Please take action on this critical issue of the media:

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4038

Letter to Senator Bill Nelson of Florida

Dear Senator Nelson, Thank you for responding to my inquiry about financial reform. You mentioned Senator Dodd was proposing measures to more strongly regulate financial institutions. You however did not mention that you actually supported them. I often find when I call your office inquiring your position on issues that you don't have a position or you have not made up your mind. Sir, we desperately need strong leadership now on many issues. Most importantly finance reform which cannot be separated from campaign finance reform. Senator Dodd really doesn’t not believe in democracy because he just last week said he is in favor of keeping the filibuster rules as they are which has us stagnated in the anti-democratic doldrums we are presently in.
If you truly believe in our democracy we must bring about the following changes.

1. All campaigns for public office must be financed with public money. That means no financial donations from anyone or any corporation. This must be enforced with severe criminal consequences. This we can achieve this for the price of one B1 Bomber.

2. We must have true majority rule. This means no filibuster. It also means no electoral college. This also means a Senator’s voting power must be proportional to the population they represent. What we have now is not democracy. The recent Supreme Court’s decision to allow unlimited financing from corporations is so anti-democratic they should be impeached. In business money talks in democracy money can only corrupt. We must find a way to build a firewall between money and our democracy or our civilization is going to crumble.

3. We must appoint an FCC that understands the fundamentals of free speech. We can not maintain democracy without a diverse media offering diverse opinions being genuinely debated. When the media is mostly owned by a few people, as it is now, genuine debate will not happen. The American people generally don’t really know what is going on in our government or the real world. They cannot make intelligent informed decisions because they are not genuinely informed. All commercial media has a motive behind what they let you know and not know. As you know the owners and stockholders commercial media made billions of dollars off of the Middle East conflicts that were sold to the American people under false pretense. This could not have happened if we had a fairness doctrine enforced on our media outlets.
These are tough issues that will take strong leaders who will take a stand to restore our democracy. Can we count on you Senator Nelson to help us restore our democracy? Will you take the lead and stand up for a true American Democracy?

Thank you

I could not make my case anymore explicitly or accurately than Wonderblob has. Truly, we MUST get the power back out of the hands of the corporations and back to we the people as individuals. Corporate money should NEVER influence elections - PERIOD. Not only will not reversing this corporate tyranny lead to revolution, it will put us into full-fledged depression.

Thanks Patti
We have to band together and take back our country from the rulers. Each of us must get each of our elected official to actually give up their undemocratic powers by sighning a pledge to or cast them from power

48watchdog
You are so right. the Miami herald had a front page article about a Cuban woman dissident being arrested in Cuba for her defiance, but not a word in the Herald about the mass arrest and detention of journalist and organizers at the Republican convention. The masses are brainwashed by a corporate controlled media.

I don't know how we can discuss anything without talking about civil liberties. When free speech is no more, we won't even be talking about saving the whales. That may sound far-fetched, but consider for a moment:

ACLU's client list (spied on by FBI and accused as terrorists) includes a very long list of peaceful activist organizations, all of whom are opposed to the wars without end or who are pro-environment. Greenpeace, the Quaker American Friends Service Committee, Food Not Bombs, National Lawyers Guild, ACLU chapters, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, more...have all been accused as "terrorist" entities by the former Bush administration and are currently being represented by the ACLU based on FBI spying.

FBI has routinely been spying and trying to curtail peaceful protesting. The ACLU posts a document to their site in which the FBI directs police to crack down on peaceful protestors, said by hte FBI to usually be peaceful but occasionally prone to violence ,but who also say that the protestors may videotape police violence and post it to the Internet as "intimidation tactic".

www.aclu.org and see the Spyfiles list (Search box)

The Patriot Act is up for revote in Congress at this very moment, empowering the FBI and police to arrest without warrant or probable cause: Why is this not even mentioned at all by PDA? This makes me very concerned and more.

What of the newest news that the CIA is shooting Americans without judicial review? This is murder and why the secrecy, why the unilateral and unchecked action? What is the purpose of that?

What of the arrest of Amy Goodman at the Republican National Convention when she clearly identified herself, saying "I am press" ? Isn't that a crackdown on free speech itself?

Folks, you are remiss and may even be assisting the cause of the rise of fascism in America. I am not trying to be rude or offensive: Instead, I am very concerned and am warning you. It's very deeply serious stuff. I am sure you will all agree with me.

I repeat: When free speech is no more, then we will not even be talking about healthcare or saving the whales. PDA itself will be no more when that day comes. THe time to act is now, before it even gets there. Michael Ratner with the Center for COnstitutional Rights said on KPFA radio that we are not far from martial law, right at this very moment. Paranoid? No. Informed. Dictatorships routinely do this with people to silence them and support their own agendas. America is not the free country it once was: Let's shake that image, please and update it with the current facts. The Military Commissions Act, FISA and Patriot Acts and more took care of that. WHY IS PDA REMAINING SILENT?

I got the transcript of the introduction, now how do I get to the content of the discussion?
Thanks.

Enjoyed the discussion. Pehaps keeping commentary to 10 minutes would be better. Let people know the length of the program.

We need more of our (progressive) voice out there. A recent NY Times article on the 14th mentioned that some in the current Administration do not want to react, or speak up, because of what the news does to what they say, what the talking heads do. In fact, they have created Palin's celebrity. I don't care how long they give her to "catch up" to what she needs to know to run again. It is that which is inherent in her approach to life that scares me, not what she reads, or studies (writes on her hand). I say we need to have as many, or more, of our voices heard. I know there are more people who want many of the things the Dems are moving toward. How do we get to people who only listen to mainstream news? That is our current challenge.

Dr. Gloria Nixon-John

You're right about one thing Alfred. We can't blame Bush for everything. Prior to 2006 the Republicans held a majority in Congress for 12 years. It is Republican ideology that put us in this mess, and President Bush was merely one of the major players.

You guys are a GREAT group, and I want to start becoming much more involved myself, helping to bring positive change to our country for our people.

Seems to me that we need to quit spinnin our wheels with the democratic party. We need a new progressive party that will represent us. I was active in the last four election cycles working for democrats but I am not going to work for the dems anymore. We have been suckers for the party and have been used. It's time to cut our losses and get busy putting our efforts where one day they will pay off.

For you posters who write overly long posts; no one is reading them. If you cannot say what you need to say in a paragraph or two, you need to write a novel and quit writting blogs.

I'm part of a group of Nation Mag readers, who meet monthly to discuss the state of the world and the country. All were avid Obama supporters. At the meeting before the last meeting, with sixteen people present, all but one were thoroughly disturbed with the direction Obama has taken in his first year.

The main criticism -- he forgot about Main Street in favor of Wall Street.

Gerry Look at http://www.democratz.org

I'm tired of the taxation without representation that is the current senate! We have 36 million people in California and senators from states with 500,000 people can block legislation that has a majority of support. Time to end this charade in the senate. I want equal representation and rule of the majority!

Positive Improvements – Instead of Negative Blaming

There are so many positive win/win solutions for so many of our current increasing problems:
• Climate change
• Terrorism – suicide bombers
• Obesity
• Deteriorating health
• Skyrocketing health care costs
• Poor youth education
• High federal, state, and local deficits that will force cuts in needed vital programs like public transportation, education, and library branches
• Air and water pollution
• Limited supply but growing demand for petrochemicals
• Wasted hours in long auto commutes
• Increased work hours and/or loads for only the same pay
• Both (the above) limiting our precious free time
• So much more material (larger homes, powerful cars, fancier computers, TV sets, cell phones, palm pilots, IPODs, etc.) but less true happiness.
It is such a pity so much time and energy in our conversations, the media and publications is now spent trying to pin the blame on particular politicians, religions, and/or cultures, instead of working out solutions to these and many other problems.
A key to solving a good many of our problems is a transformation of all cultures and all institutions within them from consumerism to sustainability. Many of these ideas are a summarization of the Worldwatch Institute’s 2010 State of the World. For many more specifics and examples, I highly recommend this excellent book. Consumerism is the current focus on material wealth and short-term profits by both consumers and businesses. Few people today appear willing to change their lifestyle or purchasing patterns to consider anything more than a hundred years in the future. Sustainability, on the other hand, maintains the health of the global ecosystem (and our own bodies and minds) indefinitely into the future.
Following truly sustainable lifestyles and cultures would solve almost all the problems listed above. Some illustrative examples (including the Clinical Ecology one of my own) are:
• Growing and eating only organic food. Organic food is grown without the use of any toxic pesticides using truly fertile soil rich in micro-organisms, compost, and natural plant/leaf cover to minimize erosion. Organic farms yield just as much if not more than traditional farms especially with low rainfall due to their better water retention and higher carbon levels.1 This rich soil sequesters CO2 from the atmosphere as well! Converting the 64 million hectares of US cropland currently growing corn and soy to organic farming would sequester 264 million tons of CO2 or the equivalent of shutting down 14% of all the coal power plants in the US or China!2 Many organic gardens can be grown in an urban setting on roofs and in empty lots. [see Growing Power at: http://www.growingpower.org/ ] More food can come from nearby organic farms (instead of being flown in from Latin America and Asia) thus cutting the CO2 emissions from these many flights.
• Clinical Ecology for a clean, healthy, nutritious lifestyle that prevents all illness instead of suppressing symptoms using expensive drugs with side effects. In the 1970s I stayed in Theron G. Randolph, MD’s “ecological unit” at the American International Hospital in Zion, IL. There the air and water was filtered and every patient started out on a four day fast with only water to drink. The second day felt terrible when I was in withdrawal, but by the fourth day I felt better than when I arrived! Then each food was tested separately and checked for symptoms. Dr. Randolph with Clinical Ecology was able to finally “cure” and find the foods and/or chemicals that were the root cause for the symptoms of many international patients, many had been bounced from specialist to specialist for years taking more drugs with more side effects until Dr. Randolph located their actual sensitivities and they left him taking no drugs with no symptoms so long as they totally avoided their sensitive foods and chemicals! By finding each unique person’s food and chemical sensitivities, totally avoiding them (often the most common foods like corn, coffee, and cane sugar), and following the “rotation diet,” you avoid future sensitivities.3 Why don’t many more doctors practice Clinical Ecology? (a) It demands much more time and effort from both the doctor and the patient than simply popping a pill, and (b) huge, powerful industries – food, drug, and chemical – have a vested interest in suppressing this direct positive approach because healthy people eating nutritious whole organic food would substantially cut their short term profits.
• Total recycling with zero waste. Absolutely nothing is “thrown out”. A use is found for every disposable item. Computers and cars are designed to last “forever” with all updates available with the simple exchange of a small circuit board, mechanical part, and/or electronic software update.
• Clean renewable power with a much lower demand for it. Buildings will have much more heat insulation and passive solar heating from windows facing south and skylights. Increased outdoor activity plus much less formal dress at work should minimize the need for air conditioning. What heating and cooling is needed can be provided with geothermal wells instead of petrochemicals.
• New designs and layouts for all urban cities. More concentration centers around transit stations with many fewer streets, cars, expressways, and parking garages. Many more bike trails and attractive parks so everything can be easily reached by walking, biking, and/or transit. In addition to much more convenience and more commutes and errands without any cars for much less pollution, CO2, and auto accidents, these urban layouts will encourage much more walking and biking exercise for much lower obesity.
• Youth education will involve much more outdoor contact with the truly natural world, and much less formal classroom teaching. They will learn how to grow organic food, make things and be proud of their work, and get tours to see how cars and computers are actually made, instead of reading so many books and spending so much time indoors in front of a computer screen. All this outdoor activity and trips will also give our children much more exercise for much lower obesity.
• Fewer work hours per week! With technology always increasing productivity, the best way to employ more people and reduce the load on earth’s biosphere is to reduce the hours each person works so they earn less and buy less. By rushing through their days with much less free time, eating fast foods, and with increased stress, US people are much less healthy. We have many more chronic illnesses – heart attacks, diabetes – than Europeans do. Since 1980 the US has fallen from eleventh place to fiftieth in the world for life expectancy.4 By adopting a 35 hour work week plus four weeks paid vacation, many European nations have longer lives, fewer chronic diseases, less auto commuting and accidents, and much more time with their families, pursuing their hobbies, walking and biking outside to enjoy nature, exercise and control obesity, less desire for and fewer material goods, and greater happiness.5 Reductions in work time also mean less energy use, CO2 emissions, and pollution. A study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research concluded that if Americans reduce their working hours to European levels, the US energy/carbon impacts would automatically be reduced by 20 to 30 percent.6

Terrorists in poor nations are attracted to Al Qaeda and the Taliban by propaganda showing the HUGE difference in material wealth between them and the rich US upper class. By greatly reducing this wealth gap – both by working and consuming much less here and by raising the education and positive opportunity available there – we can BOTH greatly reduce if not eliminate terrorism by eliminating its root cause, and all live within earth’s resource limit by reducing resource demands for material goods.
The federal deficit is different from all other deficits public and private within and below it. At the federal level, you CAN run very high deficits because this is the basis for the entire monetary system. It’s always better to spend on positive capital such as education, health, and/or high speed rail, instead of on destructive bombs, or finance leaders spending large bonuses burning CO2 on long elegant vacations. Due to this fact, the federal government should greatly increase its aid to all states below it which DO have to balance their budgets and will cut needed vital programs unless they can obtain funds elsewhere.
These are huge extensive changes that will take years to implement. Government and laws can only accomplish a small portion. The rest will come from intelligent, forward-thinking people within business, the media, foundations, non-profit social, and religious groups. You can help spread these vital, positive, and sustainable ideas so we can give our children, grand children and all future generations a much more sustainable world, a lot better than it is now.

References:
1. P. Hepperly, Organic Farming Sequesters Atmospheric Carbon and Nutrients in Soils (Emmaus Rodale Institute, 2003).
2. US Energy Information Admin., “Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, (2007),” at www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/capacity... ; US Dept. of Energy, “Carbon Dioxide Emissions from the Generation of Electric Power in the United States (2000),” at www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/co2_repo... .
3. An Alternative Approach to Allergies by Theron G. Randolph, MD and Ralph W. Moss, PhD, Lippincott & Crowell, 1980. It’s still available in paperback on Amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/Alternative-Approach-Alle...
4. US Life Expectancy from Central Intelligence Agency, The CIA World Factbook, 2009, New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2008; Lisa Girion, “Europe Healthier than US – Older Americans Have Higher Rates of Serious Diseases than Aging Europeans, A Study Says,” Los Angeles Times, 2 October 2007.
5. Lauren Sherman, “Europe’s Happiest Places,” Forbes, 12 August 2009.
6. Center for Economic and Policy Research, “Long US Work Hours Are Bad for the Environment, Study Shows,” press release (Washington DC: 20 December 2006).

Andrew,
Do us all a favor and write a book. No one wants to have to see all of your research here. This is a place for opinion not dissertations. Forget the mind numbing detail that you have written here. It is nothing but boring.

I saw the way the leadership of the Democratic Party
treated Kucinich when he ran in the primaries -- won't let him into some debates,
got very little time during the debates he was allowed to attend.

The leadership of the Democratic Party doesn't want to give any room for
progressives for the progressives in the party.

So I say to hell with the Democratic Party until they go to Dennnis Kuninich or Howard Dean
or Ralph Nader or Cynthia McKinney or Eric Massa or Anthony Weiner or Alan Grayson and say ''what do we have to do to get the progressives to turn out and vote Democratic?''

If they lose a few elections in the meantime, so be it.
Put the ball in their court.
My vote doesn't come cheap.

The Democratic Party has become a fragmented entity that includes great legislators like Conyers, Kucinich, Sanders,and others but also includes a bunch of political prostitutes that are causing the auto destruction of the Blue Party.No leadership.
It is time to finish off the democratic Party as it is now and start a new Political Party even if that means loosing elections to the GOP Fascism.
Even winning elections (Presidential and Legist.)hasn´t given the Democratic Party strength, integrity and courage to act against the status quo, instead they have joined forces with the Mercenaries in bringing despair and uncertainty to this beloved country of ours.

I think that jobs and health care go hand in hand. Employers would be able to hire more workers by paying less for their employee’s health care. In stead, they put limits on their payrolls because of their budget that pays for health care. Just think of it this why, if 250k small business owners were able to hire 1 more person while giving health care to their employees that would create 250l more jobs. Now granted there are thousands of business’s who don’t give health care, but the ones that do may make up for them or maybe they now can afford to give their employees health care. But if single payer for all were invoked, every employer would be able to hire more employees to help sell more of their product. Single Payer would not only help create more jobs, but the premiums would be affordable for every American Family and dental would now be included. Now insurance companies would be able to sell supplement, as they do for Medicare, and would have much more competition and would finally be contained. I wouldn’t mind seeing my rates go down so I would have a choice to put that savings for retirement or be able to spend more. This country needs health care to help create more jobs.

I also believe that by repealing the Bush Tax Cuts and taxing the top 5% back to 60% or 70% would make the wealthy invest more into this country that would create more jobs. Someone making a million dollars putting money municipal bond would make that money back, reduce their tax and make a return tax free. Or putting the money in investments for job creation in all sectors of the economy would stimulate the economy and growth. This along with giving money to small business would pick up the economy and start good paying jobs across our nation. Just think what getting a trillion dollars back from the rich would do to help this economy. Just think what a trillion dollars would do to start green jobs and all the start up equipment, parts, trucking, repairs, buying, and refurbishing buildings. I believe in taxing the rich and the economy would take care of it self. It worked before under Eisenhower where the tax rate was high for the rich and we built all those high ways, bridges, and infrastructures that are in desperate need of repair. That is why we have to repeal the Bush Tax Cuts and tax the wealthy accordingly!

I agree with you that providing national health care to all Americans would make business more competitive. This is a well known and agreed upon fact. The trouble is that our president took this option off the table and didn't even allow a discussion of it's merits and or drawbacks. The president himself decided that we Americans would not get a shot at Medicare for all. Not even a shot. I will never forgive him for this unless he reverses himself now and pushes for it. Making back room deals with insurance corporation and drug companies is not exactly what I had in mind when I worked my ass off supporting this man. This is a huge mistake on his part and I dare to predict that it will be one reason that he will be a single term president.

Dear Members of the Progressive Democrats of America

At the end of this message I have a plan to destroy the power of the conservative coalition of Democrats and Republican members in congress. Conservative Democrats and Republicans have thwarted an increase in the minimum wage to $10 an hour, EFCA, Health care and more. I urge people to boycott consumer products from some major companies that contribute money to conservatives in both parties and pressure these CEOs with the potential huge loss of income and force them to go to conservatives in congress and get us progressives the legislation we demand. If you like this then please consider spreading the word. Yes, we need elections and getting progressives elected BUT look what has happened even with Democratic majorities in both house and senate and a Democratic President. We have gotten thwarted and we need a strategy that will get us progressive legislation between elections and this strategy needs to get considered. What has worked to get us needed legislation that hasn't gotten watered down or stopped? Do you have a better way? If not then consider this.

If you consider this important then spread the word.

Thank you.





I sent this letter to President Obama by fax the other day.





Dear President Obama

I come to you today to praise you and to criticize you and to petition you.

I want to tell you a true story which just happened a few days ago. I came into this world 4 years after World War II. When I grew up partly in New York City and Partly in Nassau Country New York, as a young boy I would watch Meet the Press. I watched this show as a boy of 6 or 7. I watched the people of the era talk about the issues. I also watched Mike Wallace's You are there as well. I recall seeing other programs about famous people. I saw newsreels of a man who wore a white sheet. NO! not that kind of white sheet! Mohandas Gandhi, wore a white sheet of cotton. Why did Gandhi wear white sheets? He wanted to set an example for his people to make their own cloth and not buy goods from his oppressors who occupied his country.

He appeared a modern day Moses, but of another religion. I have a number of heroes like Gandhi. Most of them died, except for Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu. Considering myself a Jewish person, I find that good that people from other religions and other people's can serve as examples for heroes as it tends to unite people of different backgrounds. Each of these heroes, Moses, Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, Nelson Mandela, Bishop Tutu eventually brought their oppressors down by not cooperating with their oppressors.

The other day, I spoke to the great grandson of Mohandas Gandhi. I had sought to speak to his father, the grandson of Mohandas Gandhi. I never expected to ever speak to anyone in this family of Gandhi. I told him that I thanked his great grandfather for his work and that he inspired me as I used to see newsreels of his great grandfather during the 1950's and 1960's and especially using boycotts to eventually uniting his people of India to eject their oppressors out of their country. I told Gandhi's great grandson of my electronic PAMPHLET on the web and again thanked him and said good day.

Now, I say to you Mr. President, that I want a real populist President similar to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and I and other people will make you do it, just like FDR told his supporters to make him do what they wanted him to do.

So in the tradition and inspiration of Moses and Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu and their people I say to you again we will make you do it.

How? By boycotting the products of those of your friends in corporations who donated money to you, and donated money to Republicans and to conservatives in the Democratic party who have led this country down a path to the second great depression. The only reason that we have not descended further appears that we had citizens back about 77 years ago who made FDR do it and had good regulations in place today that the conservatives in both parties want to repeal. So from now on I will no longer donate money to the Democratic party although I remain a member. Again I will not buy products from major companies that donate money to conservatives in both parties and I will demand progressive legislation that really helps the poor and middle class people instead of the undeserving wealthy at this point of crisis in our country, of the CEOs that run those companies and until that happens they will lose business from me and many other people such that we will put pressure on those CEOs to help get us the legislation that we want.

I agreed with the bailout of the banks and the partial nationalization of GM and Chrysler but now it appears OUR turn such that we get a $10 an hour minimum wage, a passage of the employee free choice act, a passage of the women's freedom of choice act, a passage of a compromise SINGLE PAYER PUBLIC OPTION paid for by general taxes which will allow private health insurance but in which those who choose this new single payer public option will have no premiums, no copayments, no yearly deductibles, no recisions, no rejection for preexisting conditions and cover everything: doctors visits, surgery, hospital stays, abortion, dentistry, eye care, nursing home and hospice care and home care and it will serve as a health insurance EXODUS so that the private health insurance companies will let our people go. We also need to end the war in Iraq and a way to end the war in Afghanistan but we need to help build Afghanistan up so the Taliban and Al Qaeda will no longer get the favor of some people in Afghanistan. We need other legislation that helps those less fortunate in our country.

Republicans only talk about freedom but they offer us no real solutions. These Republican corporate masters only offer us FIEFDOM and wage slavery and a kind of slavery to insurers where they exploit the economic conditions of those who don't have enough money to pay for their insurance and not freedom. These Republican corporate masters offer their middle class and even poor supporters FREEDUMB organizing them in a rabble of misnamed fake populist Tea partiers for which those Boston patriots of a few centuries ago would probably say, hey these Republican FREEDUMB lovers HAVE REPRESENTATION, so what excuse do they have for disrupting government town halls that we helped to establish?

Really Mr. President, those present day so called tea partiers appear a perversion of those real patriots that helped liberate our country a few centuries ago. Do these false tea partiers stand for a living wage? No. Do these false tea partiers stand for unions? No. Do these false tea partiers stand for helping those less fortunate in our country? No.

These Recruited Republican FREEDUMB lovers claim that they appear PATRIOTs.


I say NAY, those Recruited Republican rabble appear as

stand PAT RIOTers

disrupting government who attempt to help the less fortunate in our country. How many times have I seen or heard this Republican rabble express their contempt for the poor and less fortunate in the middle class? I have seen and heard such contempt by these conservatives for decades blaming most of the poor and less fortunate middle class for their own problems as an excuse to shift blame away from many corporations who disadvantage such people and also as an excuse to have government dissolve in the area of social justice.

These Republican rabble stand PAT RIOTers want us to stand pat for their corporate masters to continue to profit on the suffering of people in many areas and not just health care. They want us to stand pat and yell no more higher taxes deliberately wanting the American people to not see the way corporate governors want to PRIVATELY TAX people with low pay aka Cheap labor aka wage theft not giving workers in many cases the worth of their work that they do and suppressing the organization of people in unions. These corporate governors also tax people privately with high prices in a cartel working with other corporate governors in fixing prices so even though you have a few companies in a sector of products you really have a polyopoly keeping PRIVATE TAXES high in a lot of product sectors. Yes high prices and low wages function as a PRIVATE TAXATION system run by private government which the Republicans support and come from and they have their stooges in the stand PAT RIOT movement to pose as as populists. NAY!

So next time Republicans criticize our party for taxation in their miscommunications at election time we Democrats will remind the people that the Republicans continue to tax us PRIVATELY and raise these PRIVATE TAXES through POLYOPOLY, DUOPOLY, MONOPOLY, cheap labor and high prices and that Republicans need to get relieved of their power in government which they deliberately sabotage social programs through deliberate deficit creation through oil wars, unjust tax breaks for the wealthy and cutting of social programs. This deliberate deficit creation has gone on for 30 years now started by Ronald Reagan the miscommunicator and it has to stop. The Republicans create a huge deficit so when they get relieved of power then the Democrat has to clean up the mess and cannot or will not continue on the path of social justice or water it down such that supporters of Democrats get angry as they did in Bill Clinton's time and now yours!

So Mr. President, we will make you promote real social justice and not catering to corporations in the quest for social justice and eliminate these so called public private partnerships that these corporations take too much money from the poor and less fortunate that the Republicans have done in the past years and until this day and create regular government programs that do not allow these corporations to leech upon the public and profit to the detriment of middle class and poor people.

I have seen this in Medicare Part D and Medicare Disadvantage and now thanks to conservative Democrats we face this in the new health insurance and Pharmaceutical company enrichment act of 2010.


No more Mr. President. No More.

Help the middle class and the poor and until then, the Democratic party gets no money from me and in 2010 and 2012 I will go to the polls and only vote on referenda, meaning I will not vote for anyone for representative, senator and President. I will stay in the Democratic party and do what I can to rid us these conservatives in OUR party from power by peaceful means through boycotts of consumers products of their contributors that give them money and convince other Democrats to also boycott these contributors to conservatives in both parties and force these CEOs to go to congressional leaders and tell the leaders that hundreds of thousands of people will no longer buy from the CEOs companies until congress passes real progressive legislation that citizens want and have petitioned the CEOs for.


In the end, Mr. President we will get this done peacefully and we will do everything peaceful to make you help us.

In the tradition of Moses, Gandhi, Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu, we will get this done for social Justice for the less fortunate in our country. I encourage other people reading this open letter to the President to organize and petition the government and the CEOs of corporations that aid meanspirited conservatives in both parties to go to my electric pamphlet at http://www.democratz.org and sign those petitions that you see best to accomplish social justice for the less fortunate in our country. Once you sign them, electronic letters will go out right away to congressional leaders and the Corporations that aid meanspirited conservatives. Do this for the less fortunate! Let our people grow and to meanspirited conservatives, let our people GO from your greed, high prices and wage slavery and private taxes and your religious oppression.

So let it get written so let it get done.

Sincerely,

http://www.democratz.org

I created these petitions for social justice. These petitions appear different from regular petitions. These petitions allow people to boycott conservative contributors that give money to conservatives in both parties.


I enthusiastically voted for Barack Obama in 2008. Now I appear disappointed that President Obama made deals with Big Pharma and the health insurance industry. This administration looks like Clinton II.


Please sign these NEW petitions for single payer health care HR676 as primary legislation or for HR676 as the public option.

http://bit.ly/public_option

http://bit.ly/traitorjoe

http://bit.ly/HR676

http://bit.ly/single_payer_snowe

http://bit.ly/single_payer_ross

http://bit.ly/single_payer_exxon

http://bit.ly/single_payer_california


http://bit.ly/drug_benefit

Also sign these petitions.

http://bit.ly/EFCA

http://bit.ly/10_an_hour_min_wage

http://bit.ly/women_freedom_of_choice_act

http://endthewars.democratz.org



We can stop the filibuster done by the Republiklan party and also get a bonus of the employee free choice act too enacted into law. You can help.

It appears very simple. Since Senator Mitch McConnell has nothing much to lose directly by pressuring him, we go after Brown Forman corporation of Kentucky who distributes Jack Daniels Whiskey and Southern Comfort Liquor, who by the way gives money to Mitch McConnell, the senate minority leader for his campaigns.

Go to http://bit.ly/STOPFILIBUSTERS which link will take you to a petition demanding the passage of the Employee Free Choice act and also for Mitch McConnell to halt any filibusters. Oh and when you sign the petition, emails go out right away to Mitch McConnell and Brown Forman Corporation from Kentucky. If you can’t pressure McConnell directly pressure his friends at Brown Forman by telling them you will boycott their products until they get McConnell to comply with our demands.

Also call Brown-Forman at 502-585-1100 and tell the person who answers to get the CEO to GET Mitch McConnell to execute no Republican filibusters for the duration of the Obama Administration and enact the Employee free choice act into law or you don't buy Jack Daniel's whiskey and Southern Comfort anymore!



So if you want to end the filibuster by Republicans, sign the petition now.

YOU HAVE THE POWER !!

You mr. censored progressive should write a thesis instead of a blog. No one cares to have all of this junk to wade through while trying to navigate this blog. I wish Mr. Carpenter had censored you!

Patralink

I see you have criticized another person for writign a long comment. I suggest you stick to reading bumper stickers if you don't like long comments. LOL

Yes I had my first posts censored just around the point Mr. Carpenter came on to comment last night. I hope PDA successfully gets progressive legislation passed. However, the left has failed to get any real significant progressive legislation passed in the last 15 years.

I say that progressives better consider going on a mass boycott of conservative contributors otherwise they just might wait another 8 years even under a Democratic President and with Democrats holding both houses.

Mr. Carpenter, I want to see you succeed but you haven't. I challenge you to test my boycott petitions by actively promoting them. You have nothing to lose.

You're right. I complained about you and another windbag.

A blog is not the place for long laborious writings, referenced foot
notes and dozens of links to web sites.

Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't you launch a web site? That way you
can do what you do without offending people. A book is another option
(as I suggested earlier) Really, seriously, no one cares about all of
your research!!! You are not Arianna Huffington.

I bet you send this stuff out to all of your friends and relatives
too. Believe me they are just deleting it. People do not read such
things. If you don't believe me check it out for yourself. Test them
to see if they read it. Nope. They do not read it.

Most Sincerely,

Patralink

Stop censoring my posts Mr. Carpenter!

Stop censoring my posts Mr. Carpenter. You cannot accept suggestions from your left?
Martin Luther King advocated boycotts. Why does your organization refuse to boycott the companies that give money to conservatives and demand their CEOs get us the legislation they block?

I'm a progressive. Stop censoring my posts!

Go to http://http://bit.ly/public_option to demand congress enact a strong single payer public option.

Two suggestions for future topics and actions on the part of PDA members and supporters:

1. Universal Health Care - Suggest PDA disseminate copies of The Daily Show segment with John Oliver in Honolulu interviewing Republicans about government provided Universal Health Care and their complete ignorance of the fact the State of Hawaii has had UHC for 40 years! Really shows up the stupidity of the Republicans.

2. It will be 8 years in March since we invaded Afghanistan. This is the longest military campaign in U.S history!!

Thank you for letting us know about "The Agitator: Voices of PDA". I found that the podcast is available in iTunes and will be downloading it weekly.

You do not represent the american people. It is all about control with you. You feel more government is the answer. This is supposed to be a government of the people by the people and for the people as Lincoln so apptly said it. Stop the spending on Illegals and send them back to where they came from. Stop spending our tax dollars foolishly for your own interests. Give us back the money you stole that was for Social Security alone. Social Security is for the people who paid into it and their families. It is not broke. It is being mismanaged.
we need to vote out all incumbents regardless of party. And quit blaming Bush for everything. He was not a good president but the congress has bee democratic since 2006 so he can't be resp[onsible for everyting.

Your right Alfred Bush was a bad president, who drove this country into hell with the help of peoples like you, what we are experiancing is the failure of the Republicans rulings, 8 years of George Bush, and a total of 12 years of the do nothing republican congress, now we have to face the dammage that was done, we got attack on the Republicans watch, we went and started an illegal war with Iraq which is still costing us billions of dollars, like that 9 billion that is still missing in Iraq, we were losing jobs like crazy but giving tax cuts to millionares under the republican watch so now that the republicans have broken everything, they want President Obama to just let it to continue to fail, what the republicans have done is commited treason to America, and should be bought to justice for the treason acts that they have commited.

You are not reading my comments correctly. The democrats have been in power
since 2006 so they are responsible for this economic downturn with people
like Barney Franks and others. Your mind set is "Don't confuse me with
facts, my mind's made up."
Quit blaming Bush for what the democrats created. The president doesn't make
laws the congress does.
I don't buy your idiotic way of thinking.

The democrats did not cause any of this mess.
It took the republicans 30 years to make this mess, it is no gong to be cleaned up in just 4 years.

Your demigod RR started the process with mass deregulation. The financial industry needs to be strictly regulated. The transportation industry needs re-regulation also. And most of all, the drug business needs to be regulated so tightly they think they are wearing a python.

As for health care, the present insurance system is more of a vampire than anything else, slowly bleeding the US to death. If you want the answer, just look north.

Before you start spewing the right wing lies, talk to some one who has been under both systems. The Canadian systen will win 99% of the time

I am neither right wing or left wing or republican or democrat. I am an
independent voice that seeks the truth and not the lies of politicians.
We need to do away with these tags that are meaningless.
I speak from first hand knowledge of being in the fray day in and day out. I
am 82 and have gone through many administrations and yes the great
depression of the 30's. It wasn't so bad really. My father had three jobs
and walked to each one of them. He never asked or wanted any help from
anyone. Many jobs were there but people felt they were beneath them. You do
what you have to do to support yourself and your family.
The biggest problem facing us is the catering to illegals and ethnic groups.
This is now the give me society. Life does not owe us a living. I served my
country in World War II and did it gladly. You then come home and live your
life without wanting the government to take care of you.
You don't have a clue what you are talking about.
As a banker for 54 years we had very good regulations and did very good. It
was the democrats that started the deregulation that made banking wide open
for the dishonest to take advantage of it. When the cat's away the mice will
play.
I go back to Roosevelt. How far do you go back.
You are a coolaid drinker. You have to go back to Eisenhower to find a
President that was worth anything. Self serving Politicians take the biggest
blame for the shape we are in.
Al

Al,
You say you are neither a democrat or republican and that these descriptions are meaningless. Well I would disagree with you.

Although I am not yet as old as you, I still have a long perspective on our political process. The republican party has historically supported and protected interests of corporations and the wealthy. Democrats on the other hand are in support of the individual or the little guy. I think that is a huge difference in the parties. I would rather die than support a party that looks out for the big guy. They don't need looking out for.

I know what I am. I am for social justice. I am for the little guy. I am a progressive democrat. I am a liberal. I am for harnessing federal power to serve the public interest. I am not one of those fence sitting undecided voters who seem to hold all the cards today.

Democrats are for the little guy? Give me a break. Wake,up ,no one of either pafrty is for the little guy.They are all self serving crooks.Our country has been hijacked b these politicians. Who listens to the,little man anymore?
If any one had any intelligence they would not follow any party. You look to,the man and not the party.With party people you could put an ape up there and they would vote for them.
 
If the democrats are for the little guy then why are they trying to install a welfare state. Why do they think that goverrnment is the answer to everything. When government employees get to 80% who is going to pay them. They start a study and it becomes an agency employing thousands of people who accomplish nothing. 
 
The private sector creates the jobsthat run our economy. If you eliminagte businesses then who will make our products and who will employ our people. The government?
 
I doubt very much that people like Pelosi, Franks and the others care very much for the little guy.  I don't  wan't my tax money spent on deadbeats that don't want to work. And why do all the new jobs have to be green jobs. It apears that they  are against the private sector.
 
You need to read Thomas Jefferson who warned about too much government and entities like the Federal Reserve who should be disbanded.
 
Al
 
PS parties are like religions. The dumbing down of lthe people

AlFred its seem to me that you hate big governent, you fall right in line with the repubs on that, you always bring up a democrat Senator or Rep to blame or bash you once again fall right in line with the Repubs, you slam the poor, you fall in line with the repubs again, but you have not once criticize any repubs at all, you stated you tell us we need to go read Thomas Jefferson that sorry asswipe, here;s one for you to read, its called the Bible and what jesus said, you who refuse the give a man his shirt of his back, also refuse me, he who refuse the hungry, refuse me, so Alfred I trust Jesus anytime over some human name Thomas Jefferson to follow. If Jesus was on this earth today, he surely would be a LIBRAL not an Conservative, and Alfred you claim to be an Independant, but you fall deeply into the category and hypocrisy of the republican party.

Asswipe? one of the greatest patriots this country has ever known and a brilliant man. So do you not believe in the constitution or bill of rights? A better document than the bible anyday. You are delusional
 
The bible was written by ordinary people. What is so great about it that I should follow it. Can't you think for yourself. And don't give me that crap about it being inspired by God. You or  anyone else knows that  or even if there is such a entity as a god. The biggest copout is you have to believe.
 
I don't know Jesus from a bag of beans. Why should I listen to what he says. I would rather listen to  living breathing human beings. 
 
I do volunteer work and help those who are down and out. Too many would rather live off the government and not work. Those I do not help.
 
I suppose you want the government to be all things to all people in life. It doesn't work. Check with the many socialist countries that went under. Most of the people in congress never had a job so I should them run my life. What do they know about the ordinary american. 
 
Again , I am not a Republican. I can think for myself. I don't need the brainwashing from either party. None of you party people have a brain. You would rather someone else do your thinking for you and lead you by the hand.
 
You need to study your history. I have lived it since the great depression in the 30's. Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.
 
As a former president said once, Government is not the solution, Government is the problem.
 
Just what do you believe. I sure hope it is not Pelosi. Being a native of San Francisco, I know her very well and like that commentator said, she is a horrible woman.
 
You, my man, talk like a socialist and that is not what America is all about.
 
Al

Al claims to be an independant by mouths all the same rhetoric that the neocon teabaggers mouth. He is pathetic. All his talking points come from fox broadcasting system. That's real independant thought.

Just cuz you're old Al doesn't give you any cred. Doesn't seem like you've learned anything at all in those 80 years on this earth. You are still hateful, selfish and greedy just like the rest of your party.

Throw the scum off this blog. He's nothing better than the dog poop on the sole of my boot. I've had enough of these a--holes.

Children, Children, grow up.when you resort to profanity to make your point you lose everytime and it shows lack of intelligence and maturity. That is not being progressive to me. The only progress you show is progressively getting stupider.
 
I have never worked in the corporate world but FYI the corporate world feeds you, clothes you and puts a roof over your head. You don't condemn a whole society for a few bad eggs.
 
You can't lock yourself into one way of thinking and expect to get smart. You should welcome all ideas and thoughts and research things. Only then can you come up with your own opinion and ideas.Broaden you horizons.Don't be a follower.
 
Since you don't want anyone rocking your boat I will leave you to your Kindergarden to sulk like spoiled children.
 
So long children
Al

Al, you are nothing but a teabagger.

Teabaggers generally echo stupid myths about entitlement spending (it
actually only accounts for about 1% of federal budget spending), have
no idea that most poor people in America are not lazy, actually do
work and don't want to be on welfare, and have no idea what socialism
actually means or that socialist reform in this country is actually
what allowed a middle class to flourish and ultimately make the U.S.
one of the most prosperous nations in human history.

Go tout your teabagger beliefs somewhere where you have an audience.
It's not here bud.

You and the other guy that answered me sound like clones. Do they crank you guys out on an asembly line.
 
FYI the teabaggers are real Americans who love thier country. they have real jobs and are honest hard working people. Contrary to the crap you guys are being fed. I would be proud to be one.
 
I do volunteer work and help those who are down and out. Too many  would rather live off the government and not work. Those I do not help and trash.
 
1%?  get real. where do you get your information from. Do you count the illegals who are sucking us dry.
 
What made this country properous was hard working people who did not ask or wanted anthing from anyone. Small and medium sized businesses who had an idea and made it work and put people to work. They did not  need the government to live off.  Socialist reform? Boy they sure feed you guys a lot of crap.
 
When you guys finish trashing the constitution, and start living in your socialist state, i hope you enjoy being a slave. And to think we abolished it once.
 
Al

Alfred
Can you say "Sheeple for Corporate Rule"

Baaaaaasking in ignorance is how they control you.

Your masters are proud of you.

keep up the good work. You are a progressive's best enemy.

Oh yes Alfred, when did this economy started to tank, was it 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 or 2009, if you think that it started in 2006, then you're lying to yourself pal, remember we are still paying for Bush scam war, and for that medicare D scam.

Alfred the Democrats can't undo in two years, what the republicans done in 12 years, so we should just sit here and blame Obama and the democrats for what Bush and the neocons done, and its not Barney Franks that caused this, it is the Conservative blue dogs Democrats roght along with the republicans that is keeping this country hostage, who stop Clinton from passing Healthcare before, republicans are against anything that is for the poor peoples of this country, republicans only support big business and the rich, no matter what country that they come from. and yes I will continue to put most of the blame where it belongs, that mean George W. Bush, Dickless Cheney and the neocon party, can''t blame the Democrats because they are weak, they are scared of their own shadow.

You appear to know very little of how the real estate debacle started the
economic tumble. It was the democrats that put in the community
re-investment act where banks were forced to lend to people who could not
afford the mortgages and in some cases had no income. I was a banker for 54
years and I know first hand. It was outfits like Acorn that pushed it and
Obama was one of them at the time. It started under Carter and was made
stronger under Clinton. It is funny but Bush was pushing for better
safeguards on Fannie may and Freddie Mac which Barney Frank said was good as
gold. A crook of the highest order. An banks are getting a bad name because
of wall street. These guys are stock brokers not bankers. They gave
themselves the name of investment bankers to legitimize themselves. T hey
have nothing to do with banking. They are stock brokers. A bad lot
Any good banker could have told you years ago that the real estate bubble
would collapse and the economy would tank. Do your homework and stop
listening to the BS the government puts out.
The president doesn't make laws. The congress does. And they are all self
serving crooks of either party.
Al

Well Alfred since I know so little about real estate Mr 54 years serviceman, who did you work for countrywide isn;t it where the real estate problem started, then hedgefunds, if your going to blame Carter the housing bubbble, then let's go back to Nixon the freak tha open up China to our economy, I thought that what we were talking about, sure the housing bubble was a part of it, but who own most of America, then came along little Ronnie Reagan and Biggie Bush the men who de-regulated the Bankers amoung all of the other criminal acts that Reagan and Bush did, like drug deals for arms, Nixon started this selling this country out with the help of Reagan, Biggie Bush, then Clinton signing that Nafta deal created by the Republicans, onto Jr Bush continue the sending out sorcing out jobs out of this country, your right cingress make laws and since 1994 congress was under the republican party until 2006, after Pres Johnson left office,this country have been sliding down hill since until Clinton took office, Clinton made two bad mistake 1 signing the neocon Nafta bill which was pass by the neocon congress, and removing the Glass-Steagall Act, which aloud the bankers to bankroll this country capital. again under a republican lead congress, then Jr Bush came along and bailed them out.

Will these podcasts be downloadable through iTunes?

yes...stay tuned!

Stop censoring my posts Mr. Carpenter. You cannot accept suggestions from your left?
Martin Luther King advocated boycotts. Why does your organization refuse to boycott the companies that give money to conservatives and demand their CEOs get us the legislation they block?

I'm a progressive. Stop censoring my posts!

Go to http://http://bit.ly/public_option to demand congress enact a strong single payer public option.

Corporate rulers are destroying America. You cannot be an American Patriot and favor corporate rule. It is oxymoronic.
To our elected officials; either stop this corporate tyranny or there will be civil war in this country. We are angry. Don't you get it? This goes for health care rulers, economic rulers, insurance rulers, Military industrial rulers, Agricultural rulers, media rulers, communications and information technology rulers.
It is time to let we the people rule again.
We are tired of government lies and deceptions financed by corporate rulers.
Wake up before we lose our civilization!

Thank you wonderblob. You have summed things up well.