OIL IS OUR SLAVE MASTER! WHOSE HAND IS ON THE WHIP?

OIL IS OUR SLAVE MASTER, WHOSE HAND IS ON THE WHIP?
_________________________
GOOD MORNING FLINT!
BY Terry Bankert 4/10/08
You are invited to join me at Face Book http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry_Bankert/645845362 _________________________
Full Article at http://goodmorningflint.blogspot.com/
And summary at Flint Talk http://flinttalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=27181#27181 __________________________

REFLECTION: I am just starting to read Zubrin” Energy Victory” and with my friend Karen and Lynn will hear him speak in Flint this week. I plan on learning energy policy and contributing in a small manner from my little pumpkin patch in Flint MI USA. What about you?[trb]

For a Time, Crude Oil Tops $112 a Barrel [n]

RVs beckon baby boomers despite fuel costs[a]
At Nation's Largest RV Rally, Well-to-Do Baby Boomers Barely Register Fuel Costs[a] To the people of the United States of America- still the last best hope of mankind- whose lives, fortunes, and freedoms are being gravely endangered by their leaders continued failure to act responsibly for energy security.[z]

I CAN REMEMBER WHEN THIS STUFF WAS $25 A BARREL Oil rose more than $2 a barrel, after touching a record $112.21, and gasoline jumped to the highest ever after the Energy Department reported an unexpected decline in crude supplies on Wednesday.[n]

HOW DID WE GET IN THIS MESS? CAN THESE GUYS CAN TELL US? Executives from the largest oil companies in the U.S. went before Congress today to discuss rising gas prices at the pump. [B] Na... they lied.[trb] Five U.S. oil company executives appeared on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to explain why they were not to blame for record-high gasoline pump prices even as they reported $123 billion in profits in 2007.[b]

GOVERNMENTAL POLICY MATTERS..THERE IS NO FREE MARKET, SUPPLY AND DEMAND THEORY DOES NOT WORK FOR THE CONSUMER IN A MONOPOLY. Crude prices soared after the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) on Wednesday reported that energy stockpiles in the United States had dropped across the board during the week ending April4 [F]. Crude oil stockpiles slumped by 3.2 million barrels and gasoline inventories shed 3.4 million barrels, the DoE said. Both falls were higher than analysts' forecasts.[F] 'The substantial inventory and crude oil draws and the weak dollar has pushed prices to a new high,' said Tony Nunan of Mitsubishi Corp (other-otc: MSBHY.PK - news - people )'s international petroleum business in Tokyo.[F] As a result of our failure to enact a competent energy policy, out country is being looted, and the enemies power has been fabulously multiplied. We are financing a war against ourselves. And with the rapid industrialization of China and India increasing global Demand for oil, prices are set to soar even further. Unless action is taken things are about to get much worse.[z at pg 11]

WHAT ALTERNATIVES DO WE HAVE? Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, a long-time oil industry critic and chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, called the hearing entitled "Drilling for Answers: Oil Company Profits, Runaway Prices and the Pursuit of Alternatives."[B]

FIRST WE TAKE AWAY THEIR TAX BREAKS, TAX BREAKS IN A FREE MARKET ECONOMY? Markey supports legislation that would strip about $18 billion in tax breaks from the five biggest U.S. oil companies and put them toward planet-friendly energy alternatives like wind and solar. Such legislation has passed the House of Representatives twice, but has stalled in the Senate.[B]

EXEC. SAY ITS NOT OUR FAULT DON’T SPANK US? CAN JUST A TIME OUT! Stephen Simon, senior vice president of Exxon Mobil, said punitive measures against U.S. oil companies would only strain supplies further.[B] "Imposing punitive taxes on American energy companies ... will discourage the sustained investments needed to continue safeguarding U.S. energy security," Simon said in testimony.[B]

SUPPLY AND DEMAND THEORY DOES NOT WORK IN A MONOPOLY The department reported a drop of 3.1 million barrels in oil stockpiles, sending the price up as much as 3.4 percent in New York. Gasoline futures jumped as much as 2.6 percent. At the pump, consumers are paying a record $3.343 a gallon on average, said AAA, the nation’s largest motorist organization.[n] The national average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas rose 1.2 cents to a record $3.343 a gallon, according to a survey of gas stations by AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. With the peak summer driving season still to come and gas following crude higher, the fuel may well reach the retail price of $4 a gallon that the Energy Department has been forecasting. [s]

ITS NOT ECONOMICS ITS ECONOMIC WAR “This reaction to the D.O.E. numbers suggests that the supply and demand fundamentals are still important,” said Adam E. Sieminski, Deutsche Bank’s chief energy economist in Washington. “It’s not just the speculators that are driving prices higher.”[n]

HEY BUSH, IS A WEAK DOLLAR A GOOD THING Oil’s 80 percent gain in the last year is the second biggest among 19 commodities on the Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index, trailing only wheat, which has doubled. Rising global demand for raw materials and a weakening dollar have led to records this year for raw materials including corn, soybeans, rice and gold.[n]

JUST A BUNCH OF RICH PEOPLE MAKING MORE $ Crude oil for May delivery rose $2.37, or 2.2 percent, to settle at $110.87 a barrel at 2:51 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange, a record close. The intraday record of $112.21 a barrel was the highest since Nymex futures trading began in 1983.[n] “ In 1972, Saudi foreign exchange earnings were 2.7 billion. In 2006 they topped 200 Billion. Ober the same period, the United States dependency upon foreign oil grew from 30 percent to 60 per cent and our annual oil import bill grew from less than $4 billion to more than 260 billion.” [z at pg 11]

HAS OUR LACK OF COHERENT ENERGY POLICIES ALLOWED A U.S.. GOUGING AND RECESSION? It's "overwhelmingly likely" that the U.S. economy is in recession, former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers said Wednesday, adding an important voice to a growing list of economists who think Americans are suffering through an economic contraction. [S] Speaking to a Harvard Club forum on the economy, President Clinton's last Treasury secretary left little doubt he believes a recession has arrived and warrants stronger action by Congress and the Bush administration. [s] "My judgment is that it is overwhelmingly likely that we are currently in recession, and if we are not currently in recession, we are in something that feels a great deal like recession," said Summers, who months ago was among the first to call for an economic stimulus package to help stimulate the economy. [s]

ETHANOL BLEND....RBOB? Gasoline for May delivery climbed 2.38 cents, or 0.9 percent, to close at $2.7742 a gallon. Futures reached $2.8228, an intraday record for gasoline to be blended with ethanol, known as RBOB, which began trading in October 2005.[n]

WHO HIGH DOES A GALLON OF GAS HAVE TO GET BEFORE YOU GET ANGRY? American pump prices are following futures higher. Regular gasoline, averaged nationwide, rose 2 cents to the record, AAA said Wednesday on its Web site. Diesel prices advanced 1.2 cents, to $4.032 a gallon, AAA said. Diesel pump prices reached a record $4.037 on March 22.[n]

BOOMERS DO NOT CARE, WELL AT LEAST NOT THE ONES WITH MONEY. One topic that isn't getting much focus — on the official program, anyway — is the meteoric rise in gas prices. Hard-core RVers, which include many of the 8,000 attendees at the four-day Rally 2008 that ended Monday at the Georgia National Fairgrounds here, will tell you an RV isn't just a vehicle. It's a lifestyle. And a little thing like $4-a-gallon gas isn't going to put the brakes on a way of life.[a]

WILL GAS PRICES AFFECT YOUR SUMMER RECREATION? Gasoline demand in the United States may drop by 85,000 barrels a day this summer, Guy Caruso, administrator of the Energy Information Administration, said on Monday, noting that gasoline use fell 1.4 percent in the summer of 1991, after a nine-month recession during George H. W. Bush’s presidency.[n] Many people will be faced with the dilemma that it no longer pays them to drive to work. In areas like Somerset County without mass transit, people have little alternatives to driving.[d] High prices have a ripple effect throughout the economy. People have to cut costs somewhere, so they reduce their purchases at stores and eat out less frequently.[d]

GLOBAL DEMAND UP, DOMESTIC PRICE UP, THEY NEED WE PAY! But Antoine Half?, head of energy research at Newedge USA in New York, said: “Domestic demand isn’t great but that’s not important. Global demand is still growing and that’s what matters.”[n] The weekly inventory reports cause considerable volatility but it is just smoke that clouds the overall picture. Overall crude levels are just fine at 53 days of supply and gasoline is well above the 5-year average and at 15-year highs. Demand is down and prices up. Prices are not being supported by fundamentals but by speculation over potential shortages later this summer[r]

WILL THIS ALTER OUR ECONOMIC DECISIONS, GAS PER GALLON AT $4 $5 OR $6? Sales of RVs, which run the gamut from humble folding camping trailers to luxury motor homes, peaked at 400,000 in 2006. The industry attributes the subsequent drop in sales to 354,000 last year to the overall economic slump rather than rising fuel costs. But with the first wave of 79 million baby boomers poised for retirement, industry experts are betting that boom times are on the horizon. [a] Analysts believe higher oil and gas prices mean consumers will have less disposable income to spend elsewhere.[na]

OIL COMPANIES GET RICHER Meanwhile, oil companies are making record profits. Executives say the money is needed for infrastructure costs, but no new refineries have been built since 1976.[d]

STATE COFFERS ENRICHED BY OUR MISERY State taxes on gasoline add to people’s total costs. While Pennsylvania needs revenue to repair roads and bridges, the tax should be lowered while the gasoline costs are so high.[d]

CONGRESS DOES NOTHING? Congress has been talking for years about taking action to reduce gasoline costs, but so far, it is only talk. Something has to be done and soon before the economy worsens. [d]

WE MUST ACT! OUR LIVES AND OUR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN’S LIVES WILL TURN ON THE ENERGY POLICIES WE ADOPT TODAY, TOMORROW AND NEXT YEAR. OIL CAN NO LONGER BE ALLOWED TO BE OUR SLAVE MASTER!

“ This the men of democratic times require to be free in order to procure those physical enjoyments for which they are always longing. It sometimes happens , however, that the excessive taste they conceive for these same enjoyments makes them surrender to the first master that appears... These people think they are following the principals of self interest, but the idea they entertain of that principal is a very crude one; and the better to look after what they call their own business, they neglect their chief business, which is to remain their own masters.”-Alexis de Tocqueville “ Democracy in America “1840 [z]

Only the wise can be free.-Chrysippus, Greek philosopher, third century BCE [z]

Posted here by
Terry Bankert 4/10/08...
http://attorneybankert.com/
Join my political party of preference,
http://www.michigandems.com/join.html

—where did this stuff come from---
[n] The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/10/business/10oil.html?ref=business
[a] ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/BusinessTravel/story?id=4492971&page=1
[r] Rightside Advisors http://www.rightsideadvisors.com/public/commentary.go/rsa/commentary/comm-energy/20080410_021301_msg.html/4-Gasoline--5-Diesel.html
[s] The Santa Fe New Mexican.com http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Business/Business-in-brief-041008
[trb] Comments of Terry Bankert to include cap headlines
http://attorneybankert.com/
[d] Daily American http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2008/04/09/opinion/editorials/editorial825.txt
[b] Baseline http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Government/Congress-Grills-Oil-Execs-on-Pump-Prices/ [NA] News Room America http://www.newsroomamerica.com/business/story.php?id=413911
[f] Forbes http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2008/04/10/afx4873657.html
[Z] Robert Zurbrin “Energy Victory” Winning the War on Terror by Breaking Free of Oil, 2007 prometheus books

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DEMOCRATS DELIVER!

CITIZENS LIKE A GOOD FIGHT, DEMOCRATS DELIVER!
_________________________
GOOD MORNING FLINT!
BY Terry Bankert 4/09/08
You are invited to join me at Face Book http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry_Bankert/645845362 _________________________
Full Article at http://goodmorningflint.blogspot.com/
And summary at Flint Talk http://flinttalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=27159#27159 __________________________

SUPER DELEGATES CAN STOP THE BATTLE
In a nation with roughly 200 million citizens of voting age, the presidential nomination of one of the two major political parties may be decided by about 800 party bigwigs.[p] Democratic Party is driving voters away[l]

COMMON DEMOCRATS LIKE A GOOD FIGHT
Eager to stop intraparty fighting, dozens of local Democratic Party leaders are urging Virginia's superdelegates to unite around Barack Obama for president. [u] Delegate Race: Obama, Clinton Headed for a Floor Battle?[f] Last Friday, the executive committee of the Michigan Democratic Party made it official: the state will not hold another primary. In this announcement, it joined Florida, which had abandoned plans for a do-over primary in mid-March. Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has maintained that Florida and Michigan had two choices after the states were stripped of their delegations for moving up their primaries; the states could hold new primaries (at their own expense) or could petition the credentials committee. The committee is charged with the task of deciding which delegations get seated, which includes resolving any disputes. This usually doesn’t attract much attention, but this year may be a different story.[f]

LEADERS DO NOT LIKE A GOOD FIGHT IT COULD COST THEM THEIR LEADERSHIP Superdelegates were created in 1982 by a special committee of the Democratic Party to avoid disastrous electoral defeats when the party gurus deemed the wrong man had been nominated.[s]

DO NOT BE FOOLED THE DEMOCRATS WILL COME OUT OF THEIR CONVENTION TO KICK SOME MCCAIN BUTT
Completely upset with President Bush’s arrogance and bungling during the past eight years, many people feel a dramatic change is necessary. However, when considering switching allegiance to the Democratic Party, people become upset by the Democratic National Committee and the leading candidates’ suicide attempt by prolonging the nomination process and disenfranchising the Democrats in Michigan and Florida for supposedly breaking the archaic Democratic Party rules.[s]

WHEN OBAMA WINS PENN., IT WILL BE ALL OVER AND OUR CONVENTION A LOVE FEST. Hillary Clinton's terrible week got worse on Tuesday, with her once-formidable lead in her fire-wall state of Pennsylvania going up in smoke. [DN] Her poll plunge comes after her tax returns revealed she and her hubby, Bill, raked in $109 million in the past seven years - raising eyebrows in her blue-collar base - and top adviser Mark Penn's demotion for helping Colombia negotiate a free trade deal she opposes. [DN] Clinton's double-digit lead in the Keystone State has been slashed to 6 points, 50% to 44%, according to a Quinnipiac University survey. [DN] "With two weeks to go, Sen. Barack Obama is knocking on the door of a major political upset," Quinnipiac's Clay Richards said of the April 22 contest. [DN]

FROM SHOE -IN TO FAILING COME BACK KID! ...VP..ANYBODY
Clinton has pinned her comeback to a strong showing in Pennsylvania.If Obama makes it a tossup, it could doom her chances of swaying uncommitted Democratic superdelegates - her only route left to the nomination. [DN]

AFTER 8 YEARS OF BUSH DEMOCRATS OUTRAGE EASILY, ITS MCCAIN WE ARE NOW AFTER.
Unless Michigan and Florida delegates are included, Grossman fears that some Democrats will feel “outraged by a lack of fairness.”[p]

INFORMAL PETITION..PLEASE STOP..HILLARY!
The petition was intended to push the state's uncommitted delegates into forsaking Hillary Clinton in her nomination battle with Obama.[u]

LOCAL LEADERS NO MORE INFIGHTING
It was signed by 36 local party chairmen, some of them from Virginia's largest localities, and five congressional district party chairs. Most of the signers, but not all, endorsed Obama, said Arlington Chairman Peter Rousselot, one of the architects of the petition.[u] ITS NOT WORKING There was no evidence Tuesday that the tactic was working, even on a super-delegate who endorsed Clinton but has wavered for weeks.[u] Jennifer McClellan, a member of the House of Delegates, said she won't make up her mind until all of the Democratic state conventions and caucuses are over.[u]

SUPER DELEGATES BAD IDEA, WRONG HEADED ATTEMPT TO SOLVE THE OLD PROBLEMS IN A NEW DAY
So, lapsing into the classic Maginot Line defense -- confronting the lessons of the most recent lost wars -- it was decided that a group of party stalwarts, comprising elected officials and activists now numbering 795, should have a heavy hand to influence the nomination decision.[s] As Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) continue to vie for the Democratic Party nomination, they must battle for the hearts and minds of super-powerful super-delegates. These current elected officials, former high-ranking elected officials and party leaders will cast the deciding votes at the Democratic National Convention in August unless one candidate finishes the primary season with the 2,025 delegates needed for the nomination by dominating in the final ten primaries and caucuses.[p]

CAN THE SUPER DELEGATES OVER RIDE THE POPULAR VOTE
They were not purposed to override the popular will, as expressed through the primaries and caucuses, but to monitor them and make corrections if necessary and possible [s] Super-delegates, however, are also still very much divided, with 220 supporting Obama, 257 supporting Clinton and the rest undecided, according to The New York Times.[p] Some super-delegates are divided not only over whom to support but also on the criteria and time frame for making the decision. Likewise, super-delegates question their superpower and the appropriateness of their role as party officials in choosing the nominee.[p]

CLINTON DELEGATES MAY ABANDON HILLARY
"It's not clear to me because people aren't finished voting," said McClellan, of Richmond. In an interview Tuesday, she at times referred to herself as uncommitted. Finally, she described herself as a Clinton delegate who reserves the right to change her mind.[u]

SUPER-DELEGATES DO NOT HAVE TO BE SUPER LEADERS
She also opposes any formal process for forcing super-delegates to decide the nomination before the August convention.[u]

LOTS OF ATTENTION, 12 STEP PROGRAM NEEDED AFTER THE CONVENTION
Already, she has received "well over 100 calls" from Clinton and Obama, from their celebrity spouses, and from proxies within both campaigns in recent months. The Clintons beseech her to stay put; Obama exhorts her to switch.[u]

WHY DOES THE PARTY OF THE COMMON CITIZEN HAVE ELITE SUPER DELEGATES
The candidate the Democrats choose to take on Republican nominee-apparent John McCain will be selected by about 3,500 delegates to the party's national convention in August. More than three-fourths are pledged delegates, obliged to support a specific candidate based on the outcome of state primaries or caucuses. About 800 are super-delegates — elected officials or party insiders free to support any Democratic candidate at the convention.[u]

AND THE WINNER WILL BE......NOT KNOWN... UNTIL THE SMOKED FILLED ROOM CLEARS...AND SUPER DELEGATES ARE RETURNED TO MERE MORTALS Since neither Clinton nor Obama can win the 2,025 votes necessary to secure the nomination solely from pledged delegates, super-delegates will determine the outcome.[u]

OBAMA HAS THE POPULAR VOTE, HILLARY THE UN-POPULAR VOTE
While Obama is the front-runner, with leads in both elected delegates and the popular vote, and is raising dramatically more money, Clinton retains a slight edge among declared super-delegates. At least some 330 remain uncommitted. Super-delegates are empowered to make personal decisions and it is easier for them to change their minds, unlike elected delegates who are mostly restricted in doing so. For Clinton, swaying the super-delegates remains her only hope of overcoming the Obama momentum.[S]

JUST WHO ARE THESE SUPER DELEGATES
The issue that could bring the super-delegates to supersede the collective will of the primary voters is the elect ability of the front-runner.[S]

A HILLARY BREECH....FLOOD TO FOLLOW
Across the nation, candidates are ardently pursuing uncommitted super-delegates and, in some cases, urging committed ones to switch. Virginia is the first state in which local chairmen petitioned super-delegates to switch to Obama, according to Clinton's campaign.[u] Five of Virginia's 16 super-delegates never have endorsed any candidate. A sixth, state chairman C. Richard Cranwell, was a John Edwards super-delegate who became uncommitted after Edwards left the race.[u] Cranwell remained uncommitted on Tuesday, but saw no harm in the petition. "Everybody's got a right to a point of view," Cranwell said. The rough-and-tumble would only toughen the eventual nominee to take on McCain, he said.[u]

MR. DECISIVE HAS NO POSITION! WELL THERE THAT WEBB FOR VP THING.
Sen. Jim Webb, through his office, also refused to take sides Tuesday.[u] Rousselot and Fairfax County Chairman Scott Surovell sent the petition to the super-delegates. Both are former Edwards backers, but neither is a super-delegate.[u]

PETITION TO NO WHERE
The petition contends that it's important for the party to unify sooner instead of later and shift its focus to McCain. With Obama and Clinton fighting each other through the convention, it asserts, Democrats will squander tens of millions of dollars and present the unappealing image of a party run by insiders.[u]

NOW HERE IS A LEADER
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday she favors a reduction in the number of super-delegates — and their oversized influence — in choosing the Democratic Party's nominee.[A] Asked how she would make the process more democratic, Pelosi recommended cutting the number of super-delegates.[S] A deal to allow delegates from Florida and Michigan to participate at the Democratic National Convention is unlikely before summer, party chairman Howard Dean said yesterday.[b]

NATIONAL CONVENTION CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE WILL DECIDE WHO IS THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, INDIRECTLY
The credentials committee has 186 members. Twenty-five are appointed by Howard Dean and the rest are divided up proportionally by state. For example, if a state gets four committee members and Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton split the primary vote in that state, the candidates get to appoint two members apiece. Each state has members on the committee, even Florida and Michigan. However, those committee members will not be able to vote on the issue of seating their state delegations.[f] Credentials Committee-the common democrats super delegates![trb] Elected to chair the Credentials Committee are Alexis Herman, James Roosevelt, Jr. and Eliseo Roques-Arroyo. Alexis Herman served as U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1997 to 2001. She served as DNC Chief of Staff for Chairman Ron Brown and later was named CEO of the 1992 Democratic National Convention. Since 2005, she has served as a Co-Chair of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee and also served as a Co-Chair of the Commission on Presidential Nomination Timing and Scheduling. James Roosevelt, Jr. is President and CEO of Tufts Health Plan, a Massachusetts based Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and was formerly Associate Commissioner for Retirement Policy of the Social Security Administration in the Clinton Administration. He is the chief legal counsel for the Massachusetts Democratic Party and Co-Chair of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee. Eliseo Roques-Arroyo, a native of Puerto Rico, served as Executive Assistant to Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Senate Minority Leader Miguel Hernandez-Agosto and to Puerto Rico Delegate to Congress Antonio J. Colorado. He is a former Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Puerto Rico and presently a member of the DNC. [d]

FIRST VOLLEY.....
The Credentials Committee is charged with coordinating issues around the selection of delegates and alternates to the Convention and will likely meet in the summer. The committee will issue a report that is the first official item of business at the Convention. [d]

BO PERMEATES THE COMMITTEE
Right now, Barack Obama has the lead in pledged delegates, so he will have more committee members. However, there is still a chance that the question of the Florida and Michigan delegates could reach the floor of the convention. If 20% of the credentials committee signs a minority resolution, it then goes to the entire convention for a vote. As my colleague Paul M. Murdock discussed earlier today, Hillary Clinton’s prospects in the remaining primary contests are looking dimmer and dimmer, and this could be her last hope at winning the nomination.[f]

Posted here by
Terry Bankert 4/9/08..
. http://attorneybankert.com/
Join my political party of preference, http://www.michigandems.com/join.html

— WHERE DID THIS STUFF COME FROM----
[u] USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-04-08-obama-superdelegates_N.htm
[S] Seattlepi.news http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/358203_superonline09.html
[A] AP http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gGMneW6aX-wcvIOjZoXN7jPj9C-QD8VTTMJO0 [L] Las Vegas Sun http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/apr/08/democratic-party-driving-voters-away/
[b] Boston.com http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/04/07/dean_expects_to_seat_fla_mich_delegates/ [TRB] Comments of Terry Bankert and Cap headlines http://attorneybankert.com/
[P] The Daily Princtonian http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2008/04/08/20783/
[F] Forbes.com http://blogs.forbes.com/trailwatch/2008/04/delegate-race-o.html
[D] Democratic National Convention http://www.demconvention.com/dnc-elects-standing-committee-leadership-for-2008-democratic-national-convention-2/
[dn] NY Daily News http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/04/09/2008-04-09_hillary_clintons_big_pa_lead_takes_spill.html


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WHAT WE ARE WE FOR!

What we are for. Who leads us is less important!
_________________________
GOOD MORNING FLINT!
BY Terry Bankert 4/08/08
You are invited to join me at Face Book http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry_Bankert/645845362 _________________________
Article at http://goodmorningflint.blogspot.com/
And Flint Talk http://flinttalk.com/viewtopic.php?p=27147#27147 __________________________

REFLECTION- I can no longer believe in individuals, we are all shallow and blemished, just humans trying to make it to the next day.( Well then there is Al Gore, a special case.). What we should critically review is the system that our leaders or pseudo leaders use to rise to their various levels of public responsibility. In ths last couple years I have made errors in judgement and supported individuals who I thought would make a change because of a core value system. Still naive at 57. So I ask what am I for. I am for the democratic party, but why? As always this is a topic I choose to learn a little about or just reflect on today and then dump into my blog. Its amazing how in your 30's you think you have all the answers and in your late 50's all you have is questions?[trb]

I AM A DEMOCRAT BECAUSE!

Why be a democrat ( grass roots member of the party ) or a Corporate Democrat ( Elected, appointed ,anointed leaders of the party) or a liberal ( its now OK to say you are a liberal in public again, I never stopped) or just bother being active in your countries , states, local government politics?[trb]

So I googled the question and here’s what I got with an hours effort. I will leave the answer to why be a democrat to others. Lets see what they got![trb]

PARTY OF THE FUTURE NOT PROTECTOR OF THE PAST "...the two political parties in our history have always been divided, as Emerson said, into the party of hope and the party of memory." - President John F. Kennedy [s]

HOPE AND OPTIMISM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJSn-aPuMRg Governor Mark Warner

JOBS, EDUCATION,PRESERVE THE MIDDLE CLASS "I'm a proud Democrat because our party has the right economic plan and the right priorities for Michigan. We fight for jobs, because a good job is the foundation of a good life. We fight for education, because we believe every child should have the opportunity to succeed. We fight for health care, because we know there are too many people in our state who don't have it and can't afford it. We fight to preserve our middle class way of life, because it's a way of life our families have worked so hard to build. We're a party with a plan and we're putting it to work for our families." -- Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, 2006[m] beleive in a government that enhances the lives of its citizans with affordable health care, cleaner environment, strong living standards, and an innovative educational system. Most of all I am a Democrat because I believe in the will of the people.[t]

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY "I am a Democrat because I believe in change now rather than later. As a Party, I believe we are committed to creating a better America, for those who are struggling to live their American Dream. Everyone in America, whether they are rich or poor, deserves an equal chance to succeed. As a Party, I also believe we are committed to fiscal policies that ensure the future for generations to come." -- Aghogho Edevbie [M] STRONGER

ENVIRONMENT As many polls confirm, a majority of your fellow Americans believe in your agenda. They want stronger environmental laws, are strong supporters of women's rights, favor gun control and want the war in Iraq to end.[mm]

INCLUSION, SECURITY FOR COMMON PEOPLE The Democratic party, at its best, is the party of inclusion and expansion...it is the party that led the drive after the great depression for social security of seniors, for jobs for common people, for mass-based education, for civil rights bills of the sixties." - Reverend Jesse Jackson [s] Democrats consider all people’s concerns and needs… work for the middle and lower income… care about protecting the environment. [P]

HUMAN FAIRNESS "I am a Democrat because I believe in the basic human fairness towards which the Democratic Party works. I am a Democrat because I believe the government should stand up for those who need it: the poor, racial minorities, the working class, the sick, veterans, immigrants, gays and lesbians, the elderly, and young people, among others. I am a Democrat because I believe in social equality. I believe in a fair shot at economic success for anyone who's willing to work hard. I believe that America can best support democracy and human rights abroad when it has an impeccable record itself. I am a Democrat because it is my firm belief that as long as Republicans are in control, none of what I just mentioned will happen in this country. As corny as it probably sounds, I really believe that 'America can do better.'" -- Ben Beckett[M]

HELP THE LEAST AMONG US I choose to belong to a party of inclusion A party that includes the affluent and the working perspective. A party that looks out for the "least amoung us" whether we be old, minority, women, immigrant, sick, children...[t] I am a Democrat because we are a party that passionately believes in suporting the goals and ideals of those folks in America whose voices must be heard the most- mothers, fathers, children, teachers, police officers, nurses, students, the ederly, the middle class, the working classs, the poor, the homeless, the hungry, the sick, and the needy....[T]

PROVIDE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LITTLE "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." - President Franklin D. Roosevelt [s]

FIGHT FOR FAMILIES NOT CORPORATIONS "I learned at a very early age that being a Democrat means caring about people, caring about the future of our country. It is the Democratic party which always has and always will fight for american families. For their jobs and their futures." - Vice President Al Gore [s]

PEOPLE VALUES MAKE A DIFFERENCE "I decided to be a Democrat starting in the presidential elections of 1960 when John F. Kennedy excited me with a promise to get the country moving again. I think he gave people a sense that they could make a difference." - President Bill Clinton [s]

EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL "...the fundamental appeal of the Democratic party has always been grounded in the principles of fairness, opportunity, equal justice for all and a firm belief that the mission of government is not to stand on the sidelines, but to be active in pursuing these goals for the people." - Senator Ted Kennedy.[s]

FAIRNESS The “Party of the people” represents and embodies the requisite principles of any reasonable Democracy – fairness, inclusion, progress and ethical responsibility. [P]

DEMOCRATS WILL PROTECT THE” LEAST” AMONG US. WHILE THE REPUBLICAMS GIVE PROFIT TO THE “MOST” AMONG US. I am a Democratic because it is the Party that looks out for the little guy. It is diverse, representative of the community.[P]

A PARTY THAT KNOWS IT IS FOR PEOPLE OVER CORPORATIONS AND THE WEALTHY Democratic Governor Adlai Stevenson at the 1952 Convention, "what counts now is not what we are against, but what we are for. Who leads us is less important than what lead - what convictions, what courage, what faith - win or lose."[t]

To all of the above. Well said!

I WILL SUMMARIZE BELOW [trb]

THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY SHOULD BE YOUR CHOICE BECAUSE?
THE FUTURE NOT PROTECTOR OF THE PAST
HOPE AND OPTIMISM ,
JOBS, EDUCATION,PRESERVE THE MIDDLE CLASS
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STRONGER ENVIRONMENT INCLUSION,
SECURITY FOR COMMON PEOPLE
HUMAN FAIRNESS
HELP THE LEAST AMONG US
PROVIDE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LITTLE
FIGHT FOR FAMILIES NOT CORPORATIONS
PEOPLE VALUES MAKE A DIFFERENCE
EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL
FAIRNESS
DEMOCRATS WILL PROTECT THE” LEAST” AMONG US. WHILE THE REPUBLICAMS GIVE PROFIT TO THE “MOST” AMONG US.
A PARTY THAT KNOWS IT IS FOR PEOPLE OVER CORPORATIONS AND THE WEALTHY

Democratic Governor Adlai Stevenson at the 1952 Convention, "what counts now is not what we are against, but what we are for. Who leads us is less important....

Posted here
by Terry Bankert 4/8/08...
http://attorneybankert.com/
Join my political party of preference,
http://www.michigandems.com/join.html

—where did this stuff come from---
[s] San Diego Democratic Party http://www.sddemocrats.org/why_demo.html
[h] High Beam Research http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-91349413.html
[trb] Comments of Terry Bankert to include the Cap Headlines. http://attorneybankert.com/ [P] Pitt County Democratic Party http://pittdems.com/whydemocrats.html
[M] Michigan Democratic Party http://www.michigandems.com/whydem.html
[MM] Michael Moore.Com http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mikeinthenews/index.php?id=153
[t] Taylor County Democratic Party http://taylordemocrats.tripod.com/id8.html

47788/12697

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