Reject The Status Quo

Billionaires shouldn't exist.  You might be bright, make good financial moves, or even invent magnificent stuff.  You shouldn't be able to hoard generational wealth at the expense of the country that allowed you to do such.

Big tech, and other mega-companies, should be made to pay their fair share and not be allowed to dodge taxes.

Our elections should be fair and free from private money influence.  Citizens United needs to be overturned.

Climate change should be a priority.

American infrastructure needs immediate attention.  From clean water, to clean energy, we need a massive rebuilding of our country's infrastructure to remain relevant and competitive.

These are some of the things Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have been campaigning for during this election cycle.

If the majority of citizens actually want change that benefits the majority of citizens, these are the two candidates that will fight for and deliver such change.  None of the other candidates have shown such consistent, principled and passionate convictions regarding these issues.

Anything less, the status quo will carry on.

Republicans - Wrong About Everything

Republican policy prescriptions over the last four decades have been massive failures. Yet, the party continues to sell the same disproven silliness. And sadly, voters keep buying into this garbage.

The Democrats are partially to blame with their conciliatory and passive demeanor towards politicking. Sitting on the sidelines, saying and doing little until the last minute, when the issue is already heavily polluted and lost.

Citizens are also to blame for idly lapping up the Republican drivel, despite the abundant evidence of negative outcomes due to Republican policies.

But, at the end of the day, we can lay the majority of the blame on the cynical, selfish, power-hungry Republicans. No longer interested in governance, but merely "in it to win it." So they can continue their stranglehold on power, enabling their "vision," whatever that may be on that particular day.

Let's count the numerous failures pushed by Republicans:

Tax Cuts - Income and Capital Gains
GOP Blocks End Of Tax Breaks For Big Oil
GOP's Capital Gains Tax Cut Is Biggest Driver Of Income Inequality
GOP's Multiple-Decade Capital Gains Tax Cut Scheme
The GOP's Tax Cut Trick
Republicans Block Debate On Buffet Rule
Tax Breaks Can Reduce Economic Growth
Ten Things Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Taxes

401(K) - Defined Contribution rather than Defined Benefit
A Brief History Of The 401(K)
Model Retirement Savings
Pensions: The Next Casualty Of Wall Street
Retirement
Retirement Wreck
Traditional Pension System More Cost Effective
Why Its Time To Retire The 401(K)

Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) & Medical Groups
Go Ahead & Die, The Truth About HMOs
Health Services/HMOs
How To Kill HMO Reform
The Republican 10-Point Plan For Health Care

Public Transportation - Roads
The GOP Road To Nowhere
Highways Win, Transit Loses
House Transportation Bill Paves Way For Big Oil
A Lobbying Free-For-All
Mass Transit Takes A Hit In Walker's Budget
Peak Oil, GOP, And Transportation
Progressive Fast Lane Versus Conservative Dirt Road
Republicans Vote To Defund Mass Transit In America
Road To Nowhere
A Terrible transportation Bill
Why Do Conservative Hate Public Transit

Education - Charter, Choice, Voucher Schools
Charter School Riddles
The Myth Of Charter Schools
Quality Doesn't Follow Rise In Voucher School
Voucher School Experiment Is A Failure
Vouchers & Private Sector Accountability
Vouchers & Public School Performance
Vouching For Delusion
Voucher Villainy

Elections - Campaign Financing
Campaign Spending Topped $1 Billion Last Year
Citizens United
The GOP's Campaign Finance Sneak Attack
PACs Rise In Importance
Republicans, Billionaires, Corporations and Campaigns
SuperPACs & Republicans
Wall Street's Huge Bet On Romney
Why Republicans Love Citizens United

Don't Trust A Republican Waxing Philosophical About Democracy

It's awfully sad that the Journal Sentinel has sunk so low they need to publish hacks, like Christian Schneider of the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, and claim they're furthering debate, clarifying the issues, or even practicing journalism.

Yes, those darned "union sympathizers" have mucked up our sparkling democracy. Never before, claims Schneider, have things gotten so messy.

Rather strange that the party (Republicans) which prefers shouting and heckling at town hall meetings, mudslinging instead of debate, and sabotaging elections (tearing up recall petitions, running Republicans as Democrats in democratic primaries, creating the phony voter fraud issue, etc.) is suddenly up in arms over the sanctity of the process.

Mr. Schneider wants us to know, "The current use of the recall is far different from what the original drafters had envisioned ... In Wisconsin's history, only two state elected officials had been successfully recalled before 2011. Nationally, only two governors have ever been recalled from office. Yet in 2012, Wisconsin will be seeing its 15th recall election in the span of one year."

He forgets the numerous uprisings in our history where vast numbers marched and rallied, and forced politicians to do as the majority of citizens wanted.

Now we're actually going through the drudgery of the whole recall process. That seems sophisticated considering what once was.

As Schneider points out, "At the time the recall amendment was adopted [1926], supporters believed the threat of recall would keep elected officials representative of the people. As the argument went, officials would be more responsive to the public than to special interests if their constituents could pull them out of office for corruption. Numerous progressives argued that recalls would aid in keeping the influence of money out of politics."

He then, with keen misdirection, claims the recall efforts are at fault for the flood of money in our electoral process. Seemingly oblivious to the recent Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court. You know, the decision that made corporations people and ruled it's OK to funnel limitless money to a Super PAC to fund campaigns without transparency.

Schneider then, astoundingly, cackles "The modern recall is being used in a way that its original supporters never expected or likely would have endorsed. As recall supporter and progressive leader Robert M. La Follette Sr. once said, "the supreme issue involving all others is the encroachment of the powerful few upon the rights of the many." The modern use of the recall demonstrates that to be true."

Over 41 percent of the number of people who voted (2,158,723) during the last gubernatorial election signed recall petitions (900,938). Hardly just a "powerful few." But I guess that's part of the civilized Republican response to this messiness - blame it on the "thug" "union sympathizers" and pretend it's some small-numbered fringe interest group.

Nevertheless, all of the smoke and mirrors used by Schneider and the WPRI can't hide the truth - Scott Walker is being recalled because the policies he has pursued since being elected do not match up to those which he campaigned on, nor are they the policies many citizens want. Concealed carry, ending the Equal Pay Act, ending collective bargaining ... if Walker's radical agenda was made clear during his initial gubernatorial run, he never would have been elected.

At A Crossroads

Thank you to the Wisconsin 14. They've given us all one last chance at shared prosperity.

It's time to organize and (peacefully) protest.

This is our last chance to maintain/rebuild a middle class and to begin to take our government back from business interests.

Due to the Citizens United decision, elections are only going to become more a game of money and power (even more so than they are now) rather than policy and governance. The Koch brothers didn't open a new lobbying office in Madison because the like State Street brats.

Call your elected representatives. March at the Capitol.

If collective bargaining and unions are extinguished, a whole litany of workers' rights and social legislation will also fall. Employers are already decreasing their provision of health care to their workers. Pensions will no longer be offered. Employers will not contribute to 401Ks. They also will push even harder for Social Security privatization; thus putting retirement security into the volatile casino that is Wall Street. Minimum wage laws will be overturned. I wouldn't even put child labor laws off the table with these guys.

If you're a Wisconsinite (heck, even if you're not), go to Madison!

The United States is now the most unequal westernized country, according to the Gini index. Our productivity has grown. Our economy has grown. Yet, workers wages have stagnated. This isn't a problem of spending. It is a problem of revenues. Nowadays, too many of our government policies support corporate profits. We've allowed our government spending to be used for private gains, instead of supporting good jobs and maintaining our infrastructure.

As our country has, collectively, gotten richer, the gains have accumulated to the top 1% while workers' living standards have stagnated. (To add insult to injury, we've kept up with the Joneses by going into personal debt.)

The rich are taking all the gains, while at the same time they paying less in taxes. Our state coffers would be solvent, our infrastructure would be maintained, and the programs the least amongst us depend on would be fully funded, if the rich were paying their fair share.

As unions have been weakened, the living standard of all (except for those 1%) Americans workers has worsened. The decline of unionization is inversely related to our increase in inequality. As America's number one organization for workers, workers' rights, and progressive economic policy - unions - has receded, the rich have gotten richer, corporate taxes have decreased while corporate profits have boomed, and the gap between the Haves and the Have-Nots is the largest its been.

The idea that deregulation, tax cuts, and kissing the ass of big business - the Republican platform - is good for workers or has been good for the U.S., hasn't been supported by our history. Reality has ruled against the ideology of Republicans. But, for some odd reason, enough people still seem to believe their story, or are fooled by their tricks, and side against their own economic interests.

We need to save collective bargaining and unions, then we need to push for public financing of campaigns.

But, first things first, organize! Make those phone calls. Talk to your representatives. Call friends and family. Get out, speak up, and protect your rights. This is the battle that could define a generation...and save our country. If we fail, it's the end of the American dream. Say goodbye U.S., hello America Inc..

Money Makes You Real

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