April 18, 2011 journal, listen to what the left is saying now about their president changes. Arizona "birther" law forbidding any presidential candidate on their ballot without a valid birth certificate signed by somebody. I am sure Arizona will not defeat him alone but if this catches on and half the states pass it he may be in trouble for a valid birth certificate. Quoting from Truthout Internet News Agency- "Rachel Maddow described President Obama's speech on Wednesday as a "defining moment" for his administration, and she was absolutely correct. It was an excellent speech in the main, filled with the kind of lofty rhetoric we have become accustomed to since Mr. Obama first burst onto the political scene in 2004. In it, he proposed taxing the rich, cutting the defense budget and decreasing the cost of health care. He defended Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. For many in the progressive community, it was a reminder of the man who fired the imaginations of so many during his presidential campaign. Therein lies the problem: it was all just words. Again. There have been many such "defining moments" during this administration, most of which involved retreat, surrender and failure after festooning the walls with words. We heard great talk about including the public option in the health care bill - until Mr. Obama retreated, leaving many to wonder if he ever meant to include it at all. We heard great talk about closing Guantanamo, until he retreated. We heard great talk about repealing the Bush tax cuts for rich people, until that fell by the wayside as well. The very fact that we are still talking about those damnable tax breaks is evidence enough of how far those words go, and that is not very far at all, so far. And then there were the other words in Wednesday's speech: the ones that tipped a wink to the Bowles-Simpson proposal to eviscerate the social contract which has sustained this nation for generations. There were the words, "Any serious plan to tackle our deficit will require us to put everything on the table." If that is true, Mr. President, then a plan to provide Medicare for all must also be on the table ... but no, that's not "reasonable" or "responsible." The debate over the future of this country has been skewed so far to the right that centrism appears radical, even as the worst elements in our nation win the day time and again. Words are no longer enough, even pretty ones. Action is required, not only by our elected officials, but by you and me. Mr. Obama spoke of "shared sacrifices" on Wednesday, but it is time for shared actions as well. It is this endeavor Truthout has committed, and all of us here bear a responsibility to each other, to you our readers, to the country and to the world entire. When the real radicals of the right are allowed to frame the debate & disseminate outright lies with no answer or recourse-it is to this diseasede-state we are delivered." There is no way to slice this watermelon to give all a piece peace. "Today, April 15, most Americans pay their fair share in the form of income taxes for the common good and freedom of living in a democracy. But many US citizens and corporations (which have achieved the legal status of "personhood") get a free ride from the rest of us. They pay little or no income tax despite their accumulation of vast wealth, much of which was made possible by government tax benefits and research that has been conducted with public funds. These tax scofflaws are, in essence, freeloaders. It would be too much to expect the profit-driven, corporate mainstream media to report extensively, if at all, on the schemes used by companies to maximize profits by minimizing taxes - or even garnering tax refunds, as in the case of General Electric (GE). It comes down to news and commentary sites such as Truthout to provide you with the information you need to know about concentrated economic power".