Local Political Blog

Responsibility? What’s that?

AIG executives who were largely responsible for the company’s near-bankruptcy receive $165M in bonuses! Citi Corp. plans a $10M office renovation in New York City. Both these companies will use bail-out funds to pay for these. Thirteen bailout companies owe $220M in unpaid taxes. If this is typical of the “responsibility” of America’s financial top dogs, it is little wonder the country is bogged down in an economic Armageddon. Congress has enacted a punitive tax; I hope it works, but I doubt it. How about a purge? Chase down the people whose irresponsibility, greed and perhaps dishonesty brought the roof down, confiscate their ill begotten loot and pitch them out on the street. Let them try to survive in the mess they have created.

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How many seniors does it take to sink a politician?

Answer: Not many, if they’re mad enough. I can think of no faster way to raise seniors’ ire than to mess around will Social Security and reduce present and future income expectations. One, only one of President Obama’s proposals for maintaining Social Security was to collect payroll taxes from incomes in excess of $250,000. Is that a revolutionary, even subversive point of view? I shouldn’t think so. Here I am an old man of 75 putting in at least 40 hours every week, earning far less that #$250,000 and paying payroll tax on every cent of it. As I see it, that means that I am subsidizing part of the tax for those with incomes so great that they don’t pay payroll tax on all of it. “From those who have much, much will be demanded.” In case you missed it, that’s from Holy Scripture, not some Socialist document.

Monday morning, Feb. 2, 2009 - I can't believe it! I am beyond outrage; my blood pressure is at a boil! This morning I have read that some of our biggest bailedout bankss have dismissed American employees and applied for visas for foreign replacements - the suppssition being that they can get them cheaper. Are these institutions so concerned about their own survival that they have lost sight of the fact the bailouts were intended for the benefit of America and Americans and not a means to save their CEO rear ends? They need to learn that running a business is more than an exagerated concern for "the bottom line." How's about business management, handling credit, human relations? While we're at it, they might benefit from a few lessons in patriotism. I'm not a xenophobe, but I am growing weary of seeing my tax dollars exported for the benefit of uncaring CEOs.

So now the Supreme Court of the United States has struck down a law intended to protect our young people from child pornography on line. This was done in the cause of freedom of speech. What planet do these people live on? Are they so out of touch that they are not aware of the hundreds of kids who go missing every year? Years ago I was taught that freedom of speech does not extend to yelling "FIRE" in a crowded theater. Good Lord! The theater is ablaze and, instead of giving us the tools to put it out, we are asked to add fuel to it.

As a long-time registered Republican, I am shocked and immensely dismayed that a contender for the Republican National Chairmanship would have the incredibly poor taste, poor judgment and utter lack of sensitivity to send a racially derogatory song to supporters. “Barack, the Magic Negro” not only is an affront to the President-elect but to the myriads of people who voted for him. Whether we like it or not, Barack Obama will be the POTUS for the next four years at least. Chip Saltsman may have intended this to be funny; I, for one, am not laughing.