Saturday Stuff

Happy 100th birthday to Jackson Pollock (no, he didn’t live that long - great movie about him with Ed Harris and Marcia Gay Harden, by the way)...



...and it looks like Allen West is at it again here (you must be so proud, you Floridians dumb enough to actually help elect this sociopath; love Jim Manley's response - he'd better not apologize)...



...also, Martin Bashir is a guy I should pay more attention to, and I’ll try to do so; here is some spot-on commentary about the Repugs (Bashir also appeared on “Real Time with Bill Maher” this week and looked knowledgeable and a bit funny when I saw him)...



…and yep, it’s time for “Retro Saturday Night” – enjoy.

Saturday Mashup (1/28/12)

I give you BoBo in the New York Times yesterday (here, on the matter of President Obama’s State of the Union speech the other night)…

There was nothing big, like tax reform or entitlement reform. There was no comprehensive effort to restore trust in government by sweeping away the tax credits and special-interest schemes that entangle Washington. Ninety percent of American workers work in the service economy, but Obama spoke mostly about manufacturing.

Instead, there were a series of modest proposals that poll well. In that sense, it was the Democratic version of Newt Gingrich’s original “Contract With America” — a series of medium-size ideas with 80 percent approval ratings.

Of course, the esteemed David Brooks doesn’t provide sourcing for this claim (figures). However, I think the following should be noted from here…

The truth about the fabled Contract With America is much different than (the portrayal by Jeffrey Goldberg in the New Yorker) in fact, he is propping up a thoroughly discredited bit of revisionist history. Rather than being the catalyst for the Republican’s 1994 victory, as many reporters have since portrayed it, the Contract with America actually made its debut only six weeks before the 1994 election, which makes its effect on the outcome a debatable proposition.

What isn’t debatable is that, back in the days before the 1994 election, the Contract’s celebrated “drama and clarity” was lost on the majority of Americans. The fact is, according to an article that appeared in the December 1994/January 1995 issue of Campaigns & Elections, “very few voters were even aware of this contract during the election: just 31 percent had heard of the Contract in a late October [1994] NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

“Moreover, very few Republican candidates ran television ads promoting their signing of the contract, while scores of Democrats ran commercials attacking their opponents for supporting a proposal that would endanger Social Security and Medicare.”

Similarly, a poll taken by New Jersey’s Star-Ledger in Febraury1995 found that 55 percent of New Jersey residents polled “have not read or heard much about” the Contract. The poll also found that “Among those who voted Republican, 55 percent say that the Contract with America was not a reason why they selected their candidate.”

From what I read of these things, apparently Willard Mitt Romney is getting plenty of help from the Repug establishment in deflating the candidacy of Baby Newton Leroy (and some corporate media support too, including this shocking bit of actual reporting from Brooks’s co-worker Sheryl Gay Stolberg). So try as BoBo might, somehow I don’t think all the king’s horses and all the king’s men are going to put the disgraced former U.S. House speaker back together again.

Also (and keeping with the State of the Union), the Doughy Pantload is in high dudgeon (here)…

President Obama's State of the Union address was disgusting.

The president began with a moving tribute to the armed forces and their accomplishments. But as he has done many times now, he celebrated martial virtues not to rally support for the military, but to cover himself in glory -- he killed Osama bin Laden! -- and to convince the American people that they should fall in line and march in lockstep.

He said of the military: "At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They're not consumed with personal ambition. They don't obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together. Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. Think about the America within our reach."

That is disgusting.

What Obama is saying, quite plainly, is that America would be better off if it wasn't America any longer. He's making the case not for American exceptionalism, but Spartan exceptionalism.

Umm…here is more context on what Obama actually said…

Think about the America within our reach: a country that leads the world in educating its people; an America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs; a future where we’re in control of our own energy; and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world. An economy built to last, where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded.

We can do this. I know we can, because we’ve done it before. At the end of World War II, when another generation of heroes returned home from combat, they built the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known.

My grandfather, a veteran of Patton’s Army, got the chance to go to college on the G.I. Bill. My grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on Earth.

The two of them shared the optimism of a nation that had triumphed over a depression and fascism. They understood they were part of something larger, that they were contributing to a story of success that every American had a chance to share: the basic American promise that if you worked hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and put a little away for retirement.

The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.

Doesn’t sound so “disgusting” after all, does it?

Of course, this is in keeping with the predictable right-wing bloviation on display here…

And does Jonah have a problem with the “within our reach” language? If so, here are more examples from another president (and I’m not checking on Number 43’s veracity here, it should be noted, only the wording)…

For Americans who now purchase health insurance on their own, my proposal would mean a substantial tax savings — $4,500 for a family of four making $60,000 a year. And for the millions of other Americans who have no health insurance at all, this deduction would help put a basic private health insurance plan within their reach.

…

It is in our vital interest to diversify America's energy supply — and the way forward is through technology. We must continue changing the way America generates electric power — by even greater use of clean coal technology ... solar and wind energy ... and clean, safe nuclear power. We need to press on with battery research for plug-in and hybrid vehicles, and expand the use of clean diesel vehicles and biodiesel fuel. We must continue investing in new methods of producing ethanol — using everything from wood chips, to grasses, to agricultural wastes. We have made a lot of progress, thanks to good policies in Washington and the strong response of the market. Now even more dramatic advances are within reach.

And by the way, do you want to know how our pal Jonah rose to prominence to begin with? Check this out…

Goldberg's career as a pundit was launched following his mother Lucianne Goldberg's role in the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, when he wrote about the "media siege" on his mother's apartment in The New Yorker.[2][3]

Goldberg has spoken of his mother and the Lewinsky scandal:

My mother was the one who advised Linda Tripp to record her conversations with Monica Lewinsky and to save the dress. I was privy to some of that stuff, and when the administration set about to destroy Lewinsky, Tripp, and my mom, I defended my mom and by extension Tripp... I have zero desire to have those arguments again. I did my bit in the trenches of Clinton's trousers.[4]

And Goldberg is the one telling us what is disgusting?

Finally (and I know I’m a little behind on this), I give you Nike CEO Phil Knight, saying the following during the funeral of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno (here)…

"If there is a villain in this tragedy, it lies in that investigation, and not in Joe Paterno's response."

And of course, the remark earned a standing ovation.

Oh, so the investigation is the villain? Not the alleged child-raping activities of Jerry Sandusky, one of Paterno’s coaches? Not “Joe Pa” himself either, of course, for turning the matter over to the trustees and not going public MUCH earlier when the trustees apparently sat on their hands?

Please read this about Nike from October 2009, particularly the following, to understand how Knight allowed those in his employment to be abused, perhaps in not quite as horrific a manner as some of those under Paterno’s charge were abused, but still bad all the same…

… because of the pressure that was placed on Nike by consumers, women workers no longer have to prove they are menstruating to get their legally guaranteed leave. Also, workers are no longer beaten with machetes or threatened at gunpoint for union organizing activity.

However, while we have seen the progress mentioned above, we still have no movement on the two most important issues - Nike workers are still being paid a poverty wage and Nike still refuses to bargain with their workers in good faith.

I’m not going to try and equate Nike’s business practices with the recruiting and coaching activities of Joe Paterno, since I believe there is no comparison. What I’m saying, though, is that, given all this, Phil Knight has no right whatsoever to try and claim the moral high ground here.

So, when it comes to demonizing the accusers of Penn State, including Joe Paterno, I have the following advice for Knight: Just (Don’t) Do It.

(Sorry – too easy).

Friday Stuff

(I hope to get back to posting one of these days - couldn't quite make it happen today, though I have stuff in my "in" box.)

Gee, I wonder if Oklahoma State Sen. Ralph Shortey thought the following was a documentary (here)…



…and I keep asking about Baby Newton Leroy’s space-based air traffic control system because I just haven’t gotten an answer, and I don’t expect that I ever will (here – more “Nail. Hammer. Head.” stuff from Jon Stewart)…



…and speaking of space (and getting a lot more serious), today is the solemn 45th anniversary of this tragedy…



…and in another milestone, Brian Wilson played the first of four sold-out performances of "Smile" at The Royal Festival Hall, London ten years ago today; a clip follows (and by the way, concerning Wilson’s remarks at the end about The Beach Boys and The Beatles, it should be noted from the concert film that Sir Paul met Wilson backstage before one of the ’02 shows and wished him luck, which Wilson appreciated – a classy moment all around).

Thursday Stuff

(I'll try to do that posting thing tomorrow, but I can't promise anything yet.)

RIP, Politifact (and kudos to Rachel here – try “Totally, Unarguably, And Completely 100 Percent True” instead, morons)...



...and here’s a poppin’ little number, for no particular reason (maybe The Mittster has this at one of his palaces – ???...by the way, that’s all I have to say that is even remotely tangential to the 256,344,722nd Repug presidential candidates’ debate tonight).

Wednesday Stuff

Godspeed, Gabby...

Tuesday Stuff

Don’t look now, but here’s the latest anti-clean energy campaign from the Koch Brothers – yes, it’s another spot-on “Onion” parody, but is it really that far off?...


In The Know: Coal Lobby Warns Wind Farms May Blow Earth Off Orbit

…and yep, I admit that I like happy endings in videos, even though this doesn’t have one.

Monday Mashup (1/23/12)

I’ll give you what I have time for, and it will have to be quick…

Good luck to Gabby Giffords – it’s more important that she does all she needs to do to heal as much as possible; politics are secondary to living your life (here).

In light of the passing of Joe Paterno, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit this New York Times column from last November by Penn State’s Michael Berube.

And sticking with sports, I give you the following (here, following the lead of "Orange Man" and NASCAR drivers before him)…

Washington (CNN) -- Opposed to what he called the "out of control" growth of the federal government, Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas declined an invitation to join his teammates at the White House on Monday.

The award-winning Thomas, who last year led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup championship emblematic of National Hockey League supremacy, was one of three players missing when President Barack Obama met with the team to offer congratulations.

According to a story on the team's website, www.bostonbruins.com, Thomas "opted out" of the White House visit. One of the other missing players was injured, and the third now plays for another team, according to the website story.

A statement by the 37-year-old Thomas posted Monday on the team website said he opposed the "out of control" growth of the federal government that threatened "the rights, liberties, and property of the people."

"This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the federal government," the statement said. "Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL."

The statement ended by saying: "This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic." It concluded with the initials "TT."

Yeah, well, that sounds oh so honorable, until you find out the following (here)…

While his politics aren't common knowledge among many hockey fans, Thomas hasn't hidden his political leanings. He's a fan of former Fox News channel host Glenn Beck, once saying he aspired to appear on Beck's talk show as a guest.

Big Government, a website founded by conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart, celebrated Thomas as a "true Tea Party patriot" for having "In God We Trust" and the Gadsden flag on his mask.

Gee, ya’ think Thomas is actually ashamed of being a teabagger and doesn’t want to admit it?

He may be an elite NHL goaltender, but I think he needs to realize that the White House is the people’s house, and when you refuse an invitation, you’re also insulting the people of this country. And while I know I once said that medal winners should return the hardware they received from Former President Numbskull, I never said that they should be personally disrespectful to him (deserved though that would have been).

And Thomas is being personally disrespectful to President Obama. And by extension, he’s being personally disrespectful to all of us, under the guise of this “both sides are at fault” crap.

And as an American citizen playing in the NHL (where he has a lot of company in that regard), he definitely should know better.

Finally (and timed a bit for the anniversary of Roe v. Wade yesterday), this Daily Tucker post from Repug U.S. House Rep Dave Schweikert tells us the story of how his mother, who was unwed while pregnant, was tempted to undergo an abortion but chose to carry him to term instead, turning him over to adoptive parents before Schweikert reunited with his birth mother later. It is truly touching stuff, and commendable on the part of all concerned.

And I’d love to “leave it there,” but I can’t.

This tells us how Schweikert claimed that jobs were the priority for him and his pals in the House upon the beginning of their term, though they flipped and then ended up passing the most draconian anti-abortion bill this country has ever seen.

And as for being “pro-life,” he accepted $10,000 from the Koch Brothers here (of course, the garbage the Kochs want to spew into the air unabated will end up increasing cases of asthma and premature births, as noted here).

And on top of that, Schweikert believes that the Department of Education is “unconstitutional” (here – so how exactly are our kids supposed to become educated?).

So, typical for a “pro lifer” in my experience, Schweikert and his pals claim to support life in the womb, but once that kid pops out, he or she is on their own.

Wonder what Schweikert’s birth mother thinks about that?

A Rotten Apple Tale Of A Trade Swindle

As mad as I get at Ross Douthat, John Harwood, David Brooks et al from time to time, I don’t know any other paper except the New York Times that is capable of the type of reporting on display here, from yesterday (the topic is the gradual extinction of the manufacturing sector of this country, concerning both blue and white-collar jobs…well, the Inky is capable of something like this with Barlett and Steele, but their work hardly appears anymore, though I do link to it later here)…

When Barack Obama joined Silicon Valley’s top luminaries for dinner in California last February, each guest was asked to come with a question for the president.

But as Steven P. Jobs of Apple spoke, President Obama interrupted with an inquiry of his own: what would it take to make iPhones in the United States?

Not long ago, Apple boasted that its products were made in America. Today, few are. Almost all of the 70 million iPhones, 30 million iPads and 59 million other products Apple sold last year were manufactured overseas.

Why can’t that work come home? Mr. Obama asked.

Mr. Jobs’s reply was unambiguous. “Those jobs aren’t coming back,” he said, according to another dinner guest.

I would ask that all of those people out there deifying Jobs and who were ready to risk injury to themselves upon the news of his death pay particular attention to that remark.

Also…

In 2007, a little over a month before the iPhone was scheduled to appear in stores, Mr. Jobs beckoned a handful of lieutenants into an office. For weeks, he had been carrying a prototype of the device in his pocket.

Mr. Jobs angrily held up his iPhone, angling it so everyone could see the dozens of tiny scratches marring its plastic screen, according to someone who attended the meeting. He then pulled his keys from his jeans.

People will carry this phone in their pocket, he said. People also carry their keys in their pocket. “I won’t sell a product that gets scratched,” he said tensely. The only solution was using unscratchable glass instead. “I want a glass screen, and I want it perfect in six weeks.”

After one executive left that meeting, he booked a flight to Shenzhen, China. If Mr. Jobs wanted perfect, there was nowhere else to go.

And why is that, exactly? Well…

…a bid for the work arrived from a Chinese factory.

When an Apple team visited, the Chinese plant’s owners were already constructing a new wing. “This is in case you give us the contract,” the manager said, according to a former Apple executive. The Chinese government had agreed to underwrite costs for numerous industries, and those subsidies had trickled down to the glass-cutting factory. It had a warehouse filled with glass samples available to Apple, free of charge. The owners made engineers available at almost no cost. They had built on-site dormitories so employees would be available 24 hours a day.

The Chinese plant got the job.

But wait, there’s more…

A foreman immediately roused 8,000 workers inside the company’s dormitories, according to the executive. Each employee was given a biscuit and a cup of tea, guided to a workstation and within half an hour started a 12-hour shift fitting glass screens into beveled frames. Within 96 hours, the plant was producing over 10,000 iPhones a day.

“The speed and flexibility is breathtaking,” the executive said. “There’s no American plant that can match that.”

The last thing in the world I intend to do here is extol the supposed virtues of a country that houses its workers in dormitories (mentioned in the article), making them work in excess of 12 hours a day six days a week (also mentioned) and makes them sign agreements not to kill themselves when the workload gets too unmanageable (not mentioned in the Times story) and puts up nets around the outside of the dormitories to catch them if they try to kill themselves by jumping out a window (also not mentioned there, but here).

Also, it should be pointed out (and I don’t want to shock anybody) that, apparently, in China they don’t have these stupid arguments all over the place about what is the role of state government versus the federal government, the requisite conservative versus liberal hissy fit, etc. , so much so that nothing gets done anymore (at least here). Someone in authority pretty much tells a worker “do this for almost nothing or I’ll shoot you” and it gets done (again, not something I admire).

Still, you want to find out what Apple executives really think of the U.S. workforce?

Apple executives believe there simply aren’t enough American workers with the skills the company needs or factories with sufficient speed and flexibility. Other companies that work with Apple, like Corning, also say they must go abroad.

…

“We shouldn’t be criticized for using Chinese workers,” a current Apple executive said. “The U.S. has stopped producing people with the skills we need.”

Gee, wouldn’t it be nice if these nameless Apple executives actually had the guts to go “on the record” with these observations?

And speaking of the “pay no price, bear no burden” bunch, how exactly have they fared? I think you know the answer…

As Apple’s overseas operations and sales have expanded, its top employees have thrived. Last fiscal year, Apple’s revenue topped $108 billion, a sum larger than the combined state budgets of Michigan, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Since 2005, when the company’s stock split, share prices have risen from about $45 to more than $427.

Some of that wealth has gone to shareholders. Apple is among the most widely held stocks, and the rising share price has benefited millions of individual investors, 401(k)’s and pension plans. The bounty has also enriched Apple workers. Last fiscal year, in addition to their salaries, Apple’s employees and directors received stock worth $2 billion and exercised or vested stock and options worth an added $1.4 billion.

The biggest rewards, however, have often gone to Apple’s top employees. (Timothy D.) Cook, Apple’s chief, last year received stock grants — which vest over a 10-year period — that, at today’s share price, would be worth $427 million, and his salary was raised to $1.4 million. In 2010, Mr. Cook’s compensation package was valued at $59 million, according to Apple’s security filings.

But of course Cook and his pals don't think US unemployment is their problem. That makes Cook another economic sociopath as far as I’m concerned – continuing…

A person close to Apple argued that the compensation received by Apple’s employees was fair, in part because the company had brought so much value to the nation and world. As the company has grown, it has expanded its domestic work force, including manufacturing jobs. Last year, Apple’s American work force grew by 8,000 people.

So did Apple have any thoughts on how to generate more U.S. jobs?

…the executives had suggested that the government should reform visa programs to help companies hire foreign engineers. Some had urged the president to give companies a “tax holiday” so they could bring back overseas profits which, they argued, would be used to create work. Mr. Jobs even suggested it might be possible, someday, to locate some of Apple’s skilled manufacturing in the United States if the government helped train more American engineers.

Another “tax holiday” and more H1B visas - more non-answers…

So it appears that anyone with at least half a brain in this country knows that we need an emphasis on education at all levels to try and close this gap and create more jobs. And this comes at a time when at least one of the leading presidential contenders offered by one of our major political parties in this country want to abolish the Department of Education (here).

But not to worry; the story tells us at the end that Steve Jobs got his unscratchable glass surface for his phones that he could show off at the California dinner party with President Obama (in front of executives whose combined worth was $69 billion, the story notes).

The Times story fails to note, however, whether or not these corporate vampires could see their own reflections.

Sunday Stuff

Yep, looks like the Repugs are trying to bring the so-called “right to work” (as in, “right” to get utterly fleeced) to Hoosier-land, run by former Bushie Mitch Daniels (here)…



…and oh, to be such a put-upon rock star, fending off roadies while walking around with your shirt off and being fawned over by the media – nice tune anyway.

Saturday Stuff

So South Carolina, a state that insists on electing Republican politicians who give them absolutely nothing (except maybe the back of the hand - more on that here) voted for Baby Newton Leroy (the "Not Romney" of the moment, apparently) decisively in their presidential primary. They must be so proud.

And while I’m hardly a fan of Dr. Paul, I have to admit that this is a first-class evisceration…



…and former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich tells us once more why the catastrophic Citizens United ruling from The High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR (handed down two years ago today) matters here…



…and witness the jackbooted thugs carrying out the bidding of the corpocracy, doing what they do best, and that is to try and utterly erase free speech for all but the "one percent" (here and here)…



…and in addition to Etta James, Johnny Otis passed recently also (and he kept good company, as you can see).

Friday Stuff

God, what a corporatist stooge, even for a Republican…



…“Worst Persons” (Kentucky Guv Steve Beshear gives Dems a bad name by submitting a budget with six figures worth of cuts primarily to education, but $43 million for a Bible-themed amusement park is apparently sacred, pun intended; Baby Newton Leroy – having himself an absolutely banner 24-hour news cycle, it should be noted – gets the runner-up for criticizing Obama for shutting down a portion of Mouse-Land in Florida, which has been done before by…oh, let’s just say THREE OF OUR FIVE MOST RECENT REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTS; but Dr. Keith Ablow gets the top nod for some truly hilarious commentary on Gingrich’s…well, let’s just call it his alleged “charisma”…”hey, Sri Lanka, slide that pretty little booty o’ yours on over to the U.S., why dontcha”)…



...and sticking with K.O. (and in a lot more serious of a vein), tomorrow marks the second anniversary of the utterly scandalous Citizens United ruling authored by the truly wretched High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR; here is Keith’s Special Comment from two years ago on the subject, filled with all of the urgency that this subject deserves…



…and RIP Etta James (I went back and forth between this and “At Last” – I would have been covered either way).

Mikey's "TRAIN In Vain" And Other Follies, Part 2

(Part One including the setup is here.)

Continuing with our PA-08 U.S. House Rep’s supposed legislative “achievements”…

Encouraging Entrepreneurship and Growth

HR 1070 – Small Company Capital Formation Act of 2011
HR 1965 – Community Bank Resource Improvement Act
HR 2930 – Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act

HR 1070 lets companies sell $50 million in securities in a public offering without having to register with the SEC, exempting “a certain class of securities.” HR 1965 increases the number of shareholders permitted to invest in a community bank before it must register with the SEC. Also, HR 2930 is intended to increase “access to capital” presumably for the purposes of job creation.

I’ll be honest – I checked these out and I can’t find anything wrong, though I am suspicious of course. The intention of all of these bills (apparently) is to speed up the process by which capital is acquired for startups and to encourage “crowd funding” as opposed to “angel investing,” getting around the SEC’s reporting requirements. I have a feeling that this is a recipe for trouble, but again, I don’t know enough to stand in the way on this (more on crowd funding is here).

Another piece of legislation Mikey touts is as follows…

HR 2940 – Access to Capital for Job Creators Act

This was sponsored by supposed GOP “young gun” Kevin McCarthy of California, again, intended to hasten access to capital on behalf of those “job creators” the GOP claims to love. However, I think the following should be noted about this from here…

Vote 4: Executive compensation: The House has rejected an amendment sponsored by Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., to the Access to Capital for Job Creators Act (H.R. 2940). The amendment would have required businesses soliciting capital from private, non-accredited investors to disclose their bonus compensation structures and any golden parachute severance packages for company officials. Miller said the requirement would protect investors from unwittingly having their investments increase executive compensation. An opponent, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said "the SEC has no authority to regulate the compensation of executives at private companies," and the requirement "would fail anyone's cost benefit analysis" of its economic impact. The vote, on Nov. 3, was 190 yeas to 234 nays.

Oh, I get it now – all of these bills are intended to allow executives at these startups that supposedly now will flourish to claim any degree of compensation that they want outside of any reporting requirements that may exist as stipulated in existing or future legislation. Clever.

Well, we’ll see about this, won’t we?

Continuing…

Controlling Government Spending and Deficit Reduction

Supported a House of Representatives ban on all earmarks, which had come to signify the permissive spending culture in Washington.

Yeah, Mikey and his pals like to ride the little earmark “hobby horse” in the name of supposed fiscal austerity, but as noted here, earmarks really aren’t all that big of a deal when it comes to federal spending. And as noted here, the teabagger caucus took in $1 bil in earmarks in 2010.

(By the way, in the matter of earmarks, even though this involves the Senate and not the House, I think it should be noted from here that the Senate Repugs blocked the 2010 Omnibus Spending Bill because it contained nearly $2 billion in earmarks that the Senate Repugs asked for themselves – too funny.)

H Res 22 – Voted to cut House budget by 5% (and Mikey voted for a 11% cut on top of that; that's a total of 16 percent for those of us playing along at home)

However, in the matter of supposed fiscal austerity, this tells us that the House Speaker scored a hefty raise in his expense account, and I can recall not a word of protest from Mikey The Beloved.

H Res 38 – Roll back current gov’t spending to 2008 or before

That sounds nice too, until you realize that it would give unprecedented authority to “flim-flam man” Paul Ryan (noted here in the second bullet).

HR 2 – To reduce new spending by $2.6 trillion over 10 years

As noted here, though, government spending has helped create jobs, not hinder job growth (of course, this is coming from the political party that continues to sit on President Obama’s jobs bill, so this doesn’t surprise me at all).

HR 1 – Continuing Appropriations Act for 2011, which eliminated $100 billion in federal spending for the remainder of FY 2011

It should be noted from here that that includes underfunding operation of the IRS, among other agencies of government (more here – another attempt to remove those supposedly pesky, “job-killing” regulations that would let the GOP’s “small business” constituency get away with more and more nonsense).

H. Con Res 34 – would reduce federal spending by $5.8 trillion in 10 years

As noted here…

H.Con.Res. 34 is yet another example of GOP magical thinking — cut federal government spending and the debts and deficits will go away! We also know that cutting government spending on education and infrastructure programs makes jobs go away too.

Uh, yep. And finally (for now)…

HR 2560 – Cut, “Crap” and Balance Act

(Mikey’s mailer, by the way, incorrectly notes the bill number as 2562, for what it’s worth).

As noted here…

The federal budget could very well be reduced to defense spending, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and national debt interest and absolutely (nothing) else - assuming that revenues actually reached 18% (and that's happened under two of President Bush's, and none of President Obama's budgets – note: the cuts would be enacted if revenues reached the 18% limit). If not, then even more cuts would be necessary. Based on FY 2010 revenue - and remember it would take a 2/3 vote to increase revenue under these Amendments - the budget would be operating closer to 14% of GDP, meaning that the budget would have faced a cut of about $1.5 trillion, or a 42% budget cut across every single program, including Medicare and Social Security.

Also, cutting $1 trillion yearly from the federal budget would have a devastating impact on the economy, which would likely reduce the GDP, both lowering the funding cap and reducing tax revenues, forcing further cuts, lowering the GDP further. Such an amendment could trigger a downward spiral that would almost certainly result in the gutting of most of the nation's entitlement programs.

This amendment would also largely trigger elections moot, and that's something that all but the hardest core Republicans should be opposed to, regardless of whether one agrees with current Democratic policies or not.

This amendment would enshrine in the Constitution right wing conservative economic doctrine, ensuring that conservatives could implement their agenda of cutting the budget and cutting taxes by a mere majority vote, but would require moderates and liberals to meet a virtually unattainable goal of 2/3 vote in both Houses to implement any of their policy goals, or to even undo anything Republicans might have done when they were in power. It would effectively ensure that Republicans control government, even if they lose elections. Only an overwhelming election of Democrats, ensuring a 2/3 majority in both Houses could undo this arrangement.

Fitzpatrick also voted in favor of and cosponsored a bill to send a Balanced Budget Amendment to the states (H.J. Res 2), something else that will pass state legislatures when pigs fly.

In response, click here to support Kathy Boockvar (with some news about Kathy’s candidacy here).

Oh, and by the way, Courier Times, we always knew you were Mikey’s PR service (this appeared online yesterday). Do you now have to accept advertising on his behalf paid for by taxpayer funds too?

Update 1/27/12: And here is more on Cut, "Crap" And Balance.

Thursday Mashup (1/19/12)

You could cut the stoo-pid with a knife in this editorial in the Bucks County Courier Times today. But before I comment on that, I have to provide some background.

As this Philadelphia Inquirer article tells us, Pennsbury (Bucks County) High School student Ashley Zauflik suffered a devastating injury when she was run over by a bus in 2007, requiring the amputation of her left leg below the knee (the bus driver was found to be negligent). A jury awarded her $14 million last December; she deserves all of that and more.

Here’s the problem, though; a 1978 state law caps the amount that governments, including school districts, can pay out – the liability limit is $500,000.

Now, back to the Courier Times editorial...

That’s not right and everybody knows it, including state Reps. John Galloway, D-140, and Steve Santarsiero, D-31, whose legislative districts include the Pennsbury School District. Together, the pair want to replace the law with what they’re calling Ashley’s Law. It’s not exactly clear what the new law would mandate; they’re still doing the research. But the goal is clear.

“We want to determine whether the current cap is antiquated and whether insurance that is affordable to school districts and municipalities could allow innocent victims with catastrophic injuries, like Ashley, to recover without significantly burdening taxpayers,” Santarsiero said of the pending legislation.

To that end, the lawmakers have asked the Pennsbury School Board to support their effort and not hide behind the state law they believe should be reformed. Said Galloway, “Pennsbury should ... call for the insurance company to do the right thing.”

So far, board members are unwilling to do that, saying instead that the matter is out of their hands.

Well people, seriously now, what else did you expect with Simple Simon Campbell and his minions now in charge?

Oh, and speak of the devil…

School board member (Campbell) also speaks his mind and has a suggestion for the “two fearless johnny-come-lately crusaders”…

Take a slow boat back to the UK, if they’ll have you, you maniac – continuing…

…Encourage the outsourcing of busing as a way for school districts to “offload liability risk.”

Campbell makes a good point. The district would not be in the position it is in and neither would Ashley if a private company, which would not be protected by a liability cap, were running the bus service. But just looking into the issue has raised a ruckus in Pennsbury — such is the power of unions.

Oh sure, Bucks County Courier Times Op-Ed board; just kick the Pennsbury school bus drivers to the curb, if you will, and replace them with “scabs.” Why, it’s not as if we’re entrusting them with anything that’s actually important – only the safety of our kids!

And as far as whether or not privatizing bus service actually saves money, read this post, particularly the first bullet, to see that it has everything to do with bleeding taxpayers in Pennsbury dry and trying to break another public employee union, a stated goal of a gambler like futures trader Campbell (and nothing to do with helping Ashley Zauflik either, unfortunately).

Next, it looks like Baby Newton Leroy had a hissy fit here over the following from the 1,252,324th Republican candidates’ debate…

Hours before the debate, ABC News and The Washington Post released interviews with Marianne Gingrich in which she alleged Gingrich asked for an "open marriage" before their divorce.

Marianne Gingrich told The Washington Post that a day after he husband told her about his affair with Callista Bisek in May 1999, the former House speaker delivered a speech titled "The Demise of American Culture" to a group of Republican women in Pennsylvania.

"How could he ask me for a divorce on Monday and within 48 hours give a speech on family values and talk about how people treat people?" Marianne Gingrich said in her interview with the Post.

Gingrich said the story was false.

Yeah, well, he would wouldn’t he (here is more fun with Baby Newton Leroy).

Also, I don’t think there’s been a lot of attention paid to the fact that conservative casino mogul (and former “Freedom’s Watch” sugar daddy) Sheldon Adelson has been bankrolling Gingrich’s anti-Romney movie; here is more on that, and here is a prior post on Adelson.

Seems like every time the Repug candidates emerge from the GOP “clown car” for these spectacles, they’re one short. Wonder if it will be only three next time, with Gingrich the odd man out?

Finally, I give you true hilarity here (on Obama and his supposedly “job-killing” decision on the Keystone XL pipeline)…

…today is the day that Obama increased the amount of energy we need to import from places like the Middle East and Venezuela; today is the day that he crushed hundreds of thousands of US jobs. He did it because he can't be bothered to do ANYTHING, except campaign.

Today is the day he morphed from President Do-Nothing to President Hypocrite.

He did it by killing the XL Keystone pipeline which would bring a million barrels per day of North American oil to US refineries, create at a minimum 200,000 jobs and open up the US heartland for domestic development of oil- and the millions in jobs and domestic GDP it would create.

I think the video from here puts that “200,000” claim in its place.



It would actually be funny if it weren’t so utterly pathetic.

Thursday Stuff

Here’s news about what we can do to protest that godawful Citizens United ruling on Saturday, the two-year anniversary of the atrocity from the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR…



…and Rachel Maddow tells us just how far out of any semblance of “the mainstream” the Repugs are on the latest attempt at “personhood” legislation…

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

…also, K.O. talks to Dem Senator Ron Wyden about the PIPA and SOPA fight; Wyden was “out there” a bit on the Paul Ryan/Medicare scam recently, but he’s usually spot-on concerning the issues that matter, and he is again here – and man, has my opinion of Chris Dodd fallen off the proverbial cliff; can’t believe he’s the same guy who once duked it out with Bill Orally in defense of Daily Kos – try collaborating with Reddit, Wikipedia, Google etc. on anti-piracy legislation instead of trying to cram this garbage down our metaphysical throats…



…and speaking of technology, I thought this was a good tune for the occasion.

Tuesday Stuff

“Worst Persons” (this idiot in the Kansas state house named Mike O’Neal wishes for a Biblical curse on President Obama – love to see the Secret Service test out new methods of interrogation on this clown; Willard Mitt Romney takes second place for not answering a question from Clayton Holton, an 80-pound man suffering from a form of muscular dystrophy, about whether or not he would personally arrest someone for using medical marijuana, and also blowing off Holton in the process…what’s that expression, “plus ca change”?; but Greyhound Bus Lines driver Donald Ainsworth takes the top “prize” for harassing “Occupy” bus riders during a stop in (of course) Texas en route to an “Occupy” event in DC (it’s 2012, asshat, not 1912, not that your conduct would be permissible in that year either)…



…and speaking of birthdays (were we?), this little number goes out to this guy (sorry, no video).

Monday Stuff

Hat tip to Atrios here (“School House Rock” was fun, but somehow I don’t think they covered this; a diversion from the 4,286th Republican debate tonight)...


Conspiracy Theory Rock by fruittreeofwisdom

...and with sleet in the forecast in these parts, I hear “The Sound of Winter” rapping, rapping at my chamber door, as it were.

Legacy Of A Dream, 2012

President Obama issued a proclamation here in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and this post from 2006 concerning Dr. King is every bit as timely now as it was then.

Also, here is an excerpt from a speech given by Dr. King at the Barratt School in Philadelphia in 1967.

Saturday Stuff

Awww, looks like “God’s quarterback” got his lunch handed to him by Brady and the Pats…



…and yep, looks like Willard Mitt and his pals are trying to “hate away teh gay,” if you will, big time (here)…

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

…and I wonder if Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett would consider doing his job for free (here)? And, after watching this, I’m somehow supposed to be sympathetic to schemes involving vouchers...



…and I guess this is as good an excuse as any to take a trip back to the ‘80s.

Friday Stuff

Point, meet counterpoint (from wingnuttia-land)…



…and somehow I have a feeling that, if Rod Serling were still alive, he would approve of this message (here, and in a related story as they say, this piece in the Times today made me want to puke)…



…and Rachel Maddow and Dave Weigel tell us here that it’s déjà vu all over again for the Repugs (and actually, her analogy between 2008 and this year holds up better when you realize that Former Senator Man-On-Dog quite probably won the Iowa caucus, as Weigel mentions - truly scary)…

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

…and on this day in 1968, Johnny Cash performed live at Folsom Prison – nice bit of a remix.

Friday Mashup (1/13/12)

This post at The Daily Tucker tells us the following…

The rise of Ron Paul in the Republican primary season has raised questions about what Americans expect from the executive office. The accepted interpretation of presidential powers and executive effectiveness centers on the “use” of the office. “Active” executives, such as Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, are usually considered “great,” while those who did “little” in office round out the list. For example, a 2010 Siena Research Institute survey included both Roosevelts and Lincoln in the top five while Wilson, Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman were in the top ten. The bottom dwellers included Andrew Johnson, John Tyler, James Buchanan and Franklin Pierce. Grover Cleveland and Martin Van Buren were also in the bottom half.

Author Brion McClanahan, author of The Founding Fathers Guide To The Constitution (yep, that wingnut alarm in the back of my head just went off) then uses this as an excuse to defend former Presidents John Tyler, Grover Cleveland, Martin Van Buren, James Monroe, and (perhaps most egregiously) James Buchanan (presumably for low taxes, low tariffs, and lower spending than other chief executives – McClanahan does defend his selections of course, as he should).

When considering John Tyler, our 10th president, I think we should also look at the following (from here)…

He sided with the Confederate government, and won election to the Confederate House of Representatives shortly before his death (and Texas was annexed under his administration - maybe better left with Mexico? :-).

And what of Grover Cleveland? Well, from here…

He vetoed hundreds of private pension bills for American Civil War veterans, believing that if their pensions requests had already been rejected by the Pensions Bureau, Congress should not attempt to override that decision. When Congress, pressured by the Grand Army of the Republic, passed a bill granting pensions for disabilities not caused by military service, Cleveland also vetoed that.

Oh, and there was that fathering-a-child-out-of-wedlock business, but that happened before he was elected to the White House (God knows what Fix Noise and their pals would do with that now, though).

I think we should also consider the following about Martin Van Buren (who came after Andrew Jackson)…

He oversaw the "Trail of Tears", which involved the expulsion of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw and Seminole from Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina to the Oklahoma territory. To help secure Florida, Van Buren also pursued the Second Seminole War, which had begun while Jackson was in office. The war, which would prove the costliest of the Indian Wars, was highly unpopular in the free states, where it was seen as an attempt to expand slave territory. Fighting was not resolved until 1842, after Van Buren had left office.

The one selection where I don’t have much of a bone to pick, as it were, with McClanahan concerns James Monroe. However, the following should be noted from here…

As Secretary of State, Monroe dismissed Mordecai Manuel Noah from his post as consul to Tunis in 1815, for the apparent reason that he was Jewish. Noah protested and gained letters from Adams, Jefferson, and Madison supporting church-state separation and tolerance for Jews.

He also brought slaves with him to the White House, but that apparently was a common practice back then (repugnant still, though, I realize).

Monroe also said the following (to his credit)…

"It is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace, that they are incapable of exercising their sovereignty. Usurpation is then an easy attainment, and an usurper soon found. The people themselves become the willing instruments of their own debasement and ruin."

And finally, this brings us to James Buchanan, the only president who came from our beloved commonwealth. As noted here…

Knowing that secessionist fervor was strongest in South Carolina, Buchanan made a quiet pact with South Carolina's legislators that he would not reinforce the Charleston garrison in exchange for no interference from the state.[53] However, Buchanan did not inform the Charleston commander, Major Robert Anderson, of the agreement, and on December 26 Anderson violated it by moving his command to Fort Sumter. Southerners responded with a demand that Buchanan remove Anderson, while northerners demanded support for the commander. On December 31, in an apparent panic and without consulting Anderson, Buchanan ordered reinforcements.

I think that Buchanan’s predecessor Franklin Pierce had at least as much to do with the runup to the Civil War as Buchanan did, though, truth be told, you could argue that no one could have prevented it (kind of the way that Calvin Coolidge was at least as much at fault for the Depression as Herbert Hoover because of his inaction…I realize, though, that all of this is conjecture in the end).

This probably would be a more appropriate topic for President’s Day next month, but I guess now is as good a time as any to comment on this subject too.

Next, I couldn’t help but come across this item from The Hill, in which Repug U.S. House Rep John Fleming of Louisiana criticizes Number 44 as follows…

With his new defense strategy President Obama has charted another step on his road map for American decline. His inconsistent, lead-from-behind mentality has diminished our standing in the world. As our exit from Iraq last month demonstrated, the commander in chief is more concerned with political appearances than with well-thought-out strategy.

The men and women of the United States military do an extraordinary job of executing their orders. They have been stretched throughout the past decade, but their service has paved the way for freedom in Iraq, while keeping terrorists from using their familiar haunts in Afghanistan to plan and carry out attacks on innocent Americans.

Hmmm, John Fleming, John Fleming – why does that name sound familiar?

Oh yeah, it’s because he’s one of these supposedly oppressed millionaires in the House whose $6.3 million swag is apparently only worth $400 grand, and he was all “woe is me” about it here (cry me a river, dirtbag).

Oh, and by the way, as noted here, the exit of our troops from Iraq had nothing to do with President Obama. It was negotiated in the Status of Forces Agreement under Dubya (and before you start blaming Obama for not enough troops in Afghanistan, take a look at this to see how President Hopey Changey has sent more of our people over to The Land Where Empires Go To Die after years of us shortchanging the war effort under Former President Highest Disapproval Rating In Gallup Poll History).

Finally, I thought the Bucks County Courier Times was occasionally lucid in this editorial this morning over the fact that Patrick Murphy, former U.S. House congressional rep and current candidate for the Dem nomination in the PA Attorney General’s race, did not take the PA state bar exam…

Criticizing Murphy for opting out of the only bar exam that tests students’ knowledge of Pennsylvania law, a spokesman for (Philadelphia prosecutor Dan McCaffery, another candidate) asserted, “Not taking the Pennsylvania bar exam automatically disqualifies (Murphy) for attorney general. It’s a fatal flaw.”

Maybe it will be for voters; we’ll see. But we don’t think it should be.

We further think the spokesman’s comments are a cheap shot because requirements for the job of attorney general do not include trial experience. In fact, the only professional qualification that the Pennsylvania Constitution mandates for attorney general is to be a member of the state bar.

Uh, yep – and as noted here…

Murphy's also taken some hits recently because he never sat for the Pennsylvania bar exam, but rather became licensed to practice in the state through a very common process known as "reciprocity," which involves passing another state's exam and then gaining sufficient legal experience. Speaking as a lawyer, this kind of criticism is manifestly stupid—if Pennsylvania thought it necessary for all lawyers practicing there to take the PA bar, they'd make that a requirement. But they don't, and it's not. That said, things play differently on the campaign trail than they do at bar committee meetings, and McCaffery has been making a big deal of this story.

To help out Patrick Murphy, click here (and as mentioned in the Daily Kos post, good luck to Dem Kathy Boockvar, who has lined up to challenge Mikey the Beloved for Murphy’s old seat…click here to help).