OBOF SS & MORE PART 12

WELCOME TO OPINIONS  BASED  ON FACTS (OBOF)

Name	Published
OVERVIEW	Dec. 28, 2010
SOCIAL SECURITY PART 1	Dec. 30, 2010
SOCIAL SECURITY PART 2	Jan. 10, 2011
SOCIAL SECURITY PART 3	Jan. 17, 2011
SOCIAL SECURITY PART 4	Jan. 24, 2011
SOCIAL SECURITY PART 5	Jan. 31, 2011
SOCIAL SECURITY PART 6	Feb. 07, 2011
SOCIAL SECURITY PART 7	Feb. 14, 2011
SPECIAL ISSUE	Feb. 18, 2011
SOCIAL SECURITY PART 8	Feb. 21, 2011
SOCIAL SECURITY PART 9	Mar. 01, 2011
SOCIAL SECURITY PART 10	Mar. 07, 2011
SS & MORE PART 1	Mar. 14, 2011
SS & MORE PART 1A	Mar. 21, 2011
SS & MORE PART 2	Mar. 25, 2011
SS & MORE PART 3	Mar. 29, 2011
SS & MORE PART 4	Apr. 04, 2011
SS & MORE PART 5	Apr. 11, 2011
SS & MORE PART 6	Apr. 18, 2011
SS & MORE PART 7	Apr. 25, 2011
SS & MORE PART 7A	Apr. 29, 2011
SS & MORE PART 8	May 02, 2011
SS & MORE PART 9	May 09, 2011
SS & MORE PART 10	May 16, 2011
SS & MORE PART 11	May 24, 2011
SS & MORE PART 12	Jun. 06, 2011

SOCIAL SECURITY & MORE PART 12

IN  THIS  ISSUE

1.  Opening thoughts.

2.  Campaign rhetoric.

3.  Educated vote.

4.  Ideology.

5.  Items of interest.

OPENING  THOUGHTS

FRUSTRATION, FRUSTRATION, FRUSTRATION.  That word describes everything I have read and heard during the past two weeks.  It comes from both political parties, from both the House of Representatives and the Senate and from the White House.  Last, and far, far from the least, the citizens of this wonderful country, including me.

During these past two weeks, the only thing that I hear or read is not constructive.  No, no, instead, it always makes points bad about the opposite person or party.  We are certainly into the lying mode again also.  Everyone thinks they have the right answer and everyone else is wrong. 

I saw a rather large sign the other day that said "WAKE UP PEOPLE - - RE-ELECT NO ONE."  I don't subscribe to that thought, but I do think we should "WAKE UP PEOPLE - -ELECT WITH AN EDUCATED VOTE."  For good or bad, that is what I try to do for anyone who takes the time to read my blog.  There is no question, but that I write with a particular viewpoint and there is no question that that viewpoint is not the same as many of you.  I HAVE ASKED, MANY TIMES, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE A DIFFERENT VIEWPOINT TO WRITE ME ABOUT IT.  EITHER AT THE COMMENT SECTION AT THE END OF EACH POSTING OR E-MAIL ME.  I HAVE IN THE PAST AND WILL AGAIN NOW, PROMISE YOU THAT I WLL NOT LET ANYONE HAVE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS.  SHOULD YOU WISH TO E-MAIL ME, MY E-MAIL ADDRESS IS   fab_80@cox.net    There is a underscore between fab_ 80.

I have in the past and will in the future, try to point out positive and negative aspects of both parties.  At the same time, I will re-affirm that I am a Progressive Democrat, not a far left Progressive, but a Progressive never the less.  As far as my thoughts about the President are concerned, I think history will tell, and I won't be around that long to hear it, but history will tell that he was the strongest and most productive President we have had since F. D. Roosevelt and maybe more than FDR.

Accordingly, I will be putting forth a great deal about his actions including those that are not positive.  I won't, knowingly, print any lies about him or any other person regardless of their party affiliation.  I will be campaigning for the President and all Democrats.  I truly believe, that if the Republicans get control of all of Congress and the White House, we will go back into another crisis just like the one we are now trying to get out of, except, it will be worse and very well could dip into a DEPRESSION.  WE CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN.

BIAS, BUT FAIR!  THESE ARE MY GROUND RULES FROM NOW UNTIL NOVEMEBER ELECTION IN 2012. 

CAMPAIGN  RHETROIC

Well, there has been a lot of talk now for sometime by Republicans that are going to run for President in 2012 and a lot of them that aren't.  To my way of thinking the only one that, at this point, worth paying attention to is Mitt Romney.  Why?  He has been in this before and really knows what it is all about and he is the only one, so far, who may have the charisma that it takes. 

HOWEVER, having said that, he has started off just like the campaign talk that I absolutely hate.  Why do I hate it?  Because it is just a bunch of words that says nothing.  For example, in his opening remarks announcing his candidacy he said "President Barack Obama has failed the United States and I am the alternative who can fix the nation's ailing economy." 

Now let's take a good look at that statement.  Can anyone tell me what he said that gives us any idea why we should vote for him?  He provided nothing to support his accusation that President Obama has failed the United States.  Anybody can make a statement like that and it has no meaning whatsoever.  That is an example of what I mean when I say make your vote an educated vote.  In addition, he didn't tell us any reason that he is the one that can fix our ailing economy.  He said nothing about how he would do that.  SUCH A STATEMENT IS PLAIN DUMB.

However, the real problem is that Republicans eat it up.  It is up to us Democrats to always point out, whenever we have the opportunity, what these type of statements really are.  They tell us nothing as how he will do, this or that, or why the President has failed the US.

 Frankly, I think that the Republican strategy is going to include anything they can do to get away from people recognizing what Geo. W. Bush did to our country.  We can't let them do that.  Eight years Bush squandered our country and they all think Obama should have completely fixed it in two and half years.  Particularly, when the Republicans have put up so many dubious blocks.

NOW HERE IS ANOTHER DANDY EXAMPLE.  Romney said "If I become president, I will repeal "Obamacare."  My bill (referring to his Massachusetts health care bill) was 70 pages.  His bill is 2,700 pages.  In those 2,630 pages he's doing a lot of stuff that is just devastating to the health care system in this country.  He's wrong."

The following information came from "The Fact Checker" with the Washington Post  6-5-11.

In the study, I referred to above, a number of things came to light.  First, the 2,700 page bill was actually two bills in one.  Due to the Republican filibuster ability, the bill became bulkier and because of the need to settle differences between the Senate and House, it also, added pages. 

Second, the bill included elements that had nothing to do with universal health care, such as an overhaul of student loans and new long-term care legislation.

Michael Cannon, director of health policy at the Cato Institute, provided a consolidated version of the two bills.  In other words this is what the law would have looked like if it had been written in the usual manner.

The bill that related to health care would have been 907 pages.  HOWEVER, when the 907 pages are compared to the same coverage that Romney's pages covered, the count is 200 pages.  Now 200 is more than 70, however, when Romney signed his bill the Boston Globe reported that it was 145 pages long.  It is suggested that maybe Romney was printing on both sides of the paper.  If so, but I doubt it, that would come real close to the 145. 

There are two other things to consider.  First, the Romney bill only covered one state, where "Obamacare", of course, covers the entire country, which, naturally, has to consider more items and conditions than for one state.  Second, there is the question of type size, printing on one or both sides of the paper and, well you can see that just comparing 70 pages to 2,700 pages is certainly giving the voters a wrong impression and actually boils down to not telling the truth, when you act like you are comparing apples to apples, when you really aren't. 

ALL OF THIS IS WHAT I MEAN ABOUT MAKING AN EDUCATED VOTE. 

 

Democrats may very well do the same and if they do I will call them out on it too.  I hope they will stay with facts that make sense.

SO  MANY  THINGS  HINGE  ON

IDEOLOGY

Most, not all, but most of what follows connects to the Republican NO TAX INCREASES IDEOLOGY and one man, Grover Norquist.  Who is this man that has so much power that he can tell Republicans how to vote and they bow and obey?  For one thing he is the founder of "Americans for Tax Reform."  However, there has to be more than that to become so powerful.  In my next posting, in two weeks, I will have researched him and will write more about him. 

Let's look at our present tax load.  We are paying the smallest share of our income for taxes since 1958 according to a USA TODAY analysis.  The total tax burden - for all federal, state and local taxes - dropped to 23.6% of income in the first quarter of this year. 

By contrast we spent roughly 27% for the same taxes in 1970s, 1980s and the 1990s.  This would mean an extra $500 billion annually today.  That would be one third of this years estimated deficit of $1.5 trillion.

Now, if we withdrew the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations and left their tax rate at 35%, instead of the 25%, that the Republicans want, and in accordance with the above, just raise all other American's rate by just 2%, we would still be under the amount of taxes paid in the 1970s. 80s and 90s. Doesn't it make sense to include some tax increase now when dealing with the debt and deficit?

Of course it does, but Norquist has tax increases all tied up with a pledge that all Republican legislators signed, not to increase taxes.  He is even blocking the cancelling of subsidies that should take place, calling it a tax increase.  The only single Republican that has stood up to Norquist, is Senator Tom Coburn (R. OK.). 

It has been said by a number of responsible legislators, that the only way we can bring the budget in balance is to not just consider spending alone, it takes tax increase too.

The above information was obtained from USA TODAY by Dennis Cauchon 5-6-11.

MISC.  ITEMS  OF  INTEREST

The GOP introduced a jobs plan.  It lowered the tax rate for wealthy individuals and corporations to 25% from 35%, as well as, increase domestic-energy production, new curbs on government regulations and an overhaul of U.S. patent and visa systems.  Darned if I can see anything about jobs in that and it is just the same old thinking that Republicans have come up with before.  No new thinking about creating jobs.

The House voted to delay funding for several rules relating to the $600 trillion derivatives market, which is a leading player in the financial crisis.  This bill would freeze crucial regulations stemming from the Dodd-Frank act until Sept. 2012, more than two years after the law was enacted and 14 months after it was suppose to be implemented.  The Dobb-Frank act had a number of regulations that would have the greatest deterrents to future financial crisis like what we have just gone through.  By holding up this funding till Sept. 2012, there may be some developments occur that would make the President look bad and would be bad for the country.  This is the height of hypocrisy.

Enough for this time.  Keep remembering that Social Security is not an entitlement program.  It is an insurance program, which you have paid for.

If the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise, I'll talk to you again on June 20, 2011.

Floyd

P.S.  Just before I was ready to post this I saw a GOP report in which they refer to a Rasmussen Presidential Tracking Poll.  It has the American people strongly approving of President Obama's performance at 25% and strongly disapproval at 36% for a total performance index rating of minus -11%. 

Now, the important thing is that just this afternoon I saw another report, and right now I can't find it, showing his overall approval rating at 53%.  I WILL FIND THAT OTHER REPORT AND PROVIDE IT ON JUNE 20.        It just goes to show how meaningless polls are, particularly at 17 months out from an election.