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Tag Archives: Observation

Party of Lincoln?


Party of Lincoln? Listening to all of the rhetoric from the left and right, the major parties along with the oddly phrased support of  the major party’s support of their frontrunners has given me a reason to dig deeper into past , recent and potential future issues from each. While I  identify as independent, I will vote Scamocrat more often than not. The Dupublicans track record from the last flip during the Civil war and the more recent flip during the Roosevelt years has shown up the “party of Lincoln” moniker to be just another buzzword. The Dupublicans have  more influence on the economy and American life than the Scamocrats. Each party has their share of blame but it appears that the “Dupes” are complicit in actions that are still having deleterious effects. The Dupes were prime movers in the Privatization of the educational finance system which has brought us to the huge cost of education and the financing of that system. The Financial crisis while not a direct factor was a part of the now disastrous educational finance mess. See blog dated earlier today. The “Party of Lincoln” is just another way to pull the wool over the eyes of the voters. Our political system is broken (for us) and the only repairmen are the voters. It is wise to remember that politicians lie for a living and we hear it every day. How can someone who makes 100K plus annually no matter what shape the Federal finances are possibly convince anyone who really works for a living understand what that everyday person is dealing with. American people are the government by way of the vote and the Congress needs an overhaul.

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Do Not Call Registry


Most of us are aware of the national “Do Not Call Registry”. This was supposed to stop the unwanted calls from sellers, promoters and scammers. The registry was great at first now in the electronic age we live in, it has become ineffective. I have found that most cell phones have a method of blocking these calls and I suggest you use it. Some of us who still have land lines may have a phone set up that also has this feature. I was made aware of this recently and saw that the system I have has this feature. It has worked better than the do not call registry. If you still have a landline look at the instruction book that came with your system you may have a tool the allows you to block these calls. Another option that helps is a phone message that screens some calls. Do not use a message that gives your name, phone number or states whether you are home or not. Simple message example: ” This call is being screened. Leave a message – no message, no call back”.

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No More


No More sound bites, buzzwords, catch phrases please! These snippets do  more to obscure and obfuscate the facts than an outright lie. It appears that the media and the people who write or invent these snippets seem to think that the readers are unable to understand a complete thought or sentence. The politicians for years have hired writers who in their push to grab headlines write like ad writers (no offense). Ad writers express ideas to get your attention as they have a limited time to get your attention (often seconds). This writing method has  crossed over to political writers who through the attention grabbing style of writing tell the public nothing but hint at something which leads to speculation and self-definition based on innate biases. Apparently truth is not as comfortable as a lie (we should recognize that as we have been hearing it from legislators for years). It is unfortunate that telling lies and  shading the truth has become the order of the day for many folks running for office. If your message cannot stand alone then perhaps it’s not a good message or its incorrect according to public sense. The electronic age has brought us to the point of receiving these  targeted messages seemingly forever. We see them online when we do anything, on the tube, in movies and on and on. We need to smarten up and recognize what we are receiving daily in the most innocent ways. Our electronic devices may just be our worst enemies.

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Foot Health


This article supports my opinion of “Flip-Flops” which I believe are the worst type of footwear and should be banned which will save many visits to the E.R. for foot and ankle injuries. I have seen the huge summertime purchase of inexpensive “flip flops” for summer ware and not just for beachwear and showers. These “ankle breaking, foot injury producing ” pieces of foam rubber and other elastic products have captured the American foot as the summertime foot wear. There are more expensive models however the nature of the beast is not changed by better manufacturing and is just a better grade of foot injuring footwear.

Flip-flops are not your friend.
“When I was pregnant, I wore flip-flops often because they’re so easy to slip onto swollen feet. But they’re really not meant to be worn all the time: They offer no arch support. Plus, your leg, toe, and foot muscles have to work harder to keep them on, which could make tendons tight and lead to pain that will affect your lower back. I encourage my friends to wear more supportive shoes whenever they’re doing a lot of walking or standing – you don’t want to put on flip-flops for an all-day trip to the amusement park – and to do foot and leg stretches to counter any tightening. My favorite is a runner’s lunge: Stand with your hands against a wall and your feet about 12 inches from it. Step back with your right foot, then bend your left knee, keeping your back leg straight and your heel firmly on the ground. Hold for 20 seconds, and repeat on the other side.” – Suzanne Badillo, clinical program director of the Women’s Rehabilitation Program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

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Demagogues, Witch hunters and Charlatans


It has become clear to me that many current and past well known figures in politics and the public eye are not who they purport to be. We have over the years been enthralled or distracted by seemingly larger than life figures who have turned out to be less than most of us ordinary people. We have had Jim Jones (Jonestown) who induced hundreds to commit suicide or be murdered , Senator Mc Carthy who sent the nation on “red” witch hunt and ruined lives, We had Several Evangelicals who fell from grace after information on their personal and financial misdeeds came to light, we have had several Federal legislators ousted and imprisoned over  official and personal misdeeds. Years ago in the 1600’s we had the “Salem Witch Trials”. All of these things have to do with people who took upon them selves the mantle of  leadership under the guise of administering justice and religious right. Our current political climate appears to be running in the same vein. We have a congress lead by Right wingers who without our explicit consent doing what “they” want and ascribing it to the “American people”. We have a leading Presidential aspirant with unknown affiliation or motivation who has excited the angriest (gullible?) elements of the country into a mob who are covered with a blanket of hate for anyone not like them in mindset and skin color. This is the same type of mass sentiment that created the witch hunts ala Salem and the McCarthy eras. It is of great concern to me that the media coverage no matter how the middle of the road is flavored and often overshadowed by  the extremes of the right and left of center outlets. With all of the truth being available not enough people avail themselves of it and become entrapped by the Demagogues, witch hunters and charlatans whose sole purpose is to incite discord which in turn hides their own agendas which do  include the good of anyone but themselves and their cohorts. Remember the following Names: Joe McCarthy, Dennis Hastert, Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump, Spiro Agnew, Jim Jones, Cotton Mather, Tom Delay and many others. They have all been (or are currently)  high in the public eye and (or will fall) fell after their true nature or purpose is exposed. If we become and remain vigilant we will be wary when the lies sound like the truth according to someone with a high public profile.

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The Media As A Tool


The election onslaught is at once informative and confusing. This is possibly due the types of media coverage we see and hear daily. The information age is squarely upon us and becoming more dominant. With this being the situation we all need to spend more time reading the fine print. While the reporting is usually competent often the employer of the reporter has a say over what is reported and how it is reported, which leads to misinformation. Free press is no longer free in the sense of the honest presentation of  information. Each news maker uses the media as a tool to present their views as fact when often there is an underlying agenda which is not necessarily in the best interest of the country or public as a whole. All elections have become popularity contests espousing whatever it takes to maintain or gain an elected office. Once in office the script is flipped and their “agenda” in enacted. Notable script flippers: Mitch McConnell, Darryl Issa, et al. Gaining a position of power is the way these people can make changes that benefit them and their ($) backers. They selectively give interviews or statement to the press to further or start an issue which again does not benefit us as a whole. This selective blurbing takes attention away from the real issues and at the same time hides their real work. We have had a dysfunctional Congress for many years and we keep electing them because they promised to do something but that promise has always been preceded by innuendo and lies that appear true and honest but are a slimy as the underside of a rock. Since the Congress has spent no time actually doing what they were elected to do, shouldn’t  we make an effort put someone else in their place?

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Trump’s Empowering Effect


 

Apparently Donald trump can unite. He has so far united all of the worst elements of our society. Recently a teacher in Ohio commented on  an African themed prom dress, stating it was “tacky”. Looking at the photo, I see nothing tacky about it, if nothing it is tasteful and well done. Unfortunately this shaming was attempted by a Caucasian teacher who if asked is possibly a Trump  supporter. This is just one of the Racist, biased and generally anti anyone who is not a hater supporters that Mr. trump has empowered in his run for the Whitehouse. These are the same people who tend to blame all of the woes of the world on others who are not like them. All of us have our likes and dislikes but those are tempered with a smattering of rationality. Now the NRA which is quite radical has endorsed a man who at one point was a staunch anti gun advocate, what does that suggest as a Presidential hopeful? Is Donald Trump the “Great White Hope” or just another opportunist who will sway with prevailing winds leaving someone else to do the heavy lifting? Unfortunately his ties to the current Dupublican party makes the party look more radical than it really is. It is bad enough that we have a Congress that has made no progress in running the country and providing the services we elected them to do but now we have a possible fop ascending as the front-runner for that party. We have the opportunity to make changes in both case but we need to pay attention to who we elect to the Congress along with who we elect to the Oval office. It is within our (voters) power to change not the politicians.

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About Cosby


The ongoing Bill Cosby sexual allegations and public trail by media is not over but could be if the attorneys would get their acts together. At this time most people who follow this are at once surprised, amazed or not. The Many accusations have so many flaws or possible misconceptions as to muddy the waters on the real story. It appears that many well known personalities (including Mrs., Bill Cosby)are being deposed on their knowledge of his actions. I am concerned about the time span between the actual occurrence of the supposed acts and the current revelations. It may turn out to be true or not but the media frenzy has more to do with selling papers or air time than facts. We expect this type of coverage from the checkout stand journals rather than the mainstream media but it appears that any method of increasing revenue is fair game even if it may turn out to false. This is not to say that Mr. Cosby is innocent or guilty but a fair shake should be available for all  as this could happen to any of us for any supposed transgressions from the past.

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Where!!


Where we have been and where we are going are questions that need answers. Getting the answers requires conversations and reading. Each of us has an opinion on many things according to our personal beliefs, backgrounds and experience yet we still form opinions based on someone else’s view even if that view is off-center of our own. The current political arena has many of us  forming opinions based more in innuendo and misinformation than fact. I have heard and still hear views that are so outrageous as to be scary. If a larger portion of people actually followed the extremes , we could quickly descend into the black hole of anarchy creating a  wasteland. Example the recent accord with Iran has met so much pushback from people who do not see or want to see the bigger picture. For instance the uproar over the current Iran Nuclear deal-enter the previous Reagan Russia nuclear deal with “evil empire”. This rehash is no more than Obama bashing which serves no purpose other than gaining points for  talking and crowd pleasing. Looking at the minimum wage, it has proposed to raise it to $15.00 per hour, what will be gained is a higher base wage which will result in higher spending (possibly) but the offset is some higher prices in consumer goods, higher tax brackets with tax deduction offsets and a certain amount of growth in durable goods. Overall the economy will pickup because of increased spending and if we (the people) are smart we will save more and become smarter financially. With all of this we still need to pay attention to who we elect with the thought in mind that we will have to live with our choices for 2 to 4 years at a time. We will still have the opportunity to replace those we elect with others who we hope will do better. The thing to keep in mind is whoever is the President will have the opportunity to select Supreme court Judges who are in office for life and that a have a longer lasting effect than anyone we elect. So we need to be as informed as we can be but not according any specific ideology or political theme. Information is gained by listening and reading everything available with a rational mind. How do we accomplish this state of mind. Think about the difference between being religious and being spiritual, once you figure that out for yourself, you will have the answer.

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What We Hear


 
 

Buzzwords, sound bites and catch phrases are not facts. The current political debates are popularity contests disguised as real information. These aspirants use what they can to excite , arouse and enthuse us with what they believe we want to hear. The reality is , when whoever gets the job is actually sitting in the Oval office the promises, sound bites, buzz words, etc. no longer apply. The reality of the job kicks in like an overdose of caffeine. It will take the first four years to understand the job and act on things that were already in the works. There will be no repealing, revoking or deleting because they will have to be the CIC with military activities occurring in other countries, UN members that need attention aside from their immediate family’s needs. He or she will need to hit the ground running since time stops for no one nor does the country’s business. The question is who do we rally want or who do we really need? There are no perfect candidates but we need to dismiss  the debates as  so much fluff or as we would a schoolyard scuffle between second graders. Our job as voters is to determine beyond the debates and oratory of the campaign who feel will do the job if we do not perform this exercise we will not have fulfilled our duty as voters and we can only blame our selves if we end up less than the best we can get. There is no such thing as “no matter who I vote for nothing will change”. This is why Illinois has the Governor they currently have and why we have the Congress we have. Remember Congress will be in place after the Presidential elections so who will we blame then?- Ourselves if we become complacent and place our trust in Politrickers.

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