"Dangerous and Asinine"

Governor Scott Walker admitted to having considered planting "trouble makers" in the crowd of demonstrators to disrupt the peaceful rallies in support of unions held in and around the Wisconsin state capital.

So why has he not been made accountable for admittedly attempting to violate citizens' 1st Amendment rights?

Americans have focused their attention on the rallies, and the 14 Wisconsin Democrat state senators that refuse to return to work until Governor Walker acts like a servant for the people instead of a pint-sized wanna-be dictator.

But I firmly believe we must also address the fact that an elected official was contemplating perverting one of the most fundamental rights of every citizen in the Republic by implementing cowardly thugs and instigating what could have resulted in a full scale riot. In case Mr. Walker doesn't know, this isn't the 1960's, and he is not George Wallace--nor is he Mubarak or Khadafi for that matter. This dangerous and asinine behavior by Governor Walker should be met with vehement condemnation.

I find it extremely uncomfortable and troubling that an American public servant was weighing his options to physically endanger the lives of citizens and law enforcement to score political points. Any elected official participating in this type of behavior should be immediately removed from his post with the utmost zeal.



"Progressives will bring balance to the Republic."
Anthony P. Johnson

Open Letter to Tom Corbett, Governor

Tom Corbett, Governor
200 North Third Street
13th Floor
Harrisburg , PA 17101


Dear Governor,

Sir, as an educator and CEO of a small non-profit organization specializing in mentoring and non-traditional sports such as fencing and rugby located in Philadelphia, I am deeply concerned about the possible massive budget cuts that could be inflicted on social services such as:

• After School Programs
• Mentoring Programs
• GED Programs
• Physical Disabilities/Behavioral Health Programs
• Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Programs
• Senior Citizens Programs

In addition, Governor Corbett, I believe cutting funding from the Philadelphia School District would have catastrophic consequences in the communities, on the students, teachers, and some of the administrators who have dedicated their lives to providing youth and adolescents with a fundamentally effective education to become innovative leaders locally, nationally, and globally.

Sir, I know that these are perilous economic times in Pennsylvania and that tough and unpleasant decisions will have to be made to balance the state's budget. But I implore you to protect, maintain, and allow those of us in the field of social services to continue to cultivate these services so they can blossom and extend to everyone in need.


Respectfully,


Anthony P. Johnson, Founder
Dream Field Academy
647 East Raymond Street
Philadelphia, Pa 19120
Office: 215-744-2529
Cell: 215-715-0355
Email: johnsonanthony99@hotmail.com
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/dreamfieldacademy/

“Extreme Madness”

Governor Christ Christie is moving in the wrong direction, and in the process, he is attempting to make history in the great state of New Jersey. If he achieves his objective, it will have a catastrophic affect on citizens’ rights to organize for fairness in the workforce.

It’s clear that Governor Christie would rather focus his attention on breaking unions rather than take action as Camden, Trenton and Newark are ranked as 3 of the 25 “Most Dangerous Cities in America.” In addition, instead of addressing and implementing innovative initiatives to combat the 8.7% unemployment in New Jersey, a decrepit infrastructure, and massive layoffs of law enforcement and firefighters in Camden which happens to be ranked 2nd as the “Murder Capital of America,” he would rather use the governor’s office as the bully pulpit against unions. And to think some folk believe that Mr. Christie would be a great President. President of what?

Governor Christie is nothing more than a tool for big corporations that want unions disbanded the same way President Theodore Roosevelt waged a successful campaign in dismantling the trusts and monopolies by a handful wealthy men such as Morgan, Carnegie and Rockefeller. The Koch Brothers, the 21st century version of the robber barons, and their ilk seek revenge. Governor Christie and Governor Walker are two of the more than 20 Tea/Republican Governors that are gleefully willing to be their minions and do their bidding.

I believe unions should be balanced and some desperately must return to the fundamental philosophy of Samuel Gompers which is--employee relations could best be encouraged through an effective dialogue between management and workers. But when corporations and elected officials scheme to completely obliterate unions in America, well, that is the final descent into extreme madness. It would be like tossing the proverbial baby out with the bath water. Unfortunately, that is the current climate in our political system--extreme madness and tossing the baby out with the bath water.


"Progressives will bring balance to the Republic."
Anthony P. Johnson

“Waiting for Fictitious Heroes”

President Obama unveiled his 2012 budget plan to cut wasteful spending from the nation’s budget by more than a trillion dollars. Some of the cuts include:

• LIHEAP
• Pell Grants
• AmeriCorps

and other social service programs that assist middle class, working poor, and poor Americans. For the record, I completely disagree to any cuts to these excellent programs.

On the other side of the stale and moldy two-party political system, the Tea/Republican Party propose massive cuts from de-funding PBS, NPR, historically African American colleges and universities, the Department of Education, the IRS and the EPA just to name a few.

For the record, I support President Obama because I know he didn’t create this mess. Oh no! This debacle was procreated under President Ronald Reagan, and now Mr. Obama is attempting to fix this crisis, and he must now perform a much needed financial vasectomy to the national budget.

What we need now more than ever is an effective plan implemented to reverse the nation’s current trend because corporations, lobbyists, corrupt Supreme Courts Justices, weak, vacillating, and corrupt elected officials are taking America down a path that will place us in the history books right in front of the Roman Empire as a once great, empathetic and powerful nation that was destroyed by its greed, apathy and corruption.

We must also stop blaming each other for the political and social calamities that have enveloped the nation. You know what I’m talking about. Liberals blame Democrats, Democrats blame Progressives, Progressives blame Liberals, and this vicious cycle repeats itself. Stop! Why can’t we find a common goal(s) to focus and stay on message? We need to address our decimated infrastructure by:

• Ending Poverty
• Ending Homelessness
• Improving our Education System
• Protect the Environment and Social Security
• Ensure that “every” American has affordable and effective
healthcare
• Ending our involvement in wars around the world.
• Finance Reform

I thought that’s what Liberals, Independents, Democrats, and Progressives wanted for the Republic and its citizenry.

Conversely, we must stop waiting for Superman and/or any of the other fictitious superheroes to help us and instead be heroes of our own because the Republic is depending on us and our future is riding on it.


POWER TO THE GREAT CITIZENS OF WISCONSIN!


“Progressives will bring balance to the Republic.”
Anthony P. Johnson

"Taking it to the Streets...Peacefully"

Many Americans watched in awe over the last two-weeks as the Egyptian people took to the streets to peacefully protest the removal of a dictator who starved and murdered his citizenry, while he pillaged an estimated $70,000,000,000 from the country he claimed to love.

I'm tired of hearing members of the Tea/Republican Party always chanting "revolution" in America. They're always threatening to take their muskets and shoot other Americans because they say President Obama raised their taxes--which are false, and that "Obamacare" will kill their grandparents--which it won't. Additionally, the Tea/Republican Party members like to use references about "taking back America," but where do they want to take it?

I like to issue a challenge to these people:

If we, the citizens, leave our muskets at home and protest the homeless crisis in the nation which includes in some reports of 14%, 20% and 25% respectively of the population that has served in the U.S. military--would you be ready to take it to the streets peacefully?

Are you ready to peacefully protest the reduction of Pell Grant opportunities for deserving and under-privileged college students and the diminishing social services desperately needed in cash strapped American cities?

If we peacefully assembled in large numbers as concerned citizens because we want solutions, not excuses from parents, school, and elected officials about our decaying public school system that is no longer even graduating functioning illiterates--are you ready to take it peacefully to the streets?

If we, the people, marched on Capitol Hill as a nation of one, not based upon ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious or political affiliation, but in fact, our concerns about the widening gap between the wealthy, the middle class, and the working poor, the increase in racial inequality, and the dissipation of a woman's fundamental rights that is destroying the Republic--would you be ready to take it peacefully to the streets?

If you're truly ready to start a "Real Revolution," let it be a revolution about aiding all Americans and restoring the Republic back to its greatness. Just a reminder, my dissatisfied brethren of the Tea/Republican Party--a nation divided will cease to exist.



"Progressives will bring balance to the Republic."
Anthony P. Johnson

“Brilliantly Poor”

Mr. Nutter has taken Philadelphia in the wrong direction for more than 3 years, and I believe he will continue this odyssey if he is re-elected. To be blunt, Mayor Nutter does not possess the attributes consisting of effectiveness, nor is he innovative enough to reverse our city’s decrepit and financially bankrupt infrastructure.

I will not spend much effort addressing an unlimited list of failures by Mr. Nutter during his tenure, but I will say this--its crystal clear that rebuilding and restoring Philadelphia to its greatness is simply too big of a job for Mr. Nutter to handle.

So, where do we go from here? Currently, there is an incumbent mayor running for reelection that has done so “brilliantly poor” in serving the will of Philadelphians, and yet, there are no viable Democratic challengers.


“Progressives will bring balance to the Republic.”
Anthony P. Johnson

“Greatest American Hero…Not!”

I find it comical how the GOP and conservative talk radio attempt to package former President Ronald Reagan as a poor man’s version of the “Greatest American Hero” when it was clear early on in his Presidency that he resembled more of an “American Nightmare.” Ronald Reagan played the fear monger card to millions of Americans and convinced them that the true threat to America’s prosperity was African-American welfare queens, Central American leftists, and the U.S Federal Government.

In fact, in his First Inaugural Address in 1981, Reagan declared that, "Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." Yet, during his tenure as the Commander and Chief, he increased the size of the federal government that would have made President Franklin Roosevelt say, “Damn.” Three years after he left the White House, Ronald Reagan was anything but America’s greatest action hero. As a recession enveloped the country, Americans came to see the Reagan years which featured a massive defense buildup, soaring deficits, and even a stock market crash in 1987--as the source of their economic woes. Reagan presided over the worst recession at that time--since World War II and under his guidance from 1982-1983 the unemployment rate exceeded 10% for 10 consecutive months?

Ronald Reagan was also the Pied Piper of tax breaks for the wealthy, and since his Presidency ended more than 20 years ago--the richest Americans have received more than 400% in tax breaks while the middle class, working poor, and the poor citizens have not received any benefits in the form of improving the nation’s medieval infrastructure or job creation as a result of those tax cuts.

So to all my neo-conservative friends, stop attempting to cast Ronald Reagan as a President deserving to be mentioned with the likes of great U.S. Presidents such as Lincoln, FDR, T.R., Washington, Jefferson and Clinton. Yes Clinton! Reagan was not a great president, pure and simple, and no matter how you attempt to distort history with myths of his accomplishments--they fall flat like Carl Lewis' rendition of the “Stars Spangled Banner.”

It was President Reagan that deemed mental health obsolete when he made massive cuts in order to build up the military which led to the closing of thousands of behavioral health facilities. It was President Reagan who participated in the illegal transaction of arms-for- hostages, and it was Reagan who didn’t mention the word “AIDS” until 1987--and after between 20,000-30,000 citizens had perished. Perhaps in the country of "Bizzaro" Reagan would be an exceptional President but in the United States, he was far from it.



“Progressives will bring balance to the Republic.”
Anthony P. Johnson