Remember the "Good Ol' Days" in the 1950's that everyone wants to go back to. (Whether you were alive during those times or not.) Back when everyone worked hard and made a good living. There were jobs for everyone and life was good!
Fast forward to the next century. Everyone seems to have one question regarding the economy lately...are we heading towards another Great Depression? People are scared and they should be. I am way too young to remember the Depression but I do remember that until the day she died at 80, my grandmother lived in fear of another one. So today, while watching the seemingly ever falling Dow numbers, I stumbled across an article that quoted a variety of figures from Paul Krugman, a noted economics professor & writer. And they were very troublesome. Not because they show the same type of slide that we experienced in the 30's (after all back then 1 out of every 4 Americans were out of work). But they do seem to indicate one set of numbers that correlate to the time BEFORE the Depression started. Those numbers revolve around the distribution of wealth in America.
In 1928, one year before the crash that started the Depression, 1% of the population owned 40% of the nation's wealth. Once FDR's new deal started, you saw between the years of 1930 and 1947 that the working class wage rose an average of 67% while the income of the wealthiest 1% dropped 17%. (I would feel bad for the top 1% but they still made more money than everyone else by far.) This was the birth of the middle class and it was a direct result of unionization of manufacturing jobs and the New Deal.
Between 1947 and 1973 the inequality of income lessened even more. With working class wages rising 81% and the income of the top 1% rising 38%. (Note: These numbers reflect "real wages" adjusted for inflation.)
Then came the 70's! More bad times that were shared between both the richest and the middle class. Between 1974 and 1980, a combination of higher oil prices, too much influence of unions and a generally bad world economy meant that the working class lost 3% in real wages while the wealthiest 1% lost 4% of income. Proving that too much of a good thing, be it unionization or tax breaks are not necessarily a good thing. You never want the pendulum to swing too far to either the right or the left.
Enter the savior Ronald Reagan! His tax revamps once again helped the wealthiest 1% to earn a larger percentage piece of the pie. Under Reagan & Bush tax plans, the real wage for the working class fell by 1%, but the income for the wealthiest 1% increased by 135%! This difference is a direct result of "trickle down economics" and the tax policies that "trickle down" represents.
The inequity slowed slightly during the first years of a Clinton presidency and then skyrocketed again once the Republicans gained control of Congress. By 2006, under President Bush and a Republican controlled Congress the top 1% of the wealthiest Americans controlled 34% of America's wealth! The wealthiest 5% of Americans now control over two-thirds of America's wealth as well as 88% of the nation's business interests & almost 80% of America's stock wealth (After today's market close, you are allowed to chuckle a little if you like the thought that they now own four fifths of "not much"). (But don't chuckle too much since your retirement is tied into this mess as well.) This is where you are allowed to notice the similarities to 1928.
Now the argument of the top 1% is that they spur the economy on with thier purchasing power. But it doesn't seem to work well that way. If a really wealthy man spends ten million on a new yacht...it helps the yachting industry. If a million working class Americans spend $10 each on food...it helps thousands of restaurants and grocery stores across the country. It takes less time to spread through the economy to help society as a whole. When the distribution of wealth varies so much between the working class and the wealthy, the economy gets top heavy...and falls! Only certain very limited sections of society patronized by the rich make a living.
Now don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with making lots of money and becoming wealthy. That's the American Dream. But there are limits. The average CEO of a Fortune 100 company makes on average 17.6 million dollars per year. That's approximately $8,461.00/hour! That means that the average Fortune 100 CEO goes to work on Jan. 2nd and by the time he knocks off for lunch he has earned more on his first day of work by lunchtime than the minimum wage employee will earn all year. Now it may be that his expertise is worth that much to the company...though one would think that if they were THAT good at their jobs, we wouldn't be bailing them out now!
We need to look at CEO pay. We need to restore tax equality to our nation. We need to stop rewarding companies with tax breaks who outsource jobs overseas! Otherwise the question will not be...is another Depression coming? The new question on everyone's lips will be "Brother can you spare me a dime? and "Which way to the nearest soup kitchen"?
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
OBAMA RESPONSIBLE FOR HIGH GAS PRICES?
Today, I saw an ad from the McCain campaign that states that high gas prices are because of Sen. Barack Obama. John McCain is ready to drill for oil and solve our dependency on foreign oil! Sen. Barack Obama is against off-shore drilling and THAT IS WHY GAS PRICES ARE HIGH!
I thought I remember John McCain saying that Obama's inexperience and lack of time in the Senate is why I should vote for John McCain. But now he tells me that in the short time Obama has been in the Senate he has single handed stopped all off shore drilling and driven the price up.
HUH????
I seem to remember that in 2003, Senator John McCain voted AGAINST off shore drilling. That was a full year before Senator Obama ever held the office of junior Senator from Illinois. In fact, John McCain has opposed off shore drilling for his entire 30 years in Washington. So how does he justify blaming this on Sen. Obama?
This is even more incredible when you realize that even if we authorized off shore drilling today, it would be 5 to 10 years before we saw any of that oil. And when that oil finally is pumped, it will be put on the world market instead of being kept to "reduce America's dependence on foreign oil." (Which is also an idea that Sen. John McCain has publicly supported..) The dirty little secret that conservatives would like you to forget is that all American oil is put on the world market. So even today at a time that we scream about the amount of foreign oil we import, we don't like to remember that we also export US oil to other countries. (It's called a Global Economy...for good or bad.) So when oil companies do get this oil, we will still be bidding for it on an open market against China & India.
A discussion on off shore drilling is legitimate. I don't think it will do nearly as much to reduce oil imports as people say, but it is a discussion that should be had. It is not legitimate to blame Senator Obama for the problem as the McCain ad does.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE STRAIGHT TALK EXPRESS?
I thought I remember John McCain saying that Obama's inexperience and lack of time in the Senate is why I should vote for John McCain. But now he tells me that in the short time Obama has been in the Senate he has single handed stopped all off shore drilling and driven the price up.
HUH????
I seem to remember that in 2003, Senator John McCain voted AGAINST off shore drilling. That was a full year before Senator Obama ever held the office of junior Senator from Illinois. In fact, John McCain has opposed off shore drilling for his entire 30 years in Washington. So how does he justify blaming this on Sen. Obama?
This is even more incredible when you realize that even if we authorized off shore drilling today, it would be 5 to 10 years before we saw any of that oil. And when that oil finally is pumped, it will be put on the world market instead of being kept to "reduce America's dependence on foreign oil." (Which is also an idea that Sen. John McCain has publicly supported..) The dirty little secret that conservatives would like you to forget is that all American oil is put on the world market. So even today at a time that we scream about the amount of foreign oil we import, we don't like to remember that we also export US oil to other countries. (It's called a Global Economy...for good or bad.) So when oil companies do get this oil, we will still be bidding for it on an open market against China & India.
A discussion on off shore drilling is legitimate. I don't think it will do nearly as much to reduce oil imports as people say, but it is a discussion that should be had. It is not legitimate to blame Senator Obama for the problem as the McCain ad does.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE STRAIGHT TALK EXPRESS?
Monday, July 7, 2008
VICES SAY SOMETHING ABOUT CHARACTER
A recent article in TIME magazine reported on the gambling vices of our presidential candidates. Senator Obama likes $1 ante poker. John McCain prefers $1,000 dice games.
"We poker players don't call poker gambling. It is a game of skill. Craps is an absurd game of luck. You may have thrilling short term wins but only madmen play craps."
Anthony Holden, the well-known British poker-player and writer
NUFF SAID?
"We poker players don't call poker gambling. It is a game of skill. Craps is an absurd game of luck. You may have thrilling short term wins but only madmen play craps."
Anthony Holden, the well-known British poker-player and writer
NUFF SAID?
Sunday, July 6, 2008
WE THE PEOPLE
This has been an unsettling time for many of the most “progressive” followers of Senator Obama. They have listened to the right condemn him for his refusal to join in public campaign finance, they have been horrified by his support of the FISA bill, he ruffled the feathers of the Congressional Black Caucus and reportedly told a former Clinton supporter that other Clinton supporter’s need to “get over it”. Now they wonder if he’s “really who they thought he was” or “he’s just a typical politician”.
If you had envisioned him as some sort of left-wing Messiah come to drive Cheny, Rove & Co. into the seven rings of Dante’s hell at the point of a fiery sword….you’re probably not nearly as disappointed now as you are going to be. If you have always seen him as a practical politician with a realistic vision of where our country needs to go and how we can realistically get there…you may be gaining some real HOPE!
Senator Obama shows a real understanding that he is running for an office that represents more than any single branch of the Democratic Party. A mayor represents his city, the Congressman his district, the Senator his state…but the President represents our country in all its multi-cultural beauty. The variety of interests inherent in the U.S. means that compromise is essential to our survival as a nation.
His change of view on the FISA bill is a great example. Which is more important? Punishing the companies who followed the government’s request after the attacks of 9/11 or ensuring that the Presidency CANNOT wiretap without over-site in the future? Which is more important? Do we want the ability to continue to protect our country from attacks in the future or is our desire to financially punish the corporate entities who failed our trust more important? (Keep in mind that if you have a 401K, you probably have stock in those same companies & it’s your retirement that is going to be hurt by a multi-billion dollar class action suit.) We should also remember that the same bill every progressive is upset about DOES NOT grant criminal liability. (Which means that the corporate executives, who decided on their own to violate our rights are still CRIMINALLY LIABLE)
Where do we turn for guidance to what is really important? Perhaps we should look to the Preamble to the Constitution…Fifty two words that sum up the whole of our political system. It is the introduction to and an outline of one of the most remarkable political documents the world has ever seen. And yet its importance is often overlooked. But not, I think; by the Junior Senator from Illinois, a former Constitutional Law Professor.
“WE THE PEOPLE (Not We the liberals or we the conservatives or we the African-Americans or we the evangelicals or we the upper-middle class. But we the people, who are greater as a sum of the whole than as our individual parts) OF THE UNITED STATES, IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION (Maybe not perfect, but at least a little better than it was before we got it), ESTABLISH JUSTICE (Not necessarily fairness), INSURE DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY (bottom line, security of our country is the primary goal), PROVIDE FOR THE COMMON DEFENSE (Not just the rich or the well connected), PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE (It is more important to look after the welfare of the group than of any single segment of the group), AND SECURE THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY TO OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY(We must look not just to what is good for us today but is good for our children tomorrow), DO ORDAIN AND ESTABLISH THIS CONSTITUTION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”
It has been said that “Politics is the art of the POSSIBLE”. Or as Senator Obama has said, “I know you want to go to the moon, but we only have enough gas to go “this” far”. You will never agree completely with a candidate and if you do….he or she is probably not going to be the best candidate for the country as a whole. We as a people need to remember the importance of compromise. Those who refuse to compromise hold a higher moral ground but seldom political office.
One out of four female Clinton supporters insist that they will vote for John McCain. Why? Even if you agree that she should be the nominee and the prize was stolen by the media and gender bias….will you (and our country) be better off in four years under a McCain presidency? How will you explain to your granddaughters that you voted for the man who appointed Supreme Court Judges who will roll back every advancement women have made in the last 50 years?
Remember, in 2000 three percent of Democrats voted for Nader BECAUSE AL GORE WASN’T GREEN ENOUGH!!!! Duuuh!
With all due respect to your beliefs, feelings and political goals….now is the time to “get over it” because the stakes are even higher than they were in 2000.
,
If you had envisioned him as some sort of left-wing Messiah come to drive Cheny, Rove & Co. into the seven rings of Dante’s hell at the point of a fiery sword….you’re probably not nearly as disappointed now as you are going to be. If you have always seen him as a practical politician with a realistic vision of where our country needs to go and how we can realistically get there…you may be gaining some real HOPE!
Senator Obama shows a real understanding that he is running for an office that represents more than any single branch of the Democratic Party. A mayor represents his city, the Congressman his district, the Senator his state…but the President represents our country in all its multi-cultural beauty. The variety of interests inherent in the U.S. means that compromise is essential to our survival as a nation.
His change of view on the FISA bill is a great example. Which is more important? Punishing the companies who followed the government’s request after the attacks of 9/11 or ensuring that the Presidency CANNOT wiretap without over-site in the future? Which is more important? Do we want the ability to continue to protect our country from attacks in the future or is our desire to financially punish the corporate entities who failed our trust more important? (Keep in mind that if you have a 401K, you probably have stock in those same companies & it’s your retirement that is going to be hurt by a multi-billion dollar class action suit.) We should also remember that the same bill every progressive is upset about DOES NOT grant criminal liability. (Which means that the corporate executives, who decided on their own to violate our rights are still CRIMINALLY LIABLE)
Where do we turn for guidance to what is really important? Perhaps we should look to the Preamble to the Constitution…Fifty two words that sum up the whole of our political system. It is the introduction to and an outline of one of the most remarkable political documents the world has ever seen. And yet its importance is often overlooked. But not, I think; by the Junior Senator from Illinois, a former Constitutional Law Professor.
“WE THE PEOPLE (Not We the liberals or we the conservatives or we the African-Americans or we the evangelicals or we the upper-middle class. But we the people, who are greater as a sum of the whole than as our individual parts) OF THE UNITED STATES, IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION (Maybe not perfect, but at least a little better than it was before we got it), ESTABLISH JUSTICE (Not necessarily fairness), INSURE DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY (bottom line, security of our country is the primary goal), PROVIDE FOR THE COMMON DEFENSE (Not just the rich or the well connected), PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE (It is more important to look after the welfare of the group than of any single segment of the group), AND SECURE THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY TO OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY(We must look not just to what is good for us today but is good for our children tomorrow), DO ORDAIN AND ESTABLISH THIS CONSTITUTION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.”
It has been said that “Politics is the art of the POSSIBLE”. Or as Senator Obama has said, “I know you want to go to the moon, but we only have enough gas to go “this” far”. You will never agree completely with a candidate and if you do….he or she is probably not going to be the best candidate for the country as a whole. We as a people need to remember the importance of compromise. Those who refuse to compromise hold a higher moral ground but seldom political office.
One out of four female Clinton supporters insist that they will vote for John McCain. Why? Even if you agree that she should be the nominee and the prize was stolen by the media and gender bias….will you (and our country) be better off in four years under a McCain presidency? How will you explain to your granddaughters that you voted for the man who appointed Supreme Court Judges who will roll back every advancement women have made in the last 50 years?
Remember, in 2000 three percent of Democrats voted for Nader BECAUSE AL GORE WASN’T GREEN ENOUGH!!!! Duuuh!
With all due respect to your beliefs, feelings and political goals….now is the time to “get over it” because the stakes are even higher than they were in 2000.
,
OPEN LETTER TO AMERICA'S CHURCHES
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COPY THIS OR TO FORWARD TO A FRIEND
AN OPEN LETTER TO AMERICA’S CHURCHES
As a nation, we currently face one of the most important national elections in our nation’s history. It will be an election discussed in the history books for generations to come. And it is an election that both sides realize the importance of.
Little wonder that it is also showing signs of being one of the most embarrassing elections ever. Because each side believes so strongly that it is important; there are supporters on either side willing to say ANYTHING about the other candidate.
For this reason, I am coming to you to ask your help. Since Senator Obama has announced his candidacy numerous false e-mails are being circulated throughout the web. The first round of false rumors stated that Sen. Obama is a Muslim. This is simply not true. Senator Obama speaks eloquently of discovering that the most effective means of community organizing in Chicago is through the local churches. He eventually found salvation in one of those churches and has proclaimed Jesus as his personal savior ever since. You may not agree with him regarding spiritual matters but at least give honest voice to the fact that he is NOT Muslim.
The second round was even more offensive. Lately e-mails have circulated that list “coincidences” that point to the end of the world. It then raises the question of Senator Obama being the antichrist! THIS IS SIMPLY WRONG! Throughout the history of the world people have tried to identify the antichrist. Napoleon, Hitler, Idi Amin have all shared the title. And apparently none of them were the antichrist…they were VERY bad people, but not that bad.
There is no single human more reviled by Christians than the image of this evil world leader who begins the times of tribulation. Naming this person before he is truly revealed is a very slippery slope. The Bible teaches that no one, not even the angels know the time and place of Christ’s return. So technically, no one can really know who this person is. And history teaches us that we can be wrong. By raising the specter that Obama is the antichrist, you have asked an unanswerable question and placed a lingering doubt in the minds of many believers.
This does not strike me as something a church would start. I can see others with a more urgent desire to see Senator Obama lose raise this question. They realize that every church has a member or two that would be willing to pass an e-mail along raising doubts in the mind of thousands. In other words, the Church is being duped for political purposes.
The way people just pass the lies along by e-mail, taking no responsibility for their actions, is the saddest part of all. (Because I don’t think many people truly believe this, otherwise they would be preparing to move to an out-of-the-way third world nation if Senator Obama is elected.) This is merely the 21st Century equivalent of the rumor mill, untrue gossip that we enjoy because it’s so “exciting”. By itself, it means little, but the problem is that it leaves a lingering doubt about the “character” of the candidate. “He’s probably not the antichrist, but if everyone thinks he’s that bad….there must be something to it”.
Jesus said in Matthew 12: 36-37;
If we are judged by & condemned by the words we speak idly, are we also judged & condemned by our e-mails?
I am not necessarily asking that you support Senator Obama for President. I do hope that everyone will take time to examine the issues to make an informed decision, you may find that he is a candidate you can support.
I do however ask that America’s Churches take it upon themselves to speak out strongly against these e-mails and others like them. They are nothing but malicious gossip being used to smear a good man. And even if his political beliefs are not yours, it does not change the fact that he IS a good man with a family that can be hurt by your actions.
Please use next Sunday to speak publicly on this matter This is not an issue of policy but an issue of right & wrong. IT IS WRONG TO SPREAD MALICIOUS GOSSIP BY E-MAIL AND IT REFLECTS POORLY ON THE BELIEFS OF THOSE WHO SPREAD IT.
AN OPEN LETTER TO AMERICA’S CHURCHES
As a nation, we currently face one of the most important national elections in our nation’s history. It will be an election discussed in the history books for generations to come. And it is an election that both sides realize the importance of.
Little wonder that it is also showing signs of being one of the most embarrassing elections ever. Because each side believes so strongly that it is important; there are supporters on either side willing to say ANYTHING about the other candidate.
For this reason, I am coming to you to ask your help. Since Senator Obama has announced his candidacy numerous false e-mails are being circulated throughout the web. The first round of false rumors stated that Sen. Obama is a Muslim. This is simply not true. Senator Obama speaks eloquently of discovering that the most effective means of community organizing in Chicago is through the local churches. He eventually found salvation in one of those churches and has proclaimed Jesus as his personal savior ever since. You may not agree with him regarding spiritual matters but at least give honest voice to the fact that he is NOT Muslim.
The second round was even more offensive. Lately e-mails have circulated that list “coincidences” that point to the end of the world. It then raises the question of Senator Obama being the antichrist! THIS IS SIMPLY WRONG! Throughout the history of the world people have tried to identify the antichrist. Napoleon, Hitler, Idi Amin have all shared the title. And apparently none of them were the antichrist…they were VERY bad people, but not that bad.
There is no single human more reviled by Christians than the image of this evil world leader who begins the times of tribulation. Naming this person before he is truly revealed is a very slippery slope. The Bible teaches that no one, not even the angels know the time and place of Christ’s return. So technically, no one can really know who this person is. And history teaches us that we can be wrong. By raising the specter that Obama is the antichrist, you have asked an unanswerable question and placed a lingering doubt in the minds of many believers.
This does not strike me as something a church would start. I can see others with a more urgent desire to see Senator Obama lose raise this question. They realize that every church has a member or two that would be willing to pass an e-mail along raising doubts in the mind of thousands. In other words, the Church is being duped for political purposes.
The way people just pass the lies along by e-mail, taking no responsibility for their actions, is the saddest part of all. (Because I don’t think many people truly believe this, otherwise they would be preparing to move to an out-of-the-way third world nation if Senator Obama is elected.) This is merely the 21st Century equivalent of the rumor mill, untrue gossip that we enjoy because it’s so “exciting”. By itself, it means little, but the problem is that it leaves a lingering doubt about the “character” of the candidate. “He’s probably not the antichrist, but if everyone thinks he’s that bad….there must be something to it”.
Jesus said in Matthew 12: 36-37;
“But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account for it in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
If we are judged by & condemned by the words we speak idly, are we also judged & condemned by our e-mails?
I am not necessarily asking that you support Senator Obama for President. I do hope that everyone will take time to examine the issues to make an informed decision, you may find that he is a candidate you can support.
I do however ask that America’s Churches take it upon themselves to speak out strongly against these e-mails and others like them. They are nothing but malicious gossip being used to smear a good man. And even if his political beliefs are not yours, it does not change the fact that he IS a good man with a family that can be hurt by your actions.
Please use next Sunday to speak publicly on this matter This is not an issue of policy but an issue of right & wrong. IT IS WRONG TO SPREAD MALICIOUS GOSSIP BY E-MAIL AND IT REFLECTS POORLY ON THE BELIEFS OF THOSE WHO SPREAD IT.
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