My letter to President Obama

President Obama,
I am profoundly disappointed in your recent budget negotiations with the House Republicans.  You never even put the People's Budget of the Congressional Progressive Caucus on the table for consideration.  You didn't even follow your numerous campaign promises.  You have sold out to the Neo-con dream of turning the USA into a banana republic to the detriment of the Common Good. 

I strongly disagree with removing the Constitutional mandate of determining a budget by the House of Representatives, and instead having the future binding budget negotiated by a small committee.  NO WAY!  I expect the small committee will be made up of Neo-cons from both sides of the aisle. 

I ASSURE YOU THAT I WILL NEVER AGAIN VOTE FOR YOU.  In fact, I don't even want to be a Democrat. 

Rabbi Michael Lerner re: Debt Crisis

A Note From Rabbi Michael Lerner of Tikkun Magazine 7/30/11
      "Instead of being such a wimp, Obama could even now simply announce the following plan for what will happen if the debt limit isn't reached: he will pay the social security, medicare and other benefits to those Congressional districts whose representatives voted to raise the debt limit and not to those which did not. And similarly all other federal services. Military installations in the Congressional districts whose representatives did not vote for the raising of the limit will be immediately shut, and all military personnel outside the U.S., starting with Iraq and Afghanistan, will be ordered to return to the U.S.  They play hardball, so could a progressive Democrat, if we happened to have one in office, which we don't.  If the Supreme Court ordered him to not follow this path, he could tell them to enforce it on their own, because he has the Constitutional responsibility to defend the U.S., and this is the best way to do so."  

I think Rabbi Lerner's idea about NOT paying SS or Medicare in the districts that voted to cut benefits, is a GREAT IDEA! He must have learned from the shenanigans of Governor Scott Walker who, no sooner than the picture ID voter registration law passed,  promptly closed the DMV offices in Democratic districts, and used the money saved to extend DMV hours in Republican districts.  

Personally, I disagree with the revered Rabbi about ordering military personnel home.  I think the part about all military personnel outside the U.S. be ordered home is the correct action right here and right now, NOT only if the Congress votes us deeper into debt.  As a successful manager of money, I understand the concept of cash flow.   Debt is a risk that needs to be taken short term and only if there is no other way to pay.  Solving a deficit crisis with more deficits is nuts.  That's reminiscent of the folks who refinanced their mortgages in order to put money in their pockets to continue to make their mortgage payments.  Everyone I know who did this all lost their homes.   

The one biggest place we are bleeding money is in military and security spending, not entitlements.  Let's not get the nation deeper into debt or bankrupt in order to enrich the war profiteers.  END WAR NOW AND BALANCE THE BUDGET!