Snow in The Keystone State

Snowjob in Pennsylvania

Hershey, PA

January 27, 2015

Well, most of us on the East Coast dodged a bullet as the winter storm named Juno at least spared Philadelphia and New York on its way to pounding Boston and Rhode Island. However, a week earlier Pennsylvania got a serious snow job in the form of John Boehner and the recent Republican’t retreat in Hershey, PA, the first joint GOP House and Senate retreat in 10 years. Spoiler alert: they decided they really don’t like Obama.

When asked at the retreat, House Speaker John Boehner wouldn't say if he believes the overwhelming scientific consensus that humans contribute to climate change. The Ohio Republican’t told reporters, "Certainly we've had changes in our climate. I'll let the scientists debate the sources in their opinion of that change. But I think the real question is that every proposal we see out of the administration with regard to climate change means killing American jobs." Not surprisingly this is utter nonsense, which is Boehner’s forte. Boehner of course is alluding to the environmental-disaster-in-waiting rebranded by Republican’ts as the “Keystone Jobs Bill.” 

Fighting the effects of climate change provides for approximately infinitely more jobs than the climate killing Keystone XL Poopline, which is expected to provide 35 permanent jobs. Speaking of poop, Boehner continued, "The American people are still asking the question: where are the jobs? Jobs and the economy are still the number one issue in the country. And I just don't understand why every proposal that comes out of this administration is just going to kill thousands and thousands of more American jobs." Boehner’s lack of understanding on this issue alone could fill the XL with dirty crude for decades. And just for the record, though still pretty crappy for the average American, both the jobs and economic situations are the best they’ve been since Bush’s Great Recession. 

Terrapin American and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-XL) was also asked if he believes in climate change science and at least had the courtesy to not answer. It also appears that McConnell has finally given up trying to make Obama a one-term president.

Republican’ts are obsessed with Keystone XL as one of their signature jobs bills and, when oil prices are high, like to imply that it would mean cheap oil flowing free in America. Last Tuesday they voted down two Democratic amendments aimed at providing at least some advantage to actual Americans from a pipeline designed to primarily benefit Canadian oil companies and China, and quite possibly definitely a considerable number of our elected officials (on both sides of the aisle) who owe their victories at the polls to promises of shoving this pipeline through. 

From the Natural Resources Defense Council, “By skipping over refineries and U.S. consumers in the Midwest, tar sands producers will be able to send Canadian crude to the Gulf Coast refineries in tax-free Foreign Trade Zones, where it can be refined and then sold to international buyers—at a higher profit to Big Oil.” While at the same time leaking untold amounts of filthy, unrecoverable tar sands all over the Midwest. I guess that’s where all the Keystone XL jobs are - sopping up tar sands by hand with paper towels, which is how the oil companies actually clean up oil spills. With paper towels. I kid you not.

Exxon’s Keystone XL clean-up efforts in Arkansas included the use of paper towels

Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey's amendment to the Keystone bill would have prohibited oil shipped through the pipeline from being exported. After all, they keep telling us the XL will keep gas prices low here at home. Markey’s amendment was killed by a 57 to 42 vote. Minnesota Sen. Al Franken's amendment would have required that the pipeline be built with American steel. Buy American! It was killed by a 53 to 46 vote. 

Exxon Hates Your Children 

I. Mangrey (not exactly) snowed in, reporting.

Lame Duck Prez vs. Lame Brain Congress

Makes Me Wonder Why I Stopped Not Voting

Our Nation’s Capital

January 10, 2015

Don’t vote, it only encourages them. That was my motto for many years. I stopped voting after the unsuccessful attempt to recall long-time-racist, quintessential thug and Philadelphia mayor, Frank Rizzo. For decades I alternately watched and ignored the goings on of politics in America. There was no one I actually wanted to vote for had I been so inclined. I decided to try again after the unsuccessful election and subsequent Supreme Court appointment of George W. Bush. I still have great difficulty finding someone I actually want to help put in office, but for some bizarre reason I’ve decided to keep trying.

Despite my (and very few others’) best efforts, the 114^th Congress is now in session. It seems that the fewer people who vote, the more pathetic our elected officials get. Who knew? Now that the Republican’ts own the House and the Senate they’re not wasting any time. On their first day in power they lobbed a grenade at Social Security and reproductive rights. But not before challenging John Boehner’s speakership with one of the world’s biggest idiots – Tea Party darling, Louis Buller "Louie" Gohmert, Jr. If you’re not familiar with Louie, Google him - if you have some time to kill. Suffice it to say that he has the IQ of a sock and all the appeal of a deer tick.

Also, on day one of the new Congress the Repugnants stood up for their new number-three man – the man slated to replace super-loser Eric Cantor, who was ousted by a Tea Party zealot in a primary no one ever thought Cantor could lose. Cantor was the only Jewish Republican’t serving in Congress at the time and the guy replacing him - Steve Scalise - once described himself as “David Duke without the baggage.” Scalise spoke to a group founded by David Duke, ex-Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan in 2002. Scalise now claims he had no idea the group was a bunch of neo-Nazis and racists. He also said he had no idea the Pope was Catholic. I believe him, why shouldn’t I?

The 114^th Congress wants corporations and the very rich to trickle down on you. Republican’ts refuse to give up pretending to believe in their repeatedly disproven philosophy, which holds that if you give the richest members of society more money they will piss gold onto the wretched refuse below. As many times as they’ve tried this approach it has never worked. It never will. They keep trying to sell the idea that Obama is a socialist/communist who is ruining our economy by pushing the stimulus, killing jobs, crushing Wall Street, Obamacare and whatever else Obama puts his hand to. Right now the American economy is showing the fastest growth in over a decade, unemployment rates fell in 41 states in November, the dollar is gaining strength faster than a pro athlete on steroids, GDP is rising faster than Dick Cheney’s pecker when he talks about torture, Obamacare has relieved millions of the chronic trauma of being uninsured, while at the same time stimulating the economy and the stock market is hovering around 18,000 for the first time in forever. Socialism!

Newly installed Senate Majority Leader and (according to Jon Stewart) human-turtle hybrid, Mitch McConnell claims that it is the mere anticipation of a new Republican’t controlled House and Senate that has brought about all this economic exuberance.  McConnell, Senate Minority Leader at the time of Barack Obama’s election said, “My number one priority is making sure president Obama’s a one-term president.” He went on to obstruct every single thing Obama tried to do, overseeing the most filibuster-happy six years in the history of our nation. McTurtle and his do-less-than-nothing Congress buddies in the House could not obstruct enough to stop Obamacare, which however lacking it may be, is still better than what preceded it. McConnell and his fellow travelers were also incapable of stopping the country’s greatly improved economic situation. Practically on his own, Obama has presided over an amazing economic recovery after George W. Bush practically burned the place to the ground thanks to his considerable efforts to redistribute the wealth from the 99% to the 1%. What is the opposite of Socialism?

Say what you will about Barack Obama, I’m not a big fan, but at least he’s no Mitch McConnell, or Michelle Bachmann, or Sarah Palin, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Louie Gohmert, Newt Gingrich, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio…need I go on?

I. Mangrey reporting.

Thanks for listening. It’s been a hard day’s night.