Almost New Year Open Thread

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3 responses to “Almost New Year Open Thread”

1. 

   Aulton White

   January 5, 2014

   I feel that it is the obligation that our government and the people we elect to represent us, We the People of the United States of America, deserve honesty, ethical behavior in words as well as actions and to keep their word they swore to upon taking the oath of their respective office:

   “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

   I personally feel that many in office have forgotten their oath to the people of this great nation. This nation was founded because of the tyranny of a government that did not respect the people. Please consider the following:

   Members of congress say that the issues of the government are too complicated for most Americans to understand. They think the American people are too stupid to see that it is Congress that is muddying up the waters to hide facts and figures from the people they represent and are supposed to be working for. The complexity of government has developed over years of deliberate subterfuge to keep the people like mushrooms, (Kept in the dark and fed manure). The federal government has developed the system to keep the people looking at the smoke and mirrors and not look at the men/women behind the curtain. They put out bits and pieces to the American people but never the whole truth.

   Both parties are trying to portray as being a party of the people, they are not. The complexity of government has developed over years of deliberate subterfuge to keep the people like mushrooms, (Kept in the dark and fed manure). The federal government has developed the system to keep the people looking at the smoke and mirrors and not look at the men/women behind the curtain. They put out bits and pieces to the American people but never the whole truth.
   Of course there are no absolutes in national issues. There has to be a middle ground between the far left and the far right. The GOP and Tea party movement and the DNC can’t agree on the time let alone running of the Nation.

   When the parties are so polarized it is the people of this country that suffer, not the politicians. Both the DNC and the GOP, because they are the two big boys on the block, don’t care about the middle. But it will take a group, like the Whig Party, that can see that there is always a middle ground that will be in the nation’s best interest. Whigs believe it is time to change the antiquated two party system with a more open and citizen-centric solution. This very “Un-party” concept troubles many who meet us for the first time. At least the Whig Party does not tell members how to think.

   There has to be a departure from the status quo. The GOP and DNC think they are the only parties that count. It takes the people standing up and saying I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore! It is the United States of America and we the people count.

   Join the Whig party and start making a difference. http://www.Gawhig.org

2. 

   JMPrince

   December 31, 2013

   One last minute note to say that yes, most folks are still scrod: (Via: Bloomberg)

   ‘Americans on Wrong Side of Pay Gap Run Out of Means to Cope’
   By Rich Miller and Michelle Jamrisko – Dec 30, 2013

   http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-12-30/americans-on-wrong-side-of-income-gap-run-out-of-means-to-cope.html

   And yes, how, when & if you get proper healthcare is heavily dependent on Local & state politics, and those dark retrograde forces who seek to deny this:

   Trick Question: It may not be… (Via Angry Bear, complex but good coverage):
   ‘Why Will Healthcare Insurance be Cheaper in Florida with the PPACA???’
   run75441 | December 29, 2013

   Plenty of lovely graphs too.
   http://angrybearblog.com/2013/12/why-will-healthcare-insurance-be-cheaper-in-florida-with-the-ppaca.html

   See you on the other side… Wishing for A Better New Year. JMP

3. 

   JMPrince

   December 30, 2013

   Shocking developments in 2012& ’13 (and earlier) confirmed by top flight research:

   Via: The Monkey Cage (now @ Wash Post)

   “States with higher black turnout are more likely to restrict voting”
   BY KEITH BENTELE AND ERIN O’BRIEN
   December 17

   http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2013/12/17/states-with-higher-black-turnout-are-more-likely-to-restrict-voting/

   The Original Research Article Here:
   http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FPPS%2FPPS11_04%2FS1537592713002843a.pdf&code=a3fa8735e4f3fa04a467b20ce538f628

   “Jim Crow 2.0? Why States Consider and Adopt Restrictive Voter Access Policies.” The abstract tells the sorry tale:

   “Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in state legislation likely to reduce access for some voters, including photo identification and proof of citizenship requirements, registration restrictions, absentee ballot voting restrictions, and reductions in early voting. Political operatives often ascribe malicious motives when their opponents either endorse or oppose such legislation. In an effort to bring empirical clarity and epistemological standards to what has been a deeply-charged, partisan, and frequently anecdotal debate, we use multiple specialized regression approaches to examine factors associated with both the proposal and adoption of restrictive voter access legislation from 2006–2011. Our results indicate that proposal and passage are highly partisan, strategic, and racialized affairs. These findings are consistent with a scenario in which the targeted demobilization of minority voters and African Americans is a central driver of recent legislative developments…. ”

   Too bad the USSC rarely listens to ‘reason’ or ‘relevant real life examples’. But now you may know better. Cheers & Happy New Year! JMP