"All of this finger-pointing is doing nothing to create jobs," said Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "It's a total waste of time."
My response: Then put your middle finger down now and stop wasting our time.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Lame Duck Laundry List For Senator McConnell
Dear Senator McConnell:
I spent the evening trying to decide how to address you. If I were your boss, I would fire you, effective immediately. If I were your spouse, my bags would be packed and there would be no looking back. If I were your friend – well, I would question my sanity for that decision. I think you deserve to be put in timeout for behaving like a two-year-old.
I’ve decided to address you like the despicable, dishonest bully that you are. The only thing that exceeds your dishonesty is the gall it takes to stand with a straight face and say that you care about the American people, and that the election was a month ago so you wonder why the Democrats have stalled. I’ve had enemies treat me with more respect and kindness than you do, and I can’t imagine anyone trying to insult my intelligence more often than you do. It would be laughable if it weren’t so important and so pathetic.
Your stall tactics are as transparent as the rest of your lies. You were sent to Washington to do a job, and that job affects my life, along with the lives of everyone I care about. If you don’t want to do that job, resign. Who do you think you are to hold us and our government hostage? Seriously, what on earth makes you think this is acceptable? It is blackmail – some say it is treason. I will join any and every group that tries to prove either of these, and I will give them all of my time. Legal counsel advised recently that there will be grounds for a class action suit when the people can prove personal damage as a direct result of your refusal to act on important matters in a timely manner. I hope what you delivered in writing to Senator Reid today will serve as proof that you have done exactly that.
Here is what THIS American person (and the majority of others I have spoken with) expects you to do, immediately:
• Let the Bush tax breaks expire for income over $250,000
• Speak out openly, loudly, and immediately against the violence your party is inciting, and the civil war they are encouraging
• Pass the Disclose Act
• Repeal DADT
• Ratify the START treaty
• Pass the DREAM act
• Extend unemployment benefits
• Keep your hands off Social Security and Medicare
• Say NO to your party’s absurd attempts to dismantle the constitution
There is no excuse to stall, filibuster, stomp your feet like a spoiled brat and demand everything your way, or to lie to the American people any more. Lead your party through the appropriate actions to get these things done quickly and smoothly during this lame duck session, and don’t imply that anyone other than you is responsible for this heavy load during the final weeks. You have obstructed for years. You blew off the President when he invited you to the White House after the midterm. You have stated repeatedly that your only goal is to obstruct this President at the expense of THE American people.
That is the truth. Own it. You’re living in a YouTube world now, and we aren’t all foolish enough to deny what we’ve seen and heard for ourselves.
Disgusted,
Sandy
p.s. The cost of Cokes did not double today. Truth is, they were on sale last week and returned to the regular cost today. Same as nobody is "raising" taxes by allowing Bush's "sale" to end - as planned, by the Republicans. You might want to get honest about that, too.
I spent the evening trying to decide how to address you. If I were your boss, I would fire you, effective immediately. If I were your spouse, my bags would be packed and there would be no looking back. If I were your friend – well, I would question my sanity for that decision. I think you deserve to be put in timeout for behaving like a two-year-old.
I’ve decided to address you like the despicable, dishonest bully that you are. The only thing that exceeds your dishonesty is the gall it takes to stand with a straight face and say that you care about the American people, and that the election was a month ago so you wonder why the Democrats have stalled. I’ve had enemies treat me with more respect and kindness than you do, and I can’t imagine anyone trying to insult my intelligence more often than you do. It would be laughable if it weren’t so important and so pathetic.
Your stall tactics are as transparent as the rest of your lies. You were sent to Washington to do a job, and that job affects my life, along with the lives of everyone I care about. If you don’t want to do that job, resign. Who do you think you are to hold us and our government hostage? Seriously, what on earth makes you think this is acceptable? It is blackmail – some say it is treason. I will join any and every group that tries to prove either of these, and I will give them all of my time. Legal counsel advised recently that there will be grounds for a class action suit when the people can prove personal damage as a direct result of your refusal to act on important matters in a timely manner. I hope what you delivered in writing to Senator Reid today will serve as proof that you have done exactly that.
Here is what THIS American person (and the majority of others I have spoken with) expects you to do, immediately:
• Let the Bush tax breaks expire for income over $250,000
• Speak out openly, loudly, and immediately against the violence your party is inciting, and the civil war they are encouraging
• Pass the Disclose Act
• Repeal DADT
• Ratify the START treaty
• Pass the DREAM act
• Extend unemployment benefits
• Keep your hands off Social Security and Medicare
• Say NO to your party’s absurd attempts to dismantle the constitution
There is no excuse to stall, filibuster, stomp your feet like a spoiled brat and demand everything your way, or to lie to the American people any more. Lead your party through the appropriate actions to get these things done quickly and smoothly during this lame duck session, and don’t imply that anyone other than you is responsible for this heavy load during the final weeks. You have obstructed for years. You blew off the President when he invited you to the White House after the midterm. You have stated repeatedly that your only goal is to obstruct this President at the expense of THE American people.
That is the truth. Own it. You’re living in a YouTube world now, and we aren’t all foolish enough to deny what we’ve seen and heard for ourselves.
Disgusted,
Sandy
p.s. The cost of Cokes did not double today. Truth is, they were on sale last week and returned to the regular cost today. Same as nobody is "raising" taxes by allowing Bush's "sale" to end - as planned, by the Republicans. You might want to get honest about that, too.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Senator McConnell Isn’t As Loveable As Uncle Charlie
To put it as nicely as possible, Uncle Charlie was full of crap and everyone knew it. He told me wild tales about pulling the plug in the bathtub, Daddy swirling down the drain, and someone having to rescue him from the river. He had fish stories, and deer stories, and the big, unbelievable stories about most every topic. He was fun, because we knew not to believe him.
He also played games. With me, it started out he would give me a quarter if I would scratch his back. I scratched his back – over here, a little higher, harder in the middle – until my fingernails threatened to fall off. When I finally cried uncle, he said he would pay me that quarter next time he saw me. I knew I would never see that quarter but about five years into this game I did remind him that next time never got there. He upped it to a dollar then, and said he was saving those quarters and dollars in the attic for me.
When I started bringing boyfriends around, Uncle Charlie told them what I would be able to buy with that money – houses, cars, big things, since I had faithfully scratched his back for so many years. I scratched, smiled, and rolled my eyes at the boyfriends, knowing I would never see a cent. Uncle Charlie wanted his back scratched, I didn’t mind doing it, and that was all there was to the story.
If I had believed – past the age of six – that Uncle Charlie was going to pay me those quarters, I would have been naïve. I would also have been terribly disappointed and he would have been a jerk if I had depended on that money to buy a house, or car, or anything big or small.
For some reason, this game isn’t nearly as much fun when President Obama plays me and Senator McConnell is Uncle Charlie.
He also played games. With me, it started out he would give me a quarter if I would scratch his back. I scratched his back – over here, a little higher, harder in the middle – until my fingernails threatened to fall off. When I finally cried uncle, he said he would pay me that quarter next time he saw me. I knew I would never see that quarter but about five years into this game I did remind him that next time never got there. He upped it to a dollar then, and said he was saving those quarters and dollars in the attic for me.
When I started bringing boyfriends around, Uncle Charlie told them what I would be able to buy with that money – houses, cars, big things, since I had faithfully scratched his back for so many years. I scratched, smiled, and rolled my eyes at the boyfriends, knowing I would never see a cent. Uncle Charlie wanted his back scratched, I didn’t mind doing it, and that was all there was to the story.
If I had believed – past the age of six – that Uncle Charlie was going to pay me those quarters, I would have been naïve. I would also have been terribly disappointed and he would have been a jerk if I had depended on that money to buy a house, or car, or anything big or small.
For some reason, this game isn’t nearly as much fun when President Obama plays me and Senator McConnell is Uncle Charlie.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thanksgiving, Senator McConnell
Dear Senator McConnell:
I purposely omitted “Happy” from the title because I am sticking to my honesty campaign and, the truth is, Thanksgiving is not the happiest day of the year for me. I do, however, have much to be thankful for I just rehash those things every day except the one day assigned. I’m rebellious that way; never loved anyone more because it was Valentine’s Day, or dreaded winter any more or less because of something a groundhog did or did not see.
Thanksgiving will always live under the cloud of having been the day my father was diagnosed with cancer and, consequently, the day my happy world changed. I had known disappointments before then, even had some complications in my life at the time, but nothing (so far) compares to the devastation I felt that day (although December 13, 2000 was a close second). I knew my father would not survive because his eyes died that Thanksgiving Day, resembling the heartbreaking, lost forever look in the eyes of many fighters returning from war. I hope you have met a few so you will understand what I’m talking about.
I’m writing this while my pumpkin cake cooks, and I’ll go through the motions tomorrow, preparing the rest of the meal, smiling and playing games with the family, and allowing myself one day of the year to be defiantly thankful even though I know it is irrational to begrudge a day for causing me sorrow. I’ll post this tonight but expect you and your staff to be out tomorrow. When that occurred to me, I wondered who you will think of most on your day off – the unemployed who wish they didn’t have another day off, the people fighting the wars you started, or maybe the people who are stuck in hospitals receiving cancer diagnoses and hoping you heard Wendell Potter’s confession about destroying Michael Moore’s movie SICKO and creating the fake grassroots group that purposely destroyed our ability to have an honest debate about health care reform.
If you let me know which library is most convenient for you, I’ll have them hold Mr. Potter’s book, Deadly Spin, for you. Maybe, you will be thankful for the opportunity to denounce your Party for stealing the truth from the public, and for the opportunity to apologize for your continuance of that deception, and most of all the opportunity to call press conferences, appear on talk shows, and speak with newspaper reporters to set the record straight. If timing ever worked this well for me, I would be extremely grateful.
As I watched my father die, and as I contemplated my own mortality a couple of times, I realized some of the things that I am most grateful for (364 days a year). One of those is that money really does not matter in the big picture. Sure, it’s nice to be able to afford effective pain management when terminal, or when politicians have decided that tax breaks for the wealthiest 2% are more important than universal health care, or even affordable medications, but money cannot buy peace of mind, a clear conscience, a second chance to make things right, or respect.
I guess, on Friday, I will be grateful to you for reminding me how grateful I am that my father spent his life giving to others, harming no one, playing fair, lifting everyone he met, and honestly making this a better world just by being himself. If given the opportunity to choose a perfect life, I would have to say that I have had it because I was raised by an honest, loving man. Maybe he set the standards too high, and that's why I expect so much more than I get from you.
Today, I ask you to consider history and legacy. Your name will appear in the history books, possibly as one of the people instrumental in bringing down the Unites States of America. I’m not sure that even our enemies will consider you a hero for that; I think it will be an ugly page that no one should truly want to see their name on. If it all falls apart tomorrow, or even if things continue as they are headed, I believe this is how you will be remembered. No amount of money, or power, or Texas textbooks will change that. The truth lives in all of us, and it will live for generations after you are gone. My grandchildren will carry their knowledge and disdain for you the same as they carry love and respect for the great grandfather they never met, as will many others.
You have time, Senator McConnell, to make things right and to change that legacy. In one day, you could stand before the public and clean things up. You could correct the lies your party spread about health care reform, and be honest about what a mistake it would be to borrow money to help the top 2% move more jobs overseas while the middle class dies. You could admit the accomplishments President Obama has made and vow to help him improve on those to make up for your obstructionism this past year. And you could surely influence Senator Kyle regarding START and become a hero for making the world a safer place.
I will be thankful if you do.
Sincerely,
Sandy
I purposely omitted “Happy” from the title because I am sticking to my honesty campaign and, the truth is, Thanksgiving is not the happiest day of the year for me. I do, however, have much to be thankful for I just rehash those things every day except the one day assigned. I’m rebellious that way; never loved anyone more because it was Valentine’s Day, or dreaded winter any more or less because of something a groundhog did or did not see.
Thanksgiving will always live under the cloud of having been the day my father was diagnosed with cancer and, consequently, the day my happy world changed. I had known disappointments before then, even had some complications in my life at the time, but nothing (so far) compares to the devastation I felt that day (although December 13, 2000 was a close second). I knew my father would not survive because his eyes died that Thanksgiving Day, resembling the heartbreaking, lost forever look in the eyes of many fighters returning from war. I hope you have met a few so you will understand what I’m talking about.
I’m writing this while my pumpkin cake cooks, and I’ll go through the motions tomorrow, preparing the rest of the meal, smiling and playing games with the family, and allowing myself one day of the year to be defiantly thankful even though I know it is irrational to begrudge a day for causing me sorrow. I’ll post this tonight but expect you and your staff to be out tomorrow. When that occurred to me, I wondered who you will think of most on your day off – the unemployed who wish they didn’t have another day off, the people fighting the wars you started, or maybe the people who are stuck in hospitals receiving cancer diagnoses and hoping you heard Wendell Potter’s confession about destroying Michael Moore’s movie SICKO and creating the fake grassroots group that purposely destroyed our ability to have an honest debate about health care reform.
If you let me know which library is most convenient for you, I’ll have them hold Mr. Potter’s book, Deadly Spin, for you. Maybe, you will be thankful for the opportunity to denounce your Party for stealing the truth from the public, and for the opportunity to apologize for your continuance of that deception, and most of all the opportunity to call press conferences, appear on talk shows, and speak with newspaper reporters to set the record straight. If timing ever worked this well for me, I would be extremely grateful.
As I watched my father die, and as I contemplated my own mortality a couple of times, I realized some of the things that I am most grateful for (364 days a year). One of those is that money really does not matter in the big picture. Sure, it’s nice to be able to afford effective pain management when terminal, or when politicians have decided that tax breaks for the wealthiest 2% are more important than universal health care, or even affordable medications, but money cannot buy peace of mind, a clear conscience, a second chance to make things right, or respect.
I guess, on Friday, I will be grateful to you for reminding me how grateful I am that my father spent his life giving to others, harming no one, playing fair, lifting everyone he met, and honestly making this a better world just by being himself. If given the opportunity to choose a perfect life, I would have to say that I have had it because I was raised by an honest, loving man. Maybe he set the standards too high, and that's why I expect so much more than I get from you.
Today, I ask you to consider history and legacy. Your name will appear in the history books, possibly as one of the people instrumental in bringing down the Unites States of America. I’m not sure that even our enemies will consider you a hero for that; I think it will be an ugly page that no one should truly want to see their name on. If it all falls apart tomorrow, or even if things continue as they are headed, I believe this is how you will be remembered. No amount of money, or power, or Texas textbooks will change that. The truth lives in all of us, and it will live for generations after you are gone. My grandchildren will carry their knowledge and disdain for you the same as they carry love and respect for the great grandfather they never met, as will many others.
You have time, Senator McConnell, to make things right and to change that legacy. In one day, you could stand before the public and clean things up. You could correct the lies your party spread about health care reform, and be honest about what a mistake it would be to borrow money to help the top 2% move more jobs overseas while the middle class dies. You could admit the accomplishments President Obama has made and vow to help him improve on those to make up for your obstructionism this past year. And you could surely influence Senator Kyle regarding START and become a hero for making the world a safer place.
I will be thankful if you do.
Sincerely,
Sandy
Monday, November 22, 2010
We're Tired of Turdblossom Politics, Senator McConnell
Dear Senator McConnell:
I suppose you think when those microphones are in your face you are only speaking to your base, so you can say whatever you want and everyone will believe you. That defies reality, Senator McConnell. The truth is, all of us are listening, and we recognize statements like the following as nothing other than Turdblossom Politics. We deserve more. We expect more. I demand more.
I'm back to parse a few more of your words (can't say I didn't warn you or I'm not good for my word).
"It's time Congress got its priorities straight," [Senator McConnell] said. "It's time Congress focused on job creation -- and that means preventing tax hikes. It's time to set aside the political votes and government spending that the administration and Democratic leaders have put above all other priorities for two years."
Tax hikes? Seriously? When the sale ends and prices return to normal, do you also call those price increases? Calling returning to the original tax rates a ‘hike’ is purposefully misleading, which is not polite, honest, or acceptable.
“We are experiencing what can only be described as a jobs crisis, a sustained period of chronic unemployment; and two years of policies that have vastly increased the size and scope of government and added trillions to the debt and have done little to alleviate this problem.”
Same with implying that the jobs crisis is a result of the last two years. If there is a shred of truth in that, it’s because you have obstructed. The full truth is that President Obama inherited this crisis and you have vowed to do everything in your power to prevent his success in correcting it.
So you will know exactly how much I understand your tactics, I will share what I have observed over the last decade of paying close attention to you guys in Washington as well as communicating with your base out here in the real world. It’s not pretty.
There is an undeniable pattern. Hateful, distracting comments made only to discredit intelligent debate most often come from puppets who are doing what they're always instructed to do – project their guilt onto others. The most brilliant of Turdblossom's devious plans was to turn his brainless wonders loose and have them accuse the opposition of their sins and crimes, either before they pull them off, or before the news worms its way through the media and gets to people who aren't perceptive or paying attention.
The people railing against President Obama are victims. They've been injected by the Turd, and you – perhaps because you have no choice other than to adhere to your leader - who knows they don't have the fortitude to change the channel or see the light, and that they certainly aren't smart enough to recognize or admit the truth when it comes around. They're so infected that they'll keep on spreading Rove’s venom long after he is insignificant (like syphyllis, he's the gift that keeps on giving) and after everyone who isn't also infected sees their scars and knows to back away.
I pay close attention to their accusations. They are almost always what your Party is being accused of, charged with, or investigated for, or the next scandal to break about you. It's clever because it works on so many levels. It distracts from real issues that you can’t or won’t discuss, it infuriates the opposition, it maintains your minions because they feel important for being able to distract and get attention and, most importantly, it takes the wind out of the sails when news of your crimes and scandals breaks. It 'feels like' old news.
Clever, but not nice, moral, or ethical.
On the positive side, if we pay close attention to your accusations we will always know exactly what you are trying to hide. In this case, you are running from the crisis you created. You know what? No one can run that fast. It will stay a step ahead of you so you are only wasting our time with these dishonest statements.
Please reconsider. Everyone I’ve talked to is tired of wasting time.
Sincerely,
Sandy
Friday, November 19, 2010
Finally! A Response From Senator McConnell
I guess Senator McConnell has backed off his promise to “do nothing” now that he interprets the midterm as a mandate for his party. Finally, a response. And it doesn’t look like the typical form letter responses I used to receive.
However, although I am thrilled to see the final line where he encourages me to keep writing, the feelings I have about the rest of the letter fall way short of being pleased, or successfully patronized. I’ll break down my thoughts and feelings below the letter.
Thank you for contacting me with your concerns. You’re welcome but I consider it my civic responsibility to contact you with my concerns. I also, as I mentioned in one of my letters, consider it a matter of life and death. Literally.
I appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective with me. It has been my pleasure to do so. It has also been my pleasure to share the facts with you, and I feel just a whole lot disappointed that you fail to mention that in your response. How am I to believe that you will amend your public statements and/or your opinions and votes based on the corrected information if you don’t tell me? My perspective is important to me, as I see it is to you, but the facts matter much more.
I believe there is always some common ground even between those who might disagree on some particular issues. I suppose this is true. I honestly feel a bit disappointed in myself for not being able to identify even one issue on which we might share common ground because I am positive there must be one. You have my assurance that I will review your stances – as soon as you publish them in detail enough for me to do so – and identify the common areas.
I want what is best for my constituents, and I work hard [each?] and every day to improve lives of Kentuckians. Okay, maybe we do agree on the right to die. I, too, advocate for the right to die since I live with a number of painful diagnoses for which there are no cures and have considered the possibility that there will come a time when I will decide that I would rather die than continue living in this body. However, I believe this is a decision that only I should be allowed to make, and do not appreciate that you have decided that “what is best for me” is allowing you to serve on my death panel. Nor do I think it is my best interest for you to decide that homeless and hungry is better than the way I am living now. Granted, I live small, but I happen to be happy this way. The $2,000 deductible and cut in social security that you support would complicate my life enough to make health and happiness extremely hard to maintain and I do not think that is in my best interest.
I don’t think it is in the best interest of my children, grandchildren, and fellow Kentuckians to be without jobs, without safety nets, without oversight, or without representation in the Senate. Which brings me to the past year, when you have done nothing but say no and vow to undermine the President we elected. That was not in our best interest and does not, by any standards I would embrace, indicate “working hard” to improve our lives.
While we might disagree on the means, I hope at least our aims are common – better lives for the people of Kentucky. I hate to sound trite but I suppose this depends on your definition of better. From what I’ve seen and heard from you, we don’t share a common definition. To me, better means an improvement, not going backwards as you and your party suggest.
It is a distinct honor for me to represent my fellow citizens in the United States Senate, and I try hard to maximize the opportunity to help the Commonwealth at every turn. Commonwealth is an interesting word from someone who thinks the wealth should belong to 2% of the people. So is maximize, from someone who vowed to do nothing but obstruct, and carried through on that promise.
Again, thank you for contacting me. Again, it has been my pleasure, as well as my responsibility. I tend to maximize my disability by using my mind and heart and what little energy I have left to uphold my civic responsibilities from this chair. However, I am preparing my resume to apply for one of the jobs you will create with your bloated share of the “commonwealth” should you manage to extend the Bush Tax Cuts for the top 2% in lieu of keeping me alive. I have experience with utilization of government healthcare, and I am a great reader, so I think you could use me in your office. The doctors will be upset with me but I don’t intend to go down without fighting for my life.
Please keep me informed of those issues that are important to you. You betcha!
Senator McConnell, I have written numerous letters, carefully documenting specifics. This is much better than the typical form-letter response but I am still disappointed that you did not provide a single answer to any of my questions, or one tiny specific regarding what you and your party plan to do – nothing about your plan for jobs, what we give up since you’ve changed your mind about earmarks, your plan for healthcare, what jobs you have created and will create with your tax breaks, why you blew off the President and think we should not be embarrassed, why you have made so many dishonest statements in public . . .
Sincerely,
Sandy
Thursday, November 18, 2010
What Will We Forfeit When Senator McConnell Gives Up Earmarks?
I remembered to smile when I dialed, not only because I know that is the best way to sound pleasant on the phone, or because I'm generally not in a good mood before noon, but also because a night of sleep hadn't eased the anger yesterday's news generated. But it wasn't necessary. The pleasant voice on the other end of the phone would have made me smile as soon as she answered. If I were looking for a friend instead of answers, the person answering the phone in Senator McConnell's office would serve my purpose.
Today, I reminded her that Senator McConnell has provided a lot to this state through earmarks
Fiscal Year(s) 2008-2010 Number Cost
Solo Earmarks 134 $298,062,000
With Other Members 66 $159,862,325
All Congressional 200 $457,924,325
All Sponsored Earmarks 233* $1,535,993,325*
and asked what we should expect to give up now that he has reversed his opinion and sworn off earmarks.
The girl in his office did not know. She did take my name and address and promise to pass my question on to him in Washington so he could respond.
Senator McConnell said that with Republicans clear on their commitment to cut spending, attention will turn to Obama. "If the president ends up with total discretion over spending, we will see even more clearly where his priorities lie," McConnell said.
Of course, the Republicans have not been exactly "clear" - as in giving specifics about what they want to cut. In fact, they have run from that question, and they are refusing to serve on the Appropriations Committee. That makes it impossible to believe this is anything more than childish posturing.
Since banning earmarks will not make any difference in spending, the honest debates at this point would be: 1) where Republicans want to cut spending, and 2) line-item veto. But that would not be as self-serving as what Senator McConnell is trying to accomplish with his ban on earmarks.
I'm anxious to see how quickly he responds to my question.
Today, I reminded her that Senator McConnell has provided a lot to this state through earmarks
Fiscal Year(s) 2008-2010 Number Cost
Solo Earmarks 134 $298,062,000
With Other Members 66 $159,862,325
All Congressional 200 $457,924,325
All Sponsored Earmarks 233* $1,535,993,325*
and asked what we should expect to give up now that he has reversed his opinion and sworn off earmarks.
The girl in his office did not know. She did take my name and address and promise to pass my question on to him in Washington so he could respond.
Senator McConnell said that with Republicans clear on their commitment to cut spending, attention will turn to Obama. "If the president ends up with total discretion over spending, we will see even more clearly where his priorities lie," McConnell said.
Of course, the Republicans have not been exactly "clear" - as in giving specifics about what they want to cut. In fact, they have run from that question, and they are refusing to serve on the Appropriations Committee. That makes it impossible to believe this is anything more than childish posturing.
Since banning earmarks will not make any difference in spending, the honest debates at this point would be: 1) where Republicans want to cut spending, and 2) line-item veto. But that would not be as self-serving as what Senator McConnell is trying to accomplish with his ban on earmarks.
I'm anxious to see how quickly he responds to my question.
Tax Breaks Are Not About Creating Jobs, Senator McConnell?
I called Senator McConnell’s Louisville office today to ask a few questions. The woman who answered the phone was pleasant and seemingly willing to help, it just wasn’t easy for her to provide answers that either don’t exist or are difficult to admit.
Since his website boasts: “I’m extremely proud of the clarity my Republican colleagues have expressed about what our priorities must be, and that we have listened to the American people,” I asked for clarification of exactly what those priorities might be. She said, “Health care and taxes.”
After consulting my dictionary to make certain I understood the definition of the word clarity, I asked for more. Exactly what does his party plan to do about health care and taxes? She told me they would repeal and revise the health care bill and hope to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. Only, she didn’t say wealthy. And she directed me to Senator McConnell’s website for clarity.
I said I had been to the website and didn’t find the information I was seeking so I had a few more questions. What jobs has Senator McConnell created with his tax breaks so far, and what jobs will he create if his tax breaks are extended? She told me he didn’t have to disclose what he does with his personal finances and that the tax break is not relevant to creating jobs.
You could have fooled me. I’m quite certain that job creation has been one of the major “selling points” for extending the Bush Tax Breaks for the top 2%. But I gave her that one and asked what he plans to do for the community with the money he keeps if the extensions go through. Again, she told me he does not have to disclose what he does with his personal finances.
The only conclusion I can draw from this conversation is that Senator McConnell wants the tax break for his personal finances and it has absolutely nothing to do with THE American People.
Just as I thought.
Tomorrow’s question will be: What are you planning for Kentuckians to forfeit when you give up earmarks?
Since his website boasts: “I’m extremely proud of the clarity my Republican colleagues have expressed about what our priorities must be, and that we have listened to the American people,” I asked for clarification of exactly what those priorities might be. She said, “Health care and taxes.”
After consulting my dictionary to make certain I understood the definition of the word clarity, I asked for more. Exactly what does his party plan to do about health care and taxes? She told me they would repeal and revise the health care bill and hope to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. Only, she didn’t say wealthy. And she directed me to Senator McConnell’s website for clarity.
I said I had been to the website and didn’t find the information I was seeking so I had a few more questions. What jobs has Senator McConnell created with his tax breaks so far, and what jobs will he create if his tax breaks are extended? She told me he didn’t have to disclose what he does with his personal finances and that the tax break is not relevant to creating jobs.
You could have fooled me. I’m quite certain that job creation has been one of the major “selling points” for extending the Bush Tax Breaks for the top 2%. But I gave her that one and asked what he plans to do for the community with the money he keeps if the extensions go through. Again, she told me he does not have to disclose what he does with his personal finances.
The only conclusion I can draw from this conversation is that Senator McConnell wants the tax break for his personal finances and it has absolutely nothing to do with THE American People.
Just as I thought.
Tomorrow’s question will be: What are you planning for Kentuckians to forfeit when you give up earmarks?
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
THE American People Say . . .
Dear Senator McConnell:
That they are tired of the lies and deception.
That they are disgusted that you did not show up for your meeting with President Obama.
That they wonder who you think you are to embarrass us this way.
That they are not as stupid as you hope they are, and that they remember what actually happened in January, no matter how you and your friends try to spin it now.
That they believe the reason you didn't want to meet with President Obama as scheduled is that you know you have nothing to offer, and that you might actually have a sliver of a conscience and be embarrassed to face him. (Other Americans said the part about you having a conscience; I gave up that fantasy a long time ago.)
That they are tired of the lies and deception.
That they are disgusted that you did not show up for your meeting with President Obama.
That they wonder who you think you are to embarrass us this way.
That they are not as stupid as you hope they are, and that they remember what actually happened in January, no matter how you and your friends try to spin it now.
That they believe the reason you didn't want to meet with President Obama as scheduled is that you know you have nothing to offer, and that you might actually have a sliver of a conscience and be embarrassed to face him. (Other Americans said the part about you having a conscience; I gave up that fantasy a long time ago.)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Getting a Little Scary, Isn’t It?
Dear Senator McConnell:
I was sad to see you reverse your decision regarding earmarks, not because I am a big fan of earmarks but because it means one of three things: 1) you don’t know where you stand, 2) you blow with the wind, or, 3) you realize how unsafe it is to oppose Rand Paul and his tea people. I wrote something last week about how none of us can possibly feel safe but didn’t send it to you because I didn’t think you would care. Now that I suspect you might be worried about having your head stomped or ending up in a mysterious plane crash, I’ve decided maybe you should see my thoughts about violence, how the legal system does not protect victims, how your party (including the tea annex) has purposely incited fear and disgracefully condoned violence, and how society has been numbed to very real threats after eight years of being hyped up to fear unreal ones.
Years ago, I suffered a physical attack. I recovered, although particular incidents can resurrect accurate memories of the emotional pain. The part of my experience that feels relevant today is that it took at least six months for me to feel like myself again. Before the attack, I was independent, emotionally and physically strong, and fearless. I thought I knew myself well enough to predict how I would react in any given situation, and that there was nothing I could not handle. I learned quickly that I was wrong about that because I did not react as I would have predicted that night, and I almost decided prosecuting was too much trouble. Consequently, my reality was shaken to the core.
The legal system, which is not set up to wait until victims are physically and emotionally ready to deal with these things, caused as much pain as the assault. Things that people assumed to know about me because of the assault were also damaging. Fortunately, for me, the media was not involved and few people knew what happened to me.
This isn’t really about me but I thought I should qualify myself. This is about all of us, and why I think we cannot possibly feel safe until we address a few serious problems. Stephen Colbert should appreciate that I’m doing my part to keep fear alive, at least until we address the dangers of blaming victims, refusing to get involved, and pretending we don’t see or hear what is going on around us.
A couple of weeks ago, grown men tackled a young woman to the ground and stomped her head before a political debate. Contrary to disappointing rumor, that girl was not and still is not self-serving. She says this is not about her, either. And, though her message is one of forgiveness and love, she is generous enough to allow this story to belong to all of us and to understand my need to do something with it in order to address broader problems. I will do my best to honor her by making it as little about her as possible, by ending with a message of love, and by calling on the public and the media to take responsibility in turning around this violent climate.
Starting with what we know and resisting the urge to make up what we want to be true will be a good first step. In the case of the young girl who was attacked, I know that a physician, police officers, and a large crowd of people stood within feet of this attack and did nothing to help her. I know that another woman reported that this candidate/physician had treated her inappropriately in the past and that his defense was to blame the person who repeated this story and claim that it happened years ago. And I know that this physician/candidate (now a Senator in Kentucky) claimed he didn’t know the men who attacked the girl until the public identified them as his campaign coordinator and volunteers, one of whom he had posed with for a newspaper photo when the man endorsed him, that Gun Owners of America support this Senator, and that he says he has a mandate from the Tea Party, a group known for making violent threats and intimidating others by sporting weapons in public.
I know this scares me.
What I don’t know is why the woman from the past decided to play down her story. So, again, I allowed a personal experience to influence my thoughts. Recently, a young man threatened physical harm to my daughter, and he called on friends to help him do it. He posted on the internet that he was seeking retaliation and people who were not present stated that my daughter must have done something to deserve this threat. When I defended her and pointed out how wrong it was to blame the victim, the only person to speak up told me I should take the high road and stay out of it. When a detective was assigned to my daughter’s case, she feared repercussions if she pressed charges, and defeated since, instead of defending her, witnesses decided not to get involved.
Following the attack before the debate, I watched the public do the same to the victim. People created details that suited their imaginations and said she deserved this attack. Some left these comments on the internet, below videos of the attack, denying what they saw with their own eyes.
What should concern all of us is that one internet site that boasts "news status" with Google allowed a contributor to post an article and comments that were not factual. When I approached that contributor with the facts, she refused to correct them and banned me from commenting so I could not defend the young girl myself. I reported this to the owners of the site and said that I thought it was socially irresponsible to allow the contributor to endanger this girl with her lies, and they allowed the dishonest post and comments to remain.
Even if each of us did what people accused us of doing - I said something my attacker didn’t like, the girl at the debate meant to harm the Senator with the words on her cardboard poster, and my daughter was rude for not allowing drunken teens to drive away when she forced them to leave the house where she was babysitting – what kind of people believe physical violence is justified in these cases? Who is comfortable knowing that the physical abusers feel empowered by the fact that others condone their behavior, or will not get involved because they fear being hurt, too? How about knowing that sanctioned news sites allow people to print what they want and incite hatred and violence toward you in the discussion that follows?
Who can possibly feel safe knowing that even in a crowd, people can attack and no one is going to help? How is the girl with the poster supposed to leave her home now that the video has circled the globe, and people who recognize her and know that others will cheer them on if they decide to physically harm her for holding opinions they don’t like?
How can anyone be comfortable knowing that, even should victims want to prosecute, they are forced by the system to take action when they are most vulnerable and least able to do so? How many violent crimes go unreported, or how many attackers are never brought to justice because they (and the public) have scared their victims into silence?
How are decent citizens of Kentucky supposed to feel safe with a Senator whose friends stomp heads to keep away dissenting opinions? How are any citizens of this country supposed to feel safe knowing that a man like this is in the Senate, voting on legislature that will affect their lives because people either didn’t want to get involved, protected him, or were afraid to say anything?
The young girl who was attacked before the debate made an extremely kind public statement regarding her willingness to forgive her attacker. I know she is sincere because, like her, I had no trouble forgiving the man who attacked me. Forgiveness is for the person who is doing the forgiving, and it is healing. It isn’t so easy for me to forgive on the larger scale, though, if forgiveness means walking away as though this did not happen.
If I hadn't been too sick to get out of bed, I would have been there the night the young girl was attacked. I would have jumped in. I would have done something. I plan to jump in now, with words. If we don’t wake up and use our voices and our pens to fight violence, we might be forced to watch many more incidents like this one – or worse, since we have one more Senator who is against gun control and a lot of people out there who seem to think they can use the second amendment as their first amendment.
I hope that we, as a society, can send love and positive energy to the victims of this crazy time we are living in, and that we can begin loving our neighbors enough to get involved. Refusing to accept unacceptable behavior is an act of love. The same as we teach children right from wrong to protect them and help them grow into successful adults, we must tell adult bullies we will not accept violence, threats of violence, lies, or people who blame victims.
Now that you - a man who has in one week been thrown under the bus by George Bush and forced to reverse his own opinions and adopt those of Rand Paul – are in this with the rest of us, I hope you will carefully consider your responsibility to THE American People that you speak of so often, and how you can help resolve this problem for us. Someone has to stand up to the bullies and I can think of no one in a better position to do so.
Sincerely,
Sandy
I was sad to see you reverse your decision regarding earmarks, not because I am a big fan of earmarks but because it means one of three things: 1) you don’t know where you stand, 2) you blow with the wind, or, 3) you realize how unsafe it is to oppose Rand Paul and his tea people. I wrote something last week about how none of us can possibly feel safe but didn’t send it to you because I didn’t think you would care. Now that I suspect you might be worried about having your head stomped or ending up in a mysterious plane crash, I’ve decided maybe you should see my thoughts about violence, how the legal system does not protect victims, how your party (including the tea annex) has purposely incited fear and disgracefully condoned violence, and how society has been numbed to very real threats after eight years of being hyped up to fear unreal ones.
Years ago, I suffered a physical attack. I recovered, although particular incidents can resurrect accurate memories of the emotional pain. The part of my experience that feels relevant today is that it took at least six months for me to feel like myself again. Before the attack, I was independent, emotionally and physically strong, and fearless. I thought I knew myself well enough to predict how I would react in any given situation, and that there was nothing I could not handle. I learned quickly that I was wrong about that because I did not react as I would have predicted that night, and I almost decided prosecuting was too much trouble. Consequently, my reality was shaken to the core.
The legal system, which is not set up to wait until victims are physically and emotionally ready to deal with these things, caused as much pain as the assault. Things that people assumed to know about me because of the assault were also damaging. Fortunately, for me, the media was not involved and few people knew what happened to me.
This isn’t really about me but I thought I should qualify myself. This is about all of us, and why I think we cannot possibly feel safe until we address a few serious problems. Stephen Colbert should appreciate that I’m doing my part to keep fear alive, at least until we address the dangers of blaming victims, refusing to get involved, and pretending we don’t see or hear what is going on around us.
A couple of weeks ago, grown men tackled a young woman to the ground and stomped her head before a political debate. Contrary to disappointing rumor, that girl was not and still is not self-serving. She says this is not about her, either. And, though her message is one of forgiveness and love, she is generous enough to allow this story to belong to all of us and to understand my need to do something with it in order to address broader problems. I will do my best to honor her by making it as little about her as possible, by ending with a message of love, and by calling on the public and the media to take responsibility in turning around this violent climate.
Starting with what we know and resisting the urge to make up what we want to be true will be a good first step. In the case of the young girl who was attacked, I know that a physician, police officers, and a large crowd of people stood within feet of this attack and did nothing to help her. I know that another woman reported that this candidate/physician had treated her inappropriately in the past and that his defense was to blame the person who repeated this story and claim that it happened years ago. And I know that this physician/candidate (now a Senator in Kentucky) claimed he didn’t know the men who attacked the girl until the public identified them as his campaign coordinator and volunteers, one of whom he had posed with for a newspaper photo when the man endorsed him, that Gun Owners of America support this Senator, and that he says he has a mandate from the Tea Party, a group known for making violent threats and intimidating others by sporting weapons in public.
I know this scares me.
What I don’t know is why the woman from the past decided to play down her story. So, again, I allowed a personal experience to influence my thoughts. Recently, a young man threatened physical harm to my daughter, and he called on friends to help him do it. He posted on the internet that he was seeking retaliation and people who were not present stated that my daughter must have done something to deserve this threat. When I defended her and pointed out how wrong it was to blame the victim, the only person to speak up told me I should take the high road and stay out of it. When a detective was assigned to my daughter’s case, she feared repercussions if she pressed charges, and defeated since, instead of defending her, witnesses decided not to get involved.
Following the attack before the debate, I watched the public do the same to the victim. People created details that suited their imaginations and said she deserved this attack. Some left these comments on the internet, below videos of the attack, denying what they saw with their own eyes.
What should concern all of us is that one internet site that boasts "news status" with Google allowed a contributor to post an article and comments that were not factual. When I approached that contributor with the facts, she refused to correct them and banned me from commenting so I could not defend the young girl myself. I reported this to the owners of the site and said that I thought it was socially irresponsible to allow the contributor to endanger this girl with her lies, and they allowed the dishonest post and comments to remain.
Even if each of us did what people accused us of doing - I said something my attacker didn’t like, the girl at the debate meant to harm the Senator with the words on her cardboard poster, and my daughter was rude for not allowing drunken teens to drive away when she forced them to leave the house where she was babysitting – what kind of people believe physical violence is justified in these cases? Who is comfortable knowing that the physical abusers feel empowered by the fact that others condone their behavior, or will not get involved because they fear being hurt, too? How about knowing that sanctioned news sites allow people to print what they want and incite hatred and violence toward you in the discussion that follows?
Who can possibly feel safe knowing that even in a crowd, people can attack and no one is going to help? How is the girl with the poster supposed to leave her home now that the video has circled the globe, and people who recognize her and know that others will cheer them on if they decide to physically harm her for holding opinions they don’t like?
How can anyone be comfortable knowing that, even should victims want to prosecute, they are forced by the system to take action when they are most vulnerable and least able to do so? How many violent crimes go unreported, or how many attackers are never brought to justice because they (and the public) have scared their victims into silence?
How are decent citizens of Kentucky supposed to feel safe with a Senator whose friends stomp heads to keep away dissenting opinions? How are any citizens of this country supposed to feel safe knowing that a man like this is in the Senate, voting on legislature that will affect their lives because people either didn’t want to get involved, protected him, or were afraid to say anything?
The young girl who was attacked before the debate made an extremely kind public statement regarding her willingness to forgive her attacker. I know she is sincere because, like her, I had no trouble forgiving the man who attacked me. Forgiveness is for the person who is doing the forgiving, and it is healing. It isn’t so easy for me to forgive on the larger scale, though, if forgiveness means walking away as though this did not happen.
If I hadn't been too sick to get out of bed, I would have been there the night the young girl was attacked. I would have jumped in. I would have done something. I plan to jump in now, with words. If we don’t wake up and use our voices and our pens to fight violence, we might be forced to watch many more incidents like this one – or worse, since we have one more Senator who is against gun control and a lot of people out there who seem to think they can use the second amendment as their first amendment.
I hope that we, as a society, can send love and positive energy to the victims of this crazy time we are living in, and that we can begin loving our neighbors enough to get involved. Refusing to accept unacceptable behavior is an act of love. The same as we teach children right from wrong to protect them and help them grow into successful adults, we must tell adult bullies we will not accept violence, threats of violence, lies, or people who blame victims.
Now that you - a man who has in one week been thrown under the bus by George Bush and forced to reverse his own opinions and adopt those of Rand Paul – are in this with the rest of us, I hope you will carefully consider your responsibility to THE American People that you speak of so often, and how you can help resolve this problem for us. Someone has to stand up to the bullies and I can think of no one in a better position to do so.
Sincerely,
Sandy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)