Republicans Have No Hearts!!!

I don't get it... People who have worked all of their lives are now getting screwed by the government and the insurance plan they'vepaid into all of their lives... What I'm referring to is Social Security and Medicare...

Boston.com:

WASHINGTON -- The calls are starting to come in from shocked or angry
seniors. They have just learned that their Medicare drug plans are maxing
out on early coverage and that they must spend $2,850 from their own pockets
before coverage will resume.

John Q. Public can get a minimum wage increase, only if the the heirs of the Wynn's, Kerkorians, Lanni's, (Vegas) Fertitta's, (Houston) Fertitta's, et al. get a break on the Estate Tax... I hope who ever reads this that lives in NV - John "Hair-Do" Ensign will fall into this, too!!!

Washingtonpost.com:

The House, at about 1:30 a.m. yesterday, voted 230 to 180 to raise the
minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, from the $5.15 rate on the books since 1997. The
bill also would exempt from taxation all estates worth as much as $5 million --
or $10 million for a married couple -- and apply a 15 percent tax rate to
inheritances above that threshold and as much as $25 million. For estates
exceeding $25 million in value, the tax rate would be 30 percent.
Most congressional Republicans support the estate-tax cuts and oppose the minimum wage increase. Most Democrats take the opposite positions. Democrats said they saw a two-edged strategy in the GOP decision to couple the issues.
Democrats' eagerness to raise the minimum wage might attract enough support in the Senate as well as the House to pass the estate-tax cut, a major GOP goal. But if Senate Democrats block the bill because of their aversion to the estate-tax cut -- as
their leaders have vowed to do -- House Republicans may at least be able to
blunt Democratic accusations that they made no effort to help the working
poor.

ACLU Urges House Panel To Reject "Public Expression of Religion Act"

We need to stop this bill before it ruins what the First Amendment has protected for the past 217 years... Screw the religious right!!!

ACLU:

WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the House
Judiciary Committee to reject H.R. 2679, the "Public Expression of Religion Act
of 2005" (PERA). The panel is expected to vote on the legislation today. The
bill would bar the recovery of attorneys’ fees to citizens who win lawsuits
asserting their fundamental constitutional and civil rights in cases brought
under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
"If this bill were to
become law, Congress would, for the first time, single out one area protected by
the Bill of Rights and prevent its full enforcement," said Caroline Fredrickson,
Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. "Proponents of the measure
claim that the bill is needed to protect religious freedom, when in fact, the
bill would undermine it. We hope that the committee will stand for the
Constitution and reject this unwise proposal."

Bed Time!!!

It's Bed time... Feel free to discuss what's on your mind....

Big Lie!!!

Big Lie
Words & Music by Rik Emmett

I pick up my guitar to lay the message down
'bout the crazy kinda things that make the world go around
like the money, the power, the glory on high
everybody' livin' with The Big, big Lie, yeah... c'mon

Profiteering corporations party line says
"Trust in us people, everything'll be fine", but that's a
Big Lie, baby that's a Big Lie
The disappearing forest should be no cause for alarm
The greenhouse effect won't do you any harm, it's all a
Big Lie, they're selling us a Big Lie
It's the age old game of supply and demand,
we're eating up the plantet just as fast as we can, and it's a

Big Lie, gettin' bigger all the time, it's a
Big Lie, yeah, the truth is hard to find in the
Big Lie, hoo, yeah, it's a Big, Big, Big, Big, Big, Big Lie
Such a Big Big Lie

Taxes goin' up like a hot air balloon
The rich keep gettin' richer while the poor keep gettin' screwed
to feed The Big Lie, welcome to The Big Lie
The politics of power, out of reach & out of touch
& all their fancy talkin' never did amount to much in The
Big Lie, oh beware The Big Lie
The deficit grows like Pinocchio's nose, while we
gaze in admiration at the Emperor's new clothes, it's The

(repeat chorus)

Old time religion on the TV everyday,
sellin' tickets to heaven in the fundamental way
The media tells it like it is, without a doubt, but for a
rating point of two they'll sell you short & sell you out
From Broadway to Hollywood it's always the same, but it's the
burned out myth of sex & drugs & rock & roll
The check is in the mail, & God is on out side
Don't Worry, Be Happy; live The Big Lie, yeah, yeah, yeah; hoo hoo.

Oh, no matter how you slice it, it's always the same
The Big Lie seems to be the name of the game
And you can play it if you want, you'll prob'ly get what you deserve
I guess it just depends upon which master you serve
Does my song ring true? You get to decide,
or is it just another chapter in The
Big Big, Big Big, Big Big, Big Big, Big Big,
[aw come on & help me out here; c'mon now]
Big Big Big Big Big Big Big Big Big Big

big big like?.........[heh, heh, heh]....

from the CD Absolutely by Rik Emmett

Welcome!!! (plus a disclaimer)

This is my first post. My name is Paul and I live in the Las Vegas (NV) area. I've thought long and hard about what I wanted this blog to be about... I wanted to do politics, which I plan on doing, but in my own way. I am good at talking to people about my news, but writing them out may be harder for me right now, so at the moment, I am going to infuse what I know best, which is music, into what I know least - politics. I'm not saying I don't know politics - I do... but I don't feel I can do good with it (for now - give me time). What I've decided to do is this... I'm going to take a certain song, break down the lyrics by inserting a link to a news story that may be relevant to the world as it is now - as far as I know, no one has done this and I hope I'm the first.

I am a liberal and I support the Democrats, but I don't think I will do as well as the blogs I read most often - such as DailyKos, Crooks and Liars, Atrios at Eschaton, Taylor Marsh, Firedog Lake, AMERICAblog, Talking Points Memo, or Democratic Underground. I listen to Randi Rhodes, Mike Malloy, Al Franken, Sam Seder/Majority Report, and on occasion, Alan Colmes. I refuse to watch FOX News (no link out of protest), so I am content with CNN and some of MSNBC - mainly Keith Olbermann, though.

Besides music, I enjoy watching an over abundant amount of TV (I will post on that later), I've read a few books I may talk about (some I haven't started yet, too), and music from the past that may jar your memories, with some new things I may have discovered along the way...

I will also be talking about my Rat Terriers, Peanut & Butters (pictures below)...














Again - Welcome!!!