Cliff Diving: The American Debt Ceiling Debate

Victoria Falls also known as "Mosi oa-Tunya" ("the smoke that thunders") is positioned almost exactly half way along the mighty Zambezi River's 2700 km journey from its source to the sea.

While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is claimed to be the largest. This claim is based on a width of 1,708 meters (5,604 ft) and at a height of 108 meters (354 ft), forming the largest sheet of falling water in the world. The falls' maximum flow rate compares well with that of other major waterfalls

For a considerable distance upstream from the falls, the Zambezi flows over a level sheet of basalt, in a shallow valley bounded by low and distant sandstone hills. The river's course is dotted with numerous tree-covered islands, which increase in number as the river approaches the falls. There are no mountains, escarpments, or deep valleys which might be expected to create a waterfall, only flat plateau extending hundreds of kilometers in all directions.

As we head into the New Year we are once again faced with what to do about the money we already spent.  An insane argument if you ask me, but one that keeps our government divided.  Unlike Victoria Falls we do not need to go over this cliff, this is a man made crisis that has a very simple solution and not resolving this has a very big impact.

As we move closer to the date of decision the President has aligned himself with the business community and that makes prefect sense.  See the Business Community will be the hardest hit by this crisis, as the World watch our internal bickering and inability to govern they lose confidence in us as a country.  Just as the Government does, Corporate America does business using debt so all the goods and services used to make a company run are not paid for in cash.  No company is waiting with a stack of dollar bills when they ship goods or order essential office supplies.

Looking at things the first thing that happens is our countries credit rating will probably be lowered again and the impact of that is not just a loss of confidence in America, but American Business's as well.  Without Corporate America able to function on a debit and credit system, because goods and service providers do not have the confidence in them to pay their debt there will be mass lay-offs.  This is nothing unusual for America and the American population, we have been through this before and we will go through this again.  The secret is our last bout with mass unemployment taught the American people how to live on less, especially the shrinking middle-class and lower.  While Corporate America sat on billions of dollars, not hiring and not helping the people suffered, but they managed.

As unemployment increases the need for goods and services used internally by Americans will decrease, kind of a self fulfilling prophecy.  In order for American Business to be strong they need a strong American Economy.  So as bottom lines drop and corporations eat through their reserve capital and possibly go out of business, they will scream.  Yes we want smaller government but you need to help me and my business now.

In the immediate aftermath of this looming disaster decision are easy, we pay our debt on our Treasury Bonds and then we have the hard decision on what to pay next.  What Social programs do we not pay?  Do you tell mothers on Welfare that they have to starve, old people that they can't seek medical attention for what they need or do we tell the person that recently lost their job because of this Cliff Dive that they can't receive benefits to help them through their time of need?  But wait it gets more interesting, lets say we have another disaster similar to Sandy.  What do we do?  Do we allow this community ravished by disaster to tough it out on their own when we have told the senior, recently unemployed and the underemployed hey "It Sucks to be YOU!!!"?

Let's go over the cliff and see who the American people hold responsible.  Personally I think this will be the first time a Democrat has won the White House for 3 consecutive elections.  Talk about a party out of touch with reality even the business community which the GOP claims to be supporting has all but told them this is not good.

So sit back, laugh, enjoy the ride and watch as Hillary Clinton is elected the "First Woman President" in history in 2016.  Remember you heard it hear first, while others say she will run I say she will run and win by a landslide.  What does this mean?  Simply "Goodbye GOP" it was nice, but you wrote your own epitaph when you allowed the Tea Party to dictate your policy.

What's important to American's?

As the election nears what has been is very clear is Mitt Romney will say and do anything to win the election, but all aside form all that we know exactly who Romney is and where he stands.

Look at who Romney is and what we actually know about him, not what he has said over the past few years.  I mean people can and do say anything and that is a lesson that is all too clear in every phase of our life regardless to what position the person may have.  Actions speaks louder than words!

He lead Bain Capital a company the that was responsible for putting American Companies out of business and shipped American Jobs overseas.  Regardless to what he says this is what we know about him, so what does it mean?  I wouldn't begin to speculate, but this is what we do know:

• Bain Capital's leveraged buyouts sometimes led to layoffs, either soon after acquisition or later after the firm had concluded its role. 
• Exactly how many jobs Bain Capital added compared to those lost because of these investments and buyouts is unknown, owing to a lack of records and Bain Capital's penchant for privacy on behalf of itself and its investors.
• Maximizing the value of acquired companies and the return to Bain's investors, not job creation, was the firm's fundamental goal.

He paid a 14% tax rate after inflating it, and he's on the record with the following statements:

• "It is a low rate," Romney said. "And one of the reasons why the capital gains tax rate is lower is because capital has already been taxed once at the corporate level, as high as 35 percent
• When pressed on whether or not he believes that rate is fair, Romney said he thought it was the "right way to encourage economic growth -- to get people to invest, to start businesses, to put people to work."

Mitt is a Mormon and their stance on abortions is, Abortion it is a serious sin. An unborn baby is one of God's spirit children, just like every other person on earth, and that life should be valued for what it is. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opposes abortion, and discourages it's practices, except for in rare cases where the mother will most likely die, or if the child was conceived under extreme circumstances, such as rape and incest, after meeting with the proper church authorities and receiving conformation through prayer.

Which ties in with the Republican views on overturning Roe vs Wade.  I key bit of legislation which hinged on right to privacy and a woman's ability to decide what to do with the most intimate and personal part of being a woman.  While my views are it is a private decision of a woman I only worry if they can dictate that what other personal rights will they try to legislate.

He is a advocate of a stronger military which can only mean one thing.  What would be the need for a stronger military if there was no plans to use it.  He also expressed a concern about the military being able to fight in 2 wars at the same time.  Do we really want to get involved in 2 wars in this economy?  The needlessly of lives of our potential leaders the group that will eventually take over the reigns of control from our aging Congress?

While it is said that he has flip flopped on several of his positions I can assure you that it will be business as usual for the GOP.

Are we better off than 4 years ago?  Well where were we 4 years ago.

• The American Economy on the verge of collapse
• The Dow Jones in a state of free fall hitting a low of about 7500
• No Manufacturing Jobs in the country
• $800 Billion given to Private Corporations in a Free Market (The Bank Bailout)
• Unemployment at historical levels and we were rapidly losing more jobs

Where are we now?

• The Economy is stabilizing
• The Dow Jones a steady increase
• 401K are profitable again
• American Business's actually holding a cash surplus
• The revival of the Auto Industry
• Unemployment stabilizing and we are gaining jobs 
• Manufacturing jobs are not only back but increasing

Now no one could have known how bad the economy was or repair it in such a short period of time, especially with the most ineffective Congress in History.  An entire political party that vowed to see this President become a failure.  A party hell bent on maintaining the tax cuts for the wealthy and cutting programs for middle and lower class.  

I know where I would like to see myself in the next 5 to 10 years and I want a candidate that can get me there.

While Foreign Policies is a hot issue I can assure you that the millions of out of work Americans care more about jobs here than the Middle East

Welcome to the Machine

I think I finally get it.  I was confused and a little bewildered about Obama's game plan.  If I'm right it all makes sense.

So we have our first Afro-American President and this is huge, I mean a major accomplishment.  Now we have to keep in miond that racism crosses political lines.  A lot of people put their hope in this President and all for good reason.  It appears the Obama doesn't have the best interest of America at heart and all for goosd reason, but what if I were to tell you it's all by design.  So what I'm about to relate to you is my understandiung why Obama is truly wise and deserving of is title.

In a Country riddled with raciam we were not ready for a Afro-American President.  It took a lot of people by surprise.  Stepping into this office he had to deal with opposition from all sides including Democrats that may not believe the are racist.  No racism has many face from those that are just overt racist to those that may not beleive that are racist. 

As an Afro-American I've worked with those that have not seen us in positions of authourity and basically don't know how to handle it.  I mean they are everyday people that just for lack of environment have not had to deal with this situation.  They may not think they are racist but deep down in their heart they can't imagine an Afro-American doing the job of running the country.

When he got in office he had a divided Congress of those that supported him and those that didn't among the democrats.  Those that weren't really sure how he would act.  The thought of a Black Agenda basically scares America and what most don't understand is if you improve America situation you improve the black situation.

So in walk Obama with plans of change without help of his democratic party members.  He got done that which he could just by being President, which is a huge list of things.  Then we get to budgetary items and we begin to see where loyalties lay.

Well needless to say we needed an intervention and in walks the Tea Party, truly a savior of modern democracy.  Yes the Tea Party pushing things so far to the right that even Conservative Republicans think they are nuts.  Their insane clamor has united the Democratic Party and all it took was a little white lie.  Let Congress bicker amongst themselves and not accomplish anything.  Allow the Tea Party push the American Agenda further and further to the right.  Then put something out there that you know won't pass or be supported by the people of your party.

In essence what you get is a change in the Culture of Congress.  You get a Tea Party that has come to be know as extreme, a Republican Class that's torn between talking points of the Extremist Tea Party, A Democratic Party that just flat out thinks the Tea Party is a bunch of whacko's and a Liberal Class stuck in the middle wondering what's wrong with everyone.

So with all the talking point we can now get things accomplished.  The Tea Party has shown that they can't be taken seriously and that they are the Party of "NO".  So now no matter what is put on the table you can already assume the Tea Party will say no and then it's a matter of getting the center republicans on board with any idea.  Now that would normally be a problem, but they understand that they have to ignore the Tea Party now.  So there will be a few hard core republicans that side with the Tea Party no matter what the consequences are and complete support of the democrats.

So there you have it, like a well played chess game Obama has not only unified the democrats, but swayed a small amount of republicans.

And I thought he was crazy for caving on everything.

The 800 LB Gorilla: Tea Anyone?

The 800 pound gorilla in the room or one might the Tea Party.  This is probably the most vocal political group ever.  This group of Right Extremist represent nothing and mean nothing.

So this is our political climate today.  The Tea Party represents conservative republicans that want smaller government, less federal spending and more accountability from our government officials.  Not bad until you add and the extreme Evangelical belief and a sense of white being right to the mix.  This is a recent evolution of the party since Obama won the election in 2008 which was a switch from a faction that wanted the government to be fiscally responsible.  No matter how hard you try you can not avoid noticing the Racist Agenda that they have.

With the election of the First Afro-American President, something that was not popular within certain circles in the white community they gained more support.  They have changed their agenda to see Obama fail at all cost, which includes the downfall of our country.

The Tea Party Agenda has put the health and welfare of this country at risk, but that's not entirely a bad thing.  The Tea Party with all it's antics has managed to do something historical and that is to unite the Democratic Party.  So these one term officials are shouting their message from anywhere and to anyone that will listen, and they are shouting loud.

At the end of the day it is what it is what it is, just a handful of irate voters that started with an good national agenda to preach hate.  They lured people in by speaking to the countries needs for employment and quickly changed.

For months they have been telling everyone what was being done wrong from their point of view, but never what they would do to make things better.  Yes they put together a bunch of career killing bills, that really didn't address the issues.  They have put together talking point and have coined phrases like "One Term President", and ObamaCare to keep you focused on their message.  But it's all empty rhetoric designed to serve their purpose not yours, they put a gun to the head of America and is about to pull the trigger.

So we have allowed this small faction take over our political future and they do mean harm.  No one can get a word in edgewise because they filibusterer any platform they have with their talking points. Just watch them when they are asked what the stand on any issue is, first is "I'm not doing it like Obama" very specific.  Not about his policy, but about the person.  Then it's the standard he hasn't done this or he hasn't done that all the time avoiding what they would do, which was the question.

So they have this country in a tizzy about nothing and it's all over the media.  They say insane things to keep people talking about them so that you know their name.  Maybe it by design so we don't forget them, or just maybe they are that ignorant. 

The silent mass of the republican party stays out and away, they don't donate money and they vote them out as soon as they have the chance.  Either they are waiting for a serious candidate that hold real Republican beliefs or they are resigned to say that no one can do a better job going forwards.  The one thing that is sure November 2012 will tell and I can assure you Obama will win the 2012 Election.

Entitlements Program?????

Why is it that so many Afro-Americans think they are entitled to something?

I mean give them a position where they have a little authority....not much, just where you have to listen to them and they flip the "F" out.  How many times have you called ComEd, ComCast or SBC and had to deal with a customer service agent or rep and from the tone of their voice you just knew they were Black.

This isn't just a customer service issue.  Most Black American feel as if they are entitled to something just because they are black or something is due them because of the color of their skin.  Everyone wants to give their views and opinions as if it mean's something and when you don't agree they are the first to say "Well that's your opinion!", well everything is not a matter of opinion.

We have people that will stand up and speak as long as they have a platform to shout from.  Now I don't mind people speaking their mind as long as they make sense and they weigh the value or merit of their statement, but this is rarely the case.  In most cases they are simply regurgitating something they read or heard.

Now I'm not trying to say there aren't any intelligent Blacks out there, but what I can say is there is a lack of critical or analytical thinking among them.

So now to my point.  What's going on with Tavis Smiley and Cornell West?  I have no clue, they appear to be upset with President Obama.

Apparently they are discontent with Obama's handling of the Government.  West has never been shy about his thought of Obama kowtowing to Wall Street, and I kind of agree with him.  Smiley is a little different I think, I think he might be a little upset because he is not part of the Obama mainstream when it comes to events.

Now these are two Afro-Americans that I do respect and I believe them to be intelligent, but sometime intelligent people can make some really stupid decisions.  Yes, I said STUPID.

They have been very vocal critics of Obama for his handling of the government and I can agree with them on most of their points.  I may not agree with their over all view, but they make some valid points.

But this is not about their views or opinions.  It's about their failure to back our current President.  At the end of the day since they have a national platform and people will listen.  If they are concerned about this country as much as they say they do then they know no voting is not an option. 

You can't complain about your Government not providing the services you want and then not vote.  That is the most insane concept I've ever heard. 

If you are concerned about your Government the you avail yourself of the democratic process.  Either vote them out or express your opinion.  As Afro-Americans we have enough to deal with in this country.  Instead of working for change we manage to get involved in such petty and small issues.

I don't need Ebonics to be a national language, I don't think that I'm that dumb where I can't learn something I studied for 14 years.  I don't need reparation, I really don't need a reason to sit around on my butt not doing anything.  I don't need prison programs, I would rather their be education programs or programs to help parents having a hard time. 

And I really don't need some second rate comedian calling professor at one of the most prestige universities in this country or a well educated brother with a talk show that deals with the issues we face everyday an Uncle Tom.

Nor do I need these two esteemed black personalities downing a truly iconic class Afro-American.

We are just too damn petty as a race and unless we can grow up all dreams will be lost