A new PPP Poll brings a double whammy of bad news for Republicans: House Republicans are so unpopular now that the GOP could lose the House in the 2012 elections -- and independents are removing their support from Republicans in droves: PPP's newest national poll finds that after a little more than 3 months in charge House Republicans have fallen so far out of favor with the … [Read more...] about PPP Poll: House Republicans So Unpopular GOP Could Lose House in 2012
Will the Real Barack Obama Please Stand Up?
Will the real Barack Obama please stand up? Last week’s budget melodrama that nearly led to a government shut down ended with this truth about Obama: neither his liberal base nor Republicans fear him. Both sides feel he is someone who eventually “caves.” The word “caves” is now as tiresome as the phrases “false equivalency,” “just don’t get it,” or “defining moment.” In … [Read more...] about Will the Real Barack Obama Please Stand Up?
UK Report Shines Bright Light On Mobile Phone Costs
Oxford mathematicians have developed a tool that allows British consumers to analyze their mobile phone bills and figure out the most affordable subscription plan. Their analysis suggests that shifting to the right plan (one more atune to actual usage) would save British consumers £4.899 billion annually. That's $8 billion. (If the comparison were one-to-one, that would be … [Read more...] about UK Report Shines Bright Light On Mobile Phone Costs
Question: How Are The Federal Reserve Programs Different Than ‘Just Handing Rich People Money?’ Answer: It’s Not
So says Matt Taibbi, "It is as though someone sat down and made a list of every individual on earth who actually did not need emergency financial assistance from the United States government, and then handed them the keys to the public treasure." Maybe we should just use non-recourse 0% interest loans from the Federal Reserve to balance the budget? We could use 1% of the … [Read more...] about Question: How Are The Federal Reserve Programs Different Than ‘Just Handing Rich People Money?’ Answer: It’s Not
Arizona’s SB 1070 One Step Closer To The Supreme Court
Sometimes referred to as the “Papers Please” law, Arizona’s SB 1070 is the state law that requires local officials to check immigration status where reasonable suspicion exists that a person might be an illegal alien. Federal District Court Judge Bolton found that four provisions of the law violated the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution, Article VI, section 2. … [Read more...] about Arizona’s SB 1070 One Step Closer To The Supreme Court
Mitt Announces the Day Before ‘RomneyCare’ Anniversary
I don’t think Barack Obama will have a hard time defeating his Republican opponent in 2012, barring a financial meltdown or a major foreign crisis. It’s a Democratic opponent he should worry about. [...] As for Mitt Romney, who, if you stretch things a bit, is a semi-celebrity, he has a shot at the presidency only if the economy falls apart and Americans really think a … [Read more...] about Mitt Announces the Day Before ‘RomneyCare’ Anniversary
Budget Priorities (Cartoon)
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Budget Priorities (Cartoon)
Tax Time Miseries (Guest Voice)
Tax-Time Miseries by Tom Purcell Boy, are accountants going through a rough patch now -- even rougher than we taxpayers are. Despite software that has greatly simplified tax preparation, American accountants suffer a host of daily aggravations. They're responsible for filing on behalf of some 82 million U.S. taxpayers and for understanding the U.S. tax code's 5,600 … [Read more...] about Tax Time Miseries (Guest Voice)
Obama’s Next Great Speech (Ho-Hum?)
The familiar pattern emerges: Aides spin a preview, he delivers an admirable speech, nothing changes. How did Barack Obama morph from an inspiring orator to a professorial President without the power to lead? Yes, yes: a crashing economy, wall-to-wall GOP resistance, Tea Party insanity... Granted, but there must be more. "I'd rather be a really good one-term president," … [Read more...] about Obama’s Next Great Speech (Ho-Hum?)
Report: Trump Will ‘Probably’ Run as Independent If He Doesn’t Win GOP Nomination
Could Donald Trump run as an independent if (as expected) he doesn't get the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination? Could you soon hear a sudden about face on the part of talk show hosts who have been complimenting him since he became a high profile media of Barack Obama, birtherism and all and now sounds like he could hurt the GOP vote? Could he find down the road that his … [Read more...] about Report: Trump Will ‘Probably’ Run as Independent If He Doesn’t Win GOP Nomination
Obama and Boehner: Finding Middle Ground (Cartoon)
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Obama and Boehner: Finding Middle Ground (Cartoon)
God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut
(Portions originally published upon Vonnegut's death on April 12, 2008) The pang of sadness that I felt when I read that Kurt Vonnegut had left this mortal coil was a bit deeper than the mere fact that like a lot of folks of my generation I went head over heels over everything this counterculture idol wrote. As it is, I work in a rare book and manuscript library … [Read more...] about God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut
‘Happy Talk’ Conceals U.S. Drug War Encroachment on Mexico (La Jornada, Mexico)
Could it be that the escalating violence in Mexico is a sign of 'success' for that nation's ongoing war on drugs? According to this incredulous editorial from Mexico's La Jornada, the fact that U.S. officials have been making such a claim is yet more evidence that the U.S. is calling the shots in that war, and to admit how badly things are going would be to show the failure of … [Read more...] about ‘Happy Talk’ Conceals U.S. Drug War Encroachment on Mexico (La Jornada, Mexico)
Dodgers and Giants Come Together
I don't normally post sports related stuff but thought this was worth reporting. For those who may have missed the story this all stems from an incident at a Dodgers/Giants game in Los Angeles. A Giants fan was beaten into a coma by a couple of thugs who came to the game. Needless to say 99.99% of the LA fans are horrified over what happened and they are holding fundraisers … [Read more...] about Dodgers and Giants Come Together
But They Won’t!
Matt Yglesias correctly points out that the Obama administration and the Democrats don't have to be held hostage when the rise in the debt ceiling comes up and he has a plan. This isn’t a sudden “shutdown.” Nor is is true that we have to default on obligations to our bondholders. Rather, it means that government outlays are now limited by the quantity of inbound tax … [Read more...] about But They Won’t!
Chicago School Bans Homemade Lunches
Not much to say other than post the link and let you all sound off. … [Read more...] about Chicago School Bans Homemade Lunches
Tories On Cusp Of Majority ?
New polls suggest that the Canadian Conservative party could be on the verge of winning an absolute majority in the upcoming May 2nd elections. If this happens it would be ironic since the Tories had a minority government that was defeated in a no confidence vote by the other parties. On the other hand given the problems facing most Western economies these days I'm not sure … [Read more...] about Tories On Cusp Of Majority ?
Man In Space Plus 50
I know it's been a while since I posted regularly and I hope that once I get past tax season that I'll have more time to write (assuming of course anyone wants to read my ramblings, both right wing and left wing depending on who you ask). But I had to take some time to mark the 50th anniversary we celebrate this week, the conquest of space by human beings. On 12 April … [Read more...] about Man In Space Plus 50
Raymond Davis and the American ‘Indo-Zionists’ (Pak Tribune, Pakistan)
Make room in your lexicon for yet another way to refer to neoconservatives. If Pakistan had prosecuted Raymond Davis for murder, would that have given American 'Indo-Zionists', aka/neocons, just the excuse they needed to "devastate Pakistan" the way they did Iraq? For the Pak Tribune, columnist Usman Khalid writes that it was better to let Pakistani intelligence quietly … [Read more...] about Raymond Davis and the American ‘Indo-Zionists’ (Pak Tribune, Pakistan)
Supply and Demand in Paul Ryan’s District
It seems that Paul Ryan's proposal to cut the deficit by privatizing Medicare and eliminating Medicaid doesn't sit too well with his constituents. Obviously, Ryan isn't overly concerned by that. And why should he be? He's a monopoly in his district: … [Read more...] about Supply and Demand in Paul Ryan’s District