Want the details on the Romney Ryan Tax Plan?

Nobody seems to know what the plan entails… Romney and Ryan say they have it, but never spell it out in debates or speeches. I wonder why that is?

To find out more about the plan click HERE.

I REALLY need your help to continue the blog…

…and, of course, I have a free gift for donations of $5.00 or more…

…you get my popular picture font:“Bill’s Victorian Ornaments” These images created from traditional and period sources are very usable at any size in designs and publications. The font comes for Mac and PC, and I usually sell it for $29.95. It’s my way of saying “Thank You” to offer it to $5 or more donors. Believe me, October is becoming a low income month and I HAVE to get some contributions to keep going.

So many of you have been following this blog since 2004 that I feel we’ve built a huge web community.

I have enjoyed bringing you the Cartoon(s) of the Week, the Quotes, the Political and Arts News, the Blogrolls of the best sites in America and beyond… They are all a joy to put together. Often we get the breaking political stories before you see them anywhere else. And our wide open communication channels with readers can’t be beat. I offer your participation at all times and appreciate the hundreds of subscribers who sign up every year.

Without  YOUR help to keep it going, I’m in big trouble. I’m hoping you will make a small contribution, by PayPal or credit/debit card, in support of Under The LobsterScope. You’d be amazed at how much $5.00 can do to help me bring more and more to these pages. And it is probably the LOWEST annual subscription fee you will make to any publication… interactive or not. I often receive larger contributions and I certainly appreciate those.

Remember, for a contribution of $5.00 (or MORE) you will receive a copy of my Picture Font, Bill’s Victorian Ornaments and the knowledge that this blog will continue onward.

(I send you font versions for both Macs and PCs by email, and include a typeface keyboard directory.

See the Sample Below.)

I should note that even a donation of $1.00 gets my thanks and helps to keep this blog going. By clicking on the DONATE button below, you tell me that Under The LobsterScope makes a difference in your time on the web.

Thanks,

– Bill T.

 

Getting ready for tonight’s debate…

I really want to think about those things Romney is lying about so that when they pop up in the debate I can yell at the television and wish him ill results in the election.

For instance, when Mittens says Obama added more to the deficit than any previous President, we should look at the facts:

 

Did you see what those Repiglicans did?

 

It’s interesting, then, that Obama has the trust of Americans on most issues, but somehow Romney has labeled himself as the deficit reducer — given the things he seems to be representing, this is really impossible. I think people need to think this over and I hope Obama clarifies everything tonight.

 

Great lead for Obama on handling an unexpected crisis.

And look what Obama scored in government spending vs. the Repilicans’ great hero Reagan:

 

Ok… I have high expectations for Obama tonight. I hope you do, too.

Related articles

• Viewpoints: In tonight’s debate, Obama needs to lay out his vision (sacbee.com)
• Precision planning in the countdown to the next debate (itv.com)
• For Tonight’s Debate, Use #youngcons on Twitter (owenstrachan.com)
• Candidates Try To Sway Undecided Voters In Tonight’s Town Hall Debate (philadelphia.cbslocal.com)
• Romney to get first question at debate (politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com)

 

What is it about Republicans and their need to create wars?

Here’s where to look for a World News Daily article by Jamal Abdi: New Senate Push to Pledge Unconditional Support for Israeli “Preventive” War on Iran.

Before reading it, here’s the first couple of sentences:

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is planning to press the Senate next month to pledge U.S. troops, money, and political support to Israel should Bibi Netanyahu launch a preventive war on Iran.

Graham claims his effort would merely make explicit that the U.S. has Israel’s back. But when your friend is drunk, you don’t hand them the keys. If Graham has his way, he will hand Bibi the keys and lend him our car, while the rest of us ride shotgun.

If this gets you at all nervous about creating a new major mideast war at the behest of Israel (and Lindsay Graham), then get ready to write your senator.

Related articles

• New Senate Push to Pledge Unconditional Support for Israeli Preventive War on Iran (fromthetrenchesworldreport.com)
• Lindsey Graham Introduces Bill To Commit US Troops to Israel (dailypaul.com)
• New Senate Push to Pledge Unconditional Support for Israeli Preventive War on Iran (whitenewsnow.com)
• Lindsey Graham alleges Election-Driven WH cover-up on Benghazi, Calls Obama ‘misleading’ or ‘incompetent’ (riehlworldview.com)
• U.S. Senate Joins Bibi In Push For War (addictinginfo.org)

 

I’ll bet the Romney Campaign is a little more nervous with today’s Gallup announcement.

Gallup’s 30 day moving average poll finds unemployment has dropped to 7.3%. While not an official jobs number in the sense that the BLS numbers are, it obviously correlates to the recent BLS numbers that had the right wing in a frenzy of conspiracy talk. Also correlating to the improving BLS numbers are the facts that recent jobless claims numbers are dropping dramatically and today’s consumer confidence number hit a 5 year pre recession high.

Can’t wait to hear Romney’s response to all of this.

Related articles

• Gallup Poll Shows Unemployment Down To 7.3% (politicususa.com)
• Gallup has unemployment at 7.3 percent, and Thursday saw a big drop in jobless claims (thesunnews.typepad.com)
• You: Jobless Claims Hit Four-Year Low (thedailybeast.com)

 

I’m watching the VP Debate…

If you listen to Ryan, if we are going to deal with Iran‘s coming nuclear capacity (the capacity of which both the candidates disagree on) we are going to have to insert troops. This means a new war – probably in partnership with Israel.

Biden brings up the fact that Iran has been weakened during the Obama administration – primarily in cutting back their oil sales by 20% or so. They don’t yet have a completed delivery mode, either.

Ryan is also going after Russia as an enemy… especially if we go to war in the middle east. In his opinion, Russia is the leasing supporter of the Arab countries. Biden, of course, gets back to the fact that Russia is currently our ally.

I’m curious as to how many of the current questions of the Romney / Ryan campaign get answered. I hand it to Biden that he has already put up the 47% as an issue related to taxes. Ryan seems to ignore it.

This is going to be an entertaining night.

Related articles

• 10 things to watch in tonight’s Biden-Ryan debate (firstread.nbcnews.com)
• Biden looks to avenge Obama in VP debate (metronews.ca)
• Joe Biden, looking to avenge Obama, goes head to head with Ryan in VP debate (vancouversun.com)
• 5 things to watch in VP debate (politico.com)
• Why the Biden-Ryan VP debate will be must-see TV for the healthcare industry (medcitynews.com)
• Iran In The US Campaign’s Crosshairs – OpEd (eurasiareview.com)
• War on Iran – Failing on Its Own Terms (antiwar.com)

 

I REALLY need your help to continue the blog…

…and, of course, I have a free gift for donations of $5.00 or more…

…you get my popular picture font:“Bill’s Victorian Ornaments” These images created from traditional and period sources are very usable at any size in designs and publications. The font comes for Mac and PC, and I usually sell it for $29.95. It’s my way of saying “Thank You” to offer it to $5 or more donors. Believe me, October is becoming a low income month and I HAVE to get some contributions to keep going.

So many of you have been following this blog since 2004 that I feel we’ve built a huge web community.

I have enjoyed bringing you the Cartoon(s) of the Week, the Quotes, the Political and Arts News, the Blogrolls of the best sites in America and beyond… They are all a joy to put together. Often we get the breaking political stories before you see them anywhere else. And our wide open communication channels with readers can’t be beat. I offer your participation at all times and appreciate the hundreds of subscribers who sign up every year.

Without  YOUR help to keep it going, I’m in big trouble. I’m hoping you will make a small contribution, by PayPal or credit/debit card, in support of Under The LobsterScope. You’d be amazed at how much $5.00 can do to help me bring more and more to these pages. And it is probably the LOWEST annual subscription fee you will make to any publication… interactive or not. I often receive larger contributions and I certainly appreciate those.

Remember, for a contribution of $5.00 (or MORE) you will receive a copy of my Picture Font, Bill’s Victorian Ornaments and the knowledge that this blog will continue onward.

(I send you font versions for both Macs and PCs by email, and include a typeface keyboard directory.

See the Sample Below.)

I should note that even a donation of $1.00 gets my thanks and helps to keep this blog going. By clicking on the DONATE button below, you tell me that Under The LobsterScope makes a difference in your time on the web.

Thanks,

– Bill T.

Related articles

• My great thanks to José Moreno for contributing to the blog… (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)

When Romney questions Obama’s achievements, remember what the Congress did to most of his proposals.

 

No Congress has ever done to a President what the Republicans in the Senate and the House have. Given the House’s Republican majority and the Senate’s need for 60% of votes to avoid filibuster, the President has been a victim of politicians who put their party ahead of the needs of Americans.

Take a look:

 

And if you listen to Romney accuse Obama for not making enough happen, wonder why he is not aware of the stance taken by his fellow Republicans in elected office.

Related articles

• NYT: Exits of centrists weigh on Congress (msnbc.msn.com)
• I imagine that Romney will accuse Obama of not having created jobs… (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)
• Behind The Obama Implosion (andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com)
• Ex-GOP Sen. Larry Pressler on supporting Obama: “Veterans very offended” by Romney (salon.com)
• Analysis: Romney would lean on Congress for tax code overhaul (news.yahoo.com)

 

My great thanks to José Moreno for contributing to the blog…

My thanks to
José Moreno for last night’s donation to Under The LobsterScope. Thanks,  José . I think you are our first member from Mexico.

Watch your e-mail, your Bill’s Victorian Ornaments  font is on the way!

– Bill

If you’d like to help us out at Under The LobsterScope (and we hope you will), go HERE.

Obama was blocked by Republicans from passing so many bills. Romney doesn’t seem to know that.

In 2010, Mitch McConnell set the Republican Senators’ goal to make sure Obama didn’t get the legislation he promoted approved. Both the Senate and House Republicans set working AGAINST Obama as more important than working FOR America.

Here’s the Republican record for the past 3.5 years:

1. Tax companies that ship jobs overseas – BLOCKED (Source)
2. The Dream Act – BLOCKED (Source)
3. Political Ad disclosure Bill – BLOCKED 2x (Source)
4. Small Business Jobs Act – BLOCKED 2x (Source)
5. Anti- Rape Amendment – BLOCKED (Source)
6. Benefits for Homeless Veterans – BLOCKED (Source)
7. Affordable Healthcare for America – Voted 33x to Repeal (Source)
8. Healthcare for the 9/11 First Responders – BLOCKED (Source)
9. The Jobs Bill – BLOCKED (Source)
10. Wall Street Reform – BLOCKED (Source)
11. Oil Spill Liability – BLOCKED (Source)
12. Immigration Reform – BLOCKED (Source)
13. Fair Pay Act of 2009 – BLOCKED and DEFEATED (Source)
14. Unemployment Extension Bill – BLOCKED (Source)

In 2012 they want you to think that Obama is to BLAME!! What do Americans think? If your neighbor blames Obama, pass this list on and let them know the way the GOP congress has acted.

Related articles

• Poll: Hispanics in Florida favor President Barack Obama over Mitt Romney, 61-31 (tampabay.com)
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• Obama Blames GOP, Economy for His ‘Biggest Failure’ (commentarymagazine.com)
• I Don’t Need a Reporter to Tell Me That Obama Won the First Debate – and on His Anniversary !!! (bonjupatten.com)
• Barack Obama: Says 50 million people would lose their health insurance if Obamacare is repealed. (politifact.com)
• Obama zings Romney: Are you keeping your plans secret because they’re too good? (rawstory.com)
• Mark Gongloff: Romney’s Dodd-Frank Comments Shock Bewildered Bankers (huffingtonpost.com)

Does Mitt Romney’s Own Mother Undermine His Entire Campaign?

 

From Mansur Gidfar:

You know that guy who’s running for president? The one who touts individual achievement, without any government assistance, as the ideal embodied by truly patriotic Americans? Wouldn’t it be crazy if there were a video out there of, say, his own mother praising government welfare assistance as one of the primary reasons his father was able to establish himself in this great country of ours and eventually become a governor?

Oh wait. Skip to :50 for the good stuff.

Related articles

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• A Tea Partier Decided To Pick A Fight With A Foreign President. It Didn’t Go So Well. (womensphilanthropy.typepad.com)
• You Built That: How Mitt Romney Shook Down American Taxpayers For His Welfare Olympics [Mitt Romney] (deadspin.com)

 

Watching Romney on 60 Minutes led me to remember the things he was lying about…

 

Post these on your websites if you want to be aware of what Romney-Ryan will do to Medicare… and what they will do to employment and tax income, etc.:

Gee, I’m lucky… being in the oldest category they only grab about 50% of my retirement payments from Social Security (or all of my pension each year for the next 8… then it’s gone.)

Did you hear Romney say he was going to cut taxes on Middle America? Go you remember ythe other day when he said the income rate of Middle America started at $200,000.00 a year in annual income… and averaged a quarter of a million dollars. All at once I was not part of Middle America any more. Neither were ALL of the people I know and deal with every day in West Virginia.

I hope most people realize the bullshit Romney is bubbling over with. We have the possibility of having the worst president in history. Let’s avoid that situation by not voting for him.

Related articles

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• BARNEY FRANK LETTER: Mitt Romney makes himself crystal clear (tauntongazette.com)
• Gee… Elly and I are no longer “Middle Income” (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)
• Romney and “Middle Income” (thedailybeast.com)
• Here’s Why Mitt’s 100% Wrong on the 47% (thedailybeast.com)
• What He Said: Barney Frank on Mitt Romney (slog.thestranger.com)
• Republicans Outraged With Romney Because He Gave Away Their Dirty Secret (politicususa.com)
• Paul Ryan tanks at the AARP (dailykos.com)
• Want to know what Medicare will cost you when you retire under the Romney Plan? (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)
• Romney demands that seniors take ‘personal responsibility’ (dailykos.com)

 

The next time Romney says Obama did nothing to create jobs, introduce him to Mitch McConnell…

 

Thanks To Connecticut Against Linda McMahon

The President’s Veterans Job Corps Act of 2012 would have spent $1 billion over five years to put veterans to work tending to federal lands, and in the nation’s police and fire departments. Created by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), it was based on FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Republicans say they opposed the bill because there is no proof that it would work. Forty Republican members of the United States Senate betrayed veterans when they decided that denying President Obama a victory was more important than spending $1 billion to create jobs for vets.

It doesn’t matter to most Senate Republicans that the CCC put 2.5 million people to work. When confronted with an actual jobs program for America’s vets, including the 220,000 who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, the majority of Republicans claimed the plan, which was already offset, was too expensive.

This is all part of Mitch McConnell’s stated goal to let Obama accomplish nothing. In so doing, he has made America worse. Here’s hoping vets in Kentucky make sure he loses the election.

Related articles

• Meet the 40 Senate Republicans Who Betrayed Veterans By Killing $1 Billion in Jobs (politicususa.com)
• Senate Republicans kill veterans jobs bill (dailykos.com)
• G.O.P. Blocks Veteran Jobs Bill (takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Republicans Axe Veterans’ Jobs Bill, Prove Zero Interest In Job Creation (addictinginfo.org)
• Senate veterans jobs bill held hostage by crazy person (dailykos.com)
• Blame It on Mitch (thedailybeast.com)
• Taking Note: Republicans Obstruct Veterans Job Corps Act (takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Jobs bill for veterans stalled by partisan fight (bangordailynews.com)

 

A Quote of the 20th Century: doesn’t it relate to Romney, candidate for the other 53%?

 

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand. They think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves. Even when they enter deep into our world or sink below us, they still think that they are better than we are. They are different.

— F. Scott Fitzgerald, “All the Sad Young Men,” 1936

Thanks to Realitychex.com and Constant Weader for posting this one. Things don’t seem to have changed in the past 76 years. Some folks never learn.

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• Romney in panic mode (salon.com)

 

So Romney doesn’t care about half the country…

 

Mitt has been tripped up by an unplanned recording at a private and secret fundraiser among the very rich. This is what has caused attention in the press and has severely effected his ratings in the polls:

There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax….[M]y job is is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.

According to the Washington Post, when you look at those Americans who don’t pay federal income taxes, 29% pay payroll taxes (of course, that is a direct tax on their income), and almost a quarter are elderly. For the most part they all work, and most are eligible for a federal tax credit for low-wage earners, a Republican idea created as an alternative to welfare. Perhaps Romney doesn’t know what his own party has created.

In the older population, the large quantity elderly white people and some of the white working class included in that 47 percent are the bedrock of the GOP base. When Romney rails against the “dependent,” Romney is talking about his older white base, which is dependent on Social Security and Medicare and doesn’t want either program touched. Both are his and Ryan’s major targets.

So once again, Romney has stepped in it and doesn’t even have a way to clean his foot off. If we get to the debates and he continues a similar performance, he will be kissing the election off.

Related articles

• Romney’s Tax Cuts May Be a Hard Sell With Voters – Bloomberg (blog) (bloomberg.com)
• Romney’s False Welfare Attacks Ignore His Own Plans To Gut Programs For The Poor (thinkprogress.org)
• Mitt’s Muddled Obamacare Message (thedailybeast.com)
• WSJ chides Romney for too few policy details (politico.com)
• Off-Record Mitt Romney Says ’47 Percent’ Of Americans Are ‘Entitled’: VIDEO (towleroad.com)
• Romney Says He’ll Cut Deductions, Not Taxes on Earners (bloomberg.com)
• Romney and “Middle Income” (thedailybeast.com)
• Who are Romney’s 47% that don’t pay tax? – The Guardian (guardian.co.uk)

 

A view from the far left…

 

…from Sam Webb, National Chairperson of the Communist Party:

 

“…I don’t believe that the Republicans even care if the economy rebounds. A sluggish economy in their view is their only path to the White House in this election cycle. If confronted, they will deny it, but if you judge them by their actions in Congress, it seems apparent that sabotage of the president’s economic plans is at the top of their agenda. It is the thin reed on which their return to power and domination rests.

“To say that Romney and his fellow Republicans are consciously undermining the economy for the purpose of winning this election is probably hard for many Americans to swallow.

“Even with their skepticism of politicians and the political process, many American people still believe that there are bounds beyond which neither party would go to accomplish its aims. That is not the case in this instance in my opinion. No matter what the cost and pain, Romney and the Republicans are hell bent on undermining any recovery of growth rates and jobs in order to emerge triumphant on Election Day.

It may bother you that Webb is a Communist, but he is an American Communist which means he has more of a left side political agenda and is strongly related to worker’s employment and unions. This is something the right has no concern with.

To see the rest of his article go HERE.

Related articles

• Obama Wins Coveted Communist Party Endorsement… Again (thedaleygator.wordpress.com)
• Socialists & Communists Come Out Strong for President Obama’s Re-election (independentsentinel.com)
• And the sheeple believe him . . . (lsnewsgroup.com)
• Communist Party Endorses Obama For 2012 | THE JEENYUS CORNER (jeenyuscorner.com)
• Dems Okay With Any Source, Even Beijing, that Trashes Romney (commentarymagazine.com)
• Republicans Don’t Want The Federal Reserve To Help The Economy (politicususa.com)
• Conservatives hammer Romney for skimping on policy details – Reuters (reuters.com)
• Did Republicans Deliberately Crash the US Economy? (economistsview.typepad.com)
• Fiscal Cliff “Deeply Destructive” to U.S. – Obama (247wallst.com)
• Rep. Rangel Says What Everyone Is Thinking: Mitt Romney is Threat to Our National Security (politicususa.com)

 

An Economic Quote for the Day

Romney keeps saying his plan will cut Obama‘s deficit. Turns out it’s another lie from the Mittster. At least that’s what the experts say.

“The bottom line is that whatever baseline you use, until Romney makes good on his promise to pay for his tax cuts, he would increase the deficit far more than Obama would.”

– The Tax Policy Center’s Robert Williams

Romney’s tax cuts for all those multi millionaires would increase the deficit by nearly $5 trillion over 10 years. That’s on top of keeping the Bush tax cuts for the rich. Romney has promised to close various loopholes to pay for his tax cuts, but he hasn’t specified which ones. And he’s not likely to because none of them are actually possibile.

Related articles

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• Mathematically Impossible (theburningplatform.com)
• The Truth About “Romney Hood” (newyorker.com)
• RomeyRyanomics: A Bad Deal for the Working Class: (economistsview.typepad.com)
• Rhetoric Aside, Few Details Of Romney’s Tax Plan (npr.org)
• Obama: Romney tax plans increase burden on middle class (mysanantonio.com)
• Mitt Romney — The Potential Liar-in-Chief (sayitaintsoalready.com)
• Payroll tax cut OK’ed for all of 2012; high-earner recapture tax repealed (dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com)
• Mitt Romney and the Fantasy Budget (businessweek.com)

Have you considered what it means to you if Romney and Ryan get ahold of Medicare?

 

After hearing Romney on Meet The Press say that he wants to keep some of Obamacare, what he and Ryan want to do with Medicare, according to the Ryan budget, is a whole different matter.

It’s what it will cost you that you ought to think about.

I don’t know what age level you fall into, but knowing I’m being stripped of the money tobuy two years worth of groceries really pisses me off.

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• Obama hits Romney with new Medicare study (miamiherald.com)
• Obama uses Medicare to court Florida seniors (washingtontimes.com)
• Romney-Ryan Want It Both Ways on Medicare – Bloomberg (bloomberg.com)
• Romney camp admits Medicare cuts will hit current seniors (dailykos.com)

 

Remembering the creation and importance of Labor Day…

The contributions made by unions to the betterment of America’s workers is primarily the reason we celebrate Labor Day. The influence of organized labor cannot be ignored.

Most of the benefits workers now enjoy are directly attributable to unions:

• The 40 hour work week
• paid holidays and vacations
• sick leave
• grievance procedures
• collective bargaining
• generally superior wages.

Unfortunately, we have come to take those benefits for granted. Benefits came about because of unions and soon became the norm for union workers and many non-union workers as well. All American workers owe a debt of gratitude to Organized Labor for its achievements.

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a “workingmen’s holiday” on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country. By 1909 all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territories have made it a statutory holiday.

On Labor Day, let’s look at the benefits brought to us by Organized Labor:

Benefits of Unions:

Reinforcement of  the middle class. States with higher rates of unionization have lower rates of poverty, crime, and failing schools.

Raise of wages for all workers. Studies show that a large union presence in an industry or region can raise wages even for non-union workers. Women in unions make 33% more non-union women, and are more likely to have employer-provided health insurance and pensions.

Reducing wage inequality. Unions raise wages the most for low- and middle-wage workers and workers without college degrees.

Creation of mine safety laws strengthening mine safety standards and protecting the rights of mine workers.

The legal participation of Organized Labor has gotten many bills through Congress. In the last 50 or so years these include:

    •    The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
•    The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
•    The Voting Rights Act of 1965
•    The Civil Rights Act of 1964
•    The Equal Pay Act of 1963

So as we celebrate Labor Day, let’s look at it as not just a day off from work, but as recognition of the relationship of the worker to democracy.

Related articles

• Labor Day, How it Came About and What it Means (clarksvilleonline.com)
• The History of Labor Day (womensphilanthropy.typepad.com)
• History of Labor Day (thehrstrategiesblog.wordpress.com)
• Why Call it Labor Day When Most People Have the Day Off? (interactive360.wordpress.com)
• For U.S. unions, holiday begins somber election countdown (news.terra.com)
• Labor Day & POLITICAL ACTION 2012 (propresobama.org)
• Labor Day – An American Holiday (givemeda411.wordpress.com)
• The Arts of Labor Day (thewip.net)
• Construction workers crucial to US landscape (syracuse.com)

Quote of the Day: Grover Norquist says Romney will do what a Republican Congress says to do…

 

“All we have to do is replace Obama. …  We are not auditioning for fearless leader. We don’t need a president to tell us in what direction to go. We know what direction to go. We want the Ryan budget. … We just need a president to sign this stuff. We don’t need someone to think it up or design it. The leadership now for the modern conservative movement for the next 20 years will be coming out of the House and the Senate.—

Pick a Republican with enough working digits to handle a pen to become president of the United States. This is a change for Republicans: the House and Senate doing the work with the president signing bills. His job is to be captain of the team, to sign the legislation that has already been prepared.”

– Grover Norquist

So, who runs the Republican Party anyway? This guy holds no office and doesn’t speak at the convention. So why is he so important. Why do all these dumbos sign his goddam anti-tax pledge?

That I have no answer for. I wonder if Romney does.

Related articles

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• Grover Norquist Calls George H.W. Bush A Liar (washingtonmonthly.com)
• Norquist says Ryan would leave ‘large footprint’ in Romney administration (thehill.com)
• GOP Congress Members Have Private Audience with Pope Grover, Seek His Blessing (crooksandliars.com)
• George H.W. Bush: “Who the Hell Is Grover Norquist?” (crooksandliars.com)
• Norquist Meets With GOP To Discuss ‘Extremely Helpful’ Pledge (huffingtonpost.com)
• Ryan Would Play ‘Similar’ Role to Cheney, Norquist Says – Bloomberg (bloomberg.com)

 

Another set of facts necessary before listening to Republicans at their convention, thanks to Robert Reich…

 

Robert Reich is quite easy to understand and deserves a good listen:

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• Robert Reich: Romney’s Lying Machine (yubanet.com)
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• Robert Reich: Whose Plan Destroys Medicare — Obama’s or Romney-Ryan’s? (huffingtonpost.com)
• Intellectual giant Robert Reich: Paul Ryan was no match for me! (twitchy.com)
• No Name Calling, Just 3 Minutes Of Facts On The Romney-Ryan Plan (upworthy.com)

 

Something to think about during this week’s Republican Convention…

 

You will hear Romney and others accuse Barack Obama of accelerating federal spending ahead of all previous administrations. In reality, even with the stimulus bill, health care and other Obama achievements, the President’s level of spending is 0nly 1.4% on an annualized basis – the slowest amount of growth since the Lyndon Johnson administration in the 1960s.

Take a look at the stats:

These are the figures to keep in mind when the Republicans continue to lie about Obama’s record. Do not believe them!

And remember, it will cost us much, much more if Romney is elected.

Can we afford such a lesson?

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• Obama offers help as Tropical Storm Isaac threatens GOP convention, all Florida (blogs.suntimes.com)
• Obama Chides Romney’s ‘Extreme’ Views, Gives Second Term View (huffingtonpost.com)

 

Quote of the Week – What does the business community really think of Mitt?

 

Even the folks Romney claims to be a representative of, the Business Community, is unsure of his qualifications:

“All politicians flip-flop from time to time; but Mr Romney could win an Olympic medal in it.

“…competence is worthless without direction and, frankly, character. Would that Candidate Romney had indeed presented himself as a solid chief executive who got things done. Instead he has appeared as a fawning PR man, apparently willing to do or say just about anything to get elected. In some areas, notably social policy and foreign affairs, the result is that he is now committed to needlessly extreme or dangerous courses that he may not actually believe in but will find hard to drop; in others, especially to do with the economy, the lack of details means that some attractive-sounding headline policies prove meaningless (and possibly dangerous) on closer inspection. Behind all this sits the worrying idea of a man who does not really know his own mind.”

– The Economist

Related articles

• The Economist Slams Romney (politicalirony.com)
• The Economist Comes Out Against Mitt Romney (delong.typepad.com)
• Etch A Sketch (themoderatevoice.com)
• The Economist drops Mitt Romney (shortformblog.com)

 

Report from the Field in the Republican War on Women.

 

All the discussion in the last couple of days about Abortion as a response to rape has raised so many women’s issues and shown the true face of the Republicans.

First take a look at the overall view of the 112^th Congress, it is impossible to miss the big picture that Republicans have used a multi-faceted approach in their war on women, especially in their right to choose their own health coverage. For the past couple of days, there has been a firestorm over comments made by Representative Todd Akin regarding what he calls “legitimate rape,” and although it is a big story, it is just a small part of the entire GOP’s view of women.

Akin

Republicans – even Rush Limbaugh –  abandoned and condemned Akin over his remarks on legitimate rape and conception, especially when the Republican congessmen trying to make him quit the race, have voted with him to eliminate a women’s right to choose throughout the 112^th Congress.

The Romney campaign team swtated in writing: “Romney-Ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape,” but critics began connecting Paul Ryan to Akin. It became glaringly obvious that Ryan and Romney have also promoted his twisted pro-life position. Ryan co-sponsored, with Akin, a national personhood bill that defines a single-celled zygote as having all the rights of an American citizen, and Romney tapped him for vice-president.

Romney said he would scrap the Title X program (Medicaid coverage that handles contraception and abortion) entirely to cut costs. But, according to the Guttmacher Institute, every dollar spent helping women avoid pregnancy saves $3.74 in Medicaid spending. The issue is not cutting costs, but ending women’s right to choose when they give birth. And what is the basis of Ryan, Romney, Akin, and the rest of the Republicans’ pro-life stance? It is based entirely on the Christian bible and not fiscal conservatism.

If any woman in America has not yet figured out that Republicans, all Republicans, hold them in contempt and believe their place is on the birthing table, then they better take a better look at more than just Todd Akin.

Related articles

• Paul Ryan pretends he doesn’t agree with every ‘outrageous’ thing Todd Akin said (dailykos.com)
• Reps. Todd Akin And Paul Ryan Co-Sponsored Bill Using Term “Forcible Rape” (alan.com)
• Do You Get It? (talkingpointsmemo.com)
• Parker: Todd Akin’s words about rape aren’t the problem (newsday.com)
• Akin Intimates That Women Fake Rape to Get Abortions (news.firedoglake.com)
• Eight staggering GOP comments on rape and women (salon.com)
• Ryan backed more than one ‘forcible rape’ abortion bill (firstread.nbcnews.com)
• Paul Ryan Is No Friend Of Women Who Were Raped (dekerivers.wordpress.com)
• Akin Concedes, No Illegitimate Rape, It’s Just That Women Lie About It (alan.com)
• Republican Todd Akin: Don’t Worry, You Won’t Get Pregnant From Rape (triing2survive.wordpress.com)

 

Republican Quote for the Day – and how does Ryan’s budget plan fare with former Republican heroes?

“Mr. Ryan’s plan is devoid of credible math or hard policy choices. And it couldn’t pass even if Republicans were to take the presidency and both houses of Congress. Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan have no plan to take on Wall Street, the Fed, the military-industrial complex, social insurance or the nation’s fiscal calamity and no plan to revive capitalist prosperity — just empty sermons.”

– Former Reagan budget director David Stockman

This means it may be hard for some front-office Republicans to get behind the Romney-Ryan budget onslaught.

Related articles

• Reagan Financial Guru Blasts Ryan Plan As A “Fairy-Tale” (alan.com)
• Reagan’s Former Budget Chief, David Stockman, Rips Paul Ryan (economicpolicyjournal.com)
• REPUBLICAN DAVID STOCKMAN: Paul Ryan’s Budget Is An Empty Fairy Tale (businessinsider.com)
• Reagan Official Blasts Ryan Budget (politicalwire.com)