Politics and Religion

I saw something today on Facebook that brought this topic about, so bear with me - its kinda short.  Some politicians and pundits seem to be constantly insinuating that only people who go to church and are Christians are good and only 'good Christians' can be ethical or moral.

As a Jeffersonian Constitutionalist and a member of a sizable subset (albeit still a minority) of voters, I am very interested in this topic.

I fully agree with the idea that our government, state and national both, should be held to high ethical standards and conduct themselves with politeness and observe all good manners.  However, I see no need to bring religion into the discussion of government. Socrates, Aristotle and Aesop - among many others -  were promoting and discussing ethics and morality long before any church or religion became involved.

I found some quotes from my main politician, TJ, helpful :

But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.  -Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782

I inquire after no man's religion, and trouble none with mine; nor is it given us in this life to know whether yours or mine, our friends' or our foes', is exactly the right. - Thomas Jefferson, letter to Miles King, 1814

And, reluctantly, some books on how damaging religion can be in our politics :
Liars for Jesus
Fighting Words
Idiot America
Over the Cliff
Common Nonsense

Roundup of Articles

Democrats are more favored than Republicans.

Watching Fox "News" makes you Stupid. (or at least very misinformed)

Republicans Oppose their own Earmarks!  Republicans are among the top earmark requesters!  All three Republicans from Mississippi are in the top 10 porkers... hmm.. its mostly the Mississippi Republicans...  figures.  More to be embarrassed about by those idiots.  Yeah, its mostly Democrats asking for earmarks in 2011.  Although, really, its not been a one sided thing in the past, as majority rules apply.  Very interesting to research.

Al Franken's hardest vote evah!

Fox News is a pissed off as everyone else about the 9/11 First Responders getting snubbed by congress - but they won't admit it was Republicans who blocked the aid bill. I suppose there were not enough Millionaires in the group for the Lame A$$ Republicans to support.

And some interesting news on the potential fate of the Filibuster!

Where is the Outrage?

I can't believe that there are not more people, more average, working people, who are totally pissed off right now.

A certain segment of the ultra rich are screwing the rest of us out of our hard earned money, screwing us out of what we deserve for our contributions to their wealth.  Corporations work endlessly to lower our wages, increase their profits and stock dividends and wiggle out of paying their fair share of taxes.  The Rich are enabled and coddled by our government - getting tax breaks and loopholes, tax shelters and give-aways.  Some are paying an effective tax of 17.7% while we pay an effective tax of 30% - they are not paying their fair share!  Some corporations pay Zero taxes.

There is nothing wrong with being rich - or even very, very rich.  Its the American Dream.  What is wrong, is stepping on people to get there and stay there.  What is wrong, is not contributing your fair share to fund our government - instead buying congressmen and law-makers to cut you deals and breaks.  What is wrong, is rewarding your CEO for cutting jobs and worker salaries to increase profits for shareholders. What is wrong, is creating schemes that ensure lower-income families will default on the loans you provide and get you even more profit and tax breaks.

Oh, some will say that we are at fault.  We grasped for the American Dream when it was not really within our reach.  They say we jumped too high - even when those same bankers and financial crooks were the ones dangling the carrot over our heads saying, "Come on, its a great deal."  After all, its their job to entice, to promote, to sell us the idea that we can achieve the Dream.  Its not their fault we fell for it!  After all, its immoral to allow a sucker to keep his money, right?

There has been a class war going on for years - and only the corporations knew about it.  Now, there is no reason for anyone to not know about this.

What can you do?  Change your voter status to Independent - or Green Party or Reform Party - just not Republican nor Democrat.  That will send a huge message : Cooperate for the Greater Good, not your political futures.(for info on How, see http://www.vote411.org/ - specifically the Registrar Info finder)

Send your supposed representatives an email with just one line : "You should listen to Us - vote Our Way.  - a Voter." (see mine - log in, click "Write your lawmakers" and uncheck the President, fill in your info.  You may be asked to choose a topic - I picked "Gov't Operations" - see my Congress.org Soapbox)

Just one source article - there are many more in the previous posts. http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/12/14-6

Wow!! Unbelievable

"Washington is here to serve the banks..." - Spencer Bachus, traitor who betrays We the People to the Banks and Corporations.

The Judge who ruled against the Health Insurance Mandate is a Republican stooge and part owner of a GOP consulting firm - talk about your conflict of interest.  He should be censured for even taking the case.  Not that I disagree with his ruling, but he should not have taken the case.  I still feel that states forcing someone to buy auto insurance is illegal - and it is certainly immoral.  Even more so, any government should never be able to force a citizen to choose which method to risk their life - such as states do when forcing people to buckle up based on a 60/40 chance that it will help or do no harm instead of being the deciding factor that kills you, which it sometimes does.  I would wager that wearing a seat belt saves a life about as often as it kills - the rest of the time it matters very little, either preventing a few bruises or cracking the collar bone.

The Tax Deal will hurt lower income citizens by eliminating the "Making work Pay" tax credit and replacing it with the "Payroll Tax Holiday" - which is a percentage cut, so the more you make, the more it benefits you.  For example, the "Making work Pay" credit gave me $400 extra over the year - the "Tax Holiday" will give me over $850.  MwP would give people making $10,000 the same $400.00, but the "Tax Holiday" will only give them, maybe $200 - you have to make $20,000 to get the $400.

See more REAL news on Democracy Now!

Warren Buffet slams tax disparity!  Last year, Buffett said, he was taxed at 17.7 percent on his taxable income of more than $46 million. His receptionist was taxed at about 30 percent. See!  and for those lucky enough to be able to watch Youtube... 

Adding another interesting item : Neither Plan works!
... and another... Tax Cuts Create Jobs? Prove it!

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." - Thomas Jefferson

Mandates! Health, Auto, Seat belt!!

Interesting developments!  A Judge in Virginia has ruled the Federal Mandate of Health Coverage unconstitutional. I find it bordering on hypocrisy that Virginia - a state that forces people to buy auto insurance or pay a fine - is the state that ruled a mandate to buy health insurance or face a fine unconstitutional.  On a side note, I am eager to see what challenges to auto insurance and seat belt laws can be brought from this.

It has been ruled that truly interstate insurance is a Federal Commerce matter.  Unless it is ruled that an insurance policy in Mississippi could not be honored by a hospital in Maryland - then the Federal government does, in fact, have jurisdiction.  So, would a Maryland hospital honor my Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi health insurance coverage?

Another argument - or something to think about - is that the Health Coverage mandate is on all people who can afford it, while auto insurance mandate is only applicable to those who choose to own and operate a motor vehicle - whether they can afford the premiums or not.  Sure, owning an automobile may be a choice in New York City - but in Jackson, Mississippi, unless you live near a bus route, you must have at least access to a car.  There is no real 'public transportation' in most of the country.

While it may not be a federal mandate, auto insurance and seat belt laws are coerced by the federal government.  If they manage to get this part overturned, then the fed will just use it's old tricks of funding requirements to meet the 'requirement' by tying funding to state mandates.

Still, I think all insurance is just government sponsored protection racket.  You pay for 'protection' for years, then, when you need it the most, well, it doesn't cover THAT or there was this error in your application or whatever - and it doesn't help you at all.

Filibuster! Against the Tax Deal

Sen. Bernard Sanders, I-VT - who started at 10:25am - is joined by Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-LA in a Filibuster of the Tax Deal.  Listening to them for a while - they are absolutely right to do it!  Some people in the Congress realize what is going on in this nation and the root causes of it.  Politifact says at least one of his points is True.


If at all possible, I will find a transcript? Yes, a Transcript! and post it here. (or you can now watch it all! or listen)


Some points - and I must paraphrase.


Thirty years ago, the average family with one income earner had more disposable income than the average family with two incomes does today.


During the Bush years, the 400 something top income earners saw their income double, even as their tax rate was cut in half - effectively sitting at 16% now.   At the same time, the average worker's income effectively dropped.  Middle class Men, lost 11% of their income, women lost 4%.


During Bush years, 8 million citizens slipped from the middle class to below the poverty line.


We don't need tax cuts for billionaires! We need to create jobs for the middle class and rebuild this economy.


During the 8 years of Bush, we lost 600,000 private sector jobs.  There was a Net Gain of 1 million jobs - all in the government sector.


In Education - out of 30 countries, the United States ranked 25th in math and 21st in science.


170,000 students who graduate high school and want to go to college, can not afford it.  We are not investing in our future, but we want to give tax breaks to the already rich.


75% of the youth who apply for the armed services do not qualify because of low mental capacity, prior criminal activity or obesity. 


We couldn't get one Republican vote to give a $250.00 check to people making $14,000 a year on social security or disability - but they want us to give thousands of dollars in tax breaks to people who are already rich and don't need them.


Capital Gains tax would continue at 15% - so people who make their living off their investments would pay less taxes than Firemen, Teachers and Policemen.


Some links to Estate tax issue that the Senator raised :

No man should receive a dollar unless that dollar has been fairly earned. Every dollar received should represent a dollar's worth of service rendered – not gambling in stocks, but service rendered. The really big fortune, the swollen fortune, by the mere fact of its size acquires qualities which differentiate it in kind as well as in degree from what is possessed by men of relatively small means. Therefore, I believe in a graduated income tax on big fortunes, and in another tax which is far more easily collected and far more effective – a graduated inheritance tax on big fortunes, properly safeguarded against evasion and increasing rapidly in amount with the size of the estate.  – Theodore Roosevelt, speech at Osawatomie, Kansas, "The New Nationalism" (August 31, 1910)

The absence of effective State, and, especially, national, restraint upon unfair money-getting has tended to create a small class of enormously wealthy and economically powerful men, whose chief object is to hold and increase their power. The prime need is to change the conditions which enable these men to accumulate power which is not for the general welfare that they should hold or exercise. We grudge no man a fortune which represents his own power and sagacity, when exercised with entire regard to the welfare of his fellows. – Theodore Roosevelt, speech at Osawatomie, Kansas, "The New Nationalism" (August 31, 1910)

An oft-cited book he talked about was "Third World America" by Arianna Huffington.


Corporate America is already sitting on 2 Trillion dollars of cash on hand - I don't think that further tax breaks are going to make them create jobs.


An article demonstrating how this "Deal" was pretty one-sided and hurts low-income people while loading up the already rich. And an article covering the "Long Speech."


The Republicans are showing who they fight for - the top 2% and even more for the top .3% - the top one third of one percent!!

Links of Interest:
http://www.washin...gtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/09/AR2010120906123.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703766704576009501161973480.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/09/AR2010120906123.html
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=1811
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/08/washington/08tax.html?_r=1 
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/us/politics/13tax.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
an article on the highlights - http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/12/14-6

And for a foot note, a bumper sticker : "Sarah Palin 2012 - the world is going to end then anyway!"

Who owes What in Taxes

100% of the population of the United States owes a share of the cost of running the government that benefits them.

Assuming a national population of 310,877,994, with 110,425,577 taxpayers and just above $13.8 trillion in debt, each taxpayer owes $125,255. Yes, we have 200,452,417 (64%) people who either do not work or make so little that they don't qualify to pay any taxes.  This includes children, stay-at-home parents and 15,206,013 officially unemployed (4.8% of total population, not workforce) - a total of 26,186,689 really unemployed (23% of total population who may want to work, but can't find a job they qualify for).

If we stopped spending right now and every taxpayer paid their $125,255.00, we would be out of debt.  However, only 17% make even close to that per year. Only 18,772,348 out of 110,425,577 make over $118,200 per year.  18 1/2  out of 110.  Only the top 5% of income takers (5,521,279) could possibly pay that bill and have some leftover. 5 1/2 out of 110.

Census says we have 242,168,000 citizens that have an income.   Around 72,833 make less than $9,350.00 so don't have to file or pay taxes (that number actually makes less than $10k, so the few who make between $9,350 and $10k do have to file, but most likely don't pay taxes after exemptions - base of $6,200.00).

My question is, who owes what?  Is it fair to say every citizen owes equally despite how much they benefit (or don't) from living in the US?  Is it more fair to say every taxpayer owes according to how much they benefit personally from our economy?  Well, fair or not, you are not going to get blood from a turnip, as the saying goes.  Those who barely make ends meet are not going to be able to come up with 'their share' of the bill - or much of anything.  So, then, how to most ethically share the tax burden?

The progressive tax tables seem good - but there are so many ways that the wealthy can wiggle out of their share.  Nothing will be "fair" until the loopholes are closed - which will also allow full funding of the government.  Spending needs to be greatly reduced, it is true (look for a upcoming post on that topic!).

I may add more to this, but don't know... lol!

Sources :
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
http://www.lcurve.org/
http://www.mybudget360.com/how-much-does-the-average-american-make-breaking-down-the-us-household-income-numbers/
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstables/032010/hhinc/new06_000.htm
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstables/032010/perinc/new11_000.htm ( I combined totals for M & F using Excel )
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch01.html#en_US_2010_publink1000170392
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ar02.html#en_US_2010_publink1000175003
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p501/ar02.html#en_US_publink1000227046