4 More Years

Today America votes for a President or a "Decider and Chief".  Let's hope we have a President for the  next four years.  God only knows what we will have if Romney were elected.  I have been decidedly quite during this campaign cycle.  I'm speechless when it comes to understanding Republican voters.  I'm saddened by the stupidity of people and the process that has created disgust for a great President.  I am disgusted by a man running for President that stands for nothing; no, I mean everything; no, I mean flip a coin.  How the hell can any intelligent being vote for such a dolt as Willard Romney? The etch-a-sketch candidate was very well phrased.

Romney; the schoolyard bully that will send our troops to fight his battles.  His kids won't be fighting, you can be sure of that.  Romney's character can be simply determined by understanding the nature of a man that would hold another human being to the ground and cut off his hair because he saw him as potentially gay.  Romney; the candidate that organized counter protests that favored the war in Vietnam but had no intention of entering the military.  Romney; the candidate that did not once stand up to the hatred exhibited towards his opponent.  On the contrary, Romney endorsed the hatred.  Romney encouraged the hatred.

Barack Obama said it best when he told the American people that Romney's foreign policy was from the 80's, his social policies were from the 50's and his economic policies were from the 30's.  I could not say it better.

Last night I watched Obama's last campaign speech from Iowa. What a class act - enough said!  We will be hearing from Barack Obama for many years following the end of his presidential service in 2016.  The world wants a winner and America has been lifted to great heights because of Obama's leadership.

What has also saddened me this election cycle was the passing of a great man that made the election of Barack Obama more likely.  That man was George McGovern.  George McGovern was a true World War II hero.  McGovern was a pilot of a B24 bomber and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery during war time.  McGovern had to crash land his flying fortress aircraft on 3 occasions and each time brought his crew to safety.  On one occasion he had to pick out a small island in the middle of the Adriatic sea.  He always offered his men the opportunity to bail out but they always trusted him to bring them to safety.  McGovern was a man that saw the necessity of war yet hated war.  He was a man that was to be trusted while "Tricky Dick" was not.

McGovern once said that it was better to be right than to be elected.  I suppose this will provide solace to anyone from the losing side.  One thing for sure; McGovern was no loser and he helped establish the politics of the left and gave us the opportunity to elect a person as great as Barack Obama.  I am proud to have known George McGovern and I'm proud that I stood by him in 1972 and in 1984 as his Rhode Island campaign manager.  You will always be within my thoughts.

In the picture, McGovern and wife Eleanor are standing at the podium in Syracuse New York on October 31, 1972 (not my picture and I apologize for losing the credit).  I am standing in the 3rd row waiting to hear his speech.  As he begins to talk, the church bells begin to ring and drown out his voice for many minutes (probably a Donald Segretti trick).  A little old lady stands behind me and is struggling to see him.  I say to her, "please, stand in front of me so you can see better".  She accepts and moves to the front for 30 seconds then turns to leave.  I say to her, "where are you going?"  She says to me, "I just wanted to see him, I didn't want to hear what he has to say."  Unfortunately, a lot of America is like this.

tomtoak

Obama - the fiscally responsible president

There has been a lot of coverage lately on the Internet and in the news in general about statistics provided by the Office of Management and Budget, the Congressional Budget Office and Haver Analytics.  The data shows clearly that Barack Obama has been a fiscally responsible president.  The annualized growth of federal spending has been reduced to just 1.4% during the Obama Administration compared to 8.1% during Bush II's second administration. (click here) .

Needless to say, there has been a lot of push back from conservative bloggers and Republicans in general.  We all know that statistics can sometimes play with the truth.  If we want to prove something, just turn to statistics.  The funny thing here is that this information comes to us from non-partisan sources.  In reality, the slow pace of Federal spending is hurting economic recovery.  Paul Krugman has been a critic of Obama from time to time because of his fiscal restraint.  We all know that Congressional obstruction is behind the slow economy.  If you don't know that by now, you live in a bubble!

Barack Obama's plan to increase Federal revenues through a modest tax increase on the wealthiest Americans is a step towards fiscal sustainability.  Republicans are blind to the fact that government needs to pay for wars, fix infrastructure, protect our environment and improve the lives of everyone by raising revenue judiciously. Republicans and the wealthiest Americans used to be true patriots.  They are not anymore.  There seems to be no sense of responsibility to this country when it comes to paying for the freedoms we all enjoy.  I guess that includes the freedom to hide your money is Swiss bank accounts and accounts in the Cayman Islands-Mitt Romney.

As for those that feel violated by the facts displayed in this government report, I'm sure you will read your conservative blogs and find lying vindication.  I suggest however that you turn to the Politifact analysis of the debate where you will learn that Obama has slowed the growth of Federal spending more than any president in the past 60 years.  Politifact rates the Obama spending story as mostly true.

If you want your government to be fiscally responsible, the chart demonstrates the need to elect Democrats.

tomtoak

Does Mitt Romney have any core values?

We all need to be concerned about candidates that don't take the time to get facts right. What happens when the office holder is making decisions on bad information? Need I say Iraq! Take for instance last night's news where Mitt Romney claimed the shooter in Colorado got his weapons illegally.  Where is he getting his information from?  Maybe Sarah Palin's newspapers - oh; that's right, Sarah doesn't read newspapers.

Stories like this beg the question, does Willard Romney have any core values?  We all know that dogs don't like him.  I need to ask the following question; Which candidate in America has, during their political career, both supported and opposed abortion, "Don't ask don't tell",  assault weapons bans, LGBTQ equality, anti-tax pledges, stem cell research, campaign finance reform, raising the minimum wage, belief in global warming, limiting carbon emissions, Bush tax cuts, pathways to citizenship, capital gains tax, TARP bailouts, automotive company bailouts and the list goes on and on?  There is only one candidate to fit this description and that is Mitt Romney.

It seems to me that Mitt just can't settle on a political philosophy and is willing to say just about anything at any time.  Above all, our President needs to be a leader. An individual that seems to lack a set of core values should not be seeking the highest office in the land.  I respect politicians that can take guidance and change their mind from time to time.  This trait is a good thing; however, in Romney's case it is clear that his mind changes with the political wind.  Sarah Palin may be out there, but there is no confusion about her political view. 

I don't think there is confusion over Barack Obama's political views.  While I want him to step up to the plate at times, it is clear that he believes in a prudent approach to governing.  Why fight the fight when the votes are missing in Congress? 

I measure people by the strength in their beliefs.  I like both Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals.  I would not have a clue how to carry on a conversation with Mitt Romney and I'm confident that voters are shaking their heads too.

tomtoak

We need to take back our country - What?

It's time for me to move away from state issues and begin to focus more on the upcoming election of 2012. The phrase in today's politics that upsets me the most is; "we need to take our country back". Back from whom? Even Barack Obama jumped into the fray with his state of the union speech by proclaiming, "our country is back". Obama is referring to the return of a healthier economy, but what do Republicans mean by proclaiming; "we need to take our country back"?

There have been 56 presidential elections in US history and 44 Presidents. Barack Obama won the last election by 9,549,105 votes which is the 5th largest margin of victory in US history. Only Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Dwight Eisenhower and Franklin Roosevelt for one of his four terms had a larger margin of victory. Obama's victory was 1 week old before Republicans started proclaiming the need the take "our" country back. Who the hell is "our"? What about my country and the majority of Americans that chose to support Barack Obama? Republicans continue to claim they speak for all of us when clearly, they only speak to a minority.

What did Barack promise in 2008 and has he lived up to the promises made to the majority? Let me recall a number of promises; end the war in Iraq, universal health care for everyone, increase our efforts in Afghanistan to better pressure al Qaeda, maintain middle class tax cuts and only increase taxes on those earning over $250,000 each year, end "don't ask, don't tell", support gay unions but not gay marriage, promote equality for women in the work place, pass a stimulus package to jump start the economy and get people back to work, save the US auto industry, pursue greater regulation of Wall Street, work towards a secure energy future, support alternative energy and close Guantanamo Bay prison.

That was a lot of promises and that is what the 9+ million majority expected out of this President. Has Obama delivered? I grade his performance as an A-. Obama has delivered on most promises although some solutions required compromise. Obama has not been able to close down Guantanamo Bay because of intransigence in Congress. His health care plan leaves a lot to be desired, but it's a start. Nobody has been able to achieve what he has on this difficult issue. Obama has performed remarkably in an atmosphere of hatred towards his presidency.

Let's be honest, "we need to take back our country" is all about racism. I don't think you could find a President that has so closely aligned his governing with his promises. Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana gave the Republican response to Obama's address to Congress and stated that there are fewer people working in the United States today than at any point during the last 3 years of the Obama presidency. Is this propensity to lie going to be the future of our politics? Republicans that can't make the facts fit their agenda just like to make things up. We have had steady job growth in this country in 18 of the previous 24 months, there has been 15 consecutive months of steady job growth and the unemployment rate has declined from 10% to 8.5% nationally during the past 24 months. Given the state of our union when Obama became President, I think he is truly heading towards being one of our greatest leaders.

For the racists and haters out there that want to "take our country back"; love it or leave it! It's my country!

tomtoak

Obama needs to get out of the middle of the road.

As the saying goes; a man in the middle of the road is more likely to be the one hit! This is exactly what is happening to Barack Obama and it is really the first time I am seriously questioning his leadership.

The recent fall of the stock market because of the S&P downgrade of the U.S. credit worthiness is directly related the handling of the debt crisis by the President. Obama can cry foul all he wants, but he had the opportunity to make sure that did not happen no matter what Congress eventually did.

Obama should have stepped up as Bill Clinton suggested and used his authority to put congress in its place. Obama should have used the 14Th amendment to the Constitution. What does the 14Th amendment say? "The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, ..... shall not be questioned." The 14Th amendment goes on to say that Congress should police this article.

Obama chose the wimp approach - the middle road - and simply waited for Congress to do its job. A job which Congress new it had to do regardless of what the President said. A month before the default date, Obama should have come out strong and told the world that America will never default on its debts as it is not permitted in our Constitution. He should have gone on to say that if Congress does not do its job which they are sworn to do, then he will do his job under the Constitution to which he has sworn allegiance. President Obama should have used his office to ensure that U.S. debt will be honored and if Congress failed in its duties, he will extend the debt ceiling by executive order.

Obama failed the American people on this one and he needs to realize that the Republican Congress will do every thing it can to see him out of the White House. It's time Obama stood tall and fought back. It's time Obama gets out of the middle of the road. He is going to get rolled over and may never recover.

I'm a fiscally conservative liberal Democrat and I'm mad as hell!

Tomtoak

Republicans are killing democracy

OK: I admit, that is a pretty strong statement in the title of this post. With the recent Supreme Court decision that treats corporations as individuals, moneyed interests will buy the future and buy the votes. It is so hard for me to believe that 48% of Republicans are Republican. Walk into any trailer park and I'll bet you will find significant majorities voting Republican. Why? I understand the top 2% of the Republican party voting Republican, but don't tea party folks realize that the Republican leadership wants to strip them of social security and their medicare benefits.

For you middle class Republicans, you have to realize that it is the Democrats that have fought for better lives for all citizens. The private sector has some great people providing jobs throughout this country (people of both parties), but in the end, every American needs to be worried about their future. Social Security and Medicare are easily fixed by raising taxes only slightly on the rich in this nation. Hell - During the Eisenhower administration, citizens making over $1 million per year were taxed at a 91% rate. World War II had to be paid for. All Obama is asking is for the wealthiest in our society to pay 39% instead of 36% of income (Clinton level taxation). Bush pushed the tax cuts for the middle class and the rich but this long ugly experiment simply has failed. Government needs to raise revenue just like any business. Our wars need to be paid for and with the wealthiest calling the shots, they need to pony up.

I would ask Republicans to join "Patriotic Millionaires For Fiscal Strength" and I would also urge everyone to read "Bush era tax cuts the largest contributor to the public debt."

I could never be more eloquent on this issue than a former Supreme Court Justice:

"We can have democracy..... or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both". Justice Louis D. Brandeis

With the current Republican intransigence, I ask you; are Republicans killing democracy?

tomtoak

Federal taxes are at their lowest point in decades

After filing my taxes for 2010, I noticed that my effective tax rate was just under 10%. This is about as low as it has ever been. Why all of the Tea Party angst? Republicans continue to keep screaming about taxes while they have no concept of economic reality. The reality I'm talking about is the need to raise revenue to pay for their ridiculous war in Iraq and the failings of the Bush administration to keep the economy on course. It's funny how Republicans never mentioned the deficit when Bush was President but they blast Obama daily for inheriting his mess.

There is a great web site that I happened upon the other day called; "VisualizingEconomics.com". In one article, the top marginal tax rates from 1916 to 2010 are charted. Categories of taxation on the chart include income tax, corporate tax and capital gains for the period. Just look at the picture; a picture is worth a thousand words in this case. I'm still not sure that Republicans will get it as they are still tied to Reagan voodoo economics that has caused our massive Federal deficit.

I have a smaller problem with lowering the corporate tax rate from the current 35% to 25% as even Obama has suggested. The key here is to have 100% of U.S. corporations paying taxes, not the current 25%. Corporate lobbyists have done a great job making sure their interests avoid taxes. The middle class has no such luxury in this country.

So why all of the fuss about taxes? It's truly a ruse created by the Republican Party to win votes through radical propaganda. Barack only wants to turn the green line on the chart back to where it was during the Clinton administration. Remember, this is only being considered for those incomes that exceed $250,000 per year (35% to 39%). Please note that this rate was 91% during the Eisenhower administration and at 50% during the Reagan administration.

Republicans continue to say that America has spoken because of the 2010 election. I hate to clue them in but, Barack Obama won in 2008 by over 5 million votes and ran on this very concept. Barack stood in front of the American people and insisted that the top marginal tax rate needed to be where it was during the Clinton administration. Tea Party Republicans are simply wrong.

tomtoak

Election 2012: What will it look like?

Palin, Bachmann, Huckabee, Romney - Pawlenty, Barbour, Paul or Trump - who will win Republican minds, radio radicals and tea party butts? OK; sorry for the funky posing of the question, but I feel that it is time for me to make a few predictions before the s--t hits the fan. Noticeably absent from the list of Republican hopefuls is a name we all know; Bush! I do not think that Jeb Bush is stupid enough to enter the fray in 2012, even if they wanted to draft him. Jeb bush is waiting for 2016.

I have made a few predictions in this column and they have been accurate to date. I predicted that Sarah Palin would get a job with Fox news but that would be the extent of her career. Since she quit as Governor of Alaska, I have no reason to back off of that prediction. Even many Republicans hate her - she stands no chance! She did take a job with Fox news: I'm not looking bad at this point. If you study these pages, you saw that I urged people to buy stock in Ford Motors when the price was at approximately $2.00 per share. Check the ticker; you would be rich if you had listened to me.

Now I'm going to put my "Nostradamus" hat on and make a few predictions. Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee. He will have tremendous problems getting the nomination; but look at the field - my God - there is no crystal ball here. The big question is who will be his nominee for Vice-President. This is where things get real complicated, but not for the reasons you might perceive.

In the final analysis, I see the Republican Vice-Presidential choice coming down to a toss-up between Haley Barbour, Governor of Mississippi and Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas. My prediction is Haley Barbour because of all of his connections to the oil money. Money always "trumps" ideology. Sorry Donald; you already went bankrupt once and screwed a lot of people in the process.

Why Haley Barbour as Vice-President? Romney lacks no credibility with the evangelical right in this country and his Mormon faith will drag him down. Romney will need to address this problem with his pick. As I see it; he has two choices, Huckabee or Barbour. Neither of these guys can light a fire in the Democratic states. Barbour will be detestable to the Democratic voters but they won't care. Huckabee would have a greater ability to pull in the independent voter and the evangelical right, but only in the states the Republicans are going to lose anyway. This raises Haley Barbour to the surface because Republicans need to win states like North Carolina and Florida. Barbour will be strong with the evangelical voters but more importantly, he will bring in money. Scads and scads of money from the oil companies that will continue to bleed the middle class until we are all walking the streets!

What about the Democrats? Do you really think that the ticket is going to be Obama/Biden. That worked once, but maybe, just maybe, the ticket to success will be changing the ticket. I don't think this is a long shot, but how about an Obama/Clinton ticket? That's Hillary Clinton! Obama is going to need to infuse some excitement after his middle of the road first term.

So here is my early prediction: Obama/Clinton vs Romney/Barbour. I would not throw Joe Biden out the door. Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State are positions that come to mind for Joe Biden that has served his country well.

OK; I've laid it on the line early on. Let's see what happens. By the way; if Romney and Barbour win, the Mayan's were right!

tomtoak

Donald Trump and any "Birther" are just stupid

Well, I wanted to stay away from this issue because it is stupid for me to be talking about it; however, I have to say something again. Republicans continue to jump on the "birther" bandwagon and it is so bad that almost 50% of Republicans think that Obama is not an American. You are all stupid beyond belief, but nobody is more stupid than Donald Trump. Donald Trump, the self serving ego maniac thinks that he is presidential timber when all he can talk about is Obama's birth certificate? What a sick and increasingly stupid country this is becoming. If Donald Trump wants to be president, why doesn't he talk about .. ahem.. the economy?

Do you want to see Obama's birth certificate? It is there for everyone to see (link to Obama birth certificate). How about a picture? Do you want a picture? Oh! What about the raised seal from the state of Hawaii ? It can't be official until we see that.

How about independent unbiased verification? That means verification from people that are not stupid. Try "FactCheck.Org" . I would bet that there are many Republicans working for "FactCheck.org, they're just not the stupid 50%. How about official government verification? Do you want to see a picture of that? Just go to the "FactCheck.org" site.

Here is the bottom line. No president in our history has had to face such insane questioning. I wonder why this is happening now? Well Donald Trump, its called racism and if you think that it is anything different you are not only stupid, you have serious personality flaws. I for one do not want a psychiatric head case running for president. It seems like the Republicans have many head cases that have an interest in the White House.

All I have to say to the 50% of stupid Republicans is that I am very happy that our white house has become a black house. That's right; the White House is now occupied by a family that has an almost unbelievable American story that far surpasses any story coming at us from the Republican side of the isle. At least Barack Obama insists that his children stay grounded and stay in school (unlike Sarah truancy coordinator). The continuing reluctance of key Republicans to correct the record with the stupid people just ruins their ability to reach the independent voters. Fine by me!

tomtoak

Chafee's tax plan in Rhode Island makes sense

The following article was a recent letter to the editor of the "Providence Journal" which has not yet been published. It is my hope that they will quickly print this letter as day after day Governor Chafee is taking a beating in this newspaper over his proposals to raise taxes to close a budget deficit. How the hell do the Republicans always think that they can close deficits by reducing taxes for the wealthy? It's refreshing to see a governor take an approach that includes raising revenue as well as reducing spending.

Journal misses the boat on Chafee tax plan

I must say that the “Providence Journal” misinforms when advising citizens on Chafee’s tax plan (Editorial; “Chafee tax plan’s flaws” March 13, 2011). Consider this; Governor Carcieri reduced the number of state workers by 3000, reduced state pensions for future retirees, reduced state income taxes for the wealthiest, furloughed state employees for 12 days, and the deficit grew as did the unemployment rate. Something is not working, but what?

Fewer employees means more outsourcing of government work and privatization costs may very well be playing a significant role in driving deficits. We have seen in past “Journal” reports the exorbitant costs associated with outsourcing work to private concerns by some state agencies. Right-sizing state government may lead to significant savings and assist in improving pension liabilities.

The “Journal” comments that, “state employees continue to receive annual pay increases”; this is not true. Your editorial staff is always looking to balance the budget to the detriment of state employees. This will have a limited effect, and here’s why. From previous “Journal” reports, the estimated annual cost of each state employee is just under $100,000. With approximately 14,000 employees, all salary, fringe and pension cost approximate $1.4 billion. The state budget is estimated to be $7.5 billion this year. Employees account for around 18.5% of total spending. You can’t fix the problem with a focus on only 18.5% of cost, reducing income from the wealthiest while blindly outsourcing government work.

Additionally, you attack the sales tax as being “regressive” and “not exactly what you want to expand”. On the very same day, the “Journal” reports; “Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S Bernanke, at the National Governors Association winter meeting …… advised governors that lowering their sales tax rate while broadening the variety of goods and services to which the tax applies would result in a steadier stream of revenues, better positioning states ….” (“Chafee says he’s trying to ‘share the sacrifice’” March 13, 2011).

Governor Chafee is doing exactly the right thing, managing government with his brain and not a lopsided ideology. Does Chafee get it all right? No. The Chafee administration needs to really perform the “Big Audit” of privatized service cost which may be significantly driving deficits and study “right-sizing” government strategies. I would further advise Chafee to reduce the recommended 6% tax on car repairs to 1% and tax the yachts that line Narragansett Bay at the 6% rate. Until the toys of the wealthiest among us are taxed on a par with the taxes facing the middle class, Rhode Island is missing the boat.

Sincerely;

tomtoak

Public Pensions and the Fight Ahead

Governor Scott Walker, Republican ideologue from Wisconsin has done something that I did not think possible a few months ago. Walker has mobilized unions that will serve as counterweight to any Tea Party movement in this country. Governor Scott has ruined chances for Republican leadership in my estimation. Good for him; keep talking Scott Walker, Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, you guys are the best thing to happen to the Democratic Party since Franklin Roosevelt had to step in and clean up the Republican mess left by ideologues like you. Remember Republicans; Democrats won 5 consecutive Presidential elections and they only lost because a moderate for all of the people stepped forward to rescue the ideological bankrupt Republican Party. Dwight was a guy for all of the people.

Walker's attempt to strip employee unions of power has nothing to do with the reality of state financial burdens. Everyone needs to read the current McClatchy Report; Why employee pensions aren't bankrupting states. This is a great report that underscores the true reason why Republicans are trying to gain political capital by scapegoating public employees and attacking their pensions.

In Rhode Island, our new Democratic Treasurer, Gina Raimondo has had the nerve to say that she believes that retirees may not own their pensions nor do state employees. Oh really: Who the hell do you think put the money into the fund? Employees put 8.75% of their income and school teachers put 9.5% into the system over their careers of 30+ years, and the state matches that whenever they feel like it (this is the problem), and now you say that system is taxpayer money? Gina Raimondo, you border on delusional and do not belong in a position to speak for the citizens of a free country! You will not get my vote next time around and never will get my vote unless you apologize to all of the hard working public employees across this state.

Governor Lincoln Chafee will be proposing steps to help secure the state's financial position tomorrow. One recommendation will be to increase state employee and teacher contributions to 11.5% for an interim period until a comprehensive pension overhaul can be achieved. Rhode Island employee contributions are already the highest in the Nation and now the move is to increase that by 2% for teachers and 2.75% for state employees?

At first I was really angry at the idea, then I realized it may well be brilliant. The Congress just reduced contributions to Social Security for workers and employers by 2%. This is something that Obama should never have agreed to do. Republicans will use this loss of revenue to argue for privatization of social security. Chafee's plan will result in little change in take home income for public employees that pay into state retirement as well as social security. Money that formerly was going to the Federal Government will now accrue towards the state's retirement plan.

Union workers do not want their pensions decreased. My guess is that most union workers will see this as a step toward fully funding the promises. I must admit though, until the state of Rhode Island taxes all of the yachts in Narragansett Bay, I find it hard to take money away from the hard working middle class.

One last comment that I have already made a half dozen times before in this blog. Donald Carcieri, our past ideologue governor attacked pensions and attacked public employees every day for eight years. Carcieri took 3000 state employees out of the system and yet his final budget proposal called for a 9% increase (from $7 billion to $7.8 billion). Employees are not the problem as salary, fringe and benefits of all employees account for 17% of the entire budget on an annual basis. Public employee pensions are not bankrupting the system. Republican privatization practices are bankrupting the system (more money to their friends).

tomtoak

The Changing Mike Huckabee

So what's up with Mr. Mike these days. It seems like he has made a decision to travel down the low road to a possible run for President. How irritating was it to hear him make a claim that Obama was not one of us because "he grew up in Kenya"? Obama first visited Kenya at the age of 26. It is well known where he grew up. It's just more lies from the Republican machine that includes Fox News and just about all of it's TV personalities.

Lawrence O'Donnell had a great story on a recent broadcast that accused Huckabee and Bill O'Reilly with lying to the American people about Barack Obama. O'Donnell then gives an outstanding accounting of how great the American story of Barack Obama actually is. Huckabee goes on O'Reilly's show to tell America that Barack Obama is not one of us because he was not a Boy Scout or little league player when he was growing up.

The Boy Scout reference brought me right back to my childhood. Now let me think; I believe it was the first Monday of every month our troop leaders would pile us into cars and we would travel to the YMCA (you know what that is) to go swimming. Yes it is very important for kids to know how to swim, but to this day I have no idea why we all had to be completely naked. That's right, I said 30 or 40 boys aged 12 to 16 swimming naked at the YMCA while the dirty old chaperons sat along side the pool and leered at us for an hour and a half. Thank God my own father only traveled there as chaperon once. It's one thing to change in the locker room, it's quite another to be talking to all of your male friends completely naked. Funny thing is that this did not bother me as much as the dirty old men leering at us from the sidelines did.

Not surprisingly, Boy Scout troops always have a spiritual leader and ours was a Catholic Priest, not from our Parish I might add, that never missed a trip to the good ole YMCA. I wonder what he was doing when he got home? Did anybody wonder why I quit the Boy Scouts by the time I was 14? I was just a little nervous around some of our community leaders.

That experience provided me with the knowledge that parents need to be very aware of their child's surroundings and not assume that a great organization, like the Boy Scouts is safe. Pedophiles flock to organizations such as this. I can't begin to tell you what else I learned in the Boy Scouts of America, but I need to keep this post as clean as possible. When my son was to travel on his first overnight (7 day outing) camping experience, I was quite concerned. I simply did not trust the troop leader and I felt that he liked looking at little boys a little too much. The camp director was a very good friend of mine and lived at the site. A week before my son's trip I took him to the camp and introduced him. My son was instructed that if he were uncomfortable for any reason, he should go to the director's house and I would be there shortly.

Well, nothing happened that he knew of on that trip. My wife called me paranoid. Two years after that trip and a year after my son left the Boy Scouts early, his Troop leader was arrested for molesting young boys.

Those are my Boy Scout high times - Mike Huckabee. In the end, I think my wife was quite impressed by my suspicious nature as was my son. I'm not saying that the Boy Scouts is a bad thing here; I am saying that some people's experience may not measure up to Huckabee's glorified view of the Boy Scout experience.

Maybe we are better off that Barack was not a Boy Scout? let's face it Mr. Huckabee, you don't think Barack Obama is a true American because he played basketball; you know, the sport that blacks like to play the most!

tomtoak

What Can I Say?

Let me start by saying that I am sorry for being away so long. I'm actually dizzy from the actions of the new Congress and disappointed that the voting public is so stupid. That's right; at times the voters are just amazingly stupid. You need only look to the re-election of Richard Nixon to know that.

There is so much to talk about since I've been away, I don't know where to begin. How about this new Congress that wants to cut $60 billion from this years appropriations. I have no problem with cutting $60 billion; I have a problem with where the bone heads want to make those cuts. John Boehner and crew want to cut the money from the Environmental Protection Agency, The Security and Exchange Commission, The Consumer Protection Bureau, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. What kind of memory do these Republicans have? Can't they remember that our economy was taken to its knees at the end of the Bush administration because of the pro Wall Street attitude? My dog has a better memory than the current Republicans in Congress.

How about the idiot in Wisconsin; that would be the Governor, who does not have the guts to negotiate with any union. What a weak kneed example of America patriotism! He blames the state employees while he cuts the taxes of Wisconsin's big corporations. Then this idiot expects only the public employees to pay the bill! Outrageous!!!!

I miss Keith Olbermann! You can always connect to him at his new site, the Fok News Channel.

On the positive side of reality, Senator Lincoln Chafee is now Governor Lincoln Chafee who provided me the energy to create this web site. If you want to learn more about this, just follow all of the Chafee links. I was there on election night when this Republican turned Independent garnered enough votes to become Governor (37% in a 4 way race). Since his election, he has done nothing but impress me with his approach to leadership. While Linc is no longer a Republican, he represents what Republicans used to be. One small example of Linc's efforts to deal with the deficit in this state; instead of attacking state employees and teachers, his administration did announce the reduction in payments to outsourced law firms by 15%. What a great idea! Privatization is killing government and this is the area where real savings can be found.

Tomtoak

Donald Carcieri and his Tax on us all!!!!!

Sitting on the deck of a popular East Greenwich restaurant with East Greenwich Bay in the background, I look out over a "sea" of recreational boats. The toys of the rich. Our proud Governor smiles at the thought that these great folks deserve no taxes, sales tax or excise tax, on these "very necessary" cornerstones of our society. I don't fault the wealthy for playing in Narragansett Bay, if I had the money, I would proudly own one of those 42 footers. Why in the world should taxes be excused on these toys when the middle class citizens in this state have to pay all applicable taxes on their camping vehicles. Is not camping a viable component of our economy?

I'm sick and tired of the Republican mantra - "fight for the rich". The rich are not paying their fair share in this country and I can't point to one f____g job created in this state with that strategy. Somebody please explain to me why the Rhode Island budget grew 9% last year ($7 billion to $7.8 billion) at a time when our state is bleeding? Please explain to me how this can be when the state has eliminated 3000 workers, slashed pensions, and furloughed remaining state workers? Please explain to me why aid to cities and towns have been cut by millions of dollars when the budget for the state has grown by 9%? Please explain to me why the wealthiest among us are seeing their taxes slashed yet again; when the last time Carcieri did it, our unemployment rate continued to spiral out of control? Please explain to me why anyone buys the argument that the only way to job growth is to cut taxes on the wealthy? Somebody please explain to me why Donald Carcieri is still governor? Also, somebody explain to me why the conservative "nut job" radio commentators support this idiot and his idiotic financial policies?

Most of all; somebody explain to me why middle class, well meaning citizens don't get it? Why are so many supportive of such destructive fiscal policy? Can't the middle class draw the obvious conclusion when they see their vehicle excise taxes skyrocket across the state?

Four more months of this tragedy of leadership in our state; and as he's going out the door, he's giving away another sweet heart deal to a political pal, Curt Schilling. That's a $75 million dollar sweet heart deal that won't change a thing.

I have answers to all of the questions I posed; however, I think asking the questions is more important. If people of Rhode Island want some thought put into how this government is run, they need to vote for a person who thinks with his brain and not his bank account! Linc Chafee is the candidate of choice from my perspective. He has not been afraid to call outrageous public policy, "outrageous". Donald Carcieri and the Republican philosophy in this nation is outrageous.

I think it is finally time for the "Big Audit"! Rhode Islanders will know what I'm talking about.

tomtoak

A Few Thoughts to Ponder!

Where the hell is T Boone Pickens when you need him?

Those readers outside of Rhode Island are probably not aware of the antics of the RI Commissioner of Education, Deborah Gist, even though she was named by Time Magazine as one of the top 100 influential people. She supported the firing of the staff of Central Falls High School because of poor classroom performance. She needed to make a name for herself so why not cause a national incident? Obama should be ashamed of himself for supporting the decision. It's not that change is required, its just that a Central Falls diploma is now downgraded by every college in this nation because of the negative publicity. Talk about a disservice to the students!!! Well, our little Republican Commissioner is smiling broadly at her new found fame and saw that it was necessary to pay a speech writer $10,000 to prepare her 15 minute speech to the RI legislature. Now that's Republican thinking. Please; anyone that is listening, I will write your speech for $5000!!!

The problem with the military's position on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is that it really eliminates the possibility of future drafts during national emergencies. Anyone could easily avoid the draft by simply saying; "I'm Gay"!!!

They have finally done it in Rhode Island! Our Governor Donald Carcieri has been trying for 8 years to lower or eliminate taxes for the wealthiest citizens. The top taxation rate has been reduced from around 9% down to around 5%. What this means is that all of the middle class citizens in this state will be paying the bills for years to come while the millionaires reduce their taxes by thousands each year. Further, Carcieri's reductions in community support will cause the middle class to pay higher property taxes. I'm smart enough to see the stupidity. Unfortunately, all of the radio talking heads and a lot of the middle class are just too dumb to understand. When their taxes skyrocket, they will blame Obama. Of course the RI Democrats played right along so I have to lay the blame squarely in their lap. The Democrats had the numbers to say "no"!! The Democrats are just greedy little fools; those in power are very well off!

For all of you Republican libertarians out there that hate big government; did you see Orin Hatch's latest proposal? Mr Republican wants to keep government off of your back so now if you are unemployed, he wants to drug test you. Now that's what I call "freedom and liberty"!!! How about "justice for all"!!!!!!

I enjoyed the Democratic reception a few weeks ago here in RI for Governor Tim Kaine from Virginia who is the national Democratic Party Chair. He does know a little about forestry as I spoke to him about forestry in his state.

I helped Linc Chafee move his office from Pawtucket to Warwick a week ago Friday. I had a great time and I like the way he goes about getting a job done. Deborah Gist would have put out a contract and paid $50,000 for the move.

Don't forget; I'll write your speech for you - $5000 for 15 minutes if you are a Democrat - $10,000 if you are a Republican. Come on Republicans, you will really enjoy my speech

Keep smiling if you think the Republicans are on your side.

tomtoak

The Mock Interview with a Tea-bagger!

Sorry for my absence! It seems like the United States is going to hell in a hand basket woven by the Republican Party. At any rate; through all the non-sense, I am intrigued by the misguided energy of the tea-baggers. I would love to interview a few and I think this is how the conversation would go.

Tomtoak: Mr. Tea-bagger, could I ask you why you call yourselves the Tea Bag Party?
Mr. Tea-Bagger: Didn't you ever hear of the Boston Tea Party? We're a tax protest just like the Boston Tea Party.
Tomtoak: Mr. Tea-bagger, the Boston Tea Party was about taxation without representation. I don't see a parellel. Barack Obama won the election by 6 million votes and won in many traditional Republican states. You have representation - you lost.
Mr. Tea-bagger: So what! I want my taxes lowered.
Tomtoak: Well Mr. Tea-bagger, are you aware that President Obama has lowered taxes on 95% of the citizens as he promised during his campaign?
Mr. Tea-bagger: He's a Muslim. This country is going to hell and we're headed for financial ruin and Obama is to blame.
Tomtoak: Mr. Tea-bagger, did you forget that this country was headed for another depression unless drastic steps were taken to calm the financial markets and do you realize that the Dow Jones average has improved by almost 4,000 points since Obama took office? Do you realize that this significantly improves every one's financial situation?
Mr. Tea-bagger: Obama is like Hitler, he's leading us down the path to socialism and no good can come from him!
Tomtoak: Do you realize Mr. Tea-bagger that the rest of the world has been quite impressed with our last election and U.S. foreign policy is far stronger because of Obama's leadership. Obama even won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mr. Tea-bagger: Ya, if that is so great, why is he getting our boys killed in Afghanistan and he hasn't done nothin yet!
Tomtoak: Mr. Tea-bagger, I admit that even liberals don't like the war, but lets be fair; President Obama promised action in Afghanistan all through the election as this country's primary target must be the al Qaeda network; and haven't you noticed that there has been far better cooperation from Pakistan in seeking to bring these terrorists to justice? Did you not read about the recent disarmament talks with Russia and the treaty that will lead to a verifiable reduction in nuclear warheads between the 2 countries?
Mr. Tea-bagger: Are you trying to insult me? I can read; you're trying to knock Sarah Palin aren't you.
Tomtoak: Me, knock Sarah Palin; no, she does not need help from me to look like a fool, she is capable of doing that all by herself and constantly, I might add.
Mr. Tea-bagger: Obama has done nothing about growing jobs in this country and we need the Republicans to straighten out this mess.
Tomtoak: You know Mr. Tea-bagger, this is one topic that truly confuses me. I've heard all of the Republican leadership say that "Government never created one job", and now, the Republicans want to focus on jobs. Why don't they just tell the private sector to go create jobs and keep the government out of it?
Mr. Tea-bagger: It's all about taxes; cut taxes and there will be plenty of jobs.
Tomtoak: Mr. Tea-bagger, are you taxed when Exxon-Mobil raises the price of a gallon of gas from $2.50 to $4.50 in a matter of weeks? You see, insurance companies and businesses that approach monopolies in this country can tax us at will. I guess that is OK with you!
Mr. Tea-bagger: And that's another thing, I don't want to pay for the health insurance of a bunch of illegals and Obama is making us all pay.
Tomtoak: You have been paying all along my friend. Health care legislation protects you against the whims of the insurance industry and outlines a process by which everyone can assume responsibility over their health care (A Republican idea I must say). It's not the solution I wanted, but progressives need to be willing to compromise.
Mr. Tea-bagger: Compromise nothin!!! Obama is not even American. We need to take back this country!!!!
Tomtoak: Take back this country from whom? From Me? I'm an American and I'm very proud of this country. When one person determined who our 43rd President would be after he lost the popular vote by 500,000 votes, I was devastated. I did not go around this country claiming that George Bush was a Nazi. I suggest that you thank God we have an intelligent leader that cares about our future and that is capable of doing more in 15 months than George Bush accomplished in his entire life.
Mr. Tea-bagger: We'll see about that! Sarah Palin will beat that n_____!
Tomtoak: Oh; and I'm sure that race has nothing to do with this. Keep the faith Barack!

Political Disaster in Massachusetts

Yes; Massachusetts was a political disaster. The ground literally shook throughout the state as Ted Kennedy's seat fell to the Republicans. Was this a case of the Republicans being smart or was this a case of the Democrats being dumb. I think I chose the latter.

While the Republicans gloat and the Democrats point fingers, both parties are demonstrating how incredibly dumb they really are. First, the Democrats. I have never seen such arrogance and ignorance displayed in a campaign as was displayed in this case. Martha Coakley was not only a bad campaigner, but her lack of instinct has to be legendary. At least Sarah Palin has some political instinct. To arrogantly state that she should not have to stand out in the cold at Fenway Park, shake hands and ask folks for their votes cost her the election. That stupidity not only cost her hundreds of thousands of votes, it caused large groups of minorities to lose the will to vote. Coakley lost this election because she simply could not turn out her base. Frankly, I'm surprised that the election was as close is it was.

Now to the Republicans (Please note that this section has been changed from its original posting because of the correct comments from a frequent reader)! Republicans will have to work long and hard to start to chip away at minority voters. You can't begin to do that by defeating health care. Four years from now when there has been little or no change, Democrats will be able to lay blame on the opposing party. Western Massachusetts was totally blue in this election for Coakley. There have been many elections in the past when this rural territory looked red. Western Massachusetts supported William Weld and Paul Celluci but was not warm to Mitt Romney. Many communities in this part of the state voted over 70% for Coakley and gave little consideration to Brown.

This election told me that voters are mad and apathetic. The Democrats were largely apathetic while the Republicans are just plain mad. The anger is aimed at both parties and the election was not a positive step forward for anyone.

If Scott Brown wants to make a real impact in politics into the future, he should negotiate with Democrats and not join the party of "No". Scott Brown should start the party of "Know". People want significant change to health care in this country and if Brown provides the roadblock, he will pay for it.

tomtoak

Linc Chafee for Governor

Lincoln Chafee announced his intention to run for Governor of Rhode Island yesterday. I'm sorry I missed the official kick-off, but I had a long time friend spending a few days with me. Linc chose a most unusual way to announce his candidacy. He spoke directly to the people of Rhode Island. You won't find others in the race that will speak honestly.

Linc started his campaign by outlining a sales-tax plan that will result in more goods being covered by a two-tiered sales tax program. He was right when he suggests that people can make personal decisions to buy things, but increasing the property tax in this state leaves people without choices. Practical, honest and sincere are words that come to mind when reading the news of his announcement. Linc will be far more able to achieve this structural change than the right wing plans designed to end government as we know it. I think Linc Chafee will be able to get some things done.

What Rhode Islanders constantly hear from the Republicans in this state is that Rhode Island has the 2nd highest sales tax rate in the country. What Republicans fail to tell you is that most states have sales tax on a much wider variety of goods than does Rhode Island. Maybe Linc can actually get some sales tax out of the state's richest citizens that line Narragansett Bay with their yachts.

The Republicans will continue to tell us that government needs to be smaller. They have an uncanny ability to never look at the big picture - the bottom line so to speak. While the Carcieri crowd has attacked state employees and now municipal employees as being the problem, they continue to grow the budget in unprecedented ways (9% increase this year). Republican spending is all about putting our money in the hands of their few connected friends. Once again, I will reflect on the bottom line of the state's budget. Carcieri's budget called for $7.8 billion, an increase of almost $1 billion from the previous year. The entire cost of paying state employee salaries, benefits, pensions, etc. is approximately $1.3 billion annually, a mere 17% of the entire state budget.

So to you Carcieri lovers out there that think that he knows what's wrong with government, think again! There's plenty of cost savings to be found, but don't expect the Republicans to find it because they are not going to take it away from their well connected friends that spend half the year in Florida. Lincoln Chafee appreciates the work of state and municipal employees and understands the need to balance government's needs with the needs of those that pay the bills.

Lincoln Chafee for Governor!

tomtoak

The Health Care Public Option is Needed!

Ask yourself why the insurance companies are all fighting so hard to eliminate any chance of a public option? Why? Why? Dah! The insurance companies don't want the competition because the public option would blow them out of the water. Yes, Government can do it cheaper simply because there are no government employees expecting $25 million bonuses this year. It is a common misconception that government is always inefficient or more expensive.

I'll go back to my Postal Service example. When my son was living in Eastern Europe, I tried to mail a $50 package to him. He suggested using FedEx. The local FedEx office wanted $375 to send the package. I told them the package did not need a personal escort and left. The U.S. postal service took the package and I paid $42. The package arrived safe and sound. I immediately thought of all our citizens trying to mail care packages to Iran and Afghanistan. The U.S. Postal service is efficient and gets the job done for the lower cost.

When my son moved to Massachusetts from Rhode Island he moved from a semi-rural town to Cambridge, Mass. His auto insurance went down hundreds of dollars. Why? How could this be? Simple; the state of Massachusetts regulates the insurance companies (the few that agree to write insurance there) and the companies are held accountable. In Rhode Island, it's free market all of the way, and boy do we pay for it. Another side note: in Massachusetts the insurance companies are required to pay for any broken windshield. Not in Rhode Island, I've had to replace 3 because of our shitty roads.

Massachusetts, affectionately called Taxachusetts by the people that hate government is now projected to be leading the way out of the current recession. Many indicators are showing that Massachusetts never fell as far behind as most states and the recovery here is ahead of most states. Maybe the heavy hand of government is gently helping the people?

I do have a recommendation for a health care public option though. This is not my idea in its entirety as I heard one legislator outline something similar, but I can't remember who it was. I can't even remember whether the legislator was a Republican of Democrat, but I do remember thinking - that's a great idea! Simply put; the public insurance should kick in for catastrophic circumstances. If you define catastrophic illness as reaching a $100,000 threshold within a given period of time, the government would then assume the insurance and relieve the insurance company.

This would be a windfall for insurance companies, but the government should then insist on a commensurate reduction in premiums for their insured. This reduction would save all buyers of insurance as well as all business. This plan would provide a real shot in the arm for everyone struggling with today's costs. The government could hold the insurance companies feet to the fire by threatening to increase the catastrophic threshold if they don't respond by significantly reducing health care premiums. Business would not back away from health insurance commitments to employees because they could see their own bottom lines improving.

How do you pay for it? Repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans as Obama has suggested. Additionally, tie taxation rates on the drug companies to an index that follows their cost of medications in the United States as compared to the identical medications in foreign nations. One of two things will happen; either the cost of medications will drop dramatically in this country or the government will enjoy a huge windfall to pay for citizens with catastrophic illness.

Do it Democrats! Do it now! Forget the Republicans; don't you know that the first word that a baby likes to use is "No"! Sounds familiar; No. Where have I heard that lately? I guess from some baby somewhere!

tomtoak

Governor Don Carcieri's incredible lack of leadership

Incredible! Unbelievable! Arrogant! Ignorant! Donald Carcieri! I understand that nobody likes a person that is just out there throwing names around with negative connotations. I'm sorry, but I'm mad. Donald Carcieri's latest attempt to attack state employees and demonize them is somehow worthy of a name of two.

Carcieri has called for Rhode Island government to shut down for12 days over the next 10 months in hopes of saving over $21 million at the expense of the state workers. Mr. "Business Man" should know that he will be taking $21 million out of the hands of small businesses around the state, as this loss of income for the employees represents disposable income. State employees will just have to put off buying that new refrigerator or TV or whatever. The employees will be cash strapped for the next year and will have to make significant sacrifices. They will continue to pay mortgage, taxes and other essentials, but will be severely limited in their disposable income. Restaurants, retail stores and other small businesses will enjoy the loss.

What's truly funny about some Republicans is that they continue to support Carcieri's position; after all, every Republican likes to scape-goat government. Blame the state workers! Go ahead - you brilliant thinkers that own small businesses throughout the state - go ahead and support Carcieri's handling of government. Your support is costing you money and many of you are just too stupid to realize it.

Of course, let's not forget that the biggest problem with the state today is the lack of revenue. Carcieri's plan just reduced revenue to the state by approximately $3.5 million (based on sales tax and income tax); but this is small compared to the financial loss to Rhode Island businesses. At every turn during the Carcieri years, our Governor chose the path of tearing apart state government. Carcieri has reduced the state work force to perilous levels. Federal money and Federal programs are being lost in this state because there are not enough employees in critical areas to get the job done. Carcieri does not care.

Carcieri has attacked the employee pension system with great success. With remodeled pensions, 3,000 fewer workers and no pay increases, you would think that Carcieri is saving all of us a lot of money. Think again! Go the the bottom line! Governor Donald Carcieri has just proposed a 9% budget increase for the next state fiscal year. Carcieri's budget request of $7.8 billion dollars is close to a $1 billion dollar increase over the previous year. While some of this represents stimulus money, Rhode Island can ill afford to follow this path. In Carcieri's new budget year, state employee salaries, benefit packages and pensions will represent approximately 17% of the entire $7.8 billion dollar budget.

Where the hell is the money going, Mr. Carcieri? How can you lock out state workers for 12 days at the same time you are increasing state spending by 9%? How can you raise state spending by 9% when the state is facing it's worst economic crisis since the Great Depression? Your leadership style is likened to Herbert Hoover on steroids. You have no clue. Carcieri's leadership and policy direction is killing the state.

tomtoak