All posts by L. Wayne Ashley

Thanks for visiting!! My name is Wayne, and I live in Houston, Texas. I wouldn't consider myself a "diehard" liberal activist, but I definitely have a Progressive view on most issues. I'm a proud Millennial, and I feel like the voice of my generation in Texas gets overshadowed by the older, more established groups. This is my effort to change that. Please come back and read when you can.
Houston Politics

Paul Ryan’s inner problem with inner cities

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GOP Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan was caught in a rather precarious situation recently. In an interview with ABC12 in Flint Michigan, Ryan is asked about gun laws. Somehow in his mind, gun violence is directly related to the “inner cities”. From Andrew Kaczyinski at Buzz Feed, here’s what he said…

Reporter: Does this country have a gun problem?

Ryan: This country has a crime problem.

Reporter: Not a gun problem?

Ryan: No… if you take a look at the gun laws we have… I don’t even think President Obama is proposing more gun laws. We have good, strong gun laws, and we have to make sure we enforce [them]. We have lots of laws that aren’t being properly enforced. But the best thing to help prevent violent crime in the inner cities is to bring opportunity into the inner cities. Is to help people get out of [poverty] in the inner cities. Is to help teach people good discipline, good character… THAT is Civil Society. That’s what charities and churches and civic groups do to help realize [our] value in one another.

So according to Mr. Ryan, violence is exclusively an “urban” problem. The only places in America that struggle with crime are the inner cities. There is no opportunity to be found in inner cities. All people that live in inner cities lack good discipline and good character. And yet, he wants to accuse the reporter of bias??

In Paul Ryan’s world, if you’re an urban dweller you clearly need help. You’re just not as “civilized” as the people that had the good sense to live in the countryside or in the suburbs. You know the suburbs, right? Where crime never happens to anyone because the people are so well-disciplined and of such good character that nothing ever goes wrong?

Today in the United States, many inner city areas are just as safe as parts of the suburbs, and crime can’t be pigeon-holed into an “all or none” assumption. A 2011 study by the Brookings Institute found that both violent crime and property crime have much more to do with trends in the overall metropolitan area than in a blanket consensus of what is “urban” or “suburban”. And yes, rural communities too have more than their fair share of violent crime offenders, particularly when it relates to guns and the drug trade.

You would think that a sitting United States Congressman would have a better grasp of our rapidly-changing population. Apparently not.

With prejudice like this on full display, it’s no surprise at all that the GOP performs so poorly in most of the country’s urban areas. Even as Census trends clearly show that more Americans are moving to inner cities than any time in the last century, Republicans have made it clear that they are sticking to their “city bashing” strategy.

They do so at their own peril.

Houston Politics

Romney’s Massachusetts: Land of the Fee

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Last week has proven to be quite the shake-up for the Presidential Race. Mitt Romney was able to shine at the first debate, while Obama under-performed. Now, many Americans are giving Mr. Romney a second look, and his poll numbers are at their highest level since he started the campaign.

But one state is still not impressed… the great state of Massachusetts. You know, the only state that actually knows Mitt Romney as a neighbor, a businessman, and a Governor. Even after the first debate, the lastest Bay State polls have Barack Obama maintaining a 30-point lead over Mr. Romney.

Back in his 2002 campaign for Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney made a lot of promises too. One of the biggest ones was the promise of no new taxes for the Bay State. But Romney did find other ways to squeeze families for more revenue. Mitt Romney just raised “fees” instead.

Under his administration, Massachusetts residents were hit hard for all sorts of services. For example, the cost of a marriage license increased from $4 to $50, driver’s permits went from $15 to $30, hair dresser’s licenses from $38 to $57, mortgage recording fees shot up from $36 to $158, and even an additional fee of up to $1,000 for nursing homes to operate. These new fees hit small businesses in the Bay State especially hard, and many had to end up passing the new costs to their customers. So even if Mr. Romney didn’t “raise taxes” during his time as Governor, it sure seemed like it to most families. Here is the full list of fees raised under the Romney administration. One of the most pressing questions for everyone that looks at the Romney proposed national tax plan… “How can he possibly cut taxes by 20 percent, and not explode the deficit?” Massachusetts already knows the answer.

As Mr. Romney was raising taxes– err, I mean fees, on working families, his administration was simultaneously cutting vital aid to cities, schools and police forces. Are we to be surprised that it was in this climate of difficulty that he chose not to pursue a 2nd term as Governor?

Romney continues to claim that the only reason Massachusetts will not vote for him this November is because he is a Republican. But the state has just shown America that they can vote for Republicans… remember Scott Brown? Clearly, it’s less about the party, and more about the person.

If the GOP nominee were to actually win the Presidential election while losing his home state, it would be quite a feat. Only two Presidents in the last 100 years have successfully done this… Richard Nixon in 1968 and Woodrow Wilson in 1916. Every other election, whether it be Ronald Reagan, Republican from California or Jimmy Carter, Democrat from Georgia, has carried their home state. What does it say about Mitt Romney that the people who know him best, have the least amount of confidence in his ability to be a good President?

Perhaps Andy Hiller summed it up in live news coverage of Romney’s exit from office:

I think the legacy [of his term] is disappointment. Everytime I see Governor Romney, all I see is what might have been. The Governor is well-suited for this role as Former Governor, because frankly, it’s been a long time since he’s been the Governor of Massachusetts. As he leaves, more than half of the state’s voters believe Massachusetts is headed in the wrong direction, and was headed in the wrong direction with Romney, and more than half don’t think that he was a very good Governor.

But it’s going to ‘look’ great. All I would say is… looks can be decieving.

Houston Politics

September Jobs Numbers below 8 percent

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After what can only be called a lack-luster debate performance for President Obama, the September jobs numbers reveal an interesting trend. For the first time since Janurary 2009, the United States jobless rate is below 8 percent… 7.8 percent to be exact. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report, September job creation was 114,000.

Now here’s the confusing part… 114,000 isn’t enough to decrease the unemployment rate. We generally have to create just shy of 150,000 jobs for the rate to move down by a percentage point. So how did this occur? The answer is revisions. The previous jobs numbers for July and August were revised upward. July went from 141,000 to 181,000, and August went from 96,000 to 142,000.

The other reason that this jobs report is important? It’s the last full month before the election. Now that we’re in debate season and campaigns are in overdrive, many more Americans are paying attention to the jobs report. ‘BLS’ was even trending on Twitter. Who knows what the final impact of the report will be, but either way, any economic improvement is good for the nation.

Houston Politics

Romney’s debate win: Trick, Treat or Trap?

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Initially, I was ready to call this debate a “clear win” for Mitt Romney… and I still think it was. But one has to wonder if things are always as they seem. So let’s take a moment to examine the situation from all sides.

After a hideous summer, Mitt Romney is LONG overdue for some good press. Standing on stage with the President of the United States will give that to you. The only way Romney could have actually suffered after the first debate is if he had been decimated. Clearly, that didn’t happen from either candidate, and it wasn’t anyone’s goal. The knock-down, drag-out punches that fire up either side of the political base also isolates the political middle. Giving Romney’s views legitimacy not only shows respect for the GOP faithful, but cuts down the arguments that Obama is an out-of-touch, lefty socialist. Notice that hardly anyone in the Conservative blogosphere is bantering about “Obama socialism” today.

You can catch more bees with honey than with vinegar, right? Treat.

Romney’s gargantuan gaffes aside, he has tried to run a relatively safe campaign when it comes to the big stuff… so safe that he won’t talk about it. Obama has made some rather risky moves. His support for same-sex marriage and deferred action for the DREAMers still make some members of the Democratic party uneasy. Beyond how he treats Romney, that is a delicate needle that the President still must tread. But the Governor put very, very few specifics on the table for how he would achieve his policy goals. And the few cuts that he did spell out… you know like Big Bird… haven’t gone over so well.

Lest we forget, President Obama’s debate prep partner is John Kerry. Mr. Kerry has a unique view in this process as the only person in recent memory that was beaten by an incumbent President. He also understands the process of the debates, and other factors that are already at play. Back in 2004, Mr. Kerry handily won his first debate against George W. Bush, but then went on to lose the election. By debate time, much of the damage to Kerry’s image as a perilous war hero had already been done in the infamous “swift boat” ads. It’s quite possible that this first debate is straight out of the 2004 playbook.

Already today, we’ve seen some rather stark contrasts between the Obama and Romney campaigns. The first thing the President did after the debate? Come out swinging. He gave a rousing rally to Denver supporters, and practically said everything that we wished he would have said the night before… including the infamous “47 percent” comment. Pure coincidence? Or Trick?

Contrast that with the Romney campaign, After making history in his first debate for the Presidency, Mitt Romney’s campaign staff is back to an established pattern of making really sophomoric mistakes. Instead of capitalizing on the candidate’s strengths from last night, one of the first videos they release is in defense of Romney’s tax plan. They cite the American Enterprise Institute as an “Independent, Non-Partisan” organization. The campaign is basking in the glow of a “clear win”… that’s means they’ve let their guard down, and have become vulnerable.

Sometimes even the sweetest of treats can lead to a Trap.

Houston Politics

Debate 1: My Take

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Well, the first Presidential Debate of the 2012 election is in the history books. I took notes of things that stood out for me, and then tried to summarize them at the end. I also tried to write my thoughts before I start reading other stuff from the punditocracy. Only the FAILS are bolded. So here you go…

– 1st impression: really struck at how strong of an opening Romney displayed… sounds like Obama ’08! First time I’ve heard the phrase “Trickle Down Government”. Obama didn’t respond to it at all.

-Wow Romney said “High income people are doing just fine in this economy.” Great… doesn’t that mean they can afford to pay higher taxes? Economic Patriotism, right? Umm, Mr. President… where are you?? O-FAIL.

-Romney: And BTW I like coal.

-Romney’s tax plan is a lot of pie-in-the-sky. How can you lower all of these rates and not add to the defecit without cutting HUGE chunks of Government? The new rates won’t add to defecit just because you say so??

-Obama: too much explaining, not enough reacting. Needs to be more primal.

-Obama: ENOUGH about pointing out what you and Romney share!! And less explaining.

-Both are going round and round about taxes… just throwing numbers and promises up in the sky. Either find some substance and relate to us or GTFO and move on!

-Obama called Romney’s plan a “sales pitch”. That was a good line, but then he inesthitized it with more rambling. Of course Romney rambled right back at him. Only effective line from him in this bit: “going forward with the status quo is not going to cut it.”

-Romney calls out PBS as one way to cut the defecit, but Big Bird references aside, this is really eating around the edges when compared to Entitlements and Military. Right-wing pander.

-Ah, ok… Obama has peaked his head in the door. Glad for the defense of MediCaid and calling out Romney from the Primary debates. Never raising anyone’s taxes for any reason is complete and total nonsense. We need more of this.

-Romney flat-out lied on taxes… they are historically low, and government is now starved for revenue. Obama refuted with corporate taxes, but did not defend the role of government. Back on MediCaid, Romney starts spouting Conservative principles about states’ rights, and Obama didn’t counter. O-FAIL.

-Why is Jim Lehrer not asking any specific questions? Too topic-based. Feels lawless.

-MediCare: FINALLY Obama gave a credible counter for Mitt Romney’s VoucherCare plans. Romney’s only response was pie-in-the-sky rhetoric. Romney even said “I’d rather have a private plan.” Umm, you do… it’s called being RICH!!

-Wall Street Regulation: OOPS! Mitt Romney “You have to have regulation” and then he goes on to defend not only Dodd-Frank, but also Obama’s position on why Dodd-Frank was needed. After all of this, THEN you want to repeal and replace it? Can’t have the cake and eat it too, Governor. R-FAIL.

-Obamacare… Sheesh, this is not going to work for Mitt Romney. Obama is now using your state plan against you. Clear points to the President for schooling you on your own plan. BTW Mr. Romney, which is it… do you want states to develop their own plans (knowing some will just continue to leave lots of people uninsured) or do you want them to develop more sustainable care methods? Can’t take both positions. OMG did you really just respond to the repeal quagmire with “Reagan, Reagan, Reagan”? R-FAIL.

-Romney came back strong on role of government (in the broad sense). Eventhough I disagree with some of it, his explanation and conviction is amiable. This would have been a good time for Obama to get primitive and at least HINT at the infamous ’47 percent’ remarks. He needs to call up Professor Clinton and get a quick lesson on how to jab within the bounds of Southern Hospitality. Or just watch Designing Women.

-Congressional paralysis… President got an ok line in here. “Romney hasn’t been successful saying no to his party during the campaign.” True but he also has a record as Governor that he has COMPLETELY papered over. If Romney’s gubernatorial record is so stellar, then why didn’t he run for a second term? Where are all these lawmakers that are lining up to say how great of a “uniter” he is? And umm… why isn’t his home state VOTING for him?? O-FAIL.

In summation…

Neither candidate destroyed the other tonight, but Romney walked away with a slight advantage. I’m a Liberal, but I don’t believe in trying to spin something that doesn’t need any spin. Obama has been riding quite high, and after the debate he’s back on the ground, and in the real campaign to be President. Mitt Romney had to climb from an increasingly deep hole, and most of the way he was able to do it.

On one hand, I am glad for a debate that mostly stayed on policy issues, and at times got into the very weeds of the candidates’ tax plans, and healthcare legislation. The ‘college professor’ in my was happy for that. I was also happy that both men strayed from the constant spin of personal attacks that we see on the campaign trail.

On the other hand, we are a very “baseline” electorate this year… information gets thrown around left and right, and sometimes it’s very difficult to disseminate the truth. The sometimes “fact-free zone” in itself is in Romney’s advantage, especially if his statements go unchallenged the very second they are made. It “legitamizes” them. Obama certainly knows the facts, but he tried to keep the debate “serious and real”, and that’s NOT what the American People want right now. We want more neolithic action… someone that can give the facts, but also FIGHT for their position. So as hard as Mitt Romney worked to find the openings he needed to repair his character, Obama sure helped him by creating a few and leaving most of his pandering history unchallenged. But a word of caution to the GOP… Mitt Romney tied himself in knots tonight with a few of his promises. Those statements could come back to haunt him later.

Final tally: Romney 2 FAILS. Obama 3 FAILS. Advantage ROMNEY

Houston Politics

Obama’s Plan for a 2nd Term

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The GOP seems to think that President Obama is inept at crafting plans for his Second Term. Everywhere you turn, they constantly harp that he “hasn’t done anything” and that he “won’t say what his plans are.” But that simply isn’t true. The President’s plans may not be super-fancy, but they do exist. Check them out for yourself.

Houston Politics

The ABCs of the GOP: O is for…

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Obligation

One aspect of life that none of us can escape is our sense of obligation. Whether we like it or not, whether we agree or not, there’s just some things that we have to do. Most of us have obligations to our loved ones, to our selves, and of course to our country. And like our individual lives are filled with tasks that are obliged to, so is our government also obliged to keep the country working as best as possible.

But among Washington Republicans, there has been a growing sense of rebellion toward these obligations. As their war on government continues, many have sacrificed their obligations, and even their own principles to try and damage our country. Regardless of one’s core political beliefs, it’s starting to become clear that these obligations simply are not being met. Caught in the crossfire of the GOP’s war on government and fight for it’s party’s survival, the greatest casualty of this war turns out to be the American people.

As Paul Krugman notes from a recent New York Times piece, public investment has ground to a screeching halt at all areas of government. Federal lawmakers continue their ideological battles, which forced state and local governments to go into all-out austerity mode. As a result, we have cut back on all kinds of public employment… teachers, firefighters, police, construction contracts, and everything else that we need to keep our communities going. This is standard stuff that has never been controversial before… until Barack Obama was elected as President. As a result, we as a government (anyone that pays taxes is a PART of the government, by the way) are not meeting the country’s most basic obligations. After the Federal stimulus bill passed (with overwhelming Democratic support), any further attempts by President Obama to meet our national needs where thwarted by Senate Minority filibusters. So eventhough Democrats where “nominally” in power, the GOP was able to starve most of the legislation.

But sometimes is helps to get the laser pointer out and focus. Let’s boil it down to an issue that all of us understand… TRANSPORTATION.

If you’re reading this, and you live in the United States of America, you are our nation’s roads… and wearing them out. Even for those that don’t own a car, and live in places like New York City or San Francisco, you’re still wearing out our nation’s rapidly-declining freeway infrastructure. Every time you buy groceries at the market, everytime you buy virtually anything that you have to consume, you rely on the country’s transportation infrastructure to get those goods to you. Our country simply doesn’t “move” without our roads, railways, airports and seaports. Virtually everything that you purchase wears out our roads, and we as a nation have an obligation to not only maintain them, but improve them. Don’t forget… the US ain’t getting any smaller… we’re at 314 million and counting.

So when a new study by tripnet.org reveals that nearly half of all Texas roads have fallen into major deterioration, it should be a call to arms for people of all political stripes to step up and invest in our nation’s future. There is a reason why infrastructure spending has always been a “given” in Washington… it’s because everyone in the country depends on it to work. And not to mention, investment in America means investment in American JOBS.

Here’s the inherent danger of the upcoming election… for the GOP, this is no longer a purely ideological fight. Real evidence is now beginning to suggest that the Republican party has lost the ability to meet our country’s obligations. They have lost the ability to actually govern.

For evidence of this loss, look no further than a recent article from The American Conservative. Author Daniel McCarthy writes that the current GOP looks less like a viable party and more like a scam. A conservative himself, McCarthy write about the rapid changes that have occurred within the party, and how it has devolved into several branches that center around Religion and fear. These tactics may be useful when trying to control a militia, but they don’t serve well for governing a diverse nation like the United States. They continue to sign pledges saying that their top priorities are to ALWAYS cut taxes, reverse Roe V. Wade, and REPEAL Obamacare. Never a mention of the obligation to legislate on behalf of their contituents. The only thing that many in the GOP care about right now is the ability to advance their agenda.

As we enter the frenzy of the debates, this question for the GOP needs to be answered… if they were to actually achieve their goal of defeating Barack Obama, what then is their new goal? Would Mitt Romney really repeal Obamacare? If the defecit is their so important, will they continue to decimate infrastructure and education spending until it’s too late? Will we ever be able to meet our national obligations again? I’m kind of scared to find out.