Republicans like to pretend that they know how to fix the deficit and budget problems: just slash taxes and spending, and tax revenues will grow and the deficit will decline. That is their recipe for fiscal success. Except that it omits facts: yes, slashing spending could reduce the deficit (at the expense of the neediest Americans, including children--because the culture of life... well, you know all about that holy crap) but the if the revenue side continues to falter, largely because of Republican fiscal policy, then how much exactly needs to be slashed.
NPR had a more realistic take of things yesterday, on Tax Day. You can read it or listen to it. The report is called Looking At Who Pays What In Taxes.
Frankly, I am fed up with Republicans telling me that taxes for the rich need to be cut, when the amount of taxes they actually pay has declined from 26 to 17% over the last 20 years and their income has grown more than that of any other income group. You should be too.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
One of the Most Interesting Discussions on Anthropology You'll Ever Hear
From today's edition of NPR's Science Friday: Richard Leakey Reflects On Human Past--And Future. After you click the link, you can stream audio from the top left corner of the page.
Note how the first comment on the page (currently) reads: "How does Richard Leakey discount the Bible? Genesis chapter 1 verse 26? Or all other passages of the Bible? How about the other guy with language evolution.... Genesis chapter 11 verses 1 --9??????? There is no way to leave God out of creating the universe. God caused the Big bang and He will take us out with a big bang........ Any one else believe this too????????????". Oh dear.
Note how the first comment on the page (currently) reads: "How does Richard Leakey discount the Bible? Genesis chapter 1 verse 26? Or all other passages of the Bible? How about the other guy with language evolution.... Genesis chapter 11 verses 1 --9??????? There is no way to leave God out of creating the universe. God caused the Big bang and He will take us out with a big bang........ Any one else believe this too????????????". Oh dear.
Bring Out The Dunce Caps
As the political season is heating up in view of the upcoming presidential election cycle, our old friend The Constructive Curmudgeon has picked his front runner for the Republican Party.
Looks like it's gonna be another fun election season!
Oh, and check out Michele Bachmann's PolitiFact file. I can already savor the Bachmann/Kyl 2012 ticket!
Looks like it's gonna be another fun election season!
Oh, and check out Michele Bachmann's PolitiFact file. I can already savor the Bachmann/Kyl 2012 ticket!
Monday, March 07, 2011
Tax Breaks in Bizarro World
If by Bizarro World you mean the United States, that is. But wait: isn't Bizarro World suppose to be the opposite of what earhtly things? That may not be a bad idea, given how ass backwards we earthly things are doing things (at least in the U.S.=
Read how Tom Cruise, Gov. Hickenlooper (D-CO) and a host of tax dodgers pay close to nothing in taxes on their 200+ acre properties.
Then, also from Think Progress, read how Gov. Scott (R-FL) is seeking to slash teachers' pay to fund corporate and property tax breaks.
Read how Tom Cruise, Gov. Hickenlooper (D-CO) and a host of tax dodgers pay close to nothing in taxes on their 200+ acre properties.
Then, also from Think Progress, read how Gov. Scott (R-FL) is seeking to slash teachers' pay to fund corporate and property tax breaks.
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Anti-gay Marriage Bill Goes Down in Wyoming
Apparently not all Republicans are seeking to meddle with the private lives of Americans. So kudos to the Wyoming legislature for rejecting an attempt to pass a law that would have caused civil unions sanctioned by other states of the Union to be voided once a gay couple entered Wyoming.
Don't get me wrong: the people who introduced the bill were also almost entirely Republican, so we still have a long way to go in bringing about the equality that everybody deserves. Still, it's an encouraging sign.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
.Don't get me wrong: the people who introduced the bill were also almost entirely Republican, so we still have a long way to go in bringing about the equality that everybody deserves. Still, it's an encouraging sign.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Media News
Keith Olbermann is back! Non on TV yet, but he has his own website, called FOK News Channel (FOK = Friends of Keith). His logo looks a lot like Fox News Channel's, it'll be interesting to see if they sue him. But he is pretty smart, isn't he? So my hunch is that before putting the logo on the website he probably got good legal advice.
In other media news, Frank Rich is moving to New York Magazine after 31 years at the NYT.
In other media news, Frank Rich is moving to New York Magazine after 31 years at the NYT.
Boycott and Defeat Koch Industries
Boycott Koch Industries. The Koch Brothers are a truly destructive influence on American politics. You can read more about them here (scroll down the page to see a list of products you should boycott) and here.
Yes, my money is but a drop in the ocean of billions that go to Koch Industries everywhere, but why should I support their regressive political activities with my money? Resistance has to begin somewhere. So vote with your dollars.
Yes, my money is but a drop in the ocean of billions that go to Koch Industries everywhere, but why should I support their regressive political activities with my money? Resistance has to begin somewhere. So vote with your dollars.
Fox News Lies, It Cannot Broadcast in Canada
Good for our neighbors to the North: They refused to change a law which prohibits broadcasting licenses to be issued to organizations that lie and deceive their listeners, which for all effects and purposes practically closes the door on Fox News-like organizations.
One has to wonder why such a law does not exist in the United States. Yes, I know, the First Amendment goes a long way in granting people the right to misinform. The question is: should it?
One has to wonder why such a law does not exist in the United States. Yes, I know, the First Amendment goes a long way in granting people the right to misinform. The question is: should it?
Monday, February 28, 2011
What's At Stake, in Wisconsin and in the U.S.A.
George Lakoff, the progressives' ethical response to Frank Luntz, spells out exactly what Wisconsin public employees are fighting for, and what will likely happen to all of us if they don't succeed in their fight.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Shock Doctrine, U.S.A.
If you have been following the national news at all lately, you know that protests against Gov. Walker of Wisconsin, the man who is trying to abrogate collective bargaining rights for state employees, have been getting all the attention for the last few days.
As Paul Krugman wrote in his post in today's New York Times, titled Shock Doctrine, U.S.A., collective bargaining is not the only target of Gov. Walker's budget plan: privatization by edict of the state's resources is another, just as worrisome target.
Please stand with the protesters in Wisconsin, as the International Association of Fire Fighters has done. It's not their future alone that is at stake.
As Paul Krugman wrote in his post in today's New York Times, titled Shock Doctrine, U.S.A., collective bargaining is not the only target of Gov. Walker's budget plan: privatization by edict of the state's resources is another, just as worrisome target.
Please stand with the protesters in Wisconsin, as the International Association of Fire Fighters has done. It's not their future alone that is at stake.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Attack on Unions and Corporate Tax Dodgers
Read Stop the Corporate Tax Dodgers, a timely post by Chuck Collins, co-author with Bill Gates Sr. of Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes and director of Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies.
What Took Him So Long?
President Obama has finally seen the light, on equal rights for gays and lesbians at least. He has come out against the indefensible Defense of Marriage Act, an attack on the rights of fellow human beings that anyone with a conscience not ruled by their belief in the supernatural has considered unjust and unjustifiable for a long time.
Better late than never.
Better late than never.
The situation could be FUBAR, We Could Have Had President McCain
You know, I am no big fan of President Obama. I think he is duplicitous and weak, and just another president in a big line of corporate water-carriers that goes all the way back to Reagan. (I called Obama a water-carrier and not a "corporate slave" lest the sensitive ones around take offense and cry shame, though if we were white I would have no problem doing so.) But I do recognize that things could always be worse. For example, we could have had President McCain. How bad would that have been? Take this as a telling example:
As Zaid Jilani quickly and correctly pointed out in his post on Think Progress,
Indeed, it must be that Republicans are only capable of viewing any program that treats Americans as if we were all on the same boat, rather than a few on yachts and most of the rest on rafts, as a "Ponzi scheme". (You know the analogy that a rising tide lifts all boats, the disingenuous argument Republicans love to make to justify trickle down economics, don't you?)
Take Ponzi scheme as a synonym for socialism, or "redistribution of wealth" in the Republican vocabulary. It is really a very good/bad sign of which side Republicans are on. When it comes to making sure that Ponzi schemes are not possible, they obstruct any attempt at regulation of the financial industry, but when the issue is to make sure that Americans can retire with some peace of mind they have no trouble calling Social Security a Ponzi scheme. They are truly evil.
Right now there’s a certain amount you pay into Social Security, and then after that it’s not taxed. There’s a number of things you can do to that are pretty simple and are pretty gradual keep the system from going bankrupt which basically it already is, because we’ve already spent the money that’s in the Social Security trust fund. It’s a Ponzi scheme that Bernie Madoff would be proud of.
As Zaid Jilani quickly and correctly pointed out in his post on Think Progress,
A Ponzi scheme involves fraudulently manipulating investors’ money without being able to pay them back; meanwhile, Social Security is a program that has successfully managed Americans’ money since its inception and has guaranteed them safe retirements.
Indeed, it must be that Republicans are only capable of viewing any program that treats Americans as if we were all on the same boat, rather than a few on yachts and most of the rest on rafts, as a "Ponzi scheme". (You know the analogy that a rising tide lifts all boats, the disingenuous argument Republicans love to make to justify trickle down economics, don't you?)
Take Ponzi scheme as a synonym for socialism, or "redistribution of wealth" in the Republican vocabulary. It is really a very good/bad sign of which side Republicans are on. When it comes to making sure that Ponzi schemes are not possible, they obstruct any attempt at regulation of the financial industry, but when the issue is to make sure that Americans can retire with some peace of mind they have no trouble calling Social Security a Ponzi scheme. They are truly evil.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Stephen Colbert Skewers Justice Thomas
With his usual wit, Stephen Colbert (and his writing crew) does a number on Justice Clarence Thomas, a man who would be laughable if he were irrelevant.
Not Really News, But...
Media Matters, the media analysis organization that Bill O'Reilly considers hateful, perhaps because its reporters and analysts seem to hate the distortions perpetrated on an unsuspecting public by pretend-news organizations like Fox, makes a very good point: Fox Slams [Wisconsin] Protests But Cheered Tea Party Protests.
Of course Fox does not like the Wisconsin protests: They mostly feature peaceful union members, teachers and students; not true patriots like, you know, teabaggers.
Of course Fox does not like the Wisconsin protests: They mostly feature peaceful union members, teachers and students; not true patriots like, you know, teabaggers.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
The Great 401k Hoax
A while ago I read a book titled The Great 401(k) Hoax: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Family and Your Future
, in which the authors fall barely short of calling 401k's a swindle. I am pretty sure that the title of the book was setteled in concert with the publisher, and that Wolman and Colamosca, the two authors, would have preferred to go with swindle or some other stronger connotation of how 401k's really work.
And now, years later, the Wall Street Journal has an article in which--surprise surprise!--we learn that baby boomers who are starting to retire are getting the short end of the 401k stick. Keep both in mind, the book and the article, when some Laffer Curve, trickle-down, supply-side Republican economist tells you that the way to fix the wholly imaginary "Social Security mess" is to let workers invest into private retirement funds. Think Enron, think Lehman Brothers, think mortage securitization and subprime mortgage crisis, then tell them to go *!@$ themselves.
, in which the authors fall barely short of calling 401k's a swindle. I am pretty sure that the title of the book was setteled in concert with the publisher, and that Wolman and Colamosca, the two authors, would have preferred to go with swindle or some other stronger connotation of how 401k's really work. And now, years later, the Wall Street Journal has an article in which--surprise surprise!--we learn that baby boomers who are starting to retire are getting the short end of the 401k stick. Keep both in mind, the book and the article, when some Laffer Curve, trickle-down, supply-side Republican economist tells you that the way to fix the wholly imaginary "Social Security mess" is to let workers invest into private retirement funds. Think Enron, think Lehman Brothers, think mortage securitization and subprime mortgage crisis, then tell them to go *!@$ themselves.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Perception Problems: Sad
This is quite sad.
Yes, it is a non-scientific CNN poll. But CNN polls usually bend slightly left of center, so the fact that so many respondents have a negative view of unions may underestimate the actual sentiments of the general population.
What is so sad about this is the fact that it is quite likely that many of the respondents *profited* from the work of unions, via better working hours, safety measures in the work place, health benefits they did not have, higher wages for both union and non-union jobs, and so forth.
Certainly unions bear some of the responsibility for this perception problem that causes unions to be viewed negatively by such a large number of people; and the mainstream media rarely present a balanced view of the positive work that unions have done and continue to do.
But the perception is also a product of the assault that conservatives have waged against unions for the last forty years, which peaked in the Reagan years and has steadily continued ever since. The fact is that Republicans know that at least two things are true: unions are a barrier and a safeguard against a number of destructive business practices aimed at maximizing profits to the detriment of everything and everybody; and, unions are one of the best answers Democrats have to the crushing supremacy of Republican moneyed interests in election cycles, due to the organizing and mobilizing work that unions do to bring voters to polling places.
Demean and fight the ever dwindling power of unions at your peril.
Yes, it is a non-scientific CNN poll. But CNN polls usually bend slightly left of center, so the fact that so many respondents have a negative view of unions may underestimate the actual sentiments of the general population.
What is so sad about this is the fact that it is quite likely that many of the respondents *profited* from the work of unions, via better working hours, safety measures in the work place, health benefits they did not have, higher wages for both union and non-union jobs, and so forth.
Certainly unions bear some of the responsibility for this perception problem that causes unions to be viewed negatively by such a large number of people; and the mainstream media rarely present a balanced view of the positive work that unions have done and continue to do.
But the perception is also a product of the assault that conservatives have waged against unions for the last forty years, which peaked in the Reagan years and has steadily continued ever since. The fact is that Republicans know that at least two things are true: unions are a barrier and a safeguard against a number of destructive business practices aimed at maximizing profits to the detriment of everything and everybody; and, unions are one of the best answers Democrats have to the crushing supremacy of Republican moneyed interests in election cycles, due to the organizing and mobilizing work that unions do to bring voters to polling places.
Demean and fight the ever dwindling power of unions at your peril.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Obama, Friend of the Poor?
President Obama, which by a fortunate coincidence, rhymes with "Oh, mama!", a friend of the poor? Yeah, right.
As Amy Goodman of Democracy Now points out, the President's budget priorities may--quite literally--cause poor people to freeze. More literally than figuratively.
As Amy Goodman of Democracy Now points out, the President's budget priorities may--quite literally--cause poor people to freeze. More literally than figuratively.
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