How to Save the Drowning America: “Four Rules” by Robert Reich

America is drowning. It is on the way of going down, unless anybody does anything to change the current destructive ways of things work in this country.

Dr. Robert Reich offers “Four” Simple Rules of How To Prevent This Country from her “Disgraceful Fall”, a country which used to put the world under her command.

Supper Congressional Committee, Super Rich, Super Businessmen, whomever, should think about “Who let them have what they have now at first place?, “Who let them to grow bigger than who they used to be? It’s This Country. This Land. These people. Without them, super rich, super businessmen would not have existed “as who they are now.” If this land and people go down, super rich, super businessmen will go down together, because they will lose the source of their richness. Why don’t they pay back what they owe to the country, to people? Why don’t they let this country, the people to recover from their fall and remain well nourished enough so that they can enable super rich, super businesses to continue their business and earning profits. In a same way that farmers maintain their fields well nurished enough to make sure successful harvest every year. Wisemen will not hang on small profits but look into bigger picture in longer term. That’s what big people do. Don’t be small.

Politics: Google vs. Fox News

Here is interesting dichotomy of republicans and democrats based on their top brand preference:

Republicans’ top brand: Fox News Channel.

Democrats’s top brand: Google.

Fox News: a hermetically sealed bubble of unquestionable absolutes, with sacred sages, approved opinions, official history, bright-line boundaries, party-line facts.

Google: the cacophony of the crowd, the contest of contradictions, the boundless wild west, the jumble of truth and rumor, the burden on its users to sort science from fiction — with all the anxiety, uncertainty, tentativeness and humility that comes along with that obligation.

According to the below blog post, everyday, a few millions of fox news audiences tune in the channel while hundreds of millions of Americans do internet search. Some months ago, I noticed research result that the urbanization (or was it urban population?) of world reached 50% of the total, which means 50% of human residency/population is rural or non urban. Usually, urbanization implies the dominance of democrats or people of progressive thinking.

What does the dominance of people who do Google or internet search instead of watching Fox news and the exploding Urbanization of world (and US) tells us the trending of future politics?

(The Question That Answers Everything About the Election (and America, too), http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marty-kaplan/the-question-that-answers_b_775380.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=102810&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&utm_term=Daily+Brief)

Progressive Canaries in a Political Mine

Regarding Mr. Norman Solomon’s statement, “the president has empowered, not countered, the right wing by moving in its direction on a wide range of basic policies and governance formulatio­ns….Rath­er than staking out decent, progressive, populist positions and defending them with moral fervor, “

The statement, “the president empowering the right wing,” seems to be incorrect. The blind objections of the opposite political party against whatever the president’s agendas, opposition for the sake of opposition seem to have resulted in empowering itself. it sounds almost nonsense to state that it is the president who empowered the opposition party.

I believe liberals are people that are well informed, well educated of politics with passion for better society. But they also need to learn how to take in different contributing factors in judging policy outcomes. Also, sometimes, even the outcome may not agree to what they really wished for, for the sake of country, maybe sometimes sacrifice what they believe to certain extent and support their leader if there are still value on him. Choose Big One at the costs of small ones. It wouldn’t make things better if they let down their leader to let the opponents win.

In Asia, there’s a saying that if too many people row a boat, the boat will climb a mountain (instead of sailing water.) If there are too many voices and nobody know when to be silent, or give in, nothing works.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Obama and Professional/Amateur Liberals? And Stewart and Colbert.

Jason Linkins at Huffpost criticize President Obama for betraying his supporters such as professional or ameture liberal lefts and so on. To tell the truth, his view seems to be too much “blowing off the steam of youthful passion/energy for idealism or so, but not really productive for anything. (“Obama Demeans His Own Supporters“, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/18/obama-professional-left_n_722064.html)

Who else is out there for liberal voters to stick with? Isn’t President the only option, hope?
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s plan to march to Washington “to restore sanity” is so time appropriate and “cute” ! I wish it becomes a big success (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/17/stewart-colbert-rally-to-restore-sanity_n_720588.html).

When I was a college student in Asia, many times I witnessed extreme student demonstrations to make the government and public hear their political agendas. I heard that they intentionally pushed themselves so extreme, to achieve at least half way of their goals. Overall, what liberal lefts and strong activists of issues here have done similar things. And the administration has achieved half way in between. The achieved bills are far better than nothing, but not perfect. But, at least, something are out there.

Robert Reich: “Joe Barton and the Big Big Debate”

“Mr. Joe Barton created “a Hillarious National Joke,” didn’t he?“

There are two questions I’d like answer.

Question A: What do you think about the current political trend of Misleading of “Regulations on Big Corporations” as “Big Government”

My Response: Yes, definitely, we the public have noticed it. You know? Fortunately, there are two sides of everything. The tragic meltdowns of everything we have experienced for the last a few years are sad. But they became the stepping stones, engines of policy reforms to cure the chronic structural problems of this country that, otherwise, would have continued sickness of this country. Now, people don’t think about whether big government is good or bad. People are demanding stricter regulations on financial sector and oil industry and demand political leaders to get out of their ambiguous positions between corporates and people. Isn’t this great?

The deeper the pain is, the deeper, more fundamental the reforms become ! No pain, no change !

Question B. What do you think about “100% publicly financed campaigns for national office?

My Response: A good idea !

Although lobbyists will lose there current jobs, “Campaign Finance Reform,” “Publicly financed political campaigns” will definitely drive political leaders to tune on what the public wants instead of what corporates want, what’s good for the country, and improve fairness and justice in politics.

Additionally, “Campaign Finance Reform” will become a great chance to transform these lobbyests into future’s promising workers that will be far more productive and contribute to the society by working in other industries. For example, they can use their strategies, skills in either philanthropic industries, humanitarian industries (?) or in resolving world issues such as terrorism (they can lobby terrorists against terrorism), threats of nuclear arms (they can work as US diplomats to lobby, persuade the Iranian Gov. against nuclear arms in favor of superior traditional weapons or no weapon at all), the wars, moral corruptions, and AIDs in Africa (they can lobby rebels against premarital acts and impregnating single ladies with AIDs and babies and deserting them, etc)….If lobbyists’ tenacity and shrewd tactics can be used in right places for right causes, the world would be far better place !”

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

“Has Scott Brown turned out to be a blessing in disguise for congressional Democrats?”

When Scott Brown scored his upset victory in January’s special election to fill Edward Kennedy’s Senate seat, panicked Democratic Party insiders assumed the sky was falling. Brown’s election as the newest senator from Massachusetts meant that the Democrats had lost their razor-thin 60-vote majority to counter GOP filibuster threats on major legislation.

What’s more, the symbolism couldn’t have looked worse for Democrats: Here was the seat held by the Senate’s late liberal lion, in one of the bluest states on the electoral map, falling into the Republican column. Activists from the small-government Tea Party movement had flooded the state with volunteers to get out the vote and claim this critical Senate seat as a prize pick-up for the anti-Democratic, anti-Obama insurgency. Election watchers even started talking about the “Scott Brown effect,” as polling started to look grim for other established liberal lawmakers from traditionally deep blue states, like California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer. – Full Text at below link -

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100413/ts_ynews/ynews_ts1593

Robert Kuttner: Fiscal Folly

Dear Mr. JXJASON,

I believe we wish for the same thing, something good for the country. It’s just different wording.

Based on the solid understanding on the current situation, finding out the best strategies to get back to the healthy economy, that’s what we wish for, right?

We wish to set up the right policies that don’t allow the financial sector to drain this country’s resources, which should be used for building healthy industrial/manufacturing structure, healthy middle/low-income classes, and productive infrastructure, into feeding the top financiers’ fancy lifestyles. Fattening one (or a few) sector’s welfare while the rest of other sectors going anelexic doesn’t seem to be the profile of a healthy country. I am not saying we should suppress the financial sector unconditionally. Balance, fairness for all seem to be the key here.

In Response To:

JXJASON‘s Comment to Mikyung Lim

Mikyung Lim, I disagree with you The past can be undone. You just repeal the law that deregulated the financial industry. You cannot restore prosperity when the wealthy have stolen ( legally mind you) from the less wealthy.

If you Google – Phil Davis Seekingalpha – and read some of Phil’s articles you will learn how the financial industry has conned the average, middle class citizen.

Forbes publishes a list of the 400 richest people in the world. None of them live in 1,200 square foot homes, in middle class towns like, say Scranton, PA or Detroit, Michigan or thousands of other, poor communities in the US.

Finally, your analogy is nonsense. If one is sick, and broke, you cannot borrow more money. If someone doesn’t pay for your medical bills you will get sicker and, eventually die.

I am well educated with two degrees from two, Canadian Universities. Recently, the CEO from TD bank, explained why Canada did not have the same economic crisis as the US.

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Dealing with Current Fiscal and Economic Troubles

Regarding Robert Kuttner‘s “Fiscal Folly”, April 4, 2010.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner/fiscal-folly_b_524760.html

My comment: Regarding the current fiscal and economic troubles that this country is facing, it is more productive to get into an action to correct them, instead of keeping contemplating on the past that cannot be undone.

Mr. Kuttner pointed out the focal point here: “we will have a national debt problem if we don’t get a return to high growth soon. But the more immediate problem is restoration of prosperity–and in the near term that will require more public outlay, not less. Once a real recovery is on track, we need to increase progressive taxation, both to moderate deficits and to pay for sustained public spending on things the economy and society need, such as 21st century infrastructure, a green economy, good jobs, as well as a national health and pension system.”

If we are sick patients with tight money problems, the wise strategy to recover from this sickness, get medical treatment first. Even by borrowing money and incurring more medical costs. And then when we get healthy, try best to earn more money to pay off medical bills. Not to spend money, to save money, being continuously sick seems to be a lose-lose strategy.”

Obama’s Rodney King Strategy

“So, he’s (Mr. Obama) in a lose-lose situation. If he doesn’t put the Republicans on the spot he can’t deliver on the change he promised, but if he does attack them then he didn’t deliver on getting beyond partisan bickering. But he can turn this around to a win-win. How? By setting a deadline. He can say that he is willing to do the concessions he has already promised the Republicans and list what those are. But if they still refuse to vote with him by a certain date, then he has no choice but to call them out. At that point, it is his duty and obligation to point out to the electorate who blocked the change they voted for.”

Your suggestion sounds reasonable. Maybe President should try this strategy for change as every effort has faced deadlock.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Arianna: Sarah Palin Has Demeaned Herself With Rush Limbaugh Hypocrisy (VIDEO)

“Arianna argued that Palin’s decision to go after Emanuel, but not Limbaugh is all part of Palin’s “cost-benefit analysis” operating procedure”

I guess it’s Ms. Palin’s and/or her advisor’s survival instinct (or did they really go into more complicate, thinking-required cost/benefit analysis?).

Ms. Palin found a good job in TV and can maintain her “Foxy” look with million dollar income. She should stay there happily ever after !
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost