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Showing posts with label Social Security. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social Security. Show all posts

Nov 22, 2020

January 5, 2021 Georgia Runoff for Control of the US Senate

The New Year Brings a Major Political Event in My Home State of Georgia

by Jude Cowell

Georgia State Capitol Building: Gold Dome; Connor.carey at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Early in the New Year, two political contests will determine which party controls the US Senate beginning in 2021 and their outcomes will determine how well the Biden-Harris adminstration can manage its work. Predictably, Senate Majority Leader Mitch "grim reaper" McConnell and certain Republican groups are spending many millions of advertising dollars in Georgia in hopes of retaining control of all Senate proceedings and thereby keeping the gavel of power out of the hands of a Democrat. No longer the party of 'fiscal responsibility' one must wonder at the GOP's broader agenda which seems to be the sabotage of our nation into penury and collapse. Of course you may disagree, dear reader, but there it is.

Meanwhile, there's a website with all you need to know about the Georgia Runoff Election of January 5, 2021 between Kelly Loeffler (R) vs Raphael Warnock (D) to complete the term of Senator Johnny Isaakson (which ends in 2023), and incumbent Senator David Perdue (R) vs Jon Ossoff (D). Naturally the information is aimed at Georgia voters and includes a list of significant dates, 2020 into 2021:

November 18: mailing of absentee ballots began

December 7: deadline to register to vote

December 14-31: early in-person voting

January 5: Election Runoff for two US Senate seats.

Now since I relocated to Raleigh NC in early 2019, I can't say for certain that statewide polling locations in Georgia are open on January 5, 2021 during the same hours as those of my former county of residence (7:00 am to 7:00 pm) but I imagine this to be the case. If you're a Georgia voter, check with your county to be sure. After all, in ye olde 13th Colony, there's no telling what underhanded tricks may be used to suppress or negate your vote.

Astrologically, there's a 'sense of social justice' to the day's cosmic energies with Sun in Saturn-ruled Capricorn and Moon in Venus-ruled Libra for the 24 hours of January 5, 2021. Voting planet Mercury is also in Capricorn (at 7:00 am: 25:04, to 25:53 by 7:00 pm) and is under great pressure, even constraint and suppression, because impressionable Mercury (although not so easily swayed when in Capricorn!) is traveling as the filling in a cosmic sandwich between karmic planets Saturn (2AQ08) and Pluto (25Cap20), actors with control, manipulation, and power tucked under their belts.

(In previous posts, I've referred to Mercury as the 'tofu planet' since it tends to absorb the flavors of the planet/s it touches or contacts (plus, that of the ruler of the sign it's in). Political campaigns are all about persuading voters and leaning on them in one way or another is not so rare an occurrence as it ought to be in America. No less so in Georgia.)

Of course here, Pluto in Capricorn is closer by degree to the voting planet so there's a Mercury-Pluto conjunction to consider while keeping a decidedly Saturnian influence. Mercury-Saturn suggests that voters will have researched the candidates and the situation but are focused primarily how outcomes will affect local concerns via state politics. Note that the Mercury-Saturn planetary pair may also relate to dishonest, untrustworthy people, and to serious or sobering discussions and negotiations.

Then naturally with Mercury-Pluto expressing powerfully we may expect potentials for excessive zeal, influential speeches and/or writings, propaganda, demagoguery, plagiarism, fraudulent representations in communications, public recognition, use of suggestion or persuasion, deep research (ex: opposition research into opponents), crafty subtlety, overestimation of self, shrewd planning, irritation, impatience, and/or just plain secrets, hidden or revealed.

Yet I have faith that many Georgia voters will realize that on January 5th they are faced with conditions of 'stark realism' and the karmic need to face America's problems directly rather than stalling proposed solutions for them on a powerful senator's desk. It remains to be seen whether Georgians will vote with the future of our entire country in mind, plus, with an urge to rescue from Republican zealots the social safety net programs such as Social Security and Medicare that so many citizens' lives depend upon. As always, I'm cheering for the common good.

So in closing, here is one of the 'Images for Integration' of the Georgia Runoff 2021's Earth-Air Sun Capricorn-Moon Libra blend of conscious and unconscious energies:

"A visionary statesman fights a duel to see justice done" (Sun Sign-Moon Sign, Charles and Suzi Harvey #ad.)

And perhaps you'll agree that justice done would be a very pleasant change after four scofflaw years of you-know-who.

Jun 13, 2019

Saturn-Pluto and our Social Safety Net Chickens

Year 2020: Karmic Pile-Ups and the Social Order

Listening to C-SPAN Radio this morning my ears perked up when the discussion turned to Social Security issues and mention was made of the social safety net program's crisis of 1982 and into the 1980s. Googling a bit I soon located an archived New York Times op-ed from May 20, 1982 concerning the "recurrent crisis" of funding the program, Social Security in 1982, 1984, and 2020 stating in 1982 that, "The more worrisome crisis is still decades away"..."By about 2020, {} there may be trouble."

Now politicians, economists, and others have been aware of such funding issues all along and "there may be trouble" time is upon us, folks, Baby Boom Bubble and all. And while I don't like typing it, the timing points toward the Great Conjunctions of Saturn and Pluto: on November 8, 1982 @27Libra36 and the upcoming conjunction on January 12, 2020 @22Capricorn46 (both charts linked in the next paragraph). Of course, Venus-ruled Libra is an Air sign of thoughts and ideas, while Saturn-ruled Capricorn is a practical Earth sign through which ideas become reality.

Now, as January 2020 approaches, the most popular content here on Stars Over Washington of late is my recent post displaying both DC Horoscopes of the 1982 and 2020 conjunctions of these heavyweight planets: restrictive Saturn, one of the two societal planets along with expansive Jupiter, and transformative planet Pluto, the usual suspect manipulating powerfully from behind the curtain and a favorite planet of exploiting plutocrats the world over. In fact, America's Predatory Capitalism is one of the basic cash cows funding Plutocracy along with outright theft and criminality.

As for Saturn-Pluto, together their energies in the political sphere support such potentials as 'upsets in existing checks and balances', 'turmoil in any rigid or older structure', 'lengthy consideration of methods of removal or destruction', 'hoarding resources for potential future disasters', 'keeping affairs private or not open to scrutiny' (Trump's tryin'!), and/or 'secret preparations for future restrictions' preparations which I suspect are ongoing. (Midpoints: Unleashing the Power of the Planets, Munkasey.)

Additional Note: the Saturn-Pluto cycle is approximately 33-38 years in length and prior to 1982, these particular karmic planets conjoined on August 11, 1947 @13Leo07. And by 'karmic' I mean the natural law of reaping what was sown, not that my granny thought she was Marie Antoinette!

Thus it appears that the troubling chickens that squawk within America's Social Security program are on the verge of coming home to roost just as expected for decades (for politicians chickened out on implementing fixes that would have eased the funding situation while purloining its trust fund monies) and the harsh conditions and constrictive energies of the Saturn-Pluto duo are regretfully implicated as cosmic descriptor and timing agent of our Social Security program's karmic troubles that lurk within.

And so it seems necessary to close this dreary post (sorry, dear reader!) the same way my favorite journalist, muckraker, and "all-around swell fellow" Brad Friedman ends each one of his podcasts...Good Luck, World.

Related Posts include: Saturn-Pluto, Economic Recessions, and Eclipses, and beginning in April 2020, plutocrats and the Federal Reserve System will enjoy three Jupiter-Pluto Conjunctions in the 22--25 degree range of governmental Capricorn. And of course, 2020 ends with a Great Conjunction of social order planets Jupiter and Saturn @00AQ29 at Winter Solstice 2020--and conjunct US Inaugural Sun (POTUS). Significant to the presidency and to Inauguration 2021? You betcha.

Above fowl: public domain image of a Chicken Silhouette.


Jan 22, 2018

Karmic Saturn in Capricorn until Dec 2020

Transit Saturn's Three Major Aspects to Outer Planets 2018--2020

by Jude Cowell

If you've wondered what old man Saturn, the lesson bringer and task master, has in store for society while traversing his own sign of Capricorn you're not alone. It's been approximately 26 years since the 'old devil' visited his natural domain of the Zodiac, agent of change that he is, and a few rules may be in order. Not my rules or yours, but rules of the Saturnian kind. After all, no one evades the universal law of karma and reaping what was sown must be dealt with by us all. So for those who have followed dutiful, dignified Saturn's directives and demands in the past (also his domain!), long lasting rewards are on the way for long hours of hard work. Or at least, that's one of the the more positive potentials on the 2018--2020 horizon.

Of course, in a natal horoscope planet Saturn's sign reveals our 'fatal flaw' and also describes something about our deepest fear. Saturn's house placement is important as well when assessing how a general transit will affect our lives but since I primarily write about mundane topics here let's consider Saturn in Capricorn, sign of government, law, and business and what its transit may portend. Perhaps a peek at outer planets in angular relationship to Saturn as his Capricorn visit plods on can provide a few clues on what to expect with Saturn's societal influences. Naturally, the planet's rule of structure, systems, form, reality, and time will be affected in various ways, or will be 'on the schedule' so to speak.

Transpersonal Planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto with Saturn 2018--2020

During his stay in Capricorn, Saturn makes three quite easy aspects to the three outer planets. By sign, Saturn will trine Uranus, and the pair representing the past and the future will get along in general and support creative activities with Uranian ideas, ideals, and inventions fitting well into Saturnian form and are therefore more likely to become reality. This works best when transit Uranus is in Taurus, sign of the builder and the preserver. As you know, status quo Saturn, planet of The Establishment, likes to preserve and conserve so it would be wonderful if the current GOP push toward damaging the environment for the sake of exploiting natural resources was placed back under control in spite of the current Trump administration's dismantling of regulations that protect us.

And although Saturn in Capricorn can be dampening or restrictive to markets and commerce via Saturn's aversion to risk and tendency toward austerity measures, the Saturn-Uranus influence when in effect may benefit business and finance particularly in relation to group and organizational matters. Yes, the economy may continue its upward direction, for a while at least, though some of its more bubbly aspects have been concerning of late due to past transgressions and crimes committed by that gambling casino they call 'Wall Street' ('wall' being a Saturnian word, Uranus = technology) so another crash prior to 2020 cannot be completely ruled out for bubbles always burst, after all. But maybe that's just me, a rather typical fretting Capricorn!

Of course in personal finances benefits will depend upon Saturn and Uranus placements and aspects in natal charts which is beyond the scope of this post, as noted.

During this time frame, transit Saturn will also form an opportunistic sextile with nebulous, dreamy Neptune, planet of fraud, falsehood, and idealism. A Saturn-Neptune sextile period is great for creative projects including music and visionary imaginations may soar under its influence. Charitable organizations may be more in focus along with addiction issues (much needed!) and spiritual quests and interests--also needed in our society. Practicing discrimination between fantasy and reality will continue to be an issue as fakery (Neptune) vs truth (Saturn) gets in the way of progress and 'getting to the bottom of things' remains difficult as preferred by some propagandists who use such tactics against society.

A general interest in Mythology may flourish as it did in a bygone era and those with a talent for long-range planning are in their element under this sextile though following through with decisions may be somewhat difficult since concentration can ebb and flow like the waves of a Neptunian sea. Plus, priorities may be continually revised which adds to the follow-through problem and some folk may paint rosy pictures in order to cover up real problems and avoid or procrastinate about dealing with them.

And since the Saturn-Neptune pair relates to the ill, weak, elderly, and/or suffering among us, we can expect such discussions to continue but perhaps with more compassion than the usual political hard-heartedness for Neptune is softening and likes to merge with others while Saturn can be hard, cold, isolating, frugal, calculating, and just plain mean. As you know, our already tattered social safety net is under siege now in Washington and the reality of Americans hungry in the streets due to cutbacks for the sake of wealthy corporate types is an outrageous possibility. How many times must the old guns vs butter concept be debated in America?

For more info, see Social Security: What Millennials Need to Know, a Thom Hartmann video segment.

On the societal level, another negative potential of a Saturn-Neptune sextile is invasion (Neptune) of boundaries (Saturn) which is somehow made more possible due to the opportunities a sextile (60) aspect creates. This applies on a personal level as well (ex: personal space) but also to refugees, and to those who invade countries (militarily or otherwise), or who infiltrate them and/or their governments. Spies and secret agents are implied and of course cyber crimes may be involved for secretive, insinuating Neptune rules nets and networks of all sorts and Saturn has his blocking function and a demand for control. Yet limits must still apply for even moderation must be moderated.

Then when transit Saturn and Pluto sextile one another, those in the legal professions, journalism, and research and development are favored. Control and the grasping and holding of power are issues on the table which sounds more negative than positive to me although you may disagree. During this period, sticking to budgets will be very important though too much austerity delays progress. Also important will be more intense levels of advocacy of causes such as defending the rights of those who are oppressed, exploited, and victimized (for they will be). And if we can avoid obsessing over piddly details we'll fare better under this sextile for necessary adjustments are more difficult to achieve when rules are too rigid or inflexible.

For a more personal view check out AstroButterfly's article How Saturn in Capricorn Will Affect You--Big Changes Are Ahead.

And if you feel daring, why not look ahead to a brand new Saturn-Pluto cycle (of appr 33 years) beginning January 12, 2020 when the hardship and cruelty pair meet (at same degree same minute same second as calculated by Solar Fire Gold v9) in the Cosmos @22Cap46. And with both planets considered 'karmic' we may wish to consider the Conjunction horoscope and thus the Vertex, a point of fated encounters.

Also, on my no-politics Astrology blog, you may wish to check out today's posting of a round-up of three videos by astrologers predicting what's to come in 2018...Nostradamus included!


Mar 16, 2017

NATO and the Stationary Jupiter of Mr Trump

Trump Wants NATO Countries to Pay Up

by Jude Cowell

For a man who is known for not paying up, don't you marvel when you hear Mr. Trump admonish NATO countries to pay up?

Well, here's another question: is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, aka, NATO, too gray around the muzzle? Or is its multiple dissing by Mr. Trump meant to undermine the organization's popularity (what little is left - peacekeepers? really?) and is also intended to allow Washington to re-grasp the millions and trillions of dollars and promises the US government provides for NATO missions and upkeep .

And it really seems to be the case that America has shouldered the herculean share of the costs these decades so that now it's time that countries with the where-with-all should crack open their piggy banks and pay at least something for their own defense. It may even seem that a lesson-by-example is being shown here--that various populations in the US and abroad are not allowed to have their needs met by their own tax monies directed where needed because these monies are stolen and pilfered by the exploiter class (Pluto-Chiron = plutocracy) in thousands of ways...no, funds must go to war and weaponry and to propping up our faltering empire.

Anyway, if you wish to view the *August 24, 1949 11:42 am edt Washington DC natal horoscope of NATO (with Warsaw Summit July 2016 planets added) you may and you'll see that the current position of plodding Pluto is within orb of conjoining NATO's natal Jupiter (issues of money and raw materials allocation), plus, other contacts, of course.

Curiously enough, Mr. Trump's natal Pluto @10Leo tops NATO's chart at Midheaven (MC = The WHY? Point: Pluto = control, power, manipulation, propaganda, transformation) but the separative South Node of NATO conjoins Trump's natal Jupiter (@17Libra) which is strengthened by its Station Direct condition at birth and is posited in his 2nd house of Money, Earning Ability, and Values--he might ask: is the financial support of NATO a good value for the money? Plus, Trump's Libran Jupiter tends to bellyache that something isn't fair! Yet between the US and NATO an imbalance exists and the ledger is heavily weighted on the US side while various European and Scandinavian countries can provide benefits for their populations in part because the ('world cop') US empire does the policing and protecting.

So horoscope-wise, just that little bit right there between the charts: Mr. Trump's natal Jupiter = NATO's natal SN--describes a financial condition involving loss and over-dependency, one side doing all the giving--plus, there's Mr. Trump's value-judging Jupiter in Libra, sign of the Scales of Justice, speaking ostensibly on behalf of the American people, or at least that's his pretext for serving up this particular rhetoric. And now Mr. Trump and his minions are busy cutting government agencies' budgets and restricting funding for various programs all over the place as you've heard in the news.

Yet on a nostalgic level, whenever dear old plutocrats with their tiresome exploitation of the masses are mentioned I can't help but think of corporatists taking all their marbles from the game and refusing to fund, pay up, or participate in society any longer, a general plot invention of Russian author Ayn Rand. Does it seem to you that the current crop of selfish corporatists and their enabling associates both Republican and otherwise are headed down the I-got-mine you-got-nothing road? Just wondering.

And do you think me-firster Ayn Rand would be proud of Speaker Paul Ryan and his nearly-passed 'health care' bill that intends to dismantle support for all but the well-supplied wealthy and hand huge tax breaks to the corporate class? Maybe she'll appear to Paul in a dream and remind him of his own dependence on Social Security years ago when he was in need, and of how Rand herself eventually grew old (surprise!) and applied for social program benefits just as anyone else would have done.

So I guess that's when a senior Ayn Rand discovered what it's like not being the fittest survivor any longer and perhaps she learned how it feels to have no option but to rely on the kindness of others.

~:~

A Very Much Related Video (16 mins): What Does It Mean When the GOP Says They're Undoing FDR's Legacy?.

In spite of his many de-funding threats, this month Mr. Trump nominated a new US ambassador to NATO. So we have that going for us.

*Astro-Note: some prefer April 4, 1949 for NATO's beginning.


Jan 2, 2017

What Does It Mean When The GOP Says They're Undoing FDR's Legacy?

For anyone confused over the intentions for the American people of the upcoming Trump administration and Republican austerians, ideologues, and theocrats, please take 16 minutes to absorb the following segment from Thom Hartmann (Dec 15, 2016):





One of the more hideous and haunting sounds we're hearing in our nightmares is Ayn Rand snickering from her grave at the gullible Trump voters that Randers call the #UselessEaters of society. Chumps!


Apr 29, 2016

Social Security: What Millennials Need to Know - video (plus, Jupiter-Saturn)

April 29, 2016: Jasmine Jefferson speaks to Thom Hartmann about Social Security and the Millennial generation:

Update May 2022: Apologies! This video was removed by entities unknown!>

According to Pew Research the number of Millennials Has Just Overtaken Baby Boomers! Okay, guys, Do Not Allow Wall Street bankers or their paid-for Washington politicians to privatize Social Security and the insurance program will be available for your retirement, too.

As you know, the Millennial generation was born approximately between the years 1980 and 2000 though many of them do not appreciate the label. In the presidential realm, this time frame stretches from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush and all the greed and corruption that implies!

Astrologically, the two decades between 1980 and 2000 are bracketed by major conjunctions of the societal planets, Jupiter (expansion) and Saturn (restriction). Beginning in 1980 the two conjoined three times in Air: December 31, 1980 @9Libra30, March 3, 1981 @8Libra06, and July 24, 1981 @4Libra56. At the 'other end' Jupiter and Saturn met once @22Taurus43 on May 28, 2000, with Earthy Taurus resonating with money issues, materialism, growth, and the environment. 1980's sign, Libra, is associated with relationships, values, balance, justice, and diplomacy. Both signs are ruled by Venus, and the May 2000 conjunction in bullish Taurus is one of the astrological heralds of the New Millennium for which the Millennial generation is named.

Currently we're in a square phase of the two planets with Jupiter Rx in Virgo and Saturn Rx in Sagittarius. The next Jupiter-Saturn conjunction will again occur in Air on December 21, 2020 and conjoin America's Inaugural Sun (POTUS) @00Aquarius since the Oath of Office was switched by FDR from early March with a Pisces Sun to January 20th. Their conjunction will perfect @00Aquarius29 and will be significant for another cosmic reason: it occurs at Winter Solstice 2020.

Feb 13, 2016

Rumble - Why Bernie Slams Henry Kissinger... video

Positions of Campaign 2016 candidates, expansion of Social Security--its privatization or improvement, and Bernie Sanders' opinion of 'shuttle diplomat' Henry Kissinger as expressed in the last Democratic debate are a few of the topics discussed in this excerpt from a recent broadcast by progressive Thom Hartmann:

~:~

To find a previous post on the natal planets and 'dirty secrets' of Henry Kissinger we'll have to take the way back machine to 2007 (as is, sans edits) if you dare and yes, of course, the man has a warmongering Mars-Pluto signature and a bunch of air traveling, facile tongued Gemini in the mix.

Update Feb 13, 2016: The Top 10 Most Inhuman Henry Kissinger Quotes.

Oct 29, 2015

What Have You Always Wanted to Know about Social Security? video

Oct 29, 2015: With tears (of relief) in his eyes, this morning Speaker John Boehner gave his farewell speech to the House, Democrats offered Nancy Pelosi's name for consideration (Minority Speaker), and Paul Ryan went round shaking hands as the Republican nominee. Yes, I am glad Rep. Ryan stood up for weekends with his kids which shows personal priorities in the correct order. It's now 10:30 am edt and the vote is being taken though of course the 'Freedom Caucus' Republicans may stage a protest vote for Daniel Webster (R-FL) to no avail. It is expected that Speaker John Boehner will announce the name of the new Speaker in a few minutes.

And even though it's good to see the US Congress moving forward, my primary fret is that a vote for Paul Ryan is a vote for Ayn Rand (who gladly collected Social Security benefits in her old age, let's not forget.)

Related: FDR signs the SS Act August 14, 1935 where you'll find a reference to the 'Catfood Commission' something the soon-to-be Speaker of the House Paul Ryan knows a lot about though he may not prefer his budgetary targeting of the social safety net be called that.

Aug 10, 2015

Voters Are Rejecting The Ruling Class: The 1% Are Running Scared - video

Should we file this under the category of 'Bout Time?

#Corporatism #BernieSanders #RingofFireRadio #1%

Jupiter = Expansion, Growth, Investment; Saturn = Restriction, Contraction, Austerity

It may be that the current Jupiter-Saturn square marks a phase when those who have been given--or stolen!--much (Jupiter) are being challenged to give back (Saturn) to the Collective and this imperative stems from the Jupiter-Saturn cycle and their conjunction of May 28, 2000 at 23 Taurus. Perhaps the Sabian Symbol for 23 Taurus applies: "A Jewelry Shop Filled with the Most Magnificent Jewels" which to me sounds like the riches of the world craved by the greedy heist mentality of most corporate and big banker types of scoundrels who hoard gold and resources while calling the rest of us "useless eaters"!

Poor decrepit things! They pretend not to know that their reptilian ways show them to be lower on the evolutionary scale, not higher!

Related: 3-Quote Round-Up, One from Ayn Rand, priestess of the "useless eater" crowd, idol of the Republican Party. And yet in her dotage, Rand applied for and accepted Social Security benefits. Funny how that happens. Even for ideological hypocrites.

~:~

corporatism + statism = fascism

Jul 24, 2015

The 2016 Republican Social Security Time Bomb - Thom Hartmann video

Since social programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid were created there has been a political faction in America determined to destroy them. The following analysis by progressive broadcaster and author Thom Hartmann alerts the American people to the hidden time bomb engineered at the start of the current congressional session so that just before Election Day 2016 the traditional method of adjusting between the two Social Security funds (regular and disability) will be prevented from occurring in the usual way.

And with Ayn Rand's survival of the fittest mode of ridding the world of "useless eaters" and those deemed unfit to live as one of their prime objectives, it seems that the SS funding meant to aid the disabled, blind, and the neediest children is destined for extinction if the Republicans in Congress finally have their way. Plus, as Thom points out here, the brigands will sell the budgetary disaster as something that 'just happened' even though they purposefully put the time bomb in place themselves and set the fuse to blow just prior to Election Day 2016.

And so, without benefit of edits, here is the article and horoscope previously published concerning such topics as the Cancer-Capricorn axis of security showing greedy Pluto, planet of hidden time bombs and sabotage, conjoining the Capricorn Sun in the January 4, 2015 Full Moon horoscope set for the Capitol Building and which imprinted its complex energies upon the 114th Congress and reveals their sabotage and bad faith efforts to manipulate society to their plutonian liking.

But of course Thom says it best:

#ThomHartmann #SocialSecurity #RepublicanParty #Sabotage of #Pluto #114thCongress #ElectionDay2016

Nov 23, 2013

Rachel Maddow with Senator Elizabeth Warren: Expand Social Security! (video)

Click to watch Rachel Maddow interview Senator Elizabeth Warren on how we need to expand Social Security benefits, not reduce them which would thereby increase poverty levels in America.

Unexpectedly I had to miss the original msnbc broadcast of this discussion so I'm embedding its link here. The page includes information on signing a pertinent petition recommended by Senator Warren along with a chance to donate to the cause, if you so wish, but viewing the video is a must, if you haven't seen or heard it yet. It's inspiring and seems to me to be issuing from the current November 3, 2013 Solar Eclipse influence of Uranus-Neptune!

It all boils down to what sort of country we want America to be--one that puts seniors, the ill, the orphaned, and our vets out on the sidewalks of our cities and counties, or one that takes care of its own. Astrologically, I'd say that our 'community spirit' needs to be re-developed, wouldn't you?

And of course, it would be excellent for the US economy since the funds would be plowed back into local, state, and even national budgets causing businesses to flourish. To paraphrase what a wise economist recently stated recently about income inequality, The better-off would be better-off if more Americans were better off.

Or something along those lines.

Want an improving economy for America? Then while we're at it, let's raise the minimum wage!

For further reading concerning the Republican (echo chamber) game plan of talking points against "Obamacare" visit Robert Reich.

And here's an astrological snapshot of Robert Reich if you're curious.

May 28, 2013

"Entitlement Reform" a Hoax (Robert Reich video) and US Mars-Neptune

Okay, all you sly "entitlement reformers" of America, listen to Professor Reich's realistic ideas which make a world of sense instead of wasting time propagandizing the public with your ideology-driven, not-my-brother's-keeper jackassery:

Several SO'W posts are Reich-inspired. Here is one of them:

What Do Rs Want for America? Social Darwinism. Nice crowd we got there.

And if you're up for it, check out America's Morning Natal Chart, the Zip Dobbyns version for July 4, 1776 set for 10:36 am LMT with America's Neptune in Virgo rising and natal Mars at the most visible point of the horoscope. Unfortunately, given our government's decades-long determination to create enemies at every turn (and considering current drone strikes, kill lists, and the military industrial complex ruling everything), a chart with Mars at MC--actually, our nation's problematic Mars-Neptune square of misguided action and misdirected motivation on two Angles--makes a lot more sense than I wish it does.

Why, if we listen to Robert Reich on GOP "entitlement reform" proposals which won't solve our problems, even there we find governmental misdirection and misguided action and motivation!


Mar 2, 2013

Astrology of Lurching Budget Crises and Sore Losers


Of Saturnian Budget Control and Other Astro-Considerations

by Jude Cowell

Perhaps of interest to you may be the Social Security Legislative Bulletin dated August 2, 2011, the day that President Obama signed into law the Budget Control Act of 2011 (S. 365.) The bulletin includes details of the limits established on government-wide discretionary spending until year 2021 and implements a goal to save at least $1.5 trillion in budgetary savings over the next 10 years--which amazingly leads to 2021.

Also listed are the dates of the 'super committee' ('Super Congress') which failed to reach agreement thereby setting up the current 'sequester cuts' we shall now enjoy (she typed with sarcasm.) And you know that establishing a major policy of job creation would go a long way toward solving many if not all of all our budgetary problems, right? As usual, current Washington politicians focus their exalted energies on misguided targets to the point of treason.

One of my main take-aways from the ongoing financial charade--the Political Theater of recent years--is that if we can't manage in 2013 to legally remove congressional anarchists seeking to undermine the US government out of existence before they do us more harm, let's uplift the Common Good and Vote Them the Heck Out in 2014!

Here's an excerpt from President Obama's public statement of August 2, 2011 and sounding quite gullible concerning his future prospects of working with Republicans on debt and budget issues by way of "...a balanced approach where everything is on the table":

Now for a Little Astrology as We Lurch from Crisis to Crisis

August 2, 2011 Washington DC saw Sun in Leo (10Leo+) and Moon in the sign of The Worker and The Critic, Virgo. Mercury (signings, laws, agreements, debates, commerce, orators and speeches--here, from the Rose Garden) was stationary @1Vir11 (at noon edt) and there were some telling midpoint pictures in play. No matter the precise hour of the Act's signing, one such picture involved the wastrel-speculator-inflation-grand-schemer duo of Jupiter-Neptune; as always, any, all, or none may apply:

Jupiter-Neptune = Uranus (4Ari20 Rx): disruption by events that have no real explanation; basing decisions on odd or unusual theories about the effects of the supernatural; unaccustomed confusion (Munkasey): imagination v reality; coming down to earth with a bump; sudden recognition of a difficult situation (Ebertin.)

Another picture is created by a T-Square pattern with radical reformer and utopian anarchist Uranus in Aries as apex planet and catalyst and the forceful, manipulative Mars-Pluto duo opposing one another yet working in tandem:

Mars-Pluto = Uranus: using whatever power is available to reform, disrupt, stir up, or otherwise alter conditions (Munkasey); cruelty; violence; sudden disasters or calamities of great importance (Ebertin); dangerous sense of attack; fight first, talk later; a chip on one's shoulder (Tyl.)

One of my suspicions is that President Obama mainly wanted to 'control nagging uncertainties' by signing the Act since it was intended to replace budget resolutions not proposed: Moon-Mars = Sun (the leader.)

And you know, sore loser Republicans do behave as if they have a chip on their shoulders, don't they? Weakening America in the eyes of other nations as they undermine President Obama seems to be one of their primary goals, oddly enough. And now that the sequestration cuts have been signed into reality, one of my many frets for the Common Good is the next natural disasters the American people will suffer under a government that has purposefully fixed itself into a can't-be-bothered-to-send-aid mode of alleged frugality, the beap chastards.

Well, there was also a planetary pattern some call a Mystic Rectangle in effect on August 2, 2011 between Mercury, Pluto, Chiron, and an out-of-bounds Mars (off on his own and up to no good) at a critical-crisis 29th degree but that's enough of such dreary topics for the moment, as I suspect you'll readily agree!

Even so, let's add two quotes, the first from someone born with the Fire-Earth, King-Servant combination of Sun Leo-Moon Virgo which is imprinted upon the Budget Control Act of 2011. His words could be a description of the ongoing crises manufactured by the GOP and which are meant to cause the public to criticize the president and his Democratic administration--as if Republicans deserve a good review from their victims!

"A good review from the critics is just another stay of execution." Dustin Hoffman

"Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God's service when it is violating all His laws." John Adams, our 2nd US president

Amen, Mr. Adams.

Dec 18, 2012

Social Security threatened w Saturn to Mars and Jupiter

As you know, the Social Security Act was signed into law by FDR on August 14, 1935 with activist Mars @9Sco06 and generous Jupiter @15Sco06 (the Eagle Point in the Zodiac.)

As you may also know, today's position of transiting Saturn, planet of restriction, old age, government, and lawmakers is @8Sco24 and thus affects SS's natal Mars-Jupiter conjunction.

President Obama, whose natal Neptune in Scorpio is now under the restrictive yet authoritative rays of Saturn ('grim face of reality', 'dream come true', or a mixture of both), seems to be allowing Social Security benefits and regulations to be put 'on the table' of the ongoing 'fiscal cliff' negotiations. Means testing for wealthier recipients I can agree with as long as benefits for the neediest Americans are left intact. We don't want your elderly Aunt Granny Fanny eating canned cat food and skipping her meds, now do we?

Plus, not all the Baby Boomers will live to ripe old ages due to youthful risk-taking. Upping the eligibility age might be okay for sitting workers but would be cruel for physically active workers whose bones and energy give out before the age of 65! How would you like an elderly truck driver, aged 68 or 69, careening down the streets of your town, eyesight impaired and medically propped up with prescription pills that cause drowsiness? Being accustomed to sitting on their backsides for much of their 'working' day, Washington politicians must be joking on raising the age of eligibility!

Well, someone atThe Nation agrees with me: Don't Chain Grandma to Smaller Social Security Checks which covers all I wish to say on the matter for with transiting Saturn to natal Mars, we know that SS's vitality and existence are under threat, and with tr Saturn to natal Jupiter, a money planet, we may as well expect some form of economic loss or curtailment to be forced upon beneficiaries...hopefully and fairly of the well-heeled variety.

~:~

Blog Note: if you wish, scroll down this blog's sidebar for the video of FDR signing the Social Security Act of 1935.


Apr 23, 2012

Note to Mittens Romney: Social Security Fund is flush

April 23, 2012: New Report on Health of Social Security Fund

Oh look! As Senator Bernie Sanders well knows and a new report reveals, our Social Security fund is strong!

So if 'Mittens' Romney is elected president by all the fraud the GOP can manufacture (and they are experts as evidenced by the November 2000 election and the stop-the-vote-count of December 2000 with SCOTUS justices playing their sidekicks--or acting as bosses depending on how you look at their *trotsky-ish collaboration), he should be put on notice to keep his crafty mittens off our SS trillions.

~:~

*You'll remember that the Sabian Symbol for George W. Bush's natal Ascendant (his nibs himself, that old privatizer and propaganda catapulter, as he styled himself) at '8Leo' is: "A Bolshevik Propagandist"...which emphasizes "the recurrent battles over social and political concepts." Yes, Dubya made "a permanent impact on history," all right...for which the world still pays.

('8Leo' from Marc Edmund Jones, The Sabian Symbols in Astrology.)

Reading Suggestions: GOP Astrology Neptune Cafe The Mountain Astrologer: random wonderful blogs by Mary Plumb (thanks for listing SO'W, Mary!)

Mar 21, 2012

An Astro-Peek at Rep. Paul Ryan

An Astro-Peek at Rep. Paul Ryan, Social Darwinist and Rep of the 1%

by Jude Cowell

Born on January 29, 1970 in Janesville, Wisconsin, Mr. Ryan's Sun is in the range of 8AQ55 to 9AQ56. His natal Moon ranges from 22Lib49 to 5Sco36, making him either a Sun AQ-Moon Lib, or a Sun AQ-Moon Sco. Both personality combos are detailed below.

Using a noon chart for reference, there's a compulsive-obsessive quindecile (QD, 165 degrees) between a powerful pair: Pluto and North Node (contacts, the public, destiny). Pluto QD NN indicates his being thrust into renown through his powerful perspectives, that he may be manipulative and controlling with others, and he can always connect with powerful people. The maternal influence may be dominant, and he may play a role in sharing perspectives that either empower or distemper others. (Quindecile, Ricki Reeves.)

A gracious helping of both, I think.

Pluto QD NN is shared natally by two famous figures: Fred Astaire and Heinrich Himmler. Hmm...

Well, let's consider Ryan's two possible Sun-Moon blends for good measure:

The Air-Air combo of Sun AQ-Moon Lib indicates one who is highly idealistic, charming, and romantic; broad-minded and tolerant, this blend gives avant-garde tastes and a good intellect, but can suddenly turn rebellious if its "rights" or its sympathetic nature are taken advantage of. It is long on theory and ideals with an overly abstract approach to life; therefore, it is not very practical.

An emotional naivety invites disillusion and disappointment when others turn out to be merely mortal. (Delay? Hastert? The Ayn Rand whose nasty 'objectivism' he worships? Objectivism, in which no one counts but you and yours, makes it much easier to toss the poor and the ill off the roles of social safety net programs, as Mr. Ryan demonstrates so ably.)

Sun AQ-Moon Lib's Images for Integration (Sun = conscious mind; Moon = the unconscious): "Anarchists form a committee to overthrow the tyranny of committees...Good friends fall in love and get married."

This blend was mentioned in a recent post as being that of Boris Pasternak, who wrote, "As for the men in power, they are so anxious to establish the myth of infallibility that they do their utmost to ignore truth."

The misty Air-Water blend of Sun AQ-Moon Sco is a different story. It gives a powerful intellect, keen observation power, charisma, a strong-will, egotism, and it holds fierce principles. This charisma can have a hypnotic effect on others (those Aquarian blue eyes?) Here is an avid student of human nature that can 'psyche you out' with ease.

A commanding haughtiness and the inner conviction that he is "it" draws people under his spell (which must've gone over my head!); there's a self-important streak which supports a Sun/Venus conjunction...love (Venus) of self (Sun.)

One with Sun AQ-Moon Sco is capable of detached withdrawal and expressions of contempt especially if the ego has been wounded; there's a tendency to carry hidden resentments for years. Here are instincts of the reformer dedicated to principles, and a persevering investigator who can brood with the best of them - an all-or-nothing personality...a zealot for some cause.

(Note: among other things, Social Darwinism is a cruel method of population control--make that, de-population.)


Images for Integration: "A scientist dissects a scorpion with great tenderness and absolute precision...A researcher presents his findings to colleagues at a 'Science for Humanity' Conference....Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." (Sun Sign-Moon Sign, Charles & Suzi Harvey.)

Sun AQ-Moon Sco is the natal blend of Adams family member Henry B. Adams who helpfully explained to us that, "Politics, as a practice, whatever its professions, has always been the systematic organisation of hatreds."


Well, I don't know enough personal info about Rep. Paul Ryan to hazard a guess as to which Sun-Moon blend is his own but I do know which Solar Eclipse Series he was born into (7 South) and it's one infused with Mars/Pluto energies because its initial eclipse had a Mars/Pluto square involved; 7S's initial occurrence was on June 22, 1248 OS @ 8Can03 (conjunct US natal Sun/Jupiter.)

7S = the immense power, force, and anger of the Mars/Pluto square is channeled into this Series by way of a trine to Sun/Moon; huge obstacles will suddenly clear, or a pending potential crisis will manifest suddenly and move through the life very rapidly; things will seem to move at great speed (paraphrasing Brady's Predictive Astrology.)

This hidden clue 'tags' Paul Ryan as a Mars/Pluto personality, perfect for the goose-stepping obedience required by string-pullers of the GOP (complete obedience, until corporate Tea Partisans crashed their party.)

(Note: if you wish to understand your own Pre-Natal Eclipse Series and how it influences your life, study the initial eclipse in 'your' series for more clues, if you haven't!)

The last manifestation of 7S occurred Oct 3, 2005 @ '10Lib'; next occurrence will be Oct 14, 2023 @ '21Lib'. 7S has also occurred in the years 1915, 1933, 1951, 1969, and 1987, with 1933 standing out due to FDR's Inauguration and his subsequent establishment of social safety net programs that Mr. Ryan and his ilk want to dispense with so the monies can be re-purposed and the weak can be weened out of existence = more resources for the 1%.

7S is the PE Series of Leon Trotsky, the Dec 2005 elections in Iraq, and of 'Black Monday' Oct 19, 1987 when the DOW plummeted alarmingly...under Republican Ronald Reagan.

And, to paraphrase Barry Goldwater (R-AZ), "A government big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away."

Warning...or Directive? Turns out it's been the Republican plan all along.

Sep 29, 2011

Charles Koch to Economist Hayek: "Use Social Security"!

Well, the following article is so fascinating, its link just had to be posted here to read any time I start to forget what total hypocrites all anti-social-program conservatives are whether they call themselves Republican, Libertarian, Tea Party, or what-have-you--even *DINOs.

Letters have been outed from 1973 with Charles Koch (a Koch Industries brother and Tea Party backer) writing to famed laissez-faire economist Friedrich Hayek encouraging him to "use Social Security to support his medical needs. Hayek had taught in the US and paid into our SS system for ten years so Koch assured him he was entitled to what Koch and his ilk now like to call an "entitlement program."

You see, the professor had had some gall bladder surgery in Austria and feared "falling ill away from home" if he returned to the US to pontificate his economic theories.

But not to fear! For America's excellent Social Security insurance program came to Hayek's rescue!!

Personally, I think America's so-called "Ponzi scheme" should have been given a satin cape years ago. Besides--a Ponzi scheme isn't much of a Ponzi scheme unless and until it's stopped, at which time it collapses from its own weight--precisely the aim of the GOP and those such as the Koch Brothers who are determined that Wall Street get its greedy claws on the money while crashing our nation in the process.

And then, who can forget those halcyon days of 'President' George Bush schlepping round the country (on the tax payers' dime) peddling his disengenuous sales pitch about privatizing Social Security? Yet alas, his thin arguments didn't go over very well, did they? And though they've been fairly well shushed on the matter for now, GOP schemers continue to parrot the "SS is bankrupt" slogan whenever they feel so moved.

Now as you know, Dubya considers not privatizing the program that has made such a difference in millions of American lives (and in the lives of the odd foreigner, as we learn above) to be the "biggest failure" of his presidency--not invading the Holy Land, not bombing women and children, nor cynically sending US troops overseas to grab and guard US oil interests and fatten power elite portfolios--not even dooming America and the world to the misery of perpetual war--but to not handing SS monies on a golden platter to his Wall Street backers as the bankers who run the US government insisted.

So here's the Worst President in US History now, if you can stomach a re-listen of his attempt to sell us bank bailouts and TARP. But what he's actually doing is summing up the financials of his disastrous 8-year presidency::



Funny that the much-touted and obsessive conservative fear of "socialism" from the Obama administration ignores a key astrological factor concerning George Bush's natal chart which has always seemed very telling to me about Bush's hidden character--the Sabian Symbol (8 Leo) for his natal Ascendant (his nibs himself) is: "A Bolshevik Propagandist."

Or, as Dane Rudhyar gives the degree--and to me it seems to apply perfectly to Bush's 'Privatize SS You Suckers' Tour:

"A Communist Activist Spreading His Revolutionary Ideals"...

'Keynote: The emotional and ideological attempt to return to a state of non-differentiation and chaos as a prelude to a new type of order.'


(That would be Poppy Bush's 'New World Order' heralded by his Desert Storm invasion.)


Rudhyar expands on 8 Leo: "...ideally it could show how the vision of a cosmic order might heal the potential conflict between an obsolete Establishment and its youthful challengers. But reality today presents a more cruel picture of CATABOLIC ACTION.

...and one witnesses a struggle for personal and dictatorial power."



I'm not kidding--you can't make this stuff up!

~:~

*Democrats In Name Only, and close cousins of RINOs.

The first Symbol is from Marc Edmund Jones' The Sabian Symbols in Astrology; Rudhyar's book, An Astrological Mandala.

Sep 17, 2011

Sign Deficit Super Committee Petition: No Safety Net Cuts!

This 'just in' to my inbox--if you care about our social safety net programs and know someone who depends on them, perhaps you'll add your John Hancock, too:

Dear Friend,

Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are in danger. But the biggest threat isn't driven by economics, it's driven by politics.

Twelve members of Congress from the House and Senate have been newly empowered to force both chambers of Congress to vote on a deficit reduction bill that can neither be amended nor filibustered.

Unfortunately many members of this new bipartisan, bicameral deficit super committee have Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security squarely in their sights.

In essence, they think it's better to let seniors fall into poverty, or deny needed health care to the poor and elderly, than to raise taxes on people who can comfortably afford to pay more.

I just signed a petition telling the members of the deficit super committee not to cut Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security benefits. I hope you do too.

You can take action at CREDO Action.com.


~:~

Stop America's imperial wars and fund the needs of we-the-people! jc

Jul 11, 2011

Petition against Social Safety Net Cuts - NOW!

Dueling News Conferences! This alert just came in--we must take action Now for our 'Democratic' president may have left the building. And he won't be returning if he pulls this over on the American people! The economy will tank without 'entitlement' monies being sent directly into the US economy by consumers who will actually spend it in America. Well, at least John Boehner figured out that it 'takes two to tango' so I suppose that represents some progress.

You know, it's beginning to feel around here as if Mr. Obama is #1 on Grover Norquist's speed dial. Maybe we can get Murdoch's tech guys at the WSJ to hack in and see, hmmm?



BREAKING: Today, in a press conference, President Obama came right out and said it: He's pushing for benefit cuts in important programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Will you join 160,000 others who signed this urgent pledge, which we'll deliver to the Obama campaign?

"President Obama: If you cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits for me, my family, or families like mine, don't ask for a penny of my money or an hour of my time in 2012. I'm going to focus on electing bold progressive candidates who will fight to protect our Democratic legacy."

Click to add your name.

For those of us who worked tirelessly to elect Obama in 2008, here are the 3 most depressing quotes from today's press conference:

1) "We’re going to have a sales job. This is not pleasant. It is hard to persuade people to do hard stuff that entails trimming benefits and increasing revenues."

Significance: This is the first time Obama admitted he is pushing "benefit" cuts that would hurt our grandparents, kids, and the disabled -- not just "savings" like negotiating lower drug prices.

2) "I want to be crystal clear -- nobody has talked about increasing taxes now. Nobody has talked about increases -- increasing taxes next year."

Significance: Polling shows that by 4 to 1, Americans want taxes increased on the rich. The "millionaires tax" proposed by House progressives would raise $1 trillion -- helping to take benefit cuts off the table. By his own admission, Obama is not even asking for this!

3) "The vast majority of Democrats on Capitol Hill would prefer not to have to do anything on entitlements; would prefer, frankly, not to have to do anything on some of these debt and deficit problems."

Significance: The House Progressive Caucus proposed balancing the budget by taxing the rich, making companies like GE pay taxes, ending the wars, and other popular, progressive proposals. By his own admission, Obama didn't even try for these -- and then he attacks progressive Democrats with false, right-wing talking points.

Please join 160,000 others who have signed the pledge not to donate to or volunteer for Obama in 2012 if he cuts benefits.

Jul 21, 2010

Is Obama a threat to Social Security benefits?

Can't resist posting this link so I'll know where to find it myself - it's an interview between Amy Goodman and Dean Baker concerning what's going on with current threats to Social Security by the Obama administration.

And no, I've never considered SS an 'entitlement' program especially since those of us who are self-employed have paid 100% of these taxes through the years and stupidly trusted the US gov to keep their dirty paws off it. Lockbox, schmockbox.

If SS benefits are cut and the retirement age is raised to 70 (who wants a 70-year old worker?! who???) then it will be yet another case of robbery perpetrated upon the under fire American people by their own government, or by tamping down on the government's years of wastefulness by the strong-arming from foreign entities and global fraudsters.

Now who can miss it?

Financial Collapse 2008 was engineered to make the rich richer while starving state, local, and national budgets so that an end to FDR's New Deal programs of what the rich among us call 'entitlements' (not always the correct term to describe what they want to steal) will be accepted by the general population as being 'necessary'.

Riling us up now, aren't they?