Monday, February 18, 2013

The State of The Union

President Obama says he wants to do some stuff for the poor and middle class. He wangts to raise the minimum wage to nine dollars an hour.  Obama the candidate wanted to raise it to nine dollars and fifty cents four years ago. First look at the minimum wage in other industrial countries (where everyone has medical coverage too).
Australia $   14.88
Luxembourg $   14.01
France $   12.85
Belgium $   12.63
Netherlands $   11.52
New Zealand $   10.96
Ireland $   10.92
U.K. $    9.72
Japan $    8.15
Canada $    8.14
USA $    7.25
Greece $    6.60
Spain $    5.72
Saudi Arabia $    5.00
S. Korea $    4.08
Taiwan $    3.84
Poland $    3.07
Brazil $    2.15
Venezuela $    2.05
Honduras $    1.83
Iran $    1.78
Jamaica  $    1.32
Algeria $    1.29
Belize $    1.26
Dominican Republic $    0.81
Nigeria $    0.73
Mexico $    0.57
Philippines $    0.52
Pakistan $    0.51
Vietnam $    0.24
SwitzerlandNONE
AustriaNONE


Then there's other nice stuff like school from age four for every child, and immigration reform. 

Trouble is Congress. And why is Congress such a mess? You can blame the Reublicans but the 
Democrats gave the power to the Republicans!


The damage Harry Reid has done. Sometimes saying "I'm sorry" doesn't quite cut it.

Supposedly Harry now has some regrets about not getting rid of the filibuster back when it would have been easy to do.

Well, gee whillikers Harry, you ole Mormon, you! (Gritting my teeth). Here is what Harry has wrought:

In not ending the filibuster when for a brief period the Democrats totally dominated the two elected branches of government having swamped the GOP in 2008 the GOP was able to force President Obama to water down his stimulus plan, dumped "Medicare for all" which he had supported as a Senator and overall give the appearance that the President was not the President at all, not the man who beat the GOP on a promise of hope and change. Had the filibuster been dead, as it could have been and should have been there would have been no excuse for the half measures that left the Democratic base angry and demoralized and the fascistic Tea Party on the move for the 2010 elections, which resulted in a battering of the Democrats and a GOP/Tea Party dominated House of Representatives.

Not only did the GOP take the House and weaken the Democratic hold on the Senate, it swept governorships and state legislatures, opening the door for the gerrymandering that virtually guarantees a GOP ruled House for at least another ten years. Note that the Democratic candidates for Congress in 2012 overall beat the GOP nationwide but the GOP remains and will remain in charge. This opens the door for more bad deals, more half stepping and a more demoralized Democratic base. It opened the door for voter suppression laws and other monkey business meant to cancel out Democratic votes and will continue to do so as the GOP governors and legislatures take the lessons of their lost court cases and come back swinging on voter suppression before 2014 rolls around.

Now I have a case with Harry from the 2012 election, when he put in his apparently false and easily discreditable claim that Mitt Romney, a fellow Mormon, had not paid any taxes at all for at least one year. In doing this Harry took the center of attention away from the still unresolved question of whether Romney had taken advantage of a tax amnesty or avoid criminal prosecution. We now probably never will get the answer to that reasonable question, and it maters because it shows the GOP and Mormons to be out and out crooks if indeed Willard copped a tax plea,

Leave it to a New york taxi driving blogger to remind you of this stuff, as n fact the politics of our country are as I have pointed out before a one percenter three card monte game by both party leaderships to not only scam and confuse the rest of us but to rob us blind,literally blind.


US Democracy for those from other planets