Sunday, September 30, 2012

Will Ending Medicare End Inheritances?

Conservatives want to end Medicare and Social Security. But Medicare and Social Security conserve inheritances. If grandma has to spend all her money on her retirement needs, she isn't going to leave you any money, sonny.

Old folks like to have a bit of a stash, if they can. If they are forced penniless like everyone else, they can't leave anything to anyone.


Thursday, September 20, 2012

Romney Throws Away The Poor Folks' Vote

One third of the voters who live below the poverty line were planning to vote for Mitt Romney for President. Now they may not. Mitt just slammed their faces in the mud. If they are on food stamps or Medicare/Medicaid they are playing the victim game, he says. And so are their kids.
   "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 that 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,"  said Mr. Romney at a private fundraiser some months ago.
In "preaching to the choir," telling them what they had paid to hear, Romney conflated three different groups, each of which is about 47 percent of a larger population.

About 47 percent of voters say they have decided to vote for Obama for President. They are from all walks of life.

About 47 percent of households have at least one member who receives help from the government - everything from student loans to Medicare. To  Romney, not one but every person in such a household, whether grandparent, wage-earner or child, is a dependent playing the victim game. To Romney, 47 percent of all Americans are dependent on government.

About 47 percent of American households pay no income taxes. This group includes (a long list here) for example, people among the very rich who sequester their wealth and income overseas. It includes poor families with a lot of kids, where the many little deductions are greater than the income. It includes people who are elderly and retired. It includes veterans on disability. It includes people who have no income. 

While these three groups may overlap somewhat, Romney considers them identical. Each one is 47%, isn't it? This makes for better preaching.

It is inevitable that a candidate who needs big-dollar corporate donations so he can advertise his worth would preach corporate dogma and daydreams to a corporate crowd. Inevitable also, given Moore's law, that this sermon to the choir someday would be recorded, and that private lies told to major donors would be heard by the multitudes. Inevitable.

And he defends them. Romney defends these lies. As he throws votes away.

The conservative press is in a tizzy, as noted by comedian John Stewart. The Club for Growth is telling Romney he's on his own.  Senators fled their weekly press conference after a brief statement, not taking any questions from reporters. Vulnerable House Republicans distance themselves from Romney.   Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty is stepping down as Romney campaign co-chair to take a job as CEO of the Financial Services Roundtable, a K Street lobbying group for Wall Street interests.

Watching an avalanche can be fun when you're not under it.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Obama is Our Safety Net

Obama is our safety net.

The Republicans continue even in hard times to try to destroy the nation's safety net. This makes them unattractive to the average voter. Ask a dozen average people what kind of safety net they would like to have in place for their own needs, should need develop. Obama knows about poor people. More and more of us are poor these days.

Having a safety net out there - whether a person or a program - is our security. It allows us to go on.

Sunday, September 02, 2012

Just Government Being Government

There is a 'governing' imperative. Governments must govern. As thoroughly as they can.

Whatever is random and ungoverned could cause dismay. So the random and ungoverned must be tamed until no waves are made.

Does your government seem onerous? That's just government being government. If they weren't as busy governing as they could be, vocal citizens would think something is wrong.

Government that doesn't govern is a waste of taxpayer dollars.