SUNSET OF THE AGE OF AQUARIUS

The era of Woodstock is a distant memory and the Haight Ashbury scene has basically been replaced by Hate Kill & Bury.
In honor of this sad turn of events I've updated a Golden Oldie and dreamed up an imaginary group to sing it.
Sadly I believe it fits the current political atmosphere of America.
I give you The 6th Dimension!
(So as not to infringe on any copyrights I suggest you decide to what tune you would like to sing the following.)

SUNSET OF THE AGE OF AQUARIUS

When we’ve mourned our 7^th massacre

And GOP aligns with NRA

Then terror will rule the country

And hate will steer the polls

This is the sunset of the Age of Aquarius

The Age of Aquarius

Aquarius

Aquarius

Discord and misunderstanding

Compassion and all trust are gone

Only falsehoods and derision

Golden years are just a vision

Mistakes rule our education

Science loses to creation-ism

Aquarius

Aquarius

Aquarius

Aquarius

Aquarius

Aquarius

OUR TAX CODE NEEDS TO BE UPDATED!

Life has its ups and downs. The stock market; your temperature and even your emotions go up and down. But people only want taxes to go down! And that’s understandable since who wants to pay more when we can pay less for anything?

But the constant lowering of taxes is killing America!

Okay perhaps it’s a bit melodramatic to say it’s killing America but it is killing the American Middle Class!

Recently President Obama went after tax cheaters.  And because he is President Obama he had to go it alone as once again the GOP controlled Congress refused to do the right thing or anything the Kenyan Democratic President would like.

Not only do they refuse to help the American economy they won’t even discuss the matter since raising taxes on the mega wealthy would harm the very people and corporations that fund their political campaigns and lives!

While most Americans want the wealthy to pay their fair share of the country’s tax bill they probably don’t understand how important it is that they do so.  And let’s face it; if raising their taxes means raising mine forget it.

And this is because most of those people don’t understand what a progressive tax system is let alone how it works!

If you tell the average American that our Nation prospered and grew under the Eisenhower Administration they might smile at the memory of good times but Corporations and the so-called 1%ers would not!

So why the disconnect?

I though a rising tide lifted all boats!

Well the top tax rate during Republican President Ike’s reign was over 90%.

Whoa, did you say 90%???

Questions like the following show how misinformed people really are!

People keep saying that the income tax rate under Eisenhower was around 90%. Is that really true? If I made a million dollars in 1955 would I really only be able to keep one hundred grand?

How can the average Joe make a living if he has to give the government that huge a chunk of his income?

HE DOESN’T!

And that misunderstanding by the average Joe is the essence of the problem.

Our tax code is broken into brackets.

I’ll pause while you joke about March Madness.

Go ahead, I’ll wait.

But these brackets produce April madness, April 15^th to be exact!

Ever since GOP GOD Ronald Reagan was in the White House the Republican Party has been fighting to lower all taxes.  Not because they care about the average citizen but rather they want the wealthy to be able to sock away and hide more and more of their wealth.

A 1955 dollar would be worth $8.89 today.  This means if you are earning $50,000 a year today it only equals $5,624 back then! And $200,000 today is the equivalent of $22,500 back then.

Both of those phenomenal salaries would neatly fit into today’s 20% tax bracket!

However the person earning $200,000 in 1955 would be getting the equivalent of $1,778,000 now and that person would be paying taxes in the 91% bracket.

So does that mean he keeps only $160,000 after taxes?

Should we hold a telethon for the poor guy?

NO! He pays on a sliding scale so that only the money earned OVER $1.778 million is taxed at that rate.

In fact if you get out a calculator and ask a 9 year old with patience and a lot of scrap paper for help you will figure out that his entire tax bill, not including loopholes and offshore hiding places, would come to slightly under $138 million.  He gets to keep over $384,000.

Granted it is a large chunk of money but I dare say very few people would have trouble living on such a tidy sum of money.

And the taxes paid by this good American would AND DID help America thrive.

As a nation we were the envy of the World and we grew a middle class that had the freedom and wherewithal to live wonderful productive lives raising families with hopes of a bright future.

That has changed as greed and corporate welfare has taken over the country.

The wealthy figured out how to change the conversation and make the people of the formerly large middle class vote against their own best interest.

As was attributed to John Dickerson of the Continental Congress, one of America’s first Conservative legislators and a wealthy land owning man, “Most people with nothing would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich rather than face the reality of being poor” and that is why they will vote Republican! (sic)

But just as the stock market changes so too can our tax system.

It does not have to remain a tool for wealthy people and corporations to rape and pillage Americans.

I do not propose that we return to the 90% top bracket days but surely the wealthy could survive a similar fair tax sliding scale that sported a 50% ceiling!

Under that tax code a person earning $1.778 million would still take home nearly $1 million per year!!!

We must keep our eye on the prize and that prize must be the fair treatment of all citizens of this country.

If you really want to build our economic house and make America great again fixing our tax code is one of the necessary building blocks to a prosperous future for all!

SCHOOL BUDGETS MUST BE FUNDED

A recent letter to the editor of Newsday stated that a couple was tired of paying school taxes and felt that as seniors they deserved a break or at least a reduction. After all our taxes are always too high, even if we pay next to nothing!

I too am a senior and as such I understand the feeling.  Like the writer my children have been out of school for quite some time and I pay my tax bill in full when due.

The writer feels he has lost money since no one likes to pay a bill and get nothing in return.

But do we get nothing?

My first and most obvious thought is the return on investment for educating the next generation and the ones after that.

If anyone wishes to know how important a good education is look no further than the Republican primaries and sadly their current front runner.

The second slightly less obvious benefit to paying a fair school tax is the funding of the district’s education budget.

All school districts have basic nuts to crack that allow them to run smoothly.  This does not include extracurricular activities that tend to produce a more ‘well rounded’ student body.

If the district does not have enough funding for basic needs they may be forced to pass an austerity budget which cuts out many programs.

This bare bones measure immediately decreases the value of the child’s education and the property values of the homes in the neighborhood since young families generally don't wish to doom their children to a poor education.

As seniors are more likely to be selling their homes in the near future, downsizing or moving into retirement communities in the south I believe this loss of value could easily outweigh the amount of money invested in our children’s education.

And finally a more obscure yet perhaps most important reason to continue paying school taxes, our American Democracy.

Attorneys use the phrase “slippery slope” to signal how small bad decisions lead to catastrophe.

If we pick and choose which taxes to pay and which to ignore because they do not immediately benefit us how long before we are paying none and the community fails?

For example:

1. Ever since I bought a Kindle I rarely go to the library so I want that part of my tax bill removed.

2. My neighbors and I all have snow blowers so I don’t feel we should be required to contribute into the town budget for snow removal.

3. And while we’re on this slope I don’t believe we should be fighting so many wars overseas so I want my tax that are earmarked for the military removed from my bill at once!

4. And don’t get me started on the Federal Government funding all the things other States want! Why should I care about Kentucky?

Now back to reality.

I do in fact think our taxes are too high but I believe this to be the result of legislative waste and a tremendous amount of loopholes allowing corporations and those who can most afford to pay their fair share to avoid paying one cent.

When we fix this last item I believe we will all benefit far more than just a slight lowering of our local school tax bill.

LIE RR

As we head into more snow and the prospect of tough commutes a word about the Long Island Railroad.

The LIRR was praised for cleaning up the rails and platforms fast enough to have most of the system back up and running for the Monday morning post blizzard commute a couple of storms ago.

But where they failed, and always seem to fail is telling customers what’s going on!

The LIRR has always had troubles with an antiquated system, disintegrating station platforms and switches that seem to freeze the moment the temperature drops below 32 anywhere in the country.

The riders have come to expect terrible service with on time performance being a joke.

Is it coming?
I think so. I heard an announcement.
No that was me coughing.

A train that is 5 minutes 59 seconds late is considered ON-TIME by their standards!

Try being 5 minutes late with your taxes or mortgage.

But what really irks most commuters is the lack of information.

It’s impossible to hear announcements as too many speakers don’t work and when they do the voices are inaudible or garbled.

They only have 9 tracks in and out of Penn Station New York but still cannot tell riders what track a train will be on until just before it is supposed to depart.

They claim they don’t want to overcrowd the platforms until a train arrives as that could be dangerous.

I submit that running to catch a train you’ve been waiting on for half an hour with only a 2 minute warning is dangerous too!

After the blizzard riders were told the trains would start running Monday at 5 am.  When people arrived at Penn Station they waited until well past 5am without hearing anything new.

Finally word came that the trains would actually start moving at 7am.

With time to now spare many left to grab another cup of coffee or a quick breakfast in that extra hour.

BUT the trains actually started leaving the station at 6am!

What happened?

Was it a rogue engineer?

They just can’t get it right!

Knowing all the above information and so much more the LIRR puts its customers through the more you realize how poorly run a corporation this really is.

INFORMATION? BELIEVE IT OR NOT!!

Why are there so many apps pushing articles and stories to our smart phones and tablets?

Why does an already in your face billionaire such as Rupert Murdoch continue his quest to own more news media?

Why do other billionaires and their brothers keep spending money behind the scenes to get their partisan messages out and political puppets in?

Why do birds suddenly appear? Wait, sorry, that's not part of this rant!

And why do all newspapers offer digital versions of their publications?

It’s all about the dissemination of information.

Sadly this proliferation of information also DIS-informs.

Getting your message out has become so important it has surpassed nearly every other need a leader or megalomaniac has. It is the way he or she stays in the public eye and the way they amass fortunes for their war chests to be used on their re-election campaigns.

And this tactic is also used to hide things that are not to be known by the general public.

This simple fact is controlling the media has become the highest priority of the wealthy and powerful.

We have all seen articles informing us that not one of the perpetrators of the economic bust of 2008 or any other era has been sent to jail or brought to justice at all.  But you will probably not see that article again or a follow up unless you spend time ‘Googling.’

Did you ever see a television ad or get a 'cold' call from an investment broker you didn't know telling you about a fantastic stock opportunity guaranteed to make you wealthy?

Did you ever wonder why he or she was calling you instead of just buying the damn thing and retiring to Tahiti?

Why do so many people seem to believe that the Earth is flat or that climate change is God’s will and there is nothing man can do about it?

And with all the information being pushed onto and into us we find it hard to process everything.

Information overload is real and it is why we flock to social media sites such as Twitter for concise if not absurd brevity.

Don’t believe it? Try to tell a story using only 140 characters without abbreviations, emoticons, substitutions and links. 

IMHO U’ll C its hard 2 do, lmao! 

No one has the time to read an entire paper or its digital version therefore much of what’s happening in the World goes unknown to or unseen by the masses.

Most read a headline and assume the rest based on their preconceived bias.

We are a nation of under informed, uneducated serfs.

Remember that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it!

Sadly even our history books have been taken over and school children are being fed partisan lies.

Many States use text books for their schools edited and published by a Texas concern. (Click the link and learn!)

These books have taken many facts out and replaced them with clear sounding false statements and subliminal messages aimed at furthering their biased agenda.

Sad how many idiots believe this crap!

Did you know that man coexisted with the dinosaurs?  This must be true since the Earth is only 6,000 years old!

Social media sites are safe havens from the storms of stories of corruption and violence.

They are places where we can show our outrage and demand something be done.

Then we click on the viral video of those cute puppies and calm down.

Just look at the anger over the multitude of mass shootings over the last few years and note how much has been done by our leaders to stop the proliferation of gun violence.

Social media is a place to vent our frustrations at the lack of leadership to stem the tide of an ever widening wealth gap.

But they are akin to the ‘time out’ room we are sent to as children when the parents have had enough!  And the parents are the wealthy and powerful who control the message.

‘Run along middle class, mommy and daddy have lots to talk about. Maybe we’ll go for some ice cream later. Won’t that be nice?’

The one time information should not necessarily be made known is during military exercises or of course war.

But when it comes to government any group not in power accuses those in power of hiding things from the public.

For example ever since Democrat Obama was elected President the not so loyal anymore Republican Party has been calling for more transparency.

Why do you think Obama is
weak on a Muslim?
Because I think he basically is one!

From birth certificate to troop movements they demand to know what he and his administration are doing about the war on terror and how come he was born in Kenya as a Muslim. And lest you think Americans know the truth watch this short video of current Trump supporters talking about the Hawaiian born President of the United States.

This is basically a tactic that should be called what it is, an absurd lie.

This should replace
the elephant as the
GOP / T-Potty symbol!

One thing the public must realize is if the government tells us all it is doing or planning then the odds are the enemy will know as well!

Do you think Mr. Obama should have told the Americans his troops were about to raid Osama Bin Laden’s compound beforehand?

The Republicans know this but they must fool the public into voting for them next time so they can do the same thing!

Information is power.

He (or she?) who controls the information has the power.

We must understand what information is important to be known and what should not be.

And when the information is made known from where did it emanate?

Can it be trusted?

There will always be sheep following blindly or being shepherded by a lead dog to move in a certain direction.

But until the people of our nation realize they are being led around by their noses they will never see beyond them.

Don't believe me?

GOOD, YOU'RE LEARNING!

The truth is out there!

Seek it out!

The more you know the less you will be fooled.

Inform yourselves, no one else will!

Nader Sees His Shadow - 10 More Months of Vitriol

A 'letter to the editor' written by Ralph Nader found its way into the New York Times this past Groundhog Day. (His letter is copied at the end of this post.)
This brings back fond memories of the man who should be considered an accessory to murder.
How so?
Please read on.
First let me say that the reason I point out that the day is shared by a meteorological cousin is to distinguish the hedgehog from the letter writer who has made a living of being a snake in the grass for the past 16 years.
Mr. Nader ran for the Presidency in 2000 as a Democrat but could easily have been construed as a Republican. In fact I would not be surprised to find out he was supported by the 'Party of No.'
Running under the banner of many groups he knew he had no chance to win or even come close to winning but he ran nevertheless.
He clearly courted the Democratic voter and was able to steal away nearly 3% of the electorate.from Al Gore who still garnered the majority of legitimate votes.
But did that 3% matter?
Ask the families of our brave servicemen and women who lost their lives after the Mission Accomplished fiasco.
Al Gore won the popular vote in the election 48.4% to W's 47.9 but since it was too close to call in Florida the deciding vote went to someone with skin in the game.
The country waited while a legitimate recount took place in Florida but when it became clear that Mr. Gore might win Jeb Bush's State Attorney General Katherine Harris stepped in.
She was arguably in love with her Governor and looked to curry favor by stopping a recount that would have found the popular vote winner to actually have won the election.
Instead she basically anointed W and placed him and his wartime consiglieri Cheney at the helm of the most powerful nation in the World.
Ensuing events, including lapses of judgment, failure to read or heed important documents on terrorism, stupidity, all powerful greed and an utter disdain for the lives of humans all stemmed from this one anti-American act.
And this one act was made possible by an self-centered, self-important short sighted man who by now should have lost all rights to have his opinion published in the prestigious 'Grey Lady.'
I am not saying Mr. Nader should not be allowed to air his opinions, far from it.
But he has the unmitigated gall to write a letter stating that Hillary Clinton voted for the war in Iraq WHEN HE WAS ONE OF THE MAJOR CAUSES OF THE WAR IN IRAQ!
And then the NY Times publishes it without pointing out his involvement???
Every candidate for President has his or her own baggage. They each have their highs and lows and some are far more qualified than others. And one was not even born an American citizen.
But to have Ralph Nader insinuate his ugly self serving opinions into the race again should give every Democrat indigestion.
We cannot allow ANY Republican to gain the White House and move the Citizen's United Supreme Court further to the right.
Do not allow this man to sway you one way or the other.
This time don't accept the apple from him.
The future well being of America's middle class, minorities, women, and our children depend on this.
Remember in November  - Vote the Democratic Line on every ballot!





To the Editor:

The Times, in its sweeping editorial endorsement of Hillary Clinton and its brushoff of Bernie Sanders’s candidacy, does not reflect its own newspaper reporting about her actual record.

Domestically, Mrs. Clinton supported the deregulation of Wall Street. As senator, she failed to face up to the financial industry’s worsening abuses that took down the economy in 2008. She waited until April 2014 to support the modest, staggered $10.10 per hour minimum wage bill of her Democratic colleagues in Congress.

Mrs. Clinton voted for the disastrous war in Iraq. Later, she pressed, against the opposition of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, for an unauthorized war on Libya that has led to chaotic violence there and in neighboring countries.

Being such a war hawk and Wall Street supporter hardly qualifies for the “confidence and enthusiasm” The Times has bestowed upon her.

RALPH NADER

Washington

AMERICAN DREAM? PLEASE WAKE UP!

We agonized over telling our kids there was no tooth fairy or that Santa was a myth.
We never liked debunking any childhood dream so we encouraged our kids to believe in fairy tales, at least until they were old enough to face reality.
But were we doing them a favor?
Perhaps it was the right thing to do.
Perhaps we must allow the young and the innocent some early life playtime before being thrust into the real world.  After all when else will they be able to enjoy without fear all that life has to offer?
But when does childhood end?
With all due respect to Arthur C Clarke it must end a bit earlier than it does now or America, nay the World is doomed.
We have in our country something that has been called The American Dream.
Work hard and you can achieve great things.
That is still true, as long as the elite allow you to break into their neck of the wealth woods.
Come up with a cure for a dreaded disease? You better allow some wealthy corporation to gain most if not all the profits or watch your discovery disappear as did Dr. Sam Chachoua and his cure for AIDS.
And it's not only about money although that sure is a strong incentive. Power is the thing the megalomaniacs crave most. And power is what their money buys, along with a few Congressmen and political movements.
Sure the Koch brothers' corporations make products humans can use but they use those things as lost leaders in their quest to own our leaders. They spend more than the proverbial drunk sailors to fulfill THEIR American dream.
And they are of course not alone.
Donald Trump is well on the road to turning his on again off again fortune into American domination.
This person spews lie after lie and hate of anyone not on his side much like a spoiled child. But then again he is a spoiled child having squandered his inherited wealth from daddy before tricking others into bankrolling him back to fortune and fame.
So what is the myth we are all too blind to understand?
What is our grown up Easter Bunny or Santa fairy tale?
It is best explained by a short 6 minute video of wealth distribution in America.
Think you know what's going on and has been going on for decades? THINK AGAIN!
There is no such thing as Trickle Down and never has been. That term was created by an actor, and not a very good one at that if Bonzo is any proof.
But he was good enough to fool most of America and ruin the lives of union members and an entire group of people formerly known as the Middle Class.
It's past time for Bonzo to be put to bed for good and man behind this destructive policy to be known for what he really was.  Reagan was a charlatan not a God and his place in history must show this!
Please view this video and think about what we can do to stop this trend from continuing. How can we turn this around to at least the good old days under Republican President Eisenhower.
I believe we can only start this healing process by ridding our government of all Conservatives and every modern day Republican and voting Democrats into office across America.
Please let me know your thoughts.
VIDEO.

BIRTHER BITES AGAIN

Please click and read the article I have linked just below here and think long and hard about the implications!

Ted Cruz is not eligible to run for president: A Harvard Law professor close-reads the Constitution

The fact that we as a nation should have to use the Constitution in order to stop this evil bastard from taking the reins of the country is pathetic!

Rubio could lose out as well but Trump should not even be on the election radar!!

Too many Americans have been fed such lies and filled with such fear by right wing media.

But I agree with them in one respect, we must take out country back, FROM THE LIKES OF FOX & KOCH & ADELSON.

And I do have fear.

Fear that too many intelligent Americans, AKA Democrats and Liberal minded humans will stay home in November and one of these awful creatures will sneak in.

And then guess what the make up of the Supreme Court will look like for decades to come!