IM2Opinionated - Common sense views on politics

Sheldon Adelson is working on a deal to develop a Las Vegas style gambling center in Spain (called Euro Vegas) where gambling has been banned for moral reasons.  He has already built an similar gambling center in Macau (People's Republic of China),  which helped Adelson build his wealth of approximately $25 billion dollars.  In Macau, his attempts to manipulate the government have drawn scrutiny from federal and Nevada investigators, but this has not deterred him from moving on with his plans for Spain.  Besides being an apparent manipulation of desperate people and countries, doesn't this all seem apocalyptic?  A man with more money than he, his family or generations of his family could ever spend seeks to accumulate even more wealth.  What is the point of his greed?  If Adelson showed an inordinate amount of philanthropy like Charles F. Feeney or even a more modest amount of philanthropy like Bill and Melinda Gates (which is still extraordinary), ...

So the republicans don't seem to mind Todd Akin's offensive remarks about what he calls "Legitimate Rape".  If they were truly opposed to what he said, why would they now be getting behind his campaign.  The GOP is corrupt and they aren't even good at hiding this fact. While the say their new voter ID laws are to prevent voter fraud, the only cases of fraud being investigated are those created by consulting agencies employed by the RNC.  They continue to promote the idea of Trickle down, while this practice has only led to more inequality and wealth redistribution, which, by the way, they say they are opposed to so adamantly.  The idea of withholding emergency funds after a disaster comes from one of the leaders (Eric Cantor) of the republican party.  Their candidate for president is for lower taxes on the wealthy and higher taxes for the middle class down.  The list goes on and on and on and the republican tactic is to push a bunch of bills that the p...

    If our leaders refuse to take action, we must.  America is falling behind the rest of the world in so many ways it's difficult to name them all, but here are a few:  Our roads and bridges are catastrophes in waiting; poverty is on the rise after decades of supply side or trickle down economics; the banks have taken millions of homes away from families who now live in cars, motels or on the street; we incarcerate non-violent offenders and illegal immigrants at alarming rates that serve only to disenfranchise far too many of our fellow citizens; our laws seem to protect and represent only the most affluent in society more than not and seem immoral upon close scrutiny.  And, all the while, we're all forced to live by the actions of fewer than 600 people, who oftentimes have agendas which are not conducive to a cohesive, fair and compassionate leadership.     We can sit, watch and wait as things continue to get worse for the majority or the...

It is common wisdom that politicians say one thing while meaning another or, as us laypeople call this practice, lie, but there are degrees of not telling the truth. At the, we'll call it, honest end of the dishonesty spectrum, a candidate might leave out a few details or fail to offer information that isn't asked for.  Though this may be kind of like dealing with the Devil, it isn't an outright lie.  Immoral yes, but not a lie.  After exclusion, there is exaggeration, which most people do when relaying an anecdotal story about some adventure or trip they might have taken in the past.  This form of dishonesty comes in useful for tales where the story has ended with "You had to be there".  In these instances a lion, tiger or bear makes a great substitute for the rabbit that chased you after you wounded instead of killing it.  The basic story is real.  It's simply some of the details that are fuzzy . . . like the rabbit. And then there are your w...

It seems to me that far too many people can't think for themselves or discern when a leader is saying something that would prove detrimental to them.  Whether financially, as in giving tax breaks to the rich and raising the tax burden of everyone else or physical, when saying we need to go to war with more countries, it is quite difficult to understand what it will take for certain voters to understand that the GOP is not their friend, let alone a good source for leaders.  Just look who they have put up as the the leader of the party.  Mitt Romney is running on his management skills, but he can't seem to manage his own campaign.  He can't even seem to "Do no harm.", which is all he should have to do given the state of our economy.  As for his supposed management skills, what has he actually managed?  At Bain, he basically bought companies that other people managed and ran up the debt of those companies that were not managed properly and provided support to ...

Here is the latest addition to the R.A.D. Dictionary.  To see other half-serious definitions about politics click on the RAD Dictionary page. Mitt Romney's ID adj People wonder who Mitt Romney really is: Is he a conservative or is he a liberal? He's identified himself as both at one time or another, so here are some of Mitt's IDs: 1. IDK - I Don't Know 2. IDC - I Don't Care 3. IDL - I D Laws or I Don't Lie * - One is an attempt to help him win illegitimately, the other will help him lose legitimately 4. IDM - It Doesn't Matter 5. IDA - I Don't Apologize 6. IDP - I Don't Plan or I Don't Provide * - Depending on whether he's talking about the nation or his taxe Donate on the right or click on an ad to keep this blog going

Is it just me or are there more ants this year than last year? It seems to me that one of nature's tiniest workers is taking back the planet. For years now, maybe even a decade, ants were "Off the Grid". Like the Honey Bee, all ants species seemed to have packed it in and taken an hiatus from Earth or at least those places on Earth normally inhabited by mankind. Now, you could go in search of ants and find them, but if you went throughout your day without thinking about them, ants didn't seem to think about you. This year however, they all might ants (of various types) seem to have come home, both figuratively and literally. We can't seem to clean the house well enough these or lay out enough poison to keep the little buggers from the kitchen, the bathroom and the bedrooms. I think they're here to stay and I'm not the only one who feels this way. Our neighbors have the same issue, which in and of itself does not indicate that we are facing an inva...

In November, American voters have a very clear choice. They can either believe the lies from the Republican Party; lies that include the Republican National Conventions slogan "We Built This". They can fall for the misleading ways in which Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan and most of the GOP describe their vague plans for the economy, health care, the environment, education, domestic energy, taxes, etc. They could bury their heads in the sand and avoid the fact that the Republican platform this year seeks to repeal Roe V Wade and eliminate birth control, medicare, medicaid, increase the cost of college and cause harm that from which the Middle Class may never recover. They could do all of these things, or they could choose to go in another direction. Americans may be disillusioned with Barack Obama, but this should not be the determining factor in their decision this November. What should decide who they vote for in less than three months is which candidate has the best plan f...

The Trickle Down Theory is B.S.

It's strange to think that our country could be on the verge of electing outright liars to the highest offices in the Untied States of America.  Both Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan seem to have allergies related to the truth.  In a sense however, they are less to blame than the people who vote for them, because there really is no hidden agenda with that pair. Both of these leaders have told us all how they intend to screw the majority of the population over.  While, I know that most people who follow politics know this stuff, I will run down some of the biggest whoppers told by the Republican nominee and his sidekick.  Better yet, I'll let you here the lies from the candidates themselves: Now, those who are so adamant about electing Romney should remember the last time they thought they were making the right choice for president.  Bush wasn't that smart, his college grades reflected as much;  Bush was an recovering alcoholic; Everything Bush touched fai...

I think I'll run for President or whatever we'll be calling the highest office in the land by 2020.  I thought about running in 2016, but I believe that America is so complacent that Romney, like Bush, will get two terms in which to sell the farm to the highest bidder. My qualifications in a post Romney, Americorporation are as follows: Good at scavenging. Background in foraging Leanto fabrication Toilet paper fabrication Knowledgeable about poisonous animals and insects. Expert with the Divining Rod. .

The other night, I had the worst dream ever: The smallest of minorities in America had taken over the Government.  Neither party resisted this coup, but the republican party truly embraced the mandate of the rich, which was simply to drain all resources from the country and funnel them to the wealthy.  There was no philanthropic ideology referenced to justify the means used to impoverish 99% of the nation, there was only greed. The weirdest aspect of this dream was that the Majority actually had the power to do avoid the pain and suffering that so many would eventually face, but most people seemed all too content to have their rights taken away as well as their money, homes, joy and liberty.  America was broken and appeared to be broke even though it had the same amount of wealth it always had. Inequality in all facets of life was allowed to grow exponentially because many who thought they were part of the elite assumed that their money, cars and homes were safe....

I don't care which political party you believe in, when policies seem to be mean spirited, you might want  to heed that nagging voice in the back of your head:  That's your conscience telling you that there is a disconnect between what our leaders say and what your morality demands of them. I know that we all have our sinful moments (I know I've had mine), but there's a difference between stealing candy as a child and leaving millions out in the cold.  What I am referring to is the new wave of political leaders who seem to deem all people in need as parasites:  How else could they justify their attempts to cut unemployment benefits, welfare, food stamps, medicare benefits.  How else could they justify a position requiring budget cuts of equal value before any disaster relief funds are to be released ? Most recently, a Congressman named Todd Akins tried to differentiate between what he calls illegitimate and legitimate rape , which would place blame on the vi...

While the U.S. defense budget continues to skyrocket, those who have served our country in the most important way, languish under mounting paper work. Whether their injuries are physical or mental, our veterans deserve the support of the country they defended. We have an able-bodied workforce that is waiting for the opportunity to prove their worth. Let's give the long-term unemployed the chance to help . . . Our servicewomen and men and themselves. That's why I created a petition to The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate, and President Barack Obama. Will you sign this petition? Click here: http://signon.org/sign/help-injured-veterans?source=c.em.cp&r_by=4591239 If you enjoyed today's post, support this blog:  Click on the links and buy       

This is the speech I gave this past Saturday August 18th at Storm Expo 2012. Hello, I would like to address the ways in which politics play a role in hurricane preparedness. Fortunately, we have not experienced any hurricanes in South Florida thus far this year and hopefully, we will be spared this fate for the remainder of the season.   As for believing that we will never be faced with the devastation that a hurricane can cause, no one here is that naive.   The best we can do is to mitigate the potential damage by being as prepared as we possibly can be when the next storm strikes. Having emergency supplies on hand can greatly reduce the pain of loss as well as mean the difference between life and death.   If municipal water supplies are cut off or contaminated, a set aside of five gallons of water can not only provide the sustenance a family may need, but also serve to buoy their spirits until assistance can arrive; If that five gallons runs out, bleach ca...

As voter suppression laws are passed in states where republicans control a majority of all branches of state governments, something occurs to me.  Why are republican voters not standing up in opposition to these illogical, illegitimate and immoral laws?  The obvious answer is that these actions could guarantee a win for their presidential candidate, but there could be another reason:  A reason that has been primarily ignored by the media.  In my humble opinion, I believe that republican voters have remained mum on this matter, because it does not affect them. Why the major news outlets have not  given a voice to this possibility is of less importance than what tolerance of tactics that circumvent our Democracy mean for our country.  This reluctance to stand up for "other" people's rights has been seen throughout history.  It was this attitude of "looking the other way" that allowed the Nazi's to kill so many Jewish people and "others" who did not ...

With the shooting at the Family Research Council, I feel that we are seeing an initial attack against individuals and organizations that have fought for so long to deny the rights of other people, simply because they do not share the same values or have similar lifestyles.  It seems to me that you can only attack certain groups or people who have divergent beliefs and ideas for so long before those who have been victimized lash out against their tormentors. Any individual, group or organization that has deemed it their calling to oppose basic rights to any other group, whether they be gay, black, poor or 'other' in any sense of the word, may want to rethink the logic behind their arguments:  First, denying a gay man or lesbian the right to marry shouldn't even be considered a legitimate pursuit when the economy is falling down all around us.  Secondly, how someone lives their life is that person's own cross to bear or gift to share, depending on what part of the count...

I recently read an article about how those who are supposed to be finding the unemployed work are finding themselves unemployed.  The state referenced in this story was Michigan, where apparently, the job market is improving so much that the state has issued 400 layoff notices to many of it unemployment insurance agents. My first thought was "If these agents get laid off before noon, do they use their lunch time to wait in line to apply for Unemployment Compensation?  After that however, I wondered how state officials in Michigan had determined that the job market had improved to the point that they could feasibly cut back on the staffing of unemployment insurance agencies?  While manufacturing has been making strides towards getting people gainfully employed, it didn't look as if those strides were great enough when I visited Detroit in October of 2011.  Parts of that city looked like it had been bombed out:  Broken windows outnumber those windows that were i...

For anyone who thinks that cutting programs for the poor or, more accurately these days, the working poor, think again. As I drive around town and take note of the various neighborhoods in my city, I can't help noticing that they are all begining to look quite similar; at least in regards to one apesct. Most neighborhoods have "For Sale" or "Foreclosure" signs in front of far too many homes for anyone to think that the Housing Market has recovered or will recover anytime soon. What this means for the other families in these neighborhoods is that their security is that much more compromised:  More homeless people means more desperate people:  People willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Now, add on top of this growing demographic of Americans who have lost their dreams to one big bank or another:  The poor, or working poor who could lose the assistance that "leaders" like Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney seek to take away will have fewer mean with whic...

If you can't remember how bad George W. Bush was, here are some links that should remind us all of what we had to deal with and what we will HAVE to deal with if the "Axis of Evil" or, as republicans refer to them "Romney/Ryan" wins on November 6, 2012.  Click on the links below to read about Bush and then, come back and watch the videos. The 10 Most Awesomely Bad Moments of the Bush Presidency | Alternet George Bush's 20 worst moments R omney’s team starts to look like Bush’s

Two Paths: Ayn Rand's Legacy Before the American public there were two paths that could be taken. One was open to all, accepting of all and sought to help all along their way. The other path only allowed those who were willing to leave their friends, family and all of humanity behind to travel upon it. Though anyone was free to choose which path they would take, only one allowed for an increasing number of travellers. The other narrowed until there were but a few individuals who could maintain their footing and even that number dwindled as the capacity of this path decreased. Though the two paths were so different in the demographics that followed them, they were plainly viewed by all: Those on the growing path noticed the diminishing numbers of people who chose the one which shrank. They were close enough to call out to them, or so they thought, but for some reason, the people on the other path couldn’t hear them. It could have been that they were simply ignoring what th...