Politics: Same Dance, Different Tune

The votes have been counted and Republicans have taken over the Senate AND the House. Here are my predictions for the next 2 years:

1. Republicans will attempt to repeal 'Obamacare', and I hope against hope that Obama will veto it. I suppose that's more of a wish than a prediction but the alternative would be really strange. Why would Obama let his signature piece of legislation be overturned? Sadly, there are signs he's willing to compromise, and his Health Care Act might suffer. What was the point of the last 6 years again? SMH.

2. The homeless and poor will be ignored or treated badly. It's been a part of being a Republican that if you are not rich, your needs will not be addressed, because it's your own fault. I wonder what Lincoln would make of his party now?

3. The environment will take a hit. Because giving businesses free reign to misuse land, air and sea will create a few jobs. I really fear Fracking will cause more problems that cure them. Better move away from the ocean unless you like living under water.

4. Business deregulation will mean higher bonuses for corporate executives and increased layoffs for front-line workers. It seems odd to me that corporations would pay bonuses with one hand while taking jobs with the other hand, but this is the way corporations act lately. If I were to suggest a piece of corporate legislation, I'd do one where no corporation can give executive bonuses in a year where layoffs occur, and no layoffs are to be done until executive wages are decreased. Just my .02.

5. Jobs will continue to be outsourced, mostly to other countries. It's the thing, now, for corporations to cease hiring front-line workers themselves and instead hire other companies to handle things like customer service and tech support. I fall under the latter of that. In the long run they save money on wages and benefits. It gives them the appearance of having more employees than they do, and of having higher wages, because the staffing company pays the employees, and you know they're paying the least they can. And when things go sour, they can just end the contract and hire a new staffing company. I really think a national strike of all front-line workers is needed to let corporations know just exactly what we do for them. But that's an idea for another blog. ;-)

6. The budget will not be balanced and the deficit will not be reduced. Despite Republican claims of Democrats being 'tax and spend', really, this is how bills get paid. Nothing will change that. Or if they do, the wealthy will be taxed less, and therefore less money will come in, and how can you get a balanced budget if there is no excess?

7. The recovery will falter and everyone will blame Obama, when really, it's corporate America that will be the cause. Because...

8. Obama will cave into all Republican demands, except, hopefully, ObamaCare. It's what he did when he first got elected. It didn't work. It still won't work, but at least Obama can say 'I told you so.' Sadly, America will suffer because Obama's not really an effective leader. There, I said it. His message of hope turned into 'Do whatever you want, I don't care anymore.'

There's a reason so many Republicans went after Democratic incumbents by saying they voted with Obama x% of the time. Yet what do people expect? Have you never heard the term 'along party lines?' It's what both Democrats and Republicans do. I'm amazed that Democratic incumbents let that stand. In an ever increasing hostile political fight they never thought to say, 'everyone does it?'

Because this is how Reps and Senators get their power, by being compliant to their party's leaders, who went through the same dance when they were first elected. Newly elected Senator Thom Tillis from NC is a prime example. he used the 'Kate Hagen voted with Obama 95% (or 96 or 97 depending on the time of day) of the time' schpiel over and over again and says he'll act more independently. BS. The man comes from a powerful position in the NC legislature and he'll want to consolidate whatever power he can and he'll toe the Republican line every time until he's in a position to make the line.

And this is what I hate most about politicians. They are not true representatives of the American people. They are corporate shills, or special interest fodder.

I renew my call for a 'Middle of the Road' party. We are locked into one extreme or another that benefits one side or the other, leaving those in the middle in their philosophies shaking their heads and wondering what can be done.

I Deserve To Be Treated Bad - I'm Poor

I rarely blog about politics, but that doesn't mean I don't take an interest in what goes

on nationally and locally in NC. Having been homeless, received Food Stamps, and attempted

to get subsidized housing, I've followed the antics of the NC legislature for some time

now.

Since the Republicans took over complete control of NC politics, law after law has been

passed whose only affect is to make it harder to be poor, jobless and/or homeless. In 2011

I followed the Occupy movement, not as a participant, but as an observer, taking videos of

protests that even now are on my youtube channel. I thought the protests were valid and

were a way to show how unhappy the protesters were with the status quo.

Sadly nothing major came out of that movement. Instead when the legislature began to churn

out anti-poor laws, the movement transformed into Moral Mondays: protests every Monday

while the legislature was in session. I never got a chance to participate in those

protests. I was jobless and living in the shelter, where if I wanted to get fed and have a

bed, I needed to be in the shelter by 6pm.

But those protests go on, and arrests come almost weekly. The legislature tried to change

the rules so that they couldn't be as vocal as they had been. The courts denied that rule,

and as such, arrests are still being made, in relatively small amounts.

I would not say I have ever been politically-active, but that doesn't mean I don't care

about the direction this state is going. I like living in NC. The weather is relatively

mild, the trees are beautiful, most of the people have a form of southern charm, and there

is the kind of technology here that I can sink my teeth into (well, if I still had

teeth!). I don't want to leave.

And yet the state is simply becoming too hostile to those of us who are dreamers; who care

less about money and power and more about art, writing and, you know, Liberal things, like

housing and feeding the poor, helping the sick and injured.

Even with a job that has become full-time, I find it hard to make ends meet without

turning to help. I'm so tempted to temporarily move back into the shelter to put together

enough money so I can find an apartment. But then I realized there are people much worse

off than me who need that bed more. People made that way by laws passed by Republicans,

either in NC or Federal, who seem to go out of their way to make the poor suffer even more

than they already do.

So my questions are: a) How can the poor help themselves if they keep getting pushed down

by Republicans and b) what are the rest of us going to do about it?

My stepfather has to be a Republican, because his philosophy even before my mother died

was that if I get into trouble, I need to work my way out of it. After she died and I

became homeless (entirely my fault, by the way), I asked him for help, and was turned

down, saying the gravy train was over. He'd rather his stepson live on the streets than

lend a hand, and this is symptomatic of the Republican attitude.

Because no one who works hard should ever be unemployed.

Because if you can't find a job you're not working hard enough.

Back in the late 80's I attended a series of courses that taught electronics at a local

'college'. I applied for a student loan to cover the $2500 tuition for a 4 month course.

When I was done it helped me land a job troubleshooting slot machines and video gaming

equipment. Unfortunately the education I received wasn't really adequate for the position

and that job fell away.

But the student loan remained.

Over the years since then, going from job to job, I have paid what I can afford on that

loan, defaulted when I could not pay, and have seen the loan sold at least twice. The

amount of interest charged on this loan far exceeds the original $2500 I took out. In fact

the current value of the loan is around $8,000, and I've probably paid $5,000 on it since

1989.

I bring this up in this blog to point out that I tried to do things the way the

Republicans want me to. I tried to get an education, and partially succeeded, but because

I never really completed a Bachelor's Degree (I have an Associate's), my ability to find a

well-paying job was hampered, and now I have to compete with students half my age with an

up-to-date education on paper (though my worldly knowledge is vast).

And to top it off, all my tax refunds, Federal and State, get confiscated to pay off that

loan. Worse yet, the interest exceeds my ability to pay it off, and I never will pay it

off unless something miraculous happens and I sell a script or a book.

But don't feel bad for me. I'm poor and I deserve the kind of treatment I'm getting. Just

ask the Republicans.

Why I Want to be a Social Media Journalist

A few posts back, I laid forth an idea for a business, where I would buy a van, a computer or two, a few cameras, a wifi router, and then go out and about the world whoring myself making video to be posted on youtube. I want to take a moment to talk about why I want to do this.

First, it's a source of income. Yes, I'll need to borrow to make it happen, but based on what I've read on the youtube site, it's possible to make substantial amounts of money through partnering with youtube. I also suggested building a web site with live streaming video and selling ad space there.

Second, it's a chance to leave a lasting impression. I'm a writer, primarily, and my writing has not taken off yet, so how then can I be remembered after I'm gone? By making a video that goes viral. Maybe making many videos that go viral. It doesn't take much. I could film cats in cute positions all day and post that and probably make a lot of money. But being homeless, I don't have a cat.

Even so, this is not how I want to be remembered. In the late '90's I took several Broadcast Journalism courses, and even worked at two television stations behind the scenes. I would have loved to be behind the camera during a live event back then, but I was stuck in the studio, behind a camera, editing video, running a CHYRON and an audio board, popping tapes in and out of a player. I was, for a brief time, an Associate Director, which meant I ran the board that actually displays the videos on-air. Unfortunately, my dexterity and the patience of the producer proved to be less than optimal. I still loved the whole news.journalism thing, and though I got out of the field, I'd like to join it again - on my terms.

Third, I want to be there as events unfold this year. If the Mayans are right (and who am I to argue with an extinct race of humans) 2012 will likely be one of the busiest news years ever. Even without the Mayans, things are happening all over the world that need someone to record them. Much of the mainstream media is ignoring, or worse, putting down the Occupy movement, which I think is a very bad idea. We have a Presidential election going on, and two conventions that need an impartial eye watching not only the candidates, but the people around the conventions: protesters, law enforcement, the movers and shakers of Washington. I want to be there for those events and make some money from them!

Fourth, lest you think I'm attention whore, I'd like to cover other parts of the American way of life: baseball games, football games, basketball, hockey and not just professional. I'd like to travel from city to city, town to town and take the pulse of America. It has been too many years since we saw something along the line of 'On the Road with Charles Kuralt.' I'd like to cover major and minor events. Since I'm a geek, I'd like to cover geeky stuff, like anime conventions, Doctor Who, ComicCon, and the like. And then I'd like to post the results on youtube and make some money on it.

The goal for the first year of operation, other than covering the conventions, is to hit every Major League ball park for a game and a tour, and to look at what kind of people go to those games. I'd like to do the same for NFL football, the NBA and the NHL.

And if in my travels I happen to be around when a major news story breaks, well then I'll have the privilege of covering that, maybe even exclusively. I want to cover social issues that are near and dear to me, like the Occupy movement, like the homeless situation in each city or town I breeze through. I want people to see what's really happening in America.

Fifth, I want to host and moderate Google Plus Hangouts with people who have ideas, or people who have educated opinions on the events of the day, who have answers to the questions that people are asking, like what the hell's a Google Hangout anyway? I'd like that to be done on a daily basis.

And finally, I want to travel like I haven't done in years, and really, like I've never done. I feel restless staying in one place too long, and there is so much of America and especially the world that I haven't seen and experienced. I want to experience other cultures, other ways of thinking within this country that I love so dear. I've traveled quite a bit, born in France, moving from state to state and country to country as an Air Force Brat. I want to travel more.

So this is what I want to do. I want to be the most objective, impartial journalist I can be. What do I need? Really, all I need is a van, a high quality camera, a high quality computer (Mac Book Pro!), and access to the internet through cell or satellite systems.

Do I need $100,000 like I asked for? No, not really. But it's nice to have a cushion to fall back on, so that I can take a few weeks to prepare for my journey and not be in the shelter. So that I can buy a new van with a warranty, and can afford the insurance for it. So that I can get the health care things that I need for a healthy body, eyes and mouth. I need glasses. I need to get my teeth fixed. Can I work without them? Well, not the glasses. I need them to drive. Teeth? Maybe. But I'd make a better impression with a mouth full of shiny white teeth than a mouth full of what I have now.

So the call goes out again. I could use help setting up a business plan that will get me a shot at a loan. I could use a co-signer because my credit sucks. If you want to donate equipment, I can do that. If you want to donate or lend money, it would be appreciated and paid back.

I'm trying my best to gather all the tools I need to do this by myself, but even the most affluent people needed help at some point in their lives. So I'm asking for help. Can you please help me? Can you make a difference in the life of someone who has struggled and now only wants a chance to make a difference himself?