Republicans Have Nothing To Offer Except Hate and Fear

Republicans Have Nothing To Offer Except Hate and Fear.

Recently while spanning my newsfeed, something jumped out at me about the Republican Party. Republicans have nothing to offer except hate and fear. As a matter of fact, it's been this way since the 1980s. 

The only two ideas I have ever seen come from the GOP are tax cuts and deregulation. It's true. We are officially in an election season now and in this writers view the Republicans have nothing to offer the American people. It's been 40 years, and all they have ever done is cut taxes for the rich and allow Corporations to run roughshod over our environment with deregulation. None of the above has ever helped the average working class person here in the United States. 

That's an issue. Reagan came along and slew the Labor Unions, and to this day they have not recovered. In doing so, America's once vibrant middle class was destroyed. That's not the only thing Reagan did. Aside from having no ideas other than cutting taxes and deregulation Republicans stay in power through two mechanisms hate and fear. When I think back to Reagan, I remember him telling us we need to be angry. That we needed to hate black people because of their taking all of our tax dollars by being on welfare. He invented the " Welfare Queen." 

Republicans and their media echo chamber Fox's News have painted a picture of well to do black folks just sitting around collecting unemployment checks and food stamps. It was a lie, a myth, but it worked. Just like Trump today Reagan worked his base into a frenzy until they were foaming at the mouth. The Republican base was in fear of their livelihoods. By doing so, he[Reagan] got people to vote Republican even though they had nothing to offer. 

George W Bush

George W Bush though, he spoke a great game about Muslims, did not demonize them in his speeches and in his talks. What did he do? He got the Republican base to hate Muslims through his war on terror. Now, I hear Republicans make the argument that he did not say " go hate Muslims." That he was very clear to separate the people who did nine 11 and the bad guys over in Afghanistan and Iraq from the everyday Muslim.

I remember well this to be true; however, his efforts failed. The Republicans and their deep-pocketed donors wanted those oilfields and fear, and hate was the order of the day. Bush knew it! We have the Christian Right leaders telling us Islam is a religion of hate.  Fox News has been spinning this lie for decades. What they're doing with representative Omar is sickening, and they're doing it because she is a Muslim. So, in spite of offering nothing but endless war and tax cuts he wins reelection. 

Now, What is Donald Trump Doing Today?

He's cutting taxes. He is deregulating, and he's getting his base to hate a new group of people. The others. Immigrants! They're the bad guys. First, it was the black people then it was the Muslims. Now, it's the Hispanics. You can bet your bottom dollar come general election time it will be Socialist and  Progressives. 

Who's the next target. Who's the next group that we need to hate and fear so much that we're willing to vote for a political party that has had no new ideas since who knows when. Since 1980 we have been told by different Republican leaders which group we need to hate and why we need to vote for Republicans to keep us safe from these groups. 

Written By: Johnny Hil

TrumpCare's Message to the Poor and Elderly, Just Die Already!

TrumpCare's Message to the Poor and Elderly, Just Die Already!

America is playing Russian roulette with its most vulnerable citizens and the just out Congressional Budget Office [CBO] report clearly indicates that Trumpcare's message to the poor and elderly is to just die already. [See Report]

Back in 2008, when the Affordable Care Act [ACA] commonly referred as Obamacare was being sold to the American people one of the main sales pitches of the Obama Administration was if you like your current plan and doctor you could keep them. Millions of uninsured Americans were told that the insurance under the ACA would be affordable. 

When the reality hit and some people could not keep their same plans or doctors and when the bloodsucking insurance company’s rates grew higher and higher all you heard from the Republicans was that Obama was a liar who sold the American people a huge bottle of snake oil.

No matter how you slice the pie the Obama team dropped the ball when setting up and

negotiating the ACA. The healthcare industry accounts for 20% and rising of our nation's overall economy. Yes, the website fiasco was more a "Ha Ha" moment than a substantive failure of the ACA, however; it was an indication of incompetence not making sure the servers were prepared and ready to go. It was like fumbling the ball on the opening kickoff. 

Now, with the Trump Administration and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) attempting to repeal

the ACA and replace it with the Republican plan we see now from the recently released CBO report that Trump's boastful claims of a better more improved plan than the ACA is just not true. Trump made claims that his plan would cover everyone. He made that claim all throughout his campaign. The CBO report says otherwise to the tune of some 26 million uninsured people by 2026 and only God himself knows how much more after. How does that in anyway make Trumpcare better? Trump also claimed that premiums were going to go down. Not true! Rates are going to go up in the short-term and for some younger people, for example, the rates will lower over a period of time but for other's like the poor and elderly the rates are going to skyrocket.

One of the biggest claims that Trump made regarding Trumpcare is that he would no ways no how touch Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid. As of the rendition of this article, they have not touched Social Security. The same cannot be said about Medicaid. If the American Healthcare Act is put into play some 14 million Americans will lose their healthcare in the first year. Per the CBO report, that number will swell to 26 million by 2026.

American Healthcare Act Will Create a Modest Reduction of The Deficit at The Expense of the Elderly and Poor.

From the Report:

Although average premiums would increase prior to 2020 and decrease starting in 2020, CBO and JCT estimate that changes in premiums relative to those under current law would differ significantly for people of different ages because of a change in age-rating rules. Under the legislation, insurers would be allowed to generally charge five times more for older enrollees than younger ones rather than three times more as under current law, substantially reducing premiums for young adults and substantially raising premiums for older people. 

 The top 1% are basically getting a hidden tax cut. The real kick in the butt is how the American Healthcare Act affects Medicaid. Most of the 14 million people who will lose health coverage will come from both regular Medicaid and the expanded Medicaid. This will affect our poorest Americans many who are elderly and only common sense tells you this will cost lives. That's right, Trumpcare's modest deficit reduction will cost American lives and that is a tragic reality to the so-called American Healthcare Act.

What this barbaric healthcare does is take us back to a time where almost 20% of Americans will not have medical insurance. Most of these people will be poor and elderly with no means for preventive care, no means to purchase medications, they must use the Emergency Room as their primary care provider and will be saddled with huge medical bills that they will be unable to pay. Like before, the taxpayer must pick up the tab and like before your health insurance rates will soar because of this history repeating itself. The Republicans will say " Blame it on the poor folk." They're lazy!

Also, these tax credits that are being offered are a joke and meaningless to the poor and out of work Americans not due to being lazy but to our jobs being exported overseas and other jobs being replaced by other new mechanized technologies like Robots. Others will forgo health insurance from their employers because the cost will be high and their wages low.

The proposed American Healthcare Act is just another shining example of the attack on the poor, working poor, and lower middle-class Americans. Once again, we see the Oligarchs and their political establishments taking from the poor and giving to the rich. Trumpcare if passed will take 880 million dollars from Medicaid and moreover, in the long term will cut trillions of dollars in healthcare services for low-income Americans.

The indications here are clear the rich elites (not all rich people) find us poor folks a nuisance and by cutting healthcare services to finance a tax cut and slight deficit reduction Trumcare's message to the poor and elderly is, "Just Die Already."

Harvard Professor Explains Why TrumpCare Is Terrible

Written By: Johnny Hill

America's Flight From Reason

America's Flight From Reason

What has America's flight from reason cost us as a nation? Does any political candidate out there right or left have the intestinal fortitude to talk about ignorance as a political issue? These issues range from scientific research on Global Warming to the issues of war and peace. 

In this ever-growing age of unreason, people seem to be focused on small personal facts as opposed to big issues. But even more than that lack of knowledge and unreason affects the way candidates speak about everything.  

A good example is the healthcare situation in this country. It's a very important issue. All the candidate’s say it is. But, if people are not knowledgeable about how healthcare is handled in other countries how can they make a reasoned decision about how to solve our nation’s healthcare issues. If you don't have a base of knowledge to be able to compare facts about this issue how can one make an informed choice?

How can people have a reasonable discussion about how things ought to be if they have no real knowledge of the facts?

Our political culture reflects our general culture. In many ways, our political culture is shaped by our general culture. Our research here in the House of Public Discourse has led us to the conclusion what America really needs is an " Educator in Chief" than a " Commander in Chief." There is no quick dose of change in today's culture. Our politicians of today including Obama have failed miserably in educating the people before such changes are proposed. Cognitive Dissonance is alive and well in America. " Critical Thinking" is at a loss.

Many American's Can't Stand or Tolerate Contradictory Opinions. Why?

This in part is why our countries population is becoming dumber by the day. When one creates a vacuum for themselves and shuts off any evidence, facts, or contradictions from their minds the less informed they become about the issues. Studies have shown that people's attention spans, in general, have grown shorter and shorter over the years. Time Magazine reported in 2015 that people have shorter attention spans than a Goldfish.

A great example how American citizens are controlled by their own cognitive dissonance is the outcry from the Christian Right and their orderly followers to have " Creationism" taught in Public School ignoring the detailed science and empirical evidence of evolution.

In fact, only 30% of Americans in a recent poll believe every word of the Bible is true. [See Source] Which begs the question is America really a Christian nation? 

What we are getting at here is there has been a huge failure of education in America and it's getting worse by the day. Betty DeVos ring a bell. Therefore, we support free College education for all in America no matter the cost. Because " America's Flight from Reason" is being fueled and exploited by those who not only prey on the uneducated but depend on them as well. 

Written By: Johnny Hill

Bernie Sanders Has Changed American Politics Forever!

No One Ever Would Have Believed A Little Known Independent Senator From Vermont Would Change The American Political Landscape Forever.

The remarkable ascent of Bernie Sanders goes much further than an unexpected hard fought political campaign against a political insider and establishment icon Hillary Clinton. Bernie Sanders political revolution has far greater implications. No matter if the Sanders Campaign wins or loses it has already ensured that America's crony capitalism will no longer go unchallenged. As Bernie has said repeatedly "the same old same old will not work." 

However, at the same time, the ascent of Republican Donald Trump means that America is on the verge of becoming demented. Sanders and Trump are opposite reactions to the same problem. America financial elites have become so corrupt, arrogant, and predatory that political leaders like Hillary Clinton who are beholden to them can no longer provide "We the People" economic or political security. 

Many Americans Have Run Out Of Patience 

What the Sanders campaign and his unexpected success have borne out is that millions of Americans are done with status quo politics. American politics for the first time in decades is truly up for grabs. This is both exciting and terrifying when you really put these developments to study. As we have often advocated here in the House of Public Discourse "History Does Repeat Itself in Politics."

The Great Depression produced Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal while in Europe the "Great Depression" yielded us, Hitler and Mussolini. So just like in our world's past America's reaction to our present corruption and decline of the middle-class could bring out our best Bernie Sanders or our worst Donald Trump. 

We hear every day that if Bernie Sanders supporters do not support Democratic establishment insider Hillary Clinton what we will get is the demented Donald Trump as our president and furthermore if he was to get elected he [Sanders] could never get any of his goals done. No way could Sanders break up the banks for example. 

What the Democratic National Committee [DNC], the Clinton Campaign, Corporate owned media, and Hillary supporters are trying to force feed Bernie supporters is that only a pragmatic moderate insider like Hillary Clinton can get things done. What our research here in the House of Public Discourse has found suggest something totally opposite. America insider politics is so corrupted and dysfunctional that no one within it can get anything done. Let's start with Hillary Clinton and the banks. Her husband former President Bill Clinton made Robert Rubin former President of Goldman Sachs Treasury Secretary later came Larry Summer and Laura Tyson. Bill Clinton also reappointed Alan Greenspan as FED Chairman. Collectively they let the banks run wild in fact the Clinton's help them. Bill with Hillary's support repealed "Glass-Stegall" and she [Hillary] opposes reinstating to this day. The Clinton's banned "Derivatives Regulation" refused to use the federal governments authority to regulate the "Mortgage Industry," and did nothing as security fraud overwhelm the internet. 

After leaving office both Clinton's have made millions of dollars giving speeches to the banks while being silent about the prosecution of finical crimes. Now, Hillary Clinton has stated she will rely on Bill for help with economic policies? [See Source]  Bad Idea!

Could Bernie Do Any Better?

• Yes, he [Sanders] could appoint an Attorney General and head of the Dept. of Justice criminal division who have not spent their entire careers defending corporate criminals. Moreover, he could use his authority to invite these appointees to our Justice Departments to put these people in jail instead. 

• Sanders could also appoint an anti-trust division head that would investigate the much cozy cartel-like associations that evade on paying their fair share of taxes and are nothing more than money laundering schemes. These investigations could lead to anti-trust lawsuits against the banks. 

• Sanders could appoint a Federal Reserve chair who would require banks to divest assets and operate safely. Sanders could also demand a regulation on Bankers compensation so if they once again cause a disaster they could not benefit from it personally.

All of this could be done without a single new law being enacted or debated. 

Win or lose Bernie Sanders 2016 Presidential run has given "We the People" the opportunity to create a powerful and everlasting "Progressive Reform Movement." This country has been needing one for a long time and Bernie Sanders has long been a lone voice crying in the wilderness for these reforms. Now, his voice has been heard and this lone cry has become a roar. 

Insider Politics In America Are Totally Broken, But Donald Trump Fascism and Hillary Clinton Establishment Politics Are Not The Answer!

Written By: Johnny Hill