A Christmas Parable

When growing up, there were very few things that myself, my two half-brothers and two step-sisters agreed on.  One that we did agree on though, was our hatred of going to Grandpa and Grandma L's for Christmas.  It wasn't because it was a long drive to their house, because it wasn't.  It wasn't because we didn't like Grandpa and Grandma L, because we did.  There house was always warm and inviting, as were Grandpa and Grandma L.  No, the reason we dreaded going there was because of our cousin Tracy.

Tracy was an only child and she, along with her mom, had lived with Grandpa and Grandma L.  To say that she was spoiled would be understatement.  And on Christmas day, that special treatment that Tracy received was soul crushing.  I think is why Uncle Dwayne and Uncle Bill always waited to bring their families until later in the evening.

While each of us kids received one or possibly even two gifts from Grandpa and Grandma L, Tracy would receive fifteen and sometimes twenty.  We would be required to sit there and watch as she opened present after present.  Each one more valuable than the next.  This would go on Christmas after Christmas.  In my teen years, my parents tried to shield us from it, but it just didn't work.

It was also during my teen years when realized that my Grandpa L was just as appalled at the extravagance lauded upon Tracy each Christmas as we were.  I know that he tried to stop it each year, but Grandma L and Tracy's mom always thwarted him.

Tracy was the 1%.  Through the virtue of circumstances, she was received more than the rest of grandkids (10 of us), combined.

It is through the virtue of circumstances, that the 1% are able to have more wealth than the 99%, combined.  And they use that accumulated wealth and the desire of their allies, to circumvent any attempts by the 99% to share some of that wealth.

This is why  food stamps (SNAP) faces anywhere from $4 billion in cuts over the next 10 years (the Senate version of the Farm Bill) up to $40 billion in cuts over the next 10 years (the House version of the "split" Farm Bill).  This is why emergency unemployment insurance was not extended before December 28th.  This is why the minimum wage was not increased.  This is why Federal employees and Veterans are seeing their pensions cut by 1% each year.

Unlike all of those Christmases of days past, I have a voice that can and will be used against the 1%.  It is my hope that others will join and make our voices heard in 2014 and each coming year.

My Grand Bargain

News stories have been flying around that some Republicans would like a "grand bargain" that would both reopen government (which they closed down) and raise the nation's debt limit.  The Chained CPI is rearing its ugly head and is something that our Milquetoast President is dying to get, as is means testing for Social Security and corporate tax "reform".

In other words, its a "grand bargain" to fuck over everyone without a trust fund (and some with one).  So, I offer up the following as my own "grand bargain":

1. Institution of Single Payer Universal Healthcare at best and Medicare for All at worst.
2. The elimination of "carried interest".
3. Raising the Capital Gains Tax to 20% of all investment income.
4. A top marginal tax rate of 50% for incomes of $1 million or more, with a minimum actual tax rate of 30%.
5. A stock and commodities markets transaction tax of .1% of each trade.
6. A Constitutional Amendment declaring that corporations are not "persons" and may not contribute to campaigns, political action committees or advocate for and/or against any political issue and/or candidate.
7. A massive public investment in our infrastructure, public schools and high speed passenger rail.
8. No company executive may receive total compensation in excess of 50 times of what the lowest compensated employee receives.
9. Inclusion of all compensation and elimination of the earnings cap for FICA taxes.
10. Elimination and banning of state drug testing requirements to receive Federal safety net  benefits.
11. Raising the minimum wage to $10.50 an hour with automatic yearly COLA adjustments each year.
12. Permanent inclusion of food stamps (SNAP) in the Farm Bill, with automatic COLA adjustments each year.

I am sure there are others, so feel free to leave in the comments what you would like to see added to this "grand bargain" list.

Congressional Republicans Are Waging Economic Terrorism

For the many years, Republicans have been waging economic terrorism against the American people.  They have held our nation’s economy hostage time and time again.  Anything that will help the average American they have fought against tooth and nail.  The stimulus, healthcare reform, infrastructure, student loans and food stamps (SNAP), to name just a few areas where Republicans have waged economic terrorism.  Hell, they have even stood in the way of disaster relief after Hurricane Sandy.

Now, Republicans, specifically Republicans in the House of Representatives, are threatening to not increase the “Debt Ceiling”, unless either the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is defunded or cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid greater than what the debt ceiling increase would be.  This is the very definition of economic terrorism.  And what is worse, the American people aren’t the only hostages.  So are the people around the world, because if the United States is even perceived as going to default on our national debt, the economy of the world will tumble in ways we have never seen.

Officially, the United States does not negotiate with terrorists.  As we have seen though, we do negotiate with terrorists.  Does Iran-Contra ring any bells?  And President Obama has been more than willing to negotiate with the economic terrorists known as Congressional Republicans.  He negotiated an end to the so called “fiscal cliff” that gave Republicans, in the words of Speaker of the House John Boehner, 98% percent of what they wanted, including making permanent the Bush Tax Cuts.  President Obama then again negotiated the increase in the debt ceiling by agreeing to the infamous “sequester”.

I wish I had hope that President Obama would change his ways and actually fight for the American people and not negotiate with the economic terrorists.  I really wish he would invoke the “Full Faith and Credit” clause of the 14^th Amendment of the Constitution.  Like so many wishes though, I doubt they will ever be fulfilled.  Sad to say, but I do believe the economic terrorists will win again.

The War on Food Stamps: The Continuation

A little over two years ago, I wrote a post entitled The War on Food Stamps.  It quickly became and still is my most read and commented on post.  Two years have passed and yet the war on food stamps sadly continues unabated.

This past week, a small battle was one in this continuing war on the poor and working poor: The “bipartisan” Farm Bill was defeated in the House of Representatives.  This was an amazing event as farm bills are never defeated because they are loaded with subsidies that primarily favor big agri-businesses such as Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM).  The bill was defeated because a majority of Democrats (24 voted for it) couldn’t stomach the $2 billion a year in cuts to the food stamps program (along with other provisions that would make it tough for people to quality for food stamps).  It was also defeated because 62 Republicans didn’t think the cuts and restrictions were draconian enough.

But why is this war still being fought?  I mean, we have no problem writing checks directly to farmers and major corporations in the form of price supports and other subsidies.  Why should we begrudge the poor and working poor from eating, which actually helps those very farmers and major agri-businesses?  I honestly cannot fathom why Republicans and 24 Democrats in the House of Representatives (the Senate version of the Farm Bill includes $400 million a year in cuts to food stamps, so they aren’t saints either) feel the need to keep stomping on the necks of those who have so little or nothing at all.

The economy hasn’t changed that much in the two years since I wrote that original post.  Unemployment is still extremely high.  Many of those who do have jobs are either underemployed (barely working part-time) or are working multiple jobs.  Many are still struggling to pay their bills and to put food on the table, if they are able to at all.  And yet, we have members of Congress (and our President) who think that we should be cutting food stamps and making it tougher for people to qualify.

The war on food stamps and the greater war on the poor and working poor in the United States needs to end.  How can we be the greatest nation if we refuse to take care of the least of us?

The War on Food Stamps

My dad is a proud man.  He worked grueling hours at the John Deere plants in Waterloo, Iowa to provide for his family.  He dealt with the annual two week shut down and the constant fear that he would be one of those laid off during the farm crisis of the 1980s.  The first time I saw my dad cry was when after having been laid off for a month he resigned himself having to food stamps to see that his family was fed.

It wasn’t an easy decision.  He and mom fought for days trying to figure out how to pay the utilities, the mortgage, make the car payments and put food on the table.  After a rather loud argument, I walked upstairs to the kitchen and found my dad sitting at the table with his head in his hands.  I could hear the quiet sobs as I approached him.  I was 15, scared as hell and all I wanted to do was comfort him.

He looked up and I could see that he was a broken man, all 6’ 3” of him.  I sat down and asked him what was wrong.  After what seemed an eternity, he composed himself and explained that he and mom were going to apply for food stamps.  He said that if they didn’t, we wouldn’t be eating.  He said it wasn’t something he wanted to do, but something that needed to be done.

People have forgotten that many people who receive food stamps do so only because it’s the last option to make sure that food is on the table for the families.  Like my dad, many feel that they failed their families and have failed as human beings.  As I told my dad, they haven’t failed.  They have made the tough decision to see that their families are provided for.

That’s why I find it disgusting when I see Letters to the Editor that slam (with a tinge of envy) those receiving food stamps.  They claim that the person on food stamps is eating better than they are, even abusing the system.  Of course, all of these claims are anecdotal without any specifics.  But it’s a part of a larger attempt to shame those receiving food stamps even further and a continuance of the war on the social safety net.

Take for example the attempt by the Arizona State Representative Jeff Dial to make bright orange the debit cards of those receiving food stamps.  He claims that his measure isn’t about stigmatizing food stamp recipients but instead to prevent fraud.  I am sorry, but his protestations aside, he is attempting to stigmatize food stamp recipients.

Instead of attacking those who need to use food stamps and trying to destroy the social safety net, we should be encouraging those who qualify to apply.  We are the wealthiest nation in the world and yet for ideological reasons we are willing to allow people to go hungry.  We should be strengthening our social safety net and we should make sure that no person in the United States ever goes hungry.  Stop waging war against the users of food stamps!