SikUvTheRite's Blog

Today Sarah Palin asked a crowd of her supporters in Ohio, "Are there any Joe the Plumbers in the house?" to roaring applause.

I think her question should have been, "How many of you are plumbers and make over $250,000 a year?"

That would be a more realistic question.

Equating Joe the Plumber with "the average American" is another typical trick from the pro-big-business conservative far-right.  Yeah, average plumbers make $250,000 a year - right, sure they do!

Plus, she thinks Obama's comments about "spreading the wealth around" prove he is a socialist.  What does she want, to keep all the wealth to herself?  Well, OF COURSE that's what she wants!  The key phrase here is "the wealth".  Whose wealth is it, anyway?  Obama wants to spread the opportunity to become prosperous around to ALL Americans.  The Republicans plan to keep that opportunity for the already rich and powerful.  It's as simple as that, folks.

She also made the usual comments about cutting our taxes, too - very difficult when you have a party agenda that includes continuing a $TRILLION war for another 100 years and bailing out multi-millionaire investment bankers.  What benefits for Joe the Plumber are they going to cut to do that, I wonder.

I think these kinds of statements just absolutely PROVE that she does NOT represent the average working American in any way, shape or form.  $250,000 is NOT average, folks.

So, what do you think about the Republican assertion that "average plumbers" like Joe make over $250,000 a year and hence will pay more taxes under Obama?  And what exactly is wrong with "spreading the wealth", anyway?

Today is an unprecedented day in American history.

Today, we became a nation of socialism for the wealthy.

There isn't even a term or name for it.  Privitunism?  Socialenterprise?

But regardless of what you call it, it's still a pig!  Today we are the only civilized, industrialized nation in the world to socialize big business and investment banking!  Our government, which is supposedly you and me, today just took the risk out of investing.  And that changes everything!  We can't call our system "free market" anymore.

Our government is guaranteeing profits for the wealthy!  Taking away the risks of bad investments - but not for you and me, oh no, only for the wealthiest, Wall Street tycoon.  All that talk of Main Street?  Just like the man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz, phony.

Most countries who practice any socialism (which is most) usually take the "social" part pretty seriously and use it for things that benefit EVERYONE.  Most countries would have TAKEN OVER the failing industries and nationalized them before handing them welfare money as we have.  Which really is the same thing, except we let the rich owners continue to rake in the profits while failing - the right way would be to remove leadership who fails pififully and give the people ownership stake in the companies.

Make no mistake, this is a non-partisan issue.  Today, we started a new welfare program.  Today, we started a "New Deal".  Today, we started socialized welfare for the richest investment tycoons.

Today may be the beginning of the end of the prosperity of average Americans as we know it.  WE'LL be paying taxes to HAND OVER to people worth 5, 10, 25, 100 MILLION dollars!

Too bad we started this downward spiral by electing an oil tycoon con man and a Republican Congress in the name of religion and guns (religious groups and the NRA, after all, are what got Bush and Republicans elected to begin with).  Too bad we made the same mistake twice.

But it will be a national tragedy if we make the same mistake three times.

Today President Bush appeared on TV and said some things that could be interpreted as "scolding" Congress on the Economy.

Well, I'll keep this short: Why should anyone in Congress listen to a thing he has to say, anyway? He's the one who got us into this mess.

And Congress is supposed to listen to his ideas now?

I would think the Democrats in Congress, at least, would like to reverse this economic tailspin, but they're not going to do it by following a conservative economic agenda already proven to be a monumental failure.

Well, the market is tanking again, today.

It even went under the magical 1200 mark today, which if I remember my rules about market movement from my Series 7 exam (anybody else know the "Head and Shoulders" pattern of market change?), going below that mark will set a pyschological trend in motion, and we may see a prolonged dip now.

So much for Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy!  I guess not enough money trickled down to us little people!

Also today, though, the Feds announced a bailout of another private investment group (Beare Stearns).  Funny how the government under Republicans always has PLENTY of money to bail out the rich when they make poor investment decisions, but the working man and woman is always told "we have no money".  Or my personal favorite (heard on these very blogs) the "...people just bought more home than they could afford - too bad for them!"

Well Beare Stearns made an investment they couldn't afford - too bad for them, eh?

We shouldn't be giving money to them to bail them out - they took a risk (part of legitimate capitalism) and lost.  Oh, well.  They certainly would have kept the cash if they won and profitted!

We should instead be bailing out people who have high debt due to medical bills, ridiculous property taxes, or rip-off mortgages.

For those of you who still support Bush, or think McCain is your man, you'd better check your IRA and 401K today, and give some thought to this:  If you actually WORK for a living, whose agenda will make your retirement investment more prosperous - the "tax and spend" Democrat, or the "tax break for the rich-and-spend on the rich" Republican?

I was actually surprised but pleasantly pleased to hear the reckless, irresponsible trooper involved in killing those two teen girls by driving 120MPH is being charged with reckless homicide!

Yes, maybe there IS some justice in this country, every now and then!

Our thanks should go to the Grand Jury on this case, who heard the facts and made the decision to charge rather quickly!  Kudos to them!

We the people have spoken, loud and clear!  This is the way justice is supposed to work.

Now it's up to a jury of his peers.  Let's hope they also do the right thing and punish this guy for taking two innocent lives.  Put him away for a while so he can't hurt anybody else!

Not much coverage here on Fox, but I notice on national news that the Westboro Baptist Church, that church of fanatic extremists on the right who picket fallen soldiers' funerals and claim God is punishing America for allowing gays, LOST a lawsuit for $11 million!!!

A father of one of the soldiers killed in Iraq decided enough was enough from these pathetic lost souls who carry picket signs saying "God Hates F*gs" and "God Hates America" at funerals and he sued.  He won.  And the jury award him over $10 MILLION in punitive damages.

Of course, being the usual "law doesn't apply to me" types that these religious fanatics are, they are laughing it off and claiming it will be overturned.  Of course, if they can just get their case in front of one of the conservative right-wing radical judges who legislate from the bench maybe they can do so.

It so happens Congress also banned these wierdos from picketing at federal funerals, but the law doesn't apply to private ones.

I put this in the new "Faith" blog section, because isn't this an issue of faith?  What do some of you "faithful" think of these people?

Doing the work of God, or are they setting themselves up for spending an eternity wallowing in the unholiest lake of fire in hell anyone can imagine?

I say the latter.

Well, it's a done deal.  Not that there was ever any doubt about it.

The Ballpark Village developers got their government entitlement handout of about $30 million from - yep, you guessed it, you and me the average taxpayer.

Because this is roughly "in the ballpark" of the amount of profit an investment of this size would generate over a couple of years, this essentially means the State, along with the previous City handout, guarantees their profit for this venture.

And remember how we were all going to get a state income tax break from all that money Blunt and the Republicans saved by slashing Medicaid earlier in this legislative session?  Well, now we know where the money was REALLY intended to go.  Truly disabled people were displaced and neglected, yet: Where is our state income tax break?

Isn't this taking from the poor and giving to the rich?  A sort-of Reverse Robin Hood?  Maybe Communism in Reverse, where the state guarantees profits for the rich?

And where are those fiscal conservative Republicans, so up in arms against any kind of entitlement program, so against any form of welfare?  "Personal responsibility" is their battle cry!  "Work for it", they say.   Hmmmm - where is the "personal responsibilty" for the profits of their venture and why don't they "work for" their success, I wonder?

This should prove to even the most cynical that Republicans are not truly against "wasteful tax and spend" welfare programs, they just send the cash to a different, elite crowd.

This is a government entitlement program, a welfare program, for the rich, pure and simple.

Monday is the day the Missouri Legislature gets together for a special session (at taxpayer's expense of about $1,700 a day!) to consider approving Gov. Blunt's special "economic development" package.

This "economic development" package will cost us taxpayers about $66 MILLION a year over the next few years.

What's it for? Economic development! And we all know what that means.

Remember how Governor Blunt just slashed Medicaid and displaced disabled people from state care to save us taxpayers money? Where are those savings? Did you get a state income tax cut? If you work for a living, no, of course you didn't! Did anyone get a tax break from his slashing $50 MILLION from the Medicaid budget?

Well, yes! several of the wealthiest people in Missouri are about to get one! In the form of tax credits! For important things like fattening up beef cows, and buying more than 75 acres of property to develop for profit!

And - get this - he wants to LEGALIZE ticket scalping! That's right! It seems some of those poor souls who buy season tickets just can't sell their unused tickets AT A PROFIT! They suffer so much because of this, he wants to allow selling sports and concert tickets at MORE THAN FACE VALUE!

His spokesman says it has NOTHING to do with the fact his brother represents TicketMaster, who resells tickets! No, absolutely nothing whatsoever!

What is the worst thing about this? They are more expensive government entitlement programs. Aren't Republicans supposed to be against government entitlement programs and big government welfare? Well, SOME are!

Just not enough. So write your local State Representative and Senator TODAY and give them a short note that you do NOT want them to support Blunt's economic development program. Right now, it is expected to be approved.

But most Democrats and several Republicans are against this as just another special interest handout.

Because it is. Just another welfare-for-the-rich big government entitlement program.

Which, apparently, is okay with Republicans if the recipients are the wealthiest of the privileged wealthy. Like Blunt and his family, for example.

Let's let them know what we think. And do it now! Here's the link:

http://www.house.mo.gov/default.aspx?info=/bills071
/member/memmail.htm

Find your Rep and send them a quick note to tell them you are against welfare - especially for the richest of the rich.

Okay, as a famous president said, "There they go again!"

I notice the poll this morning shows viewers here about 75% against the idea of more state tax dollars (spelled "welfare for the rich") being spent on the Ballpark Village.

I propose this as a test of how "representative" our fine Republican legislature is. If so many are against it, they should vote against it, right? It won't be approved, then, am I correct on this?

Yet who wants to wager the Republican legislature will approve the request, and more of our tax money will go to these rich deceivers?

Even worse, they promised to build and pay for this Ballpark Village as part of the deal to get the tax handout for the Stadium itself, remember? So now what are they going to promise to build to get this one, a spaceship?

What do you think about tax money going to the Ballpark Village? Do you think Republicans will take a stand against it?

Wow.  The Iraqi Parliament wants to take a two month vacation!

Now, if that doesn't prove how full of it they are, what else could you want?

Can any of the remaining minority of you who still support this war really believe we are doing any good over there for anybody?

To those of you so worried that pulling out will lead to more attacks on the US: Isn't that what our "defense" is for?  Remember, we call it the Department of DEFENSE, not Department of OFFENSE!  IF we had excellent intelligence (of course, under Bush that's questionable, quite frankly) - but IF we had excellent intelligence, then we should, for about .01% of the cost of this war, be prepared for any attack and kick any attacker's butt to kingdom come.

We CAN prevent attacks on our soil -  without giving a rat's butt what happens to them kooks over there.  That's why we spend $500 BILLION a year on defense, isn't it?

Of course, if you believe as I do that the REAL worry about leaving Iraq would be the threat to Israel, I say - let Israel defend itself with the $10-20 BILLION a year military aid we give them.  I'd say that should be enough to prevent rock throwing and crude fireworks-level rockets from hurting them, don't you think?

I have an idea.  I think ALL our troops and support needs to take a two-month vacation!  Send all our troops and military gear and money home for two months.

And then let's keep them here.