Crisis, Republicrats, and "Change" Elites Can Believe In

As the saying goes, I don't come around here much any more. It's not for lack of interest. To the contrary, my interest in the political health and happenings is as strong as ever. Certain things beyond my control limit my ability to write. So you might say I'd have to get fairly fired up to print anything.

No one was more pleased on November 4th last year to see Barack Obama win the presidency. For, like many, I believed. I believed an unprecedented crisis called for a cessation of "more of the same." The nation simply can't afford it. I repeatedly said that if Barack Obama turns out to be another Bill Clinton; we're screwed. Not since March of 1933, when Herbert Hoover handed a flaming torch to Franklin Roosevelt has there been such a stark choice put before those who govern.

That is, play the same game, side-tracking onto issues that fit an ideology, or really DO something about the steady, corrosive dismantling of the middle class in America. The people of the United States do not have the luxury of pretending that this whole mess is just a little hiccup on the road to "recovery"...that is, recovering the status quo prior to the economic collapse in September 2008. In fact, the collapse was nothing more than the end result of 40 years of separating politics from economics.

Mr. Obama has not even assumed the office of president, and already the signs are there of the choice being made. Same 'ole same 'ole....throw the old bums out; put the new bums in, as Stephen King put it once. The first is the S-CHIP program, voted on this week. It involves a $33 billion dollar budget for a very laudable and worthy program. However, in light of current events there is something disconcerting about depending so strongly upon tobacco taxes.

S-CHIP will benefit those of lower incomes who make too much for Medicaid yet not enough to afford private insurance. Congress (and the new President) are ensuring an extension and expansion of S-CHIP by levying a huge tax increase on the lower economic strata. It's simply a fact that most smokers are not well off; in fact most are not far above or are below the poverty line. But smoking is evil, etc., and that's just too bad. After all, it's .....FOR THE CHILDREN!!

So our new government is going to transfer a huge amount of money from the bottom and to the bottom. Now that is an exchange any Wall Street banker can believe in.

Additionally, President-elect Obama is making noises about "fiscal responsibility" that involve Social Security and Medicare. Granted, Medicare is a mess, especially after that ridiculously irresponsible "drug benefit" launched by an idiot president and an equally idiotic congress.

But Social Security has been stolen from EVERY YEAR since the mid-1960's. Remember, even the "surpluses" at the end of the Cinton years wouldn't have looked so rosy if the money stolen from Social Security was not included. If the word "stolen" seems a little excessive, I'm just quoting the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who, testifying before a senate committee many years ago, made that claim. I clearly remember him telling the committee that if General Motors was doing with their pension funds what the congress was doing with Social Security, the board of directors would have been in prision a long time ago. But, legality is not a problem when you're the ones making the laws.

Nevertheless, the Obama administration is making it clear that this "Grand Bargain" is going to require some people in the country to bend over. And it isn't going to happen on Wall Street.

So lately I'm asking myself what the difference is between this new era of "change" and the status quo? A Democratic Party that is more like the Republican Party means the change is in the rhetoric, not the substance. Peeing on my leg and telling me it's raining is not change.

I personally don't matter. The nation matters. And if, through stupidity and myopia the "leaders" in government kow-tow to the elites who have fairly well run us over a cliff and into a manure pile, ....well that DOES matter.

Stop Talking! It's Time to Act!

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers - I'm very happy this morning to rave about how House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), is calling for a "Blue Ribbon Commission" to fully investigate the Bush administration. That is GREAT NEWS!

Conyers published a 487-page report yesterday entitled, Reining in the Imperial Presidency: Lessons and Recommendations Relating to the presidency of George W. Bush. I know he's not a federal prosecutor, but it's a start. In it he makes 47 recommendations "designed to restore the traditional checks and balances of our constitutional system," along with the Blue Ribbon Commission to bring Bushies to justice.

"Even after scores of hearings, investigations, and reports, we still do not have answers to some of the most fundamental questions left in the wake of Bush’s Imperial Presidency," Conyers said in a release. "Investigations are not a matter of payback or political revenge – it is our responsibility to examine what has occurred and to set an appropriate baseline of conduct for future administrations."

On January 6th, Conyers introduced a bill that, if passed, would create the "Commission on Presidential War Powers and Civil Liberties," which would seek to root out President Bush's abuses. EVERYBODY NEEDS TO SUPPORT THIS BILL! IT IS VITAL TO AMERICAN JUSTICE!

So, this will be my new cause, and call to action. I will contact my representatives today, especially my Congressmen Henry Waxman, and encourage everybody who agrees with me to please do the same. This is a very serious issue. It's not a left/right issue, it's about American justice.

We need to make sure Conyers gets the support he needs, along with his allies. I will be writing more over the next few weeks to make sure we keep focused. If Obama isn't going to take action, than we need to support those who will, starting with Conyers. I will volunteer, donate, and do EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to make sure the truth comes out, and justice prevails.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Obama Administration and the Media

Is it just me or is it that all of the media is going nuts over every appointment that President elect Obama makes. He isn’t even President yet and those that fought hard for him to be elected are slamming him for his choices. Why in hell did you fight for him to be elected then? I’m thinking that the next great chapter in this nation was based in Yes We Can and then followed up by No You Can’t! It is not even funny how the bloggers have turned sideways to now look for dirt on the man that has not even taken the oath of President and it disgusts me.

Why did we back him if we did not believe in Barack Obama. If he needs Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State then he needs Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State. Tell me one other person more qualified for the position? Any other person in your thoughts for the position does not have the ear of a former President of this nation. Together Obama and Clinton can heal the damage done over the last decade and maybe America can finally concentrate on our problems at home. Hillary Clinton should be the next Secretary of State, the Senate will not begrudge her this position and she will serve for the higher purpose that she is more than capable of fulfilling.

Yes we can make this nation better but we need to know that all obstacles will be put in front of the Obama Administration before he even takes office. All of the media is already in attack mode against the hope that the 44th President will begin working on as soon as his hand is removed from the holy bible. Everyone President Obama selects for any position will be under the media scope and up for all kinds of specualtion and bad mouthed even though they have not even served the next President. We can’t heal this nation if this is just another one party system and full of a one party only looking out for its own interests. We as a people need to look past the false hope that the media speculates on and believe that there is never anything wrong with hope.

I have a personal problem with attacking a politician that has not even taken an oath of office, served in the office, or even made one decision as President. Maybe the rest of the media and bloggers can get away with it but I don’t dare to travel there. As President elect Obama can pick his cabinet, pro or con, his staff, his counsel, and even his damn own pajamas. I’m sure the First Lady Elect has some opinion on that matter but get the hell out on all the other over speculation on what he is going to do! He gave you over twenty months on what he wants to tackle and the Bush administration has given him two months on the screw ups that he will have to deal with. I can picture the last day of the Bush Presidency…

President Bush, President Obama, President Obama, President Bush Crap. Would you like a doggie bag for that till you take full control of the West Wing and the White House President Obama? President Bush will not be taking this buffet home with him so feel free to toss it in the White House fridge on January 20th. The Vice President has the reheating instructions but we can’t tell you where he is do to states secrets and super duper security measures that KBR will not allow us to reveal.

Don’t blame Obama for Bush and Company lax homeland issue attention deficit disorder. Bush and Cheney screwed over America and apparently they are not done. According to my co-writer Michael Boh the $700 Billion bailout for Wall Street was the last rape of America and her taxpayers. Apparently, that blank check authored by the Bush Administration was just that, a blank check.

So do you think Obama is going to allow this go unchecked? Is President Obama not going to go after this drain on all of our nations treasury without somebody doing jail time? Ummm, he can’t! The Congress agreed to it and passed it with the stipulation that the Treasury Secretary could distribute the funds as he deemed necessary.

Maybe we should focus the attention of the media and our blog’s on what kind of garbage and last minute deals the Bush administration is going to try and pull off. Trust me, Bush will surpass by thousands the number of pardons anyone before him has signed. Do a favor, owe a favor. It is almost as if the Presidency of the last eight years was actually the Soprano’s and organized crime. Watch the pardons and you will see who actually served George W. Bush best. Even Karl Rove will be given and unconditional pardon just to cover President Bush ass.

Sometimes you have to look back to make sure that you can look forward.

Papamoka