It's not just Republicans that want this clown gone. We're talking about a primary challenge here. Apparently, there are enough Democrats that want Stark gone as well as Swalwell won the straw poll in his hometown of Dublin against Stark 32-19. There are more moderate Democrats in the new 15th District that includes Livermore and Dublin. Union City will be part of this new district. Deal with it.

Sorry, but your comments are just another BIG example of how some Dems, but especially the far out Left Liberals, can't/don't address the facts. Why is that? Is living in a fairy tale life easier to deal with instead of dealing with the facts?

Let's just try one example. Please tell us why Congressman Stark gets to live in Maryland instead of California (note: he doesn't have to live in his district, but he's supposed to at least live in the State of California)?

Thanks for the youtube reference Mike. If it was you or me in this questionable situation about where we live/vote, it would be easy. We'd have to follow the law.

But, since it is a congressman that is being questioned, we don't have to worry about it because he and his buddies in DC (and California) will take care of it for him.

Which brings up yet another issue about Stark and our other elected officials. Why don't they have to follow the same laws we do? I believe a congressman/senator can sexually harass a person, but not be charged with the crime. Is that true? What about the "secret" stock information they get ahead of the public? Why is that?

And, what about their pay and benefits? "Poor" Pete only has a million plus dollar home there in Maryland. But he doesn't have to worry about any foreclosure issues because he'll receive retirement pay and benefits from our government (that's our money folks!) for years to come when he retires soon. I challenge anyone of us to get the pay/benefits that Stark has/will be getting!

BO has also played more rounds of golf in three years than GW Bush did in eight years. I remember the scene in Michael Moore's movie showing Bush on a golf cart playing "Vacation all I ever wanted...." What happened to all of the criticism while there are real problems in this country. Apparently, it doesn't matter what the hell you do so long as you have a "D" after your name.

I agree Geert. All we as citizens need to do is to pay attention to what our elected officials are doing (or not doing), communicate with them and tell them what we want, then hold them accountable! Sadly right now, if one did any of the above, you'd probably only share the space with about 20% of the population. I believe the average citizen doesn't have a clue about what's going on in Sacramento or Washington, DC.

It reminds me of two old sayings: 1) When the cat is away, the mice will play 2) People don't do as you expect, they do as you inspect.

At least Mr. Swalwell would try to work with Republicans. Mr. Stark has not. Maybe you believe our representative shouldn't try to work with the GOP. That's fine but it also means he can't get anything done. The Democrats are in the minority in the US House. The House is not like the Senate. The minority party has no power and a minority member can only achieve his or her goals for their district by working with the majority, or at least the committee chairmen, otherwise you're just barking at the moon, which is all Stark and his other cohorts have done since getting creamed in 2010.

Observer, thanks for your reply even though it was off base. At least we've got you thinking! Stark is a big boy and he knew how far away DC was from his "home" and his "home" district in CA when he ran for congress. Would you agree to that? That's the price he had to pay, it was part of the job. Don't like it, don't take the job!

How can you miss the BIG POINT? The issue isn't that he has "a dwelling" in MD, but rather that he isn't living (as where he is registered to vote!) in, at least, the State of CA! Do you understand that? Did you look at Randy's Channel 2 investigation piece about Stark? How can Stark legally reside in MD and in CA as well?? Isn't this a problem?

This whole Occupy thing is really backwards. These misguided malcontents really are the .0002 of the population. One person on Channel 7 the other day said they wanted to tear down Capitalism! He obviously doesn't understand if we don't have a way to make money our whole system fails! And, we know that nobody gets anything for "free" unless a business makes a profit! I am encouraged to hear that you "have no problem with folks earning money" because I don't either. It is part of what makes America great!

The issue with Stark earning money I feel is that he has earned it through questionable dealings as an elected official, something you or I couldn't do (legally)!

Stark is routinely disrespectful and rude to anyone other than his lap "dogs" and "la-la-land" followers.

Much to my chagrin President Obama tried to work with Republicans over the last 4 years. And Republicans made it clear, “it is our way or the highway”. So have that it is absolutely impossible to work with Republicans. The only way forward for this nation is sweep up the Republican party and send it to the dust bin of history where it belongs.

You said, “Maybe you believe our representative shouldn't try to work with the GOP. That's fine but it also means he can't get anything done.”

If the Republican Party wanted to do something to better the nation Democrats would work with them. Unfortunately Republicans want to do things that are highly destructive to the fabric of the Nation. Such as:

Criminalizing birth control. The Republican party has gone after the wrong folks. The Women of the United States. Women are the majority of the voters and they will not tolerate the Taliban type treatment that the Republican party has in store for them.

They are going after the Senior Citizens. The Republicans want to destroy Social Security and Medicare. I am a senior citizen and we the seniors, will not let them do that. Pete Stark will defend Medicare and Social Security. We know he will because he always has.

Mr. Swalwell has much to learn. Perhaps ten years from now with the experience he gains from working as an elected City Councilmember he could be a good Congressmember.

So you protect medicare by STEALING 500 billion from it to fund Obamacare? My grandfather is one of those seniors relying on meicare and finding a doctors that accept medicare is becomming increasingly difficult.

And, you protect social security by slashing the amounts that working people pay into it? I'm all for a tax cut but cut federal income tax, not social security taxes. You don't fix social security by reducing its funding and ensuring it becomes insolvent sooner rather than later.

Republicans have a lot of blame to go around, granted. But, Democrats are the ones enacting these policies that are destroying these programs. When it comes to the Obama administraion policies the GOP hasn't been the party of "no", they've been the party of HELL NO, and God bless em for it.

As far as the birth control debate, the GOP isn't trying to ban birth control. They are simply saying the the church shouldn't have to buy it for you. I agree, they shouldn't. Last time I checked, every pharmacy still sells condoms. You just want someone else to pay for it.. and that's the definition of a modern day liberal.

Thank you for the plethora of questions. I agree with some of what you have to say but not with your conclusions. I don’t have time to answer that many questions especially since it is unlikely you would agree with my answers.

Social Security – Republicans want to privatize it so that Wall St. can suck it up. Social Security has a simple fix. Raise the Cap or means test or both.

Medicare should be expanded to all of us. We already pay for it in higher insurance cost and taxes due to treating sick people in the most expensive way possible in emergency rooms rather than through a family physician.

Have you been listening to Rick Santorum? He does not approve of contraception. He does not think woman should have control over their own bodies. And in Virginia demonstrations today. Woman are not going to stand for having their rights diminished.

I'm not hearing Mitt Romney talking about privatizing social security. And if we did, how does Wall St "suck it up?" Do you have a 401K or other pension plan? How do you earn money on that? It's invested stocks, or mutual funds, etc. Even in the safest private investments your money would yield a better return than social security. And for what its worth, Wall St gives more more money to Democrat politicians than Republicans. Just ask Barack Obama who finds himself in Manhattan every month or so to shake them down for campaign contributions for himself.

You're a senior so for you social security is great. So your logic is screw those of us in my age bracket who are funding your retirement now but won't get sh*t when were 65 because your Democrat politicians have been raiding the "ss trust fund" for years or if I get anything it won't be until a year or so before I die. I'll never see back what I pay in. If a Wall St company ran Social Security they'd be raided and imprisoned for fraud and embezzlement.

You over simplify the reasons for increasing health care costs. Those of us in our working years should be paying out own health care costs and not relying on government. We should look at ways to lower costs (tort reform, buying across state lines, etc.)

Rick Santorum has about as good a chance of winning the nomination as I do. I'm not hearing Romney or anyone in the GOP leadership in the US House or Senate talking about banning access to birth control (which by the way has zero to do with HEALTH care). We are talking about whether or not the church should be paying for it. No one is denying anyone access. Can you name one pharmacy that doesn't sell condoms? No, they all do. You just believe they should be given away like everything else in the liberals wet dreams.

Glad you liked the rant!

Nice try "gato pelon" but your misplaced thinking won't get you anywhere, except with others who have a problem like yours and Observer. I don't understand how you two can talk about "taking away liberties" and the like when it is Obama and the Liberals who are in the lead with Big Government and destroying our Constitution!

I may have some help for you: Psychological projection From Wikipedia

Psychological projection or projection bias is a psychological defense mechanism where a person subconsciously denies his or her own attributes, thoughts, and emotions, which are then ascribed to the outside world, usually to other people. Thus, projection involves imagining or projecting the belief that others originate those feelings.

Projection reduces anxiety by allowing the expression of the unwanted unconscious impulses or desires without letting the conscious mind recognize them.

An example of this behavior might be blaming another for self failure. The mind may avoid the discomfort of consciously admitting personal faults by keeping those feelings unconscious, and by redirecting libidinal satisfaction by attaching, or "projecting," those same faults onto another person or object.

The theory was developed by Sigmund Freud and is sometimes referred to as Freudian Projection which (projection) is a psychological defense mechanism whereby one "projects" one's own undesirable thoughts, motivations, desires, and feelings onto someone else.

Check it out!

Yes, Yes , Yes! This is perfect.

You have defined the “right wing” of the Republican Party quite well. But I must add the “right wing” doesn’t do it subconsciously. They are quite conscious of their subterfuge.

The Brain, Carl Rove for example and then of course the “right wing” radio and television propaganda tentacles reaching into the minds of the innocent and turning them to the Dark Side. Then of course the myth propagated by the “right wing” that the corporate media ABC, NBC and CBS are liberal. Seriously, it would be quite humorous if it was not so dangerous.

As we concerned Americans rise from the web of deceit spread by the “right wing” and realize that corporations are not people and that they need good and well enforced regulation. Why, because corporations have no soul, no conscience and greed propels them forward toward the goal of profit at any cost without regard for the nation, the people.

If you are looking for an Anti-Christ, unregulated corporations fit the bill quite well.

Yea, if you want real "fair and balanced" news turn on MSLSD... that's "real" news with it's lineup of freak shows including Rachel Madcow, Ed "the Red who's overfed" Shultz, Al Not-so-Sharpton.... yea, that's real journalism on that channel. All hard left wing hacks with the token Republican sellout, "the Morning Shmo" Even Keith Overbite had a home there until Comcast purchased NBC.

In all seriousness, Fox News has been the only network to be fair and balanced. Their journalism is non-partisan and fair, and the "conservatives" like O'Reilly (who's show is the NUMBER 1 rated cable news show) and Hannity frequently have guests from both sides of the aisle and welcome thoughtful debate, unlike MSLSD where you only get hard left wing nut jobs as guests.

Have we met "a local citizen"? You are actually helping us show that the average citizen isn't informed enough about the issues to make an intelligent decision. That's exactly what Stark, Boxer, Lee, Feinstein, Biden, Clinton and Obama want!

You're trying to sound profound, but you've missed the mark. Sorry.

I agree the president is somewhat limited (in running the day to day operation of the government), but when you have the House and the Senate in your pocket, the president can do a great deal of things (i.e., ObamaCare), if not by law, certainly by Executive Order (thankfully, they only have a limited life in case the next president wants to cut them out).

Apparently, you haven't been keeping on top of the news? This is a test: Please tell us all PO has done in the last three years (no fair in using my item above).

While PO does like to "lead from behind", he has thrown a ton of things against the wall with hopes that some of his trash will stick. For our own good as a free constitutional republic (not democracy), nothing will stick with his name on it!

My advice to you: Gain knowledge of the truth and be sure to vote accordingly! There is truth out there and it does work like other laws, such as gravity.

I can't resist just one more comment; many politicians (both sides) want to keep we citizens confused. We need to hold their feet to the fire. They need to deliver on their promises, and tell the TRUTH in all they do for us!

I'm not saying Obama can "wave a magic wand" and lower gas prices. I do believe there are things he can do to help that he isn't doing but that wasn't my point. I know it's a hard point for a liberal to grasp but I'll try again. My point is regarding the double standard. Under the liberal's logic, if high gas prices were Bush's fault in 2008 then it should be Obama's fault now. But in the liberal's mind everything is Bush's fault... if the dog barks all night = Bush's fault. If you're car won't start = Bush's fault. If you get stung by a bee... yes, you guessed it = Bush's fault. And finally, if Obama can't succeed in three years to fix the economy = Bush's fault baby!

There is some truth to your statement about Republicans... except for Ronald Wilson Reagan. All I want is a return to Reagan principles in government. Those other Republicans like Ford, Nixon, and Bush were just RINOs (Republicans In Name Only). They did not govern as conservatives for the most part in my mind. Reagan tried and did the best he could with Tip O'Neil and the Democrat controlled Congress. Reagan stood up when he needed to and shut down the federal government more than once. If Boehner and the boys tried that now I'm guessing you'd be slamming them. Many liberals today admit Reagan was a good President. Despite a Congress that couldn't cut spending, Reagan DOUBLED revenues to the federal government during his eight years. The problem is that if another Regan came along, the Democrat party would fight him tooth and nail every step.... just as they did then. It must be nice to be a liberal because you get to re-write history as you see fit.

It still is interesting to me that it seems Tim and I are the ones putting the facts up, but instead of responding to the facts/issues/statements, the reply is always directed somewhere else, at something else. Is this any way to honestly discuss important issues? I've seen it too many times, Democrats, but especially liberals, as I've mentioned before, hop from one topic to another (there are endless topics) than to stand and discuss the topic at hand. That doesn't sound like they are truly concerned about solving the problem!

In a state today which is so far to the left in all that it does (I remember when CA was at the top of edcuation with the best schools, etc..., but now it is at the bottom of the heap because of all the "experiments" in education and the so called concern for feelings instead of things that help make students real successes!), I guess looking to the center is pretty "far" to the right.

Yes, we can all have a good time and I am all for it, when it is time to laugh. However, in these times where our politicians (both parties) are spending money like, pardon the old expression, drunken sailors, and show no concern for tomorrow about most topics (and misplaced "concern" on other topics placing unnecessary burdens on those who are trying to be successful), we really need to start seeing the future for what it is. Unless we start pulling together with some real solutions, we'll be looking like Greece any month now! Somebody has to be the parent!

Just listen to the Republican debates. Those folks are battling to see who can come up with the craziest ideas. They are very scary. The Right wing does not trust Romney. He is a little to sane for them. He just cannot get crazy enough to please the far Right but Santorum can.

I am right wing. I like Romney. I voted for Romney in the 2008 primary. I will likely vote for him again this time, although I have not yet made up my mind. I'm going to vote for whoever I think has the best chance of beating Obama.

Back to Ron's point on the media since you didn't answer him, Observer. The liberal media always have their "token conservatives" who are not conservatives at all. MSNBC = Joe Scarborough (they fired Pat Buchanan for actually being a conservative). The big three have no one that comes to mind but they have their liberal "token conservative" guests like David Frum and Colin Powell but they are all afraid to debate a real conservative like Mark Levin (and may I suggest you read Ameritopia and educate yourself).

Ron, I am wondering why you did not criticize FOX for not having equal representation! FOX is the MOST biased TV channel there is. Most probably only the ditto-heads like it. It doesn't matter what MSNBC does because only a small percentage watch it (not me!).

Yea, only "ditto-heads" watch Fox... what a stupid thing to say... that's why every weeknights Fox beats CNN and MSLSD combined in ratings.... and nobody with a brain watches MSLSD anyway. Bottom line is that more people than just Limbaugh fans watch Fox.

I'll be feeling good when Obama is defeated on election day. I'll be feeling even better when the Senate flips to the GOP, which it will just because of the number of Democrats up for election and the red/purple states they are in. I wonder how Democratic Senators Ben Nelson and Joe Manchin will be campaigning for re-election. I'd bet my last dollar that then run as far from Obama as they possibly can. Obama is toxic to these guys chances. Here's hoping Obama has coattails and takes these phony "blue-dog" Democrats down with him.

Other than taking out bin Laden (which ANY President would have done in the same circumstance) what accomplishments does Obama have? All I can think of is...
- a record number of Americans on welfare/food stamps,etc.
- higher unemployment
- rising fuel/food prices
- stagnant housing market/ record foreclosures

While, Obama inherited a lot of these problems from Bush, how long will it take until the responsibility falls on him? It's been three years so the question is a simple one and one that Ronald Regan asked while debating Jimmy Carter in 1980.... "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"

Nice platitude but again, you can't or won't address the points that I made; like every other liberal commenter on Patch.

Ron and Tim,
You both like to read and read what you write, which of course you think as great writings coming from great "independent thinkers"! America is better today in every aspect than 3 years ago. The economy is recovering and is now in the expansion phase. President Obama is much better than Mr. Romney, even though there are a couple of strong similarities between them. Both have offered similar tax policies going forward! Both have similar healthcare policies. I compliment Mr. Romney for what he has done in Massachusetts in the healthcare arena. President Obama has done outstanding work in the foreign affairs. He has done more in every arena. The economy would have recovered even more and more people would have been employed but for the bonehead Republicans in the Congress and the Senate. Mr. Romney will live ever happily after the election in his million dollars homes with ten Cadillac’s, three Chevys, two Dodge trucks,.............Hey, he can even have a car dealership, after all, his dad ran the GM! First, he has to figure out how to open his mouth without putting his feet there (or a silver-spoon) and his ass kicked daily by Mr. Santorum and Newt G teaching family values with his third wife on the side!

What is the big deal whether he ran American Motors or GMP? I owned a clunker made by American Motors for a couple of years. By the time I sold it, more than half of the parts were not original.

Mr. Obama has an excellent record as a President in both the domestic and foreign areas. Of course, in the foreign affairs he has been the best American President for many years. On the domestic front, he has done so many things. He has created millions of jobs. Unfortunately, we need a still few more millions of jobs because of the deep recession caused by Mr. Cheney and His (Vice) President George Bush. Many millions would have been employed but for the petty partisan politics of the Speaker and the Republican egg-heads in the Senate. Talking about experience, Mr. Obama has the experience as a President solving domestic and foreign challenges unlike the Vulture Capitalist Mr. Romney. By the way, the Republicans labeled him as a Vulture Capitalist.

Mr. Obama, like President Reagan, has proved that the Vulture Capitalist experience is not a must to be the President, who can hire the right people to fill the senior level positions. Well; Mr. Reagan was a Hollywood actor, that too in the second tier 'B' movies!

Ron how dare you tell me not to post any more messages in the Patch? It is none of your business to tell me whether I should post a message in the Patch or not. Ditto-heads, if you can't take the heat, you get out of the kitchen.

So we admit Obama has no record to run on and the campaign once again, four years later, is blame Bush and Cheney. LOL. Lets see how that works this time.

Mitt also said his father could stick a bunch of nails in his mouth and spit them out pointy end first! YEE HAW! that makes Mitt very presidential, you bethca.

There is never going to be a President Mitt. The United States isn't going to elect a guy who has a 4.5 acre lawn where he had to fire the company that was mowing it with illegal Guatemalans. What bothers me is who needs a 4.5 acre lawn? Is he inviting Paul Bunyan over for croquet? We're never going to elect someone who's got secret Swiss bank accounts & sends his money to the Cayman Islands. What's wrong with good old American banks? What is his so-called blind trustee hiding?

Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney on Sunday defended both his wealth and the number of cars he owns during an awkward exchange with Fox News' Chris Wallace. Romney also accused Obama of corruption, suggesting that the government assistance provided to General Motors and Chrysler was motivated by political patronage rather than economic substance. Mr. Romney is going ballistic! He can't stop putting his BIG SILVER SPOON in his mouth!! The Vulture Capitalist is so out of touch with average Americans and still doesn't get it.

At least Romney paid all his taxes on all his income and cap gains.... and yes, it was paid even on the money he has offshore. We have a Treasury Secretary that did not pay his taxes and had several cabinet nominees that ended up withdrawing because they didn't pay their taxes.... former Senator Tom Daschle was another one. Why the hell should I care if Romney has 4.5 acres or 25 acres? As long as it's legitimately earned and I see no evidence that it wasn't who the f cares??? I'm more concerned about these guys on both sides (but namely Democrats) that USE their positions to get rich by questionable means.... right here in the Bay Area Pelosi and Stark come to mind.

Tim,

Yes; Your candidate Mr. Romney paid his taxes. With all his Vulture Capitalist skills, he managed to do that at only 15% rate. He wants his corprorate buddies and cronies get big tax breaks and corporations that do cheat the Treasury get tax breaks for moving jobs out of the country. What a great job creator he is! If I was a billionnaire like him, I will be EXTREMELY HAPPY to pay taxes as well at a rate of 15%.

Romney paid the same 15% tax on capital gains that your rich Democrat politicians paid. Do you know why Cap Gains are taxed at 15%? Because if you taxed them more, people wouldn't take the risk and make the investment in the first place, which would further hurt the economy. If they lose money on their investments the government doesn't reimburse them. There is a difference between income earned from labor/working and income earned from investment. And, if you don't like it, why the hell didn't the Democrats change it when they ran the entire show from 2009-2010? Charles Rangel who headed the House Ways and Means Committee could have changed the tax law (but he's yet another Democrat who failed to pay his own taxes). The only ones cheating the treasury are your Democrat Congressmen and Democrats in the Obama administration.

Tim,
Romney’s overall tax rate for 2011 was 15%, not just the capital gain tax! How did the Vulture Capitalist do it? With his Cayman Island and Swiss Bank accounts and with the exploitation of the tax loopholes, he did it. A billionaire paying only 15% in taxes??
That is why President Barack Obama has asked for the so-called Buffet Tax which is nothing but a rate that will ensure that millionaires “pay at least the same percentage of their earnings as middle income taxpayers”.
I am all for this and commend Mr. Obama for going after the wealthy like Mr. Romney who don’t pay their fair-share and walk the talk in supporting the country. Shame on you, Mr. Romney.

OJ. There you go again!

OJ you said, "..how dare you tell me not to post..." and ended it with a question mark (?). Were you asking me a question or what? Isn't that a little embarrassing to you?

OJ, I am trying to help you out here. You refuse to answer questions, provide facts to backup your wild, false and outlandish statements (what is a "Ditto-heads" any way?), you make disrespectful comments, you make statements out of your realm of knowledge/experience, so generally speaking OJ, you don't make yourself look very good in public. All I am saying is that if you don't want to appear as an ill-informed President Obama puppet with few clues about what's going on around you, you may want to keep your comments to yourself, or at least only share them with others who don't mind listening to empty and useless statements.

I'd like to learn from you, but please bring something meaningful to the table, can you do that? Hint: Just remember actual "facts" should be a part of any answer you provide/statement you make, otherwise it is just name calling and hearsay.

OJ, again by your comments, I can tell you've never been a supervisor/manager.

Speaking of hiring the right people sounds good and easy in a poem or a fairy tale story, but in real life people who hire employees want to see a resume with progressively responsible employment leading up to the current opening position. If one has never been there (Obama), how can he do the job? He can't, and hasn't done the job for over three years!

For example, if I (I could either be a business or a governmental agency) was hiring for a Vice-President of Manufacturing opening, I'd want to see previous employment showing that the candidate was a supervisor, got promoted to manager, then got promoted to director level positions. And, this person would have to show how he/she was a success at each level and how he/she improved the process, kept costs down and was recognized for his/her superior efforts. This would be the person I'd want to hire. I believe you'd do the same thing, wouldn't you?

Now, how did we in America miss/skip this process in 2008? Candidate Obama had NO QUALIFICATIONS to even be a supervisor, at best! Obama had never balanced a significant budget (maybe his household budget), I don't think he ever wrote an executive employee performance evaluation, I don't think Obama ever had to make a significant budget for the next FY, and the list goes on and on and on!

Romney has done all the above and more! Go Romney!

Ron,
You are Mr. Etiquette or the male counterpart of Mother Teresa and you showering all the epithets and disparaging words and phrases on me – I am quite honored. I think the “actual facts” as you call them are those gems in your messages! I see trees of green, red roses too. I see them bloom for me and you, And I think to myself what a wonderful world. I see skies of blue and clouds of white, The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night. And I think to myself what a wonderful world.
Have a wonderful night.

Thomas Coats...3:41 p.m.

So, you are saying that you've been hired by a poor person?

Weren't you ready to elect John Kerry as president a couple of years ago? He's as rich or richer than Romney. Is this another example of the Democratic liberal double standard?

Just like Obama, Democrats hate employers, but love employees! One of these days you'll learn that the employer comes first, then the profits to grow the business and hire employees. That's the way it works. You know, the chicken came BEFORE the egg!

Why don't you start a business and see how things really work? Then, you'd find out that the one who takes the risk should get the reward. The rest of us get the interest on a bank savings plan.

Did you know that to afford a $10 per hour employee, the employer has to actually put out about $15 per hour to make that happen?

So you're never going to elect a person with a Swiss bank account? Have you checked to see who the richest elected officials are in the USA? Well, out of the top ten, two are Republicans and eight (yes, 8!) are Democrats! Do you not think maybe one of them have a Swiss bank account?

I love communicating (I can't say debating because Democrats/liberals don't debate, they only snipe, then run away) with people like you, OJ and Observer. It keeps me sharp and on my toes, and makes me appreciate the great country in which we live because nowhere like America can a person (who tires and works hard) succeed so well!

OJ, from what I understand, Romney paid 15% because he is making his money on his investments in the form of cap gains. "Rich people" that make their money this way likely aren't working as W-2 employees for someone. Perhaps he has other income on 1099s and I am sure he is paying his proper marginal rate. If he is itemizing deductions (as I am sure he is) with charitable contributions, etc. then so what? Again, I come back to my point which you cant address... why didn't Obama, Reid, Pelosi and Mr. Rangel CHANGE THESE POLICIES when they RAN THE ENTIRE FEDERAL GOV from 2009-2010????? Because you will kill charities that rely on these "evil rich" and you will destroy investment and further crush the economy. You blame Republicans but have brain freeze when it comes to recalling the fact that for two full years the Democrats had full control and the GOP couldn't stop them. Obama's problem is that he couldn't get his own party on board. Hell, he still can't as the Democrat controlled Senate that hasn't passed a budget in 3 and a half years on board now as once again Mr. Reid declared Obama's latest budget proposal dead on arrival.

Excellent explanation Tim! Unfortunately, I don't think the "others" are interested in reading anything to learn what the facts are :(

Tim, you pass the litmus test for the ditto-heads with a flying color! The ditto-heads think they are the ONLY ones in teh country who undesratnd the constitution!

So corporations should not be allowed to make campaign contributions but the union bosses should be allowed to take rank and file union dues from members (who might not agree) and throw that money at leftist Democrat politician campaigns? Once again, another liberal double standard. At least corporations are responsible to their shareholders and board members right on up to the CEO can be fired.... the unions are accountable to no one,, not even their members. I know, I was once part of CSEA and didn't like them using my dues to support liberal politicians. You want to ban corporate political donations, fine, but ban the unions too.

And btw, you are assuming that all corporate contributions go to Republicans.... look again. Obama received more money from Wall St in 2008 than did John McCain. At least get your facts straight.

Every speech I see Obama give I see the biggest corporate crony of all, GE's Jefffrey Immelt right there with him. Maybe if Obama could get GE to pay some taxes and put a stop to crony capitalism I could buy in but he won't because he enjoys those corporate political donations himself.

I think both the parties crony up with the corporations because there is where the money is and it is the American way. The difference is to what extent and how and that is where President Obama is better than the Vulture Capitalist Mr. Romney.

By the way, GE's Jefffrey Immelt took the offer from the White House because it is the American way! He is a life-long Republican. In his 60 Minutes interview that is what he said. Even his mother told him not toa ccept it. He did. In spite of the GE's tax situation, I tip my hat to him. He is not a crony; he is an American without partisan politics when the President called for his service.

There's clearly no getting through to you. If Immelt and GE were in bed with the GOP you would not be "tipping your hat". There's such an obvious and blatant double standard. At least the OWS crowd acknowledges the Obama/Immelt relationship for what it is.

Observer 10:53 a.m. post....

Nice of you to relate your story, and humans and the human experience is not set in concrete. Things change for one reason or another. Either you (or your country) adapt to the changes or you are lost to the dust bins of history as a "has been"!

Would you rather the US control the money, or say Mexico, North Korea or Greece control the money? I like the idea it comes here.

Who is holding you to a low paying job? If you don't like your job, work to get a better/higher paying job, even if it services others. Would you rather go to a country for that manufacturing job earning $2 per day? Remember, you're probably buying that product and you want it to be affordable (cheap)!

Some regulations (like we stop at all "STOP" signs) are good. Some regulations increasing the size of the IRS and adding more taxes to make it more difficult for businesses to be successful are NOT good for the country. I am sure we could find a nice midway point to live with. When the cost of administrating the law/code exceeds a percentage of the GDP, that is bad news for us all!

Democrats have corraled people by welfare and other government handouts for 50 years. Give me something, I will vote for you! That's only good until the money runs out!

OBAMA = deadend road, with $20Trillion Debt by 2015!

Can you afford it?! It IS time to WAKE UP!

People power is best utilized when we have freedom and are productive!

Referring to your Congressman as a "POS" reveals much about your vulgar & repugnant character !!! Speaking of vulgar the real question here is whether you wipe after you comment or not ? Do you kiss your mother with that mouth ?!?

Tim's a moron,no oxy about it ! Everytime he opens his mouth another Independent voter becomes a vote for the Democrat's in the next election. If we can keep him yammering there won't be many Republicans on the ballot come November (and one is too many) !!!!

Who is Ken Martin? There has got to be allot of them. Which one are you? Is Ken Martin your real name? I might be logging in as a Ken Martin and posting the above post. How do you know that my real name isn’t Observer? Check out my photo. Maybe I am a doppelganger for George Washington? Or maybe I am a George or a Ken.

What is important is that I have a chance to say my piece without fear of retaliation.

Who are you really? So stop posting as Ken Martin and use your real name.

There are many reasons to use a pseudonym including fear of retaliation from the government or one's employer to name a few. Since you chose to make this the subject of your first comment you wouldn't be trying to locate these people to shut their mouths personally would you ? If you persist in viciously attacking other commenters you to might consider using an "anonymous" name lest you end up arguing your point on your doorstep with someone who vehemently disagrees at 3:00 A.M. !!! Irregardless of who wins the primary (it will be Pete Stark) one thing we can all agree on,come November this seat will continue to be held by a Democrat !!! Always remember that no matter how big one's mouth is (Tim,Ron,Red Dog Lead) & how often they comment they only have one vote like everybody else. Every time these great minds of conservative thinking share their repudiated & repugnant opinions with Patch readers another Independent voter joins the ranks of Democratic voters !!! Keep up the good work because the contrast between us lovers & you haters couldn't be any more clear to the intelligent members of our community !!! On the other hand if you can get that lazy kid of yours to help with the digging you can have your bunker finished by election day - good luck with that !!!

Every election day East Bay voters reject your vile & repugnant rhetoric by electing Democrats by an overwhelming margin over the conservative right-wing Republican candidates you support ! Twice as many voters believe that aliens walk among us (20%) than think the Republican controlled Congress is doing a good job (9%). Yes,by forcing Senate Democrats to get 60 votes instead of a simple majority of 50 plus one no meaningful legislation is coming out of that body either. And President Obama now has an approval rating of over 50% ! So you'd better hope all those voter supression measures passed by Republican dominated state legislatures bear fruit or you'll be swept away by the Democratic tidal wave. The more voters are exposed to FOX News talking points & Rush Limbaugh's detestable & ill-conceived rants the bigger the victory for Democrats come November ! Hell, Pat Robertson wants to legalize marijuana now,another conservative sees the light ! And you know what they say "give them a light & they'll follow it anywhere !" Just in - New Hampshire House of Representatives votes 162-161 to decriminalize 1/2 ounce or less of marijuana as Republican Speaker Bill O'Brien abstains from voting to allow the bills passage !!! Another Republican showing a modicum of common sense he should be applauded !!!

I've really got to run, but tell me Summer, were you smoking a little something this morning?

Hey Summer... there's more to the state of California and the USA for that matter than "the bay area"... check this out... http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2004/countymap.htm

Red - Republican, Blue - Democrat ...funny, not much blue on the map... even in CA!

Ron.... she sounds like she spends too much time high in front of the tv watching MSLSD and its lineup of freak shows.

Tim, I just got back in and was a little surprised that Summer didn't post another one of her classic non-sense replies. Maybe she's sleeping off whatever was clouding her mind?

I must apologize Tim, when I wrote Mike, I meant Tim. Maybe some of Summer's smoke crossed my computer wires? :)

While your map shows 2000 and 2004, it is pretty much the same each election year. The Dems do really well in the cities, but where people have to really work for a living and know where an egg comes from, it is pretty much Republican country. Everyone should learn from the statistics provided in those maps. They really are an eye-opener, at least for the people who want to see the big picture.

I've got a great suggestion: maybe every high school student needs to spend 30 days or so before they are allowed to graduate in the country on a farm where real life is thriving so that they may learn how to deal with things, and know where things come from. They'd certainly learn that you can't harvest anything until you first plant the first seed. This is a law of life that many Dems and all liberals don't understand.

Let us hope that Summer doesn't kill any more brain cells and comes to recognize that Media Matters has a big influence on what MSNBC and the others put out as "news". BTW, why haven't we heard from the local news about Media Matters taking orders from the White House about what "news" will be run on a given day?

If only all the liberals and democrats simply vanish - Ron will be singing like this:

I see the liberals are gone, democrats too
I see them gone for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see states of blue and red and pocketful of gold
The bright blessed election day, the dark scary primary night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world

I hear the liberals crying, I watch Romney glow
I will never learn much more than what I know now
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world

Dear Mr. X,
I think you made my point. I responded to you with some humor. You than responded with a bit of anger. If I hadn’t used a “nom de plume” you (who ever you are) might have shown up on my front porch and beat me into pulp.

I don’t know if you are a Ken Martin or a Psychotic Lunatic or perhaps both. At any rate it is not likely you will show up on my porch because of a “pen name”. Note: Samuel Clemmons = Mark Twain. Of course you may think, I am no Mark Twain and that would be true.

You gave me a whole list of really good things that Ken Martin has done for the Castro Valley community and beyond. I salute, that Ken Martin, he is a good man. I have read all these things about him in the Castro Valley Forum. This is all public information and not proof of your identity.

Observer

Ken, I know you've made your last comment and I don't blame you, but isn't it interesting that many Dems and all liberals will believe without question anything Pelosi, Feinstein, Boxer, Brown, Stark, Obama and the other "half steppers" tell them (oh, yes, let's not forget ObamaCare where Pelosi said you have to pass it before you can see what the details are...not that any of them read the bill in the first place!), but they doubt an honest man with facts!

How can any rational person deal with these kinds of....well, what does one call them? Factless people? Integrity-less people? Careless people?

I guess we can say that it is "more of the same" from the empty liberal mindset.

For their own good, I wish all these folks could actually live in a world as they propose (without the rest of us, thank you), then we'd see some real "come to Jesus" moments as they find that this liberal doctrine isn't all that it is cracked up to be! It only works in dreams and in the minds of our friend Summer's smoke filled mind.

Well; SH, what do you expect from the defenders of Joseph Kony and the offenders of all women in the US? If you expect decency and intelligence, that is your fault! The poster-boys of the Republican Party would defend Joseph Kony thinking by doing it, they can defame President Obama! They offend all the women thinking that is okay in the US. None of these super-intelligent right-wingers have even criticized them. Santorum, Newt and Romney are playing the fiddle when the country is burning with hatred and divisiveness that these people propagate.

Romney will defeat Obama in November... just like I told you my New York Football Giants would send your no offense SF 49ers to an early golf season!!!

It is no wonder Tim doesn’t want to talk about the support to Joseph Kony and the insult to women by the poster-boys of his party and changes the subject! Good Job, Tim.

Why don't we talk about Obama's support of Syrian murdering dictator Bashar al-Assad. The guy has murdered countless civilians and nothing but words from Obama. Obama has no problem throwing a pro-American Egyptian president under the bus but when it comes to a rogue, murdering scum bag, he gets Obama's support. Here's the point.... Obama assaults religion by insisting that the churches buy a prostitute her contraception but murdering dictators, you're okay.

"GP", hairless cats don't have anything to hide, but why do you?

You should be thankful that there are others with different opinions so that just in case one of these days you finally see you're on a dead-end route, you'll be able to find your way back to reality.

The rational, honest, sincere, faithful, concerned, loving, honorable and patriotic individuals will be more often found in our ranks than yours. The best example of this, is the Occupy flakes compared with the honest, law-abiding, peaceful, respectful and determined Tea Party folks. Now be honest "GP", have you seen any Tea Party (many are in agreement with this group although they may not be attending members) members spray painting buildings, breaking front business windows, starting fires, using illegal drugs, illegally stopping traffic, prohibiting private and government employees from going to their jobs (to earn money for their families), causing millions of dollars of additional and useless costs to cities and counties around the country, or anything like the anarchy we've seen on the news?

Now if you are really honest "GP", you'll respond appropriately. Let's see what you do.

Why do you only want the crooks to have guns? Personal gun ownership lowers crime.

You want to be careful about the "projection personality" that liberals exhibit here. We know what you're about by what you irrationally accuse others of, again, another good old propgaganda tactic.