When I was a kid, and now

When I was a kid, a Republican president proposed and got passed the Interstate Highway system. This was passed as a non-partisan issue, and has been the backbone of the rise of the modern United States.

Now, under a Democratic president, his tiny (by comparison) American Jobs bill can't even get a hearing.

Before I was born, a Democratic president decided that the long-postponed racial integration of the US Armed Forces would take place, whether his generals and the people of the United States agreed with it, or not. Simply because it was the right thing to do. And it worked.

Just this year, another Democratic president finally ended official discrimination against gay and lesbian soldiers and sailors. While it seems to be a non-issue in the services, he's catching hell for it on the right-wing airwaves.

When I was a kid, a whole generation of young Americans were going to college, courtesy of the GI Bill. This was mostly men, but even so, American business was propelled ahead by the brightest and most-educated workforce ever. Even poor folks, however, were able to get to college if they really wanted to attend.

Now, we are burdening all but the richest and poorest with enormous debt to attend college. What the hell is wrong with us? The rest of the world has figured out how to do this better. So can we, if we want to.

When I was a kid, people didn't complain about their taxes. People knew that taxes paid for not just government, but also the armed forces, and the nation's infrastructure. They were proud to be able to contribute. The taxes on the rich were very high, and yet the US prospered and grew.


Now, the rich control most of the wealth and power in this country, and have the lowest tax rates in fifty years. Many corporations pay NO tax, using not only sleazy tax-dodges, but also off-shoring American jobs, impoverishing the country but still posting record profits. And now they are allowed, as "legal persons," to make unlimited political contributions. And our jobless rate hovers around 9%. The Republicans in Congress have almost all signed a pledge to NEVER raise taxes.

And the American Jobs bill still gets no hearing.

I grew up Republican, proud of the Party of Lincoln. President Lincoln kept the Union together, won the Civil War, which ended the horrible stain upon US honor, the agony of slavery. But I grew up to see Republicans vote against the Civil Rights Act, and oppose school desegregation.

I honored Teddy Roosevelt, who created the National Park System, forever protecting our most beautiful and pristine public lands. Now I see the Republicans try to sully the environment, yelling "drill baby drill!" My goodness, the Environmental Protection Agency was proposed and created by the Republican President Nixon! Now most of the Republican presidential candidates want to hobble or even disband it!

When the Republican Bob Dole was running for president, he proposed a near-universal healthcare plan, which was nearly identical to President Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Yet NO Republicans supported or voted for it.

Republican President Ulysses S Grant established the Civil Service, to get graft out of government jobs. Now the Republicans are the ones attacking government employees, and trying to "privatize" as many government services as possible. What was different in 1872 and now? People have forgotten what graft is, and what it means. How many people know what Blackwater, Halliburton and Xie have done to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the United States?

To be fair, Rupert Murdoch's FOX News and many years of one-sided (and dishonest) media pounding on the American public has had its effect. The Republican Party has responded by speaking up ONLY for the richest Americans. The Democrats have often retreated from support for the poor and middle class, minorities, children, as they lost power to the rich. But for the most part, they have done their part to protect the middle class. They have spoken up for health care for all, protection of the environment, repair of the US infrastructure, women's rights, education for all who want it.

But the money in politics is destroying us. I've signed the petition at getmoneyout.com/ and I hope it does some good. I worked for Pres. Obama and most of the local Democrats, and will do so again. But until we get the money our of the system, it will be much less than perfect. I've lobbied my local Congresspeople, and write and call all of them sometimes. But until we get the money out of politics, we aren't going to make the progress we really need to. I think the Occupy Wall Street movement shows that I'm not the only one who notices that something is wrong, and we need to get this turned around.

Closer to Equality in Washington State

Maine makes me sad, but this makes me HAPPY!

See http://approvereferendum71.org/ for more information. Kathy Reim of PFLAG made an important point in an email today. While many of the votes came from King County, as expected, many did NOT. If you look at the state map and statistics on the Washington State site, you'll see that we got SOME votes in every county, and 30 to 40 percent in many of the rural counties. We are making progress, and this is not a "liberal" issue, or a "city" issue. It is simply a civil rights issue, and WE ALL HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS IN THIS COUNTRY. We just have to get the laws and judicial system to align with our Constitution.

Let's keep working.

President Obama, Please Protect and Uphold the Constitution

Please do what you have sworn to do, twice. A wise commenter on Pam's House Blend says, "If the California Supreme Court rules that the majority has the right, by a simple majority vote, to deprive members of minorities of constitutionally guaranteed rights, it will mark the end of America as a political idea, as a political and philosophic bastion against tyranny."

But the rule of law is not only under attack in California. Right now, rather than appointing a special prosecutor to investigate war crimes under the Bush administration, you are BLOCKING all efforts to bring these criminal up on charges. Do you want them prosecuted abroad? They must be called to account, and it must be here in the United States, and it must be soon, Mr. President. When will you appoint a prosecutor?

NEW: Today's news includes: Spanish Court Considers Trying Former US Officials: Spanish court considers trying former US officials over allegations of Guantanamo torture. This will continue until WE bring them to account.

You have said you would eliminate two of the blights on civil rights of LGBT people, DOMA and DADT (Denial/Defense of Marriage Act and Don't Ask, Don't Tell), two of the worst vestiges of the Clinton presidency. Constitutional scholars agree that DOMA directly attacks the "full faith and credibility" clause of the Constitution. It must be removed! And DADT is slowly eroding our military, based on no solid research -- quite the opposite. The authors of that deeply flawed policy are now calling for its removal, as are many retired Generals. Please move on this quickly.

The Washington Post recently on DOMA: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/20/AR2009032003183.html

I'm deeply disturbed, President Obama, by your slow going on the worst of the civil rights erosions of the Bush era. NO ONE should be held without cause. NO ONE should be subjected to warrantless wiretaps -- ever. NO ONE should be held abroad by Americans, when we can not legally hold them here in this country. Charge the criminals, and let the courts do their work. Get warrants, and let the police do their work. Saying that you will stop doing these things, or changing the labels for the prisoners, will not repair the damage. Only the legal process can do that.

More Immunity Claims on Wiretapping from Obama DOJ: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/4/7/717546/-More-Immunity-Claims-on-Wiretapping-from-Obama-DOJ

Echoing Bush's lies, "we do not torture" -- that is not enough. Those who OK'd and order the torture need to be charged and prosecuted. Only in this way can we protect our nation from tyrants who seek to do what you so nicely SAY, but do not DO -- follow our values, follow our laws, follow our Constitution! Close the prison in Guantanamo, the one in Baghdad, the secret prisons. Expose the truth to the world by allowing the law to disassemble this effigy of tyranny.

I would appreciate readers contributing reputable sourcing.


A guarantee of equality that is subject to exceptions made by a majority is no guarantee at all. - Therese Stewart, San Francisco City attorney, representing plaintiffs, California State Supreme Court, March 5, 2009

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