Green Energy Future?

My thanks to David Remer for permitting me to blog here at Poliwatch. I am an independent voter with a heavy lean and support for the Green Party.

I want to address the convergence of America's desperate reach for a sustainable energy policy. And America's ability to maintain and produce an even healthier environment. Such a convergence is not on track at this time.

It is a mistake for the public to believe all the Green ads by the likes of Exxon/Mobil and the Coal industry, who are spending 100's of millions a year to shore up their public image in the face of enormous controversy over their profits and subsidies, as well as their lobbying against measures that would truly move energy into the Green zone.

Poll: Americans: Hopeful, but Very Critical

In the clearest sign yet that the 2008 elections will continue the growth of the anti-incumbent sentiment, a new Reuters / Zogby poll demonstrates Americans are extremely disappointed in current politicians, but, hopeful about the future. Logically, that sentiment portends removing more of the current politicians and bringing in new ones campaigning on change.

Today's Politicians - Inept, Corrupt, and Wrong!

Our politicians just can't seem to resist throwing tax payer's dollars away and increasing the national debt. You are not going to believe this. They can't seem to get much else right, either.

Stephen Barr writes about the President's advisory board on federal employees pay having recommended a 2.5% across the board pay raise for the coming year. So, what do you think Pres. Bush and Congress do with that information? Reject it, of course, and propose a 3% and 3.5% raise respectively, instead.

Voting Out Incumbents: Getting Easier

Voting out incumbents, whose results as elected leaders are disappointing, is getting easier. In prior elections, one of the main obstacles to voting out an incumbent has been getting enough information about challengers to afford voters a reasonable alternative candidate to vote for. The internet to the rescue!

A number of political action sites are now providing comprehensive lists of incumbents and challengers, to include links to their campaign web sites and much greater volume of information about their pasts and qualifications. One such site is SourceWatch which updates its site regularly, covering not only the politicians and candidates, but, lobbyists, and campaign financing, as well as who is behind the news stories.

Democrat's DREAM Act Defeated!

Democrat's attempt to hide their 'Amnesty and Leave the Borders Open' bill, by burying it in the Defense Appropriations Bill, has failed. Some 490,000 NumbersUSA supporters, and many thousands of other Americans, hit their Senators again with raucous dissent via phone, fax, and email at this sneaky and underhanded attempt to revive the Amnesty bill which, failed last summer as a stand alone bill.

The GOP's UN-Fair Tax Goal

Unable to make any headway in the Congress for a national retail sales tax, now referred to as the "Fair Tax" proposal, proponents have embarked on a different strategy. And so far, it's working.

When Republicans were in control of Congress, a debate was begun on how to eliminate the progressive income tax system which imposes higher rates for those accruing greater incomes. The two main alternatives to Income Tax reform were the Flat Tax and the Sales Tax (now spun into the "Fair Tax" by name).

'08's Economic Woes to Hit Republicans Hard

Many think the '08 elections will be all about Iraq. They are wrong. A co-equal issue for voters in '08 will be pocketbook issues. The current sub-prime mortgage debacle has spill over effects that are going to hit millions of voters with either pocketbook losses or pocketbook anxiety.

A majority of voters have never bought into the Bush administration's rosy economic rhetoric. But, now, growing percentages of them are workers being laid off; companies are paring back, consumers are hitting Wal-Mart's and Home Depot's revenues negatively, and health care continues to eat bigger chunks of paychecks. GDP is now projected between 2.4 and 2.7 percent, and more bears are throwing the Recession word around (inappropriately, I might add.)

Wealthy Interests Decide Elections

In a contradictory, and one of the worst thought out pieces of Washington Post writing I have read in a very long time, Shankar Vedantam both negates the power of wealthy special interests over our political system while closing with a warning if your opponents are giving more than you to your representatives. He blatantly contradicts himself. His topic however, could not be more momentous.

Corruption Steals More Taxpayer Millions

Tax payers are being ripped off in the billions by incompetent and deceptive politicians in cahoots with deceptive private contractors. In this ongoing saga of corruption and abuse of taxpayers, the Washington Post sheds light on yet another story in which Sun Microsystems is alleged to have bilked tax payers out of millions of dollars under the blind eye of politicians and staffers.

Illegal Immigration Amnesty: Emergency!

A bill is coming to be voted on in the Houses of Congress beginning next Monday. It is an amnesty bill for 12 to 20 million illegal immigrants, and has no chance of preventing a new massive influx of illegal immigrants. To see Sen. Kennedy and Pres. Bush on the same ticket like this is a bit bewildering. But, that the White House and Democratic Congress would attempt to sell out the American citizen's way of life and undermine the rule of law, yet again, borders on the criminal.

A Lying Senator

There is a liar in the ranks of Republican Senators as discovered this week. There is no doubt a Republican Senator anonymously halted legislation on the floor of the Senate as Sen. Lamar Alexander's (R) objection attests. But, now, every Republican Senator has denied being the anonymous Bill stopper. That makes one of them a liar.

Violent Nation or, Gun Shy Congress?

Since the 1960's, there is a growing frequency in upset individuals using their 2nd Amendment access right to guns to mow down numbers of people. America is hands down the most gun violent nation in the world. NY City alone with 8 million people has 100's of times more gun violence than all of Great Britain and Wales, despite Great Britain having several times more people than NYC.

Wal-Mart in Bed with Democrats

Wal-Mart, once heckled by Democrats for treatment of its working poor, is now in bed, if not sleeping, with Democrats in some very prominent ways. The Washington Post runs an article on this topic of great interest to those who thought corruption in government might get better under Democrats.