Many of the older members of our society have paid Medicare taxes for decades. We have a moral and implied contractual obligation to make sure the members receive the services they have pre-paid to receive. Baby Boomers have had their money used to pay for their parents’ Medicare and to provide partial funding for their own. This is a fact of life. Ryan and his fellow Republican representatives do not understand the obligation that the withholding of these taxes requires.

The quest of the Republicans to continually give huge tax breaks to the mega-wealthy, like Mitt Romney is reprehensible. It is also as immoral to defund higher education for our young people to give Mitt Romney and the other 1% of top earners obscene tax breaks. We need a more highly educated youth to develop technology for the twenty-first century. We need more health care professionals to care for our aging society. We need to have the best engineers and technology experts to develop the new products and services our society will require for our nation’s continued growth and viability as a world economic leader.

Shorting education funding for trade school students and university students will result in the United States losing global economic competition. We need to make sure students with the intellectual and vocational ability have the required education to succeed individually as the most productive members of society they can be, while providing the know-how and ability to drive our economy in a positive direction.

Congressman Ryan’s approach is far too expensive and draconian as it makes our society choose between throwing grandma and grandpa under the bus, or their grandchildren so the wealthiest can sit on mountains of money. That money has never trickled down in the past thirty-two years, but our education rating in the world has plummeted from number one to number twenty-six.

I am proud to be a Democrat who advocates for the less fortunate in our society. I just fail to understand how any compassionate person could endorse Ryan’s outrageously greedy and cynical plan to give the mega-wealthy even more.

BY

Mark Challis

What is profound to me is that Jesus did not merely greet these individuals and quickly move on.  Rather, He spent time with them.  You may say Jesus was “in relationship” with all variations of people.  Jesus did not set limits on the type of person with whom he broke bread.  There was no pre-requisite of “I will spend time with you only if you be like me.”  It sounds absurd!  As we look at Jesus’ interactions we see He accepted individuals for who they were – not to change their identity but to embrace them with the love of God.  Jesus laid the foundation for us to not only understand but to truly own the thought that under different circumstances I am that person.

I am concerned how the political world today spins faith into a justification to look down upon others as if we have some first class ticket to heaven.  What is ironic is how fear gets used as a driving force for supporting the mainstream culture through fundamentalist principles that serve to put distance between people – completely opposite of how Jesus lived!  The trouble is Jesus’ message gets lost when as simple humans we attempt to label tidy boxes as either IN or OUT as if we get to decide where people belong.  I believe the Democratic Party – while not perfect – is built on the foundation that we are to care for and be in relationship with all people (not just the wealthy, not just those with political connections, not just those who are “just like me”) and to give voice to the marginalized…realizing that without the unconditional love of God we are no different from the very person whom others cast aside.

I invite you to join the Democratic Party by voting to support candidates who work on behalf of the marginalized.

                                                                                                Submitted by L.H.

The attack on women is part of a much broader overall strategy waged by far right minority Republicans against the rights of the least empowered.  It is a continuation of the Republican culture war conducted by the most powerful economic and ideological special interests in order to retain and increase their economic and political power.   The short list of those targets include: eliminating union member’s voice in bargaining, targeting teachers as the cause for all problems in education, dismantling safety nets for the most vulnerable, refusal to increase minimum wages, vicious misinformation on health care reform, wholesale assaults on regulatory protections for the environment and consumer safety, targeting undocumented immigrants for deportation and refusal to accept equal rights for the LGBT community!  In contrast, the Obama WH and Democrats are offering an agenda dedicated to protecting those least able to defend themselves against powerful economic and political interests.  They believe a Democracy demands a level playing field for all.  The founding fathers laid out a vision based on justice and liberty for all!  President Obama and Democrats embrace and fight for the “for all”!

Reading this blog you probably see some or all your interests and values under attack as I have outlined above.  We need each and every Democrat to get involved and fight against the Republican assault on fairness and equality for all.  Every Democratic candidate needs help in fighting and winning in the 2012 election to advance our agenda.  I encourage you to reach out to all our candidates from Obama on down and get involved!  We can’t win if you don’t play!  Join the Democrat’s team now and add your voice to the fight for liberty and justice for all!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Rick Smith

The law suit against the individual mandate initially focused on Mary Brown’s claim that it was unconstitutional to force her to buy insurance. However, she was dropped from the lawsuit after she got sick, required hospital treatment for which she could not pay, filed bankruptcy, lost her business, and stiffed the hospital for the medical costs, leaving the costs to be absorbed by higher rates for insured people.

Now, after years of railing against “activist judges” with Newt Gingrich stating his first act as president would be to defy the Supreme Court, Republicans are firmly behind (for the time being at least) the supremacy of the courts and the court’s responsibility to rule on the constitutionality of laws or parts of laws. Sen. Grassley says the president was “stupid” to suggest otherwise.I see only one area of consistency in the Republicans, the willingness to use any expedient argument to gain votes from those with short memories.

by Karl Schilling

GOP Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was recently quoted saying he couldn’t see why young Americans could support Democrats. Of all the bogus things Romney has said, this shocked me the most. Particularly because it’s easy to see the advantages young people have gained under the Obama administration.

As a result of Obama and the Democrats’ work, young people have benefitted from:

Ø  Doubled funding for Pell grants so more young people can go to college and graduate with less debt.

Ø  Credit card reform that protects young people from being taken advantage of by credit card companies

Ø  Student loans forgiven for those who go into public service after school

Ø  The repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and a continued fight against hateful discrimination

Ø  The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which ensures that women are paid as much as their male counterparts

Ø  The Affordable Care Act, which allows young people to stay on their parents’ insurance policy until the age of 27.

Ø  Fuel efficiency standards that will double vehicles’ fuel economy by 2025 to protect the environment now and in the future.

I’ve only listed here President Obama’s accomplishments that directly affect young people. The list of all the President’s reforms that he and Democrats have carried out in just three years is much longer – and much longer than most presidents can hope to accomplish in two terms.

But speaking as a college student, I’m grateful for the major steps President Obama has taken to help young people, especially in making college more affordable.

As a young American, I’m proud to support our President and the Democratic Party because they advocate for me every day. I don’t see how young Americans could support a Republican candidate who wants to dismantle the benefits we’ve gained from President Obama’s direction.

Gracie Brandsgard

He was killed in Vietnam, but not by the mortar rounds that went through our camp during the Tet Offensive, or the stray rounds when we replaced overstretched Marines on a perimeter. He died when someone outside his sea hut was playing with a pistol, and it went off. The .45 caliber bullet went through the wall and struck him while he was sleeping.

A conversation on a bus stays with me as well. A man was telling what he thought was a funny story. He sleeps with a pistol under his pillow and one night he was startled by a shadowy figure in the bedroom. He fired a shot, just missing his wife, and hitting a bottle of hand lotion splattering lotion all over the wall and around the bullet hole. He laughed about it and said he still kept his pistol under his pillow.

These are just my stories. We all know many, many other instances of tragic deaths and near injuries caused by irresponsible people.

There are people who should not have guns and local sheriffs know a lot of them. We need stronger gun control laws, not weaker ones. The burden of proof should be on the potential owners as to whether they will be responsible gun owners. Safety training and gun locks should be a requirement.

The “right to bear arms” in the Constitution refers to the need to have a militia, not the desire to be a cowboy. The general public has an over-riding right not to be killed by a stupid person.

Karl Schilling
Des Moines

When our country was founded, Europe had been through centuries of bloodshed among religious factions.  Our Founding Fathers wisely set it up for us to avoid that fate.  For over 200 years, our presidents have worked diligently to separate their own personal faith from the workings of the government.  Our country was known as a place where people of all religions would be welcome and safe.  Each and every person would be free to follow the dictates of their own private faith without pressure from the government.

The Republican candidates, particularly Rick Santorum, and the Tea Party are heading toward very dangerous ground for our country.  They would like to abolish the separation of church and state and put in the rules of their faith as law.  They are frightened of Sharia Law, but this is exactly what Sharia Law is about.  The rules of faith carried out by the government.  We are a long, long ways from enacting Muslim laws into our government, but we are not that far from enacting extreme Christian laws – which would be very similar.  The Muslim laws are much harder on women, but then again, the right wing Christians are heading in that direction.

How important is religion?  There are differences between religion, spirituality, and morals, and some think that if you aren’t Christian, you will automatically be immoral.  Religion is adhering to a strict set of rules or dogma laid down by some one person in the past based on the teachings in the Bible, Koran, Hindu Scriptures, Torah, or whatever.  Spirituality is tuning into a Higher Power through your own spirit, feelings, or being, and doesn’t necessarily involve religion at all, although it can.   Morals are defined as right conduct, and the distinction between right and wrong.  You don’t need to be religious to not want to steal, kill, be deceitful, or unethical.  Most people are just nice, Christian or not, and do not need the threat of hell to stop them from wanting to hurt other people.  However, for the people who would hurt others – poison our water, pollute our air, sell contaminated food, cheat us through banks and insurance – we need laws, not religion.

We should not even be talking about what religion the President adheres to, or what religion Santorum goes by.  It is none of our business, and has nothing whatever to do with running the country. 

Doris Render

by Mark Challis

The Health Care Reform law will greatly affect the ability of many families to start a small business. Our existing health care system prevents many potential entrepreneurs from starting their own business. People who have health insurance provided by employers usually do not have to prove insurability for themselves or family members. Starting their own business would make them have to pay outrageously high COBRA coverage for eighteen months, or prove the entire family is healthy enough not to have pre-existing conditions excluded for coverage in an individual family plan of health insurance.

Let’s say the father has worked as a plumber for a large company for several years and wants to strike out on his own. He has a child with Juvenile Diabetes that requires insulin injections and frequent glucose testing. Obama’s plan would require insurance companies to insure the child and the rest of the family. The present system would make it impossible for the father to start his business, because the insurance company can exclude the child from coverage. The present system makes it impossible for the father to leave his employer; due to the family’s need for health insurance. This results in indentured service to the employer, who in many cases is very wealthy and does not want an employee it trained going into competition against the company.

Big business understands that keeping the insurance system the way it is will keep present employees anchored to the company. This reduces training costs for the big business owner and reduces the chances of new competition in the marketplace. It also allows the employer an edge in hiring, when competing with smaller competitors, who may not have enough employees to get guaranteed issue health insurance. The smaller employer cannot be competitive in recruiting as many qualified employees because of this imbalance in insurance coverage.

Republicans understand that the big business folks fund their political campaigns. They are using a false argument of “socialism” to protect their wealthy benefactors from competition in the marketplace. President Obama’s plan allows the little guy a fighting chance to start a business and watch it grow. It will help create new jobs and businesses. The one thing Big Business hates is competition. Republicans blocking this law are aiding and abetting big business in their quest to limit the competitors the President’s plan could create.

More Jobs, More Votes

by Rose Brandsgard 

     Did you read the headlines on Friday?

     All Americans should be celebrating because the U.S. is making a comeback. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 243,000 jobs were added nationwide in January and the U.S. has seen 23 consecutive months of private sector job growth. During those 23 months, 3.7 million jobs were added. Friday’s jobs report also showed unemployment dropping to 8.3%, the lowest level of Obama’s presidency.

     These numbers are solid proof that the economic-recovery efforts led by the President are working. This is good for the country and a windfall for Obama’s re-election bid. The lower these figures go, strategists in both parties say, the harder it will be for opponents to rely on a glum national mood and a purely jobs-focused sales pitch to turn voters against the President. And the clear downward trend in the jobless rate proves that Obama is NOT the economic failure that Republicans claim but instead is leading an economic turnaround.

     Creating so many jobs has not been an easy task considering that since taking office in January, 2009, Barack Obama has had to work with the economic disaster produced by Bush’s extreme mismanagement.  When he took office, President Obama addressed the immediate economic crisis and laid the foundation for a U.S. economy that can out-innovate and out-build the world.

     By working with Democrats in Congress, President Obama developed the Recovery Act to help get our economy back on track, create jobs and support working Americans. It was signed into law shortly after he took office. As a result America has benefited from:

ü A payroll tax cut for all working families, providing the average working family with a $1,000 tax cut in 2011.

ü Expansion of small business loan programs to help small businesses access credit and create jobs.

ü Initiatives to help veterans transition to post-service careers.

ü Tax incentives for businesses that hire unemployed veterans.

The President also made the bold decision to provide emergency loans to the auto industry which resulted in:

ü Saving more than 1.4 million American jobs.

ü Preventing personal income losses over two years of more than $96 billion.

ü Helping make the Big Three (Chrysler, GM, and Ford) all profitable for the first time in years.

     The President’s aggressive actions to put Americans back to work and restore security for the middle-class are working. This is an incredible accomplishment considering that the President had to begin with the largest U.S. debt ever, a failing economy, collapsing banks, bankrupt businesses and a record number of mortgages in default.

     The bottom line: Obama’s economic strategies are putting more people to work and that bodes well for his re-election in 2012.

I would submit that profit should be the base of the pyramid, a necessary and foundational requirement, but not the highest purpose of any business. The highest purpose of any business is to produce a product or service and to do it in such a way as to increase the wealth and quality of life of the entire society. In order to achieve that goal a business would need to produce a service that is needed and that improves the quality of life, or a good that is truly good; a quality product at a reasonable price. It would be necessary in producing this good or service to be sure that the employees of the business make a living wage and that the work of their hands or minds leads to a productive life and a comfortable old age. These should be the highest goals of any business.

Placing profit at the top of the pyramid causes, and has caused, much mischief. The search for getting the absolute most profit has caused employers to bust unions, import undocumented workers, export jobs overseas, create worthless financial instruments, hurt the environment, produce items that lack quality, drive out small businesses, create financial hardship for the workers, and corrupt our government and society. This is not an exhaustive list.

This is not an argument against profit; not even large profits. It is an argument that society needs to place the need for businesses to make a profit in the larger context of corporate good citizenship. In the time that Mark Twain called the “Gilded Age” he stated that nothing is so respectable as money. In our current gilded age that remains, sadly, to be the case.

To correct the misplaced role of profit in our lives and our economy we must first work on our own attitudes. We must honor the honest businessman, farmer, or laborer. We need to quit honoring those persons and businesses that put profit above citizenship, money above honor, and personal privilege above the common good.

We must return to first principles. We must put people first. We must make it axiomatic that there is no real profit from pollution, no benefit from exploitation, and no human good from greed.

In light of this, the business of government can still be business, but our encouragement needs to be for those businesses that seek to be partners in the creation of a prosperous and healthy society. I know that there are many such businesses out there, and we need to reserve our encouragement, and resources for their honor and support.

Karl Schilling

Most children who are at highest risk of being retained are boys, many of whom are African-Americans, Hispanic, or from poverty.  The negative impact of retention affects all areas: academic, emotional, self-esteem, adolescence when those retained are sexually more mature, graduation rates, employment, and the list goes on.  On the other hand, those with the same low-achievement scores who are promoted rather than retained can be compared with the rest of their peers.

One reason more boys are retained is that boys’ brains mature more slowly.  Another is that many boys are kinesthetic learners who do not fit the school model of sitting in seats and learning visually. They need to move, use their hands, and have activity –based learning. Unfortunately, they can become labeled hyper-active or troublemakers because they are in and out of their seats, tapping their toes, or drawing instead of appearing to listen.

The solution is not retention.  The solution is recognizing these students’ different learning styles, adjusting for them, and allowing them to succeed. Other evidence-based strategies are an emphasis on pre-school programs, effective early reading programs, tutoring and mentoring programs, monitoring progress with early intervention, age-appropriate instruction strategies, and close contact with parents.  Testing without the time for individual intervention is pointless and expensive.

Make no mistake; it will take money to have an impact on these children’s reading scores including, but not limited to, small class size for at least pre-school through third grades, support staff to work one-on-one with the child who needs a boost, and summer school after all grades for that needed boost.  Teachers know how to do it, but they need time and support from everyone who has an interest in good readers and thinkers. That is all of us:  the education community, parents, and citizens.  Let’s do it without flunking kids.

Kathie Farris

Retired teacher

Indianola

The idea of amnesty is deeply unpopular with their base, but they also know that the specter of grabbing 11 million undocumented immigrants and sending them back to their home countries is also a losing proposition.  They know that story after story of separated families, people being sent back to face oppression, and people seeking the American dream being snatched away from it, will eventually erode the popularity of a hard line against undocumented workers.

There was talk about making sure the undocumented workers are not provided health care, education, or any other benefit that would improve their condition, and that is consistent with the Republican position on helping anyone who is poor.

Only Mitt Romney suggested that we need to crack down on employers willing to hire undocumented workers.  This will likely hurt his fundraising and perhaps his popularity in the party.

I submit that the reason America has not stopped illegal immigration is that, for the business community, the current system works very well.  We have, as a result of a cap on the number of legal immigrants and the demand for many more laborers, a large number of workers, who will work for little money, bust unions, not file complaints or apply for worker’s compensation.  They can be exploited to the degree that they will work for less than minimum wage and can even be denied wages earned.  If they need health care the taxpayers, not employers, are stuck with the costs.

There is simply no incentive (save humane impulses) to correct the immigration problem because to meat packers, roofers, landscapers and others there is no problem.  To discuss this problem with intensity would reveal this hypocrisy and that is why they concentrate on fence building rather than the consequences of our decades-long shadow policy of exploitation.

Karl Schilling