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December 29, 2005
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Saturday's Links
Activism
America Coming Together is launching a new initiative for the 2006 election. ACT was instrumental in getting hundreds of thousands of Democrats together in 2004, and now they keep the fighting going. Sign up here and help in any way you can, whether it is by making phone calls, writing letters, or organizing/working in a local group. The 2006 election is by no means a cakewalk, and we need your help to ensure Democrats get elected.
News
Democrats See Social Security 'Bait and Switch.' One of the things that you notice in Congressional legislature is that amendments sometimes get put into bills that they have no relationship with. We've seen it time and time again, including the prescription drug plan. With the new Republican Social Security plan, Democrats (rightly) see it as a "bait and switch;" i.e. the funding for private accounts in this plan comes from "excess revenues," but Republicans will then later attach an amendment for Bush's original non-plan to something that must pass (i.e. the conference report), and Democrats would be powerless to remove it. As Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) noted, Democrats are united in their opposition to Bush's non-plan like never before. Now is not the time for Democrats to cave in - we must be firm in our opposition to private accounts. Period.
Some Politics May Be Etched in the Genes. Ever wonder why you're a liberal? Sure, there may be a specific issue you could point to, but there must be an underlying reason. No one is suggesting that all liberals agree with all Democratic policies, but in today's polarized America, it's interesting to note the above article, where scientists believe that "people's gut-level reaction to issues like the death penalty, taxes and abortion is strongly influenced by genetic inheritance...Environmental influences like upbringing, the study suggests, play a more central role in party affiliation as a Democrat or Republican." No wonder the Bush administration is antsy about scientific funding!
Unclear on American Campus: What the Foreign Teacher Said. With the growing number of foreign graduate students in the United States, more and more teacher assistants are not native to America. No problem with that - America is the melting pot, after all. But when a TA doesn't have the ability to teach or speak with a student in understandable English, then we have a problem. 22 states so far have passed legislation that requires teachers be proficient in English. States aren't asking for the world here, but when a student pays $26,000 a year (or more) for school, they have a right to an education. The interesting thing in this story, however, is the reactions of some of the students to these TAs, openly mocking them in many cases. It's a part of the bigger picture that shows how far tolerance still has to go in this country. It's not just about civil union rights or affirmative action. When Republicans consistently vote down legislation to legalize gay marriage, they send the message that intolerance is OK. We see that manifested in situations like the one above, and that's unacceptable.
Editorials
The War President. Paul Krugman on why Bush is the only president in American history who wanted to go to war. We agree with Krugman (as usual) on many points. We're seeing a lot of Republicans simply say "Forget why we went to war. Let Bygones be bygones. Let's figure out how to get out of there." No, let's not forget. Let's never forget. Let's demand answers from an administration that has blocked repeated attempts to find out why. More people in America believe that Bush was more responsible for the war than Saddam - shouldn't that tell us something?
Bush's Energy Plan: Short on Progress, Long on Political Distraction. Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) has an editorial on Arianna Huffington's website. In it, he discusses the latest Energy Bill, which contains more distraction than resolution. Corporations poisoning the water supply? Thanks to Tom DeLay, taxpayers will have to fork over the money to fix it. Drilling in Alaska? You're welcome, China. Hybrid vehicles? Good luck, John Q. American. We can certainly do better, but can Republicans?
Humorous Media
God Hates Rags. In News #3 we wrote about intolerance. Check out this short film, entitled Felt, and then try and justify to us why blocking the civil rights of a certain segment of the population is OK. We dare you.
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December 29, 2005
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Saturday's Links
Activism
America Coming Together is launching a new initiative for the 2006 election. ACT was instrumental in getting hundreds of thousands of Democrats together in 2004, and now they keep the fighting going. Sign up here and help in any way you can, whether it is by making phone calls, writing letters, or organizing/working in a local group. The 2006 election is by no means a cakewalk, and we need your help to ensure Democrats get elected.
News
Democrats See Social Security 'Bait and Switch.' One of the things that you notice in Congressional legislature is that amendments sometimes get put into bills that they have no relationship with. We've seen it time and time again, including the prescription drug plan. With the new Republican Social Security plan, Democrats (rightly) see it as a "bait and switch;" i.e. the funding for private accounts in this plan comes from "excess revenues," but Republicans will then later attach an amendment for Bush's original non-plan to something that must pass (i.e. the conference report), and Democrats would be powerless to remove it. As Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) noted, Democrats are united in their opposition to Bush's non-plan like never before. Now is not the time for Democrats to cave in - we must be firm in our opposition to private accounts. Period.
Some Politics May Be Etched in the Genes. Ever wonder why you're a liberal? Sure, there may be a specific issue you could point to, but there must be an underlying reason. No one is suggesting that all liberals agree with all Democratic policies, but in today's polarized America, it's interesting to note the above article, where scientists believe that "people's gut-level reaction to issues like the death penalty, taxes and abortion is strongly influenced by genetic inheritance...Environmental influences like upbringing, the study suggests, play a more central role in party affiliation as a Democrat or Republican." No wonder the Bush administration is antsy about scientific funding!
Unclear on American Campus: What the Foreign Teacher Said. With the growing number of foreign graduate students in the United States, more and more teacher assistants are not native to America. No problem with that - America is the melting pot, after all. But when a TA doesn't have the ability to teach or speak with a student in understandable English, then we have a problem. 22 states so far have passed legislation that requires teachers be proficient in English. States aren't asking for the world here, but when a student pays $26,000 a year (or more) for school, they have a right to an education. The interesting thing in this story, however, is the reactions of some of the students to these TAs, openly mocking them in many cases. It's a part of the bigger picture that shows how far tolerance still has to go in this country. It's not just about civil union rights or affirmative action. When Republicans consistently vote down legislation to legalize gay marriage, they send the message that intolerance is OK. We see that manifested in situations like the one above, and that's unacceptable.
Editorials
The War President. Paul Krugman on why Bush is the only president in American history who wanted to go to war. We agree with Krugman (as usual) on many points. We're seeing a lot of Republicans simply say "Forget why we went to war. Let Bygones be bygones. Let's figure out how to get out of there." No, let's not forget. Let's never forget. Let's demand answers from an administration that has blocked repeated attempts to find out why. More people in America believe that Bush was more responsible for the war than Saddam - shouldn't that tell us something?
Bush's Energy Plan: Short on Progress, Long on Political Distraction. Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) has an editorial on Arianna Huffington's website. In it, he discusses the latest Energy Bill, which contains more distraction than resolution. Corporations poisoning the water supply? Thanks to Tom DeLay, taxpayers will have to fork over the money to fix it. Drilling in Alaska? You're welcome, China. Hybrid vehicles? Good luck, John Q. American. We can certainly do better, but can Republicans?
Humorous Media
God Hates Rags. In News #3 we wrote about intolerance. Check out this short film, entitled Felt, and then try and justify to us why blocking the civil rights of a certain segment of the population is OK. We dare you.
|
December 29, 2005
America Coming Together is launching a new initiative for the 2006 election. ACT was instrumental in getting hundreds of thousands of Democrats together in 2004, and now they keep the fighting going. Sign up here and help in any way you can, whether it is by making phone calls, writing letters, or organizing/working in a local group. The 2006 election is by no means a cakewalk, and we need your help to ensure Democrats get elected.
News
Democrats See Social Security 'Bait and Switch.' One of the things that you notice in Congressional legislature is that amendments sometimes get put into bills that they have no relationship with. We've seen it time and time again, including the prescription drug plan. With the new Republican Social Security plan, Democrats (rightly) see it as a "bait and switch;" i.e. the funding for private accounts in this plan comes from "excess revenues," but Republicans will then later attach an amendment for Bush's original non-plan to something that must pass (i.e. the conference report), and Democrats would be powerless to remove it. As Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) noted, Democrats are united in their opposition to Bush's non-plan like never before. Now is not the time for Democrats to cave in - we must be firm in our opposition to private accounts. Period.
Some Politics May Be Etched in the Genes. Ever wonder why you're a liberal? Sure, there may be a specific issue you could point to, but there must be an underlying reason. No one is suggesting that all liberals agree with all Democratic policies, but in today's polarized America, it's interesting to note the above article, where scientists believe that "people's gut-level reaction to issues like the death penalty, taxes and abortion is strongly influenced by genetic inheritance...Environmental influences like upbringing, the study suggests, play a more central role in party affiliation as a Democrat or Republican." No wonder the Bush administration is antsy about scientific funding!
Unclear on American Campus: What the Foreign Teacher Said. With the growing number of foreign graduate students in the United States, more and more teacher assistants are not native to America. No problem with that - America is the melting pot, after all. But when a TA doesn't have the ability to teach or speak with a student in understandable English, then we have a problem. 22 states so far have passed legislation that requires teachers be proficient in English. States aren't asking for the world here, but when a student pays $26,000 a year (or more) for school, they have a right to an education. The interesting thing in this story, however, is the reactions of some of the students to these TAs, openly mocking them in many cases. It's a part of the bigger picture that shows how far tolerance still has to go in this country. It's not just about civil union rights or affirmative action. When Republicans consistently vote down legislation to legalize gay marriage, they send the message that intolerance is OK. We see that manifested in situations like the one above, and that's unacceptable.
Editorials
The War President. Paul Krugman on why Bush is the only president in American history who wanted to go to war. We agree with Krugman (as usual) on many points. We're seeing a lot of Republicans simply say "Forget why we went to war. Let Bygones be bygones. Let's figure out how to get out of there." No, let's not forget. Let's never forget. Let's demand answers from an administration that has blocked repeated attempts to find out why. More people in America believe that Bush was more responsible for the war than Saddam - shouldn't that tell us something?
Bush's Energy Plan: Short on Progress, Long on Political Distraction. Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) has an editorial on Arianna Huffington's website. In it, he discusses the latest Energy Bill, which contains more distraction than resolution. Corporations poisoning the water supply? Thanks to Tom DeLay, taxpayers will have to fork over the money to fix it. Drilling in Alaska? You're welcome, China. Hybrid vehicles? Good luck, John Q. American. We can certainly do better, but can Republicans?
Humorous Media
God Hates Rags. In News #3 we wrote about intolerance. Check out this short film, entitled Felt, and then try and justify to us why blocking the civil rights of a certain segment of the population is OK. We dare you.
