I have to admit that I was in a state of shock when I read that President Obama had ordered pay raises for Congress, Federal Workers and Joe Biden. How can that have happened when they are trying to cut Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid? They should be taking a pay cut.
The House is in session for three weeks and then they have a week off. They take numerous long breaks and can't get any work done. Yet ordinary people toil day to to day and some with no vacation benefits or sick leave and barely survive AND get no raises and get benefit cuts.
I do not understand when we are supposedly going off the "Fiscal Cliff" how anyone in government can get a raise. It is certainly not deserved. 48% of the members of Congress are millionaires trying to protect their own money while stealing it from those who deserve it most. The unemployed need it so very much as it is their only source of income. The poor, homeless and disabled veterans need all the help they can get but no that money has to be fought over.
President Obama was right yesterday when he said that people outside of Washington do not understand how Congress cannot get things done as we do that all the time or we would have no jobs. I can tell you I will work to defeat anyone who says no to what I call a really bad deal. Susan Collins are you listening?
I sure hope that Ashley Judd does run against Mitch McConnell in 2014. He has been nothing but a road blocker and to think he will get a raise for saying he will do anything to defeat President Obama and blocking all sorts of important legislation is totally disgusting. And giving John Boehner a raise is even more disgusting.
Well that is my rant for the day. But I do want to ask, Where is the outrage? Where is the media? Why do they ignore this stuff?
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
GUNS
The tragedy in NewTown, CT is an unspeakable horror. I cannot imagine the grief that parents and loved ones are feeling right now for those they have lost. To think that 20 little children died such a violent death gives me the chills. The adults who died protecting those children are true heroes.
It is time for us to look at the gun culture in this country. I know gun lovers will say guns don't kill people, people kill people. The reality is is that people use guns to kill people. We have too many guns and people too willing to use them against other humans.
It isn't just one tragedy but all of the tragedies that have happened and still happen every day on street corners in cities and small towns and in homes where domestic violence is all too prevalent.
I cannot see the need for anyone to have an assault weapon in their home. I agree that hunting is a part of our culture and I have no problem with people having a gun for that purpose providing they keep it safely stored and locked. I can see no need to have concealed weapons permits. I don't want to fear going to a mall or a park and having armed folks around me and never knowing which one will all of a sudden decide to shoot people.
Guns are not the only problem. We have not dealt with mental illness very well in this country. We have closed facilities that used to treat these people and thrown them out on the streets where they struggle to survive. We are afraid to identify those who need help and get them the help they need. This is really cruel treatment. When weapons are so readily available they can fall into the wrong hands. Obviously the mother of this most recent shooter had guns to protect herself and they ended up killing her.
Let's have a discussion about the need for more regulation. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
I do not see that every individual is a militia and the amendment speaks of "A well regulated Militia..." So we need to honor the words of the Second Amendment and have well regulated gun control as well as seeking to improve the way we deal with the mentally ill.
It is time for us to look at the gun culture in this country. I know gun lovers will say guns don't kill people, people kill people. The reality is is that people use guns to kill people. We have too many guns and people too willing to use them against other humans.
It isn't just one tragedy but all of the tragedies that have happened and still happen every day on street corners in cities and small towns and in homes where domestic violence is all too prevalent.
I cannot see the need for anyone to have an assault weapon in their home. I agree that hunting is a part of our culture and I have no problem with people having a gun for that purpose providing they keep it safely stored and locked. I can see no need to have concealed weapons permits. I don't want to fear going to a mall or a park and having armed folks around me and never knowing which one will all of a sudden decide to shoot people.
Guns are not the only problem. We have not dealt with mental illness very well in this country. We have closed facilities that used to treat these people and thrown them out on the streets where they struggle to survive. We are afraid to identify those who need help and get them the help they need. This is really cruel treatment. When weapons are so readily available they can fall into the wrong hands. Obviously the mother of this most recent shooter had guns to protect herself and they ended up killing her.
Let's have a discussion about the need for more regulation. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
I do not see that every individual is a militia and the amendment speaks of "A well regulated Militia..." So we need to honor the words of the Second Amendment and have well regulated gun control as well as seeking to improve the way we deal with the mentally ill.
"FISCAL CLIFF???"
All of this talk about the so called fiscal cliff drives me crazy. It never ceases to amaze me that the Republicans in Congress want to cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security but are perfectly happy to keep their own heath care benefits as well as their very generous pension. This is uncalled for and very hypocritical. They sure want their big piece of the pie but do not want seniors or the poor to have their small piece.
Where is the media in all of this? Why aren't they pointing this out and making a big deal of it. Probably because they are so secure in their big salaries that they do not see the hypocrisy in all of this.
There are areas of the budget that can be cut for sure but Social Security has not contributed one penny to the deficit that the Republicans caused with two unfunded wars and huge tax decreases for the wealthy Americans.
Now I have no problem with people being successful and making a lot of money but they should be paying their fair share and not hiding income overseas in tax havens which rob this country of income. Corporations are also robbing this country by hiding their profits in tax havens. Lets cut the subsides to big oil and big agriculture. They are making huge profits and do not need the money that tax payers are paying for. Let them help cut the deficit.
I urge everyone to call their senators and representatives as well as the President and make the case that there are ways to make cuts without hurting some of the most vulnerable..
Where is the media in all of this? Why aren't they pointing this out and making a big deal of it. Probably because they are so secure in their big salaries that they do not see the hypocrisy in all of this.
There are areas of the budget that can be cut for sure but Social Security has not contributed one penny to the deficit that the Republicans caused with two unfunded wars and huge tax decreases for the wealthy Americans.
Now I have no problem with people being successful and making a lot of money but they should be paying their fair share and not hiding income overseas in tax havens which rob this country of income. Corporations are also robbing this country by hiding their profits in tax havens. Lets cut the subsides to big oil and big agriculture. They are making huge profits and do not need the money that tax payers are paying for. Let them help cut the deficit.
I urge everyone to call their senators and representatives as well as the President and make the case that there are ways to make cuts without hurting some of the most vulnerable..
Monday, October 15, 2012
NO SEWER FOR WINDHAM
I have certainly not studied the sewer proposal in the depth that others have but I have read both the Town of Windham's website and the nosewer.com website. There seem to be many inconsistencies. But my major concern at this point is how the sewer, if passed, will be paid for.
I lived in Cumberland when the sewer went in there and it was and still is paid for by the users and not the general taxpayers and I think that is how it should be. Why should someone who has frontage on Route 302 and will not be served by the sewer have to pay a betterment fee? I believe this is a discriminatory fee.
I believe in a vibrant business community but in this case this and previous councils have allowed development where the comprehensive plan said there should be none. Why would anyone in their right mind continue development over a major aquifer? Route 302 is nothing but one great big strip mall. There has been little apparent planning to make the area attractive and safe. But we have to remember that money and power drive not only national and state politics but local as well and the realtors and some property owners who stand to make money have more power and say than you and I. We are just thorns in their sides if we do not agree with them.
Now the citizens are being asked to foot the bill for a sewer that probably should have been put in years ago at a smaller cost and when federal monies were available. We are being asked to pay for the mistakes of previous and present councils for not developing good zoning and community planning. As usual elected officials do not think about the impact on the citizens.
Several years ago when there was a one million dollar bond to help save the largest contiguous piece of property left in Cumberland County at least two of the present councilors spoke about the burden that $10.00 a year on their tax bill would present and now these same men want to add an average of $200.00 a year to our tax bills plus charge folks a betterment fee if the line goes by their property. Then there is the cost to hook up to the sewer which could be devastating to someone who lives a distance from the road. And if you think $200.00 a year is the end of it you are mistaken. The sewer opens up for more development which means more people, more schools, more services like police and fire personnel and we all know that one household with even one child does not pay enough in taxes to cover the cost of just educating that child not to mention other services that will be needed.
I urge you to vote NO on question 2. NO Sewer for Windham. Let the town come up with a model where only the users pay for the cost.
I lived in Cumberland when the sewer went in there and it was and still is paid for by the users and not the general taxpayers and I think that is how it should be. Why should someone who has frontage on Route 302 and will not be served by the sewer have to pay a betterment fee? I believe this is a discriminatory fee.
I believe in a vibrant business community but in this case this and previous councils have allowed development where the comprehensive plan said there should be none. Why would anyone in their right mind continue development over a major aquifer? Route 302 is nothing but one great big strip mall. There has been little apparent planning to make the area attractive and safe. But we have to remember that money and power drive not only national and state politics but local as well and the realtors and some property owners who stand to make money have more power and say than you and I. We are just thorns in their sides if we do not agree with them.
Now the citizens are being asked to foot the bill for a sewer that probably should have been put in years ago at a smaller cost and when federal monies were available. We are being asked to pay for the mistakes of previous and present councils for not developing good zoning and community planning. As usual elected officials do not think about the impact on the citizens.
Several years ago when there was a one million dollar bond to help save the largest contiguous piece of property left in Cumberland County at least two of the present councilors spoke about the burden that $10.00 a year on their tax bill would present and now these same men want to add an average of $200.00 a year to our tax bills plus charge folks a betterment fee if the line goes by their property. Then there is the cost to hook up to the sewer which could be devastating to someone who lives a distance from the road. And if you think $200.00 a year is the end of it you are mistaken. The sewer opens up for more development which means more people, more schools, more services like police and fire personnel and we all know that one household with even one child does not pay enough in taxes to cover the cost of just educating that child not to mention other services that will be needed.
I urge you to vote NO on question 2. NO Sewer for Windham. Let the town come up with a model where only the users pay for the cost.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Money, Money, Money
I don't know about any of you but I am so sick and tired of the daily emails pleading for money for this campaign and that. I am tired of feeling guilty when I delete it, thinking I am probably the cause of the defeat of one candidate or another.
I have given to candidates but I am retired and on a fixed income. There is a limit to what I can give. First it is Democracy for America, Obama/Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Sherrod Brown, Alan Grayson, Maine Dems, Marriage Equality and about 30 others. These are all people who I want to win but the amount of money it takes is obscene.
What has gone wrong with this country that political campaigns can raise millions and millions of dollars to put ads on TV that most people are just plain sick and tired of seeing but we can't raise money to feed hungry children or to make sure that the Native Americans have decent education and housing and electricity and clean water. We have stuffed them off on reservations that don't even have arable land so they can grow their own food.
This country has its priorities wrong. We used to care about the poor and hungry and homeless but we now don't even see it. Our churches send young people off to Haiti and Guatemala to help the indigent and while that is worthy, we have poverty here that we ignore. Jane Goodall said that there are places here in America that are worse off than a third world country and we do nothing about it but we can collect and raise over four billion dollars to spend on getting people elected. Then these people get to Washington and forget who sent them there.
It is the same on the local and state level. The elected officials feel they are gifted with power beyond reason and lose sight of the needs of the people who elected them.
We need to overturn Citizens United and get the big money out of the elections and make sure the campaigns only last 3 months or less. Maybe if they have a shorter time they will tell less lies! John McCain said it well. Money is Money. Money is not Free Speech!
I have given to candidates but I am retired and on a fixed income. There is a limit to what I can give. First it is Democracy for America, Obama/Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Sherrod Brown, Alan Grayson, Maine Dems, Marriage Equality and about 30 others. These are all people who I want to win but the amount of money it takes is obscene.
What has gone wrong with this country that political campaigns can raise millions and millions of dollars to put ads on TV that most people are just plain sick and tired of seeing but we can't raise money to feed hungry children or to make sure that the Native Americans have decent education and housing and electricity and clean water. We have stuffed them off on reservations that don't even have arable land so they can grow their own food.
This country has its priorities wrong. We used to care about the poor and hungry and homeless but we now don't even see it. Our churches send young people off to Haiti and Guatemala to help the indigent and while that is worthy, we have poverty here that we ignore. Jane Goodall said that there are places here in America that are worse off than a third world country and we do nothing about it but we can collect and raise over four billion dollars to spend on getting people elected. Then these people get to Washington and forget who sent them there.
It is the same on the local and state level. The elected officials feel they are gifted with power beyond reason and lose sight of the needs of the people who elected them.
We need to overturn Citizens United and get the big money out of the elections and make sure the campaigns only last 3 months or less. Maybe if they have a shorter time they will tell less lies! John McCain said it well. Money is Money. Money is not Free Speech!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
I Am Part of the 47%
There is certainly lots of talk about the recently released secret tape of Mitt Romney talking to a select number of donors. In this tape he certainly shows his disdain for 47% of Americans who he says are dependent on the government, pay no income taxes and consider themselves victims.
Well, I am part of the 47% as I am a senior and receive Social Security benefits that I am entitled, yes entitled, to as my husband and I paid into the system all our working lives. But, I do pay income taxes. Every year I get a 1099 from the government and it tells me how much I received and my tax return shows that as income and I pay tax on it.
How many millionaires and billionaires pay no income tax? How many corporations pay no income tax AND get subsidies paid for with our tax dollars? It is estimated that 4000 millionaires and billionaires pay no income tax. So let's reform the tax code to make it fair for all.
Should people feel entitled to food? You bet they should. Should they feel entitled to shelter? Yes! We have always been a country that has taken care of those of us who are less fortunate and we should continue to do so.
Not only did he denigrate the 47% but he sure told Iran how to come in and wreck havoc on Chicago. I think he does not understand the difference between a dirty bomb and a nuclear bomb. He would be a disaster on foreign policy and surely have us in another war and guess what. The 47% includes our military men and women who would have to fight that war and perhaps lose their lives or be maimed for life.
I am really concerned about the way Mitt Romney and the Republicans view the people in this country. Let's stop paying for Congressional health care if they are going to fiddle with ours. Let's cut their pensions and see how they like it. Also let's not pay them when they take so much time off. Most people only get paid while they work.
Well, I am part of the 47% as I am a senior and receive Social Security benefits that I am entitled, yes entitled, to as my husband and I paid into the system all our working lives. But, I do pay income taxes. Every year I get a 1099 from the government and it tells me how much I received and my tax return shows that as income and I pay tax on it.
How many millionaires and billionaires pay no income tax? How many corporations pay no income tax AND get subsidies paid for with our tax dollars? It is estimated that 4000 millionaires and billionaires pay no income tax. So let's reform the tax code to make it fair for all.
Should people feel entitled to food? You bet they should. Should they feel entitled to shelter? Yes! We have always been a country that has taken care of those of us who are less fortunate and we should continue to do so.
Not only did he denigrate the 47% but he sure told Iran how to come in and wreck havoc on Chicago. I think he does not understand the difference between a dirty bomb and a nuclear bomb. He would be a disaster on foreign policy and surely have us in another war and guess what. The 47% includes our military men and women who would have to fight that war and perhaps lose their lives or be maimed for life.
I am really concerned about the way Mitt Romney and the Republicans view the people in this country. Let's stop paying for Congressional health care if they are going to fiddle with ours. Let's cut their pensions and see how they like it. Also let's not pay them when they take so much time off. Most people only get paid while they work.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
IS THERE A LIGHT AT THE END OF TUNNEL? MY TAKE ON THE IMPACT OF THE WISCONSIN RECALL
I have always been a very optimistic person but lately it seems as though there is little to be optimistic about. The failure of the recall vote in Wisconsin has dark implications for us as a country. Here is a man who has outright lied to his people and may be indicted for allegedly criminal acts but can survive a recall election. This shows the power of money and greed in this country and I suspect it means very dark days ahead for us as a country.
29 million dollars were spent by the Walker campaign in this race and 16 million was spent by outside interests . On the Democratic side the Barrett Campaign spent 3 million and outside interests spent 6 million. So money won the election. This is sad news for the country when the voice of the people counts for less than the money spent by big super pacs. Citizens United will be the death of Democracy.
Also when will the Department of Justice take its mission and responsibility seriously and investigate the illegal robo calls that were used to discourage voters by telling them that if they signed the recall petition they did not need to vote. Voter suppression needs to be stopped in its tracks, but that is a subject for another day.
This morning in a daily devotional that I receive the writer, Quinn Caldwell, talked about an experience he had in Manhattan on September 11, 2001 when a group of theological students gathered to help if they could and were turned away. They began to sing what he called a very "lame hymn" for adults to be singing This Little Light of Mine and people gathered and held up cell phones and the light from them shone and it seemed like this was a song that people needed to hear at that time. So maybe we should be looking for a very dim light at the end of the tunnel that we are in to give us hope and hope that it isn't a train rushing at us to destroy us.
29 million dollars were spent by the Walker campaign in this race and 16 million was spent by outside interests . On the Democratic side the Barrett Campaign spent 3 million and outside interests spent 6 million. So money won the election. This is sad news for the country when the voice of the people counts for less than the money spent by big super pacs. Citizens United will be the death of Democracy.
Also when will the Department of Justice take its mission and responsibility seriously and investigate the illegal robo calls that were used to discourage voters by telling them that if they signed the recall petition they did not need to vote. Voter suppression needs to be stopped in its tracks, but that is a subject for another day.
This morning in a daily devotional that I receive the writer, Quinn Caldwell, talked about an experience he had in Manhattan on September 11, 2001 when a group of theological students gathered to help if they could and were turned away. They began to sing what he called a very "lame hymn" for adults to be singing This Little Light of Mine and people gathered and held up cell phones and the light from them shone and it seemed like this was a song that people needed to hear at that time. So maybe we should be looking for a very dim light at the end of the tunnel that we are in to give us hope and hope that it isn't a train rushing at us to destroy us.
Friday, April 6, 2012
A Fable from Robert Reich
I have been absent for awhile as I could not handle all of the foolishness that we call Washington. But I think it is time to begin speaking out again in order to keep my sanity.
So to begin I will refer you to a wonderful article by Robert Reich, a professor at the University of California, Berkley. I admire his work and hope that you will find time to read it. We can affect the outcome!
http://robertreich.org/post/20538393444
So to begin I will refer you to a wonderful article by Robert Reich, a professor at the University of California, Berkley. I admire his work and hope that you will find time to read it. We can affect the outcome!
http://robertreich.org/post/20538393444
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