Day: February 19, 2010

Can Government Be Co-Oped?

Is there an alternative to the bureaucratic nightmare that is Washington?  I was hoping that I could find an answer like government co-operatives or co-ops……I researched and thought about the possibility and this is what I came up with after many days of headaches and coffee……

After many, many hours of thought and research….my answer to the question….NOT a chance!  I was hoping that I could find an idea that could have help save a dying system…..dying politically…….

There is a close, but NO cigar when it comes to a government co-op–Syndicalism is a type of economic system proposed as a replacement for capitalism and state socialism which uses federations of collectivized trade unions. For adherents, labor unions are the potential means of both overcoming economic aristocracy and running society fairly in the interest of the majority, through union democracy. Industry in a syndicalist system would be run through co-operative confederations and mutual aid. Local syndicates would communicate with other syndicates through the Bourse du Travail (labor exchange) which would manage and transfer commodities.  (thanx to wiki for the definition)

In syndicalism at its core is direct democracy where all levels of government are elected and hence subject to a recall if they are found to be derelict in the duties…..that is from the top down to the lowest entity….it may be distasteful to some, but if you want to have control over your government again…..a bitter pill sort of thing….

I know…but Professor it is a type of socialism…..yes it is….but it is more equatable than some of the systems we have today…..this could lessen the effect that bureaucracy on government…lessen but nothing can eliminate it…it is a beast with little control….

I am sorry but after abusing my brain trying to find an answer to the growing problem of bureaucracy…I have NOT found a suitable way to control or end the reign of terror….the bureaucrats…..

I give myself an “A” for effort but the Cuban eludes me….dammit!  Sorry Quin, I just cannot see a way around all the crap of bureaucracy……

The Games Politicians Play

I have been trying to point out as much of the pure manure that the politicians are spreading…..I do so with the hope that both sides will read it and start asking questions on why they are still in power……why they are so damn partisan…..and why they are ALL hypocrites…..

We all have heard the bitching by the Repubs and some Dems that the stim was a waste of time and money….that it has accomplished very little with the exception of driving up the deficit…..you know…the usual BS….

Thinkprogress.org has a great report:

ThinkProgress has investigated opponents of the Recovery Act, reporting throughout the year that many of the lawmakers who tried to kill the legislation have been returning to their home states to claim credit for popular stimulus programs. In a new research report, ThinkProgress finds that over half of the GOP caucus, 110 lawmakers — from the House and Senate — are guilty of stimulus hypocrisy. Among some of the key findings:

– Top Republican Senate Recruits Are Stimulus Hypocrites: As ThinkProgress reported, Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE), a candidate for Senate, touted over $5 million in stimulus programs he voted to kill. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL), the GOP nominee for Senate in Illinois, signed a letter urging Gov. Pat Quinn to provide “Recovery Act (ARRA) funding to expand the Illinois Community College Sustainability Network.”

– GOP Leadership Leads The Way In Hypocrisy: Although he regularly slams the stimulus as a waste while in DC, McConnell has returned to Kentucky to take credit for stimulus programs, even taking time to request more funds. ThinkProgress attended two job fairs held by Cantor, where we found dozens of employers able to hire directly because of the stimulus. Indeed, even Boehner’s office released a statement boasting that the stimulus will create “much needed jobs.”

– The Audacity Of Hypocrisy Knows No Bounds: Many opponents of the stimulus have been quite brazen with their ability to try to claim credit for the program. For instance, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) spent the morning of July 28th railing against the stimulus, yelling “Where’s the stimulus package? Where’s the jobs?” on the House floor. On the same day of his rant, Kingston’s office sent out multiple press releases bragging that he had secured hundreds of thousands in stimulus funds to hire additional police officers in his district. Other stimulus opponents, like Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) — who has called the stimulus a “trillion dollar debt bill” — have printed out jumbo-sized ceremonial stimulus checks to present to local communities to try to garner positive press.

Individually, over half of the entire Republican caucus has hailed nearly every aspect of the stimulus as a success — from infrastructure funds, to food programs, to education grants. But politically, admitting its success might harm the GOP’s chances in November. So with Republicans fixated on winning politically, they have focused on deceiving the public by calling the stimulus a failure, while pretending successful programs aren’t stimulus funded.

Some of us bloggers have been yelling about the hypocrisy in the Congress and now we can see that we were right….too bad others will not see them for what they are….HYPOCRITES!

I wish I could say that was all the silliness that there is to report…but that would be an outright lie….Yes, Irene there is more stupidity!

Stealing a page from President Obama’s transparency book, House Republicans on Wednesday asked Democratic leaders to hold an on-camera meeting with them on the economy and how to create jobs.

“Despite our differences, we believe that it is imperative for us to begin discussions and work together toward a shared goal of putting Americans back to work,” the House’s top two Republicans wrote in a letter to the House’s top two Democrats.

House Republicans want another chance to air their opinions and policy suggestions on public television with their Democratic counterparts.

Does anyone else see the stupidity of this statement and proposal?…..(insert long pause for reflection here)…….waiting….waiting….oh crap that is enough time…..

I believe that the two house of Congress are there for debate and CSPAN is there for transparency……this is just yet another BS move to look like they are being froze out of the process……it is BULLSH*T!…..plain and simple……the crap they want is already at their disposal and they will NOT use it…….

Someone once said, “stupid is as stupid does”….pretty much says it all…..for those that are saying the stupid crap and those that believe the stupid crap……