Thoughts on the Constitution and politicians.

The U.S. Constitution has 4,440 words it is the oldest and shortest written constitution of any major government in the world.  One of the many flaws in the first article was that the Constitution does not set forth requirements for the right to vote.  As a result, at the onset of the Union, only male property owners could vote.  African Americans were not considered citizens, and women were excluded.  NativeAmericans were not given the right to vote until 1924.

Article one had to be changed, or amended many times over the years to grant true freedom to all Americans.  Amendments #13 abolished slavery, #14 provided civil rights, #15 Black Suffrage (right to vote), # 17 provided for the direct elections of Senators, #19 women suffrage, #23 Suffrage of the District of Columbia, #24 the elimination of poll taxes, and finally #26 suffrage of 18 yr. old citizens.

I bring this up because during the last Republican debate Mitt Romney cited these words, from the Constitution, as evidence that the founding fathers founded a great nation on Christian principles and ideas. The only problem with this was the fact the words he used   “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,”  were from the second paragraph of the declaration of independence.

I find it hard to fathom how a candidate for the Presidency of this country could not have read our Constitution enough to become familiar with its provisions. What is even more disturbing to me was that there was no one to correct him, not a reporter, not another candidate, no one.  Sad. 

Mitt, this is for you benefit.  The Declaration of Independence was a letter written to King George for the purpose of declaring our freedom as a new nation.

One would think that a politician would take the time to read and study a document as small as the Constitution.  I did.

Tenure is used to protect good teachers.

Alter teaching school for over 35 years let me give young people some advice. Don’t become a teacher!  It seems that today’s political leaders choose to blame all of the educational problems, that they have caused, on today’s teachers and their ability to attain Tenure one day.  Let me explain the purpose of tenure for educators. It is intended as a means of due process to protect good teachers from being replaced for partisan reasons. It is simply a Matter of Due Process.

Unlike tenure for university professors, tenure for K-12 teachers does not, in theory, shield them from dismissal. Instead, it's simply a guarantee of due process — that if a teacher is fired, it will be for cause.

The advent of tenure, started with World War I and the suffragist movement, was meant to protect teachers, who, in olden days, were often fired for reasons that had nothing to do with their work, including race. Teachers were often let go when a new political party came to power locally, or if the principal wanted to hand out jobs to his friends or even if a teacher got pregnant.

“These laws were passed in state after state to protect good teachers from arbitrary actions," says Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, which is the country's largest teachers union.

"Due process is necessary in order to avoid the type of abuses of the past," he says. "It's very upsetting that in 2010, under the guise of improving schools, we suddenly get rid of protections from firing teachers for inadequate or wrong reasons.

In Ohio today a teacher needs to prove themselves by doing seven years of good teaching before they have any job security or seniority.  It is the job of Principals to weed out the bad teachers during this time.

As a Union member I have watched abuses by supervisors many times. Favors doled out for kiss asses and plumb assignments for their favorites.

As a retired teacher I can honestly say that it would be a silly to believe that a good teacher, with 20 yrs. experience would, would not be let go in a budget crunch in order to save money. The time to get rid of bad teachers is during that first seven years. The School Board must make sure that Principals do their job.

Let me restate my position. Tenure is to protect good teachers not bad. Every contract has guidelines for getting rid of bad teachers, even tenured ones.

This issue is just political because teachers unions back Democrats in most elections. Merit pay!  If I know the politics in a school district this money would not go to the most deserving.  Schools have problems but getting rid of teacher tenure will only make them worse. I listen to stupid people wine about tenure all the time. Most of these people have no idea what’s going on In the world. They just repeat what they see and hear from the corporate media.

Please! If you have a brain in your heard stay away from the teaching field. All you will get is an ulcer, disrespect, illness, and heart ache.

I just don't understand it.

I don't understand why people can't see wealth hoarding is economical­ly disastrous. It isn't sustainabl­e in any way, shape or form. It just isn't. You cannot have so much wealth concentrat­ed into the hands of so few with our consumer driven economy and expect to have social justice, upward mobility, a vibrant and growing middle class and a balanced budget. Trickle down is an utter failure and the conservati­ves refusal to acknowledg­e this (they know it is a failure) is dragging our economy into the abyss.

Funny how guys that actually got rich creating something and changing the world, like Gates and Jobs, have no problem with paying more in taxes. Then you have guys who don't create anything and just move money around, like Romney, that have a problem with paying more in taxes. Getting rich by creating something of lasting value is the American way. Getting rich by making money at the expense of others is the Republican way.

What's funny about this whole argument is that there was not this much argument about taxes when the top tax rate was 90%. No way, you say? Research it. And yet even with that high rate businesses still managed to make a profit, we had decent schools and other services, and politician­s weren't at each other's throats. The difference is that now no one cares about the American ideal any more. Everyone, I mean everyone is out for themselves­. For many of the wealthy, they will never have enough money or power to ever be happy. A lot of that mindset, I am convinced, has to do with the fact that so many people today who are wealthy never worked a day in their life. They were born rich and then, thanks to Wall Street, they have built vast wealth from nothing but investment­s and we give them extra tax breaks for that. That flies in the face of the traditiona­l American ethic of working for what you have. Bill Gates is one of those guys who "gets it." So to all those who like to give that lame answer that if he thinks the wealthy should pay more, he should voluntaril­y give more, I say, stop listening to the GOP talking points on the tax issue and start listening to guys like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet who have actually made money, paid taxes, and understand the American Dream. If you listen you'll realize they actually make a lot.

I remember when my Dr., in Salem, built a new four bedroom home because he was rich. There was not the big difference between the wealthy and the middle class lifestyle as there seems to be today. Kind of sad that there are people, with enough money to waste, to give   Newt ten million dollars of spare change to run for President. One couple!

Morning Know it All .

I am not a nurse. I know they make a lot of money and are in great demand often receiving signing bonuses.  I have no idea how their job performance is rated or what their working conditions are. I believe most nurses belong to a union and at times have gone on strike. I know that some are better than others but have no opinion on how their job performance should affect their pay.  I guess I am not a know it all. Too bad…..at times I fancy myself fairly knowledgeable on a lot of subjects.

This is not true of Joe Scarborough.  I listen to him on MSNBC in the mornings.  This morning he ranted about the state of education and how the teacher unions were the main cause.  When anyone else had a different opinion he cut them off.

I do not know how Joe became such an expert on the trials and tribulations of being a teacher.  I don’t know how he became an expert on the problems and politics of surviving as a teacher. The problems we face with new bosses every couple of years or the differences in student behavior from school to school.  He believes that better younger teachers are let go before older bad teachers because of seniority .He believes that better teachers should receive more money than less successful ones.

He has no idea of the intricate problems teachers have or how to judge a good one from a bad one.  Could he be a know it all?

I hate to bring up past history or facts but Joe has some skeleton I his closet. Look up the name  Lori Klausutis.

Republicans have been after unionized teachers for years because their union backed Democrats. I never hear them complain  about private or charter school teachers. They never point out that some of the highest rated schools in the nation use unionized educators. A funny thing though it has been my experience that a  of teachers that Principals think are their best are really not that good. Your classes or types of students can make anyone look good.

Tenure

I have been retired for five years this summer. I started watching my year old granddaughter the next school year.  We learned to play together. I taught her how to read and work on puzzles. We used a leaf press and did art projects. I think we both had a wonderful time together.

Julia is now in Kindergarten and reads on the 4^th. Grade level. The school has to provide her with special reading material . From time to time she is asked to read chapter books to her class. 

I bought her a microscope for Christmas so we could study Science together. Last week we received our EBay talking globe so we could study the world’s countries together. For her sixth birthday her grandmother and I bought her a Kindle to read from.

I am not bragging but trying to make the point that parents and grandparents educate their children before and after they enroll in school. The teacher helps to guide their learning but the family must put the work in with their children. We must prepare our children for success before they even enter school.

I am writing this today in response to the debate over teacher tenure. I had tenure when I taught. I started with three one year contracts. Over the life of these contracts I was observed twice a year by my Principals and once a month but the County Office. Next I progressed to two three year contracts. During this period I was observed by my supervisors three times a year.

After completing work towards a master’s program I put in for and received my tenure. I was still observed by my supervisors on regular basis. My contract explained to me that tenure only bought me due process and nothing more. I could no longer be fired without a reason that I could challenge.

I still had to perform my duties and follow all the work rules of my contract.  Having tenure just lifted the burden of being let go every year off of my shoulders.

Teachers are often given too much credit for the success of students and too much blame for their failure. The family plays a much bigger role.  My own children would never have come home with bad grades or a note of discipline from school. They knew we would not stand for average work. We picked their classes all through school. We made sure they did their projects. We made sure they studied music. We provided them with activities instead of T.V. I remember when I had the cable co. block MTV from my cable connection.

If you are looking for the reason for failure of our schools you have to put teachers on that list but nowhere near the top. 

School could and should weed out the bad teachers during their first five or six years before tenure is offered. Supervisors and Principals often fail to do their job.

I also know that a teacher’s success rate is tied to the school and area they teach in.  Are there bad teachers?  Yes, are there bad dentists, Yes, are there bad Presidents, Yes, are there bad parents?

Does our country have a soul?

Do nations have souls?  By that I mean would a God view the actions of a nation as he does the actions of an indiviual?  Wouls a Just God view the actions of the United States as moral and good?

I mean how would you judge a country that ranks 35th. in the quality of health care around the world?

How would you judge a country that goes to war without all the facts and kills many inncents ?

How would God judge a country that provides tax cuts for it's wealthest citizens while cutting safety net programs already paid for by working people?

How would one judge a country thaat does nothing when the distance between its poorest and wealthiest continues to grow?

How would God judge a country that practiced slavery for over 250 yrs?

How would a God judge a country that has so many of its citizens locked up in prisons?

How would a God judge a country that allows filthy slutty programs and movies on the air ?

How would a God judge a country that allows so much porn to reach its youngest?

I could go on and on for a long time.

I was always told that America was a special place that had God's blessing. Really?  I hope he judges our citizens with a different set of principles than our Government. May God bless us all!

A Saturday to Remember

Times are truly different.  It was a bitterly cold morning in the spring of 1959.  I was 12 years old and looking forward to my Saturday off from the strict, and sometimes intimidating, treatment of the nuns of St. Paul’s School.  I woke up excited to face a day doing what I wanted. Being somewhat of a loaner I donned my father’s WWII Coat ,grabbed a PB & J sandwich along with his Army canteen and set out for Blue Mountain.

Unless you are from Salem or an adventurer you may not know about the location of Blue Mountain. It was across one of the branches of Beaver Creek just off of Egypt road.  Today that would be below Wal-Mart.  I walked across town and down the very steep Painter Hill. There was a sand and gravel operation that was shut down on Saturdays. My mission was to try and ford a somewhat swollen creek without getting wet.

It was tricky but I was able to find a fallen tree and made my way across the creek. My next mission was to assail the steep climb up Blue Mountain.  This was both exciting and a little dangerous for a twelve year old.  I spent a good hour sitting against a tree munching on my lunch with a freshly dug ginger root to gnaw on for pleasure. It al least tasted like root beer to me.

Sadly I had to make my way back to town before my unknowing mother wondered what I was up to.  I came into the downtown section of Salem, sometime in the late afternoon, only to see a horde of people and a parade. The First National bank had these wonderful windows about six feet above the ground. One of the windows , facing Broadway but close to the corner of State St. ,had a big ledge and bars covering the window. I was able to jump up and secure a spot on the ledge to watch a parade led by some guy in a red Pontiac convertible, the school marching band, cheerleaders.and a lot of honking cars in tow.

The next Day I found out that what I saw was the 1959 Salem Basketball team was returning from the state tournament with a second place finish losing only to Cleveland East Tech.  The red car was new and a present from the town to coach Cabas. Just another boring Saturday in Salem Ohio. These were the kind of adventures I had as a child in Salem Ohio. The best part is that my parents knew. and still know nothing of the kinds of things I did. All of my adventures were never bad or against the law. Next time I will write about how I spent my summer inside of one of the tanks stored in the old armory (now the city garage).

Has the South changed?

I remember when I graduated from basic training in the fall of 1966. The Air Force gave me orders to report to Keesler A.F.B. in Mississippi. I was to spend the next year there in Electronics school.  I remember the trip on an old Greyhound bus that took me out of Texas through Louisiana and Mississippi. I remember looking out of the bus windows seeing Blacks still tending cotton fields. This kind of shocked me. I had never been particularly bright and not a good student in school, but this picture still disturbed me.

We arrived at the base during the noon hour and to my surprise the base was only two blocks from a 22 mile stretch of beach on the Gulf of Mexico.  I became excited of the prospect of spending time on the beach. What luck I thought.

I was assigned a school in Radar repair and marched across the flight line every morning to Radar Repairman School. Classes lasted 6 hrs. Every day from 6 am to noon. The entire coarse took a year and 1,170 hrs. of class time.  After school we ate lunch and reported for P.T. from 2pm to 3pm.  We had study time until 5.pm and lights out at 9pm every day Monday to Friday.  We had an unlimited 135 mile pass and could spend our free time any way we wanted.

The city and the beach was a complete disappointment to me and some of my friends. The beaches and water were dirty and the night life was not very fun for Blacks and Northerners. It soon became apparent that we were not welcome  in Biloxi. Jim Crow was still in effect law or no law. It was a scary place to be. In short I spent my off hours fishing in the Back Bay or on trips to New Orleans.  The South did not make me feel welcome and the people were not very accommodating. In short I was relieved to finish my year, in one piece, and get an assignment to California in 1967.

As I sit here in my home watching the debates in South Carolina I wonder if the South has really changed that much. The Dixiecrats are gone replaced by Republicans.  The Civill Rights and voting act did not go down very well with Southerners.

My sister moved to Georgia in 1985 and often told me that her kids went to integated schools and there was little trouble with other races. I believed her until I went to my nieces wedding in an upscale area called Buck Head, north of Atlanta.  As I sat enjoying the wedding I remember asking my wife where the Black people were.  If both of these kids went to school with Black kids their whole life didn’t it seem reasonable that at least one of them had a Black friend? If fact the only people of color I saw all weekend were our servers.

I don’t think the South has changed very much. They still hate the federal Gov. for interfering with their states’ rights and making them integrate their schools. I still do not believe that the upper class has ever given in and still practices segregation.

Sitting here watching the responses of the people in these debates I wonder if it would not have been better if we would would have lost the Civil War or at least let the South start their own country. These people seem so different than me.  Just a couple of thoughts from an old man sitting here watching TV on a cold Saturday night.

The Bush years never happened !

 The Bush tax cuts were to improve the economy just like the Reagan tax cut that were to do the same thing. Facts tell a different story. During the Carter Administration there was a worldwide recession that lasted for three years after Carter left office. Today’s Republicans seem to forget all the years before Obama and want to blame him for the economy ignoring the facts that he too has lowered taxes and spent a lot less money than either Reagan and Bush.

The best example I've seen on the ridiculous­ness of this revisionis­t history was the night a GOP congressma­n was being interview on MSNBC with Ron Reagan Jr. The interviewe­r asked a question about President Reagan and the congressma­n launched into a lofty explanatio­n of what Pres. Reagan did and thought about the subject of the question.

Ron Jr. interrupte­d him and took issue with the congressma­n's assertion. The congressma­n shot back that he KNEW the president personally and knew his mindset. Ron Jr. after rolling his eyes in disbelief at the audacity of the congressma­n said, "Uh...pard­on me but I think I knew him a bit better than you sir...", to which the congressma­n replied in a voice dripping with contempt, "You didn't know him as well as I did." At that point Ron Jr. just laughed in disbelief. The congressma­n remained aghast that he had even been challenged in what he was saying by this "flaming" liberal...­even though he was the President'­s son.

Republican­s make up whatever "truth" they want to in order to fit their narrative and mindset at the time, even if that revision flies in the face of actual facts or is so off the wall as to tell a man's son that he didn't know his own father write the history of this country every chance they get.

The republican­s live in an alternate reality. We hear them describe it as truth every time they talk. Reagan raised taxes as governor of California­, and as president, when he thought it was needed. He started us on the path of bigger deficit spending and running up the national debt - in fact he was the champ at it, until a few years ago. Supply side economics was a flop - even David stockman told us so afterwards­. RR would be kicked out of the party by the zealots today. Mitt, Newt, Rick are all either very delusional or fabulous liars. Will we ever see another Teddy Roosevelt?

Reaganomic­­s has contribute­­d approx. $9 Trillion to the national debt. It is a FACT that Republican presidents were the ones who ran up the debt. Reagan tripled it, Bush One added $1 Trillion to it, and Bush Two sent it even higher, to $4.5 Trillion. Tax cuts and Bush's two wars were obviously major contributors

Time has come to look at History and the facts. Tax cuts designed to improve the economy did nothing but help plunge us deeper in debt. This was done by a Republican Congress in order to help get rid of most regulation and social safety net programs.  The facts are hard to cover up.

Money does not grow on trees. There is only so much to go around.

Money does not grow on trees. Those that have a lot of it ,in some cases, got it through some not very honest or moral ways. Remember that slaves worked for free for over 250 yrs and a lot of families made a lot of money from this labor. I just do not trust people that do not make their money from hard work. Some people are just better than others when it comes from taking advantage of their fellow man. Remember that Dr Salk gave his Polio Vaccine away from free. Some live to make the world a better place while others live to make their lives easier. I do believe that There are people like Bill Gates who are trying to divest their fortunes before their days are over.  I just wish there were more. As the divide between rich and working poor widens, problems will intensify.

There has always been tension between the rich and non-rich in this country. I remember a time though when the wealthy created jobs in this country and invested their wealth in the betterment of  this country. Did they look for ways to reduce their taxes? Of course, we all take the deductions coming to us, but the wealthy paid back by  built libraries, museums, hospitals.­They didn't demonize the rest of us but tried to find ways that would enrich the entire nation. Now the wealthy have become citizens of the world, global players. I suspect their loyalty and commitment to the United States is not what it once was.I don't see many of their sons or daughters in uniform. In their quest to find the cheapest way to produce their goods and provide their services, never passing on any of the savings, they have gutted this country and therefore why shouldn't the rest of us resent them? The wealthy have the money but at one time they also had a vision, not just for themselves but for the entire nation. Now their vision seems to be "I'll shelter my billions off shore and you find a job at Kentucky Fried".

There just seems to something wrong when a working man ,with a good job, pays 32% in federal taxes while a wealthy man,who makes millions through no work but just through investments, only pays 15%  in federal taxes.

What really seems wrong to me is that rich men running for office don't see this injustice.

Climate change and politics.

The question of whether one accepts the scientific consensus that the climate is changing and that this change is caused by man has become a cultural issue. People on the right of the political spectrum automatica­lly assume that climate change is a hoax. They don't bother to look at the science and make an informed decision about the issue. They don't even care that the people from whom they take this assumption haven't bothered to do the research either. Rational thought doesn't enter into it. It's an issue of "us vs. them". Whoever claims that climate change is a hoax is part of the tribe and whoever says otherwise is an outsider.

The real question is not "How can we educate these people?". They will not listen - no matter how good our arguments are. The group pressure is far stronger than rational arguments could possibly be. The real question is "How do we decouple Republican affiliation­ from the discussion about climate change?". There's nothing inevitable about this link. Why should a conservati­ve take no interest in conserving the planet? Once conservati­ves are free to form an opinion on this matter without peer pressure, they might actually listen.

This has always confused me. As a Progressive I form my position on issues based on facts and cultural influences based on my life experiences. An example would be my position on abortion. I am against it and wish that both sides could form some kind of agreement that would eliminate the majority of abortions in the world. I also believe that you can't make a woman have a baby that does not want to. I am open to other points of view on this subject. I know that my positions will not always be the ones that others subscribe to.

I wish we could all open our eyes on this climate change issue before it is too late. It is only about the future of our existence !

I must sound like a broken record ,

In 2007, the LA Times ran a story on a hospital that documented the fact that 35% of its profits came from 2% of its patients - the uninsured - who were routinely charged 3 to 5 times as much from treatment as those who were insured. That same year the US health system was rated 37th in the world, having fewer doctors and hospital beds and a higher infant mortality rate than it did in 1973. Congressio­nal hearings in 2009 showed that insurance company WellPoint'­s Blue Cross subsidiary plus two other insurers had saved over $300 million in claims by cancelling the insurance of over 20,000 policy holders over a period of five years. Collective­ly, HMOs employ roughly 200,000 people whose job it is to find ways to bump people off policies they'd paid into for years.
The US, by and large, doesn't have a health care delivery system so much as a health care denial system.

We need a public option for healthcare and a non-profit health care system. Why should anyone profit off the sick & dying? A for-profit health care system is inhumane--­its cruel & unusual punishment for a lifetime of hard work when one has to sell their home & assets to get treatment for a life-threa­tening disease. Pharmaceut­ical companies are bleeding the system dry while making us all sicker & sicker with the side effects of the "cure." We need a preventati­ve system that prevents disease rather than insisting on a system that claims it can cure disease when it can't. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

It astounds me that in the United States of America, the greatest country on Earth, in 2012, there continues to be millions and millions of people who do not have health insurance and/or access to competent health care providers. But, we do have billions and billions of dollars to spend on defense and 2 worthless wars (that are still draining money from the treasury), ­and a host of other programs that do nothing to better the lives of our fellow countrymen­. There are thousands of programs that due make our lives better but nothing would improve the daily life of all Americans, than to have access to health care. In the end, it is our own fault; we keep electing the same scoundrels over and over again.

I want to believe in God I really do.

"Religion has convinced people that there’s an invisible man…living in the sky, who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn’t want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer and burn and scream until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you and he needs money." - George Carlin

I want to believe in God I really do. I pray to him all the time for strength and courage. I never ask him for help or good health because there are others who suffer more than me.  I do have a hard time with the myths and stories I have learned during my Christian education.  I have a hard time believing in original sin. It makes little sense to me. I have trouble with the death of Christ so heavens gates could be open for all. Why?  I have trouble with the whole bible. It is just a collection of books that are to be used to teach lessons to Christian followers. Do people really believe the New Testament is the word of God? Really!  I would think he could write much better than that.

In short I guess I have no faith to speak of and just live my life by Christian Principles because it feels right to me. I just wish other professed Christians would do the same

The selling of America.

The two presidents who brought us to the Great Depression were Coolidge (republica­n) and Hoover (republican), George bush (and gridlock. republican) brought us to the Great Recession all by himself. Did you know that after the great depression­, republican­s were keeping from having any real power or control for 40 years? Think the people from the great depression learned something? ­???? Look what happened as soon as the republican­s took over the house in 2010, we got a downgrade and grid lock. . You would think we could learn from the past. Look at Rommeys business history, is he the republican answer to an actioner, will he come in as president and sell off America using Bain like Cheney used Halliburton­??? Romney will sell the USA for its assets and pocket them along with his multi-millionair­e friends. Why should he suddenly stop the habits of a lifetime?

Now that the Iranians are accusing the US of killing of their nuclear scientists­, what I'd like to know is precisely how Mitt Romney is qualified to deal with foreign policy issues. I'm already completely convinced he is NOT the guy to fix the economy, seeing as he's so fond of 'acquire and destroy' tactics in order to make more' money, more' money. Likewise, I'm completely convinced he possesses not one scintilla of respect for the rights of anyone without a hefty bank account. I won't even get into his attitudes on social policy. How would this guy handle US relations with the rest of the world?

At an event here Saturday, 55-year-ol­d Ruth Williams approached Romney to tell him she was jobless. Romney opened his wallet and handed her a wad of cash, according to ABC News. A Romney spokespers­on confirmed he gave her between $50 and $60.

That's disgusting­. What's next, throwing silver dollars out of his limo?

This guy is so out of touch. I know that Obama lacks experience and sometimes seems out of touch himself. That being said would Americans really trust Mitt to do what is right?  He scares the hell out of me. He would be the President to finally get rid of all program designed to help the poor and middle class. He looks down on, what he sees as, second class citizens.

Mitt,Buffy and Biff make me sick .

Mitt thinks poor people are envious of his wealth . A little facts are needed here.

"Envy" is not the reason for concern about income inequality­.  Income gap correlates to almost every social ill one could name.

Two studies -- one by Harvard, the other by Berkeley -- measured income inequality in all 50 states. They found that states with greater income inequality suffered from all of the following problems:

Higher death rates for all age groups.  Higher rates of homicide.  Higher rates of violent crime.  Higher costs per person for police protection­.  Higher rates of incarcerat­ion.  Higher rates of unemployme­nt.  A higher percentage of people receiving income assistance and food stamps.  More high-schoo­l dropouts.  Less state funds spent per person on education.  Fewer books per person in the schools.  Poorer educationa­l performanc­e, including worse reading skills, worse math skills.  Higher infant mortality rates.  Higher heart disease.  Higher cancer rates.  A greater percentage of people without medical insurance.  A greater proportion of babies born with low birth weight.  A greater proportion of the population unable to work because of disabilities­.  A higher proportion of the population using tobacco.  A higher proportion of the population being sedentary (inactive)­.  Higher costs per-person for medical care.

 

Also Mitt asked for deferments from the military because of school. After he graduated he asked for and received two more for his mission to Paris France !  Really ! I am not envious of him I am just disgusted at him. If we both got cancer he would live and I would die, He could afford better care at a specialized cancer center.

 

I am also upset that non of his sissy sons could serve their country in a time of war when other poor families had to watch their children serve five and six tours because of man power shortage.

 

Iv short I do not have envy for his life but I do have disgust for his actions. He has done nothing to make his country a better to live. 

ACA Affordable Care Act.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act contains nine titles, each addressing an essential component of reform:

1. Quality, affordable health care for all Americans

2.  The role of public programs

3. Improving the quality and efficiency of health care

4. Prevention of chronic disease and improving public health

5. Health care workforce

6. Transparency and program integrity

7. Improving access to innovative medical therapies

8. Community living assistance services and supports

9.  Revenue provisions

Most people call this Obama Care.  I is really called the Affordable Care Act.

There are nine sections and I would like to point out some of the mandates in two of them.

Section one. Quality affordable health care for all Americans.

 Eliminate lifetime and unreasonable annual limits on benefits

 Prohibit rescissions of health insurance policies

 Provide assistance for those who are uninsured because of a pre-existing condition

 Require coverage of preventive services and immunizations

 Extend dependant coverage up to age 26

 Develop uniform coverage documents so consumers can make apples-to-apples comparisons when shopping for health insurance

 Cap insurance company non-medical, administrative expenditures

 Ensure consumers have access to an effective appeals process and provide consumer a place to turn for assistance navigating the appeals process and accessing their coverage

 Create a temporary re-insurance program to support coverage for early retirees

 Establish an internet portal to assist Americans in identifying coverage options

 Facilitate administrative simplification to lower health system costs.

Section 4   Prevention of chronic disease and improving public health.

 For the operation and development of School-Based Health Clinics.

 For an oral healthcare prevention education campaign.

 To provide Medicare coverage – with no co-payments or deductibles – for an annual wellness visit and development of a personalized prevention plan.

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 To waive coinsurance requirements and deductibles for most preventive services, so that Medicare will cover 100 percent of the costs.

 To authorize the HHS Secretary to modify coverage of any Medicare-covered preventive service to be consistent with U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations.

 To provide States with an enhanced match if the State Medicaid program covers: (1) any clinical preventive service recommended with a grade of A or B by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and (2) adult immunizations recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without cost sharing.

 To require Medicaid coverage for counseling and pharmacotherapy to pregnant women for cessation of tobacco use.

 To award grants to states to provide incentives for Medicaid beneficiaries to participate in programs providing incentives for healthy lifestyles.

I can not find any parts of this act that would hurt health care of Americans. Can you?

This is a sad story.

When I was a student at St. Paul’s Catholic school we learned about abortion and birth control and why both were sins. I went home and asked my mother what she thought about Birth control. She said she was for it and did not think it was a sin. She would not go to confession and tell a priest that she wanted forgiveness for using it.

Then she told me a story about her neighbor when she was growing up. One day she saw the neighbor talking and crying to her mother at the kitchen table.  The woman was with child again and told my grandmother that she already had six children that she could not feed. Her husband was abusive and drank a lot. She told my grandmother that she was so tired and did not think she could have another child. I forgot about the conversation until a couple of weeks later she says her mother crying because the woman next door had a back alley abortion and had died of an infection.

Her children were split up and sent many different directions. Some went to family while the older ones went to adoption agencies.

My mom has been both prochoice ,pro contraception, and pro catholic ever since. I myself struggle with abortion but defiantly believe in contraception for a variety of reasons.

It pains me today to actually listen to Republican candidates actually state that they think without contraception bad behavior can be controlled. Really!  I do not think that going back to the good old days will help our society or out children.  I will not mention STD’S because I think that is a no brainer

Bad move !

For years U.S. policy was designed to keep a lid on the quarrels and problems between the Sunni and Shiite Muslims in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran. The majority of Saudi Arabia consisted of Sunni Muslims while the majority of both Iran and Iraq were from the Shiite sect. The policy of the U.S. was to support a strong Sunni president in Iraq to keep a balance in the region. This helped Saudi Arabia and Iran. Iraq acted as a buffer between the two.  Why Gorge Bush went to war to upset this balance is a mistake that needs answering.

Just think if we NEVER invaded their country

1) All the US dead soldiers would be home with their families

2) All the US injured soldiers would be "whole" and home with their families

3) All the dead INOCENT people in Iraq would be alive today

4) TRILLIONS of US money would be HERE in the USA and could have been used to help our country

5) YES SADDAM should still be alive - and that would be the people of Iraq's problem...­.... they probably would have joined in the Aram Spring and ousted him with little or no USA involvemen­t .Thank you George Bush for starting this unnecessary way

There will never be any peace in the future, Iran and Iraq will join forces and be at odds with the rest of the Arab Sunni Muslims  causing death and American involvement for years to come. I see no end in sight. The oil companies will still be in charge of the oil flowing through the region. That was the point all along was it not ?

The OWS movement

The OWS movement is more important than our American elections at this point, in my opinion. Both political parties serve masters other than the American people. There are a lot of seductive pleasures in the world today and it takes some serious abuses to get Americans away from the TV screen and out of the house and willing to sacrifice personal pleasures and comforts to voice their outrage at a system that has been bought and paid for.

What should be next is mass protest for the recent unpreceden­ted attack on civil liberties being made by the present and past government­s. The US has always been a country where certain rights and freedoms regarding detention and trial were a given. But in the hands of a very few the nature of the country will be forever different

Wisconsin is waging this war right now. The Koch brothers, through shadow organizati­ons, release a television spot nearly simultaneo­usly with Governor Scott Walker's actions. It is repeated time and again. Right now there are TV spots propping up his accomplish­ments as it these is all good for the people of the state. They are not. If it takes propaganda from billionair­es to tell us how good our governor is - you can conclude it isn't.

People protesting all over the world are fed up but the fact remains for those in Countries like Canada and the U.S. they themselves in many instances are to blame or at the very least their parents. For 50 years citizens of the free world in most locations have been swallowing the trickledown economics of conservati­sm as fast as it can be served to them. The protesters are right but they also have to recognize who is causing the problem and then vote to correct the problems.

Just as nobody knew where it would end when Thomas Paine handed out his booklets, nobody knows where OWS will end, but the underlying fundamenta­ls are the same, We, as Americans, must make sure that we run our country and not allow a bunch of bought and paid for politicians decide our fate,

The day the law failed my daughter.

When my daughter was 17 she worked at Dunkin Donuts. It was a two mile trip from our house. She drove her own car that she bought with $2,000 of her own money.

One day, on her way to work she had to negotiate a 90 degree curve in Perry Township. The curve was not wide enough for two cars so the speed limit was very low and the person coming from the opposite direction of her had a yield sign.  As she entered the curve she was hit in her driver’s door by a car that did not yield and pushed into a parked truck.

The officer on the scene wrote both the driver, who didn’t yield and my daughter for both being responsible.  I taught Drivers Ed. And knew that the laws in Ohio stated that in lieu of a stop sign a yield sign meant stop.

Told my daughter to not pay the ticket and fight it in court. She prepared a presentation of large pictures, measurments, and a picture of the yield sign and a copy of the Ohio law. As I looked at her presentation I told her that the judge had to rule in her favor. It was an easy call.

The judge and prosecuting attorney smiled at her presentation and found her guilty without an explanation why. Her insurance went up and she had this accident attached to her license.

I stopped believing in a fair judicial system that day. I watched as a judge and an attorney ignored the evidence and laws of Ohio so they would not have to rule against the Officer at the scene.

Most ,if not all, politicians are corrupt and lazy. This is a lesson we both learned that day.

Can you get a square deal from todays politicians?

Square deal possible today?

The Square Deal was the term used by Theodore Roosevelt in his campaigns against financial trusts, business interests that controlled markets and the domination of the U.S. economy by the “predatory rich.” “We demand that big business give people a square deal,” he insisted on a nationwide tour in 1901 to rally public support for proposed legislation to regulate corporations. In his 1904 election campaign Roosevelt used the term to describe his domestic program, promising, “I shall see to it that every man has a square deal, no more and no less.”

Roosevelt's Square Deal promised a “balance” between the claims of management and labor, producers and consumers. He was not against large corporations and he had no intention of eliminating large accumulations of private wealth. Rather, he intended to act against their tendency to use the powers of national and state governments against labor and consumers. He called for the creation of a new cabinet department of Commerce and Industries, which would be able to regulate industries engaged in interstate commerce. Instead, in 1903 Congress created a Department of Commerce and Labor but did not give it the regulatory powers proposed by the President. That would have to wait until later.

In 1906 Roosevelt consolidated his Square Deal with several legislative victories. Congress passed the Meat Inspection Act, the Pure Food and Drug Act, and the Hepburn Railroad Act, which regulated industries and prevented trusts from fixing prices or providing consumers with unsafe products.

Some of his accomplishments were:

1. Sherman Antitrust Act (Felt trusts should be judged on actions)

2. Mediated Coal Strike

3. Elkins Act (1903) The Elkins Act ended the common practice of the railroads granting rebates to their most valued customers.

4. Hepburn Act (1906)-Gave ICC the power to set maximum railroad rates.

5. Pure Food and Drug Act - Passed in 1906 and amended in 1911 to include a prohibition on misleading labeling.

6. Meat Inspection Act (1906)

7. Conservation -National Parks-Strengthening of Forest Bureau and created National Forest Service.-Creation of much national park land

Another history lie about the BOMB ?

In August 1945, Harry Truman announced to the world that “the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base. That was because we wished in this first attack to avoid, in so far as possible, the killing of civilians.” Hiroshima was actually a major city with more than a third of a million people prior to its incineration. But Truman’s lie helped soften the initial impact on the American public of the first use of the atomic bomb. (The U.S. government also vigorously censored photographs of Hiroshima and its maimed survivors.)

What the Government did tell Amerians was a statement that Japan would never surrender and if we invaded them over 1,000,000,soldiers would lose their lives in the attempt. I even heard this from my dad.  In fact I herd it in every history book on WWII that I read.  I did a little research and found out that of the  6o largest cities in Japan we had already fire bombed 58 of then to the ground killing both soldiers,old men and women and children ,newborns included.

I asked myself why did we leave these two cities alone?  The answer is obvious to me. The military wanted to see the effects of the "Bomb " on a functioning city.

I know this is a sore subject with people on both sides of this issue. Even experts do not agree what the truth is. I am not sure myself but think the subject is worth exploring considering the number of non combatants killed.  I pray that Our Military did not use these two cities as la experiments.  As a Christian man I feel a deep need to have answers to these questions.  I am responsible for what my Government does.

What is America ?

What is America? What are the values it has most fought for and admired? A few of the first, and most important, come to mind:

Freedom, Equality, Democracy, Champion of the little guy, Helper of the oppressed , Defender against tyranny, Capitalism Independence, Manifest destiny, God, Freedom of religion, Family, Wealth,  Faith and Entertainment and happiness.

Even a casual reader of these values can see where conflicts might arise among them. Capitalism, strength, and Manifest destiny have made America great, but they have generated their own set of inequalities. Our wealth is unequaled, but Jesus taught that our faith should make wealth meaningless. Equality is a wonderful ideal, but frankly, not everyone is created equal. Freedom is fine until we see our vast money-obsessed entertainment and happiness apparatus assaulting us with base immorality, cowardly news, and stupidity on our television sets.

Over the last twenty years or so, the most radical members of the right wing have claimed they've owned the core American values that I've just listed. They've claimed that liberals have tried to defeat them. Therefore, they argue, liberals are trying to ruin the American way of life. They claim that liberals are a threat to our very future. For those who question this assumption, they need only to listen to talk radio, Fox news and the Republican leadership who pass for responsible voices in our democracy. Today in Iowa Republican candidates are calling our president un-American.

Their methods are not surprising. Because here is their dirty little secret: The far right must gain its identity from imagined enemies. Because without these imagined enemies, the ultra-right wing is not viable. Without the imagined enemies, you just have - America. It is an America struggling with competing interests among its core values. It should try to help the poor while building wealth for us all; it should try to lead the world without exploiting or dominating it; it should not be ashamed of a faith in God but should never discriminate against those of different beliefs; and it should try to figure out balances between those "right and left" policy disputes, such as protection of the environment versus encouraging development.

What we have seen is the creation of a culture of hate in America,   The radicals vilify those who disagree with them -they must do this to survive. For without the enemies that they themselves imagine, they are nothing. After the imagined enemies are gone, they have nothing to rant against, except the notion of American values. Therefore, if they lose their enemies, they lose America.

America is a balancing act. Sometimes we slip off the wire. No one said it would be easy. No one said it was simple. It's a work in progress, and it always will be. The danger to America is when we allow those who vilify basic American values to have the loudest voices.

I see an America where people are scared to discuss politics or beliefs with civility and COMMON SENSE

Yes we can!!

In the 60's Seniors could not afford to pay for medical treatment.  Remember that was when costs were low.  Without Medicare does any sane person think they can afford treatment today?  Do they just want old people to die?  Medicare can be fixed and fixed with very little  trouble.

Tea publicans never wanted Medicare to begin with and decried it as "socialize­d medicine" back in the 60's and have been doing that ever since. In 2011 Paul Ryan took off the mask and essentiall­y proposed making Medicare a discount coupon for private coverage, claiming "cost savings". Cost savings for whom? Not the seniors forced to pay thousands for coverage, not taxpayers because private insurance has a proven track record of costing more than private (private companies have to get their "cut" ) What Ryan and the Tea publicans really are trying to do is reward the insurance companies for all the "speech" $$$ sent to them by corporatio­ns. Medicare should be done away with, however, and folded into a single payer comprehens­ive insurance system for everyone! No more added burden of rising insurance premiums for corporatio­ns (which no other advanced country has) and individual­s and no more spending good money after bad providing "incentive­" for private parasitic bureaucrac­ies that serve no purpose. Of course, this makes too much sense for Tea publicans to grasp and given their groveling at the feet of private bureaucrac­y. No more millions to insurance CEO are for any good reason.

The solution to fixing Medicare is the same as fixing SS: RAISE the payroll tax. And for Medicare the tax does not have to be raised that much because, unlike FICA which is capped at 110K of income, the Medicare tax has NO cap on earnings so a little nominal increase has great effective leverage. THIS is why all the doom and gloom from conservati­ves must be ignored on this Medicare issue. As with most things conservati­ve, it simply isn't true. E cost for Medicare for a year with a nonprofit provider of supplemental insurance is $4700 for a healthy 65 year old person taking two common prophylactic perceptions (a statin and one other). Without the prescripti­ons, the cost is reduced to less than half of that. Medical costs cannot be addressed without first addressing Big Pharma.

People who voted for Obama and Democrats voted to get affordable­, quality medical treatment.  That was NOT a vote to protect and further enrich the insurance and pharmaceut­ical industries­.  Voters did NOT send Obama and Democrats into power to entrench the insurance industry as the gatekeeper­s to being able to get medical treatment.  Voters did NOT Read More... send Obama and Democrats to Washington to continue tying insurance benefits to their employment­.

Yet that is precisely what Obama and the DLC-contro­lled Democrats did. Shame on them.