Harry Reid - In his own words (Debt Ceiling)

You know, things must have been so much easier pre-internet. Back when you could say you were misinterpreted or the writer misquoted you........

Yeah, much easier than having to actually explain how the public's "lying ears" aren't really hearing what it is you are actually saying.

So, in the forum of radical truth what are the answers to the questions you were asking Harry?

Washington DC Name Calling - So this is Civility 101?

So let me just make sure I have this correct.

The Republicans have the audacity to try and extend the healthcare waiver to all Americans for a year, the way the President did for businesses.

As a result the Democrats proceed to call them: Extortionists, Terrorists, Saboteurs, Anarchist, Teabaggers, Squealing Political Pigs, Hostage Takers, Arsonists, Jihadists, Murderers, Unhuinged, Insane, Nazis, Enemy, Etc.,….

And then the Democrats say pass the CR and raise the debt limit and THEN we will negotiate?

What planet am I living on?

"Only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a nation,..." President Obama, January 12th, 2011.

So this is what passes for civility in America now?

Healthcare – Why do I have a problem with this?

A lot is going on in DC and at the heart of it is the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. In fact it has led to a Government shutdown, although that seems to be more of a slogan than a reality. Let’s just say that it is a “slim” down and call it a day.

Nothing ever really shuts down in Washington, except open air memorials and the ocean apparently.

So what is really going on with all of this?

Sadly, most Americans have zero clue as to what is going on. They here “talking points” and think they have a grasp but the majority of times those talking points have no foundation in truth. Like your child saying he doesn’t know how the paint got on the wall when you and he are the only ones in the house.

On one side you have Republicans saying this is a major problem (the ACA) and we need to address it now and you have Democrats on the other side saying it is the law of the land and you need to live with it.

Here is what I know:

1. We have no Budget, haven’t had one in four years. The Senate Majority Leader refuses to take a vote on one. We are running things on a Continuing Resolution (CR). Basically a CR is like two parents who can’t agree on what to spend and not spend so they just keep plugging along and tossing things onto a credit card and lie to each other that they’ll figure it out later.

2. Republicans have presented a number of versions of the CR, each trying to cut away a bit of the ACA. First to defund, then to delay, then to modify, etc… bottom line is this doesn’t have to do with the funding of America as it does with the funding of the ACA. But honestly, that is the roll of the Congress as outlined by the Constitution. You don’t have to agree but it is our system and if you think that it is only the Republicans that do this then you are sadly mistaken and not a student of American politics.

3. The Democratically controlled Senate hung the “closed” sign on the chamber door and said if it doesn’t include a flat out CR, that includes full funding of the ACA, we won’t consider it and we won’t negotiated. So you are effectively at an impasse. But the Senate and President saying it is all Republicans fault is disingenuous at best.

So what is the problem with the ACA? Well, I don’t have enough time to go over everything. Honestly, it is just not a well thought out plan. If this was the private sector it would have died a long time ago. Considering that they have had years to prepare and paid out at least $300 million for the website design you would think we would have gotten something better. Maybe they should have talked to the IT guys at Google or Amazon……. Just saying.

But the fact is private companies handle much greater traffic with far less issues. Considering this was President Obama’s signature legislation you would have assumed they would have pulled out all the stops to ensure it went off without a glitch.

What I do know is that the left is right……. It is the law of the land. Congress passed it in 2010 and the President signed it into law. Remember the whole “we need to pass it to see what is in it…”

So again what is the problem? Well, considering it is the “law” the President himself doesn’t seem to be able to just let it go and see what happens. Consider for a moment the following things that have been changed, not through the legal process but by executive fiat:

Medicare Cuts – Delayed

Employer Mandate – Delayed

Subsidy Verification – Delayed

Out of Pocket Caps – Delayed

Business Enrollment – Delayed

Individual Businesses / Unions – Waived (I believe the last count is 2k plus)

Congress – Waived

This by far not a complete list, but it gives you a little idea of the changes the President has made, while at the same time telling Republicans there can be no changes….. Make sense to you?

Call me crazy, but if everyone is getting a break these days, why aren’t we, as in “we the people” getting the same breaks? My personal opinion is that the delay of the business mandate was put in place because they were afraid that more people would have been kicked off their company medical plans if it had been instituted and there would have been a backlash against the administration during the 2014 midterm elections. With that business delay in place we will never know.

Good political move.

It’s the same reason I think they added children up to 26 on their parents insurance. Why? Well, simple. Imagine the backlash if all of a sudden these kids had to go out and buy their own insurance. For the most part the ramifications of all of this won’t kick in until after the 2016 Presidential elections. By then it’s a moot point politically.

Convenient……….

The administration keeps running around saying that people now have choices, but that’s really a bit of a stretch. The fact is we have always had choices….. At any time any person could shop for and purchase insurance. Sure there were always going to be some road blocks, pre-existing conditions could be problematic, but here’s a news flash: There are going to be problems with ACA!!

At the end of the day, despite all the fancy talking points, the final truth is that not everyone is going to be covered. The administration has already admitted that. The fact is that at present we have about 48 million uninsured. After the ACA is implemented we will still have about 30 million uninsured. What is most telling is that of the 30 million who will remain uninsured, 80% of them are U.S. citizens. So who exactly is benefiting from all of this?

So we had a system that provided coverage to something like 85% + and now we are going to mess around with it for what exactly? Think about how high 85% is……. Is anything that DC runs that effective? 

You need to watch this video of Jon Stewart interviewing HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, on his show. Remember, SHE is the Health and Human Services Secretary, a cabinet level position,…… Listen to Stewart’s questions and, more importantly, her “answers.”  Does she even know what is going on?

If this interview was done by anyone on the right it would have been summarily dismissed, but in the uncomfortable humor there is a lot of truth.

The Infamous 2013 DC "Shutdown"

I saw this photo that was taken during an event with the Democratic Progressive Caucus and furloughed federal employees on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Oct. 4, 2013.

What originally caught my eye was the writing on the sign: “Set a budget – Do your job – We want to work”

I had to ask myself: “Does anyone get it?”

The other signs show photos of Republican house leadership and contend that it is the Republicans holding their jobs hostage. Here is my problem:

The Senate, under the questionable stewardship of Harry Reid has not passed a budget in four years. That is not to say that Congress has not sent them one, Reid just won’t allow a vote on them.

He is happy to continue getting by with last minute deals and funding the country on Continuing Resolutions and Debt Ceiling increases. That is an absolute disgrace.

So a note to the protestors: “The Congress did present a CR and your Democrat controlled Senate kicked it back. If Reid was interested in doing his job, and letting you do yours, they could have passed the CR and worked on the problems of the ACA which there are a LOT of problems.”

And just for the record, it is the Congress that controls the purse strings not the President. If the House chooses to not fund the Affordable Care Act that is within their purview. If the Senate refuses to accept it that does not mean that it is the Republican’s fault. It means that BOTH houses failed to reach an agreement. That is where the art of negotiation comes in. 

“My way or no way” is not bipartisanship nor is it good faith negotiation. 

 

Correct me if I am wrong.

Cicero's Prognosis - How little we have learned in 50 years

George Santayana once said "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it."

Take a moment to read this speech, Cicero's Prognosis, by the Honorable Justice Millard Caldwell (D-Fl), who served as a US Army officer during WWI, Florida Governor, Congressman and Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court.

Of particular note is the quote,  attributed to Marcus Tullius Cicero "Do not blame Caesar, blame the people of Rome who have so enthusiastically acclaimed and adored him and rejoiced in their loss of freedom and danced in his path and gave him triumphal processions and laughed delightedly at his licentiousness and thought it very superior of him to acquire vast amounts of gold illicitly. Blame the people who hail him when he speaks in the Forum of the 'new, wonderful good society' which shall now be Rome's, interpreted to mean 'more money, more ease, more security, more living fatly at the expense of the industrious.' Julius was always an ambitious villain, but he is only one man."

The stop for a moment and remember this speech was from nearly 50 years ago and the original incident was from 70 years before the birth of Christ.

And we wonder why we are in the place we are at today? - Do not blame Caesar, blame the people of Rome.......

http://www.aapsonline.org/brochures/cicero.htm

The Old Man and the White Horse

A while back someone made a great point about our lives and how we view them. They said we look at our lives as a series of photographs, gazing at the images during periods of highs and lows. At the time we may be caught up in joy or seized by agony, but we only see that moment. But God doesn’t see things that way. He sees the movie of our life, He knows the beginning, the middle and the end. To Him, everything makes sense, even the moments when we are in agony.

Today I received a letter from a friend in Asia. He knows about the tribulations we are experiencing now and he forwarded me this parable that I want to share with you. I think it describes precisely what we should all keep in mind, whether we are on the top of the mountain, or in the darkest of valleys.

The Old Man and the White Horse

Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village.  Although poor, he was envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse.  Even the king coveted his treasure.  A horse like this had never been seen before – such was its splendor, its majesty, its strength.

People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused.  “This horse is not a horse to me,” he would tell them.  “It is a person.  How could you sell a person?  He is a friend, not a possession.  How could you sell a friend.”  The man was poor and the temptation was great.  But he never sold the horse.

One morning he found that the horse was not in his stable.  All the village came to see him.  “You old fool,” they scoffed, “we told you that someone would steal your horse.  We warned you that you would be robbed.  You are so poor.  How could you ever protect such a valuable animal?  It would have been better to have sold him.  You could have gotten whatever price you wanted.  No amount would have been to high.  Now the horse is gone and you’ve been cursed with misfortune.”

The old man responded, “Don’t speak too quickly.  Say only that the horse is not in the stable.  That is all we know; the rest is judgment.  If I’ve been cursed or not, how can you know? How can you judge?”

The people contested, “Don’t make us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed.  The simple fact that your horse is gone is a curse.”

The old man spoke again.  “All I know is that the stable is empty, and the horse is gone.  The rest I don’t know.  Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say.  All we can see is a fragment.  Who can say what will come next?”

The people of the village laughed.  They thought that the man was crazy.  They had always thought he was a fool; if he wasn’t, he would have sold the horse and lived off the money.  But instead, he was a poor woodcutter, and old man still cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest and selling it.  He lived hand to mouth in the misery of poverty.  Now he had proven that he was, indeed, a fool.

After fifteen days, the horse returned.  He hadn’t been stolen; he had run away into the forest.  Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses with him.  Once again, the village people gathered around the woodcutter and spoke.  “Old man, you were right and we were wrong.  What we thought was a curse was a blessing.  Please forgive us.”

The man responded, “Once again, you go too far.  Say only that the horse is back.  State only that a dozen horses returned with him, but don’t judge.  How do you know if this is a blessing or not?  You see only a fragment.  Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge?  You read only one page of a book.  Can you judge the whole book? You read only one word of one phrase.  Can you understand the entire phrase?”

“Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word.  All you have is one fragment!  Don’t say that this is a blessing.  No one knows.  I am content with what I know.  I am not perturbed by what I don’t.”

“Maybe the old man is right,” they said to one another.  So they said little.  But down deep, they knew he was wrong.  They knew it was a blessing.  Twelve wild horses had returned.  With a little work, the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much money.

The old man had a son, an only son.  The young man began to break the wild horses.  After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs.  Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their judgments.

“You were right,” they said.  “You proved you were right.  The dozen horses were not a blessing.  They were a curse.  Your only son has broken both his legs, and now in your old age you have no one to help you.  Now you are poorer than ever.”

The old man spoke again.  “You people are obsessed with judging.  Don’t go so far.  Say only that my son broke his legs.  Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse?  No one knows.  We only have a fragment.  Life comes in fragments.”

It so happened that a few weeks later the country engaged in war against a neighboring country.  All the young men of the village were required to join the army.  Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he was injured.  Once again the people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming because their sons had been taken.  There was little chance that they would return.  The enemy was strong, and the war would be a losing struggle.  They would never see their sons again.

“You were right, old man,” They wept.  “God knows you were right.  This proves it.  Your son’s accident was a blessing.  His legs may be broken, but at least he is with you.  Our sons are gone forever.”

The old man spoke again.  “It is impossible to talk with you.  You always draw conclusions.  No one knows.  Say only this.  Your sons had to go to war, and mine did not.  No one knows if it is a blessing or a curse.  No one is wise enough to know.  Only God knows.”

Unions – The Myth of the White Knight

First, before the bashing begins, let me say that I have been a member of unions for nearly thirty-five years. I am in no way “anti” union but I will say that I think the majority of Americans need to take a step back and begin to use our brains for a little bit more than storing talking-points.

This has been a long time coming. I have heard all the stories, listened to the endless arguments, and watched as both sides engaged in what I consider to be nothing more than chest beating grandstanding.

A while back I listened as the pundits all came down on municipal pensions. Being retired it is an issue that is near and dear to my heart. It amazed me that many seemed to have the skewed viewpoint that these pensions were somehow at the heart of the financial woes facing these cities / states. It is utter hogwash and I truly expected more from them.

The underlying issue, which never seemed to get any real substantive debate, is the term “unfunded liabilities.”

It sounds wonderfully technical but when you break it down it simply means you charged it and are now bitching because the bill is due.

Pensions, like any other benefit, are part of the overall contract negotiations. During these negotiations both sides enter into an agreement that in exchange for the employer giving “A” the unions will give or give-back “B.” You know it’s a good contract when neither side is overly happy.

In the case of pensions, these are serious numbers. Professionals are involved, actuaries come up with tables, and the data is gone over seven ways to Sunday. For the employer to scream foul later on is disingenuous.

“Unfunded liabilities” simply means that the employer agreed to something and never set the money aside to pay for it. Who is at fault? The greedy union members? No, it is the employer who agreed to the deal and then used the money to fund something else.

Does this make sense to you? It is like blaming the bank when they repossess your car after you stopped making payments. They gave you the money in good faith, and you reneged on the contract.

During all of these discussions I never once heard anyone say: “well, if the unions need to renegotiate the pensions, should the employers give back all the concessions that were negotiated in good faith?”

As you can see, I am hardly anti-union.

That being said, I think we need to start looking at things with clear glasses instead of the rose colored ones we seem to enjoy these days.

Unions are at the vanguard of almost every issue we are facing today. Whether that is healthcare, wages, etc. However, just because they are at the forefront doesn’t necessarily mean they are correct.

A zealot is someone who is a fanatically committed person. Zealotry was originally a political movement in 1st century Judaism. It sought to incite the people of the Judean Province to rebel against the Roman Empire. I see a lot of this manifesting itself today.

While it is good to have passion for something, it is almost always a bad thing to be so passionate that you are blinded to everything beyond it.

Lately I have been watching a lot of coverage on the topic of minimum wages. On one occasion there was coverage of workers storming a McDonalds and demanding more money. Another time I heard a person speaking out against the evils of corporate greed. We all know how popular the theme of wealth redistribution has been lately. As the president says “level the playing field to create equal opportunities.”

Sounds very noble and keeping with the whole “White Knight” theme. But is it honest?

As a kid I started working in a supermarket making minimum wage. At the time it was a great deal, I worked and I got paid. I had no real responsibilities other than to take care of my needs. These were generally simple. As time went on I moved from one job to another, each time climbing a bit higher on the employment ladder as my needs changed. It was a conscientious decision but it was not rocket science. I simply took stock of where I was at financially and made changes based upon what my needs were now. This means that when the job could not provide for me financially, I changed jobs.

While I empathize with the kind folks at the local McDonalds, I gotta say……. It’s McDonalds. If you are unhappy with the wages quit and find something better. If you lack the skills to find something better that’s a good indicator that the problem might not be McDonalds and may in fact be you.

It may sound harsh, but it is life and it doesn’t owe you anything.

I know, I know, …….. Somewhere, someone is pulling a friggen’ Harvard graduate, who happens to be the head fry guy at the local Mickey D’s, out of a closet and saying “see he has skills and deserves more……..”

Really? Sounds a bit more like he chose the wrong school or at least the wrong major, to me.

I have no empathy for struggling college grads. I’d like to, I really would, but you see I paid my way through college on my own (as in ZERO grants, loans, etc..), all while working full time and raising a family. Again, life is tough deal with it.

But we live in an age of deniable personal accountability. It’s always someone else’s fault: mommy, daddy, your boss, God, the kids who picked on you in pre-pre-K, the neighbor, the mailman, the dog, and the absolutely greedy corporate CEO.

Then along comes the wonks at the union. He believe that everything is a conspiracy against the American worker. They sit there and blast the employers for not sharing more of the profits with the employees. They demand better pay, and threaten force to achieve it.

It is a tune that resonates well with its audience. But when you get away from all the smoke and mirrors, what is the truth?

The truth is that no one is holding a gun to the head of the American worker and demanding that he work at a particular job.

This may come as a surprise to many but companies exist to make a profit and those who run companies get rewarded by making big salaries. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the workers will share in that. Unfair? Not really.

When an employee takes a job he or she agrees to it at the wage they pay. There is nothing hidden. No one says “well come to work and every other week we will pay you what we think you are worth.” They are hired based on what they provide to the company. If they bring a lot to the plate they might even get promoted. But if they are hired and turn out to be nothing more than oxygen thieves they will most likely piddle along as a burger flipper for their entire career.

Unlike the worker, the head of a company has a bit more on his plate. The company’s bottom line is his judge. For that he is paid very well. When he fails he is most likely kicked out, generally with a very nice severance package. Is it fair? No, but it is just business. These things were worked out well in advance between both sides. Like a typical contract negotiation, except to the best of my knowledge there is no CEO union.

But is it fair to say that just because you started at the bottom that’s where you are destined to stay?

Hell no and that’s my issue. This is America and if we stop listening to the entire BS about having to level the playing field we would see that we make our own opportunities.

In 1971 Jim Skinner started with McDonald's as a restaurant manager trainee. In 2004 he was named CEO of the company. 

Brian Dunn started with Best Buy in 1985 as a sales associate when there were only 12 stores operating. He was named Director and CEO in 2009.

Jim Ziemer started out at Harley-Davidson as a freight elevator operator in 1969. He became President and CEO in April 2005.

Ursula Burns started in the summer of 1980 as a mechanical engineering intern with Xerox.  In July 2009 she was named CEO and then Chairman in May 2010.

You see, my experience is that if you are hard working and show some thought and initiative, most companies don’t want to lose you.

But when you have the union head spewing this vitriol about “us versus them” the waters get really muddy. So here is my advice to my fellow union members. When they start talking about corporate greed and “fair wages” for all, ask yourself if the hard earned money that goes into your union dues should be used for your benefit or the benefit of the union heads?

I’ll leave you with this to chew on.

Michael J. Sullivan, general president of the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association. Salary: $1,043,023.

Robert A. Scardelletti, international president of the Transportation Communications Union. Salary: $748,531.

Newton B. Jones, president of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers.
Salary: $607,022.

Terence M. O’Sullivan, general president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America. Salary: $589,124

John T. Niccollai, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. Salary: $532,752.

Paul Rinaldi, president Air Traffic Controllers. Salary: $411,740.

Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers president. Salary: $407,323. 

Walter Wise, Iron Workers president. Salary: $397,684.

Edwin Hill, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Salary: $380,688.

Dennis Van Roeke, National Education Association president. Salary $362,644.

Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO president. Salary: $301,932.

Brian Lambert, SEIU vice president. Salary: $296,161.

At some point, you have to ask yourself the question. If I’m struggling to make ends meet, why am I paying the union bosses so much money? Truth is, a strong union means job security for the top people.

In the end there will always be some type of pay disparity, whether it is between workers and workers, workers and management, or even workers and their union representatives. The bottom line is that if the job you are at isn’t cutting it, maybe you need to begin looking elsewhere.

I never thought I would quote Ashton Kutcher, on anything….. Ever! I don’t agree with him on political issues and, to be quite honest, I am not a very big fan of his acting. Yet I find myself compelled to quote him today.  

“I never had a job in my life that I was better than. I was always just lucky to have a job. And every job I had was a stepping stone to my next job, and I never quit my job until I had my next job. And so opportunities look a lot like work.” – Ashton Kutcher, Teen Choice Awards.