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December 29, 2005
Friday, November 04, 2005
Friday's Links
Activism
Rights, Recovery, and Renaissance. Unfortunately, now that the hubbub about Katrina has died down, many Gulf Coast residents are being left to their own devices to rebuild the devastated areas. But with the federal government often working to undermine their rights, it's becoming even more difficult that you might imagine. That's why Democracy for America and Louisiana's NAACP are sponsoring a "day-long event to create actionable items that will foster the cultural and economic rebirth of the Gulf Coast. If you can make it to Baton Rouge on November 19th, sign up and do what you can to ensure the rights of those who want to start a Gulf Coast Renaissance.
News
Food Stamp Cuts Are On Table. The age-old conservative philosophy of "starving the beast" is alive and well. Except the philosophy is horribly misguided; the so-called beast is really our government programs that aid the poorest, sickest, and most unfortunate in this country. But the budget's so unbalanced that even the no-tax-and-spend GOP is realizing something's gotta be done. But they're not going to end the expensive and unnecessary war, or the expensive and unnecessary tax cuts, or the expensive and unnecessary prescription drug plan. No, they're going to end the relatively inexpensive and quite necessary food stamp plan for about 300,000 citizens. Furthermore, they're considering cutting people off of school lunch programs, and rolling back expanded foster care support. It's simply disgraceful.
AIDS Gel on a Faster Track. Here's some fantastic news, for once. A new, promising method of fighting AIDS is being pursued by both Bristol-Myers and Merck. We often lambaste drug companies for not doing more to help the billions of people who need their help, and maybe they're finally getting the message. (Of course, we're not delusional enough to believe it's because of us, but hey, every little bit helps, right?) What's even more promising is that usually, drug companies won't make groundbreaking treatments available to poorer countries until they've been on the market a while. And often, it's the poorer countries that need the advanced treatments most. But in this case, Merck and Bristol-Myers are trying to keep costs low, and seem to be interested in providing the new gel to AIDS victims in poor countries. It's a start - let's hope other drug companies will follow their lead.
Youths in Rural U.S. Are Drawn To Military. Newly released Pentagon data shows just how much this war is taking from the people who can least afford to give. 44% of recruits come from rural areas, while only 14% are from major cities. And "[n]early two-thirds of Army recruits in 2004 came from counties in which median household income is below the U.S. median." It's a deadly spiral - we have an economy with slow job growth, and that funnels money from the poor to the rich. Then, the poor have no opportunities, so they're forced to join the military, which is fighting a war in which the only people benefitting are the rich contractors and oil companies. It's not sad that kids are joining the Army - after all, the profession is a noble one, even if their current mission night not be. However, what is deeply disturbing is that many of this kids are forced to turn to the Army because they have no other options.
Editorials
The wealth puzzle: There’s a lot of money someplace, but where? You know, one thing we agree with the Bush administration on is that the tax code is too complicated. But it's too complicated because there are all sorts of loopholes that only the richest among us qualify for, and on top of that, only people that are well off can afford accountants to even find those loopholes. Beyond that, Henry Banta does some interesting work for Nieman Watchdog, and digs up some very important questions. There's clearly been shift of income to the top 1% (or even top .05%), but their wealth hasn't increased. So where's all that money going? Banta proposes that the money's being put in offshore tax havens that the IRS is doing very little to investigate. Banta claims the IRS isn't even capable of investigating these cases, and that's by design. We're not sure why, though: Just imagine how many wars we could fund with the taxes on the estimated $1.6 trillion held by Americans offshore! (Hmm...let's not give Bush any ideas...)
In the Company of Friends. You know, with news continuing to be released about the ineptitude and callousness of Michael Brown, you might think that Bush had taken a respite from cronyism. Hell, he even nominated Ben Bernanke to the Fed, a man who actually appears to be qualified! Apparently, he thinks that absolves him of past and future cronyism, because now he's at it again. This time, Bush "appointed nine campaign contributors, including three longtime fund-raisers, to his Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, a 16-member panel of individuals from the private sector who advise the president on the quality and effectiveness of U.S. intelligence efforts." Yes, campaign contributors have been appointed to positions in the past, but Bush has really elevated these appointments to an art form. And given that he's still ostensibly fighting this whole war on terror thing, one might think that he'd be interested in having qualified people improve our intelligence gathering critiques. You might think that, but you'd be wrong.
Blogger Commentary
Partisan Democrats? Let's Look at How The GOP-Dominated Senate Has Worked This Year. The biggest slam that Republicans have been making against the Democrats, when they're not slamming their patriotism, or using the word "liberal" as a slur, is claiming that they're simply obstructionist and have no ideas. Well, we know that's not true, especially as of late, when Democrats have suggested plans for exiting Iraq , Katrina-relief suggestions, and improved health care for children, just to name a few ideas. But most of the time (and this is just in the Senate - the House is far worse), the Senate just shuts the Democrats out. They complain about Democrats not acting in a bipartisan manner, but it's all just a ruse. In fact, they want nothing to do with Democrats. The stats bear this out: "Of 118 pieces of Democratic-sponsored legislation, a whopping 80 percent were rejected by Senate Republicans, many of them on straight party-line votes. Of those bills, 24 were 'agreed to' and 94 were 'rejected.' " Not only that, but of those 24, "nine were benign acts that passed by a unanimous vote or, in one case, 94-6." Remember that Democrats do hold 44 seats, and that those seats actually represent over 50% of the country's population. Democrats have tried bipartisanship. It doesn't work, because the Republicans won't let it. And they have the nerve to criticize Harry Reid for finally playing hardball?
The ultimate Newspeak. Tired of simple-minded partisan discussions? Well, then you can turn to the same guy that we turn to for erudite discussion and heady analysis: Dave Neiwert. We find it amusing that he often seems to challenge people like Michelle Malkin and Jonah Goldberg - in the real of intelligence, it's like Goliath attacking a pair of smurfs. Goldberg, who we can reliably say might be one of the biggest idiots in the entire world, has released a new book titled "Liberal Facism". Why does Neiwert spend time on this moron? Because, as he says, "Propagandists like Goldberg always flourish in a vacuum of public ignorance. If liberals try to pretend he doesn't exist in the hope this meme will just go away ... it may be a fatal mistake."
Humor
Harlan McCraney, Presidential Speechologist. You probably thought that Bush's obliteration of the English language was accidental. Not so. In fact, it's the product of Harlan McCraney, who has specially crafted Bush's incomprehensible manner of speech. Masterful!
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December 29, 2005
Friday, November 04, 2005
Friday's Links
Activism
Rights, Recovery, and Renaissance. Unfortunately, now that the hubbub about Katrina has died down, many Gulf Coast residents are being left to their own devices to rebuild the devastated areas. But with the federal government often working to undermine their rights, it's becoming even more difficult that you might imagine. That's why Democracy for America and Louisiana's NAACP are sponsoring a "day-long event to create actionable items that will foster the cultural and economic rebirth of the Gulf Coast. If you can make it to Baton Rouge on November 19th, sign up and do what you can to ensure the rights of those who want to start a Gulf Coast Renaissance.
News
Food Stamp Cuts Are On Table. The age-old conservative philosophy of "starving the beast" is alive and well. Except the philosophy is horribly misguided; the so-called beast is really our government programs that aid the poorest, sickest, and most unfortunate in this country. But the budget's so unbalanced that even the no-tax-and-spend GOP is realizing something's gotta be done. But they're not going to end the expensive and unnecessary war, or the expensive and unnecessary tax cuts, or the expensive and unnecessary prescription drug plan. No, they're going to end the relatively inexpensive and quite necessary food stamp plan for about 300,000 citizens. Furthermore, they're considering cutting people off of school lunch programs, and rolling back expanded foster care support. It's simply disgraceful.
AIDS Gel on a Faster Track. Here's some fantastic news, for once. A new, promising method of fighting AIDS is being pursued by both Bristol-Myers and Merck. We often lambaste drug companies for not doing more to help the billions of people who need their help, and maybe they're finally getting the message. (Of course, we're not delusional enough to believe it's because of us, but hey, every little bit helps, right?) What's even more promising is that usually, drug companies won't make groundbreaking treatments available to poorer countries until they've been on the market a while. And often, it's the poorer countries that need the advanced treatments most. But in this case, Merck and Bristol-Myers are trying to keep costs low, and seem to be interested in providing the new gel to AIDS victims in poor countries. It's a start - let's hope other drug companies will follow their lead.
Youths in Rural U.S. Are Drawn To Military. Newly released Pentagon data shows just how much this war is taking from the people who can least afford to give. 44% of recruits come from rural areas, while only 14% are from major cities. And "[n]early two-thirds of Army recruits in 2004 came from counties in which median household income is below the U.S. median." It's a deadly spiral - we have an economy with slow job growth, and that funnels money from the poor to the rich. Then, the poor have no opportunities, so they're forced to join the military, which is fighting a war in which the only people benefitting are the rich contractors and oil companies. It's not sad that kids are joining the Army - after all, the profession is a noble one, even if their current mission night not be. However, what is deeply disturbing is that many of this kids are forced to turn to the Army because they have no other options.
Editorials
The wealth puzzle: There’s a lot of money someplace, but where? You know, one thing we agree with the Bush administration on is that the tax code is too complicated. But it's too complicated because there are all sorts of loopholes that only the richest among us qualify for, and on top of that, only people that are well off can afford accountants to even find those loopholes. Beyond that, Henry Banta does some interesting work for Nieman Watchdog, and digs up some very important questions. There's clearly been shift of income to the top 1% (or even top .05%), but their wealth hasn't increased. So where's all that money going? Banta proposes that the money's being put in offshore tax havens that the IRS is doing very little to investigate. Banta claims the IRS isn't even capable of investigating these cases, and that's by design. We're not sure why, though: Just imagine how many wars we could fund with the taxes on the estimated $1.6 trillion held by Americans offshore! (Hmm...let's not give Bush any ideas...)
In the Company of Friends. You know, with news continuing to be released about the ineptitude and callousness of Michael Brown, you might think that Bush had taken a respite from cronyism. Hell, he even nominated Ben Bernanke to the Fed, a man who actually appears to be qualified! Apparently, he thinks that absolves him of past and future cronyism, because now he's at it again. This time, Bush "appointed nine campaign contributors, including three longtime fund-raisers, to his Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, a 16-member panel of individuals from the private sector who advise the president on the quality and effectiveness of U.S. intelligence efforts." Yes, campaign contributors have been appointed to positions in the past, but Bush has really elevated these appointments to an art form. And given that he's still ostensibly fighting this whole war on terror thing, one might think that he'd be interested in having qualified people improve our intelligence gathering critiques. You might think that, but you'd be wrong.
Blogger Commentary
Partisan Democrats? Let's Look at How The GOP-Dominated Senate Has Worked This Year. The biggest slam that Republicans have been making against the Democrats, when they're not slamming their patriotism, or using the word "liberal" as a slur, is claiming that they're simply obstructionist and have no ideas. Well, we know that's not true, especially as of late, when Democrats have suggested plans for exiting Iraq , Katrina-relief suggestions, and improved health care for children, just to name a few ideas. But most of the time (and this is just in the Senate - the House is far worse), the Senate just shuts the Democrats out. They complain about Democrats not acting in a bipartisan manner, but it's all just a ruse. In fact, they want nothing to do with Democrats. The stats bear this out: "Of 118 pieces of Democratic-sponsored legislation, a whopping 80 percent were rejected by Senate Republicans, many of them on straight party-line votes. Of those bills, 24 were 'agreed to' and 94 were 'rejected.' " Not only that, but of those 24, "nine were benign acts that passed by a unanimous vote or, in one case, 94-6." Remember that Democrats do hold 44 seats, and that those seats actually represent over 50% of the country's population. Democrats have tried bipartisanship. It doesn't work, because the Republicans won't let it. And they have the nerve to criticize Harry Reid for finally playing hardball?
The ultimate Newspeak. Tired of simple-minded partisan discussions? Well, then you can turn to the same guy that we turn to for erudite discussion and heady analysis: Dave Neiwert. We find it amusing that he often seems to challenge people like Michelle Malkin and Jonah Goldberg - in the real of intelligence, it's like Goliath attacking a pair of smurfs. Goldberg, who we can reliably say might be one of the biggest idiots in the entire world, has released a new book titled "Liberal Facism". Why does Neiwert spend time on this moron? Because, as he says, "Propagandists like Goldberg always flourish in a vacuum of public ignorance. If liberals try to pretend he doesn't exist in the hope this meme will just go away ... it may be a fatal mistake."
Humor
Harlan McCraney, Presidential Speechologist. You probably thought that Bush's obliteration of the English language was accidental. Not so. In fact, it's the product of Harlan McCraney, who has specially crafted Bush's incomprehensible manner of speech. Masterful!
|
December 29, 2005
Rights, Recovery, and Renaissance. Unfortunately, now that the hubbub about Katrina has died down, many Gulf Coast residents are being left to their own devices to rebuild the devastated areas. But with the federal government often working to undermine their rights, it's becoming even more difficult that you might imagine. That's why Democracy for America and Louisiana's NAACP are sponsoring a "day-long event to create actionable items that will foster the cultural and economic rebirth of the Gulf Coast. If you can make it to Baton Rouge on November 19th, sign up and do what you can to ensure the rights of those who want to start a Gulf Coast Renaissance.
News
Food Stamp Cuts Are On Table. The age-old conservative philosophy of "starving the beast" is alive and well. Except the philosophy is horribly misguided; the so-called beast is really our government programs that aid the poorest, sickest, and most unfortunate in this country. But the budget's so unbalanced that even the no-tax-and-spend GOP is realizing something's gotta be done. But they're not going to end the expensive and unnecessary war, or the expensive and unnecessary tax cuts, or the expensive and unnecessary prescription drug plan. No, they're going to end the relatively inexpensive and quite necessary food stamp plan for about 300,000 citizens. Furthermore, they're considering cutting people off of school lunch programs, and rolling back expanded foster care support. It's simply disgraceful.
AIDS Gel on a Faster Track. Here's some fantastic news, for once. A new, promising method of fighting AIDS is being pursued by both Bristol-Myers and Merck. We often lambaste drug companies for not doing more to help the billions of people who need their help, and maybe they're finally getting the message. (Of course, we're not delusional enough to believe it's because of us, but hey, every little bit helps, right?) What's even more promising is that usually, drug companies won't make groundbreaking treatments available to poorer countries until they've been on the market a while. And often, it's the poorer countries that need the advanced treatments most. But in this case, Merck and Bristol-Myers are trying to keep costs low, and seem to be interested in providing the new gel to AIDS victims in poor countries. It's a start - let's hope other drug companies will follow their lead.
Youths in Rural U.S. Are Drawn To Military. Newly released Pentagon data shows just how much this war is taking from the people who can least afford to give. 44% of recruits come from rural areas, while only 14% are from major cities. And "[n]early two-thirds of Army recruits in 2004 came from counties in which median household income is below the U.S. median." It's a deadly spiral - we have an economy with slow job growth, and that funnels money from the poor to the rich. Then, the poor have no opportunities, so they're forced to join the military, which is fighting a war in which the only people benefitting are the rich contractors and oil companies. It's not sad that kids are joining the Army - after all, the profession is a noble one, even if their current mission night not be. However, what is deeply disturbing is that many of this kids are forced to turn to the Army because they have no other options.
Editorials
The wealth puzzle: There’s a lot of money someplace, but where? You know, one thing we agree with the Bush administration on is that the tax code is too complicated. But it's too complicated because there are all sorts of loopholes that only the richest among us qualify for, and on top of that, only people that are well off can afford accountants to even find those loopholes. Beyond that, Henry Banta does some interesting work for Nieman Watchdog, and digs up some very important questions. There's clearly been shift of income to the top 1% (or even top .05%), but their wealth hasn't increased. So where's all that money going? Banta proposes that the money's being put in offshore tax havens that the IRS is doing very little to investigate. Banta claims the IRS isn't even capable of investigating these cases, and that's by design. We're not sure why, though: Just imagine how many wars we could fund with the taxes on the estimated $1.6 trillion held by Americans offshore! (Hmm...let's not give Bush any ideas...)
In the Company of Friends. You know, with news continuing to be released about the ineptitude and callousness of Michael Brown, you might think that Bush had taken a respite from cronyism. Hell, he even nominated Ben Bernanke to the Fed, a man who actually appears to be qualified! Apparently, he thinks that absolves him of past and future cronyism, because now he's at it again. This time, Bush "appointed nine campaign contributors, including three longtime fund-raisers, to his Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, a 16-member panel of individuals from the private sector who advise the president on the quality and effectiveness of U.S. intelligence efforts." Yes, campaign contributors have been appointed to positions in the past, but Bush has really elevated these appointments to an art form. And given that he's still ostensibly fighting this whole war on terror thing, one might think that he'd be interested in having qualified people improve our intelligence gathering critiques. You might think that, but you'd be wrong.
Blogger Commentary
Partisan Democrats? Let's Look at How The GOP-Dominated Senate Has Worked This Year. The biggest slam that Republicans have been making against the Democrats, when they're not slamming their patriotism, or using the word "liberal" as a slur, is claiming that they're simply obstructionist and have no ideas. Well, we know that's not true, especially as of late, when Democrats have suggested plans for exiting Iraq , Katrina-relief suggestions, and improved health care for children, just to name a few ideas. But most of the time (and this is just in the Senate - the House is far worse), the Senate just shuts the Democrats out. They complain about Democrats not acting in a bipartisan manner, but it's all just a ruse. In fact, they want nothing to do with Democrats. The stats bear this out: "Of 118 pieces of Democratic-sponsored legislation, a whopping 80 percent were rejected by Senate Republicans, many of them on straight party-line votes. Of those bills, 24 were 'agreed to' and 94 were 'rejected.' " Not only that, but of those 24, "nine were benign acts that passed by a unanimous vote or, in one case, 94-6." Remember that Democrats do hold 44 seats, and that those seats actually represent over 50% of the country's population. Democrats have tried bipartisanship. It doesn't work, because the Republicans won't let it. And they have the nerve to criticize Harry Reid for finally playing hardball?
The ultimate Newspeak. Tired of simple-minded partisan discussions? Well, then you can turn to the same guy that we turn to for erudite discussion and heady analysis: Dave Neiwert. We find it amusing that he often seems to challenge people like Michelle Malkin and Jonah Goldberg - in the real of intelligence, it's like Goliath attacking a pair of smurfs. Goldberg, who we can reliably say might be one of the biggest idiots in the entire world, has released a new book titled "Liberal Facism". Why does Neiwert spend time on this moron? Because, as he says, "Propagandists like Goldberg always flourish in a vacuum of public ignorance. If liberals try to pretend he doesn't exist in the hope this meme will just go away ... it may be a fatal mistake."
Humor
Harlan McCraney, Presidential Speechologist. You probably thought that Bush's obliteration of the English language was accidental. Not so. In fact, it's the product of Harlan McCraney, who has specially crafted Bush's incomprehensible manner of speech. Masterful!
