By Mary MacElveen
February 13, 2009
Lost to all as Senator Judd Gregg backed down smiting the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama to be his Commerce Secretary was this most important story I read in today’s Washington Post: Financial Crisis Called Top Security Threat to U.S.. Which I will get to in a few moments.
Upon hearing this breaking news that Gregg took his name out of consideration as Commerce Secretary was, how dare he embarrass this new president whose polling numbers are stronger than those within the Republican congress. How dare he make this move the day before the Stimulus Bill is to be voted on where hopefully the tools contained within it can turn around this dire economy. Real people’s lives are being affected who are not even a part of this political process and the games played in Washington, D.C. by senators like Gregg is paramount to all of us. With Gregg out of the nomination for that seat, it is not the president’s loss, our loss and that is what we must take away from this. Be gone, Gregg is all that I will say.
With Republicans so concerned with the price tag of this stimulus package and not seeking any bipartisanship, exactly where were they when it came to the billions upon billions spent during the Bush presidency. Instead of reaching across the aisle to seek this elusive bipartisanship, they grabbed across the aisle demanding all get in line with former President Bush or be tagged as being unpatriotic.
We are facing unprecedented times and those Republicans who rebuke this president should be shamed instead of honored for standing on principle as Gregg tried to do yesterday. The American people need all of our elected leaders help and so does the rest of the world as we face down a new and real threat called the global economic meltdown which is affecting this planet in its entirety. The citizens of this country and the citizens from each and every country do need strong leadership and not gotcha games as displayed by the Republican Party.
In listening to President Barack Obama speak at the dinner in honor of the late President Abraham Lincoln who is the father of the Republican Party: I wonder, I wonder what this late president would think of the actions of those within this new Republican Party. Not much I would say.
Now back to the original focus of this piece is the security threat due to this global economic meltdown, the Washington Post wrote, “Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair told Congress yesterday that instability in countries around the world caused by the current global economic crisis, rather than terrorism, is the primary near-term security threat to the United States.”
As we deal with this economic crisis that is endangering our national security, I invite all of my readers to read the original piece I wrote back in May of 2003 titled, President Bush, you do not defend America with a lie or a series of lies. Within it, I wrote which is pertinent to our present day circumstances, “A strong country means a country that is economically solvent, instead of insolvent. We have basically allowed a lie to put us in the red.” Little did I realize just how prophetic those words were.
Isn’t the security of this country paramount instead of playing partisan games as the Republicans are doing? They prided themselves as the party of security during the Bush years and now they decide to drop the ball? Then again, by leaving President Barack Obama with a budget deficit of over $1 trillion dollars, in that act, the ball was thrown off of the basketball court. Thankfully, we have a president who knows a thing or two or three of how to handle a ball both on and off the courts.
Let this be an ominous warning coming from Blair to these Republicans, bank executives who helped cause this crisis and to blowhards like Rush Limbaugh, where Blair stated, "Roughly a quarter of the countries in the world have already experienced low-level instability such as government changes because of the current slowdown," This economic crisis is far more dangerous than Al Qaeda and yet those who refuse to help stem this tide who think, who think the economy will be able to turn around without any intervention are the threat to our security as well.
Tax cuts, tax cuts and tax cuts cannot be the only tool used to stare down this new threat which is a clear and present danger.
Yes, elected leaders like Senator Gregg, Senator McConnell and Congressman Boehner are security threats not only to this nation but the world as a whole. Those who shout out from the sidelines like Limbaugh and Coulter as well as other notables like former Vice President Cheney are the threat and we should treat them as such.
As many within the Republican ranks stood against Immigration reform citing security reasons, I want to point out this observation made and written in this WP article, "He [Blair] also saw the prospect of possible refugee flows from the Caribbean to the United States and a questioning of American economic and financial leadership in the world." What say you, Congressman Peter King, Congressman Brian Bilbray and others such Lou Dobbs now? Will this economic firestorm cause an invasion by said refugees? These are dangerous times and I cannot stress that enough and yet folks who rebuke this popular president who has extended his hand across the aisle are playing petty politics and this is where we as Americans must rebuke them back.
What truly freaked out this columnist was this portion cited in that WP article that, "high levels of violent extremism" in the turmoil of the 1920s and 1930s along with "regime-threatening instability" if the economic crisis persists over a one-to-two-year period." Someone had better send an SOS out to those who would vote against the stimulus that it is urgent in nature that we as a nation pull together and get our house in order. Should those who fail to hear this SOS or just vote no on said principle or smite a president, they are putting self above country. Now what would the late President Abraham Lincoln say to that?
I will leave you the reader to read this ominous column published in the Washington Post in its entirety. It is about time we as a nation start paying attention to what is truly important and relevant to us all for the sake and security of this nation instead of stories dealing with celebs. Paying attention to celeb stories should and must be left behind similar to the way we should and must put the former administration behind us. Get that through your noggin, former Vice President Cheney.
In closing, those like McConnell, Boehner, Limbaugh, Coulter and any within the mainstream media who are talking down this stimulus package and President Barack Obama’s presidency itself, you are all a threat to our national security. Even those who smite President Obama such as Senator Gregg did the day before the Stimulus Bill is to be voted on are as well.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
Showing posts with label Economic Stimulus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Economic Stimulus. Show all posts
Friday, February 13, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The $780 billion stimulus bill can be paid down if we legalized marijuana
By Mary MacElveen
February 7, 2009
This may be the most controversial column I have ever written depending upon your views concerning the use of marijuana. Presently, the use of it is illegal for the majority of American citizens. The use of it for medical reasons is legal in 12 states who use different criteria for the use of it.
Just recently, Michael Phelps who won eight gold medals for swimming in last year’s Olympics was caught using marijuana as he smoked it using a water pipe. Since then, he has apologized publicly for doing so and has lost millions in endorsements from companies like Kellogg’s. I feel this is a knee-jerk reaction to punish an athlete for using marijuana where some of our politicians have claimed to have used it in the past. One such politician is our current president, Barack Obama and yet, look at what he has accomplished since he came clean in his past use of it. He became our first African-American president and not because of his use of it, but what he was able to accomplish in serving the people. Those companies pulling their endorsements from Phelps should reconsider.
Now here is the controversial part: Perhaps it is time to revisit this debate on whether or not to actually legalize marijuana. It just may be a boost to our ailing economy. If we actually legalize it to be sold in controlled businesses similar to liquor stores, just think of how the government can tax this new commodity. It can be taxed like cigarettes and liquor presently are and those who choose to use it can come out of the closet so to speak. This country already tried prohibition when it came to the use of alcohol and we see that it did not work. It drove many underground to consume it in ‘Speakeasies’. It was later repealed via the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Think of the manufacturing base that can spring up around it such as making good old American bongs. Something to think about as we see plant-after-plant close. As many industries go belly-up, think of the many cottage industries that can spring up by selling these products. New businesses are always a plus for an ailing economy.
In Rachael Baldwin’s column for The Collegian, right off the bat she writes, “The legalization of marijuana would greatly impact the U.S. economy. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, website, marijuana is “America’s most valuable crop.” With Washington looking for sources of cash to infuse into our economy, just think if it got down off its moral high-horse and legalized it. Found money!
Baldwin goes onto opine, "Marijuana crops in the United States are worth about 35.8 billion dollars per year, which is 12.5 billion more dollars per year than corn, the second most profitable crop. If taxed like alcohol and tobacco, marijuana could bring in even more money." I see revenue and where those who chose to smoke it, would not have to rely on this commodity coming from South America. Just think of how this will affect those drug lords? Oh they will be kept busy with the production of cocaine and crystal-meth which are highly addictive drugs and should be the ones targeted. But, if the production of marijuana and the sale of it is estimated in the billions, we can take those billions away from their deadly hands.
As congress will be looking to make cuts in certain programs such as food stamps which have been cut from this stimulus bill, Baldwin writes, "Legalization of marijuana could also save law enforcement agencies an astronomical amount of money. Miron estimates that marijuana legalization could save the United States as much as 7.7 billion dollars in law enforcement costs per year."
With the amount we can tax this commodity with, plus how much we can rake in growing our own crops as well as how much we can save in prosecuting any offenders: That $780 billion dollar stimulus bill can be paid down in no time.
Baldwin cites in her article that marijuana is not addictive as I have read in other articles in the past and that can allay the fears of those who would oppose this legalization. Your morning cup of coffee is far more addictive than marijuana. Should you discontinue the use of marijuana, there are no withdrawal symptoms as there is with cigarettes.
If folks are still afraid of legalizing marijuana, Baldwin writes, "there are an estimated 435,000 deaths per year in the United States due to tobacco use and 85,000 deaths due to alcohol...So, how many people die every year from using marijuana? Zero. That’s right, the use of marijuana alone has not been shown to cause any deaths." I have heard of these statistics in the past and it truly boggles the mind how liquor and cigarettes are the legal commodity instead of marijuana.
In the past, I have been resistant to this idea of legalizing marijuana, but knowing how much money it does bring in due to and underground market and seeing the facts of how safe it is compared to cigarettes and alcohol, I feel this is the time to revisit this debate. One thing about our government is if they see dollar signs mentioned in any debate, their eyes pop open and perhaps their minds can be changed. If the government sees something it can tax, that usually gets their attention.
Am I advocating the use of it? No, I am not. That choice if we made marijuana legal would be up the adults that choose to consume it. I say adults because there is already an age criteria for the consumption of alcohol and cigarettes.
What I have not even touched upon but equally important is the production of hemp which is also illegal in this country. In this USA Today article, you will read, “Hemp products still account for only a small percentage of the $15 billion a year market for organic goods, but the Hemp Industries Association says sales are rising by 50% a year. Gero Leson, an agricultural researcher in Berkeley, Calif., says hemp products will account for about $15 million this year in retail food sales and $40 million in cosmetics and body products.” This was an article that was published in 2005. Imagine if we legalized hemp how it can help jump-start this economy. Think of the products which are American products could be sold to consumers. Think of the industries that can spring up surrounding this commodity.
Back when this article was published, they wrote, "Canadian farmers planted more than 24,000 acres of hemp this year, nearly triple the 2004 total." Why not give the farmers in this country a chance when so many have been hurt and allow them to grow these crops which are not only financially beneficial to them, but to our economy as a whole?
Will our elected leaders think this idea is meritorious or stick to their old ways of thinking? Maybe it is about time that we as a people who do see the merit in legalizing marijuana and other products that come from it, should be the ones nudging our politicos along.
I know that this idea will be met with scorn from various anti-drug organizations, but as commercials remind us to drink responsibility, newer ones can say, smoke responsibly.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
February 7, 2009
This may be the most controversial column I have ever written depending upon your views concerning the use of marijuana. Presently, the use of it is illegal for the majority of American citizens. The use of it for medical reasons is legal in 12 states who use different criteria for the use of it.
Just recently, Michael Phelps who won eight gold medals for swimming in last year’s Olympics was caught using marijuana as he smoked it using a water pipe. Since then, he has apologized publicly for doing so and has lost millions in endorsements from companies like Kellogg’s. I feel this is a knee-jerk reaction to punish an athlete for using marijuana where some of our politicians have claimed to have used it in the past. One such politician is our current president, Barack Obama and yet, look at what he has accomplished since he came clean in his past use of it. He became our first African-American president and not because of his use of it, but what he was able to accomplish in serving the people. Those companies pulling their endorsements from Phelps should reconsider.
Now here is the controversial part: Perhaps it is time to revisit this debate on whether or not to actually legalize marijuana. It just may be a boost to our ailing economy. If we actually legalize it to be sold in controlled businesses similar to liquor stores, just think of how the government can tax this new commodity. It can be taxed like cigarettes and liquor presently are and those who choose to use it can come out of the closet so to speak. This country already tried prohibition when it came to the use of alcohol and we see that it did not work. It drove many underground to consume it in ‘Speakeasies’. It was later repealed via the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Think of the manufacturing base that can spring up around it such as making good old American bongs. Something to think about as we see plant-after-plant close. As many industries go belly-up, think of the many cottage industries that can spring up by selling these products. New businesses are always a plus for an ailing economy.
In Rachael Baldwin’s column for The Collegian, right off the bat she writes, “The legalization of marijuana would greatly impact the U.S. economy. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, website, marijuana is “America’s most valuable crop.” With Washington looking for sources of cash to infuse into our economy, just think if it got down off its moral high-horse and legalized it. Found money!
Baldwin goes onto opine, "Marijuana crops in the United States are worth about 35.8 billion dollars per year, which is 12.5 billion more dollars per year than corn, the second most profitable crop. If taxed like alcohol and tobacco, marijuana could bring in even more money." I see revenue and where those who chose to smoke it, would not have to rely on this commodity coming from South America. Just think of how this will affect those drug lords? Oh they will be kept busy with the production of cocaine and crystal-meth which are highly addictive drugs and should be the ones targeted. But, if the production of marijuana and the sale of it is estimated in the billions, we can take those billions away from their deadly hands.
As congress will be looking to make cuts in certain programs such as food stamps which have been cut from this stimulus bill, Baldwin writes, "Legalization of marijuana could also save law enforcement agencies an astronomical amount of money. Miron estimates that marijuana legalization could save the United States as much as 7.7 billion dollars in law enforcement costs per year."
With the amount we can tax this commodity with, plus how much we can rake in growing our own crops as well as how much we can save in prosecuting any offenders: That $780 billion dollar stimulus bill can be paid down in no time.
Baldwin cites in her article that marijuana is not addictive as I have read in other articles in the past and that can allay the fears of those who would oppose this legalization. Your morning cup of coffee is far more addictive than marijuana. Should you discontinue the use of marijuana, there are no withdrawal symptoms as there is with cigarettes.
If folks are still afraid of legalizing marijuana, Baldwin writes, "there are an estimated 435,000 deaths per year in the United States due to tobacco use and 85,000 deaths due to alcohol...So, how many people die every year from using marijuana? Zero. That’s right, the use of marijuana alone has not been shown to cause any deaths." I have heard of these statistics in the past and it truly boggles the mind how liquor and cigarettes are the legal commodity instead of marijuana.
In the past, I have been resistant to this idea of legalizing marijuana, but knowing how much money it does bring in due to and underground market and seeing the facts of how safe it is compared to cigarettes and alcohol, I feel this is the time to revisit this debate. One thing about our government is if they see dollar signs mentioned in any debate, their eyes pop open and perhaps their minds can be changed. If the government sees something it can tax, that usually gets their attention.
Am I advocating the use of it? No, I am not. That choice if we made marijuana legal would be up the adults that choose to consume it. I say adults because there is already an age criteria for the consumption of alcohol and cigarettes.
What I have not even touched upon but equally important is the production of hemp which is also illegal in this country. In this USA Today article, you will read, “Hemp products still account for only a small percentage of the $15 billion a year market for organic goods, but the Hemp Industries Association says sales are rising by 50% a year. Gero Leson, an agricultural researcher in Berkeley, Calif., says hemp products will account for about $15 million this year in retail food sales and $40 million in cosmetics and body products.” This was an article that was published in 2005. Imagine if we legalized hemp how it can help jump-start this economy. Think of the products which are American products could be sold to consumers. Think of the industries that can spring up surrounding this commodity.
Back when this article was published, they wrote, "Canadian farmers planted more than 24,000 acres of hemp this year, nearly triple the 2004 total." Why not give the farmers in this country a chance when so many have been hurt and allow them to grow these crops which are not only financially beneficial to them, but to our economy as a whole?
Will our elected leaders think this idea is meritorious or stick to their old ways of thinking? Maybe it is about time that we as a people who do see the merit in legalizing marijuana and other products that come from it, should be the ones nudging our politicos along.
I know that this idea will be met with scorn from various anti-drug organizations, but as commercials remind us to drink responsibility, newer ones can say, smoke responsibly.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
Thursday, February 5, 2009
To the Republican members of the senate….Pass the stimulus package NOW!
By Mary MacElveen
February 6, 2009
I like many have been watching the debates concerning the ‘Stimulus Package’ for many days now and I will be brief in this open letter to all of you who are dragging your feet. We are in a crisis. Get it?! People have actually lost their jobs, losing their jobs or will lose them all together and while you grab camera-time thanks to a 24/7 news cycle, they suffer. Yes, real Americans are having a hard time out here. They have lost their homes, or are losing them. Real Americans are not able to eat as you so pontificate.
Tax cuts or cuts in taxes to corporations will not suffice. Real people need jobs in order to spend that money which will turn this economy around. The Reagan era is over with and thank goodness for this country!
In New York State where I live, a commercial is running pleading to Governor David Paterson not to close state hospitals as you so enjoy top-rate health care. That is where some of this stimulus package will go to. I tremble knowing that a community hospital that I have come to depend upon will be next on the chopping block.
I want you to envision this mental image, this economic crisis is just as devastating as 9/11 and Pearl Harbor where everyone got behind the Commander in Chief to support him and his policies. We as a people elected President Barack Obama and we demand that you get behind him as congressional bodies got behind President Franklin D. Roosevelt and President George W. Bush.
All of you who grab the cameras act as if your party won on November 4th, 2008 when the complete opposite happened. We as a people exiled you. No, you did not get your trip to Disney World, but were exiled to the farthest reaches of this planet given your past and dismal record these past eight years.
If there are elected officials that the American people should be paying attention to besides our president it would be our governors who have loaned their support behind his bill. Governors such as, Schwarzenegger, Crist and Rendell. These governors as are many are on the front lines as you whimper and plea to the American people why this bill is so wrong. They are doing the heavy lifting making executive decisions where you all huddle to in a plan to embarrass our president. Well, we the people will have none of that! As I watched Senator McCain speak of this bill, all I will say is, “Senator McCain, you lost, get over it and loan your support behind our president who was so gracious to you!”
We the people who voted in this change demand it, Senators, now it is your job to make it so. You lost and are in the minority and now is your time to back our president, President Barack Obama.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
February 6, 2009
I like many have been watching the debates concerning the ‘Stimulus Package’ for many days now and I will be brief in this open letter to all of you who are dragging your feet. We are in a crisis. Get it?! People have actually lost their jobs, losing their jobs or will lose them all together and while you grab camera-time thanks to a 24/7 news cycle, they suffer. Yes, real Americans are having a hard time out here. They have lost their homes, or are losing them. Real Americans are not able to eat as you so pontificate.
Tax cuts or cuts in taxes to corporations will not suffice. Real people need jobs in order to spend that money which will turn this economy around. The Reagan era is over with and thank goodness for this country!
In New York State where I live, a commercial is running pleading to Governor David Paterson not to close state hospitals as you so enjoy top-rate health care. That is where some of this stimulus package will go to. I tremble knowing that a community hospital that I have come to depend upon will be next on the chopping block.
I want you to envision this mental image, this economic crisis is just as devastating as 9/11 and Pearl Harbor where everyone got behind the Commander in Chief to support him and his policies. We as a people elected President Barack Obama and we demand that you get behind him as congressional bodies got behind President Franklin D. Roosevelt and President George W. Bush.
All of you who grab the cameras act as if your party won on November 4th, 2008 when the complete opposite happened. We as a people exiled you. No, you did not get your trip to Disney World, but were exiled to the farthest reaches of this planet given your past and dismal record these past eight years.
If there are elected officials that the American people should be paying attention to besides our president it would be our governors who have loaned their support behind his bill. Governors such as, Schwarzenegger, Crist and Rendell. These governors as are many are on the front lines as you whimper and plea to the American people why this bill is so wrong. They are doing the heavy lifting making executive decisions where you all huddle to in a plan to embarrass our president. Well, we the people will have none of that! As I watched Senator McCain speak of this bill, all I will say is, “Senator McCain, you lost, get over it and loan your support behind our president who was so gracious to you!”
We the people who voted in this change demand it, Senators, now it is your job to make it so. You lost and are in the minority and now is your time to back our president, President Barack Obama.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)