Choosing America’s Path?

I am so tired of political gridlock in Washington. Why is it that so little has been accomplished by our national law makers since the mid-term elections of 2010? As a Progressive, I see the need for so much to be done and yet political partisanship has stymied just about every attempt to recover our economy, put Americans back to work and move on.

When I first got the right to vote at 18, I voted for Nixon. I also voted for Reagan and Bush Sr. My early politics were with the Republican Party because they seemed to be a party of action. After our long war in Vietnam, our nation needed healing. It needed to move on and get things done. With the fall of the Soviet Union, America was thrust into a leadership role and we embraced it, getting a little “too big for our britches” as time went on.

As I got older, I became more socially conscious and more liberal in my politics voting for Clinton and coming to believe that we have more than enough issues right here in the good old U.S.A. among our own citizens and their needs. Healthcare, the environment, jobs and maintaining our nation’s infrastructure became more important to me than trying to be the world economic leader and policeman. But as I was becoming more liberal, a good portion of my fellow Americans were becoming more conservative, more militant and more focused on wealth, power and religious intolerance. Over time we stopped being the shining example to the world. We were becoming the enemy, the bully, preaching do as we say, not as we do.

Today, I barely recognize my old Republican Party and I wonder how and why they ever got to this point. They have become a party of obstructionists, the Party of No, the Anti Party. With the rise to power of the Tea Party movement within the Republican Party, we have seen our nation come to a dead stop, mired in partisanship not seen since just before the Civil War. We have come to a crossroads in our nation. As Americans, we are going to have to choose our next path. Will it be one of divisiveness, stalemate and perhaps another civil war or the path of cooperation, diversity, progress and growth?

I searched the internet for examples of bills that have been blocked by Congress just since President Obama took office in 2009. I can only guess why the first Black President of the United States has stirred such animosity in the hearts of conservative Republicans, but I shall not go there. Instead I suggest we judge this current Republican Party by their actions, or in this case, inactions.  A website, www.addictinginfo.org provided a partial listing. Here’s just a short list of some of the bills that Republican leaders have blocked, or attempted to block, since Obama became President:

Tax on Companies that ship jobs overseas- A bill that would have eliminated a tax break that companies get when they ship jobs overseas. Republicans blocked this, allowing companies to keep the tax break they receive when they ship jobs to other countries.

Political Ad disclosure bill- Would have required all donors to political campaigns to reveal themselves. Republicans blocked this, not once but twice.

Subpoena Power for the Committee investigating the BP Oil Spill – Give subpoena power to the independent committee responsible for investigating BP’s roll in the oil spill. Republicans attempted to block this.

The Small Business Jobs Act -would give LOCAL, community banks access to billions of dollars to loan to small businesses. Republicans blocked this, then attempted to block it a second time and failed.

The DREAM Act- Gives immigrant youth who were brought here as children a path to citizenship by earning a college degree or serving the military for 2 years. Republicans blocked this.

Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”- Would have repealed the law that forces gay and lesbian services members to lie about their sexuality and gives the military the right to discharge soldiers based on their sexuality. Republicans blocked this many times and Democrats were finally able to pass it with the support of just 2 Republicans.

From Crooks and Liars - When John McCain led the filibuster of the Defense Appropriations Act yesterday, he blocked far more than the DREAM Act and repeal of DADT. Here are just a few of the other blocked provisions, courtesy of Mother Jones.

• No permanent military bases in Afghanistan.
• Report identifying hybrid or electric propulsion systems and other fuel-saving technologies for incorporation into tactical motor vehicles.
• Protection of child custody arrangements for parents who are members of the Armed Forces deployed in support of a contingency operation.
• Improvements to Department of Defense domestic violence programs.
• Department of Defense recognition of spouses of members of the Armed Forces.
• Department of Defense recognition of children of members of the Armed Forces.
• Enhancements to the Troops-to-Teachers Program.
• Fiscal year 2011 increase in military basic pay.
• Improving aural protection for members of the Armed Forces.
• Comprehensive policy on neurocognitive assessment by the military health care system.
• Authority to make excess nonlethal supplies available for domestic emergency assistance.

And those were just some of the progressive provisions. On the conservative side, there are these, and more:

• Prohibition on the use of funds for the transfer or release of individuals detained at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
• Prohibition on the use of funds to modify or construct facilities in the United States to house detainees transferred from United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
• Prohibition on use of funds to give Miranda warnings to Al Qaeda terrorists.

And here’s the bills that Republicans had blocked when we compiled our first list;

Senator Franken’s Anti-Rape Amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill – Makes it so that women raped overseas while working for foreign contractors have the right to have their case heard in an American court instead of having their case mediated by the company they work for. Only Republican men voted against this, but it passed.

Benefits for Homeless Veterans- Would have expanded benefits to homeless veterans and homeless veterans with children. Republicans blocked this.

Affordable Health Care For America Act- Prevents insurance companies from discriminating against you on the basis of “pre-existing conditions”. Requires that insurance companies spend 85 cents of every dollar that you pay on your actual health care. Limits health insurance companies profit margins. Republicans blocked this for months before it finally passed and have vowed to repeal it if they are elected.

Health Care for the 9/11 First Responders who got sick from being at Ground Zero- Would provide billions of dollars in health care to help the 9/11 First Responders who were at Ground Zero on 9/11 and are now sick because of it. Republicans blocked this.

The Jobs Bill- Offsets the payroll tax for 1 year for companies that hire new employees, or people receiving unemployment insurance. Also gives other tax incentives to companies hiring new employees. Republicans attempted to block this.

Wall Street Reform- Puts stricter regulations on the banks, preventing them from becoming “too big to fail”. Curbs reckless spending practices that caused the banking crisis. Republicans attempted to block this.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act- Pumped billions of dollars into state and local Governments to prevent us from sinking into a second Great Depression. Republicans opposed this but now want to take credit for the parts of it that we know are successful.

Oil Spill Liability- Raises the liability on what companies can be made to pay to clean up after an oil spill. Republicans blocked this.

Immigration Reform- Republican suggested comprehensive immigration reform until Obama supported it. Now they’re rabidly opposed to it and even voted against their own legislation. Republicans blocked this. (Note: Since this listing, the Senate passed a bipartisan bill and sent it to the House. Republican Speaker of the House, John Boehner, has declared the bill “dead on arrival.”)

  

Unemployment extension bill HR-4213- Would provide additional aid to the millions of Americans still on unemployment who are just trying to support themselves and their families. Republicans blocked this bill for 8 weeks before it finally passed. Republicans blocked this for 8 weeks before it finally passed.

Fair Pay Act of 2009- Also called the Lily Ledbetter bill. Requires that women receive equal compensation to men for doing the same work. Republicans attempted to block this.

Read more: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/01/03/bills-republicans-have-blocked/#ixzz2XcBCO5PX

My thanks again to Addictinginfo.org for this short, but dated listing above. Are we seeing a collective pattern here? Is this Republican Party of today the pathway to prosperity for the 99% of us in the middle and working class poor or have they become the sold out puppets for the wealthiest 1% in this once great country. I believe history shows over and over again that when you destroy the middle class in a society you destroy the bridge between the “haves” and the “have nots.” Without a healthy, growing middle class, societies ultimately succumb to their own ruin.

In 2014 and 2016 we have a chance to choose our country’s path. We are at a crossroads.

Food for THOUGHT…

Destroy the President at all Costs!

President Obama’s administration has been beset by a plague of scandals to the delight of the Conservative Right and the Tea Party crowd. The Opposition has been piling on more than ever with Obama’s re-election to a second term. Having thwarted the Right’s concerted effort to make President Obama a one term president, the President has been besieged  with efforts to bring down his presidency no matter the cost to our once great nation and its people.

Since the midterm elections in 2010 that swept the Tea Party candidates into the House of Representatives and the Senate, Washington has been at a standstill. Our Congress has been gridlocked. The Republican House has passed no substantive legislation in over 2 years and the Democrat Senate has not been able to overcome Republican filibusters. Obama appointments have been held up leaving many government agencies like the ATF (Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms…guns) and the IRS (Internal Revenue Service…taxes) without agency heads to lead them. I don’t think this is a coincidence! Anything that can be used to portray this President, his policies and programs as toxic for America is being spewed into the media over and over again with Fox News being the biggest spewer.

How soon Americans forget the scandals of Bush’s presidency that make Obama’s current scandals pale by comparison.  Go to http://www.salon.com/2005/01/18/scandal_11/  for a long list of some 34 Bush administration scandals on Salon.com’s website.  Remember the Senate Computer Theft of Democratic Strategy Memos? Dick Cheney’s Energy Task Force and the many Halliburton Scandals including over charging the U. S. Army? The Tom DeLay Scandal?  Abu Ghraib? Weapons of Mass Destruction? Americans have a short memory and Republicans are damn good at making mole hills look like mountains when it comes to Obama.

Look, my purpose is not to minimize Obama’s current scandals, but to try and put some sort of perspective on them. The AP scandal seems to be getting the most outcries of the three. It was an assault on the freedom of the press and it should be investigated. The biggest fault I have is not taking it before a judge to determine the threat to national security. There is a clear and present danger to letting the Government decide on its own if national security trumps the public’s right to know through a free press. But where was the outrage when Bush signed The American Patriot Act into law? That law allows for roving wire taps, searches of business records and library records as well as the surveillance of Americans only suspected, but not actually linked to terror organizations. It would seem that the “horse is already out of the barn” when comes to the protection of our Constitutional rights.

As far as the IRS scandal, Obama needs to investigate if the IRS was scrutinizing Tea Party organizations seeking tax exempt status as a social welfare non-profit for political gain. To be fair, the IRS is perhaps one of the most hated agencies in our government. Who wants to pay more taxes than they have to, especially if you are a Tea Party Republican, but should these thinly veiled political groups get a pass to abuse the system? I think not. There is a real danger here. The Bush administration also used the IRS, FBI, CIA and Secret Service to go after political opponents. Where was Fox News and GOP outrage then? There wasn’t any. Congress should be passing bills to make sure that political abuse of the IRS and other agencies do not continue under any administration…but they won’t. They think there is more political advantage to blame and pointing fingers and calling for impeachment than fixing the problem.

The continued attack on Obama over Benghazi is getting ridiculous. There were seven attacks on our embassies and consulates from 2002 to 2008, when George W. Bush was President. A total of 31 people were killed and over 60 people injured. The Middle East is a dangerous place and America and American policies are not popular there. The Republican obsession over who changed the talking points has been resolved and it is time to move on people!

Scandals have continued to plague Presidents in their second term, and Obama will certainly be no exception. But yet he, President Obama, is being made the exception by a relentless tide of conservative right opponents, hell bent on destroying his presidency and any Obama legacy before the end of his second term. What drives them? Is it hatred, racism or merely a difference in ideology? Their leaders in the Republican House continue to insanely vote for repeal of The Affordable Health Care Act a record 37 times. It is even more insane that the original idea was a REPUBLICAN idea and implemented by Republican Governor Mitt Romney for the State of Massachusetts. And by most accounts… it’s working people!

For me, this question remains. Will the Opposition pursue their obsession to destroy this American President at all costs to this once great nation or will they finally come to terms, get off their butts, compromise and get something constructive legislation done in Washington for a change? How long can this country endure Republican efforts to block legislation, block appointments, stall efforts to restore a fragile economy and jobs, thwart implementation of Wall Street reforms, deny Americans healthcare reform and a jeopardize a secure retirement for millions of Americans?  I remain hopeful for progress and change, but the “forces of Anti” are loud and strong. I guess we will find out in the 2014 midterm elections if America is tired of obstruction and finally ready for hope and change.

Food for THOUGHT…