Anti Gravity

We should all know that the various forms of social media can get us all in trouble.  People post things when they are angry, or confused, or happy, or excited, or sad, or for any other reason with many times just wanting to vent.  sometimes when I am angry, I will show it.  Mostly, its just to vent.   Yet comments and venting on most forms of social media can have adverse effects.  People have lost their jobs because of what the post, or the opinions they share.
   As far as I can see, trump has been acting like the bully that he has always been.  Even his former teachers didn't like him.
   So, over the last 16 months, since trump has been in the WH, he brags, in a juvenile manner, that he has done sooo much more than any other president.  Well, for a while, that was true.  He began the systematic selling off of parts of our national parks for private investor profit.  He has created an atmosphere of hate that we haven't seen since the 1950s.  I mean, I fully expect to see signs hanging over a water fountain to show which color individual can drink from which fountain. He has insulted so many people and their country.  He has been sitting by while Puerto Rico continues to suffer from hurricanes and does nothing.  Probably, because he can't make any money from giving aid.
   He has a tax plan that was never meant to help the middle class... if there is still such a thing.  Large corporations have benefited a great deal yet the working class has seen nothing.  (this is where I pat myself on the back because I have always said that the idea of trickle down is only when someone wants to shit on you)   And then there is the property owner in Virginia who has perched herself in a tree on her own property, to protest the construction of yet another pipeline... right through her property.  The police have even gone so far as to prohibit her husband from taking her food.  I would say that this borders on complicity in her eventual death.  So, again, the government is going to steal her property so a private company can profit from it.  Is this a great country or what?
   And now, I see where the rumor is that someone wants to nominate trump for a Nobel prize.  Where on earth is their head?  Have they not read the qualifications for being nominated for this?  N. Korea really doesn't count because someone is saying that there was a partial collapse of the mountain where some nuclear testing has been going on.  I do not believe for one minute that trump had anything to do with it.  I believe that if this is the case, then they will cease testing and production of nuclear weapons in order to keep the Kim regime intact.  He will not want to give up power.   He now faces the possibility of his regime being destroyed and will have no way to fight back.   However, a ground war with N Korea could be disastrous for the U.S.
    However, for now, it's late and I am tired.

What is going on?

I am wondering what is happening in this country?  It is like stepping back into the 1950s.  Every day I see where more and more of our freedom is being taken away or lost in some way.  The governor in Indiana has decided to show his nasty homophobic side and sign a bill that allows business owners to discriminate against LGBT people.
     Sixty years ago, we saw signs displayed in businesses stating that they reserved the right to refuse service to anyone. This was a carryover from the days when southern states had separate drinking fountains for whites and blacks.  African Americans were forced to sit in the back of buses, and business owners could refuse service to them.
     Now, we have moved into the 21st century and it is becoming just like it was back in the mid 20th century.  Racial discrimination is getting worse, the Ohio attorney general has said that gay people have too much power.  Seriously?  Not only do they NOT have too much power, but they are treated worse than most other people.
    So today, I see where big business is showing their true colors once again by displaying their grasp on politicians.  Talk about being in someone's pocket.  Walmart, Macy's, etc. have banded together to form a lobbying group to force states to change worker's compensation laws.  Okay, so if someone gets hurt on the job, he gets most of his medical bill paid and that's only fair.  They may also get a small stipend while they are out of work.  Keep in mind, that not all employers offer short term disability insurance.  Worker's compensation can be the difference between getting medicine and food and starving.
     Now, these big businesses want to "reform" compensation laws all over the country and I honestly believe that the changes they want will only serve to hurt an injured worker.  I will wait to see how the plays out.  To see if politicians will stand up to the ones who paid to put them in office.
     There is no more middle class in America.  There are the rich who are getting richer and the ones who actually do the work and they are the ones losing.  Their pay is lower, and their benefits are nearly non-existent.
     Welcome to 1950 and pass the vasoline.

     A few days ago, I posted just a little paragraph of how I believed that there is no humor in the suffering of other people.  I don't mean like watching the mail man slip on ice, although that can hurt as well, but I mean actual,  honest, real live, painful suffering.  I am referring to the current Ebola crisis.  I call it a crisis because it hasn't quite become an epidemic although there is little so stop that from happening.
     But my point here is that I continue to see jokes, mostly on Facebook and other social media, about this deadly virus.  I see nothing funny about this at all.  I can honestly say that at my age, and with my experience, I see nothing funny about people suffering and dying.
     I will not politicize this because this is a health issue and not a political one, but those who are old enough will remember how Reagan sat around and did nothing until more than 20,000 people died from AIDS.  I don't know that military action is the necessary response, but at least it is something.
     But for now, people will continue to be insensitive and immature and will continue to tell jokes about Ebola.  And to them i just want to say, be happy you haven't been exposed.  There are only so many antibodies to go around.

I am amazed at all the fuss all of a sudden about spying on American citizens. Bush signed the patriot act which trashed the constitution in favor of national security. The government began conducting illegal wire taps, interrogations, arrests and prolonged detention without trial, and the list goes on. Further, our government has been spying on American for more years than I have been alive so its nothing new. Suddenly, someone wants to talk about it and someone else wants to write about it and it becomes a national scandal. Wake up people... your phone calls have been monitored since George bush was wearing diapers. Its nothing new... so your anger while not necessarily misplaced is considerably late. You need to go back a few decades if you want to blame someone.

One more thought before the election..

So we are now down to two days before the election.  there have been thousands of posts, thousand of comments, ideas, suggestions, etc.  So, while I still have time, there are a few thoughts I would to share.  I am not trying to chance anybody's mind, nor am I out to insult anyone.   We have all seen so many advertisements on TV, heard them on the radio, and have received more political  junk mail that we want.
     So, just a few comments and a few thoughts.  I watched most of the debates.  no, I did not watch them in the entirety because enough is enough.   Mitt Romney seems like a nice enough person and I really believe that he cares about this country and really wants to do what he feels is the right thing for this country.
     President Obama is a decent person and he too wants to do what is best for this country.   i will make just one mention of the mess that the president inherited.  Yes he did.  And while there are those that say while he inherited a financial mess, he has also had almost four years to fix it.  Sadly, when the economy of an entire nation, especially a nation as large as ours, is in trouble, and considering the reasons why its in trouble, people need to understand that there is no quick fix.  It takes some work, a little faith and time.  Unemployment is starting to go down.  Example, in September, Apple hired over 100 people to work as customer service reps and technical support.  Yes, some companies are still reducing their work force, but it really is getting better.  The president has a plan and a few good ideas to help the economy.  Yet many economists say that what he is proposing won't work.
     On the other side of the coin, Mr. Romney also says that he has ideas to fix the economy.  he also says that he will create 12 million jobs.  Twelve million jobs but thinks that the fact that teachers ask for small class sizes is just a ploy to hire more teachers.  Well, if you call every attempt to hire people a "ploy", you just aren't going to get that job done.  Besides, we need good teachers and they need to be hired.  further, it has been shown that smaller class sizes do get better results.  I am fortunate to live in a great school district where more than 95% of graduating students go on to college.  We are again listed in the top 1000 schools in the country.  We have a graduation rate of something around 98%.  Teachers challange their students to do their best and when you expect more, you get more.
     The president has said that more than 5 million jobs have been created.  Well, thats just not correct and we know it.  But then again, it depends on what figures that number is based.  Both sides have either stretched the truth or just plain lied.  Sad isn't it?  Mr. Romney wants to cut funding for public broadcasting.  No, I am not talking about big bird.  That was his gaffe.  But i believe that we need public broadcasting.  No, it isn't a great deal of money, and they probably could just start selling ads, but then it stops becoming public broadcasting.  He also wants to cut funding for planned parenthood.  Now, even though he has changed his position on abortion twice, it seems that he is now against it.  (Pandering to the right?)  So Planned Parenthood has performed abortions.  But they have also offered other services.  Cancer screening for one.  Counseling for another.  Birth control for another.  They provide good and needed services.
     Mr. Romney's tax plan is scary as well.  If he eliminates some tax deductions, your tax will go up. Why? Because he wants to eliminate the deduction for home loan interest.  Personally, that would be a huge tax increase for me.  and that list goes on.  Will it hurt the middle class? Of course it will.  As well as the lower class.  Which most republicans don't care about anyway.  His famous 47% comment was not only stupid and insulting, it was thoughtless and demeaning.  Being retired, I am part of that 47% because I am collecting the social security that i paid into for many years.  Oh, I am also collecting a 40% disability pension from the Veterans Administration.  Why? Because I earned it.  I am also collecting a pension that I paid into.  yes, I actually tried planning for my retirement so i wouldn't need the likes of Ryan and Romney.  But that 47% also includes students, disabled people, low income people, welfare recipients, etc.  These people are not necessarily freeloaders, but they are in a situation that they just can't get out of.  sure, it is probably temporary, but for right now, thats where they are.  Some of them were probably going to vote for romney until he made that comment.
   His plan for social security is ludicrous.  Yes, it needs some adjustment and some corrections, but privatizing is not what it needs.  Medicare needs attention, but its working okay otherwise.  It too needs some adjustments, but overall, its working.  Oh, you cannot prevent 100% of fraud.  If there is a way, someone will find out how to cheat the system.
     I could go on, but its late and I am tired.  I am tired of the ads, the lies, the accusation, the right wing fear mongering, and everything else that goes along with a campaign.   On a final note, I find it particularly despicable that romney uses the death of a child in his campaign... just to show what a great guy he is.  He just isn't all that great.  But, vote your conscience on tuesday.  Vote for the candidate that will be the best for the people of this country.  Remember voting for money will get you nothing.

I am puzzled

Okay, in trying to keep this as non-partisan as possible, I am wondering what the big fascination is with romney and ryan. Romney says he will create jobs.  He says he will fix the economy.  He says he will strengthen the military.   He says... blah, blah, blah.
   But its been proven that if his policies are indeed put in place, taxes will go up.  And for people like me, (and there are a lot of us) that could be painful.  For example, eliminating the home interest deduction.  This is just insane.  I can see an immediate increase of at least $3000 a year if this happens.  Does romney care?  Of course not.  However, to be fair, he also said he will lower the tax rate.  So, will it be enough to offset this $3000 increase?  Probably not.  Its simple trickle down.  He figures that if someone gets a few more dollars in their paycheck, they will spend it.  Is he nuts?  In this economy, people who get more money in their paycheck will hang on to it.  No one knows if they will have a job tomorrow or not.  Besides, with others costs climbing, there won't be much left to spend.
     Now that brings me to my disappoint over the past four years.  Obama made several promises, yet few have come to pass.  I know that his heart was in the right place.  The car industry bailout.  Yes it was a good thing because it saved jobs.  Restructuring was not necessarily an option.  Bankruptcy affects more people that just GM.  It affects all of their suppliers, employees, etc.  It would have had far reaching consequences.  Further, any money loaned to manufacturers has been paid back with interest.  so that whole program is over.  Thousands of jobs have been saved and manufacturing is back up. So this was a good thing.
     As far as China is concerned, the US has been doing business with China for many years.  Getting China is a necessity for companies who want to do business in Asia.
     There are so many things to touch on here, but you get the idea.  Democrats see the glass as half full while republicans think they own the glass.  It seems to all come down to money.  They don't care if people lose their jobs or go without food, money, healthcare, etc.  They just want their share of the pie.  Democrats try their best to help the middle class maintain some balance.  And somewhere in the middle of all the political crap, there is a balance where things will work.  It just has to be discovered.

Is lying okay if you are a republican?

Okay, so according to fact checking, romney lied 27 times in 38 minutes.
Wanna see?  read on.

1) “[G]et us energy independent, North American energy independent. That creates about 4 million jobs”. Romney’s plan for “energy independence” actually relies heavily on a study that assumes the U.S. continues with fuel efficiency standards set by the Obama administration. For instance, he uses Citigroup research based off the assumption that “‘the United States will continue with strict fuel economy standards that will lower its oil demand.” Since he promises to undo the Obama administration’s new fuel efficiency standards, he would cut oil consumption savings of 2 million barrels per day by 2025.

2) “I don’t have a $5 trillion tax cut. I don’t have a tax cut of a scale that you’re talking about.” A Tax Policy Center analysis of Romney’s proposal for a 20 percent across-the-board tax cut in all federal income tax rates, eliminating the Alternative Minimum Tax, eliminating the estate tax and other tax reductions, would reduce federal revenue $480 billion in 2015. This amounts to $5 trillion over the decade.

3) “My view is that we ought to provide tax relief to people in the middle class. But I’m not going to reduce the share of taxes paid by high-income people.” If Romney hopes to provide tax relief to the middle class, then his $5 trillion tax cut would add to the deficit. There are not enough deductions in the tax code that primarily benefit rich people to make his math work.

4) “My — my number-one principal is, there will be no tax cut that adds to the deficit. I want to underline that: no tax cut that adds to the deficit.” As the Tax Policy Center concluded, Romney’s plan can’t both exempt middle class families from tax cuts and remain revenue neutral. “He’s promised all these things and he can’t do them all. In order for him to cover the cost of his tax cut without adding to the deficit, he’d have to find a way to raise taxes on middle income people or people making less than $200,000 a year,” the Center found.

5) “I will not under any circumstances raise taxes on middle-income families. I will lower taxes on middle-income families. Now, you cite a study. There are six other studies that looked at the study you describe and say it’s completely wrong.” The studies Romney cites actually further prove that Romney would, in fact, have to raise taxes on the middle class if he were to keep his promise not to lose revenue with his tax rate reduction.

6) “I saw a study that came out today that said you’re going to raise taxes by $3,000 to $4,000 on middle-income families.” Romney is pointing to this study from the American Enterprise Institute. It actually found that rather than raise taxes to pay down the debt, the Obama administration’s policies — those contained directly in his budget — would reduce the share of taxes that go toward servicing the debt by $1,289.89 per taxpayer in the $100,000 to $200,000 range.

7) “And the reason is because small business pays that individual rate; 54 percent of America’s workers work in businesses that are taxed not at the corporate tax rate, but at the individual tax rate….97 percent of the businesses are not — not taxed at the 35 percent tax rate, they’re taxed at a lower rate. But those businesses that are in the last 3 percent of businesses happen to employ half — half of all the people who work in small business.” Far less than half of the people affected by the expiration of the upper income tax cuts get any of their income at all from a small businesses. And those people could very well be receiving speaking fees or book royalties, which qualify as “small business income” but don’t have a direct impact on job creation. It’s actually hard to find a small business who think that they will be hurt if the marginal tax rate on income earned above $250,000 per year is increased.

8) “Mr. President, all of the increase in natural gas and oil has happened on private land, not on government land. On government land, your administration has cut the number of permits and licenses in half.” Oil production from federal lands is higher, not lower: Production from federal lands is up slightly in 2011 when compared to 2007. And the oil and gas industry is sitting on 7,000 approved permits to drill, that it hasn’t begun exploring or developing.

9) “The president’s put it in place as much public debt — almost as much debt held by the public as all prior presidents combined.” This is not even close to being true. When Obama took office, the national debt stood at $10.626 trillion. Now the national debt is over $16 trillion. That $5.374 trillion increase is nowhere near as much debt as all the other presidents combined.

10) “That’s why the National Federation of Independent Businesses said your plan will kill 700,000 jobs. I don’t want to kill jobs in this environment.” That study, produced by a right-wing advocacy organization, doesn’t analyze what Obama has actually proposed.

11) “What we do have right now is a setting where I’d like to bring money from overseas back to this country.” Romney’s plan to shift the country to a territorial tax system would allow corporations to do business and make profits overseas without ever being taxed on it in the United States. This encourages American companies to invest abroad and could cost the country up to 800,000 jobs.

12) “I would like to take the Medicaid dollars that go to states and say to a state, you’re going to get what you got last year, plus inflation, plus 1 percent, and then you’re going to manage your care for your poor in the way you think best.” Sending federal Medicaid funding to the states in the form of a block grant woud significantly reduce federal spending for Medicaid because the grant would not keep up with projected health care costs. A CBO estimate of a very similar proposal from Paul Ryan found that federal spending would be “35 percent lower in 2022 and 49 percent lower in 2030 than current projected federal spending” and as a result “states would face significant challenges in achieving sufficient cost savings through efficiencies to mitigate the loss of federal funding.” “To maintain current service levels in the Medicaid program, states would probably need to consider additional changes, such as reducing their spending on other programs or raising additional revenues,” the CBO found.

13) “I want to take that $716 billion you’ve cut and put it back into Medicare…. But the idea of cutting $716 billion from Medicare to be able to balance the additional cost of Obamacare is, in my opinion, a mistake. There’s that number again. Romney is claiming that Obamacare siphons off $716 billion from Medicare, to the detriment of beneficiaries. In actuality, that money is saved primarily through reducing over-payments to insurance companies under Medicare Advantage, not payments to beneficiaries. Paul Ryan’s budget plan keeps those same cuts, but directs them toward tax cuts for the rich and deficit reduction.

14) “What I support is no change for current retirees and near-retirees to Medicare.” Here is how Romney’s Medicare plan will affect current seniors: 1) by repealing Obamacare, the 16 million seniors receiving preventive benefits without deductibles or co-pays and are saving $3.9 billion on prescription drugs will see a cost increase, 2) “premium support” will increase premiums for existing beneficiaries as private insurers lure healthier seniors out of the traditional Medicare program, 3) Romney/Ryan would also lower Medicaid spending significantly beginning next year, shifting federal spending to states and beneficiaries, and increasing costs for the 9 million Medicare recipients who are dependent on Medicaid.

15) “Number two is for people coming along that are young, what I do to make sure that we can keep Medicare in place for them is to allow them either to choose the current Medicare program or a private plan. Their choice. They get to choose — and they’ll have at least two plans that will be entirely at no cost to them.” The Medicare program changes for everyone, even people who choose to remain in the traditional fee-for-service. Rather than relying on a guaranteed benefit, all beneficiaries will receive a premium support credit of $7,500 on average in 2023 to purchase coverage in traditional Medicare or private insurance. But that amount will only grow at a rate of GDP plus 1.5 percentage points and will not keep up with health care costs. So while the federal government will spend less on the program, seniors will pay more in premiums.

16) “And, by the way the idea came not even from Paul Ryan or — or Senator Wyden, who’s the co-author of the bill with — with Paul Ryan in the Senate, but also it came from Bill — Bill Clinton’s chief of staff.” Romney has rejected the Ryan/Wyden approach — which does not cap the growth of the “premium support” subsidy. Bill Clinton and his commission also voted down these changes to the Medicare program.

17) “Well, I would repeal and replace it. We’re not going to get rid of all regulation. You have to have regulation. And there are some parts of Dodd-Frank that make all the sense in the world.” Romney has previously called for full repeal of Dodd-Frank, a law whose specific purpose is to regulate banks. MF Global’s use of customer funds to pay for its own trading losses is just one bit of proof that the financial industry isn’t responsible enough to protect consumers without regulation.

18) “But I wouldn’t designate five banks as too big to fail and give them a blank check. That’s one of the unintended consequences of Dodd-Frank… We need to get rid of that provision because it’s killing regional and small banks. They’re getting hurt.” The law merely says that the biggest, systemically risky banks need to abide by more stringent regulations. If those banks fail, they will be unwound by a new process in the Dodd-Frank law that protects taxpayers from having to pony up for a bailout.

19) “And, unfortunately, when — when — when you look at Obamacare, the Congressional Budget Office has said it will cost $2,500 a year more than traditional insurance. So it’s adding to cost.” Obamacare will actually provide millions of families with tax credits to make health care more affordable.

20) “[I]t puts in place an unelected board that’s going to tell people ultimately what kind of treatments they can have. I don’t like that idea.” The Board, or IPAB is tasked with making binding recommendations to Congress for lowering health care spending, should Medicare costs exceed a target growth rate. Congress can accept the savings proposal or implement its own ideas through a super majority. The panel’s plan will modify payments to providers but it cannot “include any recommendation to ration health care, raise revenues or Medicare beneficiary premiums…increase Medicare beneficiary cost-sharing (including deductibles, coinsurance, and co- payments), or otherwise restrict benefits or modify eligibility criteria” (Section 3403 of the ACA). Relying on health care experts rather than politicians to control health care costs has previously attracted bipartisan support and even Ryan himself proposed two IPAB-like structures in a 2009 health plan.

21) “Right now, the CBO says up to 20 million people will lose their insurance as Obamacare goes into effect next year. And likewise, a study by McKinsey and Company of American businesses said 30 percent of them are anticipating dropping people from coverage.” The Affordable Care Act would actually expand health care coverage to 30 million Americans, despite Romney fear mongering. According to CBO director Douglas Elmendorf, 3 million or less people would leave employer-sponsored health insurance coverage as a result of the law.

22) “I like the way we did it [health care] in Massachusetts…What were some differences? We didn’t raise taxes.” Romney raised fees, but he can claim that he didn’t increase taxes because the federal government funded almost half of his reforms.

23) “It’s why Republicans said, do not do this, and the Republicans had — had the plan. They put a plan out. They put out a plan, a bipartisan plan. It was swept aside.” The Affordable Care Act incorporates many Republican ideas including the individual mandate, state-based health care exchanges, high-risk insurance pools, and modified provisions that allow insurers to sell policies in multiple states. Republicans never offered a united bipartisan alternative.

24) “Preexisting conditions are covered under my plan.” Only people who are continuously insured would not be discriminated against because they suffer from pre-existing conditions. This protection would not be extended to people who are currently uninsured.

25) “In one year, you provided $90 billion in breaks to the green energy world. Now, I like green energy as well, but that’s about 50 years’ worth of what oil and gas receives.” The $90 billion was given out over several years and included loans, loan guarantees and grants through the American Recovery Act. $23 billion of the $90 billion “went toward “clean coal,” energy-efficiency upgrades, updating the electricity grid and environmental clean-up, largely for old nuclear weapons sites.”

26) “I think about half of [the green firms Obama invested in], of the ones have been invested in have gone out of business. A number of them happened to be owned by people who were contributors to your campaigns.” As of late last year, only “three out of the 26 recipients of 1705 loan guarantees have filed for bankruptcy, with losses estimated at just over $600 million.”

27) “If the president’s reelected you’ll see dramatic cuts to our military.” Romney is referring to the sequester, which his running mate Paul Ryan supported. Obama opposes the military cuts and has asked Congress to formulate a balanced approach that would avoid the trigger. 

More coming from fact checkers who publish for both candidates.