It seems as if many pundits have been heralding vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan as a smart, dynamic, and electrifying young speaker.
Oh yeah, he cuts a great image all right; trim and dashing --- one of the so-called "young guns". Yet despite his radiant image, he seems to have no compunction about fibbing: blatantly so!
For instance, he stated that the General Motors plant in his home town of Janesville, Wisconsin was abandoned under President Obama's watch. It actually ceased operation (except for a skeleton crew) in December, 2008 --- a month before his inauguration. Notice of the shutdown had been given four months earlier.
Surely, as a resident of Janesville, he had to know the truth, as did his fellow burghers. What an insult to everyone's collective intelligence!
Then of course, there's the whopper about Medicare: How Obama raided Medicare recipients' benefits of $716 billion and diverted it to Obamacare. The reality: That amount represented a savings realized by reducing payments to hospitals and insurance plans (which don't seem to have affected the quality or level of Medicare services to its beneficiaries). In the meantime, Mr. Ryan continues to tout his proposal to, in essence, trash Medicare by transforming it into a voucher program, placing a heavy financial burden on those who can least afford it.
(Sidebar: This seems like an appropriate time to quote former Congressman Alan Grayson [D - Florida] who eloquently summed up the Republicans' watchword on health care: "Don't get sick, but if you DO get sick, die quickly!" He's campaigning to recapture his old seat in the Orlando area).
The examples above represent two of the five misstatements cited by Fact Check and attributed to Mr. Ryan. (Fact Check is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization, based at the University of Pennsylvania, that researches the veracity of political claims).
While I realize that it may be a humongous stretch to compare Congressman Ryan to Josef Goebbels, the Nazi propagandist, I do feel that it's not entirely inappropriate. Mr. Goebbels was notoriously known for having stated that, "If you repeat the big lie often enough, people will believe it."
Well, it appears as if the spirit of Herr Goebbels is alive and well and living in the heart and soul of Congressman Paul Ryan.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
They STILL Hate Women
From all across the nation, fellow Republicans had been pressuring Congressman Todd Akin (R-Missouri) to drop out of his state's senatorial race. However, the state-mandated deadline has come and gone; he appears to have resisted their pleas.
Had Mr. Akin been more co-operative, Republican state officials would have been able to appoint a replacement candidate in time to assure a spot on the ballot. Now that his promised financial support is being withdrawn, one of the Democrats' most vulnerable incumbent senators, Claire McCaskill, appears to stand a much greater chance of surviving a challenge.
Congressman Akin seems to have created widespread unease among his party's compatriots with his forehead-slapping, eyeballs-cast-heavenward commentary about rape and pregnancy. During a Sunday television interview, he stated that the trauma caused by a "legitimate" rape (huh???) would release hormones that would make it difficult for the woman to conceive. (Hmm! So evidently, the 32,000-plus women per year in the US, who become pregnant after being raped are all outliers).
It looks as if the blowback from this outrageous observation is so severe that the Republican poobahs all the way up the pyramid to Mitt Romney are collectively wetting their pants.
Yet despite all the official fear and indignation, the Republicans have incorporated into their party's convention platform a plank that would forbid abortions with no explicit exceptions for rape or incest.
Theoretically, is there any reason to believe that any Republican stand-in for Akin would vote any differently on this issue, or any other for that matter, than would Akin himself? I doubt it.
Congressional Republicans have recently advanced other draconian anti-choice legislation, although they knew that it wouldn't pass. So I guess that these mostly older white guys were just availing themselves of an opportunity to vent. I dunno, maybe they're being henpecked at home. But one thing seems abundantly clear. They sure do hate women!
So what was so special about Congressman Akin? Nothing really. Just a bi-i-i-ig mouth!
Had Mr. Akin been more co-operative, Republican state officials would have been able to appoint a replacement candidate in time to assure a spot on the ballot. Now that his promised financial support is being withdrawn, one of the Democrats' most vulnerable incumbent senators, Claire McCaskill, appears to stand a much greater chance of surviving a challenge.
Congressman Akin seems to have created widespread unease among his party's compatriots with his forehead-slapping, eyeballs-cast-heavenward commentary about rape and pregnancy. During a Sunday television interview, he stated that the trauma caused by a "legitimate" rape (huh???) would release hormones that would make it difficult for the woman to conceive. (Hmm! So evidently, the 32,000-plus women per year in the US, who become pregnant after being raped are all outliers).
It looks as if the blowback from this outrageous observation is so severe that the Republican poobahs all the way up the pyramid to Mitt Romney are collectively wetting their pants.
Yet despite all the official fear and indignation, the Republicans have incorporated into their party's convention platform a plank that would forbid abortions with no explicit exceptions for rape or incest.
Theoretically, is there any reason to believe that any Republican stand-in for Akin would vote any differently on this issue, or any other for that matter, than would Akin himself? I doubt it.
Congressional Republicans have recently advanced other draconian anti-choice legislation, although they knew that it wouldn't pass. So I guess that these mostly older white guys were just availing themselves of an opportunity to vent. I dunno, maybe they're being henpecked at home. But one thing seems abundantly clear. They sure do hate women!
So what was so special about Congressman Akin? Nothing really. Just a bi-i-i-ig mouth!
Monday, August 20, 2012
HELL: It's Just a Word!
Today's Huffington Post features an article about a high school valedictorian being denied her diploma. Why? Because she used the word "hell" in her graduation speech. The straight-A student from Oklahoma alluded to instances when she was asked what she planned to do with her life. She'd respond, "How the hell do I know? I've changed my mind so many times." School officials insist that they won't release her diploma until she writes them an apology for --- uh --- using the word hell.
Located just above the HuffPost headline for this piece is a link to another article: Class Sizes Rise as 300,000 Educators Won't Be Going Back to School.
So, where's the real obscenity here? Just askin'!
Located just above the HuffPost headline for this piece is a link to another article: Class Sizes Rise as 300,000 Educators Won't Be Going Back to School.
So, where's the real obscenity here? Just askin'!
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Paul Ryan: A Sweet Choice
Earlier today, Governor Romney declared his selection of a running mate. It's <trumpet fanfare, please> none other than Congressman Paul Ryan, one of the principal architects of and chief spokesman for the Republicans' budget, the (so-called) Path to Prosperity.
Frankly I was gobsmacked! I was sure that he'd choose former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, owing to his blue-collar background, just-a-regular-guy affability, and seeming lack of any significant political baggage.
Supposedly, many on the political right didn't consider Romney sufficiently conservative; therefore he needed to butress his credentials as such. I dunno; like many others, I figured that Romney had the folks on the right in his hip pocket by default, owing to their dislike for Obama.
In any event, Romney's done the deed. The Democratic campaigns at all levels now have some ripe issues. Trashing Medicare and privatizing Social Security are not exactly sure-fire ways to romance the workaday folks out there, just trying to survive and stay healthy.
Let's face it; one mainline poll after another leaves no doubt that the vast majority of Americans treasure those programs enough so that they don't want anyone to mess with them.
Now maybe if Romney, Ryan, and their Tea Party buddies start screaming "SOCIALISM, SOCIALISM, SOCIALISM!!!" as blood-curdlingly loud as they can ....
C'mon, all together now!
Frankly I was gobsmacked! I was sure that he'd choose former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, owing to his blue-collar background, just-a-regular-guy affability, and seeming lack of any significant political baggage.
Supposedly, many on the political right didn't consider Romney sufficiently conservative; therefore he needed to butress his credentials as such. I dunno; like many others, I figured that Romney had the folks on the right in his hip pocket by default, owing to their dislike for Obama.
In any event, Romney's done the deed. The Democratic campaigns at all levels now have some ripe issues. Trashing Medicare and privatizing Social Security are not exactly sure-fire ways to romance the workaday folks out there, just trying to survive and stay healthy.
Let's face it; one mainline poll after another leaves no doubt that the vast majority of Americans treasure those programs enough so that they don't want anyone to mess with them.
Now maybe if Romney, Ryan, and their Tea Party buddies start screaming "SOCIALISM, SOCIALISM, SOCIALISM!!!" as blood-curdlingly loud as they can ....
C'mon, all together now!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Romancing the Good Ol' Days the Republican Way
Yesterday an additional phase of the Affordable Health Care Act kicked in --- with provisions oriented toward women. The emphasis is on preventive services, largely free of copayments.
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's response? Yet still another attempt to "repeal Obamacare"! What is this now, the thirty-fourth one?
In the meantime, Republicans on the House side drew up a measure known as The District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Act (HR 3803). This bill would mandate the banning of all abortions in the nation's capital (whose constituents are the only ones in the United States lacking an elective voice in Congress) --- even in the event of rape or incest!
So, knowing full well that this proposal would die in the Senate, why did they even bother? I dunno, maybe they just hate women!!??
In the wake of these actions, I propose the following theme song for the upcoming Republican National Convention in Tampa: "Turn Back the Hands of Time". Not Tyrone Davis's R&B rendition from the seventies. I mean the original: the one crooned by Eddie Fisher back in 1951. Here's the refrain:
Turn back the hands of time
Roll back the sands of time
Bring back my dreams divine
Let's live it over again.
Better still --- one vintage video on the platter! Here's Eddie! Enjoy.
Let us all now return to those romantic days of yesteryear --- 1951: when a woman's place was in the kitchen!
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's response? Yet still another attempt to "repeal Obamacare"! What is this now, the thirty-fourth one?
In the meantime, Republicans on the House side drew up a measure known as The District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Act (HR 3803). This bill would mandate the banning of all abortions in the nation's capital (whose constituents are the only ones in the United States lacking an elective voice in Congress) --- even in the event of rape or incest!
So, knowing full well that this proposal would die in the Senate, why did they even bother? I dunno, maybe they just hate women!!??
In the wake of these actions, I propose the following theme song for the upcoming Republican National Convention in Tampa: "Turn Back the Hands of Time". Not Tyrone Davis's R&B rendition from the seventies. I mean the original: the one crooned by Eddie Fisher back in 1951. Here's the refrain:
Turn back the hands of time
Roll back the sands of time
Bring back my dreams divine
Let's live it over again.
Better still --- one vintage video on the platter! Here's Eddie! Enjoy.
Let us all now return to those romantic days of yesteryear --- 1951: when a woman's place was in the kitchen!
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Pennsylvania Voter ID Law: Not Just an Inconvenience
Last March, Pennsylvania's Republican-dominated House and Senate enacted a measure requiring all voters to furnish a photo ID in order to exercise their right to the ballot. Without missing a beat, Governor Tom Corbett signed off on it. ( It should be noted that not a single Democratic lawmaker voted "yes").
Supposedly, the rationale for this new law is prevention of voter fraud. Yet lawyers for the State of Pennsylvania have admitted that such fraud is virually non-existent.
So then, why even bother with this new mandate? (Hey, I thought the GOP favored lean government). Well, it seems as if House Majority Leader Mike Turzai let the kitty out of the trickbag in a moment of candor. He frankly stated that the new law "was going to allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania".
Appalling! These folks seem utterly incapable of feeling shame!
In the meantime many Pennsylvanians who've traditionally cherished their right to the ballot --- unfailingly exercising that right --- have never until now needed to obtain a photo ID. They're actually being confronted with the loss of that hallowed right through no fault of their own.
Consider the plight of voters with limited incomes who can't easily travel to a Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) facility to obtain a photo ID. For instance, the City of Philadelphia has only five outlets, none of which is easily accessible from resource-starved parts of either North or West Philly without a car. (18% of all Philadelphia voters are believed to be lacking photo IDs).
In the Pittsburgh area, massive cuts in transit service are imminent. It's already a crushing challenge for someone living in one of the poverty-plagued industrial suburbs along the Monongahela River to get to one of the nearest PENNDOT facilities, either in Bridgeville or Penn Hills.
The obstacles facing Pennsylvania voters are being replicated in a dozen other states, all dominated by Republicans. If the Department of Justice or state or regional federal courts don't succeed in reversing these blatant injustices, we could well end up witnessing a perversion of the electoral process --- in Pennsylvania or elsewhere --- akin to the hijacking of the Florida election in 2000.
Let's hope that history doesn't repeat itself.
Supposedly, the rationale for this new law is prevention of voter fraud. Yet lawyers for the State of Pennsylvania have admitted that such fraud is virually non-existent.
So then, why even bother with this new mandate? (Hey, I thought the GOP favored lean government). Well, it seems as if House Majority Leader Mike Turzai let the kitty out of the trickbag in a moment of candor. He frankly stated that the new law "was going to allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania".
Appalling! These folks seem utterly incapable of feeling shame!
In the meantime many Pennsylvanians who've traditionally cherished their right to the ballot --- unfailingly exercising that right --- have never until now needed to obtain a photo ID. They're actually being confronted with the loss of that hallowed right through no fault of their own.
Consider the plight of voters with limited incomes who can't easily travel to a Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) facility to obtain a photo ID. For instance, the City of Philadelphia has only five outlets, none of which is easily accessible from resource-starved parts of either North or West Philly without a car. (18% of all Philadelphia voters are believed to be lacking photo IDs).
In the Pittsburgh area, massive cuts in transit service are imminent. It's already a crushing challenge for someone living in one of the poverty-plagued industrial suburbs along the Monongahela River to get to one of the nearest PENNDOT facilities, either in Bridgeville or Penn Hills.
The obstacles facing Pennsylvania voters are being replicated in a dozen other states, all dominated by Republicans. If the Department of Justice or state or regional federal courts don't succeed in reversing these blatant injustices, we could well end up witnessing a perversion of the electoral process --- in Pennsylvania or elsewhere --- akin to the hijacking of the Florida election in 2000.
Let's hope that history doesn't repeat itself.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
With a Heavy Heart: Thoughts About the Latest Mass Homicide
An AR-15 semi-automatic weapon? Is that what's really required to bag a 10-point buck?
My profuse apologies for the feeble attempt of levity in the wake of yesterday's tragic event in Colorado. But I'm still trying to understand the logic of enabling civilians unrestricted access to any firearm capable of rapidly releasing enough ammo to cause massive fatalities.
James Holmes, the apparent shooter who killed 12 and wounded 58 at a suburban Denver theatre showing the latest Batman film, used just such a rapid-fire weapon. He purchased it legally along with a couple of more conventional pieces.
Unlike some other mass killers such as Jared Loughner, convicted of murdering six and critically wounding Congresswoman Gabriella Giffords in Tucson early last year, Mr. Holmes had had no previous contact with authorities, nor did he seem to demonstrate any sort of prior behavior which would have alerted them. So it would appear as if any processes intended to weed out potentially dangerous gun users are far from fool-proof.
Some folks believe that conceal-carry is the answer; someone who happened to be armed could have intervened and possibly spared some lives (by doing what, firing at a moving target in a darkened movie-house and whacking someone else?). I don't know, within this gun-crazy society, it just doesn't seem as if there are any easy answers, except maybe to eventually find a way to wean us off this wild fascination for things that go bang.
But couldn't we at least begin by crafting a nation-wide ban on rapid-fire assault weapons, including their manufacture and importation? Yeah I know, it's a tall order. The National Rifle Association and rigid Second Amendment acolytes would never allow it.
But it's a nice dream.
(Postscript: A vigilant old friend reminded me that a nation-wide assault-weapons ban existed until it was repealed in 2004. I had forgotten all about it. Could the tragic events in Colorado, Arizona, Virginia and elsewhere been prevented had the ban not been repealed? A fair question).
My profuse apologies for the feeble attempt of levity in the wake of yesterday's tragic event in Colorado. But I'm still trying to understand the logic of enabling civilians unrestricted access to any firearm capable of rapidly releasing enough ammo to cause massive fatalities.
James Holmes, the apparent shooter who killed 12 and wounded 58 at a suburban Denver theatre showing the latest Batman film, used just such a rapid-fire weapon. He purchased it legally along with a couple of more conventional pieces.
Unlike some other mass killers such as Jared Loughner, convicted of murdering six and critically wounding Congresswoman Gabriella Giffords in Tucson early last year, Mr. Holmes had had no previous contact with authorities, nor did he seem to demonstrate any sort of prior behavior which would have alerted them. So it would appear as if any processes intended to weed out potentially dangerous gun users are far from fool-proof.
Some folks believe that conceal-carry is the answer; someone who happened to be armed could have intervened and possibly spared some lives (by doing what, firing at a moving target in a darkened movie-house and whacking someone else?). I don't know, within this gun-crazy society, it just doesn't seem as if there are any easy answers, except maybe to eventually find a way to wean us off this wild fascination for things that go bang.
But couldn't we at least begin by crafting a nation-wide ban on rapid-fire assault weapons, including their manufacture and importation? Yeah I know, it's a tall order. The National Rifle Association and rigid Second Amendment acolytes would never allow it.
But it's a nice dream.
(Postscript: A vigilant old friend reminded me that a nation-wide assault-weapons ban existed until it was repealed in 2004. I had forgotten all about it. Could the tragic events in Colorado, Arizona, Virginia and elsewhere been prevented had the ban not been repealed? A fair question).
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