Month: October 2011

What Causes Revolution?

College of Political Knowledge

Occupy Wall Street…….at first it was ignored by the media and then it got so large that they could no longer wish it away….and it continues to grow….some are calling it a revolution….a quiet revolution…..a peaceful revolution…..and all that got me to thinking about the act of revolution.  What causes revolution?  What is a revolution?

What is revolution?  The simple accepted answer is……The overthrow of one government and its replacement with another.  Or A sudden or momentous change in a situation.  We could go into further detail but that would start to make this post more confusing than it needs to be…..

Now, what causes a revolution?  There is a wealth of opinions on this subject….across history there have been many revolutions…..but let us look at the causes of a few of the major revolutions in fairly recent history…..I shall leave the Arab Spring ones out because the final act of those have not been written……

The French Revolution (1789-1799)………We all know about the storming of the Bastille or the Reign of terror…..Let them eat cake and off with their heads….but what caused these things?  But the real causes were extreme poverty, hunger, hyper-inflation, rising food prices, a inadequate infrastructure, and the aloofness of the power elite and the lack of respect for their leaders;  but mostly it was that the country was bankrupt from fighting a war with England and its financial support for the English colonies that were to become the US…….

Next in line was the Russian Revolution (1917)……the best most people can remember about this revolution was that it brought those dreadful Communists to power…..that is true in a round about way…..Communists did come to power but only after several failed governments…..but what caused the people to revolt?  War is the best answer.  First, a war with Japan in the early 1900’s and then WW1…….The Industrial Revolution had the effects on Russia that it had on the rest of the world….cities were overcrowded, high prices for goods, food shortages,  low wages, inadequate infrastructure and the over indulgence of the elites and finally, a growing dissatisfaction with the political life of the country which led to protests and civil unrest……..and the pot boiled over!

Next in the history lesson is the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)…..not so much a revolution but more kin to a coup…..what brought about the upheaval in Spain?  After centuries of being a world power, Spain was losing its last possessions…and by 1898 its imperial days were over…..military men were returning home with no prospect for earning a living, food became in short supply, infrastructure was bad, political unrest and a mounting national debt….there were many so called interior conflicts and governments….each trying to find a way to balance things…….all this led to a coup and subsequent civil war led by Francisco Franco, a fascist…..and with the help of Germany and Italy, Franco had his victory and a nation…..

Now I am sure that my readers are saying…”But what about the US and its revolution?”  Good question!

First of all, it was not so much a revolution as a child leaving home to strike off on its own.  There was no political strife, no mass starvation, no lack of work, no economic crisis par se……what it was was the local elites felt that their profits were being stolen by the King and they did not appreciate it.  They issued a list of grievances against the King and then the shooting started in earnest…..with the end of the armed conflict, everything went back to as it was before it began…..elites rich beyond imagination, workers, slaves and farmers……the only thing that changed was the type of government and the name of the land mass….nothing radical about the “war”……

What got me started along this road was a conversation that I had with this guy when he ask if I thought that another American revolution was possible…….now that was a helluva question to ask an aging radical!

I want to say yes just because of my past associations and beliefs….however, with that said….I do not think the American people have it in their nature any longer for a real revolution….too many years of depending on someone else for their ideas and beliefs….parties, people, etc…..

But then we look at the situation in today’s world……..massive unemployment, low wages, creeping poverty, disappearance of the middle class, national economic woes, extreme indulgences of the elites and a growing dissatisfaction with the governing of the country….all are characteristics of a country that is ripe for some form of revolution…….

If it came to that….would it be a left or right revolution?  You want an answer to that question?  Just think about Italy of the 1920’s and Germany of the 20 & 30’s…..and then hide in a closet and pray!

The Question That Begs To Be Answered

Well, it is Sunday and my last day of nothingness…Tomorrow I return to the world  of hype and innuendo….commonly or jokingly referred to as politics……

But first there are some questions that just begged to be answered…Does Nessie exist?  Or is God listening?  Why are we here?  What is the meaning of life?  or ……well, you get the picture…..recently a very funny man asked a question that begs to be answered….watch the video and you decide……http://huff.to/o1ZcHS

Sorry, but this is the best question ever asked!

And the answer is!  Ding…..ding….

Whose Idea Was It?

It is the first day of my mental cleansing……and have you ever seen something or heard something that makes your ask ‘whose idea was that’?  There is stupidity everywhere and not just among the politicians we elect…..so I have a small list (for now)…..

1–Whose idea was it to marker a instant coffee as tasting like the original and the guarantee if you do not like it is….you will be sent a bag of the same coffee?  Would that be a big selling point….to get the coffee that you do not like the taste of as part of a guarantee?

2–Whose idea was it to sell tampons in an ad that has a tall fiery red head in a white suit with a sterile white background…..eeewwwww!

3–Whose idea was it to sell a stool softener as a wedding toast?

4–Whose idea was it to turn poker into a sport?  And why?

5–Whose idea was it to have multiple ghost hunter shows that never find a ghost?  What does that say about the mentality of the viewers?

6–When did the Swedish penis pump become the acu-vac?

7–Whose idea was it to make irritating commercials louder than others?

It’s Good To Be Right!

WE bloggers, both right and left, have been warning the people of the situations that we are now faced….few people listened and we have a crap economy and a crap political system……from time to time we have even predicted certain things and they have come true…but were we given a atta boy?  Hell, no!  We have been ignored even more and the MSM gets all the credit for seeing into the future……being the bigger persons we bloggers give credit where credit is due….but the MSM feels NO way the same……(the pricks!)

But from time to time it feels good to see something that you wrote about months even years ago were spot on…..that is where I am coming from now…..awhile back I wrote several times that the Tea Party and the GOP were playing a dangerous game….that is that they do not want any jobs created so they may have a shot at winning the presidency.  Then I, among others, were told that politicians were not so petty as to wish ill on the American public……but guess what?  The Tea Party Express has proven me and the others correct…..and it feels good to be right!

Tea Party Express activist, Melissa Brookstone, has sent out a message and it reads……

Resolved that: The Obama administration and the Democrat-controlled Senate, in alliance with a global Progressive socialist movement, have participated in what appears to be a globalist socialist agenda of redistribution of wealth, and the waging of class warfare against our constitutional republic’s heritage of individual rights, free market capitalism, and indeed our Constitution itself, with the ultimate goal of collapsing the U.S. economy and globalizing us into socialism.

Resolved that: President Obama has seized what amount to dictatorial powers to bypass our Congress, and that because the Congress is controlled by a Progressive socialist Senate that will not impeach one of their kind, they have allowed this and yielded what are rightfully congressional powers to this new dictator.

Resolved that: By their agenda and actions, those in our government who swore oaths to protect and defend our Constitution have committed treason against the United States.

Resolved that: The current administration and Democrat majority in the Senate, in conjunction with Progressive socialists from all around the country, especially those from Hollywood and the left leaning news media (Indeed, most of the news media.) have worked in unison to advance an anti-business, an anti-free market, and an anti-capitalist (anti-individual rights and property ownership) agenda.

…

Resolved that: Our President, the Democrats-Socialists, most of the media, and most of those from Hollywood, have now encouraged and supported “Occupy” demonstrations in our streets, which are now being perpetrated across the globe, and which are being populated by various marxists, socialists and even communists, and are protesting against business, private property ownership and capitalism, something I thought I’d never see in my country, in my lifetime.

I, an American small business owner, part of the class that produces the vast majority of real, wealth producing jobs in this country, hereby resolve that I will not hire a single person until this war against business and my country is stopped.

Damn!  Looks like another one of those pledges in the Grover vain…….The last paragraph says it all…….and Dammit!  It feels good to be right!

So the Tea Party would rather force Americans into joblessness just to make a point for the upcoming election….does that sound like a group that gives a crap about you and your family?  By all means support these dipsticks and crap on your family at the same time…..

Small Busisness To The Rescue

I hope that people are listening………I am sorry to be redundant but……..

Just how many times have you heard the crap from the GOP and from the president?  Small business creates all the jobs in this economy…..I have tried to help the people realize what a pile of bovine fecal matter the politicians are handing you….they are force feeding you erroneous information….and now it is not just me that is telling the voter what crap it is but Bloomberg’s Business Week…….

While extolling small business “might be a good way for politicians to win elections,” Bloomberg Businessweek notes that “the notion that small business is the force behind prosperity is not true.”

“Most small employers are restaurateurs, skilled professionals or craftsmen (doctors, plumbers), professional and general service providers (clergy, travel agents, beauticians), and independent retailers. These aren’t sectors of the economy where product costs drop a lot as the firm grows, so most of these companies are going to remain small.”

Read the article closely……..learn what is meant by small business….to the politicians they want you to believe that an oil company that employs a 1000 workers with $7 million in income is somehow a small business….not so!

Corporations Are People Too

Remember that now famous line uttered by Willard?  The media was all over this statement and bloggers jump it too….but you realize that this is NOT a new vision?  What can I say…..this idea is over 110 years old and it came from the mouth of a Supreme Court Justice……sound familiar?

Read it and weep……..the HufPo writers have done an excellent job as far as the history lesson goes…..http://t.co/OQMO7Z2L

The idea of corporate personhood was once viewed as nonsense. A corporation was formed to limit the financial liability of its owners in pursuing their business: If the corporation went broke, debtors couldn’t come after its owners. That such a company might also have all the rights of citizens was a concept on the fringes. Yet by force of judicial will, Field pulled it right into the mainstream.

Field was as much concerned with protecting business investments as he was with working the Lord’s will. He was heavily invested in railroads and other industries that came before the Court, so much so that the chief justice at the time pressed him not to weigh in on certain cases. “There was no doubt of your intimate personal relations with the managers of the Central Pacific, and it would tend to discredit the opinion if it came from someone known as the personal friend of the parties representing these railroad interests,” the chief justice warned Field,

A fascinating article with lots of facts and history……please read it again…..http://t.co/OQMO7Z2L

If we want to fight the People United decision from the bought off judges….maybe we should start with the Constitution…….all us bloggers that want6 to fight the “Corporations Are People” crowd then we should print or bookmark these writers efforts to inform us…there is a wealth of information in the article and all of it can be useful….

Poverty, American Style

We long haired hippie leftists have been telling the American people that their acquiescence on the political side of life was going to bring them nothing but pain and poverty…..and for the longest time we long haired hippies have been told that we were alarmists……I have one question…….can you hear us now?

I know my readers are getting tired of all gloom and doom about the economy and especially the Middle Class…..but I will not apologize…..I see the chance of the Middle Class disappearing completely and the possibility that it could never return….I have given lots of links and such to inform my reader and I will continue to do so……like today….I found more info on the economy and the Middle Class that is under attack……this time from Braden Goyette of ProPublica…….I know it is a lot of info, but the more you have the better your writings…….

Americans below the poverty line in 2010: 46.2 million

Official U.S. poverty rate in 2007, before the recession: 12.5 percent

Poverty rate in 2009: 14.3 percent

Poverty rate in 2010: 15.1 percent

Last time the poverty level was this high: 1993

Poverty line in 2010: $22,314 for a family of four, or $11,139 for an individual

Rough amount the poor are living on per week: $200 or less

Poverty rate in American suburbs: 11.8 percent, the highest since 1967

Percentage of the population making less than half the poverty line in 2010: 6.7 percent

Percentage of the population making less than half the poverty line in 2007, before the recession: 5.2 percent

Poverty rate for white Americans in 2010: 13 percent

Poverty rate for African-Americans in 2010: 27.4 percent

Real median household income in 2010: $49,445

Decline in median household income since 2009: 2.3 percent

Decline in median household income since before the recession: 6.4 percent

The last time median household incomes have been this low: 1996

Real median household income in 1999, in 2010 dollars: $53,252

Median income for full-time male workers in 2010: $47,715

Median income for full-time male workers in 1973, in 2010 dollars: $49,065

Official unemployment rate in August 2011: 9.1 percent

Total unemployed people in August: 14 million

People who were employed part-time for economic reasons in August 2011: 8.8 million

People not counted in the labor force who wanted work: 2.6 million

Net jobs created in August 2011: 0

Long-term unemployed people as of August 2011: 6 million

Unemployed workers per job opening as of July 2011: 4.34 (3.2 million openings and 13.9 million unemployed people)

Uninsured Americans in 2010: 49.9 million

Percentage of Americans without health insurance in 2010: 16.3 percent

Percentage of Americans without health insurance in 2007, before the recession: 15.3 percent

Percentage of children who were uninsured in 2010: 9.8 percent

Percentage of children in poverty who were uninsured in 2010: 15.4 percent

Percentage of American households that had enough to eat throughout the year in 2007: 88.9 percent

Percentage of American households that had enough to eat throughout the year in 2010: 85.5 percent

It is time for the American people to get INVOLVED!  Are you proud of the direction that your elected officials are taking our country?  If not, then get to writing, phoning, texting, tweeting, whatever……get INVOLVED or lose your country…FOR GOOD!

GOP Debate #8

Yawn!  This whole process is beyond silly!

The combatants arrive in Sin City (Las Vegas not the game) to go toe to toe with each other on the pressing issues of today…HAHAHAHAHA….okay they will talk tax cuts and Obama sucks….anyway I digress so let us get to the goodies……

Romney–Looked and spoke presidential……but knowing his past campaigns and stances…he is a f*cking con artist…will and did say anything to keep his position in the line-up…….a cold fish

Cain–Spent most of the time defending 999 no matter what the question was about….his defense?  “Our analysis”….as usual he was the target of all the ill feelings of the candidates….but at least he did not sing….

Perry–Drill Baby Drill the answer to every problem…..looked like a loud mouth bully on stage….

Bachmann–she is out of it……everything she says is easily ignored….

Paul–was the typical Libertarian…..free markets will solve all problems….

Santorum–Attack…attack…..other than that….he got nothing!

Gingrich–who cares?

We Americans always have to have a winner….a the winner in this debate was……(drum roll please)….John Huntsman….why….he had the keen foresight to walk away from this particular brand of silly…….

However, if you would like another perspective then I suggest that you go to a friend of Info ink website (blogroll will get you to Spinny Liberal)…..she has an unique and excellent take on the debates ………

The sad part is there are so many other things that need to be written about and I feel compelled to watch this silliness and report on what I saw……I am so embarrassed that the political system has come down to this brand of comedy and theatrics….at one point I thought the system was working….but those days are long gone…..now it is just one circus act after another……and not a solid solution between any of the candidates….most are not serious candidates….most are just trying for the exposure to up the ante on speaking and a possible show on that other network……

The Birth Of A People’s Party?

I am always behind any process that moves the political system forward….and there is a good possibility that we may be witnessing just such a move……

OWS is everywhere,  we are witnessing the non-violent response to the antics of the Wall Street crowd….a spontaneous response……..but could all this anger be the precursor to the founding of a new political party?  A people’s party…if you will……

This premise has been put forward by……

Source: The American Dream

Are we witnessing the birth of another new political party in the United States?  The election of Barack Obama was the spark which fueled the rise of the Tea Party back in 2009, and since that time the Tea Party has become a major league force inside the Republican Party.  Now the Occupy Wall Street movement is rapidly becoming more organized and many believe that “The People’s Party” is going to be to the Democrats what the Tea Party is to the Republicans.  Others believe that “The People’s Party” could accomplish what a lot of organizations in the past have tried and failed to do – launch a third political party which could successfully break the stranglehold that the “two party system” has on American politics.  It would certainly not be an easy thing to do, but there can be no doubt that Occupy Wall Street is now a major political force in America.  The Occupy Wall Street movement has spread to 100 cities inside the United States and to nearly 1000 cities around the world.  Certainly as the weather gets colder the protests will die down, but there are an increasing number of signs that Occupy Wall Street is becoming very organized and that it plans to be a major political force for years to come.The full text of “the plan” is posted below….

1. The Occupy Wall Street movement, through the local General Assemblies, should elect an Executive Committee for each city comprised of 11 People or some other odd number of People that is manageable for meetings. Ideally this committee should represent each city in the U.S. that is being occupied. These Executive Committees will act as the original “Committees of Correspondence” did 235 years ago prior to the first American Revolution.

2. The Executive Committee will then tend to local issues such as obtaining permits, paying for public sanitation and dealing with the media. More importantly, the Executive Committees shall plan and organize the election of the 870 Delegates to a National General Assembly, as set forth in the 99% Declaration between now and July 4, 2012.

3. As stated in the 99% Declaration, each of the 435 congressional districts will form an election committee to prepare ballots and invite United States citizens in those districts to run as delegates to a National General Assembly in Philadelphia beginning on July 4, 2012 and convening until October 2012.

4. Each of the 435 congressional districts will elect one man and one woman to attend the National General Assembly in Philadelphia. The vote will be by direct democratic ballot regardless of voter registration status as long as the voter has reached the age of 18 and is a United States citizen. This is not a sexist provision; the drafting committee believes that women are dramatically under-represented in politics even though they comprise more than 50% of the population.

5. The Executive Committees will act as a central point to solve problems, raise money to pay for the expenses of the election of the National General Assembly and ensure that all 870 Delegates are elected prior to the meeting on July 4th.

6. The Executive Committees will arrange for a venue in Philadelphia to accommodate the Delegates attending the National General Assembly where the Petition of Grievances will be proposed, debated, voted on and approved. The Delegates will form committees, elect a chair from their own ranks to run the meetings of the National General Assembly and break any tie votes.

7. The final 99% Declaration and Petition of Grievances, after being voted upon by the 870 Delegates to the National General Assembly, will be formally presented by the 870 Delegates to all three branches of government and all candidates running for federal public office in November 2012. Thus, the Delegates would meet from July 4, 2012 to sometime in early to late October 2012 so that the Petition of Grievances may be presented prior to the election.

8. The Delegates to the National General Assembly would then vote on a time period, presently suggested as one year, giving the newly elected government in November an opportunity to redress the Petition of Grievances.

9. If the government fails to redress the petition of grievances and drastically change the path this country is on, the Delegates will organize a third independent political party to run candidates in the 2014 mid-term elections.

10. There will NEVER be any call for violence by the Delegates or anyone connected to this movement. Every Delegate will take a pledge to NEVER take any money, job promise, or gifts from any corporation, unions or any other private source. Any money donated or raised by the Executive Committees may only be used for publicizing the vote, paying for expenses of the local General Assemblies which will continue to meet, the National General Assembly, and for travel expenses and accommodation of the Delegates at the National General Assembly. All books and records will be regularly published openly online so that everyone may see how much money is raised and how the money is spent each month.

The 99% Declaration Drafting Committee

To me it looks like the birth of a new permanent movement….with broad appeal among the people…and is that not what we want out of a political party….broad appeal?

In case you have not seen the………… The 99 Percent Declaration“.

My concern with the movement was the coming of winter and its extreme swings in conditions…..I have voiced this concern on several very good blogs..,..and finally I have seen a plan for winter….

according to the Economic Policy Journal, the organizers have a plan to “move south” for the winter….

The idea is to move Occupation Boston to NYC, as it gets colder. Then move Occupation Wall Street to Washington DC and then down to Florida. At some point, the Occupation would head across the south to California and then head back to the northeast in the Spring.

Okay, I know what many blogs I visit think of the protests of the OWS….but what about the possibility of a new political party?  Would this be a good idea?  I would love to see another viable political party…not some fringe one that has limited vision….but rather one that all people can support……

On Government

College of Political Knowledge

Subject:  Government

American democracy, the best money can buy!

For years now I have been writing and ranting about the lack of concern the American voter seems to have about real issues…..and that this lack of concern has given us the stalemate that we are experiencing in Washington today ……..

Lysander Spooner, a 19th century political theorist, saw supporters of government as three distinct groups…..

The ostensible supporters of the Constitution, like the ostensible supporters of most other governments, are made up of three classes, viz.: 1. Knaves, a numerous and active class, who see in the government an instrument which they can use for their own aggrandizement or wealth. 2. Dupes—a large class, no doubt—each of whom, because he is allowed one voice out of millions in deciding what he may do with his own person and his own property, and because he is permitted to have the same voice in robbing, enslaving, and murdering others, that others have in robbing, enslaving, and murdering himself, is stupid enough to imagine that he is a “free man,” a “sovereign”; that this is “a free government”; “a government of equal rights,” “the best government on earth,” and such like absurdities. 3. A class who have some appreciation of the evils of government, but either do not see how to get rid of them, or do not choose to so far sacrifice their private interests as to give themselves seriously and earnestly to the work of making a change.

And there is not much more to add….in about 150 years not much has changed…..but I guess we need a simple definition of government…….the machinery through which collective decisions on behalf of the state usually by compromise….

If that definition is correct then the US does NOT have a functioning government…..sadly, there is NO little blue pill that can cure this dysfunction……

Reps are NOT governing for the people…they are governing for their interests and benefit……Englishman James Mill noted in 1825…..and Mill had a solution to this nagging problem…..

There can be no doubt, that, if power is granted to a body of men, called Representatives, they, like any other men, will use their power, not for the advantage of the community, but for their own advantage, if they can.If things were so arranged, that, in his capacity of Representative, it would be impossible for him to do himself so much good by mis-government, as he would do himself harm in his capacity of member of the community, the object would be accomplished. We have already seen, that the amount of power assigned to the checking body cannot be diminished beyond a certain amount. It must be sufficient to overcome all resistance on the part of all those in whose hands the powers of Government are lodged. But if the power assigned to the Representative cannot be diminished in amount, there is only one other way in which it can be diminished, and that is, in duration.

Mill, in the long winded fashion, is calling for term limits…….

The government of the US is NO longer the government our founders envisioned…..they did make the system so that any change would be gradual and NOT revolutionary…..but even at that, the system today is at a standstill….and that standstill can be deadly……nothing about the system is working….the country is suffering and all they do is bitch about a cultural or moral situation….none of which actually repairs any breakdowns in governance or the welfare of the people…..

The best government is one that governs least…..so they say…..but what do you call a government that is incapable of governing at all?  REPLACEABLE!