Costco or Walmart, American or Chinese.

Walmart’s price for a Dell Inspiron 15R Touchscreen Laptop, Intel Core i5 is $448. Costco’s prices the same brand for $599. You’d probably think that Costco is ripping you off, but you would be wrong in that assumption. Walmart ‘s model has only 500GB hard drive, while Costco’s has 1TB. So even though they might look the same, they are not, you get more for your money with the model sold at Costco.

You will find a Whirlpool (model 9451) washer (26x27x43) for $449 at Costco and a Golden (GLP26R) washer (23.7x24.1x39.4) for $493 at Walmart. Not only Costco sells a washer that is larger, but also the model at Costco has 11 wash cycles and a fabric softener dispenser that the model at Walmart does not.

Let’s compare grills, the all American outdoors cooking experience. While it is true that Walmart offers junk grills for very affordable prices, let’s compare a good one, because Costco doesn’t sell the ones you can find at any grocery store, like Walmart does. At Costco you can find a KitchenAid (Deluxe 304) gas grill for $749.99. This grill has 5 burners, 696.8 sq. inches of grilling surface and 10-year warranty. Walmart sells a comparable model made by Weber at $849.00 (Genesis S310). However, the model sold at Walmart for a higher price has only 3 burners and a cooking area of 637 sq. inches. Both grills are made in the USA, but once more, you get more for your dollar at Costco.

We can  continue comparing prices between Costco and Walmart. I can assure you that you will find cheaper prices for not as good a quality at Walmart but you can also find comparable prices for better quality products at Costco.

With the current economical situation, it is understandable that families that are trying to stretch their budget will shop at Walmart, thinking they are doing what is best for their families, but they are not. They are perpetuating the economical crises in this country by purchasing their goods from a company that purchase most of their products in China, which benefits that country but not ours. On the financial end you’re not helping the economy move forward, you are perpetuating the current situation.

On the moral end, Walmart is a slave driver. a company that does not believe in paying their workers fair wages, who only offers part-time jobs, forcing their employees to work during the holidays with the real threat that they will be fired if they don't and a company that offers their "associates" no health insurance… Walmart does all this due to greed, to make as large a profit as possible... it's never enough for the Walton family. Most of Walmart's employees have to get help from the government or charities to make ends meet.

Costco, on the other hand, offers its employee decent wages, health care insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, 401K and stock options to all their employees – whether they are full time or part time.  Every Costco employee is eligible to receive these benefits one month after they began working at Costco! Costco also offer their employees the time to spend the holidays with their families. While Walmart doesn’t believe in family, Costco does.

You may not know anyone that works at either store chain, but… what about if you worked at Walmart? Wouldn't you want people to care?

I am boycotting Walmart, they don’t care for the economy of our country and much less for the American people. I rather buy American, I rather support a company that cares for its employees – the treatment a company gives to its employees reflects on how those employees will treat you, and I think it is not too difficult to see who will treat you better.

A Fistful of Dollars

Let me begin by saying that I am no finance expert nor do I consider myself an economist. I am just using common sense and as Bill Clinton said, arithmetic.

The government of the United is funded mostly by taxation.

The Great Depression started by the end of 1929 and ended by the end of 1940. During those tough times, the wealthy responded to the crisis not by taking their money somewhere else or by hiding it, they loved their country and were willing to do whatever was necessary to help America come out of the predicament it found herself in. The tax rate for individuals from 1932 to 1963 making over $200,000 was brutal (to see the rates, click here), yet they paid it and we came out of the Depression and flourished. Corporations were not as willing or perhaps the government was as usual more lenient on them, from 1929 until 1939 the maximum tax rate corporations paid was 19% but in 1940 their rates jumped, literally from one year to the next to 38.3% and by 1952 the corporate tax rate for any income above $25,000 was a whooping 52%! That sacrifice from both the wealthy and corporations is what helped this country to move forward and to cement us as the richest country in the world.

By the end of 1989 or beginning 1990, Grover Norquist introduced the concept that taxes could not be raised to any corporations or the wealthy and that is what has caused the steady economic decline of this country. The government of the United States of America does not produce anything, does not sell anything and it depends solely on taxation to survive. It is precisely during a financial crisis those taxes must be raised or we will never get out of the recession and will only keep increasing our national debt.

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The total revenue collected by the United States (in millions) from 2000 to 2012 as taxes (I = Individual Taxes) (C = Corporate Taxes) and (O = Other) were as follows:

2000 – $2,025,191 (I) $1,004,462; (C) $207,289; (O) $813,440
2001 – $1,991,092 (I) $994,339; (C) $151,075; (O) $845,668
2002 – $1,853,136 (I) $858,345; (C) $148,044; (O) $846,747
2003 – $1,782,314 (I) $793,699; (C) $131,778; (O) $856,837
2004 – $1,880,114 (I) $808,959; (C) $189,371; (O) $881,784
2005 – $2,153,661 (I) $927,222; (C) $278,282; (O) $948,107
2006 – $2,406,869 (I) $1,043,908; (C) $353,915; (O) $1,009,046
2007 – $2,567,985 (I) $1,163,472; (C) $370,243; (O) $1,034,270
2008 – $2,523,991 (I) $1,145,747; (C) $304,346; (O) $1,073,898
2009 – $2,104,989 (I) $915,308; (C) $138,229; (O) $1,052,452
2010 – $2,162,724 (I) $898,549; (C) $191,437; (O) $1,051,452
2011 – $2,303,466 (I) $1,091,473; (C) $181,085; (O) $1,030,908

From the taxes collected, about 85% of the total amount came from individual taxes, 12% from corporate taxes and 3% from other taxes.

In average, corporations made from 2002 to 2011 around $5.4 trillion dollars in profits and paid $2.8 billion in taxes while individual taxes for the same period were $19.7 billion. According to the Small Business Administration, there were 27.5 million companies in the United States in 2009, that is the latest data I could find. Considering all the taxes loopholes, foreign banking, etc. corporations are literally getting a “free ride.” Even Social Security and Pensions paid more than corporations.

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The days when privileged people and businesses were concerned about the well being of the country are long gone. The very rich just want more and more money and don’t have any shame in admitting it and the country can go down the drain for all they care; the only thing that matters to them is money. The patriots that during the depression contributed at times with more than half of their earnings to help the country is a thing of the past. Back during the Great Depression these companies didn’t think of dismantling their businesses and take them somewhere else. They understood what  needed to be done and everyone benefited from their sacrifice, the economy finally flourished and businesses bloomed.

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Republicans keep insisting in extending the Bush tax cuts for the very wealthy, refusing to raise the taxes of those making huge profits during a recession while increasing the taxes on the middle class and the elderly. Not satisfied with this, they are persisting in engaging in more wars and refusing to make cuts to the Defense budget or reducing Defense expenses. Their sense of balance, fairness and simple arithmetic its non-existent.

According to Statista.com, the above statistics show corporate profits after tax in the United States from 2009 to 2011 Corporate profits are defined as the net income of corporations in the National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA). In 2010, corporations made profits of $1.4 trillion AFTER tax.

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This trend of less revenue and more weapons has to stop; no country can sustain an economy where the money that comes in is below to what goes out. As usual, Republicans want to make cuts to balance the budget on the things that help the poor and elderly survive, on education, scientific research, police and everything but the kitchen sink in order to keep giving to the rich and stealing from the poor, in order to keep the war machine going and the fat cats purring. I wonder how much money do the weapons manufacturers “donate” to these loyal Republicans, there has to be big money involved for the GOP to be so faithful… they would sell their soul to the devil for a fistful of dollars.

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There is absolutely no way that we can ever balance our budget and come out of a recession unless we take drastic measures. Our obsession with war has to come to an end, we can’t continue on this trend where there is no end and no matter how armed we are, it seems it’s never enough. Our desire to be feared (which some call it “respected”) is nothing but cowardice, masquerading as a Good Samaritan and the main reason most of the world hate us and distrust us. Would you trust someone coming to your aid that has a bloody axe on his shoulder? Neither would I!


Sources:

White House Budget
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Statistica.com
Small Business Administration
IRS

USGovernmentspending.com

The Elephant in the Room

The Koch brothers and the extreme religious fanatics, usually Evangelists, own the GOP who are following the desires of their true masters and ignoring the needs of their constituents. The GOP is evolving from a Party that loved this country, even when they have always shown favoritism for Corporations it was never to the point of sacrificing the well being of the regular American, the working class to a Party that is only loyal to the elite and fortunate few, the 1%.

For the last twelve years, the Republicans have been giving tax breaks to large corporations, the famous trickle-down economics that has never worked but that the Republicans keep insisting stimulates the economy. For twelve years the largest corporations have paid little or no taxes but have received a hefty sum from the government to promote job creation. Basically, the working class is giving the wealthy money to create part-time or under paid jobs for the working class. The working class is the one paying the taxes that provide these incentives, does that make any sense to anyone? You don’t believe me? Let me begin by saying that for 2011, the total Revenue of the United States collected from Individual income taxes was of $1,091 billion vs. $819 billion from corporate taxes. There alone is a huge discrepancy. At a time where unemployment is high and salaries are low, the working class is the one providing the largest amount of revenue for the country. Let’s not forget that those billions are only from income tax, after the government takes those taxes from us, we still have to pay sales taxes, state taxes etc. Corporations pay sales taxes too, but since they have the ability to purchase in bulk the sales taxes they pay are usually lower plus they can claim an infinite amount of things as expenses and losses, the regular working person can't. So no matter how you slice it, the working class is being squeezed to the max for every penny the government can get from them, and the GOP likes it that way just fine. They don’t want to fairly tax Corporations or the wealthy; at least we can say they don’t want to bite the hand that feeds them but a country cannot flourish economically when its economy it’s mostly carried on the shoulders of the weakest. It is unsustainable.

The GOP is constantly claiming that the tax cuts they request are for small businesses. When we hear this, we all think of the mom and pop’s store in our neighborhoods, but we are wrong. Most people don’t know what constitute a small business, the ones benefiting from these tax cuts. Everything that I write here can be traced and confirmed and I will supply the links to support my statements.

The list of the top 200 “small” business listed in Forbes magazine even includes oil companies. I must admit that these oil companies are not Exxon, Mobil or BP but still it is not what most Americans consider small business. The list of small businesses show sales ranging from a minimum of $5 million dollars to $750 million, that is definitively not a mom and pop’s store, yet the tax cuts are geared towards them.

Another thing I heard from the Right is that Democrats are against development, growth and capitalism. I have no idea where they get their information (well, yes I do) but this is not true. Democrats are considered progressives and as such we are in favor of progress, whether this progress is manufacturing, science, development or anything else if it is to improve the lives of all of us. We are not against capitalism, we want everyone to have a chance at succeeding in life and have a fair shot at a better future. What we are vehemently against is for the working class to be abused, taken advantage of on the name of capitalism. There is a big difference there. There is no excuse for a CEO to get a salary in the millions of dollars, a great retirement plan, stocks, bonuses, expenses paid etc. while the worker gets more responsibilities, lower benefits, longer hours and their salaries see little or no changes, and if they get a raise is at best an extra dollar an hour. That is simply a modern way of slavery and that is what Democrats are against. I will never understand a middle class worker justifying such injustice.

Republicans don’t understand what Regulations and Unions do either. They like to blame the high unemployment rate on this. Nothing could be further from the truth.

President Ronald Reagan, the GOP’s demigod, inherited an unemployment rate of 8.5, and during the first year of his administration it peaked to 10.8; we can say that this was not his fault since he inherited an unemployment that was increasing from Jimmy Carter. To his credit, he managed to bring down the unemployment to a 5.4, which is commendable. Of course, we all know that Ronald Reagan would be considered too liberal to be part of the GOP as they are today. President Bill Clinton inherited an unemployment rate of 6.3 and after implementing some tougher regulations he managed to leave the White House and pass to President George W. Bush an unemployment rate of 4.0 and a sound economy. During the eight years that the country had to endure all the damage inflicted by G.W. Bush, he left office with an economy in shambles, an unemployment rate of 5.0 and rising as well as the collapse of Wall Street and the banking industry. This collapse didn’t happen by chance, it started by Reagan deregulating the banking industry and culminated with Bush deregulating almost any other industry, it was and still is the GOP opinion that businesses can regulate themselves even when the results has been a complete failure of our economic system. Yet, the GOP it is still pressuring for deregulation.

The GOP has also made sure to paint a devil out of Unions. Unions are the only force that can truly look after the worker. The only reason why companies can’t get away with hypothetical murder is because of Unions. The regular worker can’t afford legal representation against giants such as multinationals, many times they are not educated enough to negotiate for themselves a raise or defend their seniority within a company or an abusive and dangerous work conditions and that is when Unions come in. Without Unions large corporations would take advantage of workers – after all, all that matters for them is their shareholders, can you imagine what these companies would do to us if we didn’t have Unions?

To demonstrate how compassionate these corporations are, one only has to look at the cost of living during the last 30 years. It has increased 300% during that time. Three hundred percent, that is a lot. In the same token, the minimum wage during the same time span has increased by a little more than 100% ($3.35 in 1980 to $7.25 today); there is no way that a person earning minimum wage can survive on one salary, and everything keeps raising, everything except salaries.

I can’t understand a moderate Republican. I can’t understand how can they shoot themselves on the foot and continue supporting a Party that keeps stealing from the poor to give to the rich; the party that believes that only the wealthy deserve a break, good medicine, a good education and a sound future. Can some one explain it to me?

We must vote Democrat in November. President Obama deserves four more years but we must help him by giving him a Congress that will help this country, not obstruct any progress!  

Vote for Obama and Vote 100% Democrat in 2012!

The Path to Prosperity... But Whose?

Paul Ryan has presented in Congress what he calls “The Path to Prosperity: A Blueprint for American Renewal.” This Budget Report has been in the news too much lately, which piqued my curiosity to know what exactly was in it. As most of us do, I tend to listen to what others have to say and I confess that at times, I am too lazy to do my own research. Having Medicare and Medicaid jeopardized by this proposal, I overcame my apathy and decided to read it and scrutinize it myself to reach my own conclusions. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, after all this is a public blog and all views are welcome, but ultimately it is mine and I always say things as I see them if you don’t like it, move on.

Anyone who reads this report lightly and without giving it too much thought or analyzing the significance of what is being proposed, would think that he is presenting a great remedy for what ails our economy today. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The tax reforms Mr. Ryan is proposing, will mostly affect the lower income families. He is proposing a maximum cap of 25 percent for those that make an obscene amount of money, including the new “people” on the block: Corporations. The rest of us, which are the ones being over-taxed and practically sustaining this economy, will pay 10 percent across the board. This approach doesn’t sound too bad, except that his proposal still includes and “improves” incentives for the "job creators" and we all know what that really means. Corporations will still be getting large sums of money in the form of tax breaks for them to honor us by giving us a job, usually at minimum wage and at times not even a full-time position (avoiding having to offer us health benefits.) Basically these companies will be getting cheap labor, which at times and thanks to the “incentives” these workers wages will be paid by the working class in the form of taxes paid, which in turn the government will pay the Corporations to hire new workers, and the vicious cycle keeps repeating itself. It is sickening!

In this report, Ryan also proposes an Energy reform, which not surprisingly, offers to lift all precautionary regulations. He is proposing to remove the Environmental Protection Agency and allow the private sector to develop sources of “American-made” energy. We have seen how "responsible" the private sector is when it comes to the environment and safety. It is well known that when it comes to the environment and safety, if unregulated, corporations will be more interested in saving money and how much profit they can make if they overlook the impact their projects will have on the environment and safety. I cannot say that all corporations behave this way, but sadly, most of them do. They must be regulated.

As we have grown accustomed to by now the GOP, and in particular in this report, Ryan is proposing to get rid of the National Labor Relations Act. It is no secret that Republicans despise Labor Unions, and we should not be surprised that they keep attempting to remove any representation that workers have to fight the injustices perpetrated by the freshly introduced “people” in this nation. In Ryan’s own words “Because a majority of union members in the United States now works for the public sector, organized labor has become an increasingly powerful force on behalf of bigger government and higher taxes. Policymakers must make sure America has a public sector that works for the people it serves – not the other way around.” The question I have is, since corporations are now people, when he refers to “a public sector that works for the people” which people is he referring to, the workers or the corporations?

In the same breath, he continues to mention all the benefits that will entail getting rid of the NLRA, which according to him will increase revenues and fees by lifting moratoriums and bans on energy supplies, again claiming that the energy corporations (oil companies) are environmentally responsible. I wonder what planet Mr. Ryan lives on!

Mr. Ryan didn’t overlook protecting the banking giants either. Wall Street and the financial companies will also see a protection from this “reform.” This path to prosperity ensures that the financial institutions will be free to do whatever they want once more and help them get rid of the government ‘micromanagement’ which has impede their rapid growth. He closes this section with these words: “to ensure that the costs to the private sector and to the taxpayer do not outweigh their benefits, and that regulations are both essential and not unduly burdensome.” If this passes, we will be back to building a castle from a deck of cards!

There is one section of this report that I kind of agree with, that is if my understanding of it is correct. Mr. Ryan proposes a freeze in the federal workforce for the next three years, I am not necessarily pleased with that but, if what follows is true, then I am all for it: “The federal government’s responsibilities require a strong federal workforce. Federal workers deserve to be compensated equitably for their important work, but their pay levels, pay increases and fringe benefits should be reformed to better align with those of their private-sector counterparts.“ Ryan goes on saying that "Immune from the effects of the recession, federal workers have received regular salary bumps regardless of productivity or economic realities." As far as I know, Congressmen and women ARE Federal employees and this means that they will lower their own salaries and hopefully their raises will be based on merit, which it's long overdue. Of course, I know he is referring to the ‘lower class’ Federal workers and not the fat cats sitting in Congress but if this portion goes through, we can demand the same be applied to them.

The farmers did not escaped unharmed on this “path to prosperity.” The report proposes to reduce the help that farmers receive from the government. While we know that there are giants in the farming industry that really do not deserve a hand from the government and yet they take it, we also know that many family owned farms do need help or they will be overtaken by the giants. We need to help our farmers, the ones that are struggling to continue to supply us with fresh and organic vegetables and grains. These farmers are just beginning to make a positive impact in our health and they deserve any help they can get, otherwise we will continue ingesting GM foods, and there would be only one winner, Monsanto.

We all know that most crops are solely dependent on Mother Nature. We have seen what drought, hurricanes, tornadoes, cold weather, floods and natural disasters can do to crops. Well, Ryan is proposing that the government stops the crop insurance offered to farmers, making a farmer responsible for “management risks” as other businesses do. The difference between a farmer and, for example, a banker is that the farmer cannot control nature; the banker can control the market.

What brought me to read the report in the first place was the healthcare, Medicare and Medicaid reforms. According to Ryan, the current system that we have is displacing “the family, civic and religious institutions that serve communities across the nation.” Really, how? The only thing that comes to mind is the now infamous contraceptives and the 'right" for a religious institution to tell a woman that no contraceptives will be included in her insurance because what goes against the views of the employer supersedes the right of any woman.  This report gives an institution more rights than a human being.

After reading the section in its entirety, and you can do the same by following the link I’ve provided, I concluded that what its being proposed – regarding Medicare and Medicaid – is simply what has been proposed so many times before: privatization of these services. The report is proposing that the government with a voucher or check will cover your private insurance premiums. If the person selects a coverage that is higher than the value of the voucher, he or she will have to assume the difference. If you choose a lower coverage, then you will get a check from the government for the difference. The people that have money will be able to afford better plans and those that don’t will have to accept the less desirable insurance. It’s like having a PPO or a HMO, simple.

Mr. Ryan ensures that under this reform, insurance companies will not be able to deny services or increase their premiums for pre-existing conditions. I believe that has been taken care of by President Obama’s Healthcare Reform.

Mr. Ryan ends his report by giving praise to the Republican Party’s god: Ronald Reagan and his Reaganomics: "In 1981, President Ronald Reagan inherited a stagnant economy and a tax code that featured 16 brackets, with a top rate of 70 percent.  When he left office in 1989, the tax code had been simplified down to just three brackets, with a top rate of 28 percent.  Reagan's major tax reforms, enacted with bipartisan support without raising taxes, proved to be a cornerstone of the unprecedented economic boom that occurred in the decade during his presidency and continued in the decade that followed." 

While it is true that Reagan inherited a “stagnant economy” this was primarily due to the global oil crisis that resulted from the turmoil in Iran. In 1979, as a consequence of massive protests and the imminent threat of a civil war, the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi fled Iran and the Ayatollah Khomeini took over of the country. This event inflicted a significant impact on the production of oil and the global economy.

Reaganomics, according to Wikipedia, consisted of four simple pillars: Reduction of government spending; reduction of income tax and capital gain tax; reduction of economic regulations and control of the money supply to reduce inflation. That’s it. While it sounds perfect and we are all for “reductions” it is far from perfect, no matter how much the Republicans try to sanctify it, it is still bad economics.

During the eight years that Reagan was president, he single-handedly managed to raise our national debt from $997 billion to $2.85 trillion. Thanks to Reaganomics, the United States shifted from being the largest international creditor to being the largest debtor, but you will never hear a Republican say that.

The same can be said about spending. Reagan’s GDP from 1981-1988 averaged 22.4%, 1.8% above the highest GDP from 1971 to 2009; public debt also saw a staggering increase during the Reagan's years, from 26% GDP when he took office to a whopping 41% (from $712 billion to $2,052 billion) by the end of his second term. Reagan holds the honor of being the only president who didn’t increase the minimum wage.

Reagan was not a man for the working class or the poor. If anyone thinks differently they hold the man in a very different light than he deserves.  In an interview Reagan gave to the New York Times by the end of his second term, he was asked about the homeless problem facing the nation, his response should be enough to know that while Reagan had charisma, his heart was as dark as his artificially colored hair. His reply to that question was: “[the homeless] make it their own choice for staying out there."

That statement personifies the core values of the Republican Party and we are foolish if we think that they could ever have a heart.


To see the names of the Congressmen and women supporting this proposal, click here.

Links:  To read the Report:  http://budget.house.gov/UploadedFiles/Pathtoprosperity2013.pdf

Reagonomics:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaganomics

Edited by J. Schapiro

When instead of a heart we find a stone

Today as I was parking at a drug store chain, an older man and what seemed to be his wife approached me. They looked clean and sober but they also looked malnourished, especially the man. He asked me if I had any change I could spare that he was embarrassed to ask but, he had lost his job a year ago and up to now he had been able to make the $125.00 a month payment for his motorcycle but that now he had no more money and he was 3 months short from paying off the bike which was his only means of transportation. He said he could lie and say he had a sick child, or sick wife but that he had never been a liar and he preferred to say the truth. I felt sorry for the man, he seemed sincere and we all know the rough times in which we live.

I told him that Friday I could help them, but that today I was broke myself. I began walking and, decided to look into my wallet and saw I had $4.00, my entire capital until Friday. I was tempted to continue walking, I must be honest but then again that isn’t me and I know I could not live with my conscience so I returned, showed him the $4 and told him that was all I had and gave them half. Their appreciation and gratitude was too much for the miserable $2 I was able to spare and that made me feel very uncomfortable, I didn’t deserve such praise!

Finally, I was able to walk away after countless “thank you's” and “God bless you's” and the obligatory “your welcome”; while I was walking I noticed a car with a handicap tag hanging from the rear view mirror, going against the traffic. A woman that looked healthier than the couple I had left behind called me and in not a very proper way either. She just said “Hey, you! Come here!” Looking around and realizing she was referring to me I walked toward her window. She was insulted because she had seen me giving money to “those people”, I asked her why did she think there was a problem with my action to which she replied: “They’ve been here for an hour asking people for money!” When I told her what the man had told me she moved her arms in disgust and yelled a few obscenities and with the pedal to the metal left, or so I though.

As I was reaching the drugstore, I saw her parking. She came out of the car and I had to laugh! She was no handicapped! So, it’s perfectly all right for her to be a liar and abuser but God forbid someone asks for help, then that represents a problem.

What is wrong with this society? Whatever happened to sympathy, cordiality, and compassion? I am a firm believer that nothing, absolutely nothing happens for no reason and I am beginning to understand why the economy is the way it is – from a human point of view, not a economist one. There are way too many people that have to hit rock bottom financially for them to get off their high horse. There have been homeless people for about 30 years roaming our streets and no one cared. The homeless were invisible for most; they were even considered some sort of pest, which many wished they would simply disappear. Not everyone was like this, but sadly the vast majority couldn’t care less and walked passed them without even noticing they were there. Today, more and more middle class people are getting closer and closer to becoming homeless themselves. Many are struggling to make ends meet, myself included. Perhaps, this economic and social collapse is a necessity for humanity to regain its humanity which has been lost since long ago over to selfishness, greed and ambition.

Reject Keystone XL Pipeline!

What Republicans Want             What Americans Need

I don’t know if it is the solar flares that it’s said to have taken place yesterday, I don’t know if it is the news that Kucinich lost his seat – he is a great democrat that calls things as he sees them, even when his opinion sounds crazy – I don’t know if it is the predictions of the seats that Democrats will lose in Congress (yes, you read correctly, the “experts” predict that Democrats will loose a minimum of 4 seats in the Senate and at least one in the House) but I am down today, so down that my enthusiasm it is resting comfortably in my emotional basement.

After spending all day in this mood, with what is commonly known as "writers’ block", I came across a some news that, even though I cannot say it has brighten my day, I certainly can say my mood has come out of the basement and finds itself on the first floor… An improvement, don’t you think?

I was very pleased by the news I read yesterday in MSNBC. The article was about the Keystone XL Pipeline project, the “baby project” (more like the monster) of Boehner, Cantor and the whole pack of opportunistic Congressmen that support it because their personal financial interests in TransCanada. They excuse their relentless efforts for the pipeline with the well-known phrase that it creates “jobs” and obstructing it will deprive the American citizens of the much-needed jobs. These are the same hypocrites that consistently oppose building new roads, new bridges, new highways and that reject any "clean or green" project that will generate jobs if those are being promoted by President Obama or by any Democrat, translates into that they really don’t give a damn about Americans going back to work. The only thing that really concerns them and they are worried about is that if they lose their positions in Congress before the pipeline gets approved, loosing the payouts from TransCanada in exchange for their arduous support.

They're nothing but thieves with congressional seats!

Obama is campaigning to the Democrats in Congress for them to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline. He has lost the support of two Democrats: Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Mary Landrieu from Louisiana, who are obviously siding with the republicans. We must remember them when voting in November, their behavior makes me think that they have the same ‘motivation’ as Boehner et. al.. President Obama is committed to stop the Keystone Pipeline and we have to show him our support, let him know that we, the American people, approve and appreciate his efforts. He is not giving up and neither should we. We must write to every Congressman, we must let them know that we will not accept the construction of the pipeline – at least not without the proper study from the EPA; previous experiences have shown us that we must not overlook regulations, we have to make sure that there will be no damage to our environment, after all, this pipeline will literally cut our country in half; we should not do what we always do: worship the dollar and ignore our planet. It is time to set our priorities straight.

To all of those that spend days posting in Facebook, Twitter, and every social network out there shouting how disgusted they are because they keep hearing that the Keystone XL Project will go through, your President is doing all he can to stop it. It is time for us to show our support to our President, to let him know where we stand, and that where we stand is with the President of the United States, Barack Obama.



Please, click here to sign the petition!