It is what it is?

Tea Party Socialists in North Dakota?
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Welcome to the Redundant Department of Redundancy?

Can you name the first time in American history that the government cut taxes as it went to war?

What was the original mission in Afghanistan? To find, capture and/or killed Elvis Bin Laden. What was the original mission in Iraq? WMD? Oil? Tourism? This blogger is NOT an isolationist.

After spending over $1,300,000,000,000s for two wars (with follow up military occupations of 7 & 10 years respectively), perhaps it's time to seriously reevaluate the economic, geopolitical & military wisdom of maintaining the rhetorical status quo. At least during World War II, the federal government sold WAR BONDS to build the factories required to support America's "arsenal of democracy". This time around, beyond those who serve in uniform (along with their families), what real sacrifices were the American people asked to make?

A New Perspective on Cost of War:
Have you seen the bumper sticker "Freedom is NOT Free"? It's true. Freedom has an actual price tag. Funding the Department of Defense requires real pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters.

The money for Iraq & Afghanistan has already been spent. So, how will this BILL get paid? Wishful thinking? Prayer? The Free Market? More Corporate Tax Breaks? The next generation? I guess asking folks to do the right thing for the right reasons is asking too much.


Photos of Afghan Soldiers & Burger King Sign by Peter Rimar
The Iraq War (History Channel DVD)

Paris Hilton. (Pause) Why?

But then again, how does a Hollywood Socialite, who's only claim to fame is her family name, a reality television show and an explicit home video, has a higher approval rating than the 112th U.S. Congress?


Confessions of an Heiress:
A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose (Paperback)

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Tea Party

From website The Tea Party.net:
"The U.S. Constitution was written by our founders to limit the powers of the federal government, instead, giving the power to the people and the States."

Just out of curiosity, do people actually believe this absurd bit of revisionist history? Seriously? Somebody should have stayed awake in that freshman U.S. History class. Instead of drinking beer and playing Frisbee in the park, a few minutes reading those boring textbooks might have actually educated folks on the so-called original intent of the Founding Fathers. The U.S. Constitution was written to create a federal system (with checks and balance between the branches of government) which could respond to the needs of one, unified nation:"...in order to form a more perfect union..."

Can you say the Articles of Confederation? 
That's right, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights were written to FIX the economic and political mess created by the issue of states' rights. Why did George Washington have problems supplying his troops in Valley Forge? Hello? Knock, Knock. Is anybody home?

Indeed, if it wasn't for the whole states' rights debate, believe it or not, this country may not have needed a BLOODY Civil War to finally resolve the question of slavery. Don't believe me? On March 21, 1861, in Savannah, Georgia, Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens gave what's become known as the Cornerstone Speech:

"Our new Government is founded upon exactly the opposite ideas; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition."

These are the actual words of one of the central figures in American politics at the start of the Civil War. Speaking of revisionist history, while he's NOT a darling of the Tea Party, no one talks the political psychobabble game better than Congressman Ron Paul:


And since we're on the subject, why was there a Civil Rights Movement in this country? Why were some Americans forced to sit in the back of the bus? Skin pigment? Can you say states' rights? During this dark period in American History, the political theme of States' Rights was code for the fight to protect and preserve over 100 years of institutionalized racial segregation:


In the aftermath of 9-11, Americans waved only one, unified flag. IF you're an active contributor to the Tea Party, here's a challenge: the next time you go shopping, buy Made in the USA. 

Observation: For everybody who thinks a majority of this country's university professors are left-wing socialists never sat thru a lecture of the History of the Constitution at Mayville State University in North Dakota.

Free At Last: A History of the Civil Rights Movement and Those Who Died in the Struggle (Paperback)

Freedom? What's does it really mean?

This blogger discovered a long time ago, it sometimes depends on where a person is standing: Geography. IF you peel away the rhetorical onion, Freedom is the RIGHT to safely and peacefully live ones own life FREE from religious or political fear. Not the fear of the unknown, which will always be a part of our own humanity, but the RIGHT to search for & perhaps discover for ourselves our own individual truth.

FREE from the burden of fear.

This may be the reason why the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which protects freedom of expression, was 1st. From the seeds of this one simple idea, all the other freedoms enjoyed by Americans followed...

While the United States of America cannot solve all the world's problems, at the very least, as a country & as a people, we must never compromise our values & ideals for liberty & freedom.
It's from this light... 
all hope shines.

...perspective...

"As we debate how the United States can best influence the course of the Arab Spring, can’t we all agree that the most obvious thing we can do is stand as an example of a nation that holds an individual’s human rights as superior to the will of the majority or the wishes of government?" 
~ Senator John McCain
May 11, 2011
The Washington Post

Photo of Senator John McCain taken by Peter Rimar in San Antonio, Texas (January 2007).
The Fall of the Berlin Wall:
The Revolutionary Legacy of 1989 (Paperback)

Duverger's Law?

I've always found it rather strange that a majority of Democrats & Republicans fail to understand the historical roots of each respective party. The Constitution DID NOT create America's two-party system. While I've witnessed firsthand the corruption & abuse of a one-party system (i.e. while living & working in the People's Republic of China), today's polarized political landscape has "Republicrats" displaying more goose stepping loyalty to "THE PARTY" then "OUR COUNTRY".

Former Congressman Weiner is still wondering how men like Thomas Jefferson & Benjamin Franklin would have survived an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter Hat with Hair

NASA's next Space Mission is to search for intelligent life on Capital Hill?

"To compromise is to make a deal where one person gives up part of his or her demand. In arguments, compromise is a concept of finding agreement through communication, through a mutual acceptance of terms—often involving variations from an original goal or desire." ~ Wikipedia

NASA: The Complete Illustrated History

Subliminal Message?

Dear Abby ~ I have this second cousin who drinks WAY too much TEA. He wears a FLAG, paints SILLY signs & screams at everyone in the family. What should I do? Signed ~ Mr. Coffee

Class Warfare against the Ruling Class?

On Faux News Sunday (September 18, 2011), Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) spoke with Chris Wallace about President Obama's plan to reduce the budget deficit and fund the proposed American Jobs Act.

"Class warfare Chris may make for good politics but it makes for rotten economics. We don't need a system that divides people." ~ Rep. Paul Ryan

Considering the GOP has been waging a non-stop war against the right of workers to engage in collective bargaining, for this blogger, this Wisconsin Representative's comments framing the latest tax battle as class warfare sounded a bit like Rick Santorum lecturing Senator John McCain about the benefits of water boarding.

Who is Paul Ryan?

Representative Ryan is the quintessential, professional Beltway Baby.

How much money has he earned working in the public sector? Based on the Congressional Pay Table, since being elected to Congress in 1998 (at the age of 28), he has earned $2,078,100 (base salary). This figure does not include yearly travel expenses or the random $50 special interest group luncheon.

Prior to earning his own Congressional Franking Privileges, Ryan worked for Wisconsin Sen. Bob Kasten and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback. 

From battling paper cuts as a Congressional mail room intern, to joining the staffs of two Senators, to eventually being elected to Congress himself, Representative Ryan has spent the majority of his adult life walking the corridors of Capital Hill (as well as collecting a government paycheck). So, when this Beltway Baby gives a supply side economics tax lecture about the Millionaire Club, please forgive this blogger for laughing.

Considering he's already banked over $2,000,000 as a public servant, taken advantage of 12 years of government sponsored health care, did not serve in Afghanistan or Iraq and has already qualified for the Congressional retirement package (not including Social Security), how on earth did this Washington Insider become the so-called Poster Child for the Tea Party Movement? 

All politicians sell SOAP. In the case of Representative Ryan, he is the SOAP. He is an actual product created by and for the Washington Beltway.

It's easy for a member of the GOP to go on Faux News. It's quite another to give an extended interview with someone like Rachael Maddox. As I've already written, there is no silver bullet for fixing this economy. Should the tax code be simplified? Yes. But with more than 12,000 lobbyists knocking on Congressional doors, I seriously doubt any reform package (which tackles tax loopholes and exemptions) will survive the Tsunami of special interest money.

Class Warfare? Please. The Koch Brothers have already spent more than $100,000,000 selling their Libertarian brand of corporate soap. Power is crack. Money buys crack. Tax reform without serious political reform still leaves a majority of Americans sitting on the sidelines. Confused? What political reforms? Read More...

REPOST: Can you name the first time in American history that the government cut taxes and decreased revenue as it marched off to war?

How many millionaires and billionaires served in Afghanistan or Iraq? How many of these same folks made money off these wars? Anyhow, the term Job Creators has a nicer ring to it than Campaign Contributors.



IF Ryan wants to talk about Class Warfare, bringing back compulsory military service (with a public service option for conscientious objectors) would be a great place to start the conversation.

During this latest debt ceiling debate, President Obama made a serious linguistic blunder. Instead of calling the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts - for the wealthiest Americans - the Buffett Rule, he should have named it the Two War Rule. In 2003, the Bush Administration projected the cost of military operations for Iraq between $50 billion to $60 billion dollars. Where was Ryan when the Congressional Budget Office was crunching those numbers for funding Dick's Halliburton War? Ryan voted for both wars and the Bush-era Tax cuts. 10 years & $1.3 trillion dollars later, this Congressman (now supported by the Tea Party) still refuses to pay the bills for Afghanistan & Iraq. Read Here & Here...

Sadly, even if the President had chosen a different package of words to sell his latest proposal, at the end of the day, Congressman Ryan would still have called it Class Warfare. And you know something, maybe he's right. Being born and raised inside the Washington Beltway gives a person a special interest perspective of this world.  

Photos by Peter Rimar
Total Lobbying: What Lobbyists Want (and How They Try to Get It) 
(See all Political Lobbying Books)

Economics 101?

Mirror in a tattoo shop, San Antonio, Texas (October 2009)

IF you buy a home, a new car & max out your credit card on clothes & food, at some point, you have to pay your bills. How you pay those bills directly impacts your credit rating. It's not complicated.

Debt is debt. As a person, you have several choices. You can attempt get a second job to meet your financial obligations (i.e. raise revenue), cut back on spending (i.e. reduce the size of the government), do a mix of the two methods or just give up & file for bankruptcy (DEFAULT). Your individual credit rating depends on HOW you, as an individual, respond to paying off your bills. Ignoring phone calls from the bank & the credit card companies WILL NOT solve the long term DEBT problem.

When a Presidential candidate (i.e. Michele Bachmann) gets on Face the Nation & tells the reporter that the Treasury Department can just move around money to avoid a crisis, well, that way of thinking is just plain wrong (as well as stupid).



It's NOT 1773, 1776 or 1789. 

It's 2011 and ALL of us live in a Global economy. The sooner folks recognize that reality, the sooner this country will start doing what it needs to do to COMPETE in a GLOBAL MARKETPLACE. And oh by the way, the whole Boston Tea Party thing was NOT about paying taxes. It was about "TAXATION Without Representation". Walking away from the table (on EVERY ISSUE) IS NOT Representation.

All financial markets (Bond, Stock, Currency & Commodity) are built on the foundation of "confidence". Don't fool yourself. The GOP's goal is the WHITE HOUSE & NOT fixing the budget mess or the overall economy. Guys like Karl Rove & the Koch Brothers know egg-xactly what they're doing.

Once a factory closes, it's closed. Those jobs may or may not ever return. What folks don't understand is that once a manufacturing job leaves our shores, it's only a matter of time before a corporation starts to trim its white collar staff (i.e. folks who were originally hired to support a larger blue collar workforce). This delayed process of corporate contraction causes a negative, slow moving, ripple effect on the entire economy. Simply put, like it or not, in the short term, there is NO quick fix (or voodoo magic) for turning around this economy.

Anyhow, driving the global economy off a cliff to pander to the narrow whims of the Liberatarian Wing of the Republican Party is just plain NUTS! Unless of course, that's the REAL economic and political END GAME. IF that's the case, then maybe it's indeed a good time for all of us to start praying.

The Wealth of Nations (Paperback)

Tea Party Congressman Deadbeat Dad?

Can you say hypocrite? If Representative Joe Walsh (R) was from Texas, he'd already be in JAIL for failing to provide child support payments to his ex-wife. READ MORE...

In Other News: While a person can BUY & SMOKE Hashish & marijuana in downtown Copenhagen, English Ovaltine & Australian Vegemite are now BANNED in Denmark. Since when did it become a crime to enjoy a simple "food additive" for breakfast? READ MORE...

Heinz Spotted Dick Sponge Pudding (Pack of 6)

Apple has more cash than the U.S. Treasury?

Los Angeles Times (July 29, 2011) ~ "One of the reasons U.S. companies have amassed so much cash is that it provides them financial flexibility in times of heightened uncertainty," said Laurie Simon Hodrick, a professor of business economics at Columbia University's business school. "It might seem ironic, but as the risk of a government default grows, bringing with it the specter of higher interest rates, the incentives for firms to finance with internally generated cash grows as well."
READ MORE...


Apple Magic Mouse

Michele Bachmann for President? Why?

IF you want to sell books, land a job on FauX News, go Dancing with the Stars, earn six figures on the talk show circuit, use PAC money to finance a family BUS vacation & STAR in your own Reality TV show, RUN for President. For the record, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is NO flake. It's a real pain in the butt to file for Federal Aid every darn year.
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‎"After a night of partying with John Quincy Adams, the other Founding Fathers (George, Paul, John and Ringo) helped Margaret Manny sew the Grand Union Flag?"


‎John Quincy Adams, after helping George Washington chop down the cherry tree, sat down and wrote the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe".

Debt Ceiling Debate?

Some members of Congress negotiate like the North Koreans. IF they don't get want they want, they threatened the nuclear option.




Obstructionism is not leadership? 
FACT: The Federal debt ceiling was raised 18 times during President Ronald Reagan's 8 years in office. The last time Congress didn't need to raise the debt ceiling was under President Harry Truman.
READ MORE...

The American people elected our representatives to act in the best interest of the country as a whole and NOT on behalf of some mythical ideological brew supported by two billionaire brothers with enough SOFT money to influence national elections.
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How Congress Works and Why You Should Care (Paperback)

The lifestyles of the no-so-rich & will never be famous?

Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence?


Should I put off buying that Corporate Jet? Does anybody have any suggestions for ALL the pennies, nickles and dimes I've rolled?