Wednesday, April 06, 2011
There is no hope
At 10:24pm this evening I realized there is no hope. Not just for my own miserable, wasted life, but for the United States.
Democrats and Republicans cannot come to an agreement on the budget. They are both being stupid. The GOP is trying to kill Obamacare by cutting funding and cutting funding to other programs they disagree with and using the budget cuts as an excuse.
Voters sent these clowns to Washington to destroy us.
The Democrats appear to be sitting there doing nothing. They should be on the news every night detailing the cuts the GOP wants to make AND detailing their counter-proposals so taxpayers know what is going on.
All we keep hearing is both sides are talking. If the Democrats think they can just sit there and do nothing and escape blame they are mistaken.
Democrats and Republicans cannot come to an agreement on the budget. They are both being stupid. The GOP is trying to kill Obamacare by cutting funding and cutting funding to other programs they disagree with and using the budget cuts as an excuse.
Voters sent these clowns to Washington to destroy us.
The Democrats appear to be sitting there doing nothing. They should be on the news every night detailing the cuts the GOP wants to make AND detailing their counter-proposals so taxpayers know what is going on.
All we keep hearing is both sides are talking. If the Democrats think they can just sit there and do nothing and escape blame they are mistaken.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
technorati
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Previous posts from Beatbush2004
Since Bush won this is really the first time I could bear writing. It seems like now people have finally begun to see who he really is. I think if the election were held today, he would not be in office. I will be taking a computer class in the next couple weeks to beef up my web publishing skills and I will start posting more on my blogs.
Thanks for reading this.
xx blogstud
Sunday, October 24, 2004
8 simple reasons why Bush should not be re-elected
8 Simple reasons why George W. Bush should not be re-elected. (Well, actually 4)
by Shawn Heaton
Well in just over a week America will decide whether or not Bush gets to keep his job for four more years or gets sent back to Texas. Frankly, I have to admit I am amazed that the polls show the election will be a close one. Some polls even show Bush with a slight lead. It is frightening to think that almost half of America appears to be in deep denial along with our President. What are these people thinking? I do not know and I am not sure that even they could tell you. I can, however, give you eight reasons why George W. Bush should not be re-elected.
The first reason is the mess he has created in Iraq. Now I will not dispute that the world may not be a better place without Saddam Hussein in power. However, Bush and his team have botched this war from the start, and since they refuse to admit it, there is no indication that they are willing or able to do something to fix it. They relied on suspect intelligence from the start. They practically declared the war over more than a year ago, they did not provide enough troops according to their own former administrator, and they rushed in without a plan for long term stability. Until it became evident that his failure in Iraq might cost him the election, he did not even appear to take the situation seriously. While our soldiers were being killed, he made jokes about not finding the WMD’s and his opponents changing position on the war. Excuse me Mr. President, but let me remind you that our soldiers are still being killed in Iraq and nothing about this war, even your candidates position, is funny.
The second reason is the economy. Depending on who you ask, either several hundred thousand or around 1.6 million jobs have been lost under Bush’s watch. I fully understand that our President is not the Personnel director for America, but in tough economic times people do look to him for leadership. Bush’s response to the poor economy and job loss has been the same for the last four years. Tax cuts. This sounds exactly like the ‘voodoo economics of the Reagan years and I thought we had already established that it does not work in the long run. Mr. Bush, you have failed to provide the leadership our country needs to get our economy back on track. It’s not the tax cuts, stupid.
The third reason Bush should not be re-elected is one that many Democrats shudder to mention. The rest of the world, well most of the rest of the world, kind of hates us right now. You may have seen some polls online where citizens from other countries have ‘voted’ for their choice between Bush and Kerry. In the poll I saw, Bush only won in a handful of countries, and in many of those it was by a very thin margin. No, other countries should not be able to tell us how to run The United States, but yes, we should take our longstanding allies opinions into account before we act on a global basis. We pride ourselves on our freedom of choice, but we also pride ourselves on being good neighbors. President Bush, it could take years to repair the damage you have done to our international relations.
The fourth and final reason Bush should be sent home is that he promised to be a ‘uniter’ not a divider. This may be one of his biggest disappointments. I have never seen the country more divided. Mr. Bush, ‘uniters’ make sure that we have a prosperous economy that all citizens can share. ‘Uniters’ make sure that all citizens have access to affordable heath care, not just people who can afford it. And, Mr. President, ‘uniters’ under no circumstances, try to pass an amendment to our Constitution, the document that gives us our rights, that would take away the rights of any law abiding, tax paying, American citizen.
# posted by blogstud @ 1:22 AM
Sunday, September 26, 2004
TWU Op-Ed on Bush and how he is destroying our economy
It’s Still the Economy
Low-wage jobs are rising at a faster pace than
higher-wage jobs in this country. Nearly 14%
of the jobs added have been temporary
workers, who typically are paid lower
wages. Some lower-wage industries, such
as food service, employ more people
today than they did in March 2001 when
the recession began, while some higherwage
industries, such as computer, electronic
and product manufacturing remain
far below their pre-recession levels.
Higher wage jobs create more income,
which leads to more spending. Lower-wage
jobs tend to create just enough income for
a household to live without creating extra
spending money.
So far, economic recovery tilts to the highestincome
Americans; the top 20% of households
by income got 77% of the benefit of the 2003
tax cut. Most Americans received a tax cut of
$100 or less. Lower-and-middle income
households have benefitted from some of these trends, but not nearly as much. For
them, paychecks and day-to-day living expenses have a much bigger effect.
At high-end Bulgari stores consumers are gobbling up $5,000 Astrale gold
and diamond “cocktail rings made for the right hand.” The Italian company’s
U.S. revenue was up 22% in the first quarter. Neiman Marcus Group was
doing well on pricy items like $500 Manolo Blahnik shoes.
But by contrast, sales at Wal-Mart Stores were up just 2.2% in June. At Payless
Shoe Stores which sells shoes at $10.99 sales were 1% below last year.
The pattern continues, luxury brands like BMW, Cadillac and Lexus saw
double-digit U.S. sales increases in June from a year earlier. Sales of lowertier
brands such as Dodge, Pontiac and Mercury either declined or grew in
single digits.
“To date, the ‘recovery’s’ primary beneficiaries have been upper-income
households’ concludes Dean Maki, a J.P. Morgan Chase and former Federal
Reserve economist.
The Wall Street Journal interviewed Ricky Williams, TWU Southwest
Airlines baggage handler, and Joshua Berry, an entrepreneur, for a July 20th
article about the economy.
Joshua Berry earns a six-figure income as President of a nurse staffing
business called ShiftBay.com. He and some partners sold a medical-supply
business and saved more than $100,000 in taxes courtesy of Bush’s tax
breaks for the rich.
TWU Southwest airline member Ricky Williams earns right now $20 an
hour. Within a year, he expects his hourly pay to rise to about $24. Ricky hasn’t
benefitted from the boom in the price of a house because he doesn’t own
one. “With the economy the way it is, I’ve had to rob Peter to pay Paul, and
then sometimes rob them both,” Ricky said. And this perception has become
a political issue in the race to the White House.
“They are telling people this is the best economy we have had,” said TWU
endorsed Presidential candidate Senator John Kerry to a crowd in
Charleston, W.VA. What does it mean when you don’t have any health care
at all? Hands started popping up throughout the audience, as Mr. Kerry
paused to point to each one. “Too many people in Washington, DC have no
sense at all about what’s happening in this country,” Kerry said.
As Vice Presidential candidate, Senator John Edwards said, “There are
two Americas, one that does the work, and another America that reaps the
rewards.”
Let us VOTE on November 2nd, for John Kerry who knows and understands
that health care, well paying jobs, and keeping our jobs here in America
for Americans is TWU’s priority for a sound economy.
# posted by blogstud @ 8:52 PM
Another TWU Op-Ed
Let’s ‘Look at the Results’
"It’s the results that count." So says the President of the United States. You
know what, I agree with President Bush. Let’s take a look at the results of the
three and a half years of this administration.
Things were different before the last Presidential election.
Under this administration, eight million are unemployed and these figures
do not count those who have just given up looking for work. Nor do they show
that the new jobs being "created" are mostly the lowest paid in both wages and
benefits.
The track record of this President is out-of-control government spending.
The surpluses of the past administration have been replaced by an insurmountable
debt of $7 trillion and still growing.
Another result is the inability to balance the budget. What happened to conservative
fiscal policies? The policies of this administration are neither conservative
nor liberal, but clearly radical and reckless.
The results of this President include the stripping of union representation
from thousands of Homeland Security workers under the pretense that Union
workers are a security threat.
We have hundreds of thousands of workers
being stripped of overtime pay, and the
right to organize has been weakened.
The result of Bush’s position that it is good
to have jobs outsourced to other countries
has brought about wholesale movement of
U.S. jobs overseas.
We always had a problem with "foreign competition."
American corporations were the
biggest supporters of tariffs to protect
them from "foreign competition."
What we have now is not foreign competition,
but U.S. corporations employing
foreign workers in order to avoid fair
wages and benefits.
Not being satisfied with these savings,
they now support "free trade" so they
can increase their profits even more.
We must admit Bush pushed through
massive tax cuts and we know how
everyone hates paying taxes. But what are the results? The tax cuts, in conjunction
with the war in Iraq, have produced the massive debt that will have
to be paid off by the tax payers. Only a small percentage of people really benefited
from the cuts, but all are saddled with the debt.
Bush now claims that the purpose of the cuts was to create jobs. However,
he first made the proposal while running as a candidate at a time that unemployment
was at an historic all time low.
Nor was his proposal new. It was really a radical version of President Reagan’s
"supply-side economics." In theory, the cuts were to increase consumer
spending, therefore improving the overall economy, thus creating jobs.
It is now clear that the leadership of the U.S. and Britain deliberately misled
us on Iraq. We are now told that the C.I.A and F.B.I mishandled the information;
it’s not Bush’s fault. It’s interesting that those who have been put in charge
in Iraq are the very people who provided the false information on weapons of
mass destruction and Hussein’s alleged ability to use them.
I know many people still believe that the weapons did exist and that Saddam
was part of the 9/11 attack. I am not one of them, nor do I believe Bush and
Blair were misled. I say that, because as bad as I believe Bush has been for
our country, I cannot believe that Bush or any other U.S. leader, would have
sent our young troops into Iraq if they believed Saddam Hussein was a madman
that would use atomic and biological weapons against them. All their selfrighteous
pronouncements not withstanding, they simply lied to achieve their
personal objectives.
John J. Kerrigan
INTERNATIONAL
SECRETARY-TREASURER
# posted by blogstud @ 8:49 PM
TWU - Transport Worker's Union Op-Ed on Bush
Nothing is more important for America’s working families, active and retired, than the November 2, 2004 national elections — nothing. Americans are facing many challenges and problems. These are not Democrat or Republican problems. They are American problems, and only the American people with their vote on November 2, 2004, can choose leaders to address these problems. No problem, no issue can be properly addressed when our nation’s leadership and Administration are in denial that America has serious problems. America, all of us, cannot afford a leadership that is in denial about the problems we are facing.
Admit, we have a problem, and a responsibility, to defeat terrorism, and that we must destroy Bin Laden, and sure as heck three years after 9-11 we must find this terrorist. We have a problem. Yes, I suppose there are still some Americans who continue to believe the President’s enormous tax cuts for the very rich will save jobs and help the middle class and the poor. For millions of other families, who are getting paid less and paying more for basic health coverage, it’s down right scary that President Bush in the twilight of his first term, is going around the nation in regions of unemployment and lower wages, higher health costs,
and says "the economy is strong" stating over and over, "it’s growing stronger" as if we all read comic books. Regardless of the feel good rhetoric of President Bush and his Administration — American families are hurting. Even the Wall Street Journal
reports that family bankruptcy is swelling the Bankruptcy Courts, including unheard of numbers of middle-aged Americans. An American problem, which if not admitted, places all at risk to follow so many Americans during the past three years who have gone from
poor to even poorer, and middle-class going from comfortable circumstances to
going broke. Admit, we have a problem. First I must state it matters not who is elected in November 2, 2004; America will give all of our support to our men and women who serve in the military, in Iraq and around the world. The problem is no longer why Americans have died and been terribly wounded in Iraq; the deed has been done, and yes the world is better off without Hussein. The problem our President refuses to admit or accept responsibility for is when will the killing of American military heroes end, and Iraqis take the responsibility of caring for their own country — the problem is that we need an American President who can partner with other world leaders, not act as if we are dictators. Admit the problem, how the Bush Administration, or ourselves for that matter, accept the reality that American tax dollars, at the level of $120 billion and growing daily, is being spent to rebuild Iraqi schools, rebuild Iraqi roads, rebuild Iraqi manufacturing base, rebuild Iraqi transportation, while American schools are crumbling, while transportation is under-funded both operating (salaries) and capital, while health care and prescription drug costs, or better stated rip-off, is rising every year. Just how can President Bush, or ourselves for that matter, look each other in the eye, and say it’s O.K. that we first destroy Iraq, then take on the responsibility to rebuild Iraq, with American tax dollars, and at the very same time, America’s working families, active and retired, are not supported here in America?
President Bush is in denial and refuses to admit the problems. American
workers must not follow President Bush’s denial with our own. Admit we have
a problem, and we have a challenge and responsibility — to change the direction
of America. Only at the ballot box on November 2, 2004, can we start to
address America’s problem, holding President Bush and his Administration
responsible and answerable to America’s working families, active and retired.
Admit, we have a problem, and do something about it: elect John Kerry
President and John Edwards Vice President.
# posted by blogstud @ 8:43 PM
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Bush wears flip-flops, too
Hello All,
Well George Bush is just like a dog with a bone. he keeps talking about Kerry's indecision and how he flip-flops. In addition to my other lists I am keeping to demonstrate how unfit Bush is to lead our country for another four years, here is a new one. It is a list of Bush flip-flops. It is by no means complete. If you know of any more I have left out, please email me at user444555@aol.com and let me know. Thanks, Blogstud.
1. Iraq. 'Mission Accomplished.' I would give almost anything to be wrong about this one because that would hopefully mean our soldiers and contractors would no longer be getting killed over there. But I am not wrong. Bush sure was though, and even many Republicans are saying he was arrogant and careless. Clinton was arrogant and careless and it got him impeached. You are personally responsible for the deaths of thousands of people, Mr. Bush, and you want to be re-elected. In any event, 'Mission NOT Accomplished.'
2. Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. Ok, so he still thinks we MAY find some. This is one of the biggest flip flops so I am listing it next. Do you think he is going to announce they don't have any before the election? NO. But that announcement will come soon afterwards (after his defeat I hope).
3. Global warming DOES exist. Hey Mr. No Kyoto Signing Corporate Pawn, we could have told you that 3 years ago. Oh, wait. We did, you dork. (no disrespect, well maybe a little, but we TRIED AND TRIED to get you to listen.)
4. Israel. Sharon's plan is Ok, wait, it's not Ok, Wait, well you get the picture. Mr. President, you need to get a clue. Until we MAKE Israel give back the land it is occupying, we are going to have targets on our backs, regardless of what happens with Iraq. We should have done this 4 years ago. Heck, I will say it. Clinton should have done this when he was in office. In any event, a fine example of a Bush flip flop.
5. The U.S. has the best health system in the world and it does not need 'fixing.' Wait. Election time and Bush needs some senior citizen votes. All of a sudden we need a drug benefit, all of a sudden he has a plan to 'fix' health care. uh-flip, uh-flop.
Well, I am gonna have to stop for now or I will be too angry to go to sleep tonight. Here again, though, is the list of groups who UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should vote for Bush.
1. Union members/workers (see my last post)
2. People who are currently unemployed or under-employed or worried about unemployment.
Tune in again to find out what group will be next.
blogstud
# posted by blogstud @ 11:08 PM
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Kerry VS. Bush on jobs
For those of you still not sure who is the better candidate to get jobless Americans back to work, here is some info for you. Some of this is 'action plan stuff,' but at least Kerry has a plan to create jobs that does not solely rely upon cutting taxes for the wealthy and hoping it trickles down to us little guys. Beginning tonight, I am going to start a list of groups that UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should vote for Bush.
HERE IS WHAT KERRY WILL DO ABOUT JOBS contrasted with what Bush will do or has done (or hey, has not done)
John Kerry plans to create 10 million new jobs in his first four years as president. His energy policy alone will create some 500,000 good jobs. (Associated Press, 3/25/04)
President Bush's economic policies and tax cuts for the rich cost the nation 1.7 million private-sector jobs and 2.7 million manufacturing jobs. Bush will be the first president since the Great Depression to end his term with fewer jobs than when he started. (Bureau of Labor Statistics; Economy.com, July 2004)
John Kerry supports workers' right to overtime pay and co-sponsored legislation to stop Bush administration efforts to take overtime pay away from millions of U.S. workers. (AFL-CIO questionnaire, 2003; S. Amdt. 1580, 2003)
The Bush administration issued new rules that could take the right to overtime pay away from more than 6 million workers. (Federal Register, Vol. 79, 4/23/04; www.epinet.org)
John Kerry will reform the federal unemployment insurance program to cover more workers and provide sufficient benefits and job training. (www.johnkerry.com)
Bush's fiscal year 2005 budget for job training and employment programs is $1 billion less than 2001 levels, despite massive job loss. (Bush administration fiscal year 2005 budget; Bureau of Labor Statistics)
OK, HERE IS THE OFFICIAL LIST KICKOFF OF PEOPLE WHO 'UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES' SHOULD VOTE FOR BUSH
1. Union members/workers (see my last post)
2. People who are currently unemployed or under-employed or worried about unemployment.
Tune in to find out what group will be next.
blogstud
# posted by blogstud @ 10:55 PM
Monday, September 20, 2004
information sources
just a note about the post below. I do have the sources for the statements I made below. They are available upon request.
blogstud
# posted by blogstud @ 11:37 PM
Why Union Workers Should NOT vote for the Shrub
1. He supports contracting out air traffic controllers. We all saw what happened with the contract security at airports.
2. He asked Congress to reject post-September 11 worker relief.
3. Dragged his feet in closing loopholes allowing poorly inspected foreign facilities to work on U.S. aircraft!
4. He has blocked at least a few strikes!
5. Supports binding, winner-take-all contract negotiations!
6. Slashed close to 3 million transport jobs! And he says he is creating them????
7. Supports privatization of mass transit.
8. Has attempted to allow more and more unsafe and under inspected trucks and buses from Mexico onto OUR highways.
9. Wants to cut even more out of AMTRAK. Yet we can afford a multi-billion dollar war he dragged us into under FALSE pretenses?
10. HAS REPEATEDLY TRIED AND MAY SUCCEED IN CUTTING 6 MILLION OUT OF OVERTIME ELIGIBILITY.
If YOU are a union worker and YOU vote for this man, you are making a big mistake. Not all Republicans are bad. Not all Republicans are anti-labor, but this one (shrub) is. If you vote for him, shame on YOU.
What could be more important that your livelihood and your family??? Ask yourself that question and then you will have to vote Kerry.
# posted by blogstud @ 11:22 PM
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
I just cannot believe how bad this has gotten. I have had so many disagreements with people over this election. One thing is for sure. Even if the vote is decisive this time, this election will not be over for a while. People are so angry on both sides. For a President who claims to be a uniter, Bush surely has divided the nation. In most circumstances, I would agree that there is ample blame to go around, but Bush has caused this anger. Us Dems have fed it, but Bush started it.
When I last wrote I talked about Clinton and how Conservatives blamed him for embarrassing the nation and making a mockery of the Presidency. Now where is this anger over Bush? Worst case scenario, Bush outired LIED to us about Iraq, best case scenario, he relied on intelligence HE KNEW might have been flawed. Now, I do not expect that any human being, Leader of the Free World or not, is perfect and will not make any mistakes. I DO expect that when our citizens lives are on the line, he will make wise decisions and understand how precious those lives are. Personally, I believe the U.S. and the world is better off without Saddam in power in Iraq, BUT, I also believe that Bush should have been forthright with us FROM THE BEGINNING, and SHOULD ADMIT HIS MISTAKES NOW. Of course, Bush's prevarication does not decrease in any way the importance of the sacrifice our soldiers have made and continue to make on our behalf.
I ask again, Clinton lied but nobody died. Bush may have lied, many have died. Where is the outrage?
# posted by blogstud @ 12:16 AM
Sunday, July 25, 2004
I am sorry to all you Republicans out there, but Bush has got to go. We cannot take four more years of a Bush presidency. I will not be able to write in this blog everyday, but I am hoping to catch the eye of some Republicans out there with whom I can have a debate.
My first topic will be the big one, course. I will tell you later what it is in case you must know. First a question. Do you remember about 6 years ago when people were talking about how our President had disgraced the country and made a mockery of the United States in front of the world? Do you remember how outraged some people were, especially Republicans? Do you remember how angry they were that the President had lied to the country? Do you? Think about that for a while and I will expand on this topic in my next post. Thanks for reading this.
bs
# posted by blogstud @ 12:02 AM
Thanks for reading this.
xx blogstud
Sunday, October 24, 2004
8 simple reasons why Bush should not be re-elected
8 Simple reasons why George W. Bush should not be re-elected. (Well, actually 4)
by Shawn Heaton
Well in just over a week America will decide whether or not Bush gets to keep his job for four more years or gets sent back to Texas. Frankly, I have to admit I am amazed that the polls show the election will be a close one. Some polls even show Bush with a slight lead. It is frightening to think that almost half of America appears to be in deep denial along with our President. What are these people thinking? I do not know and I am not sure that even they could tell you. I can, however, give you eight reasons why George W. Bush should not be re-elected.
The first reason is the mess he has created in Iraq. Now I will not dispute that the world may not be a better place without Saddam Hussein in power. However, Bush and his team have botched this war from the start, and since they refuse to admit it, there is no indication that they are willing or able to do something to fix it. They relied on suspect intelligence from the start. They practically declared the war over more than a year ago, they did not provide enough troops according to their own former administrator, and they rushed in without a plan for long term stability. Until it became evident that his failure in Iraq might cost him the election, he did not even appear to take the situation seriously. While our soldiers were being killed, he made jokes about not finding the WMD’s and his opponents changing position on the war. Excuse me Mr. President, but let me remind you that our soldiers are still being killed in Iraq and nothing about this war, even your candidates position, is funny.
The second reason is the economy. Depending on who you ask, either several hundred thousand or around 1.6 million jobs have been lost under Bush’s watch. I fully understand that our President is not the Personnel director for America, but in tough economic times people do look to him for leadership. Bush’s response to the poor economy and job loss has been the same for the last four years. Tax cuts. This sounds exactly like the ‘voodoo economics of the Reagan years and I thought we had already established that it does not work in the long run. Mr. Bush, you have failed to provide the leadership our country needs to get our economy back on track. It’s not the tax cuts, stupid.
The third reason Bush should not be re-elected is one that many Democrats shudder to mention. The rest of the world, well most of the rest of the world, kind of hates us right now. You may have seen some polls online where citizens from other countries have ‘voted’ for their choice between Bush and Kerry. In the poll I saw, Bush only won in a handful of countries, and in many of those it was by a very thin margin. No, other countries should not be able to tell us how to run The United States, but yes, we should take our longstanding allies opinions into account before we act on a global basis. We pride ourselves on our freedom of choice, but we also pride ourselves on being good neighbors. President Bush, it could take years to repair the damage you have done to our international relations.
The fourth and final reason Bush should be sent home is that he promised to be a ‘uniter’ not a divider. This may be one of his biggest disappointments. I have never seen the country more divided. Mr. Bush, ‘uniters’ make sure that we have a prosperous economy that all citizens can share. ‘Uniters’ make sure that all citizens have access to affordable heath care, not just people who can afford it. And, Mr. President, ‘uniters’ under no circumstances, try to pass an amendment to our Constitution, the document that gives us our rights, that would take away the rights of any law abiding, tax paying, American citizen.
# posted by blogstud @ 1:22 AM
Sunday, September 26, 2004
TWU Op-Ed on Bush and how he is destroying our economy
It’s Still the Economy
Low-wage jobs are rising at a faster pace than
higher-wage jobs in this country. Nearly 14%
of the jobs added have been temporary
workers, who typically are paid lower
wages. Some lower-wage industries, such
as food service, employ more people
today than they did in March 2001 when
the recession began, while some higherwage
industries, such as computer, electronic
and product manufacturing remain
far below their pre-recession levels.
Higher wage jobs create more income,
which leads to more spending. Lower-wage
jobs tend to create just enough income for
a household to live without creating extra
spending money.
So far, economic recovery tilts to the highestincome
Americans; the top 20% of households
by income got 77% of the benefit of the 2003
tax cut. Most Americans received a tax cut of
$100 or less. Lower-and-middle income
households have benefitted from some of these trends, but not nearly as much. For
them, paychecks and day-to-day living expenses have a much bigger effect.
At high-end Bulgari stores consumers are gobbling up $5,000 Astrale gold
and diamond “cocktail rings made for the right hand.” The Italian company’s
U.S. revenue was up 22% in the first quarter. Neiman Marcus Group was
doing well on pricy items like $500 Manolo Blahnik shoes.
But by contrast, sales at Wal-Mart Stores were up just 2.2% in June. At Payless
Shoe Stores which sells shoes at $10.99 sales were 1% below last year.
The pattern continues, luxury brands like BMW, Cadillac and Lexus saw
double-digit U.S. sales increases in June from a year earlier. Sales of lowertier
brands such as Dodge, Pontiac and Mercury either declined or grew in
single digits.
“To date, the ‘recovery’s’ primary beneficiaries have been upper-income
households’ concludes Dean Maki, a J.P. Morgan Chase and former Federal
Reserve economist.
The Wall Street Journal interviewed Ricky Williams, TWU Southwest
Airlines baggage handler, and Joshua Berry, an entrepreneur, for a July 20th
article about the economy.
Joshua Berry earns a six-figure income as President of a nurse staffing
business called ShiftBay.com. He and some partners sold a medical-supply
business and saved more than $100,000 in taxes courtesy of Bush’s tax
breaks for the rich.
TWU Southwest airline member Ricky Williams earns right now $20 an
hour. Within a year, he expects his hourly pay to rise to about $24. Ricky hasn’t
benefitted from the boom in the price of a house because he doesn’t own
one. “With the economy the way it is, I’ve had to rob Peter to pay Paul, and
then sometimes rob them both,” Ricky said. And this perception has become
a political issue in the race to the White House.
“They are telling people this is the best economy we have had,” said TWU
endorsed Presidential candidate Senator John Kerry to a crowd in
Charleston, W.VA. What does it mean when you don’t have any health care
at all? Hands started popping up throughout the audience, as Mr. Kerry
paused to point to each one. “Too many people in Washington, DC have no
sense at all about what’s happening in this country,” Kerry said.
As Vice Presidential candidate, Senator John Edwards said, “There are
two Americas, one that does the work, and another America that reaps the
rewards.”
Let us VOTE on November 2nd, for John Kerry who knows and understands
that health care, well paying jobs, and keeping our jobs here in America
for Americans is TWU’s priority for a sound economy.
# posted by blogstud @ 8:52 PM
Another TWU Op-Ed
Let’s ‘Look at the Results’
"It’s the results that count." So says the President of the United States. You
know what, I agree with President Bush. Let’s take a look at the results of the
three and a half years of this administration.
Things were different before the last Presidential election.
Under this administration, eight million are unemployed and these figures
do not count those who have just given up looking for work. Nor do they show
that the new jobs being "created" are mostly the lowest paid in both wages and
benefits.
The track record of this President is out-of-control government spending.
The surpluses of the past administration have been replaced by an insurmountable
debt of $7 trillion and still growing.
Another result is the inability to balance the budget. What happened to conservative
fiscal policies? The policies of this administration are neither conservative
nor liberal, but clearly radical and reckless.
The results of this President include the stripping of union representation
from thousands of Homeland Security workers under the pretense that Union
workers are a security threat.
We have hundreds of thousands of workers
being stripped of overtime pay, and the
right to organize has been weakened.
The result of Bush’s position that it is good
to have jobs outsourced to other countries
has brought about wholesale movement of
U.S. jobs overseas.
We always had a problem with "foreign competition."
American corporations were the
biggest supporters of tariffs to protect
them from "foreign competition."
What we have now is not foreign competition,
but U.S. corporations employing
foreign workers in order to avoid fair
wages and benefits.
Not being satisfied with these savings,
they now support "free trade" so they
can increase their profits even more.
We must admit Bush pushed through
massive tax cuts and we know how
everyone hates paying taxes. But what are the results? The tax cuts, in conjunction
with the war in Iraq, have produced the massive debt that will have
to be paid off by the tax payers. Only a small percentage of people really benefited
from the cuts, but all are saddled with the debt.
Bush now claims that the purpose of the cuts was to create jobs. However,
he first made the proposal while running as a candidate at a time that unemployment
was at an historic all time low.
Nor was his proposal new. It was really a radical version of President Reagan’s
"supply-side economics." In theory, the cuts were to increase consumer
spending, therefore improving the overall economy, thus creating jobs.
It is now clear that the leadership of the U.S. and Britain deliberately misled
us on Iraq. We are now told that the C.I.A and F.B.I mishandled the information;
it’s not Bush’s fault. It’s interesting that those who have been put in charge
in Iraq are the very people who provided the false information on weapons of
mass destruction and Hussein’s alleged ability to use them.
I know many people still believe that the weapons did exist and that Saddam
was part of the 9/11 attack. I am not one of them, nor do I believe Bush and
Blair were misled. I say that, because as bad as I believe Bush has been for
our country, I cannot believe that Bush or any other U.S. leader, would have
sent our young troops into Iraq if they believed Saddam Hussein was a madman
that would use atomic and biological weapons against them. All their selfrighteous
pronouncements not withstanding, they simply lied to achieve their
personal objectives.
John J. Kerrigan
INTERNATIONAL
SECRETARY-TREASURER
# posted by blogstud @ 8:49 PM
TWU - Transport Worker's Union Op-Ed on Bush
Nothing is more important for America’s working families, active and retired, than the November 2, 2004 national elections — nothing. Americans are facing many challenges and problems. These are not Democrat or Republican problems. They are American problems, and only the American people with their vote on November 2, 2004, can choose leaders to address these problems. No problem, no issue can be properly addressed when our nation’s leadership and Administration are in denial that America has serious problems. America, all of us, cannot afford a leadership that is in denial about the problems we are facing.
Admit, we have a problem, and a responsibility, to defeat terrorism, and that we must destroy Bin Laden, and sure as heck three years after 9-11 we must find this terrorist. We have a problem. Yes, I suppose there are still some Americans who continue to believe the President’s enormous tax cuts for the very rich will save jobs and help the middle class and the poor. For millions of other families, who are getting paid less and paying more for basic health coverage, it’s down right scary that President Bush in the twilight of his first term, is going around the nation in regions of unemployment and lower wages, higher health costs,
and says "the economy is strong" stating over and over, "it’s growing stronger" as if we all read comic books. Regardless of the feel good rhetoric of President Bush and his Administration — American families are hurting. Even the Wall Street Journal
reports that family bankruptcy is swelling the Bankruptcy Courts, including unheard of numbers of middle-aged Americans. An American problem, which if not admitted, places all at risk to follow so many Americans during the past three years who have gone from
poor to even poorer, and middle-class going from comfortable circumstances to
going broke. Admit, we have a problem. First I must state it matters not who is elected in November 2, 2004; America will give all of our support to our men and women who serve in the military, in Iraq and around the world. The problem is no longer why Americans have died and been terribly wounded in Iraq; the deed has been done, and yes the world is better off without Hussein. The problem our President refuses to admit or accept responsibility for is when will the killing of American military heroes end, and Iraqis take the responsibility of caring for their own country — the problem is that we need an American President who can partner with other world leaders, not act as if we are dictators. Admit the problem, how the Bush Administration, or ourselves for that matter, accept the reality that American tax dollars, at the level of $120 billion and growing daily, is being spent to rebuild Iraqi schools, rebuild Iraqi roads, rebuild Iraqi manufacturing base, rebuild Iraqi transportation, while American schools are crumbling, while transportation is under-funded both operating (salaries) and capital, while health care and prescription drug costs, or better stated rip-off, is rising every year. Just how can President Bush, or ourselves for that matter, look each other in the eye, and say it’s O.K. that we first destroy Iraq, then take on the responsibility to rebuild Iraq, with American tax dollars, and at the very same time, America’s working families, active and retired, are not supported here in America?
President Bush is in denial and refuses to admit the problems. American
workers must not follow President Bush’s denial with our own. Admit we have
a problem, and we have a challenge and responsibility — to change the direction
of America. Only at the ballot box on November 2, 2004, can we start to
address America’s problem, holding President Bush and his Administration
responsible and answerable to America’s working families, active and retired.
Admit, we have a problem, and do something about it: elect John Kerry
President and John Edwards Vice President.
# posted by blogstud @ 8:43 PM
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Bush wears flip-flops, too
Hello All,
Well George Bush is just like a dog with a bone. he keeps talking about Kerry's indecision and how he flip-flops. In addition to my other lists I am keeping to demonstrate how unfit Bush is to lead our country for another four years, here is a new one. It is a list of Bush flip-flops. It is by no means complete. If you know of any more I have left out, please email me at user444555@aol.com and let me know. Thanks, Blogstud.
1. Iraq. 'Mission Accomplished.' I would give almost anything to be wrong about this one because that would hopefully mean our soldiers and contractors would no longer be getting killed over there. But I am not wrong. Bush sure was though, and even many Republicans are saying he was arrogant and careless. Clinton was arrogant and careless and it got him impeached. You are personally responsible for the deaths of thousands of people, Mr. Bush, and you want to be re-elected. In any event, 'Mission NOT Accomplished.'
2. Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. Ok, so he still thinks we MAY find some. This is one of the biggest flip flops so I am listing it next. Do you think he is going to announce they don't have any before the election? NO. But that announcement will come soon afterwards (after his defeat I hope).
3. Global warming DOES exist. Hey Mr. No Kyoto Signing Corporate Pawn, we could have told you that 3 years ago. Oh, wait. We did, you dork. (no disrespect, well maybe a little, but we TRIED AND TRIED to get you to listen.)
4. Israel. Sharon's plan is Ok, wait, it's not Ok, Wait, well you get the picture. Mr. President, you need to get a clue. Until we MAKE Israel give back the land it is occupying, we are going to have targets on our backs, regardless of what happens with Iraq. We should have done this 4 years ago. Heck, I will say it. Clinton should have done this when he was in office. In any event, a fine example of a Bush flip flop.
5. The U.S. has the best health system in the world and it does not need 'fixing.' Wait. Election time and Bush needs some senior citizen votes. All of a sudden we need a drug benefit, all of a sudden he has a plan to 'fix' health care. uh-flip, uh-flop.
Well, I am gonna have to stop for now or I will be too angry to go to sleep tonight. Here again, though, is the list of groups who UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should vote for Bush.
1. Union members/workers (see my last post)
2. People who are currently unemployed or under-employed or worried about unemployment.
Tune in again to find out what group will be next.
blogstud
# posted by blogstud @ 11:08 PM
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Kerry VS. Bush on jobs
For those of you still not sure who is the better candidate to get jobless Americans back to work, here is some info for you. Some of this is 'action plan stuff,' but at least Kerry has a plan to create jobs that does not solely rely upon cutting taxes for the wealthy and hoping it trickles down to us little guys. Beginning tonight, I am going to start a list of groups that UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should vote for Bush.
HERE IS WHAT KERRY WILL DO ABOUT JOBS contrasted with what Bush will do or has done (or hey, has not done)
John Kerry plans to create 10 million new jobs in his first four years as president. His energy policy alone will create some 500,000 good jobs. (Associated Press, 3/25/04)
President Bush's economic policies and tax cuts for the rich cost the nation 1.7 million private-sector jobs and 2.7 million manufacturing jobs. Bush will be the first president since the Great Depression to end his term with fewer jobs than when he started. (Bureau of Labor Statistics; Economy.com, July 2004)
John Kerry supports workers' right to overtime pay and co-sponsored legislation to stop Bush administration efforts to take overtime pay away from millions of U.S. workers. (AFL-CIO questionnaire, 2003; S. Amdt. 1580, 2003)
The Bush administration issued new rules that could take the right to overtime pay away from more than 6 million workers. (Federal Register, Vol. 79, 4/23/04; www.epinet.org)
John Kerry will reform the federal unemployment insurance program to cover more workers and provide sufficient benefits and job training. (www.johnkerry.com)
Bush's fiscal year 2005 budget for job training and employment programs is $1 billion less than 2001 levels, despite massive job loss. (Bush administration fiscal year 2005 budget; Bureau of Labor Statistics)
OK, HERE IS THE OFFICIAL LIST KICKOFF OF PEOPLE WHO 'UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES' SHOULD VOTE FOR BUSH
1. Union members/workers (see my last post)
2. People who are currently unemployed or under-employed or worried about unemployment.
Tune in to find out what group will be next.
blogstud
# posted by blogstud @ 10:55 PM
Monday, September 20, 2004
information sources
just a note about the post below. I do have the sources for the statements I made below. They are available upon request.
blogstud
# posted by blogstud @ 11:37 PM
Why Union Workers Should NOT vote for the Shrub
1. He supports contracting out air traffic controllers. We all saw what happened with the contract security at airports.
2. He asked Congress to reject post-September 11 worker relief.
3. Dragged his feet in closing loopholes allowing poorly inspected foreign facilities to work on U.S. aircraft!
4. He has blocked at least a few strikes!
5. Supports binding, winner-take-all contract negotiations!
6. Slashed close to 3 million transport jobs! And he says he is creating them????
7. Supports privatization of mass transit.
8. Has attempted to allow more and more unsafe and under inspected trucks and buses from Mexico onto OUR highways.
9. Wants to cut even more out of AMTRAK. Yet we can afford a multi-billion dollar war he dragged us into under FALSE pretenses?
10. HAS REPEATEDLY TRIED AND MAY SUCCEED IN CUTTING 6 MILLION OUT OF OVERTIME ELIGIBILITY.
If YOU are a union worker and YOU vote for this man, you are making a big mistake. Not all Republicans are bad. Not all Republicans are anti-labor, but this one (shrub) is. If you vote for him, shame on YOU.
What could be more important that your livelihood and your family??? Ask yourself that question and then you will have to vote Kerry.
# posted by blogstud @ 11:22 PM
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
I just cannot believe how bad this has gotten. I have had so many disagreements with people over this election. One thing is for sure. Even if the vote is decisive this time, this election will not be over for a while. People are so angry on both sides. For a President who claims to be a uniter, Bush surely has divided the nation. In most circumstances, I would agree that there is ample blame to go around, but Bush has caused this anger. Us Dems have fed it, but Bush started it.
When I last wrote I talked about Clinton and how Conservatives blamed him for embarrassing the nation and making a mockery of the Presidency. Now where is this anger over Bush? Worst case scenario, Bush outired LIED to us about Iraq, best case scenario, he relied on intelligence HE KNEW might have been flawed. Now, I do not expect that any human being, Leader of the Free World or not, is perfect and will not make any mistakes. I DO expect that when our citizens lives are on the line, he will make wise decisions and understand how precious those lives are. Personally, I believe the U.S. and the world is better off without Saddam in power in Iraq, BUT, I also believe that Bush should have been forthright with us FROM THE BEGINNING, and SHOULD ADMIT HIS MISTAKES NOW. Of course, Bush's prevarication does not decrease in any way the importance of the sacrifice our soldiers have made and continue to make on our behalf.
I ask again, Clinton lied but nobody died. Bush may have lied, many have died. Where is the outrage?
# posted by blogstud @ 12:16 AM
Sunday, July 25, 2004
I am sorry to all you Republicans out there, but Bush has got to go. We cannot take four more years of a Bush presidency. I will not be able to write in this blog everyday, but I am hoping to catch the eye of some Republicans out there with whom I can have a debate.
My first topic will be the big one, course. I will tell you later what it is in case you must know. First a question. Do you remember about 6 years ago when people were talking about how our President had disgraced the country and made a mockery of the United States in front of the world? Do you remember how outraged some people were, especially Republicans? Do you remember how angry they were that the President had lied to the country? Do you? Think about that for a while and I will expand on this topic in my next post. Thanks for reading this.
bs
# posted by blogstud @ 12:02 AM
Sunday, October 24, 2004
8 simple resons why Bush has got to go
8 Simple reasons why George W. Bush should not be re-elected. (Well, actually 4)
by Shawn Heaton
Well in just over a week America will decide whether or not Bush gets to keep his job for four more years or gets sent back to Texas. Frankly, I have to admit I am amazed that the polls show the election will be a close one. Some polls even show Bush with a slight lead. It is frightening to think that almost half of America appears to be in deep denial along with our President. What are these people thinking? I do not know and I am not sure that even they could tell you. I can, however, give you eight reasons why George W. Bush should not be re-elected.
The first reason is the mess he has created in Iraq. Now I will not dispute that the world may not be a better place without Saddam Hussein in power. However, Bush and his team have botched this war from the start, and since they refuse to admit it, there is no indication that they are willing or able to do something to fix it. They relied on suspect intelligence from the start. They practically declared the war over more than a year ago, they did not provide enough troops according to their own former administrator, and they rushed in without a plan for long term stability. Until it became evident that his failure in Iraq might cost him the election, he did not even appear to take the situation seriously. While our soldiers were being killed, he made jokes about not finding the WMD’s and his opponents changing position on the war. Excuse me Mr. President, but let me remind you that our soldiers are still being killed in Iraq and nothing about this war, even your candidates position, is funny.
The second reason is the economy. Depending on who you ask, either several hundred thousand or around 1.6 million jobs have been lost under Bush’s watch. I fully understand that our President is not the Personnel director for America, but in tough economic times people do look to him for leadership. Bush’s response to the poor economy and job loss has been the same for the last four years. Tax cuts. This sounds exactly like the ‘voodoo economics of the Reagan years and I thought we had already established that it does not work in the long run. Mr. Bush, you have failed to provide the leadership our country needs to get our economy back on track. It’s not the tax cuts, stupid.
The third reason Bush should not be re-elected is one that many Democrats shudder to mention. The rest of the world, well most of the rest of the world, kind of hates us right now. You may have seen some polls online where citizens from other countries have ‘voted’ for their choice between Bush and Kerry. In the poll I saw, Bush only won in a handful of countries, and in many of those it was by a very thin margin. No, other countries should not be able to tell us how to run The United States, but yes, we should take our longstanding allies opinions into account before we act on a global basis. We pride ourselves on our freedom of choice, but we also pride ourselves on being good neighbors. President Bush, it could take years to repair the damage you have done to our international relations.
The fourth and final reason Bush should be sent home is that he promised to be a ‘uniter’ not a divider. This may be one of his biggest disappointments. I have never seen the country more divided. Mr. Bush, ‘uniters’ make sure that we have a prosperous economy that all citizens can share. ‘Uniters’ make sure that all citizens have access to affordable heath care, not just people who can afford it. And, Mr. President, ‘uniters’ under no circumstances, try to pass an amendment to our Constitution, the document that gives us our rights, that would take away the rights of any law abiding, tax paying, American citizen.
by Shawn Heaton
Well in just over a week America will decide whether or not Bush gets to keep his job for four more years or gets sent back to Texas. Frankly, I have to admit I am amazed that the polls show the election will be a close one. Some polls even show Bush with a slight lead. It is frightening to think that almost half of America appears to be in deep denial along with our President. What are these people thinking? I do not know and I am not sure that even they could tell you. I can, however, give you eight reasons why George W. Bush should not be re-elected.
The first reason is the mess he has created in Iraq. Now I will not dispute that the world may not be a better place without Saddam Hussein in power. However, Bush and his team have botched this war from the start, and since they refuse to admit it, there is no indication that they are willing or able to do something to fix it. They relied on suspect intelligence from the start. They practically declared the war over more than a year ago, they did not provide enough troops according to their own former administrator, and they rushed in without a plan for long term stability. Until it became evident that his failure in Iraq might cost him the election, he did not even appear to take the situation seriously. While our soldiers were being killed, he made jokes about not finding the WMD’s and his opponents changing position on the war. Excuse me Mr. President, but let me remind you that our soldiers are still being killed in Iraq and nothing about this war, even your candidates position, is funny.
The second reason is the economy. Depending on who you ask, either several hundred thousand or around 1.6 million jobs have been lost under Bush’s watch. I fully understand that our President is not the Personnel director for America, but in tough economic times people do look to him for leadership. Bush’s response to the poor economy and job loss has been the same for the last four years. Tax cuts. This sounds exactly like the ‘voodoo economics of the Reagan years and I thought we had already established that it does not work in the long run. Mr. Bush, you have failed to provide the leadership our country needs to get our economy back on track. It’s not the tax cuts, stupid.
The third reason Bush should not be re-elected is one that many Democrats shudder to mention. The rest of the world, well most of the rest of the world, kind of hates us right now. You may have seen some polls online where citizens from other countries have ‘voted’ for their choice between Bush and Kerry. In the poll I saw, Bush only won in a handful of countries, and in many of those it was by a very thin margin. No, other countries should not be able to tell us how to run The United States, but yes, we should take our longstanding allies opinions into account before we act on a global basis. We pride ourselves on our freedom of choice, but we also pride ourselves on being good neighbors. President Bush, it could take years to repair the damage you have done to our international relations.
The fourth and final reason Bush should be sent home is that he promised to be a ‘uniter’ not a divider. This may be one of his biggest disappointments. I have never seen the country more divided. Mr. Bush, ‘uniters’ make sure that we have a prosperous economy that all citizens can share. ‘Uniters’ make sure that all citizens have access to affordable heath care, not just people who can afford it. And, Mr. President, ‘uniters’ under no circumstances, try to pass an amendment to our Constitution, the document that gives us our rights, that would take away the rights of any law abiding, tax paying, American citizen.
Thursday, April 29, 2004
let's go Dems!
