It’s finally here – join us at the Take Back the American Dream conference right here on RebuildtheDream.com. For those of you who couldn’t make it, Free Speech TV will be livestreaming the whole event on our site (Oct. 3-Oct.5).
We kick off at 9:15 – click here for a full conference agenda.
I don’t want to come across as uncaring or unmoved by the plight of those poor Texas families that are being devastated by the fires. There are many who have lost everything and we need to reach out to them and help in any way we can. Of course, we need to convince Eric Cantor (R-VA), first!
"Has God abandoned me?"
At the same time, we’ve heard from the right-wing evangelicals in the past few weeks that the disasters occurring in our country may be God’s way of trying to get our and our elected officials’ attention. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) said that she was “joking” when she mentioned it in a speech last week. I’m not sure what’s worse: being serious about such nonsensical assertions, or “joking” about it when people are suffering as a result of the disaster’s effects. Rick Perry (R-TX) called a prayer rally together in Texas last month, in order to ask God for help in solving the country’s problems. This, from a man who has no conscience when it comes to an innocent man being executed under his own signature.
I do need to ask Gov. Perry: “How is that prayer-rally, put -your-faith-in-God, holier-than-thou thingy workin’ for ya, Governor?” I suspect not too well. It seems that either you are a liar about your commitment to your religion or God just doesn’t give a hoot about Texas! Either way, your credibility with God-fearing Christians may be in trouble. Maybe you need to pray on that for awhile!
"The Texas Savior"
Ok…I’m sorry to report that Texas Governor, Rick Perry, plans to highlight his jobs creation skills in the GOP Presidential Campaign. Why am I sorry? Because there will be people outside of Texas who will believe his nonsense without question, presumably, because as a “good Christian man”, Perry would never lie to his ‘supporters.’ Not so incredibly, to those who like to question such claims, the jobs created in Texas are not quite up to the standard that Perry would like us all to buy into, hook, line and sinker!
The reality of the “Texas miracle” seems to jive with the other problems faced by poor Texans (yes, not everyone in Texas has an oil well in their backyard). Don’t get me wrong; there are a lot of rich people in Texas and they LOVE being from the State that has the least number of adults with high school diplomas (presumably, high school dropouts demand lower wages than those “pesky” college kids – important for all those JOB CREATORS!).
One of the other “miracles” in Texas has to do with healthcare. That intro seems to imply something ‘great’ is happening in cities like “Big D.” Alas, no! This ‘miracle’ has to do with the fact that Texas has the highest poverty rate in the country. Hey, these folks aren’t poor and hungry…no, no; they just haven’t had the fortitude to pull themselves up by their bootstraps yet. Don’t worry, Texas has provided some of this 16+ percent (Brookings Institute) of its citizenry with just enough minimum wage jobs to keep them from starving to death. Now, THAT’S compassion!
You have to hand it to those smart Texas politicians; they have dangled subsidies and tax credits in front of minimum wage job creators from surrounding States, while passing legislation that permits less regulation and requirements for those creators, resulting in great profits, but less-than-desirable working conditions for the working poor. These new jobs have no advancement possibilities, and wage increases of a few cents an hour every couple of years are the best workers can hope for. Oh, and let’s not forget, since these are big, strong Texans, “they don’t need no freakin’ health insurance!” Almost 44% of Texans under 65 have no health insurance whatsoever! As a result, the employment rate is slightly lower than the national average, but, at the other end, these low-wage workers will never rise above their present situation, no matter how strong their ‘bootstraps’ are.
And the job market for professionals and semi-professionals (including college-educated high- and mid-level managers) is not much better! Many of those who still remain at least partially employed, have been forced to tap into savings and 401(k)s in order to survive. All they can do is watch as their careers, education and self-esteem become obsolete and redundant. How many can relate to these folks, who are now surviving on $10,000 – $15,000, after 25 -30 years and $100k invested in education and training? It seems that Texans don’t need to be motivated…they’ve risen above that kind of ‘new-age’ nonsense! Hand-to-mouth survival takes on a new meaning and relevance!
In these scenarios, what will these folks do in retirement? Hopefully, without health insurance, they won’t make it that far, because if they do, they face a ‘retirement’ of Beggin’ Strips and working on their delivery: “Would you like fries with that?” or “Welcome to K-mart!”
"What Texans Will Be Eating"
So, let’s review Rick Perry’s “Texas Miracle” and try to remember that if all else fails, Texas has a minimum-wage job (at least for some of its college grads):
1) Last State (incl. DC) in the country for percent of adults with high school diplomas. See Brookings Institute Study, 2008
2) 43+% of Texans, under 65 years, have no health coverage. See http://familiesusa2.org/assets/pdfs/americans-at-risk/texas.pdf
3) 16+% of Texans live in poverty. See http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/12_2_0.html
What’s that song that Texans everywhere love to sing and throw in your face? “God Bless Texas!” I guess, when it comes down to it, that’s about all Texans can hope for, isn’t it?
Perry Tells N.H. Audience He’s a Global-Warming Skeptic – Jim O’Sullivan – NationalJournal.com.
I guess when you have a personal line to God, science is inconsequential. Perry continues to embarrass his Party and casts light on his inability to see the real ‘light’ of science. Of course, this fits in with the goals of the Tea Party…less government regulation (I prefer the word, ‘protection.’) and their desire to return to the 19th century!
"The Texas Savior"
Texas Ranks Dead Last in Total Job Creation, Accounting for Labor Force Growth | Truthout.
The man is clearly a liar, as well as a murderer, and I believe the more we focus on him and his lies, the greater will be the quick demise of his campaign!
"What, We Worried?"
Should We Be Worried About Rick Perry? Absolutely | Friendly Atheist.
Although some seem to believe that we need to be worried about a Rick Perry candidacy, I continue to believe that a majority of Americans will not be so easily swayed by good hair, a wink and a history of bigotry, lack of compassion and lies!
Even though the right-wingnuts have center stage at the moment, the time of ‘showdowns’ will come, when the reality of what a Perry, Bachmann or Palin Presidency would mean to our country.
Many say that Americans are so angry, that they’ll vote based on emotion rather than logic. If that were the case, then I put forth that we would not have a black President in office today! When the American people realized that McCain was giving in to the right-wing of the right-wing of his party and that Palin was a joke and not up to national Presidential politics (or, as many might say, the “game of thrones”), they stepped up and did what 5-10 years ago would have been unthinkable…and we have the first black President in our history!
I still have faith in a majority of Americans who think, feel and embrace compassion over hatred, intelligence over ignorance, inclusion over intolerance and progress over the Tea Party vision of bringing America BACK into the 19th century.
Ron Pagano's Delmarva Progressive 