Bush tax cuts present big problem for Demos Deseret News (Salt Lake City) Newspaper Find Articles at BNET
In the back of every Washington politician's mind is this sobering fact: Unless Congress acts, the temporary tax cuts it passed when George W. Bush was president will expire at the end of next year.
If the Democrats who control Congress do nothing and let the tax rates on the highest income brackets return to their pre-2001 levels, their Republican rivals and many Americans will slam them as tax hikers.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Facts and figures, myths and mantras - The Boston Globe
Facts and figures, myths and mantras - The Boston Globe
There is a sense that we don’t need science or editing or fact-checking as long as we have crowd-sourcing. We don’t have to build opinions on facts; we can build facts on opinions.
This is not just common on blogs but on right-wing talk shows where hosts have gone rogue. What price exactly has Glenn Beck paid for playing loose with facts? Did only Jon Stewart catch Sean Hannity using video from one (large) teabag rally to illustrate another (small) rally?
This fact-free standard is held up (or down) by politicians who follow their lead. Former House majority leader Dick Armey, for example, isn’t about to challenge those “death panel’’ believers who rally to his FreedomWorks flag: “If people want to believe that . . . it’s OK with me.’’ Whatever.
I’m not suggesting that newspapers - once defined as the first rough draft of history - are without errors. But there are prices to pay and corrections to be made and standards to be met. When was the last time an Internet birther ran a correction or lost his job?
There is a sense that we don’t need science or editing or fact-checking as long as we have crowd-sourcing. We don’t have to build opinions on facts; we can build facts on opinions.
This is not just common on blogs but on right-wing talk shows where hosts have gone rogue. What price exactly has Glenn Beck paid for playing loose with facts? Did only Jon Stewart catch Sean Hannity using video from one (large) teabag rally to illustrate another (small) rally?
This fact-free standard is held up (or down) by politicians who follow their lead. Former House majority leader Dick Armey, for example, isn’t about to challenge those “death panel’’ believers who rally to his FreedomWorks flag: “If people want to believe that . . . it’s OK with me.’’ Whatever.
I’m not suggesting that newspapers - once defined as the first rough draft of history - are without errors. But there are prices to pay and corrections to be made and standards to be met. When was the last time an Internet birther ran a correction or lost his job?
Op-Ed Columnist - The Copenhagen That Matters - NYTimes.com
Op-Ed Columnist - The Copenhagen That Matters - NYTimes.com
But I didn’t. How long are we Americans going to go on thinking that we can thrive in the 21st century when doing the optimal things — whether for energy, health care, education or the deficit — are “off the table.” They’ve been banished by an ad hoc coalition of lobbyists loaded with money, loud-mouth talk-show hosts who will flame anyone who crosses them, political consultants who warn that asking Americans to do anything important but hard makes one unelectable and a citizenry that doesn’t even ask for optimal anymore because it believes that optimal is impossible.
Sorry, but there are no good ideas proven to work in other democratic/capitalist societies that we can afford to shove off our table — not when we need to build a knowledge economy with good jobs and everyone else is trying to do the same.
But I didn’t. How long are we Americans going to go on thinking that we can thrive in the 21st century when doing the optimal things — whether for energy, health care, education or the deficit — are “off the table.” They’ve been banished by an ad hoc coalition of lobbyists loaded with money, loud-mouth talk-show hosts who will flame anyone who crosses them, political consultants who warn that asking Americans to do anything important but hard makes one unelectable and a citizenry that doesn’t even ask for optimal anymore because it believes that optimal is impossible.
Sorry, but there are no good ideas proven to work in other democratic/capitalist societies that we can afford to shove off our table — not when we need to build a knowledge economy with good jobs and everyone else is trying to do the same.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
We can still afford to act like America - Leonard Pitts Jr. - MiamiHerald.com
We can still afford to act like America - Leonard Pitts Jr. - MiamiHerald.com
That feeling is arguably the most significant casualty of Sept. 11. On that day, we elevated a mob of stateless criminals, a mafia in cleric's clothing, to the exalted level of rogue nation. But they were never that, never a threat to our national existence, lacked the forces to take even one square inch of American soil. What they could threaten -- and take -- was our sense of ourselves as a brave, reasonable and civilized people, inhabiting a nation of laws. They beckoned us into the mud with them, and we leapt.
It's not the first time. Periodically, we have shed the burden of bravery, reason, civilization, laws. Always, it happens in moments of national stress, moments of overwhelming confusion, anger or fear, moments that make us prey to demons of expedience and moral compromise. Moments when we wonder if we can still afford to act like America.
But we face a band of bloodthirsty hoodlums whose dearest wish is to make us just like them. So maybe the better question is this:
Can we afford not to?
That feeling is arguably the most significant casualty of Sept. 11. On that day, we elevated a mob of stateless criminals, a mafia in cleric's clothing, to the exalted level of rogue nation. But they were never that, never a threat to our national existence, lacked the forces to take even one square inch of American soil. What they could threaten -- and take -- was our sense of ourselves as a brave, reasonable and civilized people, inhabiting a nation of laws. They beckoned us into the mud with them, and we leapt.
It's not the first time. Periodically, we have shed the burden of bravery, reason, civilization, laws. Always, it happens in moments of national stress, moments of overwhelming confusion, anger or fear, moments that make us prey to demons of expedience and moral compromise. Moments when we wonder if we can still afford to act like America.
But we face a band of bloodthirsty hoodlums whose dearest wish is to make us just like them. So maybe the better question is this:
Can we afford not to?
Can We Save Social Security | Parade.com
Can We Save Social Security Parade.com
Any Social Security reform package is likely to contain some or all of these ideas. And it had better happen soon. Experts agree that the longer we wait, the more difficult it will be to solve the system’s financial ills. David M. Certner of the AARP believes that talk of a Social Security crisis is overblown. Still, he agrees that changes to the system are inevitable and says they should come sooner rather than later. “The sooner you make them,” he says, “the more modest the changes that are needed.”
Any Social Security reform package is likely to contain some or all of these ideas. And it had better happen soon. Experts agree that the longer we wait, the more difficult it will be to solve the system’s financial ills. David M. Certner of the AARP believes that talk of a Social Security crisis is overblown. Still, he agrees that changes to the system are inevitable and says they should come sooner rather than later. “The sooner you make them,” he says, “the more modest the changes that are needed.”
Fighting Terrorism With Schools | Parade.com
Fighting Terrorism With Schools Parade.com
Young women are the developing world’s greatest agents of progress. Just one year of schooling will dramatically raise a girl’s later economic prospects, and where girls get to fifth grade, birth rates and infant mortality plunge. Teaching girls to read and write reduces the ignorance and poverty that fuel religious extremism and lays a groundwork for prosperity and peace. In military parlance, educating girls is a “force multiplier.” Thus, the flame that burns at the center of my work, the heat around which I cup my hands, are the stories of girls whose lives have been changed by education.
Young women are the developing world’s greatest agents of progress. Just one year of schooling will dramatically raise a girl’s later economic prospects, and where girls get to fifth grade, birth rates and infant mortality plunge. Teaching girls to read and write reduces the ignorance and poverty that fuel religious extremism and lays a groundwork for prosperity and peace. In military parlance, educating girls is a “force multiplier.” Thus, the flame that burns at the center of my work, the heat around which I cup my hands, are the stories of girls whose lives have been changed by education.
Friday, November 20, 2009
China’s Holdings of U.S. Securities:Implications for the U.S - SusanThur - Open Salon
China’s Holdings of U.S. Securities:Implications for the U.S - SusanThur - Open Salon
Given its relatively low savings rate, the U.S. economy depends heavily on foreign capital
inflows from countries with high savings rates (such as China) to help promote growth and to
fund the federal budget deficit. China has intervened heavily in currency markets to limit the
appreciation of its currency, especially against the dollar. As a result, China has become the
world’s largest and fastest growing holder of foreign exchange reserves (FER). China has
invested a large share of its FER in U.S. securities, which, as of June 2008, totaled $1.2 trillion,
making China the second largest foreign holder of U.S. securities (after Japan). These securities
include long-term (LT) Treasury debt, LT U.S. agency debt, LT U.S. corporate debt, LT U.S.
equities, and short-term debt. It is likely that China became the largest foreign holder of U.S.
securities by the end of 2008. From June 2002 to June 2008, China’s holdings of U.S. securities
increased by over $1 trillion—far more than that of any other nation.
U.S. Treasury securities are issued to finance the federal budget deficit. Of the public debt that is
privately held, a little more than half is held by foreigners. As of May 2009, China’s Treasury
securities holdings were $802 billion, accounting for 24.3% of total foreign ownership of U.S.
Treasury securities, making it the largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasuries (it replaced Japan as
the largest foreign holder in September 2008).
The current global financial crisis has raised considerable conce
Given its relatively low savings rate, the U.S. economy depends heavily on foreign capital
inflows from countries with high savings rates (such as China) to help promote growth and to
fund the federal budget deficit. China has intervened heavily in currency markets to limit the
appreciation of its currency, especially against the dollar. As a result, China has become the
world’s largest and fastest growing holder of foreign exchange reserves (FER). China has
invested a large share of its FER in U.S. securities, which, as of June 2008, totaled $1.2 trillion,
making China the second largest foreign holder of U.S. securities (after Japan). These securities
include long-term (LT) Treasury debt, LT U.S. agency debt, LT U.S. corporate debt, LT U.S.
equities, and short-term debt. It is likely that China became the largest foreign holder of U.S.
securities by the end of 2008. From June 2002 to June 2008, China’s holdings of U.S. securities
increased by over $1 trillion—far more than that of any other nation.
U.S. Treasury securities are issued to finance the federal budget deficit. Of the public debt that is
privately held, a little more than half is held by foreigners. As of May 2009, China’s Treasury
securities holdings were $802 billion, accounting for 24.3% of total foreign ownership of U.S.
Treasury securities, making it the largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasuries (it replaced Japan as
the largest foreign holder in September 2008).
The current global financial crisis has raised considerable conce
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
House health bill includes Medicaid relief for states - washingtonpost.com
House health bill includes Medicaid relief for states - washingtonpost.com
Wedged in the House health-care bill is $23.5 billion that looks a lot more like new federal stimulus spending than anything to do with national health-care reform.
The barely debated pot of money would allow Congress to continue pumping billions in new short-term aid to states to cover Medicaid costs that have increased with rising unemployment in the past year.
The potential impact of the new spending became clear last week when giddy state budget officials in capitals from Annapolis to Sacramento penciled in the revenue, hoping that if health-care legislation survives in the Senate, the states' bonus might squeak through.
Wedged in the House health-care bill is $23.5 billion that looks a lot more like new federal stimulus spending than anything to do with national health-care reform.
The barely debated pot of money would allow Congress to continue pumping billions in new short-term aid to states to cover Medicaid costs that have increased with rising unemployment in the past year.
The potential impact of the new spending became clear last week when giddy state budget officials in capitals from Annapolis to Sacramento penciled in the revenue, hoping that if health-care legislation survives in the Senate, the states' bonus might squeak through.
Obama: Aim is to put U.S. on path to end Afghan war - USATODAY.com
Obama: Aim is to put U.S. on path to end Afghan war - USATODAY.com
BEIJING (AP) — President Obama said Wednesday his upcoming strategy in Afghanistan will "put us on a path towards ending the war" and that his goal is not to pass the conflict on to the next president.
Obama also declined to say he trusted Afghan President Hamid Karzai, offering praise to Karzai for holding his country together but saying: "He has some strengths, but he has some weaknesses."
"I'm less concerned about any individual than I am with a government as a whole that is having difficulty providing basic services to its people," Obama said in his latest blunt assessment of the Karzai government, whose competence is an essential part of a U.S. war effort now in its ninth year.
Obama is expected soon to announce a revamping of the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is likely to send thousands more troops into Afghanistan to stabilize the deteriorating security there.
BEIJING (AP) — President Obama said Wednesday his upcoming strategy in Afghanistan will "put us on a path towards ending the war" and that his goal is not to pass the conflict on to the next president.
Obama also declined to say he trusted Afghan President Hamid Karzai, offering praise to Karzai for holding his country together but saying: "He has some strengths, but he has some weaknesses."
"I'm less concerned about any individual than I am with a government as a whole that is having difficulty providing basic services to its people," Obama said in his latest blunt assessment of the Karzai government, whose competence is an essential part of a U.S. war effort now in its ninth year.
Obama is expected soon to announce a revamping of the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is likely to send thousands more troops into Afghanistan to stabilize the deteriorating security there.
Friday, November 13, 2009
RNC health insurance plan covers abortions
The Republican National Committee's health insurance plan covers elective abortions for its employees, an option Republicans strongly oppose in health overhaul legislation that Democrats are trying to push through Congress.
Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele learned of the policy's abortion coverage Thursday through a news report and immediately instructed staff to inform the insurance carrier that the RNC wanted to opt out of elective abortion coverage, RNC spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said.
"Money from our loyal donors should not be used for this purpose," Steele said in a statement. "I don't know why this policy existed in the past, but it will not exist under my administration. Consider this issue settled."
Gitcho said the policy has been in effect since 1991.
This story continues below
http://www.examiner.com/a-2318118~RNC_health_insurance_plan_covers_abortions.html?cid=rss-Most_Popular
Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele learned of the policy's abortion coverage Thursday through a news report and immediately instructed staff to inform the insurance carrier that the RNC wanted to opt out of elective abortion coverage, RNC spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said.
"Money from our loyal donors should not be used for this purpose," Steele said in a statement. "I don't know why this policy existed in the past, but it will not exist under my administration. Consider this issue settled."
Gitcho said the policy has been in effect since 1991.
This story continues below
http://www.examiner.com/a-2318118~RNC_health_insurance_plan_covers_abortions.html?cid=rss-Most_Popular
Increasing Medicare Tax on High-Wage Earners Could Help Pay for Health Reform and Strengthen Medicare’s Finances — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Increasing Medicare Tax on High-Wage Earners Could Help Pay for Health Reform and Strengthen Medicare’s Finances — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Increasing the Medicare payroll tax on high-wage earners would represent a sound and well-targeted way of paying for health reform. It would also improve the solvency of Medicare’s Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund and thereby strengthen this critical program, which provides health coverage for 46 million seniors and persons with disabilities.
Hospital Insurance benefits in Medicare are funded primarily by payroll taxes on wages and self-employment income. Workers and employers each pay a flat 1.45 percent of wages, for a total of 2.9 percent. Unlike Social Security taxes, which are not imposed on earnings above a set level, Medicare taxes are collected on workers’ entire earnings. Although half of the tax is nominally paid by employers, most economists believe that employees ultimately pay the employer share as well through lower wages than they otherwise would receive. Self-employed workers pay the entire 2.9 percent tax but are allowed to deduct half of this amount for income tax purposes.
Increasing the Medicare payroll tax on high-wage earners would represent a sound and well-targeted way of paying for health reform. It would also improve the solvency of Medicare’s Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund and thereby strengthen this critical program, which provides health coverage for 46 million seniors and persons with disabilities.
Hospital Insurance benefits in Medicare are funded primarily by payroll taxes on wages and self-employment income. Workers and employers each pay a flat 1.45 percent of wages, for a total of 2.9 percent. Unlike Social Security taxes, which are not imposed on earnings above a set level, Medicare taxes are collected on workers’ entire earnings. Although half of the tax is nominally paid by employers, most economists believe that employees ultimately pay the employer share as well through lower wages than they otherwise would receive. Self-employed workers pay the entire 2.9 percent tax but are allowed to deduct half of this amount for income tax purposes.
We need a history lesson about Nazis - Leonard Pitts on Obama - MiamiHerald.com
We need a history lesson about Nazis - Leonard Pitts on Obama - MiamiHerald.com
See, we'll be talking about Nazis, something many of us are doing lately. Indeed, just this week a fellow named Joseph emailed me about a caller he heard on a radio show. The man, vexed over health care reform, likened President Obama to Adolf Hitler. Asked why, he said, "Hitler took over the car companies, then health care and then he killed the Jews.''
Said Joseph: "I almost swerved my vehicle off the road when I heard that.''
But the caller is hardly unique. Google "Obama + Nazis'' and you get almost 7 million hits. Nor is the phenomenon new. Substitute President Bush's name and you get nearly 2.8 million.
See, we'll be talking about Nazis, something many of us are doing lately. Indeed, just this week a fellow named Joseph emailed me about a caller he heard on a radio show. The man, vexed over health care reform, likened President Obama to Adolf Hitler. Asked why, he said, "Hitler took over the car companies, then health care and then he killed the Jews.''
Said Joseph: "I almost swerved my vehicle off the road when I heard that.''
But the caller is hardly unique. Google "Obama + Nazis'' and you get almost 7 million hits. Nor is the phenomenon new. Substitute President Bush's name and you get nearly 2.8 million.
Clergy issues call for civility - NOLA.com
Clergy issues call for civility - NOLA.com
Thursday, November 12, 2009 By Bruce NolanStaff writerIt's gotten ugly out there in the pubic square -- on television, at public meetings, on the Internet. Whether it's health care reform specifically or politics generally, people seem to demonize each other, shout each other down and gleefully circulate vicious e-mail messages distorting the other side.
So much so that in East Jefferson, Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy recently have found common ground about one, clear thing. They've decided to give their congregations a message:
Get hold of yourself!
Thursday, November 12, 2009 By Bruce NolanStaff writerIt's gotten ugly out there in the pubic square -- on television, at public meetings, on the Internet. Whether it's health care reform specifically or politics generally, people seem to demonize each other, shout each other down and gleefully circulate vicious e-mail messages distorting the other side.
So much so that in East Jefferson, Christian, Jewish and Muslim clergy recently have found common ground about one, clear thing. They've decided to give their congregations a message:
Get hold of yourself!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Missy Meets President Obama Town Hall Meeting in New Orleans
Missy the little stuff dog meets President Obama in New Orleans October 2009 for a Town Hall Meeting. She went all the way to Washington D.C. in January to try to see him and here he is in her own back yard. Her Washington D.C. trip is filmed also on You Tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtWLB7LzZvA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtWLB7LzZvA
President Obama visit to New Orleans for Town Hall Meeting 2009
YouTube Video I made when President Obama came to New Orleans for a Town Hall Meeting October 2009. I won the Ticket lottery for two tickets.
This is a homemade film. Yes, with all the motions of the camera shaking, fast movements, people in the way. But it will give the viewer a good sense of the excitement of the day, by me the camera person and by everyone there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTX__7XYSg4
This is a homemade film. Yes, with all the motions of the camera shaking, fast movements, people in the way. But it will give the viewer a good sense of the excitement of the day, by me the camera person and by everyone there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTX__7XYSg4
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Going to see President Obama!!
The White House Called! I GOT TICKETS! Going to Town Hall Meeting to see President Obama Tomorrow/Thursday/10-15-09 in New Orleans. I am so Excited-Going Early to get good seats.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Tough-Love Dictator of My Dreams
The Tough-Love Dictator of My Dreams
Very funny Article.
Social change may happen fast, but no one stops polluting unless an Indian cries on TV. My point isn't that activists and advocates don't shift the way we think; public opinion shifts in various ways, the prolonged explanation of each of which has made Malcolm Gladwell millions of dollars. My point is simply that, everything being equal, a dictator can make an Indian cry fastest.
And people love a good dictator — or at least get over their hatred of one pretty quickly — provided that the dictator doesn't put up too many pictures of himself. We instinctively object to new forms of paternalism, but we also quickly accept them: laws requiring seat belts and motorcycle helmets, forced retirement savings through Social Security, waiting periods for marriage and gun licenses.
Very funny Article.
Social change may happen fast, but no one stops polluting unless an Indian cries on TV. My point isn't that activists and advocates don't shift the way we think; public opinion shifts in various ways, the prolonged explanation of each of which has made Malcolm Gladwell millions of dollars. My point is simply that, everything being equal, a dictator can make an Indian cry fastest.
And people love a good dictator — or at least get over their hatred of one pretty quickly — provided that the dictator doesn't put up too many pictures of himself. We instinctively object to new forms of paternalism, but we also quickly accept them: laws requiring seat belts and motorcycle helmets, forced retirement savings through Social Security, waiting periods for marriage and gun licenses.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
How Moses Shaped America
How Moses Shaped America
We are in the presence of a lot of Moseses," Barack Obama said on March 4, 2007, three weeks after announcing his candidacy for President. He was speaking in Selma, Ala., surrounded by civil rights pioneers. Obama cast his run for the White House as a fulfillment of the Moses tradition of leading people out of bondage into freedom. "I thank the Moses generation, but we've got to remember that Joshua still had a job to do. As great as Moses was ... he didn't cross over the river to see the promised land."Eight months into his presidency, Obama might want to give Moses a second look. On issues from health care to Afghanistan, the President faces doubts and rebellions, from an entrenched pharaonic establishment on one hand and restless, stiff-necked followers on the other. There's good reason, then, for Obama to heed the leadership lessons of history's greatest leader.
We are in the presence of a lot of Moseses," Barack Obama said on March 4, 2007, three weeks after announcing his candidacy for President. He was speaking in Selma, Ala., surrounded by civil rights pioneers. Obama cast his run for the White House as a fulfillment of the Moses tradition of leading people out of bondage into freedom. "I thank the Moses generation, but we've got to remember that Joshua still had a job to do. As great as Moses was ... he didn't cross over the river to see the promised land."Eight months into his presidency, Obama might want to give Moses a second look. On issues from health care to Afghanistan, the President faces doubts and rebellions, from an entrenched pharaonic establishment on one hand and restless, stiff-necked followers on the other. There's good reason, then, for Obama to heed the leadership lessons of history's greatest leader.
A Window On the War in Afghanistan
A Window On the War in Afghanistan
The war in Afghanistan is at a crossroads. President Obama will soon decide whether to commit more U.S. troops to a conflict that's already on the verge of becoming the longest military action in American history--or perhaps begin to dial back our commitment there. It's been more than eight years since the war began, and for much of that time, it was a conflict that took place at the margins of our awareness. First the quick fall of the Taliban regime made Afghanistan seem like a problem largely solved. Then the extended agony of the Iraq war drew all eyes in that direction. But the problem wasn't solved, the Taliban insurgency sprang back to life, and now Afghanistan is a military and political conundrum: Is it in our national interest to double down, or is the conflict an impossible one that will only come to grief?
The war in Afghanistan is at a crossroads. President Obama will soon decide whether to commit more U.S. troops to a conflict that's already on the verge of becoming the longest military action in American history--or perhaps begin to dial back our commitment there. It's been more than eight years since the war began, and for much of that time, it was a conflict that took place at the margins of our awareness. First the quick fall of the Taliban regime made Afghanistan seem like a problem largely solved. Then the extended agony of the Iraq war drew all eyes in that direction. But the problem wasn't solved, the Taliban insurgency sprang back to life, and now Afghanistan is a military and political conundrum: Is it in our national interest to double down, or is the conflict an impossible one that will only come to grief?
Monday, October 5, 2009
Does The U.N. Serve American Interests?
This Administration views the U.N., despite its flaws, as a useful vehicle in many instances to advance our interests,” Rice says. There are two diplomatic principles in that sentence: one, an acknowledgement of the U.N.’s weaknesses; the other, an assertion that the international organization is not irrelevant, as its critics insist.
http://www.parade.com/news/2009/10/04-does-the-un-serve-america-interests.html#
http://www.parade.com/news/2009/10/04-does-the-un-serve-america-interests.html#
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Poisonous Politics /Where did'We' Go? by T.Friedman
Excerpts:I hate to write about this, but I have actually been to this play before and it is really disturbing.
The American political system was, as the saying goes, “designed by geniuses so it could be run by idiots.” But a cocktail of political and technological trends have converged in the last decade that are making it possible for the idiots of all political stripes to overwhelm and paralyze the genius of our system.
Those factors are: the wild excess of money in politics; the gerrymandering of political districts, making them permanently Republican or Democratic and erasing the political middle; a 24/7 cable news cycle that makes all politics a daily battle of tactics that overwhelm strategic thinking; and a blogosphere that at its best enriches our debates, adding new checks on the establishment, and at its worst coarsens our debates to a whole new level, giving a new power to anonymous slanderers to send lies around the world.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/opinion/30friedman.html
The American political system was, as the saying goes, “designed by geniuses so it could be run by idiots.” But a cocktail of political and technological trends have converged in the last decade that are making it possible for the idiots of all political stripes to overwhelm and paralyze the genius of our system.
Those factors are: the wild excess of money in politics; the gerrymandering of political districts, making them permanently Republican or Democratic and erasing the political middle; a 24/7 cable news cycle that makes all politics a daily battle of tactics that overwhelm strategic thinking; and a blogosphere that at its best enriches our debates, adding new checks on the establishment, and at its worst coarsens our debates to a whole new level, giving a new power to anonymous slanderers to send lies around the world.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/opinion/30friedman.html
List of Contractors That Could be Defunded as a Result of Anti-ACORN Bill
1 Oct 2009 // Last week, the House inadvertently took a large step forward in protecting taxpayers from misbehaving contractors. The House passed the "Student Aid" bill (H.R. 3221) that also included a ban on entities receiving any federal contracts or grants if they have "filed a fraudulent form with any Federal or State regulatory agency." Although intended to restrict ACORN, a nationwide community support organization, the language could be interpreted to cover all federal contractors and grantees.POGO's Federal Contractor Misconduct Database compiles instances of misconduct for the top contractors that have together received over $260 billion in FY 2007. Those same contractors have racked up over 750 instances of misconduct and paid over $27 billion in fines or penalties since 1995. A survey of that data shows that 62 federal contractors (listed below) have been involved in instances that might prohibit them from receiving future federal funds if the "Defund ACORN Act" becomes law.
See listhttp://www.citizensforethics.org/node/42579#
See listhttp://www.citizensforethics.org/node/42579#
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday School Lessons/Calling liars to account/God's Politics
Excerpt: For the record and for the umpteenth time: No version of healthcare reform being contemplated by Congress mandates death for the old, the disabled or the infirm. That's a canard. It is mendacity, prevarication, a bald-faced lie.
In other words, politics.
The art of the untruth is, after all, the life's blood of governance. As a brief spin through PolitiFact.com, the Pulitzer Prize-winning fact checking website will attest, no party, ideology or politician has a monopoly on lying. Lying is as bipartisan as it gets.
And yet, the lies that have characterized the debate over healthcare are in a class all their own -- not simply because they are outrageous, but because they are designed specifically to inflame and terrorize. As such, those lies are deserving of special rebuke. Last week, they got it.
Sojourners, which calls itself the nation's largest network of progressive Christians, says its members sent out thousands of e-mails to five of the biggest offenders: Beck, his fellow Fox personalities Sean Hannity, Steve Doocy and Bill O'Reilly, and radio host Rush Limbaugh. Each e-mail said the same thing in essence: stop lying.
Wallis, a celebrated theologian and author of The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post-Religious Right America, says Sojourners is trying to redeem things people ``really should've learned in Sunday school.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/story/1246797.html
In other words, politics.
The art of the untruth is, after all, the life's blood of governance. As a brief spin through PolitiFact.com, the Pulitzer Prize-winning fact checking website will attest, no party, ideology or politician has a monopoly on lying. Lying is as bipartisan as it gets.
And yet, the lies that have characterized the debate over healthcare are in a class all their own -- not simply because they are outrageous, but because they are designed specifically to inflame and terrorize. As such, those lies are deserving of special rebuke. Last week, they got it.
Sojourners, which calls itself the nation's largest network of progressive Christians, says its members sent out thousands of e-mails to five of the biggest offenders: Beck, his fellow Fox personalities Sean Hannity, Steve Doocy and Bill O'Reilly, and radio host Rush Limbaugh. Each e-mail said the same thing in essence: stop lying.
Wallis, a celebrated theologian and author of The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post-Religious Right America, says Sojourners is trying to redeem things people ``really should've learned in Sunday school.
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/leonard-pitts/story/1246797.html
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
What is Custer Battles / Info Search / SourceWatch/Iraq
Custer Battles, LLC is a security company based in McLean, Virginia, that promotes its services as including "security services", "litigation support", "global risk consulting", "training" and "business intelligence".
The company's founders are Scott Custer, a former US Army officer and defense consultant, and former CIA officer Michael Battles, who ran for Congress in Rhode Island in 2002 and was defeated in the Republican primary. Battles is a Fox News Channel commentator. Both Custer and Battles are often described in the media as "former US Army Rangers." In fact, they are both mere graduates of the US Army Ranger course, a nine week US Army leadership school, and not former members of the US Army Ranger Regiment. Custer Battles was a newly formed company with no experience in the security industry
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Custer_Battles
The company's founders are Scott Custer, a former US Army officer and defense consultant, and former CIA officer Michael Battles, who ran for Congress in Rhode Island in 2002 and was defeated in the Republican primary. Battles is a Fox News Channel commentator. Both Custer and Battles are often described in the media as "former US Army Rangers." In fact, they are both mere graduates of the US Army Ranger course, a nine week US Army leadership school, and not former members of the US Army Ranger Regiment. Custer Battles was a newly formed company with no experience in the security industry
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Custer_Battles
ISS - SPECIAL REPORT: How is Obama doing on Gulf Coast recovery?
ISS - SPECIAL REPORT: How is Obama doing on Gulf Coast recovery?
For many people in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, the election of President Barack Obama to the White House last November brought a sense of renewed hope -- or at least an opportunity to change the course of the region's stalled Katrina recovery.
For many people in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, the election of President Barack Obama to the White House last November brought a sense of renewed hope -- or at least an opportunity to change the course of the region's stalled Katrina recovery.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Look -- conservatives who believe in global warming!
When eminent scientists, elected officials and diplomats of all political persuasions gather in Copenhagen in December to renew the worldwide effort against catastrophic climate change, there will be at least one discordant voice in the house. Sen. James Inhofe, the Oklahoma Republican who has called global warming "the greatest hoax ever perpetrated," has vowed to bring the conservative message… » Full Story on Salon.com
http://buzz.yahoo.com/article/1:saloncom914:6175d6fa0ede4ab46713933f496cb04a/Look-conservatives-who-believe-in-global-warming?fru=1
http://buzz.yahoo.com/article/1:saloncom914:6175d6fa0ede4ab46713933f496cb04a/Look-conservatives-who-believe-in-global-warming?fru=1
ISS - A Portrait of Louisiana: Study shines light on post-Katrina racial, economic disparities
ISS - A Portrait of Louisiana: Study shines light on post-Katrina racial, economic disparities
A new study uses post-Katrina data to examine the wide and stark disparities in the life expectancy, educational attainment, and incomes of African Americans and whites in Louisiana. The report reveals that Louisiana, which ranks 49th among U.S. states on the American Human Development Index, has a population that experiences health, education, and income levels that the rest of the country surpassed three to five decades ago.
A new study uses post-Katrina data to examine the wide and stark disparities in the life expectancy, educational attainment, and incomes of African Americans and whites in Louisiana. The report reveals that Louisiana, which ranks 49th among U.S. states on the American Human Development Index, has a population that experiences health, education, and income levels that the rest of the country surpassed three to five decades ago.
ISS - ACORN, Blackwater and the accountability disparity
ISS - ACORN, Blackwater and the accountability disparity
The U.S. House of Representatives voted yesterday to cut off federal funds to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now or ACORN, a national grassroots group that advocates for poor and modest-income families. The House vote of 345 to 75 came three days after the Senate cut off Housing and Urban Development funding to the group. But some of the same members of Congress who were quick to take action against ACORN have not been as responsive when other federal contractors have engaged in wrongdoing -- like Blackwater, the North Carolina-based private military company now known as Xe.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted yesterday to cut off federal funds to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now or ACORN, a national grassroots group that advocates for poor and modest-income families. The House vote of 345 to 75 came three days after the Senate cut off Housing and Urban Development funding to the group. But some of the same members of Congress who were quick to take action against ACORN have not been as responsive when other federal contractors have engaged in wrongdoing -- like Blackwater, the North Carolina-based private military company now known as Xe.
Where Is the Defund Blackwater Act?
Democrats joined Republicans in voting to "Defund ACORN," yet have done nothing to stop Blackwater’s ongoing taxpayer funded crusade in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Republican Congressional leaders are continuing their witch-hunt against ACORN, the grassroots community group dedicated to helping poor and working class people. This campaign now unfortunately has gained bi-partisan legislative support in the form of the Defund ACORN Act of 2009 which has now passed the House and Senate. As Ryan Grim at Huffington Post has pointed out, the legislation "could plausibly defund the entire military-industrial complex:"
http://www.truthout.org/092409S?n
Republican Congressional leaders are continuing their witch-hunt against ACORN, the grassroots community group dedicated to helping poor and working class people. This campaign now unfortunately has gained bi-partisan legislative support in the form of the Defund ACORN Act of 2009 which has now passed the House and Senate. As Ryan Grim at Huffington Post has pointed out, the legislation "could plausibly defund the entire military-industrial complex:"
http://www.truthout.org/092409S?n
This Week's Mediscare | The New Republic
This Week's Mediscare | The New Republic
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As you may have heard or read by now, the Republicans are angry over proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage, the private insurance alternative to traditional Medicare. The insurers who offer Medicare Advantage plans receive a flat fee for every senior that signs up. But virtually every independent expert who has studied the program has concluded that those fees are way too high--that, in effect, the government is getting a lousy deal
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As you may have heard or read by now, the Republicans are angry over proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage, the private insurance alternative to traditional Medicare. The insurers who offer Medicare Advantage plans receive a flat fee for every senior that signs up. But virtually every independent expert who has studied the program has concluded that those fees are way too high--that, in effect, the government is getting a lousy deal
If you thought ACORN was bad ...
If you thought ACORN was bad ...
We've all heard plenty about a private U.S. government contractor whose employees were caught behaving unspeakably and which now faces the swift and brutal withdrawal of taxpayer dollars by a Congress demanding accountability.
That was ACORN, of course, which surely will miss the government cash spigot that has irrigated its coffers to the tune of $53 million since 1994. As we've written, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now deserved what it got.
But if you thought ACORN was bad, meet ArmorGroup North America. It's the private U.S. government security contractor whose employees at the American embassy in Kabul were photographed in drunken revels that included urinating on and sexually molesting each other. It also has been alleged by whistle-blowing employees that ArmorGroup cut corners on security hiring, leaving our embassy personnel vulnerable.
We've all heard plenty about a private U.S. government contractor whose employees were caught behaving unspeakably and which now faces the swift and brutal withdrawal of taxpayer dollars by a Congress demanding accountability.
That was ACORN, of course, which surely will miss the government cash spigot that has irrigated its coffers to the tune of $53 million since 1994. As we've written, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now deserved what it got.
But if you thought ACORN was bad, meet ArmorGroup North America. It's the private U.S. government security contractor whose employees at the American embassy in Kabul were photographed in drunken revels that included urinating on and sexually molesting each other. It also has been alleged by whistle-blowing employees that ArmorGroup cut corners on security hiring, leaving our embassy personnel vulnerable.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Mad Man: Is Glenn Beck Bad for America?
Mad Man: Is Glenn Beck Bad for America?
For Glenn Beck-Mad Man-Rubbing the sore has become a lucrative business, extremes draws crowds,fattens wallets at bookstores, cablenews and radio.
Mad Men on Cable News--And if the time comes when every audience is screaming, who, in the end, is left to listen?
For Glenn Beck-Mad Man-Rubbing the sore has become a lucrative business, extremes draws crowds,fattens wallets at bookstores, cablenews and radio.
Mad Men on Cable News--And if the time comes when every audience is screaming, who, in the end, is left to listen?
Friday, September 18, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Delivery Pains at the Post Office
Delivery Pains at the Post Office 2008 Bush admin.
The Postal Service—a self-sustaining organization that receives no financial support from the government—is mounting an effort to get itself back into the black. But Corbett argues that he is hampered by an uneven playing field because the Postal Service is burdened with requirements not imposed on other government agencies or private companies.
For example, a major component of the turnaround plan is the Postal Service’s attempt to win some leeway on the big payments it’s required to make each year for retiree healthcare. This year it is due to pay $7.5 billion for retiree healthcare, $5.5 billion of which goes to a trust to fund future benefits. No other government organization is required to pre-fund retiree healthcare, Corbett notes, and only about a third of corporations do any pre-funding.
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The Postal Service—a self-sustaining organization that receives no financial support from the government—is mounting an effort to get itself back into the black. But Corbett argues that he is hampered by an uneven playing field because the Postal Service is burdened with requirements not imposed on other government agencies or private companies.
For example, a major component of the turnaround plan is the Postal Service’s attempt to win some leeway on the big payments it’s required to make each year for retiree healthcare. This year it is due to pay $7.5 billion for retiree healthcare, $5.5 billion of which goes to a trust to fund future benefits. No other government organization is required to pre-fund retiree healthcare, Corbett notes, and only about a third of corporations do any pre-funding.
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Here's a different slant on the healthcare debate/Christian-Healthcare
A message to Christians who oppose Public Health Care, from a fellow Christian: Read more Bible. Watch less Fox News.
Yes, that was the starter. Can you see that I was drawn to it immediately? It is simply unlike anything I’ve ever seen at the site, and makes me think I am not the only one who disagrees with much of what gets posted there
http://www.lockergnome.com/theoracle/2009/09/15/a-different-slant-on-healthcare/#respond
Yes, that was the starter. Can you see that I was drawn to it immediately? It is simply unlike anything I’ve ever seen at the site, and makes me think I am not the only one who disagrees with much of what gets posted there
http://www.lockergnome.com/theoracle/2009/09/15/a-different-slant-on-healthcare/#respond
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Size Matters; So Do Lies
Size Matters; So Do Lies
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Back in April, when there was a round of several hundred "tea party" protests across the country to coincide with Tax Day, I devoted significant attention to figuring out how many people had actually attended the rallies. The best figure I could come up with was at least 300,000 -- "at least" being an important caveat because there were dozens of smaller tea party protests for which no reliable crowd size estimates were available. The real number was probably something between 350,000 and 400,000.
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Back in April, when there was a round of several hundred "tea party" protests across the country to coincide with Tax Day, I devoted significant attention to figuring out how many people had actually attended the rallies. The best figure I could come up with was at least 300,000 -- "at least" being an important caveat because there were dozens of smaller tea party protests for which no reliable crowd size estimates were available. The real number was probably something between 350,000 and 400,000.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Going to Extremes
Going to Extremes
There is much to fear in the right's comfort with radicalism, but little to envy.
by Michelle Goldberg
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=going_to_extremes
There is much to fear in the right's comfort with radicalism, but little to envy.
by Michelle Goldberg
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=going_to_extremes
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
America and Its Deficits: Are We Broke Yet?
America and Its Deficits: Are We Broke Yet?
It was one of Dick Cheney's more memorable lines. "Deficits don't matter," he told Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill in 2002. Later, after O'Neill made the conversation public, Cheney elaborated that he meant this "in a political context," not an economic one. But for most of Cheney's time as Vice President, the claim held up pretty well in both contexts. Over O'Neill's objections — he'd be gone soon anyway — the Bush Administration and Congress abandoned a bipartisan commitment to fiscal prudence that had held sway since the early 1990s and went back to running chronic deficits. The result was a growing economy and a second term for George W. Bush. (See George W. Bush's biggest economic mistakes.)
It was one of Dick Cheney's more memorable lines. "Deficits don't matter," he told Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill in 2002. Later, after O'Neill made the conversation public, Cheney elaborated that he meant this "in a political context," not an economic one. But for most of Cheney's time as Vice President, the claim held up pretty well in both contexts. Over O'Neill's objections — he'd be gone soon anyway — the Bush Administration and Congress abandoned a bipartisan commitment to fiscal prudence that had held sway since the early 1990s and went back to running chronic deficits. The result was a growing economy and a second term for George W. Bush. (See George W. Bush's biggest economic mistakes.)
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