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!

I'll bet that you've often wondered how the GOP holds on to its middle class voters when it clearly works against the best interests of constituents that are not well-heeled? In the past, I've said that the GOP playbook uses the big three; fear, uncertainty and doubt to keep middle class constituents under control and in line.  The purpose of this article is to drill down on those principles of propaganda and uncover the specific mechanisms that they use to generate that fear, uncertainty and doubt.

Here are some of the powerful tools that seem to be in the GOP propaganda toolkit:

Scarcity:

There isn't enough Social Security reserve money to go around.  If the baby boomers don't make cuts now, there won't be enough left in the fund for 1000 years from now.  What are future young people going to do?  They will be paying into the system for nothing.  Why are those baby boomers so selfish?  Let's make those cuts and do it for the children!

That GOP false argument has the added effect of pitting young against old and puts the Republicans closer to their dream of eliminating Social Security by helping it to die a  death by a thousand cuts.  If you liked that, you're going to love the next one.

Obamacare is going to destroy Medicare by siphoning away money from it.

What could seriously hurt Medicare and every other form of health care is the ever spiraling cost of drugs, hospital fees and every other aspect of health care, especially insurance.  Part of the Affordable Care Act attempts to get some of it under control.  That's a good thing because left, unchecked, rising healthcare costs could reach the point where even with insurance, few people would be able to pay for it.

Envy:

Those union guys make more than I do.  Why should they make more than I do when I do the same job?

You get the picture here? Instead of the brainwashed GOP voter asking “Why am I making so little?” the fool actually asks, “Why is he or she making so much?”  Losers who try to bring other people down, instead of raising themselves up are what's destroying our country.  Sadly, the GOP seems to be the home of pathetic flunkies like that.

Greed:

Someday I'll become a billionaire, so I have to protect their freedom to earn lots of money.

Yes, and someday the skies will open up and diamonds will rain down on all of us.  In the meantime, the middle class of poor GOP voter and his or her family will probably barely make ends meet on a meager big box store and or fast food joint paycheck with GOP electeds fighting minimum wage increases tooth and nail.

Patriotism:

We are the official party of patriotism and the founding fathers!

Our founding fathers would be appalled at the betrayal of our country caused by “free” market principles.  The GOP stooges who wrap themselves in the American flag vehemently support a corporation's right to offshore American jobs, thus weakening our economy, destroying our manufacturing infrastructure and building up the Chinese economy.   As a byproduct, when U.S. corporations manufacture in China, the Chinese get their trade secrets, building up Chinese technology.  Gee whiz, when I last looked, China was a Communist country!   Yes, I know that the Democrats also support “free” trade but not as vehemently.

In my humble opinion, with their unconditional love of corporations and billionaires, the Republican party is not the official party of the founding fathers.  Here's a quote from one of the founding fathers that confirms that.  " I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country."

Thomas Jefferson

Religion:

We are the official party of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

If Jesus walked the earth today, I'm sure that he would strongly dispute that.  The GOP seems to glorify selfishness and a lust for money, especially if it's at the expense of the poor!   The GOP always seems to latch on to the parts of religion that divide us and uses them as red meat issues to keep their base engaged and under control.

The Big Lie Theory:

Obamacare is evil because it has death panels!

How many time have we heard that baloney?  That's the entire principal of The Big Lie theory.  If you repeat an outrageous lie enough times, it becomes the truth in the minds of the public.  That's why we were subjected to a barrage of deceptive ads and soundbites from the GOP and various shill organizations.  The Big Lie Theory worked well for Joseph Goebbels and still does for the GOP and their wealthy backers.

The next time you discuss politics with Republican voters, don't get angry with them, feel sorry for them because they are truly enslaved by their blind trust of an entity that is using them to benefit their real constituency, billionaires and corps.

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

The government shutdown is a callous abuse of power by elected representatives from a political party that has taken on the elimination of The Affordable Care Act as its primary objective.  The GOP obsession with ACA is self-serving because they know that if it has a chance to become successful, their constituents will realize that they were deceived by the Republicans!  If you feel that the best interests of our country shouldn't be sacrificed for a one-sided political agenda, visit my Listen Here! page.

If you've been reading these posts or listening to my show for any length of time, you know that I was and am strongly in favor of nationalized healthcare.  Unfortunately, due to well funded corporate financed external influences and Democratic "compromise" that bordered on complicity, so called ObamaCare was diluted into its present state.  My theory is that something is better than nothing.  As it stands now, the plan protects us from what, in my opinion are some of the nastier excesses of the health insurance industry like refusing to insure people who have many pre-existing conditions or raising their premiums above the threshold of affordability.  All in all, it is a giant step forward that protects us from many of the excesses that made the pre-ObamaCare health insurance corps resemble the death panels that the GOP claimed ObamaCare would create.

Thanks to GOP lies and that of shill organizations who buy deceptive advertising on the mainstream media, ObamaCare was greatly whittled down.  Even that wasn't enough for many members of the GOP who became obsessed with obliterating ObamaCare at any cost, even if they take down our economy with it.  After many, many attempts, they decided to use the debt ceiling as a club to hold over the Democrats' heads.  What we need to make clear to them is that they are holding it over our heads and we won't stand for it! 

The GOP has already rammed their extortionary bill through Congress.  Hopefully, the bill will be dead on arrival in the Senate, but if it isn't, we need to let our Senators know how we feel and let those electeds who voted for defunding know that we will vote them out on election day.  Funding our country shouldn't be contingent on letting the GOP and the corps who own them destroy something that clearly is long overdue and will literally protect America's health. 

In view of the massive amount of hot air billowing forth from the Republican Party, I am revisiting an oldie but goodie that I recorded a couple of years ago.  I think that you'll find that it's still highly relevant today.

Most of you know that I like the Republican Party about as much as I like root canal or an elephant taking a poop on my shoe.  Now that in the interest of full disclosure I've told you my perspective, let's continue.  You might think that the sole purpose of the Republican Convention is to select, nominate and present their candidates for President and Vice President.  In reality, the main purpose of any political convention is to present the platform of its political party and win potential voters over to its candidates.

If a political convention is a marketplace of ideas and ideals, the GOP convention is selling spoiled merchandise. Its collection of ideas and ideals are literally a gathering of evils!  

Here are just a few of them:

• The GOP claim that Corporate CEOs are experts in running government because they know how to run a business.  Let's be blunt and vulgar, in most cases, corporate CEOs excel at screwing their employees by eliminating their jobs or underpaying or overworking them.  Just think of what they can do to hurt John and Jane Q. Voter after they get elected and can “accommodate” their rich corporate friends at America's expense.
  
• Expert use of divide and conquer!  The Republicans are masters at turning one group against another: Middle-class against poor, Non-union workers against union workers, Old against young, Young against old, Whites against minorities.  I could go on and on but you get the idea
  
• Using patriotism and the flag as a political smokescreen to distract from a hidden agenda.  Wrapping itself in the American flag has been a GOP tradition for years.  There is nothing patriotic about Republican “free” market policies that enable job offshoring, create unemployment and destroy America's manufacturing infrastructure.  You might call them economic saboteurs!
  
• Using religion as a political smokescreen to distract from a hidden agenda.  There seems to be a symbiotic relationship between the GOP and the religious right.  This relationship fulfills the needs of both the GOP and the religious entities that it courts.  The Republicans get convenient issues that cost their corporate supporters nothing like birth control or abortion or opposition to gay rights to champion.  Those issues are like the shells of a three card Monte game.  While everyone is getting worked up supporting or fighting those issues, they are not looking at the real GOP issues like tax breaks for the rich or privatizing Medicare.  Religious entities, certain segments of  the Catholic Church, for example,  hope that they can get the GOP to codify the anti-abortion/anti-birth control parts of their religious doctrine into law.  So much for separation of church and state!  Speaking of which, why is Archbishop Dolan giving the closing benediction at the GOP convention when the usual practice is to get the local Bishop to perform that function?
  
• Deregulating corporations, regulating people!  As stated previously, the Republicans have no problem writing onerous regulations that affect people, corporations are another story. Republicans seem to be implying that corporations are not just people, they are a super-privileged entity that, by virtue of their massive political contributions are entitled to more than the rights guaranteed by the Constitution!
  

My list of evils is by no means all inclusive. As you watch the convention, you will see more evils than you can count, making it truly a gathering of evils!

In commenting on Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan as his VP, John Boehner said that Romney and Ryan will “get the federal government out of the way of small business job creators.”  I want to take exception to that on several levels.  First of all, the greatest hazard that small businesses face these days is competition from giant corporate “job creators” or, to be more accurate, job exporters.  Those giant corporate job exporters have been coddled by government for years.  When I say government, I'm including the electeds of both parties, but especially the Republican party.  

The small business “job creators”, the people who actually do create jobs are another matter.  For the most part, our electeds, especially Republicans,  treat small business people exactly the same way they treat ordinary working people, they ignore them.  Big corporations who have high-powered lobbyists are another matter, they get almost anything they want.  Do they want to offshore our jobs? No problem!  Do they want deregulation that gives them an unfair advantage in competing with small business?  No problem!  Does small business need regulatory protection from unfair corporate competition?  Problem!

Which brings me to this question: If the post Reagan implementation of Republican style “free” market economics for all these years hasn't helped small business, but has actually hurt small business by subjecting it to unfettered competition from mega corporations (can you say big box stores?), how will more of the same help?  I think that the Republicans should come up with a new catch phrase, “job creators” has worn out its welcome!

Believe it or not, years of watching television have conditioned most Americans to think of and classify everything in terms of brands.  This branding process doesn't stop with boxes of laundry detergent or cans of cola, we even classify politicians and political parties by the identifying characteristics programmed into our heads from watching years of campaign advertising.  What comes to mind when you visualize the two political parties and their candidates?  The GOP wants you to think that it and its candidates stand for mom, the flag and apple pie.  The Democrats want you to think that they are the party of working people and the poor.

The stereotypical classifications of Democratic politicians as being the saviors of working people and the poor and Republican politicians as being patriots are deceptive at best, dangerous to democracy at worst.  Those popular perceptions are borne out of years of political ads and carefully controlled public relations campaigns.  The reality and track records of both parties should tell most Americans that nothing is further from the truth.  Both parties are just assuming their traditional identities and playing to their target audiences:  In the case of the Democrats, that would be working people, the retired and the poor.  In the case of the Republicans, that would be the rich and the Archie Bunker variety of working people.

In the mind of their target voters, each of the two parties represents the previously mentioned characteristics; the Republicans represent patriotism, the Democrats fight for working people.  Much in the same way that a certain brand of cola and a certain lemon-lime soda have their own specific taste profiles, voters expect each of the two brands, Republican and Democratic to stand for their implied values.  When the Republicans rant about patriotism, but support “free” market policies that enable outsourcing jobs overseas, a decidedly unpatriotic act, it dilutes the Republican brand in the minds of their target working class voters.  Similarly, when Democrats “compromise” with the Republicans on cuts to Social Security and Medicare and support job killing “free” trade agreements, it dilutes the Democratic brand in the minds of their target working class voters.

The subliminal message that political brand dilution delivers to prospective voters is that neither party delivers on their promises.  That kind of message leads to passionless voters who feel that they are voting for the lesser of two evils and feel that once again, the system ripped them off.  We have reached the point where one more disappointment might be the straw that broke the camel's back and be the tipping point that triggers a majority third party movement!  The only thing that will prevent that from happening is for Democratic politicians to be authentic Democrats and truly support the working people who faithfully supported them.  That would entail curbing job offshoring by restoring trade tariffs on imports to pre-Reagan levels, supporting pro-union legislation, fighting for Social Security and Medicare and remembering that the Democratic party is the party of FDR, not Herbert Hoover!  One more thing, will Democratic electeds please stop making comments that venerate Ronald Reagan?