Liberal Democrat

Liberal Democrat
Individual Freedom For Everyone

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Center for American Progress: David Madland & Kira Walter- 'Top 6 Policies To Help The Middle Class That Won't Cost Taxpayers a Penny'

Source:Center For American Progress- President Barack H. Obama (Democrat, Illinois)
"Strengthening America’s middle class should be elected officials’ top priority. Incomes are either stagnant or falling for the middle class, while the costs of life’s necessities continue to rise. As a result, the risk of the middle class falling behind economically is growing. A weak middle class hurts all of us by stifling our country’s economic growth and undermining our democracy.

Unfortunately, reducing the deficit has distracted our political leaders from this pressing challenge and has made it seem like little can be done, as Congress blocked or failed to act on important legislation to help the middle class. In reality, however, there are many things that the federal government can do to help the middle class.

Rather than make excessive short-term budget cuts as we are currently doing, we can and should make needed investments in the middle class, such as expanding access to preschool and child care, as part of a package that reduces the deficit over the longer term, as CAP has proposed on many occasions. Furthermore, there are a number of things that policymakers can do that won’t require any additional expenditures." 


"In "The Green Collar Economy", Center for American Progress Senior Fellow, acclaimed activist and political advisor Van Jones delivers a real solution that both rescues our economy and saves the environment. The economy is built on and powered almost exclusively by oil, natural gas, and coal—all fast-diminishing nonrenewable resources. As supplies disappear, the price of energy climbs and nearly everything becomes more expensive. With costs and unemployment soaring, the economy stalls. Not only that, when we burn these fuels, the greenhouse gases they create overheat the atmosphere. As the headlines make clear, total climate chaos looms over us. The bottom line: we cannot continue with business as usual. We cannot drill and burn our way out of these dual dilemmas.

Instead, Van Jones illustrates how we can invent and invest our way out of the pollution-based grey economy and into the healthy new green economy. Built by a broad coalition deeply rooted in the lives and struggles of ordinary people, this path has the practical benefit of both cutting energy prices and generating enough work to pull the U.S. economy out of its present death spiral."

Source:Center For American Progress- former Obama White House advisor Van Jones.

From the Center For American Progress

Instead of taking the approach of how can we empower government to take care of everybody or take care of the people who are currently struggling and create all sorts of new government social programs, I'm going to take the approach (to quote Jerry Maguire) how can I (meaning government in this case) help you. And I would add to that what government do to empower the millions of Americans who need it help themselves. And have the same freedom both economic and personal that the rest of the country has.

And it gets to things like infrastructure investment rebuilding this country,

Universal lifelong education and job training so all Americans always have the ability to improve themselves.

Tax reform so we have more companies investing more money in America, especially American companies. And we tax people based on what they take out of society not what they contribute to society.

And a national energy policy that finally moves this country towards energy independence by utilizing our vast menu of natural resources.

So if you are looking for the Next New Deal, keep looking, I'm sure you'll find it.

If I were to write an Economic Bill of Rights for the United States and I may do that for this blog in the future, it would be about education and the right to organize for all workers, but that all workers would also have the right to not join a union and operate as a free agent. And not subjected to union dues, but just wouldn't get the benefits that come with being in a union as well.

The education part is also key that all Americans would have the right to a lifelong education no matter the income level or their parents. Always having the ability to get themselves the skills that they need to be successful in life. But then being held accountable for what they do with those opportunities for good and bad and in between. So what government would be telling the people that they everyone in America who is physically and mentally able would have the ability to be successful in life. No longer stuck in poverty because they come from and live in rural or inner-city America.

What government will also do is subsidize people's success and for any American who is working would always make more than Americans who are unemployed.

And universal access to education and job training would especially be available for people who are not working, but need to be, too young or without the resources to retire.

We have an economic system like this and real tax-reform that taxes everybody by what they takeout of society, instead of what they contribute to society and we would have a true liberal democracy (I know Social Democrats and right-wingers hate that term, but get use to it) Where all Americans would have access to both economic and personal freedom.

You can also see this post on WordPress.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Merv Griffin Show: U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy Interview: Civil Unrest, Vietnam War (1967)

Source:Merv Griffin Show- U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy (Democrat, New York) on The Merv Griffin Show, in 1967.

Source:The Daily Journal 

“This is an excerpt from an interview with Senator Robert F. Kennedy eight months before he was assassinated in Los Angeles. He hadn’t yet announced his candidacy for president but he very eloquently and insightfully addresses the problems facing America at the end of the 1960s. Merv Griffin had over 5000 guests appear on his show from 1963-1986…


Bobby Kennedy who wasn’t a Baby Boomer, more of a depression baby, doing a good job speaking for the Baby Boom generation. Not the whole generation, but certainly the New Left that came of age in the 1960s and early 1970s. Whose parents were from the Silent Generation and World War II, who saw America except for the Counter-Culture Movement as just fine the way it was and were happy with the status quo.

The Baby Boom Hippie parents, now seeing their kids as people who came of age during the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement and seeing all sorts of poverty in America and thinking they could get involved in these things and change America for the good. Who saw the status quo in American life as not worth conserving. And wanted to create a new America for themselves.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

NBA-TV: NBA 1971-NBA Finals- Milwaukee Bucks vs. Baltimore Bullets: Highlights



Source:NBA-TV- the Bucks and Bullets for the 1971 NBA Championship.


“The 1971 NBA Finals was the played at the conclusion of the NBA’s Silver Anniversary season of 1970-71. The Western Conference Champion Milwaukee Bucks, who were born just three years earlier, swept the Eastern Conference Champion Baltimore Bullets in four games. Baltimore had dethroned the 1969-70 NBA Champion New York Knicks to get to their only NBA Finals appearance (as a Baltimore based franchise). This would be the last time that both participants were playing in their first NBA Finals until the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat got together in the 2006 NBA Finals.”


The Bullets never seemed to be able to get into sync either offensively or defensively against the Bucks in the whole 71 NBA Finals. The Bullets were either getting stopped and turning the ball over, or giving up big buckets to the Bucks.

The Bucks big three especially of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson and Bob Dandridge and the only question about the Bucks would be, who was a bigger part of the big three: Kareem or Oscar. because you could make a good case they are the two best players who’ve ever played, as well as the best center and point guard of all-time.

The Bullets were really on defense all four games of this series. Because the Bucks were doing what they wanted to do really the whole time. They knew who get to the ball to and when on offense and who to stop on defense: “Let Oscar run the show and hit Kareem deep in the post.” Where the Bullets had no one who could handle him. And when the Bullets spend too much attention either trying to defend Kareem or Oscar, because there wasn’t really much they could do against, the opened up things for Dandridge.

GK Greger: FDR Fireside Chat: 2nd Bill of Rights

Source:GK Gregor- Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democrat, New York) President of the United States (1933-45)
Source:FreeState MD

“FDR: Jan 11,1944 Fireside Chat. The 2nd Bill of Rights or Economic Bill of Rights”

From GK Gregor

I don’t think Franklin Roosevelt would ever call himself a Socialist or ever did, but his 1944 2nd Bill of Rights Speech, is what American Socialists (democratic, generally) are talking about as far as their idea of freedom. The freedom not to have to go without the basic necessities of life in order to live well. And that it’s the job of government (especially the national government) to see to it that no American is hungry, doesn’t have an adequate place to live, not cold, not too hot, has affordable health care and insurance, a pension, etc. That’s what FDR was advocating for in this speech.

Monday, April 22, 2013

NBA-TV: NBA 1971-NBA Finals- Milwaukee Bucks vs. Baltimore Bullets: Highlights

Source:NBA-TV with highlights of the 1971 NBA Finals.

Source:The Daily Journal 

“The 1971 NBA Finals was the played at the conclusion of the NBA’s Silver Anniversary season of 1970-71. The Western Conference Champion Milwaukee Bucks, who were born just three years earlier, swept the Eastern Conference Champion Baltimore Bullets in four games. Baltimore had dethroned the 1969-70 NBA Champion New York Knicks to get to their only NBA Finals appearance (as a Baltimore based franchise). This would be the last time that both participants were playing in their first NBA Finals until the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat got together in the 2006 NBA Finals.” 

From Ginoong Kamote  

The Milwaukee Bucks playing the Bullets for some reason down at Cole Fieldhouse, down in College Park Maryland, which is like 40 miles from Baltimore. Normally the Bullets played their home games at the Baltimore Civic Arena, which is in downtown Baltimore.

Source:NBA-TV with highlights of the 1971 NBA Finals.

The Bullets never seemed to be able to get into sync either offensively or defensively against the Bucks in the whole 71 NBA Finals. The Bullets were either getting stopped and turning the ball over, or giving up big buckets to the Bucks.  

The Bucks big three especially of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson and Bob Dandridge and the only question about the Bucks would be, who was a bigger part of the big three: Kareem or Oscar. because you could make a good case they are the two best players who’ve ever played, as well as the best center and point guard of all-time. 

The Bullets were really on defense all four games of this series. Because the Bucks were doing what they wanted to do really the whole time. They knew who get to the ball to and when on offense and who to stop on defense: “Let Oscar run the show and hit Kareem deep in the post.” Where the Bullets had no one who could handle him. And when the Bullets spend too much attention either trying to defend Kareem or Oscar, because there wasn’t really much they could do against, the opened up things for Dandridge.

MSG: NBA 1973-ECSF-Game 1-Baltimore Bullets @ New York Knicks: Highlights

Source:Hal 15 Greer with the Bullets-Knicks NBA Playoff series from 1973.

Source:The Daily Journal

“1973 ECSF Gm. 1 Bullets vs. Knicks”


The Bullets-Knicks rivalry in the 1970s, was one of the best rivalries in the NBA and represents something that has almost disappeared in the NBA, which are rivalries. 

The 1970s and 80s, you had the Celtics-Lakers, Celtics-Knicks, Celtic-76ers, 76ers-Bullets, Bullets-Knicks and perhaps a few other great rivalries in the NBA that you don’t see that much anymore in this league with the great history that it has. Baltimore and New York are roughly two-hundred miles from each other and these were two of the better franchises in the NBA in the early 1970s. 

The Bullets were one of the better franchises in the NBA in the 1970s, period. Both in Baltimore and then later in Washington, actually Landover, Maryland to start the 1974 season. They relocated to Landover thinking they could hold onto the Baltimore market and capture the Washington market, but that’s a different story. 

For the Bullets to achieve a lot of the success they had in that decade, four conference championships and winning the NBA Finals in 1978, they had to beat the Knicks to do that.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

CBC Sports: NHL 1982-Stanley Cup Finals-Game 4-Long Island Islanders @ Vancouver Canucks: Highlights


Source:CBC Sports- Game 4 of the 1982 Stanley Cup Finals. 
Source:The Daily Journal

“Highlights from the deciding Game 4 of the 1982 Stanley Cup Final. New York Islanders vs. Vancouver Canucks. Islanders win the Cup.”

From CBC Sports 

The NHL and NBA are the only leagues where you’ll see a great team with a great record, great talent and coaching, versus a team that just barely made the playoffs and play each other in the league championship. And made the playoffs with a losing record and made the playoffs basically because more than half of the teams in each conference make the playoffs.

The 1982 Islanders, were truly a great team, which is why they won their second straight Stanley Cup. But another reason why they won their second straight Stanley Cup in 1982, is because they played the Canucks. That only won 30-80 games in 1982 and got hot in the playoffs. 

Had the Islanders played a good team like the Edmonton Oilers or someone else, maybe they don’t win their second straight Stanley Cup in 82. They probably would’ve, but it would’ve been a much better Finals and looked like a real Stanley Cup Finals.