Worst Congress !

In 1948  President Harry Truman called the 80th Congress the "Do Nothing Congress, he campaigned for election as President and not many expected he would win.  He traved across the United States pointing out the total failures of the "80 Congress".      Against all odds In 1948, a stonewalled and exasperated President Harry Truman campaigned against the 80th "do-nothing" Congress, a gridlocked legislative body that at the time was unlike any prior Congress. But even it managed to pass more than 900 bills during its two years in office.

At this rate, the current Congress won't even get close to that number. Talk about the current Republican controled House and lack of accomplishment and for sixty-six years, six decades plus we now have a Congress with less respect, less action, less accomplishment than the Congress that President Truman campaigned against and won unexpected election in 1948.

President Obama to put it mild hasn't even scratched the surface of the discontent with the Republicans in Congress by the American people.  All of the forward movement by the Obama Administration rests in the biggest test of the American "mid-term election" of 2014.  The question is will the Democrat party and Democrats in Congress measure up to the fire of President Truman and the voters of 1948?
                                                               
Americans aren't amused.  Congress has seen historically low approval ratings in recent months with a Gallup poll finding just 9 percent of Americans thought Congress was doing a good job.  

What has become the sole rallying cry of the Republican party is Obamacare is the villian.  Just as the then Senator from Wisconsin, Joe McCarthy, found Communists in every corner of Truman Administration so have the Republicans found all the faults within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Obamacare.

Republicans led by a really small bunch of members of their party in the House have railroaded knowing but timid members to attempt repeals of the act some fifty-five times since enactment and subsquent positive judgement by the Supreme Court of the United States.

Why is President Harry Truman important to this battle over national health care?  

On November 19, 1945, only 7 months into his presidency, Harry S. Truman sent a Presidential message to the United States Congress proposing a new national health care program. In his message, Truman argued that the federal government should play a role in health care, saying "The health of American children, like their education, should be recognized as a definite public responsibility."

No one argues defense of this country is a public responsibility, provided old age pensions through Social Security, and single-payer senior health care through Medicare and education are public matters so should  the health care of all Americans be part of that national concern.  

Liberals and Progressives sought expansion of Medicare for all Americans as an option just as some Republicans seek private involvement in Social Security as a solution to long-term funding problems.  Many for possible political advantage blame President Obama for each and every little glich on the rollout and start up of the Affordable Health Care Act.  

The next President of the United States, Democrat or Republican, will be able to pick up refine and make improvements to Obamacare and it will then become the Affordable Care Act and no doubt become the hero for the FIX.  Just as Social Security, Medicare and Federal Deposit Insurance have become mainstay, so will government involvement in national health care.

These many years later, President Dwight D. Eisenhower is know for the Federal Interstate Highway System so will President Barack H. Obama be known for beginning of national health care.  Just as the great systems of National Parks, ending slavery, the League of Nations, accepting responsibility, the buck stops here are credited to the Presidents at the time so then will proper credit be given to President Obama.

Liberals and Progressives really understand the moving forward on these fronts were paid for in total by the collective efforts of the American People and this Congress the Obstructionist Congress that completely lost touch with almost everything but massive campaign donations by the power hungry few. 
 


Don't know what to do with it?

New Face of the Arizona GOP

First do not misunderstand, I am in total agreement politicians can change their minds and become "enlightened".  They can also espouse new positions because they want to get elected, move up the political ladder and it has nothing to do with a change of mind, but just an attempt to win votes.  Take Arizona Speaker of the House, Andy Tobin,  who presides over the most backward regressive legislative body in the United States.

The legislative assembly hasn't changed much since a few years back when they passed SB 1070, a straight out anti-Latino measure.  Last year it was the Legislature where the Republican majority fought tooth and nail against bringing Affordable Health Care Act and expansion of programs of health care for hundred of thousands of adults and children in Arizona.  The some times bitter fight pitting Republican Legislators against the Republican Governor that would bring millions of dollars of U S Government revenue to Arizona in addition to health care to thousands of citizens of Arizona.

He is the House of Representative leader presiding over voter suppression legislation.   Speaker Tobin whose Republican legislative cohorts attempted to renew segregation in Arizona with a law to declare businesses could pick and choose customers according to their own personal religious views. More Republican shame for Arizona.

On one hand legislative Republicans are coming up with ways to keep minorities from excising their right to vote.  Yet on the other hand the same Republicans seeing the light and future voting trends are not wanting to menace getting migrants votes particularly Mexican voters in Arizona where there are a huge number by taking responsibility for building road blocks to the ballot.

Republican Speaker Tobin announcement to seek election over extremely competent and popular Democrat incumbent Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick probably means her reelection by an unusually united Democratic party when judged fairly on their records.   Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick a moderate leader in the Democrat Party and House Speaker Tobin the leader of the Republicans in the Legislature.

The list of Republican candidates grows as opportunist keep jumping in the race thinking their chances are good because this is a Non-Presidential election year.   State Representative Adam Kwasman serving his first term in the State House under House Speaker Tobin is also seeking Congress.  Bang, good news for the Democrats as this has opened a legislative seat for an extremely qualified retired military officer, Hollace Lyon, to win a vacant House seat for the Democrats.

Representative Kwasman no doubt catches the bug for Congress having worked so hard in the failed congressional campaign of Jesse Kelly.  Give Kwasman credit he was a king-pin in the Kelly campaign, but that doesn't give him the experience or qualifications for higher office.  Democrats should be happy that Kwasman has a big ego and supporters thinking winning one election in that Republican Legislative District makes him ready for a much larger and more diversified Congressional District.

As far as Tobin's change of heart about our neighbors to the South and his many trips to Mexico City it won't endear him to the Latino votes in Congressional District 1 or any expertise in trade relations or political experience in relations with Mexico.  No amount of campaign photos, political talk by his campaign organization can undo the harm that he has done with the minority voters in the district or with our relations with Mexico.

There are two leaders working on correcting the misconceptions that Mexicans have about the United States.  Thankfully those relations are already on the mend through the tireless efforts of Mayor Jonathan Rothschild of Tucson and his fellow Democrat Mayor of Phoenx, Greg Stanton.

The two Democrat mayors long ago starting building solid positive relations with both Northern Mexican officials and the Federal Government in Mexico City.  Understanding leading to better working relations with our next door neighbor just acknowledges the current facts about Mexico's place in the world economy.

Twenty-five percent of U. S. Citizens living abroad are living in Mexico.  In terms of purchasing power Mexico is the world's tenth largest economy and the United States main import partner at 49.9%.
Mexico enjoys the sixth largest electronics industry in the world in terms of exports.  After China it is the second largest exporter of electronics.  Since 2009 Mexico surpassed South Korea and China as the largest manufacturer of televisions and the third largest manufacturer of computers in the world.

For several years now, one out of every four consumer applicances sold in the United States were of Mexican design.  Top that off with the growing oil production where Mexico is already the sixth largest oil producer in the world.  Mexico is a leader in free trade agreements in the world and the largest exporter in Latin America with the sum of Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Uruguay and Paraguay combined.

Mexico suffers as does the United States with income disparity.  It is a persistent problem as wealth and poverty highlights many American views of Mexico.

All this new thinking on the part of a few Republican leaders won't undo the harm already planted in the Latino-Americans by past legislative actions such as SB 1070 and negative speach about the hordes invading the United States and headless bodies laying across the desert Southwest.

Go home Koch Brothers and special spoils political action pacs, others may be falling for your snake oil, but Arizona is already on the mend and looking to a brighter future with our "good neighbors to the South". (FDR March 4, 1933)


Don't know what to do with it?

Arizona Feel Like Pigs Yet?

FACT:  The simple matter is,  folks in Arizona are being closed off from the rest of the United States caged like animals in a pen or corral.

The Republicans are building walls around Arizona.  Across the Southern Border with Mexico, keep 'em out goes out the cry from almost the total Republican party, elected officials and political leadership.  Perhaps there is one voice in the Republican party to claim an open mind and willing to face facts who has almost been shut up.

FACT:  There are millions of people living in the United States that are undocumented, hiding underground and in many cases being exploited.

Just recently the 2008 Presidential Nominee of the Republican Party, the long-time senior Republican Senator, war hero and former prisoner of war was censured by the Arizona State Republican party.  Even the most non-political person has to sit back and scratch their head and wonder if the Arizona Republicans are totally insane or what?

Liberals, progressives can sit back and point our fingers, laugh and tap dance across the cowboy's roping grounds because Senator McCain is one of their own and 99% of the time on the other side of the fence.
It is no laughing matter when it comes to the fact:   That same Republican party is in total control of  Arizona State Government.

The Republican party or least a very few, a tiny portion in the Legislature control all legislative action and the purse strings.  The state budget will be rolled out, and passed and another wall built around Arizona to keep more people out.  Don't come to Arizona, you're not welcome the budget will declare.  Even tourist and their sales tax dollars seem unwelcome.  State Parks funding is cut and local citizens are coming together to volunteer and keep parks in their area open.

The Republican Legislature split over the Republican Governor's plan to expand Medicare and Arizona's own Medicaid plan, they turned a deaf ear on children in need of health care.  Even when the dollars for the expansion and restoring health care services previously offered were coming from the Federal Government, almost with NO strings attached they said no.  Thank them, the Democrats in the Legislature came to the rescue of the Republican Governor and the health care needs of the state.

Watch this!  The repayment of pulling the Republicans out of their own mess and hole, millions of dollars being build up in a political action fund by the Govenor to be used against the Democrat candidates.

But worst of all, certainly at the top of the keep'em out build a wall around the state is the rank slow destruction of Public Education in Arizona.  Give it any name you want, justify all you can, the fact is, if you don't want people to come to your state, if you want to lose your talented, educated young people offer them no employment or professional job opportunities.

The facts are the corporations and the jobs they represent will not move to a state that does not offer educated employees, skill trained workers no matter how low the wages or right to work law type benefit packages and working conditions.

Corporation leadership may first look at the offerings for their own families in what educational opportunities exist and it may play a role where they locate.   Corporate decisions may not rest in what the employees they bring with them will be offered. Just as sure as anything when the chips are down it is in their best interest to go where profits can be made and that is to locate where solid public education exists.

Corporations may offer training programs, educational benefits for employees to increase their value to the company and enhance the abilities of their work force, but that is after they have built and the location is complete.

Preschool to University offerings and the related costs will be considered.  Reduced or eliminated preschool and elementary education, the tuition costs and availability of job skill training, professional grade offerings at reasonable costs has a place at the decision table.  Consideration of where to locate is on that table and where is Arizona in the competion is the question.

Put tax gimmicks, reduced infrastructure costs, land and building incentives on the table but the wall build around the state with  a poor public school system will not secure the movement of jobs to a state.  No job opportunities for your skilled, educated, professionally trained young people and they are forced to leave their families, homes, friends and established relationships behind for places where financial opportunities do exist.

That's another fact, the wall on the Southern Arizona-Mexico border may be steel, the wall of diminished and all too costly educational opportunity is just as strong and holding people out.  Arizona needs to call on its political and business leadership, properly fund our district schools, stop forcing them to provide education on less and less money each year.   Acknowledge the important role they hold in the overall well being of our state.

Provide funding for community colleges so they are in a position to offer academic and work skills at just above free tuition.  Tuition free community college should be offered to every qualified student for the first term of their accepted enrollment.  Have a grand opening for every possible enrollee, offer them free tuition to get a taste of what is offered.

Provide funding for the Universities so they can lower tuition and offer scholarships then they can build the employees corporations want and need.   Tear down those walls of  intolerance, dry up the special favors for the few, open up funding for public endeavors so they can make the "for profits" really compete and on a more open level playing field.  Arizona stop starving your young, agressively build futures for all.