Tag: Partisanship

Devolve Or Dissolve

The partisanship these days is worse as it ever was and getting worse as the years go by.

I have written to help and try to explain why this is happening…..https://lobotero.com/2018/05/11/tribes/

There is some great observations about American society…..

There is not “a single important cultural, religious, political, or social force that is pulling Americans together more than it is pushing us apart.” That was written before the Black Lives Matter protests and riots. It’s gotten worse since then. A lot worse.

There’s not much left of a common American culture. We watch different networks, read different websites, and have a different set of Facebook friends. Politics has come to shape our identities, for both left and right. Tell me who you vote for and I’ll tell you what sports you like, what music you listen to, what blogs you read, and even where you buy your groceries.

America’s Choice: Devolve or Dissolve?

But what do the American people think?

I wrote about a study back in 2012…..https://lobotero.com/2012/10/10/we-are-sick-of-the-partisanship/

https://lobotero.com/2010/11/19/do-americans-really-want-a-divided-government/

Another pressing question is…..should the US be broken into two?  (This article deserves to be read!)

Many in blue states have gone through a Kubler-Ross range of emotional reactions to the Trump/Republican administration. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. When you get to the acceptance part, a psychologist told me, “You need to figure out a plan of action that changes things in the real world. Acceptance is not the same as resignation. Being bummed out is not the end of the road but should be a beginning.” We are probably at that political point now. I know I am. 

After all we have been through, after the last four years of Trump’s antics, he still has the support of a little over 40 percent of the electorate. His base fervently foresees that life post-Trump will resemble a Stalinist gulag of socialist regulation, late-term baby killing, and political correctness equal to China’s cultural revolution. Right-wing media, in all its hydra-headed broadcast and internet forms, has provided this vision. As QAnon has shown, when it comes to irrationality, there are no limits. 

Should America Voluntarily Split In Two? Election Day May Force Us To Ask

With the vote just days away…maybe now would be a good time to decide what kind of country you want before you mark the ballot.

Once again I think about the cartoon that Ben Franklin came up with in the early days….

How Ben Franklin's Viral Political Cartoon United the 13 Colonies - HISTORY

Interesting thoughts and the Old Professor would like to have yours as well…..

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I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Covid–Same As It Ever Was

You know when this pandemic started I was impressed with the bi-partisanship of the government responses….not from Donald the Orange for he was ignoring the disease 3 weeks into the outbreak.

And then the president started his move to make the country divided again…..for a divided country is best for his interests and not for the country….yes I am saying that Trump is a self-centered douche bag.

This country does not need the tribalism that Newt created and the Tea Party made mainstream…..and Trump has exploited this political function to his advantage.

Trump sycophants….like Jordan and Crenshaw have done their level best to keep our system broke….and these cowards are not alone…..look to Nunes, Gantz, and that good old boy from Louisiana, Kennedy.

When this country should be speaking with one voice….instead it is lead on the Right by morons, sycophants and bigots….sadly the red/blue divide is as much a thing as it is in our politics…..and while we are fighting each other more Americans will die.  Apparently that is what is desired by this ineffective administration.

That old cartoon from early American history says it all and is profound…..

Unite or Die - Unite Or Die - Sticker | TeePublic AU

If this country cannot find a way to unite into one country then it is doomed……and we can thank the masters like Newt, Tea Party and Trump for the demise.

Sadly this pandemic has not brought the country together….at first it did but then the Trumpian bullshit started and we returned to the days of partisan manure.

Once again false information has become the norm and with that stupidity has come the rift in our society…a rift that keeps getting wider and wider……and soon if something does not change then the rift will become a rip in the fabric of American society….that may well be insurmountable to return to the great country we once were.

Where will this saga end?

Will we ever become one nation again?

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

And The Governed Lead

I wish it were so…..that the governed lead, that would be us the voter, but sadly it is a pipe dream with no footing in reality…..

What can we the governed have to look forward to between now and the 2020 election? An infrastructure plan? NO! Health care for Americans? NO! Equal pay perhaps? NO!

The truth is the we have NOTHING to look forward to for this country. NOTHING will get done…..NOTHING but theatrics, fantasy, obstruction and lies……all the things that we have come to look for from this president…..and the Congress.

2020….the Dems are as usual shooting themselves in the foot….23 candidates?  Seriously?

Do not believe the hype the politeness of the candidates there is NOTHING advantageous about 20+ candidates.

This is the first mistake.

The second is not having an adequate message, as usual…..their message is all over the place.

The older Dem Americans over 45 are all for Biden….they were the same for Hillary and look what that gave this country.  The media needs to STOP breaking it down to the minute numbers…I realize why they are doing this failed policy….they have lots of time per hour to fill and they will do so with all the speculation they can muster.

The MSM is pushing Biden hard and some are seeing him as the Bob Dole of the 21st century…….

The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate field seems to grow by the day, increasing the chances that someone unexpected could emerge from the pack.

But, at the moment, the most conventional candidate is ahead in the early polls. That would be former Vice President Joe Biden.

Historically speaking, though, there isn’t much recent precedent for someone like Biden to win the presidency, even if he does snag the party’s nomination, presidential biographer Jon Meacham Told NBC’s Chuck Todd on Sunday’s edition of Meet the Press. Meacham, who has written books about Franklin Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, and George H.W. Bush, said that when looking at Democrats who have been elected to the Oval Office in the post-World War II era, most of them have been younger, more innovative forces.

https://theweek.com/speedreads/844887/presidential-biographer-tells-nbcs-chuck-todd-that-biden-could-end-eras-bob-dole

Then there is the joke of party politics……the biggest voting group are independents….a cowards way out (my feeling only)…….

American Party politics would be a complete farce if the consequences weren’t so grave. Were either of the dominant Parties to achieve 100% consensus on any issue, it would represent the views of about 18%* of eligible voters. And while a diversity of views would represent social vitality in a functioning democracy, in the winner-take-all American system, it represents continued rule by the oligarchs.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/06/07/electoral-politics-versus-democracy/

Voters need to think back over the life of their voting……Biden is nothing about change…he will be the same as all other Dems in the past 50 years…..long on hot air and short on action and a warm embrace of corporate handlers.

Stop letting the media pick your candidate.

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We Are Sick Of The Partisanship!

Or are we?  For the last 4 years we have been told by the MSM that we Americans are sick of the extreme partisanship in Washington….we are told that we just want our reps to just get along and find solutions to the problems we face as a country.  Have you heard this also?

We Americans are sick and tired of all this division…right?

But it seems that all that “critical” analysis by the MSM may be nothing more than CRAP!

From Quinnipiac:

Thinking about the major problems facing this country today do you think Washington is more likely to make progress on them after the 2012 election if one party controls the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives, or if control of the White House, the Senate, and the House and Representatives is divided between the parties?

One party controls – 60%
Control divided – 25%
DK/NA – 15%

It is a widespread opinion, with a large majority of Republicans, Democrats and Independents all thinking one-party control would be more effective.

Not only do voters think one-party control would result in more efficient government, but Gallup also recently found that a large plurality of Americans want one party to win full control this election.

We could always say that these polls are skewed in some way…..of course, they will….but there is more…..

Fifty-two percent of registered voters surveyed believe it would be better if the presidency, the Senate and House were controlled by the same party, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Tuesday. Thirty-nine percent still favor divided government.

The poll’s findings mark the first time since 1986 that a majority of voters has favored one-party control, as well as a significant shift since the same survey taken in 2010.

That year, 29 percent of voters preferred one-party control and a strong majority of 62 percent favored divided government, marking a 23-point swing over the last two years.

There looks to be a trend beginning……..the thought that the only way to get anything done is to have one party in total control….kinda flies in the face of what the Founders had envisioned……wouldn’t you say?

Please share your thoughts with me……

A Good Idea No Matter From Where It Comes

News Flash!  In case you missed it…Santorum suspended his campaign yesterday….so now there are three….but only one that will now focus on sniping at the president…….pretty much hands Mitt the nomination on a silver platter…….well played Mr. Romney!

I have said that I would support an idea no matter where it comes from as long as it passes my test…that being in the best interests of the people of the US……and now it is about time for the deficit circus to begin again……..but it will be the same partisan game they have been played since the election of Obama….none of these worthless individuals are concerned with the country and that sucks!

The Repubs have their plan…..Dems have their plan……The White House has their plan…..an NO one talks about it…..all they can accomplish is a sprint to a microphone and sling out lame ass talking points…..this accomplishes absolutely NOTHING!

Personally I like the Simpson-Bowles solution from a couple of years ago……it was a perfect place to start the conversation….but NO the players had to go back and be told what to believe and it did not fit into the scheme of their political BS……in case you missed it back when it was published let me refresh your memory…….

Social Security cuts:

  • Index the retirement age to longevity — i.e., increase the retirement age to qualify for Social Security — to age 69 by 2075.
  • Index Social Security yearly increases to a lower inflation rate, which will generally mean lower cost of living increases and less money per average recipient.
  • “Increase progressivity of benefit formula” — i.e., reduce benefits by 2050 for middle, and, especially, higher earners, relative to current benefits.
  • Increase the Social Security contribution ceiling: while people only pay Social Security taxes on the first $106,800 of their wages today, that’s only about 86% of the total potentially taxable wages. The co-chairs suggest raising the ceiling to capture 90% of wages.

Tax reform:

  • The co-chairs suggest capping both government expenditures and revenue at 21% of GDP eventually.
  • In their first plan, called “The Zero Plan,” they suggest reducing the tax brackets to three personal brackets and one corporate rate while eliminated all credits and deductions. Without any credits or deductions (including the EITC and mortgage interest deductions), the 3 tax rates would be 8, 14 and 23 percent.
  • In their second plan, they would increase the personal deduction to $15,000, create 3 tax brackets (15, 25 and 35%); repeal or significantly curtail a number of popular tax deductions (including the state and local deduction and the mortgage interest deduction); and eliminate other tax expenditures.
  • The third plan would force Congress to undertake comprehensive tax reform by 2012 by raising taxes for each year Congress fails to act.
  • All their proposals limit Congress to collecting taxes on income made within the United States, reducing or eliminating taxes on American expats and revenues companies earn abroad.
  • They also suggest raising the federal gas tax by 15 cents per gallon.

Medicaid/Medicare cuts

  • Force more low-income individuals into Medicaid managed care.
  • Increase Medicaid co-pays.
  • Accelerate already-planned cuts to Medicare Advantage and home health care programs.
  • Create a cap for Medicaid/Medicare growth that would force Congress and the President to increase premiums or co-pays or raise the Medicare eligibility age (among other options) if the system encounters cost overruns over the course of 5 years.

Discretionary spending cuts

  • Eliminate all earmarks.
  • Eliminate the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.
  • Freeze federal worker wage increases through 2014; eliminate 200,000 federal jobs by 2020; and eliminate 250,000 federal non-defense contractor jobs by 2015.
  • Eliminate subsidized student loans, in which the government makes interest payments while the student is in school.
  • Establish co-pays in the VA medical system and change the co-pays and deductibles for military retirees that remain in that system.
  • Eliminate NASA funding for commercial space flight.
  • Require the Smithsonian museums to start charging entrance fees and raise fees at the national parks.
  • Eliminate funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — which many conservatives suggested in the wake of the firing of former NPR contributor Juan Williams.
  • Reduce farm subsidies by $3 billion per year.
  • Create a Committee to eliminate unnecessary programs to the tune of $11 billion by 2015.
  • Merge the Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration and cut its budget by 10 percent.
  • End “low-priority” Army Corps of Engineers programs to the tune of $1 billion by 2015.
  • Cut the State Department’s overseas budget by 10 percent by 2015; reduce the proposed foreign aid budget by 10 percent in 2015; and cut voluntary contributions to the United Nations by 10 percent in 2015.
  • Eliminate the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, which provides subsidized financing and political risk insurance for U.S. companies’ investments abroad.
  • Cut $900 million in fossil fuel research funds.
  • Force airlines to increase their contributions to airline security costs and allow them to increase per-ticket security fees.

Defense spending cuts:

  • Double the number of defense contractor positions scheduled for elimination from 10 percent of current staff augmentees to 20 percent.
  • Reduce procurement by 15 percent, or $20 billion.
  • Eliminate the V-22 Osprey program.
  • Cancel the Marine Corps’ Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle program.
  • Halve the number of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in favor of F-16s and F/A-18Es.
  • Cancel the Marine Corps F-35 program.
  • Cancel the Navy’s Future Maritime Prepositioning Force.
  • Cancel the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), the Ground Combat Vehicle, and the Joint Tactical Radio.
  • Reduce military forces in Europe and Asia by one-third.
  • Send all military children based in the U.S. to local schools.

I know it is a lot to digest but if you do not know what is being offered then it is possible that the MSM will make all your political decisions for you………this would be a great place to start negotiations…provided that was ever the intention……

Take Our Country Back!

College of Political Knowledge

2010/2012 Election Series

Lecture #2

Speech after speech…speaker after speaker…..for many years now…have used the term “take our country back” as some sort of rallying cry….usually around election time…there is this urgency to lather the populace up to force them into action…..particularly in voting for one party or the other….

But a few questions come to mind….like…..take the country back from whom?  Or just who is it that stole the country?  Just who the Hell stole the country?

Are these politicos suggesting that the American people have stolen the country?  If they are, I am sure that the American people would be interested in hearing how they did that……would it be by voting?  Or maybe they are referencing the politicians, our voices in Washington….sad to say they stole the whole pie years ago….but all that aside who are “they” saying stole the country?

When Bush II was the president, I heard some of these rumblings from the Left and now it seems to be those on the Right rumbling about those darn pesky progressives or liberals, depending on which adjective one would prefer to describe those on the so-called Left.

So right now, it is still up in the air just who are the dastardly people that have stolen our country….and the song goes on….speech after speech….speaker after speaker….all bitching about the theft of the country…..

Please, if you have some inside information on the theft of our country…share it with the rest of us…..most thinking people are at a loss for words on this theft and like me, they would like to know who the culprit/s are……..

Yet another campaign slogan that has no foot in reality…only in the minds of those that have no idea what they want from the government…..they may be against big government, but what does that mean?  They may be against wasteful government programs, but which ones are those?  Where does this type of yellow political games stop?

Apparently the American voter wants slogans with NO substance over solutions to real problems……

More On GOP Health Alternatives

Okay, let’s beat this damn dead donkey one more f*cking time!

Bi-partisanship is the buzzword in Washington and now the Prez is trying to grasp the concept with his new health care summit with Repubs…..good luck with that……

I have been accused by some as a basher of the GOP and that I do not think that they do anything right….Personally, I do not agree with this assessment but then I may be biased…..

Below is the alternatives that was recently handed to the Prez at a Repub Leadership Conference…….my comments on the proposals are in italics:

Some key elements of Republicans’ alternative plan:

· Lowering health care premiums. The GOP plan will lower health care premiums for American families and small businesses, addressing Americans’ number-one priority for health care reform.  I think this proposals is sterling….but I would like more info on just how they plan to accomplish this…..

· Establishing Universal Access Programs to guarantee access to affordable care for those with pre-existing conditions. The GOP plan creates Universal Access Programs that expand and reform high-risk pools and reinsurance programs to guarantee that all Americans, regardless of pre-existing conditions or past illnesses, have access to affordable care – while lowering costs for all Americans.  this is yet another GREAT idea and it was also when proposed by the Dems…..

· Ending junk lawsuits. The GOP plan would help end costly junk lawsuits and curb defensive medicine by enacting medical liability reforms modeled after the successful state laws of California and Texas.  This is just a typical GOP answer….lawsuits account for about 1% of the cost of health care….do not believe this would do much to solve the problems of paying for health reform….this is inevitable for Repubs to propose…..the reason is that they need to placate the insurance industry for their monetary support….but if it will get them talking then by all means throw it in…..

· Prevents insurers from unjustly cancelling a policy or instituting annual of lifetime spending caps. The GOP plan prohibits an insurer from cancelling a policy unless a person commits fraud or conceals material facts about a health condition. It also prohibits insurance plans from instituting annual or lifetime spending limits. Another good idea…but it sounds like an out for insurance companies, atr least parts of it…..but worth a look….

· Encouraging Small Business Health Plans. The GOP plan gives small businesses the power to pool together and offer health care at lower prices, just as corporations and labor unions do. I have NO prob with this proposal, in fact sounds like a good idea…..

· Encouraging innovative state programs. The GOP plan rewards innovation by providing incentive payments to states that reduce premiums and the number of uninsured.  As long as this is used to benefit all the people of the states then I see NO prob here either….

· Allowing Americans to buy insurance across state lines. The GOP plan allows Americans to shop for coverage from coast to coast by allowing Americans living in one state to purchase insurance in another.  An EXCELLENT idea…….

· Codifying the Hyde Amendment. The GOP plan explicitly prohibits all federal funds, whether they are authorized funds or appropriated funds, from being used to pay for abortion. This one is just boring, but I guess if it is your main concern then why not…..

· Promoting healthier lifestyles. The GOP plan promotes prevention & wellness by giving employers greater flexibility to financially reward employees who adopt healthier lifestyles.  This one I have a prob with….but that is for a much larger post because this involves much more than eating….

· Enhancing Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). The GOP plan creates new incentives to save for future and long-term care needs by allowing qualified participants to use HSAs to pay premiums.  A CRAP proposal!  The recent economic meltdown should preclude anyone from considering this piece of crap!

There you have it….the Repubs alternatives and what I think of them…..if you took the time to read it then you will see that there is room for lots of bi-partisanship….the question to ask is why is there not?

One answer is the games politician play….instead of going before the American people and emphasizing their points and commonality of points, they would rather spend their time insulting, lying and  just plain throwing negativity around….there is common ground why cannot they just work from there and leave all the BS behind?

Personally, I would not vote for any of these dickheads….they show a serious lack of country first….both sides…..there is plenty within the Repub plan that has the potential to be bi-partisan and worthy of negotiation…..if this does not take place for whatever reason then the American people will see that it is NOT about them but rather the egos and  the idiocracy of Washington…….then it will be time to send these dinks a message to start acting on the people’s behalf or go home and service the wife/husband….because YOU ARE finished in Washington….

When Did The Hate Begin?

Professor’s Classroom

Subject:  American History/Politics

Sen. Kennedy died the other day and I was surfing the web for stories and posts and I found that many right wing sites were filled with stories about his past, the drinking, the women and that damn bridge.  I thought just how moronic this was…why?….the man did a lot for the people of this country from kids health to civil rights to cancer research, on and on….and yes he made many mistakes and had many victories, but regardless what you thought of the man personally….to think only of his failures and mistakes is just pathetic.

When did the US become such a hot bed of hate?  When did American society move from a society of the poeple to a society of vile, disgusting people?

There will always be some form of hate in the US, whether it is racial hatred or gender hatred or whatever…but the hate that I question specifically is the political hate or also fondly known as partisanship.

My question is:  When did the vile and deep hatred of the opposing party begin in Washington?  Good question, right?

Political hatred or extreme partisanship has been festering for decades in Washington and among our different political parties, but the vile, disgusting and festering zit we know today came to a head in the early to mid 90’s.

It began in earnest when Bill Clinton was elected as president after it more or less hijacked the GOP for its own …his life and attitudes became a focus of the far wing of the GOP…this revolt brought the likes of the Newt to power and mouth organs like Tom DeLay and the hate served as a platform that swept conserv Repubs into control of the Congress in 1994.

The hatred played well with mid America and because it did many conserv jumped unto the bashing bandwagon to gain political advantage….and as they attacked liberals the tone became more and more vile and hate filled.  I am old enough to remember the days after Watergate and I cannot remember this much hate and name calling done by anyone.  That dark corner of America history was handled with intelligence and like adults.  Today’s hatred and handling of issues is like a couple of 7 year olds fighting with each other at day care.

Because the hatred was working and working very well the misinformation and lies became a constant part of the attacks on the opposition.  It began with the antics of Clinton and he gave his opponents lots to use against him and slowly as the Washington claptrap got louder and louder the people picked up on the hatred and it has snowballed to where it is today.  All the hatred began as opposition to a person and now it has morphed into hatred of ideas and those who work with them.  It is damn silly!

There comes a time when our elected officials have to start acting like adults.  Right now one party has lost so much support that it may NEVER return to its past glory.  One day an adult will step forward and start whacking these kids on the pee-pee.

It is suppose to be about what is best for the people of the country….not about who said what and why.  Demonizing is NOT the answer to our problems….all it does is waste time and money and accomplishes NOTHING but a continuation of hate.

Maybe the pea brains on the far right are correct in using Jefferson’s quote….but it should be the people rebelling against ALL politicians who are not working on their behalf…I mean both of the parties….not one of these stuffy pricks has Americans in mind as they go about their daily spewing of hatred.