I don’t mind paying taxes. I don’t like taxes but I understand that they are necessary to support the infrastructure of the United States so I don’t mind paying them.

I like having National Parks. I went to Yosemite in the late ‘90s and spent 5 glorious days there and have been dying to go back ever since. I’ve also been to Alcatraz and Independence Hall (both of which are managed by the Parks Service) and enjoyed them very much. I like knowing it will be there when the opportunity presents itself again.

I like having an Interstate System to get from place to place. I live in 1 state and my family lives in another. I like being able to drive (even though it takes 6 hours) and not have to deal with airlines, airports and TSA.

I like having a Military. I like knowing there is an entity charged with the responsibility of supporting and defending the Constitution of the United States of America. I actually served in the United States Army Reserve for eight years. The taxes I paid from the income of my Civilian Job went into my Army Reserve paycheck…which was taxed again. So the Government was double-dipping in my pockets (with the exception of the 10 months I spent in a war zone) for all 8 years.

I like having Law Enforcement and a Fire Department.

I like the idea of a Social Safety Net. When the economy crashed many people across the spectrum of demographics were negatively impacted. Old people are faring better because (I believe) of the Social Safety net we have in place in the form of MediCare and Social Security.

I like having a Representative Government. I like being able to vote for who I want to “represent” me in my government.

I like having the other things I’m paying for with my taxes. What pisses me off is NOT getting what I’m paying for.

Since I started paying taxes in 1988 our alleged Representative Government has been eroded by corruption and special interests. We now have a Plutocratic Government with the appearance of a Representative Government; where in, the rich have usurped the system for their own benefit. Sadly, I am no longer “represented.”

Big Energy is represented. My tax dollars continue to subsidies an industry that is the most profitable in the history of economics while they cut corners on safety and spillage clean up; they pollute our land air and water unobstructed by our government. The tax money is supposed to go to research and development of new technology to advance ways of locating and obtaining these energy sources as well as cleaning up after and repairing the damage from spills and other accidents. The technology for clean-up hasn’t advanced in 30 years. Now they want more money to exploit Natural Gas and fracking. A natural resource and method of obtainment with finite benefits and infinite potential for disaster as it releases methane into potable ground water (and somehow wrangled an exemption from Safe Drinking Water Act) and no workable plan to dispose of toxic byproducts. They also have been slowly finagling their way into my beloved National Parks. The Energy Industry has consistently lied about the longevity versus cost of Natural Gas and my Representative Government has failed to represent me by stopping it and cutting off the flow of tax dollars.

Big Coal is represented. The State and Federal Governments turn a blind eye as the Coal Industry continues to practice “mountain top removal;” a destructive means of coal obtainment that destroys not just the mountain top but the valleys, rivers and streams below. This entire industry has a horrible record in environmental preservation. Big Coal flagrantly disregards the laws that regulate the process of MTR; requiring miners to either recreate an approximation of the original contours of the mountain top or leave behind some type of development (malls, schools, community centers) to benefit the local communities.  It contributes to the unemployment rates in every state where coal is mined by this process because MTR operations require fewer employees per ton of coal mined.

The Religious Right is represented. We have seen the most unprecedented and comprehensive attack on women’s reproductive rights since Roe v. Wade and it shows no signs of letting up. The House of Representatives successfully passed an anti-abortion bill that redefined rape to farther restrict the option to women. Legislation was written that would let hospitals allow a woman to die rather than perform an abortion necessary to save her life. Legislators wrote a bill to eliminate all funds for Federal Family Planning Program. Legislators wrote a bill to provide contraception for wild horses but, would end all Federal Funding for Family Planning, including contraception coverage - Dan Burton(R).

Big Business is represented. At the state (including my state) level, we’ve seen an unprecedented attack on Union Rights. A few of the laws we’ve seen introduce include; Public Employee Freedom Act (the bars almost any action to induce collective bargaining) Public Employer Payroll Deduction Act (which bars automatic dues collection) Voluntary Contribution Act (bars the use of dues for political activity.) Laws have been introduced to restrict the scope of collective bargaining; to limit or eliminate “project labor agreements” and state “prevailing wage” requirements; and to pre-empt local living wage or other labor standards. In Michigan alone, the AFL-CIO is dealing with more than fifty laws aimed at its demise. My Police and Fire Fighters are losing their union protection and jobs at an unprecedented rate.

(Full Disclosure: I personally would NEVER join another Union but, I believe passing laws that impede the rights of workers it Unionize is un-American)

The Defense Industry is Represented: How many years did a factory in John Boehner’s Congressional district produce a “spare” engine that the military didn’t want (for the f35 fighter jet) before the pentagon finally put an end to it? In the meantime Congress is considering raising premiums for healthcare of military retirees and restructuring the pay and retirement benefit packages for those still serving. And don’t get me started on the treatment of our Wounded Warriors! How’s that for “Thanks from a Grateful Nation.”

Wall Street is represented: It’s been almost four years since they tanked out economy and one (ONE!) banker has been arrested for unethical and illegal practices that caused the recession. Not only that, Congress still wants to turn Social Security over to these sharks. The Social Security Board of Trustees has predicted that the programs cost will exceed tax revenues collected by 2016. By 2037 the program will no longer be paying benefits out of the reserve accounts (as it does now) but out of incoming FICA taxes. There is a fix that is far easier than politician want you to believe. Right now, Americans only pay FICA out of the first $106,000 that they earn in a given year. All congress has to do is raise that cut-off bar from $106,000 to $200,000. Case Closed. Social Safety Net Fixed!

People who HATE MediCare are represented: Like Social Security, I’ve been paying into the MediCare system since 1988. There has been a movement within the government to abolish MediCare since BEFORE I started paying into it. These people are the ones who first started calling it an entitlement. Let me clear something up for these double-talking liars. If I am given something by the government, it’s an entitlement. If I’m paying into a program, it’s a benefit. When I took my first job in the summer of 1988, the government started taking money out of my paycheck. I was not given the opportunity to opt-out of this program then and I don’t think the government should be allowed to opt-out of it now! It’s a benefit and I’ve earned it so I’d really like the Government to stop screwing with it. I will be 67 years old in 2036. The Health Insurance Industry (which is also represented by my government) has determined that being old is a pre-existing condition. I’m going to need the MediCare benefit that I’ve been paying into.

The Insurance Industry is represented: The Consumer Choice Motor Vehicle Insurance Act has been introduced and actually signed into law in at least one state. This law lowers the minimum amount that insurance companies must insure drivers for under state laws in car accidents. It is touted as greater freedom of choice for customers but what the bill actually means is lower payouts for insurance companies meaning higher profits. Lower “minimum coverage” also means drivers who thought they were covered in the event of an accident do not have enough coverage to pay medical bills for injured parties…meaning the balance will come out of the consumer’s pocket. Another bill making the rounds is the After Market Crash Parts Act. The insurance industry wants you to put lower cost (possibly inferior) after-market replacement parts (transferring the risk to you) on your car following an accident.

Political Corruption is represented. Making it harder for college students, seniors and low-income citizens to vote is a recent legislative priority. The Conservative Movement has used voter fraud to justify changes in voting registration and process that don’t actually address or prevent the types of voter fraud that do exist minutely in this country. In Michigan, the GOP has corrupted the process by blocking democrats in their legislative body from voting. Democrats have been forced to file a law suit to get their votes counted in the State Legislature. Implemented “Emergency Managers” strip large segments of Michigan’s population of their constitutional right to vote by appointing a dictator.

I have a better idea for Congress: How about you take the pay cut you want to shift to the Military and government employees. How about you raise the minimum Social Security income tax to the first $200,000 earned and put your retirement in the hands of the Wall Street sharks. How about you leave MediCare alone and take your Government coupon to the Free Market and buy Health Insurance for you and your family.

I don’t mind paying taxes but Goddamn it, I want what I’m paying for!

Tammy Duckworth to the rescue...again!

This former Iraq veteran is running against (Idiot) Joe Walsh in Illinois’ 8th Congressional District. I for one support this effort. Walsh has been a disaster for both Congress and the 8^th District. It’s time to drive these racist Tea Party Douche-Bags out of government.

Read more about Duckworth here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tammy_Duckworth

Stay up to date on her campaign: http://www.tammyduckworth.com/

Follow her on twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/tammy4congress

Brigitte Gabriel is an activist, author, fear–monger and racist.

I’ve cut her a lot of slack over the years because I read her book about surviving the Lebanese Civil War of 1975 and couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. I find it hard to believe anyone could live through something like that and not bear emotional scars from it.

I wrote an open letter to Gabriel in November of 2010 on this blog in response to a letter she had composed to the 112^th Congress that she wanted me to sign. In that letter (among other things) she expressed opposition to closing the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility and wanted the Military Tribunals to continue there. I said it then and maintain today that Civilian Criminal Courts are the preferred route for trial and sentencing of terrorists. It’s important to remember that men accused of terrorism are criminals, not soldiers. Elevating them to the level of “enemy combatants” and using military tribunals only lends false credibility to their crime by disguising it as “combat” or actual “warfare.” As opposed to the selfish, shameful, cowardly and criminal acts that they really are. Their activity is funded through illegal drug sales. They have mouth-pieces in the United States trying to subvert our laws to impose their own agendas. They are more like the scum-bags who populate Organized Crime Syndicates than the noble heroes of the Military.

Anyway, I expressed my humble opinion and left it at that. As it turns out, she’s like a dog with a bone on the Military Tribunal issue. This time however, she has gone too far.

I have received no less three letters from her in the last month asking me to sign a petition regarding Purple Hearts for the victims of the Fort Hood Massacre and the Little Rock Recruitment Center shooting. It appears this time she has teamed up with the sexist, Islamaphobic and racist Congressman Allen West of Florida who introduced legislation (H.R. 1142) called the Global Combat Zone Recognition Act. The purpose of this legislation (on the surface) seems to be to provide Purple Hearts to service members injured or killed by MAJ Nadal Hassan and Carlos Leon Bledsoe (a.k.a. Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammed). But if you read H.R.1142 more closely, you see that in order to qualify for the Purple Heart outside the combat zone, people like MAJ Hassan and Mr. Bledsoe would be inadvertently re-defined as “Enemy Combatants” thus removing them from the Criminal Court system (where these despicable embarrassments to the human race belong) and returning them to the realm of Military Tribunals. So essentially what Gabriel and West are doing is: Dangling Purple Hearts in front of mourning families and wounded soldiers in an effort to advance their Military Tribunal agenda.

I urge EVERYONE to ignore these two ignorant hate-mongers. DO NOT let them play you.

I was not the least bit surprised when I saw the Town Hall video of Congressman Joe Walsh yelling at his constituents. I’ve said before that he’s an Idiot. So, seeing him vehemently defending the banks in the wake of our economic collapse caused in part by big banks offering sub-prime mortgages to people they knew couldn’t afford to repay them was not the earth shattering shock to me that it apparently was to his constituents.

I was also not at all astonished about the revelation that he doesn’t “give a damn about public workers.” The man owes his children over $100,000 in back child support! He doesn’t have the strength of character to do right by his own kids! Why would ANYONE with half a brain expect him to care about anyone but himself just as a general rule?

Fun Facts about the USPS:

1. Its existence is mandated by the U.S. Constitution
2. With a minor exception of subsidies for the cost of sending materials to disabled or overseas voters, it has not directly received taxpayer money since the early 1980s
3. Under the Postal Accountability & Enhancement Act (which became law in 2006) it’s required to put aside money to pre-fund 80% of future retirees’ health care costs.
   1. No other Government agency is required to do this
   2. It amounts to approximately $5.5 Billion a year
4. The Post Office is the ONLY organization that delivers to EVERY Address in the United States.
   1. UPS & FedEx both rely on the USPS to complete deliveries in obscure rural areas they themselves DO NOT service.
   2. These deliveries include prescription drugs to seniors, shut-ins and Disabled Americans.

Think about that before you condemn the Post Office as too expensive or obsolete.

I was going to call this one “Michael Vick is an Idiot” but then I realized Plaxico Burress is an “idiot.” Michael Vick is “Evil.” The term “idiot” simply doesn’t cover the depth and breadth of true evil that Michael Vick is…and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell can kiss my butt.

I HATE Michael Vick but I LOVE Football. I’ve watched it for as long as I can remember. I’ve watched football for so long, I feel like it is part of me. So it was with great sadness that I watched the events unfold around Michael Vick when his involvement in a dog fighting ring came to light. In my mind, his association with that inhumane activity irreparably stained all of his accomplishments in the game of Football. I don’t care how good a Quarterback he is, he’s a horrible human being and due entirely to his own amoral and criminal behavior, no longer deserves to breathe the same air as my Football Heroes. I am also sick and tired of hearing the “everyone deserves a second chance” BS. Don’t get me wrong, I was behind Plaxico Burress 100% when he came back. Why the dichotomy? Burress’s crime was victimless. The only person he hurt was himself. But, how many of the dogs that Sick Pig Michael Vick tortured got a second chance? I’m a firm believer in redemption so I’m not saying Michael Vick shouldn’t be allowed to earn a living.  I’m just saying that the world does needs ditch diggers too. Given the heinous nature of what Michael Vick did, I don’t believe the slate should have been wiped totally clean. By readmitting Michael Vick to the NFL and re-elevating him to his pre-conviction prestige and status, Roger Goodell and the owners in NFL have sent the wrong message to the youth of America.  They’ve said loud and clear that if you’re talented enough, you can get away with literally anything. In an era when professional sports figures are idolized and held before the American public as roll-models, it sickens me to see a sick evil man like Michael Vick back on the football field. I know I can be harsh, but there is something about that vile disgusting jerk that just brings out the worst in me. When I used to watch Football games I used to cheer good plays, regardless of who made it. It’s called sportsmanship. I can’t help myself, I love the game.

Call me Petty but now when I watch the Eagles play all I want to see is Vick get hit…hard…and when he does, I scream “Break his legs!” at my TV. I was beside myself with glee on Sunday night when he had a game ending injury. It felt like…I don’t know…karma. If it turns into a season or (even better) a career ending injury I say we put the Mo' Fo' in a sack and drop him in the Delaware River!

http://signon.org/sign/congress-needs-to-take 

Congressman Southerland,

I have read the remarks you made in Tallahassee about what a burden it is for you to serve in Congress (with your $80,000 a year raise and all) since you were elected. I sympathize with you, sir. $174,000 simply isn’t enough to live on in this day and age. Especially when one takes into account your personal suffering – long hours, time away from your loved ones (being in Washington, away from them for two out of every three weeks and only getting the whole month of August at home to make up for it) and the treat your job poses to your life.

Lucky for you, I have a solution. Unlike, your counterparts in the United States military (who make less than 1/4^thof what you do, work long hours and spend months – sometimes years – at a time away from their loved ones and face the possibility of being shot, blown up or captured by our enemies worldwide) you have the option to simply walk away at any time. You can simply resign. Members of the United States Military are called deserters when they fail to fulfill their obligations and it’s still a Capitol Crime to desert during a time of war. But I digress…

If you truly miss the “good life” you had in Panama City prior to putting all that time and energy getting yourself elected to an unrewarding job in Congress, I suggest you stop wasting the American Tax-Payer’s time and money. GET OUT of Congress and go home!

I’ve been listening to Congressmen  & Women blather on since I got back from Afghanistan about the “spending problem in Washington.” Time and again you all talk about cutting spending yet, every one of you has failed to lead by example. You want EVERYTHING on the cutting table; Social Security, Medicare and the Military. If you want me to take you seriously, you need to put your Federal Wages on that table before you start talking about taking more away from the poor and middle class or the Military! As long as your wages, health care and pensions are OFF the table I assure you EVERYTHING is definitely NOT ON THE TABLE!

At $174,000 a year Congress can afford to buy their own Health Insurance on the open market just like you want senior citizens to do. At $174,000 a year you can afford a private 401(K) and put YOUR retirement in the hands of Wall Street like you’ve been demanding of everyone else. You can do all of that and take a pay cut too. That would show the American Tax-Payer that you’re serious and willing to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

Eric Canter wants to offset the cost of disaster relief (i.e. Tornadoes, Earthquakes & Hurricanes) with comparable spending cuts…why not start by cutting Congress’s benefits and their federally funded health care!

I don’t know about you but I’m getting sick of Plutocrats in $2000 suits telling the elderly, me and the rest of the poor and Middle Class to “Suck it up.”

While we’re at it, let’s garnish Joe Walsh’s Congressional Wages to pay his back child support.

Get Off Obama’s Back! I’ve heard nothing but whining about his plan since his speech. Cry-Babies are all pissing and moaning about the same thing. “By the end of 2012, there will still be twice as many troops in Afghanistan as there were when he took office.” Well, Boo [Expletive Deleted] Hoo!

Do you know why there will be twice as many troops there as there were during the Bush Administration?

BECAUSE THAT’S HOW MANY IT’S GOING TO TAKE! THAT’S HOW MANY ARE NEEDED BY THE LEADERS ON THE [Expletive Deleted] GROUND, DUMB-[Expletive Deleted]! 

Do you know why Osama bin Laden escaped to Pakistan during the Battle of Tora Bora?

BECAUSE GEORGE W. BUSH SCREWED THE POOCH AND DIDN’T SEND EOUNGH TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN IN THE FIRST [Expletive Deleted] PLACE! THAT WAS OUR STATED MISSION THERE – TO CAPTURE OR KILL OSAMA BIN LADEN – AND WE DIDN’T HAVE THE MANPOWER TO GET IT DONE!

Unfortunately, Afghanistan had no known exploitable natural resources at the beginning so Bush let two morally bankrupt war mongers Dick [Expletive Deleted] Cheney and Donald “Dumb-[Expletive Deleted]” Rumsfeld distract him and turn his focus to Iraq…and all that oil.

I was in Afghanistan with a U. S. Army Transportation Company in 2009-2010. My Unit was at the spear-head of the surge. I spent the first three months looking around at Kandahar Air Field asking myself, “Is this the best we can do? We’ve been here for almost 10 years!”

Many people forget that before Obama, Afghanistan was Bush’s Forgotten War!

While there, my unit was tasked out in four different directions. We had four different missions running concurrently for pretty much the entire tour…and not enough soldiers or resources to get the jobs done without excruciatingly long work hours and very little rest...especially when running Convoy Ops.

It took 18 months to train, validate, equip and field the 33,000 or so troops participating in the surge (while at the same time maintaining the existing rotation of troops already scheduled) in Afghanistan. Common Sense dictates that it will take at least that long to bring the level back down! If Obama isn’t doing things to your satisfaction in regards to the troop withdrawal, that’s probably because he’s listening to Military Commanders and not pabulum puking politicians with alternate (not at all pro-military) agendas. You can’t just pick up and move 90,000 troops and their supplies and equipment (after spending 10 years entrenching them) overnight!

If you’ve never been part of the pre-deployment or re-deployment process (and let me just say thank you Nidal Hasan and his [Expletive Deleted] mini-mentor al-Awlaki for making a long, frustrating process at Fort Hood in 2009, even longer and more frustrating) and you’ve never had to recover a Military Unit following a deployment, then you have no concept of the tremendous logistical challenges have to be overcome in the best of circumstances. Ergo, you have no idea what you’re talking about when you say bring the troops home faster! Shut the [Expletive Deleted] Up and let the Military handle the withdrawal! 

I will never understand the allure of taking pictures of your tingly parts and sharing them with strangers on the internet. I’ve never done it. I’ve always thought it was icky when someone sent me pictures of their tingly parts. I don’t know what my friends hoped to gain doing by it but it has always ended the friendship.

That being said, here’s my opinion about Anthony Weiner - What he did wouldn’t go in MY house. But, here’s the thing: He doesn’t live in MY house. I also don’t live in his district… I didn’t vote for him. Privately, what he did is between him and the woman (his wife) that he Does Live With! Professionally, it’s between him and voters of his district. I don’t see how what he does with his tingly parts makes him a less effective advocate for his district. It doesn’t change what he did and said to help the 9/11 First Responders Health Care Bill passed.