Will he be remember as a Racist? KKK Member? Esteemed Senator that brought home the bacon for his state?

Democrat (remember, the Democrats were the traditional and historic “Slave Party”) Senator Robert Byrd joined the Ku Klux Klan in 1942 at the age of 24. He quickly ran through the ranks and became the head of his chapter. (Source). And he was devoted. Byrd wrote a letter to the KKK Grand Wizard after World War 2, “The Klan is needed today as never before, and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia and in every state in the nation.” After all, Black Americans had served bravely in the war and returned home with some hope for the future. They had served their country, surely Whites would recognize this? This was not to be as Byrd and his KKK friends would make sure Black’s knew their place. Blacks found little had changed. [An over simplification? YES, but it fits in perfect with how the Press is covering Byrd's past!]

Byrd was a master politician and climbed through the ranks in politics as well. He ascended the political hierarchy through the West Virginia state legislature until becoming a United States Senator for West Virginia in 1959 after serving 6 years in the House of Representatives. In 1999, Byrd became the first politician in the history to secure over $1 billion in federal taxpayer dollars for his state. No wonder his constituents loved him and continued to vote him back into office.

But his voting record, though long (14,000 or so), includes him being a staunch opponent of Civil Rights. Byrd vote against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, he filibustered it for almost three months. He also opposed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and when combined with his KKK associations, it is a wonder that none other than the NAACP can recall his service fondly. On Monday the organization released a statement from NAACP President and Chief Executive Benjamin Todd Jealous claiming that Byrd’s life “reflects the transformative power of this nation.” (Source)

The question also has to be asked, can only a Democrat be reborn, transformed and forgiven?

The USA Today whitewashed (downplays) Byrd’s racist past and then builds him up, “The honor is symbolic of how far Byrd came in the course of his long public career. Once a member of the Ku Klux Klan — an episode for which he profusely apologized — he endorsed the nation’s first African-American president and provided staunch support for Obama’s agenda on Capitol hill.” (Source)

The Associate Press simply noted, “The man who filibustered the 1964 Civil Rights Act for 14 hours came to support the creation of the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday and supported Barack Obama in his bid to become the nation’s first black president.” (Source)

Another news organization, wrote, astonishingly, “Once a segregationist and a member of a white supremacist group (the Ku Klux Klan), Byrd evolved into an advocate for civil rights. He later apologized for his earlier positions on racial matters.” (Source)

I will add that I did like that the Good Senator was, for the most part, a man of the Constitution. And as one journalist noted, “He frequently pulled out a dog-eared copy of it from a pocket in one of his trademark three-piece suits. He also defended the Senate in its age-old rivalry with the executive branch, no matter which party held the White House.” (Source)

So what will it be? How will history remember the man? If today’s Press has its way, he will be very positively remembered. I wonder what future text books will say?

Read these news stories:

FCC set to reconsider broadband regulations

High-Speed Internet Rules Might Prove Costly

New Bill Gives Presidnet ‘Kill Switch’ To Shut Down The Internet

FTC floats Online News tax

Now I am sure that the government knows best and is doing what is best for us. I’m sure they are only looking out for our best interests and have no political agenda…. you know now that we’re in an era of “transparency” and “change we can believe in…”

The conflict in culture has not just been between Whites and whoever else, the Irish, Germans and Italians were all discriminated against on some level during their migration here. Somehow they dealt with it. Anyway, I digress.

State Schools Superintendent Tom Horne debates his new controversial legislation that removes “race” based programs from Arizona schools in order “to get schools to teach kids to treat each other as individuals,” he says, is the key. Mr. Horne is interesting as he was a part of the March on Washington and claims that his law is based on Martin Luther King’s famous words that we should be judged by our character and not on our skin color. This video below is very interesting as the exchange brings up a lot of important points. La Raza is an organization, as we have seen, that can be very radical and is completely the opposite of what Dr. King would preach. Nonetheless, there are some issues with Mr. Horne’s legislation as there are some very good teen/school groups that do address the needs of a specific “race” of people and in peaceful and inclusive ways that will not be able to meet under this law.

I agree with Mr. Horne that we need to focus less on race, on exclusion, and to be “inclusive” and focus on individuals and the greatness of this country that provides such opportunity that all races flock here for some strange reason… you know, considering all our racism.

CW

Part of his rant:

I want to start off by saying that the young man who spoke a little while ago was one of my students. That made me so proud, because you know, our people have strong leaders for years and years to come. As a [Spanish] militant com barrio [ph] – a revolutionary Mexican organization here — we understand what the camarade’s [ph] saying. This is not just about Mexico. It is a global struggle against imperialism and capitalism.

But we know that all that is happening within the context of where we now stand — this stolen, occupied Mexico. And the message that we bring is that we want to bring a little bit more of a revolutionary context to this. Why is it that these people, these frail, racist white people, want to keep us out of this country? It’s not simply that it’s the color of our skin. It’s not simply that they want to exploit us. I’ll tell you why. It’s because on this planet right now, 6 billion people, at the forefront of the revolutionary movement — is La Raza.

When you hear from our commandantes, Fidel Castro Ruz, Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, Brazil, Equador, you name it, we have nine, nine left of center governments in Latin America right now. And they know something that one young Argentine, Che Guevara, said. It was called the domino theory. And he knew that every single country would go revolutionary, one after the other, after the other, after the other.

So what do they fear? They know that every single country, they know that we will no longer fall for these lies called borders. We know that an El Salvadoran, a Guatemalan, a Nicaraguan, an American — there’s no damn difference. We are all one people.

So, with that in mind, we see ourselves, all of us here, as the northern front of a Latin American revolutionary movement…

Sanchee High School is a “Social Justice” institution that supports the political activism and indoctrination that instructors such as Mr. Gochez clearly preaches. Once again, the message is consistent and clear.

From the school’s website:

http://www.blog4history.com/wp-admin/post-new.php#titlediv

School of Public Service & Social Justice

We are committed to developing socially conscious members of society who positively contribute to their community. We work to provide students multiple career pathways by offering sufficient information, experiences and support to make informed post secondary decisions as well as prepare students to graduate from Santee Education Complex with certificates and/or Associate degrees in hand.

The link can be found here: http://www.santeefalcons.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=46518&type=d&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=59286

Consider the following (source link here);

They’ve been called Oreos, traitors and Uncle Toms, and are used to having to defend their values. Now black conservatives are really taking heat for their involvement in the mostly white tea party movement—and for having the audacity to oppose the policies of the nation’s first black president.

“I’ve been told I hate myself. I’ve been called an Uncle Tom. I’ve been told I’m a spook at the door,” said Timothy F. Johnson, chairman of the Frederick Douglass Foundation, a group of black conservatives who support free market principles and limited government.

“Black Republicans find themselves always having to prove who they are. Because the assumption is the Republican Party is for whites and the Democratic Party is for blacks,” he said

I think it is sad that to be black means, to some, you have to be Democrat! There is a lot of controversy surrounding the Tea Party movement. I understand that. It has been vilified. Won’t go into that. Are there always some radicals on the Right and Left, yes, and they do not represent the whole. (I am still waiting for the video or audio of the actual racial slurs and other epitaphs that was claimed. With all the cell phones with cameras!) The Tea Party movement is made up of a lot of average folks, and some if not many are Democrats and Independents. I attended a Tea Party gathering of over a thousand recently and found it to be peaceful and respectful.

My hat is off to those Black Republicans that risk far more than I do to identify themselves as Republicans. I am not, I am a registered Indepedent and have voted for Democrats (Clinton), Republicans, and Libertarians.

[The photo is of Fox News political analyst Angela McGlowan as she announced at the Tupelo, Miss., City Hall, that she is running for the 1st Congressional District as a Republican.]

Back to my story, waiting there in my classroom was Gustaf, a foreign exchange student from Sweden. A nice young man and whom I have gotten to know and think very highly of. He is socialist, comes from a socialist country where they have government run universal health care. Gustaf greeted me as he usually does with a question or two about what today’s lesson might entail. I was not myself and he sensed it, so in his broken but yet very good English he asked, “So you watched the Congress last night?”

Apparently Gustaf’s host family had. We had a 10 minute or so discussion on the Sunday evening events and he then said something remarkable to me: “Mr. Wehner, the health care bill does not seem very American. I don’t understand how America would want to do this.” He spoke of our ideals and values which he learned in his U.S. Government class — which I DID NOT teach.

Sweden is a country of about 9 million and according to Gustaf they pay very high taxes and the health care is not bad. But he wondered out loud, “how will it work for 300+ million?” Good question, I replied.

Though our conversation did not end with an enlightened discovery of what the future will hold, it did nonetheless brighten my mood and lift my spirits. We are exceptional and even to a socialist — a good kid who recognizes the greatness of our country while those spoiled by her freedoms cannot.

Also, I found this national address from President Ronald Reagan and thought I would share. I have a new website in the works for history teachers and well, will speak more about that later.

This is for all Americans and for all who teach American history.

My only comment at this time, for a President and current Congress that promised to be the most “transparent” and “ethical” in history, it seems the difficult and more honorable path would be to buck the trend. To stand up and acknowledge minority rights and to honor the constitution, as has clearly not been done – that would have been what this administration promised.

Congress is broken and has been for some time. We The People must consider insisting that our politicians begin to honor the constitution. The Republicans have used this option to lower taxes and do things that Democrats cried foul over, just as Republicans are now doing. Both have been wrong. We need change, real change.

Here is a look at reconciliation’s controversial history:

Dec. 5, 1980 | Though reconciliation was established during the Ford administration as a means to keep spending in check, it went unused until the final days of the Carter presidency. As one of his last acts in office, President Jimmy Carter signed the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1980, designed to slim the budget deficit through revisions to a range of entitlement programs.

Aug. 13, 1981 | The Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1981, passed by a Republican Senate, cut $130 billion from several discretionary programs, including welfare and food stamps.

Sept. 3, 1982 | A Republican Senate approves the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982, which first opened Medicare to HMOs.

Sept. 8, 1982 | For the second time in less than a week, Congress uses reconciliation to pass a $13 billion bill amending the food stamp program, the federal employee pay program and farm subsidies.

April 18, 1984 | The Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1983, approved by a Republican Senate, was a deficit-reduction measure that made changes to the annual cost-of-living adjustments to the retirement accounts of federal employees.

April 7, 1986 | A Republican Senate passes the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, otherwise known as COBRA. The act allows laid-off workers to keep their health care coverage.

Oct. 21, 1986 | The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 cuts $17 billion from the nation’s deficit through changes to Medicare and the sale of the government’s stake in the Consolidated Rail Corp.

Dec. 22, 1987 | Democrats, back in control of the Senate, pass the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 establishing federal standards for nursing homes under Medicare. The measure also expands Medicaid eligibility.

Dec. 19, 1989 | Democrats approve the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989, stripping $39 billion from the deficit while overhauling doctor payments for Medicare.

Nov. 5, 1990 | President George H.W. Bush signs a Democratic measure, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990; In addition to establishing pay-as-you-go rules for federal spending, the bill also implemented tax increases and added cancer screenings to Medicare.

Aug. 10, 1993 | Democrats, in control of Congress and the White House, pass the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1993. It cuts $504.8 billion from the budget while creating new tax rates for businesses and individuals and also establishing federal vaccine funding for children.

Dec. 6, 1995 | Republicans, back in control of Congress, pass the Balanced Budget Act of 1995 through reconciliation. President Clinton vetoes the measure.

Aug. 22, 1996 | President Clinton’s welfare reform bill is passed by a Republican-controlled Congress through reconciliation. The bill separates Medicaid from welfare for the first time.

Aug. 5, 1997 | Republicans use reconciliation to pass President Clinton’s Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Besides setting the U.S. on the path to a balanced budget, the bill created the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The same day, a tax-cutting measure is also passed through reconciliation.

Sept. 23, 1999 | President Clinton vetoes Republicans’ Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act of 1999.

Aug. 5, 2000 | Republicans in Congress pass the Marriage Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2000, which President Clinton vetoes.

June 7, 2001 | A day after his party loses control of the Senate, President George W. Bush signs the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, his first major tax cut.

May 28, 2003 | President Bush, with Republicans back in control of Congress, signs the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Act of 2003, his second round of tax cuts.

Feb. 8, 2006 | After Republicans use reconciliation for the third time in his presidency, President Bush signs the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005; the bill cuts spending on Medicare and Medicaid.

May 17, 2006 | President Bush signs an extension of his earlier tax cuts approved by a Republican Congress in the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005.

Sept. 27, 2007 | Democrats, in control of Congress once again, use reconciliation to pass the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. President Bush signs the $20 billion reform of student aid.

Sources:

* The Brookings Institution
* The Library of Congress’ THOMAS
* Congressional Research Service

My source

Note: The present denominations of our currency in production are $1, $2, 5$, $10, $20, $50 and $100. The largest denomination of currency ever printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) was the $100,000 Series 1934 Gold Certificate featuring the portrait of President Wilson. [[source]

However, as a student of history I am beginning to have some cause for concern. With the recent closed door signing of a bill by the President to increase the Federal deficit to $14.3 trillion, along with: a potential massive health care bill and the jobs bill that supposedly will create jobs (remember we already had one that was to keep us from seeing 8-9% unemployment; we are now hovering around 10%.)  That’s not to mention Cap and Trade and other bills lurking in Congress. The fact that future taxation will have to become a burden for not just the wealthy but for most of us who hold jobs, has got me wondering if Mr. Beck is right?

According to the report [linked above]:

White House Office of Management and Budget projects that these changes will raise taxes on wealthy Americans by $636.7 billion over the next decade.

Spend and tax did not get America out of the Great Depression as unemployment never stabilized because the job creation initiatives by FDR failed to initiate true economic recovery (it was a government injected mirage that was never sustainable). Some argue FDR did not go far enough, did not spend enough. FDR wanted to keep the deficit somewhat under control. How did he achieve this? Taxes, especially on the wealthy and small business (those that survived). It’s the private sector, the small businesses that will create long term sustained job growth. However, not when they face no incentive to create jobs as their government will simply tax their profits to some extreme measures. Spending money by the government can be just fine and dandy, but when that is combined with heavy taxation, the private sector is doomed. Spend money on what you must, but cut taxes on the small businesses (and corporations) and watch them grow and grow and before you know it, you have the tax money needed because the private sector has grown, thus producing more tax revenue. Think of it this way, when Henry Ford introduced his assembly line and sought to produce more and more cars at a cheaper price in order to create more demand, he made more money. Same thing applies to taxation, create more tax payers without increasing the tax, and you make more money.

Several arguments. What got us out of the Great Depression? You could argue that the New Deal created the infrastructure that allowed the country to survive. The massive spending on war materials in the late 1930s early 40s. But mainly, and this is a point of serious debate, is the simple fact that after the war the United States was the only industrial economy left standing and this allowed the private sector to blossom and with it the complete recovery of our economy.

In comparison, the Great Depression did not truly become great until three years after the stock market crash of 1929. When the floor fell out of the economy (1932) is when true suffering occurred and thus produced the  “great” depression. Recently, our stock market crash was 2008-09.  Will we see a similar result by 2012 that we did by 1932 (per graph unemployment hits 25%)? I hope not.

FDR did not listen to small business owners. Henry Ford (you know, that great capitalists mentioned above) equated FDR’s policies to communism and refused to sign into the National Recovery Administration’s policies [for more on that click here]. FDR relied on economists who were ideologues and theorists who knew little about running a business. I hope our current President is not making the same mistake?

The facts are daunting. A $14 plus trillion dollar deficit will probably doom my generation from ever enjoying the sustained prosperity of our parents. The Republicans started the spending under Bush, and now the Democrats are doing the same times ten. Meet the new bosses, same as the old bosses. It’s hard to keep a straight face when I teach American Government and Politics as a high school teacher.

We can, however, hopefully, do something for our children. That probably starts this year when we elect fiscally responsible politicians? I don’t care if these include Democrats, Libertarians, Tea Partiers, whoever, it is our most direct way to avoid a potential disaster if Glenn Beck and others are right. And I hope they are not!

UPDATE: Lone voice warns of debt threat to Fed

The US must fix its growing debt problems or risk a new financial crisis, Thomas Hoenig, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, warned on Tuesday, adding a mounting deficit could spur inflation.

Economists Predict Cutbacks, Tax Increases That ‘Aren’t Even Imaginable’…

American political and economic leaders have sounded the alarm for years about the red ink rising in reports on the federal government’s fiscal health.

David Muir looks into how the deficit has become so large.But now the problem of mounting national debt is worse than it ever has been before with — potentially dire consequences for taxpayers, according to a report by the nonpartisan Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform.