Well...in what I think is a surprising result Oregon voters decided to pass measures 66 and 67. This is the first time in 70 years that Oregon has voted in a tax increase. In fact 9 times in the past Oregon has said no to a sales tax. So I think there are more then a few of the so called experts that are shaking their heads over this one. Now as I mentioned yesterday, only time will tell if this is going to be a net gain or loss for Oregon. While the supporters of the measures feel that this is going to be a gain because of the tax revenue it is going to generate that anti people feel that the amount of private industry jobs that Oregon is going to lose because of this will make this a net loss. I have no idea and I am not even going to attempt to make a prediction on it.
Tonight President Obama gives his State of the Union address. I am not overly excited by this. I think the primary reason for me is that because Mr Obama has been out speaking so much I am not feeling a need to listen. With other Presidents it was rare to hear them speak so I would sometimes view it just because I wanted to see how they spoke publicly. But with Mr Obama that is not anything I haven't seen before. As a matter of fact, along those same lines of public speaking I saw a clip of President Obama last night speaking to a class of 6Th graders, somewhere in America I am not sure where, the clip was on the daily show. What was interesting to me and what Jon Stewart mentioned was that the President was in a 6Th grade classroom with the presidential podium set up and two 'TELEPROMPTERS' set up!! One to his right and one two his left!! I mean come on! You are in a grade school class room!! Do you really need to have teleprompters? I am beginning to feel more and more just like the old Who song says "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss" I know people will disagree with me and it isn't that Obama is the same as Bush. It is that he is becoming the same business as usual politician that infects this country. The conservatives are excited right now about Scott Browns victory in Massachusetts. I would argue that given a year or maybe as little as six months he will be sucked into the machine will be spat out the same politician as the rest of them.
It doesn't matter what party they are from. The lobbyists for the corporations and the corporations run things in Washington D.C.. I am beginning to feel more and more that the only real safe haven for people is what can happen for them at the state level. Maybe what we need is a return to federalism and a step back from the large umbrella of national government. I do feel that I am in favor of the new spending freeze idea. I just hope it works.
Showing posts with label Scott Brown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scott Brown. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
1-20-10 (Wednesday)
Well, well, well and interesting turn of events in Massachusetts last night. The Internet is a buzz this morning as was Facebook last night with all of the usual suspects taking their usual sides and being all excited about something that they think is going to change everything.
I say phooey! I say nothing is going to change and that in the end this whole thing is just going to be business as usual for the people that really run this country. Oh sure the right is all fired up. The Tea pot is boiling over!! We have turned back Obama they yell. It is the death knell for universal health care others proclaim. I would argue that if you actually thought that universal health care had a chance of passing in this country you were deluding yourself.
The only way it will pass here is if it would in some way benefit the pharmaceutical companies and the insurance companies. This will never happen. The big drug companies depend on the amount of money they take in from there medicines and insurance depends on the premiums that they take in. These two groups alone will never give up their stranglehold on health care. I would argue that this is also another reason that marijuana will never be legalized nationwide in America. It may get legalized on a state by state level which it appears to be on the path toward just that. But I do not see the drug industry getting out of the way of and allowing the legalization of a pain killing substance that people are able to grow in their back yard or basement.
But that is a side issue and I didn't intend to talk about that today though it relates to lots of things. I think most if not all of what goes on in Washington D.C. is done at the behest of the large corporations and special interest groups. I remember when President Obama was elected a large amount of Americans started buying up guns and ammunition and reloading materials to the extent that it became hard to find them in the stores. Several of my friends were convinced that Obama was going to move to ban guns. My response was this. "What do you think the NRA is doing in Washington? The NRA (National Rifle Association) gets millions of dollars a year from people in America who love guns. They know that if guns were to be banned this money tree would dry up. It is only reasonable that they do all they can to ensure that the new president does not ban guns." So has there been any movement to ban guns from the White House? Not that I have seen so far. I think the only way there ever will be such a thing in this country is if a large lobbying firm came in with billions of dollars and went head to head against the NRA in a battle of who had the deepest pockets. Then we would truly see how much greed runs things in this country.
Because in the end this is what truly runs America. The almighty dollar and the desire to get more and keep more for yourself even if that means climbing over the backs of others to do so. I think this is true of the ruling class in this country regardless of their claiming to be right or to be left. It just doesn't matter! With that being said I leave you with this lovely picture of Massachusetts newest Senator Scott Brown. He does appear to be ready to lead.
I say phooey! I say nothing is going to change and that in the end this whole thing is just going to be business as usual for the people that really run this country. Oh sure the right is all fired up. The Tea pot is boiling over!! We have turned back Obama they yell. It is the death knell for universal health care others proclaim. I would argue that if you actually thought that universal health care had a chance of passing in this country you were deluding yourself.
The only way it will pass here is if it would in some way benefit the pharmaceutical companies and the insurance companies. This will never happen. The big drug companies depend on the amount of money they take in from there medicines and insurance depends on the premiums that they take in. These two groups alone will never give up their stranglehold on health care. I would argue that this is also another reason that marijuana will never be legalized nationwide in America. It may get legalized on a state by state level which it appears to be on the path toward just that. But I do not see the drug industry getting out of the way of and allowing the legalization of a pain killing substance that people are able to grow in their back yard or basement.
But that is a side issue and I didn't intend to talk about that today though it relates to lots of things. I think most if not all of what goes on in Washington D.C. is done at the behest of the large corporations and special interest groups. I remember when President Obama was elected a large amount of Americans started buying up guns and ammunition and reloading materials to the extent that it became hard to find them in the stores. Several of my friends were convinced that Obama was going to move to ban guns. My response was this. "What do you think the NRA is doing in Washington? The NRA (National Rifle Association) gets millions of dollars a year from people in America who love guns. They know that if guns were to be banned this money tree would dry up. It is only reasonable that they do all they can to ensure that the new president does not ban guns." So has there been any movement to ban guns from the White House? Not that I have seen so far. I think the only way there ever will be such a thing in this country is if a large lobbying firm came in with billions of dollars and went head to head against the NRA in a battle of who had the deepest pockets. Then we would truly see how much greed runs things in this country.
Because in the end this is what truly runs America. The almighty dollar and the desire to get more and keep more for yourself even if that means climbing over the backs of others to do so. I think this is true of the ruling class in this country regardless of their claiming to be right or to be left. It just doesn't matter! With that being said I leave you with this lovely picture of Massachusetts newest Senator Scott Brown. He does appear to be ready to lead.
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