State of the Unions

Finally, after years of dark clouds, Michigan received some good economic news: General Motors announced yesterday it would be firing 2,000 autoworkers... In Tennessee. The Springhill plant, which helps produce the Chevy Traverse, is to be shuttered.

Some 800 of those employees will transfer to factories in Michigan. That means 800 more paychecks, 800 more taxpayers, 800 more homebuyers, 800 more shoppers driving demand in the state that has been hardest hit by the recession caused by former president Bush's domestic ineptitude.

As for Tennessee, they'll have to make do however they can. The people there should also really reconsider whether or not they want to be represented by conservative wing-nuts anymore, because the blame for the Springhill plant closing can be laid at the doorstep of one man, Senator Bob Corker.

Yes, elections have consequences. Back when Washington was cobbling together the bailout plans for the Big Three, Corker was one of the Senate's most vociferous obstacles. It was his moment in the spotlight; until then, nobody had much heard of him.

It's not hard to get attention when you're running around lying about how much union workers are making. Corker was one of those (along with Alabama's Jeff Sessions) who perpetuated the "$70-an-hour" myth. He chose to stand with foreign automakers whose employees enjoy a lower standard of living than their American counterparts.

No wonder. Tennessee is a "right to work" state. A red state. A scab state. This furthers the obvious notion that Republicans are just not as bright as the rest of us. Study after study has proven that scab states have median incomes that are 20 to 25 percent lower than states in which workers can bargain collectively with their employers.

Here in Arizona, we also have the "right to work", which really means the right to make less money. The only discernible union in these parts is the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which upholds fair wages for grocery store employees. Only one grocery chain, Basha's, has resisted the union. And they're in bankruptcy.

Getting back to Corker, who used his 15 minutes of fame to call the bailouts "surreal", he may not find so many supporters when he comes up for re-election. Along with those 2,000 GM jobs goes a like number of supplier jobs, and votes become easier to siphon off (even if the result is just another dumb Republican).

It may have felt good to Corker to harden up and criticize the bailouts and the UAW, but in the end it cost his state dearly. Call it political science, or just plain science, whether conservatives believe in such things or not.

Hot air has consequences.

pH 12.o1.o9

McCain v. Hayworth

Arizona's political scene, always a three-ring circus, is abuzz over the prospects of John McCain finally having to defend his senate seat against a viable opponent. This challenge comes not from any particular Democrat in the general election, but from a far-right conservative in the primary, that being former Congressman (and current talk-radio host) J.D. Hayworth.

McCain probably doesn't feel vulnerable, but he sure looks it, fresh off a stinging national rebuke from voters of all stripes. A recent Rasmussen poll confirms this; even though Hayworth has yet to officially announced his candidacy, the two are in a statistical tie.

Hayworth was once a moving force in the Republican Party. Blustery and unapologetic, his approach to decorum accurately reflected the sensibilities of his constituents. After a few years, though, a sense of disenchantment settled in amongst the public.

Hayworth's uncontrolled rants about illegal immigration quickly alienated him from Hispanic voters and their patrons in the business community. His connections to the odious Jack Abramoff didn't help matters. The final dagger came from the Arizona Republic, whose editors portrayed Hayworth in a most unflattering light when they endorsed his opponent in 2006.

The funny thing is that Hayworth summarily lost to Democrat Harry Mitchell, who is politically not that far removed from positions that John McCain claims to hold dear. In a primary race, though, he wouldn't have to worry about those pesky Independents. He could play to the baser natures of red-meat-eating conservatives.

If this insurgent candidate ultimately claims the seat once held by Barry Goldwater, McCain will have nobody to blame but himself. The retired Navy man has shown an unsettling penchant for re-rigging his sails to suit the prevailing winds so much that nobody can be convinced of his positions.

Not so long ago, McCain would tell you that climate change is a pressing problem. His position has since shifted closer to the beliefs of collegiate troglodytes like Oklahoma's James Inhofe (who doesn't believe climate change exists). Immigrants were vital to our economy when McCain was running as a Senator; they were slated to go to the back of the line when he was running for president.

Just last September, you may recall, McCain said that the fundamentals of our economy were strong. Hours later he "suspended" his campaign to go back to D.C. to help George W. Bush rescue that same economy. Then, to top it all off, he voted against the stimulus package. I'm not suggesting my senator is bi-polar. At this point, he truly appears to be tri-polar.

Now John McCain says he wants to remake the GOP in his own image - thoughtful, considerate, bipartisan. In other words, he wants his Party to be stocked with people who are not like Sarah Palin... You remember Sarah Palin, his 2oo8 running mate, whose track record indicates she would be far more likely to endorse someone like J.D. Hayworth.

It's almost salacious enough to get a guy - or gal - to register Republican just to oust McCain from a post that he has held for far too long. At least with Hayworth, you know what you're getting. Just don't get too close to him, or what you'll be getting is a series of precautionary rabies shots.

pH 11.29.o9

Backyard Talk

November is always the month of surprises, and this one was no different, except that today is Friday the 13th. It should have been no big surprise (although it was) to field a phone call from the reclusive yet reliable Mick the Mechanic.

"Hate to bother you, but I thought I'd call you up and play Devil's Advocate."

Well, you've every right to do so. Go ahead.

"Okay. How come you haven't written anything about this crazy Army guy shooting up Fort Hood?"

Well, for one, everybody else seems to have it covered. Beyond that, some stories, you have to let them... Bake. Ferment. Gestate.

"Got it. So what do you think? Did he do it because he's a crazy Arab terrorist, like everyone's saying?"

I don't know. They ought to ask him. However you slice it, he's still crazy.

"Should the military ban Muslims?"

Only the gay ones... I'm kidding, of course.

"All right, man." (I could tell that the role of DA didn't much suit Mick.) "What's all this noise about the 9/11 terrorists being tried in a New York City courtroom? What happened to Bush's military tribunals?"

What happened to Bush? I don't disagree with what they're doing, and here's why. I was in New York a couple of weeks ago -

"You were?"

Yes. And our tour-bus guide twice mentioned the World Trade Center, and both times he referenced "the murder of 2,750 people." To the people of New York - the victims of 9/11 - it was a crime. Not an act of war; a crime. Besides, nobody has ever escaped from a Supermax prison, so what's the big deal?

"You went and saw Hair, didn't you? On Broadway?"

Yes. (Long, uncomfortable pause.) Anything else?

"Yeah. Does it seem to you that the Republicans are a little too focused on the terrorism stuff, and that the Democrats are kind of not focused enough?"

It almost seems like that. The only variable is that the concerns of conservatives are false. It's just political hay to them. Their only hope to garner any attention in the 2010 election is to frighten people. Good point about the Democrats, by the way.

"So you're saying that they're inflating the Muslim angle in the Fort Hood case, and inflating the terrorist threat in the 9/11 trials, saying their crimes are therefore more serious? That they should be punished more severely because of their religious nature?"

That's not what I'm saying. That's what they're doing. And it's really very funny.

"What's funny about it?"

Just a couple of weeks ago, they were against hate-crimes legislation. John McCain had the most to say about it. Quote: “If this amendment was to become law, police officers and prosecutors would be forced to treat identical crimes differently depending on the police officer or prosecutor’s determination of the political, philosophical, or even religious beliefs of the offender. This is absolutely wrong." But, then, that had to do with -

"There you go with the gays again. I gotta go."

All right, then. Good luck this deer season. Kill one for me.

"Oh, yeah. Or more, if I get the chance."

That's what I still miss the most about Michigan. Hunting. And long, pointless conversations with Mick.

pH 11.13.o9

On Veterans Day

There's a bumper sticker on my four-wheel drive that says it plain and simple: If You Love Your Freedom, Thank a Vet.

Every year I try to do just that. Notes go out to my father, who served in the Air Force, and to my baby brother, who drove tank in the Army. Something nice gets picked out for my girl, who worked on the mighty A-10 Warthog.

A litany of names gratefully plays through my mind. Bobby Lanier. Stacey DeGraff. Larry Haffner. Chris Davis. Mark Hartmann. John McMillan. Joe Cusack. Ralph Hill. Al Tolman. In peacetime or otherwise, active or reserves, short hitch or career stint, they all wore the uniform. They all shouldered a rifle. They all laced up their boots and answered a tough call.

To them, I say again, thank you. It's more than a bumper sticker to me.

In Arizona, we're all a little more aware of the veterans in our midst, because so many of them have retired here. The Greatest Generation now spends its time, as it should, puttering around Sun City in golf carts. They paid their dues.

But there's also a dirty little secret about the veterans of Arizona. We have a burgeoning homeless population here. No fewer than one out of four of those who have noplace to go served their country. One out of four.

In return, we serve them at soup kitchens south of the railroad tracks. And we'll throw a parade, just like we do every year.

Happy Veterans Day.

pH 11.11.o9

Recovery Less Jobs

Gone are the days when a man or woman could step up bravely before his or her employer's big desk and declare, "Take this job and shove it." Long gone.

The latest unemployment figures are in, and they are not good. While the pace of firings by American companies has slowed to its lowest point in a couple of years, a sign that the tide is indeed turning, the jobless rate has climbed to 10.2 percent nationally.

Some would have you believe that this is somehow President Obama's fault. Yet the federal government has been just about the only entity to expand payroll this past year, and any junior economist can handily explain that employment is a lagging indicator when it comes to recovering from the kind of recession Obama's predecessor left us all in.

In fact, productivity is way up, meaning Big Business is happy to utilize fewer Americans to make their profits. Here in Arizona, the supermarket chain Fry's - which includes Safeway - is preparing to hire temporary workers, as it prepares for another round of good old-fashioned union busting.

Still, 10.2 percent, that's pretty high (and doesn't even come close to telling the story in places like Michigan), the highest it's been in 26 years. Some have been collecting unemployment compensation for nearly two years now. These figures reflect not only the number of workers who have given up - hey, wait a second.

Twenty-six years? Let's see, that would have been, well, it would've been 1983. So the last time this many Americans were suffering from joblessness, which really translates into hopelessness, Ronald Wilson Reagan was our president. And he was in his third year as such.

Funny how that works. Last year's gouging at the pump was the result of oil prices that broke all the records set in 1981... When Reagan was in office. The sub-prime collapse was the worst banking crisis since the S & L scandal of the late '80s... When Reagan was in office. The Dubya-era stock market swoons were the worst since 1987... When Reagan was in office.

Let's face it. There is no question that Ronald Reagan was a massive failure as a president. And Barack Obama is regularly assailed by those who would scrape dogshit off Reagan's bootheels with their front teeth, so in love are they with the false memories they have of his abysmal presidency.

(This is by no means the only indicator that right-wingers are delusional; it is only the most glaring.)

Think about that when you hear conservatives crying about Obama's deficit spending, the highest we've seen since Ronald Reagan, unless you count the fiscal nightmares endured under George W. Bush (they don't). When Clintonian job creation becomes the norm, well before Obama's third year in office, you can forget it all over again.

That seems to be the way we roll.

pH 11.o7.o9

Peas in a Pod

Ah, success. It breathes a sweetness that is borne not in and of itself, but rather from victory over an odious opposition. Simply put, American glory has always been remarkable because of the defeat of a clear-cut enemy - and the traitors in our midst.

Heroes need villains; always have, always will. Benedict Arnold worked hard to thwart the Revolution. The Rosenbergs delivered The Bomb to the Russians. Today, we have Joe Lieberman, who says he wants to derail health care reform.

"I can't see a way in which I can vote for cloture on any bill that contained a creation of a government-operated and run insurance company," he said, getting in the way of the very thing that Americans want and need in the face of a bloodthirsty insurance industry. Of course, that's who has always supported his political career, to the tune of millions of dollars in campaign contributions.

Without any Party affiliation (Connecticut Democrats rejected him in his last primary race only to see conservative voters push him back into office as an "Independent"), he represents only those bloated corporate interests. As such, his Senate colleagues can feel free to strip him of everything, including the key to the bathroom - to figuratively do him like some poor turkey in the background of a Sarah Palin interview.

To put this in alarmist right-wing terminology, Joe Lieberman is a danger and a threat to the public. His obstructionist stance is terrifying, as it will leave millions of people at risk of suffering and dying in this nation. We would all be better off were he to somehow wake up and fall into his coffin tomorrow morning.

He's almost as disturbed (and disturbing) as the man he endorsed in the 2008 election, my senator, John McCain. After all, Lieberman's just doing what he's done for four terms - whoring out his vote for cash. McCain's stance, however, is more predictable, since he is a Republican.

It is also far more hypocritical, since John McCain has received nothing but government health care since before he was born. The same goes for his kids. Today, he is insulated by three layers of taxpayer-provided subsidies.

As a Senator, he enjoys blue-chip coverage, the likes of which the average American could never afford. He's also eligible for Veterans Administration benefits. To top it all off, he's a senior citizen, so he qualifies for Medicare. It's a good thing he's so well insured, because he is truly a sick individual.

Of course, since he had the courage and convictions to dump his first wife in favor of a rich broad, he doesn't really need any of that. He could just pay out of pocket for his health care, the way 47 million Americans have to do every year, which he thinks is just fine - for them.

For John McCain to oppose meaninful health care reform, to block relief to the public which has always taken such good care of him, is an obscenity that borders on treachery. He and Joe Lieberman are peas in a pod, all right, a regular Aldrich and Alger comedy duo.

pH 1o.28.o9

Worse Than The Disease

The latest numbers are in, and it doesn't look good for the minority Party. Today only twenty percent of Americans identify themselves as Republicans. Since they have already displayed an amazing incapacity for shame, one can only assume that the GOP is splintering under the weight of the Rush Limbaughs of the world.

Such confused little people, these Republicans. They look up at a wooden cross and declare, Right to Life. Paint that cross red and the tune changes. Demonization becomes policy. Compassion goes out the window. Their health care plan could be coined Single Prayer.

In that regard, fright-wing media should be in line for the Medal of Freedom, with their suicidal tendencies sending conservatives scattering like billiard balls. Many will cling to Sarah Palin's skirts. Some will follow Ron Paul (not caring where he leads them). Others will go into their Libertarian shells. Any way you slice it, the Party's over.

And no wonder. Being stupid is one thing; not getting out of the way is another crime entirely. Find me a Republican plan. Health-savings accounts? Gambling. Not only does that idea amount to you paying out of pocket, it ignores everything we've come to know about capitalism in the past year.

They're clearly not interested in reforming health care in any fashion. The Party of No Way would rather see tens of thousands of Americans die each year than do anything to insult, or even annoy, the megabillion-dollar industry that uses our premiums to line their pockets every year. (The same can be said of the Blue Dog Democrats, who may have finally underestimated the mindset of their constituents.)

It's as though they're watching a person bleed to death in front of them, standing there and doing nothing while shrieking at those who are trying to stanch the bleeding, "You're doing it wrong! You're doing it wrong!"

Even the concept of a public option - a government-run, premium-supported non-profit with limited eligibility - causes them to react with the kind of feigned horror normally reserved for mimes. That's all they are, mimes with sound. Who needs that?

In 2001, the GOP found a trillion dollars to alleviate the tax burden on the wealthiest of Americans. In 2003, they found a trillion dollars to pay for a needless war in Iraq. In 2008, the Bush White House left the American taxpayers on the hook for a trillion dollars' worth of bank bailouts - all the while racking up record deficits year after year.

Ask them, though, for any measure of relief against a predatory industry that gets in between patients and their doctors and suddenly they've rediscovered fiscal conservatism. If you think the madness ends there, you know nothing of their ways:

http://www.dnforum.com/f254/30-republicans-oppose-frankens-anti-rape-amendment-thread-391419.html

They're a joke. They're a gag. And if they keep this up, they'll be extinct, and our nation can get back to the business that the Founding Fathers intended.

pH 1o.2o.o9