WASHINGTON - My e-book is scheduled to be published in less than two weeks, on November 8th. It will be available on Amazon, to download on Kindle, or on Barnes and Noble, as well as iPad. It's a busy, exciting time in my world. Since I announced my book two weeks ago, I've had a lot of feedback on the cover. This article from the Atlantic, which appears in the … [Read more...] about The View from a Recovering Partisan
The Vatican Meets the Occupiers
WASHINGTON -- Will we soon see a distinguished-looking older man in long white robes walking among the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators in New York's Zuccotti Park? Is Pope Benedict XVI joining the protest movement? Well, yes, and no. Yes, the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace issued a strong and thoughtful critique of the global financial system this … [Read more...] about The Vatican Meets the Occupiers
Will Saudi Succession Impact the Country’s Energy Exports? (Guest Voice)
Will Saudi Succession Impact the Country’s Energy Exports? by John C. K. Daley The death apparently in New York City on 22 October of 80 year-old Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, throws a spotlight on the question of who will succeed ailing 87-year-old King Abdullah, currently recovering from a third operation to resolve back problems in less than a year. … [Read more...] about Will Saudi Succession Impact the Country’s Energy Exports? (Guest Voice)
The Stimulus Worked
Not that I would know. But Martin A. Sullivan, now he's convincing: In the United Kingdom the government is led by Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron. His government did not adopt stimulus. Instead it boldly enacted an economic program that cut spending and raised taxes. The chart below shows the results and compares it to the U.S. experience. After three and a half … [Read more...] about The Stimulus Worked
Rick Perry’s Camp Suggests He Plans to Duck Future Debates (UPDATED)
Could it really be that the Republican Party -- in a year when they are facing one of the most vulnerable Presidents in recent years -- could nominate an ongoing political train wreck named Rick Perry? The latest CRASSSSSSSSSSH we hear is THIS STORY that suggests that Perry, whose poll numbers have zoomed south as debates have revealed him to be an unenergetic, ill-prepared, … [Read more...] about Rick Perry’s Camp Suggests He Plans to Duck Future Debates (UPDATED)
Perry on a Texas Confederate License Plate (UPDATED)
Texas has been toying with the idea of issuing a so-called “vanity” license plate that contains the Confederate battle flag. A vote on this controversial issue could come as soon as next month. A previous vote on this issue this past April ended in a 4-4 tie. “The plate has been proposed by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, an ancestral history group involved in … [Read more...] about Perry on a Texas Confederate License Plate (UPDATED)
The Huffington Post and The Washington Post Serve the Same Demon
At least a dozen demons answer to the name Anonymous. At one time these demons had names, but they've lurked so long under the cloak of anonymity that their names have simply been forgotten. They abide in just about every corner of the blogosphere. Mean spirited comments attached to meaningless user names. Wickedness with a handle. Sin with a disembodied avatar. In the … [Read more...] about The Huffington Post and The Washington Post Serve the Same Demon
Republican Presidential Candidates’ Tax Plans Would (No Surprise) Reward Rich, Screw Poor
IF CAIN BECOMES PRESIDENT, GET READY TO PAY MORE FOR STAPLES I am not an economist nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I have enough smarts (barely) to understand that the tax proposals being pushed by Republican president wannabes are, for the most part, flapdoodle in service of coddling the rich while further screwing the middle class and poor. That, … [Read more...] about Republican Presidential Candidates’ Tax Plans Would (No Surprise) Reward Rich, Screw Poor
Not Borrowing Big To Improve This Country’s Infrastructure? Absolutely Crazy!
My friend Kay suffers from two afflictions that cause her great difficulties in this political season — common decency and common sense. It was the latter that brought on a very strong reaction the other day while we were driving in Philadelphia, and she noticed a bridge that had just undergone repairs with federal funds. "How can the government not be spending big on … [Read more...] about Not Borrowing Big To Improve This Country’s Infrastructure? Absolutely Crazy!
PETA Sues Seaworld For Slavery
Now I am a big animal right supporter and I am concerned that all animals in captivity are treated properly, but as usual PETA is making themselves look ridiculous. They are asking a federal judge to award constitutional rights to a group of whales. Of course to a degree this is a PR stunt, but I am sure there are people who really think this makes sense... … [Read more...] about PETA Sues Seaworld For Slavery
Rick Perry, the Flat Tax, and the Road to Political Recovery
I've been arguing for some time now that it's way too early to count Rick Perry out. He's still the most formidable conservative in the race, the overwhelming majority of Republicans are anti-Romney, or at least uncomfortable with Romney, and he can certainly rebound off his recent lows and remake himself as the voice, and choice, of the right (and hence of the GOP … [Read more...] about Rick Perry, the Flat Tax, and the Road to Political Recovery
How Amazon Changed My Life — And Yours
NO, NOT THAT AMAZON ! It is hard to believe that Amazon is now 15 years old and keeps on growing. No, make that growing relentlessly as it announced last night that its third-quarter earnings were up a staggering 44 percent to $10.88 billion. I used to feel a bit guilty about spending my dinero at Amazon and not a local mom and pop store, but when you consider that the … [Read more...] about How Amazon Changed My Life — And Yours
Pres. Obama’s Charm Offensive with Jay Leno
WASHINGTON - Several times recently on "Morning Joe," the conversation has veered into why, as Joe Scarborough and others see it, the primary process weens out the best candidates, people like Jeb Bush, Mitch Daniels, Haley Barbour and others. Lamenting the current Republican field, the conversation has often revolved around the amateur hour we're all seeing unfold, however, … [Read more...] about Pres. Obama’s Charm Offensive with Jay Leno
James Carville’s Political Crystal Ball
So how does Bill Clinton's former -- and stellar --- political strategist see 2012 as shaping up? Can Herman Cain get the nomination? What does he think of Rick Perry? Mitt Romney? Who does he think will be the GOP nominee in the end? He recently talked with a conservative talk show host and gave THESE answers. … [Read more...] about James Carville’s Political Crystal Ball
Quote of the Day: The Shame and Political Negligence of Rick Perry
Our political Quote of the Day comes from the Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin who notes how Texas Gov. Rick Perry smothered his own flat tax proposal with his goodbye-independent-voters comments on CNBC gleefully saying how using the birther issue against Barack Obama is politically useful and "fun." She also notes that he has also been denounced by some conservatives. It is … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: The Shame and Political Negligence of Rick Perry
RSAnimate: McGilchrist on the Divided Brain
Kathy Gill points to RSAnimate on the book I'm reading now, The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World... In this new RSAnimate, renowned psychiatrist and writer Iain McGilchrist explains how our 'divided brain' has profoundly altered human behaviour, culture and society. Taken from a lecture given by Iain McGilchrist as part of the … [Read more...] about RSAnimate: McGilchrist on the Divided Brain
Flat Tax or Flat-Out Dead (Guest Voice)
Flat Tax or Flat-Out Dead by Michael Reagan Despite the recent chatter about a flat income tax -- a tax that every income earner pays regardless of their level of income -- the idea is dead unless its supporters figure out a way to get together and support the idea that a flat tax is a fair tax. I believe we can unite. In a system of flat taxation there is only one … [Read more...] about Flat Tax or Flat-Out Dead (Guest Voice)
Too Big Too Fail Business
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Too Big Too Fail Business
The Piteous State Of These United States
Asked recently if the U.S. could build the Hoover Dam today, historian Michael Hiltzik doesn't hesitate to say that it probably could not. The Hoover Dam, of course, was built at the depths of the Great Depression, a magnificent monument to modern engineering, the bravery of its fearless hardhat builders and the "Can Do" ethic that not even the depression could vanquish. … [Read more...] about The Piteous State Of These United States
Scariest Political Commercial Ever
It ran only once 47 years ago, but a one-minute effort for LBJ’s 1964 reelection campaign was still being parsed this week at a college symposium as “the most negative political ad in American history.” During the network airing of a Hollywood biblical epic back then, amid cheery product pitches, suddenly there was the image of a little girl pulling petals from a daisy and … [Read more...] about Scariest Political Commercial Ever