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Saturday, December 1, 2012

Post Mortem Myths

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Howard Weise's letter -to- the- editor gave me what I've been wanting for. He wrapped up all the republican talking points in one neat package. He represents how most republicans think from what I gather. I'm in Howard’s corner and I hope he keeps believing what he's writing because it only means that his party will continue to lose presidential elections. Republicans have not received 51% of the votes since 1988.

He titled the letter "Democrats want us dependent on government." I don't think Mr. Weise is ready to give up his Social Security and Medicare and I seriously doubt if a tornado struck Yorktown, he would refuse help from FEMA. The appropriate title would have been “Democrats are not anti- government.” As it is right now, Democrats will fight to keep the entitlements and the safety net and Republicans will fight for tax cuts for the rich and a healthy defense budget.

Mr. Weise used the same talking points what some diehard republican legislators have been saying for the past four years “we have a spending crisis not a revenue crisis.” They believe the GOP didn't need to pay for the two wars or the prescription drug bill which is 60% of our deficit. I don't know if Mr. Weise  knows that Present Obama can't spend a dime that the GOP controlled House of Representatives doesn't appropriate.

I have never heard a democrat say that taxing the rich would balance the budget  or solves our deficit and debt problems; that's the enablers spin. Democrats realize that we have to cut spending but they can't look their constituents in the eye and tell them “we're going cut your unemployment benefits, entitlements or welfare but we're not going to ask anything of the rich.” It's a last gasp effort to try to convince anyone that the tax rates for the rich do not need to go up. We had an election where the president ran on keeping Bush tax cuts for 98% of Americans and raising the rates on the top 2%. Right now, 67% of Americans does not want Congress to mess with Medicare or Social Security. That old Reagan philosophy of cutting out loopholes, broadening the base and cutting taxes has run its course.

Today our jobs deficit trumps our budget deficit, so that's the reason the president is asking for extra stimulus.

Did you notice where Mr. Weise  uses the old GOP talking points “makers and takers” and conveniently uses the recipients of Medicaid and unemployment benefits as a scapegoat? Its voters like Mr. Weise, that Mitt Romney's 47% comment appealed to. He doesn't realize students, the elderly, the returning vets, and those who were laid off took offense to those statements. I know Mr. Weise's, he's not a rich man and he's probably in the 47% but hasn't done the math.

The letter writer wonders why the president was reelected. It's true unemployment was at 7.9% but people knew what the president inherited, and they knew how the GOP obstructed his efforts every chance they could. The GOP had a clown show in the primaries and the person they elected to run against the president did not have core beliefs. The rhetoric from Mitt Romney and his party alienated women and minorities. The voter suppression laws enacted by GOP governors angered some voters who were going to stay home. One of Mitt Romney's biggest mistakes was not giving specifics. He assured us of 12 million jobs and a 20% tax cut but didn't say how he was going to do it. The days when you can say you are a small government conservative, thinking that will carry the day, are long gone because the people they have alienated; vote.

I'm thinking that Congress will go past deadline that keep us from going over to the so- called fiscal cliff because the republicans know the tax rates on the rich have to be raised. They would rather the president and his party allow them to expire, so they don't have to try to defend holding the tax cuts for 98%, hostage, so the top rates stay the same. Neither party wants to cut Medicare because of the consequences. John Boehner and Mitch McConnell want the Democrats to name the specific cuts in Medicare so they can use it against them; as they tried to do in the election. Neither party is that interested in the deficit or they would let the entire Bush tax cuts expire. Raising the debt limit is the only leverage the GOP has and they know it. That's the reason they are posturing and grabbing the nearest microphone to put the best spin on it. Speaker Boehner can't cut a deal until after January 3, 2013 because that's the day that his party votes to retain him or go with someone else. He can’t do anything to anger the Tea Party caucus.... just yet.

I'm not picking on Howard Weise because he's pretty typical of all the republicans I know. He's typical of those republicans you engage with on Facebook, on the streets or the local forum. Their party didn't do anything wrong in 2008 or 2012, those 332 electoral votes and the 63,742,092 people who voted for Obama just wanted free stuff. You keep believing that; and every four years Howard will write his same letter and watch as another democrat gets sworn in.

10 comments:

Mike said...

I thought this was interesting….”Nancy Pelosi pointed out Friday that the Senate already passed a bill in July that would accomplish President Barack Obama's goal by extending lower tax rates for the middle class but not the wealthy.
Pelosi called on House Republican leadership to bring that legislation to the floor next week and threatened that if they do not schedule a vote on the Senate bill, Democrats will file what's known as a discharge petition on Tuesday to force a vote on the measure in her chamber. If Democrats successfully obtain 218 signatures on the discharge petition, it would automatically force the middle income tax cut bill to the floor for a vote.

"We believe that not [bringing the Senate bill to the floor] would be holding middle income tax cuts hostage to tax cuts for the rich," Pelosi said. "Tax cuts for the rich which do not create jobs, just increase the deficit, heaping mountains of debt onto future generations."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/30/nancy-pelosi-fiscal-cliff_n_2220200.html

I guess only political junkies like me like to learn about all the political maneuvers.

I think Boehner will make sure 25 republicans don't sign the petition...Who knows?

Mike said...

On another topic that's popular at our local forum : Tipping

First why does Victoria stand out?

Second,I tipping is a mindset but for me,I know the wait staff does not make much money and as long they are not rude they will get a tip from me..How am I supposed to grade their service? I order,I get my meal ,I never want more tea or napkins and I don't mind asking if I need something but that's just me.

Have a good weekend.

born2Bme said...

I saw that letter early this morning and my fingers were itching to answer, but I didn't, and I'm not going to. Born2Bme is no more on the VA.
The elections are over...for now, and most of this is sour grapes by a party that lost and cannot fathom that real Americans do not think exactly like they do.
Most of them do not even realize that they are talking about themselves, or someone in their own family when they talk about the takers.
President Obama ran on fairness and that is how he won.

born2Bme said...

I've been also keeping up with the tipping thread.
I tip according to what I can afford. There have been times that I've only been able to tip 10% and the service was really good. Most of the times, I tip 20%, and one time at Red Lobster, the waiter was wonderful and he got around 30%.
I'm like you MIke, I don't ask for much when I eat out and I really do not like people hovering over me the whole time. A really good waiter will know when to come to the table and when not.
If I cannot afford to tip at all, I eat at Subway, or a place like that.

Mike said...

It was bound to happen. I got to see a few of my republican friends I used to work with this past week and they brought up the election. They all echoed the letter writers view points but I bit my tongue and tried to change the subject….

As for tipping, I don’t have any steadfast rules but if I’m using a debit card I’ll round it off to even numbers otherwise it’s whatever I have in my wallet.

I still don’t know why restaurants can’t pay their help a decent wage, where they don’t have to rely on tips…My grandson worked as a waiter, so I got to hear his side of the story and it’s probably the reason I will always tip.

Howard Weise wants unfettered capitalism (we are practically there) so our largest and most profitable employer (Walmart) can reduce their employee’s hours to avoid paying for their health insurance….That’s OK; the taxpayers will pick up the tab with Medicaid because the company doesn’t pay them enough.

BTW I was at the Houston North Marriot yesterday attending a meeting, so I decided to get their breakfast buffet…I got the bill for $17.23 so my waitress got a $2.77 tip and all she did was tell me to find a seat….lol….The last time I took a toll road it was seventy five cents..Yesterday the 27 mile Belt Way 8 trip cost me $1.75 a stop and a total of 3 stops cost me $5.25..it’s better than the free 610 North but with yesterday’s traffic it took me 1 hour and 15 minutes to drive those 27 miles….I think capitalism is doing pretty good.

Legion said...

That is a good move by Nancy Pelosi.

One thing the Rep. overlook is that if a deal isn't reached, the Bush tax cuts expire. So along with middle class tax hikes the top few % get their taxes raised too. So what is the point? To punish everyone because the top %'s have to pay more?

Legion said...

On the tipping thing...
Way back in the late 80's early 90's, my girlfriend and I went to eat at, errr, I forget the name it had then, the Mexican food place next to the Corral.

We went inside, were seated, ordered our tea and the waitress brought it promptly along with the chips and salsa.

45 minutes later, with empty glasses, the waitress hadn't returned or been seen to get our food order... so we left.

As soon as we got in the truck the waitress comes out yelling at us so I got out of the truck... the waitress screamed sort of and ran back inside so we followed her.

The owner came out of the back about the time VPD showed up. We told the officer that the waitress never came back for our order so we left. The owner asked the waitress if that happened and she said "Yes, I forgot about them."
So we paid for the tea, received a sincere apology from the owner and left.

I went back alone the next week, received excellent service and attention from the owner and the place turned into one of my favorite places to eat.

Mike said...

When will the ignorance stop?

Today, Bruce Hultquist is trying to convince us that we are heading in the same direction as Greece….#1 we have a federal reserve #2 We are a much larger country which can absorb the ups and downs besides the good faith in the United States is still there. After all, we survived $8 trillion of capital that was taken out by the financial sector in September of 2008.We turned around and gave them a $700 billion bailout without any laws to prevent them from doing it again.

It would be helpful; If Bruce could provide one incident where free phones were provided by the government.

BTW It wasn’t just Greece who went to the streets to protest; it was all the European nations where harsh austerity measures were tried.

born2Bme said...

That free phone thing is hilarious. Why don't people do their own research and quit listening to those idiots on the right-wing media shows?

Mike said...

People like Rosalie Sykora will continue to live in the dark…I copied her letter to show how misguided she is.

She wrote:

"What's with all the hoopla about retail stores opening late Thanksgiving night?

In my opinion, it's another move by the left to bring down those evil, big companies that provide jobs, make a profit (what a horrible thing) and give consumers products they need and want.

When did the left ever care about family and traditions? They have done everything they can do to bring down the traditional family - gay marriage; free birth control pills for before, during and after whatever you do and abortion is the law of the land. Traditions - you can't say Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas or Happy Easter!

I say not only drill, baby, drill, but also shop, baby, shop!"

Rosalie Sykora, Victoria

She claims retail stores opening late on Thanksgiving is left wing outrage. My, my, my times have changed. She should read about who is responsible for our blue laws.

Imagine if Wal-Mart was a union store paying union wages…Would they be opening on Thanksgiving paying holiday pay?

Roe v Wade has been the law the land since the seventies and has nothing to do with traditional marriage which is subjective….

Again, the right to say a Happy Thanksgiving Merry Christmas and Happy Easter has never been in jeopardy…. It’s the corporations who did not want to offend anyone because it’s always about the bottom line for them.