Realities in America and the Budget...

Let's face it...America has some BIG financial issues.  The bulk of us, (and I say 'us' because I land in the lowest income percentile), have absolutely no clout with our elected representatives.  Eighty percent of all constituents are in that genre.  The remaining 20% of the individuals in this country, including everyone in Congress, are the elite with the resources to lobby the government, get elected,  pass legislation, earmark pet projects or slash budgets.  SO...Short of an armed revolt, what possible incentive would ultra-wealthy elected officials have to seriously listen to OUR input?  Look at these facts about our country:

1.  Only 13% of Adults in this country "can perform complex and challenging literacy activities" (i)  Maybe this fact explains the next eight...
2.  80% of the people control only 7% of the wealth. (a)
3.  1% of our population (the ultra wealthy) control $16 trillion (c) and have a lot of discretionary spending.  They ARE the GDP!  While the bulk of us can only afford to buy essentials, their unincumbered spending habits show positive results for the whole country! 
4.  "The top 10% have 80% to 90% of stocks, bonds, trust funds, and business equity, and over 75% of non-home real estate.  Since financial wealth is what counts as far as the control of income-producing assets, we can say that just 10% of the people own the United States of America." (a)
4.  There are 261 millionaires in Congress, 55 of those have a net worth in excess of $10 million.  The 435 Representatives have a median wealth of $765,010 while the 100 Sentators average a whopping $2.38 million! (e)
6.  91.9% of American's receive NO inheritance.  The Estate Tax "...brings in about $245 million a year to local governments and about $60 million a year to the the state" in critical revenue (h).  BUT...18 ultra wealthy families "have helped finance outside groups that have spent millions on fear-mongering ad campaigns intended to sway public opinion against the estate tax." (b)  Thanks to their friends in the Halls of Congress, it's working!  Wouldn't it be nice to get our minimum taxable income raised from $5.00 to $100,000?  Anyone listening?
7.  There were over 900 Faith-Based Earmarks in excess of $318 million from 1989 till 2007 in the budget. (f)  More than half of them were granted in 2004 during the Bush administration.  I don't want my tax dollars spent this way!  Now, again, Republicans are pushing multiple legislations involving social and religious issues.  One of them, abortion, nearly shut down the government last week and the lunatics are still refusing to sign the compromise!  Maybe that is the reason SOCIAL ISSUES SHOULD NOT BE LEGISLATED!
8.  Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, "...blamed the Bush administration for leaving a trail of unpaid bills that created the current fiscal mess." (d) Yet, in one of their many ploys to get back into the White House, Republicans' are still laying our current crisis directly on President Obama.  Instead of focusing on the real problems facing this country and its budget, it is politics as usual.
9.  The U.S. debt limit is $14.3 Trillion! (g) OMG! The treasury must borrow money every month to pay our obligations.  If we cannot significantly slice our budget, that limit will be reached in the next few months.  Look at it this way...Your bills total $3000 per month.  You only bring home $2500.  Your credit cards are maxed out.  You have no savings and no one will loan you money.  Can we say bankruptcy?

While the bulk of the 80 percentile are content to have enough money to pay bills, buy food and still have something left for entertainment, most wealthy people only want to get richer.  Getting into politics is very lucrative.  That's OK.  Go out and get elected!  It's a rich man's game and some people have more talent in this area than others.  Who cares!  BUT...we expect adherence to the Constitution, legislation beneficial to everyone and a job well done!  The point is, most of our elected officials are not producing!

They live in a world unencumbered by normal limitations.  Nothing is beyond their reach.  They either purchase what they want, pass legislation making it possible for them to get it, sweet talk a comittee into suggesting an agency fund it or have a lobbyist provide it as a gift.  Nothing seems to satiate their hunger for more.  I really believe the whole concept is like a huge game to them.  Like all athletes they want to win.  For some, cheating, telling lies and unethical behavior become second nature.  Whatever fuels the Washington scene, it needs to be refocused!

Personal agendas should be secondary to fixing our country's problems.  Without bi-partisan cooperation, our educational system will continue to decline, welfare will gobble up the budget, Medicare will never be fixed, unemployment will continue to grow, millions will not have good healthcare and Social Security will go broke.  Quit trying to pad your pockets, help out your friends, manipulate social agendas and backstab your opponents.  Forget party rhetoric and get the job done!  Our patience is long past thin...   


a:  http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html
b:  http://www.faireconomy.org/files/pdf/millions_billions.pdf
c:  http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2007/01/08/plutonomics/
d:  http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/taxes/in-a-3-8-trillion-budget-pork-is-hardly-the-biggest%20problem/19341731/
e:  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20023147-503544.html
f:  http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/13/business/13lobby.htmlg. 
g:http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/01/29/senate_increases_federal_borrowing_limit/
h: http://www.plunderbund.com/2011/04/12/is-the-estate-tax-repeal-dead/
i:  http://nces.ed.gov/naal/kf_demographics.asp#1

Quick Fix...

It was a last minute squeaker!  Thank you President Obama, Senator Harry Reid and Representative John Boehner!  Rumors are the unconstitutional policy riders won't make it through.  I'm holding my breath.  When fanatics are involved, our Constitution is still at risk of getting raped.

I guess it's wait and see what gets cut.  I'm hearing Medicare and Medicaid may get big hits.  I will agree, the corruption needs to be sliced out of these systems but defunded?  Not good.  God!  I can look out my front door and see what's wrong with the latter!  BUT...Look to insurance companies and medical providers if you want to fix Medicare!

We all know, huge reductions need to be made in our budget.  Let's be reasonable.  Cut the pork first, Congressional budgets next, then slice away in order of misery produced.  NOTE:  Our representatives need to live in the real world and not have the audacity to go for our jugulars before their own...

Deaf Ears Still Reign in Washington!

Deaf ears still reign in Washington!  Even though America is screaming for resolution, only hours remain before our government shuts down.  For what!?

MONTHS AGO, the Republicans demanded the Democrats cut an additional 30 Billion Dollars from our federal budget in order for them to not block its passage?  Guess what?  After the cuts were made, the Republican's reneged.  LIARS!  Like a dishonest business, they took that money and demanded more for their product (our Budget)!

And the Grand Old Party harps on MORALS?  Where are theirs?  As soon as they got what they wanted, the GOP began leaching unconstitutional policy riders concerning abortion and other social issues to the deficit reduction bill.  It is virtually impossible for it to pass under these circumstances.

The Republican Party and its influx of Tea Party radicals are going to bring America to its knees with their self-righteousness and insane comittment to HR-1! Call your representative now and protest.  Tell them to 'NOT SHUT OUR COUNTRY DOWN!'

REMEMBER...The United States is the epitomy of diversity. For that reason, elected officials CANNOT legislate moral issues without trampling the rights of millions.

Republicans Push Their Morality to the Brink...

It's after midnight, early Friday morning.  After forcing myself to pick up CNN's latest feedback, I am sadly heading to bed.  The Republican tricksters and aficionados of deception and half truths are still attempting to cover their moralistic bombardment of our Constitution under the ruse of cutbacks in the budget.  The results can only be disastrous!

Who brought us to this point?  It was Baby Bush and the Republican controlled houses of Congress.  They dumped their myriad of nightmares onto President Obama's shoulders and are attempting to turn the spotlight away from this fact through subterfuge and moral shaming.  They've done it before!  So the phrase 'Moralistic Republicans' is a great example of an oxymoron!

Prior to President Obama, Bill Clinton was our last Democratic President.  During his time in office, this country was able to flourish.  Positive strides were being made toward the future.  The Republicans couldn't fault his results so they went after him personally.  In an unprecedented assault, they carried out a remorseless character assassination on a sitting President and his private life.  Sadly, America allowed them to get away with it and the Bush nightmare began...

Well guys, they are up to their old dirty tricks...reaching their goals no matter who suffers.  Will we never learn?

LET'S IMPEACH THEM!

Why have a Constitution in the United States of America when the religious fanatics hold THEIR TENETS above all others!?  They have muscled their way into the halls of Congress, their scissors snipping away at this sacred document.  Déjà vu!  McCarthyism...Prohibition.  Our history is riddled with do-gooders trying to force feed their agendas on every American. 

Guarantees for unalienable freedoms, endlessly debated by our Forefathers and finally penned into the foundations of this sovereign state, have been defended by the blood of our countrymen for over 200 years.  Diverse as we are, our ability to put personal feelings aside for the good of this great nation has made us unique!  NOW!  AGAIN!  Some groups think it is just fine to interject their morals on everyone!?

Every Congressman signs an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States.  The proof of their fanaticism is the fact these misfits are getting ready to shut down our government in lieu of their personal religious beliefs and they do not care...

As a citizen, I invoke my right to hold them responsible for ignoring that promise!  IMPEACH THEM and put someone in office who reveres the guarantees we have been afforded...

Fannie Mae Exec's Make Big Bucks ON MY BACK!

Good morning everyone!  Just got off the phone with Congressman Marchant's and Senator Cornyn's offices.  It's been two weeks since anyone contacted my husband and I concerning our mortgage debacle.  Although the timing factor involved in our Fannie Mae issue has always been a pressing point in our interaction with our 'elected' reps' representatives, (we doubt the honorable gentlemen have ever been made privy to our problems), neither Senator Cornyn's or Kenny Marchant's guys seem the least bit concerned at the turtle pace things are progressing. 

In our conversation this morning, Mr. Clifton, Senator Cornyn's go-between, said he was going to give it 30 days!  Asking him to follow up  was like issuing him a mandate to have a root canal.  Although he finally did agree to call them today, he said their response may not be for a couple of weeks!  I felt like a starving peasant, on my knees, in front of a glutonous monarch, begging for a pittance of bread!  Somethings not right about this whole process!

I am beginning to see a lot of the 'wax build up' blocking our representatives' hearing is the layers of multiple assistants.  OMG!  How many deaf ears do I have to penetrate!

But I'm rambling...AGAIN.  Sorry...

A friend, knowing our plight, called yesterday and referred me to a news piece she had read about the outrageous compensation Fannie and Freddie executives are getting.  Sure enough, I check it out and immediately became very, VERY, VVEERRYY ANGRY!

Over 150 BILLION of our tax dollars, (which we all know is as worthless as yesterday's garbage), was used to bail out the big F's when the government took over their operations back in 2008.  To add injury to insult, their top six executives made in excess of $34 MILLION in 2009 and 2010 and they did NOT meet their performance targets! (c)  If they had, the top execs would have gotten more!  This information and the following excerpt was taken from an article by Ben Rooney, April 1st, 2011. (a)  

"He (Steve Linick) also said the agency lacks "key controls" needed to monitor the ongoing compensation decisions under the companies' current approved packages."     Mr. Linick,  the inspector general for the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), was testifying at a Congressional hearing about these abuses when he made this comment. 

WELLLLLLLL...This picture is nauseating at the least.  A bunch of elected officials with deaf ears approved a bail out with OUR TAX DOLLARS of two privately traded companies responsible for raping the American financial system, have little control over their astronomical compensations, allow them to set regulations that denied my husband and I a measley reduction in our interest rate (not a bail out!), THEN let them take all the time in the world to respond to our life altering dilemma.

"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the atmosphere."  Thomas Jefferson, letter to Abigail Adams, February 22, 1787 (b) ...Where's my gun...!?

a:  http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Fannie-Freddie-blasted-for-cnnm-929354837.html?x=0 
b: http://www.marksquotes.com/Founding-Fathers/Jefferson/index8.htm 
c: http://www.fhfaoig.gov/webfiles/98/Press%20Release,%20Excecutive%20Compensation%20(March%2031,%202011).pdf   

Diversity...

Watching the almost rain dampening the air in the coolness of this morning, thoughts drifted to members of my own family.  How different we all are...amazing!  Rooted in the same family tree, in-laws, out-laws, extended families, we are a conglomeration of human beings as diverse as the world we live in.  Family reunions are anything but boring!

As I continued my repose, the multi-faceted layers of my family and the diverse makeup in our country became more apparent.   OMG!  We ARE Americans and truly unique!  These words soon spilled out of my gray cells, so I thought I would share them...

I am thrilled you've found your niche in this world...

It’s just not the same as mine.

I’m happy you have faith in your God…

However, dissimilar your beliefs are to my own.

I'm thankful His grace gives you peace...

But I, also, am content with my life.

It gives me comfort you pray for my soul…

By so doing, I know deep down you care.

I listen to the words that you whisper…

And understand your intentions are good.

I respect you for honoring your beliefs…

But I expect the same in return.

I hope His promises come to fruition...

But I have no expectations in death.

So I am grateful our lives are intertwined

Where diversity breeds introspection.

Where two people can believe what they want

And still live together as friends.

 

Let's Talk About the Ninth Amendment...It's Part of the Bill of Rights!

The Ninth Amendment reads, "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."  Wow!  Although all those unalienable rights mentioned in the Declaration of Independence are not listed separately in the Bill of Rights, number nine is our guarantee we still have them!  So, let's talk about the roots of number nine...

In 1787, members of the Constitutional Convention only agreed to ratify our Constitution if its powers were limited by a series of exceptions guaranteeing the 'fundamental principles of human liberty.' (a)  A huge gap had to be compromised between two groups with opposing views on how to accomplish that task.  Primarily everyone was trying to reinforce the tenet '...that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights...'

One side believed to avoid government encroachment into our freedoms these guaranteed rights needed to be written down in the form of amendments.  The other, including James Madison, disagreed.  He summed up their concerns when he asked, "If an enumeration be made of all our rights," he queried, "will it not be implied that everything omitted is given to the general government?" (b)  Remember...both sides were attempting to achieve the same goal, but from different directions.

The stalemate was finally broken.  Everyone agreed the delegates of our first Congress would be mandated to introduce a number of legislative articles creating the guarantees both sides were insisting on having.  In 1789, James Madison did just that.  As a result, the first ten amendments to the Constitution were adopted and have become known as 'The Bill of Rights'.

Although most citizens are familiar with other amendments addressing freedoms of speech, right to bear arms, self-incrimination, etc., number nine was the heart of the compromise.  It is an umbrella guaranteeing all those unpenned freedoms James Madison feared would be trampled on by government intervention simply because they were not listed.

Sadly, after two centuries, these freedoms are still under seige.  Today, Christians and other elements in our country are attempting to legislate their personal morals on ALL the People.  They are quick to point out the 'religious' men who wrote the Constitution would be on their side today, backing legislation against abortion and many of their other personal beliefs.  Wrong!

In a time when most Americans were Christians, representatives from the 13 colonies had the clarity to see governments and churches must be separate in order to survive in a country alike in so many ways yet diverse in so many others.  According to a sentiment expressed by Patrick Henry, "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here." (c)   Luckily, his thoughts prevailed...

In summary, our citizens should be thankful some very religious men, with deep rooted convictions, put aside their personal sentiments and forged a government out of the diversity of a fledgling, war-torn nation.  And what was their first battle in their first Congress?  They made sure the powers of our Constitution could not trample on the rights guaranteed to every American citizens.  To eliminate any doubt that these freedoms were not limited only to those listed, they included the Ninth Amendment.  It remains there today in its shadowy repose, teeth barred, against all intruders attacking our unpenned, unalienable rights. 

Our sitting Congressional representatives need to be reminded of this history, their oath to uphold these guarantees and the melting pot they serve...for in their forgetfulness, lies the destruction of this nation...

a:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights
b:  http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/9th+Amendment
c:  http://www.brainyquote.com/

Out of the Mouth of Babes...

Yesterday the news was airing on TV when my grandchildren were visiting.  My exceptionally bright 7-year old asked, "Gram, what's a pro-lifer?"  Evidently, some reporter was giving his take on the subject and she didn't understand the whole point of his discourse.

Anyone who reads my blog knows this subject matter gives status to the hairs on the back of my neck, BUT, I also am a big believer in giving children facts and letting them come to their own conclusions.  After a 30 second simplified definition of the phrase, she seemed satisfied and went back to drawing. 

As I set watching the latest charactercher of her best friend, I had an epiphany.  EVERYONE is pro-life and NO ONE is pro-abortion.  Let me explain like I would to my 7-year old granddaughter...

People prefer life to death unless there are some serious mental issues involved, so EVERYONE is pro-life.  However, no one wants an abortion.  That's like saying pro-appendectomy or pro-colonoscopy...YECH!  An abortion is an invasive medical procedure just like hundreds of others performed routinely throughout the medical world.  So NO ONE is pro-abortion!  Who wants surgery?!

ANNNNNDDDDD one thought leads to another...Can you imagine!?  ANY medical procedure requires the person to sign a release for surgery because...?  Yes!  An invasive procedure performed on one's body is a personal decision.  OMG...What if our U.S. Congress starts passing legislation limiting who can and cannot choose to have surgery?  OOOOOOPS...

My bad...My bad...Let's hope a band of like thinkers don't decide a pollup is God's way of punishing human beings for their bad eating habits, gain political clout and...well...catch my drift?

Ongoing Saga with Our Mortgage...

Yeah! For Senator Cornyn's office here in Dallas!  They responded to my fax dated March 21st with a letter tailored to my problem!  I am impressed, but most of all pleased.  Hopefully, this trend will continue and accomplish some favorable outcome.  The information requested in his correspondence has already been provided to the Senator. 

After calling Rep. Marchant's aide this afternoon, he seems to be in a wait and see pattern with Fannie Mae...something about a slow moving bureaucracy.  The problem is, if we wait too long, someone will see us on the welfare rolls or living in a tent under the Trinity River bridge... 

Fannie Mae needs to get off their...fanny?