Reason #2: Career Politicians Dialing for Dollars
Over the years, I’ve gotten to know my local congressional representative here in Silicon Valley, Mike Honda. Mike’s a really nice guy, but I’ve never met a politician who isn’t a nice guy. That’s one of the main ways we’ve gotten into this mess. On the whole, Congress’s approval rating is in the single digits. Yet when you ask people if they like their congressman or congresswoman, they say yes because they’re charming, charismatic characters. But that’s exactly the problem. We keep electing likable boobs and expecting them to magically transform into capable leaders once they get to Washington. Congress is chocked full of old boobs now, so it’s no surprise they don’t get anything done. When you have a gathering of old boobs who’ve been around too long, you get sour milk.
Mike Honda is your typical congressperson. He’s a charming fellow, to be sure, but the only reason he bothers to talk to me is because I have a fat wallet. A few years ago, he even invited me over to his home so he could shake me down for a few dollars. His place was being remodeled at the time. As soon as I got in the door, I saw that the design for the work was an absolute disaster. (I’ve spent my entire adult life developing real estate. I know a shoddy layout when I see one.) Mike immediately went into his fundraising pitch, but I interrupted him and started pointing out the problems with the construction he was doing. As I talked, Mike looked around and I swear, it was like he’d never even seen his own house before.
Finally, I asked him if he had been in touch with his architect.
Mike looked utterly lost as he murmured, “I guess I’d better call him.”
After our conversation about his remodel, I tried to discuss the trouble our country is in - the soaring national debt, Social Security’s impending bankruptcy, and our disastrous foreign policy. Mike’s shoulders sagged as I spoke. His eyes glazed over. He was doing his best to seem interested in what I had to say, but it was all an act. I knew he was just humoring me, hoping I would eventually write him a check. Finally, I got so disgusted I walked out of there without giving him a dime.
Our country is in a similar shambles as Mike Honda’s home. It’s not that we don’t have the money or the smarts in this country to make things better. We do. But our politicians aren’t up to the task. On the contrary, their short term thinking is the reason we’re in such a sorry state to begin with. Members of congress like Mike are supposed to be our architects, designing our way forward as a nation. But instead of drawing up blueprints for our long term health as a country, they spend their time hitting corporations and rich guys up for cash so they can win their next election. If I didn’t have a big bank account, he wouldn’t give me the time of day.
Unbelievably, two weeks after I stormed out of his house, Mike called me up for cash again. “I’m dialing for dollars,” he said, completely oblivious to how poorly our last meeting had gone. Can we ever expect a money grubber like that to solve the huge and complex crises we face as a nation? Of course not. Yet we send people like him to Washington again and again.
Mike’s been in public service for more than 38 years. Some might call that long tenure, “experience.” Others might just say it’s one year of experience repeated 38 times. The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and in Mike’s decades in elected office, just about every problem we have has gotten worse, not better. That’s not a good track record. And yet, Mike gets reelected time and time again - not because he’s a capable leader but because the rules are rigged in his favor and he knows how to play the political game.
I never liked the idea of a “career” politician. Frankly, politicians should be working part-time so that it forces them to work on the issues that are affecting our state and this country. They shouldn’t be getting money for poor performance. If they were working for any company, they would be fired. We should be holding our elected officials more accountable to their actions and that includes questioning everything that they do and be the devil’s advocate whenever they come up with a “plan” to improve our economy, education, etc. More importantly, DO NOT ELECT officials just because they are friendly folks! If they cannot do the job, kick them out!
Experience in a field does not mean you can and are doing a good job. Often it means you owe a lot of special interest groups a return om their investment . We have witnessed our Hijacked Goverment just recently payback to the ones that own them.Guided by the hands of Paulson at the Treasury. Bernecke at the Federal Reserve. Both are War Crimminals and crimminals that the RICO Statutes were meant for.
Regardless of the long term effects of our massive debt. Study how events unfolded and have happened.
When the banks pleaded for a goverment bailout. They called their political debts in from Congress. In a flash, under the threat from Bush of martial law. If the banks didnot get their dough. Voila the banks got their debts socialized and profits privatized. With 165 billion in Earmarks, the Bill passed and the banks got their money.And so did the crooks on the Hill. The second time around.Essentally our Congressmen accepted bribes. Pure and simple. If they were not lifetime pissants,inept and corrupt. They would have voted the people’s will. No bailouts.Certainly not in the fashion they were just done in.
Now lets take a look at the bailouts, where our money was used for the benifit of the socialized elite. The often Ivy school graduates that in a real company, would have been fired long ago.
AIG gets bailed out. The terms of the deal were supposed to be available to all Americans. Why, because it was our money and sweat. Can you see the agreement between AIG and the Treasury? Yes and most all of it, a public contract, with the American people. Is heavily redacted.Liars and cheats.
The same for the monies for the banks. Public money, a contract with the people through the agency that serves us, ( BULLSHIT ) is also viewable in a heavily redacted form. Of course we were promised that would not happen. We can’t legally see our deal with the banks on a contract we are the first party to. But the banks got the first 365 billion bucks. Toot Sweet !!!. The second 350 billion dollars was given to them just a day or two after the Inaguration of Obama. With out a fuss. After all lifetime leeches know where they get their blood and and millions from.
Don’t kid yourself. Fat white envolopes, filled with cah do find there way to Congressmen. Congressman Jefferson kept his ill gotten gains in his office and in his extra home freezer.That the FBI found.
Now whether we like it or not we can’t let our auto manufacturing base fail. Yet for a lousy 14 Billion bucks or about 17% of the bank bailouts so far. Congress breaks the balls of the equally inept leaders of the auto industry. They are forced to sell their jets and face deserved humiliation on national TV. Why? To union bust and because auto executives didn’t go to Ivy league schools.
Did Golman Sachs, Bank of America, Citibank and such have to sell their corporate jets or face humiliation on TV? NOOOOO !!!!
Did these banks liquify the M1 and M2 money supply? No, they used some of the bailout money to buy other banks and give bonuses to utterly corrupt fools In their employ.
This is what happens when you have lifetime political operatives. Cause Congress is not filled with Congressmen or Senators. The houses are mostly filled with corporate owned operatives. Ditto for the Offices of Secretaries, of the President.
Speaking of our new President he wants roughly the same amount of money that was given to the utterly corrupt, felonious banks and the employees. To help Americans out of work, in need of healthcare and for a host of projects including infrastructure rehabilitation. That would empoy millions of Americans and upgrade our very tired and worn infrasructure.
But no Congress and certain business groups are breaking his balls over using money, that is ours to begin with to help individuals, small business and improve the state of our infrastructure.
But hell give the banks and insurance companies and their tax free offshore accounts. What they want in a contract that benifits only them.
Until we can take the reins of power, there are things we have to live with. Even if we do not like it for the time being. Money from our tax dollars to benifit us is hassled by these career shits, up on the Hill of Garbage and Corruption.
They must be stopped and tossed out of office. Nancy Pelosi. Have you seen how smug she looks lately. A democratic triple in DC now. That bitch does not even work for the people.
Do you know how her husbands company makes money. If you do.You know why she took Impeachment of Bush and Cheney off the table.
Mr Pelosi makes his millions by supplying this and other nations with the weapons of war. In and for ” Foriegn Entanglements” . Thomas Jefferson and other Founders vehemently were against assholes like her and her husband.
I try not to hate. But I really hate the poisoned motherfuckers on the Hill.Sorry tonite for swearing so much. I’m really pissed. You should be too. These bitches and bastards are really taking us to the cleaners as never before.
LUV YA, WILDCAT
“GOOD EVENING MY FELLOW AMERICANS”.
When you hear those words coming from a Lifetime Leech, it is time to hit the road. Those words uttered by a president or any other politician, means you are going to see and hear a bunch of bat guano. Otherwise known as lies. Do they really fool us? Unfortuately many are fooled and seduced by the appearance of power and of a politician appearing on TV or in person. Or at whoopie, a political rally. Check your wallet when the political event in person or on TV is over. You will find much of your money missing.Many will be clueless that their money is gone. Others will be ” Honey I have no idea where it all went.’ DUH!!!
Maybe Mr. Not So Swift might also add : “Boy sweetie it must be hard being in public office. All those trips to ST. Andrews in England to golf. Boatloads of the best looking and feeling naked hookers you could ever imagine. While you cruise the tropics in a contributers yacht.Great pension, universal healthcare, fine dining and such” I volunteer.
A Republican Democracy is not a spectator sport. If you are not an active CITIZEN in local or another aspect of governance. WE, will get screwed. Go to town or zoning meetings. Learn and once you learn, speak or tender yourself or someone else for ofice.
The reason all us intelligent, educated and hardworking folk get politically screwed,is because you find a reason not to be involved or go to a town meeting. And then you bitch and whine.
Speaking of MY FELLOW AMERICANS, Obama has already proved that he is not the GREAT SAVIOR.
To wit : He cut a deal with the democratic govenor of Illinos to appoint the House seat vacated by democrat, Ron Emmanuel .Obama’s Chief of Staff, with a Republican replacement.
That move is unheard of in the political world..Willfully insulting your party’s workhorses and weaking one’s legislative hand.Such a decision later will ramify into redistricting boundries and monies awarded after the 2010 Federal Census.
A govenor apointing a seat on the Hill to a member of the opposing party. Absolutly sheer madness.Or madness of a sly fox. Obama and his inner team have a plan Moreover the democrats are so close, in both the House and the Senate to achieving the nessasary super majority they need, to pass legislation over the cries of the corporate cronies. Generally more prevelant in the republican party .
So why did Obama do such a mad act and quietly under the radar and out of the corporate owned MSM .
In DC this is a big and crucial term. Plausible Deniability.Remember it and then tuck it in your wallet Having one more republican in the House lowers by a vote, legislation that may benifit the people and not Big Money. Sly move Mr. President
Big Money has owned Obama for a long time and they have had him break many of his campaign promises. Only three weeks into office.Trust me he did not mind swiveling his presidential chair once elected.Radar Love to the money.
When he was running in the primaries he promised on many occasions, to help filibuster the bill that would give the Bush Administration and Telecoms immunity for violating the Fourth Amendment of our Constitution.When the vote came up, the primaries were over and he was the Dems candidate for president.Suprise, suprise, he voted for immunity.
He also promised to vote against the Wall Street Bailout. He declared that he was vehemently opposed to privatetized profits and socialized losses. Before he gave up his Senate seat, he voted for the first promulgated bailout. Two trillion fiat dollars had already gone out of the Fed, between September and November 2008 to banks, pension funds and insurance companies very quietly.
Gotta give the brillant bankers their bonus for losing 8.6 billion dollars in a quarter, like Citibank did.
During the primary season he declared that he was against the illegal renditions of people off the street, to torture centers in Poland, Rumania, Syria and other locations. Many of the rendered, who never saw a lawyer or court were later found to be innocent or a case of mistaken identity. ” Sorry we cut your nads off fella. Well sort of a fella now. ”
This week he signed an Executive Order allowing the CIA to continue the rendition program. Can I get a scholarship to go. Please ?
All Americans communications, domestic and foriegn are still illegally tapped. Run through a series of super computers at the NSA. Looking for patterns of terrorist talk. Or not paying your taxes or phone sex. Phone sex it was discovered late last spring was often put on speaker phone, so NSA employees could get a good laugh.
By charter and law the NSA is not allowed to listen to domestic communications. They must by law turn domestic eavesdropping over to the FBI or other lawfully empowered agency. But they do not and Obama, breaking his word again has allowed this heinious program to go on.
There are over one million people on the American ” No Fly List” . Have you ever heard on the news that the list has caught a terrorist ? No, of course not. Part of the creeping fascism model. Inch by inch you hassle and intimidate the population. Thus gaing more power usurping CITIZENS rights. Bit by bit. For those in the know. It is the slow frog boil.
Geithner now our Secretary of the Treasury. He forgot to pay over 36k in taxes. But unlike Thomas Dashile and that chick that forgot to pay her taxes. Geithner was deemed too intellectually crucial to guide our economic recovery. So the President, IRS and Congress gave him a pass for ” FORGETING ” to pay the taxes. I never got a pass. Have you ?
Ironically it was Geithner and former Bush Treasury Secretary Paulson, when he was Chief at Goldman Sachs in the early 90’s, that invented the Subprime Morgage investment vehicle. Now blowing up in our face.
Why on Gods green earth would you want in your employ, a man partially at fault for our nations biggest financial crime. These two make Madoff look like a lemonade salesman. Crimminy, Geithner comes to us most recently from the Office of the Presidentcy of the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
He blew it there for you and me. Great!!! Corporate Fascism loves him. We are screwed big time!! A loser of that great magnitude is now the head of our money. Lord have mercy upon us.
If we don’t devolop a viable third party soon, we will become a fully Fascist Corportacracy as a nation. They are slow boiling our frog.
HI KIDS :
I suppose I have been busy making my voice heard on this site. The reason, I like this site it alot. it does not pull punches. Nor does it resort to hyperbole. The site uses politicians own words, actions and legislation to show how 99.9% of CITIZENS are getting screwed decade after decade by local, state and federal politcal machinery of the 2 party system.It also offers incipiant answers to the problems we face.
In the month that I have become aware of this important site, I still have not read it all. But as a former OP ED Editor and reporter I have done my fact checking and this site does not need to make up events as other sites do. Goverment now speaks for itself. It speaks very badly of itself on and on the record.
This site is very well layed out and contains a plethora of facts that speak for themselves and are very easily fact checked. Moreover rather than just bitching, it has a game plan for a viable 3rd party for Americans to come to. To begin to end the madness of our hijacked goverment and gross violations of our sacred Constitution and Bill of Rights.
For a viable third party there is some tweaking to be done. But IAC is off to a really good start. The questions are, how will it bring in naturally allied sites editors, publishers and citizens to support of IAC goals and target? So our forces can be a force multiplier, devolop a platform and an easy party name. Outline mutual goals that must be achieved. So we may retake our hallowed place in time and history. Moreover give people a place to really be heard and their desires carried out. The present political leadership must walk the plank. We MUST have canidates, for a a long war and a stategic plan to take local state and federal offices. Bit by bit, year after year.
This member of the Fourth Estate, only wishes it had a copy editor or spell and grammer check for me. When I wrote proffesionally, I could not underestimate the value of the 2 aforementioned components.
NEXT TOPIC :
I was reading a section of IAC a few days ago about Medicare. I really care about Medicare now that I am cruelly Disabled. Cut to the quick, without recourse in my prime. Sucks major. Writing hurts.
The story I am going to recount is from memory. But because it is truthful I do not have to pause to remember how I lied. Like the Lifetime Leeches must do all the time.
” Oh, I will get back to you on that or call my top aide. Yes so we can talk and get our lies congruent.”
In the year 2007 the pharmacutical lobby spent 32% more than in 2006. Big Pharmi in 2007, of the top 20 Big Pharm companies, according to the Center for Public Integrity spent 168 million dollars greasing Congress and the President.
There was a big multi year Medicare Bill up for vote and the vote was going to be close. A few minutes before the vote for cloture, there was a five minute discussion period, that oddly went on for twenty minutes.
Why? Part of the vote was for Big Pharm to continue to place drug bids to individual healthcare companies individually. Rather than as done in the VA, EU and Canada. Bids done on the whole enchalada of the healthcare system.
Smaller diverse bids mean greater drug profits for Big Pharm and higher costs for the elderly and disabled. Who cares about the surviving members of America’s Greatest Generation, that often gave their blood for our nation. Or rehabilitating the Disabled . Let them die due to lack of Meds and healthcare. Then we won’t have to pay anymore Social Security. Let them suffer for an early death. Saves us money. More money to golf on Congressional junkets.
Any how back to the 2007 House vote on Medicare. To take effect January 1, 2008. Knowing such a big vote was coming up in 2007, explains why the huge increase in Big Pharm’s lobby spending in 2007. Another 40+ million dollars was spent on lobbying Congress by the makers of medical machinery. Wheel chairs, portable O2 , walking aides and alike.
Small and rich and influential groups on the Hill working against the needs of 99.9% of Americans. Congressional leaders ate up the money and junkets.. In violation of their Oath and Fiduciary resposibility to their constituents, were ready to vote an extra 460 billion dollars on the backs of Americans.
The extra 460 billion dollars on our backs, was the figure the head House Acturial came up with. The vote was to be close. Especially after the mandate of the 2006 elections. Democrats were supposd to and promised to cover the many little guys and not the lobbyists.
Nonetheless the vote was predicted to pass from 7-11 votes and saddle us with more taxes and less benifits and services.
Then during the five minutes of discussion before the vote, the head acturial approached the leaders of both parties and had revised numbers that the Bill that included enhanced drug costs, would not cost taxpayers an extra 460 billion dollars, but an extra 660 billion dollars. Such an increase if brought to the floor would doom the Bill and golf games at ST Andrews.
Leadership of both parties told the very unpatriotic goverment worker that if he released the new numbers to the House floor, he would be fired the next day.
So to protect his 150K salary and benifits, the leadership in the extra 15 minutes got him to keep his mouth shut. A crime unto itself.
The multi year Medicare bill passed and on January 1st, 2008, my medicine costs rose from December, 2007, between 100% and 330%. Thanks to the leadership of the democrat and republican parties. The Bill passed by 7 votes. Had the real number of 660 billion dollars been released, the Bill would have failed and you and I would have saved a couple hundred billion dollars. Medicare would also be able to bid on meds. like the VA, EU and Canada. More savings. The Big Pharm companies still make billions of dollars in those markets. Albeit the gouging of Medicare recipiants would have ended.
If the beedy eyed, spineless and gutless actuary had released the real numbers and was fired the next day, he would have had great grounds for a lawsuit and bigger job offers from the ACLU and a host of other agencies that investigate goverment fraud.
He had no Patriotism, a sense of what is right and wrong. For his lousy 150K per year he saddled us with hundreds of billions in extra medical costs and individuals having to choose medicine or food. I know what that is like. Crimminal. He should be tarred and feathered at the very least for his cowardice and lack of fiduciary to the American people. Makes me want to puke and then pound the daylights out of that worm. The leadership too.
Lifetime Leeches is to kind a phrase for most of Congress.
Coming soon. You must write your Congressmen and Senators fast on this one.
In the just passed stimulus bill, it is mandated that medical records go paperless and held often in Google servers. Over 660,000 agencies will have rights to peruse your medical history.
Did you know that the CIA helped set up Google and their corporate jet is parked on a nearby military base, close to their offices ?
Oh ” HI ” to all you ABC goverment agencies that stop by.
For many Christians and non- Christians this is the Mark of the Beast.It is certainly time to worry and visit : spychips.com
You recently had an article that stated members of congress have spent over half their lives in one political office or another and 1/3 of them are lawyers. Can you send a link to that article? I can’t find it now.