Functions of the President

Among the many functions of the President is to represent the US in international affairs. Among many other things he must negotiate with leaders of other countries.

Now that brings us to a problem.  Can you imagine Donald Trump negotiating with the Prime Minister of England?  Or of France.  How about Trump meeting with Angelia Merkel? Please spare us the embarrassment!

But the absolute worst scenario:  Donald Trump having an audience with the Queen of England.

Heaven protect us from such a tragedy!

A Puzzlement

I am really puzzled about some things I have seen recently. There are a couple of televangelists who seem to be claiming a new (at least to me) concept in religion. As I listen to and read their pulpit rantings, I keep getting this theme:  "If you don't believe exactly the same as I do, then you're a sinner!"

Whoa there! I thought that was God'S job, to decide who were sinners. How come these earthlings now have this task?

Listening and reading further, I realize the really important factor.  They claim that God speaks to them directly. Aha!  Now I understand.  This is some sort of a franchise arrangement. These teleboys have some sort of a license whereby God tells them the ground rules, and then they get to apply them.

Since there are more than one of these teleboys, I have to wonder just what sort of territorial jurisdictions have been assigned.  Maybe it's something to do with what network they are on.

In a way you just have to admire these teleboys.  They are true entrepreneurs. They have discovered a product, and developed a market.

Bless us all here in the good old USA.

Trickle-down economics

Trickle-down economics

This theory has been disproved many times in our history, yet the dingbats are still in love with it.  It has never worked, but they still keep preaching this as the ultimate solution to all our economic problems.

Here is a hypothetical example:  You own a small factory manufacturing gizmos.  Currently your capacity is 1,000 gizmos each year.  Each gizmo retails for $1,000, and you realize 30% net profit.  So far you have been able to sell your entire production each year, but the past few years have been tight.  The number of middle class workers who can buy gizmos is shrinking.

You currently employ 20 workers. At times you have considered expanding your production which would enable you to hire a few more, but the market just is not there.  This would require some investment on your part, and entail a risk that you might not be able to sell more gizmos.

The government is constantly talking about how we need to create more jobs, but you just can't see any economic advantage associated with the risk of expansion. But then the government says that in order to encourage job creation, we're going to give you a big tax break.

So you and your accountant look at the numbers. Yes, you could invest in expansion, take the risk, hire a few more workers, and maybe, perhaps show an increase in revenue.  OR, you can do nothing, enjoy the increase in net revenue resulting from the tax break, make up excuses why you can't create more jobs, and investigate moving your entire operation to China.

So, more money to the top does not necessarily mean any will trickle down to the workers.  What it usually means is that the rich get richer.

Immigration

The more I read and listen, the more I am convinced the dingbats are totally insane.  Current events prove the point.

Last week, they wanted to impeach President Obama for "misuse of executive powers" because he made some things happen that the dingbat controlled Congress would not do.  Now they want him to use those same executive powers to do something about the immigration crisis, because they don't want to pass some legislation that might hurt them in an election. Wish they would make up their minds, assuming such is possible.

They all seem to conveniently  forget that much of this "crisis" stems from legislation passed in 2008, and signed into law by then-President Bush.

Fracking

I vowed that I would not write anything more about the totally stupid actions by the dingbats in the NC Congress.  I have problems controlling the anger I feel every time these idiots again display their total ignorance about history, reality and concern for the common folk.

However, they have now pushed through, without debate, new legislation designed to expedite "fracking " for natural gas hopefully located in Harnett, Lee and Chatham counties.

They totally ignore the physical evidence coming from other sites where "fracking" is practiced.
That would be bad enough, but there is one other even greater problem.

The oil and gas corporations who are so insistent that they be allowed to immediately harvest this hoped-for bonanza have failed to answer the one most critical question concerning this operation.

Let's assume they are able to recover natural gas from the shale formations. The question then is:

 What are they going to do with the gas? 

Where is the nearest pipeline terminal?  How do they propose to get the gas from the well head to that terminal? Do they propose a monstrous fleet of tanker trucks roaring up and down the winding, narrow back roads?  Maybe they will propose to build a pipeline extension into the area.  How long will that take?  What do they plan during the interim?

I think it is wonderful that some people will make good money from drilling leases.  But, what about the rest of us?  How much do we have to suffer?

As usual, the dingbats are totally concentrating on big business, and to hell with the people!

State of the Union

President Obama will give a State of the Union address tomorrow, Tuesday, night. I will not watch his address.
 
All day tomorrow the media "experts" will tell me what they think he is going to say.

Then, on Wednesday, these so-called "experts" will tell me what he said.

With such coverage, why should I listen?

Voter ID

The NC Legislature, in its infinite wisdom, has created yet another totally unnecessary problem.  This time it's voter ID.

The new law, which is scheduled to go into effect beginning in 2016, will require all potential voters to present an acceptable photo ID.  Therein lies the problem.  The new law requires that photo ID must contain the "Full" name, and it must match the name on the voter registration books.

What is the "Full" name?  Normally we would define this as first name, middle name and last name. But, what about a married woman? What is her "Full" name?

Here is a hypothetical situation.  Mary Ann Jones registers to vote as soon as she is eligible.  Then she marries Joe Smith.  Now what is her "Full" name?  Is it Mary Ann Smith or Mary Jones Smith. More important, in order to vote she must present a photo ID, such as a driver's license.  What name is on the photo ID? She registered to vote as Mary Ann Jones.  When she renewed her driver's license after she married, she changed the name to Mary Ann Smith.  It no longer matches the registration books, so, by the law, she is not eligible to vote.   Does she know this?

Even more fun would occur if she decided to hyphenate her name, and become Mary Ann Jones-Smith.  If she changes her photo ID  then the names will not match.

My wife and I discovered this problem, when she realized the name on her military ID card was different from that on her driver's license and what was on the registration books.  To be sure, she had to change the name on the registration book to match her ID.  But, how many other people will think to do this?

The voter ID act is supposedly to eliminate voter fraud which is minuscule in NC. So, the legislature has concocted a stupid solution to a problem that really doesn't exist.  But, that's our legislature!

The Republican political platform

After much study and deliberation, I think I have finally deciphered exactly what the “dingbats” propose as their platform to govern the world.  While this is rather complicated, I have summarized it in order to spell out the most important planks.

ECONOMICS: The dingbats don’t actually believe in any accepted economic theory, except for their one guiding principle.  That is expressed as “Trickle Down.”  If big business, big banks, and very rich people are allowed to operate without any form of regulation or restriction, then they will make scads of money.  Eventually, although really not necessary, some of this will trickle down to the working class.  (Note: the dingbats would really like to do away with the entire working class, as thee people make a lot of noise demanding food, shelter and other minimal necessities of life.  However, the dingbats realize that they cannot totally eliminate this class.  After all, somebody has to clean house, mow the lawn and tend the flower gardens.) We have seen evidence that the “trickle down theory of economics” does work, at least for the working classes in China, India, Vietnam, etc.  This is where the wealthy dingbats have moved their businesses in order to make even more scads of money.

WOMEN:  The dingbat’s program is simple.  “Woman’s place is in the kitchen, and she should go there immediately after returning from work.”  Being barefoot and pregnant is optional. The man of the house will make all decisions.

EDUCATION: Extensive education for the masses is totally unnecessary.  For the working classes, a minimal ability to read, write and do a few sums is all that is required.  For the limited middle class that will be necessary to run the grocery stores, dress shops and other such amenities important to the elite, a couple years more should suffice.  For the children of the elite, of course, higher education is required to polish their social skills.  This will be in private schools, preferably those with some religious affiliation. This will be funded via a voucher system.  However, this is certainly not to be considered an entitlement, but more a necessity to insure that the leaders for the future have the proper foundations.

MINORITIES: Afro Americans and Hispanics are expected to work in the fields, picking cotton, harvesting grapes or other necessary menial labor. A great part of this labor will be devoted to completing the massive fence along our border with Mexico. All Hispanics lacking the “proper” proof of citizenship will be immediately deported.

VOTING: In general, only the elite (those with some established income level and/or position of importance) will have voting rights.  Preferably voting should be restricted to males, as they are the only persons with the necessary understanding of the complexities involved, but exceptions will be made to accommodate those females with sufficient income or position.  Also, a minimal number of the middle class will be granted this privilege, but only white males who own property.

TAXES: All taxes, local, state and federal, will be held to the absolute minimum, especially to those of the elite.  The bulk of tax revenue must come from the middle and working classes. If this does not generate enough revenue to maintain the essential government services, then other means of revenue will be found.

GOVERNMENT: Ideally, there should be only a minimum of government.  There are certain functions, such as fire and police protection, that are necessary to protect the person and property of the elite.  But, many of the other departments and operations should be abolished.  The fact that this will cause many thousand to suddenly become unemployed does not seem to be a determining factor. 

HEALTH CARE: The dingbats are fiercely against the Affordable Care Act.  They will do almost anything to abolish it.  But, they have yet to say what they want to replace it.  Apparently they believe that nothing is required.  They, the elite, all have great medical insurance, so they don’t have to worry about this. For all the rest, tough! Medicare and Medicaid are too expensive for the minimum remaining government to support, so anyone who cannot afford the outrageous policies now available also cannot go to the emergency rooms, as that is a tax burden.  Maybe they should just die by the side of the road. 

NATIONAL DEBT: Not a problem.  We’ll just default and tell all our creditors “tough!” After all, we would have to extract more tax revenue from the elite in order to pay down the debt. That is a no-no!

ARMED FORCES:  We must have a strong Army!  However, this poses a problem. Armies and Navies, Air Forces, Marines etc.  are expensive to maintain. One solution might be to re-institute the draft.  As government activities are shut down all over America, there will be thousands out of work.  Many of these will be young and fit enough to serve as perpetual Privates. There will be no promotions as that would increase the cost. But, after all, our need will be for cannon fodder.  Leadership will come from the elite.

GOVERNMENT SPENDING:  This must be reduced drastically.  Nothing is sacred.  Everything must be cut, except, of course, for those pet projects by various members of congress necessary to ensure their reelection.  These will be funded, financed by some source of revenue not yet determined.

If you think all this sounds totally preposterous then you haven’t been paying attention. Listen to what is being said at the dingbat fund-raisers, where they are talking to their loyal followers.  It is frightening! 

Restrictions on voting

The "dingbats" in the NC Legislature passed their voting restriction bill, claiming it was designed to stamp out voter fraud.  The trouble is they can't show very much voter fraud.  The new law ignores much of what voter fraud exists.  It totally ignores absentee ballots.  This is a shame.  I was really looking forward to showing my required picture ID card to the mailman when she delivered my absentee ballot.

There is nothing in the totally useless law to prevent me from voting absentee in another state, and in person here.

But, the new law also creates a problem, especially for women.  For example, I am retired military.  My wife has a dependent military ID card. Her name on that card is her first name, maiden name and my name. However, her name on her NC driver's license is first name, middle initial and last name. That is also the way she is listed on the voter roles. So, since a military ID card is an accepted form of identification for voting, she will use that when she votes.  It will be very interesting if a poll clerk tries to prevent her from voting because that is not the name on the voter roles.

However, many women might face similar problems, since they often change their names when they marry or divorce, or sometimes hyphenate their names.  If the "dingbats" try to impose the very tight name security that the claim is necessary to prevent voter fraud, then we may see some real fireworks.

GO GREEN

RECYCLE the LEGISLATURE

Restrictions on voting

The "dingbats". in their zeal to ensure that only the "right" people will vote, have created a monster that will most probably rise up and bite them.

In their effort to prevent college students (who tend to be rather liberal)  from having equal access to the polls, the "dingbats" have decreed that such students should not be allowed to vote where they attend college because that is only a "temporary" residence.  According to the "dingbat" logic, such students should be required to return to their parents' home, and vote in that precinct.

This is so dumb!  The "dingbats" are too dense to realize that many college students are married, and have an apartment  or house where they attend college. This is most certainly their permanent residence. Would you have them return to their parents' home!

There is another interesting implication involved.  I spent many years in the US Navy, where I was transferred to a new duty station every 2-3 years.  My wife always registered and voted wherever we happened to be stationed. That was as permanent residence as we were going to have until my retirement.   I would have loved to see some "dingbat" politician try to tell my wife she couldn't vote because we were only "temporary" residents. Carried to its logical conclusion, such a rule could affect thousands of military personnel.

If they really try to enforce this ridiculous legislation, the monster will bite.

GO GREEN

RECYCLE THE LEGISLATURE 

Voter ID

The NC Legislature is hell-bent to make it difficult for the "wrong" people to vote.  Who are the "wrong" people?  Anybody who does not vote the dingbat ticket.

They want to eliminate most early voting; Sunday voting; one-stop voting etc.  These are the procedures that make it much more convenient for the "wrong" people to vote.  So, in the dingbat philosophy, these must be curtailed.

Probably the most stupid change is the requirement for some sort of a government issued, authorized, vetted picture ID.  They haven't figured out exactly where and how one is supposed to get one of these magical IDs, but then they don't worry about this small technicality, because if the "wrong" people don't have the right ID card, then they can't vote.  TA-DAH! Mission accomplished.

There is one truly idiotic bent to this legislation.  Studies have shown that one of the major causes of voter fraud (of which there is very little) involves absentee ballots.  The dingbats haven't explained just how this is supposed to work.  Do I have to show my ID card to the mailman when he delivers my ballot, or when I mail in the ballot? This is very important, and must be clarified.

Just exactly how is this unnecessary requirement supposed to stop me from voting absentee in one state, and in person in another state?  Come on, dingbats, Americans want to know.

GO GREEN.  RECYCLE the LEGISLATURE.

A "Wacky" Ledgisture

My older brother lives in Oklahoma City.  For many years, I have teased him about how Oklahoma always seems to have a truly weird bunch of "Wackos"  in their state legislature.
Now the tables have been turned.  North Carolina has surged to the front, and now there is no longer any argument.  We now hold the title!

It is amazing how this turn-about has occurred in such a short time.  North Carolina used to be a rather respectable state.  Now we are the laughing stock of the nation.

It is difficult to enumerate all the weird things the "dingbat" controlled legislature has done.  But with much effort, I have condensed what seems to be their political agenda down to two items.

First on the economic front: Cut taxes on the rich, in particular big business.  Reduce all regulations, so big business can make an obscene amount of money.  This eventually will "trickle down" to the lower classes, and all will be just wonderful. Part of this is true.  Yes, the good times will trickle down, but to the working classes in China, India or Bangladesh. We have previously proved that this pie-in-the-sky sky doesn't work in America.  But the dingbats keep trying.

Second, on the role of women:  This one is easy.  According to the dingbat philosophy, "Woman's place is in the kitchen, and she should go there as soon as she comes home from work." One of these days, the women of America are going to wake up and organize, and then the dingbats are going to be sleeping on the couch.

GO GREEN
RECYCLE the LEGISLATURE.

Gunfight at the Old Well!

Sometimes it is hard to accept the fact that many dingbat legislators don't have the sense God gave a goose.  They tend to emphasize their lack of common sense on a daily basis.

Their latest example of stupidity?  Together with the NRA, they want to allow concealed weapons on college campuses.  It is extremely difficult to imagine a more stupid idea.  They actually want to allow young college students, who are already prone to too much booze and dope, to have lethal weapons available.

Talk about a recipe for immediate chaos!

I can see the headlines in the Daily Tarheel:  Gunfight at the Old Well.  2:00 PM every afternoon, M-F. .  Come early, bring a blanket or a beach chair.
Note: The university is not responsible for accidental gun wounds to the spectators.

GO GREEN!  RECYCLE CONGRESS!

Charities

The US Post Office wanted to eliminate Saturday regular mail deliveries.  I was totally in favor of that, but for a very selfish reason.  On the average, I receive 2.5 solicitations per day from various so-called charitable organizations.  That means I throw away (to our land-fill) an average of 2.5 pieces of junk mail.  Eliminating Saturday deliveries  would mean I have to do this only 5 days per week, although the Monday cache would be double.  That's a small price to pay in order to help the Postal Service save a little money.  On occasion I can give the Postal Service a little business.  Whenever some so-called charity sends me a pitiful plea for money, and includes a postage-paid envelope, I immediately mail back to them all the paper they sent me, with a note to put this in their land-fill.

I am retired US Navy, a veteran. I found out that once you give money to one veterans' organization, you are immediately besieged with pleas from dozens of other so-called veterans' groups.  I found, to my amazement, there are groups supposedly helping Paralyzed Veterans, Deaf Veterans, Blind Veterans, Wounded Veterans, Homesick Veterans, Unhappy Veterans, Out-of-work Veterans and probably many others. Using a program such as Charity Navigator, it is easy to check these groups.  There you will find that most of these spend 65-75% of their total revenue on fund raising. These groups don't do their own fund-raising.  They contract with one of the big national companies that do this to make money.  So the charity spends some 15-20% of total revenue on their programs.  When you give a donation to these groups, you are not supporting some veterans group.  You are helping a big fund raising company make money.

Another interesting thing that Charity Navigator will show you is the salaries paid to the officers of these groups. Apparently this is a nice way to make a living.  Even more interesting are the "family groups."  I found one where the Board of Directors consisted on a Mother, her two sons and her daughter-in-law. This isn't a charity, it's a family business!

I recently received a pitiful plea from an American-Indian school in South Dakota.  How did these people got my name and address?  Easy!  These big fund raising organizations consider your name and address to be common property, to be used wherever they want to use it. If you would like to see proof of this, give a small donation to some obscure group, but use a fictitious first name.  I like to use Alphonso.  Then sit back and keep count of how many pleas come addressed to that name.

Annually I give a substantial amount to legitimate charities, but I do this at the end of the year. I just have to put up with the constant barrage of pleas during the year.  One of the worst culprits is the Salvation Army.  Last year I kept a count, and realized I received 18 pleas during that year, that's 1.5 per month. Maybe if they didn't spend so much on fund-raising, they would have more for their programs.

Are any of these scams? Yes, Charity Navigator has reported a couple that could be so considered.

Support local charities.  That way, you can have some indication of how your money was used.

DOMA must go!

I said I would stay out of this one, but I cannot stand aside and watch these idiotic ding-bats destroy our beloved country.

As a military veteran, I can understand some problems that the general population may not see.  Here is one example.

A military person on active duty is stationed in New York. He/She is legally married to his/her partner.  If something happens to the principal, his/her partner is a surviving dependent, with the prescribed privileges and benefits.  They have the exact same legal status as any other married couple.

Now, the military member receives orders to the Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Like any other married couple, they pack up and head for the new duty station.  But, as soon as they cross the state line into Oklahoma, they are no longer considered to be married.  If they had a car wreck and the principal was killed, the surviving partner would not be considered as a surviving dependent, under Oklahoma law. Now, the state of Oklahoma is about as backwards and out-of-step as it is possible to be, but the same problem exists in many other states.

This is ludicrous! What happened to the concept of equal right?  

DOMA must go!
 

Random musings

We are really going to get a break this year.  We won't have to go to the circus to be entertained. We can just watch our state legislature in action, and be totally amused.  That is, if we don't cry instead.

While almost any other legislative body would be concentrating on some major problems, such as unemployment, budget deficits, health care costs, immigration or many other concerns, our distinguished body here in North Carolina seems to be more concerned with another major, major problem.  Of course I am referring to "nipples." Apparently some of our esteemed legislators are convinced that if a woman's nipple is seen in public, this will surely lead to major social unrest, mass riots and possibly the demise of civilization as we know it.

This entire fiasco has its roots in a topless demonstration held in Asheville.  I don't know what that demonstration was about, but who cares?  If the ladies want to go topless, be my guest! But, some of these dingbat legislators feel it is imperative that the state do something to stop such sinful behavior. So, they have introduced legislation to make it a felony  that's right, a felony under some circumstances to show a bare breast in public.  Heavens! What else must we do to keep our society clean and moral?

Can you see the total stupidity in such legislation?  First of all, it only applies to women, with one exception for nursing mothers. If the bill ever passed, there would be an immediate court case claiming gender discrimination. I agree!  Make the bill apply to men also.  They have ugly nipples, and run around bare chested.   Also, the proposed bill doesn't set any age limits.  Is a two-year girl wearing only a diaper subject to prosecution?  When does the horrible sin occur?  We've got to be more precise on these things, because there is going to be lots of police action.

The same dingbats who constantly yell that less government is better are who have proposed this legislation to make the state government intervene in everyday life. I wish they would make up their minds.  Of course  if they did, they would cut out a lot of the comedy.

Go Green!  Recycle the Legislature.

Gun control

Today I watched a totally preposterous speech/sermon/diatribe by Wayne Lapieere of the NRA.  This performance was insulting to any intelligent person.

I won't take the weeks necessary to refute all the stupid statements he made, but instead merely point out a few of the omissions.

He was not very specific.  For example, he wants armed guards at all schools.  Does he really mean all?  All elementary schools? All middle schools? All high schools? Public schools only?  How about private schools or charter schools?  Do church schools qualify?  What about day-care?  That's a type of school.

Why do we stop there?  What about colleges and universities?  Trade schools?  Community colleges? What about the military academies?

He left out a few other places where his logic dictates that we need armed guards.  What about movie theaters?  Shopping malls?  Subway stations?  Oh yes, what about military bases, like Ft Bliss?  Surely there were some armed personnel there.  Didn't help.

If nothing else, this would certainly solve the unemployment problem, as we will need many thousand armed guards. That is, if we want to become an armed, everyone carry your six-shooter (or Uzi) society.

Guns don't kill people.
People kill people
WITH GUNS!

Post election hangover

The election hangover.

I had hoped that by now, the dingbats would accept the fact that they lost, put it behind them, and get down to business.  I was wrong. But at least it has been interesting to see how much they had believed their own spin, and were convinced they would win handily.  They were shocked at the results.  All those millions spent and for what?  A rousing defeat.

It has been educational to follow the sequence.  First was the denial, as the big dogs could not bring themselves to admit they lost. They just could not accept the fact that a majority of voters didn’t like their programs, philosophy and attitude.

Second came the search for excuses for why they lost.  Something or somebody had to carry the blame.  Over the next weeks following the election, we heard several excuses:  it was Hurricane Sandy; or it was a conspiracy among the Latinos and the Blacks, somehow fomented by President Obama; or it was fraudulent votes in every state the President won, especially on early or absentee ballots; or the President bought the election by giving away entitlements, such as Medicare and Social Security; or something similar. It became rather comical to see the big dogs stand before the Fox cameras, and proclaim how the evil Democrats had somehow been better at stealing votes than they were.

 

But, to me, the funniest was how they tried to pillory Governor Christie, and actually blame him for their loss.  Governor Christie, of course, was doing the job he had been elected to perform.  But, the dingbats accused him of committing high crimes and misdemeanors, for which he should be excommunicated from the party, and probably hung at high noon.  What were the horrible crimes he committed?  He stood too close to President Obama on the airport tarmac, and GASP! dared to ride in the President’s helicopter while they surveyed the damage from Sandy.  I must admit this one was hard to believe.  I couldn’t imagine even the dingbats being so callous, mean, fault-finding and downright stupid.

Now, round 2 begins as we fight over “the cliff!”  Make your bets now. My prediction is that there will be an awful lot of lies told between now and December 31.

The other side show is how Sen. McCain and his merry band have decided to attack Susan Rice, the assumed nominee for Secretary of State.  Her crime: she appeared before the UN and made a statement, based on the information available, that was later proven to be untrue.  To the dingbats, this was another vile conspiracy to do something or the other.  They conveniently  forget that Colin Powell did the same thing just before the Iraqi invasion.  Isn’t that strange?

The Election of 2012

Some musings about the election

This last election set many records. 

Most money spent during a campaign.

Most lies told during a campaign.

Most number of losers who were convinced they were winning

until the results began to come in.

The election left many questions unanswered:

How does Karl Rove explain to his angels that he spend $690 million

 and got nobody elected?

What does Paul Ryan do now?  He’s like an evangelist without

a congregation.

What does Mitt Romney do?  Can he go back to one of his many estates

and putter around in the garden?  Poor guy only has around $500 million

to live on. Of course, some of the more irreverent pundits claim the only

reason he was running for President was so he could add that to his resume,

 in case he wants to run for the office of God.

Do you suppose the leaders of the dingbats have finally figured out that if

they try to disenfranchise a bloc of voters, and failing that, just totally ignore

that bloc, then that bloc will vote against them?  We have a couple of

examples of this.

A bunch of the losers should have heeded the old adage:  “Beware the woman

scorned, lovely in her wrath.” I wonder how many members of the “rape team” 

are sleeping on the couch because the bedroom door is locked?

Can you believe it” Some are already pontificating about the 2016 election.

 Please.  Give us a break!  We have enough problems to worry about.

I voted early

I have a confession to make.  For many years now, I have prided myself that I never voted a “straight ticket” in any election.  I mean this seriously, not like a former professor back in Oklahoma who used to brag that he always voted for the Republican candidate for Assistant Mine Inspector.

 No, I have always considered the person, and ignored the party label.  In many cases, down at the county or township level, a party label didn't mean anything.  Integrity and honesty were the compelling factors.

I have voted early. This year, I broke with my long-established policy.  There is no way I could vote for a Republican candidate for any office at any level.  Democrats, Libertarians, Progressive, what have you, could get my vote, but no Republicans.

I did not make this decision lightly.  But among the many sins a politician can commit, lying to me is right at the top of the no-no list.  Over the past four years, I have been bombarded with lies, half-truths, statements taken totally out of context, skewed facts, or just plain stupidly incorrect allegations. 

The barrage is unending.  Each day, in the mail, I receive 2-3 fliers from the Republican Party.  Every one contains at least one blatant lie. It is an insult to my intelligence.  I read, I listen, I watch.  I know what is going on in the world.  My anger gets cranked up when some dingbat politician stand in front of the TV cameras and states something totally wrong, but when challenged with facts, just continues with the same lie.  The Republican Party philosophy seems to be “tell a lie enough times and the public will eventually believe it.”

Think back to 2009.  Then we had the “birthers”, who refuse to go away.  Then, a year later, we had the “deathers.” This year we had the “jobbers.”  These people just can’t give up.  Everything must be the result of a vast conspiracy. And all their complicated arguments are but lies.

The Republican Party sold out to the Religious Right many years back.  Now they are even further driven by the Tea Baggers, big oil, big coal, Wall Street and several other true fanatics.  These people have convinced me that they are not interested in solving America’s problems.  They are interested only in furthering their own narrow interests, to hell with the people. It is not only at the national level that we see these self-centered interests. No, it is also at the state, county and even city level that we see Republican politicians who answer only to their masters, and ignore the people.  Enough is enough!

One note about the VP debate.  While watching it occurred to me that we are but one catastrophe away from having one of these men assume the office of President, and Commander-in-Chief.  Which one would you trust to lead America?