Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The Ryan Budget Plan

I pay taxes. I receive only the barest minimum of services from the government; fire, police, municipalities, etc., and I do not believe medicare or social security will be there for me when I retire.

That being said, I do not believe that gutting the government will in any way help me personally or the country as a whole. In fact, I think it will hurt me. The wear and tear on my car from broken roads, the danger of traversing the streets on the way to work, and the deterioration of my community and elders, will only make things worse. Any kind of illness will wipe me out. There is no future in the Republican budget plan.

Tax cuts for the Uber Wealthy?
Firing Federal Workers?
Privatizing Medicare?

How does this help the average citizen?

This only helps the absolute wealthiest amongst us. This is what we will get if Mitt Romney is voted into the Presidency. The Republicans are now expanding their war on women onto a new front. We all know they like the two war capability. The Republicans are waging war on Women and the Middle Class. They will crush us if we let them. Please vote.

I live in a blue state...
I don't mind paying my taxes so that the poorest amongst us do not go without basic food and shelter. I get angry that some people abuse the system, but I do not blame everyone receiving assistance for the actions of a few.

It saddens me that it is so hard for people that they need to ask for help. No one wants to live like that. But some people are hurting. Where is the christian spirit in this budget plan. Where is the caring for the poorest and weakest amongst us. What Jesus are the Republicans believing in?

Matthew 25:34-36 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me."


Is this what Jesus will say to the Republicans?

Mark 10:21-22 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

The Republicans only know how to grieve.

Luke 14:12-14 He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

There is no banquet in the Ryan Plan. I hope Paul Ryan does not go to Hell.

Luke 16:19-25 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.

In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.

Yikes! Have the GOP read this lately? What God do they believe in?

Proverbs 21:13 "If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered."


I may even have a little sympathy for the Republicans who use their belief in God as a way to gain political power. He seems to not like that kind of behavior.


Matthew 25:41-45 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least among you, you did not do for me.'"


Is This the same God that these Republicans are saying they believe in? How will they fare in this world and the next if they disobey their God's will. He apparently does not think too highly of the miserly rich.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Ladies…? May I please ask you to vote? Please!?

Can I just say: "WTF!?" I know you have a lot on your plate right now with the whole... errr.... everything. But please ladies, let there be an awakening, a unifying gasp of incomprehension at what these guys, these politicians, are trying to stick in American Citizens in the guise of 'smaller government'. I know my opening here is disjointed. But what I am talking about here is the whole Republican War On Women. It is frustratingly becoming too real to be ignored.

#waronwomen

So Ladies…? May I please ask you to vote? Please!?

I'm a guy. I don't fear transvaginal probing. But the idea of the government forcing you women to undergo unnecessary medical procedures based on the moral precepts of a predominantly morally bankrupt elite power group is a little Orwellian. What’s next? Rats in a cage strapped to our faces?

And, if you do not know who George Orwell is... Go read a damn book!

They used to make 1984, Animal Farm, The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, and other books a part of High School English. I was no Rhodes Scholar... but I do get offended by the lack of critical thinking and the preponderance of double speak that I see in today’s discourse.

If you have not read George Orwell's 1984, please go read it. And if a whole book is too much? At least check out its page on Wikipedia. Cliff notes? Something.

This stuff is getting surreal.

Please America!? Vote these nutjobs out of office! Please?

You know what? In a recent comment section I saw someone post how this kind of stuff made them want to cry and I responded with:
“Don't cry... {:o(

VOTE!

VOTE these Neanderthals out of office, {:op”

But, I had to go back and clarify my statement. I did not disagree with the guttural reaction that person was feeling. I felt it too. When I went to further my comment, I found that I did not have enough room to fully make my point. So, I’m here adding what I think is important. Many others probably do too. But this is just a little slice of the internet. I have no delusions of grandeur or thoughts of fame. I just think there has to be one or two other people out there who believe much like I do. So, in response to my comment about not crying, this is what I wanted to say:

You know what? I take that first part back. It's ok if you want to cry. It is a false machismo that makes me deny my sadness and teariness. I should not project that onto you. And truth be told: This stuff makes me emotionally vulnerable.

I am deeply saddened as well. I grew up in a time that seems to have passed away into memory. I was not old enough to vote when the E.R.A. Amendment failed to get ratified in 1982. But I wanted my mom to vote for it. I wanted to vote for it. And, I hoped my dad would vote for it.

It amazed me that it could not get ratified by the states. The entire text of the amendment was pretty straightforward:

Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

It seemed as if it was becoming less likely to be needed in the following decade, and it slipped out of my mind. But now? Today?

Yeah... it does make me want to cry. What is wrong with this country?

I had a crush on Benazir Bhutto when she was the Prime Minister of Pakistan. I like strong, independent, mindful women. And, as I look back over the last 30 years of history I keep thinking: "What Happened?"

Pakistan, Pakistan! Pakistan had a woman as a leader less than 20 years ago. And now? What the...?

So yeah... maybe it is time to shed a tear for what is being done to women in this world today. But, as we wipe those tears from our eyes can we please remember who put them there? And vote. Vote. Vote. VOTE!

There has never been a more important time for everyone to vote! It is not just a right. It is a responsibility. And, it is the right thing to do!

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Why does ProFlowers hate women?

[EDIT 03-04-2012] Proflowers has decided to drop Rush Limbaugh as an advertising outlet saying they do not support his views. https://www.facebook.com/ProFlowers?sk=wall [End EDIT]

I can't believe ProFlowers is still not dropping Rush Limbaugh. I usually send gifts throughout the year to members of my family who live in other states. I will not spend another penny with ProFlowers or any of their affiliates. And if they don't change course quickly, I may never use them again... EVER!

Carbonite as well. Cloud computing and online storage is the future. But that future will never include any services from Carbonite for me. And, as an IT kinda guy, I will dissuade everyone I can of using them.

For now, my focus is on finding a good replacement for ProFlowers. I can use Amazon or individual retailer gift cards. I am truly offended by the slow action of ProFlowers. If they do not make a public statement soon, I will probably never use them again even if they do drop Rush Limbaugh like a hot rock. I use ProFlowers and some of their affiliates to send gifts to Women. There is no way I could use their service if they support Rush Limbaugh.

Goodbye Proflowers. Your financial support of Rush Limbaugh is reprehensible.

@whttevrr #boycottrush #waronwomen

Also, does anyone know if AOL advertises with his show?

Friday, March 2, 2012

@Whttevrr tweets #boycottrush and here is info from boycottrush.org

[UPDATE] Mitt Romney = Bain Capital = Clear Channel = Rush Limbaugh

Mitt Romney says: "it’s not the language I would have used" [UPDATE]


Rush Limbaugh lambasts single woman for sticking up for other women. His Parent must be proud. Tell the advertisers what you think of the "War On Women" that he is spearheading.

Rush Limbaugh


Go here http://leftaction.com/action/boycott-rush to see the page where you can sign up. 


Sign the petition today, and send them a message.  And make sure to spread the word.  "Share" this on Facebook, and use the hashtag "#BoycottRush" on Twitter.
Here is a list of the companies we believe to be Rush's advertisers. (Note, things are happening very quickly, so we cannot guarantee right now that these are all current advertisers). We will update these as they react to the "Boycott Rush" movement, or confirm they are no longer supporting him.
  • AutoZone (UPDATE: They say that they do not sponsor Rush, and that if a commercial was run, it was in error)
  • Carbonite (UPDATE: They've dropped him!)
  • Citrix (UPDATE: Citrix has pulled their ads!)
  • LegalZoom  (UPDATE: LegalZoom has confirmed with us directly that it is pulling its ads!)
  • LifeLock
  • Oreck (UPDATE: Oreck says it does not now advertise on Rush, but may have had some ads on a while back as part of a broad media buy)
  • ProFlowers: (UPDATE: They've dropped him!  This is a big win, since they had been featuring "Rush Limbaugh discount codes" earlier. Oh. My. God. They are actually featuring "Rush Limbaugh discount codes")
  • Sears: (UPDATE: They say they are not advertisers on Rush)
  • Sleep Train: (UPDATE: Victory! They have pulled their ads! -- source)
  • Sleep Number: (UPDATE: Victory! They have pulled their ads! -- source) 
  • Quicken Loans (UPDATE: Appears to be a victory here too, as they are reportedly pulling ads as well!)
  • TaxResolution