The Texas Progressive Alliance sends its best wishes for an early spring to everyone digging out from last week’s blizzard as it brings you this week’s roundup.

The school finance ruling has been handed down, and it could be a game-changer for schools and the Legislature. Off the Kuff explains.

The Democrats in the Texas House are trying to show that the GOP doesn’t care about public education. They should since it’s been the best winning strategy for Texas Democrats in the recent past. WCNews at Eye on Williamson posts on this week’s news from The Lege, Texas House Democrats have a plan.

“Tip your server, save the world”  is a suitable mantra for living in the second decade of the 21st century. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs shares the message of transforming everything you can, within the reach of your own arm, from Will Pitt.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is watching Ted Cruz hissy fit no votes on everything including no the Violence Against Women Act.

Neil at Texas Liberal wrote that President Obama’s policies on the uses of drones will lead to abuses both internationally and at home.

Over at TexasKaos, lightseeker explains how corporate school reform is The Stupid on Steroids. Give it a look.

Texas History for the Week of  February 10 – 16

The Texas Progressive Alliance congratulates the Baltimore Ravens on their Super Bowl win as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff reports on yet another study that shows the benefits of expanding Medicaid in Texas that will be ignored by our leaders.

BossKitty at TruthHugger needs a break from writing about neglected matters in Texas, America and the World. Since we elect leaders to represent corporate interests that live on another planet, we must do our best individually and locally. BossKitty Takes A Sabbatical.

The roster of progressive blogs in Texas got a little thinner this past week. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs laments the state of the blogosphere but reminds his friends and enemies that they are not likely to see him go away any time soon.

We can’t fix what’s broke, until we know what’s wrong. WCNews at Eye on Williamson tells us, Here is what’s the matter with Texas.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is just disgusted with Ted Cruz and rapist-enabler John Cornyn.

Neil at Texas Liberal says Martin Luther King would have been sad to see young people marching off as if to war at a parade in his name.

At TexasKaos, Libby Shaw talks about Turning A Vast Crony Capitalist Red Wasteland Blue. Is it possible we can turn Rickland into a modern progressive state? Check it out.

Texas History for the Week of  February 3 – 9

February 3, 2013 – Iraq War vet charged in fatal shooting of ex-SEAL  Just a note, all the good guys had guns. One good guy turned bad. Waiting for comment by the NRA!

Wealthy Texans CONSUME the political environment. Whoever disagrees with the will of the wealthy will be gerrymandered out of their voice, by a bought and paid for Texas State Congress. 

I know Texas is not the only state where this problem exists.  But, this is MY state and I just live here and have to keep my head low … someone may blow it off because I complain about them on this blog. 

Texas Corruption is only interesting because most Texans are so proud of it.  If you ask a Texan why, they really don’t know, except that’s what they are supposed to say. 

This is the last BossKitty submission.  Uncertain when I will do another post on TruthHugger.  This has been a long and passionate ride.  The dirt in my back yard is cleaner than the Texas GOP. Political dialog in Texas gives me a headache.  If Texas becomes a purple state in my lifetime, I will rejoice.  I thank the Texas Progressive Alliance for their dedication to the daunting task of revealing the puppets and puppeteers that control our lives.

So, after pissing in the wind for several years, while it blows in the wrong direction, BossKitty is taking a break.  Call it a Sabbatical …

WIKI: Sabbatical – is a rest from work, or a hiatus, often lasting from two months to a year.

My topics have been Corruption, Environment, Disasters, Social Inequities, Educational Inequities, Health Care Inequities and a myriad of hopefully interesting rants and raves.

Tendency to Fear Is Strong Political Influence

Feb. 5, 2013 — It’s no secret that fear is a mechanism often used in political campaigns to steer public opinion on hot-button issues like immigration and war. But not everyone is equally predisposed to be influenced by such a strategy, according to new research by Rose McDermott, professor of political science, and colleagues published in the American Journal of Political Science.

Maybe it would be healthier if America divided into separate countries … Secession for the extremists. Every person with a pre-concieved opinion must decide whether or not they want to understand opposing points of view.  If they are satisfied with not expanding their knowledge and understanding, they must choose a country that suits their fantasy.

The question is, how many countries should America become … the only rule would be for each of these countries leave the others alone. BossKitty is pretty certain that the country that beckons will be inclusive and respectful of humanity and the planet. The balancing act among the many diverse views, dogmas and opinions is extreme in America.  The population of moderates, in America. that respect other’s rights is shrinking.  Syria and many Middle Eastern and African countries are facing the result of rigid political and religious dogma … the headlines show ‘Massacres’ of one side or another.

Each separated country would be banned from imposing their rhetoric upon the others.  It would have to be accepted that many families would be broken apart, due to the myriad of conflicting opinions. 

All contact between these separate countries would have to be mediated by a third party and never take place without witnesses. If we still have electricity, contact can be videotaped, etc.

The hate filled, racist, side should separate from America and live in a white, heterosexual, evangelical heaven of their own design … to practice the special privileges given to them by God … consume the earth’s soul and give nothing back.

The more progressive, inclusive side, should separate from America and create their own co-existing, diverse nirvana, and live with dignity.  The progressive side will do it’s best to repair the damaged planet that nurtures them.

All the rich oligarchs, so intent on becoming medieval lords, should separate into their own privileged monarchy, with their own serfs and slaves helping them pollute everything that surrounds them.

The weapons manufacturers should have their own ‘offshore’ country, so they can encourage wars all over the world … but ultimately, they will have to figure out where to spend their profits …

The last person standing will be very rich and very lonely.

The Texas Progressive Alliance  wishes President Obama all the best at the start of his second term as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff looks at the January finance reports for SD06 candidates.

Out of fairness alone the areas that had to sacrifice during the bad times, should be taken care of first once good times return. But, as WCNews at Eye on Williamson points out, that’s unlikely to change without a lot of public pressure, The budget, fear, and ideology.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants you to know that Blake Farenthold and his fellow Texas Republicans voted against hurricane Sandy relief. Do hurricanes or tornadoes ever hit Texas? Too bad for us.

The Asshats on Parade, sponsored by PDiddie’s Brains and Eggs, included Lance Armstrong, Dick Cheney, Manti Te’o, and Ed Emmett.

BossKitty at TruthHugger almost decided to skip writing an article this week, the number of exploiters in high places is too overwhelming America’s Disappointing Role Models.

Secession fun for everyone this week at McBlogger!

Neil at Texas Liberal posted his 6th annual updated Martin Luther King Reading & Reference List. It is the best such resource on the web.

Texas History for the Week of  January 20 – 26

America’s high profile role models have betrayed all of us … especially the children.  There is no shortage of genuine role models, but those in our face every day have fallen from grace. 

Immature Hollywood characters and sports figures are to be expected.  Immaturity, arrogance, and special privilege is exposed to us a daily basis … but, not always from the usual suspects.

Judges, Mayors, Congresspeople, Senators, Religious Leaders and Military figures are redefining Truth, Honor and Honesty in America. 

Honesty is the primary victim, accountability is lost in the noise and integrity is not profitable anymore.  How do we teach our children to be honest?  How do we convince our children to be truthful and honest? 

Politicians, judges, prosecutors and policeman look out for each other, while they lock up the everyday citizens for anything from the trivial to the atrocious.  If they make us all look like criminals, their indiscretions don’t appear as damning.  Can they control and threaten us to stop the questions we ask?  The latest round of Role Models crashing around us include sports figures, politicians, judges and various celebrities.  They lie, they cheat, they steal, they commit sexual crimes … They deny over and over and over … only to look like cartoon characters once they are finally nailed to the wall with overwhelming evidence.

The most disgusting aspect of all this, is the damage to those who dare speak the truth.  Some ‘TruthHuggers’ are blasted, bruised and discredited by high profile criminals protecting their advantages of celebrity and wealth.  This is the legacy America is leaving to it’s children. 

Certainly, there are local heroes, who stretch their capabilities to help individuals and their communities. But, sadly, there are fewer and fewer state or national heroes that are infallible.  These high profile celebrities, politicians, clerics, sports figures and judges are crashing all around us.

Superman would have to change his motto from “Truth, Justice and the American Way”, to “Our Way or No Way” or “America, the land of the Free to Lie, Cheat and Steal …”  The world watches America’s headlines and judges us as not trustworthy.  Our children learn from us and figure out better ways to Lie, Cheat and Steal.

Lets not make a list of the fallen role models … too depressing.

The Texas Progressive Alliance  is digging in for another long legislative session as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff has interviews with SD06 special election candidates Sylvia Garcia and Carol Alvarado.

BossKitty at TruthHugger is just appalled that the whole story isn’t addressed, Of Course It’s Not Just Guns.

Cut taxes, create a structural deficit, cut education and the safety net which results in a surplus. Rinse and repeat. WCNews at Eye on Williamson wants to make sure everyone hasn’t forgotten the past, Do you remember how we got here?

As early voting began, Brains and Eggs had the most comprehensive coverage of the special election to replace the late Mario Gallegos in the Texas Senate. A post on the protest at TransCanada, two posts on Sylvia Garcia’s aggressive campaign against Carol Alvarado, a post on the candidate who boycotted one of the debates, and a post critical of the exceptionally lame media coverage of the election highlighted a busy week.

Over at TexasKaos, lightseeker gives you the skivvy on the educational funding issue including the latest lamebrain schemes from our Republican leaders. Check it out at : Texas Education-The Same Old Fools In Charge Part 2.

Neil at Texas Liberal posted that a grave with a view of traffic would be a fitting end to an urban Houston life.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants you to know that Rick Perry has doubled down on corporate greed and Tea Party crazy.

Texas History for the Week of  January 13 – 19

Obama unveils sweeping plan to battle gun violence

NRA is sponsored by a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry that profits from purchases of Military Weapons and profits from armed conflict and from Drug Cartels.  These weapons manufacturers supply the ordinary citizen PLUS Armed Militias, Drug Cartels and Terrorists (by proxy … of course).  This industry really has no interest in any reasons for  conflicts or consequences, they just know that’s where the money is! It’s always about the money.

In America, the weapons industry is funding NRA attacks on President Obama.  NRA resents applying the word RESPONSIBILITY applied to gun ownership.  President acknowledges the rights of responsible gun owners, hunters, sports and collectors.  What the President did NOT say is that America’s Armed Militias will ultimately become Domestic Terrorists … again, NRA, the front for the weapons industry, wants to distract the public from THAT reality.

There are currently 114 Gun Manufacturers in America according to WIKI: Firearms manufacturers in the United States

NRA and the Weapons Industry has recruited a lot of voices to plug their message that ANY gun control is a THREAT! Oregon Sheriff Vows He Will Not Enforce ‘Unconstitutional’ New Gun Control Legislation, and Gun Advocate Larry Pratt Defends NRA Attack Ad: ‘Spot On’ In Proving Obama ‘Hypocrisy’

After the Aurora Theater massacre in July 2012, Forbes article:  The NRA Industrial Complex – … the key to gun industry growth in the last few years is the NRA’s effort to scare gun owners and stop President Obama from being re-elected. NRA’s power comes from the way it spends money to reward politicians, who turn its self-interest into the law of the land and use its money and power to defeat politicians who oppose its will. Guns are an essential ingredient in senseless mass murders like the one in Aurora.  And gun industry money is similarly vital to stifling anyone who dares discuss changes in the law that would keep Rugers and Glocks out of the hands of lunatics like Holmes, Loughner, and Cho. -

After Sandy Hook Elementary school massacre in December 2012, Forbes article: The Gun Industry Needs to Reinvent Itself Before It’s Too Late

The Atlantic: The Struggle Over Gun Control in Congress Begins With These Two Men

There is incomplete data for the average for gun related deaths a day in America, including suicides.  There is a gap in reporting consistency to follow the actual figures as  they happen.  Not all gun deaths are as spectacular as the recent massacres America has suffered recently.

CNN: Analysis: Why gun controls are off the agenda in America

The FBI reported a record-high 2.8 million background checks for gun purchases in December, up from 2 million in November and 1.9 million from December 2011.  Mr. Obama said law-abiding gun owners shouldn’t fear his proposals, due later this week, which he said are only designed to prevent mass shootings such as last month’s rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

THE CHART

Provided by Dr. David Healy, “Welcome to Data Based Medicine”

It’s a little easier to understand when you can see it on this partial list. Click on the link for the entire chart. 

Dr. David Healy, author of The Antidepressant Era, Let Them Eat Prozac, and ‘Pharmageddon,  did a lot of research to create a comprehensive chart of cause and effect of antidepressants and violence in America. Even though this chart list is very incomplete, it does illustrate the predominant connection to a greater formula for disaster, here in America. It is a formula that cannot be stopped easily. Endangering society to reap financial profit is criminal!  Among those profiting from the combination of Drugs, Weapons and Disinformation is Doctors, Lawyers, Gun Manufacturers, Drug Manufacturers, Hollywood, Anarchists and Armageddon Advocates.

Our Personalities Are Constantly Changing, Even if We Think They’re Not

The sad reality about untreated and misunderstood mental conditions is the stigma associated with mental illness, and society’s knee jerk responses to anyone seeking mental health help. So a far larger proportion of mass homicides, including the brutal July 2011 attacks in Norway, the Tucson, Ariz., shooting that wounded Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, involve perpetrators with mental illness. The proportion far outstrips the rates of mental illness in the population.

So what leads one person to violence but not another? In some cases, it may be the stigma of mental illness that provokes it, by exacerbating existing symptoms of delusion, disconnection from reality, social withdrawal and lack of emotion.  A rare insight into the mind of a patient with schizophrenia comes from a former academic who wrote anonymously about her experience with social stigma from her disease ~ David Dobbs at Wired

Here are some very informative articles addressing the facts surrounding the Gun issue:

Gun Rhetoric vs. Gun Facts

Crime Statistics > Murders (per capita) (most recent) by country

Crime Statistics > Murders with firearms (most recent) by country

I have tried to make such a list for a long time.  2/3 of the murders in the United States are committed with guns, and all of these mass killings, except for September 11, 2001 and the  Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma, have been done with guns. It was only dumb luck that the man who crashed his plane into a Texas I.R.S. Office, did not have more fatalities. It is VERY true that guns are not the only culprit … if someone wants to commit murder and mayhem, they will use whatever they know how to use … or whatever is most convenient.  Guns are the easiest to get.

The massacre of 77 people in Norway was an exception, because there is little history of gun violence in Norway because of strict gun laws. Breivik also bombed government buildings on Oslo.  America has mass gun violence almost on a daily basis.  Seldom do these atrocities get media attention in America, unless it is at a School, Mall or Movie Theater.  America is riveted to the spectacular and is drawn to screaming media coverage.

The numbers would be even more incredible if you include local incidents that have fewer victims to warrant a news story.  The reality that a perfectly normal acting person can be really ACTING NORMAL.  No one knows the true feelings of someone who has a deep down perception of paranoia, rejection or damaged self esteem igniting a desire for revenge.  Human Mental Health changes on a daily basis … someone can snap at a moment’s notice.  Witness all the workplace and Domestic violence … people can use anything to kill another human being.  But, guns are the easiest weapon.

Mental state (Health Care) + Altered state (Drugs) + availability of Deadly ‘Toys’ (Weapons)= Atrocity

No, of course it’s not the gun’s fault. It’s the diminishing human capacity to be accountable for their actions and consider the consequences. Crazy people have easy access to guns.  Stupid people don’t want to prevent that. Stupid people want to associate any gun possession responsibilities with attacks on our 300+ year old Constitution, that reflected the desires of America’s Founding Fathers in the 1700s. 

If America’s Founding Fathers could see us now, 300+ years later … what do you think their priorities would be?  Given the technology advancements to all things America, our Founding Fathers would obviously have worded the Second Amendment a little differently.  Yes, America wants the ability to overthrow a disagreeable government.  Do you really think that is feasible?  Don’t you  think that the government’s technology can overwhelm anything some anarchist can use?  Military weapons in the hands of civilians only allows some sick minded ass-hole to commit mass murders of innocent people.  Even your ordinary murderer uses more practical, personal weapons that mostly target their chosen victim.  They usually don’t wipe out a whole neighborhood, school or mall to dispatch their evil spouse or evil co-worker. 

Military weapons are mass human killing machines and it would be ridiculous to imagine hunting a deer or duck with one.  There would be too little left to eat!  GET REAL! 

Even more important is that too many Modern Americans have lost the ability to identify with other REAL human beings. Modern social interaction has become ‘Wireless’ and ‘Remote’ and hands off.  Self esteem is becoming more and more dependent on devices that connect people remotely.  Social disconnect along with the sensory assault by violent media, marketing the thrill of violence, has changed how modern society perceives each other. 

There are acceptable illnesses and unacceptable illnesses.  Cancer and Heart Disease are the most socially acceptable illnesses, Mental Illness is whispered and socially unacceptable.  However, Mental Illness is the gold mine for pharmaceuticals … the caveat is always the MONEY!  Insurance Industry and Affordable Health Care have payment limits. When those limits are met, the patient is left to their own devices without those costly pharmaceuticals that keep them stabilized.  Eventually the patient is released to family or the streets … until their benefits reset.  That wait, that interruption in treatment, usually results in disaster.

Inadequate oversight and negligence go hand in hand. Endangering society to reap financial profit is criminal! Inadequate oversight is criminal, because it endangers everyone. This is what America has evolved into … exploitation at the cost of health and safety.

Because most people dislike or distrust government, no one wants government to have any control over anything … including our own well being.  There are a great number of Americans who are totally dependent on government assistance … and NO they are NOT all leaches and blood suckers who scam the system because they are lazy bums. Many of them have legitimate illness or age related issues that prevent them from supporting themselves.  Some day you will grow old, too … as long as you survive the ailments provided by modern technology.

There is deliberate inadequate, ineffective oversight concerning the Pharmaceutical Industry. The FDA is not funded to do it’s own testing to verify new drugs or new uses are safe.  FDA has to let the fox report on the chickens.  The results ALWAYS sound too good to be true.  Besides, a LOT of MONEY is riding on a positive result.  And, everyone knows in advance that Pharma Corporations own enough Congressmen and Senators to get past thorough oversight.

There is inadequate responsibility for mental health in America.  Mental Health is a critical part of the HEALTH Industry.  A LOT of Americans don’t trust the HEALTH Industry and don’t want anyone questioning their MENTAL HEALTH.  Mental Health has been demonized and whispered about for over a century in America.  Nothing can ever happen unless there is a willingness to participate.  America does not have the guts to participate in genuine mental health diagnosis or treatment.  Those that do are exposed to the Big Pharma/Health Care/Insurance three headed Mafia.

Don’t forget we are human and if we are healthy and socially functional, we have the ability to recognize our options. Those who ‘snap’ cannot see any options. So they act out their frustrations or imaginary fears. Some mentally ill can see no other courses of action available … the consequences of their actions are no longer important.  Undiagnosed Mental Health issues are America’s Armageddon.  They remain untreated. ~^^~

The finger pointing is not that convenient.  It is a systematic failure that puts deadly ‘toys’ in the hands of people who should not have them.  It is a formula … as you can see on Dr Healy’s Chart.
These don’t just happen in schools. I wrote an article about an example here in Austin, a guy off his meds got hold of a gun and killed an actor.

America’s mental state needs to be addressed, but that will never happen under the current corporate leadership. Corporations have figured out how to profit from these atrocities. More drugs, more guns, more sick people not being diagnosed or treated.

I repeat: Among those profiting from the combination of Drugs, Weapons and Disinformation is Doctors, Lawyers, Gun Manufacturers, Drug Manufacturers, Hollywood, Anarchists and Armageddon Advocates.

The term “drug wars” often refers to violent cartels which bully, bribe and slaughter in the name of  illegal drug profits. But another drug war is assailing America, and no machine guns are used. Rather, it’s a war inflicted by huge pharmaceutical companies — often foreign-based — which knowingly sell deadly, defective drugs for years while reaping monstrous profits. ~ Jim Adler.

So, profiteers are on a roll as long as they can keep America’s Mental Health on tilt.

How Overconfidence and Paranoia Become Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

It would be interesting to look at extremist militia groups, regarding paranoia and self-fulfilling prophecies, especially in light of the current revival of interest in gun control issues. It seems to me that such groups who fear that the government (or UN stormtroopers) will come to take away their guns and so create groups that practice paramilitary training and hoard firearms are creating exactly the conditions that will draw the attention of law enforcement. The more radicalized their speech and practices become, the more likely it would be that government agencies would be informed and investigate or seek informants to monitor such groups. In their minds, this would seem to confirm their paranoid visions of a police state out to squash 2nd Amendment rights and free speech. ~ sk3

The Texas Progressive Alliance welcomes the 2013 Legislature and hopes that it actually tries to make Texas a better place as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff discusses what some new legislators are saying about education and the questions they should be but aren’t being asked.

The GOP is for more of the same and demonizing the poor and less fortunate, the Democrats are for finding reality-based solutions that help everyone get ahead. WCNews at Eye on Williamson points this out Fairness and equality (are) missing from Texas economy.

There were a few under-reported environmental developments in Texas last week, so PDiddie at Brains and Eggs reported on them.

BossKitty at TruthHugger had to laugh at the low brow War on Kwanzaa, then, got riled at the Sunday Morning talk shows, Drop the script written by bitter old men!

Over at Texas Kaos, Libby Shaw explains how Senator John Cornyn Threatens to Wreck Our Government. Check it out.

Neil at Texas Liberal posted that he left the woods for the safety of the city.

Texas History for the Week of  January 6 – 12

 Ah, the BRICK WALL of RHETORIC.

The CLASH of brick walls is destruction.  Brick Walls crush each other because they are rigid.  Rigid is great until it runs in to another rigid Brick Wall.  The history of human civilizations is paved with crushed walls!  Many times these crushed walls are no longer recognizable, because they have turned to dust and rubble.  America’s politics is quickly turning into dust and rubble!  The American Culture has morphed into the typical formula that “crushed” so many ancient civilizations and is no longer recognizable as the dream of it’s Founding Fathers.

Mitch McConnell is guilty of assuming he knows what a whole, diverse group of people, think, feel and  will act. “All the Democrats want to do is spend”. “The Debt Ceiling is a hostage worth ransoming”. So, McConnell’s oath to Grover Norquist appears to supersede his oath to America! Any proposals by the Democrats and President Obama is poison to “Old Guard” handlers. The Senate Minority Leader deliberately does not put names and faces on the population he wants to cut loose fro those “DIRTY ENTITLEMENTS”, which happen to be everything described in the US Constitution.  The balancing act between government responsibility to it’s people and it’s lenders has become heavy handed on the scale.  One side wants the other side to be responsible for everything.  That argument can be pointed in both directions.

But, of course, the OTHER side is just as guilty of painting a radical picture of their opponents.  All Republicans want to do is exclude the disadvantaged.  All Republicans want to do is protect rich corporations from accountability or liability. NO ONE considers cause and effect, no one considers the consequences of excluding ALL the rich or ALL the poor.  No one addresses what has caused disadvantage in the first place …

George Will argued with Robert Reich, that in order to have the welfare state he said Reich and other liberals want, the Bush tax rates on the middle class would have had to been rolled back, taking the entitlement state off the table.

“There are only three liberals in the country, and you’re one, who are actively hostile to arithmetic and therefore, you know ,you cannot fund a state the liberals want, the entitlement state without taxing the middle class at least. And now you’ve given up that with the locking in as permanent law the Bush tax rates — that’s off the table.”

No one seems interested in Cause and Effect … what causes the mess we are in and how do we reverse the trend.  If it is really reversible. America is drowning in the Economics of Poverty while it wants to throw all the consequences overboard to lighten the load for what is seen as the “Captains” on America’s lifeboat.  Luxuries enjoyed by the wealthy are provided by poorly paid servers.  If they throw them all overboard, there will be no one to row the boat.

I propose that “Both Sides” be required to work in the SAME ROOM and talk to EACH OTHER. Lay out all the issues each representative is faced with and tasked to do by their constituents. 

I propose that the “Old Guard” be required to admit that the population of America has grown and the Baby Boomers are entering the “entitlement” phase of their lives. They have paid in to the “Safety Net” system put in place with Social Security and Medicare.  BossKitty paid Social Security and Medicare taxes for almost 50 years.  That is NOT an entitlement, it was an investment!

It appears that the Right Wing Brick Wall has confused the definitions!  Social Safety Net vs. SocioEconomic Safety Net!  The Brick Wall Tea Party dogma: No Taxes? No Deals? No Compromises! No nothin! Period. The Right Wing Brick Wall cannot consider the dangers of excluding the poorest from their ability to climb out of their poverty.  The misconception the Tea Party has is that these “Blood Suckers” enjoy the free services and enjoy their “poverty” entitlements.

Listening to Newt Gingrich, on Sunday Morning Meet The Press Roundtable, shocked me by making a LOT of sense.  Newt explained the whole Sandy Relief debacle in the House of Representatives.  Why was there no media coverage about the extra “Pork” added to the Disaster Relief bill that had NO relevance to Hurricane Sandy Victims!

On the roundtable, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich chided his Republican colleagues for using the debt ceiling as a political leverage, saying that two other issues, the pending sequestration cuts and the continuing resolution to fund the government, were “much better fights than the debt ceiling.”  Gingrich continued, “The debt ceiling guarantees a crisis. It guarantees that the markets will cave in on the Republicans. And the Republicans in the end will give up.”

Why do these guys sound so good and logical when they are no longer pandering to their owners? When they are separated from their handlers, they are really just people.  When they are in Campaign Mode, they are nothing but ROBOTS!..

But, Socioeconomic safety nets are non-contributory transfer programs seeking to prevent the poor or those vulnerable to shocks and poverty from falling below a certain poverty level..

This predisposition that another group is so dependable is great … in a cartoon world!  This is where “Stereotypes” come from.   So, let’s say I will always act this way … because YOU will always act THAT way!  Therefore, I will never consider your points, because you will never consider my points.  Tea Party dogma: No Taxes? No Deals? No Compromises! No nothin! Period.

Whether you know it or not, you are conveniently stashed into a social/political cubby hole.  Which stereotype YOU fall in to?  You will never know, because a team of analysts have decided who and what you are.  They feed their findings into a computer and design their ideal political robot to grab your emotions … and vote!

Let’s quit NON-action rhetoric.  Drop the SCRIPT written by bitter old men who are nothing more than ‘Front Men/Women’ for special interest lobbies!!!

The RHETORIC that Democrats are SOCIALISTS!  Republicans are NAZIs!  And, everyone else is irrelevant because they are poor, powerless and don’t know Jack Shit!

Some of the facts that are being run over and ignored by the Brick Walls in Congress:

Freezing social spending would be a reasonable goal if America already treated its poorest citizens adequately, or even tolerably. It does neither. In fact, maintaining entitlement spending at current levels will still leave millions of people in abject poverty, with no possibility of social advancement or even basic comfort and security. The only difference between no cuts and cuts is the difference between more of the same and even more of the same.

Currently, an estimated 46.2 million Americans are in poverty. Nearly 44% of poor Americans are in “deep poverty,” meaning they subsist on below half the official poverty line. Median earnings for all Americans have consistently dropped for the past four decades, and inequality has exploded. Americans are working longer hours in worse jobs for less compensation. Socioeconomic mobility is on its way towards functional extinction. And needless to say, all of these trends are heavily stratified along racial lines. This is the status quo which Beltway progressivism is fighting to preserve, because it can only foresee a worse alternative.

As long as America fails to face the causes for all of it’s woes, toxic exposures to legal and illegal drugs, along with environmental pollution (water and soil), dysfunction will continue to accelerate America’s demise.  America’s exposure to toxic substances have made us sicker and richer at the same time.  America has sold this formula to other countries and cultures, so this shared disaster is an epidemic.  The dysfunction is America’s inability to reduce toxic exposure because it is addicted to the money it brings in.  This is the same business model of illegal drug cartels.  It is nothing more than a money model.  America’s version of this same model is more palatable because it makes it’s citizens believe they are participating in the decision making.  When the citizens start suffering from the ill effects of reality, they are fed the placebo of a target group to blame.  This is where the dysfunction reaches it’s peak and ordinary citizens start acting out and committing atrocities against each other.  The clueless Washington Political Machine continues to play the same script and ignore the consequences of dismissing the causes for poverty and disability that has clogged America’s economic system.

State Sen. Glenn Grothman Declares War on Kwanzaa

The West Bend Republican calls for an end to Kwanzaa, which he describes as a fake holiday aimed at dividing blacks and whites.

GOP State Senator: Kwanzaa Is A Leftist Plot ‘To Destroy’ America

While outrage about the so-called war on Christmas has died down for another year, Wisconsin state Senator Glenn Grothman (R) has launched a new war on Kwanzaa, claiming it is a fake holiday invented by racist radicals who want to “divide America.”

In a press release entitled “Why Must We Still Hear About Kwanzaa,” Grothman ranted that Kwanzaa is a holiday celebrated by “left wing nuts” because “they don’t like America and seek to destroy it.” Grothman is comforted by his belief that “almost all black people ignore” Kwanzaa, but is deeply troubled by the fact that schools are teaching the holiday:

Irresponsible public school districts such as Green Bay and Madison (and who knows how many others…) try to tell a new generation that blacks have a separate holiday than Christians…But why do they do it? They don’t like America and seek to destroy it by pretending that its values as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution, don’t apply to everyone. Mainstream Americans must be more outspoken on this issue. It’s time it’s slapped down once and for all…Be on the lookout if a K-12 or college teacher tries to tell your children or grandchildren it’s a real holiday.

Oh My! Kwanzaa started by Maulana Karenga who said his goal was to “give Blacks an alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society.” … as Kwanzaa gained mainstream adherents, Karenga altered his position so that practicing Christians would not be alienated, then stating in the 1997 Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture, “Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday.”^[5]  Many Christian African Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa do so in addition to observing Christmas.^[6]

WIKI: Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration held in the United States (and, more recently, Canada) but also celebrated in the WesternAfrican Diaspora. The celebration honors African heritage in African-American culture, and is observed from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a feast and gift-giving.^[1] Kwanzaa has seven core principles (Nguzo Saba): Unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. It was created by Maulana Karenga, and was first celebrated in 1966–67.