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Evan Bayh and Other Political Opportunists

  • Posted on February 1, 2011 at 9:09 pm


Evan Bayh as a senator certainly isn’t my cup of tea as he is a fairly conservative Democrat.  Since I live near Indiana, I understood why he was conservative as the whole state tends to bleed crimson during most elections.  There was so much speculation when he decided to leave the senate.  Some people even thought he was going to try and run for the governorship again, if that’s possible.  I know Oregon and California both elected former governors.  He gave some speech about how he was fed up with the wide divide between the Democrats and the Republicans and he thought he could do more for people on the outside maybe in business creating jobs, etc. and blah, blah, blah.  You get the drift.

The truth is I don’t give a hoot and a holler about Evan Bayh.  I just find his new job to be very telling about him and politicians in general.  It seems to me that most of them don’t give a shit about their constituents.  It really is about them and their job possibilities.  They don’t really care about the people they have been supposedly serving.  That whole idea about them being “public servants” is just ludicrous.  Servants take care of people before they take care of themselves.  In Washington D.C. and even at the state level here in Michigan, these politicians only take care of themselves.  I’m going to give you some examples of what has my ire all bunched up like a ball of wax.

Evan Bayh who was actually once governor of Indiana obviously never really cared that much for the place.  He certainly didn’t go back and plant his roots in Indiana.  He has started his new job working as a lobbyist.  Imagine that!  He just took a job with a Washington D.C. law firm.  He’ll basically be a lobbyist rubbing elbows with Congress once again.  He sounds oh so noble about helping people in the video but of course the person he is really helping is himself.

There seems to be a clear pattern among many politicians.  They do their “service” and then they get “served”.  Evan isn’t alone.  Many of these politicians that profess to love their state always seem to end up somewhere else.  Here in Michigan all three of our last governors left the state for greener pastures.  Governor Blanchard is a partner in a Washington D.C. law firm.  Governor Engler went to work in Texas for many years.  His wife was named to the Freddie Mac board by Bush in 2001 and reappointed in 2002.  That’s pretty interesting but Engler has been tied to Texas and D.C., not Michigan.  Our latest ex-governor, Jennifer Granholm is going back to California to teach at her alma mater, UC Berkeley.  The truth is there is no loyalty by any politician.  Bill and Hillary never went back to Arkansas.

Personally, I’m sick of hearing about how we are “global”.  I’m a Michigander.  I would like some loyalty to my state and I’m sure the Hoosiers would like some loyalty to their state as well.  This really got me going the other day when I was watching “Morning Joe”.  One of the people on the show said they ran into Evan Bayh and he was taking his son out to play tennis at the Senate tennis courts.  Wow, what a country we live in.  The senate has tennis courts and great health care to boot and yet they can’t seem to let any of that wealth trickle on down to the rest of us!  I was listening and not watching but the next thing that was said was that he has this new job and Mika Brezinski’s brother works there as well.  That conversation is what got me thinking about how corrupt and egotistic these politicians really have become.  It’s all about the money.  It isn’t about the people.  The older I get the more decayed and decadent the system seems to me.  Nobody in Washington D.C. really seems to care about what’s really going on in this country, the loss of jobs doesn’t mean anything to them because once again, they will be taken care of just as they have been by the government for their entire adult lives as politicians

The State of the Union and that Pesky CEO Pay

  • Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:39 pm

This morning Peggy Noonan was on the Morning Joe show.  I watch the show as I’m getting ready for work.  I always think it is interesting when I hear Republicans like Peggy and Joe singing the praises of President Obama.  They both just love Obama and are so thrilled that he is moving more towards the “center”.  I, of course, find all of this laughable because Obama has always been pretty much right of center.  If he was any where left of that golden center, health care would have a public option and we’d be out of these two wars.  I have to make a clarification here as both Peggy and Joe insisted this morning that they are not really into that “Republican” label.  They are really “conservatives”.  All I know is that a thorn known by any other name is still prickly.

I sit here thinking about the state of the union address.  Of course we are all being told that President Obama is going to embrace business with some kind of love fest.  Recently, he put an editorial piece in the Wall Street Journal where he said that we have to look at old, outdated rules and regulations.  I’m really curious about this because I have a nephew who sustained a traumatic work place injury about ten years ago.  I’m sure he wishes there were better rules and regulations in place when he had his hand cut off in a meat cutter.  In business, it always comes down to the almighty dollar.  Let’s see is it worth putting that screw on the “kiddie” pool or will we make more money even with a lawsuit, if we don’t?

The questions business must think about.  I wonder what went through the minds of those Toyota executives when they tried covering up their little problem.  http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2010/112_1001_toyota_recall_crisis/index.html

You can read President Obama’s entire executive order.  There isn’t a lot to it, but it really makes me wonder why President Obama even bothered with it.  However, reading numbers 4 & 5 really get my curiosity up.  It seems to be quite open to interpretation.  The lines seem a little blurry to me.

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/2011.html

Or even his editorial piece.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703396604576088272112103698.html

As stated in that Executive Order and to the extent permitted by law, each agency must,
among other things: (1) propose or adopt a regulation only upon a reasoned
determination that its benefits justify its costs (recognizing that some benefits
and costs are difficult to quantify); (2) tailor its regulations to impose the
least burden on society, consistent with obtaining regulatory objectives, taking
into account, among other things, and to the extent practicable, the costs
of cumulative regulations; (3) select, in choosing among alternative regulatory
approaches, those approaches that maximize net benefits (including potential
economic, environmental, public health and safety, and other advantages;
distributive impacts; and equity); (4) to the extent feasible, specify performance
objectives, rather than specifying the behavior or manner of compliance
that regulated entities must adopt; and (5) identify and assess available
alternatives to direct regulation, including providing economic incentives
to encourage the desired behavior, such as user fees or marketable permits,
or providing information upon which choices can be made by the public

I’ve been curious about the push for business in government for awhile now.  Here in Michigan we have a new governor, a businessman.  In the last election Maine and Florida, like Michigan went to the business world for their governors.  Now, I hear talk of President Obama warming to business and yet I saw on MSNBC today that American businesses have created about two million jobs this past year.  However, only 600,000 are in the United States.  I keep hearing the words “business friendly” and I’m not sure exactly what that means but I can deduce that it might imply “labor unions” not so friendly.  It really does come down to the bottom dollar.  How can a business turn the highest profit?  The cost of labor has to go down to make business happy or they can just keep hiring workers in other countries.  Where does that leave the American people?

Our Governor spoke last week and I’m still wondering exactly what he’s going to do but I know it’s going to be some kind of love affair with the business world.  Don’t get me wrong, I do realize that business has to be able to make a profit.  I’m just not so sure that those high CEO pays are all that necessary.  Other countries seem to curb the appetite of their CEO pay.  It is destroying our country.  Here is a good take on it. http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/nov2008/ca2008114_493532.htm

Notice that CEO pay can be 400 times the pay of the average worker.  I would say that is kind of excessive!  If we want to fix business in this country, then maybe we should start at the top and stop making the little guy continue to give up things and make concessions.  American CEO Pay needs to be adjusted.  Every CEO should be thinking about his or her country.  John F. Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you.  Ask what you can do for your country.”  We can start with CEO pay.  Maybe President Obama could create an executive order there.  Maybe the government should do business only with corporations that limit the CEO pay.  President Obama imposed a restriction on CEO pay for companies involved in the bailout plan.  However, many of them found ways around that little gem.  I think our government shouldn’t do business with any corporation that has excessive CEO pay.  If you really want to make your stomach churn, just check out the AFL-CIO site on executive pay.  It really will make you sick.  http://www.aflcio.org/corporatewatch/paywatch/ If you’re too lazy to do the search, just check the top 100 here:  http://www.aflcio.org/corporatewatch/paywatch/ceou/top100.cfm

There is something wrong with business when the CEO can make such tremendous figures while the little people at the bottom of this food chain are continually asked to take a cut.

I’ll be watching the president tomorrow night.  I’ll be hoping that he’s thinking about those little people at the bottom, but I have this sneaking feeling it’s going to be more about the bottom line for business and how we all have to sacrifice a little bit more.  However, I know that guy at the top won’t be feeling a thing!

As I was looking around tonight I came across a great “read” on what’s happening with public sector unions.  This is a blog post by a teacher.  http://modeducation.blogspot.com/2011/01/impending-demise-of-unions.html

Just keep all of this in mind when your listening to the president Tuesday night.

I’m Patriotic, I’m a Republican, Oh the Nonsense We Tell Our Children

  • Posted on November 12, 2010 at 6:32 pm

To me this looks a lot like child abuse. What parent would want their child involved in a political rally this way?

My students have just finished making a six page art journal.  I was busy grading them today when I came across a sixth grade boy’s journal that made me laugh.  The art journals are meant to be personal and tell something about the person creating it.  On one page this sixth grade boy drew an American flag, stated he is a patriot and then stated he is a Republican.  This made me crack up because for years the Republicans have always made that “patriot” label seem like it belongs to them.

After September 11th the Democrats resented the fact that Republicans thought of themselves as being “more” patriotic.  All the politicians had to run out and buy flag pins to prove they are patriots.  It is rare these days to catch a politician without their little pin that supposedly confirms they are a patriot.  I thought it was funny that this boy called himself a patriot and a Republican.  I was raised by two strong Democrats.  I don’t remember being that aware of politics when I was in sixth grade.  I was more into kickball, reading and the Monkees.  I really got into politics when I began high school.  However, the thing that I find most interesting is this idea that a patriot is a Republican.

I think Republicans must be starting out quite young indoctrinating their children.  Democrats and liberals probably have that “open minded” thing that gets in the way of indoctrination.  As a liberal person I know I wanted my son to be a “free thinker”.  I may be paying for that now as my son doesn’t always do everything the way I would like him to do things.  However, I know in my heart I feel it is best to teach in a non judgmental way and he is an adult now and free to live the kind of life he chooses.  Free thinking and that open minded thing can sometimes appear like a person can be easily swayed to a compromise.  Republicans tend to think they are right and anyone that doesn’t think like they do is wrong.  I know this because I have a lot of Republican relatives!

With all of this in mind, I think it’s interesting to think about the make up of the new congress in January.  Already President Obama is talking about compromise.  Standing firm doesn’t seem to enter into any of the Democrats lingo.  There is a famous quote by Alexander Hamilton, “”Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.”   If you think about it, the current Democrats haven’t really shown us what they stand for, so I will not be surprised if they fall for whatever the Republicans want.  They have two strikes against them.  The first is that fact that most of them were raised to have an open mind and listen to the other side.  Second, most don’t seem to have strong convictions.  Yes, I know there is always Representative Dennis Kucinich, but he’s a rarity in this Democratic Party.

I’ve always considered President Obama to really be a Republican anyway, so I don’t expect that he will hold out for much.  Senator Kennedy is dead, so a lot of the blow back we would usually feel when these discussions get heated just won’t happen.  There is no one left like Teddy Kennedy that will show their outrage at anything.  Oh, Republicans you think we need to change Social Security and give those tax breaks to the wealthy?  No problem.  We just want to get along!

This morning on “Morning Joe” I had to listen to Joe tell me that the American people really get it.  They know that we have to have the tax cuts kept in place for the wealthy to grow our economy.  I’m lucky I didn’t spit out my coffee.  The American people don’t know any such thing.  They are currently being indoctrinated by the media which includes Joe to think this is the right thing to do.  However, it doesn’t make any sense.  If those so called tax breaks were so great, then why are we in so much trouble?  Those tax breaks have lead to our giant deficit.  If the Republicans get their tax break rest assured, they will have to cut something.  Just do the math!  Logic tells me there is an imbalance.  We can’t keep running into the red, so they will make cuts.  They will cut everything they can for the little guys, but they won’t touch the wealthy or big business.  I don’t know where you are on this scale but I can tell you most of you are part of the 98%.  The Republicans will pass that pain to all of us and save the wealthy 2 % from the pain the rest of us will feel.  Those Republicans will expect us to be “patriotic” and indoctrinate us to suffer our own losses in silence.

Right now the media is also indoctrinating us about those crazy Europeans that are protesting everything from the rising retirement age to the cost of college tripling.  We have been told that Americans don’t act like those socialists!  Americans wouldn’t take to the street like that and smash windows and cause chaos because they want to prove a point.  However, they forgot about our own history.  The real question is how much will the American people put up with from these corrupt Republicans and Democrats that continue to do the bidding of big business and the wealthy?  Will we ever get really mad and take to the streets or are we lulled into a false reality that we have no choice but to live with whatever our representatives decide to throw our way?  Democrats and Republicans are labels that don’t seem to really fit any more.  What are they?  What do either party stand for?

The Republicans used to stand for a smaller governmental footprint and states rights, and a form of conservative governing.  They certainly wouldn’t be out “saving” the world and policing it.  However, President Bush changed all of that.  Under the last administration government grew and grew to the point that Republicans can no longer claim to be conservative.  Oh, they can say it, but they certainly don’t live it!  Democrats used to be different than the Republicans.   We could always count on the Democrats to stand up for the rights of people.  Those personal issues of freedom were always really important.  Helping people get a hand up was also important.  We could easily say, “Don’t leave anyone behind.”  It’s kind of like the motto from the military of “Leave No Man Behind”.  However, in recent times the Democrats have left us all behind.  They haven’t stood up for the little guy, the working stiff, the laborer.  They’ve talked about it, but they haven’t walked the walk!

Neither party stands for much of anything any more except for taking care of business.  They take care of the lobbyists and then when they’re out of office they continue to take care of themselves.  Hell, when they’re in office they take care of themselves.  Wouldn’t you love to name your own raise?  I’m taking a class right now because I want to get a raise.  I don’t think the politicians are required to do much of anything to get their raises but they sure do get them.
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/congresspay.htm

All of these politicians want the American people to think they are politicians because they are such great patriots!  The truth is we are all patriots.  Being patriotic might mean taking to the streets to protest just as much as wearing a pin and proclaiming your patriotism.  Being patriotic is more than waving a flag and blindly supporting war, any war.  Being a patriot means that you love your country enough to question the politicians.   It might mean working hard at holding their feet to the fire to get them to get something done.  We are all patriots, Republicans, Democrats, liberals, conservatives, Green Party, Tea Party, Coffee Party, Independent or whatever party we come from.  Patriots aren’t just Republicans.  In fact patriots can even be gay and lesbians and that just makes those Republicans crazy!

In Search of the Democrats

  • Posted on February 22, 2010 at 1:02 pm

I was visiting Tennesse Guerilla Women this morning and loved this video post so I’m posting here and giving a link to her site.

http://guerillawomentn.blogspot.com/

This is just what I have been talking about in so many ways but Ted Rall is a lot funnier than I am.  We could do a Where’s Waldo for Democrats. It wouldn’t take too long to find the true Democrats, you know those ones that I remember when I was a kid that actually stood for Democratic principles!  You know I’m home with a snow day.  There is no teaching going on today, so I’m having some fun expressing myself.  This has got to be watched.  Archie Bunker at his finest.  It’s amazing what you can find on Youtube but what is truly amazing is how close to reality this clip is for today.  Am I in a time warp?  This could be now.

This is TV when it was really good.

In other news, the movie “Shutter Island” wins the weekend.  My son says I have to see this movie.  He loved it.  He was a film student at the University of Michigan.  I’ll probably see it when its on DVD but for anyone else it might be worth coughing up the money.  The big news though isn’t Tiger Woods but the Afghanistan civilian deaths.  I’m left wondering why we are still stuck in these two stupid wars when we are supposed to have a DEMOCRATIC president.  Of course the MSM is still talking about Tiger.  I found it interesting this morning when Joe Scarborough from “Morning Joe” on MSNBC said Tiger’s apology was like a third grader acting.  Personally, I don’t give a crap about Tiger.  What I found interesting is the fact that Joe bummed around on his wife and probably should have kept his mouth shut like he usually does about these sexual matters.  He divorced his first wife and couldn’t be faithful to her.  It kind of reminds me of the pot calling the kettle black.  The numbers don’t matter.  What’s the difference if you were unfaithful once or twenty times?  You’re still a dirt bag Joe!  Also Obama is now going to “compromise” on the health care debate.  Isn’t that what we have been doing all along?  Everyone hates John Edwards but John said if you invite the corporations basically to the table they will eat all the food.  That’s not a quote.  It’s just the basic idea of what he said.  John has lost all credibility because of his personal choices but we all should be questioning why that is so.  Does anyone really think our founding fathers were any different than the “cheating” men of today?  The truth is John had a message that nobody (corporations) wanted us (the little people) to hear.  No, we are better served hearing about the sex lives of the rich and famous!  I’ll put it right out there.  I don’t care who is sleeping with who, what, when or wherever?  I do care about who is picking my proverbial pocket and asking me, “Does that feel good?”

Any one out there might not like John but a lot of what he said holds true today.

And what about Obama taking a clue from Edwards?  Is this possible?  Could he use his executive powers to do this?  I would like to see it happen.  I think we all need to remember what was said during the 2008 election.  We might not like the imperfect messenger, John Edwards, but let’s get back to basics and try to get congress and the President to remember what was discussed during the election.

If taking away the health care from Congress would get something done, we should all be screaming, “Do it!”  More than likely though their corporate buddies would buy them new insurance.  And in other news we have the credit card industry.  For months I’ve been getting those little fine printed “exclamation of changes” to my credit card.  You know the ones that say your credit card is going from 8.9% to 29.99 gazillion percent!  Oh, congress has really pushed the credit card industry.   They are really holding their feet to the fire now!  Oh gasp, they have to find other ways to make money now.  Yeah, immediately they raised everyones rates for no reason other than they could and put on many more ways to get a pound of flesh.  Thank you congress and all of you that get money from the credit card industry.  You may want to search through the years at Open Secrets.  It doesn’t matter which party they’re in.  Banks like them both!

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php?ind=F03&recipdetail=A&sortorder=U&cycle=2010

I’ll end on a positive note about the news.  The USA hockey team beat Canada and Bodie Miller got a gold!  All is right with the world!