Day: May 23, 2011

Tim Pawlenty Panned By Former Republican Minnesota Governor On Day Of Presidential Announcement!

Ronald Leave a comment

Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty announced his Presidential candidacy today in Iowa. Seen by many as having the fewest shortcomings, he has avoided major controversy by his words and actions, as compared to all other GOP candidates.

And yet, he could not fully enjoy his opening day as former Republican Governor Arne Carlson, who had supported Pawlenty for Governor, and appointed his wife to a state job, came out on Ed Schultze’s show on MSNBC tonight to criticize Pawlenty, and say the party could do a lot better for its Presidential nominee.

Carlson’s major complaint was that Pawlenty’s claim of balanced budgets in Minnesota over eight years is a fabrication, according to the former Governor.

Carlson complained that property taxes had skyrocketed, and that the state had put the burden on homeowners in an unjust way, but that Pawlenty had made it seem as if Minnesota’s state government was doing a good job, which according to Carlson, is the farthest thing from the truth.

So Pawlenty is discovering quickly that entering the Presidential race will be a long, grueling campaign, something Mitch Daniels, Haley Barbour, Mike Pence, John Thune, Mike Huckabee, and Donald Trump were unwilling to put themselves through!

Gay Rights, Minnesota, And Separation Of Church And State

Ronald 2 Comments

Minnesota is the land of Ten Thousand Lakes, the state of such luminaries in the past as Hubert Humphrey, Harold Stassen, Walter Mondale, and Paul Wellstone. It is the state of Senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar.

However, it is also the state of Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty, both of whom profess to be Tea Party supporters and social conservatives, who appeal for support from those who believe in church and state being one, rather than supporting separation, as the Founding Fathers intended.

The hate mongers in the state legislature have forced a question on the 2012 state ballot, to ban gay marriage in the state constitution, a concept which does not belong in ANY constitution anywhere!

Democratic State Assemblyman Steve Simon spoke up in dramatic fashion against such a constitutional amendment, stating how much longer will we try to believe that being gay is not innate in a human being, and Republican John Kreisel, who lost both legs in Iraq, also opposed it on the grounds that gay soldiers die in defense of their country, and we have no problem with that, but don’t want to give them basic human rights to marry who they love!

As the polls indicate a majority of Americans have no problem with gay marriage rights, it is time for all decent people to organize against the hate mongers and the religious zealots who wish to promote a narrow minded change in the state constitution, which in future years will serve as a major embarrassment to the history and heritage of a state much more famous for progressive and liberal traditions!

America And Labor Rights To a DECENT AMOUNT of VACATION!

Ronald Leave a comment

Many Americans love to mouth the idea that we are a “special’ nation, which is involved in the promotion of human rights!

If that is so, isn’t a basic human right in the modern civilized world to be able to have a DECENT AMOUNT of VACATION time to spend with the family, to explore new horizons through travel, to get away from the stress and tension of corporate America and the capitalistic system which has little regard for labor rights?

It is well known that corporations love to work their staff hard, to the point that by the mid 40s, many have heart attacks, strokes, and cancer, caused by the stress and pressure of their jobs, and then many are summarily dismissed without any pension guarantees and told to clean out their workplaces while security is watching, so that they don’t overreact to their being mistreated and abused!

Why is it that in this nation that is so outstanding, according to political rhetoric, the average worker receives no more than two weeks vacation, and in many cases, is expected not to utilize it all, and certainly not two weeks in a row, while elsewhere, the norm is FIVE to SIX weeks, often altogether plus Holiday weeks, off rather than days off?

More than two dozen industrialized nations require workers to take four or more weeks of paid vacation, and three nations—Finland, Brazil and France—guarantee six weeks off!

The fact is that there is no federal law that mandates that employers offer ANY paid vacation, and one out of four people, therefore, have no ability to take vacation at all! This country is the ONLY advanced nation that does not guarantte annual leave for all citizens!

Many love to say we don’t want to be like France–as if it is terrible to emulate the French and other advanced nations in promoting the human right to a DECENT AMOUNT of VACATION in the 21st century!

Time For Barack Obama To Utilize Executive Order To Stop Deportations Of Young Immigrant Children Victims Of Failure To Pass DREAM Act!

Ronald Leave a comment

It is long overdue for President Obama to halt deportations of young immigrant children facing deportation from the only country they know, since the DREAM Act, designed to allow them to become citizens through miltary service or college graduation, has not been passed by Congress due to strong nativist sentiments!

These young people were brought here through no fault of their own, by parents who were trying to better their lives. Many are being forced from the country now, to go back to a nation they have no memory of, and in many cases, have no relatives to return to.

These young people have broken no laws, and just want to work toward citizenship through serving in the military, or attending college, so that they can contribute to the future of America.

The use of the executive order is not something new, and this President has already been bold in many ways, so instead of talking about immigration reform, it is essential that the President now take action to stop this violation of human rights!

Executive orders to promote the end of oppression and denial of human rights is part of the long tradition of American history, as witness the following:

1. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s establishment of the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression in 1935.
3. Harry Truman’s promotion of integration of Washington, DC and of the military in 1948.
4. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s intervention in the Little Rock School Desegregation crisis in 1957.
5. John F. Kennedy’s promoting affirmative action in employment by government contractors in 1961, along with his interventions in Mississippi in 1962 and Alabama in 1963 with the National Guard.
6. Lyndon B. Johnson’s promotion of Equal Employment Opportunity in federal employment in 1965.

So, Mr. President, it is time for immediate action on immigrant children!