livingwagenow
livingwagenow's JournalSmart cities EMBRACE their LGBT scene + LGBT business can equal financial boon for cities.
Meanwhile, DUMB cities shun their LGBT scene and use their health depts and other ARCHAIC/DRACONIAN means of AUTHORITARIAN intimidation to drive us darn gay people back into their closets.
I am a gay male. I spend money. Gay people love to spend money. We love to patronize gay bars, gay clubs, gay gyms, gay hotels, gay spas etc. These business' create thousands of jobs within the city. The entire LGBT scene supports a rather vibrant economy, even in tough economic times. If Chicago's vibrant LGBT scene were to suddenly disappear, it would throw the entire Chicagoland into a recession.
As mentioned above, I live in what I call 'The gay capitol of the world' -Chicago. I love my city with a passion. Chicago has a rich gay history almost second to none. Chicago has a well developed LGBT scene. Halsted St is a fucking hoot. A real party. Always a good time. A great place to meet friends and hang out. Wrigley is nearby and I occasionally watch the Cubs lose.
But what makes Chicago so great to me is that a hundred years ago, the city began embracing its gay population and slowly over the course of the following decades, Chicago's storied gay scene began to flourish and develop. Gay and Lesbian bars began opening. Gay hotels followed, some that are still in business to this day. During the 1950's the scene really grew to international prominence.
In 1958, a hot young local gay political activist, Chuck Renslow and his gay artist lover, Etienne(Dom Orejudos) opened Chicago's first gay leather bar and it soon became quite famous internationally. The Gold Coast Leather Bar put Chicago's gay scene on the map and soon after, Chicago became a gay tourist destination as other LGBT business' began opening in response to the new surge of gay tourism, the new gay demand, the new economy, the gay dollar.
Renslow later went on to open more gay business', meanwhile his lover Eteinne went on to create some of Chicago's most historically significant art, in a city with a rich LGBT art history, the art galleries are worth the trip alone. Renslow also founded Chicago's Leather Museum and Archives. He is also a storied fixture in Illinois Democratic Party politics. He has founded several LGBT Democratic Party orgs over the decades. He is well known among Democratic Party activists.
After the Gold Coast opened, the decades that followed saw Chicago's LGBT scene grow into a first rate LGBT tourist destination and perhaps the greatest thriving gay scene on this planet. I've traveled to New York, San Fran, Montreal, Toronto, Seattle, Vancouver, Amsterdam and they all have great gay scenes of their own. No doubt about it.
Those cities have also learned the value of supporting a strong and vibrant LGBT scene of their own. Their cities' coffers are filled with gay dollars. Gay people spend generously at gay business' that cater to us. Gay bars, gay clubs, gay gyms, gay baths. These cities realize that what consenting adults do is our own fucking business. Wise decision.
Oh boy, does the money poor in.
On the flip side, I lived in Minneapolis in the late 90's. Polar opposite. Health Depts shut down the entire gay scene. Police raids on gay bars were rather common. In other words, an anti-gay gestapo. Gay business' were shut down or withered and went out of business. Gay bar patrons would fear police raids and gay bars went out of business. I still talk with some old gay friends that live there and things are still the same. State laws and city ordinance's are still driving away gay business and gay tourism. Minneapolis is LOSING out on alot of gay dollars and tourism because of these facts.
Get it now, Minneapolis city leaders? Sad that an otherwise progressive city had to resort to this. Its not the people, its the electeds that are to blame.
Minneapolis is an example of KILLING gay tourism with stupid anti-gay laws and ordinances.
We'll take our gay dollars elsewhere, like Chicago.
Smart cities fill their coffers with gay dollars. Dumb cities use their health depts and police state tactics to shun their LGBT populations.
City planners, get it now?
I am proudly outing the City of Chicago. And the City of Chicago gladly embraces its outing in return. This city wisely embraced its LGBTers decades ago and it is paying great dividends with cash in our coffers.
To anti-gay cities, how are your coffers doing?
Cap ALL govt contractor(especially 'defense') PROFIT MARGINS at 20%.
Stop the fleecing of our govt by the MIC war profiteers or so-called 'defense' contracts at 20% MAXIMUM profit.
Imprison those who fleece our govt and taxpayers. On windfall profits above 20%. We the people have the right to know how much Mcdonnell-Douglas, Boeing, BAE, Northrup-Grumann etc are profiting off of US taxpayer funded contracts.
What are their profit margins down to the penny. Every Federal govt contract's profit margins should be read before the US House and Senate so that every elected federal official will know the price tag.
Cap it at 20% max if we are ever going to get serious about deficit reduction.
It starts there.
Imprison windfall profiteers.(those who profit more than 20% from ALL govt contracts)
WE ARE BEING FLEECED.
Obama's Social Security cuts = Bill Clinton's NAFTA
When the topic is convenient to Republicans, they still love to blame free trade on Clinton, even though the version of NAFTA that we still operate under today isn't the same version that then Pres Clinton signed into law.
A Ray-gun appointed federal judge took a scalpel to Clinton's NAFTA by scrapping the provisions that PROTECTED American jobs by keeping them here by striking down said provision/amendment while keeping the rest of the NAFTA law in place.
Said decision opened up the floodgates for American corps to began outsourcing to Mexico for cheaper labor. Clinton and Bush later expanded free trade into Central American nations.
However, Bush's policies of giving major tax incentives to corporations to outsource is really what gave outsourcing its fangs. Following the Bush tax cuts of 2001, American manufacturing and our factories shut down and outsourced MILLIONS of jobs to China, India etc.
To this day, Clinton still takes most of the blame for the way that outsourcing has ravaged our country to the point of still threatening the demise of our nation. Even though today, Republicans are the party that is protecting job outsourcing by refusing to scale back free trade and by FILIBUSTERING the "Bring Jobs Home Act" to death.
Clinton still takes a large part of the blame for unleashing his American jobs protecting version of NAFTA upon the people, which a federal judge made into the beast of an American job-killing law that NAFTA is today.
Republicans love to blame job outsourcing on Dems when it's conveneint to them, even though they are the party that is hell bent on preserving job outsourcing.
If Obama cuts Social Security and Medicare, the Democratic Party will forever be labeled as a party willing to cut Social Security and a party that really isn't out to protect seniors.
Republicans will use this argument against Dems for DECADES to come, if Obama cuts SS/MC.
They'll blame Dems for harming SS the way they blame Dems for free trade.
We don't need two pro-free-trade parties, we need ALL Dems to be an alternative to pro-FT Rethugs.
We don't need two pro-slash-SS/MC parties, we need ALL Dems to be an alternative to slash/kill-SS Rethugs.
President Obama, will you be the president that Rethugs refer to as proof that Dems harm SS when they are campaigning to seniors? They will tell seniors that it was in fact a Democratic president that slashed SS, if you continue forward with your plan to slash SS.
This will cause great harm to the future of the Democratic Party that will resonate for decades. If seniors can't trust Dems to protect SS, then who do we think they will vote for?
Cutting SS will be Obama's NAFTA and another major strike against the Democratic Party in the future.
Save SS by eliminating the $110,000(approx) annual earning cap where they stop deducting if the person earns more.
Eliminating that cap will save SS. Chaining the cost-of-living is just another weak attempt at kicking the can down the road. It won't save SS.
If I committed $100 MILLION worth of environmental destruction, I'd likely get a life sentence too.
So why aren't Walmart execs going to jail?
Oh yeah, It's that 'Wealthy are above the law' clause in the constitution that keeps them out of our corporate, for-profit prison system.
We are NOT a nation of laws. Not anymore.
Time to challenge Teathug/Rethug voting seniors/disabled to DECLINE their Social Security checks
Sometimes the hornet's hive needs to be shaken in politics.
The Tea party is what I like to call "Seniors Voting Against Their Own Social Security Checks"
The stated goal of the Republican Party is to END Social Security and Medicare. We'd think that seniors who solely rely on SS/MC as their only income, subsistence, and health coverage would know better than to vote for the GOP, the party bent on ENDING SS/MC. Yet many seniors who rely on SS for 100% of their income, still vote for Rethugs.
Why do they vote against their own interests?
Because many have never been challenged to decline their only source of income.
If they vote for Repubs, they have NO business collecting SS.
Repubs want to KILL SS/MC. So why don't Repub voting Seniors show us how it's done by going without. Let's see how well they survive. Let's see Republican 'compassionate conservatism' save them. We allknow that Rethugs will save them, right? Right?
I'd like to see a national TV and internet campaign that issues this challenge directly..
where a narrator issues this challenge..
"To Republican voters, since the Republican Party is trying to END Social Security and Medicare, stand in support, show your support for your Republican Party by DECLINING/REFUSING your Social Security check and decline your medicare coverage."
I have issued this challenge to the few Teabaggers that I know(I hardly acknowledge them anymore). The few Teabaggers that I do know, are almost all retired and on SS. I recently issued the challenge to one that was bashing Dems. It shut him down to silence.
Not a word in return from him as he walked away shaking his head. With me yelling, "Yeah, decline your SS, put your money where your mouth is, HYOCRITE."
NOT A FUCKING WORD IN RESPONSE.
..............................................
This campaign season, The Democratic Party's gloves must come off.
or we can play nice and watch Repubs steal another congressional election.
If we don't fight fire with fire, Dems will likely stay the minority in the House and could lose the Senate.
What's at stake is worth it.
Hastening glacial melt..
That 'waterfall' scared the bejesus right out of me.
When glacial melt water pools on top of glaciers, eventually that water will find its way through cracks in the glacier that lead to growing holes in the glacier that leads to the glacier weakening, breaking off, and floating away to melt faster, which continues to cause sea rise etc..
If the worlds glaciers melt, its game over for all life in the northern hemisphere and perhaps all life on earth.
I'll bet an F-5 tornado in Kentucky would change Rand Paul's tune..
If it can turn Arch-Fascists Inhofe and Coburn into what appeared to be Democratic-like(for like, 5 minutes) to make them suddenly care when a disaster hits their home state of Oklahoma, after both voted against Sandy aid for NJ
then..
showing-his-neocon-colors Fascist Rand Paul just might have the same capacity for 5 minutes worth of caring, if a tornado leveled Ky.
I wonder if Christie is smart enough to ask Sen Paul?
Poor Rand can't deficit spend for the war machine if we are busy caring about each other. And he even admitted to that fact.
If Dems want to win back the House in '14, this needs to change.
Many senior citizens live in poverty today and growing poverty is only going to get worse as the baby boomer generation is now reaching retirement age. Many senior citizens rely 100% on Social Security and Medicare as their only subsistence and health coverage.
Many of the senior citizens that rely 100% on SS also vote for the same Republicans that have declared war on SS and MC. It's crazy, but these seniors will vote for the same Republicans that are trying to END Social Security and MC. The topic of why poor and middle class people vote against their interests by voting for GOP is often pondered here on DU. We wonder why struggling people would do such a thing. Why would they vote for their own impoverishment?
So why do GOP voting seniors, who would starve without their SS checks, still vote for Republicans?
Because many don't realize just how dire their situation would become if Republicans succeed at ENDING SS. They'd become homeless, they'd starve or worse.
A few question that Democrats need to start asking ALL seniors and ALL boomers who are approaching retirement..
What is your plan if Republicans succeed at ENDING your Social Security? (This should be the main topic of discussion in every retirement home in America.)
Seniors that rely on SS, how will you feed yourselves if Republicans end your Social Security? Where will you get money to buy food?
How will you pay your bills, your rent/mortgage, how will you keep a roof over your head if Republicans end your Social Security?
I'd like to see a series of TV ads, narrated by someone like Morgan Freeman or Danny Glover, asking those questions, bluntly. Seniors(gop voters) need to hear it, bluntly.
Republicans have their superpacs that run all kinds of right-wing propaganda. From bashing Obamacare to bashing public employee unions among other topics. I've even seen them bash the concept of single payer UHC.
It seems like Democrats play too nice in a world where GOP'ers don't play nice. We need to fight fire with fire. We need a progressive pac that will run ads that challenge senior citizens to the above questions.
Recently, we've heard in the news about Republican staffers failing at food stamp challenges. I'd like to see a Republican voting senior citizen that relies 100% on SS be challenged to go without their SS for a few months. Show us how it's done.
Perhaps it's time to challenge ALL GOP voting seniors to decline their SS checks for a few months and show us how it's done. I'd think they'd fail as quick as the GOP staffer that failed at the living on food stamps challenge.
If Democrats want to win elections consistently, then they need to rally seniors under the banner of preserving Social Security and MC by always reminding seniors that the GOP is 100% hellbent on ENDING SS and MC.
2014 election is already underway. We cannot let 2010 happen again because of low voter turn-out. Democrats need to rally EVERY voter and get them to the polls. If Dems can sway the vote 10%, in many cases, they'd win. Rallying seniors can sway it even more. Rallying EVERYONE, regardless of age, even more.
Elected Dems that've lost the 'forward thinking' part of their mind can find it here..
4,000 miles per hour. NY to SF in an hour. For $100 per passenger..
A 3 mile prototype is scheduled to be tested by the end of this year.
This is the future.
Democrats(electeds), embrace it. Public transportation = freedom.
Libertarians, The Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, Compassionate Conservatives- all have this in common.
They don't exist.
Wanted: Just 1 true Libertarian that cherishes true civil liberty.(just to see if 1 actually exists in this world)
Ask any self-described, so-called Libertarian if they support a woman's freedom/right to choose. Then ask is they support a woman's right to use contraception, the pill, injection, condoms etc. Ask if they support a woman's right to make her own reproductive choices, whether she chooses to avoid pregnancy for whatever reason she deems fit.
Ask them if a woman should have the true liberty to preserve her independence. To make her own choices about any endeavor that she chooses to pursue in her own life.
Ask a so-called Libertarian if they agree that a woman should be able to make all of the above choices on her own. Ask if they think that a woman deserves the same civil liberties that a libertarian man demands.
Every Libertarian that I've ever spoken to OPPOSES women's choice. And when I pry into their brains through conversation with them, I quickly find out that they don't support any form of women's liberty or independence.
Libertarianism is ONLY for white christian men, according to them.(Even if they won't directly admit that, again, it's usually quite easy to pry it out of them through conversation. They can only contain their inner sexist for so long before they start in on banning abortion and all their other sexist beliefs.)
Today's Libertarianism is refuge for the misogynist. They show ZERO regard for women's liberty or independence. Often, their perverted concept of liberty is the liberty for white men to force pregnancy on white women.
Next..
Ask a so-called Libertarian if they are pro-gay-rights and if they support gay civil liberty. F*ggot this, and F*ggot that- is usually the response. To them, no civil liberty for gay people.
I'm a gay guy. I've had this discussion with self-described Libertarians who didn't know that I'm gay. When you prick their brains, it's scary what can come out of their mouths.
American history has proven that HATE is counteractive to liberty.
Again, Libertarianism is only for white christian males, according to those who describe themselves as Libertarians. However, white male Atheists are sometimes welcomed into their fold as long as they keep their Atheism silent.
Ask if they support gay marriage and marriage equality. Today's Libertarianism has become refuge for the homophobic, anti-gay bigot.
Next..
Ask a Libertarian if they are for forced creationism being taught in public schools. Many will tell you- YES, they do support forcing the teaching of creationism in public schools.
Ron Paul, king of Libertarians, is 100% for forced teaching of creationism in public schools.
Next..
Libertarians proudly proclaim their own rugged individualism.
Give them the rugged individual sniff test.
Have they ever been on any government welfare/safety net program?
unemployment
Social Security retirement or disability
Medicare
food assistance/EBT
utility/heat/electric assistance
medical assistance
Ask if they plan to use Social Security/MC in the future? When they reach retirement age or if they ever become disabled.
What is their plan for retirement?
Did you know, a few years ago, an AARP poll asked seniors on SS/MC that rely SOLELY on SS for their income, if those seniors thought that they would retire wealthy with full retirement security from their own wealth..
80% responded YES. When they were younger and working, they thought they would retire wealthy. NOT the case in 80% of respondents. It exposes the great lie of capitalism- that we have a great chance to retire wealthy. In reality, 80% will retire broke or nearly broke.
MANY self-described Libertarians ARE seniors that rely on SS/MC 100% for their subsistence.
Or as I like to call them- HYPOCRITES.
The Tealiban(rife with Libnuts) is what I like to call- "Senior Citizens Against Their Own Social Security Checks"
Ever challenge a 'rugged individualist'/Libertarian to stay off our big government roads, streets, and highways for just 30 days? Just 30 days. Shouldn't be so difficult, right? HA! My ass. They couldn't make it 7 days.
Many live in rural areas that benefit from FDR's New Deal rural electrification.
Educated in public schools.
Libertarians are as addicted to the ass of big government as any of us.
Many Libertarians also benefit from using Pell Grants, low interest, gov backed student loans, to get an education or learn a trade that they use to earn their livings.
Libertarians are protected by the same 40 hour workweek and overtime pay protection that thier Republican Party once again just tried to END. Many Libertarians work at Walmart under the federal minimum wage protection.
Or, they'd be paid $3 a day, for a 12-16 hour workday, 7 days a week.
Memo to Libertarian Walmart workers, Walmart wants the liberty to pay you $3 a day.
Next..
Rand Paul proved that many Libertarians are opposed to minority civil liberties when he spoke about opposing the Civil Right act etc..
Libertarianism has become a refuge for racists and white supremacists.
......................
What does all of this prove? It proves that Libertarians KILLED Libertarianism DEAD.
Libertarians often oppose..(think Ron Paul, and his Noecon son, Sen Rand Paul)
women's liberty
LGBT liberty
marriage equality
minority's liberty
They often oppose freedom from oppressive right-wing religion.
If there can be a reality TV show about finding bigfoot then why not..
"Finding 1 True Libertarian Among The Hypocrites That Claim To Be"
That would make for interesting reality TV.
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Member since: Sat Jun 15, 2013, 03:57 PMNumber of posts: 373
