Friday, July 29, 2011
God, I'm sick of Republicans
Can't they just put a fucking powerpoint up and let us refer to it in case we forget a one of their four points.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Karma will Burn This House Down
I've had some discussions about karma, the idea if you do bad things, bad things will happen to you. What goes around, comes around. You reap what you sow.
I was not so sure. It seemed to me in order for karma to work, the bad actors have to believe they have done something wrong and unconsciously punish themselves, because I do not believe in a sentient universe. See, I thought that there were only two ways karma can happen: by an outside agent, like the score-keeping universe; or by an internal motivation, like guilt.
But it turns out there is another way. You can invite your downfall in by the choices you make. If you are a bank robber, you invite law enforcement into your life as the agents of justice and the personification of karma. It is the neatest and tidiest method of a problem solving itself.
The Republican Party's animus toward President Obama was so naked and so virulent that they invited the Tea Party into their own house to do their dirty work for them.
Guess what happened?
The Tea Party is going to Burn the House down.
Photograph from Reuters
I was not so sure. It seemed to me in order for karma to work, the bad actors have to believe they have done something wrong and unconsciously punish themselves, because I do not believe in a sentient universe. See, I thought that there were only two ways karma can happen: by an outside agent, like the score-keeping universe; or by an internal motivation, like guilt.
But it turns out there is another way. You can invite your downfall in by the choices you make. If you are a bank robber, you invite law enforcement into your life as the agents of justice and the personification of karma. It is the neatest and tidiest method of a problem solving itself.
The Republican Party's animus toward President Obama was so naked and so virulent that they invited the Tea Party into their own house to do their dirty work for them.
Guess what happened?
The Tea Party is going to Burn the House down.
Photograph from Reuters
Look at These Fucking Flipsters
GerryConnolly Gerry Connolly
GOP playing politics w/ #debtcrisis. Were for a big deal before they were against it & against a short term deal before they were for it.
Huffington Post: Republics Can't Figure out What They Want
Free Will Rationally Speaking
From Rationally Speaking
In this episode we tackle the never ending debate about free will, which David Hume famously defined as “a power of acting or of not acting, according to the determination of the will.” We do this with a couple of twists. We begin by examining the concept of free will from the standard philosophical perspective, then ask what — if anything — modern neuroscience can tell us about it, and come back to the interface between philosophy and science to explore how the two approaches may complement each other.
Comment on the episode teaser.Julia's pick: "Fluid Concepts And Creative Analogies: Computer Models Of The Fundamental Mechanisms Of Thought"
Massimo's pick: "Why Some Things Should Not Be for Sale : The Moral Limits of Markets"
The episode discusses, among other things, the Benjamin Libit experiments, which seemed to suggest
You move to do something before you are aware of the thing you are doing. As an example, Massimo Pigliucci described the act of getting a beer: You become aware you are thirsty, you get up to get the beer, and then you think, "Hey, There's a beer in the kitchen, I'm gonna go get it," somewhere between less than one second and seven secords after.
So this was discussed as an example of the basic incoherence of any argument for or against free will, because the decision was made at a subconscious level.
But I think it's not. I think it's simply an illustration of the fact that language is a layer. The seven seconds isn't an example of the desire existing before the mind becomes aware of it, but the time it takes to articulate the your mind's solution to the problem of the body's want.
And I think there is a also a rule that events within us happen in an evolutionarily chronological way, so it would make sense that language would kick in much later than desire, problem-solving, and action.
I think I saw this in Walking the Dead
And CSI, and Bones, and Law and Order, and Wire in the Blood, and ...
Gawker: Man's Skeleton Found in Chimney of Bank He Planned on Robbing, 27 years later
Gawker: Man's Skeleton Found in Chimney of Bank He Planned on Robbing, 27 years later
Neil deGrasse Tyson Just Created Some Jobs
Because he's a thinker.
He also improved middle-school science and math studies and students, planned the next trip to Mars, and improved the attenion span of our Congresspersons.
Interview is about half way through:
Citizen Radio, July 28 2011 podcast
More Neil deGrasse Tyson
He also improved middle-school science and math studies and students, planned the next trip to Mars, and improved the attenion span of our Congresspersons.
Interview is about half way through:
Citizen Radio, July 28 2011 podcast
More Neil deGrasse Tyson
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
The Greatest Racial Wealth Divide in History
The Pew Research Center released a study showing the greatest wealth divide in history (between blacks/whites and hispanics/whites) now exists. I believe that the data shows whites have about 20 times the wealth of blacks and 18 times that of Hispanics.
I haven't looked at the study. It is probably true. It is also probably true that the data has a significant number of outliers at the far end of scale. Like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, and the other 400 to 1,000 wealthiest individuals in the U.S. Who are virtually all white.
So, it is also true that the wealth divide between the wealthiest white individuals and the poorest white individuals is also at the greatest point in history.
So even though the numbers are shocking, I believe too, that the income disparity between poor to average whites and blacks, and poor to average whites and Hispanics is far less acute and that in that respect we are more alike than we are not alike and the reasons for income disparity and wealth gap are substantially similar across the board:
I haven't looked at the study. It is probably true. It is also probably true that the data has a significant number of outliers at the far end of scale. Like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, and the other 400 to 1,000 wealthiest individuals in the U.S. Who are virtually all white.
So, it is also true that the wealth divide between the wealthiest white individuals and the poorest white individuals is also at the greatest point in history.
So even though the numbers are shocking, I believe too, that the income disparity between poor to average whites and blacks, and poor to average whites and Hispanics is far less acute and that in that respect we are more alike than we are not alike and the reasons for income disparity and wealth gap are substantially similar across the board:
- Low income jobs are disappearing
- Decent trade jobs are disappearing
- Housing values have dropped, and equity has eroded
- Post-secondary education is expensive and not accessible to all
- Costs have risen, while wages have not
- Minimum wage is not a living wage
- The high cost of credit and fees associated with the banking industry
- The driving down of wages, benefits, and salaries for under-represented Americans
- The assault on unions
- Healthcare costs, housing costs, food costs, childcare cost and access, transportation costs, and other arficially inflated costs
- The assualt on retirement funds and pensions of under-represented Americans
- Lack of well-paying decent jobs at all income levels
- Unequal access to a good education in public schools and colleges, universities
- Predatory lending in Hispanic and black coummunites
- The cost and unequal access to higher education
- The assualt on unions
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
What the Fuck Was I thinking?
I caught myself reading Huffington Post comments.
Don't ever do that.
Really.
Don't.
Link: Albert Brooks: Presidential Rebuttals Throughout History
Don't ever do that.
Really.
Don't.
Link: Albert Brooks: Presidential Rebuttals Throughout History
Let's Judge Rick Perry by His Own Standards
On Rachel Maddow's show July 21 she and Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post discussed Texas Evangelical Governor Rick Perry's probable run for the Republican primary nomination.
This is what you should know: Rick Perry turned to Douglas Feith, Under Secretary of Defense of GW Bush's administration -- who is widely considered to be the stupidest person many people in Washington have ever had to deal with -- to educate him on foreign policy. The stupidest person in the stupidest administration. For advice.
When people need advice, wisdom, they turn to someone they believe is smarter.
Rick Perry thinks that the stupidest person from the stupidest American administration is smarter than he.
And this isn't our opinion, it's his own opinion.
Link: Rachel Maddow Show, July 21 2011
This is what you should know: Rick Perry turned to Douglas Feith, Under Secretary of Defense of GW Bush's administration -- who is widely considered to be the stupidest person many people in Washington have ever had to deal with -- to educate him on foreign policy. The stupidest person in the stupidest administration. For advice.
When people need advice, wisdom, they turn to someone they believe is smarter.
Rick Perry thinks that the stupidest person from the stupidest American administration is smarter than he.
And this isn't our opinion, it's his own opinion.
Link: Rachel Maddow Show, July 21 2011
Is Michael Steel Full of Shit?
Let's give it a test.
He says that Boehner can get his House to pass his debt plan.
I say he cannot. I say Michael Steel has no special insight into the Republican Party, he only has access to the party-line. He makes a lot of noise, all of it Republican apologetics, none of it helpful or informative.
Let's see who is right. Me or him.
Link: MSNBC Live with Rev Al Sharpton
He says that Boehner can get his House to pass his debt plan.
I say he cannot. I say Michael Steel has no special insight into the Republican Party, he only has access to the party-line. He makes a lot of noise, all of it Republican apologetics, none of it helpful or informative.
Let's see who is right. Me or him.
Link: MSNBC Live with Rev Al Sharpton
A Symphony of Hypocrisy
Some of the "spending cuts" that Republicans want to make are to the Earned Income Tax Credit and Income Tax Deductions for children and childcare.
So, they don't want to cut tax credits for businesses, because that's a job killer, but they do want to cut tax credits for Americans without corporations, even though that's a job killer. Because when people don't have money, they don't buy things, and when things aren't bought, we don't need people to make them or people to sell them, which means job losses.
These cuts in tax deductions are also Federal tax revenue increases, but once again, Republicans find that there is a subtle distinction between tax revenue increases from business (which we better keep our grubby paws off of) and tax revenue increases from actual human beings (totally fine with) and this is what drives their decision-making:
They love corporations and will do anything for them, but human beings are just so damn fuckable.
Link: Radio or Not, Nicole Sandler with guest Rev. David Beckmann
So, they don't want to cut tax credits for businesses, because that's a job killer, but they do want to cut tax credits for Americans without corporations, even though that's a job killer. Because when people don't have money, they don't buy things, and when things aren't bought, we don't need people to make them or people to sell them, which means job losses.
These cuts in tax deductions are also Federal tax revenue increases, but once again, Republicans find that there is a subtle distinction between tax revenue increases from business (which we better keep our grubby paws off of) and tax revenue increases from actual human beings (totally fine with) and this is what drives their decision-making:
They love corporations and will do anything for them, but human beings are just so damn fuckable.
Link: Radio or Not, Nicole Sandler with guest Rev. David Beckmann
Boehner is Having the Coffin Specially Made
The wood might be cheap, but the depth more than adequate, and it's very sturdy.
Come on. He has to be sick to death of these assholes.
Come on. He has to be sick to death of these assholes.
Debt Ceiling Debate a Tiny Thing Filled with Dirt
This is what I think is going to happen: We are going to get a clean debt ceiling increase through 2013.
Everything else is dirt.
Republicans want to grow their "Hell, No!" base
President Obama wants to bury them. Really, really deep.
Everything else is dirt.
Republicans want to grow their "Hell, No!" base
President Obama wants to bury them. Really, really deep.
I'm totally cool with that.
Monday, July 25, 2011
John Boehner Cannot Make Tea Baggers Give a Shit About the U.S.
Because they don't like it. They don't liberals, they don't like moderate Republicans, they don't like women, they don't like gays and lesbians, they don't like African-Americans, and they don't like immigrants -- legal, illegal, documented or not. They want this country to fail because they don't like any of us. They want to stand on top of burned out buildings and declare themselves king of the scorched earth beneath them. It's the only way they can get power... if there is nothing left.
Alan Grayon sent me this letter:
Alan Grayon sent me this letter:
I know why House Speaker John Boehner walked out of debt ceiling talks with President Obama on Friday.
It’s because Boehner can’t deliver.
It doesn’t matter what terms the President offers. It’s that simple. Boehner can’t deliver the votes.
The President might as well be negotiating with Tiger Woods; Tiger can’t deliver the votes, either. But at least Tiger has a better swing.
On Friday, the President said, “I think that one of the questions that the Republican Party is going to have to ask itself is, can they say yes to anything? Can they say yes to anything?”
The answer to your question, Mr. President, is no. The national Republican Party can’t even says yes to yes. And Boehner can’t do anything about that.
In May 1935, Pierre Laval, then the Foreign Minister of France, and also the once and future Prime Minister of France, met with Josef Stalin, the Soviet dictator. Laval, a Catholic, urged Stalin to stop persecuting Catholics in the Soviet Union. Stalin asked Laval why it mattered. Laval replied that continued persecution could provoke a quarrel between Stalin and the Pope.
Stalin replied, “The Pope? How many divisions does he have?”
I don’t think that anyone could confuse John Boehner with the Pope, but nevertheless, at this point, President Obama might ask the same question about Boehner. How many divisions does John Boehner have?
Fifty-nine House Republicans abandoned Boehner on the “compromise” appropriations bill. Even though Boehner depicted it to them as a Republican victory on par with, say, the Battle of Stalingrad.
And now, Fox News has reported that between 80 and 120 Republican members of the House will vote against any bill to increase the debt ceiling, no matter what else is in it. You can be sure that Fox News knows what Republicans in Washington are thinking – because Fox News tells them what to think.
So somewhere between a third and a half of all of the Republicans in the House of Representatives are going to vote against increasing the debt ceiling, no matter what Boehner puts in front of them. Boehner is a general with no troops. The coach has no players. The teacher has no students. The chief has no Indians. The bride has no bridesmaids.
That’s why Boehner is always crying.
It seems as though all those rounds of golf lately between Boehner and the President aren’t likely to accomplish much, except maybe lowering the President’s handicap.
According to Fox, Boehner can’t deliver enough Republican votes to increase the debt limit. So where does that leave us?
Congress has over 200 caucuses. The largest is the Congressional Progressive Caucus. I think that what Congress needs is a new caucus, Democrats and Republicans, who are willing to raise the debt ceiling without cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
I’d call it the Sane Caucus.
Courage,
Alan Grayson
P.S. Please sign our petition at www.No-Cuts.com. And pass it on to every friend you have. Because the Sane Caucus needs to know you’re with them.
Paid for and Authorized by the Committee to Elect Alan Grayson
8419 Oak Road, Orlando, FL 32819
Friday, July 22, 2011
Eric Cantor Got PWNED
The only part of the outcome of debt ceiling debacle that surprised Lawrence O'Donnell was that President Obama got Eric Cantor to agree to $800 million in revenue increases.
Which is kind of amazing. Except when you think about how out-matched Eric Cantor is and how much he doesn't realize it.
He's exactly like President Bush and so many of these freshman Republicans. Unskilled and basically incompetent but without the experience to realize it or the cognitive ability to recognize greater competence in others.
It is called the Dunning-Kruger effect, and we have all seen it. Fresh out of college, job candidates and entry-level employees grossly exaggerate their skills, and do you know why? Because they have no idea the level of skill, the set of competencies, the depth of knowledge, the sheer ability actual work requires. They write college papers and think they are experts at Microsoft Word and research. They take a management seminar and think they are ready to run Human Resources. Their knowledge of the world, and the way world works, is so shallow that they can only recognize basic maneuvers and have no idea of the level of strategy and brinksmanship going on around them.
To this day, and until the day he dies, President George W. Bush will always think he did a heck of a job, because he never actually did the job; he did the bare minimum and will never know the difference.
Links:
Dunning-Kruger effect
Lawrence O'Donnell, The Last Word, July 22
Which is kind of amazing. Except when you think about how out-matched Eric Cantor is and how much he doesn't realize it.
He's exactly like President Bush and so many of these freshman Republicans. Unskilled and basically incompetent but without the experience to realize it or the cognitive ability to recognize greater competence in others.
It is called the Dunning-Kruger effect, and we have all seen it. Fresh out of college, job candidates and entry-level employees grossly exaggerate their skills, and do you know why? Because they have no idea the level of skill, the set of competencies, the depth of knowledge, the sheer ability actual work requires. They write college papers and think they are experts at Microsoft Word and research. They take a management seminar and think they are ready to run Human Resources. Their knowledge of the world, and the way world works, is so shallow that they can only recognize basic maneuvers and have no idea of the level of strategy and brinksmanship going on around them.
To this day, and until the day he dies, President George W. Bush will always think he did a heck of a job, because he never actually did the job; he did the bare minimum and will never know the difference.
Links:
Dunning-Kruger effect
Lawrence O'Donnell, The Last Word, July 22
Bitter Tea
Why do the tea baggers behave the way they do? It doesn't make sense.
There are two general principals in economics and in sociology: People make rational choices and act in their own best interest.
We use these principals to predict behavior. So, if government programs help people, the people it helps will vote to sustain them. If laws, regulations and tax codes favor the few very wealthy Americans at the expense of the many middle-class or impoverished Americans, the many will do everything in their power to ensure these laws, regulations, and codes are revised to better serve the people.
So, why isn't this true? Why don't tea baggers want to tax the wealthy and fund Planned Parenthood and Social Security? It doesn't make sense; they are voting against their own best interests.
Unless they are playing a deeper game. And they are.
Tea baggers are everything we hate. They are racist, misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic, proudly ignorant and unwilling to change. They have no place in the future of this, our American Life, and they know it. They know the day of gay-bashing, woman-hating, bigoted asshole-ery is dawning, and fast.
Unless they can stop it.
You know a good way to stop the progress of African and Hispanic Americans? Kill some jobs. Studies show that the jobs we are losing are low-level jobs that immigrants fill, and that black Americans have been disproportionately affected by unemployment (as have women, and Native Americans). The effects of job losses in these demographics are going to retard the progress we have made in minority rights and quality of life for years to come. This is not a small thing. It's an awful, awful thing. But effective if you hate Mexicans and black people.
For all their talk of hating government intervention that hasn't stopped them from inserting government squarely into the middle of every woman's womb taking away a woman's basic rights over her own body, and welp, that's a good way to send a very strong message. And that message is medieval. And I cannot stress strongly enough how hateful it is. There is not one person on this planet who supports anti-choice that cares about women. Not one. And they do not care about babies either. Progress never happens in countries where women are oppressed.
It's also to their benefit and probably only to their benefit that the economy and government collapses. Because in a power vacuum, anyone can emerge. The powers that be did not include them. If everything falls apart, there is so much more room at the top, and those positions will go to those who are ready and eager and willing to burn down the village to run the hut.
Also, I think religion is always the language of home invasion.
There are two general principals in economics and in sociology: People make rational choices and act in their own best interest.
We use these principals to predict behavior. So, if government programs help people, the people it helps will vote to sustain them. If laws, regulations and tax codes favor the few very wealthy Americans at the expense of the many middle-class or impoverished Americans, the many will do everything in their power to ensure these laws, regulations, and codes are revised to better serve the people.
So, why isn't this true? Why don't tea baggers want to tax the wealthy and fund Planned Parenthood and Social Security? It doesn't make sense; they are voting against their own best interests.
Unless they are playing a deeper game. And they are.
Tea baggers are everything we hate. They are racist, misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic, proudly ignorant and unwilling to change. They have no place in the future of this, our American Life, and they know it. They know the day of gay-bashing, woman-hating, bigoted asshole-ery is dawning, and fast.
Unless they can stop it.
You know a good way to stop the progress of African and Hispanic Americans? Kill some jobs. Studies show that the jobs we are losing are low-level jobs that immigrants fill, and that black Americans have been disproportionately affected by unemployment (as have women, and Native Americans). The effects of job losses in these demographics are going to retard the progress we have made in minority rights and quality of life for years to come. This is not a small thing. It's an awful, awful thing. But effective if you hate Mexicans and black people.
For all their talk of hating government intervention that hasn't stopped them from inserting government squarely into the middle of every woman's womb taking away a woman's basic rights over her own body, and welp, that's a good way to send a very strong message. And that message is medieval. And I cannot stress strongly enough how hateful it is. There is not one person on this planet who supports anti-choice that cares about women. Not one. And they do not care about babies either. Progress never happens in countries where women are oppressed.
It's also to their benefit and probably only to their benefit that the economy and government collapses. Because in a power vacuum, anyone can emerge. The powers that be did not include them. If everything falls apart, there is so much more room at the top, and those positions will go to those who are ready and eager and willing to burn down the village to run the hut.
Also, I think religion is always the language of home invasion.
Pat Buchanan Clutching at the Frayed Rope that Hung the Republican Party
He wants Boehner's story, he wants the details of the deal the Boehner walked out on, he wants to insist that there was no deal, that there were no particulars, that Boehner walked out on nothing but air and fairy promises, he wants to talk about convictions and courage being more valuable than any debt ceiling increase in the history of world --
-- he wants his fantasy back. He wants the strong American man, fighting the tough battle, standing up for truth, justice and the American way, instead of what he has --
GOP, Inc.
And GOP, Inc. has just illustrated what I have been saying all along. Business people are bereft of ideas, of innovation, of creativity, of long-term sustainable plans that benefit any but the very, very few. We do not need these people in politics anymore.
The bell is tolling. And it is a fine, deep, ring.
-- he wants his fantasy back. He wants the strong American man, fighting the tough battle, standing up for truth, justice and the American way, instead of what he has --
GOP, Inc.
And GOP, Inc. has just illustrated what I have been saying all along. Business people are bereft of ideas, of innovation, of creativity, of long-term sustainable plans that benefit any but the very, very few. We do not need these people in politics anymore.
The bell is tolling. And it is a fine, deep, ring.
 |
Journey Through the Jungle |
President Obama's Brilliant Strategy: Winner Takes All
I cannot believe that Lawrence O'Donnell was right. He said that Obama was giving the Republicans enough rope to hang themselves. Not just in this battle, the debt ceiling battle, but until the Tea Party was effectively dead.
And that is exactly what happened. There is no recovery from this. No recovery. All they had to do was to agree to do what eighty percent of the American people wanted them to: help the very wealthy share our sacrifice through fair and reasonable tax / revenue increases. And they would not. They would not. They would take food out of babies mouths so the CEOs could enjoy a tax break on private jets. They would condemn eighty-year old Americans on fixed incomes to try and survive 100 degree summer with no air conditioning so that CEOs could take home a million more dollars on a ten million dollar income. They would rather schools close, bridges collapse, roads fall, the elderly starve, the disabled be institutionalized, high school students never be able to go to college, women get no reproductive health care, the air and water polluted beyond recovery, our food poisoned, and you and I to never be able to bargain for better pay and better working conditions than agree that one wealthy American pay one single penny more in taxes.
Now, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Mitch McConnell can rationally discuss the debt ceiling increase and come to an agreement.
President Obama on the break-down in debt ceiling deal
 |
| Hope |
Now, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Mitch McConnell can rationally discuss the debt ceiling increase and come to an agreement.
President Obama on the break-down in debt ceiling deal
Sometimes a Great State
Science Education Triumphs in Texas
July 22, 2011 by TFNMoments ago TFN released the following statement on the vote this morning at the State Board of Education:
TEXAS FREEDOM NETWORK STATEMENT
TFN PRESIDENT KATHY MILLER: TEXAS KIDS, SOUND SCIENCE EDUCATION TRIUMPH IN SBOE VOTE
New Instructional Materials Teach Sound Evolutionary Science
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 22, 2011
Today the State Board of Education voted to adopt the Texas education commissioner’s recommended list of science instructional materials. Special interest groups and activists off the state board failed in their efforts to force publishers to change their instructional materials to include arguments against evolutionary science. In addition, the board voted unanimously to reject the adoption of instructional materials from a New Mexico-based vendor that promoted “intelligent design”/creationism.
The following statement is from TFN President Kathy Miller:
The Texas Freedom Network is a nonpartisan education and religious liberties watchdog. The grassroots organization of religious and community leaders support public education, religious freedom and individual liberties.
TEXAS FREEDOM NETWORK STATEMENT
TFN PRESIDENT KATHY MILLER: TEXAS KIDS, SOUND SCIENCE EDUCATION TRIUMPH IN SBOE VOTE
New Instructional Materials Teach Sound Evolutionary Science
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 22, 2011
Today the State Board of Education voted to adopt the Texas education commissioner’s recommended list of science instructional materials. Special interest groups and activists off the state board failed in their efforts to force publishers to change their instructional materials to include arguments against evolutionary science. In addition, the board voted unanimously to reject the adoption of instructional materials from a New Mexico-based vendor that promoted “intelligent design”/creationism.
The following statement is from TFN President Kathy Miller:
“Today we saw Texas kids and sound science finally win a vote on the State Board of Education. Now our public schools can focus on teaching their students fact-based science that will prepare them for college and a 21st-century economy. And our schoolchildren won’t be held hostage to bad decisions made by a politicized board that adopted flawed science curriculum standards two years ago. Moreover, today we saw that the far right’s stranglehold over the state board is finally loosening after last year’s elections. That’s very good news for public education in Texas.”###
The Texas Freedom Network is a nonpartisan education and religious liberties watchdog. The grassroots organization of religious and community leaders support public education, religious freedom and individual liberties.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Grover Norquist is the Corporate Tax Shirker's Favorite Whore
After getting spanked by Chris Matthews and being forced to stand in the corner with a dunce cap on his head for 48 hours, Grover Nordquist offers a shame-faced apology to "the American people." Not that he knows any, or gives a damn about any of us.
Link: Chris Matthews Hardball, July 18
Link: Grover Norquist: Ending Bush Tax Cuts not a Tax Hike
UPDATE!
Oh, noes. The Zombies ate his brain and now he's one of the shambling grunting undead with only one thought left in his head. NO TAXES, ARGH. NO TAXES.
Link: Chris Matthews Hardball, July 18
Link: Grover Norquist: Ending Bush Tax Cuts not a Tax Hike
UPDATE!
Oh, noes. The Zombies ate his brain and now he's one of the shambling grunting undead with only one thought left in his head. NO TAXES, ARGH. NO TAXES.
Monday, July 18, 2011
How We Got Here: The Corporate Capture
How did we get into this economic mess? We are a wealthy country with access to the best minds on the planet. If we wanted to we could employ economists, geniuses, and a sundry other mental giants to solve this and every foreseeable crisis we will ever have, and yet here we are mired in a serious problem with only bad and slightly less bad solutions.
How did this happen?
I will tell you how this happened. Let's look at a company; let's call it Corporate Entity Number One. CENO has had ten excellent years. It has attracted top executives and pays them exceedingly well. Management is well-versed in the corporate mission, pursues the corporate strategy diligently and provides executives with timely and relevant information. Colleges routinely send CENO their best graduates and those graduates compete fiercely for entry-level positions. Rank and file are filled with educated and dependable employees. But this year, sales are down, profits are down, and trend analysis shows a slowing demand for product. CENO tinkers with a few new and improved products, but sales decline even further. CENO does not want that slow decline to obscurity so it needs to take more drastic, riskier steps. And to do that, it needs an influx of cash. It borrows a ton of cash and expands in a new direction. Months later, the writing is on the wall. Profits are still down, and new business extension isn't performing as well as expected, and the Board, investors, and suppliers are beginning to lose faith.
So, it fires a thousand non-essential employees, gets the Board to approve bonuses to the CEO and other key executives so that they will stay through these trying times, and hires a new marketing firm. Non-essential people are employees who don't make money for the company, rather they cost the company: secretaries, facilites, maintenance, IT, customer service representatives, retail clerks, etc.
Now. Let's look at America. Can you see the parallels?
GDP is down, we borrow too much money, and what is the awesome solution? Yep, fire a bunch of non-essential federal and state employees (teachers, firemen, police, transportation, etc, all all the people who cost government money) and give CEOs and other money makers obscene bonuses, and try and sell this load of bullshit with endless infuriating "messaging."
This is what happens when business people infest government. Their only goal, their only measure of worth is profit. They don't govern. They don't have any interest in community or long-term social goals. They don't understand that education is vital for the health and well-being of a nation. They don't see the value in tolerance, in compromise, in a broad range of investments in projects that may or may not make money.
Business is the worst thing that ever happened to government. If we didn't have business people or people who only understand capitalism infecting government, we would have done everything so much differently.
We would have plowed money back into the economy. Instead of bailing out banks by giving them loans, we would have used that money to help homeowners so they would keep their homes and their credit ratings, making the money flow upward, instead of downward in an ever diminishing amount.
One day we will have to realize that capitalism and the language of business has rotted our minds. We should not be thinking in terms of business but in terms of community. Not in terms of profit, but in what we owe each other. Leave business to business; it can take care of itself. Just like we have to take care of ourselves, and we have to do that by making business pay its fair share, follow our rules, and keep its grubby claws out of our Houses and our Senate.
How did this happen?
I will tell you how this happened. Let's look at a company; let's call it Corporate Entity Number One. CENO has had ten excellent years. It has attracted top executives and pays them exceedingly well. Management is well-versed in the corporate mission, pursues the corporate strategy diligently and provides executives with timely and relevant information. Colleges routinely send CENO their best graduates and those graduates compete fiercely for entry-level positions. Rank and file are filled with educated and dependable employees. But this year, sales are down, profits are down, and trend analysis shows a slowing demand for product. CENO tinkers with a few new and improved products, but sales decline even further. CENO does not want that slow decline to obscurity so it needs to take more drastic, riskier steps. And to do that, it needs an influx of cash. It borrows a ton of cash and expands in a new direction. Months later, the writing is on the wall. Profits are still down, and new business extension isn't performing as well as expected, and the Board, investors, and suppliers are beginning to lose faith.
So, it fires a thousand non-essential employees, gets the Board to approve bonuses to the CEO and other key executives so that they will stay through these trying times, and hires a new marketing firm. Non-essential people are employees who don't make money for the company, rather they cost the company: secretaries, facilites, maintenance, IT, customer service representatives, retail clerks, etc.
Now. Let's look at America. Can you see the parallels?
GDP is down, we borrow too much money, and what is the awesome solution? Yep, fire a bunch of non-essential federal and state employees (teachers, firemen, police, transportation, etc, all all the people who cost government money) and give CEOs and other money makers obscene bonuses, and try and sell this load of bullshit with endless infuriating "messaging."
This is what happens when business people infest government. Their only goal, their only measure of worth is profit. They don't govern. They don't have any interest in community or long-term social goals. They don't understand that education is vital for the health and well-being of a nation. They don't see the value in tolerance, in compromise, in a broad range of investments in projects that may or may not make money.
Business is the worst thing that ever happened to government. If we didn't have business people or people who only understand capitalism infecting government, we would have done everything so much differently.
We would have plowed money back into the economy. Instead of bailing out banks by giving them loans, we would have used that money to help homeowners so they would keep their homes and their credit ratings, making the money flow upward, instead of downward in an ever diminishing amount.
One day we will have to realize that capitalism and the language of business has rotted our minds. We should not be thinking in terms of business but in terms of community. Not in terms of profit, but in what we owe each other. Leave business to business; it can take care of itself. Just like we have to take care of ourselves, and we have to do that by making business pay its fair share, follow our rules, and keep its grubby claws out of our Houses and our Senate.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Obama Picks Richard Cordray to Lead Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Someone owes someone one a very, very nice Christmas gift.
"Elizabeth Warren confirmed the news of Cordray's nomination in a statement to The Huffington Post. "Rich has always had my strong support because he is tough and he is smart-and that's exactly the combination this new agency needs," she said. "He was one of the first senior leaders I recruited for the agency, and his work and commitment have made it clear that he will make a stellar director.""
Huffington Post
"Elizabeth Warren confirmed the news of Cordray's nomination in a statement to The Huffington Post. "Rich has always had my strong support because he is tough and he is smart-and that's exactly the combination this new agency needs," she said. "He was one of the first senior leaders I recruited for the agency, and his work and commitment have made it clear that he will make a stellar director.""
Huffington Post
Mango & Banana Salad
Mango & Banana Salad
One banana, sliced in stripes instead of coins
One mango, peeled and sliced in strips
Put banana and mango slices in a bowl
Zest one lime into the bowl
Cut in in half, and juice half of the the lime into bowl. Taste and add more lime if necessary
The chiquita recipe calls for a pinch of Cayenne pepper or Mexican style chile and lime seasoning, so add if you like.
This is enough for one serving as a meal, or two servings as a side. It's really easy and tasty
Derived from Link: Chiquita Banana website
One banana, sliced in stripes instead of coins
One mango, peeled and sliced in strips
Put banana and mango slices in a bowl
Zest one lime into the bowl
Cut in in half, and juice half of the the lime into bowl. Taste and add more lime if necessary
The chiquita recipe calls for a pinch of Cayenne pepper or Mexican style chile and lime seasoning, so add if you like.
This is enough for one serving as a meal, or two servings as a side. It's really easy and tasty
Derived from Link: Chiquita Banana website
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Budget Cuts Lead to Costly Mistakes
Huffington Post: WI Waukesha County Clerk Loses a Million Dollars
She attributes it to understaffing.
How ironic
She attributes it to understaffing.
How ironic
Friday, July 15, 2011
Ron Paul's Tower of Babel
Listen to Ron Paul's Philosophy
On Dylan Ratigan's July 13 2011 podcast, Ron Paul discusses his "free market" philosophy. Which is a complete, incoherant mess. It's not a philosophy. It's a list of economic problems that he says exist because the market isn't never free enough.
Good luck with that.
Dylan Ratigan: July 13 2011
On Dylan Ratigan's July 13 2011 podcast, Ron Paul discusses his "free market" philosophy. Which is a complete, incoherant mess. It's not a philosophy. It's a list of economic problems that he says exist because the market isn't never free enough.
Good luck with that.
Dylan Ratigan: July 13 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Hahaha Oh, Harry Reid, you are such a Tiger
Don't worry, it's just a yawn...
... for the moment.
Link: The Last Word, Harry Reid Forces Republicans to Go On Record Voting Against Any Suggestion that the Very Wealthy Share Sacrifice In Any Way, Whatsoever
... for the moment.
Link: The Last Word, Harry Reid Forces Republicans to Go On Record Voting Against Any Suggestion that the Very Wealthy Share Sacrifice In Any Way, Whatsoever
I'm going to create some jobs now.
I didn't know what this blog was going to be about when I first started it. I listen to podcasts and watch MSNBC every day and some of the topics were so interesting, I would take notes about essays I wanted to write when I had time: The ideals of the Democratic Party, how we see the world, and the evolution of society we strive for; also morality, atheists has it; and other topics I can't quite remember at the moment.
I haven't yet had the time to write those essays, usually I end up just commenting on a couple of things, maybe analyzing some news, maybe explaining my thoughts about some issue.
Except for when I solve national crises. Which I've done twice now. And now, I'm gonna create some jobs (before I write the essay about economic development and job creation I meant to lo these many weeks ago.)
I have two plans, totally unrelated. One you will probably hate at the beginning, and then realize I am totally right, and the other one, I dunno, maybe it will always just be me who likes it.
1. I think we should charge for online porn.
breath.
1. Seriously, I think we should charge for online porn. As in, there will be NO more free online porn. I am not a prude or anti-porn; I am a tolerant person who cares about the well-being of every person on this planet. And charging for porn accomplishes a grab-bag of good things.
I haven't yet had the time to write those essays, usually I end up just commenting on a couple of things, maybe analyzing some news, maybe explaining my thoughts about some issue.
Except for when I solve national crises. Which I've done twice now. And now, I'm gonna create some jobs (before I write the essay about economic development and job creation I meant to lo these many weeks ago.)
I have two plans, totally unrelated. One you will probably hate at the beginning, and then realize I am totally right, and the other one, I dunno, maybe it will always just be me who likes it.
1. I think we should charge for online porn.
breath.
1. Seriously, I think we should charge for online porn. As in, there will be NO more free online porn. I am not a prude or anti-porn; I am a tolerant person who cares about the well-being of every person on this planet. And charging for porn accomplishes a grab-bag of good things.
- It provides a revenue stream to professional sex workers and the porn industry
- Price allocates. And we need to allocate access to porn away from children and teenagers. Because boys and girls involved in porn... that is not what we want. We don't want a generation of predator and prey. And we do not want a generation of our children believing sex is currency, and relationships between and within sexes merely a sexual transaction
- It will create jobs
2. I think that Border towns should welcome visitors by providing clean hotel rooms, restaurants, legitimate employment agencies, special banking accounts (legal, not predatory), laundromats, cheap cars, car rentals, and whatever else they would like to spend their money on while they are in town. I have no idea why anyone would countenance border coyotes when that money does nothing for the local economy, and it could.
Make no mistake. I am ~ completely ~ totally ~ without reservation ~ advocating that we build no more walls no matter how high, that we tolerate no more citizen border patrols, that we spend no more dollars, -- not one more red cent -- on policing the Mexican border.
I am advocating that we building welcome centers.
Make no mistake. I am ~ completely ~ totally ~ without reservation ~ advocating that we build no more walls no matter how high, that we tolerate no more citizen border patrols, that we spend no more dollars, -- not one more red cent -- on policing the Mexican border.I am advocating that we building welcome centers.
What Does $500,000 buy?
Mitch McConnell Acknowledges that He was Totally Outmaneuvered
So this happened today: Huffington Post reports that the Senator from KY, Mitch McConnell responded to Republican outrage over his giving up the debt ceiling fight by saying that he will not help get President Obama re-elected. Which means, of course, that President Obama put him in a choke hold of epic proportions. By stating clearly ~ plainly ~ and unequivocally more than once that he was willing to cut trillions in spending and seriously look at overhauling SS ~ Medicare and Medicaid too, as long as Republicans agreed to raise revenues via taxes in a fractional proportion, he forced them to either agree to a deal they did not craft (or actually want), or refuse to raise taxes even if they got everything they said they wanted, thus proving to the American people they do not give a good god damn about fairness or the vast majority of Americans, they only care about their bat-shit no taxes promise to GOP, Inc.
Truly masterful.
Link: Huffington Post: Mitch McConnell Debt Ceiling Strategy
Truly masterful.
Link: Huffington Post: Mitch McConnell Debt Ceiling Strategy
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Look at this! Look at this! It's Harry Reid taking full advantage of the Republican falter.
Who wants to give Harry Reid a great big smooch! The unemployed, that's who!
Also, could everyone just pile on as soon as possible, because that would so fucking tasty.
Planned Parenthood? Gird your loins, you could totally make some people sweat.
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| Sleeping Tiger Saskatchewan Wildlife Gallery |
Also, could everyone just pile on as soon as possible, because that would so fucking tasty.
Planned Parenthood? Gird your loins, you could totally make some people sweat.
Wow. Did someone blink?
So, last night Lawrence O'Donnell analyzed President Obama's strategy and today, Mitch McConnell made the next move. Yes, I just said that Lawrence O'Donnell's MSNBC show last night was a prime mover in the debt ceiling debate. I'm just about floored. Did I just get smarter? I'm reading the comments in response to Gawker's story on this... and did progressives just get smarter? Yes, the kids are still drumming their heels and railing against class warfare (which it is, and it definitely deserves lots of protests) but did the rest of us just acknowledge that President Obama has to make a deal, and he has to make a deal with some of the most reprehensible people on the planet, and he has to make a deal that independents can live with. Because if he doesn't, he cannot win 2012.
You know what? The world just got more exciting and way more bearable. I cannot wait until President Obama's next move.
Ignorance was not bliss; it made me sad and angry and frustrated. This, I can live with.
Ignorance was not bliss; it made me sad and angry and frustrated. This, I can live with.
The Way the World Works: Politics in America
I've been thinking about all the things I've learned lately about people's stated positions on deficit and tax revenue and weighing the possibility that President Obama has a plan.
This is what I know:
Independents always want an excuse to vote Republican, but hesitate because they find the social agenda completely abhorrent. They are motivated by paying less in taxes. These are people who believe that all you have to do is work hard and when you work hard you should keep the fruits of your labor and not give to people who don't work hard. They are different from elitist Republicans because they don't wholly buy its corporate agenda, and they are different from Tea Party Republicans because they find them overtly racist, homophobic, and trashy.
These are the people both parties are wooing.
Obama cannot win the presidency without independents. Neither can anyone else.
This is why Obama is so willing to cut social spending -- because independents want him to. They do think we spend too much on programs for people who do not genuinely need them. They want Obama to compromise with Republicans.
They are also very motivated by the less taxes/no taxes mantra, no matter how it is applied. They just hate taxes. They don't understand why they should have to pay for schools when they don't have children, or fund college for other people's children, or pay for birth control or for rent subsidies or for "welfare queens" (who don't exist, FYI). They believe in judicious charity, not a free ride. Every time they hear a story about an urban youth or a stay-at-home who brags about receiving enough government aid to never have to work it burns them up inside and strengthens their resolve. Sometimes the only thing that gets them to the voting booth is this anger. That is why every statement by every Republican is going to include the words "cut spending", "no taxes." This is why the political rhetoric and behavior looks like it does.
GOP, Inc's corporate masters do not constitute enough people to win an election. So, Republicans pursue a stratagy of hate, because hate is anger and angry people vote. They are always eager to reach out to people who think the world is filled with other and that other is... I dunno, whatever. It's always something. It's gay people, it's uppity women, it's Mexicans, Native Americans, it's African-Americans. It never ends with these ill-educated xenophobic intolerant people. But it's a good strategy exactly for that reason -- because the well is so deep and the hate never ends. If people get used to gays and won't vote against programs and policies that support them, well, here come the Muslims. This is also why Republicans are so eager to slash education and insert religion into schools. Both are superlative methods of keeping people ignorant and feeling persecuted. But even with corporations (who are people, too!) and haters, there are still not enough Republican voters to sweep a victory. They need independents.Obama does not have to woo Progressives. We have to vote Democratic, we don't have a choice, because every indication from Republicans is that they will usher in a new Medieval era with women as chattel, debtors and gays tossed into jail, tenements teeming with slumlords, poisoned air, food and water; with a very few people owning everything -- all our resources, all our money, and all the fruits of all our labor. Because all that is supremely beneficial to GOP, Inc.
Progressives are angry, because the person they voted for did not keep key promises he made.Unfortunately, the only thing Obama can do for us now is keep the White House. I hate to say it. It's painful. But we have to let him do it; it is mad hard, but he is doing it against some monstrous odds.
The reality is we have a country that is only half progressive. The other half is bat-shit hateful crazy or obsessed with taxes, but we have to deal with them because we live in a democracy. And as repugnant as we find their opinions, they are still Americans and they have a voice.
Monday, July 11, 2011
This is Why You are Stupid, Orrin Hatch
The Huffington Post reports that Orrin Hatch thinks that the poor are tax shirkers and it is unfair that the heaviest tax burden is born by the rich. Which is a whole lot of stupid in one thought.
In this country, America, we have a thing called the progressive tax code, which seeks to spread the pain of taxes equitably throughout this great nation. The bottom half of the wage earners, or tax shirkers as Orrin Hatch thinks of them while he is in the tub shaving his legs and sipping Champagne musing about the rich and how better to stuff their jets and Swiss accounts with cold hard non-taxed cash, take home salaries that barely cover shelter, food, clothing, and other necessities.
Conversely, the wealthiest Americans can afford to pay 33% in taxes and still afford the most luxurious homes, the best colleges, cars, vacations, second homes, antiques, investments, boats, jets and yachts, diamonds, theater tickets, and small islands. Imposing that same tax rate on the bottom half of the country would cause them to starve or to become homeless. And the reason they are paid so little, you elitist corporatist cock-sucker, is that wages have been stagnant for ten years while costs have risen about 50- 100%, so logically, if you weren't a moron, you would realize that the reason 51% of the country are tax shirkers is because their employers are pocketing their living wage and spending it on second, third, fourth, and fifth homes and they are able to do this because you have spent your entire life working to impoverish 51% of the nation.
So, yes, Orrin Hatch, you can go fuck yourself now.
Huffington Post: Orrin Hatch Rips 'Perverse' Tax System That Spares Lower Middle Class
In this country, America, we have a thing called the progressive tax code, which seeks to spread the pain of taxes equitably throughout this great nation. The bottom half of the wage earners, or tax shirkers as Orrin Hatch thinks of them while he is in the tub shaving his legs and sipping Champagne musing about the rich and how better to stuff their jets and Swiss accounts with cold hard non-taxed cash, take home salaries that barely cover shelter, food, clothing, and other necessities.So, yes, Orrin Hatch, you can go fuck yourself now.
Huffington Post: Orrin Hatch Rips 'Perverse' Tax System That Spares Lower Middle Class
Misinformation and GOP, Inc, Propaganda Problem SOLVED.
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| Beagle Blowing Bubbles, Jay Schmetz |
You put a lot of Republicans on your MSNBC live show but they never say anything of value. They don't answer direct questions and continue shouting and smirking their way though whatever it is that they are determined that people hear, usually base lies and outright fabrications.
You have not been put on this earth to facilitate right wing rhetoric, lies, and nonsense. Here's an idea. Use a tape delay. If they don't answer the question, don't play the reply.
You're welcome.
Once Upon a Time
Maybe there was a meeting, maybe it was just serendipity but after one dreadful guest on MSNBC Live the airwaves were filled with thoughtful, authentic, and intelligent commentary from both guests and hosts.
On MSNBC live Tom Graves, of GA, giggled and smirked his way through an interview with Rev. Al. Sharpton. His mission was to blame everything on President Obama and fail at math. He couldn't even do those two simple things without behaving like an drunken entitled frat boy.
But things got better.
On Hardball, Chris Matthews ran tape of President Obama's recent speech, highlighting the portion where he said that Democrats and Republicans both had to compromise, and then Matthews interviewed a Democrat and a Republican who did not want to compromise.
Rep. Donna Edwards, MD presented a cogent and comprehensive Democratic viewpoint on debt and obligation and was really, really clear on the Democratic ideals that drove her position and the factual foundation and probable ramifications of deviation from the Democratic position. It was a pleasure to listen to.
Less pleasurable, but far more informative and less canned than Tom Graves' interview, was TX Rep. John Culberson's presentation fo the Tea Party view. I didn't agree with it, but it wasn't deliberately untruthful (I don't think), and gave a really well-reasoned argument. At the very end of the interview, Chris Matthews' forced him to say on record that of course he would vote to keep the U.S. Government running.
Then the plot took an exciting twist. Lawrence O'Donnell laid out what he thought was President Obama's strategy, which he called brillant. And it kinda is, if it is true, and it kinda sounds true. To bolster some of his premises, he brought on Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who confirmed a couple of key points: The people in the room debating the debt ceiling all know that the debt ceiling has to be raised and that a deal must be made by August 2. The crazies are not part of the discussion. Boy, it was a wonderful thing to listen to someone who didn't just parrot nonsense from notes scribbled a bar napkin.
This was a really good news night. Jesus Christ, I wish we could get rid of all the vapid opportunistic narcissist assholes who ruin everything.
On MSNBC live Tom Graves, of GA, giggled and smirked his way through an interview with Rev. Al. Sharpton. His mission was to blame everything on President Obama and fail at math. He couldn't even do those two simple things without behaving like an drunken entitled frat boy.
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| Solstice Moon, Amanda Clark |
On Hardball, Chris Matthews ran tape of President Obama's recent speech, highlighting the portion where he said that Democrats and Republicans both had to compromise, and then Matthews interviewed a Democrat and a Republican who did not want to compromise.
Rep. Donna Edwards, MD presented a cogent and comprehensive Democratic viewpoint on debt and obligation and was really, really clear on the Democratic ideals that drove her position and the factual foundation and probable ramifications of deviation from the Democratic position. It was a pleasure to listen to.
Less pleasurable, but far more informative and less canned than Tom Graves' interview, was TX Rep. John Culberson's presentation fo the Tea Party view. I didn't agree with it, but it wasn't deliberately untruthful (I don't think), and gave a really well-reasoned argument. At the very end of the interview, Chris Matthews' forced him to say on record that of course he would vote to keep the U.S. Government running.
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| Strawberry sky, Amanda Clark |
This was a really good news night. Jesus Christ, I wish we could get rid of all the vapid opportunistic narcissist assholes who ruin everything.
This isn't about Choice - It's about Privitization
The Huffington Post reports that New Hampshire has just defunded Planned Parenthood. Previously, a woman could go to Planned Parenthood and get government subsidized care, paying between 0 to 5 dollars per birth control perscription and receive similar affordable care for other reproductive services. Now she will have to pay $40 to $100 a perscription through some other provider.
So is this about hating women? Sure, the Tea Party and GOP, Inc. hates women. They always have and they always will, but the real reason GOP, Inc is pushing so hard to defund government programs is to force Americans to go into the market place to purchase inflated care from businesses they own outright, are invested in, or are owned by persons or family members with whom they have a close relationship.
So is this about hating women? Sure, the Tea Party and GOP, Inc. hates women. They always have and they always will, but the real reason GOP, Inc is pushing so hard to defund government programs is to force Americans to go into the market place to purchase inflated care from businesses they own outright, are invested in, or are owned by persons or family members with whom they have a close relationship.
Link: Huffington Post: Planned Parenthood Defunded In New Hampshire
"–Chris Slattery, founder of EMC FrontLine Pregancy Centers argues that Planned Parenthood should be defunded, and people can go to his pregnancy centers as an alternative. When David gets Chris to confirm that his pregnancy centers are not licensed medical facilities, Chris Slattery hangs up on David." (Chris Slattery is a big Republican supporter)Saturday, July 9, 2011
Yeah. That's not going to happen
The Huffington Post reports that Rupert Murdoch's son could face criminal prosecution in the U.S. for knowingly paying off foreign persons in an effort to retain business.
Yeah. That's not going to happen. We don't prosecute powerful business people here. If he needed a billion dollar loan to assist him in foreclosing the homes of soldiers in Afghanistan, that we could do.
Link: Huffington Post: James Murdoch Could Face Criminal Charges In Phone Hacking Scandal
Yeah. That's not going to happen. We don't prosecute powerful business people here. If he needed a billion dollar loan to assist him in foreclosing the homes of soldiers in Afghanistan, that we could do.
Link: Huffington Post: James Murdoch Could Face Criminal Charges In Phone Hacking Scandal
Friday, July 8, 2011
Cracked.com: The 5 Most Horrifying Things Corporations Are Taking Over
Cracked.com: The 5 Most Horrifying Things Corporations Are Taking Over
The circle is now complete. The only place to get actual news and good reporting? Satire news sites.
The circle is now complete. The only place to get actual news and good reporting? Satire news sites.
Dear Progressives - Don't tax small business into Republican arms
We need to do better by small business. Economic development (job creation) works this way:
1. Population leads to formation of municipality
2. Micro-business/small business develops
3. Government is created to provide services (post office, law, administration), = job creation
4. Small business grows, = job creation
6. Government invests in community, = more job creation
5. Industry develops, a successful thriving city is achieved, jobs are created for this and surrounding area
Small business is key to the success of any town or city.
I have actually seen a small business owner turn into a Republican right before my eyes. All it took was his tax bill.
The more you know.
1. Population leads to formation of municipality
2. Micro-business/small business develops
3. Government is created to provide services (post office, law, administration), = job creation
4. Small business grows, = job creation
6. Government invests in community, = more job creation
5. Industry develops, a successful thriving city is achieved, jobs are created for this and surrounding area
Small business is key to the success of any town or city.
I have actually seen a small business owner turn into a Republican right before my eyes. All it took was his tax bill.
The more you know.
I wore blue eye shadow as an homage for two weeks after Kathy Hochul won
Link: Huffington Post, Kathy Hochul To Democratic Colleagues: Don't Buckle On Medicare
I want Kathy Hochul to run for President. There I said it. I said it and I am not sorry.
I have fifteen minutes, let me just save Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security for you, shall I?
Okay now we are in scary waters. Because here are the facts:
We get old, we get sick, and we need care. But all things are not equal. In 25 years time, there will be far more people getting older, retiring, and getting sick. Not only that, but at the end of our lives, instead of one thing killing us, we will probably be suffering from two or three serious illnesses. Not only only that, but we will also live longer, and be sick longer, than ever before.
That is scary. This is what all hubbabaloo is about when politicians talk about Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid and their voices get all tense and strained. No one expected there to be so many more people using up these benefits than paying into them, but there it is.
And it is a problem. But the solution is not within the problem. It's not to make younger people work longer and older people to pay more and for everyone to expect less. The system is fine. What's not fine is the cost of healthcare.
Healthcare costs have run amok. And insurance INFLATES THE COST OF HEALTHCARE. That's all it does. it does NOTHING to curb costs. It's not mathematically possible for insurance to make healthcare cost less when the insurance industry profits, when it pays employees, when it spends money on marketing, and when it spends money on research and lobbying and on rent, utilities, and all the other things the insurance industry spends money on. All that inflates healthcare. Healthcare costs are inflated BECAUSE of insurance.
People should not carry insurance. Doctors and hospitals should, in case of malpractice, but people should not. If people did not have insurance, the costs of healthcare would IMMEDIATELY plummet to a level we could afford.
And then Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security would be saved.
You're welcome.
We get old, we get sick, and we need care. But all things are not equal. In 25 years time, there will be far more people getting older, retiring, and getting sick. Not only that, but at the end of our lives, instead of one thing killing us, we will probably be suffering from two or three serious illnesses. Not only only that, but we will also live longer, and be sick longer, than ever before.
That is scary. This is what all hubbabaloo is about when politicians talk about Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid and their voices get all tense and strained. No one expected there to be so many more people using up these benefits than paying into them, but there it is.
And it is a problem. But the solution is not within the problem. It's not to make younger people work longer and older people to pay more and for everyone to expect less. The system is fine. What's not fine is the cost of healthcare.
Healthcare costs have run amok. And insurance INFLATES THE COST OF HEALTHCARE. That's all it does. it does NOTHING to curb costs. It's not mathematically possible for insurance to make healthcare cost less when the insurance industry profits, when it pays employees, when it spends money on marketing, and when it spends money on research and lobbying and on rent, utilities, and all the other things the insurance industry spends money on. All that inflates healthcare. Healthcare costs are inflated BECAUSE of insurance.
People should not carry insurance. Doctors and hospitals should, in case of malpractice, but people should not. If people did not have insurance, the costs of healthcare would IMMEDIATELY plummet to a level we could afford.
And then Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security would be saved.
You're welcome.
I solved the deficit crisis in the last posts.
It was a good exercise and helped me understand more about all the parts in the equation. I will figure out a way so that other people can play with the variables to see how increases in tax revenues and cutting spending effects the deficit.
Bottom line, increased business tax revenue does not solve the problem. Prior to doing the math, I thought it would, but it doesn't. What caused the problem is job losses, what can solve the problem is more jobs.
Now, tax revenues will help save programs, and it is absolutely true that if we'd had 10 years of pre-Bush tax revenues we wouldn't be in this mess, but increased tax revenues from business does not provide enough revenue to fund all the programs we need funded. It just doesn't.
Jobs will.
Okay, cutting spending does nothing to solve the problem either. Because cutting spending equals more job losses which means more deficits which is the exact opposite of deficit reduction. (Not that I think deficit reduction a critical goal, because I don't, it just looked like y'all were worried about so I thought I would fix it for you, if I could.)
Now I can also see why Republicans want so badly to get into the Social Security lockbox. It is fully funded through 2037, and the revenue stream is completely separate from other revenues, so that moving money from it, or adding money to it, is EXACTLY like your great aunt dying and leaving you a fortune. Except, in this case, Republican want to make great aunt Agatha work five more years and then push her down the stairs so they can pocket more of her salary and prevent her from spending a cent of it.
Bottom line, increased business tax revenue does not solve the problem. Prior to doing the math, I thought it would, but it doesn't. What caused the problem is job losses, what can solve the problem is more jobs.
Now, tax revenues will help save programs, and it is absolutely true that if we'd had 10 years of pre-Bush tax revenues we wouldn't be in this mess, but increased tax revenues from business does not provide enough revenue to fund all the programs we need funded. It just doesn't.
Jobs will.
Okay, cutting spending does nothing to solve the problem either. Because cutting spending equals more job losses which means more deficits which is the exact opposite of deficit reduction. (Not that I think deficit reduction a critical goal, because I don't, it just looked like y'all were worried about so I thought I would fix it for you, if I could.)
Now I can also see why Republicans want so badly to get into the Social Security lockbox. It is fully funded through 2037, and the revenue stream is completely separate from other revenues, so that moving money from it, or adding money to it, is EXACTLY like your great aunt dying and leaving you a fortune. Except, in this case, Republican want to make great aunt Agatha work five more years and then push her down the stairs so they can pocket more of her salary and prevent her from spending a cent of it.
What in the World is Happening in the U.K.?
Reuters: As ex-spokesman arrested, Cameron vows press shake-up
They are arresting politicial and business executives over privacy violations and bribery charges?? What in the world?
Is it opposite day? Has the world gone insane?
Surely, there is a wage slave or plebian more suited to taking the fall. Get it together, guys.
They are arresting politicial and business executives over privacy violations and bribery charges?? What in the world?
Is it opposite day? Has the world gone insane?
Surely, there is a wage slave or plebian more suited to taking the fall. Get it together, guys.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
If You Weren't Actually Assaulted, You shouldn't Complain, Other People Get Assaulted, You Know.
It's always the same thing. Everywhere you go. Here. There. In England, in Iraq, Saudi Arabia. Women only get to talk about the things men let them talk about. It's no different wherever you go.
And they always beat you up in the same exact way.
There, in Egypt, women are told they are being tiresome by complaining about not being included in the new government. They have rights, far more rights than they had yesterday, far more rights than other women, why can't they just go home?
Here Rebecca Watson gets the same disgusted dressing down when she tells a story about her very own life and articulates her very own opinion of the behavior of some of the people in it, and the fact that she wasn't raped in an elevator while other women are being raped in the streets makes everything she said seem like self-absorbed white woman problems according to Richard Dawkins and a bunch of other atheists.
She should just shut up and be grateful she wasn't raped in the elevator, because other women get raped in elevators every day.
Because the notions that women have, the ideas they have about the way the world should work, and how people should be treated, well, that's not really up to women, now is it? That's up to men and the women who respect men properly. And apparently, women in this country should shut the fuck up already. There are no more inches she can have, there are no more concessions he will make, no more pennies against the man's dollar she can earn, no more inroads into his personal space, no more erosion of his masculine freedom to treat women however he judges appropriate (short of rape! short of rape!), because it's enough already. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up, you scribbling harpy.
And they always beat you up in the same exact way.
There, in Egypt, women are told they are being tiresome by complaining about not being included in the new government. They have rights, far more rights than they had yesterday, far more rights than other women, why can't they just go home?
Here Rebecca Watson gets the same disgusted dressing down when she tells a story about her very own life and articulates her very own opinion of the behavior of some of the people in it, and the fact that she wasn't raped in an elevator while other women are being raped in the streets makes everything she said seem like self-absorbed white woman problems according to Richard Dawkins and a bunch of other atheists.
She should just shut up and be grateful she wasn't raped in the elevator, because other women get raped in elevators every day.
Because the notions that women have, the ideas they have about the way the world should work, and how people should be treated, well, that's not really up to women, now is it? That's up to men and the women who respect men properly. And apparently, women in this country should shut the fuck up already. There are no more inches she can have, there are no more concessions he will make, no more pennies against the man's dollar she can earn, no more inroads into his personal space, no more erosion of his masculine freedom to treat women however he judges appropriate (short of rape! short of rape!), because it's enough already. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up, you scribbling harpy.
News of the World Sacrificed for the Greater Good: Corptocracy
Reuters: Murdoch stuns critics, shuts down scandal-hit paper
Guess why? There is strong opposition to his purchasing a U.K. broadcasting company because the perception of him is that he is a shiftless opportunistic ethically-challenged conservative hate-monger, and he really, really wants that broadcasting company. He will make far more money if he gets it because then he will be able to fill the airwaves with faux news and misinformation stoking anti-government pro-business sentiment leading to the corporate capture of government and regulatory agencies. And then, the complete and utter destruction of the middle class master plan will have a key milestone accomplished.
Honestly, the opportunity to jetson the newspaper as if driven by remorse and a willingness to respond to the public's outrage -- you can't buy a brand redemption campaign this cheaply in the free marker.
Ha ha ha. See what I did there? "Free market" ha ha ha!
Guess why? There is strong opposition to his purchasing a U.K. broadcasting company because the perception of him is that he is a shiftless opportunistic ethically-challenged conservative hate-monger, and he really, really wants that broadcasting company. He will make far more money if he gets it because then he will be able to fill the airwaves with faux news and misinformation stoking anti-government pro-business sentiment leading to the corporate capture of government and regulatory agencies. And then, the complete and utter destruction of the middle class master plan will have a key milestone accomplished.
Honestly, the opportunity to jetson the newspaper as if driven by remorse and a willingness to respond to the public's outrage -- you can't buy a brand redemption campaign this cheaply in the free marker.
Ha ha ha. See what I did there? "Free market" ha ha ha!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Michele Bachmann is Stupid
She thinks the U.S. deficit is like credit card debt -- where you can carry the balance month after month after month and just pay the interest.
What a fucking idiot.
The U.S. deficit includes benefit payments and salaires, invoices for goods and services, Social Security payments, and contract obligations. It's not debt. It's what we owe. You stupid, stupid woman.
This woman has never read a book or taken a class or attended a seminar or watched a TV show or documentary that conflicts with the dogma she learned in her church. She knows nothing. Nothing. Nothing. She doesn't know actual history: Biblical, American, or European. She doesn't know the Constitution or the law; she doesn't know science or anything factual about other religions or people, she doesn't understand economics or finance. She is a poorly educated, ill-read, anti-intellectual, xenophobic, intolerant ignoramus.
I hope she wins the Republican nomination. That would be awesome.
What a fucking idiot.
The U.S. deficit includes benefit payments and salaires, invoices for goods and services, Social Security payments, and contract obligations. It's not debt. It's what we owe. You stupid, stupid woman.
This woman has never read a book or taken a class or attended a seminar or watched a TV show or documentary that conflicts with the dogma she learned in her church. She knows nothing. Nothing. Nothing. She doesn't know actual history: Biblical, American, or European. She doesn't know the Constitution or the law; she doesn't know science or anything factual about other religions or people, she doesn't understand economics or finance. She is a poorly educated, ill-read, anti-intellectual, xenophobic, intolerant ignoramus.
I hope she wins the Republican nomination. That would be awesome.
Fuck Your Convictions
On MSNBC Live tonight, Rev. Al Sharpton went mano a mano with a vacuous ditto head from the Republican party bleating incoherent lies. Dickhead Joe Walsh (I think), insisted that poor people should starve so rich people can have jets and that Obama is too damn Democratic for his corporatist's heart. Aw. Joke's on you, asshole, Obama is not a Democrat; he's a Republican, which makes you a politician who doesn't represent any actual people.
Then he faced off against Pat Buchanan, who added an element of heroism to the argument that the wealthy shouldn't be taxed an extra penny to save schools or firehouses or sick babies, even if that's what 80% of the population wants. Because heroes have convictions and convictions are what Republicans are going to spoon from now until the crack of doom. It sounds like something admirable, doesn't it? Sticking by your convictions against the tide of popular opinion? Except it never is, it's always some asshole pretending to be holier than thou when he's actually being a racist, classist, homophobe (Yes, that means you, Pat Buchanan).
The rest of us, the populace tide? We don't need convictions. We have facts. Facts turn the tide for rational, humane people. Convictions are what hate-mongers use to pretty up their dirty, dirty deeds.
Facts are this: You are using our taxes to cripple social services and the people's government; you are using the fees we pay for financial services and the money we spend on goods and services to buy politicians and the media to deregulate industry so that you can kill, pollute, and starve for profit. You offer nothing to the American people but misery and poverty. Good luck with that.
Then he faced off against Pat Buchanan, who added an element of heroism to the argument that the wealthy shouldn't be taxed an extra penny to save schools or firehouses or sick babies, even if that's what 80% of the population wants. Because heroes have convictions and convictions are what Republicans are going to spoon from now until the crack of doom. It sounds like something admirable, doesn't it? Sticking by your convictions against the tide of popular opinion? Except it never is, it's always some asshole pretending to be holier than thou when he's actually being a racist, classist, homophobe (Yes, that means you, Pat Buchanan).
The rest of us, the populace tide? We don't need convictions. We have facts. Facts turn the tide for rational, humane people. Convictions are what hate-mongers use to pretty up their dirty, dirty deeds.
Facts are this: You are using our taxes to cripple social services and the people's government; you are using the fees we pay for financial services and the money we spend on goods and services to buy politicians and the media to deregulate industry so that you can kill, pollute, and starve for profit. You offer nothing to the American people but misery and poverty. Good luck with that.
GAWKER: Rich Bankers are Still Crying About ‘Unfair’ Pay Regulations
"Vague and arguably unfair provisions would create powerful incentives for senior executives and directors with the best options to head for the exits at the first sign of trouble, lest a substantial portion of their compensation be at risk," top banking groups including the American Bankers Association, The Clearing House and the Financial Services Roundtable wrote regulators in May."
Good. Go. Nobody needs you. My dog could do your job. There are a thousand people chomping at the bit to do your job and at least 150 would be good at. Maybe then we'd get some business people with integrity instead of a bunch of bullies, liars and theives.
Link: Gawker: Rich Bankers are Still Crying About ‘Unfair’ Pay Regulations
Good. Go. Nobody needs you. My dog could do your job. There are a thousand people chomping at the bit to do your job and at least 150 would be good at. Maybe then we'd get some business people with integrity instead of a bunch of bullies, liars and theives.
Link: Gawker: Rich Bankers are Still Crying About ‘Unfair’ Pay Regulations
Friday, July 1, 2011
Politics + Business = Unemployment
Remember when I said that business people aren't that creative? When things go wrong, or when the CEO needs to buy a new jet, instead of coming up with innovative ideas or ground-breaking strategies, they just lay off employees, usually non-professionals: facilities, maintenance, clerks, customer service representatives. They do this because it's easy, there isn't a societal or financial cost to them, and the benefit is immediate and long-term. It's a win-win. Well, it's a win-win for CEOs, who immediately get obscene bonuses and to the share-holders who see more in retained earnings.
Guess what you get when you vote in politicians who are business-people?
If you can't come up with a single idea, ask Wisconsin.
Guess what you get when you vote in politicians who are business-people?
If you can't come up with a single idea, ask Wisconsin.
All I Want is Everything You Own. That's all.
Minnesota's government shut down today. According to the Rachel Maddow Show prisons will not offer Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings, or library services, and the TV's might be turned off. Food for the poor will not be available. Maybe seniors will get their meals delivered, maybe they won't. Services for hearing and blind Minnesotans will not be available. Parks and zoos are closed. Probably libraries as well. Battered women's shelters will close and child-care services will not be offered. HIV/AIDS patients will not receive medication. And 23,000 government employees will not go to work.
So who cares? Maybe you and I do, because we care about services to the poor and that the commons be available to those who own them. But some people don't care. Some people really like the idea of state governments being shut down and can't wait for the federal government to be shut down, too.
Because they are not poor. They don't have poor family members. They don't have family members in prison and if they do, they don't actually care about them. They don't know any blind or deaf people and if they do, they certainly wouldn't lift a finger to help them for anything less than a fee. They don't believe women should be sheltered (or fed or receive healthcare or childcare) on their dime. They aren't gay and they don't care very much for people who are. They don't go to public parks, and in fact, they probably think public parks are trashy and should be privatized. They don't care about state run zoos and they certainly don't care about government employees who actually need their paychecks.
They don't want the people's public services and commons to exist at all. They want everything to be privatized and to only profit business.
So who cares? Maybe you and I do, because we care about services to the poor and that the commons be available to those who own them. But some people don't care. Some people really like the idea of state governments being shut down and can't wait for the federal government to be shut down, too.
Because they are not poor. They don't have poor family members. They don't have family members in prison and if they do, they don't actually care about them. They don't know any blind or deaf people and if they do, they certainly wouldn't lift a finger to help them for anything less than a fee. They don't believe women should be sheltered (or fed or receive healthcare or childcare) on their dime. They aren't gay and they don't care very much for people who are. They don't go to public parks, and in fact, they probably think public parks are trashy and should be privatized. They don't care about state run zoos and they certainly don't care about government employees who actually need their paychecks.
They don't want the people's public services and commons to exist at all. They want everything to be privatized and to only profit business.
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