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October 2010 Column
Fellow Ladera Ranch Residents,
The T-Baggers don't allow the truth to get in the way of their so-called "Christian" crusade. They've been told the truth with irrefutable evidence but continue to re-state the half-truths and lies, such as President Barack Hussein Obama is a Muslim or not an American. Their de facto leader – Sarah Palin, the half-governor of Alaska – hasn't made a single cogent statement since she popped onto the national stage two years ago. Instead, she uses sound bites and demagoguery to villianize the Democrats and what she calls the "mainstream" media.
The truth is, I agree with some of the T-Bag positions, such as reducing the deficit. But, while not true of some T-Baggers, many of their themes, such as "Take our country back" are thinly-veiled racism and bigotry. President Obama was elected by a substantial majority of Americans. The last time these bigots crawled out from under their slimy rocks in large numbers was during the Goldwater-Johnson campaign in 1964. Shame on the Republican Party leadership for not repudiating this abhorrent behavior. Here are some truths to ponder:
-- President Obama keeps getting blamed for the banking industry bailout, but it was done under the Bush-Cheney régime. That said, people who think the bailout was a bad thing obviously don't have a pension fund or other private savings because, while these investments plunged in value by 30 to 50%, they would have been wiped out altogether had the banking industry been allowed to fail. 90% of all stock investments in this country are retirement savings, such as pension plans and IRAs. The real culprits are Congressman Barney Frank and other Democrats, but Republicans too, who allowed the situation to occur in the first place.
-- The Republicans say they want to reduce the deficit and extend the tax cuts for the richest 2% of Americans, but we can't do both. And why are the Republicans suddenly worried about reducing the deficit when they didn't they do it during the first six years under President George W. Bush when they controlled both houses of Congress and the White House? President Reagan ran up the biggest deficits in this country's history. George H. Bush then ran up even bigger deficits, only to be topped by his son George W. Bush. Who balanced the budget and turned over a $500 billion surplus to his successor? Bill Clinton!
-- The Republicans say 75% of Americans are against "Obamacare," but they're twisting the truth. Two-thirds of the people against Obama's health care plan wanted it to be stronger, covering every American and providing a public option. In reality, 75% of Americans actually favor universal health care.
(Editor's Note: Check back, there's more bullets coming.)
If you want to debate these or any other issues, email me at LaderaTimes@hotmail.com or call me during my weekly radio show – Open Mic – from 2:00 to 3:00 pm every Wednesday on OC Talk Radio. The call-in phone number is (949) 713-6443. I hope to hear from you.
Jim Schmitt, Editor and Publisher
The T-Baggers don't allow the truth to get in the way of their so-called "Christian" crusade. They've been told the truth with irrefutable evidence but continue to re-state the half-truths and lies, such as President Barack Hussein Obama is a Muslim or not an American. Their de facto leader – Sarah Palin, the half-governor of Alaska – hasn't made a single cogent statement since she popped onto the national stage two years ago. Instead, she uses sound bites and demagoguery to villianize the Democrats and what she calls the "mainstream" media.
The truth is, I agree with some of the T-Bag positions, such as reducing the deficit. But, while not true of some T-Baggers, many of their themes, such as "Take our country back" are thinly-veiled racism and bigotry. President Obama was elected by a substantial majority of Americans. The last time these bigots crawled out from under their slimy rocks in large numbers was during the Goldwater-Johnson campaign in 1964. Shame on the Republican Party leadership for not repudiating this abhorrent behavior. Here are some truths to ponder:
-- President Obama keeps getting blamed for the banking industry bailout, but it was done under the Bush-Cheney régime. That said, people who think the bailout was a bad thing obviously don't have a pension fund or other private savings because, while these investments plunged in value by 30 to 50%, they would have been wiped out altogether had the banking industry been allowed to fail. 90% of all stock investments in this country are retirement savings, such as pension plans and IRAs. The real culprits are Congressman Barney Frank and other Democrats, but Republicans too, who allowed the situation to occur in the first place.
-- The Republicans say they want to reduce the deficit and extend the tax cuts for the richest 2% of Americans, but we can't do both. And why are the Republicans suddenly worried about reducing the deficit when they didn't they do it during the first six years under President George W. Bush when they controlled both houses of Congress and the White House? President Reagan ran up the biggest deficits in this country's history. George H. Bush then ran up even bigger deficits, only to be topped by his son George W. Bush. Who balanced the budget and turned over a $500 billion surplus to his successor? Bill Clinton!
-- The Republicans say 75% of Americans are against "Obamacare," but they're twisting the truth. Two-thirds of the people against Obama's health care plan wanted it to be stronger, covering every American and providing a public option. In reality, 75% of Americans actually favor universal health care.
(Editor's Note: Check back, there's more bullets coming.)
If you want to debate these or any other issues, email me at LaderaTimes@hotmail.com or call me during my weekly radio show – Open Mic – from 2:00 to 3:00 pm every Wednesday on OC Talk Radio. The call-in phone number is (949) 713-6443. I hope to hear from you.
Jim Schmitt, Editor and Publisher