To fully appreciate FDR's famous quote from the 1930's:

 

"The Only Thing We Have To Fear, Is Fear Itself"

 

Just witness the GOP over the last 30+-years.

 

If ever a collection of human beings was perfectly depicted by FDR's statement - the GOP is that very collection.

 

Fear of "Them" - Fear of the "Unknown" - Fear of the "Different" - Fear of "Choice" - Fear of "Science" - Fear of "Change" - Fear of "Equity" - Fear of "Transparency" - Fear of "Accountability" - Fear of Attacks on Accepted Dogma", etc., etc., etc.

 

At the very core of all possible fears lies the Fear of "Ideas".  This more than anything else drives the GOP and it's adherents/accolytes stark raving made, literally bonkers.

 

The Sean Hannity's, Rush Limbaugh's, Bill O'Reilly's, Michele Malkin's of the world stand at the ready to bash those who dare to usher in ideas that challenge the status quo, the accepted norm, the traditional ways of doing things.

 

The GOP and Republicans in general lack not only genuine empathy but the capacity to hold two diametrically-opposed thoughts simultaneously and can only entertain one measure of reality - the fear-induced resistance to whatever threatens what is already in place.

 

As Einstein remarked the only Constant in the Universe is Change.

 

He also said:

 

"Science without Religion Is Lame, Religion without Science Is Blind"

 

The GOP are not True Believers, They're Blind Followers.

The top House Republican campaign official broke with other GOP leaders Wednesday in criticizing President Barack Obama over his chained CPI proposal.

 

During an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) said Obama was “trying to balance this budget on the backs of seniors” with the plan, which would change the way Social Security cost-of-living adjustments are calculated.

 

Daniel Scarpinato, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Walden is opposed to “chained CPI,” even if that’s out of step with other GOP leaders.

 

“He believes it’s wrong to cut benefits for seniors to pay for more wasteful spending,” Scarpinato said.

I attended a Move2Amend meeting last night, hosted by David Cobb, who ran for President in 2004 on the Green Party ticket.

Of great interest was the origins of the legal device known as the Corporation in our nation's history. 

In colonial times, for a corporation to come into being, a Charter had to be granted but only after clearing both lower and upper houses of a state legislature + only after being approved of by the Royal Governor himself.

The basic reason for granting such a Charter for corporation was that there existed a need for such an entity in the first place, a need not already being met.

The Charter itself was only meant to last 5-10 years and had to be renewed after that time.

The Charter specifically stipulated that the entity Corporation had to act in the public interest and could not DEVIATE from its sole purpose for existence

If a Corporation ever violated it's Charter,  (i.e., it failed to operate in the public interest and/or deviated from its originally-intended purpose by engaging in other, unrelated activities) - that Charter could be revoked by the Governor.

Under these conditions, corporations of today would fail.

It was therefore a much more stringent process for approval, had much more exacting standards for conduct and behavior  and it had a set time period for duration.

Move2Amend is out in force for 2013.

The aim is to counter and demolish the notion that Corporation's are people and have the same rights.

On May 10, 2013,  there will be a National Day of Action to call for the overturning of the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision.

Franklin Roosevelt put it best: "The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of a private power to the point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself.  That, in essence, is fascism."

Now the President may propose cuts in Social Security by a device called the Chained CPI.  It works this way - when prices go up, consumers simply shift their dollars to like-products that are cheaper.  So instead of pegging Social Security increases to the real rate of inflation, by using CPI, Social Security increases are pegged to this lower substituion rate.

Social Security is not even a small part of our nation's budget problem.  

Therefore it should not even be a small part of the solution to this problem.

The real problem is the GOP & their calcified brain cells.

That's where stem-cell research could be useful.

Maybe we could take some brain tissue from Eric Cantor, John Boehner, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell and grow some recombinant stem cells and then implant back into their respective brains and jump-start their moribund brains.

Or better yet, just keep on bleeding the defense budget until the GOP agrees to some revenue measures.

The evidence of the real negative effects that result from shutting off government stimulus is pretty clear from this morning's jobs report.  Remember, the Sequester went into effect on March 1st.

Only 88,000 new jobs were created in March.  Economists expected at least 200,000. That's a far cry from the 266,000 new jobs created in February.

The bottom line is that government stimulus - such as through Social Security - is keeping this economy from tanking.

A generally accepted economic maxim is that for every $1 in gov't spending through government programs like SSI & UI, $1.70 is generated within the economy.

To short-circuit this positive multiplier effect on our economy by enacting a Chained-CPI is completely insane.

A pox on your house Mr. President.

Let's get right to it:

 

Rep. House Speaker John Boehner (OH) has proposed Single-Payer Health Insurance.

 

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (SC) has proposed to Republican Senator John McCain (AZ).

 

Republican Senator John McCain (AZ) has agreed that the Iraq War was a boondoggle and a national disaster.

 

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell (KY) has agreed to lower the number of votes needed to end a fillibuster to 55-votes - down from the current no. needed -  60.

 

Grover Norquist, Anti-Tax crusader, agrees to raise the Top Tax Bracket To 90%.

 

Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor says any cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are off the table.

 

Mitt Romney has agreed to explore the possibility of making college education free for all graduating high school students.

 

And lastly, Republican Congressman Paul Ryan (WI) agrees that the Debt Ceiling is an artificial device that has no place in American Government and needs to be abolished.

 

Ha-ha-ha!

 

Fooled ya.

 

April Fools - Only Just Kidding.

 

On the other hand, just imagine if I weren't  ...

GOP IS DOA - BY 2-14 - PROP 8 & DOMA ARE GOING "DOWN" - COURTESY OF

 

SUPREME COURT

JANICE JOPLIN'S FAMOUS LINE PERFECTLY DESCRIBES THE PRESENT-DAY GOP - "TOMORROW NEVER HAPPENS.  IT'S ALL THE SAME _____ DAY, MAN."  FESTIVAL EXPRESS LIVE (1970)

 

The Republi“cons” are still

stuck in the same damn day.

.

January 20, 1981 (Ronald Reagan’s

1st day in the White House).

.

Hell, Eric Cantor, House Majority Leader,

just had an internal poll commissioned

to see if the issue that the GOPERS have

been banging on now for 4+-years (budget

deficits, fiscal deficits, etc.) has any

real resonance with the average, everyday

voter.

.

GUESS WHAT?  The poll results came back only

to indicate that it is, in fact, a losing

issue with voters in general.

.

“Take Another Piece of My Heart”.   The Republicans

have been snorting so much “dirty” political cant

for so long, they’re too strung out at this point

in time to ever find their way back home again.

The three-legged stool underpinning the entire GOP

apparatus (strong defense, fiscal conservatism,

social traditionalism) has all rotted within.

.

Yes, Janice, I think even Eric Cantor is humming

to himself these days, very quietly, “it’s all

the same _______ day”.  (I think John Boehner

reached this conclusion some time ago in his

insulated Merlot World.)

REPUBLICANS ARE IN THE WILDERNESS SEARCHING FOR THEIR MESSIAH – IF THEY’RE LOOKING FOR THE “BURNING BUSH”, IT JUST GOT EXTINGUISHED THIS WEEKEND @ CPAC

Dwindling Deficit Disorder

Yes, tonite is a biggie - tonite we bestow top Academy honors to the current crop of GOP acolytes.

 

So, let's not waste any time.