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Tag Archives: As I see It

Oaf of Office


“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

This is the oath taken by our 535 Congress members. At first glance it appears to be a standard type of allegiance oath but upon a closer look: Defending the constitution includes defending the people (not making war on them). “Taking this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion”- How many lies have been put out during elections and during the actual terms of office. If this is not evasion then what is? There apparently are no mental reservations when it comes to hiding the truth and dealing with honesty.

Just think John Boehner has been reelected 13 times (that’s 26 years) and how about the other long termers? Do we want to continue on the same track of not holding our elected officials accountable? There will never be “term limits” imposed by  elected officials, only by the people who elect them. If the government is to improve , the officials we elect have to improve and that is done only by the people. Consider how many long termers have been unseated  by upstarts and other candidates but for the wrong reasons. In this modern age of electronics we are buried under sound bites, tweets, instant messages and emails. This amounts to advertising and we are being sold a bill goods more often than we know. Our elections are run on a money train and have little to do with the qualifications of a candidate. If we as voters abandon the time honored practice of voting along party lines we would end up with a better group of representatives. Keep in mind that the party’s have one goal and that is to control the government in order to make policy that suits no one but the wealthy donors. The one thing that many of us overlook is many candidates and incumbents use specific issues to get votes in certain areas thereby being accountable to no specific group until the next election.

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The Arrogance of Them All


There has been and continues to be much coverage on the upcoming State races for legislators and the Governor, the incumbents  are running on their “records”, the aspirants are running their mouths and putting forth solutions that have come and gone many times. One idea put forth is term limits, I have written about this several times and the fact remains-no legislator is going to vote on term limits for themselves. Why set limits on their ability to have a job that pays well enough with perks that would support several lesser earning families. They have a job that allows them to say anything (correct or not) get away with it and still retain the office. Their track record for production would cause the average American company to fail (not that the State is doing that well). These arrant “representatives” of the people make more of telling what they will or have done than actually producing results. The end result is that we vote for them over and over again because they play keep away with the truth. The idea of redistricting is another ploy to keep the voters going their way. They use this as a way of saying we are making it easier to serve everyone in an equitable manner but this redistricting is just another way to sway votes in the way they want. What is wrong with using the boundaries of the existing counties as voting districts instead of playing fast and loose with the various  manufactured ones? We have  101 counties with well defined borders and they have not changed in years, the only thing that has changed are the demographics (we are a mobile country) and that is what the legislators look at. It does not matter  that many of their political speeches espouse the idea of representing “all” of the people, what’s apparent is as citizens we are represented by people who have taken care of themselves and their cronies rather than the people who elected them. Term limits are the domain of the voters-if you do not vote for them, they will not be elected.

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BIg Money (big Brother?)


I have attached an article while on the surface appears at once benign and frightening. Think about the past 2 presidential elections and perhaps several lesser ones that we have paid no attention to. The amount of money put out by the extremely wealthy industrialists and other moneyed moguls- millions! These folks have in essence bought our government. The recent supreme court change in the financial dealings of certain organizations allowing unlimited spending on political campaigns through the use of “non profit status” and not having to reveal the “donors” .  These “non profits are funded by no lesser entities than the Ultra conservative Koch brothers. These brothers are highly involved in energy and have therefore managed (or bought) to derail a transit system in Nashville Tennessee. Given the massiveness of the undertaking to get a bill banning the transit system, it is not a far cry from the next Presidential election and perhaps many Congressional ones )especially tea party and conservative and or high profile Dupublicans. This is no isolated event and for you star wars fans -this is Sith Lords taking over!    You can follow this on NPR. The article follows:

 

 

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Nashville Rapid Transit Project Stymied By Americans For Prosperity

A rendering of a potential Amp bus station in Nashville, Tenn. (Nashville Amp/Facebook)

Last month, the Tennessee state senate voted to ban construction of any bus rapid transit system, including the construction of the Amp, a 7.1-mile line that would cost Nashville $174 million and would significantly reduce congestion and commute time in that city.

Tennessee legislators had notable supporters in pushing against this government-funded initiative, including the Koch brothers, Charles G. Koch and David H. Koch, and their conservative political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity.

Nashville Public Radio reporter Bobby Allyn has been following the Amp project and joins Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson to discuss the latest developments and how the Koch brothers got involved in the movement against the project.

NPR’s Power, Money, and Influence Correspondent Peter Overby then joins us to discuss the Koch brothers and Americans for Prosperity.

Guest

Transcript

JEREMY HOBSON, HOST:

Well, now to Tennessee, where a fight over a transit system in Nashville has drawn the attention of the conservative billionaire Koch brothers, Charles and David Koch. Their lobbying organization, Americans for Prosperity, has been working with local activists to scuttle a proposed bus rapid transit project called Amp. It is the first time the Koch brothers have targeted a transit project. So why are they involved? Bobby Allyn of Nashville Public Radio WPLN has been following this story and is with us now. Welcome, Bobby.

BOBBY ALLYN, BYLINE: Hey, thanks a lot.

HOBSON: Well, tell us about this rapid transit project.

ALLYN: So there’s a project called the Amp in Nashville, and it’s a seven-mile stretch from east to west Nashville. It’s been planned for, you know, about four years now. And it’s gone through several iterations, and there’s been a lot of resistance from different interest groups, but the most recent thing is that state legislatures have tried to insert themselves to kind of stop the project in its tracks.

HOBSON: And with the help of groups like Americans for Prosperity. After the Senate passed this bill that would have made something like this illegal, they thanked Americans for Prosperity. What did AFP do?

ALLYN: So after the Senate in Tennessee passed a bill that would have effectively banned Tennessee’s first real mass transit project in the state, people who are against the project thanked Americans for Prosperity, and everyone thought, wait a minute, Americans for Prosperity was even involved? And until that point, we didn’t even know that Americans for Prosperity had any role in opposing the Amp.

So when questions were asked of the senator, you know, he said yeah, you know, I had several meetings with the point person for Americans for Prosperity who helped him draft the legislation that would have dismantled the mass transit project here.

HOBSON: Why?

ALLYN: So they say they are against the Amp just like they’re against a variety of issues. They see it as a waste of taxpayer money. They think the project is poorly planned, and they just don’t think it should go forward.

HOBSON: But it’s one thing to come out and say we shouldn’t be funding this; it’s another thing to ban any projects like this from even getting off the ground.

ALLYN: Yeah, and when you talk to the Americans for Prosperity folks here, and by the way, it’s a small presence, right, there’s three people in Tennessee, two of whom are registered lobbyists, and they go after issues like Common Core, a tax on investment income in Tennessee. So going after transit issues doesn’t really fit with what they usually attack.

But when you talk to them, they say we are against this because it’s a waste of taxpayer money. And they say this was a case-specific attack, but other observers in Tennessee say, you know, maybe it’s actually a piece of model legislation that they hope to leverage to attack mass transit projects in other states.

HOBSON: Well, and many people who know a lot about the Koch brothers know that Koch Industries is all about energy and oil and things that would be, I guess, in opposition to mass transit, that that could be a reason why the Koch brothers would get involved in stopping a mass transit project in Tennessee.

ALLYN: And I have heard that before too. They will never come out and say that, but you know, they could hypothetically oppose this on two fronts: one, they’re against the use of taxpayer money, which also dovetails neatly with their main form of income, which is derived from a billionaire oil company.

HOBSON: Well, now that the project is moving forward despite the action of the Senate, does it mean that Americans for Prosperity, and by extension the Koch brothers, lost this battle?

ALLYN: Well, not exactly because right now where the project stands is, it’s going to be extremely difficult to get a state contribution for the mass transit project. So planners have to come up with $35 million that is right now an open question that, you know, planners were counting on before this legislation passed. And, you know, construction of this mass transit project is still a year and a half off, which means there’s another legislative session that we still have to get through in which the Koch brothers will probably mount another assault against the project before we can even break ground.

HOBSON: And we should say, it’s not just mass transit that the group Americans for Prosperity has gotten itself involved with in Tennessee. There’s also a pledge to repeal the state’s income tax that a lot of Tennessee’s legislators have gotten behind, although that’s not the view of the Republican governor, Bill Haslam. Let’s listen to an Americans for Prosperity ad that is running in Tennessee.

(SOUNDBITE OF AD)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Every day some seniors have to choose between buying necessary medication or buying food. Thankfully, over 92 legislators have committed to help our seniors by repealing the Hall income tax. That’s over two-thirds of the legislature. Unfortunately, Governor Haslam doesn’t think our seniors should get tax relief. Governor…

HOBSON: Bobby, tell us more about some of the other initiatives that Americans for Prosperity has put its hands into in Tennessee.

ALLYN: Sure, so Americans for Prosperity, they’ve been fiercely against the Hall income tax, which is a tax in Tennessee on investment income. They also have come out against Common Core education standards. In Tennessee they have opposed letting school district lobbyists use taxpayer money to lobby. There’s a variety of issues that they really are strongly against, and they all come down with cutting taxes back, cutting state and federal-funded infrastructure projects back.

But all of the things that they oppose in Tennessee really have to do with their libertarian agenda, which is anti-tax and anti-federal spending.

HOBSON: And how do the people in Tennessee feel about this? You’ve been out speaking with people. What are they saying about all of this national money coming into what would be local initiatives, local races?

ALLYN: Now, there’s a lot of mixed opinions on Americans for Prosperity here. Obviously Americans for Prosperity can really thrive here, given we have a Republican governor, we have a super-majority in the state legislature. They see Tennessee as a real laboratory for test-driving pieces in legislation that they maybe can try in other state legislatures around the country.

Now, you know, on some issues like the Amp, they’re kind of a closeted political force. They don’t really go out too up-front with their opposition. With other things like the Hall tax, they run radio ads across the state attacking the governor. So it really depends on the issue. Sometimes you hear a lot about them, and other times they’re kind of working in the shadows, I guess.

HOBSON: Bobby Allyn, a reporter with Nashville Public Radio, WPLN. Bobby, thanks so much.

ALLYN: Hey, thanks a lot.

HOBSON: And I know you have got thoughts on this one. You can let us know at hereandnow.org. You can also send us a tweet @hereandnow, @hereandnowrobin, @jeremyhobson. This is HERE AND NOW.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

ROBIN YOUNG, HOST:

It’s HERE AND NOW, and if you’ve just joined us, we’ve been hearing about how activists David and Charles Koch and one of their organizations, Americans for Prosperity, or Americans for Prosperity, worked with local activists in Tennessee to stop a mass transit project in Nashville. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been attacking the brothers for what he sees as their undermining public policy.

One of them, Charles, wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal defending what he called good citizenship. NPR’s Peter Overby has been looking at the power of money and influence in politics. Let’s bring him in for a couple of thoughts. And Peter, remind us how widespread the Koch organization is.

PETER OVERBY, BYLINE: The Kochs’ political organization is kind of the sprawling, diffuse group of organizations that are clustered around a couple of main funding groups. And the Center for Responsive Politics and the Washington Post did probably the best tracking job, and they counted 28 groups active in 2012 that had financial connections to the Koch brothers and their core organization.

One of the interesting thing about it is that Americans for Prosperity got about $15 million through this network that I just described, and in contrast they spent $38 million in 2012 just on ads attacking President Obama. So here is a lot of money coming into Americans for Prosperity from sources other than this network. A lot of it is grassroots money. AFP has a significant grassroots organization. They claim they have 2.3 million activists, as they say, not members, and they claim 90,000 donors.

So you have money coming in that way. Then you have money coming in other ways, too, probably. We don’t know because AFP is a social welfare organization, not a political organization, so it doesn’t disclose its donors.

YOUNG: Well, as we just heard, in Tennessee there is suspicion, probably mostly on the part of those who back mass transit, that this was just a test ground for legislation that can be taken across the state. Where else in your looking around do you see Koch brothers money going?

OVERBY: There was money that went through this network, wound up at the National Rifle Association in 2012; Americans for Tax Reform, which is, you know, a long-established anti-tax group in D.C.; 60 Plus, which is a 501(c)(4) that runs ads attacking the Affordable Care Act and is active in a lot of congressional campaigns.

So there are lots of entities where money from this organization winds up.

YOUNG: Well, but as Charles Koch said in his op-ed, I am devoting my life to understanding principles that enable people to improve their lives and that he has the right to do that, he’s being a good citizen, putting his money where his ideals are. And we always hear, Peter, from people who say, well, how is this any different from George Soros, who supports Democratic candidates. So how is it different?

OVERBY: Well, the first way it’s different is that George Soros was a really major player in partisan politics in 2004. Since then, he’s certainly been involved, but he has not spent tens of millions of dollars in party politics the way that we’ve seen the Kochs do. So that’s one difference. The issue for all of the millionaires and billionaires that are playing in politics is that they do it through 501(c)(4) groups, social welfare organizations, other entities where their contributions are not disclosed.

YOUNG: You see something else happening. We’ve been hearing about the Koch brothers for years. But do you think that the Democrats actually now see what the Koch brothers are doing as an advantage?

OVERBY: The Democrats have been touching on the Kochs as a political issue, trying to make them an issue, since 2010, when the Citizens United ruling came down from the Supreme Court that opened up a lot of the opportunities for this kind of spending. And they have gotten very aggressive about it in the past year. Harry Reid, Senate majority leader, has been attacking the Kochs regularly on the Senate floor. The Republicans are up in arms about this, and it’s really unusual for a member of Congress to single out individual private citizens for this kind of commentary.

But the Democrats think there’s an advantage to it. They think that, you know, if they can make the Kochs a symbol, Republicans attachment to the wealthiest Americans, the one percent if you will, then that will play to their advantage and will play to the Democrats’ advantage in the election. The problem they have is that when pollsters go out, they find that most people don’t know who the Kochs are, you know, that even after all this talk, they haven’t really got this to stick in voters’ minds.

YOUNG: Peter Overby, NPR’s power of money and influence correspondent, fascinating. Peter, thank you so much.

OVERBY: I’m glad to do it. Thanks for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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The Importance of Grandparents


I never really knew my grandparents as well as I now realize I wish I had. As youngsters we adore our Grandparents until we get to teen age , then our focus is on being teenagers and all the accompanying baggage of that time of life. Looking at the overall loss of those few years, what we missed are the great opportunities to learn. We missed out on great chunks of history such as how things were when they were young, where they came from, what they did and who they knew. The stories I have heard from my older siblings is at once intriguing and comic with a dash mystery. I understand now what grandparents in general can mean to a family and to individual members. The family history lies with the Grandparents (even the exaggerated parts) and it is a loss to us if we never ask questions before they leave this life. All family history is important even the bad parts as this gives a  complete and interesting picture of us all as people. There is also the point that without Grandparents none of us would have a history to enjoy .

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For 1nce.


For lnce could opinion writers get as many facts as there are available on a  topic? America has freedom of the press which means almost anything can be published according to the standards of the publishing media. Often there are some published items that verge on and in fact are lies or variations of the truth to the extent of being untrue. I have been paying close attention to the upcoming electioneering for 2016 elections and many writings and speeches center on the ACA (Obamacare). In spite of the ongoing improvement and success of the program many believe there are two programs, one is Obamacare which they hate due to the initial trashing and dissemination of incorrect information, then the ACA (Affordable Care Act) which they like. There are many on the Dupublican side who want to trash the ACA and put in something they say is or will be better. This better system has yet to be written or even spoken so if the current system reasonably working system is trashed what will participants be left with? If these anti ACA people in Congress really want to have something better  they should have participated in the initial proposal when the opportunity was there for them. It appears that Congress is too busy doing little more than grandstanding for the media to actually do their job such as reading proposed legislature and tweaking it as their better serving predecessors did. These current seat fillers have followers who believe what they spout because they are die hard party followers for reasons of their own (or perhaps they cannot change) and I believe they are against the idea that a man darker than them should  occupy the White House in a capacity above servant. If the Dupublican party succeeds in gaining the Presidency , let us hope the man (or Woman?) they select has integrity along with a dose of common sense. If this becomes the case I am sure the current anti Obama (and coincidently anti Dark and Female)  will be upset then too. For 1nce let us all understand that this is modern America and still the country that has more freedoms than many and the ability to protect the people even if we are not thrilled with the way it is done. Where else can you voice an opinion about what the government does and not go to jail for life or just disappear? For lnce,  embrace the variety of America and be American, vote when its time, read for yourself and do not fall into the media ‘s “listen to me” black hole.

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Paying For Bones!


A recent TV ad for Pizza Hut touted their wings with or without bones, I had to go back several times to understand the fast moving blurb that bone in wings are a dollar more per order. So my conclusion is that you are paying for “bones”. Many deboned meats carry a premium price due to the de boning but to pay to have the bones left in is a new thing. What next? How about paying for the takeout package as an extra charge?

 

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Minstrels Redux


Nick Cannon, the comedian entrepreneur is donning white face for his new act. After reading the comments I realized that many of us are  Racist and under or uninformed. For many years Black folks were minstrels and then white folks took that over as their own while making fun at Black folks as they hung from trees. It is ironic that some comments on his website were negative instead of viewing the article as entertainment information. I guess we still have a long way to go as far as Race in this country and much of the known world. Europe in some respects has ben well ahead of the U.S. but still has it virulent pockets of Racism. I believe when we all take a step back and look back, we will realize that the only real differences among us all is primarily skin color and all other differences are the normal ones that occur regionally.

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The Case For Censorship


Recently and much earlier, I noticed that some people have taken Facebook as a tell all for their lives rather than  social media for reasonable contact and expression. Is it reasonable for a person to post their most personal thought and feeling on social media when it involves their jobs and close relations? While most rational people would only disclose some of these thoughts to close friends and relatives, some post EVERYTHING!  Facebook has created a group of people who have what was previously known as “phone Cojones”. This is a state where people while on a call with someone is emboldened by the non face to face contact. This same type of empowerment exists on Facebook and in the comment section of many blogs. It creates a group of  folks who make nasty and inappropriate comments up to and including Racial insults.   It is unfortunate that the advent of social media has brought out the worst in some of us along with the best in most. For those without the ability to be civil and rational, I would suggest a perusal of a dictionary  and a book of etiquette before posting comments , opinions and rebuttals on social media. Bear in mind Facebook et al are all SOCIAL MEDIA!, by being social media everything you post is in the public and your family, friends and employers can and often see your postings. This will probably not be read by anyone who has posted such content but for the rest of us, remember they walk among us.

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Politics


We are bombarded by ads and buzzwords for and against candidates running for office yet we continually overlook the fact that millions are spent to get our attention and votes. If it takes millions to get these votes and attention how much will it take to correct the problems that currently exist? We are already saddled with ineffective lawmakers who we have elected time after time based on the amount of air time they get and we have paid for  one way or another. We have openly supported the idea of term limits but fail to push the issue by voting for newcomers instead of the firmly entrenched seat fillers. This is not to say that all long termers and newcomers are bad or good but as voters and taxpayers we need to send the message that we want better government. Voting is the way to do it. We will make mistakes but we will have the opportunity to correct it in the next election. One the first things to do is eliminate the declaration of party in the primary, this will eliminate the party’s ability to identify potential votes. Our votes are supposed to be anonymous but this declaration limits our ability to vote across party lines and thereby negates that anonymity. I realize it is hard to have all voters on the same page on all issues but voting privacy is important to begin the process of “upgrading” our representation. A letter cost 50 cents, email 0 cents and a phone (what ever it costs), these forms of communication are the means to get better government. If we really want better government then we need to demand it!
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Look At The Man Behind The Curtain!!


I wish I could clarify the art of politispeak and pre election promises for the millions of us who are stuck in the rut of really believing the promises and political speeches (pre and post-election) made by the numerous candidates for offices. There are many of the Fox news followers group who believe all that’s reported and said by the Fox news group just because they say it on the air. This is not to say that FOX and other well known news stations are reporting incorrect information in total but it is incumbent on all adherents to Foxocracy to think in terms of who is the biggest supporter of FOX (monetarily) and who takes the ball when Fox puts it in to play for what appears to be a touchdown run? We have become a nation of complainers rather than doers and readers. The bare facts are always obscured by what sounds correct and true but with the correct placement of words is a lie or distortion of truth. Facts: We have had basically the SAME Congress through the several Presidents and no matter what is reported, these are the folks who propose and enact laws. This responsibility is great but is taken lightly by the 535  people we have elected (some for several terms). The Congress was never designed to be a fulltime job but modern office holders have made it so along with enacted laws that allow them to receive a pension after One (1) term, receive a COLA (cost of living adjustment) annually and a very nice health plan for their families and themselves. We have allowed ourselves to be pointed in the direction of the CIC (commander-in-chief) as the reason for problems and lack of solutions but keep in mind that many issues are resolvable by Congress with or without the President. The controversial Affordable Health Care Act is certainly not running as well as it should but had the Congress read the Act before it was passed with a one sided majority, the rollout would have been better and the Act would have been greatly improved. Some issues would not have changed due to the basic policies being better that the ones some folks already had. Congress has quietly joined  the ACA despite its flaws but there has been no widespread coverage on that. The idea that this act was pushed through by the majority party has started a firestorm that affects us all and our elected representatives have  labeled the ACT “Obamacare” as a derogatory name and many are vowing to overturn it or get rid of it but offering no alternative to the folks who are benefitting from the existing law. I have only this to say: dismiss half of what you see and hear, then read more. Remember a politicians primary goal is to get elected ,   stay in office on our dime and do as little as possible to get it.

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