We are witnessing Washington in disarray. It starts with a House of Representatives whose own speaker is not respected by his own party. To that we should add the fact that Congress is divided even amongst itself, with the House with a majority Republican and the Senate with a majority Democrat.
It would be useful to this members of government who are Christians to read Matthew 12:25: Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”
For those who do not read the New Testament and also for those who do they should also read a speech from who is with not doubt best president the United States of America has had, Abraham Lincoln. That speech said: A house divided against itself cannot stand. Although he was reflecting on slavery and liberty we should reflect on the stability of this country as a whole with a divided government who is so inflexible the only people affected by this lack of respect on both sides will be the vast majority of the population.
It is time to put arrogance aside and do what is the right thing for the future of this nation. We should always remember the real meaning of the word JOY (Jesus, others and then yourself, in that order).
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
The tyranny of the wealthiest
As we head into the last few days before the United States of America, the largest Gross Domestic Product in the world tell the world that its word means nothing, that it is not able and that it will not pay its bill we need to take a step back and analyze the whole picture.
We have on one side the Democratic Party willing to put everything on the table to be cut or at least reduce the growth of all the budget, and on the other side we can see a bunch of loonies, unqualified members of the House of Representatives who don't know what it means to make a deal, in other words to govern. We can quote Senator John Mcain today on the floor of the Senate: “The idea seems to be that if the House GOP refuses to raise the debt ceiling a default crisis or gradual government shutdown will ensue and the public will turn against Barack Obama, Republicans in the House who refused to raise the debt ceiling will escape, then Democrats will have no choice but to pass a balance budget amendment and reform entitlements and the Tea Party habits could return to Middle Earth having defeated Mordor.” Somebody like him who has been around the block a few times can see that creating a catastrophe not just to the country but would push financials markets across the world into chaos. This is the reason that I call these freshmen in the House unqualified.
There is no doubt that President Obama will pay a big price because this happened under his watch but Republicans will also face reality when people find that their 401k have taken a big hit, that the interest rates that they were counting on are gone, and that the unemployment will continue to go up because a new recession will be forced upon us. When the Chamber of Commerce, an ultraconservative institution who was behind many of these infantile House representatives is now running for cover, as they realize that the markets are starting to signal the inflexibility of one half of one branch of government to come to its senses. What we are actually seeing is how the top 1% of income earners have hijacked this country. They are represented through many different front lines groups or entities. One of those entities is Americans for Tax Reform headed by Grover Norquist, a radical right wing extremist that forces Republicans wannabes to sign a pledge that under no circumstance will they ever raise taxes. One would assume that this people would have the option to say no. The other side of the coin is for those who do not sign the pledge or who have signed it and broken that pledge American for Tax Reform will fund new right wing loonies to run against them.
We all really know, whether we want to admit it or not, that the main reason why we are in this whole is because of tax policies that have proved totally false, the theory “that if we reduce taxes there will be greater investment and thus the economy will grow and that will create jobs.” No better proof but just go back to the last two decades, Clinton signed at the time the biggest increase of taxes in 1993 and during his administration 23 million new jobs were created. Then came George W. Bush, he had huge tax cuts for the top 1% of income earners. Only 3 million jobs were created in the same period. The proof is in the pudding, as they say. To make matters worse Bush had two unpaid wars, both that still continue, and unpaid prescription bill. By the time he left we had a financial collapse of a housing bubble created under his watch, and we were losing 700 thousand jobs a month by the time Obama took office.
The top 1% of the population through these puppets in the House are presenting the rest of us with these options: we will protect the jets, the low taxes of the wealthy, their country clubs, but we want Granny to pay more out of pocket for her healthcare, we want to cut her social security benefits, we want the young students to pay more for their tuition to go to school, and cut loose the poor.
What is hard to believe in all of this is that a lot of these people in Congress call themselves Christians. I guess they did not read Matthew 25:40: 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
When I moved to the United States the thing that surprised me the most is how the middle class and the poor accepted the rules imposed by the wealthiest. If we look at society it tends to be a pyramid, with more at the bottom and fewer at the top. By not voting, by not going out and having their voices being heard they have allowed the most radical members of society to run this country to the ground, export their jobs and investment overseas, and then make them pay for the party in which they were never invited in the first place. In 1789 in France the masses said finished to the corruption and lavish lifestyle of the royals at the expense of the people. Maybe its time for the people of this country to wake up and take back what used to be theirs.
We have on one side the Democratic Party willing to put everything on the table to be cut or at least reduce the growth of all the budget, and on the other side we can see a bunch of loonies, unqualified members of the House of Representatives who don't know what it means to make a deal, in other words to govern. We can quote Senator John Mcain today on the floor of the Senate: “The idea seems to be that if the House GOP refuses to raise the debt ceiling a default crisis or gradual government shutdown will ensue and the public will turn against Barack Obama, Republicans in the House who refused to raise the debt ceiling will escape, then Democrats will have no choice but to pass a balance budget amendment and reform entitlements and the Tea Party habits could return to Middle Earth having defeated Mordor.” Somebody like him who has been around the block a few times can see that creating a catastrophe not just to the country but would push financials markets across the world into chaos. This is the reason that I call these freshmen in the House unqualified.
There is no doubt that President Obama will pay a big price because this happened under his watch but Republicans will also face reality when people find that their 401k have taken a big hit, that the interest rates that they were counting on are gone, and that the unemployment will continue to go up because a new recession will be forced upon us. When the Chamber of Commerce, an ultraconservative institution who was behind many of these infantile House representatives is now running for cover, as they realize that the markets are starting to signal the inflexibility of one half of one branch of government to come to its senses. What we are actually seeing is how the top 1% of income earners have hijacked this country. They are represented through many different front lines groups or entities. One of those entities is Americans for Tax Reform headed by Grover Norquist, a radical right wing extremist that forces Republicans wannabes to sign a pledge that under no circumstance will they ever raise taxes. One would assume that this people would have the option to say no. The other side of the coin is for those who do not sign the pledge or who have signed it and broken that pledge American for Tax Reform will fund new right wing loonies to run against them.
We all really know, whether we want to admit it or not, that the main reason why we are in this whole is because of tax policies that have proved totally false, the theory “that if we reduce taxes there will be greater investment and thus the economy will grow and that will create jobs.” No better proof but just go back to the last two decades, Clinton signed at the time the biggest increase of taxes in 1993 and during his administration 23 million new jobs were created. Then came George W. Bush, he had huge tax cuts for the top 1% of income earners. Only 3 million jobs were created in the same period. The proof is in the pudding, as they say. To make matters worse Bush had two unpaid wars, both that still continue, and unpaid prescription bill. By the time he left we had a financial collapse of a housing bubble created under his watch, and we were losing 700 thousand jobs a month by the time Obama took office.
The top 1% of the population through these puppets in the House are presenting the rest of us with these options: we will protect the jets, the low taxes of the wealthy, their country clubs, but we want Granny to pay more out of pocket for her healthcare, we want to cut her social security benefits, we want the young students to pay more for their tuition to go to school, and cut loose the poor.
What is hard to believe in all of this is that a lot of these people in Congress call themselves Christians. I guess they did not read Matthew 25:40: 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
When I moved to the United States the thing that surprised me the most is how the middle class and the poor accepted the rules imposed by the wealthiest. If we look at society it tends to be a pyramid, with more at the bottom and fewer at the top. By not voting, by not going out and having their voices being heard they have allowed the most radical members of society to run this country to the ground, export their jobs and investment overseas, and then make them pay for the party in which they were never invited in the first place. In 1789 in France the masses said finished to the corruption and lavish lifestyle of the royals at the expense of the people. Maybe its time for the people of this country to wake up and take back what used to be theirs.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
A sad story
I have a couple who are friends that I know are heading down a one way road to the abyss. You see them bickering at each other about everything. Every single issue becomes a reason for argument, regardless of the importance.
I’ve known them for a very long time, and it is very sad to see them in this state. I remember when they started dating, they loved being together, even if it meant not going getting together with other friends. They loved doing everything together. They used to walk back from work so that they could spend more time. It looked like 24 hours in a day wasn’t enough time for them to spend together. They shared the same taste for travel, music.
They went through many hurdles but there was always this sense of unity.
But then fate would have it. They were faced with their biggest test. They had a child with a disability.
I know what it means because I have a son with autism, so I know how life puts you to a test. Their son had cerebral pulsy.
And this test that they were faced with would challenge their faith, they belief in each other and primarily their love.
Both of them are professionals but nothing that they had studied in school would prepare them for this.
And the great wall starting cracking. They disagreed about how to raise that child, how to deal with his disability, how he should behave in public, where to go on vacation, etc.
And all of this starting taking its toll on both of them. Their love starting fading away, it didn’t just happen overnight of course. Like everything in life, it was a progression. Their disagreements became more intense. She sought a marriage counselor. It did not work out. It was just a time to disagree with a referee, instead of finding a way of communicating better.
Their lack of communication became silence. They spent less and less time together. When they tried spending some time alone it was just as bad.
Many times in life we put our interests ahead, even if it means hurting somebody else. I consider myself a believer and a follower of Jesus Christ, and if there is something that I can take with me from his teachings is that he laid his life for others. He always put others first.
We are all selfish, the temptation of looking out for our own interests first is something we wrestle with during most of our lives.
When talking with my friend he would go as far as to tell me that their moments of intimacy were very infrequent, if none, and that they were something that he would rather forget. I asked him if that was the way it always was and he said no, that when things were good their sex life was something special, something that both felt good about.
I asked him if he was contemplating leaving his house, and he said that he had thought about many times in the past, but that the only reason he had stayed was because of that child. He felt responsible. The one thing I do remember that he said was that he had tried to bend backwards, forwards and sideways for the marriage to work, but that it had not made a difference.
Time will tell how long they will be able to live under the same roof.
We live in a day and age where people are only focused on their own needs, that’s why marriages end up failing.
I’ve known them for a very long time, and it is very sad to see them in this state. I remember when they started dating, they loved being together, even if it meant not going getting together with other friends. They loved doing everything together. They used to walk back from work so that they could spend more time. It looked like 24 hours in a day wasn’t enough time for them to spend together. They shared the same taste for travel, music.
They went through many hurdles but there was always this sense of unity.
But then fate would have it. They were faced with their biggest test. They had a child with a disability.
I know what it means because I have a son with autism, so I know how life puts you to a test. Their son had cerebral pulsy.
And this test that they were faced with would challenge their faith, they belief in each other and primarily their love.
Both of them are professionals but nothing that they had studied in school would prepare them for this.
And the great wall starting cracking. They disagreed about how to raise that child, how to deal with his disability, how he should behave in public, where to go on vacation, etc.
And all of this starting taking its toll on both of them. Their love starting fading away, it didn’t just happen overnight of course. Like everything in life, it was a progression. Their disagreements became more intense. She sought a marriage counselor. It did not work out. It was just a time to disagree with a referee, instead of finding a way of communicating better.
Their lack of communication became silence. They spent less and less time together. When they tried spending some time alone it was just as bad.
Many times in life we put our interests ahead, even if it means hurting somebody else. I consider myself a believer and a follower of Jesus Christ, and if there is something that I can take with me from his teachings is that he laid his life for others. He always put others first.
We are all selfish, the temptation of looking out for our own interests first is something we wrestle with during most of our lives.
When talking with my friend he would go as far as to tell me that their moments of intimacy were very infrequent, if none, and that they were something that he would rather forget. I asked him if that was the way it always was and he said no, that when things were good their sex life was something special, something that both felt good about.
I asked him if he was contemplating leaving his house, and he said that he had thought about many times in the past, but that the only reason he had stayed was because of that child. He felt responsible. The one thing I do remember that he said was that he had tried to bend backwards, forwards and sideways for the marriage to work, but that it had not made a difference.
Time will tell how long they will be able to live under the same roof.
We live in a day and age where people are only focused on their own needs, that’s why marriages end up failing.
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