7 times is all she wrote

Imagine if the monkey business being led by the GOP (including the Tea Party branch of it) had to occur 7 times.  Why the lucky number 7, well thats how many times the debt ceiling was raised during the presidential term of George W. Bush - nearly once every year he was in office.  Now, consider all of the energy and time the White House and Congress are being forced to spend on this one topic, rather than focusing on things to move our country forward.  Imagine if the Democrats had caused this 7 times in Bush's 8 year.  If only the GOP had held themselves to this same standard.

Where are the actions to create the jobs Americans need, and the GOP promised in November, 2010.  I think shielding the income of hedge fund managers is much higher on the GOP's priority list than jobs for middle class Americans, or affordable health care for seniors and the poor, or clean energy legislation, or any of a hundred things that could once again allow America to do exceptional things.  The GOP is found of saying the Democrats are pushing class warfare, but when chaeffeurs and personal trainers pay higher taxe rates than Wall Street tycoons, I believe the GOP needs to get real - and you need to quit being fooled.

Wake up America.  Remember this in 2012.

There is a behind the scenes fight going on between Democrats and Republicans over language Democrats have put into official mail going out to their constituents.  The fight is over the GOP plan to end Medicare as we know it.  Today, the government is the single payer of medical bills for our retired citizens.  Under the GOP plan, seniors would need to buy insurance from a private company.  They would get a voucher that they could use to offset the cost of the premiums.  This would be a huge change to the program.  I think it’s fair to say that it is such a huge change that the program under the GOP plan is not Medicare, but something altogether different.  

Now, in the fight between the Dems and the GOP, the GOP says the Dems can’t use the phrase “eliminate Medicare as we know it and replace it with a privatized system”.

In my mind, the GOP’s attempt to make people believe that their budget proposal saves Medicare when in fact it ends it is like saying this Van Halen and this Van Halen are the same.  Perhaps in name, but to a seeing, hearing person, they are nowhere the same.

GOP healthcare death panel

When Sarah Palin and leading Republicans like Senator Chuck Grassley pointed to a section in the Affordable Care Act and falsely claimed it authorized death panels that would “pull the plug on Grandma”, the mainstream press reported on it repeatedly.  Now that the GOP is actually pushing a plan that truly cuts the level and amount of care senior citizens get, how will the press report it? 

  We have a problem in this country about the cost of healthcare.  A part of the solution is to institute a single-payer system.  Call you elected leaders and tell them to push for it.

When is a mandate a mandate?

  Mike Pence, GOP Congressman of Indiana’s 6^th district, feels his party has a mandate on federal budget cuts. Recently he said the following.   “I think if liberals in the Senate are unwilling to embrace even this modest step toward fiscal discipline in Washington, D.C., then I say shut it down. You know, look, I think the American people sent this historic new majority to Congress to see the change in this direction."

  So the mandate of the people to get healthcare reform taken care of, a mandate shown through giving control of the Congress, the Senate (including a super majority of 60), and White House to the Democrats is not viewed by the GOP as a mandate.  However, in Mike Pence’s mind, putting the GOP in control of just one House of Congress in the last election is a mandate on budget cuts.  Not only does he believe this is a mandate, but he believes that his party that is in control of just the House gets to call the shots with no need to negotiate. 

  The Democrats put in total control on a platform to reform healthcare is not a mandate.  The GOP put into control of just the House of Representatives is a mandate.   Mike Pence logic.