Conservative Dogma

Raw rough draft:

I haven’t been writing much lately.  One reason is that I feel disillusioned by the current American political situation.  The GOP keeps reiterating these points that seem to have no substantial basis… and many Americans seem to reiterate the reiterations that have no substantial support.

First of all, let me say that I find this whole “debt ceiling debate” a bunch of bullshit.  All of this discussion about the deficit and the debt limit and this entire mess are non-issues.  And then the Republicans and Tea Party continue to spout of their mantras about being against “big government” and other non-sense… and I see no reason.

The reality is that the current Conservative viewpoints on economics, Constitutionality, and issues of politics are the same as their views on Creationism.  They claim that “big government is not the solution, it is the problem.”  WHERE iS THE EVIDENCE OF THIS?  Exactly where do they find validation for this claim?  Is the People’s Republic of China failing?  (No, it is not.)

“Taxes will impede job growth.” This is another mantra they repeat ad nauseum.  Where is the evidence of this?  Taxes have been lower for the past ten years than since the Great Depression.  If lower taxes would create more jobs, why do we have a problem with unemployment?

The GOP wants to limit spending and cut programs for the citizens of the United States to balance the budget, but they do not want to raise any taxes.  Even Ronald Reagan raised taxes… the DNC and everyone on the American Left has pointed out that even Conservative politicians have raised taxes in the past.  So, where is the precedence the GOP is using to make these claims?  It is all in dogma… like their claims that Natural Selection is false, because it contradicts the Bible… they claim that higher taxes, social programs and debt will stifle a capitalist economy.

They cling to these claims no matter what evidence is produced.  This is religion, not reason.

The American Conservatives keep talking about how large the American Debt is… and how the President wants to raise the debt ceiling larger than ever before… What they fail to mention is how the debt to equity ratio pans out.  The United States has been in debt for about 80% of its existence.  Being in debt is not a big deal.  What percentage of income is the debt?  (Last I heard, it is 65%.)

And they talk about how raising taxes on the wealthy will destroy jobs.  Taxes on the top marginal percent were 90% after WWII.  The level of income for the top marginal percent has actually increased in the past few years.  Jobs still are not being created.

And they talk about fairness… well, how fair is it that the people who own 40%, or 60% of the country are not paying 40%, 0r 60% of the taxes?  Why do those that own the least shoulder the most of the debt?  That is fair?

Quite simply, I find it disgusting that the American Conservatives want a return to the Gilded Age.  And then it sends me over the edge that these same people have the balls to utilize Marxist/Leftist terminology.  They talk about Class warfare and being for the working class… while instigating class warfare and attacking the working class repeatedly.

Fiscal responsibility?  What is more responsible than providing for the people of your country?

There is a country in Sub-Saharan Africa called the Democratic Republic of Congo.  There are no highways that run from one end of the nation to another.  This means, to call and ambulance, or a police officer, in some areas, requires a helicopter.  For many people, this means they get NO services.  Is this what the GOP and the Tea Party want for America?  They refuse to spend on infrastructure and expect what to happen?

I’m going to get more into this in a little bit.  I’m kind of busy right now… but I implore everyone out there, to stand up against this Tea Party Propaganda and GOP Dogma.  Every time you hear them talk about how much they care about this country, challenge them!  Do not accept their claims!  Call them out and refuse to accept.

Tags: creationism, Debt, GOP, income, lies, propaganda, Republican, Tea Party, United States
Category news |

Decoding American Politics

I decided to define terms of American politics for the layman and/or foreigner.  These are not how terms are defined in political science and not how I utilize them, but how they are defined in American political parlance.  (This is a rough draft!)

• Conservative: American Conservatives are Christians.*  They believe that most social problems are caused by minorities and the underprivileged.  The main theme in Conservative ideology is that those with less wealth are lazy (and that all minorities are lazy).  If the Conservative is not wealthy, they believe the reason they are not wealthy is because other lazy people and minorities are the reason they are not wealthy.
• Moderate: A moderate is a person who is Conservative but also understands that Conservatives are racists, religious zealots and plutocrats.  They do not wish to self-identify with these concepts, because they find racists and robber barons to be repugnant, even though they ideologically support them.
• Liberal: An American Liberal is a person who enjoys wealth, but dislikes racism and religious bigotry more than a moderate.  They believe everything they do should make them look good, socially, as long as they do not have to make any major compromises in their personal lives. (more…)

Tags: business, cartels, christians, Communist, conservative, creationism, crime, Democrat, drugs, evolutionary theory, family values, immigrants, Independent, Intelligent Design, Jews, labor, Liberal, libertarian, lobbyists, middle class, Moderate, muslims, pharmaceuticals, Republican, secular, Socialist, special interests, Tea Party, Unions
Category Definitions |

Contradictory Messages

Having a broad vocabulary and being able to illustrate points and topics is a wonderful skill.  In politics, this is essential.  The ability to convince is one of the qualities that makes a politician successful.   But, what happens when actions do not match the words?  I notice this all too often in contemporary American politics.

The most obvious example is the recent Tea Party Movement and their vocalization for “smaller government” and less entitlements.  This movement, supposedly, began as a movement that felt “Taxed Enough Already.”  They were against excessive taxation without proper representation.  This is a common grievance that goes back centuries and is typically a warranted feeling.  The Tea Party coalesced into a movement that mandated “smaller government” (or “Constitutionally Limited Government”), less taxation and less regulation.

Meanwhile, many Tea Party members, who supposedly support a “limited government” also support government intrusion into whom can marry (only heterosexual, monogamous marriages), when a woman has the ability to terminate a pregnancy (if ever), who the government gets to execute, what churches and religions get to do what and where, and what steps should be taken in regard to “national security.”

I could honestly write a six thousand word rant just on how much contempt of I have for the TSA.  It is taken every ounce of restraint and focus only on the political topic.  The TSA and airport security has made the news recently as, first, a man in San Diego basically told the screeners he refused to go through the “body scanner” and told them during a pat down not to “touch his junk.”  Then it was disclosed that pictures from the body scanners were stored and leaked.  Something we were told could not happen.  People like Limbaugh, Drudge, Palin, Beck, and so on, refer to Janet Napolitano, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, as “Big Sister”, referencing her to “Big Brother.”  What is interesting is that many of the policies of the TSA and Homeland Security were issued by Michael Chertoff, her predecessor.  (Chertoff has a security firm called the Chertoff Group.  One of their clients is Rapiscan Systems, one of the only 2 manufacturers of this technology.)  Chertoff was the co-author of the Patriot Act.  Bob Cesca wrote a good piece on the topic entitled “When Your ‘Junk’ Is Touched at the Airport, Thank A Republican.”

What I’m getting at with the Napolitano/Chertoff thing is that the Tea Party Movement seems to only have a problem with Big Government when it is counter to their personal beliefs.  To be fair, I gave this a lot of thought and I do think this occurs on both sides of the political spectrum.  Many on the Left claim that we need to promote healthier lifestyles, better education, better home environments for children, higher educational standards, and other issues that effect a personal lives.  Yet, when it comes to personal privacy, there is an issue of violating a person.  (I can be included in this logic.)  Why is it ok to control what people eat and how they raise their children but still claim they have a right to personal privacy?   It is a valid question.  (A question that I could honestly answer but it would take a while.)

When looking at the message versus the actions, the Tea Party and the New Right really do take the contradictory cake.  The most obvious issue is the stance for Capital Punishment but against abortion.  The case against abortion is that “all life is precious.”  Then, these same people want the state to take someone’s life.  (And the only thing a state execution provides is that the person executed will never do anything, ever again.)  If all life is precious, why does the state have the right to take a life?  It is a contradiction in ideology that cannot be reconciled.  (And you can argue the opposite direction, it works on some levels.)

I think this can be seen from the very namesake they have chosen.  And, now, for today’s history lesson:

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Tags: 1773, abortion, American Revolution, Americans for Prosperity, Benjamin Franklin, Big Brother, Big Sister, Bob Cesca, body scanners, Capital Punishment, Chertoff Group, Deep Horizon, Drudge Report, East India Trading Company, execution, first amendment, gay marriage, Glenn Beck, Heritage Foundation, Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, Koch Family Foundations, Labor Party, Michael Chertoff, monopoly, national security, New Right, Patrick Henry, Patriot Act, Pharmaceutical, privacy, Rapiscan Systems, Republican, rhetoric, Rush Limbaugh, sarah palin, smalller government, Taxation, Taxed Enough Already, Tea Act, Tea Party Movement, The Boston Tea Party, TSA, vocabulary
Category New Right, Tea Party movement |

Sore Winners

I wrote earlier today about the results of the 2010 election.  But I was thinking, and I never touched on something that drives me absolutely bonkers.  I’m really fed up with it.

After every election, we have this air of gloating and malice.  Just as an example: so many people were so outraged when Barack Obama won the presidential election in 2008 that they protested health care reform with guns.  They filled up parks and drafted talking points.  These same people may have had a candidate that won in the midterm elections, and then they turn around and gloat and tell the people who lost the election that they lost and not to be “sore losers.”  Really?  So, you were sore losers for the past 2 years?  Which is it?  Or does up go down when you so decree?

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Tags: Barack Obama, campaign, citizens united v FEC, Democrat, election, finance, Glenn Beck, hypocrisy, hypocrite, president bush, President Obama, Republican, sarah palin, Sharon Angle
Category Main category |

Election Deflection

A lot of people expected a lot of things from the midterm elections in 2010. A lot of conclusions have been drawn from this election. What does it all mean? Where do we go from here? What is going to happen?

Unfortunately, I’m too pessimistic lately to draw any conclusions from the midterm elections.  The New Right claimed this election cycle would be a ‘referendum‘ on President Obama.  The Left claimed, well, nothing much.  The Left really didn’t do much at all, except let the Tea Party Candidates run around like Chicken Little for a few months and dump millions of dollars into the economy for their campaigns.

2010 Election Results

The results are a mixed bag.  The Republicans took the House and made gains in the Senate.  This should not be a surprise to anyone.  During midterm elections when things are not going well, incumbents never fair well.  Honestly, if there is one thing that is understood in Political Science, it is elections.  The one scientific area in Political Science is elections.  We study and espouse elections the way evolutionary biologists talk about cell structure and mitochondrial DNA.  So, anyone that has studied any Political Science can point out that this election was par for the course.  But there were a few telling things in the nuance of this election.

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Tags: 2010, barbara boxer, blue dog democrats, blue dogs, Christine O'Donnell, coons, creation, Democrat, DINO, Economics, election, Enforcement Droid Series 209, fascism, fiorina, Glenn Beck, harry reid, Independents, jerry brown, Jobs, Joe Miller, meg whitman, midterm, Republican, sarah palin, Sharon Angle, Tea Party
Category news |