Post #324 The Predatory Capitalist Strikes Back:

Romney credits change in tactics for Florida surge - http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/01/30/1817165/romney-not-taking-any-chances.candidate Mitt Romney.

"There's a reason we have low rates on capital gains and that's because it spurs new investment in our economy and allows capital to move more quickly," House Speaker John Boehner said. Well, maybe capital moving too quickly is what is wrong with this country.

Post #322 Fair!?!

Fair? Romney's tax returns show extent, complexity of wealth | http://ajc.com - http://shar.es/fWiux

Yes, look, Mitt Romney paid all his taxes and gave a lot to charity -- unlike, say, Donald Trump. My question is, will Romney now advocate everyone who can afford it to pay income tax at an equal rate?

We should all be treated equally under the law. How is taking from some -- the middle -- but not from others -- the rich -- to pay for something everyone receives equal? The only fair way to collect taxes is to make everyone who can afford it pay an equal rate.

Note that I am not including the poor because I am a decent human being with compassion for those less fortunate than I am. You?

The shame of America is not that we are letting 47% of Americans get away with not paying federal income tax; the shame of America is that we have 47% of Americans who cannot afford to pay federal income tax.

Post #322 The Strange And Bizarre World Of Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin has kind of, sort of endorsed Newt Gingrich.

Newt Gingrich -- the worst insult I can think of -- is a career politician who went to D.C. in 1979 and never left, even after resigning as the first Speaker having been found guilty of an ethic violation. He has used his political connections to enrich himself to the tune of some $32 million.

He will bend to benefit himself -- how much did he get for his consulting with the Right's #1 whipping boy of BIG government, Freddie Mac? Would not you like to know what that work entailed?

Gingrich's political skills are suspect -- he led the politically unpopular government shutdown and Impeachment while banging wife #3 but still married to wife #2 (who was the product of an affair, too). And he tries to hide behind Ronald Reagan's divorce, ignoring the fact that Reagan did not even meet wife #2 until after his divorce.

Gingrich is unmotivated -- how else do you explain his failure to qualify for the Virginia ballot? -- except to himself. Now, as the Virginia failure shows, he's more interested in running a book tour than a campaign -- as his campaign staff who resigned in June said. And then he compares the Virginia failure to Pearl Harbor. WHAT!?! He is NOT the United States of America, and the Virginia law has been in effect for some 40 years!

I would not vote this guy to be dogcatcher. Newt Gingrich IS part of the problem.

But Sarah Palin would -- which actually says A LOT about her. But Palin does not really endorse Gingrich: Her motive is to keep the process going -- which that kind of double-talk actually says even more about her.

Palin said, "Because we know the mistake made in this country four years ago was having a candidate that was not vetted to the degree he should have been."

No, ma'am. The only candidate who was not properly vetted four years ago was YOU. Only Tea Party fanatics believe that Obama was not properly vetted because he did not show his birth certificate from Kenya.

Only in the strange and bizarre world of Sarah Palin is she relevant -- and Paul Revere is a traitor who warned the British. :p I am only writing about her because it feels good to kick a bag when she is down. ;O

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Post #321 Happy Days Are Here Again!, Pt. IV

Two things I want you, gentle reader, to take from the previous Post:
1) The company Freightliner received incentives -- bribes -- from the county to maintain a 'skeleton crew' until the economy picked back up and they could re-hire., Isn't that a positive example of BIG government at work?
2) The company expanded -- new jobs to increase supply -- in response to the economy picking up -- demand. Yes, supply & demand. What is missing from that equation? Tax cuts -- tax cuts have nothing to do with job creation; tax cuts are how the right redistributes wealth. It's social engineering brought to you by your favorite (R).

Post #320 Happy Days Are Here Again!, Pt. III

NC Freightliner factory to add 1,100 jobs - http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/01/12/1772308/nc-freightliner-factory-to-add.html

Who is this job creator? Didn't he get the GOP memo about waiting until after the election?

Post #319 The Three Men Who Brought Down Wall Street (E-Mail Hoax)

I have an e-pal who consistently sends out-of-date political smears -- the funniest I've gotten was clearly aimed at President Bill Clinton over 10 years ago (complete with a reference to Obama and his wife Hillary).

And I got another one the other day -- The Three Men Who Brought Down Wall Street -- intended to smear President Barack Obama's re-election bid. The original went around in September of 2008 intended to smear Obama's election bid, and now it is popping up again to smear Obama's re-election bid.

The three men who brought down Wall Street -- really? These three men -- Franklin Raines, Tim Howard, Jim Johnson -- did indeed work for Fannie Mae and left office under a cloud for having done some hijinks and shady stuff and received 'golden parachutes' to go. Um, they were forced out in 2004, 2004 and 1998. The e-mail did not make clear how they were responsible for the meltdown in 2008.

Um, 2004 -- was not George W. Bush President then?

The kicker was that these three men were identified as being economic advisors to the Obama campaign, but that is not true. Raines did receive a phone call from the campaign, and Johnson was appointed to the Vice-Presidential search committee but resigned one week later before doing any work. And now these three are again being identified as Obama's financial advisors. * sigh *

An UPDATE: Raines is paying the biggest fine in history levied by Obama's Department Of Justice in 2010.

Post #318 And The Winner Is...

... Mitt Romney.

No, I do not have some kind of crystal ball here to know what is going to happen in Iowa. but the winner should be Romney -- if the Republicans want to have a chance to win the White House.

To win the Presidential election of 2012, Republicans must oppress the 'Obama vote' of 2008 -- not by legal maneuvers, as they are already doing. * sigh * But by offering a reasonable alternative to Obama. 'Birthers' need not apply -- 'birthers' stir up the 'Obama vote' and scare away moderates. That leaves Romney.

Now, the other half of the equation is, to win the Presidential election of 2012, Republicans must increase the 'McCain vote' of 2008. The real question of 2012 is, can Republicans rally around Romney or will the 'birthers' lead to another defeat?

All politics is local, and all political questions are personal -- so:

I have diabetes. As you may or may not know, diabetes is an expensive disease to have and is -- Thank Goodness -- covered by Medicare. A couple of years ago, I developed a heart rhythm problem and was prescribed some drugs under George W. Bush's infamous Plan D complete with a 'doughnut hole.'

Obamacare closed the 'doughnut hole' -- thusly, saving my life.

So, yes, I am asking what my country can do for me -- how can my country secure my unalienable right to Life? Of the Republican Presidential candidates still standing, I most trust Romney to keep the 'doughnut hole' closed. I will be looking for him to address that issue in the next 10 months.