Instead of cursing the darkness, LIGHT A CANDLE! (& more)

I could write forever and never come up with half the quotable sayings of the master, Benjamin Franklin.

So bowing to the greatest, I merely offer this link to the complete (?)

'LIST OF FRANKLIN-ISMS!

THINGS THAT SEEM TO SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF REPUBS:

CHILDREN (ONCE THEYRE BORN)

BLACK PEOPLE

BROWN PEOPLE

ASIANS

STRONG WOMEN

MINORITIES

DEMOCRACY

TRUTH

LARGE VOTER TURNOUT

PAYING PERSONAL TAXES

LOSING ELECTIONS

NON-BRIBED JUSTICES

MAKING THEIR OWNERS LOSE MONEY

HOOKERS WHO CAN’T KEEP SECRETS

LITTLE BOYS AND GIRLS WHO CAN’T KEEP SECRETS!

BT & BEYOND

The past is gone
We want it back
It's looked upon
As what we lack

Ideas debated
Foundations laid
New laws created
Decisions made

The country moved forward
Our bodies our own
Opinions were heard
With a gentler tone

 

The world looked to us
As a nation admired
Voting sans fuss
Our freedoms inspired

 

Then came the dark times
Greed took the reins
Many ignored crimes
They caused great pains
 
Hate encouraged
Violence ensued
Truth disparaged
One party crude

 

Then an election
To fix what was lacking
Made a correction
Sent dt packing
 
But our job is not finished
We have not yet won
With focus undiminished
Vote the GOP DONE!

USA - WHERE THE MINORITY RULES

Mother Jones released a video showing Jessica Anderson of the Heritage Foundation bragging about writing voter suppression bills for Repub controlled States across America that surgically target minority voters in Democratic leaning areas.

While the bills' intent is obvious what is also obvious and somewhat unnoticed is the reaction from the Heritage Foundation to the leaking of their anti-democratic agenda, nothing!

They do not appear to be upset at being 'found out.'

In fact it is almost as if they are saying, "So? What are you going to do about it, huh?"

And their brazen blatant disregard for 'we the people' is completely understandable!

The voters, both the ones targeted and the ones that will sneak through the cracks of their crackpot scheme, will not have a chance to voice or vote their disgust until November 2022, at which time the die will have been well and truly cast!

And in December 2022, when the GOP has taken back full control of Congress, if the Dems yell foul or rigged elections, the Repubs will smile, smirk and say 'fake news.'

There is only one way to wipe that projected smirky smile off the faces of the insurrectionists and their enablers and it resides in the current Congress.

Senate Bill S-1 and its counterpart H-1 in the House would negate the immoral edge the cheating Repubs are cementing in several States across America, and the Heritage Foundation knows this all too well!!

They are spending millions to keep their senators and Representatives in line.

And the simple carrot they are using is power!

And the fortune that will come their way if and when they can steal their way back into it!

Their unwitting (?) ally in Congress is a democrat named manchin, who refuses to allow the filibuster rules altered thus giving mcconnell and fiends the power the minority needs to determine the outcome and fate of S-1.

The destruction of America and its democracy is therefore in the hands of one little man who was elected to the Senate as a Democrat in 2016 and represents a whopping 1.8 million people in a State that ranks 38th out of 50 in the USA, West Virginia!

When history recounts the end of the American Democratic experiment the name Joe manchin will be listed alongside that of mitch mcconnell and on equal footing with benedict arnold.

AMERICANS FINALLY HAVE A POT TO...

With the legalization of marijuana becoming a nationwide juggernaut one thing is clear, Bill Maher is not the only happy camper. He is joined by millions of adherents to the 4-20 lifestyle.

So how did our leaders conclude it was time for the change, and why now?

Well for one polling across the country had surpassed the 50% approval point and for the most part that is what drives their every move.

But Mexico is also on the way to legalizing marijuana later this year as well.

Yup, the entire country to our south will make it legal to own, carry and use weed!

Aside from stemming the tide of people moving north to smoke out their American dream as it were, it is annoying the hell out of the country’s drug cartels.

So, one might say it’s a win-win. But one would be wrong.

It is a win-win-win-win!

The third win for America is the increased tax revenue, the syntax for a higher sin-tax.

And the fourth win can be counted in lives saved!

That’s right, legalizing marijuana will save the lives and eventually the livelihoods of those society used to call hoods!

This is because it will put an end to a major part of the failed war on drugs!

Fewer people will be arrested for this former minor infraction and spend years if not decades in prison.

And to make matters worse the incarcerated youths are sent to ‘for profit’ prisons. This means the longer they are kept out of society the more money the corporations who own the places will pocket.

The prison owners routinely collect $60 per day per prisoner. They can save much of the ill-gotten cash by lowering the services they provide to the inmates. Skimping on the quality of the meals and lowering healthcare to the point of non-existence makes their bottom-line rise, so you do the math!

And with so much money to be made there is nearly no chance the inmates will become out-mates any time soon, so forget about that parole junkie!

The shift in policy is going to affect many other sectors than the prison industry.

Obviously, big tobacco will want a piece of the action and of course the snack industry is going to find the change sweet.

The new field of Cannabidiol (CBD) has already created stores, outlets and plenty of jobs for the average dude.

And surprisingly it has not raised the ire of those on religious right who are always against people getting ‘high’ on pot, or enjoying any pleasure not controlled by them.

Heaven forbid others enjoy themselves without praising Jesus.

Although many who have smoked pot have been known to say, “Jesus, that’s good stuff” from time to time.”

So, the bottom line is, when it comes to pot the government has lightened up so as Bill Maher would say, LIGHT UP!

GOP FINALLY GOES OVER THE EDGE!

Republicans seek to remain in or gain back power but not for the reasons you think.

They are less interested in governance than in just having the power over your lives and the means to live worry free.

The position of power affords them the luxury of ruling in favor of those who can best reward them with gifts and luxury items to feather their political beds.

But being in the minority in America means they must go to extreme lengths to get elected and that is where the immorality and downright un-American tactics come in.

The most obvious way Republicans have gone after their brass ring is to alter the way we vote and who is allowed to exercise that most important democratic right.

Here a few of the ways in which GOP lawmakers are plying their trade:

·       Restrict voter’s rights.

o   Especially and mainly if those targeted are thought to lean left.

o   Target minority communities who historically vote Democratic.

o   Felons who have paid for their crimes may not be allowed to vote.

·       End early voting.

o   Early voters tend to be more Democratic

·       Close or consolidate selected polling places.

o   Make it harder for the poorer communities to get to the polling places.

·       Shorten the hours on election day.

o   Closing at 8pm or earlier rather than traditional 9pm so working class cannot make it there on time.

o   This will make lines longer in an attempt to discourage voters.

o   AND THE BEST – NO FOOD OR WATER ALLOWED TO BE HANDED OUT TO THOSE ON LINE!

§  What possible reason can these bastards give for this addition??

·       End voting by mail

o   While this could inconvenience some of their own voters it hits the Democratic voters much harder, especially those without cars.

·       Require more IDs to vote.

o   Photo IDs and Driver’s License and in some cases notarized letters are out of reach for minorities and the poor communities.

o   Not accepting student IDs for out of State voters.

o   But do accept gun licenses as proof of citizenship!

·       Signatures must match spot on.

o   As we age out signatures change.

o   This allows scrutiny by polling officials to throw out voters they don’t like.

·       Must have a valid mailing address.

o   This clearly targets the homeless whose numbers have swelled over the years.

o   This is also a slap to Native Americans who live on ‘reservations’ and tend to vote Democratic.

Stoking hate and fear in the common man and woman is one of the more enduring tactics the GOP uses to get people to vote for them.

·       The Dems want to take away your guns

o   Then you won’t be able to fight against a corrupt government

o   You also won’t be able to protect your home from those aliens.

§  They want your jobs.

§  They want your daughters.

§  They want your money

·       The Dems are in favor of abortion!

o   We need to control your bodies!

·       We are the family values party.

o   Even though most of us have more than one wife.

o   We also have several mistresses.

o   We also love to separate families at the border.

o   And coupled with our no abortion stance you’re on your own taking care of your children!

·       The Dems are tax and spend!

o   Of course, Repubs always drive up the deficit

§  But not to worry, your kids will pay for it after we’re gone!

§  We will have to cut your social services to pay for it.

§  Any pennies left we will gift to the neediest billionaires!

o   We will never raise your taxes!

§  We will, however, lower the taxes on the wealthy.

§  We’ll make you pay in other ways.

So vote for us and we will Make America Great Again!

BUT IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE ABOVE MAKE SURE YOU NEVER VOTE REPUB AGAIN AND TRULY MAKE THE COUNTRY GREAT!

A FAIR WAY TO FIGURE A FAIR MINIMUM WAGE

One of the more contentious fights our government has had through the years is the one concerning a federally mandated minimum wage.

The desired wage being debated in Congress now is $15 per hour.

Republicans and Conservatives don't wish to guarantee anyone, other than themselves, any minimums and apparently could not care less if the needy just drop out of society and off the face of the Earth.

Democrats and Liberals feel that all workers should be paid a fair 'livable' wage commensurate with the cost of living.

But therein lies the rub.

The cost of living is quite a bit higher in California (CA) and Hawaii (HI) than it is in Mississippi (MS) or Arkansas (AR).

In fact, while MS is around 15% below the national average cost of living, HI is nearly double the rate.

A simple solution to fix this inequity could be to use a coefficient multiplier based on actual costs people incur in their particular State.

I used an insurance website to determine a fair estimate of the current costs a resident in each state would face. (You may click the above link to read their analysis.)

The website analyzed the following eight factors to gauge the COL:

• Miscellaneous goods & services
• Housing
• Groceries
• Transportation
• Utilities
• Health care
• Car Insurance
• Home insurance

MS is currently the State with the lowest cost of living at 15.22% below the national average.

If we wish all States to be on equal footing, then let's use $15 per hour as the pre-configured national average.

So if we multiply that $15 by the difference between the MS cost of living and the national average, we come up with a proposed minimum wage for Mississippians of $12.72 per hour.

Likewise for Hawaiians, who must contend with a cost of living that is 95.8% higher than the national average, their minimum wage would become $29.37 per hour!

People living in either of those two States would then have equal local buying power.

I suggest the minimum wage then be recalculated every 10 years around the same time as the U S Census so as to remain fair and relevant.

Based on the most recent figures for costs of living, the following list shows the fairest minimum wage for workers by State:

MS    $ 12.72

AR     $ 13.28

NM      $ 13.33

OK     $ 13.47

TN     $ 13.58

MO    $ 13.59

AL       $ 13.60

IN     $ 13.60

OH    $ 13.65

KS     $ 13.72

IA     $ 13.74

NE       $ 13.96

WY   $ 13.97

KY    $ 14.02

NC    $ 14.03

IL       $ 14.07

SC      $ 14.12

ID    $ 14.21

TX    $ 14.27

UT   $ 14.52

GA   $ 14.53

MT   $ 14.62

WI   $ 14.63

ND     $ 14.69

SD   $ 14.76

LA   $ 14.86

AZ   $ 14.93

MI   $ 15.07

WV   $ 15.10

MN  $ 15.46

FL     $ 15.65

VA    $ 15.73

PA   $ 15.86

DE    $ 16.06

NV    $ 16.13

CO   $ 16.38

NH   $ 16.69

ME   $ 17.09

NJ     $ 17.10

VT     $ 17.33

CT     $ 17.87

RI     $ 17.91

MD $ 18.15

WA $ 18.57

AK    $ 18.61

MA    $ 18.67

OR   $ 19.71

CA     $ 22.05

NY    $ 22.88

DC    $ 23.66

HI    $ 29.37

If Congress would actually take a look at this, they might like it but tweak it in a way to lower the nationally desired average to say $14 instead of $15.

But whatever number they decide upon the method to calculate the differences between States would remain the same.

The same idea used to calculate a State's minimum wage could also be used to figure the cost of healthcare and the rate of unemployment insurance etc.

One main problem that will always loom in the background of this FAIR AND EQUITABLE list is the 'State's Rights vs Federal Mandates' argument.

The States will say, 'don't tell me how to run my business' or my State.

And even though this is the best idea yet, if I do say so myself, it will be ignored and never implemented!

Pity!

What do you think?

Let me know in the comments.

END AMERICA'S SHADOW GOVERNMENT

For years, the Repub Party worked in the shadows to undermine Democracy.

They suppressed votes and disenfranchised any group of Americans they felt would vote for a Democrat.

When they realized groups of people were allowed to vote on a Sunday before an election because they could not afford to take a day off to do so Repubs worked hard to end early voting.

The GOP sent mailers to African American households and other likely Democratic voting groups with false information such as a wrong polling place or even the wrong voting date.

They actively gerrymandered every district in every State under Repub control to ensure the reelection of their candidates even though they were a distant minority. This famous and infamous process entitled ‘redlining’ is basically the GOP’s guide to minority rule. It is a quasi-apartheid form of government in America.

In the war against Democracy there were skirmishes in many localities across the country that largely went unnoticed by the general population.

Many times civil liberties groups attempting to end these irregularities found themselves in the courts.

That’s when the GOP turned some of their anti-democratic attention to the judges across America. They quietly started appointing friendly Conservative judges everywhere they could.

That practice recently culminated with the outright acts of the current GOP Senate Majority leader.

All of these tactics affected mostly black and minority neighborhoods and were well thought out as to seem mostly fair and balanced.

Mostly.

And when the ‘neighborhood’ was the entire country a new tactic evolved as was the case when Repub ‘god’ Ronnie Reagan realized unions mostly voted for the Democratic candidate. That was the signal for the forces of the GOP to attack.

The Repub hatred for unions is well known and an active strategy to this day and will remain so until they are stopped.

But with the advent of the single most disgusting creature ever to step foot in the White House, let alone rule over it, the Repub Party has come out of the closet.

They used to call themselves the ‘Family Values Party’ or the party of fiscal responsibility, but both of those terms have fallen by the wayside as they have now clearly shown their true colors.

A quick and easy trek through history will show that under GOP rule the country’s deficit always rises and the middle class, the majority of America, always falls.

The GOP works hard to title any new measure they bring forward and enact with a fair sounding name, such as the “Jobs Act” or stating a State’s union busting policy gives everyone the “Right to Work.”

And as any bully is wont to do when they lose power to the Democrats they rant and rave about the high cost of living and the horrendous deficit and call them the ‘tax and spend’ crowd.

A quick aside question that never seems to get asked is how can government spend what it does not have?

When Repubs are in power they lower the taxes on the wealthiest of the land and give enormous tax breaks to large corporations. Both groups can afford to pay more taxes, aka their fair share far more easily than the working class who makes them rich.

So in a way the GOP is right. When the Democrats take over, they must find more money to keep government running and they do so by rolling back the unfair tax breaks given to the donors and friends of the Repub Party.

But the ‘right wing’ machine is ready to pounce and claim falsely that the taxes will hurt the middle class and stifle business thus harming the economy.

Once again let’s do a quick romp through history and note that since Eisenhower’s administration in the 1950s the economy has always gotten better under a Democratic President and always faltered under a Repub one.

And by the way, Eisenhower’s economy expanded very nicely thank you, while the top tax rate in the land was 90%!!!

So, what can we do to right the ship of state?

How can we ensure our future will be fair for all Americans and safe for our children and theirs?

We must learn from history and not repeat it.

We must shine a light on those actively working to end American Democracy and make sure no more shadows exist in our government.

The Democrats have shown themselves to be the party of, by and for the people. Now we the people must show them we are on their side as well!