Humanity Demands the Pen Must Remain Mightier than the Sword

America, we were outraged when we heard ISIS was destroying antiquities of eons and historic relevance. Are we not outraged that the Trump administration has set into motion the dismantling and destruction of the public archiving of the arts and humanity of America, and the means by which we the people have public access to them. The viewer driven, non-commercial laden, public broadcast systems that dot the nation, keeping people up to date on America and the world.

What's next CSPAN? The Trump administration's cutting of the funding for the arts and humanities, and the most prolific means by which they are made public and accessible, is akin to going back into the pre-cold war historic darkness. How is this not the same as ISIS? How is this not the same as Nazi's burning books in the 1930's and 40's. No!...America is, and must be better than this! We must stand against the Trump administration's systematic eradication of access, and ultimately, the ability of the public to archive America's creativity and historic relevance. We must learn the lessons of history and stand strong in defiance of the iniquitous of eras past. Humanity demands it.

Block Granting Health Care to the States is an Abdication of Congress's Constitutional Responsibility to Promote the Welfare" of the People.

Republicans want to block grant their responsibility to the states to change health care in America. A VERY bad move. Let's for the sake of argument say there are 5 of the biggest for profit health insurance providers participating in this "block grant" health care system. There are 50 disparate states who must negotiate with 5 different for profit insurance companies. Business 101 says the more densely populated states will get better deals. That's how for profit health insurance policies are currently sold in America, and there's a bunch of restrictions to go along with them. The ACA mandated the insurance companies provide a minimum coverage to all Americans (their policy holders) as well as doing away with preexisting conditions.

What Republicans fail to grip is that there are economies of scale that will be lost once 50 disparate states are forced to fend for themselves against the crippling grip of the loosely regulated health insurance industry. A task most certain to fail, and the strangle hold on health care in America will remain. I ask you...Why would anyone think it was a good idea to negotiate insurance rates on a state's population when the entire US population will get a better deal?

The health insurance industry profited greatly from the ACA because it forced Americans to buy health insurance from them. Obama's ACA created a market for the insurance industry, and like most mega, for profit, corporate entities, what they're supposed to do comes in a far second,or third, to profits for their share holders. It was basically a gift that cemented the for profit insurance industry into America's health care system for decades to come.

This whole block grant thing is yet another example of how our federally elected officials abdicate their Constitutional responsibilities of promoting "the general welfare" of the people to someone other than the federal government. Their pockets are full from the insurance industry lobby money. It's appalling the lengths they will go to push off the hard things and get rich from it. Hell, they did the same thing in 1913 when they pushed their Constitutional responsibility for monetary control to a non governmental banking consortium known forever as the Federal Reserve.

This is what elected officials are supposed to do! We pay you to do your Constitutional duty. Your duty is to the people not the corporations that line your pockets. We will not just sit back and pay salaries and benefits of the elected while they shirk their responsibilities. The federal government must negotiate for every American's health care! The entire insured populous of America, in every state, the same rate. Either that, or scrap the whole idea of for profit insurance and go to Single Payer, Medicare for all.

The Republican plan for block granting health care simply won't work and will cost middle class tax payers much more, their quality of care will degrade, their stress will increase, and the rich will get their tax breaks. Republicans will throw the American people under the bus because that was their party's mantra for the past 8 years. REPEAL OBAMA CARE! They tried over 50 times to repeal the ACA with NO PLANS for replacing it with something at least as good or better. I'm telling you, these people are very lucky the American people have turned into sheep easily led to the slaughter. Otherwise, there'd be a bunch of tar and feathering going on...

An Open Letter to America from a Retired Engineer

I'm that guy. I'm the hypocrite. I worked for one of the top 3 American technology/IT integration companies in the world. Top 3 in the world! An American company! I was in the telecom business almost all of my adult life. I guess I should have realized something was up when the head honcho told the entire company "telecom is not now, nor will it ever be, a core competency". I hesitated, took a breath, and wondered what the hell I was doing there. Little did I realize their plan was to use my IT/telecom knowledge and experience to ship American jobs overseas in the name of profits. We hocked offshore body shops like nobody's business and did VERY well before the bubble started to burst in mid 2007. The crash came quick the next year. At the time, I was thinking about my wife, my son, my paycheck and not of the "consequences" of my employment. I've done a lot of bonehead things in my life...but I am truly sorry for being a part of offshoring American jobs...As I look back, I can't believe I was so stupid...and gullible.

Now, imagine 10 or 20 or 30 of those same types of companies "going after the business" of other corporations, to dismantle their workforce, doing the same thing for the past 25 years in the name of profits. That's how we got here. That's why American labor is in the shape it's in. Our government must understand as I didn't then, that we must protect American workers from corporate policies that by design, dismantle America's working class. It's one thing to automate, but it's completely different to replace an American job with an offshore job. That's how they do it. There are some things money and profits shouldn't buy. Again...I am sorry...and I'm working to prove that.

Censure Mitch McConnell - Force Him to Resign

Mitch McConnell should be censured and removed from leadership for making false accusations against Elizabeth Warren during her reading of a letter on Jeff Sessions penned by civil rights legend Coretta Scott King, wife of Dr. Martin Luther King.

McConnell's false accusation interrupted Warren's speech which was in opposition to the nomination of Jeff Sessions to the office of Secretary of State. McConnell not only besmirched the integrity of Ms Warren publicly, but by doing so besmirched and dishonored Ms. King herself and her opinion of Jeff Sessions. Mitch McConnell's fabrication and false accusation against Ms Warren, then misusing Congressional rules impugned and besmirched the integrity of Congress.

This was a blatant and partisan misuse of Congressional power by the Republican leader in an attempt to stop further opposition to the nomination of Jeff Sessions. America can not allow this thinly veiled character assassination of Ms Warren and the impugning of Ms King's relevance and opinion on Sessions to stand, and it certainly can not allow Mitch McConnell, who soiled the integrity of Congress by his action, to remain in a position of leadership. What he did and how he did it, was the lowest of Congressional lows I have ever witnessed in my entire life...

The Difference Between Treason and Patriotism Is 12.5 Percent

Treason is no joking matter. Treason was a badge of honor given to patriots during our war of independence from Great Britain. a badge worn proudly by patriots fighting oppression and draconian government. Treason, giving impetus to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...Liberty at all costs.

I'm going to be generous here for the sake of perspective. Around 100,000 people died during America's war of independence. Let's assume for the sake of argument that every person who died during the our war of independence knew at least 1 other person (which will be relevant later on}. Let's also assume for the purpose of this exercise, a total involvement of about 200,000 people. A preponderance of research reveals the population of America in 1776 was approximately 2.5 Million people. The magic number is 12.5%. It only took 12.5% of the people to create America. 12.5% of the population forced a decision of what was right and wrong and what the people would no longer tolerate by government. 6.25% of America died for it.

It took eighty five years later for America to realize government wasn't the only thing wrong in America. 750,000 more Americans would die for believing no human had the right to own another human. Again, lets assume each person who died in the civil war knew at least 1 other person, bringing the total to 1.5 Million people. Being generous again with research data estimates, let's assume the population of America was 31.5 Million people in 1861. That means it only took 20% of America to again decide what was right and what was wrong for the country. 0.5% of America died for it.

Here we are in 2017, and as a stark contrast to events of the past, it only took 304 people or 0.000000931% of America to invalidate the popular vote, bringing into question again the validity, integrity, and authority of the status quo, the powers in charge, over the power of people to decide their own destiny. We the people stand warned and alarmed again in the face of oppression and we are prepared to prove again there is no place for it here in America. Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Patriots one and all.

When Repeal and Replace Means Subvert and Destroy

Millions upon millions, upon millions of dollars are spent electing people who once in office become compromised. Their primary mission changes from doing the work of the people to getting reelected. They only work 115 days a year. Some make well over $174K per year, yet people in places like Flint, MI can't drink the water because it's poisoned. The people we elect to help form a more perfect union, the reason we're a country at all, have failed miserably. In fact they've done just the opposite. They've torn this country apart. The very fabric of this nation is soaked in the blood of political vitriol, hate, and distrust. Our enemies are foaming at the mouth because they believe American democracy is on the precipice of collapse and they may not be wrong.

We elect people whose job it is to ensure domestic tranquility. Have you looked outside your window or read the news lately? Crime, hunger, homelessness, corruption and the distrust of our own government, it’s clear our government is ineffective and do not act in our best interests, but rather, in the interests of moneyed special interests. On domestic tranquility, they are a monumental failure.

Instead of promoting the general welfare of the people, Congress just completed the first steps to strip critical health care protections from 150 MILLION Americans, in addition to over 22 MILLION people who will lose their health care all together. We simply can not allow this to stand. We must stop this blatant assault and disregard for the welfare of middle class America and the poor. This may well become the war that will bring down America. A war for the survival of citizens against a government that both ignores and exacerbates their plight. The lure of special interest monies and the power of the for profit insurance industry is too great an interest for Congress to ignore.After all, the poor don't pay campaign and election costs, the lobbyists do. The poor just elect them.

Congress has fired the second shot heard round the world across the bough of the American people. Those who would seek to destroy our nation, our lives, and destroy our Constitutional guarantee of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, for personal or political gain, will open their war chests and their coffers. They will enlist the help of minions to manipulate and leverage multinational corporations and they will use any tactic and any form of subterfuge to achieve their goal of government by oppression.

THE HUNT FOR THOSE WHO WOULD ENDANGER AMERICA

AND THE LIVES OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, BEGINS ON CAPITOL HILL

John Q. Publik.info

TO TARIFF OR NOT TO TARIFF...THAT'S A NO BRAINER...

Explain to me again why higher tariffs on imports or on American brand products manufactured off shore then brought back into the country is a bad thing? If your stance is that countries that we impose tariffs upon will retaliate with higher tariffs of their own, I would argue that would be a valid point if we actually made stuff and exported it. That cow just doesn't fly. The holy trinity of corporate influence, government, and a lot of money, has transformed America from a self sufficient, self reliant country into one of total dependence on imports. All in the name of corporate profits and personal gain. All by the peril of America's working class. The ones who actually do make America great.

We're going to need some powerful medicine to cure America's manufacturing and export ills. The working class will again have to pull their belts tighter and endure more hardships as America "cold turkeys" off of total reliance on imports in almost every walk of life.If you're an American company that can but won't make products here in America but still reap all the benefits of being an American company, if you're tariff'd enough, you'll change your mind, or someone will start making those products here in the void created by those high import tariffs. That's only one way America will stop the hemorrhaging of jobs going off shore and start creating good, high paying jobs, with benefits that we used to enjoy like health care and a stable pension.. We have at our disposal many ways to kill this country destroying virus of corporate greed. All will require the equivalent disdain of drinking a gallon of castor oil daily for years. But by doing so, we will get better and stronger as a nation.

John Q. Publik