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!

Senior-Ella

(With sincerest apologies to Messrs. Rodgers & Hammerstein)

Three hours ago I last peed

And it trickled out slow but alright

And all I can say

Is I hope and I pray

That some day

I can sleep through the night

Yes three hours ago I sat here

Forlorn that my future’s not bright

As I enter my Golden Years

I have those olden fears

I will not sleep through the night

I may never again sleep through the night

I am empty

I’ve no more pee

And I want to get back into bed

I get cranky

If I don’t see

Pleasant dreams floating throughout my head

So three hours ago I did pee

And I’m hoping to last till it’s light

I know I would feel great

If I don’t dehydrate

And fate let me sleep through the night

And I lay here with eyes wide open

While my body desires its rest

With bladder I tussle

And squeeze kegel muscle

To stay in my feathery nest

Please just let me stay in my nice warm nest

For I’m empty

I’ve no more pee

And I want to get back into bed

I get cranky

If I don’t see

Pleasant dreams floating throughout my head

But still nothing can stop the urges

And I know that I’ll soon lose the fight

So I kick off the top sheet

And shuffle on tired feet

Resigned I won’t sleep through this night

Then I climb back onto my mattress

But already something is not right

In my bed every now and then

Thoughts of a future when

I will sleep through the night.

I will one day again sleep   through   the   night!

(Alarm clock rings!)

Top 10 Self Driving Car Questions

10     In the rain are the windshield wipers necessary?

  9     If it violates the law how does a cop pull it over?

  8     Does the seat belt have to be fastened? Where and to what or whom?

  7     If the only human passenger in the car is talking on the phone can he get a ticket?

  6     Since someone or something controls it can it be cited for driving under the influence?

  5     If two self driving cars are stopped at a light side by side will they drag race?

  4     If a guy cuts the car off does it flash the lights, beep the horn or give him the virtual finger? 

  3     Will it go faster as the light turns yellow?

  2     If it crashes into a tree in the forest and nobody is around does it make a sound? (And does anyone care?)

And the number one question for a self driving car is:

  1     If a self driving car runs a red light who pays the fine?

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.

SHORT & SWEET FOR CLIMATE CHANGE DENIERS

October 2015 was the warmest October on record and the warmest month ever recorded relative to the month's average temperature, a new NOAA report says. It was the sixth straight month setting a global temperature record.

The temperatures got a boost this year from what may end up being the strongest El Nino ever recorded reaching its peak. El Nino, which is characterized by warming of ocean waters in the tropical Pacific Ocean, is helping to drive global temperatures upward this year, but El Nino cannot fully account for the warming. The overall trend continues to climb higher thanks largely to man-made climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.

GET IT YET MORONS?

Enough Aid to Profitable Businesses!

I fully understand why people don’t want to give money away. And I especially understand why people do not want their money going to those who do nothing to deserve a handout!

The main difference between the liberal stance and that of the conservative is the amount of help if any those in need should get from government and how we define the group we consider to be in need.

On the one hand the conservative believes that everyone should have to work for what they get and if they do work but still do not get enough then it is their fault.

The liberal feels that if the person works for a living and still cannot get enough on which to live then either the employer or the government must step in and fix the problem.  Without one or the other our homeless population will grow and our overall quality of life will diminish.

But if the government steps in and fixes the problem with public funds, also known as our tax dollars then the two groups become opposite sides of an ongoing argument.

I personally do not want anyone who does nothing to get my money, either directly through a handout or indirectly through my tax dollars.

But I also understand the reality of America today and realize the dilemma would not be relevant were it not for the greed of our large multinational corporations and their smaller cousins in private business.

Family owned concerns are notorious for nepotism. If you work for such a firm and are not related to the owner you must expect little or no compensation for your efforts. This will be doubly painful when you realize a relative of the owner gets promoted for merely showing up to work!  Sadly I know this personally and all too well in all the jobs I ever had especially my last position!

Large corporations act in a similar fashion except they replace relatives with politically connected donors.  If you can do something for the corporation you will receive many perks in exchange for expected regulatory relief!  Don’t deliver relief; don’t expect any more free vacations or ‘no-show’ jobs for your spouse!

The funny thing about the ongoing fight between the liberal and the conservative is that we actually agree on the main premise!  We just don’t articulate who the recipient of our tax dollar really is, the politician!

One look at how much Congress has done since President Obama was sworn into office January 2009 will show any sane individual how much of our tax dollars have gone to pay the salaries and benefits of those who have done nothing but block progress.

They say the opposite of PRO-gress is CON-gress and they happen to be right!

While the conservative media drones on about the takers of the country being the lower middle class and the poor they skillfully neglect to point out just how little has been done by the highly paid members of the Republican Party over the last decade!

And corporations do not get a pass in this fight!  Walmart is the largest offender costing the American tax payer millions of dollars every year by not paying their workers a fair salary.  Now if the Walton family was hurting I would say they must be allowed to work things out but this group of greedy scions is listed as the wealthiest family in the history of the Earth!

When Walmart pays a worker a low salary and demands he or she work longer hours or overtime after clocking out or other scams they are causing those people to find other ways to feed themselves let alone their families!  Often these poverty stricken workers look to Uncle Sam for assistance in the form of food stamps.  And food stamps are paid for out of the general fund which is funded by our tax dollars.  A simple straight line of logic then shows that Walmart does not pay workers enough to live because they know that the government will pick up the slack!

And to throw more excrement in into the face of the American taxpaying public this wealthiest family in the history of the Earth PAYS LESS TAX THAN YOU DO!

If we could remove tax loopholes and start collecting the fair tax dollars from this corporation and so many other incredibly profitable ones the U S deficit would all but disappear!

So back to the original comparison between conservatives and liberals, we agree on more than either side realizes!  We just don’t point at the right culprit!

If all workers were paid enough money to live a modest but debt free life the U S government would be able to suspend most aid programs thereby lowering the tax on the dwindling middle class. But more importantly they would be able to start collecting revenue from an entirely new group of tax payers proud to do their part for the future of America!

GOVERNMENT GOES BOTH WAYS!

Seniors and those in need of assistance were recently informed that the annual Cost Of Living Adjustment, COLA will not go into effect this year. That means that anyone collecting Social Security will not get the tiny raise in benefits they have been getting at the start of next year.

The reason COLA will not take effect according to the government is, simply put there has been no inflation and therefore no need to for increased payments.

But at the same time Medicare premiums paid monthly by many of the same people not getting a COLA on their Social Security will rise by as much as 53% next year or from $104 to $159.30!

The reason given by the Republican controlled House of Representatives (remind me just exactly who do they represent?) is rising healthcare costs.

Those two statements are obviously at odds with each other but neither the first time nor the last time anomalies such as these will be used against the middle class.

On Long Island the energy industry friend Long Island Power Authority, LIPA is allowing and about to implement a rate hike of 9% over the next three years.

They claim this is necessary due to a shortfall in the budget caused by a drop in sales tax revenue.

By the way the reason the sales tax revenue is down is because Long Islanders cannot afford to buy as much as in previous years due to lower incomes and rising costs.

The American Association of Retired Persons, AARP says LIPA is using ‘fuzzy math’ to make their case.

All the arguments used by those in power sound legitimate when taken by themselves but when put together start to smell of lies, greed and corruption.

In college logic courses they teach syllogisms which are generally two or three statements put together that sound logical but will cause the listener or reader to pause and think, wait what?

For example:

The American buffalo is a vanishing animal.

That animal is an American buffalo.

Therefore it is vanishing!

Or one of my favorites:

News of Russian aggression is no news.

And since No News is Good News,

News of Russian aggression is good news!

Business owners started using the double standard tactic a while ago too.

They claim no raises will be given because business is down and the economy is terrible.  They also moan about the increased costs in health care as reasons for dumping more of the costs on the individual.

So the worker gets less money in his/her paycheck but has to use the less money to pay for higher healthcare costs etc.

But what costs are going up?  Surely they’re not salary related since no business is giving raises so what is causing this?

Could it just be general inflation?

No, that cannot be because inflation is so low that those on Social Security will not be getting a COLA!

The bottom line is if you can figure out two sides to any financial story and you want to feed the information to the public use them both but make sure the middle class gets the short straw!