Paul Krugman's Take On The Hijacked Commission

Known by many as "The Catfood Commission" for the rather drastic effects it would have on the the middle-class and the poor in this country, the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (also known as the Deficit Reduction Commission), an ill-conceived creation of the increasingly disappointing and overrated mind of President Obama, has released its findings/proposals earlier this week.

Paul Krugman has a rather fierce dissection of the commission's work in today's NYT op-ed. Consider this excerpt: "[H]ow, exactly, did a deficit-cutting commission become a commission whose first priority is cutting tax rates, with deficit reduction literally at the bottom of the list?" Good question, Prof. Krugman.

You can find the complete answer in Krugman's op-ed, The Hijacked Commission.

For Those Who Believe In The Mythical Left Wing Media Conspiracy

This is a sad read, not an unexpected one.

"Fox ‘News’ Personalities Seen As Having Most Positive Impact In Political Debate".

In related news, "Fox ‘News’ Personalities Seen As Having Most Positive Impact In Political Debate". The political climate has changed much since the days of Eisenhower, when the marginal tax rate (the tax on the richest people) sat at 91% and no one dared called the President a socialist. Back in those days, paying a high marginal rate was considered patriotic, not confiscation. Too bad that those who pay lip service to the Greatest Generation on a daily basis forget how the greatest generation regarded taxation and patriotism.

Halliburton, Disaster Maker

As if their disastrous involvement in the "war against terrah" wasn't enough, Halliburton is also involved in the "war against Terra", given their possible involvement in the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, in the wake of a similar explosion off the coast of Australia last year. But hey, let's continue giving them government contracts.

The Republican Solution For... Well, Everything

Meg Whitman, she of eBay fame, is running to be the next governor of California on a platform of--wait, you guessed it--cutting taxes. For the rich. To solve California's budget deficit.

California already had a couple of actors as governors. It's time for another joker.

Roberto Saviano's NYT Op-Ed

Roberto Saviano is a corageous Italian reporter and author whose book, Gomorrah: A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples' Organized Crime System, is an insightful and despairing look into the world of camorra, the mafia organization that has its grasp on the economy and the politics of Naples and surrounding areas.

The New York Times has published an op-ed that sheds much needed light on the condition of African immigrants in Italy. They are commonly seen and regarded as criminals by locals, Saviano says, when they should actually be seen as the exploited labor force they are. That is the often the plight of immigrants and minorities across the world, and it seems that their hosts are incapable of learning from history and from past mistakes.