I Am The 99% / WE Are The 99%

click to enlarge

Ariah's response to the person holding this sign is spot on. 
Click to see Ariah's post on Facebook.

I couldn't even afford college.  The "30+ hours at barely above minimum wage" thing absolutely did not work out for me.  Eventually it became a 40+ hours a week, full-time job that I had to take so that I could have health insurance and I could afford to NOT live with three other dudes.  I worked that knee-wrecking job for 10+ years.  Every three years, I'd have a nervous breakdown because our Union contract would be up for negotiation.  I was ready to strike, and often voted against ratifying contracts that I felt were absolutely unacceptible.  But, I was terrified because I was still only able to live paycheck-to-paycheck, especially if I wanted to save any money for retirement (by this time I was nearing my 30s).

After 10+ years of seeing the company (desperate to increase share holder value) constantly expect more and more work, from fewer and fewer people, and fight during contract negotiations to reduce our already minuscule "cost of living" raises and demand that we pay more out of our checks for healthcare, I had to do something.  I was in my van at work one day, at the end of a 12 hour day working in the snow and mud, and I realized that if I put in 12 hour days doing something that I loved, there's no telling how much success I could achieve.

I took the penalty and withdrew the money from my 401k.  I had a modest home recording studio.  So, I took that and my savings and opened my own recording studio business.  From there, I also started an independent record label.  So, now I own two businesses and work way more than 40 hours per week.  And, my businesses are both struggling because of this economy.

****************FULL DISCLOSURE*****************
My wife has a very good job.  She works in the healthcare industry.  But, she's one of the good guys.  She's bringing hospitals into the future.  She's implementing Electronic Medical Records, which will make healthcare safer and less expensive.  But, anyway, she's got a great job and the money she earns can pay our living expenses.  But, we're nowhere near the 1%.  We pay a shitload of taxes and we damn sure can't get any elected politicians on the phone.
*****************END DISCLOSURE*******************

My businesses, however, are still operating month-to-month.  It's very hard.  And, it's because of this god damned shitty economy!!  There aren't a lot of people these days who have a lot of money to make a record.  Hell, there aren't a lot of people these days who can afford to buy a record!  In fact, the only industries doing really well these days are those that provide necessities.  Oil.  Healthcare.  Everyone gets sick.  And, the current system makes that very expensive...  and, very profitable.  Technology.  It's 2011.  The internet is necessary.  And, people have to hustle so hard to earn a living that they're tethered to their job by technology.  Food.  Corporate farms are doing A-OK!  

I really hate to sound like some nutty conspiracy theorist, here...  But, it sure looks like keeping us all as poor as possible eliminates any sort of disposable, or as the Republicans like to say, "discretionary" income.  What this does, is it actually DESTROYS small businesses.  And, it further concentrates wealth into the hands of titans of those various "necessity" industries.  So, we're all working harder, making less money, and giving most of it to the corporations that own the politicians who make the policy that keeps things that way.  It's fucking robbery.  It's destroying communities and culture.  It's turning us against each other.  It's maddening.

From the money we have left, we have to surrender a (often) higher percentage than the millionaires and billionaires, for taxes that will then be spent embarrassingly disproportionately on things we don't even believe in, like wars for profit and bank bailouts.

I'm a small business owner.  I can see very clearly that the corporate agenda has NOTHING AT ALL to do with helping small businesses.  I know what we're up against.  A level playing field should be our demand.  WE are the 99%.

Extremists?!?!

I'm so sick of hearing about how the biggest problem in our political system is the "radicals on both sides"... This is such do-nothing, bullshit rhetoric from "journalists" and "pundits", who have a vested interest in CONFLICT. There may exist, somewhere in this world, a "radical left". But, I challenge anyone to show me where radical leftists have proposed legislation that while serving their political interests, is not in the best interest of our economy. Equating the "radical left", which has been marginalized by mainstream media for years, with the Tea Party Republicans, who are the current darlings of both the mainstream media, and the MAINSTREAM REPUBLICAN PARTY, is asinine. When people talk about how the country is really made up of Centrists, who are turned off by the bickering of the two major parties, the FACT that's always conveniently ignored, is that the current Democratic Party IS the centrist party that everyone is dreaming of.

Another Journalism FAIL

In this article in the Washington Examiner, the author (hack), Christopher Taylor goes to work defending BIG OIL.  He starts, hilariously, by quoting President Obama who called for congress to  "take immediate action to eliminate unwarranted tax breaks for the oil and gas industry and use the dollars to invest in clean energy."  The next sentence is where it gets hilarious.  

"Usually these tax breaks are referred to as 'subsidies' by the press and Democrats who point the finger of blame for high gas prices at oil companies."

"USUALLY"?!?!?   Usually, except in the speech he quoted, and the line he used to start his piece.   Jeez...   

Another HACK piece to be sure.

Most Republicans are Tasteless, Tacky Assholes

"The Pima County (Arizona) Republican Party's decision to raffle off a Glock 23 .40-caliber handgun has generated some sharp criticism because not only is Pima County part of Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' district, but also because the gun used in January to kill six people and wound 13 others, including Giffords, was a Glock."

Now, if you are a Republican, I'm not saying that you're definitely an asshole.  But, you're definitely surrounded by them. 

The Truth About Jobs in Texas

Oof....

Working Poor

Excellent NYTimes piece on "New Resentment of the Poor"
Y'know...  these poor people who receive the "Earned Income Tax Credit" aren't the mythological "lazy, poor-by-choice" unicorns that Republicans imagine them to be.  They're WORKING POOR.  To get the tax credit, you have to be working.  

So, maybe instead of being enraged that these poor souls "don't pay any income tax", maybe the Republicans should be enraged that all of the "job creators" whose loopholes and tax cuts they'll risk the entire world economy to protect, AREN'T PAYING THESE WORKING POOR A LIVING WAGE!!!!

What's equally enraging is the number of people who aren't wealthy who go to bat for these assholes.  It's just amazing how easily these Republicans can convince poor people to hate other poor people.

Journalism FAILURES

Aww, man....   You'd have to be a pretty sick fucker to even imagine all of the horrid things that I wish would happen to Dick Cheney.  He's the result of what happens when a slimy bastard gets everything he wants his whole life, and somehow manages to never be questioned or called out for the shitty things he's said or done.

The former VP is currently doing publicity for his new book.  I saw a clip from an NBC interview, where the interviewer seemed quite proud of herself to have asked Cheney if he still supports the decision to water board (torture) SUSPECTED terrorists.  He said, "yes".  No apologies.  She then reminded him that he's one of very few people left in the world who still view water boarding as a legitimate interrogation technique.  She thought she stuck it to him.  But, he stubbornly stuck to his guns.

After that, the clip I was watching ended.  I can only assume that from there, it went on to another topic.  What I can't figure out is, why isn't there one fucking "journalist" who's smart enough to ask the appropriate follow up question:

Mr. Cheney, if the Taliban were using water boarding to interrogate captured U.S. troops, would you still consider it a legitimate interrogation technique?

It's so frustrating that he's never asked this question.  He manages to survive every interview with his smug self-righteousness intact.   And, it's because journalists aren't intellectuals anymore.  They're pretty faces, suckling at the teat of whatever corporation signs their checks.  Heaven forbid they ask a tough question and the next time Cheney writes a book, he only grants interviews to Faux"News"...

Give me one question, and I could bring that crusty, evil bastard to his knees.  I'd crush his seldom-challenged, logically deficient philosophy in a single question.  And, I wouldn't even need "enhanced" interrogation techniques to do it.  All it takes is the balls to ask a tough question.  

It's too bad that Obama is so content on "moving forward" and not "looking to the past" (except for economic policy, war policy, etc...)   This is the kind of question that would no doubt be asked if torture and potential Bush Administration WAR CRIMES were being investigated by Congress.  And, I bet that Cheney's attempt to answer this question would be one of the most famous moments of any Congressional hearing ever.

Cheney will die before anyone (who actually gets to interview him) ever gets the courage to call him out on this bullshit.  It's just too bad that Hell doesn't really exist.  Cheney's gonna get off easy.

SMH

This just kills me.  I can't believe that ANYONE could conceivably agree with these half-wit goons.  They've taken a topic with plenty of nuance (the Federal tax code) and demanded a ridiculous "yes or no" answer.  It reminds me of the idiots in High School who would ask "Do your parents know you're gay?"   You know, "YES OR NO ANSWER!!!!"
Also, Warren Buffett is a Socialist?   HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!  More proof that these idiots don't even understand what socialism is.  <facepalm>

BTW, when did Fox Business Channel hire Paulie from Rocky to comment on economics?  It's also terrifying how often the right wing goes to unnecessary gun metaphors.

Text Formatting

I don't know why the text formatting in the previous post looks that way, but it looks cool.

Michele Bachmann's Career - R.I.P.

Oooof...

Michele Bachmann Repeatedly Sought Stimulus, EPA, Other Government Funds

Tea Party Mentality

Happy to take credit for the American credit downgrade.

Rebuilding The American Dream

Fresh Perspectives

A New Hope

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-lakoff/why-democracy-is-public-t_b_911205.html

Here's a great editorial piece from George Lakoff and Glen W. Smith.  If you read my previous post about Capitalism and demanding some responsibility from our corporations, you know that I've had a pretty defeatist attitude lately.  I spend a lot of time wondering if it's too late.

This piece has me thinking that the right strategy really could bring Americans around to the need for fundamental change.  It also reminds me of Rachel Maddow commercials on MSNBC where she stirs up nostalgia for the idea of doing great things for the greater good.  It's funny that conservatives seem to long for a time when things that are culturally uncomfortable for them were not yet a part of mainstream culture, and society was less cluttered and complicated by sex and drugs and violence. That time period was before we sold out everything that could generate profit to the corporations.  That was when being a corporate citizen meant being a good citizen.  And, Americans were raised to value service, not to some corporate machine, but to each other, to our cities, states, and our nation.  

This new "conservative" movement is not motivated by a nostalgia for the times that we were great.   They're cherry picking nostalgia just like they cherry pick from their Bibles.  These lunatics in the Tea Party movement are nostalgic for a time when women and non-whites kept quiet and knew their place.  A time when homosexuality didn't exist because no person would dare be "out" in public.  And, what are they teaching their children?  That government is "bad" and that public service is something that foreign governments force on their children...  They view their own little closed communities as vitally important and worth dying for.  Yet, they think that community service in a big city is a sign of weakness and an example of Socialism.

I'm probably all over the place by now....    My point is, I'd like to go back to those simpler times, as well.  Knowing what we know now, and bringing with us the advances we've made socially, and our desire to continue, and combining that with a time where most people wanted to IMPROVE the country, and we hadn't yet sold out to the idea that corporations should control our lives...   Dang...   That's the time I wanna live in.  Hopefully that is the future.   And, oh yeah, please read the linked article.  It's really great.

More Evidence Disproving the "Taxes Are Job Killers!" Mythology

Here's a great short piece by liberal economist Paul Krugman.

I maintain that tax rates have practically ZERO affect on job creation.  It's written into the DNA of Capitalism.  Companies aren't interested in taking their tax breaks and investing them in jobs, just to improve their communities.  Companies these days answer only to shareholders.  And, typically, shareholders don't give a shit about unemployment or the strength of communities.  They care only about profit margins and, most importantly, GROWTH. 

A greedy obsession with 'growth' is killing the world economy.  It's not enough to make lots of money and to have happy employees and customers.  It's more important for profit and shareholder value to GROW every quarter.  Companies can grow for a while, and become pretty big, by innovating and making their customers happy.  But, almost any business is going to hit a plateau where they've achieved market penetration, and their only option for growth is to cut costs.
What do we as consumers get out of this?  We get inferior products.  We get products made as cheaply as possible to meet a price point that represents the most that the majority of the market are willing to pay for such cheap products.

What do employees get out of an arrangement like this?  Well, if they don't get laid off, they get to do the work that they AND the co-workers who weren't so lucky used to do, without the help of those laid off co-workers, and for the same or less money than they used to make.

What does society get?  We get a world where greed rules everything.  We get disingenuous politicians who claim that raising taxes on the wealthy will "kill jobs", even though they know that these companies are going to hire the absolute minimum number of people they need to bring their product to market, regardless of their tax rate.  We get a world where even poor people are more concerned with things than with people. 

Do we want a world where every mechanism of government and industry are dedicated to feeding back into and doubling down on a system that, as is, has completely failed the human beings of this planet?   It's all way too big to fail.  Yet, it's done just that.  And, half of the population are convinced that it doesn't matter.  They're convinced that it's better than these governments and economic systems in European countries that they've never visited.

We need complete reform.  We need to get back to the idea that corporations have an obligation to their communities and their country that is more important than rigging the game to appear to show growth and bump your company's value up a few percentage points.  If we're going to allow corporations access to the incredible market that is the American People, and if we're going to assign corporations RIGHTS as if they were people, then we should also assign them responsibilities that extend beyond just answering to investors.  

Oooooh, Burn!!

The Last Straw

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/23/naked-blackmail/

Jesus Shittin' Christ! I have a hard time even commenting on this one. Republicans have thrown in a last minute demand to derail negotiations on the Debt Ceiling. And, it HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DEBT!!! They're demanding what amounts to a repeal of Obama's healthcare program... You know, Obama's one true accomplishment?

If he gave in, it would be the end of his Presidency. He will not give in on this. He's already offered Social Security and Medicare cuts. I'm surprised that they're not asking for fetuses to be defined as human beings and for gay sex to be punishable by death.

If you support these bozos and this kind of bad faith grandstanding disguised as "negotiation", then you're officially dead to me. Seriously, if you can get behind this kind of childish nonsense that puts politics ahead of the greater good of the nation, then I have no respect for you at all. Delete me from your life.

Oh Hi President Obama. Nice of You to Show Up

Maybe President Obama intentionally lurked in the shadows, watching Republicans throw fits like little babies, and blew the 2010 elections, as a brilliantly strategic move to take down the Republicans completely in 2012... Seems like an incredibly patient hand to play.

But, I'm happy to see that the Barry Obama that I elected in 2008, the guy I stood out in the freezing cold of Washington D.C. in January of 2009 to see inaugurated, has finally showed up to run this country. His Town Hall meeting at the University of Maryland today is so far (he's still answering questions) absolutely brilliant.

Obama is like the teacher/professor you love because he explains very complicated issues, not by dumbing them down, but by guiding you through the complexities. I'm very happy to see this televised. Obama is addressing the nation, on an intellectual level that's appropriate. I've grown so tired of seeing politicians speak to the public as if they were running and running for a Junior High Student Council. MOST AMERICANS can follow and comprehend policy discussions and debates if they're presented a level appropriate for recent High School graduates. That is the minimum amount of intellectualism required to tackle these important issues. And, it's not too much to ask of the American people to consider issues with this level of comprehension.

The best thing about this is, IT'S WORKING!

A Message for the Middle Class

Dear Middle Class,

It seems that there are some very basic concepts relating to taxes that many of you are having some difficulty understanding.

First things first... You need to understand that for all his populist posturing, Grover Norquist is actually a rich, greedy asshole. He's not working to keep your taxes low. He's working to deceptively shift the tax burden from wealthy people like himself, to those of us in the middle class. Republicans do this by arguing to lower everyone's tax rate, while at the same time, agreeing to eliminate deductions and tax credits that overwhelmingly benefit the middle class. They're talking now about eliminating the mortgage interest deduction. Who do you think depends more on a mortgage interest deduction? Middle class homeowners, or wealthy people who typically don't even have mortgages?

Here's some truth about who Grover Norquist really is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grover_Norquist

And, remember, EVERY Republican politician signs a "pledge" to this guy, to go to battle for his plan to shift the tax burden from rich guys like him, to hard-working middle class Americans. That they all try to frame it as a gift to us all should be offensive to any thinking person.

Another thing that it's important to understand about taxes, is that we really could make dramatic and meaningful cuts to taxes for working class people, if we could afford it. The reason we cannot afford it, is because we've spent the last 30+ years consistently lowering taxes and providing loopholes to billionaires and giant corporations and industries. So much so, that some incredibly huge corporations like General Electric actually PAY NO FEDERAL TAXES. In 2010, GE earned $14.2 billion! If they only paid 35% (the top tax bracket for U.S. corporations) on the $5.1 billion that they earned in the U.S. for that one year, that would amount to almost $1.8 billion in revenue, just from this one company in this one year! Imagine the middle class tax cuts we could afford if these corporations would just pay their fair share of taxes!

Think about these things the next time you hear Republicans pretend to fight for lower taxes for everyone. They're actually raising your taxes. And, they're doing it to protect the handouts they receive from their indentured servants in the U.S. Government. It's shameful.

Say It Slowly, And Think About What You're Saying

"I'd like to be abundantly clear. My ability to function effectively, will not affect my ability to serve as Commander-In-Chief." - Michelle Bachmann

That's not abundantly clear. It's not even remotely clear.

I believe that a candidate's ability to "function effectively" most certainly does affect their ability to run the country.

Funny (Frustrating) (Infuriating) Things My Mother-In-Law Says

My mother-in-law is one of the kindest, sweetest people I've ever met. But, she's very, very religious. And, it's really depressing seeing the church (and by this I mean her church, and all of the ridiculous "preachers" she hears on religious television and radio) infect her with negativity and politicize her in ways that she doesn't even understand, or often even notice.

A recent exchange between my wife, Krystal and her mother, Alma....

Alma: Krystal, you've got to listen to the word of God.

Krystal: I do! That's all I ever hear about from you and our family!

Alma: Well, I've got to hear about it from Muslims, too!

Krystal: Really, mom?!?! Name one friend of yours who's Muslim and talks to you about their religion.

Alma: Obama?

****FACEPALM****

They both laughed about it, which leads me to believe that Alma knows that what she said is silly. But, it really disturbs me to see her convincing herself of things she knows in her heart are not true, because the church has her convinced that GAWD wants her to stand up and fight against gays and taxes.

The sad part is, if Alma actually had some Muslim friends, she'd be a better person for it. She's terribly curious and is one of the few people I know who make me feel like they're REALLY listening when I talk to them. I know that broadening her horizons would be mindblowing. But, she must know this, too. Because, she and her sisters will go to amazing lengths to avoid even being exposed to ideas that don't conform to their religious beliefs. We once brought back some postcards from Thailand for Krystal's aunts. None of them would accept one from any of the Buddhist temples we visited, because they had pictures of a false idol on them.

Oh well, I'm sure that they're just as heartbroken that they can't help me as I am that I can't help them.

A Republican Sees The Writing On The Wall

Here is a great piece by conservative columnist, David Brooks. He's acknowledging that Republicans are blowing it hard.

Sexism and One of the Most Asinine Articles I've Ever Read

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/07/18/women.voters/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

First things first: Michelle Bachman is a fucking half-wit imbecile.

Making this argument does not make me sexist. I don't care if she's male or female. She's a fool. So, it's insane for the article to suggest that Chris Wallace (FauxNews) was being sexist by asking her if she's a "flake". She IS a flake.

You cannot claim to stand up against sexism, WHILE YOU'RE BEING SEXIST!!! The mere suggestion that any criticism, no matter how valid, of a female running for office, is sexist, is nonsense. And, it's a step BACKWARDS for equality.

And, this group of women organizing to support ANY female candidate, regardless of their party affiliation, and REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY STAND ON THE ISSUES IMPORTANT TO WOMEN, is insanely stupid. It's also insanely SEXIST.

Truth

This Debt Ceiling debate is not about paying our bills and saving the economy. It's about taking money from Americans and putting it into the hands of the few.

Arguing Is Killing Me

I argue on the internet. I do it a lot. I do it in the worst possible forums for productive discourse. I do it in Facebook comments sections, or abbreviated twitter posts. I do it with passive-agressive jokes. I'm ruthless, sometimes drifting into downright mean. I'm easily frustrated. And, these arguments give me an outlet to vent that frustration. But, it's killing me.

I'm a very logical thinker. I have to be able to rationalize what I do. And, trying to rationalize doing these things, is really taking a toll on my spirit. And, I know that, even to people who agree with me, I often come off looking like an asshole, even when I've won an argument. I often come off feeling that way, too.

I spend most of my online arguing time swatting down straw men, red herrings, and other logical fallacies. These things are horribly frustrating, especially in the modern communication era of short posts on social networking sites. These things pretty much prevent meaningful discussion from taking place. I've known for a long time that people who use these deceptive devices aren't the kind of people who are going to have their mind changed by a guy shooting down their arguments on the internet. I tell myself that I do it, not to convince that person, but to show others who may be reading that lies and distortions should not be tolerated, or to give voice to others who agree but are hesitant to speak up. I think it would be wonderful if everyone spoke up and did this from time to time. But, for me, it seems to be a compulsion.

When I hear something that is a lie, or a distortion, or even an exaggeration, especially if it's being done in service of some unfair or unjust person/place/thing/agenda, I get a strong feeling of uneasiness. I have a very hard time accepting that someone, really anyone, would believe something that is demonstrably inaccurate.

I know that this is affecting my blood pressure. And, I know that it affects the opinions of people who don't know me well. I'm a better person than a bully beating down someone with a misinformed opinion. But, I still believe that it's exactly these kinds of misinformed opinions that give enough confusion to split opinion on issues that facts could easily clear up. I think that we should all demand a little more truth in discussions of issues that are very important.

But, I'm not going to demand that truth from some random person who happens to have responded to one of my friends' comments on Facebook anymore. I'll still politely encourage my own personal friends to seek truth on big issues. But, I've had enough arguing with strangers. I feel like the right wing voters of this country have gone so extreme that I don't really need to point out the failures of their laughable arguments most of the time.

I still care a lot about politics, though. So, I'm going to use this blog to share my opinions with my friends. And, I'm going to use Facebook and other social networking, to make friends, network socially, support my friends' shit, promote my shit, and share photos with friends. If you want to know what's got my blood boiling, come here and read my blog.

*****COMMENTS DISABLED*****