Poetry in Motion Review of Rapping You with the Facts CD

Although tempting to call Bob McNeil’s Rapping You with the Facts CD a masterful example of urban word slam poetry, it evades classification. Spoken word accompanied with music, his poetry challenges listeners with his expression of social perceptions, painting vivid pictures of relevant issues of our times. The Political Poet gives Rapping You with the Facts, 5 out of 5 laureates.     

“The message is clear, the music is solid and the presentation is strong.  The consciousness in Bob’s poetry is so very much needed today.” –Abiodun Oyewole of the Last Poets

 

“Bob McNeil is a genuine American poet with a feel and the heart to carry the word.” –Danny Simmons (artist/poet)  

 

Obtain your own CD of deep poetry and music, Rapping You with the Facts, by sending the nominal amount of $3.00, plus $2.00 postage and handling to Bob McNeil at P.O. Box 144, Hollis, NY 11423 or mcneil_bob@ yahoo.com or visit him at www.facebook.com/BobMcNeil.

What Do We Owe Our Vets? Really!

Lately, I’ve been disgusted by the way the returning vets have been ignored when it comes to employment. I've actually heard people debating if we really owe our vets anything more than a pat on the back; afterall, they got combat pay didn't they. Must bite my lip in rage! What do we owe them? Really! I don't buy the cap in spending argument. The GOP had no problem waiving the requirements to pay for sending those vets into harm’s way. I don’t drink the Kool-Aid that the bill is a duplicate jobs training program. Both parties are getting shady on this one, job training versus actual jobs? I just saw where vocational schools couldn't field enough car mechanics for job vacancies at the tune of 70,000 unfilled every year because the schools lack funds for the equipment to train them on newer cars. The Republicans are saying slim down government on one hand which means less government jobs. The government can't just give vets jobs in the private sector which means more training opportunities are needed to fill jobs with vets. Another answer would be to offer more incentives to business to hire vets but they neither seem to be offering that as a solution in real time; unfortunately, I don't think the government should have to subsidize businesses to hire vets. I feel businesses should be doing it on their own because they enjoy the freedom to do business in this country and out thanks to our military. Really, it is shame on the big corporations sitting on record capital. Why is it governments' job (our pockets being picked) for job training or credits to hire? Why shouldn't the companies making the money flip their own bill for equipment to train employees? Why do they feel they deserve a credit to hire vets they should already want to hire because the vets deserve it? Whatever happened to the Reagan mandates? Tell corporations vets take priority when they hire by mandate and it doesn't cost us anything except letting them go to the front of the line because they deserve it? This brings me back to training. If they need to be trained then they should have a free pass to the front of the line there too. Why? They have given up years off their lives, some of them four and five tours of duty for us. They lost time at least we can do is try and save them a little time now. As far as I'm concerned, this bickering between parties because it is an election year is a travesty to our vets. Mock the vets by pretending they are important to your party (insert Dem or Rep) then do nothing in any hurry feigning a concern with the legislation your parties should be working on together instead of using for political speaking points. They’re doing the same thing with the American economy, job creation, the energy crisis and environmental protection. We (all Americans) should be demanding at the top of our lungs for both parties to stop acting like children and do their jobs, service for us.

 

Please see the following article on the GOP blocking a jobs bill for vets. We need to put pressure on both parties and demand our vets be treated with more respect than this.
GOP Blocks Veteran Jobs Bill

Romney Tries to Remove Foot from Mouth Only Manages to Insert Other Foot

Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney got caught on video saying some unsavory and untrue things about 47% of Americans these, “people who will vote for the President no matter what. Alright, there are 47% who are with him (President Obama), who are dependent on government, who believe that they are victims, who believe government has the responsibility to care for them, who believe they are entitled to healthcare, to food, to housing!”

In a press conference Monday, Sept. 17^th, in Costa Mesa, California, Romney tried to clear the air regarding his comments but only manages to offend people more by clarifying his previous remarks as merely "not elegantly stated" about nearly half Americans thinking they’re "victims." Revealing Romney’s belief in the derisory statement, he just didn’t think he said it correctly.

Romney then threw gasoline on the fire in an attempt to explain what he meant about President Barack Obama's approach being "attractive to people who are not paying taxes." A comment eerily similar to a falsehood about 51% of Americans not paying any taxes Romney stated earlier in his campaign. The fact everyone pays some sort of taxes in this country either directly in payroll taxes for cities, counties and states even if Federal payroll taxes are refunded, sales taxes on just about everything we buy from movie tickets to soft drinks, from fuzzy dice for the rear view mirror to our cars, real estate and personal property taxes, utility taxes on wireless and landline telephones, internet, cable, satellite, electric, water, sewage, and natural gas bill, Social Security and Medicare taxes paid from payroll by us and matched by employers leading to indirect taxes (employers claim their contributions to Social Security and Medicare Taxes only reduces the salaries of their employees), or we pay them indirectly in excise taxes on everything from gasoline to immunization shots for our children, on diesel used to transport food and commodities to market which indirectly raises the price and passed on to consumers. If you breathe in the United States of America then you are going to pay some sort of tax along the way.

After the video surfaced, Romney did not refute his comments but said they were privately made in a fundraiser during a question-and-answer session to donors. Romney backed up the statements made on the leaked video posted on the magazine website Mother Jones that almost half of American voters "believe that they are victims," and his campaign's effort was to "focus on the people in the middle." Based on comments Mitt made previously about middle income Americans earning from $200,000.00 to $250,000.00 a year, when mean income is $50,000.00 for the nation, many voters are starting to question to which middle is Romney referring?

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