Having My Say2 Comments

Compassion And The GOP….

RJ Walters

I admit I have only been keeping half an eye open of all this garbage going on with the shut-down and default threats  made by the Republicans in congress. One thing I have been watching is to see if there is any compassion being shown by any of those folks there from the GOP and quite frankly I have found almost nothing there that resembles compassion in any of their actions and words.  I wonder if this is typical of their base and those who consistently vote to return them to office? As a matter of fact I find mostly … Continue reading Compassion And The GOP….

Philosophical Thoughts8 Comments

Hating The Poor….

RJ Walters

“Americans react to the poor with disgust,” said Susan Fiske, professor of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University and the originator of the neuroimaging tests. She has studied attitudes toward the poor for a dozen years. “It’s the most negative prejudice people report, greater even than racism,“ Fiske stated. No doubt part of that response is aesthetic. Some of those who are very poor – especially those living on the streets – smell bad and are unkempt and shabbily dressed. But a deeper part of the response is moral. The poor are stripped of value in the eyes of … Continue reading Hating The Poor….

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Being a Bigot….

RJ Walters

Bigot — noun — a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own Prejudiced — adjective — being biased or having a belief or attitude formed beforehand I know that people are very much offended when you call them a bigot or say they are prejudiced. They usually counter with “Oh I am no such thing!!!” But in reality aren’t we all bigots and prejudiced to one degree or another? So many of us are so set in our beliefs that it is almost impossible to imagine changing our views.  Isn’t that the very definition above? So many … Continue reading Being a Bigot….

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Going Back To Society….

RJ Walters

On How Much to Leave to the Kids The perfect amount is enough money so they would feel they could do anything, but not so much that they could do nothing. Dynastic fortune turns me off. The idea that you hand over huge positions in society simply because someone came from the right womb, I just think it’s almost un-American. On How Much to Give to Charity Ninety-nine percent of what I have will go back to society through philanthropy, because I’ve been treated extraordinarily well by society. I’ve worked in an economy that rewards someone who saves lives on … Continue reading Going Back To Society….

Having My Say3 Comments

Peeing On The Carpet….

RJ Walters

At the end of the day, we are the ones who elect our government. And that means that we are responsible for what happens in Washington and the state capitals. That is the reality of democracy. It is not entirely unlike the old dog-training aphorism that there are no bad dogs, only bad owners. We “own” this government, and if Congress has been doing the equivalent of peeing on the carpet for a decade, then it is our fault. Quote from Centrist Manifesto by Charles Wheelan I love the reference to peeing on the carpet. Being a lifetime pet owner … Continue reading Peeing On The Carpet….

XX - Everything Else2 Comments

60 Years… Enough Is Enough…

RJ Walters

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA Amid escalating threats from North Korea, U.S. and South Korean defense officials will meet over the next few days and discuss whether to extend America’s wartime control over the South’s armed forces, 60 years after a truce ended the Korean War. SOURCE: U.S., South Korea debate military control 60 years after war’s end – CBS News. I was nine years old in 1955 when the Korean war truce was called. My father fought in WW II and fortunately unlike today was not called up once, let alone again and again as our soldier are now. Sixty years is … Continue reading 60 Years… Enough Is Enough…

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Taking Things Serious……

RJ Walters

“And that’s what makes us a great nation. We take the little things serious, and the big ones as a joke.” – Will Rogers, 15 September 1933 I must admit that getting away from the politics of our nation the above quote rings pretty true of these times.  But, in these times everything is a joke in politics.  I bet when Will originally penned these words in 1933 many people weren’t taking the serious things to do with the Great Depression as a joke!  But that was just Will Rogers for you; he tried to put some jovial spin on … Continue reading Taking Things Serious……

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The Tea Party Pledge….

RJ Walters

I must admit that I spent over an hour yesterday watching the president’s news conference.  Boy, does that guy like to talk. But being a former college professor that shouldn’t be surprising. I will admit that I bought into much of his logic about holding our nation hostage for political gain. Are my Republican friends actually considering that option?? But the thing that spurred this post was a Republican 1st term house member that was on CNN immediately after the conference was over. Wolf Blitzer basically let the guy hang himself with his own words.  Guess who this yahoo represented? … Continue reading The Tea Party Pledge….

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Florida Confuses Me….

RJ Walters

Ms. Alexander was found guilty in May 2012 of discharging a deadly weapon near her estranged husband and newborn baby. She countered that she had long been abused by her husband and had fired the shot as a warning for him not to get any closer to her during what was becoming a physical altercation. He was not injured. Under Florida law, people have no duty to retreat from danger before fighting back, even with deadly force. But a judge ruled that the stand-your-ground law didn’t apply in Alexander’s case. After a jury found her guilty, the judge sentenced her … Continue reading Florida Confuses Me….

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A Quakerish Pope?

RJ Walters

Worth reading is a recent interview with Pope Francis conducted by Eugenio Scalfari of La Repubblica.  Scalfari, an atheist, had written to request an interview, and was floored when the Pope himself called to schedule a time. The whole interview is worth reading and pondering. I was especially struck by one interchange in which Pope Francis says something very akin to something George Fox said.   Said Pope Francis, “From my point of view, God is the light that illuminates the darkness, even if it does not dissolve it, and a spark of divine light is within each of us. In … Continue reading A Quakerish Pope?

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The President Won’t Negotiate……

RJ Walters

I see the Republican leadership, if you really want to call it that, is now claiming that the reason for the shutdown is that the president won’t negotiate with them.  I’m not sure how much schooling the new Tea Party members got when they entered the house in 1012 but my lessons in government operations tell me that it is the House leadership, of course controlled by the GOP, that won’t negotiate. Lets stop here and have a little lesson in how our congress is supposed to operate in regards to its budget process. As shown in the above table … Continue reading The President Won’t Negotiate……

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Making Sure People Don’t Have Health Insurance…

RJ Walters

“This is an interesting thing to ponder,” he said of his detractors. “That your top agenda is making sure that 20 million people don’t have health insurance and you’d be willing to shut down the government and potentially default — for the first time in United States history — because it bothers you so much.” SOURCE: At Black Caucus Dinner, Obama Vows to Continue ‘March’ on Gun Control, Healthcare – ABC News. The logic currently used by the Republican party in opposing Obamacare bothers me much.  I really want to believe that my conservative friends out there actually care about their … Continue reading Making Sure People Don’t Have Health Insurance…

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About St. Francis , Very Interesting Person…

RJ Walters

Today (October 4), Christians around the world remember one of the great heroes of our faith, and the Pope’s namesake – Francis of Assisi. But Francesco Bernadone (Francis of Assisi), who died on October 3, 1226 must be laughing at the irony of it all. He was one of the first critics of capitalism, one of the earliest Christian environmentalists, a sassy reformer of the church, and one of the classic conscientious objectors to war. Even though it’s hard to imagine a saint whose life is more relevant to the world we live in today, Francis was not always so … Continue reading About St. Francis , Very Interesting Person…

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Robotic Christianity.

RJ Walters

A robot is a useful piece of technology typically used for complicated or dangerous tasks. Robots, often mass-produced, make no decisions on their own and are completely controlled by others. I’m beginning to realize that every time I go to church I’m becoming a little more robotic – programmed into being the perfect fit as a member of my congregation. I guess it’s inevitable that all churches will have a particular theology that they rally around and teach but it’s important to be aware of what’s happening. We’re always encouraged to accept Jesus as Lord but when we’re rooted in … Continue reading Robotic Christianity.

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No Shame….

RJ Walters

I am old enough to remember when another small group of radical wing nuts took over control of the GOP. In the 1950s they ran around accusing anyone they disagreed with politically of being a communist. They held hours of useless hearing. The four words above finally took them down. Enough Republicans  finally gathered the courage to took back control of their party. I am hoping for the same result this time around. When a small faction of the GOP can get the others to vote more than forty times to take away affordable healthcare to 30 million of our … Continue reading No Shame….

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A Slight Majority….

RJ Walters

It is somewhat encouraging to see that a slight majority of the Republicans want to get the government running again and are not obsessed with denying 30 million of our citizens affordable health care. When are you going to get enough guts to finally take back control from those wing nuts who have kidnapped your party???????   Better sooner than later.  A good first start would be to put a Speaker of the House in their that has an ounce of guts to stand up to those who are destroying the GOP….. Continue reading A Slight Majority….

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Back Door Universal Healthcare…

RJ Walters

Anyone who has read some of my posts know that I am an advocate for universal single-payer healthcare.  After all, it is very efficient and cost containing system used in much of the rest of the world.  Many of our citizens in the U.S. including this one are currently on a single payer system known as Medicare. After being on it for two years now I can attest that I have found it to be much better than the private insurance mode I fought with for so many years prior. Other citizens also on a single-payer system are those on … Continue reading Back Door Universal Healthcare…