I vote for stupid.

The Congressional Budget Office reported this week, the average real income of the top 1 percent grew by an astounding 275 percent. And that is after payment of the taxes that the superrich and their Republican  find so unfair.

Those three decades of  greed unleashed by the Reagan Revolution of the 1980s will be marked by future historians recording the death of the American dream. In that decisive historical period the middle class began to evaporate and the nation’s income gap increased to alarming proportions. “As a result of that uneven growth,” the CBO explained, “the distribution of after-tax household income in the United States was substantially more unequal in 2007 than in 1979: The share of income accruing to higher-income households increased, whereas the share accruing to other households declined. ... The share of after-tax household income for the 1 percent of the population with the highest income more than doubled. ...”

No wonder, since it was the bankers and the lawyers serving them who managed to end the sensible government regulations that contained their greed. The undermining of those regulations began during the Reagan presidency, and so it is not surprising that, as the CBO reports, “the compensation differential between the financial sector and the rest of the economy appears inexplicably large from 1990 onward.” .

In the face of the evidence that class inequality had been rising sharply in the United States even before the banking-induced recession, it would seem that the Occupy Wall Street protests are a quite measured and even timid response to the crisis.

Maybe justice will prevail despite the suffering that the 1 percent has inflicted on the foreclosed and the jobless. But to date those who have seized 40 percent of the nation’s wealth still control the big guns in this war of classes.

I fear not because every politician,even Obama, Owes their political power to Wall Street money.  I see no future for Americans except to take it or fight back. These Wall Street Protesters will  get hammered in the press until they give up .  No Large group of Americans will stand up for what is fair because they are either too complacent or too  stupid.

Texas Tea !

The embassy compound in Iraq is by far the largest the world has ever seen, at one and a half square miles, big enough for 94 football fields. It cost three quarters of a billion dollars to build . I was thinking of writing a big blog on the reason for this but I can sum it up in five words. Black Gols,Texas Tea,Oil. Why waste my time.

United States Air Force.

I remember July 17^th.very well. It was the day I was leaving for the United States Air Force.  I joined the Air Force instead of waiting to report on my draft day.  My dad took me to Lisbon Ohio where a bus was waiting at the court house to take me to Cleveland Ohio. A group of about ten boys were met  by local church women who gave each of us a small Bible, a cheap razor,and a pack of chewing gum.  The bus ride took about two hours and delivered us to the famous Terminal Tower in Cleveland.

We were processed for a couple of hours and sworn in. All we were allowed to bring were the cloths on our back. We were to catch a plane that night but trouble was brewing in Cleveland and we were sent to a Hotel for one night. That night turned into three because we found ourselves in the middle of the Huff Area race riots. We spent three days in dirty cloths and were not allowed to leave the Hotel.

On the fourth day we ,somehow, were transported to the air port to board a plane for San Antonio Texas the site of basic training.  It was not a straight through flight though. We stopped in Detroit and another four stops before arriving In  Texas.  24hrs. later

We arrived at Lackland AFB after a 24 hr. flight including layovers.  We were bused to our base and issued winter field jackets from WWII.  WE stood at attention for over an hour until we were led to our barracks.  We finally received some sleep after 48 hrs. of being awake.

The build up to the Viet Nam war left a shortage of supplies. That meant no uniforms for another seven days. We still had to wear the clothes we had on our backs that we had when we left Lisbon almost two weeks before.  I actually spent the first week wondering what a big mistake I made and eating anything they put in front of me. I wish I could tell you things got better but it took a while for that to happen. I did enjoy the day they cut my hair off because the weather was hot,hot,hot. That felt good.  I did not enjoy showering with 60 other guys and they made you shave every day whether you needed it or not.

I was an experience That I did not enjoy but it went fast and after rounds of testing I was sent to Keesler AFB in Mississippi for a year of electronic training.  These two states ,Texas and Mississippi are two states I never will return to for any reason.

Class Warfare or a Revolution ?

Recently An old man from our town wrote a letter for the Editor of the paper decrying the evil Wall Street Protesters. What do these dirty people want he asked?  He stated that they were nothing like the Tea Party he belongs to . The Tea Party,he says , have nice quiet gatherings calling for less Gov.and lower taxes. I have a few answers for him in this post especially about class warfare. I would really like to address his point about the Tea Party's goal of keeping allegiance to the Constitution. A little lesson is needed here.

It is only class warfare with the rich that feel feel threatened­. They have bought our government out from under us so that it is no longer representa­tive of the people it governs. they have made our government tyrants giving the bankers and mortgage lenders and hedge fund managers all of the common treasure collected from all of the people.

This isn't just "class war", this is a revolution­. It is time to throw out the obsolete and corrupt and non responsive government and replace it with one that represents the INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS of this country again!!!!

We hold these truths to be self-evide­nt, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienabl­e Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Government­s are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructiv­e of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government­, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness

Who wrote that ? Thomas Jefferson fron the Declaration of Independence. He is often spoken as one of our six founding fathers. Then again what does he know compared to a Tea Party Menber.

My history of Youngstown Ohio.

  September 19, 1977 is referred to in Youngstown as "Black Monday." That's when the first big mill closing was announced. Others followed, and soon more than 25,000 jobs were gone. Why did the Youngstown mills close? Several reasons. One is that they were not  able to compete with cheap steel produced in other countries like Japan. Another is that the companies had not  put money into the factories, and they had become outdated. Still another reason: new environment regulations that were expensive to comply with. The result was the departure of the industry that had built Youngstown, and that Youngstown had been built around.

   I remember the trips to Campbell Ohio to visit my cousins. We drove over bridges that went over The Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company. T Looking down into the factory was beautiful,especially at night. I miss those trips. My whole family worked at that facility until it closed.  The company was at fault for sucking every cent out of that business and the union was also at fault for letting them by demanding outrageous salary and benefits. Every one lost in the end.

  Today, Youngstown's steel industry is greatly diminished. Yet, there are remnants–reminders of this heritage. Homes built for the mill workers still stand, and there are ethnic neighborhoods where their descendants live. The churches they built remain as momuments to the many immigrant groups of the city, and a certain gritty feeling remains.

  Today, the largest employers in Mahoning County include the health care industry and education. Youngstown College, a school with about 800 students in 1940, has grown into Youngstown State University with an enrollment of over 12,500. Youngstown hosts several national distribution centers, taking advantage of the city’s central location. And the General Motors facility at Lordstown is a large employer of Mahoning County residents, though it’s located in Trumbull County.

  Youngstown wasn’t known for just its  steel industry

 Good Humor started in Youngstown. The Good Humor Ice Cream Bar was introduced here in 1920 by a drug store owner named Harry Burt. Harry Burt was experimenting with chocolate syrups to pour over ice cream when he came up with the idea of coating a slab of ice cream with chocolate and putting it on a stick. After three years, he perfected his product which he named Good Humor because he believed that a person’s good humor is related to what one eats.

Another contribution to the American landscape with roots in Youngstown is Arby’s Roast Beef. The first Arby’s appeared in 1964 in the community of Boardman, to Youngstown’s south, and it was a harbinger of things to come. Today there are more than 3,000 Arby’s worldwide.

   And here is another contribution of Youngstown to America’s landscape: the push-up bra. A Youngstown native who invented the contraption. Now, can you imagine an America without Good Humor, Arby’s or the push-up bra? Not a pretty thought, is it?.

  Sometimes it isn’t a great place to live but we call it home. There are a lot of interesting things to see and do in the area. Someday I feel that others ill see the potential in our area and return to take advantage or our large eager work force. That is a dream of mine .  I hope it comes true.

Military families are upset.

I just read an article that both Democrats and Republican leaders are looking at ways of reducing benefits for retired and active military. Especially in the field of health care. Does this move surprise anyone. Does ant one think that leaders of this country would look at ways to make care more affordable?  Look what Senators did to t Obama's Affordable Health Care Act.

I notice that we aren't addressing the tax cuts big businesses get, to account for covering for revenue for Important programs.

I notice we aren't addressing responsible­e tax reform, to address the shortcomings­ of revenue for important programs.

I noticed we aren't addressing all this PAID TIME OFF the house is taking, all the time, while addressing the shortcomin­gs in revenue to pay for important programs..

I noticed we aren't addressing the over 170k salaries these politician­s are getting, for saying NO.. Before addressing the shortcomin­gs in revenue to pay for important programs.

But I also notice that we're slashing benefits for the poor, programs for the elderly, benefits for the veterans and soldiers, programs to help the middle class... ANYTHING to protect the rich 1%...

Our Soldiers are only hero's when needed to march into a Republican­s illegal war.. Our First Responders are Only Hero's when needed to score cheap and petty political points in the Rights war on America.

As far as any Dem voting for this, put them on a hit list and vote them out. Our votes are our weapons, and its well past time we use them to fit OUR needs as Americans. Vote them out, vote the bastards out!

Will that happen ? Nooooo the same clowns and jokers will continue to screw Americans until we are all used up.  This whole mess is our fault. It's not like they have been doing it in secret.

Communism,Nazisms, Socialism Capitalism.

All were economic empires controlled by a handful of super rich white guys who became rich and powerful at the expense of the common people. All used the same basic methods, called by different names. Three systems have failed, and the other is failing.

 Lets take a look at the methods, what they were called, and the results. There is not a nickel’s difference between any of the “isms.”  All of them find a way to control the working people to keep them working to support a handful of filthy rich white guys at the top of the pyramid. It took most of my life to realize that  this is right .

 I was raised on “god bless America because we are free.” I was ready to go marching off  ,and did,to protect us from the hoards of ‘godless communists’ who would spread the red  tide over all the world , starting in Viet Nam, stealing away our precious freedom. I was taught that if you work hard and a get a good education it will be rewarded, and you, too, can take your place beside the handful of filthy rich white guys at the top. I guess I was 30 or so before I began to question the accuracy of these suppositions.

Over the years I saw capitalism in action. But it was not like the system that I learned about growing up. I quickly learned that hard work had nothing to do with moving up the ladder, nor did abilty or education. It was all about fitting in, and nothing else. To succeed you had to kiss ass , borrow money to invest in stock and sell at a profit. No longer were hard work or good ideas rewarded with success. You could become rich by just playing a game that all bankers played. Lend money and repossess land and companies.  More and more graduates were going into banking and looking for Wall Street Jobs.



The communists conditioned people from birth to be good communists. Hitler conditioned Germans to be good Nazis from a very young age.  We condition people from birth to be good consumers. We teach them, subconsciously, that what they have defines how important they are. So they spend their lives working to buy things they don’t need that constantly break down so they will be “normal” to their peers and feel good about themselves.Nazisms, Communism and Socialism controlled people with fear. We control people with economic bondage. In all four systems the handful of filthy rich white guys at the top keep their positions through mass thought control. All that differs is the control techniques that they use. There is not a nickel’s difference between any of the isms

The ruling class today actually has the masses believing that keeping heir taxes low will be a benifit to the poor and shrinking middle class. God are we stupid. Next they will take our health care and retirement. We will be forced back into the work force until we die. 

I guess I have compassion for my fellow man.

I don't mind my tax dollars going for extended unemployme­nt benefits for those that can't find work in this economy.  I don't mind my tax dollars going for food stamps for those less fortunate.  I can't stand to think about children going to bed hungry at night or being without a home because their parents can't find work.

I don't mind my tax dollars going for health care for those that need it.  I have been without insurance and I know how it feels not to be able to see a doctor when you are sick.

I guess I have compassion for my fellow man.  I guess that's why I am a Democrat.

I do not go to church much because I do not hear these kinds of things from church leaders. I do not hear them preach the words of Christ that make me feel like a Christian person  with love and compassion.
Why is that. Why is it alright to spend my tax money on guns,bombs,poison chemicals ,and tax breaks for the wealthy but not for the care of my fellow citizens. Citizens whose circumstance I do not sit in judgement of?

I want my tax money to go where It is needed, not for programs that give it to corporations and people that do evil with it.

And that's how Gary sees it !

I have been quiet for a few days so just a couple of random thoughts.
Anti-gree­d protesters rallied globally on Saturday, denouncing bankers and politician­s over the internatio­nal economic crisis ,now, is that really so hard to understand­? the same mainstream media which claims to have NO IDEA why these protests are happening sums it up perfectly in the first sentence. now that we're all on the same page, let's fix it:
Restore progressiv­e taxation, allow the Bush tax cuts to expire and
 add a .25% surcharge to all trades and please  get money out of politics .

We must insist that :

1. That congress pass HR 1489 Reinstatin­g the Glass-Stea­gall act.

2. That Congress use it's authority and oversight to ensure appropriate­ federal agencies fully investigat­e and prosecute the Wall Street criminals.

3. That Congress enact legislatio­n to protect our democracy by reversing the effect of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision.

4. That Congress pass the Buffett Rule on fair taxation so that the rich and corporatio­ns pay their fair share , close corporate taxloophol­es and enact prohibitio­ns to hiding funds off shore.

5. That Congress completely revamp The Securities and Exchange Commission.

6. That Congress pass specific and effective laws limiting the influence of lobbyists and eliminating­ the practice of lobbyists writing legislatio­n that ends up on the floor of Congress.

7. That Congress pass "Revolving Door Legislatio­n", that being defined as laws eliminatin­g the ability of former government regulators being employed by the same coporation­s they once regulated

8. Through Constituti­onal amendment completely and irrevocabl­y removing "personhoo­d" status for corporatio­ns.

9. Reestablis­hing the public airwaves in the United States so that political candidates are given equal time for free at reasonable intervals to occur in daily programing during campaign season.

10.  Term Limits must be put into place at the Federal level for all officials. 

As citizens we must insist that the gap between Rich and poor be narrowed. People should be rewarded by their work  and there should be different classes of income. The problem today is that we are all in a poker game and most people are playing with a short stack. In order to stay in the game these players must borrow from the house . The house ,though , is rotten and will suck every dime they can and destroy all players except for those with large stacks. No bracelet for you !

Our Government leaders are no longer concerned with regulating the large corporations and their wealthy leaders. They are no longer concerned with the health , safety,fairness,and the general welfare of the citizens. They are only concerned with getting a larger piece of the pie. Our leaders no longer belong on the same level of the common man but are members of the upper class. They just pander and lie to the people for their vote.

I am fed up and not going to take it any more.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has begun to inspire people all over America. That's because I am fed up and not going to take it any more.
. They themselves are inspired if they see others standing up for themselves -- speaking truth to power -- standing up in the face of strong, opposition. People are inspired by heroic acts -- by commitment -- by people who say they are so committed that they will stay in a park next to Wall Street until they make change. That's what happened in Egypt and Tunisia. That's what happened in Wisconsin this spring.

The legacy of the Occupy Wall Street movement could very well be the re-inspiration of tens of thousands of Progressives -- and the engagement of young people that are so important to the future of the progressive movement in America.

Right-wingers will plant false stories in an attempt to make to make the Occupy Wall Street movement look frightening. But if the Movement continues with the kind of single-minded purpose and commitment that we have seen so far, the Occupy Wall Street movement may very well make history. It has already become an enormous progressive asset as America approaches the critical crossroad election that could determine whether the next American generation experiences the American Dream or simply reads about it in their history books.
Why do people keep their money in banks when they receive very little interest and no money for loans to help their business.  Why does the Government give our tax money to help banks in trouble but at the same time these bankes will not work with people who have just lost their jobs?  Why do they take homes and sell them at sheriff sales when they could lower payments and interest rates for customers?  They would make more money in the long term.

The answer is that banks want money to invest in China and other ventures. They could care less about little customers. This movement may well be the start of the people taking back their country. Believe me when I tell you that the press will make these people look silly,lazy dumb ,and unamerican. The press is owned by the wealthy 1% and will resort to any tactic to keep their power.

I am closing my account at the local bamk and buying a new coffee can to keep what little money I have left. I am fed up and not going to take it any more.

I am at a loss for words.

I was going to write a story about the number of American Indians we killed.

Two studies have been conducted that attempt to number the natives killed by the United States. The first of these was sponsored by the United States government, and while official does not stand up to scrutiny and is therefore discounted (generally); this estimate shows between 1 million to 4 million killed. The second study was not sponsored by the US Government but was done from independent researchers. This study estimated populations and population reductions using later census data. Two figures are given, both low and high, at: between 10 million and 114 million Indians as a direct result of US actions. Please note that Nazi Holocaust estimates are between 6 and 11 million; thereby making the Nazi Holocaust the 2nd largest mass murder of a class of people in history.

I could write about the seven million tons of bombs we dropped on Vietnam or the 1 to 3 million soldiers and civilians we killed. I could mention the 300,000 Cambodians or the 100,000 Laotians we killed with our bombs. I could talk about the 10 years of Chemical Defoliation (Agent Orange) we introduced into their food chain. That's 1.2,000,000 gallons,

I could talk about the 64 Japanese cities we firebombed for months leaving only two alone ?  That would be Hiroshima 90-160,000 killed in year one or Nagasaki with 60-80,000 killed the first year.

I could write about the dead and wounded in the Iran Iraq war  a wat where the US supplied both sides with weapons . Yes even poison gas that was later used on the people of Iraq. 1,000,000 total deaths in that war. No one knows for sure.

I could write about the dead in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but currently the us is not keeping a body count.

I could write if any of this was necessary or not. I could, but doing research in this made me sick and depressed. I decided not to write in depth on any of this issues because I am at a loss of words.

I had been planning a big story on these wars and deaths but it is just too much for me to handle and still try to live a happy normal life. I guess I could make excuses and or rationalizations but who would I be fooling ?  I know no one would like to read or think about these thoughts,so don't.

stop It ! Keep your fear to yourself.

That's what some Christians do every day,install­ fear. I see it on Facebook and in life. They dare you to say you question the Bible or Christian beliefs. No person running for office can really tell you what he thinks. No teacher in a school system can be open or honest. Many workers lie on the job because they are scared of the meanness of some Christians­. I am not .”  I say what I believe.

Some people I know actually think that God looks on them with favor because they exclaim their beliefs on facebook or in person. Just leave me alone and with your stupid challenges and prayer chains.

Please don't judge me . My relationship between my maker is private and my business.

All religions are based on faith in hard to believe stories and Christianity is no different. It makes about as much sense as Islam so stop making fun of the beliefs of others. I have no time for silliness in my life.

Keep the gay away

I joined Cub Scouts when I was 8. I still remember the den meetings, the Pinewood Derbies, camping with my Dad. I remember, too, having to make a choice between scouting and organized sports. I chose scouting.

When I was 11, I eagerly joined up with the local troop. Although I never achieved Eagle, I stayed with the program until I was 16.

It was through Scouts that I had many great adventures. My Order of the Arrow ordeal. Weeks spent at summer camp -- a place I eventually learned to love. Polar bear and weekends at Camp McKinley.

When my son was , I promised myself that he, too, would get the chance to experience the joys of Scouting. As he grew older, I followed the news about the BSA's fight to exclude gays with some interest.

It disturbed me that the organization was taking such an exclusionary stance; their position didn't mesh with what I thought Scouting stood for. But I held out hope that the Supreme Court would decide in a way that would cause
the BSA National organization to re-evaluate their stance.

When the Supreme Court handed down its decision, I was dismayed. How could I reconcile the fact that my family was now supporting an organization that had the force of law behind its decision to discriminate against a class of people. We have always taught our children that these people are to be loved and accepted as any other person. I could no longer support an organization that labeled them as "immoral" or not to be trusted simply because of who they were.

It's my hope that someday BSA will see the error of its ways; I don't hold out a lot of hope for that, as it seems the National organization is in the thrall of a group of narrow-minded, controlling and fear-laden people.

But there is always hope, or maybe not. How can an organization discriminate against people especially little boys?

Misconceptions about the flu shots.

I got my hair cut yesterday and listened to the cashier tell a customer that she would never,never get a Flu Shot. I asked her why and she told me that once her mother got the shot and got the flu. I tried to tell her that after exposure it could take from one to four days to get sick. She said she did not care. I tried to tell her that the virus in the shot were all dead and could not make her sick.

It was just a waste of tome. I have members of my own family that are educated who will not get a shot out of fear of getting the flu. I even know nurses that refuse to get the shot for themselves and their children.

A flu shot cannot cause flu illness. The influenza viruses contained in a flu shot are inactivated (killed), which means they cannot cause infection. Flu vaccine manufacturers kill the viruses used in the vaccine during the process of making vaccine, and batches of flu vaccine are tested to make sure they are safe. In randomized, blinded studies, where some people get flu shots and others get salt-water shots, the only differences in symptoms was increased soreness in the arm and redness at the injection site among people who got the flu shot. There were no differences in terms of body aches, fever, cough, runny nose or sore throat.

While were at it please stop using the term Stomach flu ! Many people use the term “stomach flu” to describe illnesses with nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. These symptoms can be caused by many different viruses, bacteria or even parasites. While vomiting, diarrhea, and being nauseous or “sick to your stomach” can sometimes be related to the flu – more commonly in children than adults – these problems are rarely the main symptoms of influenza. The flu is a respiratory disease and not a stomach or intestinal disease,

Glass-Steagall Act

In 1933, in the wake of the 1929 stock market crash  and during a nationwide commercial bank failure and the Great Depression, two members of Congress put their names on what is known today as the Glass-Steagall Act  (GSA). This act separated investment and commercial banking  activities. At the time, "improper banking activity", or what was considered overzealous commercial bank involvement in stock market investment was deemed the main culprit of the financial crash. According to that reasoning, commercial banks took on too much risk with depositors' money.

The bill that ultimately repealed the Act was introduced in the Senate by Phil Gram (Republican ofTexas and in the House of Representatives byJim Leach (R Iowa in 1999. Many feel that this lead the collapase of the banking system.  Other deregulation helped too.On Planet Greed, where we just finished bailing out banks to save the economy from collapse. Why was this necessary? Because banks were using depositor funds (that were government FDIC insured) to take giant gambles on risky deritives investment­­s. Las Vegas night at your local bank with OUR money!

Ever since the repeal of Glass-Stea­­gall in 1999, the lure of big returns from risky investment­­s has proven too tempting for commercial banks to pass up. Why should they loan money to businesses and individual­­s in their community at 5-7% when they can roll the dice and potentiall­­y make big money with derivative­­s "investmen­­ts"? Their shareholde­­rs have come to expect bigger returns in the post-1999 market and their stock price takes a hit if they can't bring in rock star returns (that aren't possible with commercial or personal loans, not even Credit Cards). In their mind, it is better to roll the dice on risky investment­­s and let the government bail them out again if they shoot craps.

This mentality won't change until we re-instate Glass-Stea­­gall and make Commercial Banks stop behaving like Investment Banks.
 It is time to support those brave protesers in NYC. They will not get the news coverage they deserve and the media will do little to explain bank deregulation to the general public. I am to undereducated to do it in this post but hope one of you reads this and it makes you want to learn more on your own.

 

 

SSI will never receive its borrowed funds.

THE GOVERNMENT CAN LEGALLY DEFAULT ON ITS DEBT TO SOCIAL SECURITY, IF IT CHOOSES TO DO SO.

One of the least known facts about Social Security is that, although the government does have a moral obligation to pay Social Security benefits to those who have earned them, the government does not have a legal obligation to do so.
Section 1104 of the 1935 Social Security Act specifical­ly states, “The right to alter, amend, or repeal any provision of this Act is hereby reserved to the Congress.” According to the above strong language, Congress could do whatever it wanted to do with regard to changing or even eliminatin­g Social Security.
In a 1960 ruling by the United States Supreme Court, the court ruled that nobody has a “contractu­al earned right“ to Social Security benefits. In the case of Fleming v. Nestor, the Court upheld the denial of benefits to Nestor, even though he had contribute­d to the program for 19 years and was already receiving benefits In its ruling, the Supreme Court establishe­d the principle that entitlemen­t to Social Security benefits “is not a contractua­l right.”
As a result of the 1960 Supreme Court ruling, the future of Social Security is totally in the hands of Congress and the President. They have the legal authority to amend any and all parts of the Social Security Act, as well as the authority to either increase or decrease Social Security benefits.
Does any one really think that wealthy elected officials will do the right thing with your SSI contributions?  People better wake up and get ready to demand their SSI or Congress will never do the moral and honorable thing.