Sunday, March 06, 2011

"Morning Papers" - Its Origin

The Rooster
"Okeydoke"

My cast comes off on Wednesday.

Not the cat's cast, my cast. 

Fiberglass casts are marvelous things, but, when an extremity is ending its healing process and all one wants is to be set free, there exists nothing but annoyance.

I am counting the hours and to put together a blog tonight regarding the nation's sincere problems and where our focus needs to be would be tweeked by 'my attitude' at this moment.

The cast is coming off, in complete compliance with the surgeon, on Wednesday. 

There is a god.

Have a good evening and I'll be far happier and willing to be open minded this time next week.

Good night.

Senator Rubio believes "Race to the Top" gives the right incentives to State Governments.

He believes in Pell Grants (click title of entry for videos - thank you) and has used them himself to pay for higher education.  He states cutting defense budget is important as he sees much duplication and inefficiency. 

He is a bit confusing about Entitlements, however.  He states current recipients should go undistrubed while future beneficiaries should expect things to be different.  Then he states to a group of Tea Baggers:

...The West Miami Republican, (click here)  sent to Washington last fall with heavy tea party backing, said Medicare and Social Security spending is unsustainable. And the federal government’s $1.5 trillion deficit must be harnessed, Rubio told state lawmakers gathered in the House chambers.
But Rubio also conceded, “we have a political process in Washington that is frozen.”...

Senator Rubio needs to 'set his policy' and stick with it. 

What I am really curious about in relation to the entitlements is the profound future.  In other words, with the global picture taking less of a 'cold war' profile the need to sustain high military budgets is senseless.  I mean how long does the USA have to be the world's police?  Considering that in relation to continued reductions in spending to military expansion and knowing 'The Baby Boomer Bubble' will eventually end, will the entitlements actually take on a reasonable dynamic with ALL elements of expenditures in play and not just a 'future' picture based on 'here and now.'  I guess that is just me.
For the most part he sounds moderate, but, then he retreats to 'old rhetoric' to supply a connection to the public that is illegitimate. 
"We all have budgets to run our homes...but, the federal government simply passed continuing resolutions to continue spending at 'the same rate' as the previous years budget."
That statement was regarding the current Republican rhetoric regarding, "It is on way to run a government" in the 2010 continuing resolutions.  I might sound 'cute' for political purposes in attempting to further defame the Minority Speaker Pelosi (if that is possible), but, such a statement is poorly researched.

"Continuing Resolutions" were necessary in 2010 because of the Obstructionist Republicans in the Senate.  In nearly every bill effecting the fiscal spending of the USA in 2010 a 'conference' was convened to facilitate the funding of the government.  So before new and young Republicans with high hopes for their future start to recant the rhetoric of 'populous' media, they may want to actually have a staff member research the rhetoric and consider being THE LEADER they have aspirations to beConsider the source of such rhetoric Senator Rubio before it destroys a promising career.  Seriously.
There is also some extremeist that is more about 'opportunism' of his power than sincere policy. 

He goes on to take on extremist views regarding the EPA.  He actually wants to attach a budget resolution to limit the EPA regarding The Clean Water Act after the worst oil and gas disaster in Gulf Coast history.  Could he be working with Florida's extremist governor to allow oil sludge to wash up on Florida's beaches while putting forward permits to drill off the Florida coast in ways it was protected before? 

My guess is yes. 

These regulations also impact a favorite crony of the Florida Republicans, The Sugar Industry.  How much election money and 'friendly ads' did he get in his run for US Senate?  Just because Rubio's has different cronies doesn't mean they are any different than the Koch brothers in their priorities and methodologies.  The Republicans always believe 'What is good for the cronies is good for the people."  Not when that means poor water quality, dying wetlands and everglades and potential toxic sluge from the BP Deepwater Horizon and oil rigs off Florida shores. 

The attack on the EPA as defended in the St. Pete Times isn't about any 'economic gains,' the regulations have been 'on the books' for decades.  This is an action by Rubio to remove the standards and lower costs to his cronies.  One has to ask, does anyone really want monies from businesses and organizations that seek to 'harm' to citizens and the 'small businesses' of any state?

...Rubio’s plan mirrors (click here) a similar measure by Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, who inserted a rider into the House budget bill that would severely limit the EPA’s funding for water-quality criteria in Florida. Now Rubio is planning to insert a similar rider in the budget resolution in an effort to bar the EPA from implementing those rules.
Rubio defended his decision in a statement made to the St. Petersburg Times: “At a time when our state is facing double-digit unemployment and our families are struggling with the effects of a prolonged recession, the last thing we need is another Washington mandate that will cost billions, destroy jobs and increase daily costs.”
According to Julie Hauserman of environmental law firm Earthjustice, Rubio’s budget rider will stop the EPA from enforcing new limits on sewage, fertilizer and manure waste, all of which “spark toxic algae outbreaks all over Florida, closing beaches, wrecking fishing, and causing serious health problems for people and animals.”...

There are no new EPA rules in Florida, this is a matter of enforcing the ones that already exist.
In Print: Thursday, March 3, 2011
...Congressional action cannot undo the new pollution rules, said David Guest of Earthjustice, the law firm that successfully pursued the lawsuit against the EPA. Because the rules are in place "that means people have to comply with it," he said. To argue otherwise "is like saying the Clean Water Act doesn't apply south of the Georgia line."

Rubio is a liar and he is pandering to cronies.  Like I said, these regulations have been in place for decades.  We have witnessed these toxic dumps and the algal blooms off the Florida coast because the Sugar Industry in Florida disregarded the law.

In the case of Columbia, South AMERICA, Rubio and Obama agree.  The Columbia FTA has come a long way from its first 'write' in 2006.  Columbia is as strategic a partner, as is Israel, it is time the Columbia FTA be signed and put into law.  Unlike NAFTA, this agreement eliminates 80% of tarriffs on American goods being exported and will create job opportunities rather than destroy them.  Columbia has worked hard at eliminating all of the US concerns and there is simply no reason not to sign this into law.  The Columbian leadership met with President Obama during his summit, but, it never got much attention so much as Mr. Chavez's book did in attempts to exploit the possibility of fostering President Obama as a communist or worse a "Socialist."  So much for the USA Media and what is not sensationaism rather than 'good reporting' about the facts.


It is the 'faux' content of Republican rhetoric Senator Rubio needs to shun, along with the cronyism and corruption of 'post elections.' 
State Sponsors of Terrorism?  Cuba?  Gitmo is there, what is Rubio talking about?  The USA probably has more information regarding Cuba than anty other country on the planet.  Cuba would never get away with sponsoring terrorism.  If anything it is a good listening post.

Obama: We will move forward with Colombia FTA (click here)



It may be Senator Rubio is not as 'wild' in his ideologies as the Tea Baggers want to him be either.

...Though Rubio (click here) became a darling of the tea party and attended rallies during the 2010 campaign, his early decisions have illustrated he’s more the former Florida House Speaker he once was than a tea party convert.
He hired a D.C. insider — Cesar Conda, an advisor to former Vice President Dick Cheney — as his chief of staff and he traveled in January to Afghanistan and Pakistan with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell....
...“Instead of going after quotes and attention and interviews, he’s focusing on learning policy,” said state Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, the Republican majority leader in Tallahassee....


The "Cheney Connection" is evident in some of his policies primarily with 'strong arming' nations smaller and less able to defend from USA military armament.  Those communists make good political targets for electioneering rhetoric.  Increasing flights to Cuba opens up competition between airports and airlines.  Oddly, I thought Republicans thrive on competition.  One just never knows.

A legislative effort to block (click here) White House plans to expand travel to Cuba failed, but the sponsor, Sen. Marco Rubio, said he will continue to push for passage.

— Sen. Marco Rubio's effort to block the Obama administration's planned expansion of travel to Cuba has been grounded -- at least for now.
The Florida Republican and Democratic New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez had hoped to prevent any new flights from U.S. airports to Cuba following the White House announcement last month to ease travel restrictions to the communist island nation.
But the amendment the pair had hoped to attach to a funding bill for the Federal Aviation Administration won't be heard.
The effort drew sharp criticism from the Tampa Area Chamber of Commerce, which backs Tampa International Airport’s bid to host some of the flights. The group sent a letter to Rubio, asking him to withdraw the amendment, which it called "unfair to those businesses and Cuban-Americans who must bear the undue financial burden and inconvenience of having to travel through Miami....

And he actually was quoted as saying this, "Increasing direct commercial or charter aircraft flights with state sponsors of terrorism is totally irresponsible," (click here)




Senator Rubio has been given a high ranking committee position for a Freshman Senator to 'kick start' his prowess in 'global affairs.'  After all no one wants the next Republican candidate for Vice President to be a complete dolt.  I am somewhat confident the now Senator Rubio was the 'die for candidate' to run with Jeb Bush at the head of the ticket as soon as 2012.  According to the former governor that isn't a possiblity.

As chair in this Subcommittee, Senator Rubio needs to focus less on rhetoric about tyrannical regimes and more on halting the drug cartels fueling the Mexican border issue.  There are also guns passing over the USA border into Mexico that faciliates their terrorism of the Mexican people and enforcement of their drug economy.  After all there were USA embassies targeted by the Mexican drug cartels and officers gunned down.  If Senator Rubio is serious about his appointment and wants to sincerely contribute then he needs to re-focus on the issues rather than the rhetoric.  He might find that difficult with a Neocon as a chief of staff.

...U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio announced Tuesday that he will lead Republicans on the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Global Narcotics Affairs under the umbrella of the full Senate Foreign Relations Committee -- giving the Sunshine State one more seat at the table in dealing with the U.S.’s policy in Latin America.

Rubio said he understood the important connections between South and Central American nations and the Sunshine State.

“The United States’ economy and security are inextricably linked to this hemisphere’s future,” said Rubio. “As the gateway to the Americas, Florida in particular benefits enormously from robust commercial, cultural and family ties to Latin America.”

Rubio, who met Tuesday with Gov. Luis Fortuno of Puerto Rico, said he would use his new position to promote greater free-trade opportunities with Latin American nations and would stand up to tyrannical regimes in the region....


I like Marco Rubio's potential.  I believe he is capable of 'clarity' few Republicans value or seek.   I sincerely want him to be afforded the opportunity he seeks and prepares for.  I certainly hope my expectations of  'sincerity' and 'correctness' of Senator Rubio are not disappointed.