GOP JEKYLL HYDE HYPOCRISY

The GOP claims to be our champions! They are for the rights of all Americans.

They also claim to be the party of family values and fiscal responsibility.

They can claim to be anything they like but in this world actions speak where words cannot!

Let's examine a few of these claims.

Err on the side of safety:

Lately it has become clear that even if you find yourself on Homeland Security’s ‘No Fly List’ (created under Republican President Bush) you still have the right to buy a gun.

What could go wrong?

Now to be fair not everyone on the list is a terrorist and some names that appear on it are obvious mistakes but should we not err on the side of safety?

If after a name that should not be on the restrictive list is found and removed the person will once again be allowed to purchase all the killing weapons his heart desires.

And defending your Second Amendment right to bear arms in a well ordered militia generally does not mean an AK47 in every bedroom.

It’s your right to vote!

One of our basic rights in America is the freedom to vote.

In this land of the free all citizens can choose support and vote for their favorite candidate.

Of course at the same time we must keep an eye out for voter fraud.

Remember the long ago joke about Chicago politics, Vote early and often?  It’s a rarity for something like that to happen in this day and age.

In fact there have been fewer than 10 proven cases of voter fraud in the last decade or so. The key word here is “Proven.”

The truth about voter fraud however does not matter to the GOP. What they have found is that since there are far more Americans registered as Democrats than Republican it would be good if fewer Democrats voted or were even able to do so.

They have used the trumped up voter fraud issue as a reason to block an inordinate number of voters from exercising their right to vote.

Not surprisingly those being disenfranchised are generally minorities in mostly Democratic districts.

The GOP has stopped early voting in many areas known to be Democratic and continue to fight against unions.

They have also made it harder for some districts to elect a Democrat by using redistricting or gerrymandering.

This immoral tactic rearranges voting areas so that fewer Democratic legislators can represent a State by positioning as many of their voters into one district while spreading the Republican voters into more.  The result has been shocking but productive for the GOP and there is no reason for them to curtail this action.

Once again the GOP is claiming to be on the side of the people while actually taking away their rights.

All the while claiming to be erring on the side of safety.

Family Values:

I believe nearly every family consists of at least one mother. And for those of you unfamiliar with the word a mother is usually a woman of the female persuasion.

I am being silly but want to make this point very clear because our current GOP has stirred up a great deal of confusion here.  They wish to cut off funding for anything related to the healthcare of women.

Their vendetta against Planned Parenthood is epic and has caused many of their weak minded idiot followers to resort to violence.

The bottom line is if you do not want women to be healthy then you are really not high on the list of people who value the family!

Fiscal Responsibility:

This one is not that hard to refute but still hard to make the Republican base understand since they consistently vote against their own best interest.

Lowering taxes sounds great until you realize that yours will not be going down unless you own a business, a large corporation, a small nation or at least a Congressman.

Republican leaders are not stupid, far from it. They have found the goose that keeps laying their golden eggs in the form of under educated voters and wealthy contributors.

As long as they keep the former in the dark the latter will continue to prosper and send a portion back to the politician.

A tiny amount of research shows the average American has fallen behind more and more ever since Reagan and his voodoo economic policy of trickle down bull shit was enacted.

The wealth gap in America is so astounding that it threatens to push America further into an Oligarchy that can never be peacefully turned around again.

All the while the GOP spews fiscal responsibility phrases they continue to ramp up military spending and try to get the funding for this from cut backs to Social Security and Medicare.

The brilliant strategy has been working even before Eisenhower warned us about it and there is no incentive for them to end it and turn off the spigot.

We must fight terror any way we can!

The GOP is so committed to fighting terror that they demand we get boots on the ground everywhere! Some of these war mongering hawks never put on a uniform in their lives and actively sought ways to avoid military service but your kids can fight for America.

So they never served but they can still help fight terror by enacting laws and hiring the right people to enact them, right?

One of the ways to fight terrorism in the world is to keep funds away from them.

ISIS took over many oil fields and with them the vast wealth that flows from the Earth.

But oil must be turned into money to buy weapons from unscrupulous dealers who only care about their bottom line.

So how can we stop this flow of oil to money to death?

In February of this year President Obama nominated Adam Szubin to be the man to stop this cycle, or at least impede its growth.

He has the support of all sides in Congress and both major parties feel he is the right man for the job.

So why is he not in place as of now?

Why is this man still waiting for a Congressional vote on his approval?

The answer cannot be that the GOP is erring on the side of safety this time.

In fact do yourself a favor and look back to see how many of President Obama's nominees have been approved by Congress. They are the least productive Congress in our history!

Perhaps the real reason they have done very little for America since President Obama took office in 2008 is that President Obama took office in 2008!

There are so many examples of hypocrisy in the Republican Party where they say one thing but not only mean something else they live for something else.

Just saying you are all for peace does not win you a Nobel Prize.

The Jekyll GOP has been incredibly adept at HYDE-ing their evil side for way too long.  It is time for the voters to fight for what is right and stop allowing these self-serving politicians from abrogating their responsibility on the tax payer dime.

Since they have shown themselves to be more Hyde than Jekyll we should show them the door.

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

Before you read anything into the posted photo on the right (and the right is definitely where the photo belongs) let me say that I truly have nothing against anyone rising to the top of their particular food chain and earning a great living.  We all strive to better ourselves and when we do we should not be looked upon with disdain or hatred.
Now of course most of us are human and as such we are always looking at the other side of the fence wondering how that guy keeps his lawn so much greener than ours.
But suppose we found out that our green-thumbed neighbor was actually stealing our seeds and fertilizer every night to pepper his field.
I make no determination as to how these gentlemen rose to the top of their unnecessary group (single payer would obsolete these vultures) but one still wonders.
But please do not think the pharma industry is the only one raping our coffers.
Bankers will not be in need of a telethon anytime soon, especially after we infamously bailed them out at the end of the Bush era. (error?)
Of the top earning bank CEOs the least compensated made $3.3 million last year and the average compensation was nearly $20 million.  (Looks like someone is going to demanding a raise!)
So let's juxtapose other Americans against the backdrop of the sweet elite of the pharmaceutical and banking industries and see how we're doing by taking a few items from the news.
(Click the title of each section below for the back-up and more articles on each subject.)

1. Student Debt:  Over 70% of college seniors graduated with nearly $30,000 in student loans which cannot be forgiven in bankruptcy.  Before you can really get going many have to finish their schooling.  And in order to do so you may have to pay an awful large sum of money to the institution of your choice for that education.  Unlike other more civilized countries in the world where they realize their young are their future and they subsidize their college years we treat our young as annuities for the ivy covered halls of higher learning institutions.
2. Living in Poverty:  One in Seven American is living in poverty!  That's over 46 million humans and it's the largest number of people in that undesirable sect in over 54 years!  While some are living high off the hog they seem to be doing so by hogging all the high profits from their businesses while allowing their employees the pleasure of scrounging around the sty for the remains.  And on top of that they are getting all the tax breaks the rest of us can only dream about.
3. Minimum Wage:  The CEOs of America are doing very well thank you but too many are surviving, if it can be called surviving, on a meager $7.25 per hour.  Okay many States are realizing the futility of trying to eat and keep a roof over one's head on that tiny amount and have raised their local wage minimums up but there are many, mostly of the Republican persuasion who are trying to persuade legislators NOT to raise the minimum wage as it will kill businesses and jobs.
4. Unemployment:  While it has gone down under the leadership of President Obama, yes that's right, under his watch the rate is still an unsatisfactory 6.3%.  Sadly this doesn't tell the whole story and while many a pundit will point to this number as proof of a growing economy a more telling number would include how many are so discouraged they no longer even look for a job.  And the best number to show how dismal it is even for those WITH jobs is
5. Household Income: During the twelve years from 2000 to 2012 the median household income fell 6.6%.  Take a moment to let that sink in.  In 2000 the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a high of roughly 11,700.  It hit a new high of 13,350 in 2012!  While that's only an increase of 1½% the Dow has since hit 16,800 at which time it sported a nearly 4½% increase.  The bottom line is while Wall Street and it's Dow Jones top earners are topping their earnings almost daily average Joes may be scrounging for their next meal.  And speaking of households - 
6. Foreclosures:  While the foreclosure rate has dropped overall many States are still way above acceptable levels.  And 1 in 96 homes are foreclosed on and 19% of all homes are deeply under water financially.
7. Homeless Veterans:  An argument for a National embarrassment could easily be started with the fact that many of those who risked their lives for our country come home to trade their military rank for the pleasure of joining the ranks of the homeless.  Of the 634,000 homeless people in 2012 over 62,600 were veterans.  And that brings us to - 
8. Unemployed Vets: This number is even higher than the National Average.  Those who fought our wars from 2001 forward are considered Gulf War-Era II Vets.  Their rate was around 9% in 2013!  Uncle Sam wants YOU! That is until we don't anymore!
9. Women's Health:  There are so many articles on how women's health issues are under attack that it was hard to choose just one article to point to in the above link.  You may 'Google' on your own and spend weeks reading all the fun stories of 'right wing' elements in America forcing Planned Parenthood clinics to shut because they may use the word abortion, a procedure which by the way happens to be currently allowed by law.  Coincidentally the following Republican majority States have placed rules and regulations on the people who run women's clinics that would make a sailor's hair turn white:  Louisiana; Texas; Oklahoma; Iowa; Oregon; Washington; Kansas; Wisconsin and the list is not even complete.  And finally - 
10. Voter Rights: While all the above abuse has been going on we in America still have one trick up our sleeve, the right to vote out the bad leaders and elect ones who will better serve our interests.  That is if we can get to the polls and actually cast our ballot!  Knowing how dangerous an educated electorate could be it is no surprise that certain factions within the government and the lobbies that own them wish to keep the status quo, quo by placing more and more road blocks in our way as we attempt to vote.  Leading the charge to disenfranchise those among us who have had enough and simply will not take it anymore are: Texas; Ohio; North and South Carolina; Florida; Arizona; Alaska; Louisiana; Mississippi; Georgia; Virginia and Michigan.  Scott Walker of Wisconsin wanted desperately to join the list but went too far and the courts overturned his unfair voter ID law.

I guess when you look at all the things our leaders are doing to us rather than for us we really DO need these unbelievably rich pharmaceutical giants, just to get pills to ease our pain.
If only the damn co-pays weren't so high!