As a yogi, I never speak like this, but I have to say it. With Paul Ryan as the vice president nominee for the Republicans, Mitt Romney has made his campaign slogan loud and clear: EVERYTHING'S FOR SALE! And all of the money that is made on everything that is sold will be made on the backs of the poor and the working class. Take away social security, take away healthcare, privatize education, cut food assistance programs, outsource another war, eliminate services for women and then hide your money in off-shore accounts so we never know how much you made! In the Romney/Ryan administration, whatever you can pay for, you will be able to get, period. And whatever they can pay for, they will be able to get, which will be everything. I have a feeling that one of my rich friends will just buy the government and paint the White House green and make Mitt sleep in the basement.
I once sat around a dinner table with 10 prominent ultra-rich businesspeople and their significant others for a fundraiser for a U.S. Congressman. One of the businessmen said, "the reason why we like you, is because you always return our calls" (wink! wink!). Bought and sold, right before my eyes. I wanted to cry. Ninety percent of the people in our country believe that corporations have too much control over our government...if they only could see what I have seen, it would 110 percent! Politicians work for the people who give them money, not for those who vote for them. That is why I am a proud supporter of the Occupy movement. As much as many of us hate the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, Romney doesn't like it either, because instead of the money going to Super PACs, he said he would rather the money go directly to the candidates. With no limits! That is solution to the legal bribery that is happening. Allow rich people to give MORE to those running for office. Meanwhile, he and his Super PAC buddies are outspending Obama's efforts.
So if the choice of Tea-Party favorite, Paul Ryan, is not a wake up call to all of us to make sure we do everything in our power to re-elect Barack Obama, then the only excuse is that we forgot to set our alarm. And I know that can't happen! I will ring the alarm as loud as Beyonce ever could and will fight to stop the literal destruction of poor people in this country. I heard you both talk about poverty today, but we all know that if you take control of this country, you will eliminate every program we have that protects the most vulnerable. You are two men who will destroy our people and laugh all the way to the bank with your rich friends. I pray this will never happen.
Follow Russell Simmons on Twitter: www.twitter.com/unclerush
 |
 |
|
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Votes (270 to win) |
332 | 206 |
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65,899,660 | 60,932,152 |
| Percent | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| Democrats* | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Senate | 53 | 47 |
| Seats gained or lost | +2 | -2 |
| New Total | 55 | 45 |
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats won | 201 | 234 |
The two biggest budget busters on the Federal budget are Social Security and Medicare. These are not "poverty programs"! Instead they pay benefits to every single individual of the wealthiest age cohort in the nation. If they only paid out to those who were actually poor, they wouldn't be nearly the problem they are.
Simmons and his melodramatic hysteria is more damaging to this country than any act from Romney or Ryan. Go read his asinine tweets about "choices," as if the entire needs Russell Simmons to "guide them" to the booths.
Because someone is poor, they only have one choice? Oh really? Because why Russell...is it your intent to promote an entitlement society or turn this country into a collective baron of Robin Hoods?
We don't have a tax problem, we have a spending problem. Can you wrap your head around this long enough to stop dividing Americans with your sanctimonious cackling?
Sorry Russell, but you and your nonsensical, hyperbolic and melodramatic rants are more dangerous to citizens of this country than Romney/Ryan could ever be.
I remember when republican Bob Dole ran for President making promises to cut taxes. He lost. It's funny how the same country which once laughed at Bob Dole's candidacy now can't seem to voice the words "raise taxes on the 1 percent". Not raise taxes on the rich, raise taxes on the 1 percent. Somebody tell me was Clinton some kind of genius? Did he have a magic spell that forced Americans to like taxes being raised? If he didn't, then I can't believe I'm living in the same country. Do Americans have no memory? The last I checked Republicans were slobbering over Reagan like a T-Bone at an operation rescue kennel. Do you expect me to believe that Democrats(and Republicans) have forgotten about the Bill Clinton years? I don't think so, but the Press sure has. If television commentators like Howard Fineman can pose questions like "Do we dismantle the social state?", then commentators on CNN should be asking " Should we raise taxes to 90% or 95% on the top wage earners?"
You can't fix stu pid. You can't fix willfully ign orant. You can't fix selfish.
The single issue voters will still cast their vote over guns, or abo rtion, or "religious freedom (aka freedom to discriminate against gays and non-Christians) The good ol' boys will still vote because of prejudice. The wanna-be-rich will still vote because they think it's not their problem. The low information voters will still vote based upon their knee-jerk emotional reaction to some hyped up disinformation talking point.
And the apathetic will still mostly sit on their hands.
The GoP is counting on this. And they may well be right
We have only ourselves to blame if we allow it to happen
What were you doing there? Obviously, you had to have an invite. Or were you the "people's plant"? Was the Congressman at the fundraiser a democrat? If not, and it was a republican Congressman, the same question. What were you doing there?
Something smells here and it ain't the business people and their significant others, the fundraiser, the Congressman, or the statement with winks. Sounds more like a less than truthful storyteller.
When remotely positioned racketeering of wealth is favored over progress and productivity, IT IS FURTHER EMPOWERED. They made an yuppy/intl banker-gangster feeding frenzy, THEN DROVE OIL * A L L*UNTAXED, with the mtg mkt designed to revamp the neighboorhoiods of poor working Americans. Treasonous tax code and deregulation sent money right through the economy to OUTSOURCING RYAN DEREGULATED outsourcing/c.o.living inflating, gangster bankers.
The PEOPLE MUST VOTE. My vote for Obama must no longer be wasted watching Dimon slink into the Whiote House INSTEAD of being perp-walked. To the streets!