EU predicts recession, record dole queues in 2013 (via AFP) The eurozone is staring at another full year of recession in 2013 with unemployment likely to surge above the 20-million mark with France in particular overshooting fiscal targets, the EU warned on Friday. Economic output across the 17-state currency area -- home to about 340 million people and a global… … [Read more...] about EU Predicts Recession, Record Dole Lines in 2013
Is Obama Relying Too Much on the “Bully Pulpit?”
Is President Barack Obama relying too much on the bully pulpit in his speeches and interviews and not focusing enough on pulling out all stops to work with members of Congress to avert the draconian sequester cuts from going into effect? That's a new question being raised in some reporting and analysis -- seemingly given credibility by the White House's new effort to stress … [Read more...] about Is Obama Relying Too Much on the “Bully Pulpit?”
Is The Sequester Overhyped ?
Now let me be clear that I am not advocating going over the sequester cliff (how's that for mixing metaphors) nor do I think that we will. But in listening to the dire predictions in the media and among various politicos I have to wonder how bad it really would be, assuming that it was implemented in a sensible and prudent manner. The numbers vary depending on who you listen … [Read more...] about Is The Sequester Overhyped ?
China: ‘Leading Bad Actor in Cyberspace,’ Experts Say
China: 'leading bad actor in cyberspace,' experts say (via AFP) China's full-throated denials of hacking and counter-accusations of its own do nothing to allay growing concern over large-scale cyberspying alleged in a bombshell report this week, Western analysts said. Chinese officials and state-run media have lashed out after a report by a US firm laid out in… … [Read more...] about China: ‘Leading Bad Actor in Cyberspace,’ Experts Say
No Winners in This Game
WASHINGTON -- The standoff over the package of budget cuts known as "the sequester" is the dumbest, most self-defeating fight between President Obama and Republicans in Congress since ... let's see, since the last dumb, self-defeating fight less than two months ago. Obama is winning this showdown, but only in a relative sense. The truth is that everybody loses -- … [Read more...] about No Winners in This Game
Saddam is Responsible for Our Pain; Best Wishes to George H.W. Bush (Al Iraq News, Iraq)
Who should Iraqis hold most responsible for the suffering and pain they have been forced to endure these past decades? Should they blame George H.W. Bush and General Norman Schwarzkopf, who oversaw Desert Storm, which drove Saddam's Army from Kuwait in 1991? George W. Bush, who launched the ill-fated invasion of that country? Or Saddam Hussein, the man who ruled the country … [Read more...] about Saddam is Responsible for Our Pain; Best Wishes to George H.W. Bush (Al Iraq News, Iraq)
Part II:Almost Enough For A Minyan
Historic Tidbit: Congressman Frank Annunzio, an aging Chicago Democrat who chaired a banking subcommittee (and for a time the House Administration) was notorious for butchering colleague's names. One day, while introducing Wisconsin colleague Jerry Klezca, he did it again to which Klezca replied, "Thank you Chairman Annunciation." My series on the six Jewish House members … [Read more...] about Part II:Almost Enough For A Minyan
Almost Enough for A Minyan:6 of 22 Ds Elected in ’80 Jewish
Tidbit: Southern Ohio was once represented by a James G.Polk. A Democrat, he served 11 non-consecutive terms from 1931-59 before dying in office. There is no relation to the 11th President. By Scott Crass Some years ago, in my zeal of researching elections and Congressional characters, I came across a remarkable fact. Of 22 Democrats elected to the House in 1980, 6 … [Read more...] about Almost Enough for A Minyan:6 of 22 Ds Elected in ’80 Jewish
US, Iran Unite in Bid to Keep Wrestling in Olympics
US, Iran unite in bid to keep wrestling in Olympics (via AFP) The United States and Iran may be arch foes on the diplomatic front, but bosses from two of wrestling's power-houses have allied to fight a decision to drop the sport from the 2020 Olympic Games. Rich Bender, executive director of USA Wrestling, is in Tehran, which is hosting the World Cup men's freestyle… … [Read more...] about US, Iran Unite in Bid to Keep Wrestling in Olympics
Don’t Forget To Check Your Credit Report
I try to post about this topic from time to time just to remind everyone it is important to keep on top of your credit report. You never know when some crook out there might try to steal your hard work. Now of course there are credit monitoring services out there and I'm not going to say they are bad but I'm not sure they are always worth the expense as there are some … [Read more...] about Don’t Forget To Check Your Credit Report
Quote of the Day: Americans aren’t Buying What GOP is Selling
Our political Quote of the Day comes from Steve Benen at The Maddow Blog. He has put together a chart that confirms what I've noted in several posts -- and not just on the secuester: today's Republican Party truly seems stuck in an echo chamber where its arguments are generating nods of approval from many conservatives, conservative talkers, Tea Party members and conservative … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Americans aren’t Buying What GOP is Selling
Gun-Control Bills Pass Colorado House: Was Aurora a Tipping Point?
Gun-control bills pass Colorado House: Was Aurora a tipping point? (via The Christian Science Monitor) It’s hard to imagine a state that better symbolizes America’s conflicting relationship with guns and gun control than Colorado. A Western state with a strong libertarian streak, it boasts a large number of gun enthusiasts and hunters, and many residents have a knee-jerk … [Read more...] about Gun-Control Bills Pass Colorado House: Was Aurora a Tipping Point?
Republicans: Caught in a Sequester Political Trap?
Are the Republicans caught in a sequester political trap of their own making? NBC's highly perceptive First Read thinks so. And here's why: *** GOP’s weak position on the sequester: Yesterday we asked this question about the political back-and-forth regarding the looming automatic budget cuts that are set to take place on March 1: What if the sky doesn’t fall? But here’s … [Read more...] about Republicans: Caught in a Sequester Political Trap?
US at fault for North Korean nuke program?
A tiresome tendency of many observers of world politics is to blame US policy for, well, practically anything that happens in the world, especially if it's a bad thing that happens. A recent example of this is efforts by the Chinese government and others to blame US policy for North Korea's continuing bellicose language and obstinate insistent on continuing nuclear weapons … [Read more...] about US at fault for North Korean nuke program?
(UPDATED) Panetta Prepared to Implement Furloughs in Response to Threat of Sequestration
UPDATE II: National Guard members nationwide -- especially military technicians -- could be affected by the Defense Department's furlough without pay of civilian employees that could begin in late April unless Congress overrides a "sequestration" provision in budget law that would mandate deep spending cuts beginning March 1. Read more here === UPDATE I: The … [Read more...] about (UPDATED) Panetta Prepared to Implement Furloughs in Response to Threat of Sequestration
Imposed 66 Years Ago, the Time Has Come to Revise Our ‘Pacific Constitution’ (Iwate Nippo Shimbun, Japan)
Should Japan be allowed to have a national military again? Confronted with territorial claims by a more assertive China and a nuclear-armed North Korea, Japan's new prime minister Shinzo Abe has made amending the Constitution to make possible a national military one of his central goals. The document, imposed by the United States after World War II, is almost impossible to … [Read more...] about Imposed 66 Years Ago, the Time Has Come to Revise Our ‘Pacific Constitution’ (Iwate Nippo Shimbun, Japan)
Chinese Planned to Kill Drug Lord With Drone
Here is a story that may provide additional “ammunition” -- no pun intended -- to those who are concerned about the use of drones to target and take out human beings, whether terrorists or criminals. The article also provides a glimpse into how China is rapidly improving both its “Beidu” global navigation system -- a key part of any remotely controlled attack drone system … [Read more...] about Chinese Planned to Kill Drug Lord With Drone
Sex Scandal Rehab: Petraeus Too Valuable to Lose
As a former governor tries to wash himself clean in South Carolina, David Petraeus surfaces briefly to underscore what was lost in last year’s media circus, a much more able and honorable public figure. Mark Sanford has to explain away deception and misuse of public funds, while the former General is still serving time in publicity purgatory for one large misstep, more … [Read more...] about Sex Scandal Rehab: Petraeus Too Valuable to Lose
Police Dogs And The 4th Amendment
The United States Supreme Court has issued a unanimous ruling on the issue of drug sniffing police dogs and the 4th amendment. The decision reversed a ruling from the Florida Supreme Court in the case of Florida v. Harris. The defendant in the case was a man named Clayton Harris of Blountstown, Florida. On June 24, 2006 he was driving in his truck when a canine officer … [Read more...] about Police Dogs And The 4th Amendment
The Tea Party’s Ghost
WASHINGTON -- The deficit that should concern us most right now has to do with time, not money. Money can be recouped. Time just disappears. And time is what Washington is wasting now on an utterly artificial crisis driven not by economics but by ideology, partisan interest and an obsession over a word -- "sequester" -- that means nothing to most Americans. Here … [Read more...] about The Tea Party’s Ghost