Break » public morality

Dissent is Patriotic

joecotellese — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 20:46:24 +0000

“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it.” – Edward R. Murrow

Earlier this week a student in Flordia was Tasered(r) at a meeting with Senator John Kerry. The student asked the senator some tough questions. When he didn’t yield the floor, police officers subdued the student and while holding him down, Tasered(r) him.

Yesterday, the Senate passed an amendment which uses the straw man argument that anyone who disagrees with Gen. Petraeus is unpatriotic and doesn’t support the troops.

These two events while seemingly unconnected represent the culmination of a troubling cancer eating at our nation, quelling any dissenting view and labeling the dissenters as unpatriotic. Our nation is founded on the principles of free speech and could not survive without dissenting view points. When writing an opinion, Justices in the Supreme Court also write a dissenting view.

“You’re with us or your against us”, “You agree with us or your unpatriotic” thinking is dangerous to the future of our republic. It prevents a real constructive dialog on how we will get ourselves out of the mess created over the last four years. Rather than pat themselves on the back for their “patriotism” the Senate should of passed the resolution voted on the day before which would give the troops adequate time to see their families between multiple tours in Iraq.

Now that would of been truly patriotic.

Interesting Take on the Toy Recall

joecotellese — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 14:54:41 +0000

Now for some wisdom from Bill Maher regarding the Mattel toy recall

If you were surprised that the Chinese don’t care about toy safety, then the child who needs protecting is you. Over the last couple of months, American consumers have been learning a shocking lesson about supply and demand: if you demand products that don’t cost anything, people will make them out of poison, mud and shit. Now, since April, approximately 17 million toys in the United States, all of them made in China, have been recalled. Which is amazing considering that no one in the Department of Justice can recall a thing. Okay.

Warren Buffet

joecotellese — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:03:21 +0000

“I’m just lucky to have been in the right place at the right time. Another place, another time, I wouldn’t have been as successful. Society enabled me to make my money and my money should go to society.”

Republicans Try to Block The Minimum Wage Increase

joecotellese — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:01:44 +0000

In a shameful move, one that clearly shows their utter contempt for women and minorities in this country, Republicans in the Senate try to block the minimum wage increase.

Senator Kennedy expressed his disdain toward the other side of the aisle in his statement shown below:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SicFn8rqPPE]

Some of these amendments are in the form of tax breaks for small businesses whom Republicans charge will bear the brunt of the bill for the increase.

However, according to the former Secreatary of Labor Robert Reich, tax breaks for small businesses are unnecessary for a couple of reasons.

The first is that this wage hike is not really an increase but an inflation adjustment. Since there hasn’t been a wage increase in the last 10 years, minimum wage incomes have not followed inflation. However, price increases by small businesses typically follow inflation.

He also makes the argument that small businesses could actually be helped by a wage increase. By increasing wages, more people would enter the workforce. This gives employees a larger talent pool from which to hire and helps minimize turnover, saving money.

To quote Sen. Kennedy, “What is it about working men and women that you find so offensive?”