About six years ago at the pinnacle of the Bush/GOP Dictatorship, I began telling you that the wealthy and Corporate America were laying the ground work to politically, financially and physically take over America.
Bush was waging full-scale class warfare on the middle class and using his powers beyond their limits to escalate that war.
Bush packed the Supreme Court with bobble-head loyalists to protect him and Cheney, and to play a big role in the takeover. Their job was to strike down any law that hindered the takeover, that the GOP couldn’t filibuster or kill in Congress. A perfect example is the health care law the GOP-controlled Supreme Court will rule on this year.
Some scoffed and laughed at my prediction, and one writer declared me insane, saying that it was impossible for one sector of society to take over America. But the proof, not a prediction, is self-evident, and the possible is staring you in the face!
This takeover began with Ronald Reagan, and has been 30 years in the making. Reagan began the union-busting tactics that we’re seeing today from the GOP-controlled states including Indiana. Reagan struck down the law that prohibited corporations from hiring “replacement” workers if the union went on strike. He also created trickle-down economics that gave all wealth to what we now call the 1 percent.
The main thrust of the wealthy is to use the GOP party that they’ve bought and paid for, as their main “weapon.” To bolster their plan, Karl Rove and the Koch brothers gave birth to the Tea Party. Their job was to eliminate anyone who wasn’t totally committed to the take over and fulfilling Mitch McConnell’s goal of “making Obama a one-term president.”
The plan is simple: Use the GOP/Tea Party in Congress and the “red states” to obstruct, ambush and defeat any law that would prevent them from maneuvering, and manipulating the bulk of the American people into submission. Their “battle plan” is to deny people employment, health care and to take away the safety nets that some rely on to survive. The GOP has always hated Medicare and Social Security, and it wants to kill them.
When the GOP couldn’t keep the White House and control Congress in 2008, it shifted its plan of attack to the GOP-controlled states. The failure of the middle class to vote in 2010, added Indiana to that list. What you’re seeing (if you’re paying attention) in Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, New Jersey and Michigan, to name a few, is a full-blown war on unions and the middle class using their power. They’re passing laws such as the voter ID law and right-to-work law. These laws are to obstruct those who have proven to vote Democratic and take away the unions’ finances so they can’t donate funds to the Democratic Party at election time.
The GOP governor in Michigan has gotten a law passed in that state that gives him the power to declare “martial law” in any Michigan city. He can appoint a “city manager” to take complete control of any city and strip all elected officials of their positions. That means they’re fired, and the GOP can do anything they want with no opposition.
The chains of social slavery are rattling and clanking all around you and your family. An independent study group has documented that one out of two families lives in or near poverty, and the GOP solution is to give more tax breaks to the wealthy. You are systematically being stripped of your financial freedoms, your independence and your rights that are given to you by the constitution. Unless you unite and fight back, this will continue to happen.
Remember the old saying “the squeaky wheels gets the grease”? The only way to get your vote heard is to come together in large numbers. Whether it’s the Occupy group or whatever their name may be. You must give your support to stop the immoral, unethical movement that threatens America and its people.
I must close with a message to Howard E. Pennell who sends me GOP/Tea Party/hate mail to my home. Howard’s goal is to intimidate me, and or silence me from writing articles to the opinion section. If this were not his goal, he would rebut my articles in the opinion section. Just so there’s no misunderstanding, no amount of hate mail will silence me and bring back an old truth. The GOP will do anything to win.
— Ron Hastings
Clinton
Flashpoint
FLASHPOINT: Republicans enable war on middle class, unions
- Flashpoint
-
-
FLASHPOINT: Storm chasers must heed warnings, remember why we chase storms
The tragic death of noted weather researcher and former Discovery Channel storm chaser Tim Samaras has shaken all of us in the meteorological community.
-
FLASHPOINT: Humane Society does not merit IRS targeting either
Rep. Blaine Leutkemeyer is right that the IRS should not target any charitable organization solely on the basis of its ideology. Yet that’s exactly what he’s asking the IRS to do in his factually unfounded attacks on The Humane Society of the United States, the nation’s largest animal welfare organization and one that has the highest marks from the top charity watchdog organizations.
-
FLASHPOINT: A crisis at the NLRB
Most people in Indiana don’t even know what the National Labor Relations Board is. Well, why should they?
-
FLASHPOINT: Legislative session reflected Hoosier priorities
The 2013 session of the Indiana General Assembly came to an end just a few weeks ago with the final passage of our state’s next two-year budget.
-
FLASHPOINT: A legislative session of missed opportunities
Given the nature of politicians, grand claims of accomplishments and overblown rhetoric about “historic” efforts are to be expected at the close of any legislative session.
-
FLASHPOINT: Again in 2013 General Assembly, middle class generally ignored
Last year, the people of Indiana entrusted the Republican Party with some of their most precious possessions.
-
FLASHPOINT: Indiana lawmakers reinforced school safety mechanisms
Nothing is more important to me than the safety of my children. Every parent has felt that instant, apprehensive rush when their child plays too close to the street or falls down while playing soccer and it is our responsibility as parents to implement every safety mechanism we can muster to protect our kids.
-
FLASHPOINT: Lessons from the legacy media — get it right, first
Enough mistakes and maybe we’ll learn: When in doubt, leave it out.
-
FLASHPOINT: Hoosiers got steady hand in recent session
As the General Assembly began its work last November, as Speaker of the House, I pledged a renewed spirit of bipartisanship with legislators working together to solve our state’s most pressing challenges. As this year’s legislative session concludes, representatives from throughout the state — Republican and Democrat — have joined together to address those issues at the forefront of Hoosier minds: maintaining our state’s fiscal integrity, spurring job creation and expanding education opportunities for every Hoosier family.
-
FLASHPOINT: Time has arrived for overhaul of TV news
Former FCC Chairman Alfred Sikes gave an address in 1992 in which he claimed television news was too superficial and too focused on visuals.
-
FLASHPOINT: Fiscal cliff, Obamacare have already raised taxes enough
Our history is rich with stories of people who have immigrated to the United States for a chance at the American Dream. The American Dream, in its truest form, is the opportunity to achieve success by working hard and playing by the rules; to make it on your own and to say, “I earned this.”
-
FLASHPOINT: Expanding Medicaid coverage makes sense for Indiana
Since last summer’s U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act effectively gave states the option to expand Medicaid, policymakers across the country have debated if and how to extend health programs to millions of uninsured Americans.
-
FLASHPOINT: Improve public education, stop experimenting with it
In January, the four of us who serve as the Democrats on the House Education Committee outlined our hopes for the 2013 session of the Indiana General Assembly, particularly in joining with Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz to offer common sense solutions to improve the quality of education for our children. With the halfway point of this session past us, we remain optimistic that positive steps can be taken … but that optimism is tempered by the reality that education policies are being directed by a legislative majority that has a radically different agenda.
-
Healthcare law anniversary no reason for celebration
March 23 marked three years since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law, yet this is not an anniversary that deserves celebration.
-
FLASHPOINT: Defending state’s authority is attorney general’s obligation
The law of the land recognizes the authority of states to license marriage.
-
FLASHPOINT: Stability key for state’s future
Hoosiers have the unique luxury of being the fiscal envy of the nation due to the sound fiscal policies of the last eight years.
-
FLASHPOINT: House budget offers Medicaid solution for Indiana
This week, my U.S. House Budget Committee colleagues and I introduced a federal budget resolution for fiscal year 2014. Our budget is a responsible plan that stops spending money and balances in 10 years — largely through making key reforms to drivers of our debt like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
-
FLASHPOINT: Problem gambling in Indiana: A new understanding of community concern
The week of March 3 was designated as National Problem Gambling Awareness Week.
-
FLASHPOINT: Eastern time in Indiana defies common sense
Nobody complains more than Hoosiers about changing their clocks. And there’s a valid reason — daylight-savings time in Indiana’s Eastern Time Zone is painful.
-
Praying for civil resolution to debate over gun control
Guns are lively ammunition for passionate debate these days.
-
FLASHPOINT: It’s not too late to expand health services
This week, state leaders euthanized the biggest, boldest Hoosier jobs proposal of the 2013 session of the Indiana General Assembly.
-
FLASHPOINT: You can’t go back again — and that’s OK
Our progressive colleagues have been telling us for years that the 1950s were a horrid time.
-
FLASHPOINT: The fierce urgency of now — nation needs to protect youth
The alcohol-fueled alleged serial rape of a 16-year-old Ohio girl by two of her similarly impaired classmates — not to mention the drunken videotaped commentary of others — points yet again to the imperative that adult America renews its commitment to address as a true national community those issues that most threaten the health, safety and forward development of youth.
-
FLASHPOINT: A pastor speaks out against Sullivan’s ‘traditional prom’
I am a pastor in Sullivan, Ind., and I am outraged.
Recently, two young students applied to walk the Grand March together in the school prom in Sullivan. -
FLASHPOINT: 0wning firearms is a First Amendment exercise, too
Following the hysteria generated by gun prohibitionists in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, a nationwide rush on gun stores began as citizens bought semiautomatic modern sporting rifles, handguns and ammunition, in effect “making a political statement” about proposals to ban such firearms.
-
FLASHPOINT: Maintaining the priority
Recently a newspaper article has been written about a change in the by-laws of the Indiana High School Athletic Association which speaks directly to attempted undue influence exerted upon students below the level of grade nine and their parents.
-
FLASHPOINT: The fairness of marriage
What is the current Indiana law concerning marriage? Our state defines marriage in a singular way — between a man and a woman.
-
FLASHPOINT: We ask state legislators to abide by their oath of office
All of us relish giving unsolicited advice to our elected representatives.
-
FLASHPOINT: Mentoring is having major impact on public education
While managing local utility services, Mike Martin found a new way to energize his community, and students are starting to benefit.
-
FLASHPOINT: Common Core standards should be common sense
Years ago, when state officials and education experts came together to create new model standards for schools, they probably never expected it to be controversial.
- More Flashpoint Headlines
-
FLASHPOINT: Storm chasers must heed warnings, remember why we chase storms
Hunt for Ex-Teamster Boss Hoffa's Remains Ends
Fans Cheer Dramatic Heat Comeback
Car Crash in NYC's East Village Injures 8
Ohio Woman Accuses 3 of Holding Her Captive
Raw: Car Jumps Curb in NYC, Injures 8
Time Lapse: Rebuilding Bridge Post-collapse
Tiger on Sergio: 'It's Time to Move On'
Raw: NASCAR Driver Jason Leffler Dies in Wreck
Aug. Trial Set for Ohio Man in Triple Kidnapping
Obama Renews Call for Nuclear Reductions
Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail
Robot Action Connected to Human Thought
Raw: Massive Protests Fill Brazilian Streets
Failed Cuba-to-Florida Swimmer Won't Try Again
Unusual Heat Wave Bakes Alaska
Raw: Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City
Rain Damages Brazil Soccer Stadium
Raw: Baby White Rhino Debuts at Australian Zoo
Obama: 'Lives Have Been Saved' by NSA Programs
Raw: Arizona Wildfire Scorches 8 Square Miles
James Gandolfini Dies at Age 51
Paula Deen Admits to Using N Word
Rihanna Hits Fan With Microphone
Men's Wearhouse Founder Fired
Miss Utah Explains Rambling Response
Exclusive: Locklear & Seymour Lock Lips
Miami Heat Wins in Overtime
Fists, chairs fly in restaurant brawl
Journalist Michael Hastings Dies in Fiery Hollywood Crash
Hairy Leg Stockings Aim to Deflect Male Attention
Inside Kim Kardashian's Premature Labor
Three Charged for Enslaving Mother and Daughter
Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park
Spurs' Popovich has no problem with Spurs' intensity
RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled
Paige Butcher Scorches on Hawaii Beach
Video: worst way to load cargo onto a plane
Never-before-seen footage of '08 Times Square bomber
