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

Congressional Election 2012

We have no shortage of oil.

We have no shortage of natural gas.

We have no shortage of anything necessary to maintain American Standards of living and economic growth except: Rare Earth Metals.

Rare earth metals are a group of 17 metals (such as lanthanum and cerium) that are used for a variety of high tech gadgets that are vital to modern life.

The other shortage we have is with educated voters and fact filled congressional politicians.

So when elected congressional officials tell you we have an ineffective government with nothing but job killing regulations; that our government needs to be smaller with less regulations so we can reduce taxes, get government off your back and allow the free enterprise system to do what it does best; ask yourself......

If all these things are true......

How come we're climbing out of a recession after over ten years of tax cuts, reduced government funding to enforce regulations, where job creators offered no new employment to our citizens in over 10 years, then laid-off 20% of all citizens right before the economy fell off a cliff due to the free market systems inability to regulate itself.

The FACT is starving a government of adequate revenue and of the ability to be effective in doing it's job has consequences.

Every organization has to deliver products & services while balancing income with expenditures or go bankrupt.

This includes our elected officials in Congress.

Income must increase and expense must decrease to pay down our debt.

Doing anything less is a complete waste of time and effort for which you can expect either no results and results that backfire on "We the People".

Hypocrisy resides in our halls of congress, tell me which party is more deserving to hold the honor of said definition; the hypocritical political party, send them home.

#VOTE2012

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#POTUS Election 2012

Hold your educated political beliefs in high regard and seek success for that in which you believe.

Set aside falsehoods and pretense by both political parties and hold each accountable for what they say versus what they do.

Be mindful of the fact that our forefathers created a magnificent government which includes a separation of governmental powers that creates a fairly interesting balancing act between branches of government. And between our Federal Government and the States.

Starting in the year 2000 our Federal Government reduced Federal taxes for all citizens. They continued to spend sums of money greater than the income received by the Federal Government.

In September 2000 our National Debt was $5,674,178,209,886.86.
In September 2008 our National Debt was $10,024,724,896,912.40.

This is an increase in our National Debt of almost 77% in 8 years of the George W. Bush presidency; an average increase of 9.625% each year of the 8 years.

When President Barack Obama was prepared to takes the oath of office the USA economy had already been dropped off the proverbial cliff. Housing prices were falling, credit facilities among all financial entities was drying up, the Federal Government Revenue from a shrinking economy was falling while citizens seeking access to Federal and State Government Safety Net Programs was growing.

During George Bush's last year in office, from September 2008 ($11,909,829,003,511.70) to end of his term and start of Barack Obama's 1st year in office, September 2009 our debt ballooned from $10,024,724,896,912.40 This means from September 2008 to September 2009 we had an increase of almost 19% for the year.

Now let me be perfectly clear, our Presidents present annual budgets to congress but constitutionally, the House of Representatives is responsible for budget proposals, then our Senate either agrees to the budget or makes modifications in their chambers.

If there are differences between the House and Senate approved budgets, the congressional differences are ironed out in a congressional conference between the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The President either signs or veto's the budget.

Should the budget be vetoed, then congress can override the Presidents action with a 2/3rds vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate agreeing to overrule the Presidential veto.

Thus any congressional elected official blaming any president for a budget and/or deficit problem is not coming clean with the American people.

Congress appropriates money to operate our federal Government, they own the budget, a President can only make sure that 2/3rds of each house agree to any given budget; this happens only when the President veto's the appropriation.

#VOTE2012

Occupy Wall Street Movement Next Steps

Thank you everyone who has participated to successfully change the media conversation from a far right wing agenda, America is a grateful nation.

The time has come to assert the influence our forefathers intended for our citizens when creating our countries great constitution.

The time has come to convert the sit in protest to a combination of efforts making substantial changes to our countries major political and economic systems. They are broken, need repair or replacement.

The government is to be of and for the people;

All the people,
Not some of the people,
Or the top 1% of people
Or people who believe we can retreat to the days when we argued about a Republic with 13 colonies.

My Occupy Wall Street "Long Term Objectives":

1. Get Money Out of Politics
• Pass Constitutional Amendment to ensure once & for all we have "One citizen, one vote"
• Uniform Federal Rule on Voter Identification Form
• National Holiday for Election Day (No Work)
2.  Rules that must apply to Congressional Elected Officials and Executive Elected/Appointed Personnel
• Laws applicable to any citizen applicable to congressional membership.
• Divest them­selves of any investment in or ownership of for-profit entities that may be within the purview of their agency or may be subject to their official oversight and influence.
• Establish strict limits on the extent to which members of their immediate fami­lies may benefit directly from their position.
• Investments traded in blind trusts only & any finding of guilt of insider trading is cause for immediate dismissal and loss of pension rights.
• Members of Congress must be required to recuse themselves from voting on issues that may harm or benefit the personal investment interests of their relatives or their staffs.
3. Eliminate Political Party Gerrymandering By Establishing Uniform Federal Practices
4. Eliminate the Electoral Process in order to allow a majority vote rule in our Republic.
5. Bring Back Provisions of the Glass–Steagall Act - Separating investment & commercial banking.

Percent of Tax Returns with Zero or Negative Tax Liability, 1950 to Present

Percent of Tax Returns with Zero or Negative Tax Liability, 1950 to Present

The number of tax returns with zero or negative tax liability has risen steadily over the past decade. However, it accelerated sharply between 2000 and 2004 due to the effects of tax changes during President Bush's first term of office.

We've had a more dramatic increase in citizens who pay no Federal Income Taxes due to direct tax policies  voted into law by a Republican congress with extension and addition to the George W. Bush tax cuts from 2005 to 2011. 

2005 - 32.58%
2006 - 33%
2007 - 37.9%
2008 - 47%
2009 - 51%
2010 - 45%
2011 - 49%


When you hear Republican operatives talk about tax code fairness, know that they are trying to stir up resentful emotions from the folks who pay Federal Income Taxes. Also remember those who pay no taxes have almost doubled due to the Republican Party's insistence on a failed trickle down economics Tax Cut Policy.

A tax policy that states cutting taxes increases revenue and increases job creators ability to hire more citizens. After 10 years of the Republican Party Economic Tax Governance Policy implementation we have lower government revenues, greater deficits and debt with an effective job creation rate of ZERO .

The very congress men/women who created millions of non income tax paying citizens while failing to generate sufficient revenue to pay to for our government operations, therefore adding to the deficit and increasing our national debt now want you to believe they have the proper governing policies to make everything right.

Republican Party Economic Tax Cut Governance Policy! Ironic?

AND THE COW JUMPED OVER THE MOON!


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