Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tea Party Terror
FOXNews.com - Paladino to Reporter: 'I'll Take You Out, Buddy!': "The Republican nominee for New York governor got into a heated argument with a newspaper reporter Wednesday, accusing him of sending 'goons' after his daughter before telling him: 'I'll take you out, buddy...'"
Unemployment Issues
Op-Ed Columnist - Structure of Excuses - NYTimes.com:
"...But now, as then, powerful forces are ideologically opposed to the whole idea of government action on a sufficient scale to jump-start the economy. And that, fundamentally, is why claims that we face huge structural problems have been proliferating: they offer a reason to do nothing about the mass unemployment that is crippling our economy and our society.
So what you need to know is that there is no evidence whatsoever to back these claims. We aren’t suffering from a shortage of needed skills; we’re suffering from a lack of policy resolve. As I said, structural unemployment isn’t a real problem, it’s an excuse — a reason not to act on America’s problems at a time when action is desperately needed."
"...But now, as then, powerful forces are ideologically opposed to the whole idea of government action on a sufficient scale to jump-start the economy. And that, fundamentally, is why claims that we face huge structural problems have been proliferating: they offer a reason to do nothing about the mass unemployment that is crippling our economy and our society.
So what you need to know is that there is no evidence whatsoever to back these claims. We aren’t suffering from a shortage of needed skills; we’re suffering from a lack of policy resolve. As I said, structural unemployment isn’t a real problem, it’s an excuse — a reason not to act on America’s problems at a time when action is desperately needed."
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
From The Pot 'N Kettle Department
Meg Whitman employed illegal immigrant, attorney charges: "Meg Whitman, the Republican candidate for governor who has called for making California employers more accountable for hiring undocumented workers, faced allegations today that she herself had done so for nearly a decade - a charge that her campaign denied as an attack by Democrats playing 'the politics of personal destruction...'"
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The Whining Rich
Bill Maher: New Rule: Rich People Who Complain About Being Vilified Should Be Vilified: "New Rule: The next rich person who publicly complains about being vilified by the Obama administration must be publicly vilified by the Obama administration. It's so hard for one person to tell another person what constitutes being 'rich', or what tax rate is 'too much.' But I've done some math that indicates that, considering the hole this country is in, if you are earning more than a million dollars a year and are complaining about a 3.6% tax increase, then you are by definition a greedy asshole..."
Reforming Pot Laws
Sooner or later, marijuana will be legal - CNN.com:
"It's as predictable as the sun rising and setting. Even though police made more than 850,000 marijuana arrests last year, a recent government report shows youth marijuana use increased by about 9 percent.
Supporters of the failed war on drugs will no doubt argue this increase means policymakers should spend more taxpayer money next year arresting and incarcerating a greater number of Americans. In other words, their solution to failure is to do more of the same. Fortunately, the 'reform nothing' club is getting mighty lonely these days -- 76 percent of Americans recognize the drug war has failed; millions are demanding change..."
"It's as predictable as the sun rising and setting. Even though police made more than 850,000 marijuana arrests last year, a recent government report shows youth marijuana use increased by about 9 percent.
Supporters of the failed war on drugs will no doubt argue this increase means policymakers should spend more taxpayer money next year arresting and incarcerating a greater number of Americans. In other words, their solution to failure is to do more of the same. Fortunately, the 'reform nothing' club is getting mighty lonely these days -- 76 percent of Americans recognize the drug war has failed; millions are demanding change..."
Monday, September 27, 2010
Health Reform Starting
Howard Kurtz - 'Real people' don't make headlines:
"...But now some important benefits have kicked in, benefits that affect real families.
--Children can no longer be denied coverage because of preexisting conditions. (Anyone wanna repeal that?)
--Insured people can no longer be dumped by insurance bureacrats who discover technical mistakes on applications.
--Lifetime caps on benefits are now outlawed.
--Adult kids can be carried on their parents' policies until they turn 26.
This is not an argument for Obamacare. But the media are not always at their best when it comes to the impact of government on real people. Unless some outrageous example of corporate heartlessness is involved, there's no conflict to chronicle..."
"...But now some important benefits have kicked in, benefits that affect real families.
--Children can no longer be denied coverage because of preexisting conditions. (Anyone wanna repeal that?)
--Insured people can no longer be dumped by insurance bureacrats who discover technical mistakes on applications.
--Lifetime caps on benefits are now outlawed.
--Adult kids can be carried on their parents' policies until they turn 26.
This is not an argument for Obamacare. But the media are not always at their best when it comes to the impact of government on real people. Unless some outrageous example of corporate heartlessness is involved, there's no conflict to chronicle..."
The Real Race
Op-Ed Columnist - Their Moon Shot and Ours - NYTimes.com:
"...This contrast is not good. I was recently at a Washington Nationals baseball game. While waiting for a hot dog, I overheard the conversation behind me. A management consultant for a big national firm was telling his colleagues that his job was to “market products to the Department of Homeland Security.” I thought to myself: “Oh, my! Inventing studies about terrorist threats and selling them to the U.S. government, is that an industry now?”
We’re out of balance — the balance between security and prosperity. We need to be in a race with China, not just Al Qaeda. Let’s start with electric cars..."
"...This contrast is not good. I was recently at a Washington Nationals baseball game. While waiting for a hot dog, I overheard the conversation behind me. A management consultant for a big national firm was telling his colleagues that his job was to “market products to the Department of Homeland Security.” I thought to myself: “Oh, my! Inventing studies about terrorist threats and selling them to the U.S. government, is that an industry now?”
We’re out of balance — the balance between security and prosperity. We need to be in a race with China, not just Al Qaeda. Let’s start with electric cars..."
Nosy O
FOXNews.com - U.S. Wants Broader Internet Wiretap Authority:
"The Obama administration is developing plans that would require all Internet-based communication services -- such as encrypted BlackBerry e-mail, Facebook, and Skype -- to be capable of complying with federal wiretap orders, according to a report published Monday.
National security officials and federal law enforcement argue their ability to eavesdrop on terror suspects is increasingly 'going dark,' The New York Times reported, as more communication takes place via Internet services, rather than by traditional telephone..."
"The Obama administration is developing plans that would require all Internet-based communication services -- such as encrypted BlackBerry e-mail, Facebook, and Skype -- to be capable of complying with federal wiretap orders, according to a report published Monday.
National security officials and federal law enforcement argue their ability to eavesdrop on terror suspects is increasingly 'going dark,' The New York Times reported, as more communication takes place via Internet services, rather than by traditional telephone..."
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Wrong In The UK
Soldier who served in Afghanistan refused council house 'for not being local' | Mail Online:
"One fought for his country, while the other fled hers.
But the treatment of a former soldier who served in Afghanistan could not be more different to that of a refugee and her family fleeing the same place.
Lance Corporal Craig Baker, 26, and his family have been refused a council house in his home town as 'he has no local connection...'"
"One fought for his country, while the other fled hers.
But the treatment of a former soldier who served in Afghanistan could not be more different to that of a refugee and her family fleeing the same place.
Lance Corporal Craig Baker, 26, and his family have been refused a council house in his home town as 'he has no local connection...'"
Little O Right About GOP
Obama: GOP's agenda rehashes harmful ideas:
"Two days after Republicans unveiled their 'Pledge for America' governing agenda, President Obama took aim at the plan, calling it a rehash of the same ideas that contributed to the country's economic downturn.
'It is grounded in the same worn-out philosophy: cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires, cut the rules for Wall Street and the special interests and cut the middle class loose to fend for itself,' Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. 'That's not a prescription for a better future. It's an echo of a disastrous decade we can't afford to relive...'"
"Two days after Republicans unveiled their 'Pledge for America' governing agenda, President Obama took aim at the plan, calling it a rehash of the same ideas that contributed to the country's economic downturn.
'It is grounded in the same worn-out philosophy: cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires, cut the rules for Wall Street and the special interests and cut the middle class loose to fend for itself,' Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. 'That's not a prescription for a better future. It's an echo of a disastrous decade we can't afford to relive...'"
DoD Book Burning
Pentagon Paid $47,000 to Destroy Sept. 11 Memoir: "The Department of Defense paid $5 per book to burn the 9,500 copies of 'Operation Dark Heart,' Army Reserve Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer's memoir about going undercover in Afghanistan that the Pentagon claims revealed too many national security secrets..."
Saturday, September 25, 2010
More Worries For Dems
The Enraged vs. the Exhausted - WSJ.com:
"This election is more and more shaping up into a contest between the Exhausted and the Enraged.
In a contest like that, who wins? That's like asking, 'Who would win a sporting event between the depressed and the anxious?' The anxious are wide awake. The wide awake win..."
"This election is more and more shaping up into a contest between the Exhausted and the Enraged.
In a contest like that, who wins? That's like asking, 'Who would win a sporting event between the depressed and the anxious?' The anxious are wide awake. The wide awake win..."
Racism OK At DOJ
Former Justice official says 'race-neutral' voting enforcement discouraged The ex-voting chief tells the U.S. Civil Rights Commission that under President Obama, the department focused on prosecuting whites accused of racially motivated acts but did not pursue minorities. - Los Angeles Times:
"... A former Justice Department official on Friday accused his superiors of discouraging 'race-neutral' voting enforcement and gutting a controversial 2008 voter intimidation case in which suspects were part of an African American militant group accused of violating the rights of white voters.
Over the objections of Justice Departments officials, former Voting Chief Christopher Coates testified before the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. Coates said that the Obama administration discouraged pursuing minority perpetrators and instead focused on prosecuting white voters accused of racially motivated acts.
'The election of President Obama brought to positions of influence and power within the [Civil Rights Division] many of the very people who had demonstrated hostility to the concept of equal enforcement of the [Voting Rights Act],' Coates said. Coates recently transferred to a position in the U.S. Attorney's Office in South Carolina..."
"... A former Justice Department official on Friday accused his superiors of discouraging 'race-neutral' voting enforcement and gutting a controversial 2008 voter intimidation case in which suspects were part of an African American militant group accused of violating the rights of white voters.
Over the objections of Justice Departments officials, former Voting Chief Christopher Coates testified before the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. Coates said that the Obama administration discouraged pursuing minority perpetrators and instead focused on prosecuting white voters accused of racially motivated acts.
'The election of President Obama brought to positions of influence and power within the [Civil Rights Division] many of the very people who had demonstrated hostility to the concept of equal enforcement of the [Voting Rights Act],' Coates said. Coates recently transferred to a position in the U.S. Attorney's Office in South Carolina..."
Friday, September 24, 2010
Irked Liberal Ire
I hate to say ITYS, but ITYS, but there is no joy in Pumaland. Liberal Blogger Accuses White House of "Hippie Punching" - Political Hotsheet - CBS News:
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Poll Problems Persit In NY
Andrew Cuomo leads Carl Paladino 57% to 24% in new Siena poll:
"A new Siena College poll released Thursday shows Andrew Cuomo with a commanding lead in the governor's race over maverick GOP opponent Carl Paladino a day after a separate poll claimed the race had narrowed dramatically.
"A new Siena College poll released Thursday shows Andrew Cuomo with a commanding lead in the governor's race over maverick GOP opponent Carl Paladino a day after a separate poll claimed the race had narrowed dramatically.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Big Insurance Shafting Kids
Big health insurers to stop selling new child-only policies Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna Inc. and others say they will make the move as soon as Thursday when parts of the new healthcare law take effect. They cite potentially huge and unexpected costs for insuring children. - Los Angeles Times:
"Major health insurance companies in California and other states have decided to stop selling policies for children rather than comply with a new federal healthcare law that bars them from rejecting youngsters with preexisting medical conditions.
Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna Inc. and others will halt new child-only policies in California, Illinois, Florida, Connecticut and elsewhere as early as Thursday when provisions of the nation's new healthcare law take effect, including a requirement that insurers cover children under age 19 regardless of their health histories..."
"Major health insurance companies in California and other states have decided to stop selling policies for children rather than comply with a new federal healthcare law that bars them from rejecting youngsters with preexisting medical conditions.
Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna Inc. and others will halt new child-only policies in California, Illinois, Florida, Connecticut and elsewhere as early as Thursday when provisions of the nation's new healthcare law take effect, including a requirement that insurers cover children under age 19 regardless of their health histories..."
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Angst Of The Rich
Great column. Check it out.
Op-Ed Columnist - The Angry Rich and Taxes - NYTimes.com:
"Anger is sweeping America. True, this white-hot rage is a minority phenomenon, not something that characterizes most of our fellow citizens. But the angry minority is angry indeed, consisting of people who feel that things to which they are entitled are being taken away. And they’re out for revenge.
No, I’m not talking about the Tea Partiers. I’m talking about the rich..."
Op-Ed Columnist - The Angry Rich and Taxes - NYTimes.com:
"Anger is sweeping America. True, this white-hot rage is a minority phenomenon, not something that characterizes most of our fellow citizens. But the angry minority is angry indeed, consisting of people who feel that things to which they are entitled are being taken away. And they’re out for revenge.
No, I’m not talking about the Tea Partiers. I’m talking about the rich..."
DrinkingThe Tea-Aid
Haley Barbour: GOP, Tea Party Unity Spells Defeat for Obama - WSJ.com: "Christine O'Donnell's upset victory in last week's Delaware GOP Senate primary has generated a lot of talk in the media about where the tea party and the GOP are headed..."
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Truth Or Nonsense?
Facebook (14) |"'American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains.' ~ Christine O'Donnell, Delaware's Republican candidate for U.S. Senator, on the O'Reilly Factor, November 16, 2007"
Tea Moments
Tea Party’s already won - TheHill.com: "...The Tea Party candidates themselves — like O’Donnell, whom Karl Rove called “nutty,” — matter little. Only a few will actually get elected this fall. Yet the Tea Party has won without them. There are no tea leaves left to read. Democrats have been spooked and Republicans threatened, cajoled or cleansed. The results are already in."
Where were these people when Bush was running the country into the ground?
Where were these people when Bush was running the country into the ground?
Saturday, September 18, 2010
The Daily Uh-Oh: China Edition
Chinese protest - latimes.com:
"Dozens of Chinese demonstrators rallied outside the Japanese Embassy then marched through rain-slicked streets to the Foreign Ministry on Saturday, belting out the national anthem and hollering nationalistic slogans against 'foreigners' and the Japanese to protest the detention of a Chinese fishing crew..."
"Dozens of Chinese demonstrators rallied outside the Japanese Embassy then marched through rain-slicked streets to the Foreign Ministry on Saturday, belting out the national anthem and hollering nationalistic slogans against 'foreigners' and the Japanese to protest the detention of a Chinese fishing crew..."
One For The Liberal Team
Warren takes post; liberals cheer:
"In naming Elizabeth Warren to set up a new consumer protection agency on Friday, President Obama swiftly delighted the liberal base of his party after months of disenchantment.
Warren, 61, a Harvard law professor with a long track record of consumer advocacy, will oversee all aspects of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Technically, Warren will only be an adviser, a role that does not require Senate confirmation - a maneuver that outraged Republicans, who accused Obama of creating a 'czar' position without congressional oversight..."
"In naming Elizabeth Warren to set up a new consumer protection agency on Friday, President Obama swiftly delighted the liberal base of his party after months of disenchantment.
Warren, 61, a Harvard law professor with a long track record of consumer advocacy, will oversee all aspects of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Technically, Warren will only be an adviser, a role that does not require Senate confirmation - a maneuver that outraged Republicans, who accused Obama of creating a 'czar' position without congressional oversight..."
Rove Reaming?
Sarah Palin Tells Karl Rove Where To Go... : It's All Politics : NPR:
"Maybe we need instant replay for political speeches.
That might make it easier to see, in Sarah Palin's much anticipated Iowa speech Friday evening, the former Republican vice presidential nominee playfully telling Karl Rove where to go, if you catch my drift, without actually saying it..."
"Maybe we need instant replay for political speeches.
That might make it easier to see, in Sarah Palin's much anticipated Iowa speech Friday evening, the former Republican vice presidential nominee playfully telling Karl Rove where to go, if you catch my drift, without actually saying it..."
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Moderates And Islam
Imam calls for moderates to join together, fight extremism - CNN: "Saying America has let extremists 'hijack the agenda,' the imam behind a controversial proposal to place an Islamic community center and mosque near Manhattan's ground zero said Monday he wants to create a platform where the voice of moderate Muslims can be amplified.
'This is an opportunity that we must capitalize on, so those who teach moderation will have a megahorn,' Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf told the Council on Foreign Relations..."
Uh, how is it America's fault again?
'This is an opportunity that we must capitalize on, so those who teach moderation will have a megahorn,' Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf told the Council on Foreign Relations..."
Uh, how is it America's fault again?
Pot History Primer
Dr. Andrew Weil: Cannabis Rx: Cutting Through the Misinformation: "...Then the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 made possession or transfer of Cannabis illegal in the U.S. except for certain medical and industrial uses, which were heavily taxed. The legislation began a long process of making Cannabis use illegal altogether. Many historians have examined this sorry chapter in American legislative history, and the dubious evidence for Cannabis addiction and violent behavior used to secure the bill's passage. 'Under the Influence: The Disinformation Guide to Drugs' by Preston Peet makes a persuasive case that the Act's real purpose was to quash the hemp industry, making synthetic fibers more valuable for industrialists who owned the patents..."
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Elections--Pox Or Plague?
A cure among us « The Confluence:
"...There is a stunning amount of stupidity on display right now, but it is not that of ordinary Americans. It is the massive stupidity of so-called “Democratic strategists” and movement progressives who thought that turning their backs on defending working people, women, lgbt, minorities, the environment, a genuine public component in healthcare reform, social security, civil liberties, stem cell research, and so on, would somehow carry them through a period of persistent unemployment and war that most Americans do not want to be in.
For myself, trying to choose between the Pelosis/Obamas and the Angles/Millers is like trying to choose between malaria or smallpox. A plague on both their houses, literally. Voting to continue Washington’s bipartisan desertion of the American people is not the antidote. It is the disease that ensures the corporate hold on our country..."
"...There is a stunning amount of stupidity on display right now, but it is not that of ordinary Americans. It is the massive stupidity of so-called “Democratic strategists” and movement progressives who thought that turning their backs on defending working people, women, lgbt, minorities, the environment, a genuine public component in healthcare reform, social security, civil liberties, stem cell research, and so on, would somehow carry them through a period of persistent unemployment and war that most Americans do not want to be in.
For myself, trying to choose between the Pelosis/Obamas and the Angles/Millers is like trying to choose between malaria or smallpox. A plague on both their houses, literally. Voting to continue Washington’s bipartisan desertion of the American people is not the antidote. It is the disease that ensures the corporate hold on our country..."
Election Sampler
Here's a pundit sampler on yesterday's elections. The Big Story: Some people have spoken, but what did they say? | OPINION Blog | dallasnews.com:
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Hell Freezes Over In Cuba
Cuba Layoffs: What Will 500,000 Unemployed People Do? - TIME:
"As a layoff notice, it was more blunt than what even corporate America puts out these days. But it's hard to sugarcoat letting half a million workers go — which is what Cuba's communist government, via its official labor union, announced on Monday. 'Our state cannot and should not continue maintaining enterprises with inflated payrolls, losses that pull down our economy and make us counterproductive, generate bad habits and distort worker behavior,' said a statement by the Cuban Workers' Central (CTC), making it known that some 500,000 government jobs will be eliminated by next spring. It also suggested something fairly anathema to socialism's collectivist dogma: how the unemployed find their way after the mass dismissal 'depends in large part on the private management and initiative of the individual...'"
"As a layoff notice, it was more blunt than what even corporate America puts out these days. But it's hard to sugarcoat letting half a million workers go — which is what Cuba's communist government, via its official labor union, announced on Monday. 'Our state cannot and should not continue maintaining enterprises with inflated payrolls, losses that pull down our economy and make us counterproductive, generate bad habits and distort worker behavior,' said a statement by the Cuban Workers' Central (CTC), making it known that some 500,000 government jobs will be eliminated by next spring. It also suggested something fairly anathema to socialism's collectivist dogma: how the unemployed find their way after the mass dismissal 'depends in large part on the private management and initiative of the individual...'"
Media Mugging Truth
Excellent summary of the whole mess. Quran Burning Story: This Is How The Media Embarrass Themselves:
"...There were many, many moments where someone could have simply said, 'No, we should really not be doing this. These Islamophobes are objectively wrong, objectively stupid, objectively contradictory, objectively harmful, and by God, as someone with a functioning brain and a devotion to the pursuit of reason above all else, I am going to stand here and say no to all of this.' But as it turns out, it wasn't until yesterday afternoon that someone finally had the guts to say maybe we cannot really believe a word this man is saying.
Well, they should have thought of that before they decided to point a bunch of teevee cameras at him, I guess."
"...There were many, many moments where someone could have simply said, 'No, we should really not be doing this. These Islamophobes are objectively wrong, objectively stupid, objectively contradictory, objectively harmful, and by God, as someone with a functioning brain and a devotion to the pursuit of reason above all else, I am going to stand here and say no to all of this.' But as it turns out, it wasn't until yesterday afternoon that someone finally had the guts to say maybe we cannot really believe a word this man is saying.
Well, they should have thought of that before they decided to point a bunch of teevee cameras at him, I guess."
Monday, September 13, 2010
Unemployment And Attitude
Op-Ed Columnist - The Genteel Nation - NYTimes.com: "...These office workers did not want their children regressing back to the working class, so you saw an explosion of communications majors and a shortage of high-skill technical workers. One of the perversities of this recession is that as the unemployment rate has risen, the job vacancy rate has risen, too. Manufacturing firms can’t find skilled machinists. Narayana Kocherlakota of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank calculates that if we had a normal match between the skills workers possess and the skills employers require, then the unemployment rate would be 6.5 percent, not 9.6 percent..."
Iran Extorts Shourd
Iran Detained Hiker Sarah Shourd's Price of Freedom: $500K - ABC News: "Swiss diplomats negotiating with Iran on behalf of the United States for the release of an American woman accused of espionage have hit another road block: This time in the form of cash -- $500,000 to be exact -- that Iranian officials have demanded as the woman's bail..."
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Lest We Forget: WOT Edition
The Self-Inflicted Wounds of 9/11 : NO QUARTER: "...Nearly twice as many Americans have died fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan than were lost in the 9/11 attacks. The total cost of these long wars will be in the trillions of dollars. When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, the cost of oil was less than $25 a barrel; the price reached $140 a barrel in 2008 and, currently, the price is still three times the 2001 levels. The entire national security system has suffered as a result of the wrong-headed actions of the Bush administration in Iraq and the Obama administration in Afghanistan. The Iraq war marked the greatest travesty of all, based on a series of official lies that linked Saddam Hussein to Osama bin Laden and Iraq to weapons of mass destruction. As we knew seven years ago, there were no such links and no such weapons..."
Where The Money Went
Facebook (7): "According to the U.S. census, US capital investment in foreign countries went from $1.3 trillion in 2000 to $3.2 trillion in 2008 while at the same time the Bush tax cuts which overwhelmingly went to the wealthy cost 1.3 trillion per politifact. So the wealthy essentially took their tax cuts (intended as per Republicans to spur U.S. jobs) and invested them and more in foreign countries, not the U.S."
Thursday, September 09, 2010
On Taxing The Rich
Simply Left BehindThe Non-Rapturist's Guide To The Galaxy: May Sanity Reign Supreme:
"...Those who take the most from a society have the patriotic duty to give back to that society that provides such strong support. The army and police departments protect them more, because the rich have more to lose. The roads are better in rich neighborhoods, because the rich have the resources to complain and the connections to complain effectively. Fires are fought faster in wealthy communities because firefighters are better paid, better trained and get better equipment. I could go on.
The price of premium service is to pay a premium price. If you have an expensive sports car, you don't put cheap gas in it, at least not if you want it to last. You use premium from a reputable service station. You'll pay more for parts and service, but you're getting better quality of both..."
"...Those who take the most from a society have the patriotic duty to give back to that society that provides such strong support. The army and police departments protect them more, because the rich have more to lose. The roads are better in rich neighborhoods, because the rich have the resources to complain and the connections to complain effectively. Fires are fought faster in wealthy communities because firefighters are better paid, better trained and get better equipment. I could go on.
The price of premium service is to pay a premium price. If you have an expensive sports car, you don't put cheap gas in it, at least not if you want it to last. You use premium from a reputable service station. You'll pay more for parts and service, but you're getting better quality of both..."
The Daily Uh-Oh: Korea Edition
Former North Korean Soldiers Vow to Overthrow Kim Family Rule | News | English: "A new organization in South Korea, claiming it includes more than 100 former North Korean military members, vows to end Pyongyang's government and unify the Korean peninsula. The North Korea Peoples Liberation Front also says it has support from current members of the communist state's military, but political analysts are skeptical..."
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Bad School Building
Allysia Finley: Broke—and Building the Most Expensive School in U.S. History - WSJ.com: "At $578 million—or about $140,000 per student—the 24-acre Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools complex in mid-Wilshire is the most expensive school ever constructed in U.S. history. To put the price in context, this city's Staples sports and entertainment center cost $375 million. To put it in a more important context, the school district is currently running a $640 million deficit and has had to lay off 3,000 teachers in the last two years. It also has one of the lowest graduation rates in the country and some of the worst test scores..."
Oil's Well...
BP blames rig explosion on series of failures - USATODAY.com: "An oil-well leak and the subsequent explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig were caused by failures in the cementing, monitoring and capping of the well, according to the results of an internal BP investigation released Wednesday..."
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Faith And Science
Lord Kelvin, decades ago, proved that no matter how smart you are, you can be wrong. Sarah Sands: Scientists have physics licked, but they can't grasp the divine - Sarah Sands, Commentators - The Independent:
Comment Of The Day
Flim Flam strikes again: More Obama BS on SS (Open Thread) « The Confluence:
"Dario, on September 6, 2010 at 6:27 pm Said:
Yes. The money collected from SS goes into U.S. Treasuries, and helps the government decrease it’s borrowing from institutions and other countries. Those who claim that “the money is gone”, don’t say that the money borrowed from other countries and institutions is also GONE. The baby boom generation provided the government trillions of dollars, but now that the boomers are tapping the system with claims, the government is calling it a catastrophe and wants to default. I can’t understand the mentality of congress and Obama. It seems to me that a higher tax, which is really savings, would help the government stabilize it’s borrowing needs and make its bonds less vulnerable to the bond vigilantes" (sic).
"Dario, on September 6, 2010 at 6:27 pm Said:
Yes. The money collected from SS goes into U.S. Treasuries, and helps the government decrease it’s borrowing from institutions and other countries. Those who claim that “the money is gone”, don’t say that the money borrowed from other countries and institutions is also GONE. The baby boom generation provided the government trillions of dollars, but now that the boomers are tapping the system with claims, the government is calling it a catastrophe and wants to default. I can’t understand the mentality of congress and Obama. It seems to me that a higher tax, which is really savings, would help the government stabilize it’s borrowing needs and make its bonds less vulnerable to the bond vigilantes" (sic).
Burning Consequences
Petraeus: Dove World Outreach Center's 'Burn a Koran Day' endangers troops - CSMonitor.com:
"The United States' top commander in Afghanistan has warned that a planned Koran-burning event in Florida could put US troops in danger.
Gen. David Petraeus added his voice to mounting protests from both the US and abroad over the Dove World Outreach Center's plans to burn Korans on Saturday to mark the anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks. His comments ratcheted up the pressure on once-obscure pastor Terry Jones to call off the event..."
"The United States' top commander in Afghanistan has warned that a planned Koran-burning event in Florida could put US troops in danger.
Gen. David Petraeus added his voice to mounting protests from both the US and abroad over the Dove World Outreach Center's plans to burn Korans on Saturday to mark the anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks. His comments ratcheted up the pressure on once-obscure pastor Terry Jones to call off the event..."
Monday, September 06, 2010
Sunday, September 05, 2010
The Roots Of Masqueaphobia
Op-Ed Columnist - America’s History of Fear - NYTimes.com: "A radio interviewer asked me the other day if I thought bigotry was the only reason why someone might oppose the Islamic center in Lower Manhattan. No, I don’t. Most of the opponents aren’t bigots but well-meaning worriers — and during earlier waves of intolerance in American history, it was just the same..."
Dirty Money Trades Found
We need more of this. Probe Circles Globe to Find Dirty Money - WSJ.com: "...There, an intelligence analyst named Eitan Arusy began studying a slim lead. Suspicious money was flowing to and from an Iranian nonprofit operating in a Fifth Avenue office tower in Midtown Manhattan. Mr. Arusy's probe, later merged with a Justice Department inquiry, ultimately widened to some of Europe's vaunted banks, helping spark a global inquiry that found they actively evaded U.S. law in aiding sanctioned countries, banks or other enterprises move some $2 billion undetected..."
Saturday, September 04, 2010
Scary Muslim Paris
'Islamization' of Paris a Warning to the West - World - CBN News - Christian News 24-7 - CBN.com: "Friday in Paris. A hidden camera shows streets blocked by huge crowds of Muslim worshippers and enforced by a private security force.
This is all illegal in France: the public worship, the blocked streets, and the private security. But the police have been ordered not to intervene..."
This is all illegal in France: the public worship, the blocked streets, and the private security. But the police have been ordered not to intervene..."
Friday, September 03, 2010
Vets To Sacrifice Again
A Deeply Ironic Post in Honor of Hopelessly Irony-Challenged Alan Simpson « The Confluence:
"...Simpson thinks that Vietnam Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange shouldn’t be demanding disability payments when they develop serious illnesses that may be associated with Agent Orange exposure. Instead these veterans should be sacrificing their own health in order to prevent banksters and other extremely wealthy people like Alan Simpson from having to pay more taxes to “save the country from this fiscal mess.”
Barack Obama and Alan Simpson discuss what to do about the 'lesser people.'
No, Mr. Simpson.
Irony is when extremely rich people like you don’t want to give back to the country that enabled you to become inordinately wealthy and powerful.
Irony is when people who gave up their health and their future to fight in wars supported by people like you are expected to die in agony on the street instead of getting health care, living a little longer, and dying with dignity..."
Two of my medical problems were caused by military service but the VA has refused me any help because I made too much money this year. Maybe I'll try again but the whole idea of means testing for an earned benefit is wrong, even if it is costing the rich a few pennies.
"...Simpson thinks that Vietnam Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange shouldn’t be demanding disability payments when they develop serious illnesses that may be associated with Agent Orange exposure. Instead these veterans should be sacrificing their own health in order to prevent banksters and other extremely wealthy people like Alan Simpson from having to pay more taxes to “save the country from this fiscal mess.”
Barack Obama and Alan Simpson discuss what to do about the 'lesser people.'
No, Mr. Simpson.
Irony is when extremely rich people like you don’t want to give back to the country that enabled you to become inordinately wealthy and powerful.
Irony is when people who gave up their health and their future to fight in wars supported by people like you are expected to die in agony on the street instead of getting health care, living a little longer, and dying with dignity..."
Two of my medical problems were caused by military service but the VA has refused me any help because I made too much money this year. Maybe I'll try again but the whole idea of means testing for an earned benefit is wrong, even if it is costing the rich a few pennies.
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Fox Crosses Line?
Democrats accuse Fox News of bolstering Ohio candidate - BostonHerald.com: "The Democratic Governors Association filed an elections complaint in Ohio on Thursday alleging Fox News Network illegally helped the Republican governor nominee solicit funds during a television appearance.
In an escalating battle with Fox’s politically conservative news arm, the DGA alleges that Fox allowed John Kasich to request contributions from viewers during an Aug. 18 broadcast and simultaneously displayed the address of his campaign website in on-screen graphics..."
In an escalating battle with Fox’s politically conservative news arm, the DGA alleges that Fox allowed John Kasich to request contributions from viewers during an Aug. 18 broadcast and simultaneously displayed the address of his campaign website in on-screen graphics..."
Tuff Sheriff On Receiving End
Justice Dept. Sues Sheriff Joe Arpaio Over Bias Investigation - NYTimes.com: "The Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County for not cooperating with an investigation into whether his department was systematically violating the rights of Hispanics..."
Missing Illegals
A.M. Top News: Number of illegal immigrants in U.S. declines | NJ.com: "While the federal government squares off with Arizona about its Immigration law, the actual number of foreigners crossing the border into U.S. territory has decreased for the first time since 1990..."
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Beck's Theology
Catholic America: Is Glenn Beck preaching Mormon 'restoration' theology? - On Faith at washingtonpost.com: "...I think Mr. Beck is preaching the Mormon doctrine of 'restoration.' The first Mormon, Joseph Smith, was both head of the LDS Church and a likely candidate for President of the United States. His idea was to restore America to Christianity by rewriting the laws of the nation according to what God told him. In sum, 'restoration theology' is 'theocracy...'"
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