The 1st amendment allows me to say anything I want. So that's exactly what I do. It doesn't matter whether its a fact or not. Therefore you must accept and respect anything I say. If you do not agree, than you are bad and you are wrong. And when you disagree, I verbally strike back, and preferably by calling you the most terrible name you have ever been called, and maybe . . .
My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills
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T - the number of police officers killed in the line of duty has risen by almost 50 percent in one year
Fact - the number of law enforcement officers killed on the job has increased 8 percent, compared to this point in 2015.
T - homicides last year increased by 17 percent in America's 50 largest cities. That's the largest increase in 25 years. In our nation's capital, killings have risen by 50 percent. They are up nearly 60 percent in nearby Baltimore."
Fact - the percentage increase was large because the number of homicides in 2014 was relatively small. Meanwhile, homicide trends have been split in the major cities so far this year: Out of 63 agencies reporting to the Major Cities Chiefs Association, 32 cities saw a decrease in homicides in the first quarter of 2016, and 31 cities saw an increase.
T - Nearly 180,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records, ordered deported from our country, are tonight roaming free to threaten peaceful citizens.
Fact - in fiscal 2015, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported nearly 140,000 convicted criminals, but ICE has estimated that nearly 1 million noncitizens with final deportation orders remain in the United States. Crimes committed by this group are not documented. A significant percentage of their crimes involve immigration violations and nonviolent offenses, according to historical records.
T - The number of new illegal immigrant families who have crossed the border so far this year already exceeds the entire total from 2015. They are being released by the tens of thousands into our communities with no regard for the impact on public safety or resources.
Fact - From October to June, just over 50,000 families were apprehended at the southwestern border, up from about 40,000 in all of the previous fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. But overall apprehensions, including of unaccompanied minors, are running only slightly higher than in 2015 and remain far less than in 2014, 2013 and 2012.
T - Decades of record immigration have produced lower wages and higher unemployment for our citizens, especially for African -American and Latino workers.
Fact - Distinction must be made between legal and illegal immigration. The flow of legal immigrants has increased over the past four decades, stabilizing at roughly 1 million people obtaining lawful permanent resident status every year since 2001. The unauthorized immigrant population increased from about 4 million in 1990 to about 12 million in 2007. But researchers estimate that the number of illegal immigrants has been essentially stable since then because of the large number of unauthorized immigrants who left the country during and after the Great Recession.
T - 2 million more Latinos are in poverty today than when the president took his oath of office."
Fact - From March 2009 to March 2014, the most recent year for which statistics are available, the number of Latinos in poverty increased by 750,000 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But the overall number of the Latinos grew by nearly 7 million. So the percent of Latinos living in poverty declined from 25.3 percent to 23.6 percent.
T - Household incomes are down more than $4,000 since the year 2000 - 16 years ago.
Fact - Median annual household income was $57,206 in June, down slightly from January 2000, when it was $57,826 in 2016 dollars. So household income is essentially flat, not down $4,000.
T - Forty-three million Americans are on food stamps.
Fact - This is the lowest number of people receiving food stamps since the program reached its peak in 2013, a sign that the economy is finally improving enough to help the desperately poor families who depend on it.
T - Fifty-eight percent of African American youth are not employed.
Fact - According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate among blacks 16 to 19 years old was 31.2 percent in June. This official unemployment rate refers to people who are actively looking for work, as a percentage of the total available workforce.
T - Another 14 million people have left the workforce entirely.
Fact - Half of the decline in the labor participation rate since 1999 is due to the retirement of the baby boomers. Economists estimate just 15 percent of the drop in the labor force involves people who want a job and are of prime working age (25 to 54).
T - America has lost nearly one-third of its manufacturing jobs since 1997, following the enactment of disastrous trade deals (by previous administrations)
Fact - The economy has added nearly 1 million manufacturing jobs since 2010, the low point after the Great Recession.
It is simplistic to pin blame for the decline in manufacturing jobs on trade agreements. Increased efficiency and technological advancement have also played a major role.
(thanks to http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-donald-trump-convention-speech-fact-check-20160721-story.html)
My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills
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So I said
I've got a roof o'er my head
Some people can't even say the same thing
But it's still not a fact
I can take any comfort in
I want more to make up my legacy
I'm not poorbut everybody's telling me
Money can't buy everything
You've heard it time again
No money can't buy happiness
When will you learn this fact of life my friend
So I said
I've got my very own bed
I don't give it much thought
When I lay down my head
But it's cold and it's lonely
In December on the street
Why do you tell me these kinds of things
I want more of luxuries that wealth can bring
Money can't buy everything
You've heard it time again
No money can't buy happiness
When will you learn this fact of life my friend
I want to be a squire a king a country gentleman
If I can if I can
I want to get respect Ffor what I have
And not for what I am
Just a man just a man
So I said
It's more than daily bread
That I. . . . . . . .
Money can't buy everything
You've heard it time again
No money can't buy happiness
When will you learn this fact of life my friend
My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills
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Why do I have to hear, see, read about Donald Trump every day as if he really is a serious, viable, candidate for president of the United States of America? Because of our wonderful press - gawd bless 'em!
"You can say what you want I have no doubt that it (waterboarding) does work in term of information and other things," Trump told (Jake) Tapper. ["other things"? - my note]
Jacob Paul "Jake" Tapper is an American journalist, cartoonist and author. As of 2016, he is the Chief Washington Correspondent, anchor of the CNN weekday television news show The Lead with Jake Tapper
Did Jake Tapper ask Trump to provide empirical evidence of maybe an example or two of instances where he (Trump) could prove that the statement he had just made was, in fact, accurate?
NNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
Our dedicated, objective, informative press at work? (Maybe "Jake" is a better cartoonist?)
My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak
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Fox's Varney: "New Figures Suggest ThatObamacare Will Be Much More Expensive Than We Thought."On the January 27 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom, network host Stuart Varney claimed that the CBO's report showed that "Obamacare is going to be much more expensive than we thought" and that these "uncovered" costs are "going into our deficit projections." Varney didn't mention the CBO's finding that the ACA will cost less than expected. [Fox News, America's Newsroom, 1/27/15]
Fox's Hasselbeck: "Bombshell" Report Says Obamacare Will Cost "$50,000 In Taxpayer Money Per Person." During the January 27 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck reported on the CBO's new estimates, saying the estimated cost of Obamacare would be "two trillion dollars" or "$50,000 in taxpayer money" for every insured American, omitting that the price has actually fallen. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 1/27/15]
Wash. Examiner: ACA Will "Spend About $2 Trillion." In a January 26 article, The Washington Examinerreported on the CBO's estimates on healthcare spending without noting that the analysis had actually lowered the cost of funding the ACA. Instead, the Examiner focused on the healthcare law's price tag of "about $2 trillion over the next decade":
The subsidies will cost the government less than originally expected, but are still substantial, the budget office said. “Subsidies in the exchanges are projected to average about $5,000 per subsidized enrollee from 2016 through 2018 and to reach almost $8,000 in 2025,” Mr. Elmendorf said.
OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak. Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com
My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music will be released April 7, 2014 Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak
(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)
The George Zimmerman trial has consumed the American public the past two weeks and certainly for good reason. I may as well weigh-in on it like everybody else because, hey, I'm not above it. As a matter of fact, no one is.
First, the obscene quote and knock-knock joke by the prosecution and defense respectively were totally out of order - especially the joke. On one hand, seeing photos and film of Zimmerman and hearing comments from his parents, I can't help but think that Zimmerman sorely regrets what he has done. He just appears to be a bit tortured. (It's just a feeling I get.) But that doesn't mean that what he did wasn't wrong and that he should not pay some penalty for taking an innocent, human life. You can't antagonize someone to the point of confrontation then pull out a weapon and kill him in the name of self-defense. That appears to me to be exactly what happened.
It also seems that by strict letter of the law, in a trial for 2nd degree murder (or manslaughter), one and only one thing has to happen. The prosecution must prove that Zimmerman killed for reasons other than self defense. And the prosecution must convince the jury that Zimmerman killed for reasons other than self defense beyond a shadow of a doubt. The defense only needs to place that doubt in the minds of the jurors. And that is exactly what, I believe, happened in that courtroom.
So I do believe that by the time that George Zimmerman pulled that trigger, he did feel that his life was in danger. Trayvon Martin was by that point very angry. Trayvon Martin was provoked. Trayvon Martin felt that his life was in danger. The trial did not broach anything remotely close these questions.
The trial also failed to address the series of events that occurred prior to that pulling of the trigger that led to that awful, crucial moment. The trial failed to address how Trayvon Martin must have felt when he finally, and mistakenly, confronted George Zimmerman. Sure, it would have been better to walk away. But it was not the absolutely-required thing to do.
Finally, if we learn anything at all from the Zimmerman debacle, it is that the contention of the NRA that the more guns we have in society the better off we will be is sheer and utter nonsense. No one should have to fear the prospect of a loaded gun being carried by another human being who is foolishly taking comfort in a
law that is cartoonishly named the "Stand Your Ground" law.
No one could make discussion of religion as entertaining as Christopher Hitchens. . .
(from JON WIENER, TRUTHDIG, CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS at http://old.richarddawkins.net/articles/1249)
". . . Wiener: Let's talk about the U.S. Polls show that 94 per cent of Americans believe in God, and 89 per cent believe in heaven; of those, three-fourths think they will go to heaven, but only 2 per cent think they will go to hell. This seems laughable, but what's the harm in people believing they will go to heaven after they die—and see their mothers there?
Hitchens: All you have to do is promise them 72 virgins, and they'll kill to get there. That's what's wrong with it, along with the fact that it's a solipsistic delusion. And the spreading of delusion in the end isn't a good thing, because credulous and deluded people are easy to exploit. People arise who are aware of that fact.
If belief in heaven was private, like the tooth fairy, I'd say fine. But tooth fairy supporters don't come around to your house and try to convert you. They don't try to teach your children stultifying pseudo-science in school. They don't try to prevent access to contraception. The religious won't leave us alone. These are not just private delusions, they're ones they want to inflict on other people.
If religion were true, there would be no need for politics; you'd only need to have faith.
Wiener: The final killer argument of your critics is that Hitler and Stalin were not religious. The worst crimes of the 20th century did not have a religious basis. They came from political ideology.
Hitchens: That's easy. Hitler never abandoned Christianity and recommends Catholicism quite highly in "Mein Kampf." Fascism, as distinct from National Socialism, was in effect a Catholic movement.
Wiener: What about Stalin? He wasn't religious.
Hitchens: Stalin—easier still. For hundreds of years, millions of Russians had been told the head of state should be a man close to God, the czar, who was head of the Russian Orthodox Church as well as absolute despot. If you're Stalin, you shouldn't be in the dictatorship business if you can't exploit the pool of servility and docility that's ready-made for you. The task of atheists is to raise people above that level of servility and credulity. No society has gone the way of gulags or concentration camps by following the path of Spinoza and Einstein and Jefferson and Thomas Paine. . . "
Romney's misrepresenting Obama's welfare plan. The need for fact-checkers. Serious and terminal illness, helplessness and grief. Willful ignorance. Political polarization. The approaching end of summer. Droning, monotone, musically elementary folk singers who are hugely popular. Office politics. Lack of leadership. Bad poetry. Higher prices. Senseless killing. Theistic religions with archaic tenets. Endless, mindless drivel from the media about stupid people who have money but no sense.
What
do YOU think?
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AMBIENCE & WINE
One fact that I
In my infinite wisdom
Could not always see
But in the end you always convinced me
Things aren't always
What they appear
The things I've always looked for
Once long ago before we met
I thought I could
Single-handedly make the
Spinning world go away
Just like some king
from back in those bygone days
But I was wrong
I don't belong
Inside this category
Seemed to be
At the time to me
To my advantage
Missing why
Not knowing
When to try
To start believing
In my
Very own
Self
Determination
Sometimes at night
When I'm alone
The solitude
And the quiet can bring out
All the worst in my head
But now it seems that isn't to big or bad
I've learned a thing
Or maybe two
And just ahead
There's
Always
You
. . . at least SOMETIMES I feel like I'm grown up . . .
. . . I need to take a stand on the future of my country. Even well into adulthood, more politically- vocal elders of mine voiced opinions about 'wasting' a vote or 'throwing away' a vote that would elect 'his' opponent. Well it's time for principle. At the core of any political disagreement, it seems that many debaters actually agree on issues like waste in government, a bloated and expensive campaign process or inequality in one form or another. And not matter how many good things the current President has accomplished (for those concerned with facts), he could have done much more. Be aware that we also have, in addition to the BIG TWO, Socialist, Libertarian, Green and Liberty parties involved in the election. Educate yourself, heaven knows the network news is NOT going to help you out there. And vote your conscience and your heart.
Ten reasons to vote for Rocky Anderson (Liberty Party):
The promotion of the public interest through the defeat of
the systemic corruption that has caused
massive failures in public policy.
An immediate end to the on-going wars.
Essential health care coverage for all citizens.
Urgent international leadership by the U.S. to prevent
against the most catastrophic consequences of climate disruption.
Adequate revenues to balance the budget through fair
taxation.
Treatment of substance abuse as a public health,
rather than criminal justice, issue.
Control of the Federal Reserve by the
Treasury Department and Congress.
A balanced budget (or a surplus) except in times of
war or major recession.
An end to the legal concept of corporate
“personhood;” a constitutional amendment to overrule Citizens
United.
An end to the stranglehold on our government by
the military-industrial complex.
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do YOU think?
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Download
your
very own copy of
ANOTHER SHOT
by Ray
Jozwiak
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