Submitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger
Since I haven’t lived in New York for years my knowledge of the politics of the surrounding States, including New Jersey has decreased. I heard about Chris Christie becoming Governor of New Jersey, usually a liberal-minded State despite what you see on TV reality shows, but I didn’t know too much about him, though from the media’s favorable response, I thought him a moderate. The events leading up to the Republican Convention and indeed his keynote speech tended to disabuse me of that notion. So I started to pay attention to him and found that he was your typical Republican elitist, though with a “Joisey” accent and the mannerisms of a thug. As I was surfing around my bookmarks today I came across this article at The Nation of Change: http://www.nationofchange.org by Terrence Heath of the Campaign for Americas Future. www.ourfuture.org/. I think the article stands on its own as an indictment of how many Republicans wish to turn this country into a modern version of Feudalism, a concern of mine that I’ve written about many times. Let me then present the article for your inspection and elicit any comments you might wish to share:
http://www.nationofchange.org/house-gop-taxes-wealthy-are-charity-1349010885
“get the government out of the economy, and force companies to compete on a level playing field.”
Force them how exactly, Bron? Without government to enforce rules, there is no force to make business comply. That statement is practically an oxymoron. The existing laws are clearly inadequate and being poorly enforced. The answer is better regulation (which does not automatically mean more regulation) and better enforcement (which you won’t get until you stop corporations from contributing to political campaigns period).
get the government out of the economy, and force companies to compete on a level playing field. No subsidies, no special favors, no special regulations for the big guys.
Use existing law to punish bad actors and have the will to use it. Pollute a neighbor’s well, you pay to clean it up, scam a little old lady and you pay her back with principal, penalties and interest. Make someone sick, pay for the hospital stay and lost wages and a penalty.
capitalism isnt the problem, the problem is too much government involvement in the economy. What is feudalism, socialism, communism, fascism? Government involvement in the economy.
You dont want government in your pants but you dont care if they are in your wallet.
Re Elaine’s link to Christie’s plan to reduce Medicaid benefits: NJ is one of the MINORITY of states that extends Medicaid to families making up to 100% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL). He wants to race like, Florida to the bottom of the Medicaid eligibility barrel. Christie is a symptom of a dysfunctional society. And a thug.
Current state of Medicaid coverage eligibility (for parents) as a percent of (FPL) see figures 2 on pg 2, Medicaid coverage for single adults is much more limited and unavailable in some states, fig 3, pg 2. One of the things that the figures and $/% tables demonstrate is that if you are a single, non-handicapped adult you are on your own regarding medical care:
http://www.kff.org/medicaid/upload/7993-02.pdf
Feudalism is an economic disease, which, like medical diseases is a matter of degree.
It can be mild or chronic.
The early stages are past, we now are in the middle stage.
Continued warmongering will take it over the edge into the final extreme format.
It is an old reality but it is “breaking news” in the MSM.
This article was published on Sunday so I could not criticize the Lard. But now that it is Monday I must comment and say that a guy as fat as this ought to consider Crisco or some lighter than Thou cooking ingredient.
Thoughtless statements do not to one party belong.
“I might be a little biased here” because “Skip Gates” is a friend, and by acknowledging that “I don’t know all the facts” …. “anyone would be angry” and “the Cambridge police acted stupidly.”
President Obama
Some are a bit eager to label police as oppressors which serves to discredit all who sacrifice to protect the masses.
I dont watch tv much and did not see the big fat guy with two first names until the RepubliCon Convention. He sounds kind of like a Democrat in the old South before desegregation. It figures that a mob state like Jersey would come up with a big fat slob who speaks for big business and thinks that the guy who makes over a million but under two million is a little guy.
Elaine,
Two excellent links that even surprised me further about the depth of Christie’s thugness, or Potentatetty, as AY would put it.
Shano,
Thank you. Woody is a favorote of mine and the idea of the documentary excites me.
Patricia from Brooklyn,
Curious, the link works on my dinky Kindle Fire.
Perhaps you speed read through the article missing the initial paragraphs about Christie.
Elaine…. Doesn’t Christie mean Fat, Rude and Arrogant…..
Mike….. Need to change the title to “Potentate ” and put a fez on top of his head…..
Amazing link about Chriie, Elaine!
Your link lead to something on climate change which didn’t work. What
does that have to do with Gov. Christie? It’s this site’s easy ploy to
attack Gov. Christie probably because he talked lovingly of his
Sicilian mother. I found nothing about feudalism just a link that
did not work.
Thank You.
Elaine and shano,
Great links!
Very interesting, Woody Harrelson just released a documentary on this subject:
“Ethos, a powerful new documentary hosted by Woody Harrelson, is an investigation into the flaws in our systems, and the mechanisms that work against democracy, our environment and the the common good.
With a stunning depth of research and breadth of analysis, this film delves deep into the inter-connected worlds of Politics, Multi-National Corporations and the Media.
Most of us have wondered at some point how we have arrived at a situation where democracy is touted as having created an equal society when all we see is injustice and corruption.
Politicians openly deceive the public with the support of major corporations and the mainstream media. Wars are waged, the environment is destroyed and inequality is on the rise.
But what is the source of these institutional mechanisms which – when we scratch the surface – are so clearly anti-democratic, so contradictory to the values we hold in common and yet so firmly embedded that they seem beyond discussion?
Ethos opens a Pandora’s box that has it’s roots in the cross-roads where capitalism-meets-democracy, implicates every power-elite puts profit before people and finally offers a solution whereby you – the viewer – can regain control using the one thing they do care about – your cash.”
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/ethos/
eniobob has posted lots of links about Christie so he’s no surprise to me. The guy was smart enough to back away from getting drafted into the phony republican presidential run-off which means he’s very dangerous.
Mike,
Christie is a big bully who tries to silence his critics.
Gov. Chris Christie’s bully act is getting old
By Star-Ledger Editorial Board
Published: Friday, July 06, 2012
http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2012/07/gov_chris_christies_bully_act.html
Excerpt:
The excessive heat is getting to everyone, but what in blazes is Gov. Chris Christie thinking? He was caught on video on the Seaside Heights boardwalk Thursday night berating a passerby. Christie has blasted “Jersey Shore” for tainting the image of Seaside Heights. And then he reveals himself to be Gov. Snooki.
Apparently, the unidentified man had the temerity to make “snide remarks” about Christie’s education policy, according to TMZ.com, which first posted the video online.
It’s almost comical to see the governor, ice cream cone in hand, walk belligerently toward the man who made the remarks. “You’re a real big shot,” Christie said to the man. The man can be heard saying, “Nah, just take care of the teachers.”
As he walks away, Christie taunts him, the way a schoolyard bully would do when he thinks he got the best of a weak sister: “Keep walking away. Really good. Keep walking.” One gets the sense that if this exchange had occurred on the beach, Christie would have kicked sand in the guy’s face, like in the old Charles Atlas body-building ad in the back of a comic book.
Of course, the smart thing to do when confronted by a bully is to walk away. By the time someone puts an arm around Christie and guides him away, the “winner” of this unfortunate exchange is pretty clear.
It’s hard to tell on the video the identity of the person who pushed the governor’s buttons, or the exact words that were uttered to bring out the governor’s belligerence. All we know is the man is likely a constituent. Someone who — whether or not he voted for Christie — deserved better from the state’s highest elected official. Of course, even an out-of-towner visiting the Shore should not have been subjected to the governor’s embarrassing lack of self-control. At town hall meetings with cameras rolling, even at his most insulting, Christie usually dials it back. This incident is not that.
Perhaps it was Christie’s way of celebrating his 5 million-plus YouTube viewers. His staff has delighted in posting Christie’s confrontations on YouTube. There’s no denying that he makes great copy.
Feemeister,
Its feudalism. These people need to feel they are better than the other 99% and aren’t afraid to state it. It has the same thinking behind it as:”Let them eat cake”.
I know it’s really really wrong of me, but how can you HELP wishing this guy would lose his job, his money, his home and see how it feels. They take people’s jobs away, and then laugh at them and equate them with people that live off welfare for 20 years on purpose. These people are SICK!
You are spot on Mike!