#FiscalCliff or #FiscalCurb

It really is not that important a distinction.

Fact is we have had an elected government in Washington DC that has not balanced a budget since President William Jefferson Clinton was our President from 1998 through 2001. And even then the interest in the debt absorbed the budget surplus.

The last Republican President to preside over a balanced federal budget was Dwight D. Eisenhower back in 1956 and 1957.

As this chart demonstrates both political parties have presided over debt creating Presidential Administrations & debt creating congressional bodies.

And the largest explosion of this debt has occurred when the #GOP took control, talked about their "Contract with America".

The Republican Party provided us with Temporary Tax Cuts, followed by additional tax cuts, followed by off-budget wars, followed by prescription drug coverage paid for with more debt.

I know good citizens who believe in small and effective government, believe in protecting individual liberties, are patriots, agree with equal rights for all citizens, both Democrats and Republicans.

I know few Republicans who own up to the fact that their beloved party, the grande ole party,  has brought the country to a place where there will be hell to pay. And today they are making every attempt to bring about changes this country dismissed as Un-American centuries ago.

Widen Your View of America

Citizens must widen their view of America.

And separate their political party and politics from the liberty of the freely made decisions in their daily lives.

How important is it to have electricity in your home? How does it get there? Who makes this delivery system possible?

How much do you enjoy having a safe fresh meal on your table three times a day? How is this made possible?

Do you travel? Eat out of your home on a regular basis? Ever wonder about the people it takes to make your night out or your relaxation time enjoyable?
 
I do!

When I contemplate how awesome it is that I was born and raised in the nation where people have the greatest liberty ever witnessed in the history of the world, I'm grateful.

Further, I contemplate the awesome responsibility that comes with this opportunity.

A nation that offers anyone willing to educate, learn, grow, take risks, work hard and persist to achieve anything their hearts desire.

From this I think back to my original questions.

Do other citizens think about the West Virginia miners who dig the coal from deep within our magmatic mountainsides to fuel our electrical generation plants?

How about the migrant workers who harvest crops each citizen depends upon for the nutritious meals on the table three times a day. Does that migrant worker deserve health care and a living wage?

How about the maid service in the room you enjoy while on a business trip, or on vacation? Or the table cleaner or dishwasher of your favorite restaurant?

I understand that the great economic engine which drove our collective achievements were on the backs of the hard labor of and with the full participation of all the people in America from all walks of life and from every socioeconomic background. These people drove the economic engine of our industrial age under the collective bargaining agreements of their unions and the under the regulatory eye of the peoples representatives.

People prospered as individuals. And as their discretionary income grew they spent money on consumption of goods and services beyond those absolutely necessary for the safety and security of their family living.

These expenditures were made possible by citizens comfort that the greatest social programs on earth were put into place raising generations of people out of poverty were promises to be available for them as their retirement planning projected they would be when that time came.

These programs along with defined benefit programs (union pensions) put people in position to retire with a standard of living above the poverty line. And these same people were kept out of poverty due to an adverse health condition by a social program called medicare/medicaid; a nationally sponsored health insurance program.

These programs have not failed our country, they have made our country stronger. The social security program is solvent through at least 2037.

Medicare is projected to be secure through 2024. The Social Security Disability Trust Fund needs some immediate regulatory action as it is projected to be solvent only through 2016.

Due to the unacceptable temporary tax breaks and poor budgeting by politicians who have been trying for decades to undo these systems, these system are NOT to be touched at this point in time.


During the last 50 years politicians carved out civil and regulatory rules and laws that favor one party over another. Some business entities own tax subsidies (tax spending) that allows them a special beak no other industry receives. The tax base is not as broad as it ought to be in the corporate world partly due to  accounting gimmicks known as generally acceptable accounting principles and partly due to the tax code.

The average citizen does not have the time, education and interest to think about West Virginia Miners, Migrant Farm Workers, Table Cleaners or Dishwashers when they make buying decisions for their families safety and security needs.

The time's come to widen the average citizens view of America, to move them beyond political partisan bickering in order to have substantive factual discussions about what brought us to where we are today, and to discuss what is the best path to move the whole country forward.

My internal bias is politicians sitting in Washington DC, maybe elected due to gerrymandering, or political redistricting; or by flat out lying to their constituents when it is these very individuals whom have underfunded our Federal Government for decades.

Why is it that congress allows corporations to take risk, claim bankruptcy, and wash away all debt obtained obtained taking risk and do NOT allow individual citizens to claim bankruptcy and was away all of their debt obtained taking risk?

Why is it some of these vary politicians have the audacity to call fellow citizens "Takers"? Make statements like 47% of us are irresponsible and won't take responsibility for our lives?

Calling the elderly, the migrant farm worker, the table clearer and dish washer "Takers" because they work in a careers that do not offer healthcare or a living wage.

And since the wage paid for these services does not allow these workers to afford the basic standard of living such as food, clothing, a roof over their head and food on their table they enroll in a program for living assistance, food assistance, health care assistance, etc...... they are "Irresponsible Takers"?

If these folks did not perform the jobs that they do, who would clear tables, wash dishes, pick crops so the rest of us can enjoy the three square meals on our table or the business trips or vacations we take each year.

Tell me, how cutting our most successful programs makes America stronger, it doesn't, it divides us and makes us weaker.

Open your eyes, we succeed or fail together, not divided!

GOP Political Euphemism (s) - Fast Facts #11

The latest GOP Fairy tale is used to place the 30 months of consecutive monthly private sector job growth under Barack Obama's presidency of the United States into question. They say his claim of 4,500,000 private sector job gains as a lie.

Barack Obama took office in January 2009, they say and point out the fact that from January through July 2009 the United States lost approximately 5,000,000 private sector jobs.

Therefore Barack Obama's claim of the private sector creating 4,500,000 jobs under his policy watch is a lie since there were 5,000,000 private sector job losses from January to July 2009.

The Republicans say Barack Obama lost 5,000,000 private sector jobs in his 1st six months in office then gained 4,500,000 in the next 29 months, therefore loosing 500,000 private sector jobs.

"Click Here" for an interactive of the job growth chart above:



Here you find the facts in a proper context.

Barack Obama took office in January 2009; during his 1st quarter in office (4-months) there were 3,153,000 private sector job losses; all thanks to the Barack Obama being left a United States Economy devastated by the George W. Bush Administration with Republican Lead Congress in six of the previous 8 years.

Reality is, it takes a few months to have a new congress and administration fill all open positions and have those people in place understanding the severe condition of the economy that was left to him by our Republican colleagues.


Barack Obama's policies started having affects on our economy in his 3rd month in office, by cutting average job losses per month in half. And in half again in the next three months, bringing positive private sector job creation beginning in month fifteen to date.

Reasonable people know that it takes months for stimulus dollars to filter through the entire economy. The results don't lie, the stimulus package from Barack Obama and Congress worked; it halted the extreme free-fall of our economy and we need to than Barack Obama for his strength, character and love for country.

Stay the course!

#GOP Attempts to Avoid Valid Criticism

Did you hear the Republicans at their Political Convention?

They called Obama a blamer; one who blames others and does not accept responsibility!

Accepting responsibility is proper for actions or lack there of when decisions are in or under your control.Our system requires agreement between legislative branches of government and the executive; compromise.

Barack Obama is not personal responsibility for the deregulation of the finance industry which lead to greed fraud and abuse that crashed our economy. These abuses occurred during the George W. Bush Dick Cheney Presidential Administration with a republican controlled congress for six of those eight years.

Here we have the Republicans blaming Barack Obama for something the Republican Presidential Administration and Republican lead Congress is responsible for over the last ten years.

REPUBLICANS FAIL to accept responsibility for their actions which were a major contribution to the failures in our economy causing a great recession; leaving American Citizens with bankruptcy, homelessness, empty bank accounts, retirement accounts gone (used to manage living these past three years after the crash) and they attempt to convince folks that Barack Obama is the blamer who fails to accept responsibility?

It is the Republican congress who choose not to compromise on what they promised during the 2008 Election cycle. The GOP ran on and promised jobs. And then they purposely opposed every executive or legislative initiative to create an environment for government to support private industry jobs or to have the government actually create jobs. Yes, the government creates jobs, they hire militarily men/women; they hire military industrial complex private corporations to make things for us; they hire construction engineering firms, architects, engineers, and a variety of construction sub-contractors to build roads, bridges and perform maintainance.

The Republicans owe America an apology, they need to accept responsibility and citizens need to place blame on the Republicans; where blame belongs.

Fronting valid criticism with misleading statements, untrue opinions, and out right lies about the who is responsible and who should accept responsibility for damaging America.  

Republican Words vs. Actions [] Medicare

Here is what the Mitt Romney Republican Candidacy actually means to the medical insurance program folks have been paying into for decades. He has failed to put concrete legislative proposals  and or a budget in place to fully examine; but the actions of the Republican lead House of Representatives and the actions of the Republicans as a minority party in the Senate leave absolutely no question about their plans.

We want to Protect today's Medicare Program:

Key Elements of Mitt’s Plan

• Nothing changes for current seniors or those nearing retirement (Untrue, as the existing Medicare Program participation is reduced, less folks are enrolled which means program costs are shared by less people and the costs associated with operating the plan will rise. Meaning higher costs, reduced services or a Republican Party who will use the consequences they created with their policies as an excuse to try to end the program).
• Medicare is reformed as a premium support system, meaning that existing spending is repackaged as a fixed-amount benefit to each senior that he or she can use to purchase an insurance plan (This statement runs counter to the intent and meaning of insurance coverage. Insurance is meant to take a "Large number of similar exposure units" [eg. retired senior citizens]: Since insurance operates through pooling resources, the majority of insurance policies are provided for individual members of large classes, allowing insurers to benefit from the law of large numbers in which predicted losses are similar to the actual losses.Less members higher costs or reduced services!)
• All insurance plans must offer coverage at least comparable to what Medicare provides today (Placing a private for profit insurance carrier between the patient and a doctor is NOT better than having a not-for-profit single-payer system. At the very least, private insurance companies are in business to make a profit for shareholders, policy holders are not for profit insurance carriers primary concern).
• If seniors choose more expensive plans, they will have to pay the difference between the support amount and the premium price; if they choose less expensive plans, they can use any leftover support to pay other medical expenses like co-pays and deductibles (Placing different levels of insurance for consumer choice is not a bad thing. Fact is, today's Medicare Program Standard Service Plan offerings are not available for the dollar value offered by the Romney premium support [VOUCHER Plan Proposed] payment. Vouchers will not buy an equivalent coverage to today's Medicare Insurance. And adjustments for future costs will NOT keep up with Medical Services Inflation. All participants in private insurance plans will likely loose 5% or 6 % of their full premium cost a year.)
• “Traditional” fee-for-service Medicare will be offered by the government as an insurance plan, meaning that seniors can purchase that form of coverage if they prefer it; however, if it costs the government more to provide that service than it costs private plans to offer their versions, then the premiums charged by the government will have to be higher and seniors will have to pay the difference to enroll in the traditional Medicare option (Who negotiates the fee for service payment costs, either the government or a private for profit insurance company. Costs would be dramatically reduced if there was one single-payer Medicare Program. This allows not-for-profit insurance administrators to spread the risk among all participants; therefore lower costs.)
• Lower income seniors will receive more generous support to ensure that they can afford coverage; wealthier seniors will receive less support (I'm from Missouri, the "Show Me State" show me the written legislation so the support structure for all participants can be reviewed and verified)
• Competition among plans to provide high quality service while charging low premiums will hold costs down while also improving the quality of coverage enjoyed by seniors (Unfortunately this is NOT true. Insurance carriers are exempt from some restraint of trade laws allowing them to participate in anti-competitive activities. We know private insurance has done nothing to hold down costs. Witness the private insurance history of escalating costs below). 

 If we want to protect the Medicare Program as it presently exists, we extend and offer the program to every citizen of the United states of America. This way, the folks can use the free market concepts to choose the best service provider no matter where they are located, no matter whether they belong to one private insurance carrier plan or not.

True free market enterprise in health care is one single insurance payer and unlimited choice to use whatever doctor, hospital or clinic you wish. You choose the best based on the reputation and ability to provide the best health care service.

Republican politicians have it wrong, they'll get over it!

• Escalating Health Care Costs

  Families, business, and state and federal budgets are straining under skyrocketing health care costs.
  
  Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have more than doubled in the last 9 years, a rate 3 times faster than cumulative wage increases.
  
  The United States spent approximately $2.2 trillion on health care in 2007, or $7,421 per person. This comes to 16.2% of GDP, nearly twice the average of other developed nations.
  
  Health care costs doubled from 1996 to 2006, and are projected to rise to 25% of GDP in 2025 and 49% in 2082.
  
  The proportion of spending attributable to Medicare and Medicaid in the health system is expected to rise from 4 percent of GDP in 2007 to 19 percent of GDP in 2082, making it the principle driving force behind rising federal spending in the decades to come.
  
  Health care costs add $1,525 to the price of every General Motors vehicle. The company spent $4.6 billion on health care in 2007, more than the cost of steel.
  
  As a result of these crushing health care costs, American businesses are losing their ability to compete in the global marketplace. Health care at General Motors puts the company at a $5 billion disadvantage against Toyota, which spends $1,400 less on health care per vehicle.
  
  The average cost of an employer-based family insurance policy in 2008 was $12,680, which was nearly the annual earnings of a full-time minimum wage job.
  
  From 2000 to 2008, the percentage of employees with an annual deductible greater than $1000 increased from 1% to 18%. Among small businesses, more than one in three workers must spend at least $1000 out of pocket before their health benefits kick in.
  
  Half of all personal bankruptcies are at least partly the result of medical expenses.
  
  The typical elderly couple may have to save nearly $300,000 to pay for health costs not covered by Medicare alone.
  
  Eight in ten Americans are dissatisfied with the total cost of health care, and over half report paying for the cost of a major illness as a major problem.

Republican vs. American Values - The Record

 Let's review what Republican Party Policies gave to us from 2000 - 2008:

• Cut taxes for most citizens ended up starving government of adequate funding.
• Deregulated investment banking to bring unfettered free market principles back to business, created greedy investment banks that defrauded depositors by borrowing large sums of money from the Federal Reserve at extremely low interest rates, gambled on exotic financial instruments earning large fees and high interest rates for management while Federal Government Regulations protect depositors (FDIC Insurance) holding our government hostage to bail out these shysters.
• Created unbalanced Government Budgets which did not account for all actual government outlays (GOP never budgeted for off balance sheet expenditures like Middle East Wars) widening deficits.
•  Allow corporations to damage the environment and our financial system then prevent subpoena power to congressional oversight committees entrusted by our constitution to protect the people from such acts.
• Now, today call for further tax cuts and tax cut extensions due to the depressed economy brought upon the nation by the very same policies they call to action today.
• Create larger and larger government deficits with full knowledge that our citizens are aging will be cashing in on the insurance programs they paid for during their entire working life. GOP failed to properly budget for and fund these promises for an entire decade and today want the average citizen to believe we can't afford what the republican's purposefully created with deficit spending.

In short the activities which caused our problem today were imprudent tax cuts made by those who always talk about our job creators (Republicans, where are the jobs?). And when our government officials ought to have been planning to secure the benefits citizens paid for their entire working life rather they were offering corporate socialism to the job creators (no jobs) and fighting unpaid for wars. The campaign slogan of the Romney/Ryan ticket is "Bring America Back".

For 10 years Republican Policies were catering to the wealthiest of our nation taking the middle class in America to its knees; sending millions of ordinary citizens into bankruptcy, family's onto food stamps and into the welfare and medicaid social safety net systems. When President Barack Obama took over in 2009, the worst had not yet peaked. His policy shifts were good, have had the effect of ending the carnage.

3 years is insufficient time to dig America out of the "largest Republican hole" every created in the modern era, Especially when the Republican controlled House of Representatives never negotiated in good faith. When the Republican Senate minority used the cloture or  filibuster rules in every way possible to be sure AMERICA and therefore Barack Obama "never received a win". The Republican party's number one priority was to see that Barack Obama was a one term President.

The policies presented today by the Republican Party are a heavier dose of what were were provided during the years 200-2008. The Republicans want you to believe the correct course for America is to offering more tax cuts and deregulation (and to have average people sacrifice the benefits citizens have already paid for their entire life knowing the security they will need in their retirement years.


MEDICARE/MEDICAID:
Taxes Paid Years in Advance for Services Rendered at Retirement.

• 30 year old paid these taxes for at least 10 years
• 35 year old paid these taxes for at least 15 years
• 40 year old paid these taxes for at least 20 years
• 45 year old paid these taxes for at least 25 years
• 50 year old paid these taxes for at least 30 years
• 55 year old paid these taxes for at least 35 years
• 60 year old paid these taxes for at least 40 years
• 65 year old paid these taxes for at least 45 years

Tell the entire Republican party that their words which twist the truth are unacceptable. Tell then that you know when the GOP uses euphemisms to distort the truth. Tell them that the standard marketing done with Frank Lutz which tells the GOP which words to use to mislead average American citizens won't work this time around. The tax cuts for job creators did not create jobs, the deregulation lead to shenanigans and skulduggery all which hurt millions of people and created enormous debt.  

Tell the Republican party they will never get away with their budget proposals on Medicare, Social Security and their attempts to erase the American standards set for America's social safety net are a recipe for failure.


Tell your elected official the Republican Parties solution for our countries economic problems are unacceptable to you as a citizen of the United States of America.

Who Can Negotiate Health Care Costs?

You, your family, your doctor, your hospital, or is it the government and/or an insurance company.

Today received a bill for diagnostics (Standard Blood Work Tests) a routine set of tests for any citizen going to a physician for an annual check-up.

The Lab standard charges were $766.85.
The Insurance Company Health care Plan Negotiated Costs Approved at $96.25.

An uninsured person in in my locale pays almost $800 and an insured person pays almost $100.

You can not negotiate, your family can't negotiate, your doctor has no ability to negotiate (he signs insurance company agreement or is not an in-network healthcare provider choice in the network he did not agree with) so that leaves the private for profit insurance company and/or the government negotiating for you.

So who has your best interests at heart, a not-for profit government program like Medicare or your private for profit insurance company?

Citizens either pay full fare (uninsured) citizens pay private Insurance company negotiated rate (they differ) or citizens pay the government not for profit rate that every insured pays.

Imagine, the Republican party does not want to have the Medicare, Veterans Healthcare Services or Government Insurance Pools competing against the Healthcare Insurance Industry negotiating pricing with healthcare providers.

Further, the Republican party wishes tens of thousands of citizens to remain uninsured, do you now understand why?

Support a single payer system, one negotiation with payment of fair price to healthcare providers so healthcare professionals earn a healthy living, allowing every citizen health care coverage at the same cost.

Job Creation - Corporate Income Taxes & Reality

Taxing the wealthiest Americans a 35% rate vs. a 28% rate on every extra $1,000,000 of investment income if every other deduction for their business remains the same means this:

The former tax rate of 28% cost $280,000 in tax revenue leaving $780,000 of net income after taxes.

The revised tax rate of 35% cost $350,000 in tax revenue leaving $650,000 of net income revenue.

Any Republican Party official who says to you that a job creator will stop investing in existing businesses, create new businesses or the continued use of existing or new investment vehicles all of which sustain or create jobs are “full of beans”

Business owners are NOT going to stop investing because their investment only produces $650,000 rather than the $780,000 they earned in the years America gave them the gift of the George W. Bush Temporary Tax Cuts.

 

The job creators will continue to invest in products and services that people of the world will buy. Our government can pay down some of this unnecessary debt. And can assist our fellow citizen in need of food and healthcare for their family allowing them to buy products and services made by our job creators.

And it is about time we expand the investments in our countries infrastructure allowing our job creators to create better products and services and deliver it through out the world. We are a consumption economy, we need people buying products and services for greater job creation; we need a an increased revenue stream demonstrating government officials can balance income with expenses; NOT more tax cuts.

  

There are no smart business people who actually pay the standard tax rate. Every person who owns and operates a business uses deductions, depreciation's and other tax loop holes to reduce the actual tax rate that the job creator pays.


It is tiring keeping track of all the nonsense the Republican party tells to our citizens.


Sadly, many are incapable of knowing how badly they are being deceived.

#GOP Fairy Tales [] Fast Facts #10

Taxing the wealthiest Americans a 35% rate vs. a 28% rate on every extra $1,000,000 of investment income if every other deduction for their business remains the same means this:

The former tax rate of 28% cost $280,000 in tax revenue leaving $780,000 of net income after taxes.

The revised tax rate of 35% cost $350,000 in tax revenue leaving $650,000 of net income revenue.

Any Republican Party official who says to you that a job creator will stop investing in existing businesses, create new businesses or the continued use of existing or new investment vehicles all of which sustain or create jobs are “full of beans”

Business owners are NOT going to stop investing because their investment only produces $650,000 rather than the $780,000 they earned in the years America gave them the gift of the George W. Bush Temporary Tax Cuts.

 

The job creators will continue to invest in products and services that people of the world will buy. Our government can pay down some of this unnecessary debt. And can assist our fellow citizen in need of food and healthcare for their family allowing them to buy products and services made by our job creators.

And it is about time we expand the investments in our countries infrastructure allowing our job creators to create better products and services and deliver it through out the world. We are a consumption economy, we need people buying products and services for greater job creation; we need a an increased revenue stream demonstrating government officials can balance income with expenses; NOT more tax cuts.

  

There are no smart business people who actually pay the standard tax rate. Every person who owns and operates a business uses deductions, depreciation's and other tax loop holes to reduce the actual tax rate that the job creator pays.


It is tiring keeping track of all the nonsense the Republican party tells to our citizens.


Sadly, many are incapable of knowing how badly they are being deceived.

#GOP Lunatics Confused About Who Creates Jobs

Big business and small business alike will not add jobs until demand for their products and or services increases.

The uncertainty of tax our structure, increase or decrease is not relevant. The increase or decrease of government regulation is not relevant. All good business men/women easily create a 1, 3 or 5 year business plan which includes all fixed costs, including taxes. Business owners will not create new jobs until demand for their products and or services increases above their present capacity.

Does it matter if there is a Republican or a Democrat in federal office? Yes it does, their tendency to use euphemisms, psychological mirroring, and out right lies to average American citizen suggest that their time has come; end republican control of congress.

The time has come to send Republicans home from congress during our 2012 Federal Elections. The fact is that REAL job creators are NOT wealthiest among us as the Republican Party says over and over and over again. And no, job creators are not the top ten percent of wage earners among us since the wealthiest among us have a tendency to bank extra disposable income rather than spend this money buying unnecessary goods or services. So what the GOP says about job creators is wrong, job creators are not solely business owners, or small business owners.

The job creators in America are the whole lot of us (the bottom 90 percent), calling us the greater middle class.

JOB CREATORS ARE THE MIDDLE CLASS!

Job creators demand goods and services that business men and women meet with the products and services that they create. Unmet demand makes new production lines or allows a new business entity to compete.

Job creators are the collective citizenry spending their hard earned money to buy products and services that businesses owners produce. And when demand for products and services out weighs the supply of products and services (more buyers than people employed can make) business owners hire more people.

Small business people and risk takers deploy capital to satisfy unmet demand by supplying a product or service.

Job creation has little to do with, as the Republican Party says, " Job killing regulations" or "tax uncertainty", these Republican ideas are fantasy, about as real as the story line of the "The Wizard of Oz".


Business will not create jobs until demand outweighs supply.


And Americas Job Creators are not the wealthy in America or in the world; it's the consumers of products and services; consumers are the worlds only job creators.

Congressional Misinformation or Tax Fairness

The song and dance Congress sold you with a reduction of the capital gains tax offers this result; the high income earner kept $25,000.00 while the average income earner kept $125.00 in savings.

These tax savings originally intended to fund social security, medicare, medicaid, streets, bridges, etc......

Or maybe to just pay down that debt.

Let's look at one simple comparison of Capital Gains taxed at regular income rates vs.Capital gains taxed at the special reduced long term capital gain rate of 15%:



A. Adjusted Gross Income High Income Earner:

$1,500,000.00 adjusted gross income
Annual Capital Gains of $125,000
Capital Gains Taxed as Ordinary Income @ 35% = $43,750.00
Capital Gains @15% = $18,750.00
Tax Savings = $25,000.00


B. Adjusted Gross Income Average Income Earner:

$45,000.00 adjusted gross income
Annual Capital Gains of $5,000
Capital Gains Taxed as Ordinary Income @17.5% = $875.00
Capital Gains @15% = $750.00
Tax Savings =  $125.00

READ MORE HERE:

http://fconsmod.blogspot.com/2012/01/tax-fairness-gop-storytelling.html

The Republican Party owns this & other temporary tax breaks, with Democratic Party complicity by allowing the congressional budgets rules to pass both chambers being signed by President George W. Bush.

Credit Trap - Corporate Fascism Harms Liberty

The #GOP has supported big business over small & effective government for years.

• They support liar loans.
• They support payday lenders.
• They support business's ability to wash debt away completely while NOT supporting the same for individual citizens.
• They DO NOT support the United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enacted in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Bill.
• They DO NOT support removing the free market credit holders profiteering on federally backed student loans.

New entrants to our workforce graduate from trade schools or college burdened with educational debt. This debt is equal to the cost of some of our parents or grandparents 1st family residence.


This is where the financial credit trap begins.

Principle and interest accrued during the 4-6 year educational process requires decades to extinguish. This is followed by a barrage of credit card opportunities designed to get people stuck with making minimum payments on their credit line leaving them eternally indebted to revolving credit.


For the average person in America, their residence will be their biggest life investment. They take on great debt where the principle and interest of for the happy home is spread over the next 30 years. In recent history, there have been two significant housing bubbles, each supported by people who either mislead unsuspecting home buyers or people who committed out right fraud due to their unending greed.

Either way, the #GOP, against any federal regulation, allows government regulatory agencies to languish without sufficient staff to properly function. And in other cases, congress changed the law all together, removing the legal requirement to follow prudent regulations which managed the size and types of risk our commercial bank lending system was allowed to take on in their daily business practice.

During this period lending institutions are doing more with less employees while increasing charges and fees on their customers to line the pockets of the organizations shareholders.

Remember, most business's focus on maximizing shareholder value. I have no argument with the free market competition model here at all, my only argument to the sole focus on maximizing shareholder value is that this can not be the sole focus, a company has a moral and ethical responsibility to it's people, the community and the environment.

Throughout this period of time, the credit card industry offered consumer credit to folks. The best I'll say is the idea of a consumer credit line is excellent for emergencies, when an unexpected, unplanned, non-budgeted expense presents itself and people need to fund this event. Credit card rate of 25 - 30% APR sound reasonable to you, when the 10 year treasury rate is at 3.5% APR? Pay day lending services charge even worse interest rates and fees.

Allow me to digress, we appear to allow high school graduation without an understanding on how to balance a check book. We have no core curriculum to teach people the practical realities of how to budget a college career, a household,or manage a lifestyle. Many people going to trade schools and higher education institutes to learn a trade or obtain a bachelors and or master degree do not necessarily fare much better in their knowledge of the world of finance.


Why do so many people not understand the realities of our banking lending, credit facilities and overall financial system? Who was in the best position to see when the train roaring down the tracks was gaining speed in many different towns, communities, and states; the Federal Government. Why do republicans want to remove regulation?

 I live in a constitutional republic, where my forefathers envisioned the need for a strong Federal Government, to be certain that individual States would not harm the nation by racing one another to the bottom. They felt the need to provide a separation of powers in order to ensure the people were protected. And that is not said better than within our declaration of Independence.

 The Declaration articulates the highest ideals of the Revolution, beliefs in liberty, equality, and the right to self-determination. Americans embraced a view of the world in which a person's position was determined, not by birth, rank, or title, but by talent, ability, and enterprise.

The talent of a mason or a carpenter is no less valuable than the talent of a stock trader. The talent of a school teacher, policeman, fireman, is no more or less valuable that of the gourmet chef feeding the President of the United States of America or Mitt Romney's Campaign Manager. Talent, ability and enterprise says one is to be valued for who they are and not what family, neighborhood or social position they were born into. The talent, ability and enterprise of Special Olympics participants is no less valuable to our nation than the talents of any one of us.

Mitt Romney represents the worst of this financial system.

A system where the sole focus on maximizing shareholder value. And on extracting dollars from companies, hurting people, harming communities and often times damaging the environment while shipping what once were American Citizen jobs overseas to developing nations where companies pay slave wages to increase the return on their dollars invested.

• End the #GOP flirtation with corporate fascism for good in 2012. 
• Vote the existing Republican Party leadership out of congressional power.
• Give Barack Obama four more years

Fact is the economy is close to turning the corner after following the disastrous Republican Party Policies. Remember, George W. Bush held hands with a Republican controlled  for six of his eight years in the White House.

Remember the Republican Party has deregulated the banking industry and allowed a co-mingling of funds with investment firms. Trillions of dollars in derivatives are now held in commercial banking industry companies who have Federal FDIC Insurance protection.

Republicans support less government employees, want to make working for the government less attractive, stripping employees of their constitutional right to assembly and associate (form unions for representation).

And Republicans support the Supreme Court Decision that says money is speech and that corporations are people; creating a corporate fascism not seen in America for one hundred years!

It's no joke, Romney is Bush on steroids, Get out the vote in 2012.

#GOP Pattern of Behavior

1. Create a condition: 
2. Blame the Government or Democrats for the condition. 
3. Say it long enough and frequently enough to people unaware of their propensity to be snookered start to believe the lie.
4. Folks who believe the #GOP blame fail to understand that the #GOP actually created condition and propagate the lie.

Examples Include:

A. Created Tax Cuts Under Guise they would be Temporary (Sign pledge to never increase taxes)

1. Resulting in the following set of facts:

• Increase in the number of taxpayers not responsible for paying Federal Income Taxes
• #GOP Controlled Congress, 6 of 8 George W. Bush Years, Failed to Balance Budgets 
• Deficits rise from imbalance of income/expense

    
    2. Blame the government or democrats for the following conditions:

• Unsustainable Budget Deficits
• Irresponsible Debt Limit Increase
• Bad People: 43 Percent of Citizens Not Paying Federal Income Taxes 

 
   3. Motives:

• Create sufficient debt & deficits in order to create appearance that their goal of reducing the size of  our Federal Government is a legitimate objective
•  Hurt as many citizens as possible in order to have them feeling insecure about their families financial future so the #GOP can blame Barack Obama for how our citizens feel.

#Constitution [] Supreme Law of the Land

Q. What constitutes the supreme law of the land?

A. Art. VI, cl. 2 of the Constitution says: "This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shalt be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding."

Constitution Questions & Anwsers

Facts to Dismiss #GOP Operative Fairy Tales

Average Rig Count in the United States of America By Year

 

Average Crude Oil Price in the United States of America By Month

Average Non-Farm Employment Count in the United States of America By Month

Average Retail Price Gallon of Regular Gasoline in the United States of America By Month

Americans for Making Decisions with Factual Information!

#Vote 2012

 

Keystone XL Pipeline

Canada has excess pipeline capacity and in our Department of Energy report reviewing the Keystone XL pipelines impact on U.S. energy supply over the next twenty years, the agency found that it will take decades for Canada to produce enough oil to fill existing pipelines. DOE's conclusion is the United States will import the same amount of crude from Canada through 2030 whether the Keystone XL pipeline is built or not.

Canada has a business risk issue to correct; they have a single marketplace for their oil production, the United States. A big the problem with existing pipelines is they all end in the U.S. Midwest and 97 percent of their energy is delivered to the United States. They need to diversify. Though even the Canadians remain balancing the environmental factors involved with the production of Tar Sands oil Production as the Canadian government has halted two pipeline proposals to export tar sands through its provinces due to the need to take more time to listen to its own public's concerns about water and safety.

The hidden benefit behind the Keystone XL pipeline is a 1st step for Canada to diversify it's energy marketplace. The pipeline would divert large volumes of Canadian oil from its present destination in the Midwest United States to our Gulf Coast, where it would be available for the first time to buyers on the world market. This goal is coveted since many of the refineries on the Gulf Coast happen to be located in foreign trade zones, where they can export Canadian oil to the world market without paying United States taxes.

Nothing is ever as it seems

 

Historically the Cushing, Oklahoma is the area in the United States where crude oil from the Gulf Coast came to Cushing for refining in order to and to reach out to America's northern consumers. Generally, Light Sweet Crude oil is stored in bulk here.

In 2006, with production increases from Canadian oil sands, one pipeline reversed direction, bringing crude into the Cushing Hub, rather than delivering crude from Cushing to oil refineries. Today the existing market for HEAVY Canadian Crude are oversupplied.

Light Crude oil is liquid petroleum that has low density and that flows freely at room temperature. It has low viscosity, low specific gravity and high API gravity due to the presence of a high proportion of light hydrocarbon fractions. It generally has a low wax content as well.

On the other hand, heavy crude oil or extra heavy crude oil is any type of crude oil which does not flow easily. It is referred to as “heavy” because its density or specific gravity is higher than that of light crude oil. Heavy crude oil has been defined as any liquid petroleum with an API gravity less than 20°. Extra heavy oil is defined with API gravity below 10.0 °API (API gravity, is a measure of how heavy or light a petroleum liquid is compared to water. If its API gravity is greater than 10, it is lighter and floats on water; if less than 10, it is heavier and sinks. )

Light crude oil receives a higher price than heavy crude oil on commodity markets because it produces a higher percentage of gasoline and diesel fuel when converted into products by an oil refinery. 

Heavy crude oil has more negative impact on the environment than its light counterpart since its refinement requires the use of more advanced techniques an the use of contaminants.

The sweet light crude oil Western Texas Intermediate (WTI) is a benchmark in oil pricing in America.

The core refining process is simple distillation. Crude oil is made up of a mixture of  hydrocarbons, this first and basic refining process is aimed at separating the crude oil into its "fractions," the broad categories of its component hydrocarbons.  

Crude oil is heated and put into a still -- a distillation column -- and different products boil off and can be recovered at different temperatures.  

The lighter products -- liquid petroleum gases (LPG),  naphtha, and so-called "straight run" gasoline -- are recovered at the lowest temperatures.  

Middle distillates -- jet fuel, kerosene, distillates (such as home heating oil and diesel fuel) -- come next.  

Finally, the heaviest products (residuum or residual fuel oil) are recovered, sometimes at temperatures over 1000 degrees F. 

Keystone XL is a pipeline delivering Canadian Heavy Crude; an export pipeline. According to Keystone Investor Presentations, Gulf Coast refiners plan to refine the cheap Canadian crude supplied by the pipeline into diesel and other products for export to Europe and Latin America. Proceeds from these exports are earned tax-free. Much of the fuel refined from the pipeline’s heavy crude oil will never reach U.S. drivers’ tanks.

By distilling heavy Canadian crude oil in Gulf Coast Refinery's the United States Refinery Capacity for Light Sweet Crude will be reduced lowering supply of the very products on which American consumers rely.

By draining Midwestern refineries of cheap Canadian crude into export-oriented refineries in the Gulf Coast, Keystone XL will increase the cost of gas for Americans.

And the risk of environmental damage from the transportation and refinement process is a dramatic increase from that of our Light Sweet Crude with no appreciable benefits for the country.  

There might actually be an increase cost for the consumer for light crude products such as gasoline. Since we have limited Oil Refineries in America, if our existing refineries begin to process this dirty heavy Canadian crude oil there will be less capacity to process our own light sweet crude supplies.

Hold Congress Responsible for Meeting their Obligations

Social Security Old-Age, Survivors, & Disability Insurance & Medicare's Hospital Insurance (HI) Programs are financed by employment taxes. Congress has failed over many years to manage the entire government budget process creating annual debt which has created a larger deficit accumulated over many many years of failed fiscal discipline.

Today politicians speak of the need to cut the insurance programs for citizens whom have faithfully paid their end of the insurance contract. The same citizens who have planned on these insurance benefits for their retirement  years, 5, 10 and 20 years out.

Tell congress their failure to properly manage the government overall budget is no excuse to change the Social Security, Medicare and/or Unemployment Insurance Program Benefits in any way.

These same elected officials have enacted bankruptcy laws for the private industry which allows private enterprise to make retirement security promises to employees over many years, decades or a lifetime; then when the management team looses sight of the organizational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and finds itself with financial difficulty, can file for bankruptcy to shed it's responsibility to their employee pension and retirement obligations. Thus placing the previously private enterprise retirement fund in the hands of the "Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation" (PBGC).

The PBGC is funded four sources:

• Insurance premiums paid by sponsors of defined benefit pension plans;
• Assets held by the pension plans it takes over;
• Recoveries of unfunded pension liabilities from plan sponsors' bankruptcy estates and
• Investment income.

PBGC pays monthly retirement benefits to approximately 631,000 retirees of 3,800 terminated defined benefit pension plans. Including those who have not yet retired and participants in multiemployer plans receiving financial assistance, the PBGC is responsible for the current and future pensions of about 1.3 million people.


Private Companies go bankrupt to dump their pension obligations onto the #PBGC just like congress is trying to dump their social security, medicare and unemployment obligations onto the backs of the very people paying for thses insurance programs in the first place.

Tell Congress their plans to make major changes to Scoial Security, Medicare and/or Unemployment are NOT ACCEPTABLE.

#Vote2012

GOP Political Euphemism (s) - Fast Facts #9

The Republican Party Presidential candidates have been on the campaign trail for months now; they have had nineteen debates where each has made statements concerning our 44th President Barack Obama.

Here are a few of the false statements made by the Republican Presidential candidates:

Multiple Republican Operatives have said; "We must stop Barack Obama's dangerous economic course to protect America’s greatness by reversing the  European style governing."

• Affordable Care Act: Is a free market based health insurance system nothing like other countries successful socialized medicine programs (Universal Health Care Systems)
• The GOP is unable to spin any other Federal Government Program as European Style Governance. 
• Barack Obama has initiated less regulation than George W. Bush had during the comparable time in Presidents office.
• Barack Obama seeks to implement lean principles to our government processes, the 1st President to do so!
• Barack Obama has removed old, antiquated, nonsense regulations and seeks congressional approval to consolidate his executive branch department to make them more responsive to citizen needs.
• Our constitution requires laws and regulations be generated by congress and either signed or vetoed by the Executive. Even if the president vetoes a congressional proposal, two-thirds of each chamber can vote to over rule the executive.

“What is clear is that Barack Obama has abdicated his responsibility to govern, and has instead resorted to commanding the public spotlight for the sole purpose of driving a wedge between Americans through partisan, campaign-style rhetoric.  Three years of failed promises have led our nation deeper into debt, created greater uncertainty for American job creators and prolonged unacceptably high unemployment."

• Barack Obama has promised a different style of executive in Washington - he has and still delivers today.
• Barack Obama promised to fight for the middle of America - he has and still delivers today.
• Barack Obama has offered to compromise many times during budget negotiations with congress only to be left at the alter by a group of political leaders with an agenda other than doing what is in the best interest in debt reduction, budget balancing and helping America grow its way out of the recession brought on by eight years of a George W Bush Presidency and his Republican controlled Congress (6 of 8 yrs). 
• Barack Obama promised to end the policies of division in Washington - he has held up his end of the bargain against an intransigent Republican held House of Representatives  and a Republican minority in the Senate which announced at inauguration that their sole purpose in governing is to ensure that Barack Obama is a one term president.
• Barack Obama has provided certainty to job creators by ending the financial crisis which had job losses at 750,000 per month & a credit market where many financial institutions sat on the brink of insolvency leading to the worst credit crisis for job creators in America's history. Barack Obama ended the hemorrhaging, offered tax relief to every American citizen and has presided over 22 consecutive months of private sector job creation.

"President Obama's astonishing failure to secure an orderly transition in Iraq has unnecessarily put at risk the victories that were won through the blood and sacrifice of thousands of American men and women. The unavoidable question is whether this decision is the result of a naked political calculation or simply sheer ineptitude in negotiations with the Iraqi government. The American people deserve to hear the recommendations that were made by our military commanders in Iraq."

• The President kept his pledge to the nation to end the war in Iraq in a responsible way.
• Barack Obama has promoted our security in Afghanistan and eliminated key Al Qaeda leaders while strengthening American leadership around the world
• Osama bin Laden  no longer threatens American citizens, among others.

Mitt Romney said: "America’s creditworthiness just became the latest casualty in President Obama’s failed record of leadership on the economy,” “His failed policies have led to high unemployment, skyrocketing deficits, and now, the unprecedented loss of our nation’s prized AAA credit rating.”

• Standard & Poor’s statement downgrading the federal government’s credit rating places the blame squarely on Republican Party actions and policies.
• Standard & Poor’s biggest concern is whether the United States will pay off its debt and whether the Republican Party will be so insane as to refuse to lift the debt ceiling.
• Stand & Poor's modified their baseline assumptions about the United States credit worthiness based on the following: “We have changed our assumption on this because the majority of Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise revenues,” this adds $4 trillion over ten years to our projected deficits.

Tax Fairness or #GOP Storytelling

The Republican Party believes that capital gains, investment income and carried interest earnings are either appropriately taxed at a lower level than ordinary income or deserve to have taxes removed all together.

The latest defense of lower tax treatment states this is money previously taxed therefore it warrants this reduced tax rate.

Balderdash!

The money that has been taxed is not the capital gain, the interest income or the carry interest trade, the money that has been previously taxed is the principal used to create this new income, or stated another way, the previously taxed money generates new income that has NEVER before been taxed.

The income in question here is new, never before taxed ordinary income for a person fortunate enough to be in a position to earn capital gains, investment interest or more blatantly unfair, hold a job where their income is derived from managing other peoples money.


Class warfare exists in an unfair tax code which treats those who either through hard work and success or through inheritance are afforded tax subsidies that those less fortunate are not presently able to take advantage of in order to raise their stead in life.

It is the very politicians whom cry foul when the question of tax fairness is raised, those who suggest a discussion on tax fairness is some form of class warfare who have rewarded the wealthy and powerful who assisted them in maintaining their cushy government jobs. The wealthy and powerful have the capacity to spend money lavishly lobbying politicians who are constantly running for election.


#Vote2012

Creative Destruction - Unfettered Free Markets

In one segment of their business models, Bain Capital and other venture capital investment firms seek profits from the environment where companies are heading toward the bankruptcy courts.

One must know that the bankruptcy process, Chapter 11 (reorganization) or Chapter 7 (dissolution), is not the free market system in action. The process is a man made. A legal judicial process through which ailing organizations are either reborn or die inside an established hierarchy and framework.

Bankruptcy in the United States is a matter placed under Federal jurisdiction in accordance with Article 1, Section 8, Clause 4 of our constitution, which allows Congress to enact "uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States. Congress has enacted Title 11 of the United States Code, Bankruptcy Code.

As an aside from the corporate issue of bankruptcy. One has to reflect on the standard hypocritical line of the Republican Party. There go those big government liberals, sticking their nose into the workings of the free market system, again.

Even worse for the average citizen, in 2005, our Republican controlled congress enacted tougher judicial rules for bankruptcy filings for small time debtors (average citizens) while allowing the existing rules to remain in place for big time debtors (corporations). There is a case for lenient bankruptcy laws as it supports risk taking, but our Big Government Republicans now offers greater support for risk taking for corporations then it does for its individual citizens.

Back to corporate bankruptcy, in Chapter 11, the company retains ownership and control of assets and is re-termed a debtor in possession ("DIP"). The company in possession runs the day to day operations of the business while creditors and the company work with the Bankruptcy Court in order to negotiate and complete a plan. Upon meeting certain requirements (e.g. fairness among creditors, priority of certain creditors) creditors are permitted to vote on the proposed plan. If a plan is confirmed the debtor will continue to operate and pay its debts under the terms of the confirmed plan. If a specified majority of creditors do not vote to confirm a plan, additional requirements may be imposed by the court in order to confirm the plan.

When companies find them selves in financial trouble they seek alternatives to filing for bankruptcy,enter the Bain Capital type firms in our free market system. These investment companies offer to step-in, many times allowing senior (not always top) management to maintain positions with the ailing company while the venture capital firm situates itself as a senior debt holder, who offer their valuable advice and closely monitor the company performing all the tasks I have previously described here.

#Vote2012

Creative Destruction - Job Creator or Vulture Capitalist?

Mitt Romney believe his track record at Bain capital places him in the good graces of our country as a job creator; hardly.

Let me first report that I am in full support of free market systems. I believe in competition for most, but not all industries. And as a business owner I am fully aware and factually realistic about product, service profitability and life cycles (Introduction, Growth, Maturity, Decline).

The fact is that organizations sometimes blunder, lapse and misjudge; they fail to capture opportunities, fail to imitate imitable resources, fail to solve solvable problems, and fail to execute fundamental strategies. See a resource based view of a firm HERE!

A disadvantage of competition can be the loss of local jobs, particularly in the manufacturing industry. As competition pushes prices of goods down firms may move offshore in search of cheaper labor in order to stay competitive. This can lead to some firms exploiting people in less developed countries and in extreme cases even child and or slave labor.

As I stated before, some industries do not lend themselves to competition. The main example commonly used is the supply of water to residential homes. It does not make sense to have multiple sets of pipes running to each home. In an industry such as this it is cheaper to have a monopoly firm, regulated by government to insure fair price and a minimal level of service.

When products and services of businesses are lost to bankruptcy and the closing of doors occurs. People loose their jobs, investors usually loose all the money the they have invested in the enterprise, and bond holders along with secured creditors receive proceeds from the dissolution of the business assets after closing the purchase of the business. This return usually represents only pennies on the money or credit extended to the failed business .

Back to Mitt Romney and Bain Capital, taking control of any company which is failing due to competitive disadvantages.

In all cases they take control to make money for their firm, which like other ventures invests capital to make a profit; seeking a specific return on their investment. It has been said that their success has brought 88% annual returns for Bain Capital.

Bain Capital seeks out opportunities to acquire companies where by adding their efforts and talents they will be able to increase the value of the company to the point where they can realize the increased value by selling the company or its assets.

This means they seek to step into a failing company if they can dispose of or renegotiate debt. Then they take control of the company, layoff/fire workers,cut wages, benefits and other expenses. The seek tax subsidy abatement and breaks from federal, state, and/or local government and sell assets to make the organizations balance sheet and cash flow appear more attractive. During this period Bain Capital is negotiating with state and local government entities seeking tax relief for their operations.

Acquired companies are normally bought with high leverage, borrowed funds which reduce the Bain Capital risk profile. Bain Capital normally seeks receipt of cash distribution immediately upon closing the purchase of the business, a portion of its investment in the purchase price, reducing its own investment and enhancing its return on the investment left in the business.

A sale can be made to another company, frequently a much larger one in a related field, to another private equity fund which believes it can create even more value for its own investors, or in a public offering to a broad group of shareholders.

Sometimes the Bain Capital acquisition  is leveraged with so much debt that the business is unable to  pay the carrying costs of the debt. And the debtors take control of the business or the company is placed in bankruptcy proceedings either to liquidate its assets to pay off the debt or to restructure, the process where Bain Capital actually entered the picture in the first place.

Either way, Mitt Romney and Bain Capital do not have job creation anywhere near the top of their goals and objectives for maximizing total return for their investors.

This process is all about Bain Capital extracting cash from a business which has or is failing due to any number of reasons.

It is not unfair to view Bain Capital in equivalence with Vultures on the African Continent Plains.

Equal Opportunity in America - Hardly

Posted for all my wayward far right, social and constitutional conservative friends who have a hard time getting out of their box, seeing this country for what it really is, not what their ideal of this great country, the United States of America, is in their mind.

Excerpt from the Declaration of Independence:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed."


Stop trying to impose your personal, social and religious ideas onto my constitutionally governed country.  I'm a small government guy who seeks those things granted to me in our Bill of Rights.

I define equal opportunity as a situation in which people have the same opportunities in life as other people, without being treated in an unfair way because of their race, sex, sexuality, religion, age, or economic status.

America is a great country, we have the strongest constitution and are the land of the free and home of the brave; America is the land of opportunity; but always has room for improvement.

We are not the land of equal opportunity:

• Social Inequality
• Economic Inequality

Within these two main categories are sub-categories of inequality which inhibit access to equal opportunity for many. Some of these sub-categories can be found under both main headings as their affect effects both "Social" and "Economic" status!


The Social Inequality Stems from these main categories:

• Educational Inequality
• Inequality to Access of Healthcare
• Income Inequality
• Racial Inequality
• Gender Inequality
• Sexual Preference Inequality
• Punishment & Inequality (Judicial System)

The Economic Inequality Stems from these main categories:

• Educational Inequality
• Inequality to Access of Healthcare
• Income Inequality
• Racial Inequality
• Gender Inequality
  
• Punishment & Inequality (Judicial System)
• Political Inequality
  
• Unequal Access to Capital
• Unequal Tax Policy - Viewed in Relationship to Tax Subsidies, Benefits, Income Treatment

In days to come I will continue to add to this article in order to address each of these sub-categories.

Here are some web sites with good articles to substantiate these claims:

1. American Democracy in an Age of Rising Inequality
2. 15 Mind-Blowing Facts About Wealth And Inequality In America 
3. Portrait of Inequality - Black Children in America 
4. Global income inequality: Where the U.S. ranks

#Vote2012