4th of July

Honestly, this country is not the same since 9-11-2001. That is when this nation seemed to derail, and the US proceeded to embark on a preemptive war with Iraq. We were all told of a looming mushroom cloud, imminent threat, yes - weapons of mass destruction. But it turns out all that chatter was really only describing THIS country- it is the United States that is the dangerous threat. After the war based on lies was launched, so many things went to hell with it.

So what has changed?
We are still in 2 wars.
• Gitmo is still open.
• The Obama administration said all war funding would be up front in the budget, and this week, they are asking for another $33 Billion for emergency supplemental Afghanisitan war funding.
• Rendition still going on.
• Tax cuts for the rich have not been repealed.
• The BP oil disaster (let's not kid ourselves by calling it a "spill") is in the hands of those who created the disaster to come up with the fix.


But between the oil refinery explosion that killed 15 workers & another 3 in the next few years.
29 people have died working for BP in the U.S.

Jordan Barab, deputy assistant secretary of labor at OSHA, said "The only thing you can conclude is that BP has a serious, systemic safety problem in their company.


• The Supreme court has ruled that Corporations are people & giving corporate money to lobby & political campaigns equal free speech. 


So I'm not feeling patriotic these days. 


I want to see Change I can believe in. 
Right now, I'm seeing a whole lot of more of the same. 


When you hear about the Republicans doing a Filibuster over extending unemployment benefit extensions, whining about being fiscally conservative and generational theft....
then let's have some action to shut down additional funding for war. 
Walk the walk!


 But this land of the free concept.... I feel free to pay taxes. I'm not free to launch a strike @ my workplace. Or organize a Union so we could have worker rights addressed.  I'd be fired so fast it would not be funny. Our freedom is mighty limited. If you or I spilled oil in a waterway, we'd probably be arrested on the spot. If corporations are people I want to see Tony Hayward in handcuffs. 
As well as Transocean & Halliburton Execs. 


The question remains- can we save this country from itself?

Here is the State of the Union:

TABLE 1: STATES WITH PROJECTED FY2011 GAPS
	FY11 Shortfall Before Budget Adoption (States with Biennial 09-11 Budgets)	Current FY11 Gap Projected?	Total Shortfall Amount	Total Shortfall Percent of FY10 Budget
Alabama	0	Yes	$586 million	8.2%
Arizona	0	$3.1 billion	$3.1 billion	35.3%
California *	0	$9.0 billion	$19 billion	22.6%
Colorado	0	$1.5 billion	$1.5 billion	21.2%
Connecticut	$4.4 billion	$700 million	$5.1 billion	29.2%
Delaware	0	$377 million	$377 million	11.7%
District of Columbia	0	$104 million	$104 million	1.7%
Florida	0	$4.7 billion	$4.7 billion	22.2%
Georgia	0	$4.2 billion	$4.2 billion	24.3%
Hawaii	0	$594 million	$594 million	12.9%
Idaho	0	$84 million	$84 million	3.3%
Illinois	0	$13.5 billion	$13.5 billion	36.1%
Indiana	0	$1.3 billion	$1.3 billion	9.9%
Iowa	0	$1.1 billion	$1.1 billion	18.6%
Kansas	0	$510 million	$510 million	9.1%
Kentucky	0	$780 million	$780 million	9.1%
Louisiana	0	$1.0 billion	$1.0 billion	11.1%
Maine	$765 million	$174 million	$940 million	32.1%
Maryland	0	$2.0 billion	$2.0 billion	15.0%
Massachusetts	0	$2.7 billion	$2.7 billion	8.5%
Michigan	0	$2.0 billion	$2.0 billion	8.8%
Minnesota	$2.8 billion	$1.2 billion	$4.0 billion	26.4%
Mississippi	0	$716 million	$716 million	14.6%
Missouri	0	$730 million	$730 million	9.3%
Nebraska	$150 million	$179 million	$329 million	9.7%
Nevada	$1.3 billion	$504 million	$1.8 billion	56.6%
New Hampshire	$250 million	$115 million	$365 million	23.4%
New Jersey	0	$10.7 billion	$10.7 billion	37.4%
New Mexico	0	$333 million	$333 million	6.0%
New York	0	$8.5 billion	$8.5 billion	15.5%
North Carolina	$4.4 billion	$1.4 billion	$5.8 billion	30.5%
Ohio	$2.5 billion	$463 million	$3.0 billion	11.6%
Oklahoma	0	$725 million	$725 million	12.4%
Oregon*	Yes	$563 million	$3.8 billion	See Table 2
Pennsylvania	0	$4.1 billion	$4.1 billion	16.3%
Rhode Island	0	$395 million	$395 million	13.2%
South Carolina	0	$1.3 billion	$1.3 billion	22.6%
South Dakota	0	$102 million	$102 million	9.0%
Tennessee	0	$1.0 billion	$1.0 billion	10.0%
Texas	0	$4.6 billion	$4.6 billion	12.8%
Utah	0	$700 million	$700 million	15.6%
Vermont	0	$338 million	$338 million	31.1%
Virginia	0	$1.3 billion	$1.3 billion	8.2%
Washington*	$2.1 billion	Yes*	$2.1 billion	13.9%
West Virginia	0	$134 million	$134 million	3.5%
Wisconsin	$3.4 billion	0	$3.4 billion	25.3%
Wyoming	0	$147 million	$147 million	8.0%
States Total	$22.0 billion	$90.2 billion	$126 billion	30.4%
Note: Oregon and Washington have two-year budgets. See Table 2 for gap information. States in italics had not enacted FY11 budgets as of May 27, 2011.