had a book written about him during Bush's presidency, as Bush's Brain.  That didn't come as a surprise because the lack of substance in Bush was quickly apparent in his oral output and all the decisions that were bad for the economy and the country that he was talked into supporting.  His goal has never been made clear to me other than the power he held and the company he kept.  Clearly, Mr. Rove is not for the middle class but sustained by very large dollars which he has been able to wrest for those willing to 'invest' in his vision of the US 'future government'.  He has set up the Super PACs though he still is not getting the results he wants.

Craig Unger has written a thought provoking article on Rove  The Tea Party and the Right: Is Karl Rove Losing it?  

It is strange to hear just who has really been running the country behind the scenes on so many aspects.  We have heard much about the Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson, Grover Norquist, and some others.  0Naive people think that Obama is in control of whatever should, does or does not happen.  That is so far from the truth.  Apparently the average person is totally out of the sphere of the real powers that make decisions. That makes most voters totally unaware of exactly what they really get when they vote. 

Please do not waste your vote for more of the years when people are lied to and left powerless.  Vote for Obama,,,he may not be perfect but he is the best of the choices available to us with his goal to make a better America for all and a level playing field.

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT DOES NOT ALLOW MUCH PRIVACY OR SECRECY

Romney is flailing and using a single theme:  Obama is using attack ads.  Unfortunately there are Obama haters who will believe anything.  I just talked to one tonight who insisted he had given everything that was asked for by the campaigns.  The tragedy is that she believes it.  She also watches FOX.  She believes them, too.  What a tragedy that people are so biased that they will believe anything against Obama and everything for Romney even in the face of total fabrications, and inconsistencies.

One has to ask if the Republicans are falling apart.  Lawrence O'Donnell spoke tonight about Grover Norquist's loss of status and power.  Tom Coburn dared to vote and write against his pledge.  Coburn does not plan to run again. For more details on Norquist's meltdown and gaff by calling Coburn a liar (not what a lobbyist should ever do) click here.

So far, Sheldon Adelson has made it clear that he will spend $100,000,000 to get Romney into the White House.  Do we know why?  Yes, because he stands to earn much more if he can get someone to pass bills that keep him for being prosecuted for illegal activities there.  For details, click here.

Is this another truth?  Norquist says Romney fully backs the pledge.  Is that what we need in the White House?  Really???

THE MORE INTELLIGENT, POLISHED LIMBAUGH: GROVER NORQUIST

Grover Norquist was telling fellow Republicans that Mitt Romney will do as he is told.  In a recent speech, commented on by David Frum he said:  "The requirement for president.Pick a Republican with enough working digits to handle a pen to become president of the United States. This is a change for Republicans: the House and Senate doing the work with the president signing bills. His job is to be captain of the team, to sign the legislation that has already been prepared."

His arrogance is shocking:   "All we have to do is replace Obama. ...  We are not auditioning for fearless leader. We don't need a president to tell us in what direction to go. We know what direction to go. We want the Ryan budget. ... We just need a president to sign this stuff. We don't need someone to think it up or design it. The leadership now for the modern conservative movement for the next 20 years will be coming out of the House and the Senate."

To hear Norquist speak, you realize he does not see Obama as leading this country at all.  Indeed, he has all the Republicans attached to him bu oath and he and cohorts have had the country is a choke hold since Obama took office to whatever degree they could maintain.

His speech to CPAC, 2/1//12, can be heard here.

If Norquist and friends have their way for the next 20 years, there will not be an America as we used to know it.   Almost a year ago, I had written a blog as I realized just how dangerous Norquist is to our democracy.  Sadly, he and his followers are too entrenched to be moved easily from their sufficiently reaching power.  If only more voters cared to learn truths instead of the scam artist's lies.  We can only hope truth will win out over evil in the November elections.

ANOTHER STEP TO ECONOMIC RELIEF

The country is now in the process of cleaning up the deposits on figurative lawns made by dogs without leashes  For those who like to stay informed, another site to be added to you  review is OpenSecrets.org, (The Center for Responsive Politics).

Today's article was about most members of Congress enjoying a robust financial status, despite the nation's sluggish economic recovery.  Small wonder that Congress hears none of the voices from Occupy Wall St.  It is time that a citizen push be made to take all decisions of self-interest our of the hands of the Congress.  If ever there was a conflict of interest that is a blatant one.

Raises and perks over and above the flat salary of all Representatives and Senators should be subject to the same procedures that corporations and other employers follow.  An evaluation of the work, stated goals and to what degree they were met, and financial decisions made on the basis of what is happening with the rest of the country's workers some of whom are as unskilled as many Representatives who do not know their job, the Constitution, do not follow the world situation or much else they should know..

Nov 15 - "As the deadline approaches for the supercommittee to agree on $1.2 trillion in cuts to the federal budget, the influence of one unelected player may make the difference, the Wall Street Journal reported. Antitax advocate Grover Norquist could be a big reason for the supercommittee’s stalemate, thanks in part to his nonprofit’s deep pockets." -(Opensecrets.org).

Tonight, Lawrence O'Donnell on his re-write segment showed that Republican Senator from Pennsylvania, Pat Toomey, pointed out that it will not violate the Grover Norquist pledge if the Bush lowered taxes revert to what they were in the Clinton era when the time limit runs out and they just are not renewed..

WHY ARE THE TEAPARTIERS CALLING THE MAJOR SHOTS?

This morning on MSNBC (Morning Joe), Zbigniew Brzezinski talked about the state of our country.  He, like so many others, pointed out the potential of the poor rising up against the 1% who hold 40% of the money, pay few taxes, while the poor pay great proportions of their income to tax.

There is little doubt in my mind that the militias which have been training for years will eventually draw in many less violent people who are 'fed up' with the current policy of not taxing the top 1% as they had been before G W Bush's administration lowered it to the present level.  The claim of 'no new taxes' is absurd.  The aim is to simply put it back as had been intended when it was lowered.

It is a shame that people have been voted into office with no knowledge of how to run a country and only their own biased views and pledges to a man not in government to guide them.  I have written before and repeat, anyone who has signed the pledge and is following it to Grover Norquist is guilty of treason according to the definition of the word.  At minimum, they have violated the oath the took when taking office.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF VOTING AGAINST RATHER THAN FOR A KNOWN SOMETHING

The TeaPartiers sold lies to the public and under false promises were elected as a 'quick fix' to a problem that has no possible quick fix.  No matter how many times it is said that the economy had a surplus when Clinton left office and GW Bush took his whole two terms to spend with his Republican buddies either from stupidity, being duped by more evil forces, or a reason that has never been mentioned and is not clearly visible to those of us out of government or not economists.

A large group of freshman TeaPartiers promised to work on job creation and the budget. Adopting a policy of 'my way or the highway' they have sworn to make Obama a one term president, raise no new taxes, ignore all warnings from Federal economists, and have only pushed their own disparate agendas, mostly on religious and bigoted issues.

Boehner, speaker of the house, walked out in a gesture as immature as that of his colleague Eric Kantor. For more details, click here.

Like giving a child a privilege, they can't give it up[ even when all indication shows it is bad for them. They do not see that they couldn't handle what they had and resent it being taken away, forgetting it was a trial plam not a permanent one.

How long will the public tolerate elected officials who walk out of negotiations as though it is not a critical part of their job to negotiate and compromise.  It is my contention that the Republicans simply voted against the Democrats and bloated their numbers by adding the TeaPartiers who came in falsely by hanging onto their coat tails.in an attempt to legitimize themselves to get on the ballot when in fact, they are pretty much independent even of one another.

Other than the TeaPartiers, at least those of us whose head is not in the sand,  hope that enough of the House Members will realize that removing tax breaks from the wealthy is not ADDING new taxes.  Gtover Norqujist seemed a little slimy over that explanation.

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR DAYS

Sarah Palin has a book, followed by a movie, about her called UNDEFEATED.  It is not clear what that has to do with Palin since she was defeated in the last presidential election.  Nevertheless, she seems to pop up wherever there is likely to be some publicity for her, regardless about whomever the area is about.  She was NOT in Iowa to steal Bachmann's thunder.  It was just TOTALLY a coincidence that she was there as it was that she was in NH when Romney was campaigning there.

Mark Halpern, usually a highly regarded journalist, called Obama a 'dick'.  Years ago, especially around WW2, no one in their right mind would have stooped so low as to be profane on the air about a sitting president .


The Republicans have gotten pretty bizarre in lock step with Norquist who makes Rove look impotent he is so evil. 

What does Kansas think they are doing with their new regulations on abortion clinics?  Is common sense and adherence to Federal laws really so irrelevant these days?  Regulations requiring reconstruction cannot be done in two days?  Does that surprise us that they think they have found a sneaky way to rid the state totally of abortions?

PART 2 AGENDAS: HIDDEN AND OTHERWISE

Even Dr. Seuss had a hidden political agenda.  See here   Grover Norquist comes to mind with his agenda of maintaining a tax free environment for the very rich and for large corporations. .To read about his Americans for Tax Reform, click here.

When G W Bush was president, the world wondered what his real agenda might be.  Was it to get revenge for his father?  Was it Bush getting talked into it for Cheney's hidden agenda for Haliburton.  Six billion dollars is still not accounted for out of Iraq.  While American lives were being lost, others were shamelessly raking in huge amounts of money, over-charging for services rendered to keep the war functioning.

What is the real agenda of Roger Ayles and Fox News?.  It certainly cannot be seen by intelligent persons as being fair and balanced news presentation.. What is Mitch McConnell's agenda?  Does he truly believe that saying 'no' to everything Obama tries to do for the country will make Obama fail and the Republicans get re-elected?

In order to keep agendas hidden, one must learn to keep the focus on other than themselves.  Obfuscation then is practiced by the media who falls prey to being led away from the real focus.
There is strength in numbers only when those numbers have the same agenda.  That is some of why unions were started.  Today, unions are vulnerable targets because many became too powerful and stopped serving their members as much as they served their corrupt leaders.

There will always be corruption and corrupt leaders.  Despite this, it is imperative that we look towards our leaders for their agendas and vote out those who clearly do not have the betterment for our people, especially in the middle and poor classes, as their agenda.  Anyone who has pledged to Grover Norquist must fall in that category.

SOME REPUBLICANS HAVE FINALLY REALIZED THEY ARE ABOUT TO LOSE ELECTIONS AND THEIR COUNTRY

Grover Norquist

Grover Norquist has sought a pledge from Republicans which essentially said he would direct all their votes on taxes.  It has apparently worked long enough for some of them to realize that following him will lose their elections.  He epitomizes someone not elected to office who was able to become more powerful than those duly elected to public service.  He founded a taxpayer advocacy group, Americans for Tax Reform (1985).  He has lobbied and ATR states that it "opposes all tax increases as a matter of principle".

Tom Coburn

Tom Coburn finally decided he had enough (he was on thin ice over the Sen. Ensign fiasco as it is).   Despite Norquist whining that he broke the pledge, Sen Coburn has pursued his attempt to rid subsidies for ethanol.

 Ezra Klein writes:  " Norquist runs Americans for Tax Reform, the sponsor of a no-tax pledge signed by virtually all Republicans. Norquist's pledge has held absolute sway over the party for two decades -- Republicans at the national level have opposed on principle any tax hike whatsoever. Any agreement to reduce the deficit is going to require Democratic support, which in turn will require some increase in revenue. Some Republicans negotiating this deal want to get this revenue by closing tax loopholes or credits, which they (accurately) see as a form of spending through the tax code. Norquist opposes any deal as a violation of the party's anti-tax theology." 

Alexander Bolton and Josiah Ryan write about Coburn's bill to due away with ethanol subsidies.
Manu Ragu  "Something odd happened in the Senate in the past few months: Democrats grew enamored with arch-conservative Sen. Tom Coburn because he was willing to consider increasing tax revenues as part of a deficit-reduction deal.".

Finally, the GOP has begun to rebuke Norquist and we might save our country's economy, after all. 

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