Message to the Right Wing: The TARP worked

Apparently while the right wingers were busy trying to prove Barack Obama was either from Kenya or Muslim, or a Nazi, they didn't notice a few things. First of all Taxes for 95% of Americans went down. Yes down,,that's less then last year, that's right, no reason to protest higher taxes cause, they are L O W E R.

Their next biggest shout out is protesting the bailouts, or TARP as commonly called. I mean of course they were outraged, Obama, that evil socialist...oh wait, hold up, TARP was in October 2008, Obama wasn't President until January 2009. Bush that Socialist err I mean what was he, oh yes he was the "decider" according to him, George W Bush put through the TARP. So of course Republicans should be...wait, he was Republican, oh so Democrats should be outrag....wait.. I'm so confused.

Anyways that 700 billion dollar bailout is breaking our economy, exploding the deficit, and was a total failure...... OK wait again...I just saw a Bank of America Commercial, wait, weren't they going to fail? Citicorp surely was, pardon? they still exist too? Well the American Auto Industry was doomed and TARP money was used .....GM sales are up? Chrysler is rehiring 1900 workers?

OK well so it worked but was it worth it after all it cost the Taxpayers 700 billion dollars that my grandchildren are going to have to pay......630 billion has been paid back? OK well then 70 billion is a lot of money.......that is expected to be paid back within 5 years?,,,wait with interest?

OK so the TARP saved our banking system, the auto industry and our economy overall and in the end its going to cost the taxpayers, nothing. Yes Clearly another Bush failure...I'm so confused.

Oh wait now the tea baggers and the right wing want to blame Obama for the TARP. hmm OK, works for me!

The Bush Economic Disaster One Year Later

Perhaps it is a little unfair to George W. Bush to name it that, perhaps a more accurate term would be the Reagan/Bush Economic Disaster. Though the damage all came to a head this day one year ago, it was set in place by the bill of goods sold to the American People by smooth talking right wing pitch man Ronald Reagan in 1980. Reaganomics once refereed to as "voodoo economics" by George H. W. Bush was put in place that eventually lead to the disaster of last year.

The Republicans sold the American people on a concept that if you take away all regulations, all responsibility and all oversight, the market will protect us naturally. That if you make the rich wealthier, the benefits will trickle down to the rest of the nation. What happened instead is the rich did indeed get richer. Meanwhile the numbers of the poor increased, and the middle class shrunk. For the first time in our nations history average incomes went down yet the wealth of he nation was concentrated in fewer and fewer people's pockets. To further complete the redistribution of wealth, those who's greed and irresponsible behavior got rich, also were given tax breaks. The burden increased again on the poor and middle class.

Then came George W. Bush. Not only did he continue the Reaganomics policies but added to them. He passed laws to protect credit card companies from its own customers allowing them unfettered control over interest rates, fees and collections. The Bush Administration then took away the teeth of the bankruptcy protection laws making it harder for the middle class who came upon hard times to recover. Then the death blow, George W Bush and a Republican Congress for 6 out of his 8 years in office took our budget from a surplus to a 17 trillion deficit. Throwing away money on a war of choice, and more tax cuts for the wealthy again leaving 95% of Americans behind.

Jobs left, opportunity left, false wealth exploded, risk exploded, oversight and regulation was non existent. And as always happens sooner or later when irresponsible behavior rules it came time to pay the piper. So one year ago that was clearly evident to all with the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

So what has happened in the year since. Well good news and bad news. George W. Bush is out of office and our new President Barack Obama, took quick and decisive action to stop the bleeding. Many banks were saved, The stock market had recovered 50% of its losses since last September. The amount of job loss has been reduced. An auto industry who's collapse would have cost millions more jobs was averted. Home sales are up, home values are up. Cash for Clunkers gave a huge shot in the arm to the auto industry. Finally the middle class got a tax cut.

But now the bad news. The lack of rules and oversight left over from the Reagan/Bush economic voodoo has not been corrected. Though we put some oil in the car to prevent the blowing of the engine at the last minute, we continue to drive and treat the engine the same way which will lead to another disaster sooner or later. No new regulations have been implemented, no major change in oversight, and the wealth is even more consolidated then before. In fact 3 of every $10 invested in banks or securities in this nation are held in one of 4 very large, very risky institutions.

President Obama has worked miracles to stop the bleeding, his successes have saved our nation's and the world's economy for now. But for long term growth and security we must fix the damage done by Reaganomics. With new laws, new restrictions, new limits and new oversight to once again force responsible behavior to protect our nation from unfettered greed.

Who Broke the Window?

When I was a kid I was clearing the screen on an etch-a-sketch a bit too vigorously and it somehow managed to fly through my parents huge glass picture window. Now in my humble opinion I was a pretty smart kid, well except for how I cleared the etch a sketch, within seconds I was carefully cleaning up the glass.

As expected my parents came flying out to the living room to ask, who broke the window? My response was that it wasn't important how it got broken but that there was glass everywhere and we have to clean it up.

Have you noticed that is how Bush and McCain govern.

Terrorists attack the United States and kill 3000. When questions were asked about the warnings that the Bush administration had, their response was, that what was important is that we do what we need to do now to get the terrorists.

Bush lies us into a war with McCain's support. The response, well how we got into the war is old news, its the surge that matters.

New Orleans drowns and Bush and FEMA show total ineptness at reacting to the problem, causing the additional deaths and suffering of hundreds if not thousands. Their response, no point in pointing fingers except its the democratic governors fault, but we need to work to bring the city back.

Now we are on the brink of an Economic meltdown. Bush, McCain and the Republicans who's 20 years of gutting our economic system of all the safeguards that were put in to prevent this from happening are saying, this isn't a time for blame, we have to work together to fix this.

You know what. My parents didn't fall for this tactic on the window and neither should we. Its time for Blame. The policies of the Republicans like George W. Bush in power have put our country at risk to terrorism, war, more vulnerable to natural disaster and now economic ruin.

Yes it is squarely the fault of the Republicans. Its time for change. Its time for Barack Obama.

Justice was Delivered says Bush

Today at the dedication of the memorial at the Pentagon Bush had this to say:

"Seven years ago at this hour, a doomed airliner plunged from the sky, split the rock and steel of this building, and changed our world forever. The years that followed have seen justice delivered to evil men and battles fought in distant lands."

He also said: "They will learn that this generation of Americans met its duty -- we did not tire, we did not falter, and we did not fail. They will learn that freedom prevailed because the desire for liberty lives in the heart of every man, woman, and child on Earth."

When exactly was Bin Laden brought to Justice? Many Americans did it fact meet their duty, the problem with your statment Mr. Bush is that you used the word "we." It is quite clear to the world that you sir, did not.

Bush and McCain Really Said This?

Today George W. Bush said: "bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century."

Yesterday McCain said: "in the 21st century nations don't invade other nations"

The families of 10's of thousands of dead Iraqis wish these two hypocrites thought of this 6 years ago.

If you wondering why the world has lost all respect for the leaders (and I use that word loosely) of the United States, these two statements pretty much say it all.

The Blackmailing of America

It has become quite clear that the gas prices we are now paying are either the result of or at the very least being used by the Oil Companies and the Rep-oil-cans to blackmail this nation into giving up concessions that will increase the profits of Big Oil. Bush, McCain and the Repoilcans and the Oil Companies themselves have been marching to the same drumbeat, claiming the problem is restrictions on drilling.

They want more rights to lease more areas to drill, so that they can do so when and if it provides them the best profits. The reality is there are 68 million acres with oil rich land that the oil companies currently hold leases to and could drill if they so choose. Yet they have not. Among these acres is 16 billion gallons of oil available just in the North Slope of Alaska that they can drill now. This is more oil then has been gained from Alaska since drilling began there. There are 800,000 barrels of oil coming through the pipeline today, there used to be 2.1 million per day. The oil companies have reduced production by choice period.

By choosing not to drill in these 68 million acres available to them, the Oil Companies have helped increase our dependence on foreign oil, caused the price of oil to rise, put our nation in danger, caused wars, is damaging the auto industry, food prices, recession and now according to a Pugh Research poll released today, damaging the tourism and restaurant industries in the process.

This handful of powerful companies is trying to force our nation to its knees so that they can get more and increase their profits. What’s worse they have Bush, McCain and the Repoilcans in their pocket. They have even managed to get the Governor of Florida Charlie Frist to put the tourism industry that is vital to his state at risk by changing his position on off shore drilling.

While McCain runs commercials on his new realization of the importance of
Global warming, he gives speeches demanding we damage the environment more by doing more drilling in more places.

The answer is to force the companies to drill where they already have leases. We must hold them accountable for their illegal manipulation of supply. To stop the speculating that only increases the greed of these companies and to search for real solutions that both reduce our dependence on oil foreign and domestic along with saving our environment.

Standard Oil was broken up for a reason, its time that these companies also be prevented from holding America Hostage.

sources:The Ed Schultz Show, Nancy Pelosi

He lied and 1,193,471 have died.

While the media and we put our attention and outrage on the sexual indiscretions of some elected officials, a man sits in the oval office every day that committed the most horrid crime a President can do. He lied to the American people and the world to send us to war.

He told us that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and were a danger to our safety. He told us Iraq had ties to the terrorists that attacked us. He continues to tie 9/11 to the Iraq war even after the Pentagon has proven after extensive investigation there were no such ties.

We impeached a President for a lie about his private sexual affairs, yet George W Bush’s lie has led to 1,193,471 deaths of human beings. This includes 3,990 brave American men and women of our military, 308 Military personnel from other countries and no less important 1,189,173 Iraqi lives.

There is no disputing the facts, there were no weapons of mass destruction, and there were no ties to terrorism. Today Bush stood with a straight face in the pentagon, the home of our brave military that he has been responsible for damaging beyond belief, and continued to claim ties to terrorism. He tried to rewrite history by tying the arrests of some al qaeda leaders to the start of the Iraq war, when those arrests were made in Pakistan and Afghanistan not Iraq. He trys to justify his lies by changing the reasons for the war. Redefining the definition of success.

He bragged about the success of the surge when the reality is the surge was successful at helping to improve a bad situation that we created. This reminds me of the kid I went to high school with that taunted non-swimmer to jump in the deep end of the pool, then received a Boy Scout badge for saving his life from drowning.

When I was a boy learning about the atrocities done by dictators and leaders in History, I never understood how these men were allowed by the citizens of their countries to succeed in their crimes against humanity. I watch what George W. Bush has done and I still do not understand.

Bush remains in office. We have allowed it. There is no shortage of complicity in his crimes. We have not held those responsible who voted to allow Bush to take us to war. We have not demanded that congress investigate and bring to justice those that lied to the country and the world. We have continued to let them rewrite history, change the facts, eliminate those within the government and military that have opposed Bush.

People like Hillary Clinton and John McCain don’t want to talk about the mistakes that got us here, they want us to look at the future. We cannot do that. We must not do that. We simply can’t just find the best way out of this mess that these lies have created. We must also make sure this can never happen again.

There must be investigations, there must be consequences and yes those that have committed crimes including George W. Bush must be brought to justice. This must be done for our future for the future of the world and to gain justice for the 1,193,471 that have died because this horrendous crime.

Are your phones being tapped?

Bush again this morning pushed for the House of Representatives to pass his unconstitutional FISA bill. He wants us to believe that the terrorists are going to get us because they have to get warrants to wire tap Americans as the Supreme court has upheld many times.

In addition he wants to prevent citizens the due process of law to be able to file law suits should they be a victim of unreasonable invasions of their privacy. Giving the telecom companies more rights than any other citizen or corporation has.

He has used fear mongering to pass this bill along with his cronies that run the television ads. The fact is they can within the law that still exists, the one that is actually constitutional, they can wire tap suspected terrorists they just have to obtain a warrant after the fact within a reasonable amount of time.

There is only one reason they don’t want a court to review their wiretapping. It has nothing to do with speed, or with protecting the country. It is to spy on anyone they choose.

If you believe this being some wacko conspiracy theory think again. According to the ACLU there are currently 900,000 people on the terrorist watch list. It is expected to be a million by July. I got to tell you if there are a million terrorists that need to be watched, the game is over folks. People on this watch list include men named Robert Johnson, 20 of which have been detained at the airport every time they attempt to fly. Evo Morales the President of Bolivia, Senator Ted Kennedy, Congressmen John Lewis of Georgia are other notable names that have been on this watch list.

For once the Democrats have been showing some backbone to fight Bush’s shredding of the Constitution. Call, write or email your Congressmen to support them in this effort.

Source: http://www.aclu.org/privacy/spying/watchlistcounter.html