Tag: GOP

Healthcare Hell

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Unless you have been living under a rock, you will know that the Supreme Court is currently deciding if “Obamacare” is constitutional.

Now let me say this, I am not sure about the mandate. I get the point and I also see why people would be upset.

However, for those who say that the government is making a mistake by creating a healthcare system where people with pre-existing conditions can still get coverage, shut up.

Although young, I have seen exactly the problems behind our current system. Just yesterday I was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

But because my family’s coverage is about to run out, I could not schedule appointments because we will run out of coverage and chances are I won’t be able to be put on a plan. This worries my parents far more than me, but it is a valid concern.

I consider myself lucky, I do not have a disease that is life threatening or controls my life. But for those who do, who is to say that they do not deserve coverage?

They are citizens of our nation, just like a healthy person, and as part of our society they deserve care they can afford.

You can call it a socialist program or whatever you want, the fact of the matter is that it is what people need. People need coverage so they can survive without massive amounts of debt and massive fears every day.

It is worth the tax increase we could see, and it is worth being potentially mandated to have health care. And let’s be honest here, the people trying to get rid of the mandate feel as though they should be able to turn it down because they have health care.

Taxes happen and lead to the society we have today so stop complaining. You want to live in this great country? It will cost you. Just like living in Beverly Hills, there is a price. But there is also a reason people are willing to pay the price.

I have no idea what the Supreme Court will decide but I urge them to make the right choice. Rule what you want as far as the mandate but please see that we need to get rid of the rejections relating to pre-existing conditions.

Lets get this done and make a better country, giving people support that they need. Lets make a better and stronger society and keep building our country.

Rah Rah Romney!

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All the politicos are talking about the GOP so why shouldn’t I join in? I can think of some reasons but reasons be damned. I digress.

As the Great Divide among Republican questioning the validity of Mitt Romney as a candidate continues, people are running wild in wonderment of what the GOP will do.

The issue is simply that many members of the GOP feel that Mitt Romney does not hold true to their ideals and that is a valid concern. But they then look down the list and cringe, realizing that there is not a soul on there that is electable.

In this three horse race to the glue factory there is only one candidate that would have a chance against Obama and that is Romney. Granted, I don’t think it’s much of a shot but with American voters you just never know.

Santorum is seemingly gaining momentum but at this point it is borderline irrelevant. Gingrich can’t even see the other two, but in true nature of his sheer evilness, Gingrich is staying in the race in an attempt to spoil it for the other two.

I have no idea how many times I have written this but the GOP are a mess. I am on edge that there will be a sudden surge of conservatism and the GOP will regain their lost strength but I have not seen a hint of that happening.

It seems as though Republicans have packed up their guns and beer and decided that 2012 was meant for hunting anyways. Cheney will be delighted.

It is not as though the GOP doesn’t have the funds or the populous to draw from, they just don’t have a candidate. And in my eyes, its not as though they missed someone that should have run. Palin would have added to the hilarity but nothing more and Christie would have just made an ass out of himself.

Who knows, maybe I am completely underestimating the GOP and will be in for a shock come November. But for now I remain confident of the GOP and their mistakes.

Good ol’ Santorum

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I must say I enjoy seeing a candidate claim a victory when he is not going to win. Santorum is doing exactly that and it sums it all up for the GOP.

Santorum has been winning primaries, with the most recent being Kansas. He claimed a “landslide” victory, although the validity of that is questionable.

Santorum recently gave a speech claiming that he was on the way to getting the GOP nomination. Ironically, Santorum doesn’t really have a hope in hell of getting the nomination unless Romney is accused of something quite shocking.

It seems to be the pattern of the times that GOP members have a total disregard for the strength of their party. As a liberal it makes me happy to see as it is comical the way in which the wheels have fallen off.

Yet, I think that the political world will follow in the separation of parties into every (wo)man for themselves. We are not getting much done as parties and we have a better chance of getting things done individually.

That being said, the Democrats will enjoy sitting back and watching the GOP fall apart. But the first to fall could also be the first to get up. Only time will tell.

Santorum?

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Despite the CPAC victory for Romney, there is a challenger in Rick Santorum.

Santorum recently won three state’s GOP caucus/primaries, a big surprise for the front-runner, Mitt Romney.

Things just seem to get stranger and stranger.

Now I don’t think that Romney will lose the nomination to Santorum but I think the trend shows the real weakness in the GOP. They have become so divided that they are running into the problem that they cannot agree on the ideals they want to see from their candidates.

Romney has been having to defend his “conservativeness” to the GOP party because heaven forbid there is a moderate candidate.

I may be naive, but it seems to me like that GOP is changing very quickly and I believe it has to do with the increase in (relatively) young republicans like Sarah Palin and Santorum.   They have polarized the party between the radicals and moderates.

Similar things are bound to happen for the democrats before too long, but for now, the GOP is being put at a major disadvantage. Within a short amount of time, we could have a major change of the two-party system, potentially having more than two parties.

Change happens in politics but this seems to be happening faster than usual. We are seeing a lot of change in our country right now and this is just part of it. From changes in the economy and social standings to changes in politics, we are going to have to deal with change quickly.

Are We Still a Democracy?

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I often hear people saying “we live in an oligarchy” or “we live in a plutocracy” (or both). We title ourselves a democratic republic, but is that still the case today?

First, a few definitions (from Google) for those younger/ignorant readers:

1. Democracy: A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives

2. Plutocracy: Government by the wealthy

3. Oligarchy: A small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution

4. Republic: A state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch

5. Totalitarian (from Wikipedia because I liked their definition better): Government regulates nearly every aspect of public and private life

6. Meritocracy: Government or the holding of power by people selected on the basis of their ability

So, now that’s out of the way we can start to look at this. Immediately we can say that we do not live in a meritocracy given that the GOP controls the House.

It would be very hard to say that we are not living in a plutocracy given that most of the politicians in Washington are extremely wealthy and the fact that it is damn near impossible to be elected into a high position without wealth from the private sector.

The debate could rage on about whether or not we live in an oligarchy or not but I would argue that if we are in a plutocracy (which we are) then it must also be an oligarchy because the elected officials are only from the top 2% or so, which is a (relatively) small group of people.

It is quite clear (just by the definition) that we do not live in democracy solely based on the definition. That being said, we do live in a representative democracy in which we vote for people that vote for us. It is not a democracy in the original sense, but it is a modification of it.

Added to that is the part of us being a republic. I think that without a doubt we are a republic if you look at the definition, there just isn’t really any arguing with that.

And then we get to my favorite, the totalitarianism. Based on that definition it would be hard to argue one way or another. Yes, the government does control much of our lives. But, we do still have freedoms that we use daily. In my mind we have not gotten to the point of being totalitarian and I feel that the American spirit will keep that away.

So what are we then? I would say we are a Demoplutoligaric Republic, but that’s just me.

We live in a society that is becoming more and more elite. Although the tone of this may sound pessimistic I am not. My feeling is that we must commit to what we want to be, we must make progress in some direction.

If we want the wealthy to rule the country, lets be honest about it and just commit to it. If we stop being closet elitists then we can decide to make progress. That being said, we must be careful what we choose.

We live in a key time where the power could switch very quickly into hands that may not use it in the way we want. We as a country must come together and decide where we need to go and how we will get there.

Mudslinging 101

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Oh the GOP, how they make politics interesting.

I was recently watching Rick Santorum’s concession speech from Florida (although it was given in Las Vegas) and I was shocked to see that he was not saying anything negative. In fact it was quite the opposite, with him complimenting Mitt Romney.

But his obsequiousness is only because he knows he can’t win so he is shooting for Vice President. Hey, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.

Butt then I saw Gingrich’s speech. All I can say is wow. What an evil and stupid man.

The basis for his speech was basically saying that he could still manage to win “Evil Dictator of Whatever Country I’m Currently In”.

He said that in his first day he would overturn both “Obamacare” and the choice to delay the Keystone pipeline. He said his goal was to get the Democrats out and save America.

Well so much for bipartisanship.

Gingrich is a crazy man and to be honest he scares me. His goals are for full control by the Republicans of the government so he can get rid of every program and tax ever devised. That sure will help.

Romney and Gingrich have gone back and forth for quite a while now, slinging much mud at each other.

It doesn’t seem to have gotten them very far.

All this negativity helps no one. It may seem hypocritical coming from someone who is writing about how idiotic and unhelpful these people are, but when the stakes are as high as they are  now, some foresight would help.

Instead of proving how incapable your opponents are, why now show how capable you are?

And there is the answer: none of them are capable.

What Tim Tebow and the GOP Candidates Have in Common

therightliberal6 Comments

The reason I first made this connection is because I hate both of them. Let me start out explaining why I hate Tebow because I think people know why I hate the GOP Candidates.

Tim Tebow is a great athlete, there is no hiding from that. And like many athletes, Tim Tebow is religious. But what makes Tebow stand out is his proselytizing that he constantly does.

From his Super Bowl anti-abortion commercial to his constant kneeling, Tebow makes it his goal for everyone to know that he loves God.  It is so obnoxious for him to constantly thank God and Jesus for his successes. He can thank them in his head, he doesn’t need to say it out loud.

Yes, I am both an atheist and a liberal so I am predisposed to dislike these characters. But there are many Christians who hate Tebow and just as many republicans that can’t stand their candidates.

So what do these two have in common besides me hating them? They both are putting on a show.

I’m sure Tebow loves god but he wants the attention for his devotion. The GOP candidates (mainly Romney) are making it seem like they have beliefs far more radical than in actuality, just to gain votes.

Now I realize that in our society we have a tendency to act differently to impress others, it’s part of our nature.

But it is stupid that so many people fall for the obvious ploys of these actors. I guess the reason I hate both of them is because they make me realize how ignorant many of my fellow Americans are.

It disgusts me that so many people listen to words without thinking about the meaning behind them. TIM TEBOW WANTS TO CONVERT YOU! THAT IS HIS GOAL! THE GOP WANTS YOUR VOTES!

Do not believe they are good and righteous people just because they tell you they are. Listen to me, I am the Pope. See what I did there? (I’m not the Pope).

Stop being gullible and ignorant. Stop living up to the stereotypes that the rest of the world make about us. Be smart.

Debate

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With the Republican debates (if you can call them that) going on right now, I was reminded of how much I enjoy a good debate (this is how it’s done), mainly because I have not seen one during this election.

You see, the Republican candidates are either too crazy and misinformed to be able to argue their point of view, or they are stuck on advertising themselves to America in what they think is the way Americans want to see them.

Gingrich (who is crazy evil) does seem to have a bit of skill at the game. Unfortunately his combination of hypocrisy and shear Darth Vaderness makes him so unappealing to listen to that he is mostly ignored.

The ignorance that is shown on the stage pretty much cancels out any interest I have in the debates beside entertainment and the crazy things they say. And that is unfortunate, because the art of debate is a great one.

The whole trick is to stay calm and look for that one mistake. If you can keep up with good rebuttals and attacks long enough, your opponent will slip up, and when they do, you must be ready to pounce.

Once you have seen the mistake you must attack. In this case, offense is the best defense. They can argue all they want but you will always be able to fall back on their mistake. Hopefully, they become flustered, allowing you to find more and more mistakes.

The goal, in the end, is not to convince your opponents they are wrong, but everyone in the room that you are right. It takes patience and knowledge, but when played properly, a debate can contain fantastic results.

I am constantly looking for someone to debate with, about any issue that is found to be controversial. To test myself I often argue the side I disagree with. By doing so, I learn the enemy, giving me the upper hand if I ever end up on the other side.

Debate is really and art form and one that is not used enough in today’s society. If we talked more about the important issues, the whole country would become better informed, hopefully leading to a better society.

So get out there and argue! Don’t just yell, look for the mistakes and attack, attack, attack!

Herman Cain, You Make Me Laugh

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Herman Cain might know something about business and the economy from his time owning a pizza chain. But when it comes to foreign policy he is lost.

Just take a look at this map in which he displays his thoughts on the world.

Now I’m sorry, but I know some kids in middle school that could tell me as much. And yet, this is the most we have heard out of Cain as far as foreign policy goes.

But this is fantastic news. I will personally endorse Herman Cain for the GOP nomination because he is so clueless and such a mess that Obama could laugh his way to a second term.

On top of his ignorance of the world around us, Cain also is a hypocrite…big time. While many politicians often do not practice what they preach, Cain has taken it to drastic levels. He has had an affair with a woman for 13 years, and his wife just found out about it.

Now he has denied these allegations, stating that he was just helping the woman in question financially. Odd that he would be texting her at 4 in the morning and made over 61 calls to her.

Now this would not be such a big deal (it seems like almost all politicians are getting some on the side these days) but the fact that one of his largest points has been the strength of family. Every politician is a hypocrite but Cain has gotten to the point of being a joke.

The whole Republican lineup has gotten to the point of just being a laughing stock and for that I thank them. Every night I can turn on the TV and laugh as I watch them struggle to give coherent answers with the small amounts of knowledge they have.

If you want to laugh some more go read this article.

9-9-9 = 6-6-6

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Herman Cain thinks he has found the solution to all of America’s economic problems; it’s called the 9-9-9 plan.

I guess Herman has not listened to those thousands of people protesting across the country, complaining about the low taxation of the rich and all the corporate tax breaks they receive.

The premise of his plan is fairly simple, a 9% tax on business income, a 9% tax on wages and a 9% Federal income tax.

Estimates by people who understand tax law (which are few) say that this would mean raising taxes for 90% of Americans. Ironically it would also decrease the amount of money that the Federal government takes in from taxes.

Oh that makes so much sense! Lets tax the lower and middle class more, decrease taxes on the wealthy and on businesses and bring in less money.

The 9-9-9 plan is a publicity stunt, and quite a sad one. It sure sounds great until you realize what it would actually be accomplishing (or failing to accomplish). Cain is getting a lot of air time out of this plan, just because of its simplicity.

But there is no such thing as a simple tax policy. The tax codes take up thousands of pages filled with tiny print nowadays and it will not work to just toss those books out the window and just print out a page that says 9-9-9 on it.

Under Cain’s plan, over 23,000 millionaires would be freed from paying taxes. WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT?

GOP: Spread the wealth to the wealthy

Cain’s plan is quite frankly stupid. It shows just what a weak candidate he is. At the beginning of the GOP race he was one of the most obscure candidates and it is only due to his boldness that he has gained attention.

If the GOP want to nominate him, go right ahead. I highly doubt he could stand up to Obama, a man who is both intelligent AND possess common sense.

If you are set on putting America in a worse economic position than it is in now (yes it is possible) and ruining all that we have built as a country, vote Herman Cain in 2012!