An Inconvenient Truth About Our Politics

Hello Bloggers! Long time no see! I am sorry for being missing in action, but there is a good reason and I thought I should take a little time to say hello and explain why I've taken a break from blogging. So, hello to all of you! Now for the explanation.

I've grown tired of the lies and insanity of American political debate today. It's true that it's always been a little insane, but still the lies from the right have been too much lately. Great American political debate has traditionally been based on actual facts, but the truth is those facts are now an endangered species.

It's clear that "facts" today are corrupted by deceitful politicians, non-governmental organizations, special interest groups, corporations, and many fake news sources. Even its cousin the statistic is manipulated and distorted these days. Everybody knows the unemployment rate is much higher than reported. The same goes for most other - once trusted - leading indicators.

There is no doubt, WE THE PEOPLE are being lied to more than ever. I like to call it the big con, or simply IT. It refers to many causes, but mostly it refers to information technology, which sadly creates the conditions that lead to most of today's factual distortions. Unfortunately, we are now victims of it, we are controlled by it, and we are now all part of it.

Who is the #1 enemy of it? For me, it's currently Rachel Maddow. She dispels more of "it" than any other journalist alive today. Cheers for Rachel!

Sadly few know about it since the corporate media controls access to the message, and they rely on it for most of their fake news and ratings (yes, the ratings are manipulated). In Rovian terms, it is the muddying of America's political waters, stirred-up using bucket-fulls of lies and propaganda. Unfortunately, unless it can be fixed, it could ruin the faith, trust and respect that millions of Americans like me have in our system.

Unless real reforms begin soon, proving that truth and the good guys can still win, I fear that I may be just the tip of a very angry iceberg.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still fighting the good fight when it comes to helping the good guys. I'm still writing letters and making calls to President Obama and our legislators, but I admit that blogging has lost most of its appeal. Right now I'm focusing on helping create real change through political action.

Sorry, but I never really got the sense that our blogosphere - more often echo-chamber than debate club - helps us very much. Usually it just sets us up as punching bags for the uninformed, angry right. Sadly, no matter how well you research and write it, they just seem to ignore it or trash it. It just doesn't seem worth it.

My recent feelings of disappointment got me thinking. Despite my desire for more facts, sadly, when you really research it, America has never really been a great place for reality-based politics. Historically, most American political debate has been shrouded in myth and patriotic fervor.

Consider the simple idea that we Americans have always seen ourselves as the land of freedom and equality. Is it true? It's great to hear, but for millions it is less about fact, and more marketing. The truth is freedom has never been free in this country, and we have never been about equality. The shining city on a hill has more slums than most people want to believe; the great society has never been as fair as people think.

The fact is we rank low in terms of many freedoms, at least those freedoms most of the industrialized world cares about - individual welfare, and freedom from sickness and extreme poverty. We have never been a nation built on equality.

For a rich nation, we have the highest prison populations in the world, the highest number of hate crimes in the world, and the greatest divide between rich and poor. Only crazy Republicans and die-hard, love-the-fetus-hate-the-child conservatives see us as truly free.

Unless you have great parents, or a great parent like Barack Obama, you're usually on your own. It's true anybody can make it, but helping people make it is a political no-no.

For God's sake, even Mark Twain included murder, inequality and hatred in his American tales over 100 years ago. Actually, most of America's greatest literary works have touched on our internal inequalities. What is truly American is the public's desire to ignore it's problems, and to think the opposite.

Inconvenient Historical Truths

Just think about our incredibly dark history. The slave trade, native American subjugation and genocide, a century plus civil rights struggle of inequality and murder, countless wars financed by greed and corruption (especially in Central and South America), and finally our greatest gift, the global military-industrial complex.

This is not to say we're a bad country. We have done a good job trying to set things right, and probably should be considered better than most. Still, today I'm talking about the bad.

So, whether you want to admit it or not we have been lying to ourselves as a nation for a long time, and are not always the good guys in every situation, despite what Republicans say. The time for American innocence, ignorance and negligent stupidity must end.

It's time to talk turkey about our past, our recent history, and today. We need to discuss who we really are, how we fit in globally, and where we're going. If not, we'll remain ignorant, buy their propaganda and lies, and suffer the ugly consequences.

How many question what would the world be like if only the Germans fought the Nazis? Well, we're the Germans now, and today's liars are the Nazis. Let's act before it's too late.

If we cannot evolve, then we deserve the despots who control us. If we cannot change, then we deserve the lies and the deceit they market to us as so-called freedoms. On the other hand, if we admit that America has a dark side, that we're being lied to, and that fear, greed and the desire for power drive it, then I think it's only reasonable that we find a way to pull the plug on that power.

First, we need to identify who they are. We need to name the people who are trying to control us - the ones who also want us to be afraid. As I've said on this blog in the past, we need to start by ignoring the 24/7 "news" media. TURN THEM OFF! They need to be the first we shut out, and shutdown. Second, we need to focus more energy on reaching political independents (blogging by itself may not be enough), explain the truth, and discredit the liars.

There's no doubt most of today's politicians follow those who wield money and power. Our interests have been replaced by a cabal of greedy influence peddlers, corporations and individuals from all parts of the world. It's now all about the global economy, corporate greed, and how the rich can get richer. That is the sad truth of today. It's time to see them as the corrupting influences they are; it's time for electoral reform.

President Obama must push for real campaign fianance and systemic reform. It's time to get the money out of the system.

Sadly, it's a long shot. It's clear that corporate Republicans and Democratic sell-outs will continue to undermine any progress. I'm even beginning to believe that Barack Obama doesn't have what it takes. The change we voted for (and often prayed for) is beginning to look like a sales job, or worse. Unless real reforms begin to take shape soon, the inertia will threaten to demoralize and undermine support within the rest of the American electorate.

So, what does all this ranting mean? It means that I've become so disenchanted that I can't seem to write like I used to. The lies, Republican manipulation, corporate corruption, and [mostly] Senatorial inaction have degraded the system so much it all seems futile. Unless I can see some light at the end of this dark tunnel, I will have little incentive to write about politics again. I'll probably start blogging about something else.

Let's hope the good guys can win one soon. Let's hope for real health care and financial reform. Those two alone would probably allow me to reconnect, to ignore the lies, and to fight for more CHANGE! They would go a long way to cure what is ailing me. In the meantime I'll continue to write my letters and make my phone calls, and hope for real progress.

My best to all of you. I hope you are are having a great Fall.

Monday's Political Rant - Michael

Republican Sloth: An American Disability

Good Morning! It's Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, and a good time to give up something. Let's purify the soul. If you start with the seven deadly sins as a guide, perhaps we Democrats should let go of some pride. President Obama is causing an overload lately. Let's give it a shot.

Let's see, how about Republicans? I have a suggestion for our Republican friends. How about giving up sloth? Sloth is one of the sins articulated so well by medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas.

Think about it, it's the perfect sin to describe today's modern American Republican. Yes, SLOTH!

According to the Catholic Church, sloth is the "sluggishness of the mind which neglects ... sloth is evil in its effect, if it so oppresses." Wow, I don't know about you, but for me that is the nail that hits the proverbial Republican head. It's PERFECT!

The Church was referring to the idea that life requires work, and that work leads to salvation. You can interpret "work" any way you wish, but before I'm inundated with Republicans accusing Democrats of lacking a work ethic due to their desire for government leadership, allow me to say the work I find lacking involves Republican laziness related to FACT FINDING! Besides, I totally disagree with you Republicans that Democrats are lazy. American workers are the most productive on earth.

As many of you know I audit many of their news sources, and let me tell you their leaders, radio talk shows and various psychotic FOX "News" programs have been swamped lately with even more propaganda than usual. I call them the propaganda "elitists," to borrow a word the Republicans like to use on us. Well, the elitists are out-of-control and off the scale!

I've referred to Recovery.gov as a fact checker numerous times, and I am shocked by the amount of Republican BS that's being repeated ad nausea in some kind of retarded GOP-to-media-to-constituent daisy chain, or merry-go-round when they talk to each other. They are out of control and they don't even realize it most of the time. To be blunt, it seems like some kind of sick sociological experiment, to discover just how wrong politics, parties and their constituents can get when guided by unprincipled, desperate people.

The last few weeks have been the worst ever tainted by their lies, which has spurred them to be the least cooperative opposition during a crisis in American history. Their unwillingness to acknowledge the will of the American people after the last election is striking. They seem determined to stick to their broken ideas and stunted schemes. Their leaders have been despicable, doing whatever they can to stop a true economic recovery for their own political purposes. Their only concern is the next election and power, not the American people.

You see, there is only one set of facts. We Americans can debate them all we want - as to whether we feel they will help or hurt - but the fact remains there's still only one set of them.

I have a few questions for those Republicans who love to think they're politically smart these days, but in reality parrot the hyperbole of a few fanatic media dogs. Do you ever listen to yourselves? Do you ever think how absurd you sound when you try to debate politics using today's corrupt and discredited Republican resources? Do you ever get tired of ignoring factual responses, while resting on a crutch of media ignorance? Do you ever LISTEN?

Why don't you look up just a few key facts, which just might encourage you to cut President Obama and the Democrats a little slack? Try these first:

Why don't more Republicans make an effort to learn about how Republican presidents and congressional leaders ran up WELL OVER 90% of today's post World War II government debt, which now tops off near $11 trillion? George W. Bush himself ran up over a TRILLION in the past fiscal year alone. If it's true, which it is, doesn't it stand to reason that Democrats should be allowed an opportunity to spend government money based on their own needs and policies? It's only fair.

Why don't more Republicans make an effort to learn about what generates actual wealth in a nation? Republican leaders, the media, and my Republican friends keep talking about how World War II spending was the real reason why America pulled itself out of the depression. They like to say that Roosevelt's policies helped the poor, but in reality they prolonged the depression. That is a LIE!

Economists know that war spending does very little to create the economic conditions for domestic growth, since most of the money is wasted on products and services that are ultimately destroyed. Economies grow based on investments that are both renewable and long-lasting. Infrastructure investment, education investment, and good government policies are what most economists and academics credit with pulling America out of the depression. The fact is Roosevelt is responsible for those conditions. The Republican talking points to the contrary are deceitful, disingenuous and ignorant.

Why don't more Republicans make an effort to learn about why tax cuts are not enough to spur an economy, especially one mired deep in a recession or a depression? Most economists believe tax cuts spur an economy, which is why President Obama included $288 billion in tax cuts in the stimulus, HOWEVER, most economists ALSO believe that government spending and smart policies can play a vital role in stimulating an economy in crisis. The Republican talking points that criticize government efforts have no basis in reality. They are LIES! It is a fact: government has helped in the past and it can help again. The Republicans are playing politics!

Why don't more Republicans make an effort to learn about how they themselves used the same tools of government intervention in the past to help the economy? There are many examples throughout history when Republican administrations and congressional delegations used government to help fix the economy. I'm not going to name them all, but suffice to say that Ronald Reagan (Savings & Loan Crisis - $160.1 billion, about $124.6 billion of which was directly paid for by the U.S. taxpayer) and George W. Bush (federal bailouts and guarantees totalling over $5 TRILLION) were the two most recent examples. Feel free to list your own. They used LOTS of government money to tweak the economy. If Republicans wish to be fair, they'll allow us the same tool box. Unfortunately, I suspect fairness means little to them.

Why didn't more Republicans worry about creating debt when they were in power? Don't they see their own hypocrisy and double-standard today? I guess not.

Why didn't more Republicans care about smart regulations and enforcement when they were in power? Why are they fighting it now? Don't they acknowledge the role their leaders played at creating this crisis? Why doesn't it matter to them? Why don't they question their leaders' competence more?

Why do Republicans keep saying the Democrats were responsible for our problems because they controlled congress during the last two Bush years? Are they stupid? Think about the time scale! Are they even aware how their party filibustered every significant piece of reform legislation over those two years?

Why do Republicans always believe - without question - that Democrats spend while Republicans save? The exact OPPOSITE IS TRUE! The Republicans have consistently outspent the Democrats while in power, and by their love of tax cuts are guilty of lowering their own taxes at the expense of future generations. IT'S A FACT!

Do Republicans understand how BIG the deficit could get if we don't stimulate the economy, and HOW LONG the recession/depression could last? There are plenty of historic examples where governments did nothing, and nothing happened. Republicans love to use the Japanese stimulus packages of the nineties and their subsequent slow growth as arguments for nonintervention, but they always fail to mention that Japan's economy is driven by exports, and how stimulating that market is difficult. I say get all the facts, or don't bother.

The Republicans like to call us Democrats socialists. The facts suggest otherwise. Republicans lie to their constituents, create myths about who they are, and lie about what they did moments after doing it. They are the CON ARTIST party. A good example is their passion for the "FREE MARKET." Sure they love it, when it benefits them. Republicans are famous for PRIVATIZING THE PROFITS and SOCIALIZING THE RISK. Democrats simply acknowledge that government has a role to play. We tell the truth. We do not try to con the American people.

The list of questions goes on an on. I might even add a few over the next few days. Feel free to suggest your own. The bottom line is that most Republicans are ignoring the facts these days, while believing lies from multiple, illegitimate sources. It's time for Republicans to step up, smell the coffee, unhook the old ball and chain, and free themselves of whatever is causing them to be so brain dead these days.

I have had numerous debates with Republican friends and family recently, and they all seem to be parroting the same lies. It's getting very tiring and annoying. As I said on this blog, modern American political discourse is being steered by political and media elites, who are often LYING! I'm begging average Americans, especially Republicans, to do their research, read more, and discover what really happened in the past, and what is really happening today.

PLEASE DON'T TRUST TODAY'S POLITICAL AND MEDIA ELITE! Get up, get active, and get better informed!

Wednesday's Political Rant #1 - Michael

PS - You might want to check out how the Las Vegas Sun reacted to Gov. Jindal's Republican response slamming Las Vegas and the stimulus. The governor's pathetic response was only a small part of today's Republican propaganda machine.