Transportation Investment Act - Regional Roundtable

Beginning the week of June 13, the Atlanta Regional Transportation Roundtable will host 10 telephone town hall meetings, one in each county. The meetings will give local officials from each county who serve on the Roundtable a chance to hear from you about your transportation concerns and priorities. More than a million people will receive calls and be invited to participate in the telephone town halls. However, anyone can join a call by using the 800 number and PIN.

Roundtable members will work throughout the summer to select the projects that voters will be asked to approve in July 2012. This telephone town hall is one of many ways the Roundtable will gather public input. If you have any questions, please call Kathryn Lawler at 404.463.3296.

The current schedule for the Roundtable conversations is:
(the Dial in Number is 888-886-6603)

Date	Jurisdiction	Pin
June 13th 6pm	Henry County	16717
June 13th 7:15 pm	Douglas County	16718
June 14th 6pm	Cherokee County	16719
June 14th 7:15 pm	Cobb County	16720
June 15th 7:15 pm	DeKalb County	16722
June 20th 6pm	Fayette County	16723
June 20th 7:15pm	Gwinnett County	16724
June 21st 6pm	Rockdale County	16725
June 22nd 6pm	Fulton County	16727
June 22nd 7:15pm	Clayton County	16728

For more information including a schedule of all future meetings, please go to the Roundtable website at: www.atlantaregionalroundtable.com

Atlanta Regional Commission
40 Courtland St. NE
Atlanta Georgia 30303

Socialism v. Capitalism: Does one produce a better Thanksgiving?

Yes, as a matter of fact, one is better than the other! Well, at least according to Fox News and the once reputable John Stossel. Only Fox News could turn a holiday into yet another slam against "socialism." I am surprised we do not hear about Christmas and its socialists roots...some big rich fat guy forced to go from home to home giving away toys to "other" children. Sounds like a handout to me

Here is Stossel explaining it.

I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag - Country Joe and the Fish

The Vietnam era was ripe with politically charged songs. Nothing embodies the social movement known affectionately as "The Sixties" better than Woodstock. One of the more famous tunes from Woodstock would have to be Country Joe and the Fish and their cry out against the draft and the Vietnam War in general.

Well, come on all of you, big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Vietnam
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.

Speaking of the government exploiting our young men during the War for their own political gain. Sadly, many young men did have to trade in their books for guns and ammo,

Come on Wall Street, don't be slow,
Why man, this is war au-go-go
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of its trade,
But just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
They drop it on the Viet Cong.

Lots of money to be made in war! Are we still seeing this today? Oh, you betcha!

Well, come on generals, let's move fast;
Your big chance has come at last.
Now you can go out and get those reds
'Cause the only good commie is the one that's dead
And you know that peace can only be won
When we've blown 'em all to kingdom come.

The Vietnam War was no better time for the generals to beef up their resume in times of a Red Scare. Almost as silly as "no fighting in the war room" is the line "and you know that peace can only be won." Rather than cultivated, peace comes from the hellish realities of war, death, and bombs. Not.

One of the greatest anti-war anthems! Enjoy the video...wish I could have been there :)

Keep on Rockin' in the Free World!

Long time rocker, folk artist, and condemner of war, Neil Young's "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World" is a classic political tune. The song has become an iconic anthem and it's status continues to rise as more and more artists cover the song. Young's lyrics are considered to be an indictment of the politics of the 1980's. In today's post-9/11 world, the lyrics seem prophetic and even more meaningful than when originally written on the eve of the '90's.

There's colors on the street
Red, white and blue
People shufflin' their feet
People sleepin' in their shoes
But there's a warnin' sign
on the road ahead
There's a lot of people sayin'
we'd be better off dead
Don't feel like Satan,
but I am to them
So I try to forget it,
any way I can.

The first verse serves as a warning to what lay ahead if we continue down the same path. "People sleepin' in their shoes" depicts the rampant homelessness problem we saw facing the nation under Reaganomics. Young's criticism of capitalism and American consumerism often lands him the title of "Satan" amongst his greedy capitalist counterparts.

Young continues...

We got a thousand points of light
For the homeless man
We got a kinder, gentler,
Machine gun hand

The lyrics are a direct reference to President George H.W. Bush's campaign pledge to create a compassionate citizenry volunteering to help cope with society's ills. The "thousand points of light" symbolize the American citizen's spirit and a shining example of giving selflessly to care for one another's neighbor and brother. Along with "a kinder, gentler hand", Bush believed that each American could contribute to helping make the United States -- and the world -- a better place to live and work.

The song is strongly democratic and with pro-American ideals in that it is a condemnation of the supply-side/trickle down politics of President Ronald Reagan. "Reaganomics" involved massive tax cuts in the wealthiest brackets which supporters claimed would trickle down to lower brackets. In fact, the policies led to huge federal deficits and exploding unemployment and social decay, particularly in large urban American cities that were left neglected, polluted, and destroyed.

The lyrics of "Rockin' In The Free World" also refer to the rampant and mindless consumerism of American culture and the rise of the disposable society based on waste and pollution. As Annie Leonard put it in her video turned novel "The Story of Stuff." Americans are on an ever expanding Work/Watch/Spend lifestyle. Non of which makes us any happier.

We got department stores and toilet paper
Got styrofoam boxes for the ozone layer
Got a man of the people, says keep hope alive
Got fuel to burn, got roads to drive.

The lyrics "Got a man of the people, says keep hope alive" refer to the Reverand Jesse Jackson's signature phrase to "Keep hope alive." Young contrasts President Bush's rhetoric and Rev. Jackson's religion as solutions to society's ills, when in actuality, they are nothing more than "feel good" slogans with little results to show.

All in all, one of the greatest, and most notable political songs of all time. When Rolling Stone Magazine came out with the top 500 songs of all time, this song landed at number 214.

Keep on ROCKIN'!

Beck on Obama's trip to Asia

This story is just great! Some micro blogger in India "leaks" some story about Obama's trip to Asia as costing $200 million a day." Well, when it turns out that that was a lie...

Yup, good ole' Glenn Beck still had to report it. Even he is unsure of it, but in the interest of taking down the president and spreading his infectious lies to his mindless minions...

This of course all begs the real question: Have the standards of journalism fallen with the widespread use of blogs, twitter, and other social networking sites? The short answer is yes. Any Joe The Plumber can have access to these sites and report however they feel. With no real penalties or back lash. However, having the ability to have news at your fingertips 24 hours a day can be a great thing. Bloggers have revealed many troubling instances, and will continue to do so in the future.

FACT: All Terrorists are Muslim

Yes, ladies and Gentlemen, our friends over at Fox News are telling their viewers that ALL TERRORISTS are Muslims. I guess some of the non-Muslim terrorists just...disappeared from their minds. Timothy McVeigh was a DEVOUT follower of Islam. Come one here folks! The American Coalition of Life Activists, who have published hit lists on abortion providers, with addresses, also follow the teachings found in the Koran. From the left, you even have the Earth Liberation Front, who have been widely known to burn places down in the name of saving the environment.

I hereby pledge to America to...LIE

The Party of "No" has come out recently (not like Mehlman) with a Pledge to America. Their new heralded pledge is nothing new, and echoes almost in its entirety Gingrich's "Contract with America" circa 1994. The pledge goes into detail concerning the economy, health care, the stimulus bill, small businesses, and of course, taxes.

I will outline a few gross LIES spread by the GOP.

According to the document, the PTA states that jobs in the government sector are exponentially increasing, while private sector jobs are suffering severe losses. Hardly true, in fact, not even remotely true. Jobs in the government sector have steadily decreased while the private sector has gained 763,000 jobs. So, their claim of some omnipotent government that is expanding at ravenous rates never before seen...is FALSE.

It then goes on to claim that jobless claims are "continuing to soar." Again, you've been mislead. Jobless claims are down 8% from their worst levels.

It says Obama’s tax proposals would raise taxes on “roughly half the small business income in America,” an exaggeration. Much of the income the GOP is counting actually comes from big businesses making over $50 million a year.

I must ask if the GOP's PTA is to spread misinformation to the masses? If that is their pledge, than they have succeeded. I would call this nothing more than a desperate attempt to oust their democratic opponents.