Romneyhood and the Mitt-Wits sing:
“How much is that doggie on the roof
top?”
“Not born in the USA”
“I stole my fill on Bain Capital hill”
“America the Booty-Full”
Three Words Mitt Never Hears
“Attention K-Mart Shoppers”
Mitt’s One-Liners
Calling Mitt Romney a vulture capitalist insults
vultures. They don't kill the living.
Born on third base Romney thinks he hit a triple.
I bet $10,000 that Mitt has something to hide.
Bain gains; America pains.
The gains from Bain went mainly to the vain.
Mitt: A rising tide lifts all boats; you’ll drown if you
don’t own one.
Romney’s Management of Bain Capital
Romney claims to have retired from management of Bain
in 2002 while retaining legal ownership, and he disclaims
responsibility for the firm’s conduct subsequent to 2002,
but what did Bain do while Romney was running it? - Ed
“In 1993, Bain acquired the Armco Worldwide
Grinding System… and merged it with its steel plant in South
Carolina to form GST Steel. The Kansas City plant had a
strike in 1997 and Bain closed the plant in 2001 laying off 750
workers when it went into bankruptcy. The South Carolina plant
closed in 2003 but subsequently reopened under a different
owner. At the time of its bankruptcy it reported $553.9 million
in debts against $395.2 million in assets. Bain reported $58.4
million in profits, but the employee pension fund had a
liability of $44 million.”
“. . . In 1994, Bain, together with
Goldman Sachs Capital Partners completed a carve-out acquisition
of Dade International, the medical diagnostics division of
Baxter International in a $440 million acquisition. . . . In
1999, the company reported $1.3 billion of revenue and completed
a $1.25 billion leveraged recapitalization that resulted in a
payout to shareholders. The dividend, taken together with other
previous shareholder dividends resulted in an eightfold return
on investment to Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs. Revenues
declined from 1999 through 2002 and . . . the company
entered into bankruptcy in 2002.”
“Mitt Romney is also facing new scrutiny over
revelations he founded the private equity firm Bain Capital with
investments from Central American elites linked to death squads
in El Salvador. After initially struggling to find investors,
Romney traveled to Miami in 1983 to win pledges of $9 million,
40 percent of Bain’s start-up money. Some investors had
extensive ties to the death squads responsible for the vast
majority of the tens of thousands of deaths in El Salvador
during the 1980s.” Romney understood this connection at the
time, but welcomed their money nonetheless.
Sources: Wikipedia and Democracy Now
No
more Marlboro man in Australia!
Australia recently introduced compulsory packaging for
cigarettes of all brands. Here it is. Does it make you want to
protest the nanny state? Cigarette companies are protesting it.
Public’s
Understanding of Candidates’ Religions
Most voters continue to say it is important for a president to
have strong religious beliefs. But voters have limited awareness
of the religious faiths of both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.
More voters now believe that Obama is a Muslim than did so two
years ago. A fifth of voters are not comfortable with
Romney’s Mormonism.
The vast majority of those who are aware of Romney’s Mormonism
say it doesn’t concern them. Fully eight-in-ten voters who know
Romney is Mormon say they are either comfortable with his faith
(60%) or that it doesn’t matter to them (21%).
White evangelical Protestants, black Protestants, atheists, and
agnostics are the most likely to express discomfort with
Romney’s Mormonism. Yet . . . Republicans and white
evangelicals overwhelmingly back Romney despite his Mormonism.
Comfort with Romney’s faith, however, is related to the
enthusiasm of Republican support for his candidacy. Among
Republican and Republican-leaning voters who say they are
comfortable with Romney being Mormon, 44% back him strongly.
Among those who are uncomfortable with it, just 21% say they
back him strongly.
The new survey on religion and politics finds that nearly four
years into his presidency the view that Barack Obama is Muslim
persists. Currently, 17% of registered voters say that Obama is
Muslim; 49% correctly say he is Christian, while 31% say they do
not know Obama’s religion.
The percentage of voters identifying Obama’s religion as
Christian has increased since August 2010, from 38% to 49% . .
. Still, fewer say Obama is Christian – and more say he is
Muslim – than did so in October 2008. The increase since 2008 is
particularly concentrated among conservative Republicans, about
a third of whom (34%) describe the president as a Muslim.
Overall, 45% of voters say they are comfortable with Obama’s
religion, while 19% are uncomfortable. Among those who say Obama
is Christian, 82% are comfortable with Obama’s religious
beliefs. Among those who describe him as a Muslim, just 26% are
comfortable with his beliefs.
Source: Pew Research Foundation
Franklin
D. Roosevelt on the New Bill of Rights
“. . . We cannot be content, no matter how
high [our] general standard of living may be, if some
fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth
or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and
insecure. This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its
present strength, under the protection of certain
inalienable political rights—among them the right of free
speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom
from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our
rights to life and liberty. As our nation has grown in size
and stature, however—as our industrial economy
expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure
us equality in the pursuit of happiness. We have come to a
clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom
cannot exist without economic security and independence.
Necessitous men are not free men.”
“. . . In our day these economic truths have become accepted
as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second
Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and
prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station,
race, or creed. Among these are: The right to a useful and
remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or
mines of the nation; The right to earn enough to provide
adequate food and clothing and recreation; The right of
every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return
which will give him and his family a decent living; The
right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an
atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination
by monopolies at home or abroad; The right of every family
to a decent home; The right to adequate medical care and the
opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health; The right to
adequate protection from the economic fears of old age,
sickness, accident, and unemployment; The right to a good
education. All of these rights spell security. And after
this war is won, we must move forward, in the implementation
of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and
well-being. America's own rightful place in the world
depends in large part upon how fully these and similar
rights have been carried into practice for all our citizens.
For unless there is security here at home there cannot be
lasting peace in the world.”
Source: FDR, speech, Jan. 11, 1944
The
Workers’ for America 2012 Proposal for a Second Bill
of Rights
We the People want to strengthen our
nation, as a beacon of equality, economic opportunity and
freedom for all. We hold these rights to be essential to
our vision of America and believe that the principles
contained therein should guide our government, business
leaders, organizations and individuals in our common goal
of a just and fair society.
The Right to Full Employment and a
Living Wage
All Americans willing and able to work have the right to
safe, gainful employment at a fair and livable wage. We call
on the public and private sectors to invest in America’s
infrastructure and promote industrial development,
maintaining job creation as a top policy priority.
The Right to Full Participation in
the Electoral Process
Recent initiatives to disenfranchise citizens seek to
reduce the rolls of eligible voters and empower money
instead of people. We believe these actions constitute an
assault on our nation’s democracy and history of heroic
struggle against voting restrictions based upon property
ownership, religion, race and gender and call for
reinforcing our fundamental right to vote.
The Right to a Voice at Work
All workers have the right of freedom of association in the
workplace, including the right to collectively bargain with
their employer to improve wages, benefits and working
conditions.
The Right to a Quality Education
Education is a fundamental bedrock of our democracy, vital
to America’s competitive position in the world and the
principal means by which citizens empower themselves to
participate in our nation's economic and political systems.
Quality, affordable education should be universally
available from pre-kindergarten to college level, including
an expanded use of apprenticeships and specialty skills
training to prepare Americans for the workplace.
The Right to a Secure, Healthy Future
Americans have the right to a baseline level of health
care, unemployment insurance and retirement security, all of
which have been badly eroded by the disruption of the social
compact that served the nation well for decades. We call on
government and private industry together to confront the
issues of declining access to health care especially for
children, weakening of unemployment coverage, and inadequate
pension plans that undermine the ability of working men and
women to retire in dignity, even as Social Security and
Medicare are under strain and threatened with cutbacks.
Magic
Door IV
Quality Used Books
1522 W. 2nd Street
NW corner Garey Avenue
Pomona CA 91766
Tuesday – Saturday 1pm - 8pm
Sunday 2pm - 8pm
Telephone 909 472 2991
Dwain and Joann Kaiser, props.
|
LA
Democrats Welcome GOP to Burbank
The Los Angeles County Democratic Party welcomed the
California Republican Party Convention to LA on August 10. The
California GOP is almost broke. Just days after
acknowledging the near financial collapse of their
organization, the "Party of Fiscal Responsibility" is spending
fat cat dollars for a weekend schmooze and booze-fest.
In front of the Burbank Marriott Convention Center where
the convention is being held, Eric Bauman declared:
"As California Republicans gather in LA, they have
little to celebrate considering the state of their Party.
They are $450,000 in debt, were kicked out of their
headquarters for non-payment of rent and have instituted
massive staff layoffs heading into November. The California
GOP doesn't have a clue how to manage their own finances, so
it's no coincidence that voters don't trust them to navigate
our economy."
Stuck in a rut, with a seriously declining share of the
state's voters registering as Republicans and losing virtually
every state-wide election since 2006, California Republicans
are now under fire from within their own ranks. Recently
departed CA GOP Communications Director Jennifer Kerns slammed
the CRP and Del Beccaro's leadership, saying "It's a woefully
hypocritical place to be if you're the party leaders that
can't pay the bill to keep the lights on at the office." One
person you won't see at the GOP Convention this weekend is
putative Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney.
Asked why not, Bauman sneered, "It's not surprising Romney
won't be here this weekend considering the embarrassing
financial shape California Republicans are in. Although, if
there was one organization in America that needs his extensive
experience at firing people, the California Republican Party
is it." George W. Bush will not attend the GOP National
Convention either because the Republicans are deeply ashamed
of his conduct in office, and do not want to remind voters
that he still exists.
Gerald Haynes, 1922-2012
We regret to
report the death of Gerald Haynes on August 21. Born
in Abilene, KS., Gerald moved with his family to Southern
California. He graduated from Chaffey High School in 1940,
and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942.
Honorably discharged in 1946, Gerald was promptly arrested
for refusal to register anew for the draft. He served
three months in federal prison for draft evasion. In 1953,
he married Edith Halling with whom he returned to Southern
California. They had three children. Gerald held a variety
of jobs while taking courses at Whittier College. He
became a junior high school teacher in 1970, and retired
from teaching in 1983.
Gerald hated war. His lifelong passion was to offer
alternatives to military service to young people facing
the draft. He regularly advocated for peace by offering
materials to visitors to Claremont's Farmers Marker.
Gerald continued to distribute peace flyers to
students at local high schools even after he himself
needed a walker to get about. Gerald was a welcome
guest on the DCC’s now-defunct TV program, too. Gerald was
a long term member of the DCC and also of the Peace with
Justice Center of Pomona Valley whose President, Anne
Koegel, called Gerald “wonderfully kind, a valuable
long-time member, who will be sorely missed and sincerely
mourned.” DCC President Zephyr Tate-Mann, concurred,
adding that Gerald was that paradoxical combination, a
fighter for peace.
Gerald is survived by son Eric Haynes, his wife Kim,
and their son Brett of Upland; by son Roscoe Haynes, his
wife Joanne, and their son Matthew, of Albany NY; and
daughter Shamsi Haynes of Upland. Memorial services for
Gerald Haynes will be held at 11am on Sept. 21 at the
First Friends Church, 13205 Philadelphia Street, Whittier,
CA 90601; and another at 10am on Sept. 22 at the Claremont
Place, 120 W. San Jose Ave, Claremont, CA 91711.
Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to:
Crossroads, Inc., P.0. Box 15, Claremont, CA 91711.
Let 'Em Hear From You
 |
letters@inlandnewspapers.com
editor@claremont-courier.com
|
Is our Moral Principle ‘Dog
Eat Dog?’
Letter by Bob Gerecke published in the
Claremont Courier
Vice-Presidential nominee Paul Ryan exemplifies the right wing
of today’s Republican Party: reward the rich, penalize the
poor, let everyone else fend for themselves. Dog eat
dog. Ryan’s views are revealed in the budget he proposed last
March. It would cut $3.3 trillion from low-income
programs over the next decade. The biggest cuts would be
in Medicaid, which provides healthcare for the nation’s poor –
forcing states to drop coverage for an estimated 14 million to
28 million low-income people, according to the non-partisan
Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.
Ryan’s budget would reduce food stamps for poor families by 17
percent ($135 billion) over the decade, leading to a
significant increase in hunger – particularly among
children. It would also reduce housing assistance, job
training, and grants for college tuition. Ryan would turn
Medicare – for which people have paid insurance premiums for
many years -- into vouchers whose value won’t keep up with
rising health-care costs – thereby shifting those costs to
seniors, many of whom won’t be able to afford
them. Poverty, homelessness, illness and premature
death among seniors would increase.
By contrast, Ryan would provide a substantial tax cut to the
very rich – who are already taking home a huge share of the
nation’s total income. Today’s 400 richest Americans
have more wealth than the bottom 150 million of us put
together. Some analysts estimate that the Ryan
proposal would probably reduce Romney’s taxes to
1%. Perhaps that’s why Romney won’t reveal his tax
returns.
Although Romney has carefully avoided specifics in his own
economic plan, he has said he’s “very supportive” of Ryan’s
budget plan. “It’s a bold and exciting effort, an
excellent piece of work, very much needed … very consistent
with what I put out earlier.” Romney hasn’t put out much, but
what he’s proposed would, according to the Center on Budget
and Policy Priorities, throw ten million low-income people off
the benefits rolls for food stamps or cut benefits by
thousands of dollars a year, or some of both.
At the same time, Romney wants to permanently extend the Bush
tax cuts to the wealthy, reduce corporate income taxes, and
eliminate the estate tax. These tax reductions would
increase the incomes of people earning more than $1 million a
year by an average of $295,874 annually, according to the
non-partisan Tax Policy Center. Romney and Ryan also want to
repeal President Obama’s healthcare law, thereby leaving fifty
million Americans without health insurance.
And there’s no way that Romney/Ryan would make it easier for
employees to organize and bargain for a better share of the
profits or would make it harder for multinational corporations
to offshore American jobs. Romney increased his
fortune by sending jobs overseas, which undercuts the pay of
every American employee and threatens the success of local
businesses.
It’s no wonder that Romney and Ryan see the world from the
perspective of the wealthy. As the son of a corporate
president and political leader, Romney began life on third
base. Ryan and his wife have substantial inheritances.
In the twentieth century, America created a large middle class
that became the engine of our economy and our democracy.
We built safety nets to catch Americans who fell downward,
often through no fault of their own. We designed
regulations to protect our pocketbooks, health and lives
against the excesses of free-market greed. We
taxed the rich and invested in public goods – public schools,
public universities, public transportation, public parks,
public health – that made us all better off.
Romney and Ryan would roll that back, closer to the days of
the robber barons.
The Preamble to our U.S. Constitution states that one of
its purposes is to “promote the general
welfare”. It doesn’t mention increasing the
wealth of the already wealthy. Helping those in
trouble or in need is a moral imperative in all
religions. I don’t recall that helping the rich
is.
The
First Obama Administration: A Score Sheet
By Ivan Light
Here are six ways Obama and the
Democratic Party enabled the Republicans to survive the
disaster of the Bush regime, to regroup, and to threaten
American democracy anew. Here are five serious
achievements of the Obama administration. - Ed
- Obama did not investigate the crime and
failures of the Bush/Cheney regime upon first taking
office. There was plenty to investigate: lax
regulation that led to the Wall Street crash; lax
security that led to 9-11; bogus war in Iraq;
torture of POWs.
- Obama bailed out bankers rather than reforming the
banking system. After the taxpayer bail-out, the
banking system was restored as it had been, and it
continues now to fail the country anew.
- Obama did not use the GM bail-out to initiate a
green auto industry. Obama might have required GM to
build fuel-efficient and/or electric cars that run
for 200,000 miles.
- Obama did not defend the public option on health
care. Despite its limitations, Romney’s health care
plan was accepted as a sop to Republicans, and the
Republicans still rejected it.
- Obama retained world cop foreign policy. He
retained the Bush advisers, and their Cold War
concept of the USA as the world’s policeman, armed
to the teeth, and ready to fight multiple wars
anywhere, anytime. There was a chance to challenge
that, but Obama wasted it.
- Obama allowed the GOP to rebrand itself as
populist and reformist. The timidity of Obama left
his friends in disarray while enabling the GOP to
rebrand their discredited politics as populist
reform.
On the other hand,
- Obama passed the stimulus, and that crucial bill
reduced the severity of our depression relative to
what Europe has endured without comparable bills.
Obama has been a more effective leader in this
crisis than any European or Japanese politician of
stature.
- Obama bailed out GM whereas the Repubs were ready
to let it fail. Banks, no; GM, yes. Now GM is
the world’s largest auto maker again at no cost to
the taxpayer.
- Obama apprehended Osama bin Laden who had slipped
through Bush’s inept fingers.
- Obama exited from the bogus war in Iraq that the
Repubs initiated.
- Obama finally got universal health care through
the US Congress, a feat not equaled by Truman or
Clinton. Four stars!
Conclusion
Obama has been a mediocre President, and he made many
serious errors. That said, Obama was undeniably better
than McCain would have been, and he remains obviously
and immensely better for the country than Romney.
The Voorhis Voice is
published by the Democratic Club of Claremont,
PO Box 1201, Claremont CA 91711. The
newsletter’s name commemorates the late Jerry
Voorhis, a talented and courageous Congress
member from Claremont.
Newsletter Editor
Any registered
Democrat may join the Democratic Club of
Claremont
on our web
site!
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