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December 29, 2005
Friday, June 10, 2005
Friday's Links
Activism
Join an Operation Democracy action team today! Operation Democracy, started by MoveOn, was designed to create neighborhood teams that will spread the Democratic message. This is truly a way to become effective in your community - join a team and do the things that YOU think will be effective. No one knows your neighborhood quite like you do. Live in a rural area? Canvass people to call your Senators about Social Security. Live in a suburb? Hold a bake sale, and use the profits to create distribution flyers on No Child Left Behind. The possibilities are only limited with what you can think of doing, so why not join a team today?
News
Uninsured Cost Insured $900 More. Recently, one of us had to start paying for health insurance. The company had paid for it, but that changed with the rising costs of premiums. We wondered why, and then we read this. In 2005, 48 million Americans won't have health insurance; that's roughly 39.5% of the people that voted last year. We've talked a lot about the reasons before - rising costs, inadequate compensation from employers, etc. But did you know exactly how much of those uninsured costs come out of your pocketbook? Health insurance premiums will cost families and employers an extra $922 (on average) this year, to cover the costs of caring for the uninsured. It's amazing to us how this can happen. The health insurance industry in this country has become one huge joke, with companies skimming huge amounts of money for themselves, and passing the uninsured "buck" to the insured and the government. We may think Hilary Clinton is a little out there sometimes, but she was dead-to-rights on when she called for the need to reform the health care system in this country.
William Pryor. William Pryor, a Bush nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals, has swathed himself in a blanket of deceit, extremist ideology and questionable legal decisions. You can read much more about him here, but the bottom line is that Pryor is a very, very dangerous nominee. The Appeals Court is a lifetime appointment, and hears some of the most important cases that go before a court in this country. That's why it's refreshing to see The Interfaith Alliance openly condemn his nomination, and call for it to be voted down. Much like Priscilla Owen, Pryor's legal decisions are guided by his morals, and not the Constitution. Would you want to be seen in his court? Neither do we.
"War on Terror" Has Indigenous People in Its Sights. You know what the problem with the "War on Terror" is? Just like every other crusade America has tried adopt in the last 20 years, it's nebulous (see: War on AIDS, War on Drugs, War on Homelessness, etc.). Say what you want about the War in Iraq; at least with that, there's an enemy. But the "War on Terror" is too vague - if this administration thinks that you're a terrorist, then you are a terrorist. And if you don't believe us, ask all those people locked up in Guantanamo Bay, or ask Maher Arar. So, it really shouldn't be surprising that Latin America's indigenous population is now being considered "a possible threat." The National Intelligence Council has identified Islam radicalism and growing indigenous activism in Latin America as it's top two threats. Well, that only makes sense. In Bush's world, we'll never be safe as long as there are any of those brown people running around.
Editorials
Mens Rea and WMD. Republicans better hope that they can get Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) out of office, because he's calling it in a way that is far more poignant and frequent that Washington is used to. Of course, that's not a bad thing, and seeing how Conyers is in his 19th term, we highly doubt he's leaving the house until they nail his coffin shut. Until then, we really enjoy reading his thoughts. Here, he discusses why no one is calling the administration on the lack of WMDs. Conyers shows why it's more than probable that Bush knew he was lying about WMDs (Downing Street Memo notwithstanding), all leading to deliberate deception. If Conyers keeps this up, Republicans are going to want to have another look at that "free speech" thing.
Letter to MSNBC Regarding Tucker Carlson's New Show. Is MSNBC becoming the next FOX News? We hope not, but it sure appears that way. Between Joe Scarborough, Chris Matthews and now Tucker Carlson, MSNBC's primetime lineup is extremely conservative. The launching of Carlson's new show prompted Media Matters President and CEO David Brock to send a letter to Rick Kaplan, the President of MSNBC, asking him to air some progressive shows. Although Brock's letter and 37 cents will get you a copy of the Washington Post, his point remains true. As Brock writes, MSNBC has a history of slanting to the right, and how is that "balanced" news? Does this mean we're now going to have to watch CNN for our news?
A Chance to Escape. It's been a little while since we've talked education, but there's something going on in Florida that's grabbed our attention. The Florida Supreme Court is being asked to end Florida's school voucher program. We dislike school vouchers. Immensely. It's money that could be spent on schools. It blurs the line between church and state. John Tierney's editorial is interesting, but completely wrong. If grades are going up because class size is going down, then it is the state's duty to use the money to create more schools to reduce class size. Florida's voucher program is slightly different, as it offers vouchers to any student in a failing school. So, instead of attempting to "fix" what's wrong in those schools, the state throws money to students to attend private schools. But they can't throw money at everyone, can they? Focus on fixing the problems in schools, which would make education better for every student, instead of helping a few. You can read a non-partisan article on vouchers here.
|
December 29, 2005
Friday, June 10, 2005
Friday's Links
Activism
Join an Operation Democracy action team today! Operation Democracy, started by MoveOn, was designed to create neighborhood teams that will spread the Democratic message. This is truly a way to become effective in your community - join a team and do the things that YOU think will be effective. No one knows your neighborhood quite like you do. Live in a rural area? Canvass people to call your Senators about Social Security. Live in a suburb? Hold a bake sale, and use the profits to create distribution flyers on No Child Left Behind. The possibilities are only limited with what you can think of doing, so why not join a team today?
News
Uninsured Cost Insured $900 More. Recently, one of us had to start paying for health insurance. The company had paid for it, but that changed with the rising costs of premiums. We wondered why, and then we read this. In 2005, 48 million Americans won't have health insurance; that's roughly 39.5% of the people that voted last year. We've talked a lot about the reasons before - rising costs, inadequate compensation from employers, etc. But did you know exactly how much of those uninsured costs come out of your pocketbook? Health insurance premiums will cost families and employers an extra $922 (on average) this year, to cover the costs of caring for the uninsured. It's amazing to us how this can happen. The health insurance industry in this country has become one huge joke, with companies skimming huge amounts of money for themselves, and passing the uninsured "buck" to the insured and the government. We may think Hilary Clinton is a little out there sometimes, but she was dead-to-rights on when she called for the need to reform the health care system in this country.
William Pryor. William Pryor, a Bush nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals, has swathed himself in a blanket of deceit, extremist ideology and questionable legal decisions. You can read much more about him here, but the bottom line is that Pryor is a very, very dangerous nominee. The Appeals Court is a lifetime appointment, and hears some of the most important cases that go before a court in this country. That's why it's refreshing to see The Interfaith Alliance openly condemn his nomination, and call for it to be voted down. Much like Priscilla Owen, Pryor's legal decisions are guided by his morals, and not the Constitution. Would you want to be seen in his court? Neither do we.
"War on Terror" Has Indigenous People in Its Sights. You know what the problem with the "War on Terror" is? Just like every other crusade America has tried adopt in the last 20 years, it's nebulous (see: War on AIDS, War on Drugs, War on Homelessness, etc.). Say what you want about the War in Iraq; at least with that, there's an enemy. But the "War on Terror" is too vague - if this administration thinks that you're a terrorist, then you are a terrorist. And if you don't believe us, ask all those people locked up in Guantanamo Bay, or ask Maher Arar. So, it really shouldn't be surprising that Latin America's indigenous population is now being considered "a possible threat." The National Intelligence Council has identified Islam radicalism and growing indigenous activism in Latin America as it's top two threats. Well, that only makes sense. In Bush's world, we'll never be safe as long as there are any of those brown people running around.
Editorials
Mens Rea and WMD. Republicans better hope that they can get Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) out of office, because he's calling it in a way that is far more poignant and frequent that Washington is used to. Of course, that's not a bad thing, and seeing how Conyers is in his 19th term, we highly doubt he's leaving the house until they nail his coffin shut. Until then, we really enjoy reading his thoughts. Here, he discusses why no one is calling the administration on the lack of WMDs. Conyers shows why it's more than probable that Bush knew he was lying about WMDs (Downing Street Memo notwithstanding), all leading to deliberate deception. If Conyers keeps this up, Republicans are going to want to have another look at that "free speech" thing.
Letter to MSNBC Regarding Tucker Carlson's New Show. Is MSNBC becoming the next FOX News? We hope not, but it sure appears that way. Between Joe Scarborough, Chris Matthews and now Tucker Carlson, MSNBC's primetime lineup is extremely conservative. The launching of Carlson's new show prompted Media Matters President and CEO David Brock to send a letter to Rick Kaplan, the President of MSNBC, asking him to air some progressive shows. Although Brock's letter and 37 cents will get you a copy of the Washington Post, his point remains true. As Brock writes, MSNBC has a history of slanting to the right, and how is that "balanced" news? Does this mean we're now going to have to watch CNN for our news?
A Chance to Escape. It's been a little while since we've talked education, but there's something going on in Florida that's grabbed our attention. The Florida Supreme Court is being asked to end Florida's school voucher program. We dislike school vouchers. Immensely. It's money that could be spent on schools. It blurs the line between church and state. John Tierney's editorial is interesting, but completely wrong. If grades are going up because class size is going down, then it is the state's duty to use the money to create more schools to reduce class size. Florida's voucher program is slightly different, as it offers vouchers to any student in a failing school. So, instead of attempting to "fix" what's wrong in those schools, the state throws money to students to attend private schools. But they can't throw money at everyone, can they? Focus on fixing the problems in schools, which would make education better for every student, instead of helping a few. You can read a non-partisan article on vouchers here.
|
December 29, 2005
Join an Operation Democracy action team today! Operation Democracy, started by MoveOn, was designed to create neighborhood teams that will spread the Democratic message. This is truly a way to become effective in your community - join a team and do the things that YOU think will be effective. No one knows your neighborhood quite like you do. Live in a rural area? Canvass people to call your Senators about Social Security. Live in a suburb? Hold a bake sale, and use the profits to create distribution flyers on No Child Left Behind. The possibilities are only limited with what you can think of doing, so why not join a team today?
News
Uninsured Cost Insured $900 More. Recently, one of us had to start paying for health insurance. The company had paid for it, but that changed with the rising costs of premiums. We wondered why, and then we read this. In 2005, 48 million Americans won't have health insurance; that's roughly 39.5% of the people that voted last year. We've talked a lot about the reasons before - rising costs, inadequate compensation from employers, etc. But did you know exactly how much of those uninsured costs come out of your pocketbook? Health insurance premiums will cost families and employers an extra $922 (on average) this year, to cover the costs of caring for the uninsured. It's amazing to us how this can happen. The health insurance industry in this country has become one huge joke, with companies skimming huge amounts of money for themselves, and passing the uninsured "buck" to the insured and the government. We may think Hilary Clinton is a little out there sometimes, but she was dead-to-rights on when she called for the need to reform the health care system in this country.
William Pryor. William Pryor, a Bush nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals, has swathed himself in a blanket of deceit, extremist ideology and questionable legal decisions. You can read much more about him here, but the bottom line is that Pryor is a very, very dangerous nominee. The Appeals Court is a lifetime appointment, and hears some of the most important cases that go before a court in this country. That's why it's refreshing to see The Interfaith Alliance openly condemn his nomination, and call for it to be voted down. Much like Priscilla Owen, Pryor's legal decisions are guided by his morals, and not the Constitution. Would you want to be seen in his court? Neither do we.
"War on Terror" Has Indigenous People in Its Sights. You know what the problem with the "War on Terror" is? Just like every other crusade America has tried adopt in the last 20 years, it's nebulous (see: War on AIDS, War on Drugs, War on Homelessness, etc.). Say what you want about the War in Iraq; at least with that, there's an enemy. But the "War on Terror" is too vague - if this administration thinks that you're a terrorist, then you are a terrorist. And if you don't believe us, ask all those people locked up in Guantanamo Bay, or ask Maher Arar. So, it really shouldn't be surprising that Latin America's indigenous population is now being considered "a possible threat." The National Intelligence Council has identified Islam radicalism and growing indigenous activism in Latin America as it's top two threats. Well, that only makes sense. In Bush's world, we'll never be safe as long as there are any of those brown people running around.
Editorials
Mens Rea and WMD. Republicans better hope that they can get Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) out of office, because he's calling it in a way that is far more poignant and frequent that Washington is used to. Of course, that's not a bad thing, and seeing how Conyers is in his 19th term, we highly doubt he's leaving the house until they nail his coffin shut. Until then, we really enjoy reading his thoughts. Here, he discusses why no one is calling the administration on the lack of WMDs. Conyers shows why it's more than probable that Bush knew he was lying about WMDs (Downing Street Memo notwithstanding), all leading to deliberate deception. If Conyers keeps this up, Republicans are going to want to have another look at that "free speech" thing.
Letter to MSNBC Regarding Tucker Carlson's New Show. Is MSNBC becoming the next FOX News? We hope not, but it sure appears that way. Between Joe Scarborough, Chris Matthews and now Tucker Carlson, MSNBC's primetime lineup is extremely conservative. The launching of Carlson's new show prompted Media Matters President and CEO David Brock to send a letter to Rick Kaplan, the President of MSNBC, asking him to air some progressive shows. Although Brock's letter and 37 cents will get you a copy of the Washington Post, his point remains true. As Brock writes, MSNBC has a history of slanting to the right, and how is that "balanced" news? Does this mean we're now going to have to watch CNN for our news?
A Chance to Escape. It's been a little while since we've talked education, but there's something going on in Florida that's grabbed our attention. The Florida Supreme Court is being asked to end Florida's school voucher program. We dislike school vouchers. Immensely. It's money that could be spent on schools. It blurs the line between church and state. John Tierney's editorial is interesting, but completely wrong. If grades are going up because class size is going down, then it is the state's duty to use the money to create more schools to reduce class size. Florida's voucher program is slightly different, as it offers vouchers to any student in a failing school. So, instead of attempting to "fix" what's wrong in those schools, the state throws money to students to attend private schools. But they can't throw money at everyone, can they? Focus on fixing the problems in schools, which would make education better for every student, instead of helping a few. You can read a non-partisan article on vouchers here.
