U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu Did Her State and Country Proud

Louisiana's Senator Mary Landrieu stood proud and strong on the Senate floor Feb. 4 and defended her actions in adding $300 million to health care reform legislation passed by the U.S. Senate. The move was to plug a hole in Louisiana's Medicaid program that Louisiana Governor Jindal sought the change for. In her speech, Senator Landrieu questioned the political courage of Jindal who did not stand up for her when the going got tough.

Jindal wants it both ways, he wants the Louisiana delegation to solve the Medicaid problem but opposed the health care bill with or without the measure. He has no guts to solve Louisiana's own problem, he may have to make a decision to do that but wants other people to make the decision and catch the heat. This writer has in the past couple of months made commentaries about Jindal's lack of courage as a leader, especially on Louisiana's budget problems. It was posted first here on politidose.

Senator Landrieu showed her leadership as a Senator and representative for Louisiana and said after her speech, as reported, that she would stay at her front row desk on the Senate floor till 6pm to hear from any republican Senators who wanted to confront her. I have not heard yet of any takers. The republicans and their hatchet men, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have been reduced in size by this Louisiana gal concerning the subject matter.

Keep up the good work and the pressure Mary. Hopefully other democrats will step up to the plate as you did and give the republicans hell.

Cal Thomas: Another "Ditto Head" Journalist

The Cal Thomas editorial titled, "Obama's Q and A With The GOP" shows how uninformed conservatives are with the words, progressive, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Thomas has the ditto head mentality of republican conservatives who try to offer talking points about democrats that are devoid of truth and reality and offer nothing more than the standard ideology of hoping any thing they say about democrats stick. The same Karl Rove mentality of believing if the same lie is repeated over and over the people will accept it as the truth.

Thomas is still pushing across the board tax cuts to spur economic growth. George Bush tried that old worn out trickle down economics that resulted in a failed economy and the worst job creation since Herbert Hoover. Thomas and his conservative brothers still think of themselves as elite who know everything and want complete control of people's lives. His comment about Warren Buffett shows he has no clue of what President Obama was talking about. Thomas does not think the wealthy has any responsibilities at all.

If one puts the various editorials side by side that are written or broadcasts by conservative journalists over a period of time a picture is drawn that is really pitiful. It would show the same talking points over and over with no journalistic distinction for the sole purpose to discredit democrats. It reminds me of office break ins where evidence is tried to be obtained when there is no evidence at all except in the warped ideology of conservatives. In other words, create the illusion like Saddam being involved in the tragic attack of 9-11.

President Obama needs to remain strong like President Truman was in dealing with republicans. Their failed policies and ideology should not be allowed to repeat it self any time soon.

The President's Budget

President Obama introduced the nation's federal budget for fiscal 2010/2011 that begins October 1 and projects a deficit of $1.27 trillion. Those numbers are unacceptable to Mr. Obama and should be. He does understand the problem and is willing to admit to it and plans to do something about it. The big problem is the country can not overcome 20 years of deficit spending and debt in a short time and put the governments house back in fiscal order like it was on the watch of Bill Clinton.

The President in his budget eliminates the roughly $37 billion in tax breaks for the oil and gas industry and rightly so. That industry has been getting tax breaks for over 40 years, has not produced one extra barrel of oil or made the country less dependent on foreign oil. In fact the U.S. import of oil has been at its highest level according to oil man Boone Pickens. One should also remember Mr. Pickens said gasoline should be $4.00 gallon.

The budget says $1.12 trillion of income will come from individual income taxes. That is more than 43%. Corporate income taxes will only contribute $270 billion in income. Once again corporate America gets a free ride because of all their tax breaks and exemptions. The budget will also let the Bush era tax cuts for families and corporations earning more than $250,00.00 expire. A three year freeze on some expenses is also in the budget. It is ironic that corporate America gives out bonuses to its executives that almost equal their tax burden. Which means the $270 billion that they pay in corporate taxes is not a burden at all. The individual income tax numbers in the budget explains in simple terms how wealth has be transferred from the average citizen to the wealthy.

The reason the country did so well during the Clinton administration was the many tax breaks given to individuals and families that allowed them to have some extra money to spend which propelled the economy. Tax breaks to corporate America does nothing to encourage the people to spend money and in fact is a reason why corporate bonuses are so out of line. The democratic party needs to push hard and pass the Presidents budget and keep the country on track to reverse the deficit spending of the past. There are other proposals in the budget that will help put America to work that will go a long way in reducing future deficits.

Journalism: Conservative Style

Conservative journalist David Brooks who writes for the New York Times had an editorial titled "calling Ross Perot" that was published in the Times Picayune on January 30, 2010. The article was supposed to inform the people that the country needs a "saner Ross Perot" at this time in our history. Mr. Brooks has been a regular commentator on the News Hour for several years and appears on other T.V. programs from time to time. Using Ross Perot as an example to describe the situation that the country faces is typical of conservative journalists who can not compete in the real world in facing the truth and facts as they happen.

One comment Mr. Brooks made was "The deficits are the issue around which everything else revolves. The mounting deficits both symbolize Washington's institutional dysfunction and genuinely threaten the nation." But Mr. Brooks knows full well the deficit and federal debt was under control until Ronald Reagan took office and his administration started the march of increased federal deficit spending and debt and was continued through the administrations of Bush 41 and Bush 43, the latter who put deficit spending and debt through the stratosphere. Yet Mr. Brooks was silent all those 20 years of debt creation.

Thank the good Lord the Clinton administration came in between and returned the nation to balanced budgets and surpluses. Since a saner Ross Perot will never be President, Mr. Brooks should have used Bill Clinton as the model. Conservatives never like to talk about the Clinton administration because it reminds the people how well the country did on Mr. Clinton's watch and how he put the federal government's fiscal house in order and reversed the deficit spending and debt of Reagan/Bush.

Mr. Brooks also failed to understand how President Obama is changing the status quo and will continue to do so. Journalists should be on the side of truth and facts when they report to the people regardless of party affiliation. The massive deficits and debt by Reagan/Bush should have been addressed by journalists at the time it was happening, but they choose to look the other way. The republican ideology of speak no evil about another republican is alive and well but brings out the worst in journalism. The debt burden has been put on President Obama and now all of a sudden journalists see the light and want to talk about the deficit. Fox news even ran a headline that it was President Obama who was responsible for Mr. Bush's last fiscal year budget that came in with a record deficit of $1.4 trillion. Unlike the last three republican Presidents, President Obama will stand strong and face the issue

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair

In a appearance before an official inquiry into Briton's role in the Iraq war, the former Prime Minister said he would do the same thing again and that Saddam Hussein's threat had assumed greater dimensions after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Like former President Bush, Blair has learned nothing from that unnecessary war.

Leaders who never learn and are incapable of admitting mistakes are truly sad people.
The country and its people suffer for their leaders bad decisions and mistakes and end up trying to paint those who did not support their decisions as unpatriotic. The fact that 8-1/2 years later Blair is still trying to make a connection between Saddam and 9-11 reveal just how sick a man he is.

The tragic mistake of Bush and Blair with the Iraq war over WMD that did not exist set the stage for the course of action that took place. The die was cast and not even the testimony of American Generals who appeared before congress and said Iraq was no threat to the security of the U.S. could not stop the war. Senator Kennedy was one of the few Senators who voted against the war resolution because he said the Generals testimony was persuasive. Kennedy and the Generals were right and ironically the war itself proved Bush and Blair were wrong.

President Obama and future Presidents should be aware of what really happened with this war and use that knowledge to never again repeat the same mistake. Most of all they have to be a President with courage and never stroke the flames of war like Bush and Blair did.

Watergate Tactics: The Preferred Method of Conservatives

The U.S. Marshall Service arrested James O'Keefe, Joseph Basel, Stan Dai and Robert Flanagan Monday January 25 and were charged with entering U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu"s New Orleans office under false pretenses for the purpose of commiting a felony. James O'Keefe was quoted as saying the sole intent was to see if Senator Landrieu was purposely trying to avoid constituents who were calling to register their views to her as their Senator.

That excuse wont wash and the operation fit the pattern of conservatives who can not compete in an open society and use tactics that have no regard for the law. It shows up in their ideology that believe only conservatives have a right to truth. The air waves are full of conservative talk about flooding elected officials offices with phone calls and faxes to protest their actions. In this case two of the accused posed as telephone repairmen and manipulated the telephone system in the office according to the report. They wanted to secretly try to catch Landrieu's office personnel not taking the phone calls.

This operation is just another bit of proof of the anti-American ideology of conservatism. Personal attacks, lies and what ever it takes to bring down the democratic process is a major element in their warped ideology. The conservative methods of trying to bring down the working of America reaches all levels of the republican party. We have seen during the health care debate how republicans in congress outright lied about health care reform in order to kill the legislation. There are no bounds to their capabilities. Those four people involved in this action against Senator Landrieu should be brought to trial swiftly.

President Obama needs to not give in to the conservatives and in fact should expose them for the anti-American ideology they stand for. The American people need to be vigilant.

The State of The Union Speech

The President gave a credible State of The Union Speech Wednesday night. The Republican response was not. Obama laid out his reasons for the action he has taken and rightly pointed out the future is what's at stake for the country and its people. It was not very hard to understand his budget proposals and that he indeed cares about deficit spending and is addressing the issue.

The President showed courage in his plan to let income tax cuts expire next year for families earning more than $250,000 a year. This was part of the $1.4 trillion tax cut of Mr. Bush that was supposed to spur a sustained economy and job creation and did neither and actually led to the worst deficit spending spree and increase in the national debt in our country's history. All on Mr. Bush's watch.

Little by little the President's plans and proposals are working and slow progress is being made. The republicans are not very bright but they do see things turning for the better and they want no part of that to happen on the democratic watch so they will continue to oppose everything and use personal attacks because they have nothing to offer. Their warped anti-American ideology will not allow them to do anything but obstruct. They had the opportunity for 8 years to really do something for the country and its people and failed.

Mr. Obama needs to keep the pressure on to change the status quo as he was elected to do. The economy should be getting better and better as the year moves on and jobs will be created. Prosperity will return again to the country and its people on the democratic watch. It always has because democrats put the country and its people first. That says it all.

A Final Decision on Charity Hospital

A federal arbitration panel ruled in favor of Louisiana and the City of New Orleans and awarded Louisiana $475 million for hurricane related damage to Charity Hospital. This decision settled a dispute between Louisiana and FEMA who disagreed with the damage assesment by the state and has been in limbo for over 4 years.

U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu was said to be the one who was most responsible for creating the arbitration process that was part of the $787 economic stimulus bill. The process settled the question once and for all the difference between what the state was asking, $492 million and what FEMA offered, $150 million. The arbitration board took less than 10 days to make its decision and the state was expecting the decision to take up to two months. Once again, the federal government has shown it can get things done timely.

The plan is to build a teaching hospital whose role will be a safety net for uninsured, a teaching hospital and chief training ground for medical students and post graduate residents from Tulane and Louisiana States universities. It will be located in the Mid-city area of New Orleans. State officials cheered the decision. It is ironic that many of Louisiana's political leaders opposed President Obama's stimulus legislation, yet it was that same stimulus that allowed this process to happen and end a 4 year deadlock. In the future, state officials should mind their manners before making political statements.

It is now the responsibility of state and city officials to get the ball rolling and start the construction. There are no more excuses.

Right, Wrong, True, Fiction, Facts and Falsehoods

The American people seem to be in their own created state of malaise. The country is still trying to deal with the horrific economic mess, loss of jobs and financial uncertainty placed on its people by the failed policies of former President George Bush. President Obama is catching flax from all quarters, especially republicans who are on record as wanting to see his administration fail.

Voters who helped elect Mr. Obama are un-willing to give him more time to get the country moving again and some say they will return to vote republican. The public is fed all kinds of stories on the T.V. networks by those same people who during the Bush administration said every thing was going great guns for the economy and the people. They are still there every night and they still have the same wrong answers. Many go back to Clinton's time in office and were wrong back then also.

The most recent drum beat is that the stimulus is not working. The facts are the stimulus is working, not to the extent to put the country back to work at the needed level of economic activity, but it is working. Half of the stimulus has yet to be spent. Most governors are bitching not enough jobs have been created under the stimulus. Well lets do some comparisons.

Take the state of Louisiana for instance. Louisiana governor Jindal often talks about how well La. is doing, however Edward Ashworth, Director Louisiana Budget Projects, Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations pointed out, "that an array of Louisiana Tax Exemptions were projected in this years state budget at approximately $6.5 billion." Those exemptions are supposed to be a stimulus to put Louisiana people to work and create jobs. The latest unemployment figures in Louisiana prove otherwise. December 2009 unemployment was 7.2%, up from 6.4% in November and up from 5.6% in December of 2008. (Source: Louisiana Workforce Commission) All that Louisiana stimulus and unemployment in Louisiana is going up not down. Perhaps voters should hold their governors to live up to the same standard as their President especially when creating jobs.

President Roosevelt had to deal with the great depression and it took longer than a year to put the country back on track economically. It took many government projects and a world war and many sacrifices by the people and finally we emerged as a nation and people to see and live better days. Mr. Roosevelt had to put the country in debt to get back on track. But we survived and paid off that debt. President Obama was not as fortunate when it comes to debt as the last 3 previous republican Presidents added $9.5 trillion to the national debt plus trillions of dollars in interest paid on that debt. Mr. Obama is left to deal with that debt burden along with the other economic problems not of his making.

President Obama should be given a fair chance to turn things around and the people need to have the wisdom to see what is going on. Mr. Obama has 3 more years to create a record to be judged by. Until then his policies should be supported. The alternative would be worse. The people should also seek the truth for themselves and be better prepared when called on to vote.

The Latest U.S. Supreme Court Decision

The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that allows Corporate America and lobbyist to use their wealth for or against legislation or individual elected officials and or those running for public office is keeping the status quo alive and kicking for wealth to continue to control the political process.

We are already experiencing how the transfer of wealth from the middle class to the wealthy has ruined the economy that has resulted in record job losses for the American people. Now the court has legitimatize the wealthy's corrupting influence on our political system. So what is the next step and what can be done to negate the political influence of wealth. The answer is amazingly simple, the problem that makes it difficult is a lack of courage by elected officials.

Since it is the democratic party that control congress and the White House, the democrats should announce they will no longer accept any money from Corporate America or any lobby group for campaign contributions or any other reason and that if those people want to be heard they will have to go thru the same process as the average Joe. There is no law that can make a elected official take any money from any group of people. The republicans should do the same thing and remove the corrupting influence of wealth from our political system.

Courage, the virtue that is lacking in our political system can be re-discovered in order to make the hard decisions necessary to once again live up to our American heritage of ideals. Special interest groups have to go and there is no better way to achieve that goal than the above because it does not require any laws or debate to water down the results. It would send the most powerful and legal message around the world. The wealth used by those special interest groups is man made and there fore can be changed by man. There are no excuses.

It is past time for both parties to step up to the plate and remove special interest money from the political process and legislation decisions. It is so phony to see Journalists in the news media talk to elected officials about reform but never discuss the above way to truly reform the political system.