 The only ballot that gets your elected's attention! If you are politically active, you have probably been receiving a constant deluge of emails, snail mail and telemarketing calls asking for campaign contributions. At first blush after getting annoyed at the intrusion on your life, you are probably saying that “the other party” gets big donations from big corporations and billionaires so “my party” needs to solicit me to offset their money. But after drilling down on the concept of getting your space invaded by endless emails, phone calls, etc., you begin to see a pattern developing. After checking the voting record of the person that you helped elect into office you notice that on fiscal issues that affect giant corporate interests, he or she while saying the things you want to hear, voted in their favor and against your interests. Congratulations, you have just seen that regardless of your party, you mean little to the person that you voted into office after you cast that ballot. Why should your party's candidates care about your one measly vote when a single corporate or billionaire contribution will buy TV ads that get them millions of votes? Those TV ads are the heroin of politics. Your electeds and their parties are addicted to them because they need the ads and the money that buys them to win their campaigns. Corporations and billionaires will gladly provide the funds for those ads either directly or through surreptitious “public interest” organizations buying attack ads. Despite what the conservative supreme court Injustices say, money does not equal free speech, it pays the exorbitant toll that the mega-media corps charge for that not so free speech. In our rigged “two” party system the only way that a politician can get elected is to accept billionaire and corporate money. Corporations and billionaires have a different reason for making contributions than we do, they want favors in return and want to own the politician. We want to support someone that we believe in and pray that we get the “Change that we can believe in.” In other words, we contribute and vote to get the guy we like elected, they pay to get their agenda accomplished. They will back candidates from both parties if necessary because they consider their “contributions” to be payments for services that must be rendered. All of this has brought me to the point where I feel that if my candidate from my party won't do my bidding in exchange for my vote and support, why should I contribute a nickle or for that matter, vote him or her into office? Before you waste your money or vote on someone who talks a good game then works against your interests, ask yourself if there are any alternatives to our current corrupt political duopoly. If not, let's create some sound alternatives and get our country back. As always, I welcome your comments and ideas on this and any other article or show. Time is running out on democracy in our country and only you can get it back! Add Comment  Did you ever notice that GOP politicians seem to repeatedly try to undermine or even repeal every Democratic initiative? It appears that they have long memories because their attacks on laws that were enacted for the good of society as a whole not only go after Social Security but even, in the case of some of their electeds, after child labor laws. That would make their party symbol appropriate because they seem to never forget about and endlessly resent any law that was written to help John and Jane Q. if that law was crafted and passed by Democratic electeds. FDR, JFK and LBJ era Democratic electeds have passed countless bills into laws that have become solid and essential parts of the American way of life. Believe me, Republican electeds resent each and every one of them! So many laws, so much GOP resentment! How does the GOP keep track of them all? Let me give you my theory. Hidden is a secret vault in an inner sanctum is a GOP Grudge Checklist. Every time a Democratic bill is passed into law, a Republican scribe enters that law into the pages of their Grudge Checklist. That checklist goes back into the vault and becomes a GOP time capsule that will emerge some time in the future at a point in time when we, the people take those laws for granted, become complacent and indifferent. At that time, each law becomes an IOU to their wealthy backers that the GOP fulfills with repeated repeal or privatization attempts. If their one percenter backers can't make a buck from privatizing a social program, they want the program eliminated so there is more money in the budget to give them tax breaks and subsidies a.k.a. corporate welfare. As I said earlier, the Republican Party symbol of an elephant is appropriate because their electeds have long memories that mark every Democratic social initiative for repeal or profiteering in the future. Conversely, the Democratic symbol of the donkey is appropriate because they have short memories and forget how hard is was for the true Democrats of the past, like FDR and LBJ to get their programs passed and are willing to throw all of it away for short term political gain. If you are uncomfortable with that situation, get out, get involved and let your electeds know that you will not stand for politics as usual.  Can someone answer these questions? When a politician takes the oath of office and when he or she signs an agreement with ALEC, are they now involved in "A Conflict of Interest?" They, in my understanding are defending and upholding the Constitution of the United States of America, not corporate American interests. When politicians vote to cut benefits for veterans and Food Stamps for low income people and then vote not to raise taxes on the 1%, CONFLICT OF INTEREST? When politicians close the government and furlough federal employees and civil employees and yet keep their gym membership, expense accounts and salaries, is that CONFLICT OF INTEREST and Not in the Best Interest of the People of the United States? When Did Special Interest Groups become the politicians' constituents and NOT even live in their respective areas? Most in my opinion are lobbyists who work for corporations that HAVE agendas they want pushed forward. Just indulge me for one more question that has me totally confused. When did the corporations and groups like ALEC get elected to Dictate the Laws of Our Land? Anybody??? These are just my opinions and concerns. Do they ring a bell for anybody else to question what is really gong on and not just sit idle? Just remember one thing, 2014 is right around the corner and we can exercise our right to vote. Oh and one more thing, remember how they also stick in pork barrels when they write laws. Who do they really benefit? Ciao for now. Pork barrel Webster's Dictionary definition: Government projects that benefit people in a particular part of the country and that are done in order to help the political careers of elected officials This article is going to expand on my earlier article, Obama, Social Issues vs. Pocketbook Issues. If you haven't read that article, please do so now and meet me back here when you are through. Both political parties are playing a giant corporate controlled shell game. Each party tries to energize it's base by making a lot of noise about social issues. The Democrats support social issues like supporting the pro-choice people or being for gay rights. The Republicans play on their voter's fear of those issues. Economic issues are the peas that are hidden underneath those shells. Economic issues are the meat and potatoes political nasty business that goes on behind the veil of social issues. The corporations that influence (control) the political policies of BOTH parties through their lobbyists usually have little or no interest in the social advocacies of the Democrats or the opposition of those advocacies by the Republicans, they only care about issues that affect their bottom lines. Do they care about Roe v. Wade? Yawn. Do they care about gay rights? Ho hum. Do they care if a "free" trade agreement that helps them to offshore our jobs passes? HELL YEAH, many corporations consider labor to be just a commodity that should be bought at the lowest possible price, regardless of any consequences to America's future and our future! Do they care if a health care bill is passed that nationalizes health care and cuts insurance companies out of the picture? HELL YEAH, they think that insurance companies are ENTITLED to make a profit! Do they care if the Employee Free Choice Act that empowers unions to more effectively organize and raise the living standards of working people passes? HELL YEAH, they don't want unions to proliferate! With our present virtual one party system being what it is, the last two of the last three items will never see the light of day, but the "free" trade agreement will be acclaimed by BOTH parties! What that means is that it costs the corporations NOTHING to be magnanimous and allow the politicians that they own or should I say lease to support or attack this or that social issue as a nod to their party base. To quote a line that John Belushi was saying in Animal House as he was handing one of the pledges a beer, "take one, it don't cost nothing". The economic issues that members of both parties concede to their corporate friends cost those of us that are not part of the top 2% plenty. Those issues can cost us our jobs, our homes, our futures and even our health! Our two party system in it's present state can be compared to old time comedy pairs like Abbott and Costello. The Republicans are the political version of Lou Costello, they say and do inane things like screaming for severe budget cuts while demanding tax breaks for the rich. Incredibly, the mainstream media actually gets many people to take them seriously and vote for them. The Democrats are the Bud Abbott, straight man half of this political comedy team, they give our political system credibility by saying all the things we want to hear like how they are against tax breaks for the rich, etc. Oops, didn't they extend tax cuts for the rich as a concession to the Repuiblicans? The point of all this is that the same corporate lobbyists visit the politicians of BOTH parties. Democratic blue and Republican red always gets mixed with corporate green! The Republicans are the corporate shock troops that promote the wildest of corporate ideas, bouncing them off the wall to see which ones stick. The Democrats fit into the corporate big picture by acting as the Judas goat, telling us what we want to hear then compromising with the Republicans, giving the corporations what they really wanted in the first place. They tell unions that they are pro union, then support job killing "free" trade agreements that would make Reagan blush. Hey union people, did the Democrats get The Employee Free Choice Act passed yet? Didn't think so! I am writing this article exactly three hours before President Obama's State Of The Union speech. I am going to go out on a limb and say that he will proudly tell the world how the South Korea US Free Trade Agreement will create new jobs. Many union people have carefully examined this agreement and realize that it is another NAFTA! The President will also abandon many of his original supporters by saying things that establish him as a newly minted centrist President. Ladies and gentlemen, after carefully examining both parties, I think you'll want to establish a third party and do it before the middle class no longer exists! Flash!!! This Just In!! As of 8:26 PM EST, I have had a chance to look at the President's prepared State Of The Union speech. I want to take issue with his false assertion that Labor approves of the South Korea US Free Trade Agreement. Only a few unions approve, the AFL-CIO, labor's national organization strongly opposes it! Shame on you, Mr. President! At one point in my career, I was a DJ. Since old habits die hard, I want to make this dedication: This one's going out to any working person who thinks that the Tea Party, or the Republicans will look out for his or her interests. Hi there bunkie, I'm I working person who feels that I must reach out to you if for no other reason than to try to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life, a mistake that's so big that it may not only take you down the drain, but it could also take the rest of the country down the drain with you. That mistake is voting Republican and bringing back the crew that helped to make a lot of people in Wall Street rich, but brought you this recession. Look, I know that you think that everything in this country is spinning out of control and you are feeling helpless and powerless. I share those feelings and can point to some causes of our problems that you may not have considered. Remember when Ronald Reagan fired those union Air Traffic Controllers who were on strike? That sent a signal to corporate America that it was open season on unions and began an era of corporate union busting. Ronald Reagan was also strongly in favor of "free" trade and laid the groundwork for the outsourcing of jobs overseas. He reduced and eliminated many tariffs on imported products that were in place to protect American industries and jobs. This pro-corporate/anti worker philosophy is the cornerstone of the Republican ideology and Reagan was and is the Republican idol and ideal. Years of this nonsense caused a reverse Robin Hood effect that lowered middle class salaries and, in some cases eliminated their jobs entirely. The Republican ideal of an unregulated "free" market had a solution to the problem of stagnant middle class wages and a growing economic disparity between the wealthy top 2% and the rest of us. The banks could let the middle class run up a tab, so they can have the illusion of a middle class lifestyle. This reached a crescendo during the Bush administration when working people were encouraged to run up their credit cards and use the "equity" of their homes to take out secondary mortgages. The unregulated "free" market that creates "wealth" out of thin air also creates poverty out of thin air when the bubbles it's Wall Street gamblers create pop. When the bubbles burst, the pain isn't shared, exploding bubbles usually hit the little guy or gal the most, especially in his or her 401K. The bursting housing bubble was the straw that broke the camel's back and launched our current depress... er, recession. Tea Party Movements are usually corporately backed and about as populist as the boardroom of a fortune 500 corporation. They espouse a turbocharged "free" market ideology that will not help the middle class one iota. They believe in trickle down economics which translates to let the corporations do whatever they want, cut taxes on the rich and somehow that will provide jobs for the unemployed. They call themselves "patriots", but have no problem with American manufacturers closing their factories and sending your job to China and other countries. Destroying America's manufacturing infrastructure, American jobs and American families isn't patriotic, it's being an economic traitor! I know that we were promised CHANGE, but got bipartisan SMALL CHANGE instead! I know that we still have a serious level of unemployment. I know that Wall Street and the banks were bailed out first. All of that was done to placate the Republicans. Think about what would happen to our country if they actually got the majority? We have to make some election day choices that could literally determine the future of our families and our country: If you want a return to the corporations come first economic policies that cost America jobs, vote Republican or support a Tea Party candidate. If you want to repair the damage the pro-business, anti working class conservative policies of the Republicans caused, vote Democratic and support unions! |  AuthorI am just an average middle-class guy who is convinced that there's no one on Talk Radio who speaks for us. I want to change that situation.  Proud To Be On:Proud To Carry:Workers Independent News
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