THE CONTROVERSY: December 2013

Sunday, December 29, 2013

(IF SHE WANTS IT...AND I THINK SHE DOES)...HILLARY CLINTON WILL BE THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT IN 2016. AND SHE WILL BE THE 45TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

     I have been deluged over the last two-and-a-half months with e-mails to my personal e-mail address - for those of you who may know it - with e-mails to The Controversy e-mail address...and with comments that have been posted on the blog site itself...from people who are expressing their views...and blasting me for my thoughts...that Hillary Clinton will be the 45th President of the United States.

   First of all...as I indicated in my column from Sunday, October 13th, 2013...my opinions are only based on whether the former Secretary of State decides that she wants to run for President again. Of course...I believe that she will...and I believe that Mrs. Clinton will not only beat any Republican challenger...but that she will win in a landslide that will be unlike any other election in the history of the United States.

   Since reader comments and e-mails were sent anonymously...and without identifying themselves as Democrats or Republicans...I can only assume that most of the remarks were written by conservative members of the GOP.

   I am always puzzled, however...when people criticize me...for applauding the former Secretary of State...First Lady...and United States Senator...for all her accomplishments during the 8-years that her husband - President Bill Clinton - was Commander-in-Chief...for all her achievements while she was representing the State of New York in the U.S. Congress...and during her tenure as President Obama's primary foreign affairs representative and chief diplomat.

     I'm going to do something a little differently with my column this week. I'm going to repeat part of what I wrote in my earlier commentary about Hillary Clinton...but specifically explain why I feel the way I do. I'm doing this because so many of you just don't seem to get it. One person actually e-mailed me and stated..."Anyone who reads (your blog) would swear you are a paid operative for the far left wing of the Democratic National Committee. Why don't you change the name (from The Controversy) to THE I HATE CONSERVATIVES AND REPUBLICANS BLOG. I WILL LIE, CHEAT OR STEAL TO MAKE MY LEFT WING POINT." It amazes me that anyone would make such a statement.

     I shared that anonymous comment with another journalist...and he was - for the lack of a better phrase - "totally pissed off" by the person's harsh words. I...on the other hand...feel sorry for anyone who would write such an opinion. I didn't think by being an American...and supporting our leaders... makes me a "paid operative." And the suggestion that I should include the word "HATE" in the title of my blog...is insulting - considering that I myself have chastised and chided Congressional Republicans for being "HATERS." I certainly do not HATE Conservatives...Republicans...or anybody else. And furthermore...I will NOT "lie...cheat...or steal...to make my left wing point."

     My ideal choice to run our country beyond President Obama and his Administration - besides Hillary Clinton - is a man who unfortunately... Constitutionally...can never become President again. And that's President Bill Clinton. If I had my druthers - and...according to many polls...millions and millions of other Americans agree - Bill Clinton would be elected President of the United States...for LIFE. Knowing that can't happen, however...the person I supported in 2008 for President...is a lock to get the Democratic nomination in 2016. And that's my favorite political gal...who is married to my favorite political guy...and that's...Hillary Clinton.

     President Bill Clinton is arguably the best politician America has ever seen. And on the campaign trail for his wife...Mr. Clinton would be an asset that cannot be equaled by anybody else. President Obama realized that in 2012.

   Now the truth is - and please understand me clearly - it's obvious that with Hillary...we do get Bill. But I would vote for Hillary Clinton for President if her name was Hillary Rodham...or Hillary whatever her last name was. With or without Bill...Hillary Clinton in 2016...is the single best candidate the Democrats have...and for 2017 and beyond...Hillary Clinton is the single best person to be President of the United States.

   All eyes are on Hillary Clinton...and I believe it is inevitable that she is going to run for President in 2016. Mrs. Clinton will be a formidable and tough candidate. Women want to see a woman President...and men do too.

     Those of you who are regular readers of The Controversy are well aware of my sincere devotion and the colossal support I have for President Obama. Democrats nominated Mr. Obama on August 27th, 2008 at their national convention in Denver, Colorado...and the country elected him on November 4th. But to be honest...it was Hillary Clinton who I privately campaigned for that year. And when Mrs. Clinton interrupted the official roll call at the Denver convention...to move that Mr. Obama be selected by acclamation...I knew the former First Lady and U.S. Senator from New York... had eight years to prepare...to do it all over again.

   Hillary Clinton is the most popular woman on the planet Earth. That's not merely my opinion...but a fact, based on a survey of Americans in a Gallup Poll. Barbara Walters - in her ABC television special - The 10 Most Fascinating People Of 2013...which aired on December 18th...named Hillary Clinton the most fascinating person in the world. Mrs. Clinton has a glowing reputation...and is by far the most stellar of all Secretaries of State. She is immensely admired and passionately respected. Hillary Clinton is an intelligent individual who has the drive and the ambition to go to the top...and she has the strength and the power to accomplish whatever she sets out to do. Her track record...with a string of noteworthy successes - throughout her four years in office as Secretary of State - proves Mrs. Clinton can make things happen.

   Hillary Clinton was an exemplary Secretary of State...and - without question - was the most active Secretary of State in American history. She traveled more often...and visited more countries than any Secretary of State before her. As a result... Hillary Clinton was an American presence in 112 foreign nations. By doing so, her frequent flyer miles topped the magic one-million mark.

     Hillary Clinton is responsible for creating and cultivating new relationships with dignitaries all around the globe. And for relationships already established with the United States...Secretary Clinton advanced American interests...and always made sure that we will have - as she once said - "a seat at every table that has the potential for being a partnership to solve problems."

As Secretary of State...Hillary Clinton was instrumental in the foreign policy successes that were achieved during the first term of President Obama's administration. She had a strong hand in helping the President end the War in Iraq. She played a major role in planning the SEAL Team 6 raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011...and the dismantling of leadership of al Qaeda.

For more than a year...many Republicans have put in their "2 cents"...that Hillary Clinton will never become President...because - on her watch - was the deadly attack at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya on September 11th, 2012...that killed four Americans...including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens. However...an extensive investigative, bombshell report by The New York Times - published today...Sunday, December 29th, 2013 - provides tremendous doubt on allegations that al Qaeda played a key role in that fatal assault.

   The New York Times says that "contrary to claims by some Members of Congress"...the attack at Benghazi was "fueled in large part by anger at an American made video" that criticized Islam. Therefore...when U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice...on September 16th, 2012... told anchors on the Sunday morning news programs...that the raid on the American diplomatic compound was in fact a "reaction" to the video...she was berated. The fact is...Susan Rice was right. President Obama was right. Hillary Clinton was right.

     The New York Times says there is "no evidence that al Qaeda or other international terrorist groups had any role in the assault." The newspaper reports that "the attack was led, instead, by fighters who had benefited directly from NATO's extensive air power and logistics support during the uprising against Colonel Qaddafi."

     Since the assault...which was sparked by the on-line video...and was not the responsibility of a terrorist element, but by local militia with no ties to al Qaeda - The New York Times article - without actually saying so in "black and white" - rightfully indicates that any blame on the Benghazi attack should be removed from the Obama Administration and specifically from Hillary Clinton... who was Secretary of State at the time...and who has been given a great deal of undeserved heat. Republicans owe Secretary Clinton an overwhelming apology.

     Economically, Hillary Clinton helped to improve America's economic growth with her foreign policy conversations...which aided U.S. companies to increase business overseas. Along with President Obama...Secretary Clinton rebuilt and restored the respect of other nations...which America had lost during the President George W. Bush Administration. Internationally...world leaders have faith again in the United States of America.

     Hillary Clinton is a master negotiator - which as President - would not only be an advantage for her around the globe with other heads of state...but nationally with members of the Republican Party.

   Hillary Clinton tells it like it is. She did as Secretary of State...and she will do so as President. It's how she rolls...and how she gets the job done. Mrs. Clinton has no fear in telling another superpower that they are wrong. Mincing words is not her style...and she proved that when going head to head with leaders of Russia, China, North Korea, Pakistan and Libya.

     "It's 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep... but there's a phone in The White House and it's ringing...who do you want answering the phone?" That question was asked in an ad during the 2008 Presidential campaign. I know I'd sleep damn well knowing that President Hillary Clinton would be answering that telephone.

   There is no doubt that Hillary Clinton would be an invincible force should she decide to run for President in 2016. And even some Republicans believe that she can win The White House. Recently, former Speaker of the House and a 2012 GOP Candidate for President, Newt Gingrich stated that it would be "virtually impossible" for Hillary Clinton to lose the Democratic nomination. And Gingrich added that in its troubled condition...the Republican Party would be "incapable" of competing against Mrs. Clinton in the 2016 general election.

     From the get-go...Hillary Clinton has two major states behind her - New York and Illinois. Chicago claims the former Secretary of State and First Lady as one of their own...as she - Hillary Diane Rodham - was born in "The Windy City." And "The Big Apple" - in fact, "The Empire State" as a whole...loves Hillary Clinton for her work as a United States Senator.

   Beyond the politics...beyond the seriousness of Washington DC, The White House and the Presidency...Hillary Clinton can have fun. The President of the United States - our Commander-in-Chief - needs to know when to work...and when to play. Hillary Clinton can do both...and she makes Americans comfortable by knowing that she can do both.

   No human being is perfect. No human being is shielded from illness or injury...not even the President of the United States. Hillary Clinton has proved that she's a trooper...and she doesn't let anything or anybody get her down. Mrs. Clinton always moves forward and pushes herself with super strength so that she still can take on the job at hand. It is a remarkable testament to her work ethic.

     Hillary Clinton is a person of rights. She has made great strides for the support of human rights worldwide...and she endorses gay rights...religious rights...women's rights...immigration rights...and the rights of all people.

   Hillary Clinton is beyond charitable...which links her to the average American. Her environmental efforts have been enormous. Did you know that three billion people - all around the world - cook food on stoves that burn fuel that pollutes the air by creating toxic emissions? In 2010...Secretary Clinton launched the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. There are 4 million deaths every year...from household air pollution...resulting from cooking smoke. Mrs. Clinton and the Alliance have worked with enthusiastic diligence so that by 2020...100 million homes will have clean cookstoves...and that by 2030... there will be zero deaths from cooking.

Republicans need to stop their bellyaching. America is substantially better since President Obama took office on January 20th, 2009. Republicans seem to have amnesia about how bad life was when our nation was crippled with an economic collapse under the administration of President George W. Bush. With President Obama and the Democratic Party on top in The Oval Office these last five years (almost)...we have had to face the challenges left by the Republicans. There have been rough patches...and tough times...where we've had to struggle and suffer through...but it would be a fantasy to think that President Obama could "kiss the boo-boo"...that was created by eight years of George W. Bush and his inept administration...and that our 44th President could "make all better"...the festering sores and the cancerous destruction that gnawed at the core of

America's body and spirit. Not even Superman... Batman...former President Bill Clinton...or anybody else - in a near catastrophic recession - was going to wave a magic wand...and solve the magnitude of economic problems and the vastness of other debacles that were caused by President George W. Bush...
Vice President Dick Cheney...and their cronies.

President Barack Obama and his administration - including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - have made life in this country better.

Always remember the words of Vice President Joe Biden...spoken to a cheering crowd of thousands of people in Detroit, Michigan in September 2012..."I've got a little bumper sticker for you. Osama bin Laden is dead...and General Motors is alive." But President Obama...Vice President Biden...Secretary of State Clinton...and others in the Obama Administration were left with a "mission impossible"...that Jim Phelps himself could not have accomplished with perfection...at least not yet. But there are still three years to go with President Obama...and additional achievements will be made. After that...it will be President Clinton...President Hillary Clinton...and perfection will return.

     Hillary Clinton is perhaps the most powerful woman in American history. She is a leader...and she has the experience - both domestically and in foreign affairs - to encounter and solve the problems - whatever they may be - here at home...and abroad. Hillary Clinton has the wisdom...but also the warmth... to lead the United States. She has an intellectual mind...but also a thoughtful demeanor. Mrs. Clinton can communicate as a diplomat...and as a decision maker. Meanwhile, President Obama's leadership will keep America growing in a positive direction. The U.S. under Mr. Obama will continue to improve economically...our armed forces will stay out of new war zones and conflicts anywhere in the world...and by the end of 2014...combat troops will leave Afghanistan. All in all...there will be peace, happiness, better healthcare (through "Obamacare") and opportunities for prosperity for all Americans. As a result...there is no doubt in my mind that the Democratic Party will reign successful in 2016...thus re-electing a Democrat to the Presidency and a Democratic majority to both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. And when the ballots are cast for President...there is no person - male or female - better suited to be our NEXT President...than Hillary Clinton.

   And that's The Controversy for today.

   I'm Gary B. Duglin.

   "We'll talk again."

P.S. - Thank you to all of you who have made The Controversy part of your weekly reading. I hope you will continue to read my commentaries throughout 2014. Happy New Year to each and everyone of you...with best wishes... wonderful health...and much prosperity in the year ahead and always.

The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.

The Controversy will make an effort to publish a new commentary every Sunday. Unscheduled essays may appear, from time to time, on other days as well.

Please express your opinions in the comment box below. You do not have to register your name and you can remain anonymous if you prefer. The Controversy wants to know your views on the essay above and on any other commentaries written on this blog. Just click on the word "Comments" below and write your thoughts in the box that appears. Make sure please that when you finish your statement that you click on the word "Publish." Thank you for your thoughts and thank you for reading The Controversy.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

THE SOUND OF MUSIC ON NBC IS A SOUND OF FAILURE THAT FLOPS AND FALLS FLAT ON ITS FACE

With music by Richard Rodgers...lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II...and the book (or script for the play) written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse...The Sound Of Music is arguably one of the best musicals to be produced for the Broadway stage and later for motion pictures. That being said...the four men named above - who are responsible for the creation and development of this masterpiece of entertainment artistry - were rolling over in their graves on Thursday night, December 5th, 2013...if from heaven...they were watching the NBC live production of their Tony and Oscar winning smash hit.

The hills were "dead" (not "alive," as Mr. Hammerstein wrote)...with The Sound Of Music. The cast...starring Carrie Underwood as Maria...Stephen Moyer as Captain Georg von Trapp...and "most" of the remaining cast...were... lifeless. Oh Carrie can certainly sing. We know that. She's an awesome singer. But I truly am sorry to say that Carrie Underwood is not a good actress. Her performance as Maria was painful to watch - as was the entire production. Getting kicked in the groin by a 400-pound, full-grown gorilla would have brought less pain than the agony suffered by watching this version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show-business classic. If acting is Carrie's goal, she needs a whole lot of training...and no director or producer worth his or her salt should have offered such an enormous undertaking to Carrie Underwood for her first major acting role. The song, Maria - which is sometimes referred to by its lyrics - "How do you solve a problem like Maria?"...should have been called..."How do you solve a problem like Carrie?"

The 3-hour presentation was tantamount to watching a massive train wreck or a burning skyscraper. Of course for those of you who take my every word so seriously...such a disastrous catastrophe...which destroys a transportation giant or an architectural monument...and where perhaps human life has been tragically slaughtered...would be profoundly worse than the debacle of a television program. But it was horrible to observe and emotionally shocking to think that any executives at "The Peacock Network" would give the green light to such a poor production. The NBC portrayal of The Sound Of Music made me cringe with disappointment. The actors - "most" of them - sleepwalked their way through their roles. But that makes perfect sense since the majority of the show was one big nightmare.

Twice above I have used the word "most"...when describing "most" of the actors and their inadequate performances. I do not include Audra MacDonald...who shined as The Reverend Mother. MacDonald's musical delivery of Climb Every Mountain was of consummate perfection and deserves raving recognition. My only gripe is that Miss McDonald is only 43 years old...and a young-looking...not middle-aged 43. The Reverend Mother should be a more mature...senior age...to be "motherly" for Maria.

The original musical Broadway play - from 1959 - which starred the incomparable, Tony Award winning icon, Mary Martin was a gem in the treasure chest of entertainment. Let me be clear, however...that as I tuned in to The Sound Of Music on NBC...I had no intention of equating Carrie Underwood - a Grammy Award winner and music superstar in her own right - to either Miss Martin...or to the Academy Award

winning, Hollywood legend...Julie Andrews. I would in no way imply any comparison between Carrie Underwood and the brilliant and radiant Julie Andrews or the stupendous and spectacular Mary Martin. It would be impossible for anyone to equal...and certainly not top...the splendor and majesty of Dame Julie Andrews...and one of the queens of Broadway...Mary Martin. I was merely hoping to enjoy an adaptation of a show that I have loved since first seeing it back in 1965... when Robert Wise produced and directed the Ernest Lehman

screenplay that was honored with 5 Academy Awards including the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars at the 1966 film industry ceremony. Unfortunately...I have seen high school and college renditions of The Sound Of Music which were exceedingly better than the one presented on NBC.

   Whether you're walking out of a high school or college...a local community...or Broadway theatre...The Sound Of Music has most people parading out of the playhouse...singing...humming...whistling... and sometimes even dancing in the streets with pleasure. But the NBC production had me wondering...how this show ever made it on the air. Instead of being filled with the warmth and love that The Sound Of Music should have...NBC gave us the discomfort received by intestinal constipation.

   The Sound Of Music on NBC was pitiful, pathetic and embarrassing. It lacked soul...it lacked heart...it lacked charm and sincerity...and it lacked chemistry between Maria and Captain von Trapp...and between Captain von Trapp and his children. Stephen Moyer...as the von Trapp patriarch...was beyond bad. Moyer, Carrie Underwood and the entire cast also lacked any believability with their characters. And what happened to the European accents? There weren't any. Carrie Underwood sounded "U.S. country southern"...and Stephen Moyer's speech was a cross between "I don't know what" and "it just isn't right."

   And why change the essence of some of the characters...and why omit some of the important lines?

   One of the most pivotal scenes in the 1965 movie was when the von Trapp kids sang the title song, The Sound Of Music to Baroness Elsa Schraeder and Max Detweiler. Afterwards...it is when Captain von Trapp acknowledges to Maria that she has "brought music back in to the house." The Captain earlier had ordered Maria to leave...but now von Trapp realizes he was wrong. "I want you to stay. I ASK you to stay." Those last five words - "I ASK you to stay" - were so meaningful to the story...and in the NBC production...they were left out.

   In the film - at the party at the von Trapp home - after the children sing So Long, Farewell...it's Max who enthusiastically wants Maria to join them for the evening. Max tells Captain von Trapp that Maria will be his "dinner partner." And von Trapp agrees. But in the NBC version, it's Captain von Trapp who makes the suggestion that Maria stay...and Max argues that she's a "nursemaid" and has no business sitting at the banquet table.

Furthermore...let's not change history. Adolf Hitler was an evil, evil disgrace to the human race. He was the embodiment of evil. But the phrase was..."Heil Hitler"...not just..."Heil." And for some reason...the bosses at NBC decided to cut Hitler's name from the 2013 adaptation. Did NBC not want to offend Jews or others with a reference to Hitler? Americans are much more sophisticated than NBC apparently wants to give us credit. I'm Jewish...and the line was "Heil Hitler"...not just "Heil." Hitler's name should have remained written in the script...if for any other reason, but to remind us of the anguish, misery, torment and death that Hitler and the Holocaust caused.

Also...one of the best parts of The Sound Of Music - as written for the screen - was the scene in Maria's bedroom...when she sings My Favorite Things to the von Trapp kids. Why in the NBC version did Maria sing it in the abbey to the Mother Superior? Instead...in her bedroom...Maria sings The Lonely Goatherd to the children. Now those of you who recall the Broadway play...or will Google me to try to prove me wrong...wait just a second and hold on to your hats. I completely realize that the original play has Maria singing The Lonely Goatherd in her bedroom. But this lively number...featuring the marionettes...is famous because of the movie...not the play. And NBC should have kept it...as it was...in the motion picture.

Technically...the orchestra - in the NBC show - often overpowered the singers...and the choreography...was dreadful. It needed Emmy Award winner Derek Hough of Dancing With The Stars.

Can't Hollywood leave classics alone? Must the producers, writers and directors remake everything? Let us remember classics for how they are best known. They should not be touched.

   The jewel in the Rodgers and Hammerstein crown is missing precious pearls in this rendition of The Sound Of Music. Unfortunately...it's "the sound of failure." But fear not...you can still enjoy The Sound Of Music this holiday season as ABC presents the original motion picture blockbuster starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer...tonight... Sunday, December 22nd, 2013 in primetime.

   With all the money invested in to this enormous television event on NBC... I've got to sit back and scratch my head with mystery as to where the network heavyweights were...and why after seeing rehearsals...didn't some top NBC brass say with great exclamation..."Stop! We can do better than this. Let's make some changes before this project bombs." Too late. It did.

   And that's The Controversy for today.

   I'm Gary B. Duglin.

   "We'll talk again."

The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.

The Controversy will make an effort to publish a new commentary every Sunday. Unscheduled essays may appear, from time to time, on other days as well.

Please express your opinions in the comment box below. You do not have to register your name and you can remain anonymous if you prefer. The Controversy wants to know your views on the essay above and on any other commentaries written on this blog. Just click on the word "Comments" below and write your thoughts in the box that appears. Make sure please that when you finish your statement that you click on the word "Publish." Thank you for your thoughts and thank you for reading The Controversy.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

A U.S. CONGRESSMAN THINKS SOME AMERICANS SHOULD GO HUNGRY...AS THE REPUBLICAN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES REMAINS GRIDLOCKED OVER THE FUNDING OF FOOD STAMPS

   It sickens me that an elected official of the United States government could be as cruel...and as heartless...as Congressman Kevin Cramer.

   The House of Representatives - on Thursday, December 12th, 2013 - passed a bi-partisan budget plan, which goes to the Senate this week. But a new five-year Farm Bill...has once again been left out in the cold until 2014...after Congress returns from their Christmas and New Year's vacation. The Republican "Scrooges" would only pass a one-month extension of the current law...which Senate Democrats oppose...because it could reduce pressure and, therefore, would distract from the completion of a new bill.

     Reportedly...Members of the Republican led House and the Democratic majority of the Senate agree on some issues of the Farm Bill...but remain far apart on the food stamp program. Senate Democrats would trim roughly four-and-a-half billion dollars - primarily by making administrative changes - while Republicans want to slash about 40 billion dollars from the bill.

     Congress has had plenty of time all year to agree on a new Farm Bill... which should have been passed in September. And that's when - on September 21st, 2013 - North Dakota Republican Congressman Kevin Cramer posted a shocking and disturbing comment on his Facebook page...whereby he basically stated that American armed forces veterans...the elderly...and children...should be removed from receiving food assistance.

     Cramer quoted the New Testament of The Bible - 2 Thessalonians 3:10 - with the words..."If anyone is not willing to work...let him not eat."

     The video of Cramer's disgusting and despicable remark was replayed on cable news channels...over and over and over again last week...because of the Republicans demands that food stamps be drastically cut...and thus...millions of Americans would realize substantial reductions in their monthly SNAP benefits.

     SNAP - the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - offers food stamps to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families. Reportedly...one-sixth of the U.S. population...or about 50 million Americans... are struggling to feed themselves. That being said...Republicans are wanting to take an axe to the amount of food stamps to be given to those who need them.

     How does anyone with an ounce of decency in their veins...suggest that food be taken from the mouths...of hungry little kids...poor, sick or disabled people...and military heroes who served our country on the battlefield?

   It's sad to think...that the people of North Dakota...would elect someone as unfeeling...and inhumane...as Kevin Cramer. After all...there are a tremendous number of North Dakotans who benefit from SNAP. More than 27,700 families in "The Peace Garden State" depend on food assistance everyday. Will they vote for Cramer again? I certainly hope not. North Dakota deserves better.

   Congressman Cramer's comment infers that everyone who receives SNAP assistance...is lazy. Once again...remember the words he wrote on Facebook. "If anyone is not willing to work...let him not eat." Cramer wants us to believe that everyone who isn't working...is not willing to work. That, of course, is a false assumption. Congressman Cramer also seems to forget... that a great amount of Americans who receive food stamps...have jobs - many who work full-time - and some who hold more than one position of employment.

     But Cramer obviously believes that military veterans who can't find jobs or who are disabled...the children of those servicemen and women...the elderly of our nation...and the poor, sick and indigent...should starve.

   The Bible - both the Old and New Testaments - make it known that helping poor people and others in need...is honorable and noble. There are numerous passages in The Bible...where God says we are supposed to be compassionate and charitable to the disadvantaged and underprivileged...and that we are to give...to those less fortunate.

   Leviticus 23:22 of the Old Testament reads: "When you reap the harvest of your land...do not reap to the very edges of your field...or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God."

   In Matthew 19:21 of the New Testament...the following is written: "Jesus answered...If you want to be perfect...go...sell your possessions...and give to the poor...and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

   Deuteronomy 15:7 of the Old Testament states: "If there is a poor man among your brothers...in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you...do not be hardhearted...or tightfisted...toward your poor brother."

   Matthew 25:35 of the New Testament proclaims: "For I was hungry...and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty...and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger...and you invited me in."

   In Luke 14:13 of the New Testament...are the words: "But when you give a banquet...invite the poor...the crippled...the lame...the blind."

   And in Deuteronomy 15:11 of the Old Testament...God's message is clear. "There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore...I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers...and toward the poor and needy in your land."

   As for Congressman Cramer - or any other Republican who may agree with him - how dare they claim...to have "family values"...as Republicans always tout. It amazes me...and nauseates me...that there are so many uncaring and insensitive individuals in our country...who lack empathy for others. Maybe if they themselves go hungry for awhile...they wouldn't be so harsh and unkind.

     So while Republican Congressmen are sitting by the warm fireplaces in their big, beautiful homes this holiday season...as they open up their expensive presents...from under their lavishly decorated Christmas trees...and are drinking lots and lots of eggnog while eating all their favorite foods - with second and third helpings - I hope someone will remind them...of the food stamp recipients...who don't know how they will pay for their next meal...and the homeless...who don't know where that next meal will come.

   And that's The Controversy for today.

   I'm Gary B. Duglin.

   "We'll talk again."

Sunday, December 8, 2013

THE U.S.A. MUST RAISE THE HOURLY MINIMUM WAGE - FOR EMPLOYEES OF SOME COMPANIES - TO $22. THERE SHOULD BE NO POVERTY IN THE RICHEST COUNTRY ON EARTH.

     It is impossible today...to live the life that ALL Americans should live... when being paid a minimum wage of only $7.25 an hour. And it's shameful that some employers - and I did say some - throughout the richest nation in the world...are so selfish...and so stingy...that they feel they are being generous...by even paying that much.

   No American should have to work two or three jobs in order to survive. Whatever happened to the 40-hour work week? Even salaried employees - with many companies - are required to work 10, 12 or more hours a day. I don't care if a person is making a 6-figure salary or better...nobody should be told that they have to work more than 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.

   People are working too hard today. A 2012 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - the CDC - states that 41 million American workers - that's about 30 percent of the nation's civilian workforce - receive fewer than 6 hours of sleep a night. And the National Sleep Foundation recommends 7 to 9 hours of slumber everyday. The CDC says that for people who do not get that amount of shuteye...there's a "serious and potentially fatal risk" to themselves and to their co-workers.

   The United States Census Bureau reports that the average American worker - with one job - commutes more than 50 minutes round-trip daily. And that 8 percent of American workers - with one employment position - commute an hour or longer to their job everyday.

   Therefore...let us use the following schedule...based on the statistics noted above...for a 5-day...Monday through Friday work week.

   Wake up in the morning - 7:00 A.M.
   Bathroom (including regular bodily functions and proper bathing) followed by a recommended breakfast - 7:00 A.M. to 8:30 A.M.
   Commute to work - 8:30 A.M. to 9:00 A.M. (for just the average American worker).
     Work at first job - 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. (That's if you only work an 8-hour day plus a one-hour lunch break).
     Commute to/eat at a fast-food restaurant for dinner and commute to second job - 6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. (if you can do all of that in just an hour).
   Work at second job - 7:00 P.M. to 12:00 Midnight.
     Commute home - 12:00 Midnight to 12:30 A.M. (and that's if you're average and it only takes half an hour).
     Unwind...maybe have a snack...watch a little bit of television...perhaps take a shower...or - if you've got the strength - "hang out" with your significant other - 12:30 A.M. to 1:30 A.M.
     Go to bed - to sleep - 1:30 A.M.

     But just because you climb in to bed at 1:30 A.M., doesn't mean you're going to fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. A study by Brown University says the average "well-rested person" will take 10 to 15 minutes to fall asleep. Of course some people take a lot longer...while others take less.

   For argument sake...let's say that person - with the schedule above...with two jobs - is fast asleep by 1:45 A.M. He or she then has to awaken in 5 hours and 15 minutes...at 7:00 A.M...to start all over again. That is clearly not enough sleep. Understandably...the times in the schedule above are merely estimates. Therefore...some people with two jobs may get a little more sleep, while others may get even less. And for those individuals who have a third job on the weekend...well...I won't even begin to discuss his or her medical issues. But believe me...no American should have to work multiple jobs. And nobody should have to work 6 days a week...and especially not 7 days a week.

   Given that schedule over a period of years...the lack of proper sleep...and the stress that is endured because of work, work and more work...the death rate in America is bound to increase.

   The human body was not created to work...the amount of hours that many, many Americans are forced to...because of the need for money. "All work and no play" - you know the rest of the proverb - is not just an old saying to recommend that a person needs to have fun in his or her life and not just work...but "all work and no play" can affect a person's health. No person should be required to work where their health is being placed in jeopardy.

   The rate of inflation has increased to the point that most people cannot afford to buy healthy food...so therefore...their meals are filled with high amounts of fat and carbohydrates...thus the obesity rate in America is overwhelmingly high.

   There needs to be different levels of minimum wage. Major retail, restaurant, industrial, food, automotive and other companies that Fortune 500 ranks at the top...would need to pay the highest minimum wage of $22 an hour. Other businesses would be required to pay lower amounts - depending on their yearly revenue. But it's mindboggling...that companies with annual revenues that exceed 100 billion dollars...are paying their employees a minimum wage of only $7.25 an hour. The lowest of the minimum wage... needs to be $16 an hour, which is a dollar more than what fast food workers across the country are seeking...and the amount they noted in their 100-city protest on Thursday, December 5th, 2013. They also want the right to form a union. And they should have that right.

   It is a misconception that only high school and college students...and adults who do not have a higher education degree...are flipping burgers, frying chicken and fries...delivering pizzas...and working in other areas of the fast food world. Believe it or not...numerous college graduates are working for minimum wage at fast food restaurants...and 26% of all fast food workers in the United States...are parents...who are raising children.

   You don't have to be a rocket scientist...or a math genius...to figure out that the fast food employee...the person working at a retail discount store or grocery supermarket...or anybody else who is only bringing in a paltry sum of $7.25 an hour...is not earning enough money to live a human life in the United States. If that employee is lucky enough to get 40 hours a week - which many companies don't offer to hourly workers because only full timers - at most businesses - are eligible for benefits - the total gross income is only $290 a week or $15,080 a year. If you're a single parent...who needs to be home in the evening with his or her kids...so you can't take a second job - which nobody should have to do anyway - you cannot live...without federal and state assistance...on that little amount of money. And sometimes...even with Uncle Sam and state, county or city subsidies...you still can't live.

   Also...it drives me nuts...when people use the "gross" amount...and not the "net"...when calculating how much money an individual earns. It's the NET - the "take-home" pay - that counts.

   At between $16 and $22 an hour...that would give a person who works 40 hours a week...a gross weekly total of between $640 and $880...a gross yearly income of between $33,280 and $45,760 - which is still not a great deal of money in 2013...but is substantially better than the $7.25 an hour that he or she is currently paid.

   According to the U.S. government...the official poverty line is $23,283 a year for a family of four with two adults and two children...but that amount varies from state to state...city to city. In San Francisco, California - for example - an income of $35,500 can be considered "poor."

   Companies that are making record profits...shouldn't be complaining about giving more money to their employees...and that's not JUST minimum wage workers, but low to middle income...salaried earners too. There are people in all forms of business management today...who are not being paid more than 25, 30 or 40 thousand dollars a year...working 10, 12, 14 hours or more a day. They should be paid double or more. And even those individuals whose salaries are in the 40 to 60...to even 80 thousand dollar range...they too cannot survive in many areas of the United States today. Remember something...not everybody is married...not everybody lives in a two-income household.

     Raising the minimum wage does not mean for businesses to increase their costs of merchandise, products, food, etc. Understand me clearly. No prices, no rents, no rates, no costs of any kind can be increased. If they are...it defeats the purpose of giving people higher wages. The whole idea here is that EVERYBODY in the United States of America...can earn at least enough money...so they can squeak by in life...and have some pleasures in their life - not to mention to be able to save for their children's college education...and their own retirement.

   All children - no matter what their parents' incomes - should receive the same educational opportunities. Everybody in America deserves the same chances...and income should not have anything to do with it. Parents - for centuries - have told their kids..."Work hard and you can do whatever you want." Well...it just isn't true. But it should be.

     At $16 an hour - $33,280 a year...a couple - with both earning minimum wage - would have a total household income of $66,560...which is NOT "rich," by any stretch of the imagination...and is still NOT "comfortable" in many areas of the country. But with $66,560...two adults...with two children...can enjoy life...at least a little bit. They can purchase a home - in certain parts of the United States...take a vacation every year - without breaking their bank...and be able to afford some of the luxuries that ALL Americans should rightfully be privileged.

   The rich...and especially the super rich...don't need to be...so rich. The giant corporations that pay executives millions...and millions...and millions of dollars - and in many cases, hundreds of millions of dollars - would receive somewhat less...but would still be rich...or super rich. And companies paying employees at the low end of the minimum wage spectrum...$16...even small businesses would be able to still make a fine profit.

   According to the Economic Policy Institute - from 1978 to 2011 - the compensation for chief executive officers in America has dramatically increased by 725 percent. That's totally outrageous...and incredibly unbelievable. But it's true. However...that being said...the pay for the average worker has only gone up by 5.7 percent...in that same 33-year period. The disparity is disgraceful.

   And what about those CEOs who get fired? Many of them receive a "golden parachute" worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And yet his or her hourly employees...who continue to bust their butts everyday...make only $7.25 an hour. There's something definitely wrong with this picture.

Minimum wage today of $7.25...is $3.35 less than the minimum wage in 1968...when adjusted for inflation, it would have been $10.60. President Obama says he will support a Senate bill...that would increase minimum wage to $10.10. Of course...as I have discussed throughout this commentary...it should be even higher than that.

   President Obama says that income inequality is a "fundamental threat to the American dream." The President believes the income gap "should offend all of us." Mr. Obama says we must "escape poverty." And I certainly agree. Poverty should not exist in the U.S.A. Not for anybody.

   And that's The Controversy for today.

   I'm Gary B. Duglin.

   "We'll talk again."

Sunday, December 1, 2013

"OBAMACARE" MOVES FORWARD...AND HEALTHCARE.GOV IMPROVES...DESPITE THE BELLYACHING AND COMPLAINTS FROM REPUBLICANS

It's Sunday, December 1st, 2013 - one day after the Obama Administration's self-imposed November 30th deadline - and there is significant progress to HealthCare.gov. After a rocky start to the federal healthcare exchange website...officials at The White House say that the on-line insurance marketplace - for "ObamaCare" - is now functioning "smoothly" for the "vast majority" - 80 percent of American consumers - who are seeking to purchase health insurance via the Internet. And the team of experts who have worked diligently to improve HealthCare.gov say the website can handle 50,000 individuals simultaneously...and that 800,000 people can visit and access the site daily. Still...there may be some troubles along the way including unscheduled outages...but only 5 percent of the time...and during high-traffic periods. Also, there may be a few slow-downs... but that can happen to any Internet website. Be that as it may... HealthCare.gov has improved over the last two months...and with anything technical...with any technology...any computer website...tweaking is done on a monthly - if not weekly - or even daily basis. There's progress happening all of the time. And since the launch of HealthCare.gov on October 1st, 2013...hundreds and hundreds of software bugs and hardware problems have been repaired. The bottom line is that substantial upgrades... enhancements and improvements have been made...and the Affordable Care Act is on its way to being the huge success that it was created and designed to be.

     So why then are Republicans still making a stink over the website...and ObamaCare overall? Republicans continue to bash President Obama and his signature piece of legislation - the Affordable Care Act - when the reality is that a tremendous amount of Americans - 30, 40 or 50-million people - will be able to obtain health insurance...who never had insurance before...who were never able to afford health insurance...and who were turned down when applying for insurance because of pre-existing conditions.

     It is true that a small percent of Americans - a tiny fraction of the population - will lose their current policies...but because of the Affordable Care Act...those individuals...who do receive cancellation notices...will be able to get better health insurance plans with "ObamaCare"...in the HealthCare.gov marketplace...or in the state exchanges.

     Furthermore...the proof of the pudding is...that many of the same people who do get letters of cancellation from their current health insurance companies...were - in the past - losing their healthcare annually - each and every year. So NOW... the Affordable Care Act is going to make it better for those individuals...and "ObamaCare" will fix it so that those Americans will not be affected in such a fashion anymore.

     Yet certain conservative Republicans - who are apparently out to destroy President Obama and "ObamaCare"...and who do not care about helping Americans who do not have health insurance...are spewing venomous lies that "80-million people are going to get pink slips" from their health insurance companies. This simply is NOT true.

   As for higher costs - as Republicans want Americans to think - there are subsidies - many, many hundreds of billions of dollars (if not more) - in the marketplace overall...that will give money to those individuals...to reduce the price tag of their health insurance...and the premiums will be much, much lower than the Republicans want everyone to believe. Plus...there is competition within the exchanges themselves...that will also keep the costs down. So...the fact of the matter is...that people are going to get better healthcare plans...for less money...instead of terrible policies...where they pay with their hard-earned income...and don't receive plans that will actually help them. Instead...now...their health insurance will benefit them.

   The Republicans want "ObamaCare" to solely be a political fight...and an unending debate...and therefore...not a way to help Americans who need health insurance.   Besides helping the poor...the sick...the young...and the elderly - not to mention so many other categories of people - the Affordable Care Act helps the average person - who quite frankly - does not understand the "fine print" of insurance policies. The Affordable Care Act will protect those who have been discriminated in the past.

   There is no doubt that the rollout of HealthCare.gov should have been better...and President Obama has recognized and acknowledged that. But instead of Republicans bellyaching...and complaining...and making "ObamaCare" a political issue...everyone - Democrats and Republicans... liberals and conservatives...and all Independents - should stand together... jointly...in tandem...so that every single American...has affordable healthcare. That's what the Affordable Care Act was intended to do. That's what "ObamaCare"...WILL DO.

   And that's The Controversy for today.

   I'm Gary B. Duglin.

   "We'll talk again."