- Call me jaded but I don't believe any of the lofty
promises of the 'front runners' (per media hype) in this perpetual 'Groundhog
Day' theater of electioneering. Every few years these Foggy Bottom bandits
take their show on the road to commiserate with the down trodden masses
- lamenting on how much they identify and understand poverty! Gag!
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- They used to drag their suited carcasses down to Appalachia.
It was the usual promises (cameras clicking) of future mine safety, food,
and in - door plumbing. Appalachia is a place of aching poverty, chronic
disease, and little health care, in our Super Power nation. It has
a per capita income of approximately $20,409. Mine safety has proved to
be a joke. Sago (Jan 2-2006) proved this. 12 miners died despite hundreds
of previous violations. The corporate mining companies, with their mountain
moving machines, are now destroying 'Almost Heaven' (an inconvenient
truth not on the news). It might have gotten a bit dicey for the
canidates in coal country with people demanding answers to this
environmental holocaust? This rape of the mountains is filling in the
valleys - rivers - and streams, with millions of tons of dirt and sludge?
I daresay, that none of our mostly well-heeled presidential candidates
ever give a thought to the coal (those that mine it) when they luxuriate
in their hot tubs, set their house alarms, or flick the switch, to
light up their sumptuous homes? Without Appalachia the nation would be
in 'literal' darkness.
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- Meantime, according the the Chronicle Lansing (Jan 10-2008)
the Republican big wigs have arrived in Michigan. McCain and his heiress
wife Cindy (liquor money) who've never held a job in the real job market
(McCain navy career) are pretending that (sniff) they care for the tens
of thousands of the unemployed. McCain stated, "I'm here to look
you in the eye and tell you that we are a nation that doesn't leave our
people behind." Huh? I believe we 'left behind' somewhere between
1,200 - 2000 POWs in Viet Nam -Laos/Cambodia? Gosh how soon we forget.
McCain has never seen a trade agreement he didn't love. As soon as NAFTA
passed 11 GM plants closed down (moved to Mexico). It was better for corporate
predators to pay a $1.00 an hour with no benefits. Michigan - is a big
change for the McCains! The Washington Post reports, Dec 31, 2007, that
Mccain flew to a posh Utah ski resort to mingle with hundreds of top corporate
executives assembled by J.P. Morgan Chase. This visit was followed with
McCain having a dozen of smaller private meeting with corporate executives
in New York City arranged by Wall Street figures. This is the same McCain
who has spent a long career decrying 'special interests'. As a presidential
candidate, McCain has found himself assiduously courting lobbyists and
their wealthy clients. He also counts more than 30 lobbyists among his
chief fund raisers, more than any other presidential contender. Senator
McCain has melanoma cancer ( they don't think that it has spread?)
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- Meantime Hillary is on a roll with her 'shocking' win
in NH. Not shocking to me - Diebold counts our votes. She's promising
70 billion in help the masses once she gets into office. Where the money
is coming from is anybody's guess? Hillary has distanced herself (little
wonder) from her husband's 1994 (with Gingrich assisting) North American
Free Trade Agreement. She thinks it needs adjusting (duh a little late).
With millions of Mexicans - pouring across the border due to this trade
debacle, and hundreds of thousands of American's unemployed, it appears
to me, that her 35 years 'experience' leaves a lot to be desired? NAFTA
has put multitudes off their land in Mexico. Now the NAFTA jobs are leaving
for China. Hillary voted for trade agreements with Oman, Singapore and
Chile (also Peru). She may recall that these trade agreements were VOTED
on (an up or down vote - no debate) with none, but the exceptional few,
having read the thousands of pages. Pages that totally protect corporate
interests. Hillary is publically championing the working person, while
at the same time in June 2007, she promised those in Silicon Valley more
'guest workers' (to replace American jobs!). Hillary also sat on the board
of Wal-Mart. She didn't appear to have much influence in that small arena,
of instituting health care for ALL Wal-Mart employees, not just the few
who work full time? It shocks me that none of these contradictions are
ever addressed in the press? Washington has done well by Hillary and Bill
. Before they joined the Beltway crowd they never owned a home. Bill's
salary as Governor of Arkansas (lowest in nation) was $35,000 with Hillary
pulling in $25,000 at the Rose Law firm. Mere chump change in Washington.
Catch the brass ring and you're set for life. The Clinton's are now multi-millionaires.
They have life time (tax payer subsidized) health care (Bill had his heart
operation without some HMO drone saying he wasn't covered). He wasn't
discharged (no health coverage) from a hospital to the street. On the
speaking circuit, he's pulling in millions, getting a cool $100,000 every
time he opens his mouth. Their daughter Chelsea attended a private school
in Georgetown, then Stanford and Oxford. Something that Arkansas wages
couldn't have afforded. No resumes for her. She's now working (sort of)
on Wall Street for a reported $100,000 + salary. Pretty good pay for no
experience. According to the NY Post , July 24, 2006 - "Senator
Hillary Clinton's campaign army has increased its ranks to 50 staffers
and more than 20 consultants, specialists in everything from fund-raising
to speech- writing ("I found my voice in NH") to hairstyling
and makeup. Hillary ponied up $3000 in campaign cash for her blond tresses
to get some presidential pampering from acclaimed D.C. stylist Isabelle
Goetz. She passed off these styling sessions as 'media production' expenses
Clinton was so desperate that she picked up the scissor siren's $405 travel
tab. To complement the touch up of her tresses Clinton invested another
$3000 for makeup maestro Barbara Lacy to brush on some blush.Clinton paid
Lacy an eye-popping $1,600 for some eye-lining in mid - May 2006 and another
mind-boggling $1,300 for some makeup two weeks later." All this frivolous
money sure could have saved someone's house from foreclosure - bought heating
oil for the winter - or needed medications. This reminds me of back water
folks suddenly winning the lottery - they throw money around like confetti.
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- Bill and Bush senior have become real buddies traveling
to disasters and chortling over how much America cares. President Bush
Senior says that 'Bill is like one of the family'. President -elect Clinton
has promised to appoint her husband and President Bush Senior as world
ambassadors to repair the image of America! I'm not sure how mere 'words'
repair shredded, melted lives?
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- Then there's Huckabee. Just what we need - a yokel
traveling around with a guitar and Elvis impersonator. Yikes! This
should impress world leaders after Bush? Huckabee was in Michigan meeting
with the Pastors at a prayer breakfast. Nothing much to report. He was
telling his usual hokum Arkansas Baptist jokes. Huckabee, if you recall,
gorged himself silly as Governor of Arkansas (free eats). So much so,
that he had to get a gastric bypass (?) or die. He's wishy washy in responses
to trade, saying, yawn, "we need tougher negotiations" which
basically says nothing. He's a big Wal-Mart, Tyson Chicken fan - that should
clue anybody in on what he thinks a livable wage job is.
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- 'Breaking News' meantime updates us on Britney Spear's
mental health. They report that she should be pitied. Huh? I'm not wasting
any pity on someone pulling in $750,000 a month who can well afford a shrink/private
clinic. What's not being reported on are the millions of people who no
longer have jobs at auto plants, steel mills, textile plants, manufacturing
etc, and are losing their homes!This includes many renters who've dutifully
paid their rents. They arrive home from work to see their belongings put
out on the street, due to landlords being foreclosed on. Banks could
care less who's kicked to the curb - while they demand bailouts for themselves.
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- Getting herself lined up for the Presidency, Hillary
(carpetbagger) first had to acquire residency in New York state. The house
above in Chappaqua sits empty most of the time. Bill and Hillary have
residences elsewhere in their moneyed travels. Hillary has a $5 million
dollar - five story home in upscale Georgetown (NW Washington). This
is where all the big money/lobbyists/and blue bloods live. It used to consist
of mostly Blacks. Gentrification took care of that population. These Georgetown
elites are the people that the Clinton's once dreamed of rubbing shoulders
with. There are no box stores in Georgetown. I have walked all over Georgetown
(and Washington). I used to live in Gettysburg which made traveling to
D.C. convenient. First off - you won't see any Blacks sauntering down
Georgetown's main street - which are filled with high end boutiques -
exclusive restaurants etc. Nothing any of us could ever afford. The place
is awash with upscale pubs - clubs and elegant eateries. This is where
the lobbyists do their entetaining besides the private cocktail circuit.
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- Do I believe that candidates (exceptional few) identify
with the poor? NO. Cindy McCain's Trust bought them a $5 million dollar
condo in Phoenix. One tower unit wasn't big enough - so they bought two
and had them joined. This gave them a half dozen bedrooms - great room,
terraces etc. They also have a ranch out in Sedona. One sure thing -
you'll not see any foreclosure signs on these digs. John married this heiress
after divorcing his first wife. Carol was (once a model) terribly injured
when she went through the windshield (crushed legs - massive internal injuries).
Ironically she ended up (physically) much worse off than John. They had
three children. John now has a new family with Cindy.
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- It's really hard to track down how many homes Romney
has? Besides his mansion in Belmont, (median income $95,000) Massachusetts,
he has ski lodge in Utah. Above is his $10 million dollar estate in NH
(on the lake). This area ships its garbage out of town (poor NH areas)
and its sewage to Franklin, NH (mill town). Living here in NH - I get the
impression that the lakes region has regulations in place that requires
them to bag all their farts least they suffer some distasteful smell in
their lives?
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- Fred Thompson had done good for himself. He has a multi
million dollar home, a new trophy wife, and a new family. These geezers
have their starter wives do all the scut work and then discard them like
litter. Thompson's first wife helped put him through law school, (she
taught) worked on elections, and raised their three children. Over and
over, you'll see these pathetic relics, divorcing, and hitching up with
some 'eye - candy' or moneyed heiresses. Senator Thompson in - between
holding office in Foggy Bottom, also worked as a lobbyist. His sons (first
family) are now lobbyists. New York Times; July 2, 2007. When a man gets
elected to office the whole family benefits. This doesn't happen if you
work at Wal-Mart or in the auto industry etc. Senator Thompson has five
children (two babies by his new wife) and seven grandchildren. Thompson
has lymphoma. My feeling is: be it Giuliano - Thompson - McCain etc
- if you can't stand by a marriage oath the oath of office for the Presidency
won't mean much?
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- The good old boy Rev Huckalbee always crying the poor
mouth has himself a pretty nice house in Arkansas. It's certainly no double-wide.
The Rev Huckabee hasn't done too bad for all his poor mouth yammering.
He now has a comfortable home in Little Rock.
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- Senator Edwards presents himself as the champion of the
forgotten poor with his "Two Americas". He should know - he lives
in one of them. John made his multi-millions suing doctors. He specializes
in blaming them for children born with cerebral palsy - thus malpractice
insurance is out of sight (reflected in costs to patients). He's just built
himself a 29,000 sq foot home (100+ acres) in Chapel Hill, N.C. (complete
with pool - gym -etc). I imagine the AC won't be too cheap in these digs,
as he advises us to conserve energy, by buying energy light bulbs. He
also owns a home on a private island - reached by a guarded causeway.
John tells the poignant story of his dad the textile mill worker. True
- but by the time John was approx 10 his dad was in management and his
mother ran an antique restoring business. They lived in a brick ranch
house - a far cry from mill housing and food stamps. I have a real problem
with these 'photo -ops' of politicians digging a couple shovels full of
dirt, hugging people in the Katrina debacle, visiting Walter Reed , pretending
they care at some diner here in NH, or lining kids up behind them in
these campaign hijinks. We are a nation reared on marketing. All of these
schemes are calculated to sell the PRODUCT ( a presidential candidate).
Much like TV commercials; its good looks (make up artists) catchy slogans,
or meaningless promises. I don't believe that one should use the poor/dispossessed
and those in crisis to advance one's career. John might have served the
poor better in New Orleans by anonymously donating several million to Brad
Pitt (invested his own millions) who has hired his own architects and
is building energy efficient homes for the Katrina victims. He's not waiting
on government. It's John's business how he spends his trial settlement
loot. He shouldn't claim to be a part of the America that is homeless,
jobless, and without medical care, living in a 6 million + home! Duh!
His wife is a dear and thankfully is receiving the very best in medical
treatment for her breast cancer. In Appalachia and impoverished America
she would die.
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- U.S. Congressman Kucinich seems to have escaped the
opportunities (selling his soul) for money making in Foggy Bottom. Denis
still lives in the house he bought in the 70s ($22,000). It's a small
bungalow in a working class Cleveland neighborhood. To Representative Kucinich
speak you'd think it was a castle. He says that he never thought he'd
own a home. His family was poor. They lived in their car on a few
occasions when his father was without work. Denis paid his way through
Catholic school by doing the janitor work. He was our nation's youngest
mayor. He took on the waste companies, and a utility/bank, in Cleveland,
who wanted to take over the people's electric company . This had Denis
dealing with attempts on his life. An all out PR campaign (by the money
boys) on his character removed him from office. He won the fight to keep
the people's electric. He returned 15 years later and was lauded for saving
the citizens of Cleveland multi-millions in the attempted electric heist.
Denis said (above photo) that it was seeing the flare from the steel mill
at night - while his family slept in their car - that gave him hope.
He said he fought the electric takeover, because he watched his parents,
in their sparsely furnished apartment, trying to scrape up the money
for the monthly electric bill. Ironically Denis saved the steel mill with
his flare of hope from closing down - thus saving approx 2000 jobs. Denis
takes no money from special interests. He votes against all pay raises.
He has, from the beginning, stood consistently against the war. He has
voted against all trade agreements. The corporate owned media determines
which candidates will be anointed the special attentions. Few know anything
about Rep Kucinich and his battles for the working man. That's because,
none of the others (exception Ron Paul), give a hoot about the poor.
Denis still believes that one is supposed to represent the people's interest
if elected - not line their own pockets. Perhaps this is why he makes so
many people uncomfortable? Besides, Denis doesn't have handlers - PR
staff - hairdressers - or make-up artists.
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- I admire Ron Paul because he also has voted against pay
raises and refuses any pension. He and Kucinich are the only candidates
who appear to know the constitution? He identifies with the poor, in that,
as a physician, he refused to take any government funds for a patient's
medical care. He delivered over 4000 babies. If a person couldn't afford
it - he did it for free/ or arranged for them to pay what they could afford.
Find a doctor like that today. Imagine Edwards not taking 40% of the cut
in his law suit settlements? Ron is opposed to these trade agreements.
Frankly I don't believe that anybody elected to office wields any real
influence today in effecting real 'CHANGE'. There are too many moneyed
players and unscrupulous characters in the GAME.
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- Shelter- Washington, D.C.
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- If you visit Washington D.C. as a tourist - you'll only
see the marbled halls - museums - and manicured lawns. It is a disgrace
to call this place our nation's Capital! A few blocks beyond the pomp,
barricades, the Washington Monument phallic symbol, and exclusive Georgetown;
is despair and decay. They tore down the shelter to make way for new
condos. I attended Clinton's first inaugural address. The place was packed
(hundreds of thousands). I missed the whole thing (no great loss) because
the elderly Black gentleman, standing next to me, had a heart attack
and I was busy giving CPR (it took forever for medics to reach him through
the crowd). Afterwards, I bought some coffee and sandwiches for a group
of homeless men in a small park near my hotel. They had no interest in
the affairs several blocks away. I asked them if they had any hope that
Clinton would improve their conditon? They replied that it didn't matter
who they put in the big house - it wouldn't make a difference. The highlight
of my inauguration day was when one of the homeless gentlemen took a
battered fiddle from his shopping bag. It was the only possession that
he owned. It was held together with wire and duct tape. In the early twilight
he played 'Hail to the Chief'. Da da dada - screech - da da dada da da
-screech. These homeless men were right - nothing changed in their lives.
The Clinton's took care of themselves.
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- You don't hear any concern on the part of most politicians
(candidates) as to the conditon of our schools - drop out rate - and illiteracy.
That's because they all: Clinton - Gore - Jesse Jackson (poverty pimp)
bankers, lobbyists etc, send their children to one of the numerous exclusive
private schools in the Georgetown area. These schools are equipped with
libraries that would put most town libraries to shame. There are computer
wings language departments, literature, the arts, trips abroad, etc.
These schools come equipped with their own clinics and private doctors.
You won't see nonsensical testing curriculum in these posh surroundings.
There's no zero tolerance (kids hauled off to jail in handcuffs) as a
school policy, nor recruiters (part of No Child Left Behind) permitted
to influence (call students) these students into JOINING UP!
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- A few blocks away (really a world) the Washington D.C.
schools are a disgrace. Boilers are leaking due to high 'mineral content'
in the water corroding them. Bathroom sinks are stopped up, toilets don't
work, roofs are leaking, tiles are falling from ceilings, the text books
are limited and outdated, the heat is unregulated etc. Rest assured, that
the exclusive private schools would NEVER see such neglect. Nor would
the White House - Executive Office - Capitol Building etc. Heck they're
spending $500,000 + (thus far) on an underground Visitor's Center, so that
those visiting can be scanned, groped, and photographed etc. I imagine
with the bookkeeping in Washington,(non-existent) that this project will
end up costing a billion. I can understand why Jesse and friends aren't
demonstrating at these schools. How would he explain using poverty funds
to get his kids the best education?
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- In the end (minus the rare few) the lot of these canidates
remind me of Gollum in Lord of the Rings. Their obsession with acquiring
the office of the Presidency is not much different from this misshapen
creature after the 'precious -one ring'! As with Gollum , you see the
same disassociation of personality, in their desire to obtain the ultimate
symbol of power. Be it tears or rabid accusations against one another (lies
to the public) they will do anything to obtain the title (seal). My precious
- My precious! -JM
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