WHO'S RESPONSIBLE?
1. Our leaders have allowed the looting of our country through our national debt.
2. Failed to provide for, prepare for, or act during the attacks on 9/11.
3. Failed to secure our borders before or since 9/11.
4. Failed to protect the safety of our food supply with adequate food inspectors.
5. Failed to protect our pets, our children or us from faulty and deadly imports. Resulting in the loss of life.
6. Failed to develop an Energy policy that moved us any closer towards independence.
7. Failed to fund critical infrastructure resulting in the loss of life.
8. Failed to provide an adequate response to our educational crisis. Resulting in a 50% drop out rate and massive over crowding.
9. Failed to wean banks off of super low interest rates weakening the dollar. Every cut the fed made dug us a little deeper.
10. Failed to obey and uphold the rule of law and our international treaties.
11. Failed to defend and uphold the Constitution to the best of their ability.
12. Failed to capture Bin Laden. Or stop Al Qaeda.
13. Failed to secure Iraq.
14. Failed to and continue to fail to provide troops with proper equipment, medical leave, rotation, training, etc.
15. Creating and abetting the Sub-Prime crisis through legislation.
16. Failed to come up with or provide for a clear EXIT STRATEGY.
WHY GO ON STRIKE?
LIE: The Bush administration is fighting importation of cheaper prescription drugs from Canada by claiming they are unsafe and thereby protecting pharmaceutical companies who have given over $74 billion (or $2,033 per hour) since 2000.
FACT: HHS and FDA officials cannot identify a single American injured as a result drugs purchased from licensed Canadian pharmacies. One of the nation’s leading health experts stated the administration’s argument was “hogwash” since “drugs purchased through the Canadian health care system are every bit as safe as those available in the United States.” (Daily Mis-Lead 02.25.04)
LIE: I haven't yet [decided to ban importation of Canadian drugs.]. I just want to make sure they're safe. When a drug comes in from Canada , I want to make sure it cures you and doesn't kill you.
FACT: White House Strongly Opposed Drug Re-Importation Despite Congressional Research Service Reports Concluding Canadian Drugs Are Just as Safe as Those in the US. It found that medications manufactured and distributed in Canada meet or surpass quality control guidelines set by the FDA. [Office of Management and Budget, SAP on HR 2472, 7/23/03, www.whitehouse.gov/omb; New York Times, 6/21/03; Knight Ridder, 11/27/03; USA Today, 8/12/03]
LIE: Bush and the Republicans claim that the 2003 tax cut proposal benefits all Americans and that ninety-two million Americans will receive an average of almost $1,100. “My tax relief plan is a fair one, lowering the rate for all taxpayers.”
FACT: The average taxpayer (i.e., taxpayers in the middle fifth 20%) only gets $289. In contrast, the top 1% of taxpayers get $30,127 while those earning more than $1 million get according nearly $90,200.
LIE: The 2003 tax cuts will help reduce the deficit because the resulting economic growth will offset tax losses.
FACT: The Congressional Budget Office (headed by a former Bush White House supply-sider) found that even under the more favorable "dynamic scoring" methodology the tax cuts would result in more than $1 trillion in deficits over the next five years alone and that the economic stimulus claims asserted by the White House were "not obvious."
LIE: In February 2004, President Bush claimed that “the reason we are where we are, in terms of the deficit is because we went through a recession, we were attacked, and we’re fighting a war.”
FACT: In fact, the single biggest cause of the deficits is the Bush tax cuts which account for 36% of the current deficits.
This, however, increases over time as the economy recovers. Using the Administration’s optimistic projected 2009 budget deficit of $272 billion, the tax cuts will account for 67 percent ($183 billion) of this amount.
LIE: In September 2003, when asked by Tim Russert whether he was “involved in any way in the awarding of [Iraq] contracts” to Halliburton, Cheney replied “Of course not, Tim. . . . And as Vice President, I have absolutely no influence of, involvement of, knowledge of in any way, shape or form of contracts led by the [Army] Corps of Engineers or anybody else in the Federal Government."
FACT: Internal Pentagon documents reveal that the awarding of the Halliburton contracts “has been coordinate [with] VP’s office.” An internal Pentagon email reveals that the award of no-bid Halliburton contracts “has been coordinated with the VP’s office.” (Burger & Zagorin, Time Magazine 05.30.04, CAP Daily Report 06.01.04 and 06.15.04).
LIE: Bush pledged to increase SEC enforcement in signing the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate reform legislation.
FACT: Bush’s FY2003 budget cuts SEC enforcement by $209 million. (Boston Globe 12.29.02)
LIE: Vice President Cheney wrote to Congress requesting that they rein in the GAO’s investigation of his Energy Task Force meetings claiming “documents responsive to the [GAO’s] inquiry concerning the cost associated with the [task force’s] work” have already been provided.
FACT: The GAO was forced to go to court to obtain the documents and lost. Cheney only produced 77 pages of useless documents which was not a complete production in response to the GAO’s request. Cheney stonewalled the GAO to hide the cozy deliberations the task force had with energy industry representatives. (Dean – Findlaw.com 08.29.03)
LIE: Bush promised to fund research on hydrogen-powered cars so that we will be “less dependent on foreign sources of energy” and “improve the environment.”
FACT: The Bush administration has “been working quietly to ensure that the system used to produce hydrogen will be fossil fuel dependent – and as potential dirty – as the one that fuels today’s SUV’s.” Up to 90% of all hydrogen will come from oil, nature gas and other fossil fuels. Bush also is paying for this program by stripping funding for programs that help automakers develop high-mileage cars and other energy conservation programs. (Daily Mis-Lead 04.28.04)
LIE: I’m a big proponent of clean coal technology to make sure we can use coal in a clean way. (2nd Debate)
FACT: In 2000, Bush promised he would increase jobs and spend $2BB over 10 years on clean coal technologies. Bush abandoned this pledge and his FY05 budget substantially cuts funds for basic coal research (30%) and the Clean Coal Power Initiative (70%). (The Herald Dispatch 10/3/00, Department of Energy Budget Request FY2002-2005).
LIE: In a September 2003 speech, Bush claimed that his budget boosted spending for elementary and secondary education to $53.1 billion -- a 26 percent increase.FACT: Bush’s budget for elementary and secondary education is only $34.9 billion (his entire education budget is $53.1 billion) and the boost he refers to is actually a $900 million cut. (Corn – The Nation 09.15.03)
LIE: Bush told the VFW that “Veterans are a priority of this administration . . . and that priority is reflected in my budget.”
FACT: In 2003, Bush killed an emergency funding request that included $275 million for Veterans’ medical care, while his 2004 budget requests falls $1.9 billion short of maintaining what the American Legion called “an inadequate status quo.” Bush’s FY2005 budget cuts funding by $13.5 billion over 5 years. (The Daily Mis-Lead 10.21.03, The Center for American Progress 02.04.03)
In February 2001, the Hart-Rudman report warned that “mass-casualty terrorism directed against the U.S. homeland was of serious and growing concern” and that the US was woefully unprepared for a “catastrophic” domestic terrorist attack.
President Bush refused to act on this report, preferring to await the findings of Cheney’s terrorist task force which failed to even meet before 9-11.
THE 545 PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF AMERICA'S WOES
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code. Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices - 545 human beings out of the 235 million - are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.
I excluded all but the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it.
No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he/she votes.
A CONFIDENCE GAME
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of Nancy Pelosi, who stood up and criticized George W. Bush for creating deficits.
The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating appropriations and taxes.
Pelosi is the speaker of the House. She is the leader of the majority party. She and her fellow Democrats, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetos it, they can pass it over his veto.
REPLACE ALL THE SCOUNDRELS
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 235 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts - of incompetence and irresponsibility.
I can't think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair tax code to defense overruns, that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.
When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Marines are in Iraq, it's because they want them in Iraq.
There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take it.
Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exist disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation" or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people and they alone are responsible. They and they alone have the power. They and they alone should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided they have the gumption to manage their own employees.
When our system of checks and balances breaks down it falls to the average citizen to defend the Constitution. You can be diligent in your duty or derelict. The choice is yours.
Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code. Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court justices - 545 human beings out of the 235 million - are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.
I excluded all but the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it.
No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he/she votes.
A CONFIDENCE GAME
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of Nancy Pelosi, who stood up and criticized George W. Bush for creating deficits.
The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating appropriations and taxes.
Pelosi is the speaker of the House. She is the leader of the majority party. She and her fellow Democrats, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetos it, they can pass it over his veto.
REPLACE ALL THE SCOUNDRELS
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 235 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts - of incompetence and irresponsibility.
I can't think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair tax code to defense overruns, that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.
When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Marines are in Iraq, it's because they want them in Iraq.
There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take it.
Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exist disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation" or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people and they alone are responsible. They and they alone have the power. They and they alone should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided they have the gumption to manage their own employees.
When our system of checks and balances breaks down it falls to the average citizen to defend the Constitution. You can be diligent in your duty or derelict. The choice is yours.
Sooner or later all freedom loving Americans will realize that the only way to stop those who would bleed our nation dry, dismantle our constitution, and dissolve our national sovereignty is to say I will not work for you, buy from you, fight for you, or die for you, until the criminals are gone from the halls of our government.
General strikes shut down the normal operations of a city, state, or nation for a period of time. These strikes aim to force action on a single issue or broader set of concerns.
The reason for this shutdown is not to hurt this country in any way shape or form. But is in fact a peaceful method of sending a message to Washington, D.C.
The General Strike is a national call to action, from citizens to other citizens.
The strike targets key issues facing the American public, issues that have not been addressed in any meaningful way by any branch of government.
Unions, corporations, & the major parties have failed to deal with pressing matters of war & peace, income inequality, crime & punishment & the meaning of citizenship itself, it has fallen to the American people to set things right!
Public protest is an important part of democracy, just like a free press, a judiciary, and congress. A general strike does NOT have to be violent. It is a matter of CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE, NOT VIOLENCE. You are NOT going to school. You are NOT going to WORK. You are NOT shopping. You do NOT have to be violent to NOT do those things. March legally. Protest legally. Our causes are many but it's time to make our voices as one.
1) Sign up with your email address HERE in order to get updates,
e-alerts@votestrike.com
2) Send this URL to all your friends, post it to forums, put it on your personal pages, http://www.votestrike.com There will be ZERO mainstream media discussion of this General Strike BEFORE it happens. ZERO. So, we must BE OUR OWN MEDIA and promote it. Link to this site from sites and blogs. Mention it with links in your comments on blogs. PROMOTE IT.
2) Send this URL to all your friends, post it to forums, put it on your personal pages, http://www.votestrike.com There will be ZERO mainstream media discussion of this General Strike BEFORE it happens. ZERO. So, we must BE OUR OWN MEDIA and promote it. Link to this site from sites and blogs. Mention it with links in your comments on blogs. PROMOTE IT.
3) Join the Consumer Fast already underway. Click here: Shut'EmDown
4) YOU will need to plan/set up & hold your own local protest details here: http://votestrike.com/shut_em_down/
4) YOU will need to plan/set up & hold your own local protest details here: http://votestrike.com/shut_em_down/
I also encourage those of you who have signed up to vigorously promote your protest. To contact local activist groups, church groups. And social networking sites on the web: Facebook, www.meetup.com, www.tribe.net, Myspace, etc.
It is imperative for YOU to promote the General Strike for it to have any success. This should include, but not be limited to: writing/publishing articles, essays, poems, posting in forums, commenting in blogs, starting your own blog, newspaper ads, online ads, local random phone calls, letters to editors, opeds, freeway banners, bumper stickers, car signs, yard signs, street signs, every online newspaper allows comments (NY Times, Washington Post, etc.), call in to talk radio shows, print & distribute flyers, etc., etc.
5) YOU need to organize enough people locally to shut down your town on 9/11, 9/12, 9/13, 9/14, 9/15, 9/16, 9/17, etc.
A web tool being used for practical organization is meetup.com. You can just type in your ZIP code, join a group with which you share ideas/feelings and which meets near your location, and start organizing. Use these key words to search for meetup groups near you. There's bound to be some! 9-11; peace; impeach Bush; civil rights; grassroots; stop PATRIOT Act; democracy for America; human rights; against Bush; election reform
