What You Need To Know About Taxes and Fiscal Cliffs

By: Dale Bowling



The "Fiscal Cliff" has dominated the news lately and justly so. To put it the Biden way, it's a big f-ing deal.

The Fiscal Cliff is totally manmade. If you thought that reckless spending was what brought us here, you've been watching Fox News. Stop doing that.

The Fiscal Cliff is a bunch of tax increases and spending cuts that kick in automatically if an agreement is not reached by December 31 to prevent them from happening. This was what the compromise over the Debt Ceiling last year wrought. It was basically a ploy to get both parties to the table to talk about long-term deficit strategies.

Bad thing is that if across the board tax increases and spending cuts take place, this is likely to weaken America's hard-fought economic growth which is beginning to really pick up steam now.

What you need to know about this is that Democrats want to extend the Bush Tax Cuts for everyone who makes less than $250,000 a year. That's like 98% of America. The Uber-Rich will (Heaven Offend!) go back to the rates they had under President Bill Clinton.

You know, when we had a roaring economy and a projected budget surplus.

Republicans want everyone to get the Bush Tax Cuts including the Super Rich. They say, they're open to more taxes through limiting deductions. Hmmm...sounds familiar.

Oh- that was the Romney policy that America firmly rejected on Nov. 6. That's why it seems so familiar.

Problem is that reform of the tax code on deductions doesn't yield as much revenue as rate changes and these same "reforms" are likely to hurt middle-class Americans as well.

Since President Obama campaigned on the idea of slight rate increases for the wealthiest of Americans and he was re-elected by a wide margin combined with a recent poll which showed that 60% of Americans supported a rate increase for the richest Americans, one would think that this mandate would put Congressional Republicans in the position where they would heed what America has said.

Not so much, actually.

They're planning on holding tax cuts for 98% of Americans hostage in favor of the 2% who will have to go back to top tax rate under Bill Clinton.

Afterall, that's a 4% tax increase for the wealthiest Americans. How can Billionarie Republican Donors cope with that? They may have to... OK, they wouldn't have to change their lifestyle in any tangible way. But it's the principle of the thing, right? It's the principle that the Super Rich (who are the most fortunate of the fortunate in American society) would be called upon to make a tiny sacrifice for their Country.

I believe that may have been what 60% of Americans are supporting.

Our President has called on all of America, to contact our representatives in Congress to let them know how we feel about the tax changes that come with the "Fiscal Cliff" negotiations. Addresses, phone numbers, facebook pages and twitter accounts are below. Write, Call, Type, Tweet.



Congresswoman Judy Biggert- Illinois 13th Congressional District

Address:
Judy Biggert
United States House of Representatives
2113 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515-1313

Phone: 202-225-3515

Website:  http://biggert.house.gov/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/judybiggert

Twitter: http://twitter.com/judybiggert



Congressman Peter Roskam- Illinois 6th Congressional District

Address: Peter Roskam United States House of Representatives 227 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515-1306 Ph: 202-225-4561 Website: http://roskam.house.gov/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RepRoskam Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeterRoskam

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin

Address:
Sen. Dick Durbin
United States Senate
711 Hart Senate Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510

Ph: (202) 224-2152

Website: http://www.durbin.senate.gov/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorDurbin

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SenatorDurbin



Illinois Senator Mark Kirk

Address:
Senator Mark Kirk
524 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC, 20510

Phone: 202-224-2854

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorKirk

Twitter: http://twitter.com/SENATORKIRK

Social Security Cuts Would Have Literally No Effect on the Deficit

By Dale Bowling



Republicans have been pressing Democrats to cut government spending to avoid the fiscal cliff and one of the places the GOP would like to see cut is Social Security. Republicans would like America to believe that spending on Social Security is one of the reasons why the Deficit is so big.

If you have been following Republicans over the years it will not surprise you to learn that they are either lying or woefully ignorant about how their government actually works or not in touch with objective reality.

The reason for this bold assertion is that Social Security doesn't actually add to the budget deficit and cutting it won't help the budget deficit.

The President said some time ago, and was most recently quoted by Senator Bernie Sanders from VT that,

“Social Security has nothing to do with the deficit, Social Security is totally funded by the payroll tax levied on employer and employee. If you reduce the outgo of Social Security that money would not go into the general fund to reduce the deficit. It would go into the Social Security trust fund. So, Social Security has nothing to do with balancing a budget or erasing or lowering the deficit.”

We all know how little Republicans respect this kind of thing- specialized knowledge about how things actually work that might interfere with preconceived notions of how things ought to work.

And we all know how little they respect Presidents who have this sort of depth of knowledge- except that the President who Bernie Sanders was quoting was President Ronald Reagan in the Presidential Debate in Louisville on Oct. 7, 1984.

As it is, Social Security has a $2.7 trillion surplus. That's enough to keep it solvent for decades.

So why the big push to cut Social Security?

Could this be yet another attempt to kneecap Big Government? After all, Social Security is one of the most popular Government programs and one of the most successful. It's tough to argue that "government is always the problem" when the example of Social Security stands in obvious contradiction.

So the strategy might be - paint Social Security as a big problem, force cuts down the throats of vulnerable seniors until they finally say, "hey- we think the private sector might do a better job."

Or it could be that the Republican leadership doesn't really understand how Social Security works. (Who better then, to make major decisions about it?)

Or it could be that Objective Reality isn't as important to Congressional Republicans as what goes on in their own minds?

There are your choices- dishonest, clueless or crazy.

The important thing in all of this is that America not fall for this claptrap. Congressional Republicans are going to make a major push to convince America, it's imperative we revamp Social Security for the fiscal health of the Nation.

Dishonest, Clueless, Crazy.

Let your representatives know that the promise to America's Seniors is one we won't abandon. Keep Social Security away from Fiscal Cliff negotiations.

Show Your Support for Christopher Phillips on Dec. 20th!

Please see the following email from the DuPage County NAACP branch of which, I am a member. Until members of our branch and others concerned with justice being served in this case appeared in court to support Christopher Phillips, the states attorney did not put forth an effort to bring a conviction to the three defendants who attacked Mr. Phillips. Being among those attending the proceedings, I can tell you our presence has made a significant impact on the outcome of the prosecution’s efforts.




If you are in the Chicago-land area, please consider appearing in the courtroom on December 20th to show support for Christopher Phillips. If you are not in the area but have contacts who are, please forward this invitation to them. We are not protesting or marching, we are simply appearing in the courtroom as a diverse group of attendees, witnessing the judicial process. If you have inhibitions concerning attending, consider how you would feel if this type of thing happened to you or to one of your loved ones. I think we would all welcome the efforts of the NAACP to change the outcome of the prosecution’s efforts. Please see the email below for the details.



You can also visit http://racismdaily.com/2011/08/18/victim-of-alleged-beating-says-race-was-a-factor/ for the story by ABC News back in August 2011 when the incident took place. Thanx for your help.



Michael Childress

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Things To Be Thankful For This Year!

By Dale Bowling


There are a lot of things for which DuPage Democrats should be thankful this year. Here is a list in no particular order.

We are thankful:

That our President Barack Obama was re-elected and we will have a president for the next four years who doesn't represent just 53% of Americans, but all Americans.

That the Senate remains in the hands of Grown-ups who are going to keep all kinds of Tea Party nonsense from becoming law.

That because of the aforementioned items America doesn't have to go back to the same policies that nearly brought us to the brink of economic ruin.

That America's hard-earned job growth over the last four years is protected from sabotage from those who would like to see America fail, so they can get their own guys back in.

That in America today access to Health Care is no longer a privilege of the Wealthy or the Lucky, but a right that all Americans enjoy.

That Republicans lacked the votes to prevent the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 from becoming law, since that law prevented America from sliding into a Second Great Depression. (OK- this wasn't this year, but we can still be thankful for it.)

That a broad coalition of voters (the Young, Women, Hispanics, African-Americans, and the Highly-Educated, among many others) have embraced the Democratic Party as the Party of Common Sense and Common Decency and with their help, the Democrats will be able to build a stronger, better, fairer America.

That America supports the right of Women to earn as much as Men for the same work and that Women have the right to decide what they do with their own bodies.

That the Tide seems to have turned and America has embraced Marriage Equality as a basic Human Right.

That intelligent and fair policies regarding Immigration Reform will be implemented, instead of knee-jerk xenophobia. 

That America has committed itself to lift up those that have struggled in this economy, instead of leaving them to fend for themselves.

That America has made it clear that every American is free to hold his or her own religious beliefs, but no one is allowed to limit other people's freedom because of them.

That we don't have to worry about having another Supreme Court Justice appointed in the next four years who is going to undermine reproductive rights or support corporate personhood. 

That Climate Change is back on the table as a subject of debate and maybe, just maybe America will heed the evidence that this is something we need to deal with now while we still can.

That in the last election, Fairness, Freedom and Equality won out over Servitude to Corporate Interests and Middle-Class Sacrifice in favor of the Wealthiest among us.

That we've seen an 850% growth in Democratic representatives in DuPage County since March, 2008.

That we have a tremendously dedicated and talented group of candidates, voters and volunteers who will propel us to electoral victories for years to come so we can fulfill the promise of America for all Americans.


It's been a good year! Let us be thankful for it.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Exactly What's in that Big GOP Tent

By Walt Zlotow

 

 

The GOP has spent the last few years trying to convince voters that the GOP has a big tent, meaning that every racial, ethnic and interest group is welcome and well represented.

Let's see how that worked out in the 2012 presidential election.

President Obama won 55% of the women's vote
President Obama won 60% of the youth vote
President Obama won 73% of the Latino vote
President Obama won 77% of the gay vote
President Obama won 85% of the Asian vote
President Obama won 93% of the black vote

Mitt Romney did win 60% of the white vote. Interestingly, that was the same percentage of the white vote George H.W. Bush won in 1988. With his 60% of the white vote, Bush Sr. won 426 electoral votes while Romney's 60% of the white vote got him a measly 206. Do we detect a declining demographic here?

Moral of the election: To paraphrase the most famous quote from the movie Jaws: "You're gonna need a smaller tent".

Interview With Newly-Elected Forest Preserve Commisioner, Shannon Burns

We interviewed newly-elected DuPage County Forest Preserve Commissioner, Shannon Burns about her candidacy, election and vision for Forest Preserve Department.


DPDC: So what made you want to run for Forest Preserve Commissioner?

SB:  Interestingly, I never really thought about politics but I had been a community organizer right out of college, so I was familiar with community issues. When I got married we bought property that borders one of the Forest Preserves. At one point the Forest Preserve Dept. decided to put up a 26,000 sq. ft. maintenance facility right up against our property. You don't buy property next to the Forest Preserve to look at an enormous garage. The community protested and the Forest Preserve Commissioners wouldn't talk to us at all. They didn't have any official unbiased environmental impact study. We had people who were qualified to do them and offered to do one for free and we got no response at all. I thought, "this is not how elected officials are supposed to act." So I decided to run.

I ran in 2010 and I stuck to issues and didn't go negative and though I lost, I learned a lot from the experience. Then in 2011 I was accepted into the Illinois Women's Institute for Leadership which is an intensive program for Democratic women to learn political leadership skills. It lasted nine months and I learned a bunch more and ran again in 2012. This time I won. In the meantime I got certified as a Woodland Steward from the Morton Arboretum which means that I am the only member of the Board with formal land management training.



DPDC: What is the current political composition of the Forest Preserve Dept? Are you the only Democrat?

SB: The Forest Preserve Department became independent from the County Board in 2002 and since then I am the first Democrat. The County Board was entirely Republican from the Kennedy era until very recently.



DPDC: What do you bring to the table and what specific issues will you focus on now that you're Forest Preserve Commissioner?

SB:   I have training and experience in helping people reach consensus. I have an MBA. I managed a large hospital. I have a doctorate in adult education, so I understand how to bring people in. And I'm a generally cheerful person. I believe that the members of the Forest Preserve leadership should be well-rounded.

As far as issues, there are budget issues that will need to be addressed in the next few years. At almost every turn, there are people trying to get their hands on little chunks of the Forest Preserve. I can speak to why it's important to keep the land in the Forest Preserve. We're going to have to decide on historic preservation of  buildings on Forest Preserve property in the near future. There's a bridge that is in the works over County Farm Rd that once complete will form a bicycle trail from the northern part of the county all the way south of Naperville. These are some of the specific issues.



DPDC: What does your election mean for the residents of DuPage Co.?

SB: I think it means that DuPage County is increasingly unwilling to just vote for Republicans because that's just what you do in this county. Residents of DuPage are sending a big message that we want someone who will do the job, not just a party label. What I hope it will mean is that I will get the job done, avoid party lines and bring money into the county to preserve the land. The best thing we can do is forget party labels and just get down to business.

Public Investment Pays Big Dividends

By Dale Bowling

Once Republicans work their way through the seven stages of grief (I think they might still be stuck in denial), the work of governing America can resume. But this leads us to the question, what should
America's priorities be going forward?

Rightly, the first and foremost thing that Congress and the President need to do is avoid the fiscal cliff. This will involve some sacrifices on both sides -  Republicans are going to have to accept higher taxes on millionaires and Democrats will likely have to accept some unpalatable spending cuts, but as long as both sides are willing to make some sacrifices disaster can be avoided in this entirely self-created crisis.

Second, economic growth must be reinforced through government action. One of the main things that would greatly benefit America is spending on infrastructure. The American Jobs Act would create several million jobs by improving America's roads, bridges, highways, sewer and water systems, etc. The AJA would get the process moving on shovel-ready projects and create jobs in the process.

It wasn't so long ago that America's infrastructure was the envy of the world. A mere decade ago, we
were ranked fifth in the world in overall infrastructure, but over the last 10 years we have dropped to
25th. There is currently a $2 Trillion backlog of repairs and this is only going to get worse with time if we don't do something now.

Clearly the American Jobs Act would just be the beginning.

Spending on infrastructure stimulates the economy in numerous ways so taxpayers get a lot of bang
for the buck. It's a taxpayer-funded investment that pays big dividends back to taxpayers.

Construction is labor intensive, so it employs a lot of people directly. They take their hard-earned
money and buy stuff from other people who add on employees to meet the rising demand. So a large
infrastructure bill would ripple through the economy and create jobs at the grocery store, the mall, the
car dealership, the restaurant, etc. 

Also, local companies benefit from supplying raw materials to construction projects. So infrastructure
spending helps buoy the local manufacturing industries near where the money is spent. Then they take their money and buy stuff which creates more jobs.

And ironically all this spending saves money for taxpayers and private citizens in the long run. Old
pipes leak waste water that towns spent good money to treat and make usable. Old roads cost drivers
more in gas and repairs and time commuting.

Conversely, good roads bring down the cost of products and services by making them cheaper to move.

And of course, if we're going to be on the receiving end of a SuperStorm Sandy or a Katrina every few years, it would be nice to have infrastructure which can withstand them.

At the end of it, the Nation will have a brand new system of highways, bridges, etc. which can fuel
economic growth for decades.

What is needed is for Americans to stop thinking of government spending as wasting money and start
thinking of it as an opportunity and for members of both parties to put politics aside and seize this
opportunity for America.

Without government action, the US will soon have a Third World system of infrastructure. And can a Third World economy be far behind?

Don't Play Politics with America's Veterans!

By: Dale Bowling

Today is the day that we honor our Veterans- those who have sacrificed so much for America. This usually involves Americans gathering together and saying exactly how much we appreciate their service.

But every Veterans' Day I feel this to be terribly inadequate. There are two expressions that always
come back to me.

The first is "Actions speak louder than words".

The second is  "Put your money where your mouth is".

You see, Veterans have given up a lot to serve their country and yet when they come back they sometimes find that beyond a few backslaps and handshakes, they're not getting much in return.

Newly-discharged Veterans are often at a disadvantage when it comes to finding employment. If you've spent the last several years hunting down the Taliban, then your recent work experience doesn't necessarily translate well into a civilian job.

While the total veteran unemployment rate is 6.3% (well below the national average of 7.9%), the
unemployment rate for post-9/11 Veterans is 10%. Not exactly the way we want to welcome our returning Veterans home.

I assume that rather than just keeping our appreciation at the level of backslaps and high-fives, we as
Americans would want to do something about this.

There are a couple of things we can do. One is to support job training programs for returning Veterans that build on their experience to create marketable civilian employment skills.

This should be a no-brainer, but job training programs fall under the heading of GOVERNMENT
SPENDING and are organized by BIG GOVERNMENT which according to a substantial portion of the country can never do anything right and is wrong to take money from one group (say Civilians) and give it to others (like say, Veterans).

As part of GOVERNMENT SPENDING, veterans' programs are easy prey for across the board spending cuts- like the ones we might have if Republicans won't work with our President to prevent America from sliding over the fiscal cliff.

The second major thing we can do, is to reward employers who hire Veterans with additional tax cuts. Actually if you thought this would have universal support as a common sense, patriotic, inexpensive measure to help solve the problem, you would be deeply mistaken.

This tax cut for employers who hire Veterans is already in some pending legislation before Congress.

The American Jobs Act (which is fully-funded so wouldn't cost taxpayers anything to implement) would give this tax incentive to employers who hire returning veterans. It would also create millions of jobs and improve America's crumbling infrastructure in the process, but Republicans have been holding it hostage for a year hoping to deny Democrats another chance at fixing the country's ills.

Veterans' Day ceremonies and hearty handshakes are excellent, but as a Nation we need to put up or
shut up for our Veterans.

America needs to let Lawmakers know in no uncertain terms to not play politics with our Nation's
Veterans. Pass the American Jobs Act and find a compromise to keep Veterans' job training programs
from the chopping block.

Happy Veterans' Day!

Trip Down Memory Lane Leads To Fiscal Cliff

By Dale Bowling

Now that the election is over and we've all caught our breath, it's time to start thinking about America's future.

By now, everyone has heard of the 'fiscal cliff" that America is headed for and there is talk about a deal between Democrats and Republicans that would avoid this self-engineered crisis.

First a trip down memory lane.

The fiscal cliff is basically short hand for a combination of spending cuts and tax increases that will
automatically kick in the first of next year if some agreement on longterm deficit reduction is not
reached. Together they represent around $800 billion dollars a year that will be taken out of the
economy and put into deficit reduction.

I think everyone wants deficit reduction, but the problem is that the one-two punch of higher taxes and spending cuts in this fragile recovery will likely throw America back into Recession and diminish or reverse the jobs gains that Democrats have won since the Bush Recession took hold.

Both parties should be keen to avoid this for love of Country, if for no other reason.

But any agreement must be reached through true bipartisanship. After the election in 2008,
Republicans refused to help shape any of the Democratic initiatives that might have helped the country (Stimulus, Affordable Care Act, etc.). The GOP drug their feet whenever possible, hinting that if a given proposal was just watered down a little more they might vote for it, causing a further revision of the bill in question, wasting time and ultimately only three Republicans in all of Congress voted for the much-needed Stimulus and a single Republican voted for the Affordable Care Act. Both passed only because of Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.

In essence, Republicans ran out the clock until the mid-term elections and then blamed Democrats for
so little having been accomplished.

This time around, House Republicans are talking in more measured tones, but are saying the same
thing they always have said. They're OK with increasing tax revenue- but they don't want rate hikes on rich people. They're OK with eliminating deductions and loopholes.

If this sounds familiar, it should. This was Mitt Romney's tax plan without the rate cut. That is the GOP idea of compromise for raising taxes - Mitt Romney's tax plan.

So we need to learn from history. In 2008, America entrusted Democrats with the government, but love of country and desire to do good made Democrats too willing to give Republicans what they asked for in order to get bills passed. Republicans didn't vote for them anyway.

This time around Dems need to drive a harder bargain for America's sake.

Great Days

By Dale Bowling

America has spoken and it's clear that the Democratic message of shared sacrifice and shared
benefits has won out over "you're on your own".

Thanks and congratulations to all who made this possible. Candidates, volunteers, campaign workers,
voters! I could start singling out people, but I fear I would never stop if I did. This is America's victory and we all deserve to share some of its credit and to bask in its glow.

As we move forward Democrats must and will continue the struggle to restore America to its full
potential, to bring the blessings of liberty and prosperity to all Americans and to make America a
better, stronger, fairer Nation.

Yesterday was a great day for America. Democrats, now we work to make sure they're all great days.

Reasons Why The Democrats Deserve Your Vote TOMORROW!

By Dale Bowling

Democrats are asking for your vote tomorrow and what's more they've worked hard to deserve it.
Here is a list of some of the reasons why Democrats have earned your vote:

Democrats, having inherited the Bush Recession which was in the process of shedding millions of
American jobs, stepped up to the plate and passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009. This helped America find the bottom of the crisis, created millions of jobs and prevented America from sliding into a Second Great Depression. Only three Republicans voted for this.

Democrats saved the auto industry in America, thereby keeping millions more Americans employed. Some Republicans thought Detroit should go bankrupt and take a lot of hard-working Americans with it. Democrats said No.

Democrats brought you the Affordable Care Act, the first meaningful health care reform in years. This will lower the cost of health care, increase access and actually lower the deficit. Before this, every American was an intersection or doctor's visit from being uninsurable for life. Only one Republican in Congress voted for this, but the Republicans in the House have voted to repeal it over 30 times.

Democrats got Bin Laden, ended the Iraq War and are winding down the war in Afghanistan.

Democrats reformed Wall Street with the Dodd-Frank Bill limiting the risk that Wall Street firms can take on in order to stop the financial industry from wrecking the economy. Again.

Democrats prevented Republicans from privatizing Social Security and will do it again if the need arises. The other guys want to put the same people who lost half your 401(k) in charge of your Social Security benefits. Democrats put their foot down and said No.

Democrats increased the number of Pell Grants, created tax credits for families with children in
college, kept student loan interest rates low and are working to improve education at all levels.

Democrats have a job plan that is ready to pass and can be implemented immediately. Economists
have argued that The American Jobs Act (which is fully-paid for) will create more than two million jobs through targeted tax cuts and badly-needed investment in infrastructure.

Democrats cut taxes for 95% of Americans.

Democrats learned the lessons of Katrina and rebuilt FEMA which saved lives and helped Americans
struggling with last week's storm.

Democrats have passed policies that have primed the economy to create 12 million jobs over the next
four years. Republicans are hoping they can claim credit for those jobs, if they're elected.

Democrats have restored American power and respect around the world.

Democrats have voted to protect the rights of all citizens in our democracy. From the right to marry
who you want to the right to decide what to do with your own body to the right to be paid the same for the same work, Democrats have championed your rights over and over again. Republicans like to talk about liberty, but primarily it's your freedom to be screwed over by Republicans they are most
interested in protecting.

Democrats have worked hard for America and will continue the struggle to create a better, stronger,
fairer America. This healthier America can only be created with the help of all of us.

VOTE DEMOCRAT tomorrow, Nov. 6!

Republicans Are Mathematically Impossible!

By Dale Bowling

Good news Democrats! We don't have to worry because Republicans are mathematically impossible!
They must be a hoax.

I'm been thinking about this and I've concluded that if math really exists and humans are rational
beings, then Republicans can't possibly really exist.

They might be a fraternity prank.

You see Republican ideas about economics are so laughably absurd that it's impossible that they really could exist. I'm waiting for the folks who engineered all this to jump out and say, "Just kidding!"

Let's take the Romney tax plan that says they can cut everyone's taxes by 20%, eliminate capital gains
tax and the estate tax altogether, and not add to the Deficit or touch middle-class deductions for
mortgage interest, medical expenses or the child tax credit.

They really had me going there because I totally thought they were serious for awhile.

They had me. But then I realized that no sane adult could believe that, so is it must be a joke.

Also, there's no way they could think that the ideas that got us into the financial crisis are preferable to ones that are getting America out of this mess. Because joke's on you- their ideas are the same now as they were then - low taxes for millionaires and billionaires and minimal regulation for businesses.

We've seen a steady climb out of the hole following the premise that if you want a different result from the Bush Recession, try something different. But "Republicans" (I've figured out the joke, you might as well stop) want us to believe that an unsupervised private sector will clear this whole thing up. HA! Like it did in 2008!

Stop, my spleen might burst!

OK- you Guys (and you are mostly guys) can stop now. We've figured it out. You don't have to continue.

Continuing this cruel joke will only hurt America further. If Americans take you seriously and vote for your candidates, we could go back to the same policies that brought us into this mess. We could
damage the social safety net so that if you're unlucky or old, you're in real danger of falling into
poverty. We could have a volatile economy that benefits the Wealthy and hurts everyone else. Lives
will be wrecked from such a ruthless set of policies based on phony math.

Please stop! 

Since this isn't funny anymore, we need to vote Democrat this Tuesday.

Do your patriotic duty and find where your polling place is right now. http://www.dupageco.org/election/ Then plan your day on Tuesday and figure out a time where you can go and vote for the Democrats. You won't regret it.

We don't want the joke to be on America come Nov. 7.

VOTE DEMOCRAT on Nov. 6!

What Kind Of Change Can You Believe In?

By Dale Bowling

Lately Republicans have seized on the message of "Change".

They must have seen how well it has worked for Democrats and having no appealing ideas of their
own, Republicans figured that they might borrow it for a little while.

That sort of raises the question: What kind of "Change" do you get with the Republicans vs. the
Democrats? Since this was a Democratic slogan first, let's start with them.


DEMOCRATIC CHANGE:


Democrats wanted change from the Bush Era policies that led to the greatest economic crisis since
World War II.

The Great Depression and the Bush Recession bear a lot of similarities. Both began in a deregulated
financial environment where investment banks were free to take on more risk than was good for them
or the economy in the pursuit of as much profit as possible at the expense of everyday Americans.
When this situation blew up the economy began to hemorrhage jobs. In last few months of Bush's
presidency, the economy was shedding over 500,000 jobs/month.

Democrats wanted to "Change" this dreadful jobs picture.

Since the Private Sector was MIA on job creation, Democrats stepped up and brought us the Stimulus which helped America find the bottom of the crisis, created millions of jobs and prevented America from sliding into a second Great Depression. Only three Republicans in all of Congress voted for the Stimulus.

When Democrats tried again to get the economy moving with the American Jobs Act which through a series of tax breaks and badly-needed infrastructure spending would have created millions more jobs, Republicans voted it down. Using the powers of government to get America working wasn't change they believed in.

Democrats wanted "Change" that would reform Wall Street in order to protect Main Street.

Democrats reformed Wall Street with the Dodd-Frank Bill which puts new, more stringent limits on what the financial industry can do and how much risk it can take. Republicans didn't want this change, tried to water it down and voted against it anyway.

Democrats wanted "Change" that would address the rising cost of health care and make sure that all
Americans could have access to health care.

So Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act. Before that every American (you, me, your kids, your
neighbors) was only a doctor's visit or an intersection away from being uninsurable for life. Democrats changed that. Only one Republican voted for the Affordable Care Act. Republicans didn't care to make that change. 


REPUBLICAN CHANGE:


Republicans want the "Change" that looks backwards. The return to Bush Era policies.

Republicans want to repeal Wall Street reforms that protect America's economy from predatory financial maneuvers.

They want to repeal the Affordable Care Act and make it so you have to live in fear of losing your existing insurance or make it so you might never get insurance again.

For Republicans, "Change" means to cut taxes by 20% across the board, eliminate taxes that mostly affect the wealthy and have no real plan to pay for that that's not going to cost the middle class one way or another.

They want to turn Medicare into a "defined benefits" aka voucher program that might save taxpayers money, but only by making the elderly pay more for their health care.

Ultimately they'll try to privatize Social Security (you know this one will come back) and let the same people who ruined your 401(k) under Bush, gamble with your Social Security benefits.

Republicans want to spend billions on military hardware the Pentagon hasn't asked for, doesn't want and can't use.  

So the real question is: Do you want "Change" that will primarily benefit the wealthy and "hope" that
trickles down to you and me? If so, vote for the other guys.

But if you want change that truly benefits America across the board,  then VOTE DEMOCRAT on Nov. 6!

Can You Handle The Truth?

By Dale Bowling

The last job report before the general election is in and the numbers show more evidence that
economic growth is gathering steam. The economy added 171,000 jobs last month - the private sector creating 184,000 jobs with cuts in government spending leading to 13,000 lost public sector jobs.
Unemployment remains under 8%.

Along with last month's job report that showed increased hiring as well as signs in the housing sector that things are picking up, this signals good news for the economy.

Unless you listen to Republicans.

According Republicans this is terrible and if we just put them back in charge, the economy would be
back to what it was under George W. Bush in no time.

Just so you know this is not a good thing, but Republicans think it is.

Most of us, most of the time look at the results of something to decide whether or not it's a good thing.

Not Republicans. They look to whether the results help or hurt their case and decide on their truth that way.

This explains why Congressional Republicans successfully silenced a report by the non-partisan,
Congressional Research Service that showed that tax cuts for top earners fuel income inequality, but
not economic growth. Despite the fact, that these are professional number crunchers in a non-partisan
office, the results didn't match Republican Articles of Faith about tax cuts for the wealthy and it was
suppressed by Republicans.

Respect for the truth wherever it takes you is not the Republican way of doing things. The laundry list
of deceptions that they represent as true, even in the presence of ample evidence to the contrary, is
overwhelming.

I am reminded of the Romney staffer who said they were not going to be dominated by fact-checkers.
This is one position that Romney hasn't switched sides on.

The Romney campaign continues to insist that Obama weakened welfare to work requirements. That
was a lie. Some states had requested flexibility on some of the welfare requirements and this was
granted by the White House. Usually Republicans like it when federal regulations are flexible. Not this time.

They say that part of the Obama auto bailout shipped some Jeep jobs to China. Not true says the Auto
Industry. There were already Jeep plants in China and those have increased production to meet
demand in China. The Jeep plants near Toledo didn't lose any jobs as a result of that. This has been
proven over and over again and the Romney campaign just keeps repeating this lie as if no fact
checkers have spoken.

Truth about climate change? Do you even have to ask?

What about the truth about which loopholes and deductions are going to make the Romney budget and tax plan work? No matter how many times we ask for the math, we go home empty-handed.

Above all, what Americans deserve from public officials is to hear the entire story about what's
happening in their country and detailed plans to fix any problems so they can make informed choices.
Republicans say you can't handle the truth.

Truth is, America is clawing its way out of the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression with very little help from Republican lawmakers. They're big on creating financial crises, but not so good at cleaning them up.

We need responsible Grown-ups in charge of Government. The ones who say that this is going to be
tough, sometimes expensive and never universally popular, but we can do it because when the
American people work together nothing is beyond its ability.

VOTE DEMOCRAT on NOV. 6!

Republican to English Translations

By Dale Bowling


With all the rhetoric these days, it strikes me that a translation of Republican into plain English would be useful. These are in no particular order.

Republican: "There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. ... My job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives." -Mitt Romney, in leaked comments from a fundraiser in May 2012

Translation: "Poor people deserve what they got and I have no obligation to them."


Republican: "Corporations are people, my friend..." Mitt Romney

Translation: "Corporations have more rights than you do, my friend"


Republican: "We're not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers," - Romney pollster Neil Newhouse.

Translation: "We're going to lie a lot and there's nothing anyone can do about it."


Republican: "I hope he fails." - Rush Limbaugh when asked for his hope for the Obama Presidency just before Obama's inauguration.

Translation: "I would prefer to see the lives of innocent Americans ruined than have my political opponents succeed."


Republican: "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt" - Mitt Romney arguing against a government bailout of the Auto industry.

Translation:  "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt"


Republican: "“Well, I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign. Everything changes. It’s almost like an Etch-A-Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all of over again.” - Romney advisor Eric Fehrnstrom on his campaign.

Translation: "We don't actually stand for anything."


Republican: "I should tell my story. I'm also unemployed" - Mitt Romney

Translation: "I have no idea what you're going through."


Republican: "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president." - Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader.

Translation: "See above,"I hope he fails".


Republican: "My view is that we don't know what's causing climate change on this planet. And the idea of spending trillions and trillions of dollars to try to reduce CO2 emissions is not the right course for us." - Mitt Romney

Translation: "Superstorm Sandy, You're on!"


Republican: "The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians." - Pat Robertson

Translation: "I'm not taking my medication."

And an oldie, but a goodie...

Republican: "I'm not worried about the Deficit. It's big enough to take care of itself"- Ronald Reagan who btw tripled the Deficit.

Translation: "I poke fun at the fact I'm leaving America with a terrible problem that will haunt your children's children."


Me: These people are mean-spirited lunatics who happily run our country off a cliff for short-term personal or political gain.

Translation: VOTE DEMOCRAT on NOV. 6