CONGRATS RICKY

Congrats to Ricky Santorum on his primary wins in Alabama and Mississippi. The south may actually rise again. Who knows.
  
Will Newt get out and provide the path for Ricky to take Romney out at Tampa? Time will only tell.
Meanwhile, None of them are talking about GWBush, the two unnecessary wars, Medicaid Part D, Wall Street prospecting inflated gas prices and that the Stock market is way up & economy is turning around.  
C'mon fellas, get to these talking points. You'll be faced with it once either of you is the nominee.

GOP SANDBOX

 
Whether it's a Democratic, Republican or Independence primary, Closed is the only way to insure that the members of THAT party influence the outcome, thus deciding who best represents the whole.
 
Democrats across the country argued this point through the 2008 season as the primary season tanked along. Where it was an "open" primary, outside influence was noticeable. Here comes 2012.
 
Democrats have decided to play in the Republican sandbox. Several states have open primaries so there is potential to have fun with their results like they did four years ago. Unfortunately, like a sand box, there are usually things in the sand not many of us would want to bring home. Enjoy.

ENTITLEMENT SOCIETY

Many of you are tired of the rhetoric we hear daily from the knuckleheads on the campaign trail. As you know, conservative critics of federal social programs are sounding an alarm that the United States is rapidly becoming an entitlement society. 
A society in which social programs are undermining the work ethic and creating a large class of Americans who prefer to depend on government benefits rather than work. This isn't the first time you've heard this dribble.
  
Contrary to the Peter Brimelows of the CPAC world, a new CBPP analysis of budget and Census DATA  shows that more than 90 percent of the benefit dollars that entitlement and other mandatory programs spend go to assist people who are elderly, seriously disabled, or members of working households (not to able-bodied, working-age Americans who choose not to work)  This figure has changed little in the past few years.

In the pie chart above you'll see the grey area at he bottom? That's the boogie-man they talk about at the GOP Rallys. What folks dont realize is that 60-70% of that "wasted" spending goes to Medical bills. Visits to the emergency room. 
People without proper healthcare end up getting primary care at the ER when something drastic happens or when something easily preventable gets out of control. I don't have to tell you that the Emergency Room is the most expensive place to get help. 

We do this to ourselves people.

NEWT SOUNDED DIFFERENT IN 2002

One of the many thing we should be thankful for in this country is the freedom of the press. Especially when it comes to keeping records of where candidates stood on major issues in the past.
 
Newt Gingrich is in the spotlight this week now that he has emerged as the leading non-Romney for the Republican nomination. So of course he gets a deeper look for the next few days. As recent as 2002, Newt was a different animal when it came to those who should have control and where leadership should come from.
 

While debating with Ralph Nader, Speaker Gingrich said: "You had better be siding with the people enough that the people don't get so angry they take you apart, because in the end in this country, if you are deviant enough from the people... they will." Now I could easily send that out as the mission statement for Occupy Wall Street couldn't I?
 

Newt is also on the record saying the wealthiest Americans cannot be plutocrats because ultimately, the sentiments of the majority of Americans will win out.He also said he thinks corporations have too much power. I think the old Newt was right on target, don't you think?

 

During one such debate back in the "Other Newt" days, he said "I'd be very happy to get corporations out of politics. I think it'd be better for America if you had no union and corporate donations, but individuals could donate of their own after-tax income." 

 

It seems all the GOP candidates have had a turn switching their core values during the last decade. Freedom of the press allows us to review what was said and where. 

Whether Republican primary voters care about where their candidates stood earlier is up to them. I guess the next question is, who will be the next non-Romney challenger to the nomination?

REICH DEBUNKS AGAIN

Robert Reich never skips the chance to debunk the brainwashing talking points from the GOP.  He doesn't mince words.

STICK A FORK IN HER

Robin Yess is done. She has announced her resignation as the Chair of the Ulster County Republican Party. Through a series of heated emails this past Friday evening, she and her predecessor Mario Catalano covered plenty of contentious points and took turns pointing fingers at who are to blame for the recent history of the Republican Party.
 
Accusing other committee members of working to oust her from the leadership position, she laid out her case against what she called: (GOB) or Good-Ol-Boys club within ranks of the party.
 
Throwing accusations about back room deals and third party bullying, Robin went on to say as a civilian, she can now focus on her real job 125%. When pressed by Mario for at least one name of someone she knows working to take her out, she offered David O'Halloran. She's not making any friends on her way out.

I hold no ill feelings toward Robin. I think about the condition of the GOP here in Ulster County and have to fight the urge to ask my Republican colleagues to give her another year to prove herself. But then why would they want to hear from me?

MEXICAN NARCO-PARAMILITARY RIGHTS

If you are buying large quantities of automatic weapons along the southern border for the purpose of arming the Mexican drug cartel, you're in luck. 
 
The House voted to block the administration's attempt at implementing a mechanism to give the Fed the authority to track and catch gunrunners to Mexico. I know, it's one of the last items we make and export. So what gives?
 

Reports all over the internet confirm that the NRA was firmly opposed to restricting this export. I'm guessing they are protecting the Mexican 2nd Amendment too. Wait, do they have the same amendments?
 

Here's the point you're all going to love. This vote actually got bi-partisan support  and it was lumped in with all the other spending measures to keep the Gubmint runnin until September.

Now, you might think of Oklahoma as the source for such an amendment, but from a Democratic Congressman? Not so much. Enter: Dan Boren. Soon to be ex-Congressman of course. Once the DCCC gets done with him. 
His proposal  prohibits the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from using federal money to require licensed firearm dealers to report multiple sales of assault weapons.  
 

About 35K people, [men, women & children] have been killed in Mexico since President Calderon took office. His administration implemented a sustained effort to eliminate violent drug-trafficking cartels. Bloodshed along the border is the result. To help with Calderon's effort, the Obama Administration proposed the rule requiring the 9,000 dealers just north of the border to alert authorities when they sell within five consecutive business days two or more semiautomatic rifles greater than .22 caliber with detachable magazines. Colderon is in favor of the proposal. 

Colderon is well aware that 65K of the guns recovered at village slaughters were traced back to US gun dealers. I'm expecting someone from the NRA to give us a good reason as to why we should ignore this mass sale phenomenon along the border. That clarification should come in the comments below.
There's a war going on right here on our continent and the main stream press is missing it entirely. You know it and I know it. When the CIA sanctioned arms sales in the 80's for human trade, the public went wild. Now we are simply ignoring the obvious because the task of securing the border is too great and we are embarrassed that the "war on drugs" has failed.
Making the access to semi-automatic WMDs more difficult to the Mexican Drug Cartel should be the minimum we do. 
 

The Senate must send this back to the House for repair.