Cam Cardow, The Ottawa Citizen This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Hope Revisited
An Opportunity To Help
Gary Farber, who writes the blog Amygdala, needs our help, folks. He has been struggling for years with severe clinical depression as well as other serious conditions, and now his application for SSD has been denied, and he has to file an appeal. In addition, and not coincidentally, he is dealing with serious financial problems. … [Read more...] about An Opportunity To Help
The Insanity of Exempting Military From Spending Freeze
Glenn Greenwald's article about the automatic, unquestioned exemption of military spending from inclusion in the spending freeze Barack Obama reportedly plans to announce in the SOTU tomorrow evening has this stunning pie chart: … [Read more...] about The Insanity of Exempting Military From Spending Freeze
Quote for the Day: Populists
"Ever since I started covering politics, the Democratic ruling class has been driven by one fantasy: that voters will get so furious at people with M.B.A.’s that they will hand power to people with Ph.D.’s. The Republican ruling class has been driven by the fantasy that voters will get so furious at people with Ph.D.’s that they will hand power to people with M.B.A.’s. Members … [Read more...] about Quote for the Day: Populists
Nah, That Would Be a Sucker’s Bet
Greg Sargent, noting a new CNN poll that shows, for the first time since Barack Obama has been in office, that a higher percentage of Americans think that Democratic Party control of Congress is bad for the country than think it's good for the country, puts the question to us: … [Read more...] about Nah, That Would Be a Sucker’s Bet
Obama the Fiscal Conservative?
The "next big thing" has arrived in the political arena this week, though how "big" it will really turn out to be remains to be seen. President Obama, proving once and for all that he actually is capable of reading poll numbers, is proposing a three year spending freeze on domestic discretionary spending. Before you deficit hawks get too excited, we're talking about roughly 20% … [Read more...] about Obama the Fiscal Conservative?
Year Two of Obama: ‘A Solar System with No Sun’ – Financial Times Deutschland, Germany
The global fretting over Obama's first year in office is striking. If Arabs are disappointed with President Obama for failing to resolve the intractable problems of the Middle East, Ines Zottl of the Financial Times Deutschland writes that Europeans should fear his complete 'abdication' of American leadership. For the the Financial Times Deutschland, Ines Zottl writes in … [Read more...] about Year Two of Obama: ‘A Solar System with No Sun’ – Financial Times Deutschland, Germany
Hollywood’s First Movie: A Centenary Celebration
America, or the entire cinematic world, celebrates next month the centenary of Hollywood's first movie. The filming in February 1910 of D. W. Griffith's "In Old California" was considered a cultural landmark. Equally fascinating are the details about the development of Hollywood (situated just 11 kms from Los Angeles) coinciding with the birth of the first movie. Director … [Read more...] about Hollywood’s First Movie: A Centenary Celebration
Always on Your Side
I think this song is just exquisite. … [Read more...] about Always on Your Side
Barack Obama: A Dream in Reverse! – El Watan, Algeria
It's the season of discontent over President Obama. Wherever one looks, both in and out of the United States, people are disappointed - and the Arab world is no exception. For Algeria's El Watan, columnist Hassan Moali writes that entrenched interests and the pro-Israel lobby have overcome the desire of President Obama to recast U.S. foreign policy and that he 'obviously … [Read more...] about Barack Obama: A Dream in Reverse! – El Watan, Algeria
A Really Big Surrender
You think that a homeowner surrendering a house is a big deal.... Check this out This does not help with my fears of the pending commercial real estate market collapse either. … [Read more...] about A Really Big Surrender
Herbert Hoover Returns to the White House
A snip from Barack Obama's interview with Diane Sawyer: … [Read more...] about Herbert Hoover Returns to the White House
Haiti: On Avenue Poupelard, Life Goes On
Tomorrow it will be two weeks since that massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti. I have written on the efforts by the U.S. and other countries, organizations and individuals to rescue those trapped in the rubble and to save lives, to treat the injured and to reduce the immense suffering. There have been many stories on the stoicism, the perseverance and the … [Read more...] about Haiti: On Avenue Poupelard, Life Goes On
(Guest Contributor): Discipline Government, Too!
Hello there, Dr. E. here. The following is a Guest Contributor opinion column by Will Marshall, who is the founder and president of the Progressive Policy Institute, which describes its blog as "...Lively political commentary informed by rigorous analysis and evidence. Inspired wonkery — a constant stream of bold ideas for solving big public problems. And a distinctly … [Read more...] about (Guest Contributor): Discipline Government, Too!
Keeping the Poor in Jail To Ensure Bail Bondsmen Face No Competition
NPR ran an important three part story last week on the half-million people sitting in jail -- petty, nonviolent offenders who are there for only one reason -- because they can't make bail. It's an expensive proposition; in Broward County, FL, for example, jail costs $115 a day per inmate. A far cheaper alternative, a pretrial program in Broward costs about $7 a day. That … [Read more...] about Keeping the Poor in Jail To Ensure Bail Bondsmen Face No Competition
The Philsophical Obama: Shrugs Off Single Term Possibility
It sounds as if President Barack Obama is at peace with himself no matter what polls and the (see sawing) conventional wisdom say about him. Here are some excerpts from his upcoming interview with ABC News Tonight's host Diane Sawyer (who is giving the show a ratings boost since she took over): "I'd rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term … [Read more...] about The Philsophical Obama: Shrugs Off Single Term Possibility
A Break For Low-Income Borrowers After College
The Chronicle: The president's new student-loan plan would sweeten a program known as income-based repayment, created by Congress in 2007, in which borrowers with a federally subsidized loan are required to make payments on the loan each year that total no more than 15 percent of their discretionary income. The new proposal could cut that maximum payment to 10 percent, and … [Read more...] about A Break For Low-Income Borrowers After College
One-Word State of the Union
A Gallup poll confirms that rank-and-file GOP members have followed their leaders in saying "no" to Barack Obama with the widest gap in approval ratings by party for any first-year president in history, 23 percent against 65 for Democrats. Obama, who started as a wannabe conciliator, faces his first State of the Union with a one-word reality: fractured. Now, the White House … [Read more...] about One-Word State of the Union
More Bad Economic News: Existing Home Sales Take Biggest Fall In 40 Years
Increasingly, if the Democrats want to analyze why they are now sinking in the polls (and votes) you get back to the old slogan: "It's the economy, stupid." And the latest economic news is grim, indeed: Existing-home sales took their biggest tumble in at least 40 years last month as the impact of a buying spree spurred by a tax credit for first-time buyers waned, according … [Read more...] about More Bad Economic News: Existing Home Sales Take Biggest Fall In 40 Years
Is The Ghost Of Don Johnson Haunting Democrats ?
No, I'm not talking about the former Miami Vice star (though certainly he might haunt the dreams of some). I am refering to former Congressman Celete "Don" Johnson (D-GA). Johnson had a distinguished and successful career in Georgia politics. He was a graduate of the London School Of Economics who served as staff counsel to the House Ways and Means Committee. Then he … [Read more...] about Is The Ghost Of Don Johnson Haunting Democrats ?