Bill Maher speaks the truth.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Democratic Presidential Primary
Democrats are down to 3 candidates to become their 2016 Presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley. Any 3 of them would be better than any of the candidates that the Republicans are fielding. As for which of the three I will vote for in the Presidential primary, I'm honestly still a bit conflicted.
Hillary Clinton seems to be the most qualified of any of the candidates (from either party) to become the next President of the United States. She's highly educated, she has spent 8 years in the White House already (she know first hand the pressures of that office), she spent 8 years as a United States Senator, and she spent 5 years as the United States Secretary of State. On the downside, her favorability ratings are fairly low and her ties to Wall Street are a bit concerning. The demonization she has faced from the right over the years has been non-stop, whether criticisms of her are true or not (mostly not), they have taken a toll.
I've been a huge Bernie Sanders fan for years, I agree with him on most of the issues and I do think that we need a revolution to shake things up and get us back on the right path and that Bernie is probably the best candidate to do that. Bernie has been campaigning for single payer healthcare, campaign finance reform, climate change legislation, sentencing reform, voting rights, drug legalization, affordable college, saving Social Security, and many other issues that I feel very strongly about. He's also railed against income inequality, Citizens United, unfair trade deals, and the Oligarchs. Those are all issues that today's Democrats value, Hillary Clinton seems by many to still be stuck in the 1990's. Times change. I could see some disaffected anti-establishment Republican voters supporting Sanders too once they hear his message and are faced with having Donald Trump as their candidate. On the downside, there may be some concerns over how he'd handle the military and foreign policy in what has become some very dangerous times. You also have to know that many Republicans would love to bludgeon him with the "Socialist" label. Lastly, you have to ask how he would get any of his legislation passed in a time of such extreme partisan gridlock.
Martin O'Malley honestly would probably make the best Democratic candidate. He's got legislative experience as Mayor of Baltimore and as Governor of Maryland. He has a track record of success. He passed same sex marriage legislation, gun control legislation, eliminated the death penalty and reduced crime in his time as Governor of Maryland. He hasn't excited anyone though and he's not really someone who people would be racing out to the polling stations to vote for and that's probably too bad because he's a worthy candidate.
In summary, I will be voting for whichever of these 3 candidates is left standing come November.
Hillary Clinton seems to be the most qualified of any of the candidates (from either party) to become the next President of the United States. She's highly educated, she has spent 8 years in the White House already (she know first hand the pressures of that office), she spent 8 years as a United States Senator, and she spent 5 years as the United States Secretary of State. On the downside, her favorability ratings are fairly low and her ties to Wall Street are a bit concerning. The demonization she has faced from the right over the years has been non-stop, whether criticisms of her are true or not (mostly not), they have taken a toll.
I've been a huge Bernie Sanders fan for years, I agree with him on most of the issues and I do think that we need a revolution to shake things up and get us back on the right path and that Bernie is probably the best candidate to do that. Bernie has been campaigning for single payer healthcare, campaign finance reform, climate change legislation, sentencing reform, voting rights, drug legalization, affordable college, saving Social Security, and many other issues that I feel very strongly about. He's also railed against income inequality, Citizens United, unfair trade deals, and the Oligarchs. Those are all issues that today's Democrats value, Hillary Clinton seems by many to still be stuck in the 1990's. Times change. I could see some disaffected anti-establishment Republican voters supporting Sanders too once they hear his message and are faced with having Donald Trump as their candidate. On the downside, there may be some concerns over how he'd handle the military and foreign policy in what has become some very dangerous times. You also have to know that many Republicans would love to bludgeon him with the "Socialist" label. Lastly, you have to ask how he would get any of his legislation passed in a time of such extreme partisan gridlock.
Martin O'Malley honestly would probably make the best Democratic candidate. He's got legislative experience as Mayor of Baltimore and as Governor of Maryland. He has a track record of success. He passed same sex marriage legislation, gun control legislation, eliminated the death penalty and reduced crime in his time as Governor of Maryland. He hasn't excited anyone though and he's not really someone who people would be racing out to the polling stations to vote for and that's probably too bad because he's a worthy candidate.
In summary, I will be voting for whichever of these 3 candidates is left standing come November.
Friday, January 29, 2016
Thursday, January 28, 2016
POTpourri
- 2015 was the hottest year in recorded history.
- Are you familiar with the failures of limited government?
- I don't understand why "American Crime" didn't hire a new cast.
- Democrats are not very fond of Donald Trump.
- Carly Fiorina campaign has been illegally coordinating with her super PAC.
- We really do need to end the scourge that is gerrymandering.
- Remember when Republicans were considered conservationists?
- RIP Glen Frey, Abe Vigoda, Alan Rickman & Dan Haggerty.
- I should probably know Kerrie McMahon better.
- Don't buy into the rights Labor Participation Rate talking point.
- Is Michael Bloomberg going to mount a third party run for President?
- The 2016 Academy Award nominations have been named.
- I love watching Carly Fiorina interviews.
- Republican Presidential candidates continue to live in an alternate universe.
- Yes, the Bundy's should be charged for their standoff.
- Did Putin approve of murder? Probably.
- Richest 62 people control more wealth than 3.5 billion people.
- National Review goes all in against Donald Trump.
- Can we stop with all of the reparations talk already.
- Texas Grand Jury indicts makers of anti-Planned Parenthood videos.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
AZ Tidbits
- Pot legalization measure on track for 2016 ballot in Arizona.
- Could Arizona State lose their offensive coordinator already?
- Arizona is not a great place to be poor.
- Doug Ducey set to shame deadbeat dads.
- Arizona Sheriff's opposed to border strike force.
- Coyotes trade John Scott & Stefan Elliott.
- 5 star point guard Kobi Simmons commits to Arizona.
- Arizona GOP group votes to support anyone but McCain.
- Why does Doug Ducey keep turning his back to education?
- Arizona democrats are finally acting like an opposition party.
- More people die by guns than cars in Arizona.
- Loop 101 widening construction update here.
- Arizona ranks low for tax burden.
- Five of El Chapo's gun arsenal were purchased in Arizona.
- Apparently, the Diamondbacks want an upgrade at second base.
- Phoenix not ranked highly as a future ready city.
- ASU commit N'Keal Harry now ranked #1 WR in the county.
- Arizona's reliance on corporate tax cuts will be it's ruin.
- Winslow remembers singer that made them famous.
- Normal marijuana users are treated like junkies in Arizona.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Sunday, January 24, 2016
NFC Championship Game
Panthers 49, Cardinals 15
The Cardinals season came to a close today with a crushing 49-15 loss to the Panthers in the NFC Championship game. The Panthers were clearly the better team in this game, it was a thorough thrashing, they deserve a trip to Super Bowl 50. It was a fun season of watching the Cardinals though, at least up until this point, they were a highly entertaining bunch, so not all was lost.
Observations:
The Cardinals season came to a close today with a crushing 49-15 loss to the Panthers in the NFC Championship game. The Panthers were clearly the better team in this game, it was a thorough thrashing, they deserve a trip to Super Bowl 50. It was a fun season of watching the Cardinals though, at least up until this point, they were a highly entertaining bunch, so not all was lost.
Observations:
- Cam Newton has become quite the weapon. MVP.
- The Cardinals stars did not shine today.
- Carson Palmer hasn't been the same since he hurt his index finger.
- David Johnson was one of the few Cardinals who came to play today.
- Today was the worst that I saw the Cardinals offensive line look this season.
- Carson Palmer looked jittery once again this week.
- Even Larry Fitzgerald was dropping passes.
- Shouldn't a blow to the QB's head be a roughing penalty?
- Patrick Peterson got greedy on that punt return. It proved very costly.
- The Cardinals defense seemed to really miss Tyrann Mathieu.
- Turnovers: Cardinals 7, Panthers 1
- Total Yards: Panthers 476, Cardinals 287
- Time of Possession: Panthers 36:39, Cardinals 23:21
- The Panthers feel like a team of destiny.
- It was a quiet game for Calais Campbell & Dwight Freeney.
- Not much went right for the Cardinals today.
- I didn't think it was possible to like Ted Ginn Jr even less.
- Cam Newton has got an absolute cannon of an arm.
- I predict the Panthers to beat the Broncos in Super Bowl 50.
- Up next? 2016 NFL Draft on April 28. Needs: CB, DL, OL, LB & QB
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Friday, January 22, 2016
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Benghazi Questions
With the opening of the movie "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" over the weekend there have been a lot of Benghazi questions floating around the media once again. Well, I have questions too, perhaps someone can help me out.
- Is it possible that Republicans fixation on Benghazi could perhaps have something to do with the fact that Hillary Clinton is running for President?
- Haven't 7 Benghazi probes already cleared Hillary Clinton of any wrongdoing?
- When Republicans voted to cut funding for embassy security, did it not occur to them that perhaps they were increasing the odds of an embassy attack?
- Why no outcry and call for a special investigation by Republicans when there were 13 embassy attacks and 60 deaths under the watch of George W. Bush?
- Why no outcry and call for a special investigation by Republicans when thousands of Americans died in the attacks of 9/11?
- Why no outcry and call for a special investigation by Republicans when it was learned that George W Bush and Dick Cheney had lied us into a war in Iraq that cost thousands of lives (on both sides of the conflict) and cost billions of dollars?
- Why no outcry and call for a special investigation by Republicans when 261 Americans were killed in a terrorist bombings in Beirut under Ronald Reagan's watch?
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Monday, January 18, 2016
Republican Economics
From what I can tell, Republicans answer to improving the economy has three basic tenants: 1) tax reform, 2) spending cuts, 3) deregulation. In theory, they say this will unleash the chains that are slowing economic growth.
Let's take a closer look.
Tax Reform - In Republican parlance, this means tax cuts, more specifically tax cuts for the rich. It doesn't matter that tax cuts to the rich have not worked in the past, it's part of their DNA and it's easy to sell. In reality, going back to the huge tax cuts of Ronald Reagan, all they have done is explode the debt and increase income inequality. There is evidence upon evidence upon evidence proving the fallacy that tax cuts to the rich will trickle down to everyone else yet they keep peddling this non-sense. Fact is, Bill Clinton raised taxes and the economy improved, Barack Obama raised taxes and the economy improved, California & Minnesota raised taxes and their states thrived. Do we really need more tax cuts for the rich?
Spending Cuts - Republicans love talking about the debt and the deficit, they especially love blaming them on Democrats and their free spending ways. Fact is, the debt exploded under Ronald Reagan and George W Bush, and went down under Bill Clinton. While the debt has increased under Barack Obama, the deficit has decreased dramatically. I know it's easy to blame Obama for the current debt, but that's lazy thinking, he inherited a mess (including 2 unfunded wars) and has faced unprecedented obstruction in his attempt to address those issues. Back to spending cuts, all you have to do is look to Europe to see how all of their austerity measures have failed to improved the economies of the countries there. You don't cut spending to stimulate the economy, you increase spending, you get money flowing. Infrastructure spending is a great example, don't think for a second that an infrastructure spending bill wouldn't have created thousands of jobs and stimulated growth (at low interest rates to boot).
Deregulation - Republicans like to argue that U.S. businesses are overburdened by undue regulations that stymie growth and innovation. That may be true but unfortunately an economy without regulation is also an economy ripe for abuse. Didn't we learn anything from the recent economic calamity? You can directly trace the recent recession (near depression) to the deregulation of the financial industry. Lack of regulation allowed Duke Energy to contaminate the drinking water in North Carolina. Lack of regulation allows oil companies to leak oil near everywhere. Do you really want to live in a world where there are no checks and balances on the food we eat or the water we drink? Deregulation benefits nobody but the conglomerates that propose them.
So in conclusion, please keep the above in mind if you are voting Republican due to economic issues. Also, keep note that the economy historically has done better under a Democratic administrations.
Let's take a closer look.
Tax Reform - In Republican parlance, this means tax cuts, more specifically tax cuts for the rich. It doesn't matter that tax cuts to the rich have not worked in the past, it's part of their DNA and it's easy to sell. In reality, going back to the huge tax cuts of Ronald Reagan, all they have done is explode the debt and increase income inequality. There is evidence upon evidence upon evidence proving the fallacy that tax cuts to the rich will trickle down to everyone else yet they keep peddling this non-sense. Fact is, Bill Clinton raised taxes and the economy improved, Barack Obama raised taxes and the economy improved, California & Minnesota raised taxes and their states thrived. Do we really need more tax cuts for the rich?
Spending Cuts - Republicans love talking about the debt and the deficit, they especially love blaming them on Democrats and their free spending ways. Fact is, the debt exploded under Ronald Reagan and George W Bush, and went down under Bill Clinton. While the debt has increased under Barack Obama, the deficit has decreased dramatically. I know it's easy to blame Obama for the current debt, but that's lazy thinking, he inherited a mess (including 2 unfunded wars) and has faced unprecedented obstruction in his attempt to address those issues. Back to spending cuts, all you have to do is look to Europe to see how all of their austerity measures have failed to improved the economies of the countries there. You don't cut spending to stimulate the economy, you increase spending, you get money flowing. Infrastructure spending is a great example, don't think for a second that an infrastructure spending bill wouldn't have created thousands of jobs and stimulated growth (at low interest rates to boot).
Deregulation - Republicans like to argue that U.S. businesses are overburdened by undue regulations that stymie growth and innovation. That may be true but unfortunately an economy without regulation is also an economy ripe for abuse. Didn't we learn anything from the recent economic calamity? You can directly trace the recent recession (near depression) to the deregulation of the financial industry. Lack of regulation allowed Duke Energy to contaminate the drinking water in North Carolina. Lack of regulation allows oil companies to leak oil near everywhere. Do you really want to live in a world where there are no checks and balances on the food we eat or the water we drink? Deregulation benefits nobody but the conglomerates that propose them.
So in conclusion, please keep the above in mind if you are voting Republican due to economic issues. Also, keep note that the economy historically has done better under a Democratic administrations.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
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