Detroit Bailout: More Socialism For The Corporations

No, we don't want socialism here in the United States, except when we need to bail out the rich executives on Wall Street and corporate America. Now we are told that the next round of taxpayer funded socialism for the corporations will be in the form of a bailout for Detroit automakers, to the tune of some $25 billion so that Chrysler and GM can merge and thereby avoid going belly up.

I have an idea. Exxon-Mobil just declared a $14 billion dollar quarterly profit. Why not have them bail out Detroit? After all, without the gas guzzlers that Detroit has been pumping out steadily where would these obscene profits come from?

Jim

Where Is Our Gay Martin Luther King?

Diane Silver writing in the Bay Area Reporter:

"...polls show an increasing possibility that we will lose the right to
marry in California.
Polls also indicate that a constitutional ban on
same-sex marriage may pass in Arizona, just two years after Arizona became the
first state to defeat such a prohibition.
Voters in Florida may be poised to
approve the most punitive kind of marriage ban - one that prohibits marriage
equality and any form of legal right for same-sex couples and unmarried
heterosexuals. Given that Florida requires a 60 percent "yes" vote to amend its
constitution, it's disheartening that polls show the ban within striking
distance of passage.
In Arkansas, an underfunded campaign is struggling to
defeat an initiative that would keep lesbians and gays from fostering or
adopting children.
Early voting has already begun in some states. The rest of
the country votes on November 4. We're running out of time. Pro-equality
campaigns report that they are short of money.
I'm not joking when I say we
need heroes right now. We need a Martin Luther King Jr. or a Gandhi. And, I
wouldn't at all mind if a Wonder Woman or Superman flew in to help."

We have no leaders...and no unified movement. What a shame.

Jim

The Opposite Of Courageous And Just Leadership

About California's Proposition 8 Andrew Sullivan notes:

"...Schwarzenegger and Obama stay silent. I will remember that. The tide of
hysteria and hatred that has swamped gay Californians and their families, funded
largely by the Mormon church, and largely ignored by the Obama
campaign..."

Shame!

Jim

Why Obama Will Not Get My Vote November 4th

The lack of an organized gay rights movement spearheaded by a single powerful national leader has crippled progress for gay equality. For decades now gay people have been left with little choice but to grovel for crumbs from politicians who throw us under the bus after we vote for them. Progress toward gay equality has happened in spite of serious setbacks suffered at the hands of politicians that we thought were our friends. However, progress could come quicker if gays and lesbians viewed their struggle for equality as a separate battle, one that is detached from American politics.

Martin Luther King, the greatest civil rights leader that this country has ever known, led a movement that remained largely independent of partisan politics. For example, in the 1960 “change” election, he remained publicly non-partisan, even though privately he was supportive of John Kennedy. King knew that the path to racial equality came through principled insistence on justice, rather than hopeful support for candidates that are unwilling or unable to be fully committed to the goals of the civil rights movement.

Gay men and lesbians would do well to follow King’s example. We should insist on a full commitment to gay equality from candidates who are soliciting our support. If such a commitment is not forthcoming, then we must not support these candidates with our votes. JFK, and later Lyndon B. Johnson came to King for his counsel. Let us wait for politicians to come to us rather than voting for them out of the misplaced hope that they will do the right thing after they are elected. What incentive do they have to make tough decisions on our behalf if we don’t insist upon their commitment to full equality in advance?

Jim

Samuel L. Jackson: NO on Proposition 8!

From Mark Malkin at E-Online:

"Samuel L. Jackson has joined the fight to keep gay marriage legal in California.
I just got word that the Soul Men actor recorded a radio spot
earlier today to urge voters to oppose Prop. 8, the ballot initiative seeking to overturn California's legalization of same-sex unions.
Jackson joins other stars who have taken a stand against Prop. 8, including Brad Pitt, Steven Spielberg, Ellen DeGeneres, Barbra Streisand, Molly Ringwald and Fran Drescher, as well as Pete Wentz and his Fall Out Boy bandmates. "

Good! He's a good actor and a decent person. Now we need more prominent celebrities to publicly oppose the effort to strip gay people of their fundamental rights in California. Where is Schwartzenegger? He promised "to be there" for the gay community in this. His wife went public yesterday with her opposition, but where is he?

Jim

My Vote On Nov. 4th: Nader or Libertarian

If I vote on November 4th, it will not be for Barak Obama because of his unacceptable public position on gay marriage: he opposes it. A better position would have been "let the states decide," the federalist position. But his outright stated opposition to gay marriage is a deal buster for me. It represents political pandering at its worst. Where is his leadership and sense of justice? Two states already have full gay marriage! Obama is actually telling legally married gay couples that he opposes their marriage while at the same time asking for their support. Again, this is totally unacceptable. Enough of gay people supporting candidates who say that they're our friends but act otherwise. If you want my vote you have to earn it, just like with everyone else. I will not support a candidate simply because the other side is worse.

I may vote for Bob Barr (Libertarian) or Ralph Nader (Independent), both of whom appear on the Pennsylvania ballot.

Jim

From the 2008 Libertarian Party Platform:

Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no
impact on the rights of individuals by government, such as in current marriage,
child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws. Consenting adults
should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships.
Government does not have the authority to define, license or restrict personal
relationships.

Why We're Still In Economic Trouble

According to Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman writing in today's New York Times:

What’s happening, I suspect, is that the Bush administration’s
anti-government ideology still stands in the way of effective action. Events
have forced Mr. Paulson into a partial nationalization of the financial system —
but he refuses to use the power that comes with ownership.
Whatever the
reasons for the continuing weakness of policy, the situation is manifestly not
coming under control. Things continue to fall apart.

Will next week's election change this? Probably not, at least not right away.

Jim

The Vet that Did Not Vet

Kind of liked this Youtube Video. It makes much of this election so simple anyone can understand it.



M

I am not Joe The Plumber

I'm not Joe The Plumber. I'm not lower class, not middle class and not upper class. I'd rather not have my life reduced to a soundbite.

I grew up in a family of hard working people. My father died at work, my mother is a senior citizen and still works long hours every day (and I am proud of her everyday) and siblings work long hours at jobs they sometimes like and sometimes more often than not hate.

So when I listen the McPalin drivel of Obama screwing the working stiffs like myself and my family I get incredibly irritated. But not at McPalin. I get irritated at the American People for listening to the propaganda and eating it up without thinking about it first.

Read the start of a great plan for small businesses by the Obama administration here. It isn't a deep read, it will take you about 3 whole minutes. No big words or fancy ideas. Just things our government can do to make it easier for small business to operate in a country that hasn't treated them so well in the last 10 years.

By the way, running a small business here in the land of Holy Joe Lieberman is pretty difficult. CT state taxes for small businesses are overwheling. The state makes it very difficult for small businesses to be profitable. That doesn't have much to do with the Federal Government but it has an awful lot to do with our state government. Can any President fix a state government? Highly unlikely.

Hence the statement again, don't compare me to the Plumber that McPalin randomly picked out of a crowd. Actually, it's starting to look less random all the time. I wish the rest of America discouraged the use of metaphors for specific sectors of our population and instead focused on what's important, the state of our great country and what we ALL need to do to lead the world again. I'd even be willing to live with the candidates leaving Joe the Plumber on Main Street and instead get out to the mall where minimum wage workers with no health insurance still work at stores loading up for the holiday season (that might not come). Mary at Pottery Barn may never know...

M

Death and Taxes Wallstat

Check out this amazing project from Wallstats. It's called "Death and Taxes" and much to Jim's point, it shows us where our money is going. It gives a visual representation of how our tax dollars are spent. Once you look at the military, you will see the staggering amount of money we seem to want to continue to spend eventhough our checkbook is empty and most of us will probably end up as Walmart greeters if the economy continues to tank.

Check it out here:



Clean up on aisle 6!
Marc