Merry Christmas

Perhaps you're still digging into the Michael Connell mystery...or maybe you need a break from the Xmas pressure...this video should be a good distraction. Enjoy!

Conspiracy Nut?

I started this post back on December 20th....and held off finishing it in hopes that more information would filter up...

Thus far the corporate media has ignored this story....just as they pretty much ignored the story of how Karl Rove and his minions stole the 2004 election...

I don't consider myself a conspiracy nut, but this caught my eye. For those who haven't followed the story of how the 2004 election was stolen by rigging the computers in Ohio, Michael Connell was a key player in flipping the vote. Stephen Spoonamore, a computer security expert hired by the GOP, blew the whistle on how the Republicans stole the 2004 election, and how they plan to do it again. One name that he singled out was that of his friend Michael Connell.

This is where I stopped writing last week....

And now, we get more from the Raw Story...

If you love good mysteries, this story has it all...was Connell's plane crash an accident, or was it murder?

Bush's Economic Boom!

Hey, the guy finally did something right!

Media About to Have a Cow

So what if Rahm Emanuel called Gov. Blagojevich and suggested Obama would prefer Valerie Jarrett replaced him in the Senate? Is that a crime?

Apparently the AP thinks so.

The question is, how many times can Emanuel and Obama say nothing inappropriate was done, before the media decides to move on?

Union Busting

Here it is, bust the union and then lower the wages of everyone left standing.

The southern Senators helping out these foreign companies are unpatriotic...plain and simple!

Bush's Two For...

The NY Times is reporting that George Bush is considering an "orderly" bankruptcy for the Big 3 auto makers. No bailout..just a big screw you.

And why not? Bush can kill two birds with one stone.... he eliminates the American automakers by letting them fail. That is the first bird....the second bird, is this essentially means the end of the unions as it will be difficult for them to survive the bankruptcy of their employers...

So the elite southern republican...anti working class...anti union...Senators ,will have carried out their mission to destroy the competition for their foreign auto buddies that bankroll their campaigns...it is brilliant.

Rev. Rick Warren

I see the Queen of Soul...Aretha Franklin, and the head of the Saddleback Church, the Rev. Rick Warren are going to be participating in Obama's inauguration.

I'm not sure having Rick Warren connected to this event is a wise move....here is what he said in a recent interview:

"Now, I don't happen to agree with Muslims," Warren said, 'and I don't happen to agree with Jewish people, and I don't even agree with all of the things Catholics believe, but I ... can work with them on doing something like stopping AIDS, because we all believe sex is for marriage only." "

Of course....SEX is for MARRIAGE ONLY....so I wonder how he feels about gays?

Here are his own words on that subject:

"Explaining his views about homosexuality and gay rights, he notes, "I don't think that homosexuality is the worst sin," and, "By the way, my wife and I had dinner at a gay couple's home two weeks ago. So I'm not [a] homophobic guy, okay?" "

So, he has gay friends. But he supported Prop. 8

That gay couple he had dinner with are immoral in his view...and he doesn't want them to marry and enjoy the same rights that he and his partner enjoy...so why is this guy going to have a role in Obama's inauguration?

Someone Got it Right

This is one youtube video everyone should watch...on one side you have cheerleaders for the Reagan/Bush economy...people like Arthur Laffer and Ben Stein...and on the other side you have Peter Schiff....these snips of video are from 18-24 months AGO!!!

This video is simply amazing...how supposedly intelligent people can be so wrong in the face of so much contrary evidence....is mind numbing...at one point the cheerleaders are actually laughing at Schiff....midway through the video I thought about the scene in Titanic...the boat is sinking, smart people know there's a big problem, but the "cheerleaders" are on the deck encouraging the band to play on!

Republic Windows and Doors

So the owners of Republic Windows, close Republic, and form a new company called Echo Windows in Iowa.... they buy a window and door company in Iowa called TRACO. TRACO, apparently, pays their non union workers $9.00 an hour....half what a Republic worker made....

$9.00 and hour....$18,000 a year. This is a below poverty level wage....

Oh,This is Precious!

Bank of America lays off 35,000 workers....but spends another $7 billion on a bank in China.....

Did I tell you they got $15 billion in bailout money too?

What a Week

Wow! I never thought I'd see the day when US Congressmen would tell US manufacturers to lower worker wages to match those paid by foreign owned companies....sounds pretty un-American to me.

But what else is new, right?

Time to Flex Some Muscle

This great article from David Lindorff at Common Dreams sums it up.....it is time for American workers to flex some muscle....

The war on middle class America started with Reagan....and last night we saw Republicans and centrist Democrats thumb their noses at the millions of workers across America that make a middle class living from the auto industry....

Why do they do this? Because they do not FEAR US! It's time to flex some muscle.

What a Mess

It looks like the Republicans are intent on leaving yet another huge mess for Obama to clean up....this has a lot to do with mid term elections two years down the road...

If you read that NY Times article, about half way down the page, Mitch McConnell says " we hate to see this happen to the auto makers, but very few of us had anything to do with making the mess they are in"......I wonder if that means he DID HAVE something to do with making the banking mess....which he supported bailing out....or maybe he's just plain stupid and hates blue collar workers?

Let Them Filibuster

If the Southern Republicans are so intent on kicking middle class, working America in the groin, let them filibuster the auto bail out bill....let them explain to America why they hate blue collar workers so much...let them explain why they put foreign companies ahead of American industry.

Do the Democrats have the balls to let the Republicans filibuster this? I doubt it.

Obama needs to step up....big time.

Will Democrats Do Repubs. Dirty Work....Again?

It looks like that spineless speck of poo called Senator Harry Reid, is about to lead the Democrats in carrying out the Republicans dirty work yet again.

When will these idiot middle of the road Democrats grow a spine?

Workers of the world unite! These guys want everything...leaving us with nothing but the memories.....

Yes We Can!

Maybe you've noticed recently some people talking sense about food and farming in America.

Nicholas Kristof in the NY Times...

Michael Pollan in his letter to the next Farmer in Chief....

And this from the Organic Consumers Association....

And this.....from Food Democracy Now...

It is good to see this, but it is not getting out through the corporate media...the major television networks get too much money from the industrial farms, and their food monopolies, to start telling the American people just how much their food costs, how much it is killing them, and how our industrial farming policies are ruining the environment.

Food...where it comes from, and how it is grown and distributed, is going to be the next big issue...I think it's on the verge of being a major crisis. Let Obama know...let your state legislators know, and your representatives in Congress know, that you want something done...you want change because our lives depend on it.

Republicans Give the Finger to Auto Workers

This is sad...

Apparently the Republicans see a huge difference between bailing out banks, and saving nearly 3 million blue collar jobs. That was obvious from their rhetoric leading up to this vote when they used lies about auto workers pay, and heaped anti union conditions on any bailout loan.

Here's the thing, all the Big 3 auto execs. should be replaced. They have done a terrible job running their companies and marketing their products. They have climbed into bed with big oil, and they cling to that dinosaur, even as it too is dying. The auto workers are extremely productive, make a good product (GM has more cars that get better than 30 miles per gallon than Toyota), and have been a major economic driver of our economy over the last 50 years.

If these moron Senators from the South are willing to throw away an entire industry, and three million good paying jobs, so the UAW can be busted, and the foreign auto makers are the only ones left, so be it....it will be their bad karma come re-election time. But hopefully, smarter people will prevail and this can still be saved.

Workers End Sit In

The workers at Republic Window and Doors have ended their six day sit in after the Bank of America negotiated a new loan that will pay the workers severance pay, and accrued vacation and sick pay.

This is a major victory for working people, and it signals a major change from how labor issues have been dealt with by the Bush administration. Under Republican rule, the US Department of Labor has been anti worker for most of the last 30 years, beginning with Reagan's firing of the PATCO union workers when they refused to return to work back in the early 1980's.

But what a difference Obama makes! The day after the Republic workers started their sit in, Obama made a strong statement in support of the workers. Five days later they are seeing some justice....they don't have their jobs, but they will get the back pay, severance and benefits they have earned.....and George Bush's Department of Labor???? Not a peep out of them during this week long sit in....isn't change wonderful!

Union Busting

Let's call all this talk , about restructuring and reforming the auto industry, and talk about a"car czar", coming from southern Senators and House members what it really is....union hating, union busting, rhetoric. These guys have never liked unions and never liked working people having benefits. They have given millions of dollars in tax breaks to foreign corporations to come into their states, take the profits out of the country, and pay their citizens a non union job wage.

These southern union busters, and their corporate media whores, have perpetuated the lie that a US autoworker makes $78 per hour in wages and benefits. The truth is, it's closer to $50 an hour, and new hires are paid between $12 and $14 an hour plus benefits. Why does it bother them so much that a blue collar worker is making around $50,000 a year and getting health care? Why does it bother them so much that a person who has worked for 40-45 years for a company, created billions in wealth for this country, is having their health care paid for by GM or Ford after they retire? Why aren't they MORE CONCERNED about the incredibly high cost of health care in America?

Don't expect guys like Senators Shelby and Sessions to do anything to lower health care costs. They're too busy doing everything they can to eradicate the middle class.

Obama Gets It

The workers at Republic Windows are staging a sit in.....you see, the Bank of America cut off credit to the company, and the company told the workers they had worked their last day. But the workers said screw that and are now occupying the factory!

And who is speaking up for these 250 blue collar jobs? Our new President!

It isn't like Bank of America doesn't have the money to continue Republics line of credit...many of the banks receiving bailout money have been hording the money. And it isn't like banks haven't helped businesses through slow times....but here we have blue collar workers who are owed pay checks and benefits....and Christmas is coming to Main Street USA. Where is Hank Paulsen and George Bush? Probably off cutting more bailout checks for their Wall Street buddies.

Bush and Repubs. Say "Kiss Off" to Auto Workers...Part II

Yesterday, George Bush said he didn't want to give taxpayer money to businesses that may fail. Say what? I guess it was ok to give the taxpayers money to banks....to the tune of over $1 trillion dollars!

You have to admire the chutzpa of this administration. After seven years of privatizing hundreds of billions of dollars of government services, with very mixed results, Bush hands his rich friends another $1 trillion dollars of "taxpayer" money. When the history of his administration is written, it won't be his foreign policy failures that will get all the attention, nor will it be his domestic spying program.....no...the most destructive thing Bush has done is open wide the doors of government to corporate control...from putting polluters in charge of the EPA, to sleazy bankers in charge of the Treasury, to big pharma calling the shots at the FDA....Georgie boy has given multi national corporations money, and access to power, oversight, and making regulations for their industry.

Will Obama follow suit?

Those Were the Days My Friend

Not too many years ago if you bought a washing machine, it was made in America. If you bought a television, a computer, a toy for your child, a shirt, a lawn mower, or a pair of shoes, it was made in America. You could buy anything you wanted, and it was made in America. Do you remember the old TV ad, "Look for the Union Label"? Try and find a union label on anything at your local Walmart.

Manufacturing creates wealth. A stick is just a piece of wood until the lathe turns it into a table leg on a $1200 table. A computer is a handful of minerals from the ground until it is manufactured and assembled....manufacturing adds value and creates wealth.

Which leads me to this...what wealth is being created when we give money to troubled banks with no strings attached, and little or no oversight?

Meanwhile, up on Capital Hill, the automakers are being forced to jump through hoops to save their dying companies. Did Robert Rubin get grilled about his private jet when we came begging for a bailout of Citi Corp?

There is a total disconnect between Congress and blue collar, working Americans....when it is good paying UNION JOBS on the line....Congress is willing to let those jobs fail, and perhaps never return....

A solution put forward by Micheal Moore, and Dr. Ravi Batra among others, is to take $5 billion dollars and buy up the common shares of GM....nationalize the company....clean house of all management that got them into this mess, and give ownership to the employees. I will write more on this when we see how Congress reacts to the auto industry's latest effort to get "bailed out".

Boycott Factory Farm "Organic" Milk

The Organic Consumers Association has an on going boycott of companies that sell products that are labeled "organic", but under further scrutiny are actually operating in the shadows....stretching the definition of organic.

Don't buy Horizon Organic, Costco's Kirkland Organic, Safeway's O' organics, and Wild Oats organic...milk.

From my research Organic Valley appears to be the best choice for someone seeking organic dairy products....however, if you can buy local, you should.

Snoop Dog and Martha

This is a match made in heaven....

No Depression

No Depression is a fun little magazine that covers the alt.country music scene... back a few months ago it disappeared...only the online version remaining....but rumor has it, the magazine is back...in old fashion paper form...that's good news if you can find it in your town....

Oh well....we still have the online editions!

Here's a link to a Thanksgiving classic....enjoy!

Citi Group $45 Billion....Auto Industry $0

The government has agreed to give Citi Group an additional $20 billion to ease the pain of bad management.....new total is $45 billion.

Meanwhile, millions of blue collar workers are wondering if they will have much of a Christmas.

There Are "Farms", and There Are Farms....

This morning I was watching The American Heartland....a farming/rural life program on PBS...sponsored, by the way, by Monsanto and the Farm Bureau. The featured story was about Fair Oaks Farm a large (22,000 acre) dairy farm in Indiana, where they milk 30,000 cows in ten dairy barns. The farm has also become a big tourist attraction promoting dairy products, and 21st century farming practices...
Fair Oaks has a slogan..."From Grass to Glass".....more on that in a minute.

With 30,000 cows Fair Oaks must have a ton of manure....so several times a day the manure is vacuumed up, moved to giant digesters, and turned into methane that is used to generate electricity for the barns and other facilities. Pretty cool! That was the only thing "cool" about Fair Oaks.

What is life like at Fair Oaks for the cows? Well, by the looks of things from the TV program they live in a nice clean environment. The "girls" all looked clean and healthy....but....here's where I have a problem....the cows are fed 40 lbs. of grain, 50 lbs of silage, and 30 gallons of water every day. Grain...and silage? Then, three times a day, they are led from their feeding stalls to a carousel where they are hooked up to a milking machine and have the milk sucked out while they gently go round and round...to the delight of the tourist! Isn't farming fun!

These cows never feel the sun on their backs, they never eat grass growing in a pasture. In fact, from what I saw on the TV program, most of Fair Oaks 22,000 acres was devoted to growing corn.....no doubt Monsanto GM corn....that is, no doubt, fed to the cows as part of their 90 lbs a day diet.

From grass to glass? I wonder where the grass fits into this equation? Perhaps they feed them some alfalfa or maybe some hay?

When I was a boy, where I grew up, dairy cows nearly out numbered people. Cows filled every field, grazing on red clover and grass.....productive, family farms dotted the landscape. Local dairies were common....I was raised on fresh, local milk. Unfortunately, today, that dairy herd is about half what it was 40 years ago. And dairy farms, once numbering over 11,000, have dwindled to less than 2000. Local dairies are gone, the milk is now shipped by tanker trucks to processing plants all over New England....Those pastures of grass and clover, are now planted with mono crops of Monsanto and Pioneer GM corn.

There are some bright spots out there...consumers are turning against genetically modified foods, and some states, are seeing a return to doing things "the old way" , and a return of small scale family farming. The politics is still tough, and making a living under a "farm policy" geared toward the factory farm, is a rough row to hoe....this is an area I'm learnig more about all the time...the one thing I do know is this....

There are "farms"....factory farms....and there are farms.....family farms. Who grows your food, and how they grow your food is important...If you know a local farmer, thank them....help them...support them.

Bush and Repubs. Say "Kiss Off" to Auto Workers

George Bush is sitting on $700 billion in "bailout" money but he has "no appetite" for helping out the ailing auto industry....once again exhibiting the leadership he is famous for.

The UAW (United Auto Workers Union) gets down to the real nitty gritty of what is happening.....Wall Street vs Main Street.....and Main Street is losing.

Auto Execs and Private Jets

Isn't it ironic, that a Congress that uses corporate jets, lent to them by corporate lobbyist, to fly all over the world, get bent out of shape when three auto executives use their company jets to attend a Congressional hearing.

How many executives does a company like GM have? How many manufacturing plants, scattered all over the world, do they have? How often do these executives have to attend meetings with bankers and parts manufacturers?

Don't you think having a few corporate jets on hand is cheaper, more efficient, than flying commercial airlines?

Sometimes our Congress is sooooo dumb.

A Call To Action

I received an email from the Obama campaign yesterday. Many of you probably got the same email....a call to get active.

For those of you that did not receive the email, here's the content:



Please take a few minutes and help shape the future of this movement.

Share your campaign experience and your thoughts on the best way to keep supporting our agenda for change.

The inauguration is just 63 days away, and as President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden prepare to take office, they'll need your support more than ever.

You've built an organization in your community and across the country that will continue to work for change -- whether it's by building grassroots support for legislation, backing state and local candidates, or sharing organizing techniques to effect change in your neighborhood.

Your hard work built this movement. Now it's up to you to decide how we move forward.

Take this short survey and share your ideas:

http://my.barackobama.com/whatsnext

Thanks to you, this country has an historic opportunity. Electing Barack was the first big step, but there's a lot of challenging and important work ahead.

Together, we can keep making history,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

Bailout or Loan?

The corporate media continues to call the proposed $25 billion bridge loan to the Big 3 automakers a "bailout"....giving most people the impression that the government is giving away money, no strings attached....sort of like the $350 billion they have given the big banks.

Here's the thing...one out of every ten jobs in America is connected to the auto industry. If GM goes into bankruptcy one million to three million people will lose their jobs....the lost tax revenue will be over $200 billion dollars....and car sales will go right in the toilet. Would you buy a car from a company that might not be around next year? The Bush administration, and Republicans in the Senate do not want to help....apparently the workers in the auto industry don't have white enough collars to warrant any help....

This loan buys the industry 60 days....sixty days to work out an agreement for a more sustainable situation...and more importantly, the 60 days gets them Obama....

Obama has said he supports the bridge loan, but he has also said the industry needs to make some major changes....fuel efficiency needs to be improved....cleaner burning flex vehicles need to be made....and the extravagant lifestyles of the upper management need to be reined in....no more corporate jets!

Some right wingnuts have said, "where do the bailouts end...Starbucks, Circuit City, Linen and Things???" Good question.....and I don't know the answer to that....but this I do know....if the American auto industry is left high and dry China will move in and buy up what's left of the industry...they, along with the Japanese automakers and the Koren automakers will be about the only automakers left....

Yet Another Head Scratcher

I thought the big economic panic was over a "credit crunch". Didn't Paulson give the banks $250 billion to ease their credit problems? So, how does Treasury Secretary Paulson explain this?

More importantly, why is the corporate media silent on this?

Something Smells!

Is it just me, or does what just happened stink to high heaven? And what, pray tell, is that smell? Hank Paulson, former Goldman Sachs CEO, and current Treasury Secretary, said today, that he didn't need the remaining $350 billion in the bailout fund....he would leave that for Obama....What the f%#K ???? Can you say PUNT????

In fact, Paulson said the worse of the economic crisis is over!

Is it my imagination, or did Paulson, Greenspan, Warren Buffet, and President, declare this to be the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression? Did they not say back in September that this problem was "deep" and would reach across all economic sectors? Were we not told that the world's economy was on the verge of a complete meltdown?

Ah, but that was before the election. Their boy McCain didn't win. Their fear mongering over the imminent demise of life as we know it, backfired, and cost McCain any chance he had of winning....hmmmm.

So now, the world is looking brighter. The crisis looks as if it has been averted. Nine banks got over $125 billion dollars to do whatever they want. Those homeowners with the bad mortgages, got nothing. But hey, they WERE ONLY THE REASON we were in this mess....or so we were told...remember?

And that is what really adds the stink to this smelly mess.

The banks got a last minute, as time was running out, handout from Bush. The homeowners in trouble, got nothing. And Obama gets stuck with an incomplete job....lets hope he does a better job than Bush/Paulson.

A Battered Middle Class and the Recession

As we continue to tumble into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, it's important to look at what's been happening to middle class America...

Real wages have been falling since 1980. Union participation is at an all time low. Many workers have lost their health insurance, and felt the sting of bankruptcy. Some, have had their pensions trashed, and their savings gobbled up by the rising cost of getting by. Many are working two jobs to make ends meet. Now, they are being hit hard by the recession.

Unemployment is "officially" 6.5%, but the real number is over 12%. And those lucky enough to have a job, are seeing their hours cut....tough times now, and more to come.

Thirty years ago we had a "safety net" that kept the middle class and the working poor from falling into a hole they could not escape from....but today, that safety net is nearly gone. Starting with Reagan, and continuing through Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II....programs, some dating back to Roosevelt and the Great Depression, have been eliminated, or eroded to the point that they no longer cushion the blow of a hard recession.

This did not happen by accident. Since Reagan we have had one administration after another that has declared war on working Americans.

This moment in our history is so important. We have a new President that has filled us with hope. We have an economic crisis that will require sacrifice from all of us, and bold leadership from our government.....it's this confluence of energy, hope, a deep need, and inspiring leadership...just as we had with Roosevelt in 1932...that makes this a great opportunity to put in place a restored safety net for working Americans.

Liberal Media? Ha!

It's Sunday, and all the major corporate media television outlets have their political talking heads interviewing a politician about our current political scene. The media, being left wing, must have a bunch of wild eyed liberal socialist on this morning, right? Wrong! In fact, you will be hard pressed to find so much as a single progressive on today's morning shows.

And the story on the radio isn't any better. Conservative talk radio dominates the talk radio airways, and Rush, the king of conservative talk radio, recently signed a $400 million contract to keep on shilling for the right, attacking the left, and getting things wrong, for another 8 years.

No, the media is not liberal. In fact, it's far from it...the biggest talking heads are pulling down huge salaries while ranting about "income redistribution".....the biggest media corporations are intertwined with other large corporations that are busy building weapons, exporting jobs, fouling the environment, and making unsafe pharmaceuticals....you get the picture. They control the content and the message....

During the last election I started reading the left wing blogs. They turned out to be accurate, informative, and tell a story you will not find in corporate media.

Here are some blogs that I enjoy.

Buzz Flash

Talking Points Memo

Firedoglake

Why Bailout the Auto Industry

Senator Chris Dodd said on Thursday that the votes did not exist in the Senate to bailout the automobile industry.....it seems there is no Republican support for this $25 billion bailout....

I wonder how they feel about a $200 billion plus hit to our federal budget if we DON'T bailout the automakers?

How big an impact would the loss of GM be? Think about the thousands of small manufacturers that make parts for the auto industry. Many are the sole good paying jobs in their community.....and as these small manufacturers disappear, so will local tax revenue.

There is no doubt American auto makers need to make the cars we want. They have improved overall quality 10 fold in the last 30 years and have some great hybrid models in the works. But they do have problems....they too have been hit hard by the credit crunch.....see GMAC....and the high cost of health insurance is killing them....but to sit back and do nothing to help the auto makers will hurt working Americans across America.

A Good Replacement For Obama's Senate Seat?

Tammy Duckworth lost both legs while serving in Iraq. She could be the next head of Veterans Affairs.....or maybe she will be selected to replace Obama in the Senate?

Obama to Resign From Senate Seat Sunday

This is probably a good move. The Senate is going to meet between now and the X-mas break, and Obama would have to vote on any stimulus bill that comes up, thus putting him on the record one way or another.....when he probably has his own ideas for getting the economy going.

I also think it's a good idea to stay far away from Bush's upcoming Economic Summit....if Obama were to show up, anything...good or bad...coming out of that summit would stick to him....why risk having some serious stink rub off on ya?

Progress in Alaska Vote Count

Late last night Democrat Mark Begich surged to a 814 vote lead over convicted felon Ted Stevens with 35,000 ballots still to be counted. This is good news!

Meanwhile, over on Fox News, the wingnuts are screaming voter fraud as Norm Coleman's lead over Al Franken shrinks as more ballots are found and verified......I'm shedding crocodile tears for them.....

What happened?

Thirty years ago Ronald Reagan set out to destroy the middle class. He didn't act alone of course. It actually took 30 years of Supply Side economics, and some truly screwed up ideas about trade policy, unions, wages, cheap credit, taxes, and the governments role in regulating business, to bring the middle class to it's knees.

Real wages have been falling or stagnate since 1973. Union participation is at an all time low. Trade policy, pushed by Democrats, led to good paying jobs being outsourced to 3rd world countries, and outsourced again in a race to the bottom.

What about wages and the average working person in America? Shouldn't it be the goal of our government to create a business environment that leads to prosperity for all its citizens? You would think so, but in fact, for the last 30 years government policy has favored corporate America and the wealthy.....deregulation, tax breaks for outsourcing jobs, tax cuts and loop holes......In fact, Greenspan was very concerned about "wage inflation"......Imagine that...he was concerned that after all those years working hard, and earning a good union wage at the local mill, and then seeing your job go sailing off to China, you might earn to much working at McDonald's.

Ah, but Greenspan had a plan. When wages dried up the party didn't have to end! .....cheap credit! Credit cards became so easy to get my dog had one. Home equity loans could be used to buy all those toys we desired. Who needed wages (or a job for that matter) when we had cheap credit? The first words out of George Bush's mouth after the 9-11 attacks where "go shopping".

I'm not an economist but this makes sense to me.....our economy is fueled by demand, not supply....and people with money in their pockets have a greater demand for goods and products than people with no money in their pockets. All the cheap crap being manufactured in China, and sold at WalMart, is wasted on a financially tapped out society.

For many of us our wages have been falling since Carter was President. For most of us our credit is tapped out....there is no more.

If we are going to restore the middle class in America we need a major change in direction. First, we need to invest in clean energy, and rebuilding our neglected infrastructure, that will lead to millions of new jobs.... second, we need to enact the Employee Free Choice Act so workers can unionize and earn better wages....third, we need to give tax breaks to those companies that stay here in America.....fourth, we need universal health care....fifth, we need a major investment in education from K-college.

I have been talking a lot lately about writing a new story...it is our time. How will we write that story? What kind of America will we leave our kids?

The Change We Need

During the recent Presidential campaign I sent regular emails to family and friends expressing my opinions, commenting on what I saw happening, and posting links to other blog sites that I thought you all would find interesting, informative, and helpful, for what Thom Hartmann calls "winning the water cooler battle".

Now that the election is over our real work....the work of bringing about the change we need...has begun. Each of us has it in us to do great things.......to move history.....to bring the change we need that will make this world a more equitable place to live...change that will lead to peace...change that will clean up our environment...and change that will make health care available to all citizens.

This is our time...