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December 29, 2005
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Sunday's Links
Activism
An Activist Guide to the Exit Strategy. Over and over we mention how important it is to get out of Iraq. Over and over, Democrats are decried as the party of naysayers, just opposing the President whenever the chance presents itself. Well, to those who would ask "How to get out of Iraq?", and "What's your plan?", we have an answer. Tom Hayden outlines, in detail, a very reasonable exit strategy, and then, at the bottom, lets you know what you can do to make it happen. Get crackin', people!
Original Commentary
In a first for Still Fighting, we're going to provide more than just a paragraph worth of original commentary. It's by Still Fighting friend, and now contributor, Andrew Duggan. Take it away, Andrew:
Support Your Local Starbucks
Health Insurance has become one of the largest crises in the United States today, but this issue has yet to capture the public’s attention or elicit action on Capitol Hill. This crisis has been masked by larger issues such as the War in Iraq and John Roberts’ nomination. However, one could argue that the high cost of health insurance has impacted more Americans than anything else.
Health insurance costs routinely increase 10% each year, and coupling this with co-payments for the cost of prescription drugs, it is hard for one to imagine how the American public has not made more of an outcry. Perhaps the housing boom has delayed the effect of rising health insurance through the use of home equity loans. Perhaps the reduction in disposable income caused by high health insurance premiums has forced many to rely on credit cards. In any case, the American economy cannot withstand the health insurance onslaught in the long term.
Enter the unlikely savior: The American corporation. Starbucks, GMC, and other responsible corporations are feeling the effect of this crisis, and they are beginning to lobby Congress to act. Starbucks guarantees health insurance to all of its employees who work 20 hours or more, and as costs go up, the Starbucks bottom line, although firmly in the black, is affected significantly and negatively. Starbucks claims that in 2004, they spent more money on health insurance than the raw ingredients for their coffee.
So, if I were you, I would not feel bad paying four dollars for that Grande Vanilla Latte three times a week. In fact, I would add a muffin or two to the order. I would also jump on the bandwagon and petition my local Senator or Congressman to act. Unfortunately for me, I live in the District of Columbia, so petitioning my representative is akin to yelling at the performers during a rock concert. But for all the non-DC residents out there, start writing letters, emails, and make phone calls. Perhaps the health care crisis can start to “have some play” in the national spotlight.
News
Harper's Index for August. We've got a very eclectic post today, and nothing says eclecticism like the Harper's Index. Read it and learn just how out-of-control our lobbying problem is. Think about it: It truly is legalized bribery. The reason is that it works. You give your Congressman some cash for his re-election, he attaches an appropriate to some bill that benefits your business. Everyone wins! Everyone, that is, except for the average American citizen. That's not all the index covers though. It's pretty amazing how simple statistics can somehow put our misplaced priorities in perspective.
Editorials
What They Did Last Fall. Our pal (well, ideologically at least) Paul Krugman hops on the electoral reform boat, and it's none too soon. Here's the deal, guys: All of our success campaigning for guys like Paul Hackett and against cretins like Rick Santorum won't make much of a difference if we don't have real electoral reform in this country. We don't need to dwell on the past, but if we don't learn from it, we'll be doomed to repeat it. Republicans will steal elections if we let them. They did so in 2000. Can you imagine how much better we'd be if we hadn't let that happen? Let's not be asking ourselves this question again in 2006 or 2008. So focus on helping out deserving campaigns, but also make sure your representatives focus on having those elections run legitimately.
Ridiculousness
Liberality For All. Sometimes, there's nothing we can write that will do a link justice. We hope that this is a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic political commentary masquerading as a comic book. However, there are people in this world who watch FOX News and think it's "Fair and Balanced", and we're betting those same exact people would buy this comic and believe it's better than X-Men. We need rescue alright, but it needs to be from the people who write and believe this trash.
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December 29, 2005
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Sunday's Links
Activism
An Activist Guide to the Exit Strategy. Over and over we mention how important it is to get out of Iraq. Over and over, Democrats are decried as the party of naysayers, just opposing the President whenever the chance presents itself. Well, to those who would ask "How to get out of Iraq?", and "What's your plan?", we have an answer. Tom Hayden outlines, in detail, a very reasonable exit strategy, and then, at the bottom, lets you know what you can do to make it happen. Get crackin', people!
Original Commentary
In a first for Still Fighting, we're going to provide more than just a paragraph worth of original commentary. It's by Still Fighting friend, and now contributor, Andrew Duggan. Take it away, Andrew:
Support Your Local Starbucks
Health Insurance has become one of the largest crises in the United States today, but this issue has yet to capture the public’s attention or elicit action on Capitol Hill. This crisis has been masked by larger issues such as the War in Iraq and John Roberts’ nomination. However, one could argue that the high cost of health insurance has impacted more Americans than anything else.
Health insurance costs routinely increase 10% each year, and coupling this with co-payments for the cost of prescription drugs, it is hard for one to imagine how the American public has not made more of an outcry. Perhaps the housing boom has delayed the effect of rising health insurance through the use of home equity loans. Perhaps the reduction in disposable income caused by high health insurance premiums has forced many to rely on credit cards. In any case, the American economy cannot withstand the health insurance onslaught in the long term.
Enter the unlikely savior: The American corporation. Starbucks, GMC, and other responsible corporations are feeling the effect of this crisis, and they are beginning to lobby Congress to act. Starbucks guarantees health insurance to all of its employees who work 20 hours or more, and as costs go up, the Starbucks bottom line, although firmly in the black, is affected significantly and negatively. Starbucks claims that in 2004, they spent more money on health insurance than the raw ingredients for their coffee.
So, if I were you, I would not feel bad paying four dollars for that Grande Vanilla Latte three times a week. In fact, I would add a muffin or two to the order. I would also jump on the bandwagon and petition my local Senator or Congressman to act. Unfortunately for me, I live in the District of Columbia, so petitioning my representative is akin to yelling at the performers during a rock concert. But for all the non-DC residents out there, start writing letters, emails, and make phone calls. Perhaps the health care crisis can start to “have some play” in the national spotlight.
News
Harper's Index for August. We've got a very eclectic post today, and nothing says eclecticism like the Harper's Index. Read it and learn just how out-of-control our lobbying problem is. Think about it: It truly is legalized bribery. The reason is that it works. You give your Congressman some cash for his re-election, he attaches an appropriate to some bill that benefits your business. Everyone wins! Everyone, that is, except for the average American citizen. That's not all the index covers though. It's pretty amazing how simple statistics can somehow put our misplaced priorities in perspective.
Editorials
What They Did Last Fall. Our pal (well, ideologically at least) Paul Krugman hops on the electoral reform boat, and it's none too soon. Here's the deal, guys: All of our success campaigning for guys like Paul Hackett and against cretins like Rick Santorum won't make much of a difference if we don't have real electoral reform in this country. We don't need to dwell on the past, but if we don't learn from it, we'll be doomed to repeat it. Republicans will steal elections if we let them. They did so in 2000. Can you imagine how much better we'd be if we hadn't let that happen? Let's not be asking ourselves this question again in 2006 or 2008. So focus on helping out deserving campaigns, but also make sure your representatives focus on having those elections run legitimately.
Ridiculousness
Liberality For All. Sometimes, there's nothing we can write that will do a link justice. We hope that this is a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic political commentary masquerading as a comic book. However, there are people in this world who watch FOX News and think it's "Fair and Balanced", and we're betting those same exact people would buy this comic and believe it's better than X-Men. We need rescue alright, but it needs to be from the people who write and believe this trash.
|
December 29, 2005
An Activist Guide to the Exit Strategy. Over and over we mention how important it is to get out of Iraq. Over and over, Democrats are decried as the party of naysayers, just opposing the President whenever the chance presents itself. Well, to those who would ask "How to get out of Iraq?", and "What's your plan?", we have an answer. Tom Hayden outlines, in detail, a very reasonable exit strategy, and then, at the bottom, lets you know what you can do to make it happen. Get crackin', people!
Original Commentary
In a first for Still Fighting, we're going to provide more than just a paragraph worth of original commentary. It's by Still Fighting friend, and now contributor, Andrew Duggan. Take it away, Andrew:
Support Your Local Starbucks
Health Insurance has become one of the largest crises in the United States today, but this issue has yet to capture the public’s attention or elicit action on Capitol Hill. This crisis has been masked by larger issues such as the War in Iraq and John Roberts’ nomination. However, one could argue that the high cost of health insurance has impacted more Americans than anything else.
Health insurance costs routinely increase 10% each year, and coupling this with co-payments for the cost of prescription drugs, it is hard for one to imagine how the American public has not made more of an outcry. Perhaps the housing boom has delayed the effect of rising health insurance through the use of home equity loans. Perhaps the reduction in disposable income caused by high health insurance premiums has forced many to rely on credit cards. In any case, the American economy cannot withstand the health insurance onslaught in the long term.
Enter the unlikely savior: The American corporation. Starbucks, GMC, and other responsible corporations are feeling the effect of this crisis, and they are beginning to lobby Congress to act. Starbucks guarantees health insurance to all of its employees who work 20 hours or more, and as costs go up, the Starbucks bottom line, although firmly in the black, is affected significantly and negatively. Starbucks claims that in 2004, they spent more money on health insurance than the raw ingredients for their coffee.
So, if I were you, I would not feel bad paying four dollars for that Grande Vanilla Latte three times a week. In fact, I would add a muffin or two to the order. I would also jump on the bandwagon and petition my local Senator or Congressman to act. Unfortunately for me, I live in the District of Columbia, so petitioning my representative is akin to yelling at the performers during a rock concert. But for all the non-DC residents out there, start writing letters, emails, and make phone calls. Perhaps the health care crisis can start to “have some play” in the national spotlight.
News
Harper's Index for August. We've got a very eclectic post today, and nothing says eclecticism like the Harper's Index. Read it and learn just how out-of-control our lobbying problem is. Think about it: It truly is legalized bribery. The reason is that it works. You give your Congressman some cash for his re-election, he attaches an appropriate to some bill that benefits your business. Everyone wins! Everyone, that is, except for the average American citizen. That's not all the index covers though. It's pretty amazing how simple statistics can somehow put our misplaced priorities in perspective.
Editorials
What They Did Last Fall. Our pal (well, ideologically at least) Paul Krugman hops on the electoral reform boat, and it's none too soon. Here's the deal, guys: All of our success campaigning for guys like Paul Hackett and against cretins like Rick Santorum won't make much of a difference if we don't have real electoral reform in this country. We don't need to dwell on the past, but if we don't learn from it, we'll be doomed to repeat it. Republicans will steal elections if we let them. They did so in 2000. Can you imagine how much better we'd be if we hadn't let that happen? Let's not be asking ourselves this question again in 2006 or 2008. So focus on helping out deserving campaigns, but also make sure your representatives focus on having those elections run legitimately.
Ridiculousness
Liberality For All. Sometimes, there's nothing we can write that will do a link justice. We hope that this is a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic political commentary masquerading as a comic book. However, there are people in this world who watch FOX News and think it's "Fair and Balanced", and we're betting those same exact people would buy this comic and believe it's better than X-Men. We need rescue alright, but it needs to be from the people who write and believe this trash.
