Manns Medium

My journey began the day that I was born but I did not know it.   From the moment I opened my eyes and took my first breath, a plan of my life was formed and I began walking it the first moment I took my first step. Many of us look to what we have accomplished as a measure of our life but I have come to know that it isn’t what we have accomplished that makes our lives fulfilled, it’s who we have comforted.   We go through life looking for that brass ring and waiting on that dock for our ship to come in, what we fail to realize is that all that time we were looking for that brass ring or waiting on our ship, God had place that silver spoon in our hands and had already given us that boat to get to that other side.   We use the spoon to feed ourselves and the boat to fish with but we refused to cross over for fear of missing that ship. God was with me from the day I touched my first dead body and he supported me through all of the good and bad times before and after...

I have been shaking my head a lot lately, wondering just how one party could claim to work for voters while making so many fatal mistakes when it came to political decisions.   Last night, it finally donned on me why. Conservatives are clashing over what positions that their party should take and because they are not as organized as they want people to believe, their chosen representatives are being pulled in several directions at once.   Take for example Grover Norquist and his “No Tax Plan”.   Here this one person cracks the whip and get’s his GOP ducks in a row swearing never ever to raise taxes in any manner, shape or form.   The only problem with that is another group riding in wants a smaller government and the deficit fixed.   To believe that you can fix the deficit without increasing revenue is about as smart as spitting into the wind.   So the representative promises to fix the deficit, arrives in Washington and realizes that in order to do th...

For me, the debate over raising taxes on millionaires and everyone paying their fair share was looked upon as nothing more than a level playing field.   Then I began to listen to others frame this debate in different ways each with its own merit.   The cloud was lifted after I considered the arguments and discovered something that no one was talking about. I went on Turbo Tax and plugged in the numbers for people making over one million dollars per year paying thirty percent of their income in taxes and only taking the normal deductions.   Deductions like the mortgage insurance and property taxes on their primary home, wages and salaries paid to employees, advertising and supply costs as well as payroll taxes and other business expenses and choosing one hundred percent at risk.   After doing that what showed as the refund amount was a little over what they would have paid in taxes.     What this says to me and anyone else who wish to try it is, the ...

Being trapped in a life of poverty for so long, I am quite aware of how disappointing it is to believe in something or someone and have that faith shattered.   This is probably what many in the Tea Party is now feeling after starting off with such great promise only to now be seen as a meager figment of its former self.   Confused as to my announcement so far, let me explain. The Tea Party first formed to hold officials accountable, lessen the role of government in our everyday lives, curb the spending and bring in leaders who will create jobs.   They have failed on 3 of the 4.   I give them a pass on the curbing spending mainly because without government involvement, this economy would not be seeing any type of recovery but the other 3 I cannot help but ask each and every remaining person who claims the label of Tea Partier, what happened?   You were given an opportunity to demonstrate what you said that you could do but right now that which you are eat...

Where do we find these politicians who say that they are about things that the majority of us would like to see in our political leaders only to then speak senseless in the next breathe.   When are we going to demand that they have at least a clue about what it is they would do about the issues facing this nation and have answers to the simple questions that arises when they open their mouths? I’m reminded about this when I listened to Mr. Samuel Wurzelbacher interview on The Last Word with Lawrence O Donnell last night.   He was asked about his tax plan and mentioned the old Herman Caine refrain of 999 but did not seem to know the unjust result that plan would have on the majority of those he claim to want to serve.   He was asked about the Grover Norquist pledge of never raising taxes for any reason and his take on the signing of this pledge by those who are now reneging was that those who renege was not men and women of their word.   He was asked what he t...

It’s been 49 years and I still can hear the laughter, the taunts and sneers of children my age teasing me for being on Welfare.   It didn’t matter that my mother was challenged to raise ten children single-handily or the quite clear fact that I was not able to choice to what family and to what situation I would be born to.   Honestly the memories were only whispers until Newt Gingrich reminded me with his comments of poor children cleaning the school bathrooms and mopping the floors.   The arrogance of those who believed as a child and now as an adult that getting financial help from the government was nothing short of charity and making all those who receive it lazy.   I used to think that way. I had made up my mind that I would never beg the government for help and this also made me quite defiant to asking anyone for help.   As I think back now, I believe that this has served me well.   I’ve paid very close attention when it came to learning somethin...

Before President Obama could meet with the Republican, they met and decided not to assist this president with anything and this was shortly after he had been inaugurated.   From day one it was apparent that nothing this president supported would receive any embarrass from the GOP.   They had a pretty good argument in the beginning when they were asking the question of how the policies this president wanted would be paid for. That argument is no longer valid and it seems that many looking on have figured that out except for those in the position to make life better for those they were set to serve.   They then created the myth that the 1% or job creators were against paying a little more in taxes and it was their job to protect business from being gouged by this administration.   Even though polls overwhelmingly showed that the majority was in favor of what the president was proposing, the GOP still leaned on the premise that taxes should not be raised in a reces...

Grover Norquist insisted that all who dons the title Republican prove their loyalty to the party by signing a pledge not to ever raise taxes for any reason and they are sticking to it even at the risk of sacrificing those that they took an oath to serve.   What do you do with a party or person who promise one thing but delivers another? So many Americans could use the power that they loaned to those in Washington to help with the multitude of issues that they are facing.   Their chooses are quite simple, deal with the day to day hurdles or support division between the parties.   Every poll tells you what that decision was yet nothing seems to work to get those sitting tightly on their hands to get up and get into the game.   I guess it’s plain to see when you look at those facing re-election as to the ones who might be forced to move. It has not gone without notice, that many of those who are dead-set against making any movement toward job creation are those...

Hedi Harris, a Las Vegas Talk Show Host used her time on the Ed Show on MSNBC to proclaim that this taxing the rich campaign was unfair because people who pay no income taxes could still get the earned income tax credit.   It was then that it occurred to me, the real meaning of this talking point for all those of the same mind as Ms. Harris.   After doing a little research and using my own personal experience, I decided that it was time to try and dispel this rumor. The earned income tax credit was designed for those that don’t earn a high income and mostly for the low to moderate income bracket.   What that really means is earned income credit is just what it says.   If you do not have any earned income for that year and meet the minim gross income amount, you will not be able to get this credit.   In other words, no earned income, no credit.   Now we all know that if you can take this credit, you must have earned some money during the year from which...

To hear reports coming from those reporters keeping a close eye on what’s going on in Washington, you would think we were talking about Hollywood.   Hearing how difficult it is to get things done and decisions made would make you think that life is so very hard there.   It’s not and it’s about time someone said what many of us have been thinking for far too long.   Washington is full of drama kings and queens. Take this debt reduction thing for instance, according to Andy Sullivan of Reuters he reports that the group meeting with Vice President Joe Biden is deadlocked over two items.   Two items, how that is possible.   That’s like spending six months in the cereal aisle of your local grocery store trying to decide which cereal to buy.   Not all Washington decisions may be easy but listen how Sullivan laid it out in his article titled “ Taxes on the menu in debt reduction talks ” and you tell me.   “Democrats say tax increases must be part of the s...

In a country as rich as ours and one who constantly have much to say about the radicals which inhabit other nations, one would venture to think that what we rail so much about would be something that we would never condone.   One would be wrong. The belief that to proper settle any kind of disagreement is best by shooting first and asking questions later is exactly the take that those radicals from another country take to settle their differences.   Radicals hide behind God or their equal to justify the killing of a fellow human being to create fear and dominate their opposition.   Radicals seek bombings to get their point across and depending on the mindset of the driver behind the wheel, do not mind that those harmed or killed never said one cross word to them.   Radicals claim that the voice of God has instructed them to take lives in order that their way of life will be embraced.   They claim that since they are to only true chosen ones that no other idea, ...