By Bill Falzett on 7/15/2006 10:49 PM

Our young people face increasingly difficult barriers to success as the result of economic policies of our government. The disparity between poor and rich in our country is worse than in Central America. The combined wealth of the top 1% of American families is almost equal to the combined wealth of the other 99%. The average family income in mid and lower income brackets has decreased in the last 20 years. Salaries for major executives has jumped more than 600% since 1990. Six of the top ten pay increases to CEOs were to bosses whose companies were not competitive in their market segments. Not only are wageearners losing, so are shareholders. Worker pay has increased around 2% per year in the same period which does not keep pace with inflation.

If pay to workers had increased at the executive pay increase rate, annual earnings would average over $125,000 rather than $26,000. Minimum wage would be over $25 per hour. More than 77% of children living in poverty reside with  ... Read More »

By Bill Falzett on 7/14/2006 8:30 PM

George Lakoff described the  right-wingers as products of the Strict Father family. This family values that the Daddy is always right and that the 'World is a Scary Place'. Daddy is supposed to protect us and we are to be obedient according to the Strict Father creed. What usually happens to those of us who are friendly, reasonable and logical is that we try to present data to the 'scared kid'. What then happens is that the 'kid' gets more entrenched in his/her obstinacy, "No, No, there ARE green meanies out there!" We get more emphatic and/or angry and they get more scared and on and on. We spend copious energies arguing with each other and with them.

Perhaps, what we should do is take them at the psychological level rather than what they say. Maybe they are sincere about their fears that they cover with solemnity and bluster. Maybe they just need to know what the rest of us already know -- If a crisis occurs, we can handle i ... Read More »

By Bill Falzett on 7/13/2006 10:15 PM

Writing for the AARP Bulletin, Susan Q. Stranahan points up a consistent theme in dealings with the current dministration and its puppet congress. Pharmaceutical companies are due to see a $2 billion windfall from changes initiated under Medicare Part D. According to the RPM Report, a drug industry publication, the windfall is from shifting over 6 million older Americans from state Medicaid rolls to Medicare drug benefits.

How is that an advantage to the drug companies you ask? It results from the fact that Part D legislation prohibits bargaining on drug prices whereas Medicaid can do so. The bargaining, as is consistent with free market economics, leads to lowered drug prices for Medicaid drugs. Since Medicare can't bargain, that means that the American taxpayer foots a larger bill for medication in one masterful corporate giveaway.

To add insult to injury, an analysis of drug prices by the U of Minnesota showed that we are now paying 20-30% more for medicati ... Read More »

By Bill Falzett on 7/7/2006 10:03 PM

The Bush Administration and the Republican Congress keep defining the "Immigration Problem" as one of illegal immigrants. What that hides is over 20 years of neglect and obfuscation of the real issues -- (1)employers who encourage immigrants to take jobs at lower wages than American workers thereby undermining Unions, (2)foreign policies started in the Reagan administration, and (3)unfair trade agreements that encourage the decimation of foreign economies while undermining our own economy.

As Thom Hartmann summarized the situation: the administration has policies that cause: "...a rapid increase in the workforce by encouraging companies to hire non-citizens is one of the three most potent tools conservatives since Ronald Reagan have used to convert the American middle class into the American working poor. (The other two are destroying the governmental protections that keep labor unions viable, and ending tariffs while promoting trade deals like NAF ... Read More »

By Bill Falzett on 7/7/2006 2:55 AM

Alternate energy sources vary from bio-fuels to natural sources( such as forestry/wind/water/sun) to hydrogen cells. Hydrogen fuel cells are suspect for a number of reasons. Voters of California's Second Congressional District should focus on the other energy sources. Our government spends billions of dollars every year subsidizing farmers to not grow things or as an addition to what they already get for their crops. I believe that we can grow bio-fuels with much of that money and acreage. We can also develop industries based on natural energy sources and responsible forestry projects.

America's future is in diversification of energy sources. If we continue to relegate alternate energies to miniscule incentives on the hope that we can somehow find enough oil and gas, we will continue to be delusional. We will also continue to destroy our planet. Our children and grandchildren will pay the costs.

Press your legislators to diversify. Insist on increasin ... Read More »