Regardless what your opinion of Rachel Maddow is, (mine is that she is way too liberal even for me), but one of her promos presents a very good question. She is standing in front of the Hoover Dam and she states that Americans and the "big ol' evil government" built this piece of vital infrastructure not for themselves, but for the benefit of generations to come. She then asks, "What is our generation leaving behind for future generations?" Debt and landfills? Can you name one national project of that magnitude today or plans for such an endeavor as our infrastructure collapses (see Minneapolis bridge disaster) around us? Just a thought. You political type know I don't claim to have any answers, just questions. Questions most either have not thought about or just don't want to answer, because to address them would be admitting that we are not perfect as a country. (Don't get me wrong we are a great country and I am proud to be an American).
Thoughts from the Poagulation-Nation.
Poage
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
All bow before the great and all knowing Free Market!
I know that I am compleatly ignorant about economics, but my rational, logical brain still can't seem to understand why the conservative, tea party types worship Smith and Rand like prophets, yet They support subsidies for all sorts of successful businesses. Oil, I'm looking at you), bail out for businesses that ran themselves into the ground while dragging the rest of us with them. I am all for cutting waste and fraud, but the way some of these neo-cons want to do it doesn't seem logical.
Since Medicare started in the 60's the average income of physicians has gone from less than $20,000 a year to close to $200,000 a year. Specialist make almost $400,000 a year now. Well above what inflation can account for. The Paul Ryan proposal would replace Medicare with a voucher from the government of about $7000 to spend on private health care. One of my hospital stays can cost over $20,000 a pop. $7000 won't help anyone with anything more than allergies. To me it seems the doctors are better off keeping Medicare/ Medicaid. Programs that have kept me alive and make U.S. doctors the highest payed in the world. Even if the neo-con have there way and decimated so-called discretionary spending, Medicare, Social Security, Planned parenthood ( who BY LAW CANNOT USE ANY FEDERAL MONEY FOR ABORTIONS no matter what some would like you to believe), and even cuts in defence (which has some bipartisan support, including poor slave Raun Paul) the dept you only be a drop in the bucket in government spending as long as 400 people continue to get tax cuts.
I wish everyone had less taxes, but this tax cut is so big and one sided that all the social cuts in the world will not increase revenue if more is going out in tax cuts than is coming in. Of, course my right wing friends say that those cuts stimulate job growth. Well, where are the jobs? Mexico, China, and the third world, not the U.S. If taxes breaks were given to businesses to stay in the U.S. and tax penalties for exporting jobs that might help, But, what do I know? Also, all the money these corporations receive is not put back into the U.S. When does it "trickle down"? These fat cats only invest it in there own stock portfolios and save the rest. If middle-class families got those cuts they would spend it on American businesses, because they have to to get gas, food, health care, college, etc.
The jobs are outsourced and pay for bonuses for executives. This is especially repulsive when Wall Street assholes that almost sent us into the second depression get bonuses and bailout even though they did a shitty job. I thought in a free market you rewarded people that are successful and make profits and punish those that fail? Why then are peolpe that so royally fucked up get rewarded? I understand the "too big to fail" idea, but you can't have a socialist government bail out and preach that the free market is the answer to all of the worlds ills. Face it. We need a strong free market and limited social programs when people fall thought the cracks.
If the middle class received just a fraction of those cuts they would spend it on U.S. businesses and services, because they have to. They can't afford to stock pile or make long term investment like The top 2%. They are the ones that actually start and run small businesses. The businesses the Bush taxes cut are suppose to stimulate. When does this whole trickle down thing start? It has been 30 years since Reaganomics and things got worse not better. Clinton actually presided with a bi-partisan congress over a surplus that Bush (the biggest spender ever) flushed down the toilet on tax cuts that increase deficits and an unnecessary war with Iraq, that not only cost billions, but countless lives for what?
Then there is the issue of "small government". Bush created many Federal programs, (some, like HLS i support), but others that have not served any real benefit. Conservatives want to pass laws to prohibit gay-marriage nation wide, They want to warrantless, wire taps, they want, to cripple planned parenthood, even though NO FEDERAL MONEY GOES TO ABORTIONS! It is a law. Look it up!. In Michigan the Governor has devised a plan to appoint "financial emergency administrator" for town in dire financial situations that has the power to dissolve the duly elected officials of those towns and flat out get rid of them and rule by caveat. That is a dictatorship, not democracy.
I like to consider myself a rational, logical moderate, who agrees with some (old) republican ideals as well as, some Democratic ideals, but because the once strong, proud GOP have allowed the nut job flood gates to open in order to appeal to the highly vocal, fringes of their base they have totally lost me. My father was a long time, contributing member of the GOP, but now he is so sick at how far right the party has become he can no longer be a member and have registered Independent. If the GOP does not get back in touch with moderates and independents they don't stand a chance in 2012. Those are just my thoughts. I could be wrong and I am sure some of you will point out that I am an idiot, but all I can do is call it as I see it. And, brother I see a bleak future. Thanks for reading my blog.
Take care and God bless.
Keith "the Poagulator" Poage
Since Medicare started in the 60's the average income of physicians has gone from less than $20,000 a year to close to $200,000 a year. Specialist make almost $400,000 a year now. Well above what inflation can account for. The Paul Ryan proposal would replace Medicare with a voucher from the government of about $7000 to spend on private health care. One of my hospital stays can cost over $20,000 a pop. $7000 won't help anyone with anything more than allergies. To me it seems the doctors are better off keeping Medicare/ Medicaid. Programs that have kept me alive and make U.S. doctors the highest payed in the world. Even if the neo-con have there way and decimated so-called discretionary spending, Medicare, Social Security, Planned parenthood ( who BY LAW CANNOT USE ANY FEDERAL MONEY FOR ABORTIONS no matter what some would like you to believe), and even cuts in defence (which has some bipartisan support, including poor slave Raun Paul) the dept you only be a drop in the bucket in government spending as long as 400 people continue to get tax cuts.
I wish everyone had less taxes, but this tax cut is so big and one sided that all the social cuts in the world will not increase revenue if more is going out in tax cuts than is coming in. Of, course my right wing friends say that those cuts stimulate job growth. Well, where are the jobs? Mexico, China, and the third world, not the U.S. If taxes breaks were given to businesses to stay in the U.S. and tax penalties for exporting jobs that might help, But, what do I know? Also, all the money these corporations receive is not put back into the U.S. When does it "trickle down"? These fat cats only invest it in there own stock portfolios and save the rest. If middle-class families got those cuts they would spend it on American businesses, because they have to to get gas, food, health care, college, etc.
The jobs are outsourced and pay for bonuses for executives. This is especially repulsive when Wall Street assholes that almost sent us into the second depression get bonuses and bailout even though they did a shitty job. I thought in a free market you rewarded people that are successful and make profits and punish those that fail? Why then are peolpe that so royally fucked up get rewarded? I understand the "too big to fail" idea, but you can't have a socialist government bail out and preach that the free market is the answer to all of the worlds ills. Face it. We need a strong free market and limited social programs when people fall thought the cracks.
If the middle class received just a fraction of those cuts they would spend it on U.S. businesses and services, because they have to. They can't afford to stock pile or make long term investment like The top 2%. They are the ones that actually start and run small businesses. The businesses the Bush taxes cut are suppose to stimulate. When does this whole trickle down thing start? It has been 30 years since Reaganomics and things got worse not better. Clinton actually presided with a bi-partisan congress over a surplus that Bush (the biggest spender ever) flushed down the toilet on tax cuts that increase deficits and an unnecessary war with Iraq, that not only cost billions, but countless lives for what?
Then there is the issue of "small government". Bush created many Federal programs, (some, like HLS i support), but others that have not served any real benefit. Conservatives want to pass laws to prohibit gay-marriage nation wide, They want to warrantless, wire taps, they want, to cripple planned parenthood, even though NO FEDERAL MONEY GOES TO ABORTIONS! It is a law. Look it up!. In Michigan the Governor has devised a plan to appoint "financial emergency administrator" for town in dire financial situations that has the power to dissolve the duly elected officials of those towns and flat out get rid of them and rule by caveat. That is a dictatorship, not democracy.
I like to consider myself a rational, logical moderate, who agrees with some (old) republican ideals as well as, some Democratic ideals, but because the once strong, proud GOP have allowed the nut job flood gates to open in order to appeal to the highly vocal, fringes of their base they have totally lost me. My father was a long time, contributing member of the GOP, but now he is so sick at how far right the party has become he can no longer be a member and have registered Independent. If the GOP does not get back in touch with moderates and independents they don't stand a chance in 2012. Those are just my thoughts. I could be wrong and I am sure some of you will point out that I am an idiot, but all I can do is call it as I see it. And, brother I see a bleak future. Thanks for reading my blog.
Take care and God bless.
Keith "the Poagulator" Poage
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