Day: January 20, 2016

The Poisoning of Flint

Think back a couple of years ago and the term “Austerity” was all the rage…..trying to cope with an economic disaster these countries of the EU were making cuts and dropping many social programs…..all in the name of austerity…..

Those programs got me to thinking about Michigan and more importantly the city of Flint and their water supply problem……

I had tried to find a got explanation to why this had happened and I think I found a pretty good article that will help people understand what the situation is and how it was a problem that could have been avoided…..

In early 2015, shortly after his victory in a heated reelection contest, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) began exploring a run for president. With his business experience and electoral success in a blue state, Snyder was considered a viable potential candidate, so he embarked on a national speaking tour and set up a fundraising organization. Its name: “Making Government Accountable.”

Source: The Poisoning of Flint | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community

A Woman Of The Future

Let me say here and now….I have NO problem with a woman as president…..I do not think that Fiorina is that person……and likewise, even though she may be the frontrunner in most pols, I do not think the Hillary would be a good president….wait!  Let me qualify that……I do not think she would be good for the country but excellent for the ruling class of wealthy thieves…..

I also like Warren…..basically because she is a true progressive not some Blue Dog in progressive clothing……and then there is Nikki Haley of the GOP…..I like her and she proved to be the best SOTU replier that the GOP has offered up in the last decade……in case you missed her speech……

Source: Nikki Haley RNC speech (text and video) – POLITICO

While I may not agree with her stands on everything….I do like that she took the high ground in her speech….something the GOP has not done in a very long time….

The GOP today is in crisis mode…..all these up starts are beating the pants off the old team…..and this election could be a fatal shot to the party…..but there is a bright spot, at least in my opinion, and the bright spot is Nikki Haley……is it possible that she could save the party from it self?

“Ordinarily, the opposition party’s official response to a State of the Union address is offered as a rebuttal to the president’s speech. This, however, is clearly no ordinary time. Overshadowing any criticism of President Barack Obama in the rejoinder delivered by Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina Tuesday night was the targeting of the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination. Though his name was never mentioned, the text of Haley’s remarks left no doubt that her target was none other than Donald J. Trump.” (01/13/16)

http://prospect.org/article/can-nikki-haley-save-her-party

It is possible that Haley could be the savior that the GOP is going to desperately need after the 2016 election…..

The bell sounds….so off to teaching I go…..back later…..

In Case You Are Not Sure

There is so much crap being fed to the American people during this election cycle…..and most of it has to do with Iran…..all the chest thumping by mentally challenged primates is not telling the whole truth….but then they are paid by another country to NOT tell the truth…… just do as they are told……

The Iran nuke deal that was all the news a few months ago has once again made the news and at the same time has GOP candidates spreading their manure like good field workers they are……

In case you have not been exposed to the facts of the deal then let me enlighten you a wee bit…..

Of course some will not trust the report……they are paid and paid well to dispute the findings……

Martin Luther King And Bernie

We have celebrated the birthday of MLK, Jr and I need to pass on something for my African-American brethren……

Let’s start with Bernie……he is showing great amount of support, even in the Deep South, Alabama to be exact, and that shocked even me…..I would have bet that a progressive like Bernie would be hard pressed to find many supporters….why?  Easy His opponents both Repub and Dem are making sure that the public knows that he is a Democratic Socialist (how long before they use the hammer and sickle against him?)…..and that brand use to be the kiss of death in the Deep South…..but today people are looking for answers to their problems and it appears that Bernie , at least for the Dems, may have the answers that all search for……

Sorry for the digression from the man that we celebrate this week…..but I needed to set the stage for the remainder of this post……

Fifty years ago the man that we celebrate for his civil rights activism was a Democratic Socialist (maybe not in name but his solutions and proposals were)….the same basic beliefs of Bernie Sanders…..real solutions for pressing social problems…..

In holding these views, King followed in the footsteps of many prominent, influential Americans whose views and activism changed the country for the better.

Source: Martin Luther King Was a Democratic Socialist | Alternet

If you believe in the ideals of Martin Luther King then you believe in the candidate for 2016 that offers the same solutions to the problems that MLK saw and tried to solve…..

Time to “Feel The Bern”!

Charter Schools–Trouble Awaits

The primaries for the 2016 election approaches and we have heard all the positions that these people want to highlight…..they are pushing fear….they are pushing radical solutions to problems that may not need radical solutions….but the one thing that is far down the list of interest is that of education…..

The one solution that many seem attached to is that of charter school…….I am not a fan…I call it education by lotto……this is a “free market” solution that is anything but good for public education……I have been leery of this solution ever since it has come to the forefront and now I read of a bigger problem than even I had anticipated…….

“It’s just a long-forming bubble,” says the co-author of a new study.

Source: 3 Troubling Ways the Charter School Boom Is Like the Subprime Mortgage Crisis | Mother Jones

I do not understand the stupidity that drives the opponents of public education.  What is more important than the education of our children and grandchildren?  What could possibly more important?

Really!  I would like to hear of this all important issue…..