Here's a riddle for you: How can the Medicare "doc fix" payments be considered part of the spending that Republicans say will be saved by repealing the Affordable Care Act if those payments would remain even after repeal? … [Read more...] about Paul Krugman on GOP’s “War on Logic”
Get Your House Free And Clear If You Live In Utah!
More MERS related mess. … [Read more...] about Get Your House Free And Clear If You Live In Utah!
Martin Luther King Jr.’s Message Still Resonating
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. On the occasion, my hometown newspaper published a wonderful editorial appropriately titled, “Still resonating in America: MLK's message of peace ... and senseless violence.” USA Today also had an excellent opinion piece titled “MLK was a religious visionary, too.” Both are right. King was a visionary on many fronts. Witness his … [Read more...] about Martin Luther King Jr.’s Message Still Resonating
MLK, Jr., Civil Disobedience and the Tea Party Movement
As an African-American and a Republican (as was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), I think it is important to clarify the meaning of the phrases "civil discourse" and "civil disobedience." In the height of the civil rights movement, Dr. King and his followers adapted the strategy of civil disobedience used effectively by Gandhi in India. People from across the country (white and … [Read more...] about MLK, Jr., Civil Disobedience and the Tea Party Movement
Love as a Concealed Weapon
Martin Luther King always made it clear his mission was more than just passive resistance to evil. At the start of the Montgomery bus boycott, he told followers, “If we are arrested every day, if we are exploited every day, if we are trampled over every day, don’t ever let anyone pull you so low as to hate him. We must use the weapon of love.” In the years that followed, … [Read more...] about Love as a Concealed Weapon
Is Texas’ Gov. Rick Perry Running for President?
Is Texas Governor Rick Perry gearing up for a run for President? Some see the signs and the issue has come up. And now National Review lends more credence to the speculation: Texas governor Rick Perry’s high-profile battle with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) couldn’t have come at a better time. The fight may not be over in time for the 2012 presidential … [Read more...] about Is Texas’ Gov. Rick Perry Running for President?
Civility Along the Great Chasm
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Civility Along the Great Chasm
Balance The Budget
Another of the many 'balance the budget' programs, this time from the NYT I'll be curious to see how folks tackle this. I presume some will do nothing but spending cuts while others will focus mostly on tax hikes and cutting the military. But it's a fun exercise … [Read more...] about Balance The Budget
Health Care and the New Civility
WASHINGTON -- President Obama's call for "a more civil and honest public discourse" will get its first test much sooner than we expected. Having properly postponed all legislative action last week out of respect for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the other victims of the Tucson shootings, the House Republican leadership decided it could abide no further delay in a vote on … [Read more...] about Health Care and the New Civility
The Essence of American Politics Captured In One Photo
Here's a photo that perfectly captures the essence of American politics. It features a young boy, a wooden dummy and a human dummy. … [Read more...] about The Essence of American Politics Captured In One Photo
Repeal No Replace
Come on, Repubs, give Bill Kristol something to work with, won't you? I mean, don't leave him flapping on the line like a fish gasping for life, guys! That's not nice! … [Read more...] about Repeal No Replace
Tunisia’s revolution is exhilarating for all Arabs
The Jasmine revolution in Tunisia holds a beacon of renewal for the North African Arab countries (Algeria, Morocco and Egypt), if it succeeds in permanently dethroning dictatorship. Dictator Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, who ruled for 23 years through repression while enriching his family, fled to Saudi Arabia leaving the Prime Minister in charge. But the tens of thousands of … [Read more...] about Tunisia’s revolution is exhilarating for all Arabs
Chris Colfer Dedicates Golden Globe To Bullied Kids
As most of my readers will know I am a big fan of the Fox series Glee and I am over the moon with Chris Colfer winning the Golden Globe for best supporting actor. The sincerity of his shocked reaction to winning and his emotional acceptance speech were wonderful but even more touching was the fact that he dedicated the award to bullied kids. For those who do not know the … [Read more...] about Chris Colfer Dedicates Golden Globe To Bullied Kids
Tantrum Alert
Jaw-dropping. … [Read more...] about Tantrum Alert
Attack on Giffords a ‘Footnote in Year of Economic Crisis’: Beijing Youth Daily, People’s Republic of China
Whether or not a lack of gun control is behind the attack on U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and those that came to meet her at a Tucson supermarket, according to this op-ed by scholar Xu Lifan of China's state-run Beijing Youth Daily, the shooting won’t do a thing to dent America's penchant for guns or the rules that govern gun ownership. Rather, he suggests, Americans … [Read more...] about Attack on Giffords a ‘Footnote in Year of Economic Crisis’: Beijing Youth Daily, People’s Republic of China
Australia’s “Biblical Disaster” Floods VIDEOS
The floods in Australia have been catastrophic and the images have been dramatic. Here are some of them. Water swamps Brisbane: And Queensland: With images of dramatic rescues: And flash floods to NE Australia: It is being called a disaster of Biblical proportions: … [Read more...] about Australia’s “Biblical Disaster” Floods VIDEOS
Gun Controls Pokes Its Ugly Head Up Every Time A Senseless Killing Occurs
I come to you today to discuss the broad aspects of the Second Amendment and not specific legislation that may or may not affect it serving Americans. The issue of gun controls pokes its ugly head up every time a senseless killing occurs as commonly as the sun rises in the East. The latest national scar is the six people shot dead and 13 wounded by a man whom we all … [Read more...] about Gun Controls Pokes Its Ugly Head Up Every Time A Senseless Killing Occurs
Civility? Maybe. Maybe Not. (Guest Voice)
Civility? Maybe. Maybe not. by Prairie Weather James Fallows has been asking his readers to email him their thoughts on civility. Some excerpts: In the private sector people are mostly polite because it's good for business and crucial to getting things done. The harshness that we find in the public political discourse is the result of self-selection: only the nasty … [Read more...] about Civility? Maybe. Maybe Not. (Guest Voice)
Goodbye, Bill Maher
Watching him has always been a guilty pleasure, like taking your id out to the park for a backed-up dump of anger and hostility, but Bill Maher's season premiere at the end of a traumatic week persuades one watcher to take a small step for Mankind's civility by clicking off the remote forever. All that hyperbole now induces more guilt than pleasure in a time when … [Read more...] about Goodbye, Bill Maher
McCain Defends Obama: A Split With Sarah Palin?
So is it another about face that means a shift (or re-shift) or is it a perfunctory, lip service bow to the "old John McCain?" Arizona Senator John McCain, a politician who seemed to be working hard to shed his old persona, reverted to his old persona in an Op-Ed piece in the Washington Post where he praised Barack Obama's Tucson shooting speech, defended Obama's patriotism … [Read more...] about McCain Defends Obama: A Split With Sarah Palin?