Month: November 2010

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Dollar Issued On 147th Anniversary Of Gettysburg Address!

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The US Mint has been engaged in issuing Presidential Dollar Coins for the past four years, with four Presidents being honored each year. The series will continue for the next number of years until all Presidents will be so honored.

The dating is perfect, as today, November 19, the US Mint is honoring our 16th President, our greatest President, Abraham Lincoln, with the issuance of what will certainly be the most sought after of all Presidential Dollar coins!

And the timing could not have been better, as today marks the 147th Anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, considered the greatest short speech ever delivered in American history!

The speech, at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, honored the fallen of the Gettysburg Battle of July 1, 2 and 3, 1863, arguably the most significant single moment of the Civil War!

The speech took exactly two minutes to utter, but its message of mourning the dead of both sides and the hope for reconciliation and the promotion of human freedom rings down through the ages, and just adds to the greatness of Abraham Lincoln!

So the issuance of the Lincoln Dollar today is a cause for celebration of our values and our history, and ushers in over the next five years the commemoration of Lincoln and the events of the Civil War a century and a half ago!

The statesmanship of Abraham Lincoln is sorely needed today, not just on the Presidential level, but on the Congressional level, as the nation faces its greatest crisis since the Great Depression, and desperately needs unity and a sense of purpose!

Service In The Military And American Presidential Politics!

Ronald 1 Comment

For much of American history, service in the military has been a plus for political leaders who sought the Presidency of the United States.

About two thirds of all American Presidents engaged in military service, and some were major figures in wartime, including George Washington, Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Ulysses S. Grant, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

It has been rare to have a Presidential campaign, where neither of the candidates had served in the military, and the last time that happened was 1944, when Governor Thomas Dewey opposed President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

As recently as 2004 and 2008, the losing Presidential candidate had served in Vietnam (John Kerry and John McCain), and was admired for their war records, even though it did not help them to win.

But now for 2012, it is likely that for the first time since 1944, that neither candidate will have served in the military, as all of the major candidates for the GOP nomination, as well as President Barack Obama, have not spent time in the military.

Only Congressman Ron Paul and Governor Rick Perry, both of Texas, have ever served in the military, and neither is seen as likely to be the Republican nominee for the White House!

So with fewer people serving in the military than ever before, and with the military draft gone since 1973, it may very well be likely that from now on, the Presidential race will be lacking in influence of people who have served their country in the military!

Lisa Murkowski Victory Over Joe Miller A Blow To Sarah Palin And Tea Party Movement!

Ronald 2 Comments

The miraculous write in victory of Senator Lisa Murkowski over Republican nominee Joe Miller in Alaska is a serious blow to the Tea Party Movement and to Sarah Palin, and that is a good thing!

Murkowski was too lax in seeking another term as Senator, and lost the GOP nomination to Joe Miller, but then decided not to give up, and to mount a write in campaign against a candidate who came across as radical and objectionable in his behavior and his views on issues!

Murkowski, while generally considered a conservative, is a mainstream conservative, with only Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown being more moderate than she is.

So in the GOP caucus, she is actually the fourth most moderate or liberal in her views, far preferable to Joe Miller, who would have been close to being further right wing than almost anyone in the Republican party, except maybe South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, and Oklahoma Senators Tom Coburn and James Inhofe!

Murkowski has made clear her opposition to the Tea Party Movement, and her support of earmarks, despite the GOP announcement that they would oppose any earmarks over the next two years.

Any victory for a more moderate conservative candidate in the Republican party is good for the future of the party, and anything which lessens the appeal of Sarah Palin, as she hints she will seek the Presidency, is also good, as she would be a disaster for the Republican party, were she to win the nomination!

As Senator Murkowski said, Sarah Palin does not enjoy governing and making decisions, and she is also not intellectually curious enough to be qualified for the Presidency!

Lisa Murkowski is very wise and perceptive, and it is good for the Senate that she retains her seat, and Joe Miller goes back into obscurity!

Kentucky’s US Senators: Not Good For Kentucky! :(

Ronald 1 Comment

Kentucky, the Bluegrass State, somehow has managed to have elected US Senators who are not good for the state’s population! 🙁

Not only did they have Senator Jim Bunning, the Baseball Hall of Famer, who was considered by many observers, to be one of the absolutely worst Senators the chamber has ever had, who was always hard to work with, and who constantly seemed angry when he was not seen as loony!

But now they have Senator elect Rand Paul, a Tea Party favorite, who is a libertarian all the way, and will likely over time make Kentuckians wish that Jim Bunning was back! Paul has led the move against earmarks, the bringing of projects to a state that is one of the poorest in the nation, and shows no concern about the conditions of coal miners in his state, despite recent coal mine disasters in West Virginia!

And now Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has looked like a genius when compared to Bunning and Paul, has shown himself to be a hypocrite (actually nothing new) as he was a champion ear marker, bringing nearly a billion dollars to his home state over the years, but now switching gears and agreeing to prevent earmarks over the next two years, and therefore undermining his state’s ability to improve its poor economic conditions!

And why has McConnell done this? It is because of pressure from conservative and Tea Party favorite Jim DeMint of South Carolina, who was seen as a rival of McConnell for the leadership of the Senate Republicans!

So in order to keep his job and look in sync with other Republicans, Mitch McConnell shows a lack of courage and principle, except for one thing!

He has made it clear that the Republicans will do everything to undermine President Obama and assure that he is a one term President! And this is already showing by the fact that the scheduled meeting of House and Senate Republicans with Obama at the White House that was due for Thursday has been postponed by McConnell and Speaker to be John Boehner due to “scheduling” problems!

What is that supposed to mean? Why would anyone after arranging an appointment at the White House with the President of the United States suddenly change it? The only good reasons would be death or illness, but neither is the case!

It is simply pure rudeness and disrespect for the President, and a sign that there will be no attempt by the Republicans in Congress to cooperate at all with the President over the next two years!

So what else is new? 🙁

The Lame Duck Session Of Congress: Crucial Issues That Need To Be Addressed!

Ronald 1 Comment

The lame duck session of Congress began yesterday, with the Democrats having their last opportunity to control both houses of Congress and get something done, before the Republicans take over the House of Representatives in January!

There is much that needs to be addressed, including:

1. The question of the Bush tax cuts, which if extended to the top two percent of the country, will put America in the hole for $700 billion over the next ten years, worsening the national debt tremendously!
2. Funding of the national government for the present budget year which began in October.
3. Restoration of Medicare payments to doctors at a rate that will keep them willing to accept Medicare patients.
4. Dealing with the issue of unemployment compensation extension to long term unemployed people who will have no income if it is not extended.
5. Passage of the DREAM Act, which would allow children of illegal immigrants who have grown up in this country to have the possibility of attending college or entering the military and avoid deportation to countries they have no memory of, since they left those nations when infants.
6. Abolition of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the military, an issue which has been dragged around for two years now, but must be repealed by Congress if discrimination is to end for gays.

The problem is that much of this agenda is unlikely to pass other than the first two items, as the GOP has the ability to stall and filibuster everything else, a very frustrating potential scenario! 🙁

Hopefully, there will be progress on the last four topics, but with a turnover to the GOP in the House in January, it is clear that if these issues listed above are not resolved now, they may never be in the next two years! 🙁

Newly Found Opposition To Earmarks! The Hypocrisy Of Politicians!

Ronald 1 Comment

The biggest rage now is for politicians in Washington to condemn earmarks as corruption, and a waste of taxpayer money!

It is precisely the opposite of the above, as earmarks provide improvements in public services to every state and congressional district, and provide jobs and promote economic growth!

It is a demagogic issue, as those now coming out against earmarks are the ones who have been most engaged in advocating it for their entire congressional careers!

People seem to want services for their district or state, but not for other districts or states! This is greed and selfishness, and it is often forgotten that if a Congressman or Senator does not bring home money for projects in their districts and states, they are likely to be defeated for re-election as they have not “brought home the bacon”!

Citizens want projects done, but not where they have to pay for it! They want others to pay, rather than face the responsibility for paying taxes! In other words, they are hypocrites, as are their politicians who now advocate ending earmarks!

To top it off, earmarks are a measly one percent of the national budget! It is a “drop in the bucket” when one talks about expenditures! It is similar to the argument to stop foreign aid to other nations, which is also only one percent of the budget, but citizens are ignorant of the importance of foreign aid to stabilize other nations in our national interest!

The fastest way to cut the budget is to cut unnecessary defense spending caused by corruption in the corporate world, which promotes cost overruns on unnecessary weapons systems, considering that we already have a defense budget greater than the rest of the world combined!

Cutting earmarks will be a fad that will be short lived, as “pork” is part of the reality of politics, and always will be!

The Debate Over Social Security’s Future And The Fiscal Responsibility and Reform Commission

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The President’s Fiscal Responsibility and Reform Commission, headed by Erskine Bowles, Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton, and former Republican Senator Alan Simpson, came up with a statement last week, three weeks before the Commission’s official report on December 1, calling for radical changes in the way the nation looks at the deficit crisis that the country faces in its future.

The immediate reaction was for harsh denunciation by ideological forces on the left and on the right, condemning any suggestions that were made by the joint heads of the Commission.

There is much to be chewed over about the recommendations, but it was surprising that so much attention was paid to the Social Security portion of the recommendations.

Bowles and Simpson both promoted the idea of raising the amount of income taxed for Social Security, which is presently $106,800, to much higher levels, with Medicare, as it is, having no limits on being taxed on incomes. Also, in the year 2050, the age limit would be 68, and in 2075, would rise to 69, in order to keep Social Security solvent.

All of the above makes sense, as one forgets that in 1983, by bipartisan agreement between Republican President Ronald Reagan and Democratic Speaker of the House Thomas”Tip” O’Neill, and the support of the Republican Senate and Democratic House of Representatives, the retirement age for full Social Security was raised for those born after 1940 to age 66, and for those born after 1960 to age 67.

So what is so radical about the proposals set forth by Bowles and Simpson, but one would think it was extremism, based on the reaction by political forces that seem unwilling to compromise! 🙁

This is the problem today, as compared to nearly thirty years ago, that there is no willingness to compromise in any form by either side of the political spectrum! 🙁

Think about what the above reform suggests: So people born after 1980 will have to wait to age 68 to collect full Social Security benefits, and would have notice FORTY years ahead!

And people born after 2005 would have to wait to age 69 to collect full Social Security benefits, and would have notice SEVENTY years ahead!

And realize that age longevity and health have improved, and anyone could still collect lower benefits as early as age 62!

And if the income limit is raised, Social Security will survive for the long run, and be well funded by these changes!

And in no case, can anyone expect that they will survive on Social Security benefits, so part of the plan for life is to SAVE early and responsibly for one’s retirement in the long run!

This plan is NOT extreme! Instead, it is totally responsible and MUST be adopted if Social Security is to prosper in the long run!

It is time to stop ranting and raving on both sides of the political spectrum, and to recognize the validity of these proposals set forth by Bowles and Simpson!

Why The 111th Congress Will Be Seen Positively In American History Despite Election Results!

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A question that has arisen recently is how to judge the actions of Congress in historical terms.

If a party loses control of Congress after bringing about historic legislation, does that mean it should be regarded as a failure for the party historically?

Many are saying that Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party have failed, because they have lost control of the House of Representatives by the biggest margin since 1938!

Others would, however, say that in the long run of history, the fact of repudiation means nothing, as the health care legislation and other massive changes passed by the 111th Congress will be long lasting, and eventually be seen as positive upon reflection!

Are momentary reactions to leadership always seen as accurate in historical terms? If that were true, then Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman would still be regarded as among the worst Presidents we have had, instead of being ranked in the top five of our Presidents, with Lincoln first and Truman fifth!

Is the only purpose of holding power to continue to win elections, or to bring about reforms that affect the country long term?

Despite the results of the election, it is still a fact that the present Congress has accomplished more good for the nation than any since 1965-1966, 1933-1934, and 1913-1914, and despite much rhetoric in the past against those Congresses, what they did has had a long range impact on the nation, as this Congress will have, when we look back in future generations, and wonder why there was such short sightedness and anger over the good actions taken in the midst of economic hard times!

History will record that it was the Democratic Party under Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Barack Obama which brought about fundamental change in so many ways, and that it was the Republican Party which stood in the way of reform, but despite later Congressional gains, failed to repeal the reforms that have made America a better place for the middle and lower classes, even as the upper class wealthy condemned what was happening as “socialism”!

So forget all the rhetoric of the campaign, and the pledges to “repeal” what has happened, as it will NOT happen, and the Republican Party will suffer as it attempts to destroy the changes that the Democratic Party has courageously brought about!

Nancy Pelosi may be condemned by many, but she will remembered as the Speaker of the House who historians will record as the path breaking Speaker who will compete with Sam Rayburn and Thomas “Tip” O’Neill as the greatest Speaker in the past one hundred years!

Barack Obama And The Bush Tax Cuts: If Extended For The Rich, A Political Disaster For The Democratic Party! :(

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President Obama will meet next week with Republican and Democratic leaders of Congress after his return from his Asian trip, and he MUST stand strong against the GOP demand for continuation of tax cuts for the top two percent of Americans, who already have too much of the entire national income!

Just because the Democrats lost approximately 60 seats in the House of Representatives, the most since 1938, does not mean that we need a Democratic Party which acts as if it is the step sister of the Republican Party!

If Obama caves in on this matter, he will lose much of the base of his party, and endanger future economic recovery, and cause the likelihood of a challenge in the Democratic Presidential primaries in 2012!

If that happens, while Obama would almost certainly win the nomination–as William Howard Taft did in 1912 over Theodore Roosevelt, Gerald Ford did in 1976 over Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter did in 1980 over Ted Kennedy and Jerry Brown, and George HW Bush did in 1992 over Pat Buchanan–it would certainly weaken him for the election campaign, and likely cause his defeat, as it did for all four of the above Presidents challenged in the past century for the nomination of their party!

No one can seriously consider that Obama intends to do anything about the burgeoning national debt, if he permits an additional $700 billion to be added to the debt over the next ten years, just to keep “peace” with the Republican party, as that party has no interest in cooperation, and has made clear their major goal is to cause Obama to be a one term President!

So, Mr. President, show some guts and courage, and do NOT cave in to the GOP! Refuse to go along with tax cuts for the wealthy who do not need it! Show principle and conviction, and know that loyal Democrats will be there defending you, and know that the average middle class American, including many Independents, who are struggling to survive and keep his or her employment and housing, will regain their senses by 2012, and reward you and your party for being truly the party of the middle class, unwilling to continue the GOP plot to enrich the top two percent at the expense of the rest of the population!

Tax Cuts For the Wealthy: David Stockman Vs. Mike Pence!

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This past weekend, former Reagan Budget Director David Stockman debated the Republican party demand for a continuation of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy with Indiana Congressman Mike Pence, who has been one of the most hard line conservatives insisting on that issue, despite the fact it would add $700 billion to the national debt over ten years, at a time when it is clear that there is dire need to avoid adding to the national debt, which is already over $13 trillion! 🙁

Stockman gave an excellent presentation, and called such a demand for the wealthy to continue to have tax cuts as totally irresponsible and unrealistic in the present economic climate! He made it clear that the Reagan Administration was wrong to allow a tripling of the national debt during the 1980s, and it was recalled that he had resigned early in the administration over the reckless defense spending which caused most of that overwhelming addition to the debt!

Stockman made it clear that the Bush tax cuts in the past decade had been a mistake as well, as it caused a doubling of the national debt, with much of it because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also starting the Medicare prescription plan for senior citizens without taxing to pay for it!

Stockman’s appearance on the interview showed how far the GOP has gone since the 1980s–willingness to be totally reckless in the name of the wealthy, despite the fact that the stratification of American society with the wealthy having such a large portion of the total national wealth, as compared to the middle and lower classes, is the greatest it has ever been!

Pence showed total irresponsibility over the issue of the long range effect of GOP tax policy, and also demonstrated that he has no concern over the effect of budget cuts on domestic needs in the midst of the greatest economic downturn in 80 years!

It again must be recalled that MOST of the national debt increase has been due to Republican Congresses and Republican Presidents, with Jimmy Carter only adding a comparatively small amount to the debt, and Bill Clinton actually balancing the budget in his last years in the White House, and leaving a surplus for George W. Bush, who proceeded to double the national debt, on top of Ronald Reagan tripling the national debt in his time! Reagan added $2 trillion, and George W. Bush $5 trillion to the national debt, meaning seven of the nine trillion added to the debt since Jimmy Carter left office was due to these two Presidents and their administrations alone! 🙁

And the first President Bush added a good portion of the remaining two trillion, leading up to the $10 trillion plus debt when Barack Obama came into office in 2009! This is not what one hears on conservative talk radio and Fox News Channel, however! 🙁 But it is the truth!

So the GOP has a record of total recklessness in the name of the wealthy, while the country flounders economically, and David Stockman was effective in delivering a warning as to the danger of following GOP economic doctrine! 🙁