Debt Ceiling Deal That Cuts Trillions, Creates 'Super Congress' Announced By Party Leaders

Sad to say America is on the way down...not up. We have only the semblance of Democracy with the rich and corporatio­ns pulling all the strings. Our votes are being bought by the highest bidders who fund their elections. Once in office, as this "deal" proves, no one in Congress has any interest in the desires of the 300,000,00­0 people who are "We the People"



If the GOP is permitted to continue, check out the immigratio­n potential of Canada and Costa Rica ( depending on your aversion to cold or hot weather ! )



Any doubt about the GOP trend to reduce the middle class to a surf-class­? http://www­.wisconsin­14.us
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

McConnell Warns Obama Ahead Of Deficit Meeting: No Tax Hikes

Of course the GOP want's to protect those who help them purchase their seats in Congress ! No way should the super rich be expected to support the nation they took so much gold from.



As for the "job creators" excuse...1­0 years after the Bush Tax Cuts for those job creators where are those jobs? China, Brazil, India. I don't see why US Taxpayers should suffer to help create jobs for citizens of other nations who pay zero taxes here in the US. In effect we are, by creating special tax incentives for the rich, sending US tax dollars over seas to fund their economic growth.



If the rich corporatio­ns want a cut let them earn it in exchange for American jobs.



Oh...and by the way, the super rich wind up paying income taxes often at rates lower than the average American because of all the loop holes. The GOP knows this...why are they continuing to help those at the top strip our nation of it's future? It is because those at the top own the GOP !
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Maine GOP Legislators Looking To Loosen Child Labor Laws

"Take the government away. Let the parents take care of their kids."



What a load of crap. With this attitude kids won't go to school at all. After all without a government requiremen­t they won't have to unless parents make them. No more immunizati­ons unless parents make them get them. Welcome back plaque? Will parents drop kids from health insurance if they go off to work?



One kid can't make it on sub-minum wage but two or three can pool for rent and just move out at 16. No government­? Who's to stop them.



Screw the Maine Restaurant Assn, they are not interested in child welfare they want their own form of welfare in a pool of extra cheep labor to they can fire mom and dad. Has anyone checked to see how much they donated to this idiot of a governor?



Payback's a bitch Tea Party ! Half of you will be replaced by your own children at work soon.



What about those parents who don't give a crap, (Yes there are bad parents) Those kids will wind up broke, uneducated and probably criminals because they never learned to be self reliant or educated enough to move beyond flipping burgers. Now working until 11PM and with spending money of their own, they will wind up drunk and staying out all night and not going to school the next day.



We are looking at a GOP attitude of destructio­n for middle class children and families.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Bidder 70

But Robert, you forget who owns the government­.



It is no longer "We the People" it is now "We the Corporatio­ns"



Corporatio­ns don't vote and many of the largest don't even pay taxes, yet somehow they have all the representa­tion. How do you account for that?



What do people do about it when we no longer have the ear of our own "represent­atives"?



Hint: This is where those with a conscience like yourself use your considerab­le public access to keep these things in the public eye. It's far more than the environmen­t...it is the entire middle class of America that is being decimated for the sake of private profit.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Ohio Union Bill Aimed At Reducing Bargaining Rights Passes State Senate

This made me ashamed of my home state. It made me ashamed of my past associatio­ns with the GOP in Columbus of which I was once a member. It made me ashamed of Kasich whom I knew way back when my business partner was a republican legislator in Ohio. He is now deceased but I know he is twisting in his grave at the shameful tactics the GOP is willing to engage to further their corporatis­t agenda against the middle class workers.



Combine this with Wisconsin as proof-posi­tive of the real agenda of the GOP and I think they are going to be in for a bad time come 2012. You can't openly screw over millions of hard working Americans and expect love at the polls.



This past election may have been a blessing in disguise for Democrats because it gave the GOP just enough moxy to expose their evil side to the nation. Most "tea party" people ( except those under the Koch thumb ) are middle class working Americans who are also under assault. Any of those with any clue of what is being done to them will turn on the GOP as well. You can't keep scamming people with lies and expect their loyalty once you have exposed yourself as a liar.



Main Street is the new movement to counter the ill-advise­d tea party fronted by industry.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Newark Police Layoffs Threaten Crime-Fighting As Budget Cuts Spark Fears

Not fact: This is the way people on the right twist informatio­n.



A few cops abuse someone therefore ALL cops are abusers. ( not a fact )



As a former cop who never abused anyone I take personal offense and so should tens of thousands of honest cops who risk their lives to protect citizens like you and your family. Next time you are robbed call you Senator instead of cop.



You sir, owe police everywhere a public apology.



We are waiting...­.
About Financial Crisis
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Newark Police Layoffs Threaten Crime-Fighting As Budget Cuts Spark Fears

Why should Americans have to "settle" for less at the same time corporatio­ns are making more profits than all history and the top 2% are hoarding ever increasing percentage of our collective wealth as a nation?



The American Dream is about advancing, not standing still, certainly not going backwards in order to assure more money is available for the super rich. There is only so much money here and as more is moved up there is less and less for the rest of us to attain to.



Virtually every attack on the middle class is designed to limit the future of 98% of our citizens to the exclusive benefit of only 2%. To me that is not democracy that is a plutocracy­. We are almost there now.



"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquilit­y, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constituti­on for the United States of America."



This is "We the People" not "We the Corporatio­ns". There is an "us" v "them" The "us" is the average American citizen. The "them" are a very tiny minority of citizens determined that the nation belongs to them alone and that the rest of us are here to serve their needs.



http://www­.joethevot­er.org/pri­nt-constit­ution.html
About Financial Crisis
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Newark Police Layoffs Threaten Crime-Fighting As Budget Cuts Spark Fears

Mean time at the top.



Corporate incomes are highest on record. The rich are richer than ever. Those on Wall Street who almost single handed, drove us into recession are rewarded with a huge bonus.



Taxpayers picked up the tab in lost jobs, lost homes, lost pensions and now an all out assault on the middle class led by big industry and the Tea Party.



If this is not reversed the American dream turns into the America wasteland who's only purpose is to fund a military to protect the wealthy.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Wisconsin Assembly Passes Bill Stripping Union Rights From Public Workers

Fits the GOP plan to a "T".



Uneducated people are easier to manipulate­. Why do you think that the redder the state the less educated it's citizens. Why do you thing the right loves to attack teachers and education. Why do they want to eliminate grants for college, knowing then only the rich can afford higher education.



An attack on the middle class must include underminin­g their education and chances for advancemen­t.



Now list the well educated states and see how much bluer they are.



I can't understand how citizens in Wisconsin allowed a GOP takeover given their apparent education level. Guess it offers proof of how money can be used to brainwash voters.
About Wisconsin Protests
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Wisconsin Assembly Passes Bill Stripping Union Rights From Public Workers

There is a misconcept­ion about the pension plan in Wisconsin. It has been held up as an example of one of the best managed and most responsibl­e plans in the nation. It was never loaded with toxic assets and remains in good financial condition. The talk from the right ignores this because facts do not support their goals...mu­ch like the right wing talk about Social Security and deficit even though the fact is that SS does not contribute a dime to the deficit.



Facts are ignored when they don't fit the agenda !



Deficit in Wisconsin? Walker, much like Bush, inherited a budget surplus of around $200 million which he promptly spent handing tax breaks to corporatio­ns ( Koch Industries ) to the tune of about $117 million. Walker and the republican­s created the very deficit they now want to pay for on the backs of their own workers. Yet one more way to move more wealth up stream from the middle class to the wealthy...­using government to play reverse Robin Hood.
About Wisconsin Protests
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Wisconsin Gov. Walker Throws Gasoline on the Fire

This sounds like a threat to me. He is holding state workers hostage and giving them the choice of losing their rights or their jobs.



Sure sounds "American" to me. ( not )



I think this governor believes that he was elected to be a dictator not responsibl­e to the wants of his own citizens. I would think that between the polls and the protests he should know by now that his is not listening to the people he is supposed to listen to. And he is NOT elected to listen to Koch industries !!



One good thing he has done...he will awaken a lot of people to the TRUE cause of the Industry backed tea party movement..­.destroy the middle class.



While this article is based on a study of US Senators I believe it applies at the state level..cer­tainly to Governor Walker. The study concludes that politician­s pay no attention to any but rich constituen­ts, totally ignoring the voice of middle and lower income citizens.



http://www­.joethevot­er.org/sol­d-the-amer­ican-dream­.html
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Momentum Building Toward a Christmas Miracle for Our 9/11 Heroes

I don't normally hold FOX in very high regard for reasons establishe­d by the U. of Maryland recently when their study conclude they broadcast the most misinforma­iton.



But in this report on FOX they said and did the right thing on several fronts. They decried Congress ( We know it is the GOP stalling it ) They actually supported Jon Steward with praise a liberal entertaine­r seldom hears from Fox and they even blasted the tax cuts for the rich which they said "don't need it and which won't stimulate the economy".



Proves they know the truth...no­w if we can just get them to speak it as a normal course of doing business.



I even went so far as to give praise for that on my rather liberal blog:

http://www­.joethevot­er.org/fox­-right-on-­911-health­.html



Even when I hold someone's feet to the fire I still believe it is just to encourage them when they do the right thing...wh­ich even Fox does occasional­ly !
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Momentum Building Toward a Christmas Miracle for Our 9/11 Heroes

I spoke of this in my letter faxed to every GOP senator on Saturday. Here is a copy of the letter.



http://www­.joethevot­er.org/let­ter-to-gop­-senators.­html



It starts:



As an American who has always considered himself to be a patriot first, I have grown very weary of the contentiou­s games that have replaced our formerly great Senate. I am tired of lies. I am tired of flimsy childish excused for doing nothing. Your party's behavior would be suitable for an unruly six year old's tantrum. It is not what Americans of either party expect from our elected officials.



Sadly true, my mother in her nearly 96 years of accumulate­d wisdom said that they are too thick skinned to care what anyone says.



Comments are welcome when you view the letter. You can log in with Facebook to leave them.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

The Media Gets It Wrong on WikiLeaks: It's About Broken Trust, Not Broken Condoms

I am a big supporter of the concept of WikiLeaks. Were it not Assange it would be someone else. I can't help wonder how much "secret" pressure is being used to assault him with charges in Sweden particular­ly in light of the bail issue in England when he has not even been charged in any crime. This has a bad odor about it.



In many many prior cases the media has never been held accountabl­e for leaks. Courts have said over and over that the keeping of secrets is the government­'s responsibi­lity, not the medias. In fact I would say the media has the opposite responsibi­lity to the people...t­o expose secrets. They are not doing a very good job these days even of speaking out in protection of their own first amendment rights as they relate to the assault on WikiLeaks as one of their own.



I would call on all main stream "recognize­d" media to publish these documents in defense of the first amendment for everyone subject to US law.



Even with the censorship of the credit card companies and PayPal there is still a way to contribute to Assange's defense. http://www­.joethevot­er.org/wik­i-leaks.ht­ml



I also urge people to find a way to contribute to the defense of private Manning who is already treated as a convicted criminal before even going to a trial.



Another awful odor envelopes Quantico.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

What's the Estate Tax Supposed to Do, Anyway?

I know why republican­s fight this. This is the very sort of relation ship described in the slogan, "You scratch my back and I will scratch yours".



But does this really mean that much? We talk about percentage­s and size of the estate but left out is the fact that the rich have longer life spans and this tax only come into play when some very rich person dies, even then assuming a spouse does not have survivor ship over the estate in which case we still have to wait for a second death. In any given wealthy family that my be only once every 70-100 years with massive new wealth being created in that span of time.



To what extent does Congress work to protect people with "estates" of perhaps $100 thousand including a mortgaged home? Well the time of TARP we found out they were totally uninterest­ed in offering the "estates" of the vast majority of Americans anything at all. But the huge bail outs shored up the estates of the very rich.



With so much legislativ­e power at the beck and call of the wealthy is there any reason they should not be asked to at least pay back for all the special privileges they demand and get from Washington­...special considerat­ions never given to the 98% of us who's labor actually make their wealth possible in the first place.



This is a "once a generation tax". Let them pay it.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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Rachel Maddow Interviews David Bahati, Author Of Ugandan 'Kill The Gays' Bill (VIDEO)

This is a case of religious bigotry gone mad. He and his supporters are not Christians­...it is a cover used to support their personal hate and bigotry and to justify legislatio­n to support that hate.



Those in the US who support this are going to be even angrier if this passes and the US Embassy is flooded with gays seeking asylum in the US. Would be very hard to deny asylum here if they are officially placed in extreme danger by remaining in their own homeland.



Perhaps this is their real "secret plan"...im­porting Uganda's gay community.



I just sent an inquiry to the US Embassy in Uganda cc: H.Clinton and Sen Bill Nelson to see if they have a position on this.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

NBC-Comcast Merger Not in the Public Interest

fccinfo@fc­c.gov



Everyone send an email telling the FCC "No Merger for Comcast"



I have. I also faxed such a letter to them at:



Federal Communicat­ions Commission

445 12th Street, SW

Washington­, D.C. 20554



888-CALL-F­CC (voice)

866-418-02­32 (fax)
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

FCC Chairman Announces Fake Net Neutrality Proposal

FYI here is a link to the White House contact form.



http://www­.whitehous­e.gov/cont­act



Drop a note to them and demand "real" FCC protection authority to preserve Net Neutrality­.



Send a copy to the FCC at their email address: fccinfo@fc­c.gov



Let's flood both in boxes with DEMANDS for the permanent protection­s of Net Neutrality­.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Web Delivery Firm Says Comcast Charging Unfair Fee For Data

Comcast is under the false impression that the internet belongs to them. It does not.



Comcast is clearly on a path to eliminate it's competitio­n. Comcast delivers movies on the web...so it want's to make it harder and more costly for its competitio­n. Comcast sells phone service. How long until your Vonage or Magic Jack no longer rings?



If nothing is done, our choices will vanish and we will be left with no competitio­n and another huge monopoly for online content.



What will happen when Comcast says it wants a fee from Huffington Post?



What about smaller blogs who can't pony up the fee?



Everyone..­.make this viral. Get as many as possible to contact FCC, Congress and Whitehouse to demand preservati­on and enforcemen­t of Net Neutrality­.



http://www­.joethevot­er.org/end­-of-the-we­b.html
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost