86 percent of strident conservatives think the poor ‘have it easy’ Illustrating the deep divide between GOP versus Democratic support for policies most benefiting the poor, a new Pew survey finds that a whopping 86 percent of steadfast conservatives think the poor “have it easy.” Similarly, business-minded Republicans 77 percent and young Republican-leaning adults 81 percent feel the same way.   That sentiment underpins Republican arguments that programs like food stamps and unemployment benefits should be cut because they disincentivize work. And indeed, the same survey finds that at least eight in 10 Republicans from all three aforementioned demographic subgroups … Continue reading 86% of strident conservatives think the poor ‘have it easy’

“Republicans are mad at me for taking these actions. They’re not doing anything and then they’re mad at me for doing something. I’m not sure which of the things I’ve done they find most offensive, but they’ve decided they’re going to sue me for doing my job,” Obama said in his speech at picturesque Lake Harriet…. Obama likes to joke that he is like a bear breaking out of his cage. On Friday, he said Republican inaction “drives you nuts … and it drives me nuts.” “Sometimes I’m supposed to be, you know, politic about how I say things, but … Continue reading Driving Me Nuts…..

This is a continuation from last Saturday of my recent visit to New York City.  As I previously mentioned the reason for the trip was to fulfill a bucket list item for my wife.  This Post is about the people.. … Continue reading NYC… People…

“I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”  – James Baldwin I am so encouraged to read in my Bible that there have always been people of God who have chosen to be prophetic over being patriotic. I am part of a tradition that has always had prophets to speak out against the evils of war, injustice, and poverty. Although I love this country, if I have to choose, I would rather be a prophet than a patriot. I refuse to let my … Continue reading Prophet or Patriot ….

This is a continuation of my Friday posts about the book “Yin/Yang and American Culture” by Kim Eun. It is a book well worth reading about the differences between American and much of the rest of the world. This post is about American Women… “There are two kinds of women in the world: American women and women.” This is a joke among Asian men doing business internationally. American women have been liberated and empowered to such a degree that they belong in a category all their own among the women of the world. Compared with their counterparts in other countries, … Continue reading Yin/Yang and American Culture…. Women

Nobody wants to be called Common People, especially common people.” – Will Rogers, 21 June 1925 Ain’t that the truth Will, even in the 21st century. It is always surprising at how many people claim themselves to be middle-class versus those who really are. According to Wikipedia most researchers put the middle class in two categories: Upper Middle Class – Those are folks who earn an annual income of between $75,000 and somewhere between $100,000 and $200,000 depending on the study. These folks are typically highly-educated (often with graduate degrees), most commonly salaried, professionals and middle management with large work … Continue reading Common People….

The GOP brand has become a foul-tasting stew of wars against women, insults against seniors, alienation of Hispanics, dog-whistle undertones of racism against blacks, abusive congressional hearings and internecine warfare of Republican against Republican. Thank you, Karl Rove. May pundits extol your brilliance and Republicans applaud your sleaze. SOURCE:  Rove, Benghazi Lift Dems | Brent Budowsky. It seems that the Republican party is hell-bent on becoming extinct. Fox News is the face of the GOP for most of us. We know that the median age of viewers of that channel is above seventy years of age. We also know that the viewers … Continue reading The GOP Brand….

This is going to be one of my soapbox posts so be warned. Iraq is back in the news now with the latest insurgence. It seems the Shiite Muslims just don’t want to go down without a fight and the Sunni Muslims who now have most of the power don’t want to give their rivals any breathing room. Civil war is the logical conclusion where one religious group is battling another. History has certainly seen a lot of these type of wars. Let’s flash back to the year 2000 when Saddam Hussein had iron fist control of the country. There … Continue reading The Thing About Iraq….

I heard a comment recently that has stuck to me. It went like this You can’t just say you have rights, you have to use them to prove you have them” I know of so many people who scream about the first amendment right to free speech but then villainize those who speak out against things that they don’t agree with. It seems, at least from their standpoint, that freedom of speech is a one-way street going only the way they go. Some of the most vitriol comments I get on this blog is for saying things that others don’t … Continue reading You Have To Use Them…